Seeing Zhang Ping agree to this matter, Han Qian personally briefed Zhang Ping and Gao Shao on the situation over the past two days in Xuanzhou to the south and Liyang and Jintan counties to the east:

“Currently the news circulating is that Prince Xin is temporarily only conscripting able-bodied servants from Dantu, Jingkou, and Danyang counties. It hasn’t yet affected Jintan, Liyang, Linjin, and Yangxian counties, but these four counties as well as the local clans in Changzhou, Suzhou, and other counties along the northern shore of Lake Tai to the east will inevitably soon feel the pressure. Before the Chuzhou Army has sufficient forces south of the Yangtze River, they will not rashly engage in a decisive battle with Anning Palace. I think they may first move east to control Changzhou and Suzhou to ensure their grain supply is secure, while also commandeering vessels from Su, Run, and Chang prefectures to expand their naval forces. Before this, the tower ship navy commanded by Yang Jian will always be a threat to them…”

“Didn’t Minister Han previously seem more worried that the Chuzhou Army would divide forces to move south, entering between Jieling Mountain and Fuyu Mountain to seal off the Chishan Army’s eastward passage?” Zhang Ping said somewhat puzzled.

“I did have that concern before,” Han Qian said. “By conscripting servants into military service in Mount Mao, I touched the reverse scale of local power structures, causing tremendous alarm to local clans east and south of Mount Mao. If the Chuzhou Army were not eager to expand their forces now, or even abandoned the confrontation with Anning Palace at the southern foot of Baohua Mountain, withdrawing their vanguard of thirty thousand elite troops from Jingshan Nunnery to Dantu, Danyang, and other areas, allowing the Southern Court Imperial Guards and Shouzhou Army to free up hands to pincer us from the west. At the same time, they could extract more elite forces to move south and utilize local power structures’ fear and hatred toward us to form a joint defensive position between Jieling Mountain and Fuyu Mountain—that would be most troublesome for me. Fortunately, Prince Xin lacks sufficient patience and is not the type willing to temporarily yield the initiative and wait for opportunities. Now that the Chuzhou Army is requisitioning able-bodied servants in Jingkou—looking at their measures, they seem somewhat gentler than ours, but because the Chuzhou Army’s power is great, local power structures’ wariness toward them runs deep. If they were to immediately divide large forces to move south now, I would actually worry less…”

Zhang Ping thought about it and agreed. If the Chuzhou Army made a major push south now without gaining the trust of Xuanzhou and Huzhou local forces, or even strengthening those regions’ wariness, it would entangle the southern front in an even more delicate constraint, which might not necessarily be disadvantageous to the Chishan Army.

Under such circumstances, the Chuzhou Army would prioritize strengthening control over the northern Lake Tai plain, where the situation was much simpler and grain resources more abundant.

The Chishan Army could thus gain some breathing room, but the problem was this time might only be one or two months. Thinking that every subsequent step would be intricate and filled with danger, Zhang Ping couldn’t help but sigh: “It’s fortunate you dare to place pieces on such a board.”

“One step back is a bottomless abyss. Unable to refuse the move, I can only steel myself and place the piece, taking things as they come.” Han Qian smiled calmly.

Currently, aside from the Chuzhou Army to the east, the local forces in Xuanzhou to the south and in Huzhou, Xiuzhou, Hangzhou to the southeast, as well as more distant powers in Yuezhou, Mingzhou, and other places, were all factors the Chishan Army needed to comprehensively weigh and consider at this time.

The sand table was inconvenient to move. The old sand table remained at the estate on the northern foot of Mount Mao, and the new sand table had not yet been made. A terrain map had been drawn on with charcoal by Han Qian over the past two days until it was unrecognizable. Who knew how many times Han Qian had conducted deductions on this terrain map?

Zhang Ping, as military supervisor, did not need to bear great responsibility, but he was extremely clear about the situation the Chishan Army faced.

In the early years of Great Chu’s founding, warfare in Jiangnan East Circuit dragged on until roughly the eighth year of Tianyou before basically subsiding. On one hand, the prefectures and counties of Jiangnan East Circuit thereafter enjoyed nearly ten years of recovery and recuperation. On the other hand, the military potential of these prefectures and counties had not yet been eroded or weakened by longer periods of comfortable living.

Furthermore, many of the principal officials such as prefectural governors, chief administrators, vice administrators, county magistrates, county lieutenants, and county vice-magistrates in various Jiangdong prefectures and counties were military officers from local aristocratic families.

This was a compromise Emperor Tianyou made back then to quickly stabilize the situation in various prefectures and counties of Jiangnan East Circuit. It was also related to the fact that after the previous dynasty’s civil official selection system was destroyed, Great Chu over so many years since its founding had never managed to establish an effective civil official selection system in time.

Xuanzhou Prefectural Governor Gu Zhilong had in earlier years been a high-ranking general at the level of Chief Military Inspector under the Shengzhou Military Commissioner’s Office.

When Emperor Tianyou led the Huainan Army across the river, he was among the first to submit with his troops. Afterward, he participated in many campaigns against Yue King Dong Chang with considerable merit.

After pacifying Yue King Dong Chang, he served for a time in the Yongjia Military Commissioner’s Office of southern Zhejiang defending against the Wuwei Army. In the eleventh year of Tianyou, when Emperor Tianyou reduced the garrison at Yongjia Military Commissioner’s Office, aside from several hundred household soldiers, Gu Zhilong’s other troops were all incorporated into the Southern Court Imperial Guard camps. He himself was also transferred from Yongjia Military Commissioner’s Office to serve as Xuanzhou Prefectural Governor to this day.

Huzhou Prefectural Governor Huang Hua had originally been a subordinate general under Yue King Dong Chang. When Emperor Tianyou fought the main forces of Yue King Dong Chang in Runzhou, Huang Hua led troops defending Liyang, probing the Chu forces then guarding Mount Mao and Lishui. He was persuaded to surrender by Wen Muqiao, offering his city to Chu, rendering great service in Chuzhou’s defeat of Yue King Dong Chang in the eastern part of Runzhou.

After the Battle of Runzhou, Huang Hua handed over his troops and subsequently served as prefectural governor of Xiuzhou and Huzhou.

Aside from Zhou Bingwu, the Yongjia Military Commissioner far away in southern Zhejiang commanding ten thousand elite Imperial Guards to defend against the Wuwei Army to the south, the prefectural governors of Jiangdong prefectures such as Hangzhou, Yuezhou, Mingzhou, Xiuzhou, Taizhou, and Quzhou all had roughly similar backgrounds.

These major prefecture governors almost all possessed elite retainers numbering at least one hundred, at most four or five hundred. Including their own relatives and the families of their household soldiers and retainers, plus the even more numerous bottom-tier servants they controlled, they formed groups ranging from one or two thousand to three or five thousand people.

When the court situation was stable, these prefectural governors were all well-behaved and obedient, showing no signs of disloyalty. But when the situation became turbulent and central control over local regions weakened, these prefectural governors could easily use the authority they directly wielded, along with their privately owned elite household soldiers and retainers, to directly control local prefecture garrison forces.

Furthermore, by forming even tighter collusions with local aristocratic family power structures, the troops they controlled could rapidly expand.

This was how the situation of military strongmen dominating and various powers standing in opposition arose in the late years of the previous dynasty. Over a dozen years since Great Chu’s founding, this reality had not been fundamentally changed.

This was also the fundamental reason Zhang Ping deeply worried about Yueyang’s excessive reliance on the Zheng clan and Marquis of Xinchang’s household, as well as Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu recruiting various families in Lishui and allowing families to directly command private soldiers—even if the Third Prince ultimately prevailed, it would not fundamentally improve Great Chu’s situation.

The reality was that after the Jinling incident, Xuanzhou Prefectural Governor Gu Zhilong recruited troops on the foundation of Xuanzhou forces, in short order expanding Xuanzhou forces from their original authorized strength of three thousand to eight or nine thousand.

Gu Zhilong had originally wanted to make his choice after the Chuzhou Army and Anning Palace determined a victor. He never imagined the Chishan Army would emerge from nowhere.

This time, the Chishan Army’s assault on Shang Family Fort was a great victory, but it alarmed local aristocratic families. Zhang Ping believed this would make it even more convenient and easy for Gu Zhilong to incorporate and rally local clan forces in Xuanzhou.

Han Qian’s next words confirmed Zhang Ping’s guess: “Xuanzhou Prefectural Governor Gu Zhilong originally led troops garrisoning Xuancheng to observe the situation. After we conquered Shang Family Fort, the local aristocratic families in northern Xuanzhou were terrified and fled south like startled birds, making it even more convenient for Gu Zhilong to recruit troops. In Langxi and Xuancheng, the two cities south of Fuyu Mountain, the garrison forces should have increased to around six thousand men each by early this morning.”

“That many troops?” Gao Shao asked in shock.

Xuancheng was even further south, located in the middle of the funnel-shaped terrain formed between Fuyu Mountain and Yi Mountain. As the seat of Xuanzhou’s prefectural administration, having more garrison troops was understandable. But Langxi was located at the northwestern foot of Fuyu Mountain, controlling southward attacks toward Xuancheng and eastward passages into Huzhou. Gao Shao found it somewhat hard to imagine that even Langxi’s garrison now exceeded six thousand men?

“Xuanzhou only has Xuancheng and Langxi exposed, but Langxi’s position is more critical. If it were me, I would deploy the main forces all to Langxi,” Han Qian said. “Now that Gu Zhilong is evenly distributing forces between Xuancheng and Langxi, it shows he only wants to hold these two critically important nodes in northern Xuanzhou at this time, with no intention of leading troops out to take advantage of our Chishan Army.”

Zhang Ping nodded. Even distribution of forces seemed prudent but was also the most conservative strategy.

Gu Zhilong being conservative was at least somewhat good news for them.

Gu Zhilong would most likely only hold Langxi City, blocking the Chishan Army from entering Xuanzhou, rather than sending troops out from Langxi City to block the Chishan Army from bypassing north of Langxi City and advancing east into Huzhou.

“Gu Zhilong’s approach is somewhat beggar-thy-neighbor, only thinking of keeping us out of Xuanzhou without caring if Huzhou drowns in floods!” Gao Shao said with furrowed brows. “What’s Huzhou’s Huang Hua’s reaction?”

“From when we formed the Chishan Army in Mount Mao and conscripted servants into military service, Huang Hua seemed to anticipate we would advance east. At that time, aside from recruiting troops in Huzhou, he sent descendants back to Xiuzhou where the Huang clan’s roots run deeper to recruit clan soldiers and local militia to Huzhou!” Han Qian said. “Although it’s only been two short days and there’s no direct news feedback from Huzhou, which reacted slightly later, I think after we migrate into Huzhou territory, we’ll very likely need to gnaw on this iron plate!”

Both Zhang Ping and Gao Shao felt Gu Zhilong was pursuing a beggar-thy-neighbor strategy, while Huzhou’s Huang Hua was even more difficult to deal with. Only now did they discover that even if the Chuzhou Army temporarily would not further divide forces to move south, the military pressure the Chishan Army faced on the southern and eastern flanks in the short term would only increase, not diminish at all.

At such a time, if Li Pu could hold the situation on the northwestern flank, they would have to hold their noses and tolerate him for now.

Han Qian said to Gao Shao: “You cannot rest after returning. When the sun declines and is not so harsh, you will lead two battalions to rush to Nantang Wharf. The local gentry and wealthy families at Nantang Wharf have all fled south with their families. Currently a dozen scouts are stationed there. You lead troops over, build fortifications and establish camps. If possible, before the Chuzhou Army makes a major push south, also control the western foot of Jieling Mountain…”

“Not wait two days?” Gao Shao asked puzzled.

Although they predicted the Chuzhou Army and Xuanzhou Prefectural Governor Gu Zhilong would both choose relatively conservative postures toward the Chishan Army during this period, it did not mean that if the Chishan Army truly showed signs of exhaustion or revealed openings, they would not pounce to bite.

So the Chishan Army still needed to maintain a fierce posture and display their fangs and claws.

Although Gao Shao understood this principle, he had just led two battalions back from Lishui. He had not expected to rest only one afternoon before having to circle around Donglu Mountain and advance from the eastern flank toward the southeast.

“Speed is crucial in warfare. The more resolutely we advance, the more hesitant the enemy’s reaction will be…” Han Qian said unquestionably.

Zhang Ping also felt that currently forcefully attacking Langxi City or Liyang City was not very realistic. They needed to select one or two key points southeast of Donglu Mountain and west of Jieling Mountain, choosing villages abandoned by aristocratic families to fortify, deploying a portion of elite forces there to make a show of deterring Xuanzhou forces from moving north and deterring the Chuzhou Army from making a major push south. But they could not fail to let soldiers catch their breath.

However, seeing Han Qian’s resolute expression, he thought that none of Han Qian’s calculations had yet failed. He sensed inwardly that perhaps in Han Qian’s eyes, the situation remained so urgent it did not allow even a moment’s rest…