Chapter 1546

Although Yan Xuanming knew he had an uncle on Heavenly Wolf Mountain, he had never met him, and he laughed: "If I get the chance, I'd like to meet him."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Martial Prosperity Commandery is developing well under your governance, Xuanming—I really didn't misjudge you."

Yan Xuanming said: "My lord trusts me so much, entrusting the important stronghold of Martial Prosperity to me; I will naturally devote myself wholeheartedly and not disappoint my lord's heavy trust."

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

Yan Xuanming said: "My lord, the development of Martial Prosperity Commandery today has left the port unable to simultaneously handle military and civilian duties; in my view, we should expand Martial Prosperity Commandery eastward, greatly enlarging the dock of Haiyan Town in Linhai to ease the port's pressure, and the greatest benefit is that future foreign merchant ships need not enter the inland stretches of the Common River; they can complete trade at the river mouth."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Good; since you think it's feasible, go ahead and handle it quickly—I'll give you maximal support in manpower, material resources, and funds."

Yan Xuanming laughed: "Thank you, my lord."

Li Yongfu also came over to meet at this time; after Zhao Wusheng returned, his duties had been transferred from the Common River navy to the training of the Cloud Marsh New Army. Following Zhao Wusheng's earlier topic, he again brought up the matter of the Hope Spring River water bandits, which in his view should be related to Guo Guangbi of Prosperity Prefecture. This autumn, most of the Central Plains enjoyed a bumper harvest, but Prosperity Prefecture was different: they kept burning, killing, and looting, with no intention of farming, driving away the surrounding populace, leaving fertile fields barren and the wilderness desolate, finally reaping the bitter fruit of their own sowing. Their current plan is that those people of Prosperity Prefecture who want to survive must continue looting, creating a vicious cycle. Recently they have been launching attacks everywhere, indiscriminately looting, already arousing heaven's anger and popular resentment.

Li Yongfu angrily said: "Guo Guangbi of Prosperity Prefecture is a malignant tumor that must be eradicated soon; if we let them continue to run rampant, they will not only bring disaster to the people but also disturb the peace of the four neighboring regions."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "The bandits of Prosperity Prefecture are indeed utterly lacking in morality, but we currently have no solid proof that they are definitely the culprits; just now Wusheng also told me about this, and I have asked him to contact Su Yuchi to discuss the matter in a recent meeting."

Li Yongfu said: "My lord, Su Yuchi has recently received considerable reinforcements from the Dakang Court. It is said that the Yongyang Princess of Dakang personally summoned him and places great trust in him; his strength has now more than doubled since the beginning of the year, and I believe this man should not be underestimated—if allowed to develop further, he will surely become a serious future threat to you." In Li Yongfu's view, Su Yuchi is clearly a greater threat than Guo Guangbi of Prosperity Prefecture; the former is a regular army, the latter mere scattered troops, and their combat capabilities are naturally incomparable.

Hu Xiaotian said: "One must eat a steamed bun bite by bite; we cannot afford to make too many enemies."

Li Yongfu nodded and said: "I always feel that Su Yuchi is not proactive in eradicating water bandits; we have previously sent people to negotiate with them. After all, half of the Hope Spring River is currently under their control, and the Xunyong River is entirely within their domain; if both sides cooperated to suppress bandits, even if it could not be completely eliminated, the likelihood of such incidents could be reduced to a minimum."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Su Yuchi previously cooperated with us because he wanted to ensure a bountiful autumn grain harvest; now he has secured a foothold in Yunyang, so he naturally no longer needs to look to us for cues, especially since he has the backing of the Dakang Court—he is a loyal subject while we are rebels, and not breaking with us outright is already not bad."

Li Yongfu also gave a brief report on the training of the Cloud Marsh Navy and the reconstruction of the Bixin Mountain water stronghold; overall everything is progressing smoothly.

That evening Hu Xiaotian held a grand banquet, warmly welcoming the civil and military officials who had come to Dongliang Jun for a meeting; cups flowed freely and everyone drank heartily, Hu Xiaotian also imbibing quite a bit. When the wine had taken half effect, Huo Shengnan came to his side and whispered: "People from Prosperity Prefecture have arrived."

Hu Xiaotian blinked in surprise: "Where?"

"Guo Guangbi of Prosperity Prefecture has sent an envoy; he just arrived, saying he has an urgent matter and requests an audience with the lord."

Hu Xiaotian frowned; just as they had been discussing the water bandit turmoil on the Hope Spring River, the envoy from Prosperity Prefecture arrived.

Huo Shengnan said: "Should we see him or not?"

"What kind of person?"

"It is Xie Jian, Guo Guangbi's foremost strategist."

Hu Xiaotian had met Xie Jian before; the last time was in Black Sand. This Xie Jian, nicknamed the Ominous Star, had accompanied Guo Guangbi's son Guo Shaoxiong to Black Sand to discuss major matters, but they parted on bad terms, and the breach of the Xunyong River washed away their originally prepared four-way talks.

Xie Jian wore a half-new, half-old gray Confucian robe; accompanied by Li Mingcheng, he entered the reception hall. He had arrived in the afternoon, and before meeting Hu Xiaotian he took some time to stroll around Dongliang Jun. He had been to Dongliang Jun before, but this visit differed greatly from the last: he saw clean streets, thriving markets, people living in peace and prosperity, foreign merchants thronging like clouds, and heard on the streets and alleys mostly praise for Hu Xiaotian, since Hu Xiaotian had recently become the prince consort of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, putting all of Dongliang Jun in a state of pride and excitement; if there were no complaints among the populace and the common folk were happy because of their superiors' joy, then one could say he had basically won the people's hearts.

Xie Jian could not help but acknowledge Hu Xiaotian's ability; in just a few years he has brought Dongliang Jun to this state, and not only Dongliang Jun—he also intends to spare time to inspect Martial Prosperity Commandery, where he has heard the development is also quite good. The people who once fled their homes due to famine are beginning to return, and the number of returnees to Dongliang Jun is even greater, many of them having come back because Hu Xiaotian originally took charge of Dongliang Jun, fearing that Da Yong might send troops against Dongliang Jun and bring war's ravages, they had fled north into Da Yong's territory.

Seeing Dongliang Jun inevitably reminded him of Prosperity Prefecture; Guo Guangbi's tenure there is obviously much longer than Hu Xiaotian's, yet Guo Guangbi is utterly clueless about domestic affairs—since the early days of his occupation of Prosperity Prefecture, Xie Jian has repeatedly urged him to strengthen internal governance, but Guo Guangbi has paid it no heed. The incessant arrival of rebel forces and their rapidly expanding manpower have made Guo Guangbi somewhat swollen with pride; he is far more accustomed to seizing money, grain, and wealth—a quick and effective method—and holds so-called internal governance in utter contempt. One must say that banditry works at first, but over time its harms grow; today Prosperity Prefecture resembles an extremely weakened patient who has lost too much blood and urgently needs a transfusion, yet can find no one in the surroundings to provide it.

After the Black Sand talks, Guo Guangbi had actually recognized this problem, but it was already too late; internal governance requires far more long-term patience than warfare, and trying to change Prosperity Prefecture's hand-to-mouth situation in the short term is impossible; if war were launched, lacking sufficient funds and supplies as support, the outcome could easily be imagined. Thus for Prosperity Prefecture, their situation is already extremely urgent, and the only way to improve their plight in the short term is through diplomacy.

Hu Xiaotian stood there smiling at Xie Jian, who hurried forward two steps and bowed respectfully: "Envoy Xie Jian pays his respects to Master Hu!" Before Hu Xiaotian broke with the Dakang Court, he could still be called Sir Hu; now that Hu Xiaotian has clearly severed ties with the Dakang Court, addressing him as "Master Hu" is more appropriate.

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Master Xie, you have rushed here night and day; you surely have an important matter."

Xie Jian said: "I come bearing my lord's weighty commission."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Please, have a seat inside."

After host and guest were seated, a servant brought up fragrant tea; Xie Jian thanked him, took a sip, and smiled: "Fine tea—Yangchun Snowmelt from Jiyun Mountain, picked before the rains."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Master Xie, you certainly have studied the tea ceremony!"

Xie Jian said: "It's not really study—just drinking a lot, so I've picked up a few things. This Yangchun Snowmelt is best brewed with snow water from Jiyun Mountain, needs the leaves rinsed three times, and after boiling the water should be left to sit a moment; most importantly, the tea leaves should not be stored for longer than three months."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "I've never bothered with tea formalities; as long as it quenches thirst and tastes good, in these troubled times being able to fill one's stomach is already a blessing from heaven."

Xie Jian laughed: "Please forgive my boldness as an envoy; if I have been presumptuous, I hope you will not take offense."

Hu Xiaotian said: "How could I? I greatly admire Master Xie."

Xie Jian humbly said: "I dare not accept such praise." He set down his Chazan and respectfully said: "No offense intended, Master Hu—I have been sent by my lord to consult with you on the current situation."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I would be glad to hear Master Xie's lofty views."

Xie Jian said: "It's not exactly lofty; I have come on two accounts: first, to congratulate Master Hu on behalf of my lord on his engagement to the Moon-Reflecting Princess of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom; second, to congratulate him on pacifying Red Wood River."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "It's not really pacification; Red Wood River is still governed by the Red Barbarian Tribe themselves—I merely offered some suggestions and signed an agreement with them."

Xie Jian said: "Li Tianheng of Xichuan has just sent an envoy, proposing to join forces with us to attack Yunyang."

Hu Xiaotian smiled without comment; this was no surprise, having long been anticipated by him.

Xie Jian said: "Actually, when it comes to surrounding Yunyang, the obvious first choice for a partner would be Master Hu."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It seems Master Xie doesn't understand me; I am by nature averse to war, and unless forced, I always prefer a peaceful resolution—war brings nothing but corpses strewn across the fields and suffering for the populace, and in the end it is the common folk who suffer most."

Xie Jian nodded, inwardly sneering, "You Hu Xiaotian are probably all talk—since you arrived in Dongliang Jun, the wars you've provoked have been many, yet he cannot deny that each of Hu Xiaotian's battles has been fought splendidly." Xie Jian said: "Xichuan's attitude toward us has always been harsh, but it has suddenly shifted; there must be a reason for that."

Hu Xiaotian said: "There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests."

Today is the first day of classes at Lu Academy, Zhangyu sends the First Update; this is written by sacrificing the time of the opening ceremony, this kind of learning attitude is wrong, I must deeply reflect, but I feel the opening ceremony is less important than the readers, those who think it's right cast a Guaranteed Monthly Ticket and give a like! If there are many likes, I will still write in the afternoon class! (To be continued~^~)