Chapter 353: Enfeoffed as Princes!

If one wished to divide people into two categories, there were many ways to do it.

Men and women.

Good people and bad people.

Or, more directly and superficially, attractive people and ugly people.

But for those who lived within the palace walls, there was only one division that truly mattered: people inside the palace, and people outside.

Eunuchs and palace maids had lives of their own. They did not spend every waking moment trembling in fear the way outsiders sometimes imagined.

But compared with ordinary people beyond the walls, they did carry an extra measure of caution in their hearts.

The palace had too many rules.

Once rules multiplied far enough, people became like quail raised in cages.

Sometimes speaking too loudly could be an offense.

Running freely could be an offense.

Laughing at the wrong moment could be an offense.

But every rule had exceptions.

When news of the great victory at the Wang River entered the palace, eunuchs and palace maids began cheering openly as they passed the exhilarating message from person to person.

They were, in a sense, dogs raised by the imperial household.

But even a dog understood its master’s mood.

It knew when it was safe to jump around and beg for affection. At the right moment, the master would not find the noise irritating. He might even find it endearing.

The Crown Prince sometimes felt he was not very different from them.

He lived here, surrounded by brocade and fine food.

But in the end, was he not also merely one more dog at his Imperial Father’s feet?

Everything depended on performance.

Crown Prince Ji Chenglang brought his attendants directly toward the Imperial Study.

Since news of the victory had already spread among the palace servants, there was no possibility his father remained unaware.

The Crown Prince was not going there to report the news or offer some special congratulation.

He was going because, as heir to the throne, he ought naturally to be present whenever something of this magnitude occurred.

Being Crown Prince under his father was, in many ways, easier than being heir under most emperors in history.

His Imperial Father often lacked the ordinary warmth of a father.

But that same absence of warmth also meant he seemed to lack many of the dark emotions emperors often directed toward their own successors—jealousy, suspicion, constant fear of being replaced.

Unfortunately, his father himself was simply too towering.

Whenever Ji Chenglang stood before him, he still felt pressure descending like an enormous mountain.

Even after entering the Eastern Palace and becoming the formally established heir, he still felt like nothing more than the glow of a firefly.

“Oh, Crown Prince. You’re here.”

“Eunuch Wei.”

“His Majesty is discussing affairs with several ministers. Crown Prince, please enter.”

At a time like this, there was nothing unusual about the Crown Prince going in.

Wei Zhonghe had not become the foremost eunuch in the palace without knowing how to judge a situation. If he had to ask the Emperor for permission over every trivial matter, His Majesty himself would eventually find him annoying.

Ji Chenglang entered the Imperial Study.

The gathered officials, led by Zhao Jiulang, rose to salute him.

The Crown Prince stepped half a pace back and returned the courtesy with a slight bow.

The Emperor of Yan nodded.

“Give him a seat.”

“Thank you, Imperial Father.”

Once everyone sat again, Zhao Jiulang glanced toward the Crown Prince, then rose and continued speaking.

“Your Majesty, now that we have won a great victory at the Wang River, the remainder of the campaign should conclude quickly.”

Minister of Revenue Xu Guanghuai asked:

“What of the Chu army? Are they not still there?”

Zhao Jiulang did not answer immediately.

Instead, he looked toward the newly appointed Minister of War, Mao Mingcai.

Mao Mingcai understood and said:

“Elder Xu may not be familiar with the military situation. Along the Wang River, the savages operated in the field while the Chu army held fast inside Yupan City. One side moved, one side remained still. Their mutual support was precisely what allowed them to hold off Great Yan’s army for so long.

“Now that the savage main force has been shattered, that mutually supporting formation has already been broken.

“Even if those tens of thousands of Azure Luan troops continue holding Yupan City, it will be difficult for them to create much more trouble.”

Xu Guanghuai immediately nodded.

“This old man understands. Thank you for the explanation.”

Mao Mingcai answered at once:

“Elder Xu is too courteous.”

The atmosphere inside Yan’s court remained relatively healthy.

His Majesty himself set the example by refusing to sit in the capital and interfere blindly with commanders at the front.

Because of that, the ministers beneath him did not all imagine themselves experts on every subject.

They still understood that different professions required different specialists.

The Emperor of Yan said:

“Wujing has always been this way when commanding troops. If he does not move, nothing happens. Once he does move, he sweeps everything away like thunder rolling through fallen leaves.

“Now that the savage main force has been broken at the Wang River, the fighting across the Three Jin should end soon.”

The moment his words fell, every minister and the Crown Prince rose together.

“We congratulate Great Yan! We congratulate Your Majesty!”

“This son congratulates Great Yan! This son congratulates Imperial Father!”

“Sit.”

The Emperor of Yan lifted one hand.

“Now it is about time we discuss how the lands of the Three Jin should be handled after this.

“Territory that has been taken must still be grasped firmly in our own hands.”

Xu Guanghuai rose.

“Your Majesty, this old minister knows nothing of military affairs, but once this war in Jin ends, I still believe we should allow the people to rest and recover.”

As Minister of Revenue, Xu Guanghuai controlled the movement of Yan’s money and grain.

Naturally, he understood that after campaign after campaign over the past several years, the treasury had already begun to feel stretched.

Forget actual war.

Even moving an army in peacetime became enormously expensive once the force exceeded ten thousand men.

And in recent years, Great Yan had repeatedly moved armies of one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, even more than three hundred thousand men.

The campaign against the great clans had indeed filled the treasury rapidly.

But no state’s money and grain could endure endless expenditure like this.

People who managed finances rarely liked consuming their reserves.

They preferred a steady flow.

True, the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Residence had voluntarily handed over half the established strength of the Zhenbei Army.

But the court had also transferred Imperial Guards there to fill the gap.

And every year, the money and grain supplied to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s Residence had not decreased by even a single copper.

Tax collection and reconstruction in the Jin territories were still being established.

The lands of the Three Jin had suffered too many wars over these past several years. For the moment, expecting them to generate enough revenue and resources to replenish Yan proper was unrealistic.

Xu Guanghuai naturally understood that telling the current Emperor of Yan to “let the people rest” was not a pleasant task.

But he was Minister of Revenue.

It was something he had to say.

The Emperor did not become angry.

He simply left Xu Guanghuai standing there and turned toward Zhao Jiulang.

Zhao Jiulang rubbed his nose and deliberately avoided taking the hint.

The Emperor shook his head, then looked toward the Crown Prince, who sat with his back perfectly straight.

“What does the Crown Prince think should be done to consolidate the Three Jin?”

This was not an examination.

As heir to a state, Ji Chenglang was required to have thoughts on matters like this whether his father asked him or not.

The Crown Prince rose immediately.

After a brief pause, he said:

“Imperial Father, the lands of the Three Jin have suffered repeated wars over these years. This son believes Elder Xu is correct. The people should be allowed to recuperate.”

The Emperor leaned slightly back in his chair, still patient.

He raised one hand.

“Be more specific.”

“Yes, Imperial Father.

“To govern territory and shepherd its people, the court ultimately requires only two things.”

Xu Guanghuai immediately played along.

“Which two?”

The Crown Prince had just supported his position.

Naturally, Xu Guanghuai returned the favor.

Great Yan’s court was certainly fierce, and His Majesty was not the sort of ruler who believed scholar-officials stood beyond punishment.

But precisely because of that, the endless factional struggles common in other states were less severe here.

For example, His Majesty did not particularly care whether ministers were considered part of some “Crown Prince’s faction.”

He had even handed responsibility for this year’s imperial examinations to the Crown Prince.

So an official maintaining good relations with the heir was not itself taboo.

“Civil and military.”

Ji Chenglang walked toward the large map of the Three Jin hanging on the western wall of the Imperial Study.

Because war had been raging there, the map had remained displayed for some time.

The Emperor of Yan might refuse to interfere with Tian Wujing’s battlefield command, but as sovereign he could hardly ignore the front completely.

The Crown Prince pointed first toward Litian City and Quhe City.

“Imperial Father, in this son’s view, the true key to governing the Three Jin lies in three cities and three strategic passes.

“The three cities are Quhe City, Litian City, and Yingdu.

“The three passes are Nanmen Pass, Zhennan Pass, and Snow Sea Pass.”

Nanmen Pass was the same pass through which the Marquis of Zhenbei and Marquis of Jingnan had entered Jin when the former Emperor of Jin opened his own gate to them.

Beyond Nanmen Pass lay a collection of small states around the borders of Qian, Chu, and Jin.

Zhennan Pass had originally been built by the Situ Clan specifically against Chu.

It could not be called an especially mighty pass, because the Situ territory had not originally shared a border with Chu. Only after Chu expanded repeatedly did the two states finally meet.

In recent years, small clashes had broken out frequently along that frontier, giving Zhennan Pass greater strategic meaning.

The Crown Prince continued:

“Let us set the three cities aside for the moment and discuss these three passes first.

“Imperial Father, many small states lie beyond Nanmen Pass. In the past, when the Marquis of Zhenbei and Marquis of Jingnan led their armies through there, the Wenren Clan received almost no warning. That alone proves how complicated relations among those small states are.

“A meticulous commander should be stationed there.

“First, to hold the southern gate into Jin.

“Second, to divide and manipulate those small states beyond the frontier.

“We already have the precedent of the Yu Clan and, afterward, the Prince of Cheng. Great Yan has shown more than enough sincerity toward royal and noble houses from other states.

“With several years of patient management, we may even achieve victory without fighting.

“Zhennan Pass should currently be in Chu hands. This son recommends that when the campaign concludes, we recover it in the same sweep and leave no loose end behind.

“A steady veteran commander should then be stationed there to guard against Chu.

“As for Snow Sea Pass—it is the foremost of the three and the most important.

“After this campaign, the snowfield savages will certainly be badly weakened. But the snowfields are bitterly cold and vast beyond measure. The savages will never abandon their ambition to move south again.

“Therefore Snow Sea Pass should be entrusted to a fierce and battle-tested commander.

“For many years Great Yan has weakened and restrained the desert barbarians. The same methods can be applied there to grind down the savages.”

The Crown Prince paused, then continued:

“If these three passes are firmly held, then the gates of the Jin territories remain in Great Yan’s hands.

“After that, the three cities become the key to governing the interior.

“Quhe City, Litian City, and all commanderies, prefectures, and counties subordinate to them should abandon the temporary system used before and return to the old principle of civil and military administration together.”

Several ministers nodded slightly.

Clearly, they agreed.

Previously, allowing military commanders to govern whole regions had been a temporary necessity.

Yan had only recently occupied the territory. Stabilizing it mattered most, and the court still needed to guard against the surviving influence of the Helian and Wenren clans.

Letting military commanders govern locally also reduced the burden of transporting money and grain from Yan proper.

But now, if the court truly intended to govern the Jin territories properly and incorporate them permanently into Great Yan, civil officials naturally had to enter the system.

There were certain things the ministers themselves found awkward to say.

Yan was not Qian.

Civil officials did not stand above generals here.

Calling for joint civil–military administration was, in effect, asking to divide military commanders’ existing authority.

The Crown Prince was the most suitable person to say it.

Ji Chenglang turned back toward the Emperor.

“On this matter of joint civil and military administration, this son has another thought. I ask Imperial Father to correct me where I am wrong.”

“Speak.”

“This son believes that if we wish to stabilize the Jin territories as quickly as possible, then on the civil side especially, we should use a new system.

“From commandery governors down to county magistrates and registrars, each office should have two men assigned.

“One official from Yan proper will hold primary authority.

“One official of Jin origin will serve as deputy.

“By bringing Jin men into official service, we can stabilize the region quickly.

“Beginning next year, the imperial examination system throughout the Jin territories should also follow Great Yan’s system.

“For next spring’s metropolitan examination, Jin scholars recommended by respected local elders and officials may be granted the equivalent status of provincial graduates and allowed to sit the examination.

“The successful candidates should then be divided into two lists, ensuring that a fixed number of Jin scholars are admitted.”

If General Zheng had been standing inside the Imperial Study, he would probably have stared at the Crown Prince in astonishment and then applauded.

Because these policies were all extremely familiar to him.

More importantly, the history he knew had already proven that they worked.

The first resembled the system adopted after the Manchu conquest, pairing officials from different groups.

The second resembled the north–south examination lists used during the Ming.

Stripped to the core, the principle was simple: divide the cake.

Bring Jin scholars, great clans, and local elites into Yan’s ruling system.

Give them a path upward.

Once those people were comfortable, they would help the court make the ordinary Jin population beneath them comfortable as well.

Then everyone could be comfortable together.

One major reason Qin had collapsed in its second generation was that its rule over the former Six States remained too shallow.

A group of Qin officials and a nearby Qin garrison were sent into an area, and that was considered “occupation.”

But the officials and clerks beneath the surface still belonged largely to the old networks of the conquered states.

Of course, Qin had been the first unified dynasty. Precisely because it made those mistakes, later dynasties had examples from which to learn.

Still, for the Crown Prince to possess this degree of insight was genuinely impressive.

The blood of the Ji Clan was indeed excellent.

Ji Chenglang continued:

“On the military side, Jin auxiliary armies should be established.

“The auxiliary troops raised from former Helian territory can be moved to Snow Sea Pass.

“The troops under the Prince of Cheng’s Residence can be transferred toward Nanmen Pass.

“Even Beifeng Commandery—if we can quickly restore the cavalry strength of the Three Jin and—”

The Emperor of Yan interrupted him.

“Military appointments and troop deployments will be discussed after the Marquis of Jingnan’s memorial arrives.”

“Yes, Imperial Father. This son spoke out of turn.”

The Crown Prince bowed.

“No.”

The Emperor looked at him.

“What you said just now was very good.

“But military affairs involve too much. They form the main trunk.”

If anything went wrong with troop deployments, then everything else—no matter how beautifully arranged—would become flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected on water.

Most importantly, after a great war ended, the time came to divide the cake.

The court needed its share.

The generals who won the battle also needed to secure rewards and advancement for their subordinates.

Even if the Marquis of Jingnan wanted nothing for himself, he still had to obtain space for the generals beneath him to rise.

If you chilled the hearts of civil officials, at worst they would write sour poems or little private essays to disgust you.

But if soldiers who had gambled their lives in battle felt cheated when rewards were distributed that could become a real problem.

The Emperor of Yan was an ambitious sovereign.

Naturally, he understood that if Great Yan wanted its soldiers to preserve their enthusiasm for expansion, those soldiers had to enjoy concrete benefits from expansion.

Most importantly, the Jingnan Army was already somewhat estranged from the court.

If the reward arrangements now produced another grievance, the consequences could become genuinely serious.

In short: the settlement of military commanders had to follow Tian Wujing’s requirements.

“Crown Prince, discuss the civil appointments for Litian City and Quhe City carefully with the Chief Minister.

“Once the two of you settle on a plan, submit a joint memorial to Us.”

Zhao Jiulang rose immediately.

The Crown Prince rose with him.

Both bowed and accepted the command.

At last, the Emperor of Yan waved one hand.

“As for the Marquis of Jingnan’s Residence— move it to Yingdu.”

That was the natural arrangement.

Only the territory east of the Wang River remained unsettled.

The threats from the savages and Chu still existed.

Only with the Marquis of Jingnan personally seated in Yingdu could the court truly feel secure.

And there was another practical concern.

If some crisis erupted again and Tian Wujing were stationed too far away, what happened if the court sent another imperial decree and he simply refused to obey?

The court had already lost face once.

There was no reason to dig another pit for itself.

The present strategic pattern of Great Yan was simple: the Marquis of Zhenbei guarded the west.

The Marquis of Jingnan guarded the east.

The desert barbarians had behaved themselves in recent years, but no one dared relax.

If the barbarians truly erupted and charged into Yan territory, the destruction they could cause would be far beyond anything the snowfield savages had managed.

At that moment, Zhao Jiulang rose again.

“Your Majesty, this minister believes moving the Marquis of Jingnan’s Residence into Yingdu is inappropriate.”

“Oh?”

The Emperor of Yan showed slight surprise.

The other ministers, including the Crown Prince, immediately became solemn.

In truth, everyone understood what was happening.

On the surface, the Chief Minister was contradicting and questioning the Emperor.

In reality, the two men were probably performing a duet.

Zhao Jiulang had become the foremost minister in the court partly because he genuinely possessed the ability to govern a state.

But there was another reason.

Whatever His Majesty asked him to do, he did.

Fortunately, Great Yan’s national strength continued rising, so no one mocked him as some paper-made Chief Minister.

Zhao Jiulang said:

“Your Majesty, Yingdu is the fief of the Prince of Cheng.

“If the Marquis of Jingnan resides in Yingdu, then according to ritual and rank...”

The implication was obvious.

Would the Marquis of Jingnan be expected to salute Prince of Cheng Situ Yu?

Salute him?

What a joke.

Everyone in the room immediately understood.

Would the Marquis of Jingnan actually salute Situ Yu?

In reality, Situ Yu would be the one kneeling to Tian Wujing.

And indeed, the Prince of Cheng had already knelt before the Marquis of Jingnan.

So why raise this issue deliberately?

Xu Guanghuai turned his gaze toward the Crown Prince.

Ji Chenglang hesitated slightly.

Xu Guanghuai did not look away.

Zhao Jiulang also fell silent.

Only then did the Crown Prince rise.

He stepped forward and knelt.

With complete sincerity, he said:

“Imperial Father, this son does not avoid recommending relatives when the recommendation serves the public good.

“The Marquis of Jingnan has repeatedly rendered great service to the state, destroyed Jin, expelled the savages, and expanded Great Yan’s territory!

“The Marquis of Zhenbei and his house have guarded Beifeng Commandery for generations, holding back the barbarians for Great Yan. Their merit across a hundred years towers to Heaven!

“This son dares to petition— that the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Jingnan both be raised to princely rank!”

One was his future father-in-law.

The other was his maternal uncle.

He truly was recommending relatives without avoiding them.

The Emperor of Yan slowly swept his gaze across everyone inside the Imperial Study.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then every minister rose and knelt.

Together, they declared:

“This minister dares to petition— that the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Jingnan both be raised to princely rank!”

[End of Chapter 353]