By mid-sixth month, Huaidong’s weather had already grown sweltering hot.

Though three months prior, Liang cavalry had withdrawn from Huaidong territory, Wang Wenqian on this journey traveling by carriage toward Chuzhou, riding alongside Yin Peng on horseback with over a hundred cavalry escorts, looking toward both sides of the post road, could still observe traces left by the fires of war.

Massive numbers of refugees displaced after dwellings and farmlands were destroyed, emaciated and skeletal, remained stranded between lakes and marshes on both sides, barely surviving on fish, shrimp, crabs, and snails. One could also observe signs that waterborne epidemics were spreading and expanding.

Though after reading Han Daoxun’s “Treatise on Epidemic Waters,” Wang Wenqian understood the relationship between consuming raw crabs and snails and waterborne epidemics, the problem was that prefectures and counties lacked capacity to settle and provide relief to so many starving refugees.

Without prefecture and county relief, these starving refugees struggled at death’s edge—how could one possibly demand they collect firewood, light fires to boil water, and cook fish and crabs before consuming them?

Though warfare within Huaidong territory had ended three months ago, after Emperor Liang Zhu Yu reorganized the River Fleet into Left and Right River Fleets, the Right River Fleet, stationed at Haizhou, frequently entered and exited the Huai River raiding the southern bank. Small-scale naval engagements hadn’t ceased for nearly three months.

Though Emperor Liang Zhu Yu had already led forty thousand elite cavalry back to Bianjing two months prior, leaving only Han Yuanqi commanding sixty thousand infantry and cavalry garrisoning Xu, Si, and Hai prefectures on the middle and lower Huai River’s north bank, currently appearing unable to launch another large-scale offensive against Huaidong, Huaidong’s losses in this engagement proved devastatingly severe.

Huaidong forces hadn’t suffered major destruction—accumulated casualties of three to four thousand before and after could be considered negligible compared to Huaidong army’s one hundred twenty thousand troops.

However, this engagement saw the entirety of Sizhou and Haizhou territories north of the Huai River completely fall into enemy hands.

Beyond most civilian households in Sizhou and Haizhou who lacked time to evacuate south from the northern bank, during Liang enemy’s large-scale raids on the southern bank, nearly one hundred thousand civilians from the southern bank plus tens of thousands of livestock were plundered by Liang forces to Haizhou and Sizhou, with deaths and injuries also numbering in the tens of thousands.

Even more devastating, production throughout Chuzhou and northern Yangzhou and Taizhou suffered severe devastation. Three to four hundred thousand dwellings were burned by arson, causing massive numbers of civilians to flee warfare chaos, flooding into Yangzhou and Taizhou as refugees.

Even without allocating additional funds and provisions to provide relief to these war-displaced refugees, after agricultural production suffered such devastating losses, this year’s three prefectures and seventeen counties’ summer grain collection would likely decline to approximately two to three-tenths of previous years’ levels.

Truly adding frost to snow!

The massive grain stockpiles Huaidong plundered from Jiangdong prefectures during the Jinling Incident were nearly exhausted by now. Particularly, the military farming system around Chuzhou suffered destructive devastation. Maintaining current expenditure budgets proved severely insufficient, yet they still needed to squeeze limited military resources to expand naval forces—increasingly constrained financially.

However, naval forces must be strengthened—without contesting control over the lower Huai River waterway networks, Huaidong’s subsequent situation would deteriorate further.

Under such financial constraints, they simply couldn’t allocate much funds and provisions to provide relief to war-displaced refugees, let alone help these refugees return home and rebuild dwellings.

Naturally, Huaidong army’s massive military expenditures had historical reasons.

Initially, when Prince Xin assumed command of Chuzhou forces from Li Yu, he controlled merely thirty thousand elite troops.

For control convenience, these forces weren’t directly incorporated into the Imperial Guard system—meaning these elite officers’ and soldiers’ families weren’t sent to garrison military districts in Runzhou, the capital region, and other locations for settlement. Instead, all remained in Chuzhou, constructing garrison forts along both Huai River banks, reclaiming farmland.

Chuzhou officers’ and soldiers’ treatment exceeded Imperial Guard military households. Beyond lacking military wages, armor, weapons, and warhorses plus draft animals were all covered by military expenses, making Chuzhou army’s thirty thousand elite troops’ expenditures significantly exceed comparable-scale Imperial Guards.

However, during early years under Han Daoxun’s efforts serving as Defense Commissioner Office Chief Secretary, Chuzhou army established relatively complete military farming systems along both Huai River banks, particularly the eastern Fanliang Lake region in southern Chuzhou. The Defense Commissioner Office possessed nearly one million mu of military reclamation farmland.

Previously, this military farming system alone annually provided over four hundred thousand shi of grain, totaling over two hundred thousand strings worth of various materials.

Adding central allocations of funds and provisions, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan at Chuzhou could maintain a thirty-thousand-strong elite force with room to spare.

Once larger-scale warfare arose, the court would also conscript forces from Yang, Tai, Run, and Su prefectures rushing to the Huai River for reinforcement. The Huaidong region had long maintained stability.

Around the Jinling Incident, Chuzhou army rapidly expanded to one hundred twenty thousand troops—personnel and horse scales quadrupled, yet military expenditures didn’t simply surge fourfold.

The existing military farming system lacked additional farmland to grant newly added officers and soldiers, necessitating military wages to support their families. To retain previous direct subordinate officers and soldiers, these too required corresponding military wage payments. This meant Huaidong army’s later implementation actually constituted quasi-volunteer recruitment systems. Military wages alone saw Huaidong army add seventy to eighty thousand strings annually in new expenses.

Other new items combined added another one million four to five hundred thousand strings in annual new expenditures.

Even receiving enfeoffment as Huai State vassal territory, gaining additional Tai and Yang prefecture territories capable of collecting land taxes and capitation levies, this still fell far short of covering deficits.

Fortunately, during the Jinling Incident, plundering Jiangdong yielded rich gains, barely sustaining operations for two years.

Regrettably, just as Huaidong planned to expand military farming scales along both Huai River banks, converting half the combat troops to farming soldiers, they suffered such devastating losses…

Chuzhou army’s originally controlled military farming system was primarily established within Chuzhou territory.

Though officers’ and soldiers’ families, when warfare erupted, were basically evacuated in time into fortified cities and strongholds for protection without major losses, hundreds of garrison forts not only saw large and small structures—over one hundred thousand dwellings and farmsteads—burned by arson, leaving massive numbers of officers’ and soldiers’ families homeless, but also saw large quantities of ditches and embankments destroyed. These losses proved enormous.

Numerous signs indicated Liang forces at year’s beginning purposefully and systematically targeted Huai’an’s agriculture, particularly Chuzhou’s military farming system for destruction.

This blow to Huaidong army proved significant.

Initially opened embankment breaches appeared modest, yet during post-war third and fourth months, Huaidong territory descended into complete chaos, simply unable to organize laborers to repair these embankments.

During fourth and fifth months, Jianghuai rainfall exceeded previous years. Huai River floodwaters surged torrentially, Hongze Lake spread vast and boundless.

East of Fanliang Lake and Hongze Lake as downstream regions, with existing embankments and dams unable to function, breaches failing timely repair, under raging waters’ impact, continuously collapsed and expanded.

Currently, northern Yangzhou, all of Chuzhou, even western Taizhou—all saw raging torrential floodwaters.

Prince Xin could disregard civilians suffering warfare persecution and flood disasters, abandoning homes and villages, yet couldn’t ignore over two hundred thousand officers’ and soldiers’ dependents near Chuzhou.

Recognize that these family dependents involved thirty thousand officers and soldiers who’d followed Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan for years as direct subordinates—the foundation of Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan’s Huaidong rule.

However, merely settling this portion of officers’ and soldiers’ families demanded alarmingly massive expenditures.

Simultaneously, preventing Chuzhou’s military farming system from suffering further devastation required immediate naval force strengthening to resist northern bank naval raids.

Thinking thus, Wang Wenqian’s mind became a tangled mess. He reflected that they might as well have learned from Tangyi troops initially, having Huaidong army exit cities to desperately engage Liang forces in bloody combat, sparing no cost to seal Liang forces north of the Huai River—the situation wouldn’t appear so dire now.

Wang Wenqian simply didn’t believe Emperor Liang Zhu Yu—having murdered his father to usurp the throne with unstable foundations—truly dared suffer direct subordinate elite casualties exceeding thirty thousand in Huaidong.

However, speaking of this now proved too late. This Chuzhou visit, regardless of circumstances, he should persuade Prince Xin to set aside posturing and properly discuss brotherly affections with that person in Jinling City.

—

Liang army’s massive cavalry forces crossed the Huai River, conducting raids lasting two months that widely avoided Chuzhou City with its strong garrison defenses. Chuzhou City remained as imposing and upright, yet beneath the city lay everywhere turbid waterlogged lands, seemingly connected with western Hongze Lake and northern Huai River into boundless lake marshes.

The post road’s terrain sat slightly elevated, not submerged by raging waters. Wang Wenqian stood atop his carriage, gazing toward scattered village forts and dwellings amid floodwaters like isolated islands standing in vast seas. He privately felt that Chuzhou’s disaster situation over the past month exceeded his expectations. He wondered how Ruan Yan and others had somehow negligently overlooked repairing Hongze Lake’s eastern bank embankments after the war.

Naturally, Wang Wenqian also knew that residing in Yangzhou without particularly deep empathy, his complaints toward Ruan Yan and others might prove overly harsh.

Perhaps Liang General Han Yuanqi subsequently utilizing naval forces to continuously raid the southern bank had deliberately exhausted every means obstructing this side from organizing laborers to repair embankments, even deliberately intensifying destruction of Hongze Lake’s western bank embankments?

“Minister Wang…”

Observing Ruan Yan with several attendant guards waiting before the city gate, apparently specially exiting the city to greet him.

Wang Wenqian hastily dismounted from horse and carriage alongside Yin Peng, walking toward the city gate to exchange greetings with Ruan Yan.

After brief pleasantries, Wang Wenqian invited Ruan Yan aboard his carriage, heading together toward the Prince’s residence.

“Before Li Chong committed suicide from guilt at Shuzhou, he claimed Marquis Qianyang Han Qian knew early on that Wen Ruilin was a Liang spy. In Minister Wang’s view, is this true?” Ruan Yan asked immediately after boarding.

Honestly, when news of the water forces’ main strength annihilated at Hongze Lake reached Yangzhou, Wang Wenqian had already surmised this point. However, with the water forces’ main strength annihilation already an established fact, this matter became minor details—he didn’t wish to create complications, hence refrained from mentioning it publicly.

Li Chong died at Huaixi Imperial Guards’ Bijia Mountain Grand Camp in early second month. Regarding Li Chong’s post-surrender rumor-spreading to slander Marquis Qianyang, subsequently exposed by Marquis Liyang Yang En before committing suicide from guilt—though official bulletins circulated to various regions mentioned not a single word, Huaidong knew details thoroughly.

Wang Wenqian looked puzzledly at Ruan Yan, wondering why, after so many days elapsed, Ruan Yan raised this question again—did he harbor alternative intentions?

Wang Wenqian naturally wouldn’t mention to Ruan Yan that initially, when Censor-in-Chief Zheng Chang arrived at Yangzhou transmitting imperial edicts, Jun’er had deliberately inquired about numerous details regarding court decision-making. He also deduced afterward from this point that Han Qian should have known Wen Ruilin’s identity early on. However, regarding Ruan Yan’s question, he wouldn’t avoid responding either, saying:

“Li Chong’s words should be truthful, but regrettably, he shouldn’t have chosen that moment to speak such things.”

“When court water forces raided Hongze Lake, Han Qian stood right on Fanliang Lake’s eastern shore—truly ruthless!” Ruan Yan remarked with another sigh.

Wang Wenqian smiled in agreement. He inwardly only hoped Ruan Yan and Prince Xin could understand that currently, while guarding against Marquis Qianyang Han Qian, Huaidong still needed to maintain cooperation with Tangyi—otherwise circumstances would grow even more difficult.

“Tangyi troops and Shouzhou army forces through several bloody battles along the Chu River and Mount Fucha earned today’s north bank defensive depth. Marquis Qianyang reported to court that Tangyi troops suffered over fourteen thousand casualties across multiple engagements—does Minister Wang believe Marquis Qianyang’s memorial contains any exaggeration?” Ruan Yan asked again.

Wang Wenqian truly found this strange, thinking that when the Privy Council determined merit achievements for Tangyi troops’ various battles two months ago, conclusions were already established. Prince Xin’s side raised no objections then—why did Ruan Yan raise this question now?

Wang Wenqian patiently explained:

“To this day, Shouzhou army lacks strength to launch any respectable offensive on the southern front, instead concentrating forces on constructing fortified camps at Wujian Mountain range’s southeast and Chuzhou’s southeast within Shiliang County territory, adopting defensive postures. This demonstrates those several battles truly damaged Shouzhou army’s vitality. However, even though we all know Han Qian had already gathered portions of former Left Guangde Army members on Fanliang Lake’s western shore previously, to damage Shouzhou army’s vitality severely necessarily required paying devastating costs. After all, Shouzhou army made no mistakes—under such circumstances, achieving victory could only demand officers and soldiers sacrifice lives through bloody courageous combat. This aligns with Yangzhou’s observations of western front Tangyi warfare.”

“Marquis Qianyang had direct subordinate elite forces disregard casualties engaging in bloody battle at Tangyi, defending the gateway for court—court ministers surely wouldn’t believe Li Chong’s spread rumors as truth? After all, they don’t clearly know that when water forces advanced north, Han Qian actually stood right beside them observing coldly.” Ruan Yan asked.

“That’s not necessarily so. Li Chong’s surrender as enemy was exposed by Marquis Liyang Yang En, yet Yang En these months had absolutely no contact with Tangyi. However, Prince Shou Yang Zhitang, after meeting Marquis Qianyang at Tangyi then returning to Jinling, memorialized requesting Right Dragon Martial Army’s transfer to Runzhou. As an expedient measure, he additionally memorialized requesting establishment of new naval forces under Right Dragon Martial Army’s banner to better coordinate defense against Liang naval force coastal raids. This clearly shows Prince Shou Yang Zhitang reached tacit understanding with Marquis Qianyang. However, Shen Yang firmly advocated independently rebuilding water forces responsible for capital region and eastern riverside and near-sea defenses. From these two points, one can observe Yang En and Shen Yang apparently didn’t remain completely unmoved by Li Chong’s spread rumors.” Wang Wenqian said.

Speaking thus far, Wang Wenqian couldn’t help asking: “Coming to Chuzhou today, Minister Ruan seems particularly interested in Marquis Qianyang?”

“Indeed,” Ruan Yan said. “Two days ago, hearing someone mention that Marquis Qianyang’s mourning period concluded, yet to this day he hasn’t married—I couldn’t help wanting to learn more about Marquis Qianyang’s past affairs…”

Contemporary mourning observance lasted twenty-seven months. Calculating from Han Daoxun’s execution and death, Han Qian’s mourning period concluded—he could now discuss marriage.

However, hearing Ruan Yan speak thus, Wang Wenqian stood dazed for a long while, truly not knowing how to properly respond…