Chapter 336: The Great Fire at the Mu Manor

Outside the Qian State Duke Manor, Sha Dingzhou raised his steel blade and said to his men: "The Mu family has ruled Yunnan for nearly three hundred years—how many of our tribesmen have they killed? In those three centuries of rampant plunder, how much of our treasure have they seized?"

"Now the enemy and the treasure are both inside this manor! The time has come for us to take revenge in blood—charge in with me!"

Outside the manor, nearly three thousand chieftain soldiers let out a thunderous battle cry.

A dozen or so chieftain soldiers produced great axes prepared long in advance and hacked furiously at the gates of the Qian State Duke Manor. After the space of a burning incense stick, the gates finally collapsed with a thunderous crash. Sha Dingzhou grinned savagely and strode in first. Several dozen manor guards shouted and charged at him. Sha Dingzhou parried one blade and followed through with a downward chop. The guard let out a miserable scream, blood spraying everywhere. His steel blade clattered to the ground with a clang. He staggered back five or six paces, toppled over, and lay still. Between his left shoulder's neck and collarbone gaped a gruesome wound a foot deep, blood spurting ceaselessly, the shattered collarbone exposed—a truly horrifying sight. In the two hundred-plus years since Mu Ying had been enfeoffed to Yunnan, the manor guards had almost never seen battle; they had long degenerated into a ceremonial honor guard. Sha Dingzhou and his men, known as the Sha Soldiers, were the most elite chieftain troops in all of Ming Yunnan, standardly equipped with thick rattan shields, ring blades, and poisoned arrows. They had been repeatedly conscripted by the Ming court and had won great distinction in suppressing the She-An Rebellion and the Bozhou Rebellion, their fame resounding across the southwest.

Now the Sha Soldiers outnumbered the guards, and they struck with full preparation against an unprepared foe—cutting down these guards was like chopping vegetables.

In barely a moment, several dozen guards lay dead or wounded across the ground.

Sha Dingzhou stepped slowly forward through blood and severed limbs, while the surviving guards—every one of them wounded—supported each other as they retreated toward the inner hall.

Sha Dingzhou did not press the pursuit. A smile never left his face as he advanced at a leisurely pace. For this siege of the Mu manor, he had brought fully three thousand Sha Soldiers, surrounding the estate so tightly that not even a bird could escape—the Mu family would find it harder than growing wings to fly.

Moments later, the guards fell back to the ceremonial gate. Finding it tightly shut, with no route of retreat, they hardened their hearts. Not one surrendered—all cried out and charged forward to fight.

In an instant they were surrounded by the Sha Soldiers. Long blades fell without cease, and the guards were chopped into pulp.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Sha Soldiers continued smashing doors with their great axes. The blows were so powerful the ground trembled, and the plaque above the ceremonial gate shook loose, crashing to the ground with a loud crack.

Shortly after, the ceremonial gate was hacked to splinters and finally burst open. The Sha Soldiers poured into the front hall like a pack of wolves, shouting wildly, and soon the manor echoed once more with battle cries and screams, mingled with the shrill cries of women.

Sha Dingzhou looked down. The plaque read "Hereditary Guardian of Dian and Yun"—now broken in two. He let out a sneer, stepped onto the plaque, and walked into the manor.

By now, the ancestral hall of the Qian State Duke Manor was in chaos. The women of the household huddled together, weeping without cease, some shrieking in terror.

The men wore faces full of panic and dread—some paced restlessly, others hurriedly packed valuables.

The servants darted their eyes about, ready to flee at any moment.

Before long, the guard captain, drenched in blood, came stumbling in.

"How goes it?" Lady Chen asked urgently.

The guard captain bore five or six wounds of varying size across his body, many of them from the Sha Soldiers' poisoned arrows. He had not long to live, yet he forced himself to speak: "My lady… there's no way out! The rebels have surrounded the manor on all sides…"

"Heaven is destroying our Mu clan!" Lady Chen said blankly, as if struck by lightning.

Mu Tianbo, the thirteen-year-old Qian State Duke, stepped forward and asked: "Where's Grandmother? Has anyone seen my grandmother?"

The guard captain said in a low voice: "When I came, I saw the Cian Hall where the Grand Lady resides blazing with fire. The Grand Lady… the Grand Lady has likely already met with foul play…"

"Grandmother!" Mu Tianbo wept and wailed. "Mother, what do we do?"

Lady Chen stroked her son's head, tears streaming down her face in a daze. After a long while, she steeled herself and said: "Guard Liu, I beg a favor of you." The guard captain hurriedly replied: "You flatter me, my lady—just give the order! Even if it costs me my life, I will see it done!"

Lady Chen said: "Good. Take the young duke out of the manor. Your skills are formidable—if you take only Tianbo with you, you will surely find a way!" Guard Liu said: "Then what of you, my lady?"

Lady Chen said with finality: "I will hold the rear for you."

Just then, the jeering cheers of the Sha Soldiers could be heard from beyond the courtyard walls, mingled with the desperate cries of women.

"Save me, Mother, save me…"

"My lady…" Guard Liu started. Seeing Lady Chen's resolute expression, he understood that this was a dire emergency—there was no time to delay. He gritted his teeth and said: "I will go through fire and water, even death, to obey!"

Lady Chen relaxed, then looked at her son once more and instructed him gravely: "Son, remember this—you are the descendant of the great hero Mu Ying. In years past, your ancestor expanded our borders, recovered the frontiers, and rendered unparalleled merit.

Even if the Qian State Duke Manor should fall, Yunnan must never be lost to the barbarians on your watch. Our Mu family must never become sinners condemned through the ages!

Once you leave this manor, you must never forget the disaster of this day. Gather troops, recover lost ground, put down the rebellion, and avenge us all!"

Mu Tianbo nodded heavily through his tears: "Even if I die, I will petition the court to send reinforcements!"

Lady Chen shook her head: "Do not go to the court. Go see the Xia King."

"The Xia King?" Mu Tianbo did not understand.

"At this point, only the Xia King can save Yunnan." With that, Lady Chen took down Mu Ying's ancestral tablet from the topmost position among the spirit tablets in the ancestral hall and placed it in Mu Tianbo's hands. Word by word, she said: "Go and beg the Xia King—for Mu Ying's sake, for the sake of Yunnan's two million soldiers and civilians—he must send troops!" Mu Tianbo accepted his ancestor's tablet and nodded: "Your son will remember!"

By now, outside the ancestral hall's courtyard, the battle cries grew louder, the firelight brighter, and the air itself reeked of blood and burning.

Women who had not managed to flee were stripped naked and raped on the spot by the rebels; their screams were deafening.

Guard Liu urged: "My lady, my lady! There's no time left."

Lady Chen straightened her son's collar and smiled tenderly: "Go."

"Yes!" Mu Tianbo clutched Mu Ying's ancestral tablet, bidding tearful farewell to his mother and his wife.

Guard Liu had long since stripped a set of servant's clothes from a corpse, and he changed both Mu Tianbo and himself into them. The two then slipped out of the ancestral hall's courtyard. At this moment, the Sha Soldiers entering the manor were busy fighting over the treasures and women in the main hall, and had not yet all pushed into the rear quarters.

The scattered few Sha Soldiers killed anyone they saw, but there were too many servants fleeing the manor—they could not kill them all at once.

Guard Liu led the young duke, keeping to the shadows the whole way and avoiding the Sha Soldiers, until they reached the rear garden. The waterways here were dense and all connected to the outside of the manor. Guard Liu cut a section of reed and placed it in the young duke's mouth, warning him: "No matter what happens, do not raise your head above the water!"

Mu Tianbo nodded in acknowledgment. Then the two, each with a reed between their lips, sank into the river and drifted out of the manor.

In the ancestral hall, the Sha Soldiers' savage laughter and battle cries drew ever closer. The women huddled together like quails, trembling, growing ever more desperate.

Lady Chen had her thirteen-year-old daughter-in-law, Lady Jiao, knock over all the lamp oil used for offerings. Then she took a torch from before the spirit tablets and said: "Ladies, matters have come to this—we have no choice but to die to preserve our honor. Any who are unwilling may go and seek their own way out."

The women gradually stopped weeping, yet none departed.

Lady Chen smiled: "Let the barbarians see our integrity." With that, she dropped the torch, and the entire ancestral hall was instantly engulfed in flames. At this moment, Sha Dingzhou was directing his soldiers to attack the inner residence. He swung his blade and shouted: "Brothers, charge in! The women are all hidden inside!" The soldiers roared in response, their morale soaring as they desperately rushed into the inner residence—just as the ancestral hall erupted in towering flames.

Seeing this, Sha Dingzhou cursed angrily, then ordered those around him: "Go put out the fire at once! Mu Tianbo must not die—go, now!"

An hour later, on the Yudai River outside the manor, Mu Tianbo and Guard Liu surfaced their heads from the water. Mu Tianbo coughed violently, and it was a long while before he managed to cough out all the water.

The two looked toward the direction of the manor. Flames shot into the sky, and the Sha Soldiers were shouting and scrambling to put out the fire.

The firelight reflected in Mu Tianbo's eyes as his hands clenched Mu Ying's ancestral tablet with deathly grip. After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and said: "Let's go. The provincial border is still far." Mid-August, the second year of Zhongxuan.

On the drill grounds of the First Cavalry Regiment of the First Cavalry Brigade of the Seventh Division of the Great Xia New Army, outside Guangzhou.

Kong Youde sat astride his horse, shouting: "Faster, faster! The last hundred to finish won't eat tonight!"

Beside his horse, countless newly recruited mounted infantrymen jogged past. Every one of them was flushed with exhaustion, panting like broken bellows, yet none dared to stop.

One soldier complained as he ran: "Aren't… aren't we sup… supposed to be mounted… mounted infantry? Where… where are the horses?"

The squad leader teased: "You're the horse! Don't… don't ask—just run!"

The newly appointed company commander was also running alongside, sweat pouring down his head, shouting as if urging men to their deaths: "Faster! Faster! Even faster! Damn it, you're already spent after just eight li? Faster! You there, the one who threw up—don't you dare stop! Grab him and drag him along!"

All the mid- and low-ranking officers of the Seventh Division had been promoted during the Jiangxi Campaign. Every one of them was battle-hardened and in superb physical condition—training these recruits was child's play for them.

Moreover, compared with ordinary foot soldiers, the mounted infantry also had to carry an extra wild goose saber, adding to their burden, making the running extremely arduous.

After running for a long while longer, the entire regiment finally reached the finish line, yet they still could not rest. Each squad leader roared at the soldiers to fall into formation, then volley-fired under shouted commands.

On a nearby slope not far away, Lin Qian raised a telescope to his eye, watching the scene. The entire regiment of over two thousand men, organized by company, formed a horizontal line stretching five to six hundred meters, the farthest soldiers barely visible as silhouettes.

"Raise arms!"

Following the squad leaders' successive commands, the entire battle line formed a continuous wall of fire, exploding like thunder, deafening to the ears.

White gunpowder smoke rose from the muzzles, like a wall of smoke, instantly shrouding the troops within it.

Amid the smoke, the squad leaders' commands could still be heard. At the order, the second rank of soldiers also fired in unison, the training ground growing even thicker with smoke, and the empty ground serving as targets was blasted with dirt spraying everywhere.

A moment later, the great horn sounded across the training ground, its piercing notes filling heaven and earth. The soldiers shouted killing cries in unison, leveled their bayonets, and charged forward, not permitted to stop until they had covered over a hundred paces.

Kong Youde ordered a rest and meal break, and many soldiers collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion.

Lin Qian put away his telescope, while Kong Youde galloped his horse up the slope. Drawing near, he nimbly dismounted, clasped his hands in salute, and said: "Your Majesty, how does your subordinate's troop training look?"

Lin Qian praised him: "Not bad."

Kong Youde chuckled heartily. He stood over 1.8 meters tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, dark-skinned, his body covered in sword and blade scars. When he spoke, his voice boomed with vigor, shaking the leaves into a rustling sound. Just by appearance alone, he was a fierce warrior.

At this time, Geng Wu brought over lunch—white rice with stir-fried tofu and pickled vegetables, plus one ladle of braised pork per person. With the army stationed in Guangzhou, logistics were convenient, so the food was comparatively better.

Lin Qian took a taste. The braised pork was rich in oil and dark in sauce, paired with soft, sticky rice—so fragrant it made one want to swallow one's own tongue.

Taking advantage of the meal, Kong Youde suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, wouldn't you say our mounted infantry brigade, with over four thousand men but only five hundred horses, has too few?"

Lin Qian replied irritably: "Where are we supposed to get horses from?"

Kong Youde said: "Your subordinate has heard there is fighting in Yunnan. Dian horses count as horses too—they can serve in an emergency. And not all Dian horses are small; the Qiu Xiong breed is somewhat taller. Your subordinate thinks that if we take Yunnan, the cavalry brigade's warhorses will be secured."

Lin Qian neither agreed nor disagreed, and did not answer.

Great Xia now had three strategic directions: first, the middle and lower Yangtze and even the Zhejiang region; second, Yunnan and even the entire southwest; third, the Nanyang represented by Batavia.

Given Great Xia's national strength, it could at most attack two places simultaneously. It could not manage all three fronts and had to make choices.

Considering both returns and difficulty, Lin Qian and the General Staff Department decided that the army would attack Zhejiang, and the navy would attack Batavia.

As for the southwest, as long as Pu Mingsheng did not cause too much trouble, Great Xia would for the time being turn a blind eye.

Thus Lin Qian changed the subject, asking about Mao Wenlong and the current situation in Liaodong. Kong Youde first expressed a bout of loyalty on Mao Wenlong's behalf, then said: "Hong Taiji, that dog of a Tartar—though evil, he has a good brain.

He has built countless beacon towers and camps along the Ai River and Yalu River banks, monitoring movements on the waterways. He has also used sunken ships, sandbags, and the like to block river mouths, preventing our forces from entering or exiting. There's truly nothing we can do to him.

But the Tartars aren't having an easy time either. The Regional Commander goes ashore to raid every month, forcing the Tartars to abandon the Zhongjiang frontier trade market and tying down the Bordered White Banner's defenses along the river." Lin Qian said: "No movement in western Liaoning?"

Kong Youde had already finished his meal and was licking the bottom of his bowl. Hearing this, he said: "I hear the Jianzhou barbarians are stockpiling grain and provisions, mobilizing troops and horses—looks like they're preparing for war." "What is Zu Dashou doing?" Lin Qian asked again.

Kong Youde said: "Still repairing Dalinghe City."

Lin Qian thought to himself, just as expected—the Battle of Dalinghe in history had not occurred as scheduled; it seemed Zu Dashou had escaped disaster.

In truth, the wheels of history were unstoppable; the Battle of Dalinghe would come sooner or later.

Lin Qian had weakened the Jianzhou barbarians, but he had weakened Great Ming even more severely. Whether history would turn out completely different, or the worldline would converge, was hard to say. A few days earlier, Lin Qian had received intelligence from the Tianjin station that Chongzhen had summoned Zu Dashou and other Liaodong generals at Ping, and had also called the dismissed Sun Chengzong to join—what he intended was obvious without saying.

Perhaps considering that the Jianzhou barbarian threat still existed, the Guanning Army could neither easily spare troops to go south nor wanted to take over the southern mess. At this audience, the monarch and his ministers parted in discord.

But knowing Chongzhen's temperament, if pushed to the wall, he would surely gamble everything even at the cost of the nation's ruin. So Lin Qian still transferred another fifty Sea Wolf ships, two hundred Haicang ships, and three hundred Bird ships to Luo Dagu, strictly defending the Yangtze River line.

At this sensitive juncture, provoking the southwestern Tusi rebel armies was even less of a good idea.

Lin Qian finished his lunch, leaned against a tree trunk, and chatted casually with Kong Youde about cavalry tactics, when suddenly a fast rider came galloping from afar.

The messenger swiftly dismounted and handed over an official document: "Your Majesty, urgent report from Guilin."

Lin Qian opened the document, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter. After reading it, he cursed inwardly, then rode his fast horse back to Guangzhou, heading straight for the General Staff Department. "Your Majesty!"

Seeing Lin Qian enter, all the staff officers snapped to attention and saluted.

Lin Qian strode quickly to the sand table. On the sand table, all of Yunnan was already covered with flags of various colors.

In the southeastern Yunnan region east of Fuxian Lake, blue flags had been planted densely, representing Pu Mingsheng's Pu Army.

To the northwest of Fuxian Lake, in the areas near Dian Lake—Kunming, Kunyang, Jinning, and elsewhere—yellow flags had been planted densely, representing Sha Dingzhou's Sha Army. Besides these two forces, a string of minor Tusi domains—the Jiaohua Sanbu Chiefdom, the Wanglong Chiefdom, the Bazhai Chiefdom, and others—had also joined the rebellion. Most of these Tusi had marriage ties with Sha and Pu, and their seats of government lay south of Weimo Prefecture.

Northwest of Kunming, in Yuanmou County along the Jinsha River, several black flags had been planted—another rebelling Tusi by the name of Wu Bikui. Originally, Pu Mingsheng's rebellion and defeat of the Ming army had already made all the Tusi chieftains restless. Now that the Mu Prince's Mansion had been breached by Sha Dingzhou, it was as if the demon-sealing tower had been toppled—for a time, all demons ran wild.

Lin Qian said in a deep voice: "What is the situation in Kunming?"

Xu Fengjie said: "According to news from Guilin, Sha Dingzhou has already taken all of Kunming. The Duke of Qian is either dead or imprisoned, and the Yunnan Governor and high officials of all provincial prefectures have been captured."

Lin Qian said: "Sha Dingzhou, Wu Bikui... who exactly are these two?"

Xu Fengjie said: "Both men are Tusi who rose to prominence when the court pacified the She-An Rebellion, their path to power almost identical to Pu Mingsheng's. If ranked by strength and by cruelty, Pu Mingsheng is the strongest, Sha Dingzhou second, and Wu Bikui third."

Since cruelty had been mentioned, Lin Qian asked: "How are the people of Kunming faring?"

Xu Fengjie shook his head: "All roads into Yunnan are now cut off. There is simply no way to know."

Lin Qian said: "What does the General Staff Department think?"

Xu Fengjie said: "No resolution has been reached yet."

According to the strategic plan, the Great Xia navy was to use the winter monsoon to attack Batavia before year's end, while the Great Xia new army had just withdrawn from Jiangxi not long ago and was resting. After resting, it would attack Zhejiang and South Zhili.

The newly recruited Seventh Division was still in the early stages of training and could not be sent to the battlefield.

On the schedule, there was simply no slot arranged for pacifying Yunnan.

Xu Fengjie said: "Helmsman, General Qin proposes that if we attack Yunnan, we might consider mobilizing the Guangxi Wolf Soldiers.

Additionally, Director Zheng proposes resolving it through diplomatic means. The rebel forces have many factions within, so perhaps we could use a strategy of divide and conquer, getting Sha and Wu to deal with Pu Mingsheng.

After all, what they oppose is the Ming court and the Mu Prince's Mansion, not our Great Xia. Perhaps negotiations are possible."

Lin Qian pondered briefly: "Mobilizing the Wolf Soldiers is drinking poison to quench thirst. Unless absolutely necessary, we should not use them lightly.

Diplomatic means might be feasible, but we cannot start with sowing discord right away. First, make preliminary contact with the leaders of the three factions and probe their attitudes." Lin Qian paused a moment, then added: "Summon General Qin to Guangzhou. The Yunnan matter is complex and tangled—it needs to be discussed face to face."

"Yes!" Xu Fengjie acknowledged, immediately writing out Lin Qian's summons and sending it to the beacon signal station. Moments later, the signal arms began to dance. That same afternoon, Qin Liangyu received the order in Guilin City and prepared to set out. At the same time, she summoned three envoys and instructed them: "This mission sends you forth to probe the attitudes of the three Tusi and to gather intelligence on the situation in Yunnan—not to provoke trouble. Every word and deed must be cautious. Be sure to return to this general alive!"

Given the urgency, these three envoys were people Qin Liangyu had found on the spot in Guilin, not from the Foreign Affairs Department.

But Qin Liangyu had heard something of Great Xia's diplomatic style, and so she repeatedly cautioned them.

The three of them clasped their hands together and acknowledged the order.

"Go." Qin Liangyu waved her hand, then suddenly added, "Wait, come back!"

"What orders does the General have?" The three returned to her side.

Qin Liangyu said slowly, emphasizing each word: "The three of you will depart at staggered times. Go first to see Pu Mingsheng, then Wu Bikui, and finally Sha Dingzhou. The intervals between your visits must be long enough."

This was Qin Liangyu's scheme of sowing discord.

Of the three rebellious tusi chieftains, Sha Dingzhou was the most calculating and suspicious, and Kunming happened to be sandwiched between Pu Mingsheng's and Wu Bikui's territories. The Daxia envoy would meet him last, yet not discuss any real business—only make casual probes, making Sha Dingzhou suspect that Daxia had already reached an agreement with Pu and Wu, and was planning to use him as a bargaining chip.

As for sheer villainy, Sha Dingzhou had seized Kunming, and the fate of the entire Mu Prince's household was unknown—he bore the worst reputation and was the most fitting target for a sacrificial banner. This way, even if the probing yielded poor results, it would still drive a wedge between the three tusi, at least preventing them from joining forces. After giving her orders, Qin Liangyu packed her things and boarded a bird boat bound for Guangzhou.

The bird boat raced downstream with the current, arriving at Guangzhou three days later.

Qin Liangyu disembarked at the dock and hurried without pause to the Government Affairs Hall, where chairs had already been arranged in the main hall for a joint military-civilian conference. Qin Liangyu swept her gaze across the room—many new faces had appeared—and on the military officers' side, a man built like a black bear was looking around, none other than Kong Youde.

When he saw Qin Liangyu, his eyes lit up, and he immediately came over to strike up a conversation, speaking of the White Pole Troops' heroic deeds during the bloody Battle of Hun River, saying how much he admired Qin Liangyu and so on. Though Kong Youde was meeting Qin Liangyu for the first time, among Lin Qian's subordinates there were only two female generals—he knew Bai Qing, and judging by this one's appearance and bearing, he could guess who she was.

Qin Liangyu asked about Kong Youde's identity and in turn brought up the burning of Phoenix City, offering a few polite compliments.

By his military rank, Kong Youde would not normally have been qualified to attend the military-political conference; Lin Qian had named him specifically as a gesture of goodwill toward the Dongjiang garrison.

A moment later, everyone took their seats according to official rank. Lin Qian came out and sat in the main seat, then clapped his hands, and servants hung two banners on the screen wall behind him.

The banner on top read: "Should we attack Yunnan?"

The one below read: "If we attack Yunnan, how should we do it?"

Lin Qian pointed at the banners and said, "These are our two topics for today. Everyone, please don't stray off-topic."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Hongkui said, "I asked the beacon tower—in another four months, four fourth-rate ships will be launched, right when the winter monsoon is at its strongest. We can ride the wind toward Batavia. Attacking Yunnan now would be creating unnecessary complications."

Kong Youde, being blunt and outspoken, muttered, "Yunnan has Dian horses, and the newly raised cavalry brigade is short of warhorses..."

"Ha! Since we're on the subject of the cavalry brigade, shouldn't we also discuss the navy's reorganization? Your Majesty, their army has major generals and division commanders now, but we navy brothers still don't have proper titles!" Shen Yuan said with a aggrieved look.

Lei Sanxiang retorted, "Who's calling themselves major general or division commander?"

His retort wasn't loud enough. Song Danchu jumped up and shouted with even greater force and conviction: "Who's calling themselves major general or division commander? The Seventh Division is just a designation—the ranks are only on trial. I warn you, don't make false accusations!"

Hearing this, Zhang Moye covered his head with his hand.

Lei Sanxiang spent most of his time leading troops in the field and rarely attended military-political conferences. Seeing civil officials arguing red-faced over military matters, he couldn't help but widen his ox-like eyes in utter astonishment.

Kong Youde was even more frightened into silence, inwardly chiding himself for his lack of experience—he'd barely arrived and already said the wrong thing.

Qin Liangyu had attended several military-political conferences and was used to this by now.

Ye Xianggao opened his teacup, blew on the steam, and calmly took a sip.

Lin Qian was even more composed. He slowly drew out a pointer stick and cracked it against the screen wall with sharp snaps.

Everyone's attention was drawn over, and they saw the pointer aimed at the first banner: "Should we attack Yunnan?"

The two ministers realized they had strayed off-topic, glared at each other, and grudgingly fell silent.

Scholar Zhou slowly rose and said, "Your Majesty, honored gentlemen. Since last year, the shogunate has reduced its export quotas of silver and copper.

And within the limited export volume, a portion must still be reserved for the Dutch in exchange for their firearms. We must prepare for this early. Yunnan, aside from Dian horses, also produces high volumes of silver, copper, and tin—if we can take it, that would make up the shortfall.

In Yunnan's mountain regions, there is also an abundance of giant timber—fir, pine, nanmu—which would greatly benefit Daxia's shipbuilding..."

Hearing this, Shen Yuan's expression improved considerably.

Scholar Zhou continued, "Yunnan also has vast numbers of wild tung trees. Their tung oil is thick and of exceptional quality—far better than what's produced in Sichuan, Chu, the two Guangs, or Fujian."

Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly: "Right, right. Tung oil is a fine thing—every ship consumes it in great quantities. It's very important."

"Yunnan is also suitable for growing indigo plants, which can produce the finest indigo dye. Cloth dyed with Yunnan indigo not only doesn't fade, but also becomes more wear-resistant, moisture-proof, rot-proof, and moth-proof.

The dark blue dye for the new army's uniforms uses Yunnan indigo. Now that Yunnan is in turmoil, the cost of the Seventh Division's uniforms has gone up—and that expense has to be counted against the army's budget."

Song Danchu said angrily, "How can this be? Those tusi chieftains are simply asking for death."

Scholar Zhou bowed once more to Lin Qian and said, "Your Majesty, your servant humbly believes that Daxia was founded to rescue the people from fire and water, to save the living from peril. Now Yunnan is in chaos, the people displaced and homeless, their lives hanging by a thread.

If we sit by and watch the rebels slaughter the common folk, then three hundred years of the Great Ming's cultivation of Yunnan will be lost in a single stroke, and the Dian borderlands will revert to barbarism—would that not be a crime for the ages? For the sake of the Chinese realm, for the sake of countless common people, your servant humbly begs Your Majesty to send troops!"

Ye Xianggao finally set down his teacup, looked at Scholar Zhou with satisfaction, and praised, "Well said."

Then he slowly rose and also bowed to Lin Qian: "This old minister seconds the motion."

Qin Liangyu rose abruptly, clasped her fists, and said, "Your Majesty, this general is willing to stake her life as guarantee—I will surely pacify the rebellion for China!"

Lei Sanxiang said, "General Qin, let me go instead."

Kong Youde let out a loud howl: "Your Majesty, that civil official spoke excellently! This general volunteers to be the vanguard!"

The other civil and military officials also rose one after another, volunteering for battle.

Just then, a personal guard strode quickly into the Government Affairs Hall and whispered in Lin Qian's ear: "Your Majesty, there's a child outside asking to see you... He says he is the Duke of Qian, and he's carrying the spirit tablet of Prince Mu."

Yuan Ti

Pen