After seeing the exhausted Yang En and Shen He to rest in the rear quarters of the Regional Commander’s residence, Yang Yuanpu privately retained only Shen Yang, Han Qian, Zhang Ping, and Li Chong in the small hall to discuss how to reward Xichuan’s generals and officials.
This time, the court formally established the new Junzhou, explicitly appointing Yang Yuanpu as concurrent Regional Commander of Junzhou and offering all vacant official positions and corresponding rank appointments in Junzhou as rewards for the generals and officials currently defending Xichuan and Jingzi Crossing.
“Commander Chai is currently supervising the battle at Jingzi Crossing, but considering his merit and closeness to Your Highness, he should concurrently serve as Regional Vice Administrator.” Without waiting for Zhang Ping to advocate, Han Qian first suggested to the Third Imperial Prince.
Previously, Chai Jian’s command over the Guard Battalion had been removed, but now both sides had to set aside past grievances and cooperate. Naturally, they needed to offer substantial benefits and sincerity to ensure the upcoming cooperation continued pleasantly.
After the war, Yang Yuanpu could not remain in Junzhou long-term to command. The Regional Vice Administrator and Regional Military Commissioner would represent Yang Yuanpu in effectively wielding military and political authority over Junzhou.
Among the thick stack of blank certificates Shen He produced, Zhang Ping and Li Chong’s goal was to secure one of the two positions: Regional Vice Administrator or Regional Military Commissioner.
Since Han Qian tactfully took the initiative to suggest this to the Third Imperial Prince, Zhang Ping and Li Chong simply sat there in silent agreement, avoiding unnecessary words that might cause the Third Imperial Prince to develop unfavorable opinions of them.
Yang Yuanpu now also suppressed his reservations about Marquis Xinchang’s household and Wanhong Tower. Seeing Shen Yang did not object, he said: “Chai Jian certainly has the ability to serve as Regional Vice Administrator, but I still hope Teacher Han will not decline the hardship of concurrently serving as Regional Military Commissioner.”
“I am only capable of offering counsel and strategy at Your Highness’s side and do not yet have the qualifications to command independently,” Han Qian demurred. “Instead, I recommend Zhou Dan serve as Regional Military Commissioner and concurrently as Magistrate of Canglang County. Your Highness should now extend maximum trust to these mountain stronghold forces, as Xichuan City has not yet faced its truly perilous test.”
The Regional Vice Administrator and Regional Military Commissioner divided military and political authority. If after the war they wished to further incorporate mountain stronghold forces, the Regional Military Commissioner position was especially important. Neither Shen Yang nor Zhang Ping had expected Han Qian would decline the Regional Military Commissioner position and recommend Jingyun Stronghold chieftain Zhou Dan for the role.
Han Qian naturally had his own considerations.
His foundation was the shallowest, with only a few people at his disposal. Even if they ultimately held Xichuan, Jinling and Xuzhou would consume most of his energy—he truly had no capacity to engage in political machinations with Marquis Xinchang’s household and Wanhong Tower over Junzhou.
Most critically, if they ultimately could not hold Xichuan City, all official appointments and noble titles would be meaningless.
Only by extending maximum trust to these mountain stronghold forces now could they obtain more substantial assistance from the strongholds in the upcoming defensive battle.
Moreover, the mountain stronghold forces had resisted external integration and governance for years. Forcibly imposing a “Regional Military Commissioner” to command them immediately after the war might not necessarily be beneficial. Better to be thoroughly and completely generous.
Shen Yang weighed the advantages and disadvantages. After pondering briefly, he also supported Han Qian’s proposal, though this made Han Qian’s character even more inscrutable to him.
Additionally, besides Li Zhigao concurrently serving as Magistrate of Xichuan County and Zhou Shu concurrently serving as Magistrate of Jingkou County (Jingzi Crossing), the vacant official positions from the newly established Junzhou were assigned as much as possible to mountain stronghold chieftains.
Han Qian himself only accepted the rank appointment of Colonel of Illustrious Valor.
Rank appointments were also non-executive positions without corresponding official duties, their actual authority perhaps not even matching ordinary clerks. However, Colonel of Illustrious Valor meant Han Qian could enjoy the political treatment of Upper Sixth Rank and could stand alongside civil and military generals of the same rank to discuss matters.
For Han Qian at this time, this was sufficient.
…
…
Han Qian dragged his weary body back to the Xuzhou Battalion garrison in the eastern city. Gao Shao and the agents he had brought from Jinling had eaten their fill and were waiting in the barracks for his return.
Messages from Xichuan to Jinling were all carried by Left Bureau scouts. When Shen He and Yang En came to Xichuan this time, naturally some of the Left Bureau personnel remaining in Jinling were dispatched to follow and guide them.
However, when Gao Shao departed from Jinling, he brought twenty men to participate in escorting Shen He and Yang En. By the time they reached Xichuan City, only six remained—the tasks they undertook along the way were even heavier and more dangerous than those of Shen He and Yang En’s direct bodyguards.
“When news of Prince Yong of Liang Zhu Yu leading the Xuanjia Guard to raid Suizhou and Yingzhou reached Jinling, depositors at the money house panicked completely, nearly tearing the place apart, clamoring to withdraw their deposited funds. This subordinate and Miss Ting’er had no way to control the situation. When we went to find Marquis Xinchang, we were turned away at the gate and could only be forced to close the warehouse and money house. Afterward, the Jiankang County office intervened in this matter and wanted to detain Miss Ting’er. This subordinate could only first escort Miss Ting’er into hiding at the estate, but after rioters smashed and destroyed the warehouse and money house, the Jiankang County office sent people to seal them. Later, Palace Attendants Bureau Junior Supervisor Shen suddenly came to the estate and helped mediate with the Jiankang County office, lifting the seal on the warehouse and money house. They instead detained several rioters, finally quelling the matter. Although the warehouse and money house were destroyed, fortunately after receiving your letter, Miss Ting’er promptly transferred goods and assets out of the warehouse and money house. The losses were not too severe…” Gao Shao described the Left Bureau workshop, warehouse, and money house’s situation in Jinling during this period.
Han Qian had long anticipated that when news of the Liang army’s main force advancing southward from the western flank reached Jinling, it would inevitably trigger panic among depositors.
The funds collected by the money house over several months had all been diverted elsewhere by Han Qian and could not withstand a run.
Han Qian, being in Xiangzhou, had no better solution and could only write to remind Zhao Ting’er and Gao Shao to transfer goods and assets from the warehouse and money house in the city in advance.
That Marquis Xinchang Li Pu ignored this did not exceed Han Qian’s expectations. The Jiankang County office’s intervention in this matter might involve more complex factors that Han Qian could not yet fathom for the moment.
However, for Shen He, as Palace Attendants Bureau Junior Supervisor, to suddenly appear and find Gao Shao, intervening in this matter—it was difficult to imagine this stemmed from Shen He’s personal volition.
Was this Emperor Tianyou’s instruction?
Han Qian did not feel fortunate that Palace Attendants Bureau Junior Supervisor Shen He had condescended to help him resolve such a major problem. Instead, at this moment, a chill ran up his spine.
He truly did not know which eye the Emperor Tianyou—secluded deep in the palace, entangled daily by national affairs—had fixed on such an insignificant corner as the Linjiang Money House.
Even Gao Chengyuan might not know the actual significance of the Linjiang Money House’s existence.
Although Shen Yang could guess all the functions of the Linjiang Money House and had the qualifications to submit confidential memorials to Emperor Tianyou, Shen Yang, he himself, and Gao Chengyuan were all currently trapped in Xichuan and Jingzi Crossing. Emperor Tianyou must have had other informants continuously monitoring every move of the Linjiang Money House, which was why Shen He had intervened so timely.
When had Emperor Tianyou additionally assigned someone to watch him and his father? Was it after his father took office in Xuzhou?
Han Qian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking that Emperor Tianyou was, after all, the founding monarch who established Chu’s foundation. Even if constrained by great aristocratic families, his political cunning and directly controlled power absolutely could not be underestimated.
If Emperor Tianyou truly intended to cultivate the Third Imperial Prince, besides dispatching Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, Shen Yang, Gao Chengyuan, and others to assist, having other arrangements was also perfectly normal. He had presumptuously assumed that lurking in the shadows at a low level, he should not directly attract Emperor Tianyou’s attention.
Reflecting on his various actions beside the Third Imperial Prince, Han Qian felt secretly fortunate he had timely joined forces with Li Zhigao to halt Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and the others’ intention and ambition to control the Third Imperial Prince, establishing Shen Yang’s position as the principal advisor beside the Third Imperial Prince, preventing Li Pu’s foolishness from ruining everything.
Although the thirty to forty million coins he raised using the Linjiang Money House were partly used to ransom Xi clan members, more were primarily poured into Xiangzhou, as well as executing Xia Zhen, intimidating Zheng Hui, and winning over Zhou Dan and other mountain stronghold forces. He had not displayed any personal ambition but mainly drew these people in for the Third Imperial Prince’s use.
Even regarding the salt trade and expanding the boatmen’s influence and the Xuzhou Battalion, though Han Qian harbored some self-interest, these were trivial details.
If not for this, he suspected that even if Xichuan ultimately held, when they returned in triumph to court, he might not pass Emperor Tianyou’s scrutiny.
In life, one truly cannot become arrogant and forget oneself!
Han Qian further learned about Jinling’s current specific situation in detail. Learning that Feng Yi, Kong Xirong, and a large batch of ministers’ sons had all received mobilization orders, he estimated that even if Emperor Tianyou did not personally lead the expedition this time, the reinforcements departing westward from Jinling would exceed one hundred fifty thousand. He decided to have Gao Shao also remain to assist him in commanding the Xuzhou Battalion and Left Bureau scouts.
Besides Zhao Wuji personally leading the covert group of Xi clan youths hidden in the shadows, the Left Bureau scouts currently still maintained around fifty men—elite scouts were simply too difficult to cultivate.
During this period, many brave soldiers had emerged in the army, but they were prioritized for promotion to junior officers. No one was willing to let Han Qian recruit them into the Left Bureau.
The Xuzhou Battalion was mainly composed of convict soldiers and slave soldiers. As Yang Qin and Feng Xuan brought over a second batch of slave soldiers, the Xuzhou Battalion currently still maintained a battalion establishment of five hundred men. Due to extensive expenditure of funds for redemptions in the early period, Xi clan members in the Xuzhou Battalion already numbered as many as one hundred fifty.
The Xuzhou boatmen and Four Surnames fleet commanded by Yang Qin and Feng Xuan, after incorporating vessels and personnel from the Yingzhou grain transport fleet, had also expanded their escort forces to three hundred men, with another three hundred-plus helmsmen and sailors.
Han Qian would not allow others to interfere with these personnel. But even if Emperor Tianyou had additional eyes watching his operations, Han Qian would not worry about it. Compared to what he had done and contributed for the Third Imperial Prince, this small ambition of his did not even constitute overreach. Emperor Tianyou was also not so naive as to believe his subordinate ministers truly had no self-interest.
Han Qian was chatting about domestic matters with Gao Shao and others. Seeing the night deepening and about to retire separately, the Third Imperial Prince again sent someone to summon him, saying that at this moment another force of three to four thousand troops had entered the Liang army camp constructed east of Xichuan City.