Zhou Qinian dared not take matters into his own hands. He first sent someone rushing five hundred li urgently to Yueyang to report this matter to Huang Hua. Four days later, Huang Hua’s reply was transmitted back—from Jinling to Yueyang, land post roads connected them, with a courier station every thirty li. Transmitting messages was ultimately more convenient—instructing Zhou Qinian to visit Zhou Yuan’s mansion in a private capacity to see what intentions Lü Qingxia and these people actually had.
The two Zhou Yuan and Zhou Shu brothers, at the beginning of their rise to prominence, were both retainers of the Xinchang Marquis mansion, later gradually gaining importance with the Vermillion Sparrow Army’s rise. After Great Chu’s navy was destroyed, on the surface it was also these two brothers who decisively switched banners, acting on the Empress Dowager’s hand edict, becoming the Empress Dowager faction, preserving their power and influence. At this time, one was Left Martial Guard Army Commander, the other Vice Minister of Works—in court they could be said to hold high positions with great authority.
Their two brothers’ mansions adjoined Li Zhigao’s Jinling mansion—high walls, great courtyards. Rather than calling them extravagant, better to say they more resembled solid fortresses. Rarely were any capital household mansion walls built stacking stone slabs.
Zhou Yuan was called a civil official, but when Zhou Qinian rushed over to pay respects, entering the hall he saw armed guards everywhere throughout the Zhou household, making his brows furrow.
Zhou Qinian still instinctively resented Zhou Yuan, this type of person whose heart was full of palace intrigues and lust for power.
Zhou Yuan had been waiting these two days for Zhou Qinian to call. He welcomed the man into an elegant room, treated him to superior clear tea, and straightforwardly entered the main topic, saying: “Under current circumstances, the Empress Dowager also dares not rashly order Chai Jian to lead the Left Divine Martial Army attacking Wuguan. But Han Qian’s sinister intentions are truly detestable. I presume Master Zhou absolutely does not wish to see his ambitions fulfilled?”
“But I wonder what excellent strategy Lord Zhou has to respond?” Zhou Qinian lifted his teacup, surveying the room’s furnishings, asking calmly.
“This past half year, court and country have advocated expanding the Imperial Guard, but under various constraints, the matter has been difficult to accomplish. Does Master Zhou not feel this regrettable?” Zhou Yuan asked.
“Though regrettable, it seems not something you and I, Lord Zhou, can manage through private discussion,” Zhou Qinian said.
The Imperial Guard expansion matter being dragged to this point without actual progress—nothing more than all families wanting to compete for command authority over the newly expanded Imperial Guard—Cishou Palace’s side had consistently strongly recommended Li Xiu serving as Commander. This was a condition even the Huang family could not accept.
Zhou Qinian momentarily could not figure out Zhou Yuan’s intention in raising this matter again—what direct relationship did it have with Han Qian abducting the Wen clan members?
“Why does Master Zhou feel we cannot discuss a result?” Zhou Yuan asked with a smile.
Zhou Qinian’s thoughts stirred. He asked: “How so?”
“The Marquis of Jiangyin is well-versed in military texts. Serving in the Imperial Guard, his strict military governance has always earned ministerial praise. If he commanded the newly organized Imperial Guard expeditioning to Guanzhong, I think inside and outside court, there would be much less dispute,” Zhou Yuan said.
Zhou Qinian had to admit what Zhou Yuan said was an extremely tempting suggestion.
Since Han Qian secretly controlled the Wen clan members, Xiangbei Army main forces dared not easily act rashly, needing to fully guard against what other treacherous intentions Han Qian secretly harbored. But the Empress Dowager faction seemed set on joining hands with Shu forces to attack Guanzhong. Then newly organizing a military force, commanded by the current empress’s elder brother, Marquis of Jiangyin Huang Lü, to attack Wuguan—resistance inside and outside would naturally be much less. Expanding the Imperial Guard was currently approximately a common goal pursued by many forces besides Huaidong and Tangyi.
The key to this matter still depended on the Huang family’s attitude.
Family head Huang Hua was currently Hunan Pacification Commissioner. Zheng Hui sending troops from Shao and Heng to clear out and suppress Yong Province rebels could not do without the Hunan Pacification Commission’s strong support. If at this time Huang Lü led troops attacking Wuguan, the Zheng clan naturally would not strongly oppose again.
As the current empress’s blood elder brother, Huang Lü serving as the new Imperial Guard Commander after Guo Liang and Zhang Chao—at least under current circumstances, no one would suspect the Huang family harbored any treacherous intentions toward the court.
As for Emperor Yanyou, at this time he also could not possibly harbor any vigilance toward the Huang family.
Even if future worries existed about consort relatives becoming too powerful and difficult to restrain, that was a matter many years hence. At least presently, Huang Lü was a candidate more acceptable to everyone.
Seeing Zhou Qinian fall into contemplation, Zhou Yuan added: “Of course, the opportunity to attack Guanzhong waits for no one. The new Imperial Guard also cannot directly conscript and train new recruits from various military camps and garrisons. But we can directly draw a portion of troops from the Left and Right Imperial Guard plus various Imperial Army units to organize into the new army—while the gaps thus created in the Left and Right Imperial Guard and various Imperial Army units can be filled by conscripting new recruits from garrison military camps. What does Master Zhou think of such arrangements?”
When organizing the Imperial Guard years ago, soldiers were all drawn from elite troops from various forces, with their families relocated and settled in garrison military camps near the capital region. Initially, the most troops conscripted into the Imperial Guard as military households came from Hu Province forces.
Newly organizing an Imperial Guard unit this way, with large numbers of Hu Province-origin veterans within, Huang Lü governing them would also be effortless. The Huang family also did not lack military generals and staff capable of assisting Huang Lü in military governance and warfare.
Under such conditions, Zhou Qinian also knew it was impossible for the Huang family not to be tempted.
“Just these?” Zhou Qinian stared at Zhou Yuan and asked.
“Li Xiu is a prince’s descendant. His Majesty praised him for having the bearing of a famous general. I think Li Xiu serving as Vice Commander or Army Administrator assisting the Marquis of Jiangyin should be qualified. This also facilitates giving the Marquis of Linjin and the Prince who was utterly loyal to Great Chu an accounting before his spirit in heaven,” Zhou Yuan said.
Zhou Qinian felt somewhat hesitant.
Honestly speaking, in court, those criticizing Li Pu were extremely numerous. But Li Yu had established great merit for Great Chu years ago, and at the height of his power and influence surrendered military authority, willingly retiring to pastoral seclusion—the vast majority saw this with their own eyes.
If not for Li Xiu leading the Prince’s mansion retainers emerging again, walking too close to Li Pu and the Empress Dowager faction, his serving as the newly organized Imperial Guard Commander would have had no resistance.
Now they retreated to second best, merely requesting to serve as Vice Commander—somewhat showing compromise and seeking accommodation.
From a realistic perspective, even if Chu forces attacked Wuguan from Jun Province—relative to Shu forces attacking Guanzhong from Liang Province, it could only be considered a flanking force—military deployment had always been a dangerous affair. Having an outstanding general like Li Xiu join the newly organized Imperial Guard could not be considered a bad thing by any measure.
Seeing Zhou Yuan had no other conditions to raise, Zhou Qinian sat a while longer then took his leave.
—
Zhou Yuan saw Zhou Qinian off from the mansion, walked back to a small courtyard in the mansion’s northeast corner, seeing Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang sitting beneath moonlight, staring blankly at the osmanthus tree by the pavilion whose petals had fallen to cover the ground.
Seeing Zhou Yuan approach, Yao Xishui asked: “Did you explain everything clearly to Zhou Qinian?”
“…” Zhou Yuan truthfully recounted the circumstances of his meeting with Zhou Qinian just now.
Yao Xishui asked Zhou Yuan somewhat uncertainly: “Will Huang Hua agree to our suggestion?”
The Chen Province affair had dealt Yao Xishui quite a heavy blow. Now many matters made her appear hesitant and uncertain.
“Crown Prince is unruly and untamed, Han Qian has also exposed such great ambition. If I were Huang Hua, I would also use every means to regain military command authority to guard against future situation changes,” Zhou Yuan said. “Even if Huang Hua doesn’t agree, with Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans increasingly fearing Han Qian, would they agree to Huang Hua abandoning such an opportunity to regain close guard military authority?”
Though Huang Hua was experienced and sophisticated, he was ultimately the representative of Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans. He necessarily had to consider Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans’ interests.
Although during the latter stage of the Jinling Incident, Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans did not have fierce conflicts with Han Qian, Chishan forces did not truly attack into Jiangdong territory, this did not mean Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans lacked vigilance toward Han Qian implementing new policies in Tangyi and Xu Province.
Currently all factional forces directly controlled elite troops. At such a chaotic wartime moment, Great Chu internally was also extremely unstable. Zhou Yuan and his group worried that at this time when Liang forces were fragmented and unable to restrain Great Chu, Han Qian might possibly initiate civil war first. He did not feel Jiangdong aristocratic families and clans at this time could sleep soundly.
With Huang Lü commanding the newly organized Imperial Guard, and the newly organized Imperial Guard primarily responsible for coordinating with Shu forces attacking Guanzhong, Zhou Yuan also believed this had the least resistance.
Even Shen Yang, Yang En and others would not likely strongly oppose again.
Thinking to this point, Zhou Yuan sighed lightly again, saying: “What truly gives headaches now is still Tangyi!”
Hearing Zhou Yuan say this, Yao Xishui’s delicate beautiful face immediately darkened like clouds covering it. Of course, at this moment what filled her heart more was powerlessness.
They had plotted so much, so thoroughly, yet everywhere were constrained by Tangyi. Every time Tangyi occupied great advantages, forcing them to compromise with other forces, make transactions, to prevent the situation from becoming completely unfavorable to them. Who would feel comfortable about this?
“Oh right, Xu Jing transmitted a message yesterday saying Wang Tao went to Luoshan three days ago to discuss apportioning defensive responsibilities between the two armies on the northern front. Going to Luoshan city walls to observe enemy movements, Wang Tao said he wanted to shoot a surrender demand letter into the city on Han Qian’s behalf. Initially Xu Jing and his group saw it was indeed Han Qian’s handwritten surrender demand and didn’t pay much attention. But when Wang Tao drew his bow to shoot the arrow, he seemed to have attached other letters. By the time they wanted to stop it, it was already too late. In the urgency, a dispute arose. Ultimately it was inconvenient to detain him, so they released Wang Tao back to Huangchuan,” Zhou Yuan remembered another matter and told Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang.
Hearing this, Yao Xishui could not help but have the corner of her eye twitch several times.
Though in her heart she also clearly knew that truly detaining Wang Tao would undoubtedly also give Han Qian a pretext to directly deploy more troops to the Huangchuan front to intervene in the Luoshan battle situation, thinking that Han Qian actually directed someone to openly deliver what was extremely likely Wen Muqiao’s written secret letter into the city before Xiangbei Army generals’ faces—momentarily her anger could not be calmed.
“Would Wen Bo truly believe Han Qian will spare his Wen family father and son?” Chun Shisanniang asked puzzledly. “Even accepting surrender, he also should not incline more toward Tangyi forces! If he wants the Wen clan members unharmed, even without more reliance on us, he should maintain neutrality. In my view, we need not heed Han Qian’s bluffing. The Left Divine Martial Army should attack Wuguan according to original plans…”
“The key is not knowing what means Han Qian used to persuade Wen Muqiao and the Wen clan members to obediently cooperate in escaping Xu Province. Now the situation from all sides is delicate. In all matters, being careful is better. Using Huang Lü to command the new army also has no disadvantages,” Zhou Yuan said.
These years, their schemes against Xu Province and Tangyi had never gained any advantages. Where would Zhou Yuan still have Chun Shisanniang’s kind of confidence to completely disregard Tangyi’s motives and plots while acting independently?