When Han Qian stood once again at the head of Canglang Island in the old Junxian territory, it was already the fourteenth day of the eleventh month. Nearly another month had passed since he entered Xiangzhou.
Stripping Chai Jian, Zhang Ping, and others of their command over the Guard Battalion, reorganizing the new Guard Battalion, and establishing Shen Yang as the primary authority beside the Third Prince—all these matters had wasted nearly half a month.
Perhaps in others’ eyes, this was worthwhile.
Regardless of whether Shen Yang held any prejudices against Han Qian and Li Zhigao, Shen Yang was fair-minded. He would make every effort to maintain stability within the Dragon Sparrow Army and more effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of officers like Guo Liang and Gao Chengyuan, enabling more balanced development within the Dragon Sparrow Army. This would give more opportunities for officers and soldiers from humble families to advance, ultimately solidifying the Third Prince’s authority and enhancing his prestige.
However, for Han Qian, who counted every second, the half month that had slipped away in vain truly pained him deeply.
Yang Qin and Tian Cheng had waited until Shen Yang and the others led the Dragon Sparrow Army’s main force to Xiangzhou City before Han Qian reassigned them to oversee matters at Canglang. By the time Han Qian delayed three or four more days before arriving, the planned Canglang City hadn’t even cleared the foundations for a few ward compounds.
However, the forces left at Canglang had still accomplished some things over the past half month or more.
On the northern bank of the Han River, within a hundred li west and north of the ruined Junxian city, nearly a hundred strongholds of various sizes were scattered among the towering mountains and steep ridges, with no roads connecting them to the outside world.
Over the past half month, the forces remaining at the old Junxian city had trekked through mountains and forded waters, crossing mountain ranges while carrying generous gifts of tea, medicine, salt, and iron to establish communication.
A considerable portion of the strongholds remained wary of the Left Office scouts who came bearing official military credentials, rejecting the generous gifts. However, over a dozen strongholds whose survival situations were truly dire—and whose transportation connections to the outside world were relatively better—recognized that the Chu army’s advance along the Dan River was extremely determined. Fearing that firm refusal would invite severe retaliation, they accepted the generous gifts presented by the Left Office. Each also dispatched ten to twenty able-bodied men, totaling three hundred strong laborers who assembled at the old Junxian city to construct Canglang City, available for the Left Office to employ.
This was the Left Office’s greatest harvest at the old Junxian city over the past half month. However, for Han Qian’s plan to build Canglang City at the old Junxian city, three hundred strong laborers were far too few.
Han Qian summoned Feng Xuan and the leaders sent by the four clans to oversee the boats—Feng Zhang, Gao Bao, and others—and said, “His Highness wishes to build Canglang City here. Manpower is scarce. Each of the four clans shall lend me ten men. Feng Xuan, since you have slightly more men under your command, leave thirty behind. This shouldn’t delay your escorting the boats back to Xuzhou.”
The Left Office had presented generous gifts to the strongholds, and those strongholds that accepted knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Besides dispatching some able-bodied laborers to participate in the work, they also made up the deficit with mountain products.
Compared to previous rulers who controlled the Deng Xiang region—whose sole intent was to control and exploit these strongholds—the Left Office at least provided strongholds that had lacked material goods for years with fair trading opportunities. Though this wouldn’t immediately dispel all the strongholds’ wariness, it hadn’t provoked sharp confrontation either, which counted as a good start.
Besides having the gathered mountain products transported to Xuzhou by Feng Xuan and his group—to offset the cost of the second batch of eight boats’ worth of supplies sent from Xuzhou—Han Qian additionally allocated three million coins from funds recently borrowed by the money shop. This covered the fleet’s transportation fees and the profits due to the four clans.
When Han Qian made such a request now, the leaders sent by the four clans found it difficult to refuse. Without even needing Gao Bao’s encouragement from behind, Feng Zhang and the others agreed, “We dare not disobey Lord Han’s command.”
After all, Han Qian was merely temporarily borrowing ten men from each clan. When they returned to Xuzhou, they could all replenish their manpower from their respective tribes.
Though the Feng, Xiang, Xi, and Yang four clans could only be said to overestimate their importance within the Great Chu’s territory, each clan governed over a thousand households of tribal people. Not to mention warriors—they each had close to two thousand or even more able-bodied laborers.
“You gentlemen have provided me with this convenience. Han Qian has nothing else with which to express his gratitude, so please take these small trinkets for your amusement,” Han Qian said, signaling Xi Ren to bring out several brocade pouches to present to Feng Zhang and the others.
Feng Zhang opened a pouch and saw it contained small beasts carved from top-quality turquoise. The charming forms were delightful, and they all expressed their thanks repeatedly with joy.
The old Junxian city had produced turquoise since ancient times.
During the early and middle periods of the previous dynasty, when contact with the Western Regions was very close, turquoise was especially beloved by people. Though by the late period of the previous dynasty turquoise wasn’t as popular with people as other precious jade, it remained a valuable gem. Particularly among the native tribal people of southern Hunan and central Qian, the custom of using turquoise as ornaments still prevailed.
Among this batch of mountain products offsetting the cargo payment, the most precious were a batch of raw turquoise stones.
Though the turquoise carved beasts Han Qian presented to Feng Zhang and the others seemed small, they could be said to be rare treasures. Taken to Xuzhou, they would be worth at least twenty thousand coins each.
Though Feng Zhang and the others were leaders dispatched by the four clans to oversee the boats, they could barely be counted as core members within the four clans.
When the four clans were initially forced to deal with Han Qian, they were extremely wary. Moreover, the waterways the fleet traveled were treacherous and dangerous. None of the core members of the four clans were willing to undertake this task, so minor headmen among the stockade soldiers like Feng Zhang and Gao Bao were entrusted with this important responsibility.
Twenty thousand coins was roughly equivalent to most of half a year’s reward money that Feng Zhang and the others could receive from the four clans.
Furthermore, the four clans’ fleet had already successfully transported two batches of supplies from Xuzhou. Feng Zhang and the others had also privately carried some goods to Jinling and Xiangzhou. Han Qian had also indicated they should raise the prices during settlement, making their purses much fuller after just two trips.
As long as they were human, they would inevitably be driven by various interests. Even though Feng Zhang and the others were initially extremely wary of Han Qian, after two trips their wariness had completely dissolved, and emotionally they had grown much closer to Han Qian and the Left Office.
At Xuzhou, Han Daoxun had lifted the land restrictions. Besides personnel secretly dispatched into Xuzhou by Tanzhou, over the past three or four months, refugees lured by gold mine rumors who had newly flooded into Xuzhou already numbered two to three thousand.
For Xuzhou, which had a registered population of only sixty to seventy thousand, this had already caused considerable disturbance. Particularly the matter of lifting land restrictions made the four clans especially vigilant. However, whether due to Tanzhou working behind the scenes or the four clans having actually given up control over Qianyang City, unless they tore off all pretenses, the four clans found it difficult to curb this spreading trend.
Of course, the four clans could still exercise restraint at this time. On one hand, the fleet had indeed brought substantial benefits to the four clans, rather than being fleeced of four to five million coins annually as they had initially feared. On the other hand, this was not unrelated to the encouragement and advocacy of Feng Zhang and others when they returned.
Han Qian stood on the wind-swept riverbank, spoke with Feng Xuan, Feng Zhang, and the others for a while, then had them board their boats. Yang Qin would lead three war-sail ships to escort them back to Xuzhou, so they might be able to transport another batch of supplies to Xiangzhou before the year’s end.
Han Qian also wrote a letter for Yang Qin to deliver to his father.
After seeing off Feng Xuan and the others, Han Qian and Xi Ren went ashore and returned to camp.
Besides the three hundred strong laborers sent by the strongholds, over a hundred men left behind by the four clans’ fleet and boat gang, and over a hundred master craftsmen and workers transferred from the workshops who had advanced west with the Dragon Sparrow Army’s main force, there were also over fifty elite scouts from the Left Office’s Military Bureau, all concentrated within the ruined Junxian city on the northern bank.
The camp’s scale was quite large. Most could only live in temporarily constructed shacks. Han Qian’s main tent was slightly more spacious—they had selected a courtyard compound and used canvas to cover the broken skylight in the roof, barely keeping the cold air outside.
At this time, Tian Cheng led in two dark-faced men, one old and one young, both quite robust in build.
These two walked barefoot in the snow on this cold day, their feet frozen and cracked open, revealing bloody wounds. Their clothes were tattered and ragged, leaving them shivering from the cold.
“Uncle Chang, Xi Fa’er!”
Though twenty days earlier Zhao Wuji had already gone to rendezvous with Yang Qin and taken charge of the sixteen Xi clan youths who were the first batch to be ransomed, Zhao Wuji was training this batch of Xi clan youths in the mountain wilderness and hadn’t yet returned to meet with Han Qian. Only now did Xi Ren have the opportunity to see her clansmen for the first time.
Seeing the two dark-faced men, Xi Ren couldn’t suppress her inner excitement, calling out with a trembling voice.
“Young Miss…” The two Xi clan members hesitantly sized up Xi Ren, who was disguised as a man.
Several years had passed since the Xi clan was dismembered and scattered. Xi Ren had also grown from an innocent young girl into an elegant and charming young woman of eighteen. Her appearance had changed considerably. However, Xi Cheng’s death and Xi Ren being given by Feng Changyu as a slave to the Prefect’s son—Xi Chang and his son Xi Fa’er had both heard of these events.
They hadn’t expected to encounter the Young Miss a thousand li away.
Xi Chang and his son Xi Fa’er still couldn’t figure out the current situation. Even having recognized Xi Ren, they could only forcibly suppress their excited emotions for now and bow their heads, awaiting Han Qian’s judgment.
Han Qian sat behind the long desk. The conditions here were crude. He pointed to the straw mat spread before the desk, indicating that Xi Chang and his son Xi Fa’er should sit on the ground to talk:
“Xi Cheng forgot the hatred of the Xi clan’s destruction and willingly became Feng Changyu’s lackey. He once intended to assassinate my father and me, and was ultimately killed by the guards at my side. I made an agreement with Xi Ren: as long as the Xi clan’s descendants can serve me, I will do everything in my power to help the Xi clan regain a foothold among Xuzhou’s mountains and waters! I now ask you—are you willing to pledge loyalty to me?”
Xi Chang and Xi Fa’er stood dumbfounded on the spot, crouching on the straw mat without even daring to lower their buttocks fully, finding it hard to believe that what Han Qian said was true.
“Everything the Lord has said is fact. I have already decided to pledge loyalty to the Lord in exchange for the opportunity to restore the Xi clan—Feng Xuan and the Xuzhou boat gang’s secret search for and ransoming of Xi clan members was also at the Lord’s instigation,” Xi Ren said to Xi Chang and Xi Fa’er, following her agreement with Han Qian.