“Zu Ti has requested troops. He has already captured three counties in succession, and from this momentum, as long as he has sufficient forces, he can occupy half of Jizhou.” In this way, Zu Ti and Liu Kun would divide Jizhou between them, greatly compressing the Xiongnu’s power.
Ming Yu said, “Governor, this is an opportunity for us. If we can take Jizhou, in the future when we launch the northern expedition, we can attack from all four directions—east, west, south, and north—and recover the lost territories in one decisive strike.”
Zhao Hanzhang said nothing, simply pacing in circles.
Ming Yu watched her intently.
Beigong Chun reminded them, “There’s still Shi Le. He hasn’t made a move yet because Zu Ti hasn’t seized any of his territory, but once Zu Ti expands further, Shi Le will definitely not remain a mere observer.”
Ji Yuan nodded in agreement. “Moreover, the situation in Qingzhou remains unsettled. Gou Xi watches like a tiger eyeing its prey. Once we dispatch troops, Gou Xi will seize the opportunity.”
Zhao Hanzhang said, “That is precisely what concerns me.”
Had they made contact with Zu Ti half a month earlier, she might have changed her decision to use Qingzhou as bait.
But having already reached this point, looking back served no purpose. Zhao Hanzhang had mentally rehearsed the scenarios several times—dispatching troops at this moment would lead to unfavorable outcomes in every case.
So despite the great temptation, she still shook her head. “We cannot bear the worst-case scenario.”
Ming Yu thought for a moment, unable to help clenching his fist in frustration. “Must we let this opportunity slip by? Zu Ti’s forces are weak, composed of local Han people and refugees he’s gathered—they lack combat experience. I fear they cannot withstand Shi Le’s great army.”
Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes flickered as she fell into deep thought.
After the meeting concluded, Zhao Hanzhang specifically kept Ji Yuan behind to speak privately. “Sir, I want to send people to Jizhou.”
Ji Yuan frowned. “Didn’t you just say the outcome wouldn’t be favorable?”
“They won’t go as members of the Zhao Family Army,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “We’ll say there’s a Qihuo Army unit going to join Zu Ti. We’ll provide them with—no, we’ll trade with them. We’ll sell them weapons and provisions.”
Ji Yuan understood. After pondering for a moment, he said, “If exposed, I fear Gou Xi will immediately dispatch troops.”
“It’s impossible to take no risks at all. This is already the best solution I can think of,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “The opportunity is rare, and I truly cannot bear to abandon it.”
Ji Yuan saw the determination in her eyes. Once she made up her mind, it was difficult for others to change it. Moreover, he himself was tempted. So he nodded. “Who do you intend to send?”
Zhao Hanzhang paced in circles, then said after a moment, “Send Cheng Da. He’s a Jie Hu, which gives him an advantage in Jizhou. Have him lead five thousand men to find Zhao Shi. I’ll personally write a letter to Zu Ti, asking him to keep this secret and help us maneuver.”
Zhao Hanzhang spoke frankly—at this time, her relationship with Gou Xi was tense, making it truly inconvenient to dispatch troops. If Yuncheng misunderstood, a great war might very well break out, which was not her wish.
However, this opportunity was truly rare, so she was willing to secretly assist Zu Ti. Everything was for the sake of recovering the old territories. If he could recover Jizhou, she would vouch for him and recommend him to the court as Jizhou Inspector.
Zhao Hanzhang believed that while Liu Kun and Wang Jun competed over Jizhou, they would not compete with Zu Ti.
Because Zu Ti was worthy of Liu Kun entrusting his back to him.
Sent along with the letter was an official seal and an appointment document. Zhao Hanzhang appointed Zu Ti as General Who Conquers the North, stamped with her seal.
This was Zhao Hanzhang’s guarantee to him. If one day she went back on her word and failed to honor it, Zu Ti could use this appointment document to demand justice from her.
Zu Ti accepted the official seal and appointment document. Zhao Hanzhang immediately had Cheng Da lead five thousand men to Jizhou in the name of a Qihuo Army to join Zu Ti.
Zu Ti also expressed his sincerity, promoting Zhao Shi to Left Adjutant, allowing him to independently lead a military unit.
Zuo Min was very indignant. “General, that Inspector Zhao doesn’t even dare show her banner. We’re conquering all of Jizhou ourselves—why should we still submit to her?”
Zu Ti said, “They’re providing five thousand soldiers, and moreover, warfare requires not only men but also provisions and weapons. All of these will be provided by Inspector Zhao, so it’s only natural that I should be subordinate to her. Don’t speak such words again in the future.”
Zu Ti had come to submit to Zhao Hanzhang. His will was firm. Since he looked down on the Sima clan and refused to submit to Gou Xi, he naturally would not easily change his choice.
He also considered the big picture, knowing that at this time, if Zhao Hanzhang dispatched troops to Jizhou, it would indeed be very detrimental to the current overall situation. If Gou Xi misunderstood and sent troops to Yuzhou, chaos would erupt throughout the realm.
No matter—he could afford to wait. He was willing to proceed gradually. To speak from the heart, the fact that Zhao Hanzhang could consider this point rather than greedily rush forward made him even more sincerely convinced.
Just as Zu Ti and Zhao Hanzhang finalized their cooperation, the situation in Qingzhou changed again and again.
First, Wang Jun, who had been constantly pressuring Zhao Xin and Wei Jie to raise the Zhao Family Army banner, pulled back his hand and began focusing on attacking Qingzhou.
When Zhao Hanzhang opened her mouth like a lion, directly demanding Beihai Commandery and Donglai Commandery, Wang Jun indeed stopped mentioning the matter of raising the Zhao Family Army banner to Zhao Xin and Wei Jie.
While things quieted down on his end, Yuncheng also received Zhao Hanzhang’s letter and memorial.
The Emperor and court officials couldn’t help but re-examine the Qingzhou incident. They discovered that although Wang Jun and Liu Kun had divided their forces into three routes to attack Qingzhou, only two people’s banners were present—there truly was no Zhao Family Army.
When they sent scouts to investigate further, they only heard that Zhao Xin and Wei Jie had been brought along by Wang Jun’s army, but it was unclear whether they had been detained or were providing counsel and strategies for Wang Jun.
However, Zhao Xin and Wei Jie had initially gone to Jizhou to mediate.
The Emperor couldn’t help but look at Gou Xi, consoling him, “Perhaps we have misunderstood Minister Zhao. Why not follow her suggestion and send letters to inquire of Wang Jun and Liu Kun the reason for their military expedition?”
This past year, Gou Xi had been immersed in sensual pleasures. Though resentful in his heart, he also didn’t want to go to war.
The main reason was that he didn’t want to personally go to the battlefield. After a year in the gentle embrace of beauties, who would want to emerge from that fragrant, soft pile of beauty to go to the battlefield to face wind and eat sand?
This was exactly the case of ascending from frugality to luxury being easy, while descending from luxury to frugality being difficult.
Seeing Gou Xi tacitly accept the Emperor’s handling method, the Emperor quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He was the person least wanting Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang to fight.
He felt that if those two truly started fighting, he didn’t know whether the state would perish, but he would definitely perish.
The Emperor immediately had Zhao Zhongyu draft an edict. He sent three letters consecutively—one each to Liu Kun, Wang Jun, and Gou Chun, asking them exactly why they had started fighting.
The three men’s replies arrived quickly.
Gou Chun: I’m engaging in passive defense—ask those two bastards on the other side!
Liu Kun: I heard that the common people of Qingzhou suffer unspeakably under Gou Chun’s governance, while Wang Jun says he is the Qingzhou Inspector and can better manage Qingzhou, so I stand on the side of justice.
Wang Jun’s letter was much longer, rambling on at great length. Though full of superfluous words, it had only one core idea: he too was Qingzhou Inspector. Originally, if Gou Chun could manage Qingzhou well, he could yield a step—after all, it was an official position bestowed by the Emperor.
But if he couldn’t do it well, then he, who was equally the Qingzhou Inspector and a parental official, couldn’t bear to see his children suffer, so he wanted to reclaim Qingzhou and govern it himself!
Arriving simultaneously with their letters was another letter and another piece of news.
While Wang Jun, Liu Kun, and Gou Chun were fighting each other until their brains nearly spilled out, someone had quietly raised troops and in one move captured Donglai Commandery and Beihai Commandery, gathering into his hands the two commanderies that Zhao Hanzhang had been coveting.
Coincidentally, that person was also a Qingzhou Inspector.
He was one of Wang Yan’s three burrows for a cunning rabbit—Wang Yan’s clan cousin Wang Dun, appointed when Prince Donghai Sima Yue was still alive. Oh, the Emperor at that time was also the current one.
The Emperor felt completely numb.