North of Yunpan Ridge lay mostly low mountains and hills. Traveling northward through the rebel-controlled areas, small elite squads had countless wild paths to choose from and need not worry about being blocked and intercepted by rebel scouts.

Han Qian and Jiang Huo, under the escort of guards like Zhao Wuji and Xi Fa’er, used only four days to pass through the low mountains and shallow hills of western Langzhou without major incident. Finding a fishing boat at the riverside to cross the river, they entered Jingzhou City to first meet with Jingzhou Governor Zhang Xiang.

Yang En had also just arrived from Ezhou at this time, preparing to depart by boat from Jingzhou to Yiling, which was controlled by the Shu forces.

To be honest, even if the Shu forces were extremely unwilling for Great Chu to completely bring Tanzhou under control, they were unlikely to execute the Chu envoy. But the journey ahead was perilous. That Yang En could face this mission so calmly impressed Han Qian with his courage.

“Even if Tanzhou and the Liang Army cannot guess the court’s intention to negotiate peace with Shu, once Marquis Yang sets foot in Shu territory, the spies from Tanzhou and the Liang Army lurking in Shu will inevitably stir upon hearing the news. I have several young men at my side who excel at reconnaissance and investigation. Please allow Marquis Yang to take them along to prevent any gaps in security arrangements.” In the banquet hall of the Jingzhou Governor’s residence’s inner quarters, Han Qian asked Yang En to agree to bring Zhao Wuji, Xi Fa’er and others to his side to protect his personal safety after entering Shu.

Zhang Xiang would dispatch warships to transport Yang En to Yiling. The security work after reaching Yiling would be mainly handled by the Shu forces, but there were bound to be divisions and disputes within the Shu forces regarding the peace negotiations.

Generally speaking, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, Yang En had past connections with the Shu ruler Wang Jian, so the Shu forces would not openly harm Yang En. But what if someone deliberately exposed vulnerabilities in the security arrangements, allowing assassins from Tanzhou or the Liang state to succeed?

“Marquis Yang, please don’t decline. If you encounter an accident in Shu territory, the peace negotiations will fail, and who knows how many soldiers’ lives will be unnecessarily sacrificed.” As a general of the same rank as Du Chongtao, Zhang Xiang naturally had no need to show enthusiasm toward a junior figure like Han Qian. But he also shared Han Qian’s concern about Yang En’s mission to Shu.

Even if Han Qian didn’t send people, he would also dispatch several elite veteran generals from his side to personally escort Yang En’s safety after entering Shu.

The Ma family also understood that Tanzhou could not sustain a direct confrontation for too long and could only hope that the Shu and Liang forces could restrain Great Chu’s main forces, compelling the court to tacitly accept the Ma family’s de facto control of Tanzhou.

At this time, the Ma family had an envoy delegation in Shu territory. Knowing the news of Yang En’s mission to Shu, how could they not spare everything to sabotage the Chu-Shu peace talks?

As for Han Qian’s advocacy of combining orthodox and unorthodox methods in military operations against Tanzhou, advocating using Tower Ship Army warships to transport a portion of elite forces to northern Chenzhou to join with the Wuling Army, Zhang Xiang remained noncommittal.

Using unorthodox methods had its advantages, but the risks were also extremely great. Moreover, Tanzhou’s interior forces could adjust their troop deployments very quickly. Ultimately, transferring elite forces from the Yuedong Grand Camp to join with the Wuling Army in the Yuan River basin might not produce much effect.

Of course, even if they deployed troops using unorthodox methods, what was mobilized were the Prince’s Manor’s directly subordinate elite forces. If heavy casualties occurred, it would be the Prince’s Manor’s strength that suffered. This determination needed to be discussed among the Prince’s Manor faction’s officials. As an outsider, Zhang Xiang had even less to say about it.

Jingzhou was still under direct court jurisdiction. Zhang Xiang, as a general of the same rank as Du Chongtao, only needed to follow imperial decrees and coordinate operations.

Han Qian and Jiang Huo stayed in Jingzhou for half a day. After exchanging information about the current state of Jingzhou forces and the Wuling Army, they bid farewell to Yang En and Zhang Xiang, boarding warships from Jingzhou’s water forces to travel downriver and rush to the grand camp east of Yueyang City to join forces with the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu.

Han Chengmeng and Qiao Weiyan also returned with Han Qian and Jiang Huo to the Yuedong Grand Camp once again.

Although Zheng Hui had left Jinling for Xuzhou in mid-ninth month last year, Emperor Tianyou had delayed until year’s end before issuing the decree stripping Ma Yin, Zhao Sheng, Luo Jia and others of their official positions and summoning them to the capital, officially launching the campaign to reduce the domains.

Only then, when Han Qian received the decree to “flee in secret” and joined his father Han Daoxun in organizing Xuzhou, did the matter finally have a public explanation.

For the Han family, this matter could truly be described as both sorrow and joy intermingled.

The sorrow was over a year of fear and anxiety, during which the Prince’s Manor extorted away who knows how much wealth. Although the Third Prince later said this wealth would all be counted as borrowed to cover military expenses, ultimately it was not returned. Could they brazenly go demand it back?

The joy naturally was that Third Uncle and his son were actually “loyal officials and virtuous generals” acting under imperial decree. Since the Han family had been implicated before because His Majesty wanted to deceive Tanzhou, naturally His Majesty would provide some compensation for the grievances they suffered during this period.

After the new year, Han Daoming was transferred to Vice Minister of Personnel. Yandang Headland Manor was re-granted under Han Qian’s name, temporarily managed by the Han family on his behalf. Additionally, over a thousand mu of fields and estates were bestowed on the Han family. Han Daoming’s two adult concubine-born sons Han Chengmeng and Han Jianji, two sons-in-law Qiao Weiyan and Chen Zhiyong, as well as the second branch’s legitimate eldest son Han Duan were all granted official status. A special decree assigned Han Chengmeng, Han Jianji, Qiao Weiyan, and Chen Zhiyong to serve in the Prince’s Manor as Executive Attendants, Administrators and other positions.

The Han family naturally understood clearly Emperor Tianyou’s intentions in making such arrangements.

When Jiang Huo departed from Yuedong Grand Camp to secretly head to Chenzhou, Han Chengmeng and Qiao Weiyan also steeled themselves despite the danger to accompany him through enemy territory, hoping to meet Han Qian and Third Uncle Han Daoxun.

Unfortunately, Han Qian did not welcome them at Yunpan Ridge and even refused to allow them to go to Qianyang to meet his father Han Daoxun.

When Han Qian decided to personally go to the Yuedong Grand Camp to see the Third Prince, they could only steel themselves and follow northward the entire way.

Throughout the journey, Han Qian never initiated conversation with them. Even when they forced themselves to approach, Han Qian remained indifferent.

The Yuedong Grand Camp was established in the foothills extending from the northwestern base of Mufu Mountain.

The low mountains and hills in this area were only thirty to fifty zhang high. Compared to the majestic thousand-zhang peaks of Wuling Mountain and Xuefeng Mountain, they could not be considered tall. But the mountain terrain pressed directly against the riverside, appearing rugged and steep nonetheless.

The Yuedong Grand Camp was built along the mountain terrain, stretching nearly ten li. To the east lay Yunxi Ferry, also a rather major post station on the eastern side of Yueyang City.

Currently the main army had established camp on the western slope of the hills, forming a position pressing toward Yueyang City, while large quantities of provisions and fodder as well as more troops were assembling at Yunxi Post Station to the east.

Currently, the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu had here, besides nearly fifty thousand combat troops, over fifty thousand impressed civilians from various places, plus nearly ten thousand mules and horses. Daily consumption of grain and fodder amounted to as much as four to five thousand shi.

Warfare on such a scale – not counting the three directions of Jingzhou, Hongzhou, and the Wuling Army – just in the Yue-E direction, half a year’s expenses would require one million four to five hundred thousand strings of cash to sustain.

When Han Qian’s boat arrived at the dock in front of Yunxi Post Station and he disembarked, seeing boats gathered like clouds and traffic flowing like water here, he privately felt it was fortunate Emperor Tianyou had ruthlessly profited from confiscating the Feng family’s assets, enabling him to still have capacity to launch the campaign to reduce Tanzhou’s domains after covering the expenses of warfare in Jing-Xiang.

Shen Yang, Li Pu, Yang Jian and others were all at the western camp. Yunxi Post Station’s main fort was primarily garrisoned by Chen Jingzhou, Zhou Yuan, Zhang Qian and others leading their troops, managing the transfer of provisions and fodder.

When Han Qian landed, Chen Jingzhou, Zhou Yuan, and Zhang Qian all personally came out from the fort to welcome him. Additionally there was a squad of guards led by Han Jianji.

“His Highness has ordered that once you land, he requests you proceed to the Western Mountain Grand Camp to meet him,” Han Jianji said, steeling himself.

Han Qian glanced at his cousin Han Jianji without comment, first exchanging pleasantries with Chen Jingzhou, Zhou Yuan, Zhang Qian and others.

Zhou Yuan naturally harbored deep resentment toward Han Qian in his heart, but had to admit that the Han father and son were indeed capable of what others could not accomplish.

Although when the court formally deployed the campaign to reduce the domains before the new year, the Yuan River direction’s role had not received much emphasis and was far less important than the Hongzhou and Jingzhou directions, yet at this time the other three directions all progressed slowly, with only the Wuling Army advancing down the Yuan River with unstoppable momentum.

The Han father and son in Xuzhou had not only resolved concerns about Tanzhou liaising with the Five Streams tribal barbarians, but after annihilating over four thousand Tanzhou elite forces, they had also successfully tied down nearly ten thousand Tanzhou troops in the lower reaches of the Yuan River, reducing pressure on the court in the other three directions.

Otherwise, Tanzhou could at least deploy an additional twenty thousand troops to strengthen defenses in the three directions of Jingzhou, Yuezhou, and Hengzhou.

As the Prince’s Manor’s Granary Administrator, Zhou Yuan was also primarily assisting Shen Yang with logistics and supplies in the army this time. He was very clear about the Third Prince dispatching Jiang Huo to Chenzhou to seek counsel, and that Han Qian was not required to come to Yueyang, so naturally he could vaguely discern Han Qian’s intentions in personally rushing to Yueyang.

Regarding which direction to strengthen military operations next, Zhou Yuan had his own views. But in his heart he also understood that before Han Qian, how his opinions stood no longer mattered. Ultimately, those who could decide the next direction of military operations before the Third Prince were the four men: Han Qian, Shen Yang, the Marquis, and Yang Jian.

If they disputed, they would only be able to send people rushing to Jinling to request an imperial decree.

After brief pleasantries, Han Qian bid farewell to Chen Jingzhou, Zhou Yuan, Zhang Qian and others: “I will go see His Highness now. When I have leisure time, I will reminisce with you all.”

Han Qian and Jiang Huo still had several guards accompanying them. Paying no attention to Han Jianji who had come with the Prince’s Manor guards to welcome them, he waited for guards to bring horses, then prepared to mount directly and rush to the Western Mountain Grand Camp.

Qiao Weiyan muttered with Han Jianji for a while, then once again steeled himself to approach: “Second Uncle personally escorted several ships of grain here. He is at Yunxi Post Station right now, also preparing to depart to see the Third Prince.”

“Whether Han Daochang is at Yunxi or not – what concern is it of mine?” Han Qian glanced at his cousin-in-law Qiao Weiyan, his face bearing a menacing air as he asked.

Qiao Weiyan was taken aback. Seeing Han Qian directly call out Second Uncle’s name before everyone without any restraint, he clearly would not easily set aside old grudges.

“Since you have all come to serve at His Highness’s side, I advise you to be extremely careful not to commit any errors that come to my knowledge. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind in the least if the world praised me for righteously exterminating my own kin.”

Han Qian tossed out these words, mounted his horse with a leap, rode onto the post road west of Yunxi Post Station, and galloped toward the Western Mountain Grand Camp…