According to the intelligence, Li Xiong deeply admired Zhang Gui of Western Liang. When driven to desperate straits, he had even told those around him that he wanted to take everyone to Western Liang to seek refuge with Zhang Gui.

Zhang Gui of Western Liang had always taken in refugees fleeing from the Central Plains. Since forming an alliance with Zhao Hanzhang, he had even carved out a piece of land to newly establish Jinxing Commandery to accommodate refugees. Li Xiong had wanted to go to Jinxing Commandery.

Some words had different effects when spoken by someone one admired versus when spoken by subordinates or opponents.

He wanted to speed things up. The new year was approaching, and Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan’s wedding was imminent. He still wanted to bring Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan back in time.

Zhao Xin put away the intelligence and immediately wrote a note to hand to his personal guard, having him deliver it to the scouts. “Have them send it immediately upon receiving the message. After sending, pack up and relocate at once.”

“Ah?” The guard said, “I was very careful. No one tailed me.”

Zhao Xin said, “Better safe than sorry. They’re carrying radio equipment—we cannot afford any mishaps.”

The guard acknowledged and went quietly to deliver the message.

Zhao Xin requested that Zhao Hanzhang write to Zhang Gui, asking Zhang Gui to persuade Li Xiong.

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow and without hesitation immediately wrote to Zhang Gui. Perfect timing—she had not communicated with him to maintain their relationship in quite a while. She wanted to suggest he grow more grain and raise more sheep. As for the sheep market, he need not worry. She was confident that the Central Plains would consume large quantities of mutton next year.

Besides mutton, there was also sheep’s milk. The people’s nutritional intake was insufficient. Apart from soy milk, they should also drink more milk.

Only with stronger bodies could they build the nation well.

As for the Shu region matter, Zhao Hanzhang only mentioned two sentences. One was: “King Cheng Li Xiong has always admired the Scholar Yan.” The other was: “The state losing the Shu region causes my heart great pain…”

It seemed like just casual mentions when discussing the current state of the realm, but Zhang Gui, with his exquisitely perceptive mind, after receiving the letter rushed by express horses, stared at these two sentences for an extra moment.

Then he put the letter away and told his trusted advisors, “General Zhao has stabilized the Central Plains. Tell the herdsmen that next spring they should keep more lambs to raise. Come autumn, we’ll sell the sheep to the prosperous Central Plains in exchange for their grain, cloth, and porcelain.”

“And salt too.”

Zhang Gui laughed heartily and agreed happily, “Right, and salt too!”

“But the Central Plains’ salt is also expensive. Haven’t the people we sent out found any new salt wells or salt rocks?”

They had two salt wells that were being depleted. It was estimated that in another three or four years they would yield no more salt. So they needed to find new salt wells and salt rocks.

The population of Western Liang kept growing, requiring more and more salt each year.

After dismissing his trusted subordinates, the smile gradually fell from Zhang Gui’s face. He sat at his desk, gazing gravely at the paper and brush laid before him.

After a long silence, he finally began grinding ink and writing a letter.

Far away in the Shu region, Li Xiong received a letter from Western Liang and was completely bewildered.

After opening the letter, he was even more confused. But after the confusion passed, he fell into deep thought looking at the words in the letter.

Li Xiong had always thought his admiration for Zhang Gui was one-sided. Frankly speaking, he was Zhang Gui’s fan. He never imagined Zhang Gui would know of him, much less specially write to advise him.

Zhang Gui advised him to acknowledge vassalage to Jin and become a subordinate subject. Li Xiong, who had originally wanted to wrangle with Zhao Hanzhang for a while longer to争取 争取 gain more benefits and territory, began to waver.

If one could be a loyal minister, who would want to be a rebel cursed in the history books?

It was truly because the Jin ruler was too weak, of poor character, with a problematic mind that for the sake of the people they had no choice but to rebel.

But living in the Shu region, he also worried about Liu Yuan and Shi Lei’s brutality, that they would massacre Han people and the Di ethnic group. If not for Zhao Hanzhang emerging powerful enough, he would not have considered belonging to Jin, even if Zhang Gui advised him. He didn’t believe the Sima family could lead the realm’s people out of the quagmire.

Just as he hesitated, the War Ministry’s deputy minister came supporting a courier, stumbling and running in, calling out as they ran, “Urgent report! Urgent report! Urgent report!”

Li Xiong was startled and immediately pressed down the letter, standing up.

The Imperial Guards immediately admitted the two. The courier knelt on the ground and presented the military report, saying urgently, “Your Majesty, Zhao family troops have entered Fuling Commandery and together with Li Zhao consecutively taken three counties of Fuling. Fuling, Fuling Commandery is about to fall.”

Li Xiong’s eyes widened as he asked, “Who leads the Zhao family troops? How did they get through?”

The courier did not know.

By the time Fan Changsheng and the ministers arrived, they finally learned the actual situation in Fuling Commandery from the courier.

Several months ago, Li Xiong sent Li Xiang to break through Fucheng and capture Governor Qiao Deng, but Fuling had not completely fallen.

Because of the cold weather, Li Xiang brought the main army back, but troops still remained in Fuling, fighting occasional battles with the opposition, seizing whatever county they could manage.

They had ground down and taken three counties in this manner.

The local people were also attracted by them, very much wanting to break away from Jin and join them. Just when the situation looked excellent, a Zhao family army descended from the sky, dripping wet, some without even shoes, yet with excellent weapons and fierce fighting spirit. They brazenly seized a city in a single day.

Before they could react, the Zhao family troops joined forces with Li Zhao on the opposite side. The two armies together recaptured the other two cities as well.

The courier said, “According to people who escaped from there, that General Wang of the Zhao family army came forward to persuade many landlords to provide grain to relieve the people. Seeing it was the Zhao family army, the people there stopped fleeing to our side.”

Li Xiang was very angry and told Li Xiong, “Your Majesty, Zhao Hanzhang acts in bad faith. Here she negotiates with us, there she steals from our rear. I request permission to execute Zhao Xin to demonstrate our kingdom’s might.”

Fan Changsheng instead asked, “After taking the three cities, what then? Did they continue attacking?”

The courier replied, “No. The Zhao family army only planted their flags and then stopped moving.”

These matters were all written clearly in the military report, with even more detail than what the courier knew.

Li Xiong read through the military report expressionlessly and handed it to the Prime Minister.

Fan Changsheng hurriedly took it and opened it to read. After finishing, he too fell silent, then passed it to Li Xiang.

Li Xiang angrily took it. The military report said that the Zhao family army was led by Wang Xuan. After taking the three cities, he had sent a letter to General Yu, the Chengguo garrison commander, wanting to talk with him.

General Yu went.

The military report stated that Wang Xuan’s reason for forcing passage across the Wu River was that he was ordered to bring the Jin officials from that area back to report for duty, with no intention to offend Chengguo.

It was just unfortunate that when they arrived, the two kingdoms happened to be at war. As a Jin official, he had the responsibility to defend the land and the duty to assist his colleagues, which was why he sent troops to support Li Zhao.

The ruler and ministers of Chengguo were all speechless.

Would they believe Wang Xuan’s explanation?

Of course not.

Forget about their negotiations having just reached this stage two days ago without being completely settled—even if the letter traveled from Shu to Luoyang and from Luoyang to Jingzhou, the time required was more than just five or six days, not to mention leading a large army to force passage across the Wu River and cross Wu Mountain to reach Fuling Commandery.

Very clearly, Zhao Hanzhang had arranged this long ago. Calculating the time, almost as soon as Zhao Xin arrived in Ba-Shu, Wang Xuan had set out.

This meant Zhao Hanzhang had calculated everything, certain they would definitely submit to Jin as vassals. The condition was the vassal state’s territory, and Zhao Hanzhang had already defined the vassal state’s boundaries for them.

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