Yun Puzi hadn’t seen Li Zhigao’s memorial petition, but counting on his toes, he thought Li Zhigao and those behind him like Lu Qingxia could certainly anticipate that the Zheng clan would absolutely not sit idle while Huaixi Forbidden Army troops easily relocated to Suizhou in Jingxiang’s northwestern heartland.
At this time, the Marquis of Qianyang and the Han family were connected as branches of the same tree with Prince Shou’s household and Huaidong, secretly exchanging confidences. Why would the Wanhong Pavilion faction risk mortally offending the Zheng clan to submit such a memorial?
Was it that they felt the situation urgent and had no choice but to compete for Suizhou, or was it that they had secretly communicated with the Zheng clan?
Yang Yuanpu saw Yun Puzi’s withered face, wrinkled like gnarled old tree bark, tightly drawn as he fell into contemplation for quite a while without responding. Slightly unable to contain himself, he asked again: “Regarding Shuzhou’s memorial, what thoughts does Daoist Master Yun have?”
“Oh,” Yun Puzi seemed to awaken with a start. Raising his head and hesitating slightly, he said: “By Your Majesty’s grace, this old Daoist can cultivate at Chongfu Temple, daily cultivating body and nature, reading some Daoist texts. What qualification do I have to speak nonsense about matters of state?”
“When you just told Qing Yang about the court’s military being strong, you didn’t have such self-awareness, did you?” Yang Yuanpu’s sharp eyes stared at Yun Puzi like an eagle, asking.
Seeing Yang Yuanpu pardon him without guilt just moments ago, then immediately turn to dredge up old matters, Yun Puzi also felt his scalp tingle, saying: “This old Daoist dares not interfere recklessly. This is a major matter—Your Majesty should consult Minister Zheng of Revenue and Censor-in-Chief Zheng…”
Great Chu generally followed the old system of the previous dynasty. The Secretariat-Chancellery administered various departments and offices to execute government affairs, the Privy Council controlled military affairs. Among the various departments and offices, the most important were the Ministry of Personnel jointly led by Shen Yang, the Ministry of Finance controlled by Han Daoming, the Salt and Iron Transport Commission controlled by Zhang Chao, the Revenue Commission controlled by Zheng Yu, and additionally the Ministry of War controlled by Du Chongtao, and the Censorate headed by Censor-in-Chief Zheng Chang. All these high ministers held the title of Vice Administrator of Government Affairs, equivalent to deputy prime minister.
Yun Puzi hadn’t spoken explicitly, but his meaning was quite clear.
When Li Zhigao submitted his memorial, proposing to divide troops and relocate to Suizhou, wanting to reopen a second battlefield against Shouzhou forces from the northwestern flank, neither the Privy Council nor the various offices of the Secretariat-Chancellery would have major objections. The greatest obstacle lay with the Zheng clan—or perhaps Li Zhigao had already secretly communicated with the Zheng clan and obtained their permission.
After Yun Puzi said this, Yang Yuanpu’s expression immediately darkened. Qing Yang thought to herself that he should have already considered this point, hadn’t he?
After a long while, Yang Yuanpu stared at Yun Puzi and asked: “Daoist Master Yun, you say the court should have strong military forces, but how can we achieve military strength?”
Yun Puzi smiled bitterly, saying: “This old Daoist served for several years in the camp of the Shengzhou Military Commissioner in early years. Besides holding a useless position and drawing a salary, I also developed some skill at armchair strategizing, but where would I understand the art of practical governance? As for methods to strengthen military forces, Your Majesty has by his side the Empress Dowager, Palace Commissioner Lu, Prime Minister Shen, and Ministers Han, Zheng, Zhang, and Huang. Outside there are the Marquis of Qianyang, the Marquis of Xinjin, Prince Xin, General Zheng, General Chai, General Zhang, and General Gu. Where is there room for this old Daoist to interfere?”
“These people?” Yang Yuanpu forcefully suppressed the resentment in his heart, barely keeping that scoffing sound from emerging from his nostrils.
At this moment, Yun Puzi also felt Yang Yuanpu was somewhat pitiable.
When he first recovered Jinling and ascended the throne, although Yang Yuanpu hadn’t thoroughly eliminated the internal and external troubles around him, there had at least been some signs of restoration. Yet in just over two short years, he was surrounded by tigers and wolves both inside and outside.
Yet all of this seemed unavoidable?
What a pity—Li Yu had predicted all of this but couldn’t live to see it happen. That faint sorrow in his murky old eyes at death—was it unwillingness, was it loneliness?
Seeing that neither Yun Puzi nor Qing Yang spoke afterward except to respond carefully and cautiously, Yang Yuanpu also found no interest. He lifted his eldest son down from his lap, handed him to a nearby attendant eunuch, then left Changxin Palace with Chen Ruyi and An Jixiang.
Watching Yang Yuanpu depart, Qing Yang’s peerless beautiful eyes swept over the attendant eunuchs and palace maids serving around them. Her beautiful eyes, clear as deep springs, revealed cold, piercing chill.
If eye-beams were truly blades, Qing Yang would have already riddled these people with thousands upon thousands of holes.
“Your Ladyship, the chess hasn’t been played yet,” Yun Puzi reminded.
“Play chess.” Qing Yang stiffly continued the sentence, then took the young child’s hand and forcibly turned around, walking back to the warm pavilion.
“Speak cautiously and act discreetly. His Majesty doesn’t distrust Your Ladyship—it’s that Li Zhigao turning toward the Empress Dowager has left him with no one he can trust in his heart.” Although the attendant eunuchs and palace maids had all sensed the killing intent in Qing Yang’s gaze just now and weren’t presumptuously approaching the corridor, Yun Puzi still lowered his voice to say this.
Qing Yang suppressed the thread of anger in her chest, asking: “What did His Majesty mean by those words just now?”
“Shen Yang and Yang En both understand the art of practical governance and are utterly loyal to His Majesty. Naturally they have methods to strengthen military forces to present. But as this old Daoist presumptuously said just now, firstly, His Majesty’s heart already has no one he can trust; secondly, methods to strengthen military forces all emphasize gradual progression. Perhaps His Majesty lacks sufficient patience, which is why he spoke without choosing his words and consulted this old Daoist?” Yun Puzi said.
Qing Yang asked: “Li Zhigao submitted a memorial from Shuzhou. In Daoist Master Yun’s view, have they long been secretly communicating with the Zheng clan?”
Yun Puzi glanced at the scattered snow outside the window, saying: “The court is now quiet in a somewhat abnormal way. There should be secret communication, shouldn’t there?”
“What benefit could the Zheng clan gain that would make them agree to their conditions?” Qing Yang asked curiously.
“If there are conditions that can satisfy the Zheng clan, perhaps this will be another great shift in Great Chu since the incident,” Yun Puzi slightly furrowed his white eyebrows, saying. “But as for what shift, this old Daoist is also getting on in years. These old bones are stealing some laziness—it’s been a while since I’ve gone outside Chongfu Temple to move about, so I haven’t noticed what rumors are spreading below for now. However, since matters have reached this point, it absolutely won’t be groundless speculation…”
Qing Yang held the young child’s small hand. At this moment she felt like a small boat in a stormy ocean, liable to be shattered to pieces at any moment by unpredictable changes.
***
***
Yun Puzi left Changxin Palace, walked out the palace gates, and headed toward Chongfu Temple.
By this time the snow was growing heavier. Both sides of courtyard walls and building eaves already had a shallow layer of accumulated snow.
Accompanied by two young Daoist attendants, Yun Puzi had walked only three to four hundred paces from Chongfu Gate when he saw a carriage stopped in an alley. From a lifted corner of the curtain, Yao Xishui revealed her exquisitely beautiful, coldly elegant face.
Yun Puzi indicated for the young attendants to return to the temple first. He walked into the alley, lifted the carriage window, bent down and climbed aboard. Seeing Lu Qingxia also sitting in the carriage, he was slightly startled but still sat down by the cushioned couch.
The driver gently flicked his whip, and the carriage slowly proceeded along the imperial avenue of the Imperial City.
“When His Majesty just went to Changxin Palace, did he say anything?” Yao Xishui asked.
“The Marquis of Qianyang’s grand wedding to Wang Wenqian’s daughter is approaching. Noble Consort Wang spoke with His Majesty about how to bestow rewards, but nothing else was said,” Yun Puzi said.
“I’m afraid more than just this was said. Since when has Daoist Master Yun started holding back from us?” Yao Xishui stared at Yun Puzi’s old face, asking.
“This matter of your secret dealings with the Zheng clan—if His Majesty hadn’t asked about it, this old Daoist would have known nothing at all. Since you’ve also planted personnel in Changxin Palace, this old Daoist thought from now on we’d keep to our own territories,” Yun Puzi said.
“Those few fools can at most watch some surface movements. How could they discern the hearts hidden beneath the surface?” Lu Qingxia spoke up to explain. “As for dealings with the Zheng clan, we do indeed need to negotiate, but Zhigao’s memorial from Shuzhou merely raises the topic for discussion—we haven’t officially sent anyone to negotiate yet. Since you must ask what conditions we can offer to satisfy the Zheng clan, I might as well tell you now. Although Zheng Hui is skilled at military administration, in Deng-Xiang he’s limited by the forces at his disposal. Facing Liang Kingdom’s troops in Ru-Cai and Guanzhong, he can hardly accomplish anything. On the Suizhou side, he’s only passively building fortifications in the valley passes between Huaiyang Mountain and Tongbai Mountain. Far from having surplus strength to break out through this gap, he worries that Shouzhou forces might divide some troops to penetrate through here and kill their way into Jingxiang’s heartland. And at this time, Chai Jian in Shaozhou has also accomplished nothing against Yongzhou rebel forces…”
“The Right Vermillion Bird Army and Left Divine Martial Army will conduct a major north-south defense zone exchange?” Yun Puzi asked, unable to suppress his shock.
On one hand was the court’s vague constraints, but more importantly, after the Jinling incident, the money and grain that could be allocated was truly limited.
Therefore, on the western Deng-Xiang front, as long as Liang forces showed no major concentration movements, Right Vermillion Bird Army troops were controlled at around fifteen thousand men. More military households primarily concentrated on farming garrison lands peacefully, resting and recuperating to store grain.
Adding the local troops of Deng, Xiang, and Jun three prefectures, the forces Zheng Hui could directly command numbered only twenty-four to twenty-five thousand, yet he had to simultaneously manage both the Wuguan Pass and Nanyang Fangcheng defense lines. Never mind that Zheng Hui didn’t have three heads and six arms—even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t accomplish anything.
As for Chai Jian’s Five Finger Ridge defense line in southern Shao and Heng prefectures, since Miao Yong led his troops to defect and surrender to Yongzhou, the situation could be called dismal.
Although Lu Qingxia said they hadn’t officially discussed this matter with Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang, without a certain degree of mutual willingness, Li Zhigao submitting a memorial from Shuzhou could be considered quite rash.
The reason the Zheng clan might be inclined to agree to such an exchange—besides southwestern Jingzhou being under Zhang Xiang’s control—was probably mainly because Deng, Jun, Xiang, as well as Ying and Sui prefectures had experienced multiple military campaigns over the past century, resulting in sparse population and abandoned lands.
Even though these regions had rested and recuperated for some years after the Jingxiang war, Du Chongtao, Han Qian and those behind him like Zhou Dan and Chen Jingzhou, as well as Li Zhigao and Chai Jian in earlier years serving as garrison commandants and prefecture vice-governors in Junzhou, all had extremely great influence. This prevented the Zheng clan from easily transforming Jingxiang’s heartland into their sphere of influence.
Not to mention that with Liang forces’ eastern offensive lacking strength and shifting their focus for attacking Great Chu to the western front, the military pressure Jingxiang faced was great.
In fact, with Shouzhou forces completely turning to the Liang army, transferring elite Forbidden Army troops to reinforce Suizhou, blocking the southern passage through the gap between Huaiyang Mountain and Tongbai Mountain that Shouzhou forces could use, and strengthening Jingxiang’s northern defense—these were extremely urgent practical requirements.
Perhaps in the Zheng clan’s eyes, under these circumstances, rather than being dragged down by the Wanhong Pavilion faction and ultimately having the Right Vermillion Bird Army suffer great defeat or disastrous defeat in Deng-Xiang, losing the most critical bargaining chip in the Zheng clan’s hands, it would be better to cut losses in time and exchange defense zones while investment wasn’t yet too great…