With the Imperial Guard Officer’s waist token bestowed by the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu—a rank equivalent to Commander of the Imperial Guard Personal Army Battalion—as long as Han Qian avoided the city gates controlled by the consort clan Xu family and the Crown Prince’s directly commanded troops, bringing a dozen or so armed escorts and entering or leaving Jinling at night posed no problem.
A dozen riders clustered around a horse carriage, its wheels rumbling as they rolled over the stone-paved road out of the city and disappeared into the depths of the night.
Upon reaching Taowu Market, Han Qian made a detour to visit Shen Yang first.
When Han Qian arrived, Shen Yang was playing chess in the rear office of the government headquarters with Zhang Qian.
Zhang Qian had previously been the ward chief of Taowu Market and had now been recommended by Shen Yang as a military office clerk.
The Zhang family was considered a prominent household in Jinling. Zhang Qian had read poetry and classics since childhood and had military service experience before returning to his hometown to serve as ward chief. Though his official position was humble and he was cautious and meticulous in conducting affairs, his insight was considerable.
Shen Yang and Marquis Xinchang’s mansion were ultimately not of the same path. His willingness to manage the affairs of the Military Settlement Administration was partly because Emperor Tianyou had personally appointed him to serve as Chief Administrator and Lecturer at the Marquis’s mansion—duties he couldn’t shirk. But more importantly, it was also out of sympathy for the plight of the famine refugees.
As for Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Li Zhigao and others, they feared Shen Yang’s discerning eye might detect some flaws, so they intentionally kept their people at a distance from Shen Yang.
Therefore, at the Military Settlement Administration, apart from Zhang Qian, Guo Liang, and a few other people, Shen Yang truly had no one else he could use or be close to.
“Lord Han has come to discuss matters with Lord Shen—Zhang shouldn’t disturb you here.” Seeing Han Qian rush over to find Shen Yang in the middle of the night yet stand to the side without speaking, Zhang Qian knew he should withdraw.
“…” Han Qian cupped his hands apologetically toward Zhang Qian.
Even if Shen Yang didn’t approve of them, he wouldn’t stoop to reporting to Anning Palace, but Han Qian hadn’t yet seen such magnanimity and vision in Zhang Qian.
“What brings you barging in here in the middle of the night to find me?” Shen Yang instructed the servants to close the door and leave.
“His Highness wishes to establish a new division specializing in espionage matters. In the future, Han Qian will need to request that Teacher Shen provide some conveniences,” Han Qian said.
Shen Yang’s administration of the Military Settlement focused mainly on settling famine refugees. The stockades they built gave little consideration to military defense.
Of course, the Dragon Sparrow Army’s plan to build twenty-five fortresses at Taowu Market came at considerable cost and couldn’t be accomplished overnight. But since Han Qian intended to use the Qiuhu Mountain estate as the Secret Bureau Left Division’s core base outside the city, to prevent others from infiltrating and spying in the future, they would need to select locations in the valleys and mountain passes leading to the estate to build sentry posts conducive to defense and isolating the interior from the exterior.
Not only did this matter require advance notice to Shen Yang, but it would also need Shen Yang’s cooperation to succeed.
“Alas!” Shen Yang let out a long sigh. He didn’t wish to see the succession struggle trending toward bloodshed, but since the Third Prince’s side was establishing a secret bureau specifically for such purposes, he knew some things were beyond his power to change. He said: “Whatever His Highness commands, as long as it conforms to court law, I will naturally provide convenience here. Does Lord Han know about this matter?”
“My father knows about this, but what His Highness commands, Han Qian dares not disobey,” Han Qian said evasively.
Emperor Tianyou was still alive, mighty and talented. Empress Dowager Xu of Anning Palace remained hidden in Emperor Tianyou’s shadow.
Currently, many ministers at court mainly saw that the consort clan Empress Dowager Xu and the Crown Prince’s faction were powerful and didn’t wish to offend them, but few could truly recognize the bloody fangs that Anning Palace concealed in the darkness and had not yet revealed.
The Noble Consort and the Third Prince had lived long under Anning Palace’s shadow, so their feelings were naturally the most profound.
Shen Yang had previously been appointed by Emperor Tianyou as the mansion’s lecturer. Such a proud person engaged in passive resistance—apart from not wishing to become involved in succession struggles, Han Qian believed he must be alert to the bloody claws and fangs that Anning Palace kept hidden.
Unfortunately, Shen Yang was the same type of person as his father. Despite Anning Palace’s suspicions, he stepped forward to preside over the Military Settlement Administration, but only out of pity for the plague-stricken famine refugees. At least for now, he wouldn’t become too deeply involved in succession struggles.
Hearing Han Qian say this, Shen Yang nodded and didn’t pursue the matter further.
Next, besides building fortifications and hiring people, Han Qian also discussed with Shen Yang how to use transactions between the estate and the Military Settlement Administration to provide stable annual profits of four million cash as funding for establishing the Secret Bureau Left Division.
Although this matter had already received permission from Third Prince Yang Yuanpu and Li Zhigao, and the Military Division, Works Division, and Granary Division advisors who controlled the authority were all trusted subordinates sent by Marquis Xinchang’s mansion, these matters couldn’t possibly be hidden from Shen Yang. They even needed Shen Yang’s help in concealing them, lest Guo Rong, Song Xin, and others detect any traces.
As Military Supervisor, if Qiuhu Mountain estate were directly converted into a fortress, Guo Rong would certainly investigate.
Yet Han Qian absolutely had no excuse to build a fortress for private use within the Military Settlement Administration’s territory, and Shen Yang had no excuse to turn a blind eye.
Currently, Shen Yang borrowed the Zhang family’s residence to use as the military administration headquarters. Han Qian’s idea was for the Military Settlement Administration to build a fortress directly here, which would perfectly control the main road entering Qiuhu Mountain estate.
Additionally, there were three or four gaps in the estate’s rear mountain and the ridges on the eastern and western sides. Building small sentry houses and establishing sentry posts there could prevent outsiders from infiltrating the estate and defend against small-scale military attacks.
Han Qian sketched a rough diagram to show Shen Yang.
Shen Yang looked up at Han Qian. There was one layer of meaning Han Qian hadn’t made explicit, but he could see it.
With such arrangements, besides using Qiuhu Mountain estate as the secret bureau’s base, Han Qian must also be considering that if the succession struggle turned dire, the Third Prince would need an easily defended, hard-to-attack stronghold outside the city to gather troops.
Shen Yang silently sighed to himself: Daoxun, you harbor lofty aspirations and have no intention of becoming involved in succession struggles, but you have a formidable son.
“As long as His Highness commands it and funds are adequate, I will comply here,” Shen Yang said.
“Then I entrust this to Teacher Shen.” Han Qian stood and bowed, then took his leave.
The Third Prince and Marquis Xinchang Li Pu would only find this plan brilliant—how could they oppose it?
Moreover, if the Military Settlement Administration truly built a fortress at the valley entrance to the estate, Qiuhu Mountain estate would be completely under this fortress’s surveillance. This was also how Han Qian reassured Marquis Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Pavilion.
…
…
After leaving Shen Yang’s residence, Han Qian led Lin Haizheng, Fan Dahei, Zhao Wuji, Zhao Ting’er, and others back to the estate. Without resting, he summoned Guo Nu’er, Lin Zongjing, and several other household guard children who were team leaders at the estate to the East Courtyard and told them about establishing the Secret Bureau Left Division:
“Although after the Secret Bureau Left Division is formed, His Highness’s side may send more people, right now I can only rely on you to handle affairs.”
“Can Ting’er also handle affairs for the young master?” Zhao Ting’er asked with barely suppressed excitement.
“Of course,” Han Qian said.
Previously, Han Qian had trained Guo Nu’er, Lin Zongjing, and other household guard children as reconnaissance scouts, mainly considering how to facilitate his own future escape. Now, establishing the secret bureau mainly involved infiltration and espionage, so many things needed adjustment.
Wanhong Pavilion used brothels—an ancient industry that inevitably flourished in every generation—to infiltrate. Besides the many secrets that could be heard in bedchambers, over these years they had cultivated at least twenty courtesans who directly infiltrated the residences of Great Chu’s high-ranking figures as concubines.
Chun Niang, kept in the outer residence by Deputy Commander Kong Zhou of the Right Divine Martial Army, didn’t seem particularly successful, but she had hooked two fish: Feng Yi and Kong Xirong.
Of course, for Wanhong Pavilion to accomplish this, who knew how long they had schemed behind the scenes and how much manpower and resources they had invested. Han Qian lacked the ability to emulate this.
Winning over Feng Yi to establish a new warehouse selling quicklime and other materials could pry open a gap at the lowest level for infiltrating the residences of court ministers’ households.
Additionally, Han Qian considered another avenue that could relatively quickly open new gaps: the female family members of various mansions.
Although separation between men and women in this era wasn’t extremely strict, to maintain frequent and deep contact with female family members of various mansions still required using women.
“Ting’er alone can’t handle all these matters!” Zhao Ting’er heard Han Qian say she would have a chance to take charge independently. Beyond her excitement, she worried about bungling things.
“How could I possibly have you handle everything alone?” Han Qian smiled faintly and had Zhao Ting’er fetch a wooden box from under the bedroom bed.
Han Qian took out a roster from the wooden box and handed it to Lin Haizheng and the others, saying: “Tomorrow, you several should use this roster to separately find these people and ask if they’re willing to work for His Highness—those willing should be brought to the estate. Don’t make a big fuss about it. The Military Division and Lord Shen’s side will cooperate with your actions.”
The Military Settlement Administration had at its peak organized over thirty-six thousand famine refugees. The Dragon Sparrow Army’s main objective was to effectively convert these refugees into military households. They wouldn’t care what differences these refugees had. In Li Zhigao and others’ eyes, able-bodied men needed training until they could be incorporated into the Dragon Sparrow Army for combat, while their family members’ most important responsibility was garrison farming to supply the Dragon Sparrow Army with provisions in the future.
The Dragon Sparrow Army’s current grassroots officers were all selected from veteran soldiers and household guards who had followed Marquis Xinchang’s mansion in earlier years. Even if there were martially skilled people among the refugees, they currently had no opportunity to advance.
Although people in this era were primarily engaged in farming, when war and famine struck, fleeing civilians included not only farmers but also merchants, craftsmen, and even urban common folk—no one could escape. This destined the refugees’ composition to be extremely complex and all-encompassing, including even veteran soldiers skilled in warfare.
Emperor Tianyou had only completely brought Huainan Circuit, Jiangnan East Circuit, Jiangnan West Circuit, and other provinces under his rule in recent years. Before that, forces in the Jianghuai region were intricately complex. When Emperor Tianyou defeated many forces, some remnant soldiers weren’t captured or killed and naturally fled back to settle in their hometowns.
No matter how cruel and ruthless Emperor Tianyou was, he couldn’t possibly round up all these remnant soldiers for punishment.
Marquis Xinchang’s mansion controlled the Military Settlement Administration extremely deeply. From settlement camp captains to stockade chiefs down to settlement heads, almost all were their people. This ensured the Dragon Sparrow Army would absolutely be under their control in the future.
Even though Han Qian and Shen Yang had made great efforts in establishing the Military Settlement Administration, when it came to military authority, they still had no opportunity to get involved.
However, from the initial organization of plague-stricken refugees, Han Qian had the estate’s household guards and their children deeply participate in relief efforts and the subsequent construction of the Military Settlement Administration.
And Guo Nu’er and other household guard children came directly from the refugees themselves, making it easier to establish warm and close relationships with the plague-stricken refugees.
This connection wasn’t enough to give Han Qian deep influence over the Dragon Sparrow Army directly, but over the past few months, he had them do one thing.
That was to screen and identify people from all walks of life and various occupations with particular skills among the refugees organized into the Military Settlement Administration, and register their names in records.
Initially, Han Qian only selected some craftsmen from this roster for the estate’s use, but now it could finally serve its true purpose.