The immigrant population of Chen Prefecture mainly consisted of households who had successively migrated from Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and Central Plains regions over nearly a thousand years from the Qin and Han dynasties onward. Their proportion had already reached fifty-fifty before the anti-feudal war. However, because Chen Prefecture had long implemented the loose-rein system, local military and administrative power was mainly held by indigenous powerful families. Even prefectural and county defense troops were filled by indigenous tribal able-bodied men.

The indigenous tribal households had extremely unique insularity. Without the ability to advance indigenous-immigrant household merger with overwhelming military force like Xuzhou had done, it was difficult to effectively weaken the absolute authority that powerful families like the Wash clan had established within the indigenous tribal households.

Before the anti-feudal war, Chen Prefecture’s indigenous tribal households totaled less than ten thousand households, with adult able-bodied men numbering around twenty-one to twenty-two thousand.

However, besides suffering the heaviest blow during the early period of the anti-feudal war when the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion had nearly six thousand adult able-bodied men annihilated, after pledging allegiance to Emperor Yanyou who was stationed in Yueyang and enfeoffed as Prince of Linjiang that year, to ensure their position wouldn’t be weakened, the Wash family had the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion participate extremely actively in the later anti-feudal campaigns as well as battles to capture Jiang Prefecture, Chi Prefecture, and Jinling. The adult able-bodied men lost would be no less than five thousand.

Of course, each year these years some adolescent males among Chen Prefecture’s tribal households grew to adulthood. But under even more ferocious exploitation and oppression by powerful families, through epidemics, poverty, hunger and cold, the total number of tribal able-bodied men had already declined to below twelve thousand.

Even though the scale of indigenous tribal households seemed to remain unchanged, the actual population had sharply declined from the previous eighty thousand to below sixty thousand—that is, the average registered population per household had sharply decreased, with the labor force proportion declining even more severely.

In comparison, Chen Prefecture’s immigrant population, with the influx of refugees and exiled populations, had increased from the previous eighty thousand to ninety thousand.

Of course, the combat capability of the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion had been greatly strengthened these years.

Especially in earlier years, tribal soldiers fought bravely and fearlessly, but suffered from having such poor armor and equipment that they were killed by the Wuling Army of that time without ability to fight back. After participating in so many intense battles over the years, under such a high cruel elimination rate, those who could remain in the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion were basically all hundred-battle veterans. The basic military officers were also extremely competent. Through battlefield seizures, they possessed extremely fine armor and small war equipment.

If Chen Prefecture wasn’t suppressed by the monstrously excessive Xuzhou beside them, even though these years of warfare had caused enormous losses to their core population, besides being able to rest and recuperate, they could also use military force to annex and gradually encroach on surrounding territories and raw tribal populations to replenish tribal household losses.

After all, none of the surrounding barbarian strongholds and tribal towns were a match for the Wash family. The Wash family annexing surrounding barbarian strongholds and tribal towns would not be too constrained by the central regime, and integrating with surrounding indigenous tribal households would be relatively smooth, unlike Xuzhou’s promotion of indigenous-immigrant household merger which was constrained by centuries of traditional concepts—in fact, the Wash family’s rise in Chen Prefecture had always been accomplished this way over the years.

If two or three generations of shrewd and capable family heads like Wash Ying could emerge, the Chen Prefecture Wash family might possibly grow to become southwestern overlords.

For the Chen Prefecture Wash family, the greatest misfortune was probably the rise of the Han father and son in neighboring Xuzhou.

Han Qian’s primary condition this time was forcing the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion to transfer out of Chen Prefecture and join the Right Vermillion Bird Army organization to participate in campaigns against rebel forces in Yong and Chen Prefectures. Besides interrupting the indigenous tribal households’ process of rest and recuperation, forcing their adult able-bodied men to continue being consumed on battlefields, more importantly—and with immediate effect—was directly weakening the control and authority of powerful families headed by the Wash clan within Chen Prefecture.

Even if the power vacuum freed up in Chen Prefecture was filled by the Zheng clan and local immigrant forces, this result was absolutely what Xuzhou was more willing to see at this time.

In fact, no matter how Wash Ying and his father suppressed it, as Xuzhou’s cotton textile industry grew step by step, Chen Prefecture currently also had about one hundred thousand mu of cotton field planting scale. But Chen Prefecture hadn’t developed corresponding textile manufacturing—all cotton seed produced was consumed by Xuzhou’s yarn mills and weaving workshops.

Besides this, Chen Prefecture also had large amounts of tung oil seeds, tea leaves, medicinal materials, dye ore and other materials annually flowing into Xuzhou for consumption.

These outputs closely associated with Xuzhou were mainly controlled by immigrant forces, with annual trade volumes already exceeding three to four hundred thousand strings.

This directly determined that this portion of immigrant forces shared common interests with Xuzhou—they were just currently suppressed by indigenous powerful families headed by Wash Ying and his father.

In the process of Chen Prefecture’s indigenous and immigrant populations waxing and waning, the direct tribal stronghold forces once standing alone in Chen Prefecture under direct Wash family control were most severely weakened. If they could continue being weakened, imbalance would occur among Chen Prefecture’s indigenous powerful families.

Beyond the Wash family, not all of Chen Prefecture’s powerful families harbored deep hostility toward Xuzhou.

These powerful families had weaker influence, occupying only one stronghold in one corner. They had no ambitions to rule as kings in remote mountainous regions. Besides some stubborn prejudices formed over long periods, fundamentally they had no position of hostility toward Xuzhou.

On the contrary, these years they were quite envious seeing immigrant forces getting rich through trade with Xuzhou.

One mu of hillside terraced fields—planting cotton and selling cotton seed could yield harvests far exceeding planting beans and wheat. Even ordinary people could calculate this simple account using their toes.

Mountain tung oil seeds, tea and medicinal materials, timber and other products—Xuzhou was the largest distribution center.

Furthermore, the Chen Prefecture Wash family had also split off from the Xuzhou Wash family. Whether Chen Prefecture Wash family collateral lines, repeatedly damaged and suppressed, would acknowledge their ancestral roots and re-align with the Xuzhou Wash family—that was also uncertain.

Han Qian currently didn’t need to aggressively dispatch troops to directly occupy and rule places like Chen Prefecture, Ye Prefecture, or Si Prefecture. He only needed to continuously suppress hostile forces in these regions, dismantle individual stubborn hostile forces’ control over localities, letting forces friendly to Xuzhou or relatively neutral forces gain prominence and occupy dominant positions. Then through Xuzhou’s systematic, large-scale industrial and mining workshops, he could ensure influence over these regions.

In Han Qian’s plans, within three to five years, Xuzhou’s subsequent strategy toward surrounding regions wouldn’t undergo major changes—responding to motion with stillness, meeting myriad changes with constancy.

That some matters this time could take a large step forward was truly all thanks to Yao Xishui’s vigorous “assistance.” But in the short term, his main energy would still be placed on managing the western Huai prefectures.

Even without considering other forces’ strong reactions, to launch large-scale warfare in Chen Prefecture or Si and Ye Prefectures would also require predatory征levy and collection from occupied territories to possibly satisfy enormous military resource expenditures. This also didn’t accord with Han Qian’s long-held army management philosophy.

So this time, being able to force the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion to leave Chen Prefecture and resolve the Shiliang County attribution problem—Han Qian was already satisfied.

As for Hao Prefecture, Chu Prefecture, and Chao Prefecture restoring their organization, the Tangyi Campaign Pacification Commission being upgraded—these were rightful matters. At most the court would wrangle over these matters for a period, but wouldn’t substantially affect things.

Of course, being able to smoothly handle these matters, having core figures like Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng receive merit awards and noble ranks, officially joining the ranks of Great Chu’s mid-to-high-level generals and ministers, could also boost morale.

The Tangyi Campaign Pacification Commission was a huge group—the benefits of merit awards and rewards couldn’t be monopolized by Han Qian alone.

Lin Zongjing and Feng Yi had to resume shouldering responsibility for leading naval forces to reinforce Xuzhou. Only after dispatching troops would other matters advance quickly. Han Qian went with Gao Shao and Zhao Wuji to the banquet hall to gather joyfully with Zheng Chang, Han Daoming and others.

This time Tangyi effortlessly recovered the northern line’s twelve counties—anyone counting on their toes knew countless people’s hearts mixed jealousy with hatred.

Using the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion to cultivate and please the Zheng clan, so as not to be too isolated in court, was one aspect.

On the other hand, Han Qian hoped the Liang army could have breathing room to resist the Mongols’ strong presence in the Hebei region, while also hoping western Huai could rest and recuperate. He didn’t advocate raising warfare on the northern line again. For Great Chu at this time, the opportunity to completely annihilate rebel forces and recover Yong and Chen areas had arrived.

Han Qian wouldn’t disregard fundamental interests concerning Great Chu just to drag down the Zheng clan.

After sitting down in the banquet hall, besides Zheng Chang, all were Tangyi and Han mansion direct affiliates—some words needed no concealment.

Han Qian directly expressed that besides supporting Zheng Hui and Zheng Xingxuan (Zheng Yu’s son) commanding troops to capture Yong and Chen Prefectures, he would also support them advancing further south into Lingnan’s Jinghai Army (Qingyuan Army) territory.

Besides presenting the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion with both hands, he also wouldn’t mind the Zheng clan extracting money and grain from Chen Prefecture—Han Qian believed they also had the ability to both appease the Wash family and make them contribute money and effort.

For the Zheng clan’s advance into Lingnan, to control miasma epidemics breaking out in camp armies, Xuzhou could also supply sufficient miasma-dispelling wine.

These past years, to ensure food supply, besides brewing high-purity medical alcohol, Xuzhou territory had intentionally controlled brewing industry development.

This time Han Qian agreed to let wine merchants under the Zheng clan’s name enter Xuzhou and western Huai, but also hoped territories newly recovered and expanded by the Right Vermillion Bird Army would lift restrictions on the Chishan Association and Xuzhou traveling merchants.

Although the Lingnan region under Jinghai Military Commissioner Liu Yin’s rule at this time encompassed territories as vast as later Guangdong and Guangxi, these regions had mixed Miao and Yue populations. The proportion of immigrant registered households and better-assimilated cooked barbarian common people who had migrated south and multiplied from the Qin and Han dynasties onward was even lower than in Chen and Xu Prefectures. Large-scale raw barbarian common people inhabited even vaster deep mountain old forests without regulation. Currently the Jinghai Military Commissioner’s Office only had fifteen to sixteen thousand registered households—less than one million registered population.

Although Lingnan’s commercial potential might not equal western Huai’s, after recovering Yong and Chen Prefectures, heading south was Gui Prefecture (Guilin). Within its territory was the Ling Canal, continuously maintained since the Qin and Han dynasties over a thousand years, connecting the Xiang and Li River systems. From Gui Prefecture heading south was Liu Prefecture, Xiang Prefecture, and Yong Prefecture (Nanning). Further south from Yong Prefecture was Lian Prefecture.

As early as the Han dynasty, Lian Prefecture was a major commercial port where sea and land routes met. The previous dynasty’s great general had crossed the sea from Lian Prefecture to conquer Jiaozhi, establishing the Annan Protectorate to incorporate it into the Central Plains imperial dynasty’s territories. Maritime merchant ships even traveled to far western lands—later generations called Lian Prefecture the starting port of the Maritime Silk Road. Of course, merchant ships entering the Xi River via the Li River to reach Guangzhou was another even larger-scale sea outlet.

If Qianyang cloth wanted larger-scale markets, Han Qian temporarily couldn’t spare the effort, so naturally could only fully support the Zheng clan in opening up territories southward.

However, at this time the self-styled Southern Pacification Prince, Jinghai Military Commissioner Liu Yin—his father and elder brother’s two generations could occupy the corner territory of Feng Prefecture yet dominate Lingnan. Even though the entire Lingnan region only had one million registered population, their strength absolutely couldn’t be underestimated.

Whether Zheng Hui could campaign smoothly in Lingnan after recovering Yong and Chen areas could only be seen in time.

No matter what, and regardless of how relations with Tangyi and the Han family would undergo many twists in the future, at least Zheng Chang’s East Lake trip this time was pleasant and satisfactory.

Of course, to strive for Hunan Executive Secretariat’s money and grain to guarantee southern line campaigns as much as possible, Zheng Chang also urged Han Qian to slightly contract the Tangyi army’s scale—the court treasury at this time truly couldn’t make ends meet.

As for Shiliang County’s attribution, seeing Shen Yang acquiesce, Zheng Chang speculated Shen Yang would very likely use as leverage the total five hundred thousand shi of grain the center had agreed to allocate over this year and next, forcing eastern Huai to make concessions.

At this time before Han Qian, Zheng Chang naturally gave full assurances that the Zheng clan would absolutely support this side.

Furthermore, the mess in Chen Prefecture was smeared on the Empress Dowager’s side’s own backside—they absolutely couldn’t possibly expect to have Shen Yang and the Zheng clan completely play the villains.

This way, eastern Huai’s side shouldn’t have the confidence to stubbornly refuse…

……

……

Shen Yang left East Lake aboard the Textile Bureau’s procurement official ship. At this time it was early summer—Chao Lake’s water level had risen, and the Yuxi River also flowed turbulently. Going downstream along the Yangtze, they returned to Jinling City early the next morning.

Although Yao Xishui intervened in this matter bearing the Empress Dowager’s hand-written order, learning from Cao Xiushi’s mouth about Yao Xishui’s actions in this entire affair, Shen Yang didn’t acknowledge Yao Xishui the whole journey. After disembarking, he hastily tidied up and didn’t even return to the Prime Minister’s mansion, directly bringing Qin Wen into the palace.

Zhou Qinian had no lodging in Jinling, but after the Jinling incident, Huang Hua’s entire family had moved into Jinling. Even though Huang Hua was transferred to Hunan to serve as Pacification Commissioner, as an empress consort clan the Huang family’s mansion in Jinling still had connected courtyards and blooming flowers. Zhou Qinian, as Huang Hua’s retainer, also first went to the Huang mansion to meet with Huang Hua’s son—enfeoffed as Marquis of Jiangyin and serving in the Imperial Guard Command—Huang Lu, as well as Huang Hua’s clan younger brother currently serving as Vice Minister of Rites, Huang Huixiang.

Cao Xiushi could only first lodge at the courier station awaiting further news.

Yao Xishui returned dispirited to Cishou Palace, seeing Marquis of Linjin and Vice Minister of War Li Changfeng, Vice Minister of Works Zhou Yuan, and Xu Jing who had previously remained in Guang Prefecture, all in the palace.

After confirming Han Qian had very likely known earlier about Liang He Prince Zhu Rang colluding with Mongols to rebel, Xu Jing and Chun Shisanniang on March 4th had dispatched people rushing to Chen Prefecture to send warning.

Unfortunately, from Chi Prefecture to Wuling County they could still gallop urgently, but from Wuling County to Chen Prefecture for several hundred li—besides using the Ruan River waterway, cliffs and mountains flanked the shores—this stretch of road could only use the waterway to pass.

It just happened that when the messenger passed through the Ruan River waterway they encountered ambush—the ship was destroyed, people killed, and the message wasn’t delivered to Yao Xishui’s hands in time, causing Yao Xishui to fail to timely halt the attack on Xuzhou.

Anyone counting on their toes knew it was Han Qian who dispatched people to act, but dwelling on this question at this time was already meaningless.

Could this matter really be brought into the open to complain?

After learning news of the Chen Prefecture affair in Luoshan, Xu Jing was dispatched by Li Zhigao to urgently rush back to Jinling to discuss countermeasures. He had also just arrived in Jinling the day before yesterday.

Knowing Shen Yang had dragged Zheng Chang personally rushing to East Lake to intercept the Tangyi army reinforcing the southwest and negotiate with Han Qian, he remained in Jinling awaiting news, not chasing to East Lake to find discomfort.

“…” In a side hall of Cishou Palace, Yao Xishui spoke shamefully about the experience of this trip. “After we left East Lake, the Tangyi navy still had over ten warships sailing west. It seems Han Qian won’t stop in Chen Prefecture without achieving his objectives…”

“The Zheng clan suddenly obtained such huge benefits—this time they’ll definitely speak for Tangyi. Did Premier Shen say he’d dispatch people to eastern Huai to broker this matter?” Zhou Yuan asked with furrowed brow.

“After leaving East Lake, Shen Yang returned to the ship cabin and hasn’t shown his face, nor said anything more,” Yao Xishui said.

At this moment Zhou Yuan’s brow furrowed even tighter. He said: “Han Qian learning in advance about Liang He Prince Zhu Rang colluding with Mongols to rebel—this is almost an open secret. But now so many things have suddenly occurred, especially Cao Xiushi very likely already fully revealed Xishui going to Chen Prefecture to lobby. With Shen Yang’s shrewdness, he can probably also guess we knew in advance shocking changes would occur in Hebei. Seeing his attitude, perhaps after reporting to His Majesty, he’ll force us to dispatch people to eastern Huai to broker this matter?”

“Prince Xin isn’t easy to deal with,” Li Changfeng said with furrowed brow.

After experiencing so many events, especially after uncle Li Pu learned the Empress Dowager had brought the Second Prince to Cishou Palace to raise, having Li Xiu and Li Qi serve in the Xiangbei Army—the Marquis of Linjin Li Changfeng, not yet fifty years old, didn’t want to return to Hong Prefecture to retire. He had no choice but to become part of the Empress Dowager’s faction.

Of course, in terms of prestige and qualifications, Marquis of Linjin Li Changfeng had the potential to replace Li Pu and represent the Empress Dowager’s faction presiding over the outer court. Around New Year he had been granted the additional titles of Assistant Administrator and Vice Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery besides his Vice Minister of War position, gaining entry to the Political Affairs Hall for deliberations, becoming one of the group ministers in Great Chu’s Political Affairs Hall.

If Shen Yang definitely wanted their side to dispatch someone to eastern Huai for negotiations, this task would mostly fall on his head.

Li Changfeng didn’t mind making the trip, but besides annually allocating three hundred thousand shi of grain, the court had no other substantial authority to constrain eastern Huai. He worried that merely threatening with three hundred thousand shi of grain might not make eastern Huai readily surrender Shiliang County.

Put bluntly, if they had to give eastern Huai additional compensation, it could only come from their side making corresponding sacrifices.

Li Changfeng exposing this point made Yao Xishui even more ashamed.

“In any case, this time we still must trouble Marquis Li to make the trip, and the matter brooks no delay,” Lu Qingxia said without emotional inflection.

Regardless of what conditions eastern Huai would propose, they had to make contact to know. Moreover, matters couldn’t be delayed—otherwise if Xuzhou officers and soldiers truly acted against the Chen Prefecture tribal battalion, the series of consequences that would subsequently arise would probably be even less welcome to them.

“How is the situation at Luoshan City? Is there possibility of persuading Wen Bo to surrender recently?” Li Changfeng asked Xu Jing.

Prince Xin wasn’t a benevolent type. Just going over like this—who knew how he’d open his lion’s mouth wide?

“Very difficult in the short term. Previously the Shouzhou army used Luoshan City as core to prevent our army from advancing north—provisions and war equipment are amply stored. Even without considering that Wen clan members have all relocated to Xu and Si areas, Wen Bo won’t easily leave the city to surrender until provisions are exhausted and troops decimated,” Xu Jing said.

Xu Jing of course knew how important capturing Luoshan City at this time was—it could completely present a stronger posture from the flank, threatening Han Qian not to dare forcibly campaign in Chen Prefecture. But Wen Bo was too good at defending cities. Among the garrison troops were mostly elite direct forces he led. As long as provisions weren’t exhausted, the Xiangbei Army wanting to forcefully attack Luoshan City would pay too high a price, also not according with their previous purpose of accepting Wen Bo’s surrender.

Currently the Xiangbei Army’s main forces were all used besieging Luoshan City, also having to guard against garrison counterattacks and the Shouzhou army circling to western Cai Prefecture to relieve Luoshan garrison. That is, they had to hope the Tangyi army at this time could contain the Shouzhou army’s main forces. This made the choices they currently had extremely limited.

“Alas,” Li Changfeng sighed lightly and said, “I’ll go see Shen Yang now and take on this Chu Prefecture trip—however, after this matter, Imperial Guard expansion can’t be delayed anymore.”

“The Imperial Guard needs fifty to sixty thousand troops. Shen Yang and His Majesty won’t swallow their anger so submissively this time. Afterward they’ll also prioritize Imperial Guard expansion,” Lu Qingxia said. “And at that time Cishou Palace will fully support Li Xiu being transferred back to the capital to serve in the Imperial Guard…”

No matter what, the predecessor of eastern Huai forces was the elite troops Li Yu brought out. Li Changfeng personally going to eastern Huai to make proposals could somewhat build on old relationships. But Lu Qingxia also couldn’t let Li Changfeng make this trip for nothing.

Subsequently with Imperial Guard expansion, newly added positions like Commander and Vice Commander would necessarily be focal points of competition among all houses. Their side pushing forward Li Yu’s son Li Xiu to compete for the newly added Commander position would face the least resistance.

In fact, besides Li Xiu, they also had no more suitable candidate.

Li Changfeng raising the Imperial Guard matter at this time was precisely awaiting Lu Qingxia’s words. He immediately took leave from Cishou Palace, rushing to Chongwen Hall to intercept Shen Yang’s path…