Seeing An Jixiang’s brows knitted tightly, his entire being like a hunting bow with its string drawn taut, Han Chengmeng’s heart leapt to his throat.
Although once upon a time An Jixiang had been merely an obscure minor figure beside Zhang Ping, at this moment Huang Hua could not ignore his existence.
After all, An Jixiang more directly represented Emperor Yanyou’s will.
And Huang Hua’s ability to sit in the position of Hunan Provincial Pacification Commissioner was, more accurately speaking, the result of a joint decision by Emperor Yanyou and the court’s various ministers.
However, Huang Hua showed no intention of pressing An Jixiang, standing up and walking toward the door.
Han Chengmeng also rose to his feet, but just as he crossed the threshold, he saw Huang Hua stop in the corridor. He could neither advance nor retreat.
At this moment, he heard Zhou Qinian, who was about to stand up behind him, speaking to An Jixiang in a lowered voice:
“There’s something this old man will say that may be somewhat improper—Superintendent An need only listen. Superintendent An is loyal to His Majesty—this is beyond question. But if someone were to claim Superintendent An harbored sinister intentions, could Superintendent An truly cut open his heart to prove otherwise? Ultimately, everyone simply needs to properly complete the assignments His Majesty has entrusted to them, not causing His Majesty to labor day and night—only then can one be called truly loyal…”
Han Chengmeng restrained the impulse to turn back and look at An Jixiang’s expression. Looking at Huang Hua’s gaunt profile, stern as a mountain crag, he could not fathom what the man was truly thinking, how he truly viewed Xuzhou and Han Qian…
—
Yang Hu rushed back to Baiyan River just in time to encounter Fu Gengwen and Yang Shouyi arriving with Pacification Commissioner Huang Hua’s written instructions.
Seeing that in his written instructions, Pacification Commissioner Huang Hua required Sizhou to deploy another battalion of elite troops from the western line of Panlong Ridge to strengthen defenses against the Shu army, and while reducing frontal military preparations at Shihe Stockade, had Fu Gengwen carry the instructions to meet with the bandit chieftain to discuss pacification matters—Yang Hu felt as if an invisible hand had slapped him resoundingly across the face.
Just over half a month ago, he had accompanied Xi Shepeng leading a thousand elite Chenzhou tribal soldiers out of Chenyang City, full of ambition, believing the situation was completely under control. How could he have imagined it was all an illusion?
“Are we truly going to pacify and recruit the rebel bandits?” Yang Hu still asked his father, whose temples had long since turned white with frost, unwillingly.
“I have spent my entire life rarely leaving Sizhou and don’t know many heroic figures, but given the current situation, His Majesty trusts Huang Hua to control the various Hunan provinces—he must be an extraordinarily formidable person. And at this time, even Chenzhou must act according to the court’s wishes. We have no choice.” Yang Xingfeng had long since lost the dragon’s vigor and tiger’s might of his youth. Somewhat hunched and stooped, his seemingly turbid eyes nevertheless flashed with brilliant clarity as he spoke, not minding saying these words in Fu Gengwen’s presence.
Or perhaps he hoped Fu Gengwen would relay these words to Huang Hua’s ears, demonstrating that Sizhou’s current forbearance under humiliation was completely in accordance with Huang Hua’s will.
Despite Yang Hu’s unwillingness, he was actually quite clear in his heart that as long as Xuzhou continued to remain aloof, with no other reinforcements coming in, even if the rebel bandits and Shu army no longer actively launched attacks, as long as this tense situation on both fronts continued, tremendous changes that were difficult to predict or contain could erupt at any time within Sizhou’s forces and in the areas they currently controlled that still seemed calm on the surface.
While they still had some bargaining chips in hand, following Pacification Commissioner Huang Hua’s will to pacify and recruit the rebel bandits was perhaps Sizhou’s final choice.
Fu Gengwen seemed to turn a deaf ear to Yang Xingfeng’s words.
To speak honestly, he actually hoped more that the rebel bandits had colluded with Xuzhou. That way, even if negotiations failed tomorrow morning when he went up the mountain, he could still come down alive.
Otherwise, his fortune or misfortune was truly unpredictable.
Fu Gengwen thought to himself—wouldn’t it have been better to remain comfortably in Xuanxie or Jiangdong wielding power? Yet he had run to this remote corner of the southwest to do bloody work at knife’s edge. How could he care whether the Yang father and son felt comfortable at this moment?
Early the next morning, Fu Gengwen urged Yang Xingfeng to withdraw all troops from outside the mountain pass of Shihe Stockade, while supervising Yang Xingfeng’s dispatch of troops to reinforce Shiqian. However, before going up the mountain himself, he still left two trusted aides in the camp below to watch, preventing Yang Xingfeng from pulling any tricks behind his back.
Now, regardless of what pacification terms would ultimately be reached, and regardless of what situation would subsequently form in Sizhou, for the sake of his own life, Fu Gengwen could not allow Yang Xingfeng to pull any tricks behind his back.
The incident where Han Wenhuan, Han Daochang, and Han Jun used themselves as bait to lure Gu Zhilong into a trap was something Fu Gengwen absolutely did not want happening to himself.
—
Under the threat of the Shu army potentially launching a massive southern invasion at any time, Sizhou’s forces were now like a spent crossbow bolt, unable to launch any decent offensive against the rebel army. But the rebel army’s days were not easy either.
Over one-third of their troops had become casualties.
Not to mention the soldiers already fallen on the battlefield—over a thousand wounded lacked medical care and medicine, suffering and groaning in pain daily, which severely damaged the rebel army’s morale.
And it was already winter. Though the mountain weather was mild and not so cold, sources of food that could be found grew increasingly scarce.
Since the uprising began, the rebel army had been sealed within Panlong Ridge, cut off from the main grain-producing areas of the two counties. Apart from stored grain in the mountain stockades, there was no new grain to supplement supplies. Food had become so scarce they had to split open tender tree cores to make into dry rations for sustenance.
Not to mention the elderly, weak, sick and infirm—even able-bodied adults in this prolonged semi-starvation state grew increasingly weak.
When Fu Gengwen entered the mountains on behalf of Hunan Pacification Commissioner Huang Hua to discuss pacification, Tan Yuliang and the others had been eagerly anticipating this moment. However, whether to agree to pacification, under what terms to accept it, and how to confirm that pacification was not bait to lure them down the mountain for annihilation—these matters generated great controversy within the rebel army.
Naturally, quite a few rebel soldiers had brothers and kin who had died at Sizhou forces’ hands.
Many more soldiers’ family members, unable to evacuate from captured mountain stockades in time, had suffered cruel slaughter by Sizhou troops.
Their hearts filled with hatred, they firmly opposed accepting pacification.
Regardless of internal disputes, in response to Fu Gengwen entering the mountains, Tan Yuliang proposed returning family members detained by Xuzhou, both sides withdrawing troops from designated areas to create buffer zones, and requiring Sizhou to transport a portion of grain and medicine up the mountain as preconditions for the next step of contact and negotiation—all very reasonable demands.
—
Fu Gengwen remained at Shihe Stockade, having subordinates carry messages back and forth. With Huang Hua’s permission, on the second day of the eleventh month, Feng Liao led Xi Chang and Xi Fa’er, together with Han Chengmeng commanding over a hundred men, escorting Tan Yuliang and Zhao Zhixian’s families along with over a hundred carts of grain, cloth and medicine. After meeting with Fu Gengwen and the pacification officials dispatched by Sizhou, they entered Shihe Stockade together, formally opening the pacification negotiation process.
Nominally, the negotiations were naturally led by Fu Gengwen and Han Chengmeng representing Hunan Province, with Feng Liao and Sizhou officials assisting.
When the Xi clan was exterminated, Xi Chang, Xi Fa’er and a considerable portion of Xi clan members had all been sold by Feng Changyu to Sizhou as slaves. Later, when Xi Chang escaped to search for family members, he had contact with some salt-trading forces in Sizhou territory mainly composed of escaped slaves.
Having Xi Chang and Xi Fa’er participate in pacification matters was also Han Qian’s way of further dissolving the rebel army leaders’ hostility and persuading them to abandon resistance.
Of course, Xuzhou had long ago implemented land tax reform and unified household registration for natives and guests, granting large amounts of land and houses to incorporated stockade slaves, elevating the lowly to free status. After Han Qian returned from Jinling, he comprehensively abolished the old slave system. The impact on surrounding areas was extremely profound.
Among the rebel army leaders, quite a few had been sent by the Yang clan to work in Xuzhou, understood this situation, and were deeply influenced by it.
Without Tan Yuliang and the others needing to do extra work, Xuzhou’s participation in pacification invisibly eliminated a considerable portion of hostile sentiment.
At least in most rebel army leaders’ hearts, they did not worry that Xuzhou would go back on its word and lure them out of the mountains for slaughter.
This originally most difficult step to cross was thus easily surmounted. The main disputes concentrated on the specific pacification terms.
Even for their own safety, the rebel army leaders could not possibly relinquish military authority, which meant they would not abandon ordinary soldiers just to secure their own acceptance of pacification, promotions and wealth.
That way, they would be too easily discarded after crossing the river.
Not only did Tan Yuliang and Zhao Zhixian understand this principle, but Dong Tai and other rebel leaders from salt-smuggling backgrounds also maintained extremely strong vigilance.
So accepting pacification was acceptable, but they openly did not demand official titles and noble ranks—they only proposed satisfying the soldiers’ demands.
And ordinary soldiers’ demands were simple and direct—the very slogan Tan Yuliang and others had used to incite the uprising: “Equalize status between noble and base, distribute land equally.”
However, this point was difficult for Sizhou commanders to accept.
Over twenty thousand slaves equalizing status and distributing land right under their noses—could the slaves each household could still barely control remain obedient and law-abiding afterward?
Distribute land equally?
Sizhou’s three counties had only six to seven hundred thousand mu of cultivated land, all owned land representing each family’s foundation. Not to mention subsequent negative impacts—who would be willing to give up one-third or even half their land to these lowly slaves who had stirred Sizhou into chaos?
Sizhou was unwilling, and Huang Hua could not apply too much pressure, since this entire matter touched upon the extremely sensitive nerves of aristocratic clans.
The final agreed-upon plan was that the rebel army would be reorganized into a new unit, directly subordinate to the Hunan Pacification Commissioner. The Hunan Pacification Commissioner would supply grain, fodder and armor, responsible for recovering the Wuchuan River valley. After recovering the Wuchuan River valley, the rebel army’s twenty-thousand-plus households would be settled as military households in selected areas of the Wuchuan River valley.
And the future planned Wuchuan County would separate from Sizhou and come under direct administration of Hunan Provincial Secretariat.
The Yang clan felt extremely bitter inside—this meant their achievements over the past two years participating in suppressing the Wu tribal people had completely turned to nothing. However, they had at least preserved their old territory.
The rebel army leaders were willing to accept such an arrangement, but simultaneously worried that if they truly led troops and families into the Wuchuan River valley to fight the Shu army, should Sizhou go back on its word and attack their rear, they would fall into a desperate situation facing enemies on both sides.
Under Tan Yuliang’s mediation, the rebel leaders ultimately unanimously demanded that Caojing Ridge, including Hujian Pass, located in the northeastern part of Jinhe County, be incorporated into Xuzhou, while allocating a small narrow strip in the northern foothills of Panlong Ridge and Xiage Mountain to Wuchuan County.
This way, on one hand Xuzhou could intimidate Sizhou, preventing Sizhou from acting rashly again lest Xuzhou seize a pretext to strike. More practically, although the small path along Caojing Ridge’s southeastern foothills was extremely treacherous, it could at least connect Wuchuan County with Hujian Pass. At minimum, geographically they would no longer be sealed within the Wuchuan River valley by Sizhou, unable to advance or retreat.
Yang Xingfeng also realized that after this ordeal, Sizhou’s vitality was severely damaged. Even if they controlled Hujian Pass, it had no meaning.
On the other hand, with Xuzhou’s involvement, they had no ability to halt the pacification of the rebel army. Delaying further would mean Sizhou and Chenzhou’s forces would be positioned at the front resisting the offensive the Shu army might launch at any time.
Quickly driving the rebel army to the Wuchuan River valley to fight the Shu army would not only allow the Yang clan to maintain some dignity, but more importantly relieve defensive pressure in Shiqian County. They quickly agreed to these terms, and by mid-eleventh month withdrew troops from Hujian Pass, handing it over to Xuzhou…