Lü Cheng said, “In any case, it would be an added source of strength. If we can hold Ying Commandery, then by sea, it’s still fairly close to Daqing.”
But he knew perfectly well that Ying Commandery probably could not be held. He had heard that the Jiao Army had already taken six counties.
Wang Boshan sighed. “Enough. Let His Majesty worry about this himself.”
He looked at the bright sunlight outside. “I really would like to take a trip to Fengzhou and have a look around.”
Lü Cheng smiled. “What’s stopping us? We can go to Wuqin. It isn’t too far from Daqing.”
Wang Boshan hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “Forget it. Our proper duties come first. His Majesty’s reply may not arrive that day.”
In Jiu’an, Sizhou, Jiang Chun stared at the document in his hand, his forehead throbbing with anger.
He had already paid more than two hundred thousand taels of silver for Fengzhou, and now Daqing was asking him for money as well. Did they really think his money was blown in by the wind?
“Have Dong Cheng, Hua Yuanyi, and the others come here to discuss an important matter.”
A little over a quarter of an hour later, Hua Yuanyi and the others entered the Zhenghe Palace. Seeing Jiang Chun’s grim expression, they hurriedly saluted.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Jiang Chun waved for them to rise. “Daqing Commandery is willing to return to our rule, but they want the military pay and provisions owed over the past several years, along with military equipment and supplies. The total comes to two million six hundred thousand taels.”
Dong Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. “How could it be so much? How many troops does Daqing have now?”
Jiang Chun handed the document to the palace eunuch and had it passed down. “Take a look. This is the message Lord Wang sent back.”
Soon, Dong Cheng’s startled cry rang through the hall.
“One hundred thousand soldiers? Daqing Commandery has a hundred thousand soldiers?”
Hua Yuanyi’s eyes flickered. “If they truly have one hundred thousand troops, then this amount isn’t excessive.”
Qi Pingwei nodded. “Indeed. In these chaotic times, Daqing Commandery has been fighting the Jiao Army all along. Whenever two armies clash, there are bound to be casualties. The compensation alone would be a considerable sum.”
“However…” He changed tack. “These are difficult times. Being able to pay even half the military wages would be considered good. By that calculation, this amount is indeed too high.”
He had already softened his words. If the Ministry of War could pay half the soldiers’ wages, that would be the best possible outcome. In fact, even in the past, they had rarely managed to pay the full amount.
At present, the soldiers in Sizhou were not merely going without military pay—they could barely eat their fill. The troops sent to the battlefield received only enough for half a meal.
That was why he felt the demand was too high—far too high. If they calculated expenses at this rate, Sizhou itself would soon be unable to support its army.
Dong Cheng nodded. “Indeed. The price is too high.”
He glanced at the document in his hand. “Daqing says they can first provide five hundred thousand taels to ease their current difficulties.”
He shook his head with a smile and looked up at Jiang Chun. “Your Majesty, it seems Daqing has reached the end of its resources. If we provide these military supplies now, Daqing will certainly submit. However, the amount is simply too large.”
“I believe we should negotiate with Daqing again and see whether we can bring the price down. If we can secure Daqing at a smaller cost, then I believe it would still be worthwhile.”
Qi Pingwei nodded. “Indeed. Daqing’s location is extremely important. If we can bring it over to our side, we’ll be able to learn much more about Fengzhou and Juanzhou.”
Jiang Chun looked at Hua Yuanyi, who had remained silent. “Minister Hua, how much do you think would be appropriate?”
Hua Yuanyi pondered for a moment before answering, “I cannot say, but we can have Lord Wang negotiate further. Naturally, the less we have to pay, the better.”
“However…” He changed tack. “Lu You is no ordinary man. If we offer too little, I’m afraid he won’t agree.”
Dong Cheng looked at the document in surprise. “The letter says that Daqing Commandery’s governor is a woman, and that it was this female governor who received Lord Wang and the others.”
The civil official Wen Zixin was stunned. “What? A female governor?”
“This… How can this be proper?” His beard practically quivered with anger.
Dong Cheng could not help thinking of the Sixth Princess in Fengzhou. He frowned slightly. He had a strange feeling that the world was changing. Women could not only fight in battles and reclaim lost territory—they were now taking part in government affairs as well.
Jiang Chun also thought of Jiang Jin, and a shadow passed through his eyes.
Women ruling the world—the moral order had truly fallen!
Suppressing the gloom in his heart, he asked in an even tone, “What do you all think we should do?”
Dong Cheng mused, “Why not allocate one hundred thousand taels’ worth of military supplies first?”
A trace of mockery flashed through Hua Yuanyi’s eyes, but he was clever enough to remain silent.
Qi Pingwei frowned. “What can one hundred thousand taels accomplish? Daqing has managed to hold out this long. Even if they don’t have one hundred thousand troops, they must have at least seventy thousand. One hundred thousand taels would cover no more than half a year of their soldiers’ wages. Once provisions, equipment, and the rest are included, it would only last them two months.”
“Fengzhou has high-yield grain varieties, which means it should have no shortage of food. If that’s the case, why would Daqing choose Sizhou?”
“They might as well submit to Fengzhou. Whether Fengzhou can pay their military wages is another matter, but they certainly have military provisions.”
“Besides, Daqing borders Fengzhou. The two sides could defend one another, coordinate their forces, and fight together.”
Dong Cheng’s face flushed at his words. “How can you be so concerned with profit? Whether Daqing or Fengzhou, both are territories of the Yan Kingdom. It is only natural that they obey His Majesty’s commands.”
“When did doing one’s duty become something that required an exchange? Isn’t that the behavior of rebels and traitors?”
Everyone in the hall lowered their eyes, concealing their true expressions. Rebels and traitors? The capital had already fallen, the Yan Kingdom had splintered into chaos, and every faction was ruling itself. What ruler, what subjects, were there left?
In the end, it was nothing more than a matter of interests.
Jiang Chun lowered his eyes toward his silent ministers, violent emotions surging within him. Only after a moment did he speak in a calm voice.
“Now that the kingdom faces a national crisis, we cannot judge matters by ordinary standards. It is reasonable for Daqing to demand military supplies from me. However, how can we ensure that they will obey my commands after receiving them?”
His imperial younger sister’s territory was now larger than his own. If he failed to win over Daqing, he would have even less of an advantage. Therefore, Daqing had to be brought under his control.
If Daqing submitted, it would not only strengthen his forces, but also allow him to gather more information about Fengzhou.
So he was willing to pay the price. Although several hundred thousand taels was a large amount, Sizhou had plenty of powerful clans and great families. Raising that sum would not be difficult.
Fortunately, his imperial younger sister was not very clever. She had actually refused to sell land in Fengzhou.
Otherwise, given the current circumstances, large numbers of powerful clans from Sizhou would surely have gone to Fengzhou. That would have been a tremendous source of strength.
As far as he knew, quite a few great families had sent people to Fengzhou. After learning about the conditions there, however, they could only abandon the idea of relocating and settle down to defend Sizhou alongside him.
It was Jiang Jin herself who had severed that source of support and stabilized Sizhou for him.
Qi Pingwei pondered before saying, “We could send generals there and gradually take control of Daqing’s army.”
