Two days later, the people Feng Changyu and Xi Zhen had dispatched to Qianyang City finally returned to Jingyun Stronghold, bringing back the numerous conditions personally stipulated by Han Daoxun.
Xuzhou’s commercial vessels rarely ventured beyond the Yuan River. At most they reached Yuezhou and Tanzhou. Besides the river bandits rampaging east of Yuezhou toward Jiangexi, another main reason was that Yuezhou and Tanzhou, as the prime regions of the eight-hundred-li Dongting Lake area with thriving populations and numerous cities, could absorb all products from Xuzhou upon arrival. There was no need to risk transporting goods further to places like Jinling.
Another factor was that vessels operating on the Yuan River tended to be smaller, unable to withstand the Yangtze River’s fierce winds and waves.
Beyond requiring the four families to voluntarily petition to relinquish the positions of Market Superintendent and Prison Warden—because these positions being filled by great local native clans was a convention tacitly established since the previous dynasty, with Great Chu inheriting the old system and its control over remote prefectures like Xuzhou continuing previous practices, making it impossible for Han Daoxun’s memorial to gain Ministry of Personnel approval—the most core point was actually establishing commercial trade with warehouses controlled by the Marquis of Linjiang’s household. Feng Changyu, Xi Zhen, and the others naturally felt deeply surprised by such conditions, though perhaps slightly better than directly extracting money and grain.
If Feng Changyu, Xi Zhen, Yang Zaili, Xiang Jianlong, and others still harbored deep concerns, Han Daoxun’s side could even permit them to handle official business in their respective strongholds.
Though this would make efficiency extremely slow, at least it would show outsiders and the court that the entire prefecture system continued operating normally. The crisis of the entire affair wouldn’t be exposed, preventing worry about court accountability falling on anyone’s head.
Meanwhile, as Regional Inspector, even without Feng Changyu and the others, Han Daoxun could decide all matters from authority. This would actually reduce many constraints—at worst, he could have Feng Changyu and the others supplement official documents afterward.
Such a plan was impossible for Feng Changyu, Xi Zhen, and the others to refuse. Otherwise, would they truly detain Han Qian and openly break with the new Regional Inspector Han Daoxun, meeting in armed conflict?
Even when Han Daoxun specifically named Feng Xuan to lead his men in participating in the cargo transport fleet, they had no grounds to object.
As the first Xuzhou native commoner Han Daoxun contacted upon entering Xuzhou, with Han Daoxun currently powerless against the four families as Regional Inspector, winning over and supporting commoners among the mountain Yue natives could be called an open stratagem. Could they directly refuse?
Even if they refused, would Feng Xuan necessarily listen to them? Or could they dispatch their most core offspring to travel this commercial route filled with unknown risks where Han Daoxun might secretly manipulate things?
What they needed to do, or could do, was more to admonish Feng Xuan, making him understand that no matter how domineering Han Daoxun was, he couldn’t possibly serve as Regional Inspector in Xuzhou for many years. As a mountain Yue person, Feng Xuan would ultimately need to take root in this land. His wife, children, and elderly relatives would always remain under the four families’ surveillance.
Feng Changyu, Xi Zhen, and the others had numerous questions, all of which Han Qian, present in Jingyun Stronghold, answered in detail on their behalf.
Han Qian spent four days as a guest in Jingyun Stronghold. Feng Changyu dispatched his son Feng Jin to personally escort him from Jingyun Creek with two covered boats and over thirty stronghold soldiers. Han Qian brazenly had the tightly bound Madam Xi brought aboard the covered boat as well, preparing to take her back to Qianyang City.
Watching this scoundrel Han Qian use rope to lead Ninth Lady aboard like leading livestock by the neck, veins bulged and twitched on Feng Jin’s forehead. He truly wished he could draw his blade and dismember this bastard on the spot.
Yet Han Qian seemed completely oblivious to the hatred in Feng Jin’s eyes, or simply didn’t care. He merely observed the Jingyun Stronghold boatmen poling the vessels, noting that although Jingyun Creek’s current was swift, even in midsummer the creek water wasn’t particularly deep.
Seeing the boatmen’s relatively relaxed expressions also meant that the twenty-li water route from Jingyun Stronghold to the Yuan River held few hidden reefs or dangerous rapids that could destroy vessels and kill people.
Feng Jin truly couldn’t stand this creature Han Qian. Unable to actually draw his blade and chop this scoundrel into mincemeat, he found an excuse to board the other boat.
“When deploying troops in the mountains, one must still pay attention to torrential rain and mountain floods,” Han Qian said. Having successfully disgusted Feng Jin onto the other covered boat, he squatted at the bow, telling Zhao Wuji, Tian Cheng, and Gao Shao how to make simple rain gauges and estimate the scale of floodwater released in short periods from mountain ridges during rainstorms.
As true elite scouts, when gathering enemy intelligence, hydrological and geographical conditions along the route were intelligence information requiring extra attention.
Gao Shao had previously served as a patrol commander in Great Chu’s enemy armies, specifically gathering enemy intelligence. Though he considered himself a fierce general, he hadn’t imagined that matters he thought himself skilled in held so many considerations beyond his imagination when it came to Han Qian.
The two covered boats descended Jingyun Creek swiftly. In just half an hour they saw where Jingyun Creek entered the Yuan River. At the confluence, the clear and turbid waters remained distinct. Feng Jin also spotted from afar a sailed rowing vessel moored on the shore at the creek mouth. Over a dozen oarsmen and more than twenty armored soldiers, all robust and capable. The leader appeared refined and cultured, with a scar running from his nasal bridge across his entire cheek, though not particularly ferocious-looking.
Feng Jin had heard Ji Kun mention this man—Yang Qin, a water stronghold leader from Poyang Lake. Originally invited by Ji Kun to deal with Han Daoxun, unexpectedly this ungrateful wretch had ultimately been recruited by Han Daoxun. Before leaving Jingyun Stronghold, Ji Kun had also reminded them to beware of the Han father and son winning over and dividing Xuzhou’s local powerful forces. Unfortunately, his father, Xi Zhen, and the others didn’t believe Feng Xuan could truly become any trouble.
Feng Jin signaled the boatmen to bring the two covered boats to shore. He had no intention of disembarking, merely cupping his hands toward Han Qian to indicate that escorting him here meant returning the jade intact to Zhao.
Han Qian stepped from the boat plank onto the sailed rowing vessel. Seeing Yang Qin curiously examining the tightly bound Madam Xi being led aboard, he said with a laugh, “Not afraid your wife will scratch several marks on your face? Want this woman to warm your bed?”
Seeing that though the tribal woman was delicate and beautiful, her eyes harbored fierce glints with a vicious appearance ready to devour people, Yang Qin said with a bitter smile, “This tribal woman still needs Young Master to personally discipline before she’ll become docile.”
“Did you catch the people I wanted caught?” Han Qian asked.
Yang Qin waved his hand. Two subordinates dragged the tightly bound Ji Kun from the cabin.
Seeing this scene, Feng Jin was utterly shocked.
Finding the situation irretrievable, Ji Kun had quietly departed when Jingyun Stronghold’s negotiators returned from Qianyang. Feng Changyu and the others hoped that one day, ministers from Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction might come to replace Han Daoxun as Regional Inspector. Naturally they couldn’t leak Ji Kun’s whereabouts to Han Qian.
Feng Jin never imagined that Ji Kun would ultimately still fall into Han Qian’s hands.
“This dog thief Ji Kun repeatedly conspired to murder my father. This time I must thank Lord Feng for his assistance in capturing this criminal so smoothly. Today I shall present this dog thief’s head to Lord Feng as thanks.” Han Qian cupped his hands toward Feng Jin, speaking extremely courteously.
Never expecting Han Qian to open his mouth and spout complete nonsense, Feng Jin’s forehead veins jumped in anger. Too lazy to argue with this scoundrel Han Qian, seeing Ji Kun’s mouth stuffed with a wooden ball preventing speech while his eyes looked over fiercely, Feng Jin understood that Ji Kun had fallen for this bastard Han Qian’s alienation tactic.
Feng Jin thought to himself that the innocent would clear themselves. A figure like Ji Kun would only be deceived momentarily. Could he truly be fooled by Han Qian’s nonsense?
“Over seven hundred souls from Yangtan water stronghold can be said to have died at this wretch’s hands. Master Yang, this wretch is yours to dispose of.” Han Qian signaled for Yang Qin to personally execute him.
To say Yang Qin harbored no hatred toward Ji Kun would be false. However, when Han Qian secretly transmitted orders through Gao Bao to capture Ji Kun alive, Yang Qin had assumed Han Qian wanted to spare Ji Kun’s life to avoid leaving no bottom line whatsoever with Anning Palace. He completely hadn’t expected Han Qian’s ultimate intention was to publicly execute Ji Kun by the river.
Such enormous audacity!
Killing secretly and destroying the body would be clean and thorough, but Ji Kun was still a mid-level military officer in the Privy Council’s Military Affairs Bureau. Who could guarantee that among so many present, not one person would leak the news?
Though Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction couldn’t openly expose this matter after learning of it, their future methods of dealing with them would absolutely show no mercy whatsoever.
Han Qian merely looked coolly at the hesitating Yang Qin and asked, “What, Master Yang, you want to spare Ji Kun? Have you considered that if we make one wrong move, would this wretch show us even the slightest mercy?”
Thinking of all the men, women, and children from the entire stronghold slaughtered by Zhong Yanhu, great hatred rose in Yang Qin’s heart. He drew his sword, reaching to feel the joints of Ji Kun’s neck. The refined iron blade cut horizontally, and Ji Kun’s head rolled onto the deck. Blood from his neck spurted like a fountain over a zhang away, spilling into the creek river, staining a patch of creek water red before being quickly diluted and washed away by the surging, roaring current.
At this moment, Han Qian noticed Madam Xi, whose eyes had shown fierce light throughout the journey and seemed to harbor no fear, suddenly constrict her pupils and turn her face away.
Han Qian cruelly grasped her chin, staring fiercely into her beautiful eyes, demanding, “What’s wrong, feeling distressed? Have you considered that if you’d listened to his incitement and truly killed me in Jingyun Stronghold, how many people on this land would have to die, how much blood would have to flow before the incident could be settled? Or do you think all the men, women, old and young around you are mere ants—it doesn’t matter how they die or how many die?”
Seeing that though Madam Xi’s eyes still held venom, a trace of confusion had appeared, Han Qian couldn’t help feeling slightly pleased with himself.
So-called discipline required crudely and directly crushing what the other person believed in their heart, causing them to doubt, feel confused, even chaotic about their beliefs, before one could then instill other things.
At this moment, Han Qian grabbed Ji Kun’s head and threw it toward the covered boat where Feng Jin stood, cupping his hands with a laugh. “Lord Feng need not be polite—take this dog thief’s head back. I hope we’ll have pleasant cooperation in the future!”
Looking at Ji Kun’s head with the wooden ball stuffed in his mouth and eyes wide open in death, rolling and bouncing on the deck, Feng Jin felt his heart and courage tremble. He vaguely sensed that the true enemy they would face in the future might not be the new Regional Inspector Han Daoxun, but rather this Regional Inspector’s son Han Qian before his eyes—a man who killed without batting an eye.