Han Qian hadn’t expected Feng Liao to see through everything so quickly. Staring at Feng Liao’s pained and conflicted face, he said:
“Your guess is correct. Once matters here are settled, I’ll go to Dragon Fang City to prepare for war with full force. Ezhou will also soon gather troops—by then, my side might even dispatch troops first. If you want to leave after the warfare breaks out, I won’t stop you. But if you want to continue staying in Xuzhou, it will probably take a few more years before I can plead your case before His Highness and formally grant you an official position.”
The Feng family had now taken root in Xuzhou and didn’t need to worry about being purged again or suppressed by other vengeful enemies. Han Qian didn’t feel he owed Feng Liao or anyone anything.
Since Feng Liao had seen through everything, Han Qian wouldn’t let him go now. But after the warfare against Tanzhou began, Han Qian wouldn’t make things difficult for Feng Liao, Feng Yi, or Kong Xirong regarding where they went.
Even if Feng Liao and the others chose to stay in Xuzhou, as long as Emperor Tianyou lived, they shouldn’t expect to regain official status.
Han Qian wouldn’t risk taking that chance for no reason.
“I don’t want to go anywhere, and I don’t want to stay in Qianyang City. I’ll go with you to Dragon Fang City,” Feng Liao said.
“What’s good about going to Dragon Fang City?” Han Qian said with a laugh.
“After Emperor Tianyou dies, his three sons will inevitably slaughter each other. If I can witness this scene by your side, I’ll have no more resentment in my heart,” Feng Liao said.
After Feng Wenlan and Kong Zhou were ordered to commit suicide by imperial decree, the other Feng family members weren’t implicated. However, Feng Wenlan’s mother and Feng Wenlan’s legitimate wife—who was also the mother of Feng Liao and Feng Yi—both died of illness one after another. Feng Liao’s five-year-old young son also died of convulsions during the house confiscation.
Encountering such tremendous upheaval, their circumstances in all aspects underwent earth-shaking changes. Even though Xuzhou took great care of them, some people inevitably couldn’t adapt to the local conditions. In nearly a year, about twenty people from the Feng family, old and young, had died from illness or hanged themselves unable to bear the setback.
To say Feng Liao had no resentment in his heart—who would believe it?
“If that’s how you think, I definitely can’t keep you by my side,” Han Qian said.
“What’s in my heart can’t be hidden from you, which is why I’m speaking it aloud. But except for today, I’ll never harbor such thoughts again. If you want to help the Third Prince ascend the throne, I can help you to some extent. Otherwise, how will you resolve Xirong’s inner conflicts?” Feng Liao said.
In the battle attacking Zhongfang City, Kong Xirong had climbed the city walls to fight four times, then led a team of first-ascent armored soldiers charging into the western city, as if the energy he’d suppressed in his body for over twenty years suddenly erupted. In that single battle, he took fifteen heads.
If military merit were fairly assessed, Kong Xirong could be promoted directly from ordinary soldier to Squad Leader. His martial prowess was even comparable to Tian Cheng and Gao Shao.
Although in warfare an individual’s role was always limited, having such a warrior appear on the battlefield, leading soldiers in charges, could always激发 ignite their side’s morale at the fastest speed.
However, if Kong Xirong knew they were so actively preparing for warfare only to help the court subdue Tanzhou, would the passion burning in his heart not grow cold?
“Perhaps you truly are the person who can replace me in commanding the Left Bureau,” Han Qian observed Feng Liao for a while, then said with a light sigh. “But if you want to stay by my side serving, you must remember what you just said!”
Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, and even Zhao Wuji, Xi Fa’er, and Lin Zongjing each had their strengths, but someone truly capable of commanding secret forces must by nature be like a venomous snake that could forever hide in the depths of shadows.
Feng Liao’s knowledge and abilities were comprehensive enough, and even more rare was his subtle and perceptive temperament.
Han Qian didn’t know whether keeping Feng Liao by his side was right or wrong, but he truly needed such an assistant now.
“For the rest of Feng Liao’s life, I will follow only Your Excellency’s lead!” Feng Liao bowed deeply, almost prostrating himself on the ground.
Han Qian smiled slightly. He could see integrity and righteousness in his father, Xue Ruogu, Shen Yang, Yang En, and others, but some people’s words—he thought to himself he should just listen and let them pass. He said to Feng Liao: “Go find Tian Cheng and Lin Haizheng shortly. They’ll inform you about the Field Army’s and the Prince’sMansion’sMansion Mansion’s preparations in Ezhou. I need to catch up on sleep now. If there’s anything, we’ll discuss it after I wake up, or you can go to Dragon Fang City with Tian Cheng and Lin Haizheng first.”
“I’ll escort Mr. Feng to see Tian Cheng and Lin Haizheng. Otherwise, they might detain Mr. Feng,” Xi Ren said, using the excuse of escorting Feng Liao to leave first.
Han Qian thought to himself that Xi Ren could escape the first but not the fifteenth, so he let her flee. He pushed open the door, entered the room, and had a thoroughly satisfying sleep. When he woke up, he saw the sun was already slanting westward.
Xiang Jianlong, Yang Zaili, and Xi Xunqiao also wanted to be released from confinement as quickly as possible. They sent trusted aides back to the barbarian settlements. The settlement closest to Big Bay had already sent people to relay messages—they would soon deliver settlement troops and dependents to Wuliu Creek and Sha River for settlement. When Tian Cheng and Lin Haizheng came in the afternoon to see Han Qian still sleeping soundly, they took their leave from Han Daoxun and took Feng Liao back to Big Bay by boat first.
……
……
Han Qian had originally planned to rush to Dragon Fang City the next day with Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping to preside over military preparations. At this time, news reached Qianyang City that Chenzhou Provincial Governor Wang Liang had died from an epidemic disease.
Han Qian had no connection with Wang Liang. Even when he initially accompanied his father to take office in Xuzhou and passed through Chenzhou, Wang Liang had been too stingy to even grant an audience.
However, Wang Liang was also a high-ranking official Jinling had dispatched as a wedge behind Tanzhou.
Because the major local surnames of Chenzhou similarly enjoyed various privileges, and Tanzhou had earlier and deeper infiltration into Chenzhou, Wang Liang faced more restrictions serving as Provincial Governor in Chenzhou.
Wang Liang was also an extremely formidable figure. He exploited the numerous contradictions between the various surnames and with major outsider households, yet managed to make himself impossible to ignore. Tanzhou also hadn’t successfully bought off Wang Liang.
Now Wang Liang had suddenly died from illness—the timing was far too coincidental. But with Wang Liang already dead, and Han Qian having not previously informed him about the secret edict, he temporarily didn’t know what changes in the situation would occur in Chenzhou after Wang Liang’s death, nor how deep Tanzhou’s vigilance toward his father and son had become.
Han Qian adjusted some deployments near Qianyang and was delayed for several more days. Not until early September did he take Zhao Ting’er and Xi Ren, along with Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping, Yao Xishui, Chun Shisanniang, and their party, traveling by boat to Elm Tree Bay.
Currently, the Engineering and Transport Battalion had over two thousand able-bodied men and some dependents—women and children—gathered at the estuary where Sha River entered the Yuan River.
Before winter this year, Big Bay would first construct dikes at the Sha River estuary, then build Linjiang County town on high ground at the estuary, preparing for next year’s cultivation of Big Bay’s riverside flatlands.
To truly develop the approximately one hundred thousand mu of flatlands at Big Bay into grain fields would require investing about one hundred thousand strings of cash and grain. But the newly established Linjiang County bore the heaviest burden of settling relocated barbarian households and stranded refugees. If these matters could be properly handled within two to three years, Xuzhou’s situation would be thoroughly stabilized.
The war sailing ship docked at the makeshift wharf. Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, and others had long been waiting here to welcome Han Qian and Zhang Ping.
Han Qian jumped off the boat and, seeing Zheng Tong also in the crowd, asked: “I recommended you to serve as Provincial Works Advisor—why are you still lingering here?”
“Commandant Han wants to complete the ramming of the Linjiang County town wall framework before year’s end. If I don’t stay here supervising for a few more days, I’m afraid those rabbit bastards under me will slack off!” Zheng Tong had by this time learned the complete plan from Tian Cheng and Gao Shao. No longer needing to lose sleep over leaving his family in Jinling, seeing Han Qian arrive, he said with animated expression, then paid respects to Supervisory Commissioner Zhang Ping.
Xuzhou’s military and political commander was Defense Commissioner Han Daoxun. As Supervisory Commissioner, Zhang Ping should rank only below the Defense Commissioner, with official rank above Han Qian. But he was clear in his heart that even after the secret edict was made public, within Xuzhou’s military, Han Qian would be primary and he auxiliary. He was also courteous in returning salutes to Zheng Tong, Tian Cheng, and others, showing no arrogant demeanor.
“What movements have there been at Cock Crow Settlement?” Han Qian asked Tian Cheng, who had been commanding troops at Dragon Fang City for him these days.
Cock Crow Settlement was Chenzhou forces’ forward outpost, only twelve or thirteen li from Dragon Fang City, with an ancient courier road connecting them.
“Two to three hundred more barbarian troops have been added, quite elite,” Tian Cheng said.
Han Qian nodded. It was inevitable that the major surnames of Chenzhou were full of vigilance toward him. But with Wang Liang suddenly dying of illness, the major surnames of Chenzhou showed no panic and could maintain their original pace while increasing troops at Cock Crow Settlement—this obviously couldn’t be a normal phenomenon.
Han Qian changed the topic and asked: “How many households of settlement troops and dependents have relocated here these past few days?”
“The speed is very fast. Currently, eight hundred households of settlement troops and dependents—over five thousand six hundred people in total—have relocated. We’ve even had to ask the two Mr. Fengs to come out and help!” Tian Cheng said.
Feng Xuan and Feng Zhang, who had been detained at Dragon Bridge Settlement by Xiang Jianlong and the others and tortured beyond human form, had been sent to Dragon Fang City earlier to recover from their injuries. But with the Xiang, Yang, and Xi surnames sending over settlement troops and dependents, many matters required the assistance of Feng Xuan and Feng Zhang, who were more familiar with local conditions and more easily accepted by barbarian households, to advance more smoothly.
These past few days, Feng Xuan and Feng Zhang had practically been carried on stretchers to meet with the minor leaders of various settlements’ troops, comforting their uneasy and anxious hearts.
Seeing that even today Feng Xuan and Feng Zhang still had much difficulty walking, Han Qian said: “With warfare imminent, I must still trouble you two.”
Regardless of whether Tanzhou had noticed, Han Qian’s idea of launching a surprise attack on Wuling was not realistic.
Han Qian had already had Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng extend war mobilization down to the Squad Leader level, so naturally there was even less reason to hide things from Feng Xuan and Feng Zhang.