Xi Xunqiao wasn’t yet thirty years old. Because of his poor relationship with his father Xi Zhen, he had never held real power in the clan. It was only after his father died under the swords of Tanzhou soldiers at Deer Horn Creek that he inherited the position of Xi clan chieftain under such dire circumstances. Afterward, he was trapped at Dragon Bridge Settlement for over a month, then forced to surrender and imprisoned in Hibiscus Garden in Qianyang.
After his house arrest was lifted, having just settled for two days in the newly established and still desolate Linjiang County, suddenly a team of men arrived saying that Provincial Commandant Han Qian wanted to see him. Xi Xunqiao could only bid farewell to his wife and children with trepidation, change into a long robe, and follow the arrivals into the mountains.
The site selected for Linjiang County town was still desolate, but walking along Sha River deeper into Big Bay, one could see newly built residential compounds becoming increasingly dense. Large areas of grain fields had been cultivated on both banks of Sha River, with abundant crops growing. Many able-bodied men were digging new irrigation channels, seemingly intending to transform all of Big Bay into irrigated land.
Xuzhou had vast territory with sparse population—many mountains but little arable land. Particularly, the numerous barbarian settlements large and small had also cultivated large amounts of grain fields, but mostly in the mountains with little irrigated land.
Only in these past two years had Provincial Governor Han Daoxun first taught outsider residents within Qianyang County to utilize gently sloped mountain land to build terraced fields and ponds, step by step transforming mountain dry land into irrigated fields, even planting rice in the mountains.
Before reaching the mountain foot, Xi Xunqiao also saw the new canal connecting Wuliu Creek and Sha River, saw the water distribution weir and overflow dam on Wuliu Creek.
Although after these hydraulic engineering works were completed, standing at a high point, those who knew something of practical governance could understand the principles within, the new canal was located in the hilly area on Dragon Fang Mountain’s periphery, with terrain somewhat uneven. To excavate the new canal in sections within three to four months actually meant the elevation difference of each canal section had been calculated in advance.
Xi Xunqiao also considered himself a learned person, yet didn’t know how the Han father and son accomplished this.
The new canal included construction of a covered canal over three hundred paces long, passing through an earthen hill.
This earthen hill was only thirty to forty meters high and three to four hundred meters wide from east to west, but stretched five to six li from north to south—a natural boundary between Sha River and Wuliu River.
Going around this earthen hill would double the canal engineering work, and excavating an open canal through it was also unrealistic. Finally, using the well-canal method, they connected the new canals at both ends.
This was also more complex than Xi Xunqiao had previously imagined. He secretly felt that perhaps the dam construction methods of the Central Plains truly had exceptional qualities.
Following the widened courier road along Wuliu Creek’s west bank into the mountains, twenty li away was the newly renovated Dragon Fang City. Seeing Dragon Fang City filled with gathered troops, Xi Xunqiao could imagine the pressure the major surnames like Cock Crow Settlement to the north in Chenzhou must be feeling in their hearts.
Being led into the settlement hall, Xi Xunqiao saw a huge table set up in the hall’s center. Han Qian had tied his robe’s lapels around his waist and climbed onto the huge table. He was comparing diagrams in his hand while using river sand mixed with some liquid of unknown composition to shape mountains and rivers, vaguely appearing like the terrain of the Yuan River flowing through Chenzhou.
Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping with his smooth, beardless face, Tian Cheng with his sallow complexion, Feng Liao, and Lady Xi who was already famous for her beauty in Xuzhou stood to the side, watching with great interest the mountain and river shapes on the huge table. The sand table displayed Chenzhou’s terrain more intuitively than maps—several key troop advance routes, strategic passes, and current gathering points of Chenzhou major surname forces’ troops were all visible at a glance.
Seeing Xi Xunqiao being brought in, Han Qian pointed to chairs by the wall and said: “Sit and rest first. Wait until I finish this bit of work.”
Xi Xunqiao saluted but stood to the side, not daring to sit down without permission.
After a while, Han Qian finished the work at hand, climbed down from the sand table, beckoned Xi Xunqiao to come closer, and said directly: “You must have heard about Chenzhou Provincial Governor Wang Liang dying from epidemic disease. What are your thoughts?”
Xi Xunqiao froze slightly, thinking privately—was this something he should be concerned about at this time?
Zhao Ting’er brought water over. While Han Qian washed his hands, he said to Xi Xunqiao: “The court plans to remove Ma Yin from his position as Tanzhou Military Commissioner this winter. To prevent changes in Tanzhou, a secret edict has us father and son organize Xuzhou’s troops so we can dispatch forces from Xuzhou when the time comes to attack Tanzhou from both sides. I’ve heard Administrator Xi is well-versed in military texts—I wonder what Administrator Xi thinks about how we should effectively contain Tanzhou under current circumstances?”
Xi Xunqiao’s mouth hung open for a long time, not knowing what to say.
Seeing Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping standing together with Han Qian, he could naturally guess that Zhang Ping and the Han father and son had conspired to set a trap, luring the Four Surnames to attack Eagle Fish Settlement. But he never imagined the real reason was actually this!
Han Qian continued asking: “Chenyang County Magistrate Xi Ying is of the same clan as Administrator Xi. What do you think is the likelihood Xi Ying will follow the court’s decree?”
The Xi clan of Chenzhou was a branch that split off from the Xuzhou Xi clan over a hundred years ago. The power they had currently developed in Chenzhou was even stronger than the Xuzhou Xi clan. Currently, Cock Crow Settlement north of Dragon Fang City and Chenyang City by the Yuan River shore were both within the sphere of influence controlled by the Chenzhou Xi clan.
If it were just the Xi clan alone, Han Qian wouldn’t need to worry much. After all, the Chenzhou Xi clan controlled thirteen to fourteen thousand barbarian people—organizing over a thousand elite barbarian troops was already their limit. But currently, barbarian troops gathered at Cock Crow Settlement had reached two thousand, with another thousand barbarian troops gathered at Chenyang City.
The major local surnames of Chenzhou temporarily didn’t dare bear the crime of assassinating Provincial Governor Wang Liang and rebelling, so they hadn’t openly pushed Xi Ying forward to serve as Chenzhou Provincial Governor. But that the three thousand barbarian troops currently gathered in Chenyang County territory were under Xi Ying’s command was already a confirmed fact.
Additionally, troops assembled by Tanzhou at Wuling exceeded five thousand.
Xi Ying might not necessarily welcome Tanzhou troops into Chenzhou at this time, but if Han Qian formally attacked Cock Crow Settlement and Xi Ying found he couldn’t hold out, he would definitely welcome Tanzhou troops to move south for joint defense.
Even sailing against the current, the troops Tanzhou had assembled at Wuling—on a water route of less than four hundred li—would need only four to five days to reach Chenyang County. Han Qian currently didn’t have confidence that with less than double the troops he could capture the heavily defended Cock Crow Settlement within four to five days.
Han Qian was thinking whether he could divide the Chenzhou major surname forces through other means.
After all, the Han group had been rooted in Xuzhou for too short a time. Feng Xuan and others had previously held low status among the mountain barbarian households and lacked sufficient contact at higher levels. It still required people like Xi Xunqiao, whose understanding of Chenzhou barbarian chieftains like Xi Ying might be deeper.
Only now did Xi Xunqiao understand why Yang Zaili and Xiang Jianlong were left behind at the Sha River mouth while he was brought to Dragon Fang City.
Ultimately, whether or not Yang Zaili, Xiang Jianlong, and others knew about the secret edict, they openly didn’t dare resist the Han father and son anymore. But deep in their hearts, they couldn’t help hoping Xi Ying would gather barbarian troops in Chenzhou and quickly inflict heavy damage on the Han father and son, driving them out or directly annihilating them. Then, even if they had to submit to Xi Ying and bow their heads before him, with Xuzhou restoring the old system of separate local and outsider registries, they could restore their status as major surname chieftains.
Being local emperors who could dominate the lives of over a thousand settlement slaves and rule dozens or even hundreds of barbarian settlements large and small was far superior to being rural gentry who had to bow and scrape before provincial and county magistrates.
But was this what Xi Xunqiao wanted to see?
Setting aside everything else, even if Chenzhou troops drove away the Han father and son and Xuzhou restored the old system of separate local and outsider registries, would his several brothers submit to him and let him firmly sit in the position of Xuzhou Xi clan chief?
At that time, with the Xuzhou Xi clan severely divided internally, wouldn’t they repeat the tragic fate of the Xi clan from over ten years ago?
Xi Xunqiao came back to his senses and saw Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping, Tian Cheng, Feng Liao, Lady Xi, and Han Qian all staring at him with burning gazes. Only then did he suddenly realize he had been silent too long.
“Over a hundred years ago, the Xi clan split into two branches—one migrating to Chenzhou, one to Jingzhou. But over these years there’s been no close contact. Whether Xi Ying cherishes the court’s grace and favor, Xunqiao truly doesn’t know,” Xi Xunqiao said with slight panic.
Great Chu had been founded only fifteen years ago. Nominally restoring rule over Chenzhou, Xuzhou, and other provinces had been only five or six years. Even if the court had grace and favor, the major surname forces here couldn’t possibly feel it.
Seeing Xi Xunqiao unwilling to say more, Han Qian didn’t force him. He said: “The journey has been tiring. Administrator Xi should go rest first.”
Han Qian temporarily had no intention of letting Xi Xunqiao leave Dragon Fang City. Instead, he instructed Feng Liao to arrange a courtyard for him to stay in temporarily.
Watching Xi Xunqiao’s departing figure following Feng Liao, Zhang Ping said with feeling: “Xi Xunqiao still has heavy concerns!”
“That’s natural. After I used deception to lure the Four Surnames and Tanzhou troops into mutual destruction and thus controlled Xuzhou’s situation, in others’ eyes it was purely opportunistic. Xi Xunqiao doesn’t think we have any foundation in Xuzhou. If he helps us now, wouldn’t he worry that one day when we’re driven out, he’ll be purged?” Han Qian said with a smile.
Han Qian wasn’t surprised by Xi Xunqiao’s reaction. If Xi Xunqiao appeared too eager at this time, it would instead make him uneasy. Xi Xunqiao was like a latent chess piece—better if he could play a role, but no loss if he couldn’t.
Moreover, keeping Xi Xunqiao at Dragon Fang City would more or less make Yang Zaili and Xiang Jianlong more apprehensive in their hearts—at least they wouldn’t dare make any moves behind his back at this time.
“When will we launch a full assault on Cock Crow Settlement?” Tian Cheng asked. He didn’t think there was any possibility of Xi Ying surrendering without battle and hoped more to prepare for storming Cock Crow Settlement and dispatching troops into Chenzhou territory.
Han Qian shook his head and said: “Let’s first see the preparation situation on Ezhou’s side!”
Han Qian was thinking that the court should first reduce Tanzhou’s regional power, with the Prince’s Residence in Ezhou first dispatching troops against Yuezhou. This way Tanzhou’s main forces would first be contained on the northern front. Then when he dispatched troops to attack Cock Crow Settlement, his chances of success would be greater.
Otherwise, if he dispatched troops too early and Xi Ying welcomed Tanzhou troops into Chenzhou, and they couldn’t capture Cock Crow Settlement and Chenyang City in the first instance—did Xuzhou have the qualifications to fight a war of attrition?