Horse hooves trampled the remaining snow, galloping across the plains like a dark brown tidal wave heading east.
This region was located at the border between Linhao County of Haozhou and Yongyang County of Chuzhou, at the northern foot of the southern section of the Wujian Mountain Range. The terrain was flat and level—a vast plain. Thousands upon thousands of cavalry swept past like dark clouds, their momentum even more astounding.
The scouts and reconnaissance riders the Chuzhou garrison had dispatched to the northern foot of the Wujian Mountain Range, upon seeing this scene, all desperately spurred their horses to gallop back to their respective camps to report the enemy army’s latest movements.
That Shouzhou Military Commissioner Xu Mingzhen personally led twenty thousand cavalry stationed within Anfeng County in the southeastern corner of Shouzhou—this was something everyone knew.
However, given the previous situation, the vast majority believed these twenty thousand cavalry’s main purpose was to restrict the Forbidden Army from attacking Chaozhou city too fiercely, or to receive the Chaozhou garrison forces if they withdrew north.
No one would think that Xu Mingzhen would be willing to easily play the most important card in his hand and take such a risk.
As long as the Huaixi Forbidden Army could successfully recover Chaozhou city, from Chaozhou to Liyang, Chuzhou, Nanqiao, and Yongyang, there would be fortified cities to defend. They would not fear what these twenty thousand more mobile Shouzhou cavalry could accomplish even if they penetrated the region.
Everything before their eyes indicated that the situation everyone had previously anticipated had already changed.
Currently within Chuzhou territory under court control, aside from Chuzhou city, there were also garrisons in four cities: Tangyi, Yongyang, Liyang, and Nanqiao.
As the setting sun slanted westward, Han Qian, Feng Liao, Xi Ren, Kong Xirong and others, disguised as merchants, had just prepared to enter the city when they heard the sound of horse hooves pounding the ground behind them. Turning back, they saw several courier riders desperately urging their mounts forward, rushing toward Tangyi city.
Han Qian and the others moved to the roadside to let the courier riders pass first.
The courier riders galloped to within the city gate without dismounting. The leader drew out a token and shouted: “Urgent military intelligence to be reported to Prefect Zhou Dan by eight-hundred-li express!”
The junior officer on duty at the city gate dared not delay and immediately let them pass into the city.
“Is this Xu Mingzhen’s side making their move?” Feng Liao speculated.
“It should be,” Han Qian said.
Military intelligence transmission had its own system. Tangyi faced Jinling across the river and was two hundred fifty-six li from the main battlefield below Chaozhou city. Under normal circumstances, military intelligence to Tangyi would not require eight-hundred-li express delivery.
Only if Xu Mingzhen led twenty thousand cavalry eastward, when all cities east of the Wujian Mountain Range might be threatened, would the forward scouts and reconnaissance riders rush to Tangyi so urgently to deliver messages.
After Han Qian and Feng Liao entered the city, they waited in a private courtyard for only a short while before seeing Feng Yi and Zhou Dan hurrying over.
Time was extremely tight, and many matters could not be arranged in advance. Han Qian had only asked Feng Yi to enter the city slightly earlier than them to find Zhou Dan and mention the meeting.
Seeing that Zhou Dan had only brought two attendants to the meeting, Feng Liao relaxed somewhat, thinking to himself that this fellow had no ungrateful thoughts—that was good.
“Is Prefect Zhou very surprised to see me in Tangyi?” Han Qian asked with a smile.
“Zhou Dan’s heart is indeed filled with too many surprises and questions that I want to ask the Marquis to clarify,” Zhou Dan said in a low voice.
Zhou Dan’s father had been a general under the great bandit Qin Zongquan of the previous dynasty. In the final years of the previous dynasty, Qin Zongquan was defeated by the Liang Emperor. Three to four hundred thousand refugee army troops were scattered and broken apart, with several remnant groups fleeing into the deep mountain forests around Nanyang. Zhou Dan’s father established Miyun Stockade on the southern bank of the Danshui River, and after his death passed the position to Zhou Dan.
At this time, Zhou Dan was only thirty-five years old, lean-figured and upright, giving people a refined and cultured impression. It was hard to imagine he was a military general of mountain stronghold origin.
Han Qian was in no hurry to explain why he had come to Tangyi. He invited Zhou Dan to sit down in the courtyard and first asked: “When we entered the city just now, we saw courier riders galloping to deliver information. Has the Shouzhou cavalry stationed in Anfeng territory moved eastward?”
“Thousands upon thousands of cavalry passed through the northern border of Yongyang heading east. At this moment, the forward units of the Shouzhou cavalry may have already captured Mopan Valley,” Zhou Dan said. “Does this have anything to do with the Marquis coming to Tangyi?”
“The situation has already become so critical that pulling one hair moves the whole body—of course it’s related,” Han Qian said with a sigh. “I’ve actually been near Jinling since late April…”
Zhou Dan’s face showed shock, but he still patiently listened to Han Qian continue speaking.
“…The matter traces back to the Shang Wensheng assassination case,” Han Qian recalled the entanglements within and couldn’t help but feel emotional, saying calmly, “To prevent the aristocratic clans from oppressing the people of Guangde Prefecture too severely, I was forced to instigate civil unrest in Sizhou. I originally thought that by additionally promoting Xue Ruogu to a post in Lishui to investigate the truth of the assassination case, the situation could be calmed. But in reality, when I arrived in Jinling in late April, Han Donghu, Su Lie and the others were already plotting an uprising. At that time, the arrow was on the bowstring—I couldn’t abruptly stop it. I could only separately organize the Chishan Association, thinking to find a place west of Fanliang Lake to settle the former Left Guangde army troops who had been deprived of their fields and residences, to avoid truly stirring up a sea of blood in the Jianghuai heartland. This was also the origin of Xuzhou conspiring with Huaidong. As for Wen Ruilin, I had long noticed something was wrong with him, but when I truly learned he had instigated Li Pu to present a strategy, using the navy to raid Hongze Lake, the navy’s warships had already entered the Han Canal. To protect the over ten thousand Chishan Association members and their families, and to protect the hundreds of thousands of former Left Guangde army troops and their families from being implicated, I could only choose to watch the navy be destroyed…”
Han Qian recounted to Zhou Dan in detail the many entanglements and distortions in the situation after the assassination case.
Aside from not mentioning the matter of the Empress Dowager’s illicit relationship with Han Jun producing a child—which could be called a disgrace to the Han family—Han Qian also told Zhou Dan about conspiring with Lü Qingxia to obtain the Empress Dowager’s secret edict, and that the Xuzhou Naval Camp could enter the Yangtze waterway in three to four days at the earliest.
“…” Zhou Dan sighed deeply and said, “The Marquis rendered extraordinary service to His Majesty repeatedly, laying the foundation for claiming supremacy. Yet after achieving success, you withdrew and handed over the Left Guangde Army. His Majesty did not plan good acquisition, but instead showed all manner of suspicion, ultimately leading to this situation. It truly makes one feel regretful.”
Honestly speaking, Feng Liao had extremely little contact with Zhou Dan. He had not expected that Zhou Dan, of mountain stronghold origin, could have such insight. He was secretly startled, though of course he completely set his mind at ease, no longer worried that Zhou Dan would not cooperate with them.
“So the Marquis wishes to occupy Tangyi, gather the Chishan Association members and refugees fleeing south, and use this as the Xuzhou Naval Camp’s base in Jianghuai?” Zhou Dan asked further.
“Correct,” Han Qian frankly admitted.
“And after the crisis is resolved?” Zhou Dan stared at Han Qian and asked.
“It’s hard to say when the crisis will truly be resolved. In Han Qian’s heart, I only wish for the nation’s peace and the people’s security,” Han Qian said leisurely, gazing at the twilight clouds in the sky with hands clasped in his sleeves. “Even if I must bear eternal infamy for this, Han Qian will shoulder it alone!”
“Well said—the nation’s peace and the people’s security! Zhou Dan wishes to assist the Marquis!” Zhou Dan stood tall and bowed in respect.
“Excellent!” Han Qian happily grasped Zhou Dan’s arm. He had not originally expected this much, but Zhou Dan’s willingness to be employed by Xuzhou could be said to be an unexpected gain from this trip.
Seeing this scene, Xi Ren thought to himself that people say right and wrong have their own complexities, and justice exists in people’s hearts. Although what Han Daoxun and Han Qian, father and son, had done caused countless people to hate and resent them, there were definitely people who could understand their painstaking efforts.
However, thinking about it, this was as it should be.
Zhou Dan himself was descended from a refugee army general. In his youth, shouldering heavy responsibilities, he led his former troops struggling in the deep mountains of Danshui for over a decade. After Han Qian went to Xiangzhou, he immediately thought to contact the mountain stronghold forces, establishing extraordinary merit in defending Xichuan city and ultimately holding out until Emperor Tianyou personally led a great army to their rescue.
Zhou Dan, Chen Jingzhou and these generals of mountain stronghold origin originally couldn’t piss in the same pot as the aristocratic clans. This was why the court officials decided to send Chen Jingzhou to govern Guangde Prefecture to ease the situation.
Furthermore, on the eve of the Jinling incident, Li Pu at the time only concerned himself with leading the families of the Marquis of Xinchang’s faction to flee to Qiuhu Mountain. It was Feng Liao who sent people to notify the families of mountain stronghold generals like Zhou Dan and Chen Jingzhou to assemble at Lanting Lane before rushing through the Donghua Gate water gate together to leave the city, preserving their families from falling into the Anning Palace’s hands to suffer torture and slaughter.
Of course, Zhou Dan could be so forthright also had much to do with the Empress Dowager’s secret edict.
Otherwise, no matter how disappointed Zhou Dan was with Yang Yuanpu, he would still have to consider the safety of his entire family of old and young still remaining in Jinling city.
With the Empress Dowager’s secret edict, there was righteous justification. No matter how sinister the previous struggles, at least he didn’t have to worry that his family would suddenly suffer catastrophic disaster.
Feng Liao, Feng Yi, and Kong Xirong were even more pleased. With Zhou Dan’s full cooperation, many matters would be much more convenient.
Han Qian, Feng Liao, Feng Yi, and Kong Xirong first went to the county government compound that Zhou Dan was using as his headquarters. Subsequently, Zhou Dan ordered the Jiangzhou troops to take over Tangyi’s city defenses and impose martial law throughout the entire city.
After Han Donghu led over five hundred men into Tangyi city before dark, Zhou Dan summoned all the officers and officials in the city. Spring Thirteenth Lady came forward representing Changchun Palace to read aloud the Empress Dowager’s secret edict:
“The Empress Dowager’s edict says: His Majesty is young and impetuous, deceived by treacherous officials, recklessly mobilizing troops, causing the Left and Right Five Fang Armies to suffer great difficulty, with grievous casualties and complete loss of carts and ships. The capital has no shield, and one hundred thousand Forbidden Army troops are isolated north of the Yangtze, in danger of total destruction. Marquis Qianyang Han Qian is resourceful and wise, repeatedly saving the nation from peril, earning my deep trust. Therefore, I specially bestow this edict, ordering Marquis Qianyang Han Qian to recruit brave warriors and lead Xuzhou troops and warships east into Jianghuai to resist the invading enemy, to serve as bulwark for Great Chu. Thus it is decreed.”
“Treason! This is treason!”
Tangyi County Magistrate Liu Zishu’s face changed dramatically as he cried out in alarm.
After the Jinling battle, Liu Zishu had served as Personnel Officer of Guangde Prefecture. He was most deeply involved in the confiscation of fields. When Yang Yuanpu transferred Chen Jingzhou to govern Guangde Prefecture, he sensed the situation was subtly changing. Worried that too many evil deeds had been done previously and old accounts would be settled, when the Forbidden Army recovered Chu, Chao and other areas and needed a group of officials to fill prefecture and county posts, he followed Wei Zhen to Chuzhou and became Tangyi County Magistrate. How could he have imagined he would still fall into Han Qian’s hands?
Han Qian had no impression of a character like Liu Zishu. Hearing him speak wildly, his face darkened and he glared at him menacingly: “Are you saying the secret edict is false, forged by me, Han?”
Aside from the seal, there was also Spring Thirteenth Lady, a female official of Changchun Palace. Liu Zishu could not question the edict’s authenticity. He defended himself in panic: “His Majesty issued an earlier decree…”
Han Qian said sternly: “Even if the Empress Dowager’s secret edict is genuine, even His Majesty shows the Empress Dowager great respect and obeys her every command. Yet here you speak nonsense, actually daring to verbally accuse the Empress Dowager of treason. You deserve thirty slaps to the face!”
Han Qian could not recall a character like Liu Zishu, but Lin Jiang and the others hated him to the bone. Hearing Han Qian give the order, they disregarded propriety, stepped forward to seize Liu Zishu, stripped off his official robes, dragged him to the front corridor of the great hall, and struck his face with wooden rods—crack, crack, crack!