The candles crackled as they burned. Han Qian’s thoughts wandered. The great hall was excessively quiet, so quiet one could faintly hear heartbeats. Shen He thought that in all his years at His Majesty’s side, he had rarely seen such a stifling scene.

However, seeing Han Qian able to remain composed under His Majesty’s tiger-like gaze, Shen He was secretly shocked.

After a long while, Yang Mi still stared at Han Qian unwillingly and asked:

“Xuzhou is southwest of Tanzhou. I view Tanzhou as an affliction in my heart—do you feel no panic at all?”

Seeing the old Yang Mi turn the topic to Xuzhou, Han Qian’s scalp tingled secretly and his heart immediately became alert. He said, “What Your Majesty contemplates concerns Great Chu’s ten-thousand-year foundation. How Xuzhou should proceed amid these storms, Your Majesty has his own considerations. This subject is dull-witted. I only know to follow Your Majesty’s and His Highness’s lead in all things, so my heart need not panic.”

“Shen He, look at this—though young in years, whatever he does, whatever he says, he’s watertight, with decades of your skill!” Yang Mi digressed, glancing at Shen He.

“This old servant has followed at Your Majesty’s side these years with no real ability, only knowing how to say pleasant things to make Your Majesty comfortable. Please don’t mock this old servant, Your Majesty,” Shen He responded with an awkward smile.

Yang Mi’s words only digressed to Shen He briefly before turning back to stare at Han Qian and ask: “After Xuzhou lifted the land restrictions, over two thousand Tanzhou military households disguised as refugees entered Xuzhou to reclaim fields and build stockades. You father and son being so astute couldn’t possibly be unaware, but if you father and son were already aware, how could you possibly show no panic at this time?”

Without raising his head, Han Qian could still feel Emperor Tianyou’s gaze sharp as a knife. Instinctively, a chill ran straight up from his tailbone. He kowtowed and said, “Not only was I aware early on of Tanzhou military households secretly entering Xuzhou, I even suggested Father deliberately allow it. First, because goods from Xuzhou heading to Jinling must pass through Tanzhou—we cannot antagonize Tanzhou. Second, because in Xuzhou the established clans are strong while newcomers are weak. The previous Prefect Wang Yu was actually poisoned by local powerful families. My father, let alone thoroughly eliminating them, could barely even gain a foothold. He could only risk the strategy of using one tiger to devour wolves. However, my father and I dealing equivocally with Tanzhou were truly wholeheartedly thinking of His Highness and Great Chu’s state—we absolutely had no intention of colluding with Tanzhou. We beseech Your Majesty’s clear judgment.”

Yang Yuanpu had thought Han Qian would push this matter onto him. Sitting to the side, he was racking his brains to fabricate an explanation, never expecting Han Qian would actually take all responsibility himself.

Yang Yuanpu was secretly shocked, not knowing why Han Qian would say this. Could the crime of privately colluding with Tanzhou be something he could explain clearly before Father Emperor in a few words?

Shen He observed the Third Prince’s reaction and smiled inwardly. The Third Highness was still somewhat young after all. However young and accomplished, this was also the age most easily deceived—how could he know all of a subject’s thoughts?

Shen He turned his gaze to Han Qian, thinking: this boy probably won’t get away with the matter of his father and son colluding with Tanzhou just by kowtowing twice, will he?

“How much territory does Xuzhou have anyway? Even having your Han family hold the Xuzhou Prefect position hereditarily would be acceptable, but you must know Xuzhou cannot become a constraint on the court resolving Tanzhou’s problems!” Yang Mi, after beating around the bush for so long, lost patience and laid his cards on the table directly.

Hearing His Majesty say this, Shen He nearly dropped the whisk in his hand to the ground again.

What?

Had he heard wrong? His Majesty wouldn’t pursue the Han father and son’s collusion with Tanzhou, and would even grant Xuzhou to the Han Daoxun and Han Qian father and son?

Even fearing Han Daoxun’s position in Xuzhou, what virtue and ability did the Han Daoxun and Han Qian father and son possess to dare receive the reward of hereditary Xuzhou Prefect?

“This subject absolutely dares not harbor such presumptuous thoughts.” Han Qian cursed inwardly, but fearing the old Emperor Tianyou’s suspicion might truly ignite and lead to beheading, he kowtowed “bang bang bang” to display loyalty.

“Xuzhou has only over ten thousand registered households. The four established clan families hold their positions hereditarily. Not just in Great Chu’s founding years, but even in the previous dynasty, not a single grain could be levied from Xuzhou. West and south of Xuzhou are all tributary prefectures where prefects and other posts are all held hereditarily by major clans, only nominally submitting to the court. If Xuzhou could be held forever by people Great Chu can trust, what would be wrong with that?” Yang Mi said. “I can still clearly distinguish which weighs more—Xuzhou or Tanzhou.”

Shen He couldn’t help but look at His Majesty in surprise. He couldn’t detect any intention to test Han Qian in His Majesty’s words, and thought: could His Majesty truly have lost his mind to grant Xuzhou to the Han father and son?

However, thinking it over, Shen He found His Majesty’s words quite reasonable.

The three prefectures of Tan, Lang, and Yue occupied the finest regions along Dongting Lake shores. At the end of the previous dynasty, they already had over two hundred thousand households. With warfare devastating the Jingxiang region, large numbers of people fled south across the river. Tanzhou’s current population would only be more, not less.

Xuzhou’s established and newcomer population combined totaled only about twelve thousand households—by population, only one-twentieth of Tan, Lang, and Yue’s three prefectures.

More critically, for a long time, Xuzhou, and even Chenzhou north of Xuzhou closer to the Dongting Lake region, had been controlled hereditarily by local major clans. Following the Yuan River upstream from Xuzhou was the old Qianzhong Commandery, where tributary prefectures and counties were established with prefects and magistrates all held hereditarily by local powerful families, never truly controlled by central government authority.

Never mind Qianzhong’s counties—people like Feng Changyu, governing only ten to twenty thousand tribal people, dared poison the previous Prefect Wang Yu and even attempted to incite prison riots to kill the new prefect and massacre newcomer forces in Qianyang City on a large scale. This showed how weak their reverence for Great Chu’s court was.

Xuzhou had treacherous mountains and waters, dangerous routes, and was barbarous territory. If Xuzhou could be traded for the court’s absolute control over the Dongting Lake region including Tan, Lang, and Yue’s three prefectures, naturally it would be a hugely profitable deal.

However, could giving Xuzhou to the Han father and son truly smoothly resolve Tanzhou’s problems? Shen He deeply doubted this and at this moment couldn’t figure out what His Majesty was really scheming in his heart.

At this step, Han Qian had thoroughly understood the old Emperor Tianyou’s thoughts. He kowtowed and said:

“This subject absolutely dares not harbor such delusions. If Your Majesty believes Xuzhou can be used to constrain Tanzhou, this subject boldly requests Your Majesty to enfeoff Xuzhou to His Highness. This subject is willing to go to Xuzhou and scheme for His Highness!”

At this moment, Shen He glimpsed a flash of brilliance in His Majesty’s eyes and was shocked in his heart: could this be His Majesty’s very intention?

“Enfeoffing all of Xuzhou to Puzi isn’t realistic either. Would those established tribal households willingly hand over their land and registered people?” Yang Mi lightly shook his head dismissively.

“This subject requests Your Majesty’s permission to scheme for His Highness!” Having grasped the old Emperor Tianyou’s thinking, Han Qian’s thoughts relaxed. He straightened his kneeling posture slightly.

“Speak then,” Yang Mi said, not granting him a seat again but telling Han Qian to speak while kneeling.

“If there were brush and ink, this subject could explain more thoroughly,” Han Qian said.

Yang Mi glanced at Shen He, who understood and took brush and ink from the imperial desk, spreading a sheet of snow-white paper on the brick floor before Han Qian.

Kneeling on the ground, Han Qian sketched with just a few strokes, concisely outlining Xuzhou and Chenzhou, Xuefeng Mountain, Wuling Mountain, and the Yuan River’s flow. He also drew the “之” character-shaped bottom bend of the Yuan River within Xuzhou’s territory and said: “Xuzhou currently only has three counties—Qianyang, Langxi, and Tanyang. Of these, Qianyang has the flattest terrain, situated along the Yuan River with fertile soil spanning a hundred li radius—also Xuzhou’s most elite location, originally controlled by the established clan families Feng and Xi. After the Feng clan defeated the Xi clan, fearing the Xi, Xiang, and Yang three clans’ vigilance, they only expelled Xi clan members without taking Xi clan lands, leaving them barren. Thus Qianyang County’s northern part appears especially desolate with sparse population. If Your Majesty feels enfeoffing all of Xuzhou to His Highness seems somewhat hasty, you could separately carve out Qianyang’s northern part, establishing a new county as His Highness’s feudal domain!”

“This area is wild mountains and forests—what’s special about it?” Yang Mi asked noncommittally.

Han Qian said: “This is Longya Mountain, site of the old Xi stockade. Longya Mountain borders Chenyang County of Chenzhou to the north and Qianyang to the south—truly the central point between Chen and Xu prefectures. Within Chen and Xu’s territories, the Yuan River is forced by mountain terrain into many bends. The previous dynasty opened a post road through Longya Mountain—fifty li south or north reaches the Yuan River banks. North of Longya Mountain belongs to Chenyang County of Chenzhou, which we won’t discuss for now. South of Longya Mountain, formerly called Yushu Bay, has never been well developed. Currently most is ownerless wasteland. Even with over ten small stockades standing, they absolutely wouldn’t dare resist Your Majesty’s imperial decree. If His Highness takes it, builds canals and dikes, dredges streams and rivers, within three to five years, two to three thousand qing of fertile farmland could be obtained as foundation for a feudal domain. Then His Highness commanding Longque Army’s elite forces, occupying the high ground overlooking Tan and Lang, perhaps without deploying troops, could make father and son Ma surrender and be presented before Your Majesty!”

“Under towering mountain constraints, just one corner of Xuzhou could cultivate two to three thousand qing of grain fields—wouldn’t people have tried to reclaim it before?” Yang Mi asked with great interest.

Shen He was also slightly shocked.

One qing was one hundred mu. Two to three thousand qing was two to three hundred thousand mu.

The Inner Palace Bureau’s dispatched secret agents had thoroughly investigated all aspects of Xuzhou’s situation, but the intelligence gathered completely failed to mention that Longya Mountain’s southern part—the bottom of the Yuan River’s “之” shape large bay—could reclaim so much grain field.

Junzhou also had many mountains and little land, but it was after all an entire prefecture located at the edge of the Nanyang Basin. Planning to reclaim five to six hundred thousand mu of grain fields at Danjiang and Hanshui to settle over ten thousand military households posed no problems.

Now Han Qian was saying that in one corner of Xuzhou with terrain even more treacherous than Junzhou, two to three hundred thousand mu of grain fields could be reclaimed. Shen He didn’t quite believe it, thinking: if it were truly this easy, why during the previous dynasty’s three to four hundred years of actively promoting migration to Xuzhou, they never fully brought Xuzhou under control—weren’t they too foolish, too incompetent?

“Longya Mountain is the old Xi stockade. When the Xi clan occupied it, besides being closed and defensive, they also prohibited newcomer refugees from settling at the mountain’s base—this is the first reason. The second is that this area’s streams and rivers are special. Besides the Yuan River’s great water rise in summer and autumn, Longya Mountain’s two flanks each have two large streams flowing south into the Yuan River. These two large streams actually hang suspended above the bay land. Especially the Wuliu River at the junction of Xuefeng Mountain and Longya Mountain—compared to the bay’s low-lying areas, it’s suspended thirty to forty meters high. When summer and autumn waters rise slightly and overflow the riverbed, the bay’s forty to fifty li of wasteland all suffer impact, causing Yushu Bay to flood catastrophically with no survival for people or livestock. If the Wuliu River could be tamed, the bay land would all become grain fields,” Han Qian said.

“You’ve only been to Xuzhou once, yet you know quite a lot!” Yang Mi sighed.

“When this subject accompanied Father to assume his post in Xuzhou, I acquired a female slave who was an Xi clan daughter. After Han Qian took her under my command, I secretly gathered Xi clan members scattered by the Feng clan to resist the four clans’ powerful families in Xuzhou, thus learning more about Longya Mountain’s situation,” Han Qian thought. Since the old Emperor Tianyou already knew about Tanzhou secretly dispatching military households to infiltrate Xuzhou, secretly gathering Xi clan members probably couldn’t be hidden from him either, so he simply admitted it all together.

“Looking at it this way, reclaiming two to three hundred thousand mu of grain fields in that place does indeed seem somewhat possible, doesn’t it?” Yang Mi asked. “However, I cannot wait three to five years, and in all matters we cannot alert the enemy prematurely. With Xuzhou south of Tanzhou, if I were to use you, how would you scheme?”

Shen He glanced at Han Qian, thinking: if one corner of Xuzhou could truly reclaim two to three hundred thousand mu of grain fields, it could barely settle five to six thousand military households. Xuzhou’s established tribal people combined totaled only over six thousand households. With such military strength, not only could it intimidate the established major clans of Xu and Chen prefectures into wholehearted loyalty, but when truly deploying troops against Tanzhou, these forces attacking Tanzhou from upstream along the Yuan River would make Tanzhou extremely uncomfortable, greatly reducing pressure from attacking Tanzhou on the northern front.

However, Tanzhou weren’t fools either. How could they possibly let Han Qian suddenly bring five to six thousand households—thirty to forty thousand people—pass through Tanzhou and take root in Xuzhou, especially with Xuzhou already attracting thirty to forty thousand refugees?

“Your Majesty could use the stratagem of deception. Exile Feng clan members to Xuzhou. As long as Xuzhou can secretly gather two to three thousand elite troops within one year, this subject can deploy troops from Xuzhou to help Your Majesty constrain Tanzhou…” Han Qian thought: whether it means life or death, I must take this risk, and boldly said.