Chapter 219: Territory!

Today was the Beginning of Spring.

But for Shengle City in the north, there was still no sign of spring.

The tail of winter remained stubbornly curled around the land, refusing to leave.

Shengle City sat in northern Jin, practically beneath the Heavenbreak Mountain Range.

Several centuries earlier, when the wild men still possessed enough strength to raid the Three Jin lands from time to time, Shengle City had once served as one of Jin's bridgeheads against them.

But that was very long ago.

Nowadays, from the western section of the Heavenbreak Mountain Range to the central stretch near Shengle City, the wild men no longer amounted to much.

Only the eastern section and the snowy plains farther north still bore serious pressure from wild-men tribes.

That region was the responsibility of the Situ Clan.

In the eyes of people across the Three Jin lands, Shengle City was an impoverished and bitter place.

First, it was simply too remote.

Second, it lay too far north.

Even to most commoners of Yan and Jin, who had spent generations living in northern climates the weather here felt extreme.

But Shengle City was not actually desolate.

Long ago, it had been a battlefield.

Over the last century, however, as the wild men steadily declined, the city instead became a transit point for trade.

Before the wars began, calling the roads here "packed with carriages and horses" would have been an exaggeration.

But the place was certainly never quiet.

At this moment, five people sat inside a private room on the second floor of a restaurant in Shengle City.

At the head of the table sat the patriarch of Shengle City's powerful Tufa Clan—

Tufa Chengji.

To his left sat a scholar around thirty years old.

He wore a scholar's robes, but wind and hardship had weathered his face.

There were even signs of premature aging.

His surname was Zhou.

His given name, Zhengwen.

He had once served as a strategist to the Helian Clan and had been stationed here by the Helian Clan to manage business for seven years.

To Tufa Chengji's right sat a burly man wrapped in furs.

Countless small braids covered the man's head and hung down around his face.

The skin visible beneath his clothing was covered in tattoos.

This was standard wild-man attire.

His name was Xiong Lie.

War was the cruelest possible method of integration.

Within this stretch of the Heavenbreak Mountain Range, quite a few wild-men settlements had changed their surnames over the years and gradually become "Jinized."

They too came down from the mountains to conduct business.

Across from them sat one man and one woman.

The man wore a cloak.

The woman was young and beautiful.

Both were chief managers of two major local trading houses.

The five people sitting here could be considered the five most influential figures in Shengle City.

After several rounds of wine, Tufa Chengji finally opened the discussion.

"Heh.

"I thought we'd be able to keep watching the spectacle.

"Who would've imagined the Yan could fight that damned well?"

Zhou Zhengwen nodded.

"Indeed.

"We thought the Yan were occupied fighting Qian.

"The old Clan Head and the Wenren Clan Head joined forces because they wanted to seize the opportunity and carve a piece of meat from Yan.

"Who could have known instead...

"Ah."

Tian Wujing had led two hundred thousand iron cavalry through Qian and into Jin, destroying two great clans in one stroke.

It was like a hurricane sweeping directly across most of the Three Jin lands.

The people below had barely begun processing what happened.

Then they looked up and discovered the sky itself had changed.

Back when the Helian Clan stood behind him, Zhou Zhengwen had effectively been able to dictate affairs throughout Shengle City.

Every other local power had needed to lower its head before him.

Now the Helian Clan had been destroyed.

Zhou Zhengwen instantly became a minor figure.

Fortunately, he still retained some influence inside Shengle City and had also absorbed some Helian refugees, replenishing his strength.

Otherwise he would not even have qualified to sit at this table.

"Speak directly."

Xiong Lie tore at a leg of lamb as he urged them on.

Tufa Chengji did not mind the barbarian's rudeness.

In truth, several centuries ago the two of them might even have shared the same ancestors.

Whether Yan, Chu, or Jin the official histories of all three states claimed that their founding ancestors had received orders from the Great Xia Son of Heaven to lead their people into their enfeoffed lands and resist barbarians, wild men, or Shanyue.

Reality was somewhat different.

At first, Chu's Feudal State had actually been extremely small.

Most of the surrounding territory originally belonged to the Hundred Tribes of Shanyue.

After centuries of expansion and warfare, however, those original inhabitants had been forced into rainforests and swamps, where they survived through guerrilla warfare.

Likewise wild men had never been born with some innate love of climbing mountains and living among peaks.

The lands of the Three Jin had originally belonged to them.

But over several centuries, the Yu Clan had forcibly driven them into the Heavenbreak Mountain Range.

From great clans like the Helian down to small clans like the Tufa many families had originally descended from wild men.

But after centuries of assimilation into Jin society, they naturally no longer regarded themselves as wild men.

They considered themselves Jin people.

The Helian Clan had been the most successful of these assimilated bloodlines.

They had begun "whitewashing" their origins very early.

Imitating Chu's imperial clan they fabricated fairy tales for their ancestors.

The central theme never changed.

You could say their ancestor had been born from a phoenix.

Born from a divine bull.

Born from a divine eagle.

Any beast god was acceptable.

Just never fucking mention that their ancestors had been wild men.

Tufa Chengji said, "I assume everyone received the news.

"Ten days ago, Yu Huacheng of the Yu Clan—the Sword Saint's younger brother—rebelled against the Emperor and tried to hunt him down.

"The Emperor was rescued by the Yan.

"Afterward, Yan's Southern Marquis led troops and flattened the Capital Region."

"Heard it ages ago," Xiong Lie muttered.

Tufa Chengji pressed one hand down.

"What happens to the Jin Emperor actually has very little to do with us.

"But from beginning to end, the Situ Clan never said a word.

"Has everyone considered what that means?"

"What does it mean?" Xiong Lie continued loudly.

This wild man looked coarse and barbaric.

In reality, he was meticulous.

Four or five settlements already entrusted their business affairs to him.

At that moment, the chief manager of the Ning Trading House the woman named Ning Cuicui spoke.

"It means that although the Situ Clan founded a state and proclaimed an Emperor, they apparently have no intention of going to war with Yan."

Xiong Lie laughed.

He lifted his wine bowl and drank.

"So the Situ Clan got scared."

Zhou Zhengwen said, "That is precisely the problem.

"The Situ Clan can be scared.

"They can retreat.

"They can temporarily avoid Yan's edge.

"But what about us?"

Everyone at the table fell silent.

Yes.

The Yan had suddenly invaded the Three Jin lands and thrown local powers like them into complete confusion.

Shengle City might be called poor and bitter but the poverty belonged to the common people.

Every one of the men and women sitting here had grown fat on profit.

Their instinct had been to preserve their own positions.

Preserve Shengle City's existing order.

And because they feared the Yan, the instant they learned the Situ Clan had founded Great Cheng, they immediately answered the call.

They turned against Yan.

Seized control of Shengle City.

And sent memorials to the Situ Clan declaring their allegiance.

The Situ Clan responded quickly.

An imperial decree bearing the Great Cheng Emperor's seal arrived almost immediately.

Everyone here received general's titles and official status.

Then, the Situ Clan went silent.

Once Yan troops entered Jin's Capital Region, killed Yu Huacheng, and the Situ Clan continued standing aside to watch only then did these powerful families finally realize:

Wait.

Something's wrong.

They had been jumping around here enthusiastically, believing the Situ Clan's great army would soon arrive.

They thought there was still a struggle to determine who would rule the Three Jin lands.

Instead it was like someone had flirted with them until they climbed onto the wall carrying a red apricot branch only to discover the other party had merely been playing around!

What the fuck were they supposed to do now?

"There are actually only two roads before us," Zhou Zhengwen said.

"The first is to migrate into Situ territory."

"If we leave Shengle City, what are we?" Ning Cuicui immediately demanded.

Here they were local tyrants.

Leave this place and they would become nothing more than a somewhat large group of displaced refugees.

Zhou Zhengwen nodded.

"The second road is that we proactively send people toward Yan and test the waters.

"We can lower our posture somewhat.

"As for what happened before, we push the blame onto some minor household and offer the Yan an explanation.

"Then let the Yan send over a City Governor to nominally govern this place.

"The Yan gain face.

"We retain the substance.

"Everyone wins.

"Truthfully—no matter what happens, whether under the old Clan Head, under the Situ Clan, or under the Yan—if they want Shengle City governed properly, they will have to rely on us."

"Master Zhou speaks reasonably.

"Very reasonably.

"Still, we need to see what posture the Yan take.

"If everyone remains harmonious and the Yan have no intention of doing anything serious, then what is wrong with giving them face?" Tufa Chengji said.

"Maybe the Yan won't bother managing this place at all.

"Heh."

Xiong Lie spoke then began laughing.

"This really is fucking hilarious.

"At first, you people gathered together and said we should raise a banner against Yan and submit to the Situ Clan.

"Now the same bunch of you are sitting here saying the Situ Clan can't be relied upon and the Yan may be coming.

"Seriously—can't you people show a little backbone?"

Tufa Chengji snorted coldly.

"You aren't afraid.

"If Yan troops really come, you can immediately take your people and trading caravan into the mountains.

"What about us?"

Xiong Lie wiped wine from the corner of his mouth.

"You people talk as though our Sacred Clan was born loving life in the mountains.

"Eight hundred years ago, this place belonged to our Sacred Clan!

"Still—don't be too frightened.

"Right now you think hiding in the mountains as refugees would be unbearable.

"Stay long enough—and you get used to it."

The barbarians called themselves barbarians.

To them, the word "barbarian" itself carried an affirmation of strength and ferocity.

Wild men, however, never called themselves wild men.

They called themselves the Sacred Clan.

They knew perfectly well that everyone throughout the East and even in the West called them wild men.

After needling Tufa Chengji enough, Xiong Lie stood.

"You people keep discussing.

"I'm heading back first."

He possessed a retreat route.

And he possessed enough strength to speak boldly.

The wild-men settlements maintained a trading yard inside Shengle City.

Several hundred armed men worked there.

The other local powers did not casually provoke him.

Everyone was here to make money.

Offending Xiong Lie meant offending a whole cluster of wild-men settlements in the surrounding mountain region.

How were they supposed to keep doing business afterward?

After leaving the restaurant, Xiong Lie returned directly to his own yard.

The place was piled high with mountain goods.

Many cages also contained demon beasts.

These beasts possessed little combat ability.

In later generations, they would have been closer to pet dogs and cats.

When Xiong Lie entered the rear courtyard he saw a young man teasing his favorite azure eagle.

This too was a kind of demon beast.

Its feathers were blue-green.

Legend claimed it descended from the mythical Azure Bird.

It could be domesticated and possessed considerable intelligence.

This azure eagle was an exceptional specimen.

Xiong Lie treasured it deeply.

Normally no one was even allowed to touch it.

Yet the young man before him was casually poking and prodding it with a bamboo skewer.

Xiong Lie showed no anger whatsoever.

Instead, he proactively dropped to one knee.

"Lord Zheng.

"This slave has returned."

Zheng Fan turned around and looked at the kneeling Xiong Lie.

"I've told you several times.

"There's no need to be this polite.

"We're all on the same side."

"Rites cannot be abandoned!"

"Heh.

"At the very least, wait until I've actually taken Shengle City before you start saluting this seriously.

"Right now you're supposed to let me pretend to be a virtuous lord humbling himself before a worthy man.

"We could even cut our palms and swear a blood oath if you like.

"You're skipping steps.

"Not good."

"............" Xiong Lie.

At that moment, the Blind Man stepped out from behind Zheng Fan.

He looked toward Xiong Lie.

"What attitude are those families taking?"

"Reporting to Mr. Bei—those households are terrified of you Yan people now.

"They're already preparing to send someone to surrender.

"But from the way they're talking, they want Yan to send some official over to rule here in name.

"The actual people managing the city—would still be them."

Hearing that the Blind Man nodded.

"Understandable."

Asking people who already held vested interests to voluntarily surrender those interests was simply too difficult.

And unrealistic.

"They're dreaming a little too beautifully."

Zheng Fan tossed the bamboo skewer onto the ground.

He lifted the teacup beside him and took a sip.

Then continued, "Only children make choices.

"I want the face—and the substance."

The Blind Man immediately offered an extremely perfunctory piece of flattery.

"Master speaks with great wisdom!"

At that moment, Xiong Lie said, "Lord Zheng.

"Mr. Bei.

"A letter from the Sixth Prince arrived this morning."

"What did he say?" Zheng Fan asked.

No one knew exactly how large Little Sixth's business empire had once become.

Even after one imperial decree from the Yan Emperor publicly transferred all those businesses to the Ministry of Revenue influence was not something that simply vanished because someone ordered it to.

Xiong Lie was one example.

He had once been a wild-man slave trafficked into Yan.

The Sixth Prince acquired him.

After some careful arrangement, he sent Xiong Lie back to Jin back to Shengle City.

He funded him while Xiong Lie established contacts with wild-men settlements near the mountains and simultaneously built connections inside Shengle City.

After several years—

Xiong Lie had already become one of the city's most influential figures.

When Zheng Fan had originally been appointed Governor of Shengle City, Little Sixth mentioned Xiong Lie in a letter.

He could be used.

But there was one prerequisite.

If Zheng Fan wanted to use him safely he needed enough troops to intimidate him.

Only on that foundation would Xiong Lie willingly repay the Sixth Prince's favor.

This time, Zheng Fan had more than two thousand regular troops camped in the countryside outside Shengle City.

He also possessed more than two thousand surrendered Jin troops.

Truthfully if he ignored potential losses, he already possessed enough strength to assault the city directly.

The various trading houses and powerful local clans inside Shengle City could perhaps scrape together several thousand men.

But in their current fragmented condition how could they possibly defend the walls?

Still if the city could be taken without a siege, then naturally it was better not to attack.

After finally seeing the dawn of turning his fortunes around—

Zheng Fan had no desire to lose too much capital before the sun even rose.

"Lord Zheng, Master wrote two things in his letter.

"First—he ordered this slave to obey Lord Zheng properly and handle whatever you ask."

"And the second?"

"Master said he thanks Lord Zheng for the several large wagons of cornmeal you sent to Yanjing more than a month ago.

"Master says—he has already eaten cornbread for an entire month."

(End of Chapter)