Luoyang wouldn’t temporarily dispatch envoys to travel the same route as Cao Zhe to Chengdu Prefecture. In Feng Yi’s words, that would appear too anxious. However, he suggested sending two light muzzle-loading cannons as state gifts for Cao Zhe to bring back to Chengdu Prefecture and present before the Shu Lord Wang Yong and Shu state’s generals and ministers.
Besides the operation manual, Feng Yi also suggested contacting the Military Academy to dispatch instructors to urgently train Cao Zhe’s Shu envoy escorts, so that at least after returning to Chengdu, they could successfully fire projectiles.
Feng Yi’s suggestion naturally wasn’t well-intentioned, but besides accepting with a smile, could Cao Zhe refuse?
Moreover, perhaps only by bringing two cannons back to Chengdu for direct demonstration could people be prevented from thinking the Mengwu army’s disastrous defeat in southern Jin was so incredible and inconceivable?
The Shu matter wasn’t the most urgent. Even if the Shu lord and ministers couldn’t immediately accept Han Qian’s proposed condition of welcoming Wang Yong to settle in Luoyang, maintaining the current situation temporarily wouldn’t be a problem. Both sides still had sufficient buffer time to negotiate.
However, after Sima De returned to Luoyang yesterday, he was much more urgent.
Sima De was naturally much more urgent than Cao Zhe, also more anxious and worried.
The Henan Command Army and Second Central Command Army could at any time, under the leadership of generals like Han Yuanqi, Lin Haizheng, and Han Donghu, launch an attack on Biangliang.
And with Liang Shixiong and the Weibo elite destroyed at Xingyang, although Zhu Rang and Liang Ren in Biangliang seemingly still had sixty to seventy thousand troops assembled, there were few elite forces to speak of.
Moreover, the so-called Mengwu cavalry—before Liang forces’ impregnable battle formations and epoch-making artillery—weren’t they as fragile as paper?
Not to mention that even if Biangliang tried to defend, it couldn’t hold for long. Sima De was more worried that someone in Biangliang with quick wits and keen perception would directly launch a military rebellion, bind Zhu Rang, Liang Ren and other war criminals to submit to Great Liang. At that time, if the Sima clan raised Xu and Si territories to submit, what weight would it carry, what value would it have?
Returning to the city from Liuyun Temple, Han Qian went directly back to Shangyang Garden with Wang Jun and Zhao Ting’er. Feng Yi was responsible for hosting a banquet to entertain Cao Zhe, Sima De and others.
During the banquet, the more Sima De thought about it, the more he felt he couldn’t delay a single moment. After drinking only a few cups of wine, he raised the matter with Feng Yi: “The various descendants of the Sima family have long admired and revered His Majesty’s grand strategy and generous benevolent virtue. However, when De suddenly had the honor of meeting His Majesty today, I was so overwhelmed by His Majesty’s bearing that I forgot to say so many things I wanted to say. Now thinking it over, it’s truly uncomfortable keeping it bottled up inside. The sky is still early—I wonder if at this time I could have an audience with His Majesty to express my admiration again?”
Seeing Sima De shamelessly even use the word “admiration,” Feng Yi smiled inwardly and directly said that it was already late, and Han Qian had rarely been in such good spirits today to take the two consorts on an outing. Having finally obtained a bit of leisure, it wasn’t appropriate to disturb him again with state affairs. Tomorrow he would go to Lingyun Pavilion to see if he could arrange time for Sima De to have an audience at Shangyang Garden.
“What about Military Prefect Li? Why didn’t Lord Feng also invite Military Prefect Li to attend the banquet?” Sima De asked.
Li Zhigao and Tian Cheng, as the two giants of the General Staff, had greater authority than high ministers like Feng Liao, Gu Qian, Han Daoming, and Zhu Juezhong on the matter of accepting Xu and Si forces’ uprising and coordinating the attack on Biangliang.
At Liuyun Temple, Sima De had heard that Tian Cheng would represent Han Qian in traveling to southern Jin in the coming days to reward the three armies and commend the great victory. Clearly he wouldn’t directly interfere with Huai River military affairs in the short term. Since he couldn’t see Han Qian, Sima De wanted to focus on working on Li Zhigao, not hoping to continue delaying further.
“Li Zhigao and Yao Xishui today formally recognized each other as brother and sister. How could I be so tactless as to run over and be annoying?” Feng Yi said.
“This should be greatly celebrated. Although various matters are still confidential, there should be no problem with us bringing wine to offer congratulations.” Sima De stared at Feng Yi almost pleadingly, feeling that if he couldn’t see Li Zhigao, he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
“Very well, then we’ll be uninvited guests!” Feng Yi said.
Wang Jingrong and Yao Xishui had left Liuyun Temple directly today.
To select some personnel from the Guanjiang Tower disciples and northern refugee aristocratic descendants captured in the great southern Jin victory to infiltrate the northern desert, there were still many matters to arrange and prepare. But after returning to Luoyang, Li Zhigao only had Wang Jingrong leave first with Wang Zhe. He brought Yao Xishui back to his residence.
Although the possibility was extremely small, they still had to guard against Mengwu spies who might have slipped through the net and be lurking in Luoyang. Various matters temporarily couldn’t be publicized.
However, there was no problem with Li Zhigao bringing Yao Xishui back to his residence for a private gathering.
How to handle the northern refugee aristocrats had previously been top secret. Li Zhigao wouldn’t casually mention it to Su Hongyu at home either.
Seeing Li Zhigao bring Yao Xishui back, Su Hongyu was truly overjoyed, clamoring for Chun Shisanniang to bring over the best wine she had brewed for them to drink heartily.
They didn’t need Li Zhigao to accompany them. The three women could find a warm pavilion and have a proper gathering.
Before Feng Yi and the others arrived uninvited, Su Hongyu, slightly tipsy, sat between Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang and couldn’t help sighing:
“If back then the Lady had been determined to make the decision and truly married Xishui to Han Qian, it should have been a completely different scene, right?”
“Even if Xishui’s temperament weren’t so stubborn, and the Lady and Marquis Xinchang weren’t willing to submit, with Han Qian’s methods and strategies, wouldn’t he still have devoured us without leaving even bone fragments?” Chun Shisanniang shook her head and sighed. “When I was in Liangzhou, I understood clearly—we fundamentally couldn’t contend with him, couldn’t break free. Why struggle?”
Yao Xishui sighed faintly, also unwilling to think about past events. Only after leaving Liuyun Temple did she learn some of the details about why she received special pardon, besides recruiting the northern refugee aristocrats.
Li Xiu, Li Qi, Li Yan and others were currently all Great Liang generals. For her pardon, Li Zhigao had written several letters and also personally visited their homes during their return to the capital to plead for their agreement and understanding. Only then did the pardon matter naturally receive approval.
Of course, during this process, Zhao Wuji and Ye Feiying also said many words. After all, Li Qi currently served as a general under Zhao Wuji’s command.
Lu Qingxia and Zhou Yuan wouldn’t receive pardons. After all, they had to bear the most direct responsibility for the palace coup that year and even the deaths of Li Changfeng and Li Pu. This was also the Li family’s final insistence. But for Lu Qingxia and Zhou Yuan, being able to remain at Liuyun Temple was not necessarily a bad destination.
“I hope this northward journey can all go smoothly.” Yao Xishui sighed lightly. Her beautiful eyes, which had developed crow’s feet at the corners, slightly closed as she gazed absently at the lamplight in the pavilion, still carrying a trace of worry.
Chun Shisanniang laughed heartily and said: “With Han Qian’s methods, he doesn’t need to play petty tricks with you and me. Zhigao is now just waiting for you to send good news from the northern desert, and he’ll become the first duke enfeoffed by the new dynasty. You also don’t need to worry that Han Qian will go back on promises made in the future. Since ancient times, tyrannical rulers still engage in slaughter simply because they have no other means to control subordinates and can’t control the situation. When ruler and minister are wary of each other, that’s also because the ruler is threatened by ministers, while ministers worry that their talents and prestige will be suspected by the ruler, causing them constant anxiety. Tell me—does this exist in Luoyang? In any era, Zhigao could be called a famous general, but in Luoyang, Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Wen Bo, Jing Zhen, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, Li Xiu, Han Yuanqi, Chen Kun, and that straightforward fellow Kong Xirong—which one is inferior to Zhigao? And when all these people are put together with Han Qian, they all become ordinary. Take this great southern Jin victory—will that straightforward Kong Xirong claim credit arrogantly, or will Li Xiu and Han Donghu claim credit arrogantly, becoming inflated with self-importance? However, being ordinary is good—only this way can ruler and ministers coexist peacefully without suspicion, without needing to have the worry that accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger. How carefree!”
Thinking about it, Yao Xishui agreed. After suffering repeated blows over these years, not even once having a chance to raise a banner, who could still harbor delusions in their hearts?
Chun Shisanniang, slightly intoxicated with good conversational spirits, continued: “Moreover, even if one worries about being suspected, it’s the Zhu family. Haven’t you noticed—Zhu Juezhong, Chen Youjian and those others can’t wait to strip Yunhe naked and stuff her into Han Qian’s bedding to feel at ease. However, recently Han Qian has gone to the academy several times, all with Yunhe accompanying him. Perhaps they’ve already become entangled…”
At this moment, hearing Feng Yi’s voice coming from the front courtyard, Chun Shisanniang’s slight intoxication instantly cleared. She asked puzzled: “What’s he coming here for at this time?”
A moment later, they saw Li Dan come over, inviting the three women to the front courtyard to meet with Feng Yi and Sima De.
“What matter brings you here at this hour?” Su Hongyu asked curiously.
Clearly they had all accompanied the imperial outing to Liuyun Temple during the day, and before even one night had passed, he had run to their home again?
“Sima De hasn’t even settled in yet, and told Father he wants to see His Majesty again as soon as possible,” Li Dan said.
“The Sima family is really too impatient, aren’t they?” Su Hongyu sighed.
“In the current situation, if you move a bit slowly, good merchandise in hand can’t fetch a good price—isn’t that terrible?” Chun Shisanniang laughed.
Yao Xishui had indeed been somewhat worried that she and her elder brother, as descendants of the previous dynasty, were now traveling north to recruit previous dynasty survivors. Even if things went well, it would be hard to escape suspicion. But after Chun Shisanniang’s thorough explanation, she truly realized she had overthought it.
Now that popular sentiment was aligned, no one could shake the foundation Han Qian had built over these years. There probably weren’t many people who would overestimate their abilities and harbor delusions either. There truly wasn’t anything to worry about…