Heavy snow drifted down, Baohua Mountain was completely white, and the blue-green lake water was still and waveless.
Han Qian wrapped himself in a fur robe, as warm as a small furnace, standing at the bow facing the wind, yet not feeling much cold.
News that the Dragon Sparrow General’s Office had set up a gruel station at Taowu Market to provide relief and recruit starving refugees spread, and the starving refugees from the four cities moved at the news, immediately surging toward the southern foot of Baohua Mountain. However, the Ministry of War, primarily controlled by the Crown Prince’s faction, dispatched personnel to establish checkpoints on the north shore of Chishan Lake, only permitting those verified as plague-infected starving refugees to enter with their families, and the number was strictly limited to twelve thousand five hundred households.
This also corresponded to the upper limit of the Dragon Sparrow Army’s military household numbers. They even drove out all several hundred households previously at Taowu Market to prevent them from being used by the Third Prince, the Marquis of Linjiang Yang Yuanpu.
Previously when leaving the city to see starving refugees crowded between the river beaches and valleys, the scene had already been quite unbearable to witness.
Now concentrating and gathering thirty to forty thousand people below Taowu Market beneath the Qiuhu Mountain Villa, every one of them sallow and emaciated, listless, with nearly half so thin they were skin and bones yet with protruding large bellies—the scene resembled an Asura hell, and could truly be called horrifying.
“I wondered why Anning Palace wouldn’t obstruct this anymore. Damn it, never mind sending them to battle for combat—if they can even assemble troops capable of withstanding swords and spears, I’ll take their surname,” Feng Yi said, looking at the bleak scene on the shore from over a hundred zhang away. Previously he had complained about not receiving even a half-official position this time, merely serving as a study companion and office member of the General’s Office, continuing to follow beside the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu. But now he refused to let the boat dock no matter what.
In this reorganization of the Dragon Sparrow Army, the Marquis of Xinchang’s household could be said to be the biggest winner.
Besides Li Chong serving as Recording Clerk Military Advisor beside the Third Prince, primarily managing the Dragon Sparrow Army’s various bureaus’ documents and supervising military officers, the Marquis of Xinchang’s eldest son Li Zhigao also served as the First Chief Military Inspector who directly commanded troops, and the Second Chief Military Inspector Chai Jian was also the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu’s second son-in-law.
Moreover, the Marquis of Xinchang’s young daughter Li Yao and the Third Prince were also planning to formally marry after the new year. The Marquis of Xinchang’s household could be said to have completely placed all their chips on the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu.
Upon seeing the imperial edict, Feng Yi had still complained that even if His Majesty Emperor Tianyou tacitly permitted the Marquis of Xinchang’s household to become the main force supporting the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu, he shouldn’t let the Marquis of Xinchang’s household infiltrate the Dragon Sparrow Army so deeply. Today, seeing the situation on the north shore of Chishan Lake, Feng Yi felt somewhat schadenfreude.
In his view, this place was fundamentally a bottomless pit.
Recruiting plague-infected starving refugees and revitalizing the Dragon Sparrow Camp—the court could only squeeze out an additional twenty million cash annually as military funds and for garrison field use for the Dragon Sparrow Army. But this amount of military pay could barely support one or two thousand elite troops, never mind settling thirty to forty thousand plague-infected starving refugees, much less purchasing armor and weapons.
The Marquis of Xinchang’s household might be wealthy and powerful, but looking at these plague-infected starving refugees on the lake shore who were terminally ill, no matter how many resources were invested, Feng Yi felt it would be remarkable if they could eventually select out one or two thousand qualified soldiers.
Of course, Feng Yi wouldn’t sympathize with the Marquis of Xinchang. He still harbored resentment in his heart over Li Chong setting traps for him, Kong Xirong, and Han Qian, forcing them to submit. He only thought about how not to get drawn in.
Zhao Wuji and Zhao Kuo stood behind Han Qian, silently watching the situation on the shore. A small table and clay stove were also set up at the bow, where Zhao Ting’er and Qing Yun crouched, boiling water and brewing tea for Han Qian and the others.
Zhao Ting’er was exceptionally delicate and beautiful, while Qing Yun’s face was covered with a scarlet ghost-like birthmark—one beauty and one ugliness beside Han Qian, yet they complemented each other interestingly.
The boatman rowed at the stern.
“Is that person Master Shen Yang?” Kong Xirong had sharp eyes. Seeing a carriage arrive at the garrison camp gate built with bamboo and wood on the east side of the lake shore, Shen Yang’s dry, thin body somewhat staggeringly climbed down from the carriage. After exchanging a few words with the junior officer guarding the gate, he and an old family servant even older than himself walked deeper into the lake shore, with that creaking carriage following behind, rolling along the muddy road.
“Go over,” Han Qian’s expression perked up as he instructed the boatman to dock the boat so they could go meet up with Shen Yang.
“Really going over? Then let’s agree—I’m not getting off!” Feng Yi called out.
The boat docked at the simple pier enclosed by pine wood pilings. Han Qian, Lin Haizheng, Zhao Wuji, as well as Qing Yun and Zhao Ting’er all went ashore.
Kong Xirong hesitated for a moment, then still steeled himself and jumped ashore.
Feng Yi sat at the bow, urging the boatman to quickly take the bamboo pole and push the boat toward the middle of the lake, afraid that staying even a moment longer would also infect him with the water gu plague. He said to Han Qian: “I’ll wait for you on the boat.”
“If we’re unfortunately infected with the plague, where could you escape to?” Han Qian said.
“…” Feng Yi thought Han Qian’s words made sense, but still timidly and hesitantly climbed ashore, only standing at the simple pier, watching Han Qian and the others pass through the crowd to meet up with Shen Yang.
Shen Yang, serving as the marquis household’s instructor and having been forcibly assigned by His Majesty Emperor Tianyou to the position of Chief of Staff of the Dragon Sparrow General’s Office—since the Dragon Sparrow Army hadn’t yet been formed and there wasn’t much happening in the military camp—his main responsibility now was to come to the garrison camp to settle the plague-infected starving refugees.
Without establishing a garrison camp commandant, Shen Yang theoretically was the Dragon Sparrow Army’s garrison camp general administrator.
Under Shen Yang, the Marquis of Xinchang’s eldest son Li Zhigao, Chai Jian and others concurrently held positions as garrison camp captains, separately managing these affairs.
The Marquis of Xinchang’s eldest son Li Zhigao and generals like Chai Jian, enfeoffed as Dragon Sparrow Army Chief Military Inspectors, held the authority to command and deploy troops, while simultaneously serving as garrison camp captains. Matters like garrison field cultivation and training of plague-infected starving refugees should also be presided over by them assisting Shen Yang.
However, the plague-infected starving refugees had already gathered here for two or three days, yet Li Zhigao, Chai Jian and the others hadn’t appeared in person. It seemed they wouldn’t appear for the time being.
Particularly Li Zhigao and Chai Jian, as the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu’s sons-in-law, should naturally have both seen the “Treatise on Plague Water.” But clearly one “Treatise on Plague Water” was still far from dispelling the shadow that the current tragic situation cast in their hearts. They dared not come to take charge, much less other generals.
And Guo Rong as Military Supervisor and Chen De as Vice Commander had also come yesterday to look from afar before leaving, not even entering the garrison camp gate.
After waiting two days, Han Qian originally thought Shen Yang wouldn’t appear at all. He didn’t expect that now, almost evening, Shen Yang would actually arrive in his broken-down carriage.
“Han Qian pays respects to Master Shen. These past few days Han Qian felt his health slightly recovering, so he invited Feng Yi and Kong Xirong to take a boat out of the city for fresh air. I didn’t expect to encounter you, sir,” Han Qian stepped forward to salute Shen Yang, not forgetting that he was currently on medical leave.
“I myself also didn’t expect to come here,” Shen Yang said. Previously at the marquis household teaching Yang Yuanpu, Han Qian and others their lessons, he would always come and go hastily, not speaking much even to Yang Yuanpu, and was even more distant toward Han Qian and the others. But now looking at Han Qian, his gaze was like bathing in a spring breeze as he smiled and said, “Today I went to Hongwen Hall to review documents and encountered Minister Han. I was fortunate to read a new essay Minister Han authored…”
Hearing Shen Yang say this, Han Qian’s scalp nearly exploded. His heart was immediately filled with deep “resentment” toward his father: Even if Shen Yang wasn’t part of the Crown Prince’s faction, judging by his performance at the Marquis of Linjiang’s household over these three or four months, one should know he absolutely didn’t wish to be involved in the succession struggle. Father, oh father, how did you have the audacity to show the “Treatise on Plague Water” to Shen Yang?
Are you truly trying to harm the dozens of people, old and young, in the Han household so that in the end they won’t even know how they died?
Han Qian’s original plan was that even if no one was willing to come here to take charge, having Fan Xicheng, Zhao Kuo, Lin Haizheng and the others cooperate with the hundred-plus household troops dispatched by the Marquis of Xinchang and the hundred-plus old soldiers of the Dragon Sparrow Army, there was still hope of gradually sorting out the situation.
With no one in charge, mutual entanglements, plus most people’s hearts still fearing the plague, the efficiency of getting things done would be much slower. Ultimately not everyone could receive treatment, and the epidemic couldn’t be controlled all at once. Thousands or even tens of thousands more people might die, but this was also something that couldn’t be helped.
Han Qian truly hadn’t expected his father would risk persuading Shen Yang to come take charge.
Han Qian was so anxious he wanted to stomp his feet, yet before Shen Yang he had to put on a gentle and obedient appearance. In his heart he thought about how in the future he would need to readjust his relationship and distance with Shen Yang—sharing the secret of the “Treatise on Plague Water” with Shen Yang while not letting Shen Yang detect that he was serving the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu as a piece on Wanhong Pavilion’s chessboard. The scale and proportion of this would not be easy to handle well.
At this moment Han Qian’s heart was full of bitterness. Just how many role-playing parts did he have to perform?
Shen Yang asked: “Is the gruel station set up at your family’s estate? Then in the future I may need to borrow a few buildings at your family’s estate to serve as a temporary office.”
Shen Yang had sent his old servant out of the city yesterday to look at the situation here.
Although he pitied the plague-infected starving refugees’ misery, seeing that the north shore of Chishan Lake had become a land of death was not something he could turn the tide on, so naturally he hadn’t thought about getting involved.
This afternoon at Hongwen Hall when he met Han Daoxun and read the “Treatise on Plague Water,” he learned how great a sacrifice Han Daoxun had made for these starving refugees. Precisely because of this, he admired Han Daoxun’s moral character even more.
He didn’t believe Han Daoxun was involved in the palace succession struggle.
If Han Daoxun, like the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu, was only betting on the Third Prince for his own power and ambition, he could have simply handed the “Treatise on Plague Water” to the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu and others to plan and implement. There was completely no need to remonstrate at court about expelling the starving refugees from the four cities.
That way, not only would it anger His Majesty, but it might also leave a permanent stain.
Because of this, Shen Yang also felt particularly close to Han Qian, and even thought about persuading Han Qian to stay at the garrison camp to assist him in his work.
The Dragon Sparrow Army was divided into two systems: the military camp and the garrison camp. The garrison camp was responsible for garrisoning troops, while the military camp was for deploying troops from the garrison camp for offensive and defensive matters.
Besides their unchanged status as study companions, Han Qian, Feng Yi, and Kong Xirong had all been supplemented as office members of the Dragon Sparrow General’s Office this time. They could either stay beside the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu passing their days, or they could specifically undertake certain duties.