Chapter 244: Nanzhou and Beizhou

After thinking for a while, Niu Youdao asked again, "Don't all the states purchase warhorses from the State of Qi? How do they manage to buy them?"

Lan Ruoting waved a hand slightly. "Master Dao, that's different. First, every state has at least some horse ranches of its own. Second, states restrain and balance one another. If Qi kept every warhorse locked in its own hands and refused to release any, it would risk a war of national destruction. The other states would inevitably join forces against it. Besides, warhorses are Qi's greatest source of wealth and the foundation that sustains its national strength. So every year Qi releases a fixed quota for sale to the other states, basically enough to replace their old and weak warhorses. Beyond that, Qi controls exports very strictly. As for the quota allocated to the State of Yan, the court naturally distributes it among its own people. How could any of it possibly reach us?"

"Oh." Niu Youdao understood the system. He had been thinking about studying how the various states procured their horses, but now it seemed there was no point even considering it.

He looked up at the map hanging on the wall. "Nothing happening in the surrounding regions lately?"

Lan Ruoting said, "We and Jinzhou depend on each other and maintain a delicate balance, so there's nothing serious for now. Even so, the speed of our development has made the surrounding regions increasingly uneasy."

Niu Youdao asked, "How so?"

Lan Ruoting pointed at the map as he explained. "The two commanderies are implementing new policies and developing quickly, but anyone with eyes can see that we're attracting wealth and manpower from the surrounding regions. We're drawing their resources into our territory, which naturally hollows them out. Jinzhou has already become quite dissatisfied with us. To keep the present balance from breaking, we took the initiative to block the flow of resources from Jinzhou into our side, easing some of their resentment."

"Jinzhou isn't the biggest problem. The two commanderies are, after all, located deep inside Nanzhou. At present, what we're truly drawing from is Nanzhou's resources. Quite a few areas of Nanzhou have already been hollowed out, frightening Zhou Shouxian and putting the imperial court on alert. According to news from the capital, Zhou Shouxian has submitted a memorial asking the court for funds so he can imitate our model and counter us."

Niu Youdao frowned. "Wouldn't that be troublesome? How can two commanderies compete with an entire Nanzhou?"

"Not at all!" Lan Ruoting waved a hand and smiled. "Zhou Shouxian has simply run out of options and is trying to protect himself, so that one day he'll have an explanation to give the court. In truth, Zhou Shouxian himself knows perfectly well that Nanzhou cannot copy our model, and the court won't give him the funds."

Niu Youdao found that strange. "Why?"

"The reasoning is simple. If the court sends money down, the cultivation sects behind Nanzhou will inevitably reach out for their share. How much would truly be left for Nanzhou itself? Second, if Nanzhou copied our method, the resources it drew in would come from other provinces. Would those provinces agree to that? The attacks Zhou Shouxian would face in court alone would be enough to ruin him. And if the other provinces then reached out to the court for the same thing, could the court fund Nanzhou but refuse everyone else? Could it show favoritism that openly? There are too many checks and constraints within the court itself. So the court cannot possibly fund Nanzhou."

"Without court funds, Nanzhou cannot implement our model of reducing and exempting taxes. Without tax revenue, the cultivation sects behind it lose their source of money. Those sects will never agree. Zhou Shouxian cannot withstand that pressure. If he tried to force it through anyway, he probably wouldn't remain Provincial Governor for more than a few days. He might even lose his life."

"To copy our model, certain conditions have to be met. Setting everything else aside, the broader political environment must allow it. The location of our two commanderies lets us and Jinzhou in the State of Zhao support one another. The court doesn't dare touch us lightly, because one move could enlarge the whole affair. That's what gives us room to develop. Very few regional lords possess conditions like these. Beizhou, held by Shao Dengyun, is one of them. Beizhou uses the strength of Han and Yan against each other, letting the two sides restrain one another and cancel out the threat, which gives Beizhou room to breathe between them."

"Beizhou's development model is actually quite similar to ours now. That Shao Dengyun isn't simple. Back when he served Prince Ning, I truly didn't see it."

At the mention of Beizhou, Niu Youdao could not help glancing sideways at him. So this side had noticed Beizhou as well. He sighed inwardly. It was not Shao Dengyun who was extraordinary. It was Shao Dengyun's son, Shao Pingbo!

Shang Chaozong stared at the map with blazing eyes. "There is still a limit to everything. Once we cross the court's bottom line, the court will inevitably sacrifice certain interests to have other states restrain Zhao and the rest, then launch an outright attack on us. So our military strength has to catch up as quickly as possible. We must become strong enough that the court cannot easily bear the losses of going to war against us. Only then will it hesitate to act. Cavalry is critical. Otherwise, once the court attacks, an army on two legs cannot outrun one on four. If the enemy finishes the battle while our reinforcements are still on the road, there is no way to fight that war."

Niu Youdao frowned. After circling through the issue, everything had come back to warhorses. Now he understood why Tianyu Sect was willing to spend money buying them. First, it had money in hand now. Second, Tianyu Sect itself had likely sensed this imminent threat. When Shang Chaozong's side asked them to obtain warhorses, they must also have explained the danger.

The same imminent problem now made Niu Youdao feel threatened as well. If Shang Chaozong were defeated, he too would lose this peaceful environment for cultivation.

There was no way for him to cultivate in peace anymore. Niu Youdao returned in silence with his mind full of worries...

Provincial Inspector's Residence in Beizhou. Shao Pingbo had already moved out of Lingbo Residence. After Madam Ruan and her sons died, he moved back into the Provincial Inspector's Residence.

First, it was more convenient for handling military and civil affairs. Second, concentrating the manpower that had been protecting the two residences made things safer. After Niu Youdao caused trouble here once, the defenses had been strengthened.

And once Shao Pingbo, now freed from most constraints, began handling military and civil affairs without holding back, Beizhou's situation changed with tremendous momentum, leaving Dachan Mountain greatly invigorated.

Dachan Mountain had seen Shao Pingbo's ability and understood what he meant to the sect. The protective measures around him had already been raised to the same level as Shao Dengyun's.

"Eldest Young Master, Miss Su has arrived."

Shao Sansheng entered the study and reported.

Shao Pingbo set down his brush. "Quickly, invite her in!"

Before long, Su Zhao entered in a black cloak. She pushed back the hood, revealing her radiant, alluring face.

"I've made you travel again. You've worked hard. Cough, cough..." Shao Pingbo rose with a smile, then immediately raised a fist to his mouth and coughed.

Su Zhao studied him. The elegant Eldest Young Master looked somewhat haggard now, and several streaks of silver had even appeared at his temples. Seeing him still ill and coughing made her heart ache. She frowned. "Why are you still coughing? I told you long ago that your heart and lungs were damaged and you shouldn't keep exhausting yourself. I told you to stop taxing your mind and recuperate properly for a while. Whatever needs doing can wait until you're healthy. If you keep going like this, even the best miraculous medicines won't survive the way you're destroying yourself!"

Then she abruptly turned toward Shao Sansheng and scolded him furiously. "What kind of steward are you? Can't you even take care of one person?"

Shao Sansheng lowered his head under the rebuke, muttering inwardly, What am I supposed to do? Eldest Young Master has ten thousand affairs to handle every day. He barely even has time to sleep.

"It has nothing to do with him." Shao Pingbo waved a hand. "With Beizhou's situation as it is now, time waits for no one. I genuinely cannot free myself."

Su Zhao glared. "Will Beizhou stop turning without you? I'm not criticizing you for nothing. No matter how capable one person is, how much can he possibly do? When it's time to delegate, you have to delegate. Learn to use people. Otherwise, if you keep going like this, sooner or later you'll work yourself to death! And you—you can't compare everyone you meet to yourself. Who doesn't have flaws? Use people for their strengths. Stop deciding this one is no good and that one is no good..."

Shao Pingbo sighed. "I understand everything you're saying. But you know Beizhou's situation. Yan sees us as traitors, Han sees us as harboring treacherous ambitions, and Niu Youdao has repeatedly ruined my reputation. On top of that, we're trapped between two powerful states and no one is optimistic about us. What capable people are going to come and serve us? I have far too few people I can use in civil administration. I can only recruit learned men and send them down to gain experience, hoping to select a few who can take responsibility for a region. If you come across any useful talent in the future, make sure you recommend them to me."

Su Zhao truly did not know what to say to him. Seeing him this way simply made her heart ache.

"Enough about that. I know what I'm doing. Let's talk business." Shao Pingbo gestured for her to sit. Only after tea had been served did he say, "Beizhou's current condition has already made both Han and Yan uneasy. We must strengthen our military deterrence and make both states afraid to act rashly. Otherwise, sooner or later they'll join forces against us, and everything I've built will be destroyed. Beizhou urgently needs warhorses. How are things on your side?"

Su Zhao said, "There has been progress, and there are also difficulties. The progress is that, with the relationships we've opened over the years and some maneuvering, I should be able to assemble fifty thousand warhorses for you..."

"Good!" Shao Pingbo's spirits lifted. He slapped the armrest hard. "Fifty thousand is enough!"

Su Zhao shook her head. "Don't celebrate too early. Getting fifty thousand warhorses out of Qi should be possible. The problem is the long journey. They have to pass through other states. What country would watch that much strategic military material cross its territory for free without becoming greedy? I considered moving them in tiny batches like ants carrying grain, but Qi is far too distant from Beizhou. You can't possibly keep the horses running without rest the entire way. With all the stopping and starting, the journey would take at least several months. And we're not talking about a few hundred horses, but tens of thousands. They can't even travel in concentrated groups, or they'll attract attention. How much manpower, material, and money would that consume? It's an enormous problem."

"I prepared for that long ago. Look." Shao Pingbo rose and walked to a map. Once Su Zhao joined him, he pointed. "Transporting tens of thousands of warhorses all at once is unrealistic, but they can be moved in batches. Look here. We won't use the roads. We'll use the sea. Load them onto ships, sail out from the north of Qi, circle around the north of Han, then enter this river and travel downstream. It leads directly to the great river along the border between Beizhou and Han. From there, the horses will naturally reach my hands."

Su Zhao frowned. "Han isn't blind. How could they allow so many ships to travel the river without searching them?"

Shao Pingbo said, "Since I prepared for this long ago, naturally I've considered that problem. For years I've been secretly working this water route through Han precisely for this day. Once the ships arrive, I have ways to ensure they pass through without obstruction. So long as you can get the horses out of Qi and onto ships at sea, I can receive them on the Han side. You don't need to worry about that!"

[End of Chapter 244]