“Xuzhou is remote and isolated. You father and son measured fields and incorporated miscellaneous levies into land taxes—no one could stop you. But this time you’ve gone even further, conscripting slaves into military service in Jingzhao Prefecture and granting them merit fields for military achievements. Must you offend all the aristocratic families under heaven?”

After meeting Zhang Ping, Lin Haizheng and others, Li Pu returned to Little Mao Peak, mainly not wanting to suffer embarrassment while Han Qian briefed Zhang Ping and Lin Haizheng on Jinling’s situation. Yet he never imagined that Han Qian, styling himself as Jiangdong Pacification Commissioner, would issue an afternoon proclamation copied and distributed to market towns around Maoshan that would directly poke the entire hornet’s nest.

Xuzhou was remote and isolated, and also a semi-autonomous prefecture where major offices were hereditary positions held by local prominent families. After Han Qian and his father Han Daoxun successfully used military force to suppress Xuzhou’s powerful families and implemented new policies like land tax reform and unified household registration, it still caused tremendous controversy in Jinling. Only when Emperor Tianyou personally issued an edict explicitly limiting the new policies as a special exception to Xuzhou alone did the controversy subside.

What Han Qian now intended to do was ten times, a hundred times worse than the new policies he and his father had implemented in Xuzhou.

The new land tax system could still be said to aim at clearing fugitive households and organizing tax sources. In recent years, any force with aggressive aspirations would do related things, differing only in degree.

However, slaves—including household troops and retainers—were private property that every family possessed. Now Han Qian wanted to directly conscript slaves into military service. If this wasn’t poking the biggest hornet’s nest, what was?

Even at the height of Emperor Tianyou’s military prestige, he never considered abolishing household troops held by various families, merely strictly limiting rewards granted to household troops.

Even when the Feng family was charged with treason and their clan property confiscated, Emperor Tianyou didn’t seize the Feng family’s over five thousand slaves, but allowed these slaves to relocate with the Feng family to Xuzhou.

Never mind the great and small aristocratic clans of Jingzhao Prefecture and Jiangnan East Circuit—which Yueyang family didn’t hold dozens or hundreds of slave households?

The Zheng family in Huangzhou was a great clan maintaining over ten thousand slaves. Zhang Han, Gao Long, Miao Yong and others who had pledged allegiance during the feudal reduction wars and established merit—their clans in Langzhou and Tanzhou also owned thousands of acres and maintained thousands or even several thousand slaves.

Even Han Qian and his father Han Daoxun, for all their integrity, had accumulated over three hundred slave households totaling over two thousand people before the Jinling incident.

These slave retainers, along with Left Bureau scouts and their sons deceived into going to Xuzhou, formed the foundation of Han Qian’s current rule over Xuzhou.

Yueyang was currently sending envoys to Jingzhou and Xiangzhou, intending to persuade Zhang Xiang and Du Chongtao to submit to the Hunan Executive Council. Among Zhang Xiang, Du Chongtao and their most loyal core generals and officials, how many didn’t have families maintaining hundreds or thousands of slaves?

Moreover, his own Marquis Xinchang Manor and the Prince of Eastern Zhejiang’s Manor—without maintaining slave retainers, how could they cultivate hundreds of loyal household troops and manor guards?

Not to mention that if the Third Prince truly wanted to rule Jinling, he would necessarily need to obtain support from Jiangdong’s aristocratic clan forces.

Li Pu didn’t know what possessed Han Qian to dare poke this hornet’s nest at this time.

Did he think the three thousand remnant troops at Maoshan didn’t have enough enemies, weren’t strong enough?

Having lost military authority to Han Qian at Yanling Wharf, Li Pu felt somewhat relieved of a burden. He hadn’t been as angry then as now. Standing before the hall, when he spoke, his gaunt face trembled and quivered slightly.

“During the An-Shi Rebellion of the previous dynasty, when rebel forces besieged Suiyang and food ran out, Zhang Xun and his generals had no choice but to cook and kill beloved concubines and servants to reward the troops. For hundreds of years, people still remember their righteousness. What exactly have I done that violates heaven and reason to make Marquis Li so grief-stricken?” Han Qian sat before his desk, looking at the righteously indignant Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, and asked calmly, “Unless Marquis Li has a better strategy to resolve our current predicament?”

“Do you know how many aristocratic families within Jinling alone will become your enemies once this matter spreads?” Li Pu demanded.

When Emperor Tianyou led Huainan Army across the river in his early years, he relatively peacefully took over Jinling City, then the seat of Shengzhou Military Governor.

The aristocratic scholarly families accumulated over nearly a thousand years since the Han dynasty’s Wu capital had never had their foundations and legacies in Jinling City completely severed. Combined with the new nobility who entered Jinling with Emperor Tianyou, the tradition of maintaining slaves in Jinling had reached its zenith during the dozen-plus years since Great Chu’s founding.

Including slaves maintained in various manor houses and suburban estates and workshops, they comprised nearly sixty percent of Jinling’s million-person population.

The Feng family alone possessed over five thousand slaves in Jinling. When Third Prince Yang Yuanpu was enfeoffed as Prince of Linjiang, he received rewards of a thousand households containing over six thousand slaves at once.

Seeing Han Qian remain silent, Li Pu continued reproaching: “Previously, occupying Maoshan, you could more or less requisition grain from surrounding market towns. But from today forward, never mind the aristocratic families of Huainan, Huaidong, Jing-Xiang, Jiangdong, and Jiangxi—nearly a thousand great and small families inside and outside Jinling will all feel endangered, viewing you as an enemy, rallying their retainers and clan troops against you, against Yueyang. How will you respond? How will Yueyang respond?”

Han Qian looked at Li Xiu and Li Qi, who had rushed from Little Mao Peak with Li Pu and now sat behind long desks on both sides of the hall, both wearing sympathetic expressions. But he felt no surprise whatsoever. Setting aside Li Xiu and Li Qi’s close relationship with Li Pu, as sons of military aristocratic clans themselves, how could they be expected to side with the lowest, most despised slaves?

However, facing Li Pu’s aggressive questioning, Han Qian had no energy to entangle with him. He stood up abruptly, his gaze sharp as he fixed on Li Pu, saying: “The aristocratic clans of Jinling and Jiangdong, even those fence-sitting observers, will ultimately either submit to Chuzhou or pledge to Anning Palace. Not one family will serve Yueyang. What difficulty does Yueyang face if I issue orders conscripting Jiangdong and Jinling slaves into military service?”

“But the aristocratic clans of Jing-Xiang, Jiangxi, and Hunan won’t see it that way,” Li Pu said. With Li Xiu’s four hundred absolutely loyal elite cavalry standing behind him, his confidence in speaking increased considerably.

Han Qian snorted coldly: “Having entered Jinling, I’ve sworn to advance and retreat together with the fifty thousand women and children behind me. From this moment, behind me lies a ten-thousand-zhang cliff. No matter how perilous the road ahead, I can only forge forward to carve out a path to survival. If you fear difficulty, you may withdraw to Yueyang and say all this was my unauthorized presumption. Henceforth, all consequences will be borne solely by me, Han Qian.”

Having spoken to this point, what more could Marquis Xinchang Li Pu say?

He turned to look at the assembled generals. Seeing them apparently unmoved by his earnest persuasion, he realized that Lin Haizheng, Feng Xuan, Zhao Wuji, Guo Nu’er and other loyal subordinates Han Qian had cultivated over the years, as well as Shi Ji, Wei Chang, Xiao Dahu, Dou Rong and newly promoted officers, were all actually of humble origin.

Marquis Xinchang Li Pu looked toward Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei, asking: “Lord Zhang, Lord Yuan, do you truly have no opinion on this matter?”

Never mind Zhang Ping—Li Pu believed that Yuan Guowei, standing in the Third Prince’s position, standing in Yueyang’s position, should not permit Han Qian to act so recklessly.

Once this proclamation spread, it would not only cause tremendous strife within Yueyang but also sever any possibility of Yueyang recruiting surrounding forces.

Zhang Ping cleared his throat, pretending he too had just learned of the proclamation, and said diplomatically: “Perhaps send someone to Yueyang to request His Highness’s decision?”

Li Pu’s eyes glared sinisterly at Zhang Ping. He hadn’t expected Zhang Ping would be unwilling to openly take a clear stand questioning Han Qian’s actions, instead pushing the matter to Yueyang for deliberation. Wasn’t this helping Han Qian delay, making slave conscription into military service a fait accompli?

Li Pu regretted leaving so hastily earlier, not knowing what Han Qian had said to Zhang Ping during that half-day, or what he had promised.

Of course, though Zhang Ping was formerly of Divine Mausoleum Bureau, his public identity now was as monitoring commissioner sent by Yueyang to Han Qian’s side. Li Pu couldn’t press his neck and make him sing against Han Qian. Seeing Yuan Guowei sitting behind his desk without uttering a sound, he knew that being isolated and weak, today he probably couldn’t make Han Qian rescind his order.

“Since Lord Han insists on having his way, I’m helpless against you. But I still hope you’ll think thrice before acting!” Li Pu said resentfully. Cupping his hands, he again withdrew from the council hall with Li Xiu and Li Qi.

Walking into the courtyard before the corridor, Li Pu asked Li Xiu in a low voice: “How will your father view this matter?”

“Han Qian insists on having his way. Even if my father intervened, he couldn’t stop him. Perhaps sending someone to Yueyang first to request His Highness strictly order a halt would be better,” Li Xiu said.

Li Pu thought that if Big Brother intervened and couldn’t stop it, it would only further damage the Li family’s prestige. He could only set this matter aside without mentioning it.

Though Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei didn’t want to openly take a clear stand with Marquis Xinchang Li Pu in opposing Han Qian, this didn’t mean they had no worries.

After Marquis Xinchang Li Pu left in anger, Zhang Ping asked Han Qian: “Once this matter spreads, the disturbance will certainly be significant. Does Lord Han have a response strategy?”

“As I told Marquis Li, having sworn to advance and retreat together with Taowu Market’s women and children, behind me lies a ten-thousand-zhang cliff with no possibility of retreating even an inch.”

Han Qian knew that Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei not standing out to oppose him now would result in reproach when they returned to Yueyang afterward. This made their choice all the more admirable.

Especially since Zhang Ping was formerly of Divine Mausoleum Bureau.

Therefore, Han Qian explained to Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei with more patience.

“The Jinling incident threw Jianghuai into turmoil. Since Chuzhou Army crossed the river, people in battle zones have all fled into Jinling City. Aristocratic clan members from counties west of Maoshan have also taken refuge in Jinling City, already making the city overcrowded. With war’s spread, over a million people taking refuge in Jinling City isn’t hard to imagine. At that point, Chuzhou’s siege strategy will be complete. By then, villages and market towns around Maoshan will all be empty. We’ll want to requisition grain but have nowhere to requisition from, not to mention any pretense of accomplishing anything with these few troops. We could only watch helplessly as Jinling City becomes a desperate city filled with despair and the stench of death. The only way to break Chuzhou’s siege strategy is to attract as many of the slaves comprising fifty to sixty percent of Jinling’s million people out of the city as possible, rather than letting them be herded like sheep into Jinling City.”

“Maoshan’s stored grain can barely sustain forty to fifty thousand women and children for just over a month. If truly thousands upon thousands of slaves come to pledge allegiance, how will the grain problem be solved?” Yuan Guowei asked.

“Then we can only become enemies with Jiangdong’s aristocratic families,” Han Qian said. “There’s no other way.”

Zhang Ping understood what Han Qian intended to do. Yuan Guowei was slightly slower, pressing: “How will you become enemies with Jiangdong’s aristocracy?”

“When slaves come to pledge allegiance, use half a month to a month organizing them into battalions, then dispatch them as much as possible to Xuan, She, Hu, Hang, Yue, and Xiu prefectures for sustenance!” Han Qian said.

Scattered slaves were like docile sheep, only dragging families along following their masters fleeing into Jinling City for refuge. Normally they wouldn’t think of breaking free from their masters’ control to undertake long, arduous journeys seeking sustenance in prefectures hundreds of li distant.

Not to mention Chuzhou Army stationing troops in Jintan, Liyang and other cities to strengthen eastern blockades, or that various Jiangdong prefectures and counties recruiting soldiers would strictly control refugee influx.

To avoid massive famine and starvation, what Han Qian proposed was perhaps the only feasible strategy.

Only organized slaves could possibly drag families through Chuzhou Army blockades to enter prefectures along Taihu’s shores for sustenance.

Yuan Guowei and Zhang Ping—had they been born into aristocracy, they couldn’t have entered palace service as eunuchs or served as minor officials in the Inner Palace Bureau in their later years. They still harbored sympathy for the impoverished lower classes. From their personal positions, they wouldn’t stand out to vehemently oppose Han Qian. But they had another layer of worry, asking: “If Yueyang sends a reproachful letter, how will Lord Han handle it?”

“Even to account to aristocratic families within its jurisdiction, Yueyang will necessarily send an inquiry letter. But this is the position Yueyang must take. As generals in the field, there are military orders we need not accept. I believe His Highness will understand,” Han Qian said. He signaled Lin Haizheng, Zhao Wuji and others to withdraw first and proceed according to the established plan, then told the worried Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei: “As for future matters, we’ll discuss them when the time comes…”

At this moment, Wang Jun’er under the supervision of two sturdy women carried a stack of books over. She first stood outside the hall entrance, waiting until Lin Haizheng, Zhao Wuji and other officers all left before gracefully walking in, telling Han Qian: “These are several volumes of books I read at Yinyun Hermitage…”

After organizing youths aged twelve to fifteen into Youth Battalion, when not drilling or practicing blade, bow, fist and footwork, Han Qian temporarily had no use for them defending Maoshan’s interior. He still hoped to organize them to seize time studying and becoming literate.

Regardless, though basic military officers didn’t require high cultural standards, beyond martial prowess exceeding ordinary people, they should at least be able to read simple letters and orders, master basic battalion regulations and drilling methods, to truly become qualified reserve forces for Chishan Army.

Books stored in Maoshan were mostly Taoist scriptures. But books Wang Jun’er had brought to Yinyun Hermitage to read included some practical volumes. Han Qian wanted Wang Jun’er to bring them over to copy as teaching materials.

“…” Han Qian glanced at Wang Jun’er, seeing she had changed into a light green bodice and skirt, her face charmingly exquisite, her skin white and smooth as snow with a porcelain-like luster. He indicated she should place the books before his desk.

Wang Jun’er placed the stack of books before the desk. Seeing a proclamation spread open on the long desk, without the self-awareness of being a captive, she tilted her head and read for a moment before exclaiming: “I never imagined you would use such a brilliant strategy to neutralize my father’s siege strategy!”

Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei were still worrying about strong backlash from aristocratic families. Hearing Wang Jun’er say this, both looked over in surprise, their hearts full of confusion. Even if this strategy could resolve the immediate crisis, the future troubles were endless. How could it be called brilliant?

“Brilliant in what way?” Han Qian sat down, looking at Wang Jun’er with interest and asking.

“By conscripting slaves into military service at Maoshan, my father and the others, precisely lacking sufficient troops, probably won’t be able to sit still much longer at Jingshan Hermitage and Dantu, and will be forced to implement this strategy as well, won’t they?” Wang Jun’er tilted her head, her bright eyes like a clear deep spring in the mountains, looking at Han Qian.

“…” Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei stood there stunned, suddenly discovering that after half a day of worrying, they hadn’t understood as thoroughly as Wang Wenqian’s daughter understood in two glances.

Yes, they had worried too much about strong opposition from aristocratic families and hadn’t even thought through the most superficial layer.

The reason Chuzhou Army wanted to use a siege strategy was mainly because they lacked sufficient troops, fearing strong assault would result in mutual destruction, ultimately allowing Yueyang to reap fisherman’s profits.

Han Qian’s strong raid destroying Danyang and breaking with Chuzhou forced Chuzhou Army to deploy more troops to the southern front, already stretching Chuzhou forces that had crossed the river even thinner.

If Han Qian conscripted slaves into military service at Maoshan, rapidly expanding his forces and forming greater pressure on Chuzhou Army’s southern front, then Chuzhou Army’s need to recruit soldiers and expand forces would become even more urgent, wouldn’t it?

If Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan, under urgent need to rapidly expand forces, also conscripted slaves into military service from Runzhou, Yangzhou and other regions under his control, would aristocratic families throughout the realm still focus their cursing on Han Qian alone?

At that point, when Yueyang people viewed Han Qian’s current slave conscription, wouldn’t it become a brilliant move anticipating the enemy and acting first?

Thinking Han Qian had this calculation, Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei’s worried thoughts relaxed considerably.

Yuan Guowei couldn’t help asking: “Why didn’t Lord Han explain this point to Marquis Li just now?”

“Why waste so much breath on that fool?” Han Qian said with a laugh.

Zhang Ping laughed awkwardly, thinking privately that Han Qian deliberately mocking Li Pu in his presence perhaps hoped he could draw clear boundaries with Marquis Xinchang Manor’s people. But over these years, not only he personally but disciples he’d brought out had all become entangled in grievances with Marquis Xinchang. How could boundaries be drawn simply by wanting to?

Even if he disliked Li Pu and felt Li Pu’s abilities were insufficient to lead Divine Mausoleum Bureau’s Jianghuai branch, much less hope to restore the nation and avenge humiliation, could he stand opposite to Madam, Yao Xishui, and Jixiang?

Yuan Guowei also didn’t pick up Han Qian’s thread. However incompetent Li Pu might be, he was still His Highness’s father-in-law. Loyal to His Highness, he certainly couldn’t follow Han Qian in mocking Li Pu. He looked toward Wang Jun’er, changing the subject and telling Han Qian: “Perhaps Miss Wang’s side needs additional guards…”

Wang Jun’er stood to one side looking somewhat glum.

Han Qian glanced at Wang Jun’er. He knew Yuan Guowei worried Wang Wenqian would send people infiltrating to rescue Wang Jun’er. Even if Yuan Guowei had no intention of harming Wang Jun’er, he still worried that such a clever Wang Jun’er, returning to her father’s side, would see through their every move with clarity.

That wouldn’t be fun.

“I’ll assign additional personnel to guard Miss Wang’s safety,” Han Qian said, not rejecting Yuan Guowei’s goodwill and nodding in agreement.

Honestly, Han Qian’s prior thought that he would conscript slaves into military service first and Chuzhou Army would be forced to follow under pressure came mainly from his constant contemplation these days about how Chuzhou Army would conduct a siege in the established historical process, and why after besieging for several months they would fail at the critical moment.

One obvious point was that in the established historical process, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan beat Anning Palace until they couldn’t fight back, yet also didn’t obtain support from Jiangdong’s aristocratic families.

So in the established historical process, exactly what had Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan done during the siege of Jinling that deeply wounded Jiangdong’s aristocratic families?

Yuan Guowei and Zhang Ping, having set aside their worries, also took their leave from the council hall to handle their respective responsibilities according to the established plan. Wang Jun’er didn’t hurry to leave under the sturdy women’s supervision. Seeing Han Qian sitting there leafing through the books she’d brought, she asked: “Are they still useful?”

“These two books can be selected for Youth Battalion teaching materials,” Han Qian said, setting two books aside separately. He looked up at Wang Jun’er’s bright eyes like stars and asked: “Do you want me to release you?”

“If I went to Dantu now, I’d only make things difficult for my father. Besides, outside the mountain it’s the blazing heat of summer. Inside the mountain is much cooler,” Wang Jun’er said, shaking her head.

“Did you know I would come to Jinling?” Han Qian suddenly asked.

Wang Jun’er didn’t answer Han Qian’s question but requested: “Could you teach me Xuzhou’s cotton spinning method?”

“I’m not my father,” Han Qian refused, shaking his head.

“Then I won’t disturb you further,” Wang Jun’er said with slight dejection. She turned and walked out of the council hall.

Han Qian stood in the corridor, watching Wang Jun’er seem to gaze at something before the mountain stream. He tapped his forehead and walked back into the hall…