Han Qian assigned Han Donghu to personally command this infiltration operation.

Wang Zhe did not accompany them, but Shen Peng, Zhao Ci and seven other Liang secret agents, along with over ten scout officers from the Military Intelligence Staff and two battalions of elite guard cavalry under Han Donghu’s leadership, departed from East Lake the next morning.

After reaching Linhuai, they would find opportunities to change disguises in batches and secretly cross the Huai River, entering western Si Province territory and feeling their way toward northern Xu Province. Besides Lin Haizheng’s Hao Province side deploying small forces to coordinate in crossing the Huai to harass Tong Pass and other places and arranging forces for later support, the Chishan Association would also directly arrange several sea vessels to rush to two locations near Hai Province waters to lurk.

Regardless, watching several hundred elite armored soldiers leave their station in this gradually cooling weather, venturing into enemy territory for such a major operation under so many uncertain conditions, still caused worry and concern.

Watching the departing soldiers vanish into the vast thin mist, Han Qian—accompanied by Xi Fa’er, Xi Ren, Huo Li and others—took the small path on Qingcang Mountain’s northern slope and made a detour toward Liyang.

No matter how good the secrecy work, five to six hundred elite guard cavalry suddenly heading north from East Lake would inevitably attract attention from eyes and ears planted by various parties—to confuse these watchers, Han Qian left East Lake together with the infiltration forces at dawn, making it all look like one of his ordinary outings.

After seeing off the infiltration forces, Han Qian temporarily did not return to East Lake but, under escort of a small team, made a detour to Liyang. These days he planned to leave the common people’s view and remain in Lian Garden handling official business.

Gao Shao, Feng Liao, Guo Rong, Guo Que, Wang Zhe and others had rushed to Lian Garden early in the morning to wait.

Even if Han Donghu successfully led forces north and abducted the Wen clan members and returned, even without considering other variables, even if they successfully made Lü Qingxia and others fear taking action and not dare easily have Chai Jian send troops from Jun Province to attack Wuguan, the problem had not been fundamentally resolved.

At this time, those truly determined to attack Guanzhong, fully intent on incorporating Guanzhong into their territory, were Shu Kingdom’s ruler and ministers.

Among the four kingdoms of Chu, Liang, Jin and Shu, Shu Kingdom was weakest at its founding, even so weak that Shu ruler Wang Jian dared not directly proclaim himself emperor but instead submitted credentials pledging allegiance to Liang Kingdom, accepting Liang Kingdom’s investiture as King of Shu.

Though Shu Kingdom had continuous internal troubles these years, regardless, it was far better than Liang and Chu’s endless internal chaos and frequent foreign invasions. After so many years of rest and recovery, national strength could barely be considered flourishing.

Guo Que had a sack of files carried into the study.

These past years unknowingly, intelligence the Military Intelligence Staff had gathered from Shu territory, categorized and classified, had accumulated this much.

Regarding Wei Qun’s mission to Jinling, currently even Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong had not sent anyone from Yu Province to inform them, and their secret agents lurking in Shu territory had temporarily not transmitted new information back. With Wei Qun also not sending anyone to East Lake to make contact, the definite news they currently obtained was limited. What they could do was first review the materials collected previously once more.

“Could it be that Marquis Changxiang’s side knows our position, and since they also support sending troops to annex Guanzhong, they haven’t sent anyone over to communicate?” Feng Liao speculated.

After the Si Province civil unrest was smoothly resolved, their focus shifted to Jianghuai.

Simultaneously, internal personnel transfers were also large. He Liufeng, who previously specialized in Shu territory intelligence gathering, had been promoted to chief commandant commanding troops, naturally impossible to continue watching over this matter.

Currently the Military Intelligence Staff only had three scout officers specializing in this affair. There was also Tan Yuliang and Chishan Association personnel maintaining close contact with Yu Province who more clearly understood Shu territory’s situation. But only four days had passed since learning of Wei Qun’s mission to Jinling—some more familiar personnel had not yet been transferred to East Lake for questioning.

After over three years had passed, Feng Liao, Gao Shao, Guo Rong and others, like Han Qian, all needed to reorganize their understanding of Shu Kingdom’s intricate internal relationships.

Within Shu Kingdom, the focal point of conflict remained the succession struggle between Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong and Crown Prince Wang Hongyi.

These years, Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong governed Yu Province, controlled Banan well salt, and conducted large-scale border trade with Xu Province, accumulating massive resources, thus forming a military-political force headed by him, with Vice Bureau Director Qi Lun, court entertainer Jing Qiongwen, Yu Province Administrator Cao Gan and others as core, supported by the Left Qingjiang Army.

Though Crown Prince Wang Hongyi suffered Shu ruler Wang Jian’s suspicion and had been particularly low-key these two years, internally he had Chamberlain Zhao Weisheng, externally he had General Who Pacifies the Qiang and Marquis Wei Wang Xiaoxian plus Court of State Ceremonial Minister Wei Qun and other generals and ministers assisting him. His influence still steadily surpassed Marquis Changxiang.

Most critically, though King of Shu Wang Jian was quite suspicious of Crown Prince Wang Hongyi, he had never revealed thoughts of changing the heir apparent.

Now even if they could speculate that Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong quite possibly also supported Shu forces attacking Guanzhong, what mindset caused Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong to support this was very difficult to guess without basis.

Was he seeing that Shu Kingdom’s ruler and ministers all strongly advocated this and he personally could not oppose, or was he seeing better opportunities to expand power or compete for succession?

As a Shu Kingdom minister closer to Shu Crown Prince Wang Hongyi, Wei Qun rushing to Jinling again—undoubtedly Crown Prince Wang Hongyi’s faction also advocated taking advantage of the chaos to attack Guanzhong.

Previous speculation that Guanjiang Tower might be secretly promoting things—speaking of deeper connections between Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong and the Shenling Bureau, what conditions did Guanjiang Tower promise to make Wang Yong and Wang Hongyi at least superficially form unanimous opinions on Shu forces allying with Chu to attack Liang?

Previously, Shu ruler Wang Jian, precisely because of suspicion toward Crown Prince Wang Hongyi, worried that after Wang Hongyi further grew powerful he would harbor usurpation thoughts—even when Liang Emperor Zhu Yu usurped the throne during Liang Kingdom’s first internal chaos, he abandoned the opportunity to attack Guanzhong. This time, what mindset made him covetous of Guanzhong region?

Analyzing repeatedly, without obtaining further intelligence information, too many doubts were intricately entangled together, temporarily difficult to see through clearly. They also could not guess how Shu forces would deploy to attack Guanzhong. Han Qian could only have Feng Yi and Guo Que urgently rush to Yu Province to see Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong.

Even if they could not influence more of Shu Kingdom’s ruler and ministers, Han Qian also hoped Wang Yong could understand in his heart that the Mongols were completely different from those nomadic peoples over the past two to three hundred years who entered the Central Plains to plunder once then left satisfied, lacking sufficient strength to take root.

Han Qian hoped Wang Yong could understand in his heart that if Shu forces launched a major attack on Guanzhong this time, even if they had opportunity to defeat Liang main forces, they could not possibly annex Guanzhong. More likely they would let the Mongols gain the fisherman’s profit again.

—

After Feng Yi and Guo Que embarked on their westward journey to see Wang Yong, the Jianghuai lands quickly cooled.

Han Qian also could not predict which direction the situation would develop.

Han Donghu leading troops infiltrating Xu-Si region—though not too far from Zhongli and Linhuai, approximately within three to four hundred li range—had to masquerade as Liang forces. They needed to infiltrate somewhat further north then pretend to be Han Yuanqi’s or Chen Kun’s forces moving south.

To reduce the probability of being discovered by Xu-Si and Shou Province forces, unless extremely special circumstances arose, or after successfully abducting Wen clan members and withdrawing, Han Donghu and his men would not actively contact Tangyi again.

What Han Qian could do at this time was only to consolidate western Huai’s foundation as much as possible. Even if the realm fragmented and collapsed, he must face it calmly.

With Liang Kingdom in great turmoil, drought conditions in Liang territory since summer remained particularly severe.

Locust plagues seemed directly connected to severe drought. Conventional intelligence scouts brought back showed that in Ying, Qiao, Xu, Si and other places, locust swarms blotted out the sky like dark clouds covering the heavens. Meanwhile within Great Chu territory, floods had been disastrous since this year’s spring and summer, greatly affecting agricultural production in Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places, as if demonstrating to the realm’s common people what was called natural and human disasters, difficult times.

When Han Qian inspected shallow coal mine resources in Wujian Mountain, those several days of torrential rain were actually a major typhoon rarely encountered once in decades, landing at Xiu Province, sweeping through prefectures and counties along Taihu Lake’s shores, then sweeping north from the capital region and Chi Province toward Chao, Chu, Hao, Shou and other places.

Xiu Lake, the capital region and other places suffered severe wind damage. Preliminary statistics showed over one hundred thousand houses collapsed, over ten thousand people injured or killed, countless displaced.

Chi, Chao, Chu, Hao, Shu, Shou and other places—wind damage was not severe, but large areas of continuous torrential rain caused floods and mountain torrents to surge violently in mountains, hills and ridges. Days were also difficult.

Chao Lake, gathering waters from surrounding mountains, nearly overflowed the newly built eastern shore lake dikes at the end of eighth month—the two new dikes on East Lake’s western side were all built according to maximum flood remnant traces elevation currently surveyed, already reaching fifty-year flood standards. But at the end of eighth month, already the transition between mid-autumn and late autumn, such massive floods still surged over, also catching everyone unprepared.

East Lake once deployed four thousand troops to guard the great dikes, fearing the lake dikes would be breached by surging waves and lake water, destroying overnight three or four years of construction achievements on the eastern shore.

Fortunately, dredging and widening of Yuxi River had not ceased these two years. Once heavy rain stopped, Chao Lake water levels quickly dropped. By early ninth month, the danger was completely past.

Now wind ceased and rain stopped, but disaster situations from various places were rapidly gathering like snowflakes.

It was fortunate that western Huai was sparsely populated with vast land. Most houses were built on quite high terrain. Once heavy rain stopped, there was no worry about accumulated flooding.

Various townships and counties currently mainly strengthened drainage of rice paddies about to head grain. Losses were within bearable range.

Over ten coal-iron mines and workshops newly built in various counties were destroyed by mountain floods and mudslides. Fortunately personnel casualties were extremely minimal. Production across the entire western Huai region was not greatly affected.

Currently they were utilizing Chishan Association personnel deployed along Taihu Lake shores to more actively guide and channel disaster victims whose homes were destroyed by wind damage toward western Huai.

In fact, since entering summer, water disasters had been frequent along the Yangtze River shores and Taihu Lake shores. Tens of thousands of disaster victims wandered the countryside. Local authorities found it difficult to restrain them and lacked capacity for timely relief, thus becoming refugees. Under Chishan Association’s active guidance, two to three thousand households flowed into western Huai in seventh and eighth months.

More disaster victims flowed in during ninth month.

Over two years, Tangyi forces’ defense line had pushed north in great strides twice.

The defense line previously built along Chu River, Shiquan River, and Fucha Mountain, plus the later defense line built along Wujin Ridge, Zipeng Mountain, and northwestern foothills of Wujian Mountain—with large numbers of garrison troops advancing north, currently many semi-permanent military camps and forts were vacated.

Vacated military camps, forts, and newly cultivated fields near forts could all be used to settle newly migrated households, requiring no additional investment. Even selling to disaster victims at low prices could at least recover some military expenditures.

Even before Han Qian married Wang Jun, since last year when Huaidong large-scale migration of disaster victim households came over, Han Qian had the Official Money Bureau purchase large quantities of livestock from Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places, plus large purchases of iron agricultural tools and necessary daily necessities from various workshops developed in Xu Province, then distributed to newly migrated households in loan form.

When Han Qian first left Xu Province, the Official Money Bureau’s total capital was only two hundred thousand strings. But by allowing Xu Province weavers to directly convert cotton yarn cloth into money deposits in the Official Money Bureau, and through Chishan Association sales to Jiangdong, Jiangxi and other places, the Official Money Bureau’s total capital quickly expanded to one million two hundred thousand strings.

Over the following two to three years, the Official Money Bureau’s total capital again steadily expanded to four million strings. This naturally included over one million strings of money and grain input by the Qiao, Chen and other families, plus money and grain loaned to migrated households for purchasing fields and houses.

Of the four million strings of money, loans to Prince Shou’s mansion and Huaidong totaled one million two hundred thousand strings. Tangyi forces, to compensate for insufficient military funds, borrowed a total of one million one hundred thousand strings. Various families establishing various workshops, weaving institutes, and coal-iron mines in East Lake borrowed over five hundred thousand strings total. Besides the Official Money Bureau still retaining six hundred thousand strings of accumulated money, approximately over five hundred thousand strings were mainly loaned out through this method.

Doing this, besides ensuring the Official Money Bureau’s capital could steadily increase and more fully utilize the Official Money Bureau’s capital rather than leaving it idle in money warehouses, more importantly it could no longer be limited by counties and townships’ limited fiscal levels. It could help newly migrated farming households quickly take root in western Huai and quickly raise local agricultural production levels.

Large-scale centralized purchasing also helped stabilize production scale expansion of various workshops in Xu Province and East Lake.

In early years, Chu Province pavilion also had similar official money shops, but functions were too singular. For this early prototype of financial institution, they obviously lacked sufficient and profound understanding, thus had no way to combine so closely with local governance.

Only by continuously filling in new population and making them quickly take root could land in Chu Province territory, northern Chao Province, and southern Shou and Huo Provinces—abandoned due to frequent chaotic warfare—be redeveloped.

However, the total military and civilian population under Tangyi Pacification Commission jurisdiction—though statistics at the end of sixth month officially exceeded one million, with over ten thousand people flowing in monthly during seventh, eighth and ninth months—was still too sparsely populated compared to the vast territory.

One must know that during the previous dynasty’s mid-period, the Huainan Circuit including today’s Huaidong and western Huai, population once reached one million two hundred thousand households, over seven million people.

At that time, Chao Province occupying western Huai’s most prosperous lands, population once reached over one million.

However, after experiencing over a century of frequent warfare, at this time Huaidong and western Huai combined totaled less than two million population.

Han Qian’s original plan this autumn and winter to reduce Tangyi Left and Right Armies by about forty-five to forty-six thousand people to free up more financial resources supporting local construction—currently this plan would be postponed indefinitely.

On the twentieth day of ninth month, Chen Ruyi finally entered East Lake bearing an edict, representing Emperor Yanyou and the Secretariat in inquiring about Tangyi’s opinion on allying with Shu to attack Liang.

Wei Qun’s mission to Great Chu—the matter of allying with Chu to attack Liang was only now officially made public in Great Chu’s court. Court and country were momentarily abuzz with discussion.

Han Qian naturally immediately submitted a memorial stating his firm opposition stance. Besides officials of his faction, Shen Yang, Yang En, and the Zheng clan initially all maintained opposition attitudes.

Shen Yang and Yang En—not saying they worried the Mongols would gain the fisherman’s profit, but from Great Chu’s current realistic situation, they did not strongly advocate sending troops.

Among the three northern garrisons, Han Qian was first to clearly state Tangyi forces would not send troops north. Before Shouchun, Fengtai, Huoqiu and other places fell, they also would not rashly advance into Liang territory’s heartland from the single narrow gap at Tong Pass. Even this autumn and winter, there were no conditions for forcibly attacking Shouchun, Fengtai and other cities.

Li Zhigao first ensured he could consume Luoshan’s garrison.

In Shen Yang and Yang En’s view, if they wanted to support Huaidong sending troops to attack Xu-Si region, they would have to allocate more money and grain resources to Huaidong. Now all parties advocated expanding the Imperial Guard, plus encountering major disaster in Jiangdong—where was money and grain to allocate to Huaidong?

Huaidong naturally hoped to seize this rare opportunity to capture Xu-Si region, but what Shu Kingdom truly desired was for Chu forces to send troops attacking Wuguan.

However, speaking frankly, Shu forces sending troops from Liang Province to attack Guanzhong, plus future control and governance of Guanzhong, held greater geographical advantage.

Even if they finally successfully captured Guanzhong, small-scale Chu forces would find it very difficult to establish foothold in Guanzhong. At that time, they would extremely likely gain not a bit of benefit but instead make wedding clothes for Shu forces.

These years, Great Chu’s fundamental purpose in allying with Shu was jointly resisting the more powerful, aggressive Liang forces, but not supporting Shu forces becoming powerful.

Shu forces now seemed very docile and harmless on Great Chu’s western flank. But after Shu forces annexed Guanzhong region, would their ambitions definitely not expand?

On this point, Shen Yang, Yang En and others had somewhat clear understanding.

For the Zheng clan, at this time they more hoped the court could concentrate resources to ensure that after the Right Vermillion Sparrow Army completed suppression of Yong Province rebel remnants this winter, they could continue using troops against Gui Province, Liu Province and other places.

Of course, besides Huaidong and Chai Jian actively preparing for war in Jun Province, voices supporting sending troops were also strong throughout court and country. Figures like Huang Hua, Zhang Chao, Zhang Han, and Prince Shou Yang Zhitang and other important ministers more strongly advocated allying with Shu forces to attack Liang.

Since Emperor Tianyou rose in Huainan, Liang-Chu conflict had exceeded thirty years. Liang forces had always been Great Chu’s most primary threat. Just in these ten years, two large-scale campaigns launched against Great Chu—the first nearly completely destroyed the Jing-Xiang region, the second obstructed court forces’ process of suppressing Anning Palace rebels, causing tragic Chu forces elite casualties.

The vast majority did not feel the Mongols were a threat. Even if many could imagine Great Chu sending troops might possibly make wedding clothes for Shu forces, would let Shu Kingdom territory expand to Guanzhong region, at this time dismembering Liang forces—in many people’s view—still held greater benefits than disadvantages for Great Chu.

In many people’s view, after Liang Kingdom was dismembered, the Sima clan in Xu-Si region, plus Shou Province rebel forces withdrawing to occupy Ying, Qiao, Cai, Ru and other places would all fall into isolated, helpless situations. Chu forces crossing the Huai River north, annihilating these two troop divisions, incorporating Xu-Si and Liang Kingdom’s southern regions into Great Chu territory would be matters just around the corner—or this could proceed simultaneously with sending troops to Guanzhong.

Regardless, compared to over three years ago when the navy main force was destroyed, Great Chu—though not having really rested and recovered—with the three northern garrisons possessing one hundred sixty to seventy thousand troops, was also militarily strong with vigorous horses, still capable of crossing the Huai River for combat.

After eliminating northern threats, Gu Zhilong attacking and eliminating Min forces in southern Zhe, Zheng Hui suppressing Yong Province rebels in southern Hunan then advancing south to attack Qingyuan forces would have no rear concerns.

Also because of these reasons, Shen Yang, Yang En and even the Zheng clan’s opposition stance was not so firm.

Ultimately the key still fell on Han Qian.

Regardless how deep court and country’s suspicion toward Han Qian, these years of southern and northern campaigns—the prestige Han Qian established among mid and lower-level generals and officials was unmatched by anyone.

Han Qian’s firm opposition meant not only would the most combat-capable garrison troops sit idle unusable, but would directly influence quite a portion of generals and officials in court’s choices.

A more direct reason was that Shou Province forces temporarily had no intention or action to relieve Luoshan garrison—mainly being suppressed by Tangyi forces.

At this time, Han Qian persisting in opposing allying with Shu to attack Liang—speaking of sinister intentions, perhaps some people deep in their hearts worried Tangyi forces might possibly relax suppression of Shou Province forces?

Once Tangyi forces relaxed suppression of Shou Province forces, enabling Xu Mingzhen to concentrate two to three thousand elite troops on the western front to relieve Luoshan’s siege, how would Li Zhigao respond?

Thus before Han Qian’s attitude changed, though Chai Jian actively prepared for war at Jingzi Pass, Xichuan and other places, he temporarily had not lightly initiated military hostilities toward Wuguan direction.

—

In early tenth month, mist and rain drifted over the Yangtze River. Both shores successively entered autumn grain harvest season.

An official boat marked with Hunan Pacification Commission characters sailed on the river surface, turning from the upper Yangtze into Qiupu River, heading toward East Huamen Water Gate direction, the stern trailing a fine broken white wake.

When the official boat passed Yandang Reef, they distantly saw over ten people standing on the river dike.

Zhou Qinian stood at the bow. He knew Yandang Reef was initially a manor Han Qian received as reward for merit after the Jing-Xiang campaign, later merged under Changchun Palace jurisdiction. Both shores were all imperial estates under the Empress Dowager’s name or affiliated with Changchun Palace.

Seeing people on the river dike waving signals, Zhou Qinian had the sails lowered, making the official boat slowly approach the dike.

Drawing near, Zhou Qinian clearly saw Zhou Yuan, Xu Jing, Yao Xishui and others clustered around a dignified, noble woman standing on the dike.

Though Zhou Qinian was an important figure of Huang Hua’s faction, he had always run among officials as a guest of the Huang mansion, never having opportunity to meet Lü Qingxia. But he could imagine who Zhou Yuan and Xu Jing were clustered around.

Zhou Qinian pretended ignorance, saluting Zhou Yuan: “Lord Zhou, how do you have leisure and refined interest today to stroll beneath autumn shade willows?”

“Master Zhou, have you come from East Lake?” Zhou Yuan saluted and asked.

In fourth month, to resolve the Chen Province crisis, after Zhou Qinian followed Cao Xiushi rushing back to Jinling, he again rushed with Shen Yang and Zheng Chang to East Lake to see Han Qian. Afterward he returned to Huang Hua’s side. This time he again obeyed Huang Hua’s orders returning from Yueyang to Jinling, midway also definitely going to East Lake to see Han Qian once.

Though Huang Hua advocated allying with Shu to attack Liang, he simultaneously also hoped to persuade Han Qian to change his mind, which is why he had Zhou Qinian specially go to East Lake to see Han Qian once.

However, after Zhou Qinian reached East Lake, Han Qian entertained with good wine and meat, but regarding allying with Shu to attack Liang, utterly did not respond.

Zhou Qinian saw Zhou Yuan and his group had his itinerary under complete control. Presumably they could also guess what result came from his seeing Han Qian. But he was quite curious why Lü Qingxia, who rarely showed herself publicly, was waiting here to intercept him—for what purpose?

Zhou Qinian cupped his hands, smiling: “Lord Zhou truly has sharp ears and eyes, grasping this old man’s movements crystal clear. I wonder what instruction you have?”

“I know Master Zhou went to East Lake because the National Uncle still wanted to persuade the Marquis of Qianyang to change his mind. But if the Marquis of Qianyang has set his heart on colluding with enemy nations, what decision will the National Uncle’s side make?” Lü Qingxia directly opened her mouth and asked.

“The Marquis of Qianyang’s desire for power may be somewhat heavy, but to say he has set his heart on colluding with Liang Kingdom—I wonder from where madam says this?” Zhou Qinian cupped his hands and asked.

Back then Huang Hua was still leading Hu Province troops observing the situation. Zhou Qinian did not feel that having private interests and ambitions in this chaotic wartime era was any major problem. At this time, the Huang faction and court faction had no fierce, irretrievable conflicts or confrontations.

The Chen Province crisis, speaking fundamentally, was still because Wanhong Tower faction people were too foolish. Thinking this, Zhou Qinian somewhat looked down on these people before him.

“Previously, when the Marquis of Qianyang tipped off Chen Kun and Han Yuanqi, one could still say his desire for power was heavy, single-mindedly wanting to expand Tangyi forces’ territory without effort. Perhaps this could not yet prove he set his heart on colluding with enemy nations,” Lü Qingxia seemed able to see through what Zhou Qinian was thinking in his heart, calmly saying, “But Master Zhou perhaps does not yet know that just days ago, a Tangyi force light troops infiltrated northern Xu Province and abducted Wen Muqiao and over four hundred Wen clan members from under the Sima family’s noses—does Master Zhou feel that without Liang forces’ full cooperation, Tangyi forces could accomplish this?”