Chapter 593: - Setting the Board

“I heard Master established several Tomb-Raiding Commandant posts in the army?”

Xue San sharpened a dagger while speaking to Liang Cheng beside him.

“That really is Master’s peculiar sense of humor.”

Liang Cheng sat there without answering.

Xue San brought the dagger beneath his lips and lightly tapped it there.

Then he said:

“Tell me. After all this tossing and turning, so many armies, so many laborers, fighting bitterly for so long and consuming a sea of manpower and resources, all we got was Zhennan Pass. Was it worth it?”

Nominally, they had also gained Shanggu Commandery.

But Shanggu Commandery had already been famous for poverty even when the Chu controlled it.

Then the Chu army had plowed through it.

Afterward the Yan army plowed through it again.

There was hardly any fat left to squeeze from the place.

More importantly, who would seriously spend effort developing civilian life in territory sitting directly on a military front line?

What kind of lunatic had money to burn that way?

Eastern Jin still contained vast stretches of abandoned farmland waiting to be reclaimed.

Too many cities and official roads needed reconstruction.

They had no spare silver to throw into developing Shanggu Commandery.

In reality, Shanggu Commandery was merely the battlefield both sides had once again drawn between themselves.

Whoever held Zhennan Pass would more or less control Shanggu Commandery.

Back when Situ Lei guarded Zhennan Pass, the arrangement had essentially been that the Chu and Cheng each controlled half the commandery.

Farther south of Shanggu Commandery lay the Wei River.

It was another natural barrier, though not an especially impassable one.

That particular geography made the broad, flat lands of Shanggu Commandery extraordinarily suitable for use as a battlefield.

Because there was almost nothing there that could truly be defended.

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“That isn’t how the account should be calculated. At first glance, it seems this campaign earned us very little. But there are three things you have to consider. First, before the campaign against Chu, Nian Yao held Zhennan Pass, and the Chu had built forts and stockades far to the north of the pass, almost linking them into one continuous line. After the Savages were driven away, why did Prince of Jingnan remain in Fengxin City all that time? Do you think he enjoyed the ruined scenery there? Of course not. He remained there because his presence alone deterred the Chu troops around Zhennan Pass and kept them from advancing north recklessly. Before the war against Chu, it was actually the Chu who held the offensive position, while Yan was forced onto the defensive. Chu influence had already spread into eastern Jin. It was like a sharp saber thrust into the region. To put it unpleasantly, if the Chu campaign had failed or become bogged down, once the main Yan armies withdrew or Prince of Jingnan himself left Fengxin City, then the moment the Chu launched a northern offensive, two places would have become their first targets: Fengxin City and our Snow Sea Pass. What you see is that we only took one Shanggu Commandery. In reality, you should add more than half of eastern Jin to the gains as well. With Zhennan Pass in Chu hands, we had to gather a hundred thousand troops merely to face them, and those hundred thousand had to be elites. Even then, that force could only barely handle the opening wave of a possible Chu northern offensive. Farther back, beginning from Yingdu, preparations had to exist for an entire second defensive line. Invisibly, at least two hundred thousand soldiers had to remain ready because of Zhennan Pass. Now that Zhennan Pass is in our hands, a great fortress like that can be held with twenty thousand troops. Add a chain of small stockades and scout cavalry in support, and the defense line is basically complete. That reduces the pressure on the frontier enormously. And with Zhennan Pass in our hands, Chu is essentially like the Song Dynasty after losing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. As for the second point, once a great army enters Chu, even if it never fights a battle, the mere act of marching through the region consumes Chu’s war potential. Soldiers passing through are little different from bandits. Add the fact that Chu’s elite troops also suffered considerable losses during this campaign, and their imperial capital burned to the ground. Chu has been gravely weakened. For the next ten years, unless some enormous upheaval strikes Yan territory, Chu will have no strength to launch any meaningful northern expedition. More than that, the defense of the entire Three Jin region has changed because Snow Sea Pass, Zhennan Pass, and South Gate Pass are now all in our hands. Every outward gate is shut. Once outside interference is cut off, even if the Jin people want to cause trouble or restore their state, they will find it difficult to create a serious wave. The Three Jin lands are now like meat rotting inside the pot. A territory we once had to defend desperately from outsiders has become Yan’s own backyard. The third point concerns us personally. With Master’s accomplishments in this campaign against Chu, barring the unexpected, being made Marquis is inevitable. Eastern Jin will fall into our hands. In other words, this enormous territory will become our genuine base. The existing Snow Sea Army garrisons, together with Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang’s forces, will all be able to recruit troops by attracting refugees and taking in population over the next few years. The population is low right now, certainly. But that is not a problem. The territory is ours. Plan it properly, cultivate it carefully, and the future is still promising. Eastern Jin is devastated because of years of war. In climate and geography, though, it is actually far better than Beifeng Commandery. Broadly speaking, offense and defense have already reversed. Truthfully, Yan would rather fight Qian. That is where the real fat is. The problem is that if you attack Qian first, the Chu will definitely march north. But if you attack Chu first, the Qian will probably sit there and fish in troubled waters without doing much, exactly like this time. So first cripple Chu. Then when the time comes to deal with Qian, Chu will no longer have the strength to interfere. Oh, right. You can expand your people again too. Go ask Fourth Lady for the clothing patterns and have several hundred sets of Flying Fish Robes made. Master likes that sort of style.”

“Hehehe. Zombie, I didn’t expect even you to start paying attention to things like that.”

Xue San could not help sighing.

Without anyone noticing, all of them had changed quite a bit.

“Master spoke with me about it two days ago. He intends to modify the style of our army’s armor once the war is over. Black will remain the primary color, but the details can be made more refined. Also, the armor and weapons can carry something like a clan emblem.”

Xue San asked:

“What does he want to use for the emblem?”

Clan emblems were extremely common.

They were a form of inheritance and a symbol.

When they had fought Chu forces earlier, the armor and weapons of every noble house’s private troops had carried the emblem of that house.

The same had once been true in Great Yan when the aristocratic clans still dominated the state.

Each clan’s retainers carried its identifying mark upon armor and weapons.

Liang Cheng frowned slightly.

“Master seems to want a double-headed eagle.”

“Mm...”

Xue San scraped the stubble on his chin with the edge of his dagger.

“Wouldn’t that be a little too obvious?”

Liang Cheng replied:

“The problem is that we seem to have enough foundation now that we can afford to be a little obvious.”

“Still too early. We haven’t even established a formal headquarters yet.”

Xue San blew lightly across the dagger’s edge.

“At minimum, we should wait until the rewards are issued, the frontier command is formally granted, and the troops are reorganized.”

“We also need to raise blast furnaces. That is your work, so you can start early. Winter has already arrived anyway. By the time the first batch of new armor and weapons comes out, the rewards should have been issued.”

“That makes sense.”

Xue San continued:

“But we need to gather everyone together and discuss this properly. Divide the territory into several zones. We do not need to pursue some nonsense about perfectly balanced development, but at least there has to be an overall plan.”

“Mm.”

Their territory was larger now.

They were no longer confined to the single patch of land around Snow Sea Pass.

Naturally, there were many more matters requiring consideration across the whole board.

If they could plan things properly during the initial stage of construction, it would be far cheaper than discovering problems later and changing everything in a rush.

“But are we really using a double-headed eagle? It feels unoriginal,” Xue San said.

“Then what? A dragon?”

“No. No, we are not there yet. Definitely not there yet.”

Use a double-headed eagle and, at worst, men with ulterior motives might accuse Count Pingye of endless ambition.

Their side could still explain that it symbolized Great Yan remaining vigilant against threats on every side.

Conveniently, there was the snowfield to the north and Chu to the south.

The symbolism practically explained itself.

But if you used a dragon as the clan emblem?

Well.

Prepare for war.

“Still, we can finally rest for a while. My woman is still waiting for me at Snow Sea Pass.”

Xue San missed Hu Bamei.

“Ah Cheng, you really don’t understand. In this world, finding a woman who fits you perfectly is incredibly difficult.”

Liang Cheng said:

“I heard from the Blind Man that back in Tuman City, you were very close to a husky.”

“That is true, but why does it sound so strange when you say it like that?”

“I do not know.”

“Speaking of which, I wonder when we’ll ever get a chance to visit the West. Mages, battle qi... sounds pretty interesting.”

Liang Cheng replied:

“I am more interested in whether they have something like a Macedonian phalanx over there.”

“Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong?”

Xue San rubbed his chin.

“Thinking about it is actually pretty exciting. The problem is we’re at the extreme east and they’re in the west. There’s no connection.”

Liang Cheng silently rose.

“I am going to inspect the camp.”

“Go, go.”

Liang Cheng walked several steps.

Then stopped.

“Right now, there is no connection. In the future, that may not remain true.”

...

Zhennan Pass.

The city wall.

Zheng Fan had originally assumed Old Tian would continue maintaining his silent state of recuperation and refuse to see outsiders.

Zheng Fan himself went by the tent every two days to offer greetings through the canvas, but that was mostly for form’s sake.

He never expected to actually see him.

Subconsciously, he felt Old Tian should be in seclusion healing.

Yet today, he appeared.

The only thing was that Old Tian had wrapped himself in a fur coat.

He was actually wearing more layers than Zheng Fan.

That alone was enough to show how severe Old Tian’s injuries truly were.

Even so, watching Old Tian walk ahead of him, climb the wall, and stop behind the battlements, Zheng Fan did not let himself worry too much.

The Sword Saint had recovered before.

Old Tian should be fine too.

At worst, he would need time to recuperate.

This was a man who had gone head-on against the Fire Phoenix.

How could he possibly be that fragile?

Zheng Fan did not ask for details about the injury.

He knew Old Tian would never explain them carefully anyway.

And for a true expert, having to describe the details of his own weakness to someone else probably felt profoundly unnatural and uncomfortable.

In Zheng Fan’s eyes, Old Tian and the Sword Saint were both the sort of people who carried protagonist templates.

By comparison, Zheng Fan himself felt more like a supporting character climbing upward step by careful step with both feet on the ground.

That was why Count Pingye had always been cautious.

He was afraid that one careless day, another man holding the protagonist’s script might use him as a stepping stone.

Snowflakes continued drifting down.

They landed on Old Tian’s white hair and immediately vanished into it.

“A million soldiers and civilians. The strength of an entire state. One year of bitter war. At last, we took it.”

Tian Wujing let out a sigh.

Zheng Fan nodded.

From beginning to end, the Yan army had never launched a truly serious frontal assault against Zhennan Pass.

But whether it was clearing the surrounding regions, infiltration, penetration, flanking maneuvers, even the forced march to Ying Capital, the fundamental objective had always remained Zhennan Pass.

By now, Zheng Fan’s strategic vision was naturally far beyond something comparable to Xue San, an assassin accustomed to hiding in shadows.

He understood perfectly well what possession of Zhennan Pass truly meant.

It was like Qin swallowing Ba and Shu.

Like Liao obtaining the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

If Great Yan’s national strength had not already been drained too heavily, if natural disaster had not already appeared, if harvests had not failed across large areas this year, the war against Chu would never have ended here.

But at minimum, they had opened a breach.

Five years later.

Ten years later.

Even twenty or thirty years later.

If Great Yan still existed then, whichever emperor sat on the throne would find attacking Chu far easier and far calmer.

Even if Yan did not launch another large-scale offensive immediately, Chu’s threat could still be kept beyond Zhennan Pass.

“Chu has many problems,” Tian Wujing said. “But in this world, having many problems is not what should frighten you. What should frighten you is the appearance of someone capable of solving them. That elder brother-in-law of yours will become a major danger to Great Yan in the future.”

“Your Highness can rest assured. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

He said it with considerable confidence.

“What do you intend to do next?” Tian Wujing asked. “This Prince intends to send a memorial upward.”

“Replying to Your Highness, three steps. First, take in refugees and restore civilian life throughout eastern Jin. Your Highness already knows what I can do in that area, so I will not waste words on it. Second, exert loose control over the snowfield in the far west. Absorb Savage labor, put the Savages to use for us, have them herd for us and work for us. Turn the threat from the north into strength we can use. Train the wolves of the north into hunting dogs we can take outside with us. Third, restore relations with Chu, reopen trade, and smile politely while deceiving each other.”

Tian Wujing stood there.

After listening to Zheng Fan’s plan, he said:

“On the second point, you must remain wary of the Savages. Enslaving and using them is not impossible, but you must guard against backlash. Have you considered that the way you bring Savages in, allowing them to serve as officials and generals in Jin, could one day produce a disaster more dangerous than another Savage invasion through Snow Sea Pass?”

One had to admit, Prince of Jingnan’s gaze truly stretched far.

History had seen no shortage of men who played similar games and lost control.

One was Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and An Lushan.

Another was Li Chengliang and the Jurchens.

The problem was that from Count Pingye’s perspective, he was not especially similar to Xuanzong or Li Chengliang.

He was actually rather more like the latter figures in those two comparisons.

“On the third point, Chu truly suffered grave damage this time. But that man is not without the courage to seize an opportunity and gamble recklessly again. Normally, you can greet him with smiles, reminisce, talk about family matters. He is your relative, after all. But the moment you detect a sign, do not be polite. Turn hostile when you should. Beat them when you should. Great Yan has spent eight hundred years dealing with neighboring states, and the lesson we learned is simple: never spoil them.”

“Yes. This general accepts the lesson.”

“Truthfully, this Prince believes you already understand these things. But they still need to be said.”

“Your Highness plans to withdraw?”

Zheng Fan heard the implication.

“The war is over. This Prince should return to Litian City. She has been alone too long. She will be lonely.”

“I’ll escort Your Highness back.”

“No need.”

“I insist. Your Highness has too many enemies.”

“This Prince will have the Jingnan Army guarding him.”

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Tian Wujing’s mouth.

“Since this Prince failed to die beneath Ying Capital’s Fire Phoenix, how could this Prince allow himself to die inexplicably at the hands of some petty villain? This Prince promised you already. When the time truly comes, I will tell you. You can come help this Prince consider the matter.”

“Your Highness, go back and see him.”

Go back.

See the child.

Tian Wujing fell silent.

The snow seemed to grow heavier.

This winter would be bitterly cold.

But one could also turn the saying around.

A timely snow promises a good harvest.

Life always needed some hope.

After a long while, Tian Wujing finally said:

“There are too many soldiers around me.”

Too many soldiers.

The various armies that had campaigned against Chu had not yet dispersed.

Most of them were still gathered in the region north and south of Zhennan Pass.

The armies had only just returned victorious.

Morale was high.

The soldiers’ hearts were united.

And Prince of Jingnan’s prestige stood at its absolute peak.

If he went to see Tian Tian now and asked:

What do you want?

What if Tian Tian answered:

Father, I want the Dragon Throne.

Tch.

Then things would become...

Count Pingye understood exactly what Prince of Jingnan feared.

He wanted to say the concern was absurd.

Tian Tian was still so young.

But then

Count Pingye suddenly remembered that the Blind Man was the one currently staying home.

The Blind Man.

Uh.

If the Blind Man learned Tian Wujing was coming to see the child, Heaven alone knew what that bastard might teach Tian Tian to say beforehand.

Something like:

The Dragon Throne is made from the most delicious sachima in the world. Do you want one?

“Snow Sea Pass and Zhennan Pass must both be garrisoned by your own people. You can keep Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang’s forces, but do not let either force approach those two passes. Fengxin City is a good place. Develop it properly and it can become another Yingdu. You can establish your headquarters in Fengxin. Of Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang’s forces, keep one near you as a display. Send the other to another side. Several years from now, once you believe you can completely control them and have truly won them over, you can make other arrangements.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“This war required the mobilization of enormous numbers of civilian laborers. Find a way to intercept them. Those laborers are attached to their native soil. Kind words will not work, and buying them with silver would cost too much. Just use troops to stop them. Eastern Jin is crucial. It blocks the snowfield above and restrains Chu below. Besides, the place has long since been smashed apart. The court needs migrants for military settlement there anyway. Doing it this way saves everyone the trouble of moving people back and forth.”

“Uh... yes, Your Highness.”

“There should still be large stores of grain and fodder accumulated around Yingdu, originally meant to supply the armies at the front. Send men there and move all of it over. We know the war is finished. But if we do not say it is finished, who can say it truly is? Say the Chu are showing signs of launching a large-scale counterattack and that grain and military supplies must urgently be sent forward. Once they arrive, keep them. Keep the people. Keep the goods.”

“Uh...”

“What?”

Zheng Fan hesitated.

“Your Highness, my reward has not been formally issued yet. People below are saying this general will probably be made Marquis after this campaign. They are also saying this general may be appointed to guard eastern Jin. But none of that is settled. If I show the full ugliness of my appetite now, I’m worried it will provoke resentment from every side above.”

He had not even established a Marquis Residence yet and already wanted to behave like an autonomous frontier lord?

If they truly allowed him to establish a headquarters and raise a Marquis Residence, what would happen then?

Zheng Fan was afraid the cooked duck might fly away because he became too impatient.

Tian Wujing extended one hand.

He placed it atop the battlement and slowly rubbed the thin layer of snow.

Then he said:

“This Prince is not dead yet.”

[End of Chapter 593]