About thirteen or fourteen li from Tiger Gorge Pass lay Tall Chair Valley, embraced by mountain cliffs on three sides and spanning a ravine four or five zhang deep on the fourth side. Geographically, it resembled a giant chair embedded deep into the southeastern slopes of the Wuling Mountains, hence the name Tall Chair Valley.
Tiger Rock Creek flowed past the front of Tall Chair Valley, and eight or nine li away it split through a large stone cliff called Green Ox Back before flowing into the Chen River.
Don’t be deceived by how the Chen River on either side of Green Ox Back was still thirty or forty zhang wide, with quite expansive waters when summer floods came. Three or four li upstream from Green Ox Back, there was a fault zone terrain band on the southern foothills of the Wuling Mountains.
Where the Chen River flowed through here, it was called Evil Tiger Rapids—a section about a li long. Not only was there a height difference of nearly ten zhang between upstream and downstream, but the riverbed was also chaotically strewn with rocks, like thousands of blades thrust upside down into the turbulent waters.
Even during the rainy summer and autumn flood seasons, boats had absolutely no hope of passing through Evil Tiger Rapids.
The stone mountains on both sides of Evil Tiger Rapids were precipitously steep and dangerous—even flying apes could hardly cross.
Generally speaking, goods and merchants coming from downstream on the Chen River would dock at Chen Family Settlement Wharf, thirteen or fourteen li downstream from Green Ox Back, travel the post road across Tiger Rock Creek, and enter Si Province territory through Tiger Gorge Pass.
Over a year ago, when Han Qian returned to Xu Province from Shu, he seized Cock Crow Stronghold and immediately set about developing the middle Chen River region, first recruiting large numbers of able-bodied laborers to build post roads on the north and south banks of the Chen River. Besides using post roads to connect the various barbarian villages and settlements like Tall Chair Valley on both banks of the Chen River, he also further widened the passage linking to Si Province.
The Yang clan of Si Province cooperated with Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong, who was stationed at Yu Province, to attack the Liao barbarian forces occupying the middle reaches of the Qian River, their goal still being to open the Qian River passage so that goods from Sichuan could flow through Si Province into the Qian Central and southwestern Hunan regions.
Therefore, the Yang clan of Si Province also actively cooperated with Xu Province in renovating and widening the post road on the northern bank of the Chen River, even providing people and grain to build the post road from west of Tall Chair Valley to Tiger Gorge Pass.
After all, west of Tall Chair Valley, including Tiger Gorge Pass itself, all fell under Si Province jurisdiction.
Since Evil Tiger Rapids was impassable, Tiger Gorge Pass became the only passage from the Chen River valley north of Dragon Tooth Mountain into Si Province.
Although the post road inside and outside Tiger Gorge Pass was built on the relatively open valley above the north bank of the Chen River, Tiger Gorge Pass itself, nestled between towering stone peaks, was a deep gorge about a li long, with its narrowest point only three or four zhang wide—truly a strategic position where one man could hold off ten thousand.
After the New Year, the Yang clan and Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong successively attacked and subdued over a hundred Liao settlements on both banks of the Qian River, opening the Qian River passage. Sichuan’s well salt, brocade, medicinal materials, and other goods could then enter Si Province through the Qian River and disperse into the Qian Central region. The Tiger Gorge Pass post road consequently became many times more prosperous than before, with dozens or even hundreds of ox and horse carts entering Tiger Gorge Pass daily.
However, no matter how close the relationship between Xu Province and Si Province was, Si Province Inspector Yang Xingfeng still sent his trusted general and adopted son Yang Shouyi with eight hundred fierce barbarian soldiers to garrison Tiger Gorge Pass.
Late June was already midsummer season, yet the climate on the southern foothills of the Wuling Mountains was temperate and humid. The Tall Chair Valley medical clinic, located outside the village entrance, was a dilapidated independent courtyard built under a large banyan tree requiring four or five people to encircle. Under the dense shade, cool breezes blew at dusk, and Zhao Zhixian had to wear an extra thin shirt to feel comfortable.
Tall Chair Valley was originally a mixed Han and barbarian settlement with seventy or eighty households and over four hundred people—not a small village in the depths of the Wuling Mountains.
The Tiger Gorge Pass post road and floating bridge passed through the slope in front of the valley. Now many merchants passed through daily, and some travelers who couldn’t make it through Tiger Gorge Pass before nightfall mostly came to Tall Chair Valley to lodge, making the valley prosperous like a market town.
After the New Year, Chenzhong County built a post station on the gentle slope in front of the valley, with four connecting courtyards east to west containing thirty or forty rooms.
The two eastern courtyards were the post station office and a barracks housing over twenty soldiers, who besides patrolling to catch bandits and smugglers also managed the maintenance of the floating bridge and post roads on either side. The two western courtyards provided lodging for merchants—conditions weren’t great, just common sleeping platforms.
Sitting on a rock in front of the medical clinic, Tan Yuliang could see everything happening in the post station below.
“Old Zhao, is the situation getting tense again? I’ve noticed Chenzhong County has been continuously sending more people to the post station below these past few days!” Seeing Zhao Zhixian walk over wearing a tattered cloth shirt with several patches over his short jacket, Tan Yuliang spoke up.
After Han Qian captured Eagle Fish Stronghold, he hadn’t detained Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang, but instead expelled them and their families from Xu Province.
When the two men returned to Tan Province, they suffered severe punishment for their military defeat and were demoted to low-ranking clerks without official grade in Tanyang County under Tan Province.
Ironically, this actually allowed them to escape the fate of having their entire families sent to Jinling for execution when Tan Province was captured. However, the two men and their families—over twenty people total—were still treated as war prisoners in the end.
The male family members and elderly women of both families were all relegated to labor camps as slaves for road construction and city building. In the first half year alone, four elderly people couldn’t endure it. The younger women of the families were relegated to entertainment camps.
In this era, household registration was extremely strict, with checkpoints at mountain passes and barriers all requiring inspection. While Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang could easily flee with a few able-bodied young men, they couldn’t abandon those elderly, weak, women, and children.
Fortunately, one of Zhao Zhixian’s former medical apprentices from his time teaching in Qianyang encountered Zhao Zhixian while purchasing medicinal materials in Tanyang City at the beginning of last year. Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang took out money and goods they had hidden away in earlier years and entrusted this disciple to ransom them and their families from the labor and entertainment camps.
Although Han Qian only officially promulgated the abolition of slavery decree this year upon returning to Xu Province, his previous policy of attracting displaced people to settle had never changed. After the two families arrived in Xu Province, they essentially shed their slave status and settled in Tall Chair Valley, which at the time was under disputed jurisdiction and quite remote.
Having spent nearly all their money and goods on ransom, by the time they reached Tall Chair Valley they only had enough left to acquire a courtyard. Nearly twenty people from both families crowded into a residence with only six rooms.
Without farmland, Zhao Zhixian knocked through the courtyard’s south-facing wall and opened a medical clinic. Tan Yuliang led the able-bodied young men and nephews from both families to work as laborers at Green Ox Back Wharf, barely maintaining their livelihood.
After going through all this turmoil, the ambitions of their youth had long since vanished, leaving only infinite sighs about fate’s hardships in their hearts.
Zhao Zhixian was just over fifty years old, and from long-term study of medical texts, his eyesight had deteriorated somewhat. He could barely make out that there were indeed more people active in the post station courtyard below, but he wasn’t sure how Tan Yuliang judged that the situation was growing tense.
Zhao Zhixian said, “A few days ago they said iron ore was discovered in the mountains behind. Perhaps the county wants to send people into the mountains to mine?”
Zhao Zhixian didn’t think there was anything particularly alarming about two or three dozen plainly dressed people moving into the post station these past two days.
“Doesn’t seem like they came for mining,” Tan Yuliang shook his head and asked again, “I went to the wharf this morning—guess who I ran into on the road?”
“Who did you run into?” Zhao Zhixian asked.
“I ran into Pei Pu. I was about to go over and greet him, but even though Pei Pu clearly saw me, he brushed right past me.” Tan Yuliang said.
“…” Zhao Zhixian was slightly stunned.
Pei Pu was precisely the disciple Zhao Zhixian had taught years ago, who then went to great pains to help ransom them from Tanyang County’s labor camp.
Pei Pu was from a guest family in Qianyang, his ancestors being a branch that migrated south from the great Pei clan of Guanzhong. He had never known that Zhao Zhixian was actually a Tan Province spy lurking in Qianyang, and had studied medicine under Zhao Zhixian since youth, afterward remaining employed at the provincial medical hall for nearly ten years total.
Even when Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and others were expelled from Xu Province, Pei Pu and the other dozen or so medical apprentices weren’t affected at all and continued serving at the provincial medical hall under both Han Daoxun and his son Han Qian’s administration of Xu Province.
“Perhaps there’s some difficult or complicated illness in the village that requires physicians from the provincial medical hall to come treat, and Pei Pu was worried our identity might be problematic, so he didn’t dare let colleagues or Xu Province informants see him having any connection with us?” Zhao Zhixian still felt grateful toward this disciple Pei Pu. Without Pei Pu’s help, they would still be slaves of Tan Province, their wives and daughters still being violated in the entertainment camps. Whether they could have even survived under such heavy labor was questionable.
However, their identities were sensitive after all. After arriving in Xu Province, they hadn’t contacted Pei Pu to avoid implicating him. They hadn’t even written a letter to Pei Pu when they settled in Tall Chair Valley. They never expected Pei Pu would be at the post station below right now.
Still, if Pei Pu didn’t acknowledge them, Zhao Zhixian could understand his difficulties.
Tan Yuliang shook his head and said, “I just feel the atmosphere is different—I saw four or five refined-looking people with Pei Pu, possibly all physicians from the provincial medical hall. Old Zhao, tell me, what kind of difficult illness in this remote corner would require the provincial medical hall to dispatch five or six physicians at once? Besides, your clinic here hasn’t seen any patients come seeking treatment either, has it?”
“…”
Hearing Tan Yuliang say this, Zhao Zhixian also realized there was indeed something odd.
Although Xu Province under Han Qian’s rule placed great emphasis on training physicians and medical apprentices using new methods, in earlier years the three counties of Xu Province combined had only twelve or thirteen physicians and medical apprentices under Zhao Zhixian’s command—counties didn’t have dedicated medical officers. Even with increased training efforts these past two or three years, currently the total number of qualified physicians across the province’s seven counties was at most under a hundred.
Unless a major epidemic broke out, it was hard to imagine simultaneously dispatching five or six physicians to such a remote corner.
If they weren’t physicians but rather clerks executing other tasks, that would make even less sense…
At this time, that person should be more concerned with the atmosphere of panic and fear in Jinling, right?
Zhao Zhixian stood up to gaze into the distance and saw about a li away on the post road a group of people dressed as slaves heading toward Tiger Gorge Pass at a good pace, apparently trying to enter Tiger Gorge Pass before dark. Although the Yang clan had strengthened the defensive forces at Tiger Gorge Pass, relations with Xu Province had remained calm, and sending slaves into Xu Province territory to work and earn grain and money had never ceased.
Everything before him seemed quite peaceful.
Just then, hearing his old wife calling from the courtyard for them to come eat, Zhao Zhixian said to Tan Yuliang, “Junwazi picked mountain fruit a few days ago and brewed a jar of fruit wine that should be ready to drink now. Your Tan Qiu hunted a roe deer in the mountains this morning, and from the aroma, it should be cooked by now. Come, let’s go to my room and have a couple cups.”
No matter what, even if life was hard, they had finally shed their slave status and managed to settle down in Tall Chair Valley. Whatever was happening with the outside situation had nothing to do with them anymore.
Tan Yuliang glanced at the nearby post station with melancholy, seeming unwilling to accept this fate as he sighed softly, then supported himself on his knees and walked with Zhao Zhixian toward the courtyard with its mottled mud walls.
Tan Yuliang’s two sons Tan Lang and Tan Qiu, along with Zhao Zhixian’s third son Zhao Fangcheng whose left leg had been broken in the labor camp, were mixing mud to repair gaps in the west courtyard wall. When they first acquired this courtyard, it was incredibly dilapidated, but after two months of repairs it now looked presentable—at least providing a place to shelter from wind and rain.
Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang called the three young men inside to eat, also summoning Tan Yuliang’s cousin Tan Xiuqun who was digging a well in the courtyard. They brought out the wine brewed from mountain fruit picked a few days ago and opened the jar. Before they knew it, the sky outside had darkened.
Although Xu Province’s summers couldn’t be called particularly hot, they couldn’t afford to buy salt, and having hunted a roe deer with no way to preserve it, they could only chop it all into pieces and stew it with mountain peppers and other ingredients.
Recalling the hardships of the past two years, even though the fruit wine wasn’t strong, after drinking for a while, Zhao Zhixian felt his old eyes growing dim and misty.
“…” Tan Yuliang suddenly stood up. Zhao Zhixian started, not yet knowing what had happened, when he saw Tan Yuliang’s two sons Tan Lang and Tan Qiu, along with cousin Tan Xiuqun, all stand up alertly as well.
Pushing open the door, he discovered that at some point three dark silhouettes had appeared on the roof of the west wing room opposite, long swords at their waists, hands holding powerful crossbows.
Tan Lang and Tan Qiu quickly shut the cracked wooden door and, having no weapons, grabbed wooden benches in their hands and stood by the door. Tan Xiuqun rapidly retreated to the inner side, poked through the window paper of the west wall window, and saw three more figures holding swords and bows on the ridge of the mountain at the west valley entrance.
Zhao Zhixian sat there in fear and alarm. By now he could hear the courtyard gate being opened, as eight or nine people walked directly into the courtyard, with the faint sound of armor plates rustling.
“Master, it’s me.” Pei Pu’s voice sounded outside, gently knocking on the door.
Pei Pu hadn’t acknowledged them earlier, but now he was leading these armored soldiers here?
Zhao Zhixian and Tan Yuliang exchanged glances, knowing that whatever Pei Pu’s intentions, they had no means of resistance. They signaled Tan Lang and Tan Qiu to put down the benches in their hands and opened the firewood gate. There stood Han Qian in the moonlight, looking inside.
“Lord Zhao, Master Tan, it’s been quite a while.”
Han Qian cupped his hands leisurely and walked directly inside, looking at the bowls and dishes scattered messily on the broken wooden table, and said with a smile:
“I heard Master Tan’s second son hunted a fat roe deer in the mountains today. Feng Liao, Guo Rong, and I were staying at the post station below when we smelled the aroma and guessed Master Tan and Lord Zhao had stewed the roe deer. We brought a jar of good wine to trade for some meat—fortunately we arrived in time, the roe deer hasn’t all been eaten yet…”
Han Qian dragged over two benches to sit down with Guo Rong and Feng Liao.
Medical Officer Pei Pu, holding a jar of wine, looked at everything in the room with considerable shock, standing there somewhat at a loss.
Seeing Pei Pu’s completely ignorant appearance, it was obvious that even though he had recognized Tan Yuliang this morning, he hadn’t informed Han Qian. In reality, every move they made since settling in Tall Chair Valley had long been under Xu Province’s surveillance.
Recalling their sensitive past identities and knowing that if Han Qian had the slightest suspicion of them, heads would roll, Zhao Zhixian’s face turned pale with fear. He, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun fell to their knees with a thud and pled:
“We criminal commoners took shelter in Xu Province firstly out of desperation, and secondly because we knew that Xu Province under Your Lordship’s rule could truly be called a paradise. We absolutely harbor no other thoughts and have no connections with anyone else. We beg the Marquis of Qianyang to investigate clearly.”
The other guards didn’t follow into the room. Kong Xirong, Guo Que, and Xi Fa’er stood at the door without entering, but their hands rested on sword hilts, their eyes bright as they watched every movement of the others inside.
Zhao Zhixian was a civil official who had infiltrated Xu Province as a medical officer for several years. His children had also learned medicine and letters, without the strength to truss a chicken. But the Tan clan was a military family from Tan Province with a heritage spanning several generations.
Tan Xian, the Tan Province Military Affairs Advisor whose family of over thirty had been sent to Jinling for execution, was Tan Yuliang’s clan uncle. Tan Tie, who died under Kong Xirong’s halberd atop the walls of Eagle Fish Stronghold (Zhongfang City), was Tan Xian’s son.
Although Tan Yuliang and Tan Xiuqun were from a collateral branch of the Tan clan, they and Tan Yuliang’s two sons Tan Qiu and Tan Lang, as well as Tan Xiuqun’s son Tan Wenlin, were all skilled fighters capable of taking on ten opponents, proficient in combat techniques.
Though Tan Yuliang, Tan Xiuqun, and their sons and nephews had no weapons in hand, Kong Xirong and Guo Que still believed that if they truly erupted to harm someone, they would have some means to do so.
“Without Pei Pu’s help, how could you possibly have ransomed yourselves from Tanyang County and then settled in Tall Chair Valley?” Han Qian asked.
Hearing Han Qian say this, Pei Pu’s legs went weak with fright and he also fell to his knees with a thud, pleading mournfully, “At the beginning of last year, this humble one was passing through Tanyang and saw Medical Officer Zhao trapped in the slave camp, lonely and destitute. I couldn’t bear it and helped ransom them, absolutely without ulterior motives and absolutely not under anyone’s orders!”
“Alright, alright, everyone get up,” Han Qian waved his hand and said, “Without my authorization, how could you, Pei Pu, have gone to Tanyang to purchase medicinal materials? Without Feng Liao secretly helping to arrange things, do you think it would really have been so easy to ransom Lord Zhao and Master Tan’s two families of over twenty people from Tanyang?”
Han Qian reached out and took the wine jar from Pei Pu’s arms, afraid he might accidentally drop and break it.
After Feng Liao and Guo Rong helped Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, Tan Xiuqun, and others sit down, Han Qian also signaled Feng Liao to find a few empty bowls. He personally broke the wine seal and poured for each in turn, saying, “Originally I didn’t want to disturb Lord Zhao and Master Tan so early, but Master Tan happened upon Pei Pu this morning, and at dusk sat in front of the medical clinic watching the post station for quite a while. I trust that with Master Tan’s sharp eye, you probably noticed something. To prevent Master Tan from making some rash wrong decision that would make everyone unhappy, I came up to have a couple drinks with Lord Zhao and Master Tan.”
A chill ran up Tan Yuliang’s spine. Even sitting down, he didn’t dare sit fully, perching on half his buttocks as he listened to Han Qian speak.
Not knowing what Zhao Zhixian was thinking, how could Tan Yuliang possibly be willing to truly lead his sons and nephews, who had trained in martial arts since childhood, to be dock laborers for life, with children and grandchildren forever struggling at the very bottom as destitute commoners?
After ransoming themselves from Tan Province, their choice to settle in Tall Chair Valley, which at the time was unmanaged by all three provinces of Chen, Xu, and Si, was partly to hide their sensitive past identities, but Tan Yuliang also somewhat harbored thoughts of observing the three regions’ situations to find someone to pledge allegiance to.
Speaking of allegiance, Tan Yuliang had previously considered the Yang clan of Si Province as his first choice.
The reason for excluding Xu Province was that the grievances and entanglements between them ran too deep—he didn’t believe that voluntarily pledging allegiance to Xu Province would truly be welcomed.
He never imagined that their every move was under Xu Province’s surveillance, and that their ability to settle in Tall Chair Valley was also arranged by Han Qian.
Zhao Zhixian wasn’t stupid either. He could naturally guess what Han Qian meant by “the wrong decision Tan Yuliang might make,” and now he too was somewhat unable to sit still. Clearly in Han Qian’s eyes, they couldn’t be considered “honest people.”
“Xu Province has reached a time when it needs people. All of you should join Xu Province and serve under me,” Han Qian said.
Hearing Han Qian say this, Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun exchanged glances, then hurriedly knelt again and kowtowed together, “Your Lordship disregards past grievances and takes us in. Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun vow to serve Your Lordship loyally unto death, unwavering until our last breath!”
Tan Qiu, Tan Wenlin, Tan Lang, Zhao Fangcheng, and the other young men of both families also knelt and kowtowed together.
“Sit up and talk!” Han Qian walked over and helped Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun to their feet and seated them.
The square table made of mulberry wood couldn’t seat too many people. Han Qian sat alone on one side, while Guo Rong and Feng Liao, also of high status, sat alone on two sides. Zhao Zhixian, Tan Yuliang, and Tan Xiuqun squeezed together opposite Han Qian, while Tan Qiu, Tan Wenlin, Tan Lang, Zhao Fangcheng, and the other young men of both families stood to the side.
Han Qian drank a mouthful of wine and said, “Tall Chair Valley is near the ferry crossing, with constant traffic of carts and people at the wharf. Lord Zhao and Master Tan should have heard something about the recent atmosphere of panic and fear in Jinling, right?”
“We have heard something, but these are all hearsay—after all, it’s hard to distinguish true from false,” Tan Yuliang glanced at Zhao Zhixian and Tan Xiuqun, thinking that since Han Qian had just pointed out he wasn’t very docile and honest, he straightened his sitting posture slightly and answered Han Qian’s question himself.
“What Old Zhou told you is completely true, just inconvenient to say in too much detail,” Han Qian said.
Tan Yuliang looked at Han Qian in shock, speechless for a long while. He never imagined that Old Zhou the half-blind man who came to work as a laborer at the wharf half a month ago, claiming to have been discharged for abusing war prisoners, was also someone Han Qian had specially arranged.
Han Qian ignored Tan Yuliang’s shock and continued, “Guangde Prefecture is currently in a state of panic and fear. His Majesty and the court officials all suspect I’ve done something there, and are now using the assassination case as a pretext to turn Guangde Prefecture upside down. Some even deliberately want to incite civil unrest and then send troops to suppress it, to eliminate this worry in their hearts. I can’t bear to see the Jianghuai lands, which have finally become peaceful, erupt in war again, but I’m in Xu Province and His Majesty doesn’t trust me—truly distant water cannot quench nearby fire. The only method I can think of now is to create some disturbance here, so that when the court officials see that civil unrest has the potential to spread like wildfire, they might restrain their actions in Guangde Prefecture somewhat…”
“Your Lordship intends to take Si Province?” Tan Yuliang looked at Han Qian puzzled. His intuition told him Han Qian wanted to make a move on Si Province, but he couldn’t figure out how Han Qian would take Si Province.
Si Province was located on the southern foothills of the Wuling Mountains with treacherous terrain. Never mind other parts of Si Province—just Tiger Gorge Pass alone would be extremely difficult to capture.
The Yang clan of Si Province had managed the region for several generations. Their military strength had been somewhat weaker before, but after cooperating with Wang Yong of Yu Province to capture various Liao settlements on both banks of the Qian River, their strength had greatly increased.
If Xu Province conducted a major mobilization and expanded its current provincial forces from three thousand to eight thousand or even ten thousand men, it should have the capability to capture Si Province.
However, the problem was that Xu Province was in a situation of being isolated and watched from all sides, and half of Xu Province’s revenues depended on commercial trade and communication with the outside world.
If Xu Province were to conduct a major mobilization, how could Ye Province’s Tian clan to the southwest and Chen Province’s Xi clan to the north possibly sit and watch Xu Province swallow Si Province without reaction?
Moreover, Si Province was also a dependent province that had pledged allegiance to Great Chu. If Han Qian truly raised troops against Si Province, wouldn’t he be giving the court the perfect excuse to send additional troops to Chen Province and campaign against Xu Province on the charge of rebellion and treason?
At that time, even if Han Qian was confident of holding Xu Province’s several key strategic passes, if the Tian clan of Ye Province and the Xi clan of Chen Province joined forces with Chu reinforcements from Shao Province and Lang Province to blockade Xu Province’s passages for external contact and commercial trade, Xu Province would definitely suffer greatly.
By then, even if Xu Province captured Si Province, how much financial capacity would remain to maintain elite military forces of eight to ten thousand?
Additionally, Yu Province on the lower Qian River and the Shu forces behind Yu Province absolutely wouldn’t want to see Si Province swallowed by Xu Province either.
“No matter what, the provinces of Chen, Xu, Si, and Ye all pledge allegiance to Great Chu. If they don’t rebel, without an imperial decree, Xu Province really has no justification to take military action against Si Province. Lacking proper cause is one aspect, and Tiger Gorge Pass has the strategic advantage where one man can hold off ten thousand. No matter how strong Xu Province’s forces are, trying to capture Tiger Gorge Pass would exact an extremely heavy price. So to take Si Province, Xu Province won’t directly send troops—we can only find another way,” Han Qian said slowly. “From what I’m saying, can you guess my intention?”
“Your Lordship wants us to infiltrate Si Province and lead the common people in an uprising?” Tan Yuliang asked in shock.
Zhao Zhixian’s reaction was slightly slower, but now he too suddenly understood.
Xu Province must have already planted the seeds of popular uprising in Si Province, and had even dispatched a group of skilled operatives like Old Zhou to lurk there. But Xu Province didn’t want to fall into complete isolation, didn’t want to tear its face with Great Chu in direct military confrontation, so it couldn’t have Xu Province’s direct generals stand out to lead the uprising.
Much less could Xu Province directly send troops to attack Si Province.
Han Qian wanted them to stand forth and lead the uprising—although they were now pledging to serve Han Qian and Xu Province, in outsiders’ eyes they had absolutely no connection to Xu Province.
“How about it? Do you have the courage to take this gamble? If you succeed, Master Tan could become the new Inspector of Si Province!” Han Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.
“Tan Yuliang dares not harbor any such ambitions. To serve under Your Lordship’s command in this life, I would die without regret.” Tan Yuliang pushed away from the table and stood up, about to kneel again in obeisance to show he had no ambition whatsoever to usurp the position of Si Province Inspector.
Zhao Zhixian and Tan Xiuqun weren’t fools either. Not to mention that when they led the uprising, there would directly be a group of low-ranking military officers loyal to Xu Province assisting them—once the uprising progressed to a certain point, Han Qian could even use the pretext of suppressing the uprising to send troops into Si Province…
“Good!” Han Qian stepped forward to support Tan Yuliang, received a document from Feng Liao’s hands, and handed it to Tan Yuliang. “This is the action outline. More specific details will be discussed with you by Old Zhou after we leave…”