“Haven’t they engaged in battle even once?”

“Not at all. We’ve just been waiting. They said to wait until all the relief forces arrived before fighting. And sure enough, these past few days people have been trickling in.”

Zhao Hanzhang then asked, “Can you eat your fill each day?”

“Eat our fill? Only on the first day before battle could we eat a full meal. During times like these when we’re waiting around, we’re lucky to get half full.”

So they sat whenever they could instead of standing, and lay down whenever they could instead of sitting—conserving energy!

Zhao Hanzhang asked several more questions. Two quarters of an hour later, she stood with her back to the command tent, sighing wistfully.

Ji Yuan had also finished his socializing and came looking for her. “My lady, the allied forces number about twenty thousand. Adding your three thousand, approximately twenty-five thousand in total.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “That sounds like quite a lot. How many Xiongnu troops are there?”

“Fighting until now, they still have around five thousand remaining.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “Five to one odds, yet our chances of victory still aren’t great.”

“Exactly.” Ji Yuan nodded. “Liu Jing commands a cavalry force. While they may struggle with sieges, in field battles and breakthrough operations, they’re unmatched.”

“Moreover, his troops may not all have experienced hundreds of battles, but they’ve at least all witnessed life and death. They’re far superior to these newly raised forces of ours.”

Fighting one against five would be like cutting vegetables for them—they wouldn’t be the least bit afraid.

“These troops are already the maximum each commandery and county could muster,” Ji Yuan continued. “So Prefect Zhang and the others have been hesitant and wavering, not daring to advance rashly.”

“Haven’t they contacted those inside Quyang?”

Ji Yuan sneered coldly. “Provincial Governor He is incompetent. He’s sent orders out twice, both times telling the relief forces to attack, yet he couldn’t provide any sound coordination plan. Prefect Zhang treasures his troops, so he still hasn’t been able to bring himself to give the order.”

Zhao Hanzhang stroked her chin. “If we don’t fight soon, the provisions won’t hold out. If we just keep consuming supplies here, what happens when the provisions run out?”

“I asked about that. Someone proposed requisitioning grain locally, and Prefect Zhang has already agreed,” Ji Yuan said. “Apart from the villages and towns under Quyang, the nearest place is Shangcai County. I’m afraid Shangcai will have to bear another layer of military taxation.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang’s expression immediately darkened.

Whether this military tax was calculated based on land or population, she would bear the largest burden, because she was the biggest household in Shangcai County!

So after all this circling around, not only must she feed her own three thousand troops, but she’d also have to feed the other relief forces?

Don’t even think about it!

Zhao Hanzhang turned to Ji Yuan. “Do you know why the Jin court always loses battles?”

Ji Yuan: …Why ask such an important question so suddenly?

“First, it’s because of these selfish, incompetent wine-sacks and rice-bags. Second, they’re all such scoundrels—treating human lives like grass. Shangcai County has already been taxed an additional layer. Tax them again—how many people will Shangcai County have left next year?”

Ji Yuan lowered his voice. “Right now they’re only taxing Shangcai County. Next year, I’m afraid Xiping won’t escape either.”

Zhao Hanzhang snorted coldly. “If they think they can take tax revenue from me in Xiping—they’re dreaming!”

If she didn’t control Shangcai County, she wouldn’t even want to give them Shangcai’s tax revenue.

The current taxation was so heavy that even she, a major landowner, could barely breathe under it, let alone ordinary common people.

Ji Yuan thought of County Magistrate Chai and lowered his voice. “My lady, County Magistrate Chai may be rather foolish, but he knows when to yield. Perhaps through him we could gain control of Shangcai County.”

“But he’s too foolish, and he cannot refuse unreasonable demands from the Prefectural Office and the Provincial Governor’s Office,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Working solely through him would be too exhausting, and I fear it would affect my lifespan.”

“Pardon?”

“Getting angry too often shortens one’s life.”

Ji Yuan: …Does that include him?

He wondered if being repeatedly rendered speechless might also shorten one’s life.

Ji Yuan swallowed his words and asked, “Then how does my lady wish to handle affairs in Shangcai?”

“No. Now that Xiping is under my control, developing Xiping and making it our foundation is the top priority. County administration is complex and multifaceted—I need your help, Mister. As for Shangcai…” Zhao Hanzhang paused before continuing, “What does Mister think of Changning, the man at County Magistrate Chai’s side?”

Ji Yuan considered this before shaking his head. “Does my lady wish to have Changning replace County Magistrate Chai? He cannot do it. Changning was born a commoner—he doesn’t even have the opportunity to participate in the ranking evaluations. Without official rank, how could he assume the position of county magistrate?”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Though I don’t actually intend for Changning to replace County Magistrate Chai, I still must say: I judge people not by rank, but by talent and virtue.”

“The Impartial Arbiters precisely determine rank based on talent and virtue.”

“Mister, you’re just trying to fool someone like Erlang with such words,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “I’m not a child anymore. If ranks were truly determined by talent and virtue, then with your talent and character, Mister, shouldn’t you have been assigned an upper rank? Yet you didn’t go for evaluation. Why is that?”

Ji Yuan fell silent.

Because he was from a humble family. Even if he went, he’d only be assigned a lower rank. No matter how talented he was, with his family background, being assigned lower ninth rank would already be considered fortunate.

But with lower ninth rank, county magistrate was as high as he could go. Rather than waste away like that, he might as well take a bold gamble. That’s why he went to serve as Zhao Changyu’s aide—and had served for over ten years.

Through Zhao Changyu, he could realize his aspirations and do many things he wanted to do but couldn’t accomplish on his own.

But an aide was just an aide. He could offer strategies, but his name would never appear in the history books.

To say he had no regrets would be impossible.

Ji Yuan looked silently at Zhao Hanzhang, his heart in tremendous turmoil. “Does my lady mean to re-establish rankings, based solely on talent and virtue, without regard to family background? Even allowing commoners to participate?”

If even commoners could participate, then surely his humble family background could as well!

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand. “I care nothing for status high or low, bloodline noble or base—I look only at talent and virtue.”

Ji Yuan’s heart waged a fierce internal struggle. After a long moment, he asked with difficulty, “How does my lady plan to arrange Changning?”

“If he’s willing to pledge allegiance, I’ll give him two paths. First, remain as County Magistrate Chai’s aide, guiding him to favor us. In the future, when I control Shangcai County, I’ll make him Shangcai’s county magistrate. Second, I’ll directly appoint him as Shangcai County’s assistant magistrate or chief clerk, sidelining County Magistrate Chai. Later on, he’ll still become Shangcai’s county magistrate.”

Ji Yuan asked, “How does my lady plan to take Shangcai County?”

Zhao Hanzhang said meaningfully, “That depends on whose hands Quyang ends up in.”

Shangcai County was too close to Quyang. Previously, when Provincial Governor He was still Prefect, he often resided in Quyang, making it inconvenient for Shangcai County to do anything.

But after this incident, Provincial Governor He probably wouldn’t want to remain in Quyang anymore.

Ji Yuan: “My lady certainly has confidence in herself.”

Zhao Hanzhang: “Not exactly.”

Could she say it was because she had no confidence in the Jin court?

Historically, shortly after Liu Yuan declared himself emperor, the Great Jin gradually walked toward its end. The Emperor had no prestige or power, constantly scheming to escape the Prince of Donghai’s control, with no mind whatsoever to govern the common people in the provinces.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Donghai was exhausted dealing with rebel forces everywhere. Beyond Luoyang, forget entire commanderies or counties—even individual villages could govern themselves independently. Many people driven to desperation would rally support with a single call and easily raise a rebel army.

She didn’t think carving out a few counties for herself would be particularly difficult. As long as she had money and people, with sufficient boldness, taking all of Yuzhou was merely a matter of time.

Of course, she couldn’t tell Mister Ji any of this, lest she frighten him.

—