Without bothering with Feng Liao and others still standing like wooden posts under the corridor and in the courtyard, Han Qian pushed the door open and entered the room.
The furnace burned vigorously, the room steaming with heat. Han Qian removed his heavy official robe. Seeing Feng Liao venture inside, he ignored him, walking straight to the desk to sit down, spreading open a teaching plan that hadn’t been revised yet, lifting his brush to annotate.
Feng Liao glanced at Xi Ren, momentarily unable to figure out what Han Qian was truly thinking, hoping Xi Ren could give him some hint.
Xi Ren took the official robe Han Qian had removed and hung it on the wooden frame in the corner.
After hesitating a while, Feng Liao said: “The others all learned today for the first time that you have such intentions. Inevitably they have trouble accepting it—”
“Have you accepted it?” Han Qian turned around, looking at Feng Liao and asking.
“I…” Feng Liao mumbled for a moment, then said, “I think, what Feng Yi said does have some merit. Consider how glorious Li Yu was during his southern and northern campaigns. When he surrendered military authority back then, naturally he had the great heart to let the people rest and recuperate, hoping Emperor Tianyou could ultimately return troops to the court, bringing eternal peace to the Jianghuai lands. But things didn’t necessarily go as he wished. And even so, Emperor Tianyou didn’t believe in his loyalty. Consider when Liang forces invaded Jing-Xiang in great numbers—how urgent the situation was! Emperor Tianyou had no choice but to personally command the campaign, yet he still never thought of employing Li Yu. The rift between you and His Highness has already formed. I worry that if we retreat to Xuzhou this time, even if His Highness faces a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships in the future, he still won’t think of us…”
“You think I’m playing advance-by-retreat games with His Highness, that I’m spinning my own cocoon to trap myself?” Han Qian asked.
“I didn’t say that,” Feng Liao denied, yet continued, “Never mind Li Pu—Zhang Xiang has had no contact with Prince Zhedong’s mansion all these years. When Li Yu died of illness, his son Li Xiu was right there at Sitian Dun but didn’t keep vigil at his bedside. This shows that all these years, they haven’t all agreed with Li Yu’s approach.”
“Alas!”
Han Qian sighed softly, pushing open the window to see Feng Yi, Kong Xirong and others standing in the courtyard craning their necks to look this way, not having left.
Li Yu once said that even with his prestige, he hadn’t been able to change those around him—these words were actually quite true.
Before Li Yu died, he left a will hoping to be buried in a chosen location at Guangde Fort. One layer of meaning was hoping his son Li Xiu could be slightly closer to Chishan Army’s side, having somewhat more affection. But his son Li Xiu ultimately insisted on dispatching people to transport Li Yu’s remains to Sitian Dun for burial.
Though Sitian Dun currently also belonged within Guangde Military Commissioner Prefecture’s territory, less than a hundred li from Guangde Fort, Li Xiu’s action—rather than showing closeness to Chishan Army or to him, Han Qian—could be said to be resistance against his father Li Yu’s final will and wishes.
Loyalty without reason had never existed, nor had betrayal without cause. Now he could forcibly require Feng Liao, Feng Yi, Kong Xirong, Zhou Chu and them to comply with his orders, but he couldn’t prevent them from having their own thoughts and pursuing their own interests.
Of course, those standing in this courtyard—at this moment their thoughts might be more about feeling it wasn’t worth it for him, feeling it was unjust, but deep in their hearts they still viewed everyone as a single entity.
His determination to relinquish military authority after the war meant they were unwilling to separate from this entity, which also meant following him to abandon power and interests that could originally be obtained easily.
Even if Left Guangde Army didn’t participate in later stages of recovering Jinling, based on current military achievements, plus the Third Prince urgently needing direct loyal followers to control the court and various prefectures after succeeding to the throne—with more experience, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, Zhao Wuji, Zhou Chu and others should be actually appointed high military positions at commandant or even deputy commander level. Assigned to localities, they should at least receive middle to high official posts like provincial military commissioner or provincial administrative commissioner, even going out to govern subordinate provincial governors was not impossible.
The Feng family had been convicted of treason by Emperor Tianyou and had their clan confiscated. But when initially planning the vassal reduction campaign, one reason Feng Liao agreed to cooperate in relocating Feng clan members to Xuzhou was the wish that after the Third Prince succeeded to the throne, he could pardon the Feng family’s crimes.
Requiring everyone to possess the heart to sacrifice themselves for the people’s welfare was abnormal. Conversely, each person having their own interest demands was not excessive.
When Li Yu went into seclusion, Zhang Xiang was just over thirty—in his prime years for establishing merit and career. Was it realistic to ask him to abandon everything to follow Li Yu into mountain forests in retirement?
Similarly, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, Zhao Wuji, Zhou Chu—each one had merit from following the dragon. Now he was asking them to set all this aside, retreat with him to remote Xuzhou—and he wanted them to have no thoughts about it? Was that realistic?
Thinking of this, Han Qian sighed slightly in his heart. He pulled over a chair and sat before the window, looking at Feng Liao with heartfelt sincerity: “At this time, probably only Wang Wenqian, Yang Yuanyan, and Liang Emperor Zhu Yu and others urgently hope I have ambitions to seize power from chaos. But you must remember one thing—since ancient times, no hero has truly succeeded in seizing from chaos. Anyone with such thoughts has always made wedding clothes for others!”
Feng Liao said: “The old master devoted himself heart and soul to the people, enduring brutal torture without changing his will. Even if we have unwilling thoughts, we wouldn’t be confused enough to urge you to seize from chaos. Everyone also hopes to end this war as soon as possible. But after recovering Jinling and His Highness succeeds to the throne, regarding where to go and what to follow—perhaps having some different thoughts—let me speak presumptuously: my lord, you cannot demand everyone have no thoughts of their own at all.”
“Continue…” Han Qian said.
“I think, even if it’s not very possible for the court to specially allocate several hundred thousand strings of cash annually from revenue to fill Guangde Military Commissioner Prefecture’s expenditure gap, or even if Guangde Military Commissioner Prefecture is too close to Jinling and will always keep His Highness and Li Pu and others from sleeping soundly—if my lord requests to lead Left Guangde Army and over two hundred thousand women and children across the river to garrison and defend Shouzhou, resisting Liang forces on the central front while also containing Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan—surely no one would compete with you for this bitter assignment?”
Han Qian said: “Do you really think that by proposing to cross the river to garrison Shouzhou as a condition, I could truly grasp Left Guangde Army’s military authority, truly bring all two hundred-plus thousand old, weak, women and children across?”
“The general trend has formed. Everyone competes for merit. Besides us, no other family will preserve strength when dividing the greatest credit. Even if Jinling can’t be captured before year’s end, besieging Jinling City presents no problem. His Highness succeeding to the throne is just a matter of one or two months earlier or later,” Feng Liao said. “After His Highness succeeds to the throne, Yang Zhitang and imperial relatives, besides preserving Hongzhou’s basic foundation, will certainly place their operational interest focus on Jinling and Jiangnan Eastern Circuit prefectures—His Highness at that time may also be more inclined to employ imperial clan members heavily to defend state and altars. Besides Yang Zhitang, the Zheng clan should turn their gaze to Jing-Xiang. The Zhang clan should want to consolidate their power in Lang-Yue regions. Moreover, Zhang Han’s qualifications are too shallow—far from sufficient to compete with you for the opportunity to lead forces across the river to garrison Shouzhou. After the war, Prince Xinchang’s mansion will mostly likely focus on Shaozhou and Hengzhou, so they can take Yongzhou in the near term. The benefits there are enough for them to digest for quite a while. Shouzhou’s situation is most complex, with strong enemies on both flanks. Besides you, who dares pat their chest and say that garrisoning Shouzhou, they definitely won’t make mistakes?”
“When I initially taught His Highness power tactics and cunning schemes to preserve myself, once His Highness succeeds to the throne, he will inevitably first use power tactics and cunning schemes on me—this is the first point.”
Han Qian knew Feng Yi and others couldn’t think things through this thoroughly. But Feng Liao mainly wanted to find a way to preserve everyone’s current basic interests from damage. But there were no perfect solutions in the world.
“Bringing two to three hundred thousand women and children to Shouzhou, in that contested land turning them all into military households little better than slaves—this violates my initial promise to them. Breaking promises means no trustworthiness—this is the second point. Third, they already have a clear candidate to defend Shouzhou.”
“What candidate do they have?” After thinking for a while, Feng Liao didn’t know what suitable candidate Yang Yuanpu could have to lead troops to recover and garrison Shouzhou after recovering Jinling.
Han Qian said: “With today’s victory report from Jiangzhou arriving, I thought you would have figured it out?”
“…” Feng Liao was slightly startled. After thinking for a long time, he didn’t know what he should have understood. His eyes looked at Han Qian in confusion and asked: “You mean Li Zhigao? Li Zhigao achieved great victory. When Li Pu heard the news, his expression was gloomy. I think after recovering Jinling, Li Zhigao advancing further is inevitable. But if I were Li Pu, I’d rather let my lord’s prominence be even stronger—at that time it’s also convenient for him to rally more people to target you—better than letting Li Zhigao completely escape his control!”
“When did Li Pu ever amount to anything? You underestimate that Lü Qingxia beside the Grand Consort. Li Zhigao is the one she truly devoted effort to cultivating—or supporting!” Han Qian said.
“How is that possible?” Feng Liao jumped up as if someone had stepped on his tail, not understanding how Han Qian could think this way!
“So after you returned to Xuzhou, you’ve always been wary of Li Zhigao!” Xi Ren standing to the side, hearing this point, also couldn’t help but interject with emotion.
Han Qian stood before the window, silent for a long time, letting Feng Liao and Xi Ren digest this news.
In the dream world’s predetermined historical process, after great chaos erupted in Jinling and the Jianghuai region, Li Zhigao had still been active in Jiangnan for quite a long time, even claiming to be a descendant of the previous dynasty’s imperial clan—though historical records didn’t acknowledge this point, considering it merely Li Zhigao’s small trick to bewitch people’s hearts.
However, in such chaos, Li Zhigao could only achieve this by receiving the remnant forces of Prince Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Tower. Yet this contradicted Han Qian’s observations of the relationship between Li Zhigao and Li Pu, Chai Jian, Li Chong and others.
So Han Qian had long suspected the possibility of Wanhong Tower having another arrangement for Li Zhigao. Only now had he received confirmation.
Though novelists loved using ambush tactics, how could Han Qian not know how difficult it was to dispatch an elite ambush force of over a thousand into enemy territory without being discovered?
This couldn’t be explained by enemy negligence. Rather, before Li Zhigao dispatched the ambush force, he had already been certain the enemy’s scout reconnaissance system would necessarily have oversights allowing them to exploit openings.
Otherwise, who would easily sacrifice over a thousand direct elite troops to take such a risk without even twenty to thirty percent chance of success?
Li Zhigao had only officially gone out to garrison Ezhou around June—where would he have time to insert sufficient spies into Jiangzhou defending forces’ scout reconnaissance system?
Only Wanhong Tower, as the Divine Mausoleum Bureau’s remnant forces in Jianghuai, still had imaginable potential to be exploited.
At this time, Han Qian naturally wouldn’t use the dream world’s historical trajectory to explain anything to Feng Liao and Xi Ren, saying: “Originally, Sichuan-Shu’s Divine Strategy Army and Divine Mausoleum Bureau were both under Tian Lingzi’s governance. Shu Lord Wang Jian was merely an unremarkable, unexceptional commandant within the Divine Strategy Army. But after the previous dynasty’s collapse, the power Tian Lingzi had cultivated rapidly disintegrated, yet Wang Jian rapidly rose with Divine Mausoleum Bureau’s Shu Division’s support, controlling both Sichuan provinces—if we say this is Divine Mausoleum Bureau’s most commonly used tactical pattern, can you think of some things?”
“My lord means that Lü Qingxia, being a woman, finds it inconvenient to directly control military authority herself. But she also must guard against Li Pu becoming too powerful to control after growing strong. So she necessarily would have planted a secret piece to check him early on, and Li Zhigao is that secret piece?” Feng Liao drew in a sharp breath, asking in shock.
Li Zhigao had talent for military governance and command. His conduct and affairs were pragmatic yet extremely decisive.
Especially during the early Jing-Xiang campaign, Li Zhigao had been willing to risk breaking with Prince Xinchang’s mansion and everyone, with his adoptive father Li Pu, joining hands with Han Qian to counter-check Chai Jian, Li Chong and others, returning authority to Yang Yuanpu. Such decisiveness—Feng Liao also greatly admired.
In Feng Liao’s view, Li Zhigao was Han Qian’s most steadfast ally. Even if Yang Yuanpu might suspect Han Qian, Li Zhigao should help speak up for this side, not stand forth to compete with Han Qian for the opportunity to garrison Shouzhou.
How could Feng Liao have imagined such a possibility still existed?
Han Qian took a letter report from his bosom and handed it to Feng Liao, saying: “Besides today’s victory report sent by Jiangzhou’s messenger, Yang Qin already delivered a letter report to Nantang Fort half a day ago. The two appear largely the same, but the small differences are worth pondering.”
Yang Qin leading a thousand Xuzhou soldiers and over thirty warships had also received conscription this time, incorporated into the Five-Tusk Army naval forces, together escorting Riverine Pacification Army forces advancing eastward—Yang Qin was currently beside Li Zhigao, naturally having closer observation of the battle capturing Jiangzhou.
Comparing the differences and similarities of the two letter reports, Feng Liao indeed found some extremely inconspicuous details. If Han Qian hadn’t directly reminded him, he might not even have noticed them. After pondering for a long time, he asked again: “If Li Zhigao is Lü Qingxia’s secret piece, the problem is—how can Lü Qingxia be certain Li Zhigao can be used by her? Li Zhigao is not someone easier to control than Li Pu!”
That Lü Qingxia could manipulate Li Pu wasn’t hard to understand. After all, Li Pu had mainly relied on Lü Qingxia to reach this point. Li Pu couldn’t leave Lü Qingxia—at least needed to bind himself together with Lü Qingxia to preserve his current power and position. But how could someone like Li Zhigao easily become a puppet controlled by others?
“The year Liang Taizu poisoned the previous dynasty’s Emperor Zhaozong, two young sons among the imperial clan died young afterward. But I sent people to secretly dig up these two young sons’ tombs—both were empty graves!” Han Qian said.
“What?” Feng Liao never imagined such a possibility could exist. But this way, Han Qian’s various speculations logically connected.
Feng Liao sat there dumbfounded. This secret Han Qian spoke of was too shocking for him—for a long time he didn’t know what to say.
Li Zhigao might actually be one of the two previous dynasty imperial clan youths who disappeared back then?
Feng Liao also deeply felt the gap between himself and Han Qian. Probably this invisible enormous gap was why he couldn’t see the suspicious aspects about Li Zhigao no matter what?
After quite a while, Feng Liao finally swallowed and said with difficulty: “The situation is more complex than I thought. But my lord going to Jinling to seize military authority from Li Pu’s hands—in anyone’s eyes this is a great taboo. My lord truly has no retreat! Let Feng Liao speak presumptuously: my lord, even if you surrender military authority today, no matter how upright your actions and heart, in His Highness’s view it’s merely ‘Duke of Zhou feared slander days, Wang Mang humble before usurping times.’ Moreover, you initially taught him power tactics and cunning schemes.”
“You all have such thoughts—fundamentally you still feel Xuzhou is remote and isolated, difficult to accomplish anything!” Han Qian said. “Xuzhou’s foundation is shallow, which is precisely why I must return to Xuzhou. And Xuzhou was properly bestowed upon me by His Highness. Additionally, I have a way to slightly salvage His Highness’s trust in me—at least up to now, I have a clear conscience toward His Highness. The secret about Li Zhigao must not be spread outside. As for the rest, do more work on Feng Yi and others—don’t bother me with this matter again. And those with hearts wanting to remain in Jinling is absolutely not a bad thing. Whoever wants to remain in Jinling, I’ll also try my best to make arrangements for them. After all, after recovering Jinling, His Highness also needs capable people around him.”
Though Feng Liao still felt in his heart they shouldn’t easily surrender military authority and retreat to Xuzhou, thinking of how complex the situation would still be after recovering Jinling, he couldn’t think of any way to resolve so many contradictions and problems.
Unless Yueyang forces suffered major setbacks attacking Chizhou or under Jinling City, with the war continuing to drag on another year or two.
Only that way could they conveniently control the three counties of Liyang, Yangxian, and Jintan on Jieling Mountain’s northern foot, completely settle the nearly two hundred thousand excess women and children, and have one or two crop seasons mature and harvested from these fields. The three hundred-plus thousand women and children could all become self-sufficient, no longer severely dependent on external supplies. Only then would Left Guangde Army’s foundation be established.
If the war ended within two to three months, at that time when aristocratic families and powerful clans in Liyang, Yangxian, and Jintan counties clamored to reclaim land, while the financial system controlled by Li Pu, Zheng Yu and others cut off grain supplies to the three hundred-plus thousand women and children—what would they do?
Currently, though over eight thousand households of soldiers and families, totaling over fifty thousand people, had been granted fields and houses, with some mature fields having harvests after autumn, the grain obtained was limited.
Newly cultivated fields would only possibly have some harvest next summer and autumn. Soldiers and families settled on new fields, before having harvests, like other women and children not granted fields, needed them to supply a total of seventy to eighty thousand shi of grain monthly just to barely maintain survival.
Mining coal and iron in Langxi, Guangde, and Anji counties—currently the quantity wasn’t large enough, but also required surrounding prefectures willing to trade to exchange for scarce materials. Once the Third Prince recovered Jinling and succeeded to the throne, if Guangde Army’s relations with surrounding prefectures and counties tensed up again after having eased, with surrounding prefectures cutting off trade channels, they would immediately lack grain. What could they do then?
Thinking this way, Liang Emperor Zhu Yu dispatching troops to Xuzhou, forcing Chuzhou Army to withdraw to Huaidong—perhaps this was precisely targeting them, not giving them opportunity to digest so many women and children?
Of course, Feng Liao couldn’t go around saying such thoughts everywhere. Otherwise, revealing this point would only make the Third Prince and Li Pu and others even more wary of this side.
…
…
Feng Liao walked to the courtyard and indicated everyone should leave first, not disturbing Han Qian further. But after stepping out of the courtyard, Feng Yi still couldn’t help asking: “Brother, what do you say Han Qian is really thinking? We’re not being thieves, but we should still guard against them, right?”
Zhou Chu, Feng Xuan, Zhao Wuji, Zhao Qi and others—seeing Feng Liao had followed inside for quite a while, thinking Han Qian should have said some things to him—also turned their heads to look.
If matters aren’t kept secret, they fail.
The so-called problem of too many mouths didn’t mean someone truly had a heart of betrayal, but rather that each person would have corresponding reactions to different information, thus easily exposing flaws in observant people’s eyes.
For instance, regarding Li Zhigao’s matter—Han Qian keeping it secret until today was precisely to prevent Wanhong Tower’s side from knowing he had already guessed this most core, most critical secret. Only this way might Wanhong Tower expose flaws for their exploitation.
Feng Liao guessed that Han Qian’s determination to surrender military authority and withdraw to Xuzhou was also thinking of letting Wanhong Tower’s internal contradictions, letting the Third Prince’s contradictions with the Grand Consort and with Prince Xinchang’s mansion be exposed first!
Having reached this point, Li Pu at least wouldn’t have any greater ambitions or ideas. As long as he honestly softened toward the Third Prince, with the Third Prince holding great power and rising prestige, he wouldn’t hold past grudges. But if Li Zhigao was a previous dynasty imperial clan descendant, the situation would be completely different.
This would ultimately lead to serious conflict between Prince Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Tower’s ultimate goals. This also involved the Grand Consort. All this was truly getting lively!
And if Li Zhigao was truly a previous dynasty imperial clan descendant, surely he would also compete for the opportunity to garrison Xiangzhou or Shouzhou.
Thinking of this, Feng Liao couldn’t help but think—if Han Qian could slightly reduce Yang Yuanpu’s wariness toward him, advancing by retreating might not be a poor strategy.
Now some secrets couldn’t be told to Feng Yi and others. Feng Liao also had a headache. At present he could only deflect: “Chishan Army conscripting slaves to enlist makes aristocratic families extremely wary. And the late emperor and His Highness established the state through filial piety. My lord’s mourning period isn’t complete. Previously he only came to Jinling in the name of fulfilling the late master’s dying wish. So no matter what, after the war my lord needs to submit a memorial requesting to return to Xuzhou to observe mourning. As for whether His Highness demands he remain despite mourning at that time—that’s another matter…”
“If Han Qian truly submits a memorial requesting to return to Xuzhou to observe mourning, won’t His Highness just go along with it and agree?” Feng Yi smacked his lips and said.
“There’s also no way around that,” Feng Liao said. “My lord needs to return to Xuzhou to observe mourning. But if any of us are willing to remain and serve His Highness, that’s also possible. At the same time, we also need people to remain serving beside His Highness, lest His Highness is surrounded only by treacherous flatterers speaking ill of Xuzhou!”
Feng Liao’s thinking shifted to consider subsequent matters according to Han Qian’s plan to surrender military authority and return to Xuzhou. He also saw that some idle pieces Han Qian had placed earlier still had their purposes.
After surrendering military authority, how to handle Left Guangde Army and soldiers’ families could only be negotiated—they would lose initiative and autonomy.
At that time, even if the Third Prince gave Han Qian full face, honoring Han Qian’s promises to enlisted slaves while also rewarding these soldiers’ military achievements, the greatest possibility was still dispersing them for settlement, impossible to concentrate settlement near Guangde Military Commissioner Prefecture.
For most common people, the main desire was stability and peace. After being dispersed and granted fields for settlement, with their greatest demands satisfied, afterward at most occasionally remembering Han Qian’s kindness—don’t expect them to do anything else.
However, for some people, the moment they took up swords, bows, spears and halberds, the hot blood in their hearts was ignited. Though many of them viewed literacy learning classes as torture, having mastered basic organization and drill methods, having deeper understanding of the contemporary world, how could the hot blood ignited in their hearts possibly be extinguished?
Once they were dispersed and settled in prefectures and counties, with no other advancement paths and unwilling to be suppressed at the bottom without opportunity to rise—either through commerce and trade, or through contacting officials from Xuzhou origins, they would maintain contact with Xuzhou.
So they still needed quite many people to remain in Jinling or go separately to serve in other prefectures, counties and military.
On the other hand, Han Qian had the need to return to Xuzhou to observe mourning. Others having established great merit should properly receive the court’s promotion and rewards.