Han Qian had no time to concern himself with his father’s feelings at this moment. He looked toward Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng, asking: “What are the Left Bureau men thinking right now?”
The armed escorts of the Xuzhou Boatmen’s Guild were either Han family retainers, Xi clan members, or river bandits and water pirates recruited by Yang Qin. Han Qian didn’t need to worry about any abnormalities from them. At this moment, he was more concerned about the unsettled morale among the Left Bureau’s elite scouts.
The Left Bureau initially recruited elite scouts from the military households of Taowu Camp. Before and after the Jingxiang campaign, they selected and added another batch of elites from the stronghold forces and convict soldiers.
The dozen or so convict soldiers weren’t much to worry about—their families were all in Xuzhou, and after joining the Left Bureau, they had been treated as core troops by Han Qian.
As for the stronghold elites who had been willing to join the Left Bureau initially, the vast majority were unattached individuals who felt that following Han Qian could earn them military merit and ensure they were well-fed and clothed. These twenty-some men only needed careful cultivation, and they wouldn’t pose much of a problem either.
Beyond these, there were still over sixty elite scouts whose families remained in Jinling. Now that they knew for certain the Han father and son had “abducted” them to Xuzhou to seek regional power, it would be strange indeed if their minds could remain settled.
By comparison, the thirty households of slaves and servants Han Qian had been granted on two occasions were even more loyal to the Han family upon coming to Xuzhou this time.
At present, Han Qian mainly had Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng assess the situation of these men.
Tian Cheng responded with an embarrassed smile, indicating that these men’s circumstances were quite worrying and their thoughts very unstable. It was only because Han Qian’s authority was so imposing that no one dared openly say anything for now. But for quite some time to come, they couldn’t completely rely on these men to accomplish tasks.
These were all carefully selected elites. Not being able to use them with confidence was actually a significant loss.
Han Qian nodded. Though he felt considerable regret, he didn’t pursue the matter further.
If these men’s current situation was worrying and their thoughts drifting, that meant the over five hundred Left Bureau subordinates were mostly in a state of panic as well.
Although Emperor Tianyou had promised to subsequently send the families of the Left Bureau officers and soldiers to Xuzhou so he could control them before finally revealing the secret edict, Han Qian deeply doubted this.
Emperor Tianyou in his later years was extremely suspicious. Even though on the Great Chu chessboard, Xuzhou occupied a corner and its position was far less important than Tanzhou, would Emperor Tianyou completely relinquish this final means of control over the father and son?
Han Qian was deeply skeptical of this.
Even if Emperor Tianyou broke his promise and kept these men’s families under control in Jinling, he couldn’t express dissatisfaction.
Han Qian felt it was better to abandon this hope first, lest expectations fall through later and leave them in even greater disarray.
Of course, even if Emperor Tianyou didn’t release the families of the Left Bureau officers and soldiers to Xuzhou, it wasn’t impossible to unearth more usable people.
Among the over five hundred Left Bureau subordinates coerced to Xuzhou by Han Qian, two hundred forty-some were sons and nephews of Left Bureau scouts and craftsmen who had likewise been deceived into coming to Xuzhou.
This in itself formed a relationship of mutual hostages.
Especially those Left Bureau elite scouts and craftsmen who had three or four nephews all come to Xuzhou at once—while their low spirits were unavoidable, they could basically still be used with confidence.
However, these personnel would need to be cross-assigned to ensure everything remained under their control.
At this moment, Han Daoxun pushed the door open and entered, appearing somewhat fatigued.
Tian Cheng, Yang Qin, and the others all stood to salute: “Greetings, Sir.”
Han Daoxun waved his hand, sat down, and asked Han Qian: “What is your plan for comprehensively controlling the situation inside and outside Qianyang City?”
Whether making pretense into reality or further concealing their intentions, from this moment forward it was imperative for the father and son to comprehensively control the situation inside and outside Qianyang City. Before this, Han Qian and his father needed to conduct a thorough review of the resources at their disposal.
In the future, whether Tanzhou was restraining the father and son to obey orders or perfunctorily complying with strict commands from Jinling, they would completely blockade the Yuan River waterway.
Although the upper reaches of the Yuan River could access the heartland of the old Qianzhong Commandery, the indigenous tribal people were extremely wary of them. In the short term, commerce between Xuzhou and the upper Yuan River might also be cut off.
Currently, through two rushed shipments and earlier stockpiling, Han Qian now controlled sixty thousand dan of millet, three thousand dan of salt, and materials worth fifty to sixty thousand strings of cash including silk, paper, and bronze vessels in Qianyang City. Though this seemed abundant, it might not last until next autumn.
After all, to integrate Xuzhou and further activate the military potential under his control, Han Qian had far too much to accomplish.
Beyond reviewing material reserves, what was even more important was comprehensively reorganizing the State Battalion and Prison Battalion, so that the troops Han Qian brought this time could be better incorporated into these forces and ensure they remained under complete Han family control.
This was the foundation for the Han family to establish themselves in Xuzhou and in the future restrain Tanzhou from the upper Yuan River.
Faced with the unstable morale among the Left Bureau elite scouts, personnel assignments required careful thought, and they hadn’t yet discussed this step.
Just then, a household soldier came to report that an official had arrived requesting an audience with Han Daoxun.
That an official would call so late naturally meant he was coming to pledge loyalty. Han Daoxun’s heart was full of bitterness, yet he couldn’t avoid dealing with it. He let out a soft sigh, stood up, and forced himself for quite a while before his expression returned to normal.
Han Qian knew this was truly an ordeal for his father, but at this time they needed these opportunistic officials’ assistance to stabilize the Xuzhou situation.
Han Qian worked busily until midnight before he and Tian Cheng, Yang Qin, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, Fan Xicheng, Xi Ren, and Zhao Ting’er finished arranging the personnel roster for rebuilding the State Battalion and Prison Battalion.
Han Qian planned to disband the existing State Battalion, then select two hundred elites from the Prison Battalion and boatmen’s guild to mix with three hundred Feng family retainers. Using elite scouts from the stronghold forces and convict soldiers as junior officers, he would rebuild the State Battalion under the direct command of himself with assistance from Tian Cheng, Guo Nu’er, Lin Zongjing, and others.
Using three war sailships and the remaining two hundred armed escorts from the boatmen’s guild as foundation, he would formally establish a Naval Battalion with Yang Qin and Xi Chang serving as commander and deputy commander.
Led by Xi Ren and Gao Shao, he would select twenty men to establish the Xuzhou Left Bureau, responsible for monitoring the movements of major powers within Xuzhou, with Gao Shao serving as Chief Scout Officer.
The two hundred forty subordinates whose fathers or senior relatives served as Left Bureau scouts or craftsmen would all be incorporated into the Prison Battalion. The Prison Battalion would expand to around five hundred men, serving as the basic armed force for controlling Qianyang City and maintaining order within. The commander, deputy commander, and core officers would be filled by Han family retainers like Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo.
In this way, the troops they could directly use in Xuzhou would reach over twelve hundred men.
Additionally, the Xi clan youths led by Zhao Wuji and Xi Fa’er numbered only thirty—the redeemed Xi clan youths naturally far exceeded this number, but those selected as barely qualified to practice the Hidden Blade arts numbered only thirty—these men would form a Secret Battalion that, beyond undertaking some guard duties, would continue arduously training in Xuzhou.
Under the assistance of Chen Jitang, Ji Yaoxi, and others, Lin Haizheng would incorporate the existing shipyard, weaving workshop, coal yard, iron mine, iron smelting facility, and so on into a Craftsmen’s Battalion, and also incorporate all the hundred craftsmen brought along into the Craftsmen’s Battalion. Though the craftsmen’s loyalties were uncertain and he couldn’t expect them to take the battlefield, having them maintain and build up the Craftsmen’s Battalion operations under coercion was nothing to worry about.
Those elite scouts with uncertain loyalties and some Left Bureau subordinates would have their weapons confiscated on the spot. They would be mixed with Feng family retainer dependents and slaves into a Logistics Battalion and sent directly by boat to the foot of Longya Mountain north of the Yuan River to cultivate the Great Bay stretching thirty li across the southern slope of Longya Mountain.
It was already mid-December. To tame Wuliu Creek before the spring floods rose, the time remaining for Han Qian was extremely limited.
Over the next three days, new personnel were assigned to the State Battalion, Prison Battalion, and Xuzhou Naval Battalion. During this period, a memorial of self-accusation was also sent to Jinling by fast boat.
Three days later, leaving the newly organized Prison Battalion to defend Qianyang City, Han Qian, who had entered the city bearing rods for self-punishment, led the newly established five hundred elite State Battalion troops out of the city again. They boarded ships at Wufeng Mountain dock and, together with five thousand Feng family slaves and retainer dependents, sailed north under escort of three war sailships.
The Yuan River, flowing along the southern foot of Longya Mountain, suddenly made a great bend, the channel flowing from northwest to southwest for about seventy li, passing beneath Qianyang City, then turning east through towering mountains for thirty li before turning again to flow from south to north into Chenzhou territory.
The place Han Qian was heading to was located at the bottom of the great Yuan River bend, at the southern foot of Longya Mountain. There, shoals crisscrossed an area that was Xuzhou’s largest expanse of uncultivated virgin land—the very place Han Qian had pointed out in Emperor Tianyou’s presence as suitable for establishing the Third Imperial Prince’s feudal domain.
This place was formerly called Yushu Bay.
From Qianyang City to Yushu Bay was seventy li of upstream waterway. On both sides were many wasteland beaches suitable for cultivation. The fortified stronghold built over the past year by over a thousand military households and five to six thousand people Tanzhou had gradually infiltrated was located at the western foot of Zhongfang Mountain, between Yushu Bay and Qianyang City.
Passing Zhongfang Mountain, Han Qian could see from afar the so-called Zhongfang Stockade—or perhaps calling it Zhongfang City would be more appropriate. The enclosing walls stretching four to five li, though built of rammed earth, stood over three zhang high and appeared quite imposing, with battlements built atop the walls.
The embankment on Zhongfang City’s riverside had been reinforced with stone facing and could dock warships. The west gate tower was also covered with blue bricks, appearing extraordinarily sturdy.
One could see that upon suddenly discovering they could gain a foothold in Xuzhou’s heartland, Tanzhou had spared no effort in development.
However, the five to six thousand people Tanzhou had sent over had devoted their main energy to building the city over the past year. The surrounding cultivated fields were not extensive in scale, only ten to twenty thousand mu or so.
At this moment, Zhongfang City’s gates were tightly shut. Dozens of armored soldiers stood before the gate tower, nervously watching the fleet passing on the river before the city.
Han Qian merely curled his lip at this and directed the fleet to continue forward. They arrived at the southeastern foot of Longya Mountain at dusk, mooring at the mouth of Wuliu Creek.
At this time, the slanting sun spread across the river surface, its golden light shimmering.