“What? How could Han Qian have gone to Jinling without even giving us a word of warning?”

When Han Daochang received the notification and hurried to Chengyun Hall, he didn’t enter the main hall. Hearing Han Jun, who was waiting at the hall’s corridor, mention this matter, he stood stunned for quite a while before managing to ask this question.

When he received the notification, he had thought it was to participate in the banquet welcoming Li Zhigao. How could he have imagined it would be about this?

“His Highness’s intention seems to be to have Han Qian replace Marquis Li, commanding the remnants of the Taowu garrison households. He also wants to summon Marquis Li back to pursue responsibility for his loss of troops…” Han Jun said in a lowered voice.

“How is that possible? Changing commanders on the battlefield is a great taboo. Not to mention the Grand Consort would never easily agree—even if both the Grand Consort and His Highness agreed, there’s still the saying ‘when the general is abroad, there are commands from the sovereign that need not be accepted.’ The remnants of the Taowu garrison households, from top to bottom, are all direct subordinates brought out by Marquis Li. Would he easily hand over military authority to Han Qian? Han Qian rushing to Jinling at this time—does he think Jinling isn’t chaotic enough?” Han Daochang anxiously stamped his feet, asking urgently, “What is the Grand Consort’s attitude? Has Her Ladyship come to Chengyun Hall?”

Han Jun thought to himself that the Grand Consort was not at all old—she was precisely in her prime years, full of charm. He said, “The Grand Consort is unwell, saying her heart is constricting with pain. She hasn’t come to Chengyun Hall—I don’t know if she was angered by this matter. Li Chong and Zhou Yuan, upon hearing the news, rushed into the hall and angrily denounced Han Qian’s action as purely intended to win people’s hearts with ulterior motives. They demanded His Highness send a letter harshly rebuking Han Qian for not observing mourning customs and acting recklessly, ordering the stripping of his positions as Prefect of Xuzhou and Advisory Counselor. But they were scolded by Shen Yang and had to shut their mouths.”

Han Daochang thought privately that talk of winning hearts could only be thought but not spoken aloud. After all, Yueyang absolutely couldn’t publicly say they would abandon so many elderly, weak, women and children—no wonder they received Shen Yang’s rebuke! But turning it over in his mind, he thought perhaps Zhou Yuan and Li Chong deliberately said this to provoke Yang Yuanpu?

Han Daochang asked again, “And then what?”

“After that, Administrator Zheng Chang suggested summoning all Department Directors and Capital Commandants and higher-ranking officers in Yueyang to Chengyun Hall to deliberate on this matter…” Han Jun said.

Only then did Han Daochang understand why he had been summoned to Chengyun Hall.

His face dark, he walked into the hall and saw forty to fifty people already crowded together inside.

All the main officers within Yueyang city had been summoned.

Li Zhigao, along with Zheng Hui, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Shen Yang, and his eldest brother Han Daoming, accompanied Prince Tan Yang Yuanpu seated on the inner side of the hall.

Zhou Yuan and Li Chong sat there without speaking, but their faces were flushed—they must have argued for quite a while and just been scolded into silence by Shen Yang.

The hall was quite quiet at this moment. Han Daochang walked to his eldest brother Han Daoming’s side and asked in a low voice, “What does that scoundrel Han Qian want to do now?”

“He says the Taowu garrison households have rendered distinguished service to Yueyang, and Yueyang cannot abandon them without regard. But what he’s really thinking in his head—who can know?” Han Daoming had already been exasperated earlier; now he spoke listlessly to his second brother.

Han Daochang was slightly stunned. Remembering that Han Jun had just said Zhou Yuan and Li Chong accused Han Qian of deliberately winning people’s hearts in the hall, he asked again, “Did Han Qian really say this?”

“Feng Yi came over and relayed this message.” Han Daoming said.

Han Daochang noticed someone nearby showing a trace of disdain on their face. He thought that Zhou Yuan and Li Chong’s earlier accusation that Han Qian was winning hearts had taken root in some people’s minds.

He changed the subject, asking quietly again, “So what is everyone’s opinion? They’re not really going to summon Marquis Li back to hold him accountable, are they?”

“For now, no one has said they want to summon Marquis Li back to pursue responsibility. But since Han Qian has already reached Jinling, major generals like Zheng Hui and Li Zhigao are more concerned about what Han Qian can accomplish in Jinling, and whether Yueyang should provide assistance.” Han Daoming said.

Han Daochang looked toward Zheng Hui and Li Zhigao diagonally across from him. He hadn’t expected they would still somewhat favor Han Qian. He asked, “And what is His Highness’s attitude about this?”

“His Highness hasn’t clearly supported dispatching another person, so Zhou Yuan and the others jumped out first to oppose it. Administrator Zheng Yu feels that Yueyang is separated from Jinling by Jiangchi and other provinces, and Yang Zhitang’s attitude in Hongzhou is unclear, making it difficult to provide support.” Han Daoming said.

Han Daochang frowned. He suddenly discovered that among all these people in Yueyang, their attitudes toward Han Qian’s unauthorized trip to Jinling were all subtly different. As for exactly why this was, he couldn’t sort it out at the moment, nor was he clear whether Yang Yuanpu also believed in his heart that Han Qian’s action was intended to win people’s hearts.

Seeing many people now looking toward him and his brother, he also realized that no matter how estranged Han Qian was from them, most people still viewed Han Qian as a member of the Han family. Especially involving the topic of winning hearts, the matter became even more delicate and sensitive. Everyone now wanted to see what their attitude was, right?

But what could they say?

Righteously denouncing their own family didn’t seem appropriate at this moment either!

Thinking of being pointlessly drawn into this vortex, Han Daochang felt resentful and couldn’t help complaining in a low voice:

“Currently in Jinling there are only three thousand remnant troops, plus nearly fifty thousand elderly, weak, women and children without any combat capability, exposed under the fangs and claws of Chuzhou’s army and Anning Palace. This scoundrel rushes impatiently to Jinling, wanting to replace Marquis Li and take his place. What can he do besides asking for trouble? Are people’s hearts so easily won? I think he’s become too inflated and will ultimately meet the same fate as Third Brother!”

“…” Han Daoming glanced at his second brother, knowing he deliberately spoke these complaints with a somewhat heavier tone, probably intending for those nearby to hear, as only this way could they extract themselves from the situation.

He had come to Cishou Palace early this morning to participate in discussions, then came together to Chengyun Hall after Li Zhigao entered the city. He had observed the attitudes of all sides fairly clearly.

Han Qian going to Jinling was already an established fact. Zhou Yuan, Li Chong and others actually wished in their hearts to recall Xinchang Marquis Li Pu, but their clamoring, besides saving face, was mainly to prevent Xinchang Marquis’s household from bearing any responsibility for the previous loss of troops.

There was another layer of meaning—they didn’t believe Han Qian’s intentions were pure. Besides planting thorns in Yang Yuanpu’s heart, they wanted to bind Han Qian to the framework of protecting the elderly, weak, women and children, to solidify this point.

When people typically say “elderly, weak, women and children,” there are usually still some young able-bodied men who can be recruited.

However, the more than eight thousand garrison households and official slaves of Taowu Military Prefecture and Changchun Palace estates, after experiencing the two wars of Jingxiang and削藩, had already lost nearly three thousand able-bodied fighters on the battlefield. Another five thousand elite troops had been incorporated into the Left and Right Dragon Sparrow Army battalions, and nearly eight hundred scouts, craftsmen and Left Bureau personnel were in Xuzhou. After the Jinling incident, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu had scraped together seven thousand men. In fact, among the Taowu garrison household remnants, counting male adults between fifteen and fifty years old, including workshop craftsmen, only three thousand able-bodied remnant soldiers remained. The other nearly fifty thousand people were either elderly over fifty, youths and children under fifteen, or all women—truly standard, thoroughly genuine elderly, weak, women and children.

To be honest, Han Daoming also couldn’t understand what Han Qian hoped to accomplish by rushing to Jinling and seizing such forces from Xinchang Marquis Li Pu, or what he could actually do.

Just as his second brother said, even if he wanted to win hearts, he would need to escort all the elderly, weak, women and children safely back to Yueyang for it to count!

If Han Qian could ultimately only protect a small number of elderly, weak, women and children back to Yueyang, it would be strange if Zhou Yuan, Li Chong and others didn’t attack him relentlessly on this point!

Feng Yi had no official position, but representing Han Qian in presenting the case to Yueyang, he was permitted to sit beside Shen Yang.

No one cared about his attitude or opinion, so he could calmly observe the reactions of all the people in the hall.

Zheng Hui, Li Zhigao, Gao Chengyuan, Chen Jingzhou and others were more or less still worried about Han Qian’s situation. After all, they had fought side by side, and they also understood the significance of Han Qian going to Jinling for stabilizing military morale. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan, Li Chong, Wen Ruilin, Zhou Shu and others made empty shows of force and clamored with malicious intentions.

Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang and others had uncertain expressions, probably troubled by being unable to fathom Han Qian’s intentions, right? Han Daoming and Han Daochang seemed to be thinking about how to show this matter had nothing to do with them.

Yang Yuanpu and Shen Yang’s faces were somewhat dark. Zhou Yuan and Li Chong’s words had planted shadows in their hearts after all, hadn’t they?

Feng Yi found himself somewhat laughable. Thinking back on his dissolute and unscholarly first half of life, wanting only to enjoy himself in drunken stupor, he never imagined that now he would have the passionate impulse to leave this place immediately, rush to Jinling, and fight shoulder to shoulder with Han Qian.

If Father were alive, he probably wouldn’t believe in his dreams that he could change like this, would he?

“Everyone has discussed this sufficiently. Should we send someone to ask the Grand Consort’s opinion?” Seeing the officers below had discussed enough, Zheng Yu looked toward Yang Yuanpu and asked.

Yang Yuanpu looked toward Deputy Administrator Zhang Ping standing to the side and said, “You go to Cishou Palace and report what the ministers have discussed.”

Zhang Ping’s left sleeve hung empty at his side. He bowed in salute, then went directly to Cishou Palace.

After waiting half an incense stick’s time, Grand Consort Wang Chan’er still didn’t appear. Instead, she dispatched Cishou Palace Envoy Lu Qingxia and Yao Xishui to return with Zhang Ping. Walking before Yang Yuanpu, they said, “The Grand Consort says the elderly, weak, women and children of Taowu are all family members of Dragon Sparrow Army’s meritorious elite troops. Yueyang cannot lightly abandon them. Since Master Han is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility, the Grand Consort cannot obstruct him either. This matter should be decided through discussion between His Highness and the ministers.”

After Li Zhigao learned of his own background, seeing his wife and Xishui again, his feelings were different from before. But pondering the Grand Consort’s decree they transmitted, he knew they believed Han Qian’s trip to Jinling was intended to win hearts, and he sighed quietly in his heart.

Yang Yuanpu looked toward Zhang Ping. No matter what, just based on Zhang Ping having once saved his life, he still trusted Zhang Ping more.

Zhang Ping nodded slightly, indicating this was indeed the Grand Consort’s meaning.

Yang Yuanpu pondered briefly, then said to Zheng Yu and Shen Yang, “Then let’s confirm this matter thus. Establish the position of Pacification Commissioner under the Bureau of Military Affairs and appoint it to Han Qian, having him organize the Taowu garrison household remnants into the Pacification Army, representing Yueyang in specializing in punitive operations against Anning Palace. Have Lin Haizheng and Feng Xuan carry banners, seals and credentials to rush to Jinling and rendezvous with Han Qian. Additionally, summon Xinchang Marquis Li Pu back to Yueyang for other appointment?”

Zheng Yu nodded, agreeing with Yang Yuanpu’s decision. Shen Yang frowned and said, “Formally establishing the Pacification Army deployment outside, according to precedent we should also appoint a Military Supervisor to oversee military affairs…”

Hearing Shen Yang say this, those in the hall below who sensed they might be named all looked down at their own feet, thinking in their hearts that this meddlesome old man Shen Yang—Han Qian had lost his mind and wanted to brave the dragon’s den and tiger’s lair, why drag another person from among them to throw over there?

Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Han Daoming and others knew the Military Supervisor position wouldn’t fall to them, but still couldn’t help letting their gazes wander.

Han Qian hadn’t given him any choice, and had even hinted in his letter that he would immediately seize military authority upon reaching Jinling. Yang Yuanpu’s heart couldn’t possibly be without some resentment. But seeing the scene before him, his heart felt desolate. His eyes swept repeatedly over the hall for quite a while, unable to decide on a candidate. He thought of having Zheng Yu and Shen Yang recommend someone, when he heard Zhang Ping clear his throat behind him. Turning around, he saw Zhang Ping seemed to have finally made up his mind, circling to the front of the long table to say:

“This old minister is willing to go…”

Yang Yuanpu was slightly stunned, then raised his hands in salute, saying, “Then I trouble Administrator Zhang to make this trip.”

Seeing Zhang Ping willing to go, Shen Yang was also quite comforted. As Deputy Administrator, as a trusted close minister who could represent Yang Yuanpu, his going to Jinling to supervise military affairs could more or less prove to the soldiers that Prince Tan’s household had no intention of abandoning so many elderly, weak, women and children. Otherwise it really would be awkward…

***

***

When the horizon showed its pale belly, the Jiangnan land was still darkly dim, as if covered with an extremely faint layer of blue light. The scenery in the distance was still pitch black and unclear.

A group of horsemen appeared on the post road outside Danyang city’s east gate in Runzhou, quickly drawing the attention of the guards atop Danyang’s eastern wall.

This group of horsemen numbered about seventy to eighty people, escorting thirty to forty large mule and horse carts toward the city, but their condition was rather miserable.

Most of the soldiers had incomplete armor, as if they had just experienced a bitter battle. Many still bore wounds, their faces covered in grime, their battle robes stained with blood. They looked as if they had encountered an attack on their return journey or at a temporary camp, barely managing to repel the enemy and flee back to Danyang in haste.

Not only did the few cavalry’s warhorses have wounds all over, but many of the cart-pulling mules were also limping, neighing incessantly in the morning twilight.

The thirty-some carts were all quite heavy, their wheel ruts pressing deeply into the mud as they struggled forward. The cart bodies bore burn marks everywhere. Many arrow feathers and broken blades still stuck in the cart walls and roofs, not yet pulled out. From the damaged cargo holds, grain continued spilling out.

In those times, grain was loaded directly onto carts and ships. Only the Lanting Alley trading house under Han Qian’s management, to improve transport efficiency, first wove hemp bags to hold the grain, then loaded the bagged grain onto carts and ships for sale in various places—but this practice hadn’t yet spread widely.

Carts and ships that loaded grain directly inevitably leaked along the way if damaged.

The city guards, by the dim morning light of dawn, could tell at a glance that this was one of the foraging parties sent out these past days. They didn’t know where they’d been attacked, returning to the city in such a miserable state.

“Open the gate, open the gate! Damn it, you turtle grandsons hiding in the city sleeping like the dead—we collected grain supplies, but were ambushed by Jintan county troops while camping at Zhao Family Village. Quickly go report to General Qin, muster the troops to slaughter those Jintan dogs and avenge our brothers!”

The foraging troops shuffled toward the city gate, impatiently shouting loudly toward the city wall, as if having suffered enough outside and now venting on the comfortably garrisoned soldiers. Their tone was full of irritability, anger and impatience.

Some went directly to the gate, banging on it with their weapons.

At this moment, three or four heavily damaged carts, upon stopping beneath the city wall, could no longer hold up. With several creaking sounds, the wheel axles broke. The three or four carts simultaneously tilted to one side. Golden-yellow rice, five or six thousand catties worth, poured out with a whoosh in the morning twilight, spilling all over the ground.

Several cart-pulling mules were startled, scattering and jumping about. The foraging troops scrambled to catch the frightened horses. In an instant, chaos erupted before the city gate.

Seeing this scene, the duty officer feared further delay would provoke deeper resentment. He hurriedly sent people down to open the city gate, not noticing that beneath the gate tunnel, beyond their line of sight, over ten carts had already turned around. Kong Xirong, wearing heavy armor, along with over a hundred armored soldiers, had quietly dismounted and now stood pressed against the city gate.

As the guards inside removed the thick door bar and the gate showed a crack, the hundred-some soldiers suddenly exerted force, pushing the gate open. Swords, spears and halberds thrust and slashed forward. In the blink of an eye, they had slaughtered the dozen or so guards behind the gate, blood splattering everywhere amid cries for parents.

“Enemy troops are attacking to seize the gate! Enemy troops are attacking to seize the gate! Quickly report to General Qin to lead troops to reinforce the eastern wall!”

Only now did the duty officer awaken. While shouting loudly, he organized the few soldiers around him to charge down the wall-ascending path, hoping to recapture the gate in the first moments and close it again.

Zhao Wuji, Shi Ji, Wei Chang and others half-crouched in a river channel a li away. Behind them were over four thousand soldiers who had infiltrated during the night. Due to insufficient forces, they had even incorporated some sturdily-built women and some elderly men into the army.

Seeing Kong Xirong had led people to trick open the gate and kill their way into the city, without waiting for Han Qian’s order, Zhao Wuji, Shi Ji, Wei Chang and others followed the predetermined plan, leading their troops to climb up the embankment one after another, surging like floodwaters toward Danyang’s east gate.

They had to capture Danyang city before the defending army could react, killing and routing as many defenders as possible, driving them out of the city.

Yuan Guowei stayed by Han Qian’s side, also staring fixedly at the movements at Danyang’s east gate.

He had never imagined before that after Han Qian seized military authority from Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and reorganized the three thousand remnant troops, his first step would actually be to retake Danyang city, defended by two thousand Chuzhou army elite troops.

Of course, he hadn’t thought of it, and the Danyang defenders certainly hadn’t thought of it either. The Chuzhou army’s scouts only watched for movements from Jinling’s direction.

However, tricking open the gate was easy, seizing control of the east gate before they could react wasn’t difficult either. But the problem was withstanding the enemy’s counterattack, and ultimately occupying Danyang city before enemy reinforcements arrived—that was not easy.

Not to mention they still had nearly fifty thousand elderly, weak, women and children exposed at Yanling Wharf thirty li away—a soft target the Chuzhou army could attack at will.

After just a short while, Yuan Guowei couldn’t sit still. He said to Han Qian, “I’ll go take a look up front.”

Han Qian straightened his armor and had someone bring his warhorse. Mounting the horse, he held a straight-spined horse-cleaving saber six chi long horizontally before him, about to spur the horse toward the city.

Yuan Guowei was greatly alarmed, saying, “The front is still in chaotic battle. It’s too dangerous for My Lord to go there.”

The Chuzhou army excelled at surprise attacks. With the battle still chaotic ahead, the commander entering the battlefield was most vulnerable to surprise beheading. Yuan Guowei grabbed the reins of Han Qian’s warhorse, urging him to stay here in command while he went to watch the battle’s development.

“If I don’t enter battle, how many more must die to take Danyang? With only these troops we have, how can we afford such losses?” Han Qian snatched the reins back from Yuan Guowei’s hands, shouting in a tone that brooked no argument.

The three thousand remnant troops were truly remnant and defeated—including women and old men, as well as some who had been sick for years. When Li Pu led them before, they fled in disarray, and many didn’t even have complete armor. Han Qian, disguised as a merchant party, wouldn’t have brought much armor or weapons. Currently the strongest, fully organized unit was his personal guard battalion of two hundred men.

If he didn’t personally lead the personal guard battalion elite into battle, if Kong Xirong and Zhao Wuji couldn’t withstand the Chuzhou army’s counterattack after entering the city, or couldn’t immediately rout the Chuzhou forces in the city and let them recover, they could all end up with their efforts wasted.

He had come to Jinling to seize that thread of survival from nine-deaths-one-life circumstances—how could he fear encountering an accident on the battlefield?

Seeing he couldn’t dissuade Han Qian, Yuan Guowei could only also bring a warhorse, staying close beside Han Qian as they charged toward the city.

Han Qian spurred his horse to the city. Kong Xirong and his men had already secured the east gate. On the long street inside, dozens of corpses lay scattered about.

For the vast majority of soldiers, wearing armor and wielding weapons and bows, running from the river channel to beneath the city—a distance of one li—even without intense combat, they were already somewhat out of breath. But Han Qian wouldn’t allow them to occupy the east gate and reorganize their formation, wouldn’t allow them to stop and rest. Gripping the reins, he shouted loudly, “Don’t stop—charge into the city! Your wives, children and elderly—two months ago they were driven from this city by these men. Two months ago, how many of your brothers died under their treacherous schemes!”

Han Qian urged the entire army not to pause for even a moment, ordering them to immediately charge along the spiderweb-like streets and alleys deep into Danyang city after entering, not even intending to leave troops to guard the east gate.

Their formation was chaotic, but the defenders hadn’t yet reacted and couldn’t determine their true strength—they would only be more chaotic.

To successfully capture Danyang city, they couldn’t give the defenders even a moment to react. They even had to find ways to stir the situation in Danyang city into greater and more thorough chaos. The scouts who had infiltrated earlier were now starting fires in various places, igniting blazes here and there with soaring flames and billowing black smoke…