The roads were inconvenient. By the time Yang Hu rushed to the stream-side bamboo house, it was already dark. Over ten bright horn lamps illuminated the small campsite as bright as day.
Yang Hu’s personal escort guards were stopped outside the campsite to wait while Yang Hu was led into the stream-side bamboo house.
Outside the mountains the heat was unbearable, but inside the mountains it was cool. After nightfall, Han Qian had even put on a thin shirt over his short jacket.
Seeing Yang Hu enter accompanied by Feng Liao and Gao Shao, Han Qian placed Xin’er, who had been playing on his lap, on the ground and had Zhao Ting’er carry him away. He indicated for Yang Hu and the others to sit down and talk.
After maidservants poured tea, Han Qian “concernedly” inquired about the situation in Si Province:
“I’ve heard that Si Province territory hasn’t been very peaceful lately. I wonder how far the situation has developed?”
Besides the more distant and remote provinces of Qian Central, the four provinces of Chen, Xu, Si, and Ye as dependent provinces attached to Great Chu now, aside from symbolically presenting some tribute items annually and emergency mobilizations, ordinarily managed their own military and political affairs primarily through self-governance and weren’t directly constrained by the Chu court.
Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Central court had adopted more of a balancing strategy toward tribal disputes between and within dependent provinces, and didn’t even oppose dependent provinces and counties’ tribes slaughtering each other.
Victors in tribal disputes often received new investitures from central imperial authority, becoming new rulers of dependent provinces and counties.
In this environment and atmosphere, as long as the fire didn’t spread to him, Han Qian now hoped Si Province would create more chaos—this was a perfectly normal mentality.
Even without knowing the true circumstances, Yang Hu clearly understood how cheap Han Qian’s so-called “concern” was. He said quite dismissively:
“Thank you for Your Lordship’s concern. Some minor troublemakers causing disturbances won’t create any great chaos. My father has already led elite troops downstream along the Chen River to take command in Jinhe County. I believe within three to five days, the rebellion will be suppressed.”
Si Province bordered Xu Province, but among the Yang clan’s notable figures in Si Province, Han Qian had only met Yang Hu a few times. Regardless of internal calculations, they were still quite polite on the surface. Han Qian said with a smile, “If everything is under Inspector Yang’s control, that’s truly excellent. Then I won’t need to rush to send more troops to Tall Chair Valley to guard against the chaos spreading to Chenzhong County. I wonder what requests the Young Lord has in coming this time? Please feel free to raise them.”
Using the pretext of Si Province civil unrest, Han Qian had already sent three hundred elite troops two days ago to Tall Chair Valley to build fortifications.
However, in the short term, unless Si Province directly requested to borrow troops for suppression, or the court issued deployment orders, otherwise, not wanting to provoke intense reactions from Chen Province and Ye Province, Han Qian had no reason to further deploy forces to the Si-Xu border.
Seeing Han Qian deliberately steering the conversation toward borrowing troops for suppression, Yang Hu swallowed with difficulty, thinking to himself how foolish his Yang family would have to be to do something as stupid as inviting the wolf into the house.
Yang Hu hesitated for a while, organizing his words before saying:
“My father ordered me to come see Your Lordship, mainly because we heard that the bandit leader Tan Yuliang, after being released from Tanyang County registration, settled with his family in Tall Chair Valley in Chenzhong. Tan Yuliang led his sons and nephews to infiltrate Jinhe, helping salt smugglers like Dong Tai and others escape from prison. He then occupied Nanhuang Stronghold and calls himself General of Heavenly Balance—he truly deserves death. We heard his family should still be in Tall Chair Valley, and we hope Xu Province can assist in their capture…”
“That’s easy. Tan Yuliang stirred up trouble at Eagle Fish Stronghold in Xu Province years ago. Back then, considering he was somewhat of a figure, after capturing Eagle Fish Stronghold I only expelled him from Xu Province. I never expected his bandit heart wouldn’t change and he’d run to Si Province to cause trouble. I will definitely send people to arrest and detain his family,” Han Qian said. “However, desperadoes like Tan Yuliang who dare commit the evil act of raiding prisons and rebelling probably haven’t thought about caring whether their families live or die.”
Whether to protect them or use them as hostages so Tan Yuliang and Zhao Zhixian wouldn’t harbor other wild thoughts, Han Qian would detain the women and children of the Tan and Zhao families. But no matter what Yang Hu said, he absolutely wouldn’t hand over the women and children to Si Province.
So what if Xu Province had ill intentions?
As the lord of Xu Province, he should harbor ill intentions and take advantage of the fire to loot.
While saying this, Han Qian slightly narrowed his eyes, staring at Yang Hu’s face, showing not half a trace of guilt.
Yang Hu pondered the meaning in Han Qian’s words, knowing it was unrealistic to insist that Xu Province hand over the bandit leader’s family for him to take back to Si Province. He said again, “Si Province still has over eight hundred settlement slaves working in Xu Province. My father worries that when news spreads, it will destabilize their minds. I’ve come this time perhaps to take them back to Si Province to guard them strictly. I must ask Your Lordship…”
Han Qian smiled slightly, thinking that if Yang Hu really took away the eight hundred settlement slaves and offered them generous rewards and solemn promises, they would quickly become chips in the Yang clan’s hands for suppressing the rebel army. How could he possibly easily agree to Yang Hu’s request? He put him off saying:
“When news spreads and people’s hearts become unstable, that truly is a big problem. But please rest assured, Young Lord. While I, Han Qian, might not be able to help Si Province in other ways, I will definitely guard these eight hundred settlement slaves strictly. If necessary, I’ll directly detain them. Please don’t worry, Young Lord, that these settlement slaves will cause any trouble in Xu Province! However, if the Young Lord wants to take them back to Si Province now, if they cause trouble and rebel on the way, it would catch everyone off guard and could possibly make the situation more serious. Inappropriate, inappropriate…”
Xi Ren watched Han Qian’s hypocritical expression and, together with Zhao Ting’er holding Wenxin’s little hand, walked to the adjacent room to avoid laughing out loud.
Before Yang Hu came, people had said that Han Qian was always cunning and ruthless. Even if Xu Province hadn’t done anything beforehand, Xu Province would certainly take advantage of Si Province’s misfortune. But truly hearing Han Qian so shamelessly say he would directly detain the Yang family’s settlement slaves, Yang Hu’s face still twitched uncontrollably several times.
After quite a while, Yang Hu forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and demanded:
“Si Province still has wages for about ten thousand-plus shi of grain not yet settled with Xu Province. When I departed from Jinhe County, my father hoped to use these wages to purchase some crossbow weapons from Xu Province to take back. I imagine Your Lordship won’t find this matter very difficult?”
Han Qian said with difficulty, “The wages can be settled anytime—the Young Lord can send someone to collect them. But as the Young Lord knows, previously to support the Jinling campaign, Xu Province threw in everything we had, so that even the provincial forces’ weapons, armor, and crossbows are severely insufficient. It’s truly difficult to squeeze out more to supply Si Province! Besides these, what other requests does the Young Lord have?”
In Yang Hu’s chest, it felt like Han Qian had forcibly stuffed several clumps of thatch grass, choking him speechless. Yet he knew he had no right to show Han Qian a sour face.
Han Qian personally receiving Yang Hu was mainly to see what requests Yang Hu would make in rushing over, using this to more accurately judge the situation of Si Province troops and the rebel army. Now that the purpose was achieved, too lazy to continue putting Yang Hu off, he said to Feng Liao:
“The Young Lord has had an exhausting journey and must be tired. Feng Liao, first arrange lodging for the Young Lord in the camp. Whatever the Young Lord needs, take care of everything comprehensively.”
“I dare not trouble Your Lordship. Yang Hu still needs to rush to Chenyang to see Chen Province Inspector Lord Xi Ying. Your Lordship won’t insist on keeping Yang Hu here, will you?” Yang Hu stared sharply at Han Qian and asked.
“What words are these, Young Lord? Military affairs are urgent. The Young Lord is rushing to see Inspector Xi to request aid. I’m only ashamed I can’t help much. Why would I insist on keeping you in Xu Province?” Han Qian said with a smile, not the least bit bothered, signaling Feng Liao to have people escort Yang Hu and his group down the mountain.
After dispatching people to monitor Yang Hu’s group going down the mountain, Feng Liao encountered Guo Rong and together they walked back to the bamboo house. Seeing Han Qian frowning as he looked at the deep night outside the window, he asked:
“Although we haven’t obtained specific intelligence yet, from how Yang Hu rushed non-stop to Chen Province, it seems the momentum Tan Yuliang and the others created at Panlong Ridge may have also alarmed the slaves in Renshan and Shiqian, making the Yang clan realize the crisis is serious. Of course, it’s also possible the Yang clan is extremely wary of us, and Yang Hu’s three requests were actually a form of testing us?”
Guo Rong had just learned about the circumstances of Han Qian receiving Yang Hu. That Tan Yuliang could create such great momentum in Si Province in such a short time wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The saying goes, “What rises suddenly also falls quickly.” If momentum develops too fast, on one hand the Yang clan would be alerted early, and on the other hand the rebel army simply had no time to digest and consolidate their foundation. There would be massive internal problems with no time to sort them out.
After Guo Rong thought for a moment, he said, “Even if the Yang clan can’t confirm we secretly interfered, at this time they can be certain we harbor ill intentions and want to take advantage of the fire to loot. Of course, Yang Hu going to Chen Province to request aid, and Xi Ying and his son deeply fearing Xu Province, they’ll very likely rush to send people to Yueyang or Jinling to report this matter. Our purpose, to a certain degree, can be considered initially achieved!”
“After recovering Jinling, Emperor Yanyou immediately had Xi Ying’s second son lead the barbarian camp back to Chen Province, probably with the intention of using the Xi clan to monitor Xu Province,” Feng Liao guessed with furrowed brows. “If Xi Ying has a secret edict from Emperor Yanyou authorizing him to act expediently, it wouldn’t be surprising at all!”
No matter how vigilant and fearful the Xi clan of Chen Province was toward Xu Province, even if they detected something wrong, they wouldn’t dare suddenly make any moves against Xu Province. But if they had a secret edict from Emperor Yanyou Yang Yuanpu in their hands, that would be completely different.
Although the Xi clan of Chen Province suffered badly when beaten by what was then reorganized as the Wuling Army from Xu Province’s provincial forces in the early stage of the削藩 campaign, with three of Xi Ying’s sons perishing in the flames of war, one had to admit that after experiencing the trials of the middle and late stages of the削藩 campaign and the various battles to recover Jinling, the combat power of Chen Province’s barbarian camp had improved considerably.
Whether through Yang Yuanpu’s direct support or because Chen Province’s barbarian camp had distinguished battle achievements and deserved rewards, their embarrassing situation of weapons and armor shortages had also been thoroughly improved. Yang Yuanpu had even exiled some war prisoners and their families to Chen Province to strengthen the Xi clan of Chen Province.
Besides Chai Jian’s forces on the other side of Xuefeng Mountain post road, Chen Province’s barbarian camp could also be said to pose a certain threat to Xu Province.
Guo Rong and Gao Shao both looked toward Han Qian. Although Feng Liao hadn’t said it explicitly, the meaning he conveyed was relatively clear.
Since they could quickly achieve the goal of beating the grass to startle the snake, they shouldn’t have too many more moves for now, to avoid truly giving others a handle.
Otherwise, if Xu Province fell into isolation, even if Chen Province, Ye Province, and Chai Jian’s forces in Shao Province couldn’t pose a substantial military threat to Xu Province through Xuefeng Mountain post road, as long as they blockaded the waterways upstream and downstream of the Yuan River and blockaded Xuefeng Mountain post road, Xu Province would become extremely uncomfortable.
After they achieved the goal of beating the grass to startle the snake, they would quietly observe the development of the situation in Si Province territory. Even if the Yang clan successfully suppressed the Heavenly Balance Army rebellion, they would at least be hurt to some degree, and the situation would be extremely favorable to Xu Province.
In Feng Liao’s view, this was the ruthless decisiveness a heroic overlord should have.
Han Qian organized the messy desk, but seemed not to understand the subtext of Feng Liao’s words, saying to himself, “We can’t say that after achieving the goal of beating the grass to startle the snake, we’ll stop caring whether Tan Yuliang and the others live or die.”
Feng Liao glanced at Gao Shao and Guo Rong, thinking that he had said everything he should say. The final decision was with Han Qian—he wouldn’t argue with Han Qian about anything.
Han Qian glanced at Feng Liao and asked, “Does this fellow in his heart somewhat disdain my words?”
“Feng Liao wouldn’t dare,” Feng Liao said.
“I, Han Qian, have proposed equalizing the noble and base. Some people will inevitably think, since everyone is equalized in nobility and baseness, how can I make others obey my commands?” Han Qian stood with his hands in his sleeves by the window and said leisurely. “Yes, if I only use others, treating them as dispensable chess pieces for me to manipulate at will without daring to shoulder responsibility, I truly wouldn’t have the face to make others obey my commands.”
Feng Liao, Gao Shao, and Guo Rong were shocked. They truly hadn’t considered such a deep issue.
Han Qian had no intention of dwelling on this question and continued, “Yang Xingfeng is someone none of us have directly contacted, but he’s actually not that simple. We still need to study this person more.”
That the Yang clan sent settlement slaves into Xu Province to work couldn’t prove the stupidity of the father and son Yang Xingfeng and Yang Hu—it was mainly caused by historical limitations.
Previously, besides Si Province being too impoverished and isolated, needing Xu Province’s wage payments and grain to have the capability to cooperate with Yu Province in opening the Qian River passage, more importantly, who could have imagined beforehand that he would be so radical as to revolutionize against himself in Xu Province, directly abolishing the old slave system?
Now looking at Yang Xingfeng’s reaction, although it would very likely help Xu Province achieve the goal of beating the grass to startle the snake, Yang Xingfeng in such a short time gave such importance to the rebel army while maintaining sufficient vigilance toward Xu Province—by traditional standards, this was still quite formidable and thorny.
If their side didn’t make a move to provide additional support, with Tan Yuliang’s group’s foothold still unstable, they very likely couldn’t withstand the Yang clan’s next wave of attacks.
Feng Liao, Guo Rong, and Gao Shao no longer viewed the Heavenly Balance Army led by Tan Yuliang and others as chess pieces that could be abandoned without consequence. Studying the situation again, they also deeply felt it was thorny and complex.
Feng Liao said with furrowed brows, “If the Yang clan can’t restrain themselves and request Yu Province to send troops to help suppress, things would actually become simpler…”
The provinces of Chen, Xu, Si, and Ye were all dependent provinces attached to Great Chu. Whether by Chu court dispatch or Si Province’s request, Chen, Xu, and Ye provinces sending troops to help suppress would all be proper and justified. But without the Chu court’s permission, if Si Province arbitrarily requested Yu Province to send troops, that would be betrayal, and Xu Province would have an excuse to intervene.
“The Yang clan might not make such a low-level mistake, but Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong perhaps won’t miss the opportunity to interfere in Si Province,” Guo Rong’s eyes lit up as he said.
“Correct. As long as Yu Province troops cross the border, we’ll have grounds,” Han Qian nodded, indicating they could consider setting a trap for Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong from this direction. He also said, “Immediately transmit orders to all counties to transfer the detained Si Province settlement slaves to Chenzhong within three days. Have Xi Fa’er, Dou Rong, Han Bao, and others be responsible for training and organizing them into units…”
Si Province currently had eight hundred settlement slaves remaining in various places in Xu Province to work. Han Qian definitely wouldn’t easily let Yang Hu lead these people away, but he also wouldn’t simply supervise or detain them. He still wanted to organize them for strict training.
When the time came, whichever side he handed these people over to, he needed to ensure they could quickly be deployed as effective combat strength.
…
…
Yang Hu left the northern slope of Dragon Tooth Mountain that night, crossed the Chen River, and surrounded by over ten escort guards, rushed along the post road on the north bank through the night, arriving below Chenyang City at dawn.
Unlike Si Province and Yu Province belonging to two different countries, the provinces of Si, Chen, Xu, and Ye were all dependent provinces attached to Great Chu. As long as Chenyang City’s gates opened normally, Yang Hu, holding Si Province’s travel documents, could enter Chenyang City directly with a limited number of armed guards.
However, to show respect for the Xi clan, Yang Hu still first sent someone into the city to report.
Chenyang, as the vital point where the Chen River flowed into the Yuan River, especially after the middle Chen River valley centered on Cock Crow Stronghold was carved away by Xu Province to newly establish Chenzhong County, Chenyang as the key node connecting Yuanling and Xupu became increasingly important.
Xi Ying not only moved the provincial office into Chenyang City to manage provincial affairs, but after Xi Shepeng and Xi Shesheng led the Chenyang barbarian camp back, the garrison troops in Chenyang City also greatly increased to two thousand elite men.
By comparison, Xu Province’s garrison in Chenzhong, with cavalry, infantry, and naval forces combined, was only one thousand two hundred men.
Of course, military forces weren’t simple numbers. Besides Xu Province troops’ more excellent weapons and equipment and more disciplined training, the mobilization capability of Xu Province troops was something no one dared ignore.
When Han Daoxun implemented land reform, the census of Xu Province’s population reached two hundred thousand. During Han Qian’s governance of Xu Province, the speed of population influx had slowed but never stopped.
Besides swallowing nearly ten thousand original residents of the original middle Chen River valley, they also continuously forced raw barbarians in the upper Qu River to migrate out from deep mountains and old forests. Xi Ying believed Xu Province’s population should have already exceeded two hundred twenty thousand.
By comparison, Chen Province’s population suffered considerable losses in the early stage of the削藩 campaign—particularly the loss of able-bodied young men was especially severe. With the middle Chen River valley carved away, the total population scale was only one hundred twenty to thirty thousand, and quite a lot of the population were settlement slaves of the other six great clans besides the Xi clan.
Additionally, Si Province and Ye Province combined probably had a total population scale of only one hundred forty to fifty thousand, and this was counting after Si Province annexed part of the Liao barbarians’ settlements.
Just from the population perspective, Chen Province, Ye Province, and Si Province combined had military potential only slightly stronger than Xu Province.
No matter what, even without an excuse to blockade the Yuan River waterway, maintaining the clearest vigilance toward Xu Province and toward Han Qian’s wolfish ambitions was necessary in Xi Ying’s view.
The series of events in Si Province—prison raid, civil unrest, and so on—Xi Ying had learned about almost immediately.
However, after the middle Chen River valley was carved away by Xu Province, the place where Chen Province bordered Si Province was located in the deep mountains and old forests of northern Panlong Ridge. Communication between the two sides from that direction was extremely inconvenient.
Before Yang Hu came, all Xi Ying could do was first send people to Tiger Gorge Pass to investigate the news.
When Yang Hu arrived below Chenyang City, Xi Ying had only just woken up. He immediately had people invite Yang Hu into the rear residence of the provincial office.
Besides his eldest son Xi Shesheng who served as Provincial Vice Administrator and other trusted generals and officials, Xi Ying also invited the Chief Administrator Cao Xiushi appointed by Jinling to discuss the matter.
No one was simply an ignorant youth. Si Province erupted with civil unrest, the bandit leader Tan Yuliang had lived in Chenzhong for a while after escaping the labor camp, and his family was currently under Han Qian’s control. How could Xi Ying, who always hated and was vigilant of Han Qian’s wolfish ambitions, not think about the possibility of Han Qian interfering behind the scenes?
The problem was that mere speculation was useless.
The court officials wouldn’t, based on mere speculation, disregard everything without considering consequences and support Chen Province in uniting with Si Province, Ye Province, and Shao Province to militarily blockade Xu Province, cutting off all passages for Xu Province to communicate with the outside world.
Emperor Yanyou also couldn’t, based on mere speculation, disregard consequences and declare to Great Chu’s subjects that the Imperial Tutor Han Qian, just enfeoffed as Marquis of Qianyang who had rendered great service to Great Chu, was a rebellious minister.
“How serious is the matter?” Xi Ying asked with concern.
Although the Yang clan and the Xi clan of Chen Province also had old grievances, after the middle Chen River valley was forcibly seized by Xu Province, the Yang clan at least knew something about the principle of befriending distant allies while attacking nearby enemies.
Facing Xi Ying’s inquiry, Yang Hu no longer concealed anything, and his form of address became more intimate: “Within three to five days after the prison raid occurred, the settlements of Panlong Ridge were greatly shaken. The bandit leader launched an uprising in the name of abolishing slavery and distributing land equally. At least three thousand women and children were deluded into traveling over mountains and through rivers to gather at Nanhuang Stronghold, among them eight or nine hundred able-bodied men. Nearly ten settlements around were destroyed. Some news has even spread among slaves in Renshan, Shiqian, and even Ye Province territory. Yesterday when I, your nephew, came from Jinhe County, Renshan County intercepted over seventy escaped slaves heading to the southern end of Panlong Ridge. First, in such a short time, the momentum is so great—unprecedented. Father worries that delaying another few days will make it increasingly uncontrollable. Second, Father fears that such great momentum erupting in such a short time means someone is deliberately orchestrating it behind the scenes…”
Even though Han Qian had ill intentions in refusing Yang Hu’s three requests, he couldn’t directly name names and say Xu Province was the problem.
“…” After hearing this, Xi Ying sucked in a cold breath. The informants he sent out had only seen agitation within Jinhe County territory. He never expected there was also agitation in Ye Province territory south of Si Province.
Yang Xingfeng’s reaction was fairly timely, but the problem was that, not considering the steep and rugged terrain of Panlong Ridge’s northern and northeastern foothills, if Chen Province wanted to dispatch troops and supplies to reinforce Si Province, it had to pass through the middle Chen River valley now forcibly occupied by Xu Province, entering Si Province through Tiger Gorge Pass.
Unless the court explicitly issued an edict, otherwise even if Han Qian agreed, Xi Ying didn’t dare rashly dispatch Chen Province’s barbarian camp to pass through Chenzhong to Si Province. If Han Qian turned his back and denied it, slapping them with the charge of arbitrarily sending troops across borders, then brazenly sending troops to attack Chen Province’s barbarian camp passing halfway through—would he then drag Han Qian to court?
“Immediately dispatch an envoy to accompany the Young Lord to Jinling to see His Majesty and report the civil unrest. As long as His Majesty issues an edict, Chen Province troops can enter Si Province territory at any time to suppress the civil unrest!” Xi Ying said.
No matter how great the civil unrest’s momentum, with Yang Xingfeng and Si Province immediately alert and mobilized, within one or two months suppressing the situation from deteriorating shouldn’t be a problem. By then when Jinling transmitted the edict ordering Shao Province and Chen Province to each dispatch part of their forces to pass through Xu Province to Si Province to suppress the civil unrest, Han Qian presumably wouldn’t dare have any objections!