If not for excessive wariness of Han Qian’s demonic cunning, cooperating with Xuzhou and tolerating the Chishan Association establishing itself on Fanliang Lake’s western shore would only benefit Huaidong, not harm it.

Currently, nearly three thousand people had already gathered near White Hoof Ridge. Even if the scale continued expanding, it would be difficult to pose any substantial threat to Huaidong.

And the Chishan Association couldn’t possibly lurk in the shadows long-term. As long as the number of former Left Guangde Army subordinates migrating north reached a certain scale, even if Huaidong didn’t inform on them, Guangde Prefecture, the Ministry of War’s Geographic Office, Jinyun Bureau, and Imperial Guard forces stationed in Chuzhou couldn’t all fail to detect traces.

And as long as the court connected the Chishan Association with Xuzhou and Han Qian, even if Xuzhou and the Chishan Association were most docile, even if the court had difficulty in the short term taking ruthless action against the well-behaved Chishan Association, they would inevitably further strengthen their suspicion and vigilance toward Xuzhou and Han Qian.

The pressure Huaidong bore would also be much less. Huaidong also urgently needed three to five years to stabilize and consolidate internal rule.

Of course, Huaidong also couldn’t just casually allow Xuzhou and Chishan Association personnel and supplies to transit through Yangzhou.

Whether the new salt-drying method worked was one thing. Yin Peng immediately raised additional demands: “Xuzhou’s two merchant ships entering Yangzhou in coming days—Yangzhou naturally won’t create difficulties, but Yangzhou must comply with the taxation and requisition system promulgated by the Salt and Iron Bureau. We also ask that Xuzhou comply.”

In plain terms, whether Xuzhou or the Chishan Association, for commercial goods to transit through Huaidong, Huaidong would take one-tenth as tax, and additionally purchase at standard prices at a four-tenths ratio as transit tax.

Plucking feathers from passing geese was one aspect. On the other hand, they also had to prevent large quantities of elite armor, weapons, war equipment, or even warships from being transported by Han Qian into White Hoof Ridge, causing the Chishan Association to gather military forces west of Fanliang Lake that could threaten Huaidong.

Particularly since Xuzhou’s shipbuilding capabilities far exceeded Huaidong’s.

After discussions between Yin Peng and Wang Wenqian, what needed limiting first was strictly prohibiting Xuzhou from bringing large-scale elite warships into Fanliang Lake.

“Agreed.” Han Qian accepted the conditions Yin Peng raised on behalf of Huaidong. Next they discussed more specific details.

Huaidong prohibited Xuzhou large armed merchant ships from directly entering Fanliang Lake, so the Chishan Association would need to purchase residential properties south of Zhuyu Bay at riverside wharves along the Hangou Canal and build a warehouse for supply transfers. At the same time, Huaidong needed to allow the Chishan Association to dispatch two small sailing ships with four-hundred-dan capacity to transport these supplies between White Hoof Ridge and Zhuyu Bay.

Between White Hoof Ridge and Zhuyu Bay, the water route was over one hundred ten li, the land route over one hundred forty li. But for supplies often amounting to three to four thousand dan, even using small black-canopy sailing ships on the water route was far more convenient than the land route.

Without imperial highways or post roads, two small sailing ships equaled a land transport convoy of two to three hundred mules and horses in scale.

Of course, Yin Peng required that Xuzhou merchant ships transferring from the Yangtze waterway into the Hangou Canal, and the two small sailing ships crossing Fanliang Lake’s center line toward Zhuyu Bay, all needed to accept Huaidong’s supervision.

In short, Huaidong wanted to use every possible means to monitor the Chishan Association’s activities on Fanliang Lake’s western shore.

Yin Peng even proposed that Yangzhou directly dispatch people into White Hoof Ridge—this point was firmly refused by Han Qian.

After preliminarily agreeing on all this, Han Qian had Feng Yi and Guo Xiao accompany Yin Peng to Yangzhou. Once Huaidong formally approved, the two of them would directly arrange for merchant ships to enter from Yangzhou, saving the complications of returning to transmit messages.

……

……

“Han Qian is at White Hoof Ridge—how long does he plan to stay?”

Confirming that refugees fleeing famine and crossing north had gathered at White Hoof Ridge was an easy matter. Yangzhou itself was responsible for monitoring and guarding Jiangnan’s Su, Chang, and Run prefectures, as well as Chuzhou west of the Hangou Canal.

Strictly speaking, He Aba had actually been planted by Yin Peng into western Chuzhou.

Later, to control passage routes between Hongze Lake and Fanliang Lake, Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan moved elite forces to garrison the western region of Dongyang County north of Fanliang Lake. After that, reconnaissance affairs in northeastern and northern Chuzhou, as well as Haozhou territory west of Hongze Lake, came under the jurisdiction of Dongyang Camp.

After Han Qian left, Wang Wenqian quickly confirmed that the Chishan Association’s foothold in eastern Chuzhou was at White Hoof Ridge. But he hadn’t expected Han Qian hadn’t returned to Xuzhou—they couldn’t even confirm when Han Qian would leave Chuzhou.

“Father is starting to be paranoid again?” Wang Jun standing to the side giggled.

Yin Peng lightly coughed, defusing the awkward situation.

Wang Wenqian’s old face reddened. Glaring at Wang Jun and seeing her flipping through the booklet transcribing the new salt-drying method, he asked: “Jun’er, do you think this new salt-drying method is usable?”

“Daughter has never served as a salt official or salt worker—how would I know if this new method is feasible?” Wang Jun said. “If Father urgently wants to know, there are countless officials and merchants in Yangzhou knowledgeable about salt-boiling methods. Find two people to inquire—you’ll be able to discern some clues.”

“Forget it then.” Wang Wenqian shook his head.

They were going to extreme lengths precisely to prevent the new method from reaching Jinling. Finding two experienced officials and merchants versed in salt matters to consult—after consultation, to prevent news from leaking, what, should they kill to silence them?

Wang Wenqian took the salt-drying method booklet, walked behind the desk to sit down. Opening it, he carefully read while secretly pondering and considering. After quite some time, he looked up and sighed: “If this method truly proves feasible for widespread implementation, with the court having forty thousand salt-making households along Huaidong’s coast, it wouldn’t just produce thirty to forty percent more sea salt—it might be able to produce double the sea salt!”

“That much?” Yin Peng asked shocked.

The total salt demand within Great Chu territory was fixed. Excluding illicit salt, annual total demand basically maintained around one million two hundred thousand dan.

Producing double the sea salt from Huaidong Salt Fields was useless. But conversely, if sea salt production remained constant and the new salt-drying method was feasible, it actually meant saving nearly half the labor force?

If the court could free up twenty thousand salt-making households and salt workers in Huaidong’s eastern region, whatever they did would make Huaidong extremely uncomfortable.

Han Qian publicly revealing this method to Huaidong truly meant making the threat to Huaidong concrete, not empty bluster.

“You take Feng Yi and Guo Xiao and make another trip to Chuzhou.” Wang Wenqian said to Yin Peng. With matters this significant, he still couldn’t presume to make decisions. He had Yin Peng bring Feng Yi and Guo Xiao to rush to Chuzhou to directly report this matter before Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan.

Since Prince Xin had previously dispatched people to attack White Hoof Ridge without even notifying Yangzhou, this matter was better decided by His Highness Prince Xin.

……

……

Feng Yi and Guo Xiao rushed to Chuzhou with Yin Peng. From beginning to end they never saw Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan. They were confined in a small courtyard in Chuzhou city for nearly half a month.

When Yin Peng appeared again, he directly said Prince Xin had agreed, then led them hurrying back to Yangzhou without stopping.

Feng Yi guessed Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan should have summoned experienced officials versed in salt matters to scrutinize the new method. Perhaps they would first trial the new method on the Haizhou coast under their control.

Feng Yi somewhat didn’t understand why Han Qian would reveal the entire salt-drying new method. But up to now, the effect had been pretty good. However, when he and Guo Xiao returned to Yangzhou, it was already August 23rd.

After Feng Yi and the others reached Yangzhou, Wang Wenqian again assigned a trusted aide to be responsible for liaison between both sides. Then hurrying south again, they rushed to Guazhou Pier in Jiangdu County, hired a small boat, and boarded two Xuzhou merchant ships that had been anchored in the river south of Guazhou Pier for several days.

The person in charge of supervising the merchant ships heading east this time was Lin Zongjing.

The youth who had been fourteen or fifteen years old back then—seven or eight years of time had passed. Now he was already an imposing young military officer.

Xuzhou merchant ships were all armed merchant ships.

Although they couldn’t carry large or medium war equipment, and ship escorts were only allowed ordinary weapons and leather armor, Lin Zongjing leading over one hundred twenty ship workers and guards on the Yangtze didn’t fear harassment by small bands of river bandits or lake pirates. Lin Zongjing didn’t need to conceal his identity as a Xuzhou water camp officer—he and his subordinates directly wore armor regularly.

“Is Your Excellency well?” After receiving Feng Yi and Guo Xiao aboard, Lin Zongjing avoiding the reception official dispatched by Yangzhou, asked.

“Doing fine.” For nearly a month, Feng Yi had either been rushing hurriedly or been confined and monitored—his mood extremely depressed. Now finally boarding their own vessel, standing at the bow, while talking with Lin Zongjing, he gazed at the vast river and sky scenery on both sides.

“When will Your Excellency return to Xuzhou?” Lin Zongjing asked with concern.

This was also the question all officers and officials remaining in Xuzhou were concerned about.

Han Qian had left Xuzhou in April. In the blink of an eye it was already late August.

“Who knows when he’ll have played enough?” Feng Yi spread his hands.

Theoretically speaking, with matters progressing to this point, the remaining affairs could be left to Han Donghu, Su Lie, Dou Rong, He Liufeng and others to command the former Left Guangde Army subordinates to execute according to plan. Xuzhou had also transferred a batch of master craftsmen over to support camp construction—there wouldn’t be any major problems.

Otherwise, leaving his older brother Feng Liao at Jinling to coordinate and liaise with all parties from the center would also suffice.

Feng Yi also felt Han Qian had no need to continue risking the crime of traveling without imperial summons while remaining in dangerous territory. Staying wouldn’t accomplish much.

Particularly within Huaidong, those who accurately knew their whereabouts—if not ten then eight people. Who knew if any of them would secretly leak information?

However, based on Feng Yi’s understanding of Han Qian, he guessed Han Qian perhaps worried the Jianghuai situation would have some changes in the near term, which was why he delayed returning to Xuzhou?

Of course, this layer of speculation couldn’t be explained in detail to Lin Zongjing—purely Feng Yi’s own intuition.

“What’s that ship doing?”

Feng Yi noticed Lin Zongjing had subordinates using telescopes to observe a ship moving slowly east along the Jiangnan shore. From far away, that ship didn’t seem to have anything special about it. He asked curiously.

“It’s a procurement ship from the Weaving Bureau leaving Jinling. But over the past few days, three nearly identical procurement ships have already passed by!” Lin Zongjing said.

The Weaving Bureau belonged to the Palace Attendants Department, specifically responsible for procurement and weaving of court and officials’ clothing and textiles. It was one of the few institutions in the palace directly assigned by the Empress Dowager under Cishou Palace eunuch Lu Qingxia’s responsibility.

The Weaving Bureau previously mostly used official slaves for weaving work, but the Empress Dowager disdained official slaves’ crude workmanship. Recently, weaving academies had been successively established in places like Su, Hu, Yue, and Hong, specifically handling procurement affairs.

This actually meant that after Wanhong Tower was disbanded, the Weaving Bureau became the Empress Dowager and Lu Qingxia’s eyes and ears inside and outside the palace. Moreover, Yang Yuanpu had also issued an edict for prefectures and counties to cooperate with the Weaving Bureau’s procurement affairs in various places—this was more or less a result of mutual compromise between Yang Yuanpu and Cishou Palace.

If occasionally one Weaving Bureau procurement ship passed by, that would be normal. In just a few days, three procurement ships passing by—obviously their merchant ships stopping in the river south of Yangzhou had already attracted the attention of the Empress Dowager, Lu Qingxia, and others.

Much less Jinyun Bureau.

“Xuzhou and Huaidong are currently Great Chu’s two major regional military forces. Colluding together to resist court pressure—that’s inevitable. I believe court officials should long ago have such awareness.” Feng Yi didn’t particularly care that the merchant ships Lin Zongjing led this time would attract Jinling’s attention. This was something they had anticipated early on. But no matter what, the court couldn’t prohibit normal commerce between Xuzhou and Huaidong without cause.

Feng Yi took a long telescope from someone nearby and looked south.

The Weaving Bureau procurement ship hung dragon and phoenix pennants with characters for palace attendants and weaving. There were soldiers in brown uniforms and armor on board. Though few in number, they were enough to intimidate local prefectures and counties into obedient compliance.

Feng Yi aimed the long telescope at the bow. Among a group of eunuch attendants and female officials, he saw Chun Shisanniang and Yao Xishui both leaning on the rail gazing this direction. He was slightly startled.

“If they want to look, let them look,” Feng Yi collapsed the long telescope and returned it to Lin Zongjing’s subordinate, asking Lin Zongjing: “When I left White Hoof Ridge, they said they would arrange a batch of association members to a river island nearby to wait to join you entering Yangzhou. Why don’t I see them on the ships?”

“Han Donghu and Su Lie are nearby, but being watched by people from Cishou Palace, they temporarily haven’t dared act rashly,” Lin Zongjing said quite worriedly.

Able-bodied men and women, plus some vigorous youths, crossing the river dispersed, then walking several days overland to White Hoof Ridge with guides—very easy.

However, the former Left Guangde Army subordinates had large numbers of elderly, sick, and young children. For them to transfer dispersed was difficult.

According to the established plan, they would use boats from Ding Family Gully via the Taihu waterway to transport them to Yangtze sand islands for concealment, then escort them through Yangzhou to White Hoof Ridge.

This way, boats and carts could be arranged the entire route, avoiding the hardship of overland trekking.

If Han Donghu and Su Lie were both nearby, it meant quite a few women and children had already been transported to nearby sand islands for concealment.

From Chaozhou eastward, the Yangtze entered its lower reaches. Because both banks lacked embankment constraints, the river was vast. When summer and autumn water levels rose greatly, the river surface was even over a hundred li wide.

And here, Yangtze water flow suddenly slowed, depositing sediment. From Runzhou eastward all the way to the estuary—countless sand islands large and small.

Because sand islands were located in the river’s heart, subject to river flow inundation and impact, terrain was extremely unstable. In this era, they had no development value. But for displaced farmers or refugees fleeing warfare, they were rare places of shelter.

Therefore, Han Donghu and Su Lie bringing people to hide on sand islands wouldn’t attract special attention.

Of course, to prevent river pirates from breeding, Jinling and local prefecture water camps would periodically dispatch forces to drive off refugees.

Being watched by Cishou Palace informants, Lin Zongjing still couldn’t directly receive former Left Guangde Army subordinates hidden among sand islands to board ships for Yangzhou.

More critically, they couldn’t confirm whether Cishou Palace informants were only this procurement ship before them.

There were quite a few boats on the surrounding river surface—these were civilian vessels: merchant ships, fishing boats, and ferries. Without obvious markings, it was difficult to confirm whether Cishou Palace personnel were mixed among them.

Lin Zongjing was more inclined to believe there was high probability of other Cishou Palace informants hidden among them.

“This is also easy. Miss Yao, Chun Shisanniang, and I are also old acquaintances. Meeting face to face, we can’t not greet each other,” Feng Yi pondered a moment, then said to Lin Zongjing. “You send me over to greet Miss Yao and the others, see if there’s any unusual activity around!”

Alerting the enemy could be considered a stratagem.

Lin Zongjing immediately ordered the other merchant ship to remain in place, responsible for receiving officials dispatched by Yangzhou. He ordered the ship beneath his feet to weigh anchor and raise sails, intercepting toward the Weaving Bureau procurement ship.

……

……

The merchant ships Xuzhou currently dispatched were all four-thousand-dan large ships. Even without constructing tower cabins on the bulwarks like tower ships, the hull was far more imposing than the Weaving Bureau’s eight-hundred-dan ship.

Lin Zongjing, thinking to execute a plan to alert the enemy and see how many Cishou Palace or Jinyun Bureau spies were hidden among surrounding boats, ordered all three masts’ thirteen giant sails raised full. Catching wind on the vast river surface, swift as an arrow from the string, rapidly approaching the Weaving Bureau procurement ship—somewhat appearing aggressive.

Surrounding soldiers and other attending officials standing at the bow all became anxious. Yao Xishui’s beautiful eyes fixed on the gradually approaching Xuzhou merchant ship. She and Chun Shisanniang at this time had also seen Feng Yi’s roguish face—only their expressions slightly darkened.

Watching the Xuzhou merchant ship lower sails and reduce speed, the bulwark drawing close, Yao Xishui furrowed her elegant brows and spoke: “Do you know that approaching palace ships without cause is treated as piracy punishable by death?”

“Scene after scene of past banquets together—has Miss Yao forgotten everything completely? When we meet, I won’t say we should clasp hands joyfully and jump around happily, but we also don’t need such cold ruthlessness, right? I, Feng Yi, have never done anything to harm Miss Yao! I was just delighted about meeting old friends on the river—looks like I’m being presumptuous,” Feng Yi said with a grinning face.

Yao Xishui saw two people on the Xuzhou merchant ship using telescopes to observe the surrounding river surface. She naturally recognized Feng Yi’s action intended to alert the enemy, startling their informants hidden around to facilitate better concealment of whatever scheme Xuzhou and Huaidong were conducting in secret.

“Xuzhou merchant ships entering and leaving Ruan River—personnel and cargo all need reporting to authorities. I haven’t seen Feng Yi’s name on the official roster…” Yao Xishui had no mood for flirtatious banter with Feng Yi. Staring at Feng Yi’s smiling face, she asked.

“Young Miss Wang of the Wang family has her birthday these coming days. Han Qian prepared a gift for me to deliver to Yangzhou. This is private business. Also saves you people from wild speculation—so I didn’t specifically mention it. You don’t mean to take me to Jinling for punishment, do you, Miss Yao?” Feng Yi asked, spouting complete nonsense.

The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Hearing Feng Yi say this, Yao Xishui’s expression became even more gloomy…