Long Mountain Commandery

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Long Mountain Commandery
Original	长山郡
Affiliation	East Qin Province; Empire
Occupation/Role	Commandery-level administrative region
Status	Existing; under Commandery Governor Lin Wen
First Appearance	3

Geography

Long Mountain Commandery lies on the far western edge of East Qin Province. It covers more than 50,000 square kilometers and has a population stated as over 1.3 million, though its actual population may be 1.4–1.5 million because remote mountainous areas are difficult to survey. 10 12

• Northern boundary: Cloudsoar Mountain Range. 25
• Southern boundary: Taixu Mountain Range. 25
• Terrain: Roughly one-third mountainous, alongside plains, hills, rivers, marshes, valleys, basins, and Gobi desert. 25
• Eastern plain: The commandery's only significant modernized area; it contains Huai Town and East Grain Town. 25
• Huai Town: Commandery capital and seat of the Commandery Administration Hall; located at the eastern edge near West Hu City. 12 14
• Changle Town: Former workplace of Lin Wen and a major post-disaster reconstruction center. 12 27
• Western route: Long, steep, perilous, flood-damaged, and difficult to traverse. 26

Administration

Long Mountain Commandery was formerly governed by Zhao Anping. After his transfer, Lin Wen was appointed commandery governor by unanimous vote, rising from Changle Town mayor and skipping three ranks in the appointment itself. 11

The commandery is a specially designated first-class impoverished commandery and is described as one of the Empire's most backward regions. Its longstanding deprivation had made it an undesirable posting, while its administration had accumulated vacancies, resistance, and unresolved affairs. 11 20

Special Command Authority

Lin Wen received a writ granting Long Mountain Commandery special command authority, approved by the Empire, signed by the Emperor, and sealed by Governor Sheng Huaixuan. It was reportedly the first such authority granted to a stable inland region without war or unrest. 12

The authority enabled Lin Wen to mobilize Imperial soldiers and make appointments normally subject to council approval, including Zhao Minggong's appointment as deputy county chief. 21 27

Key Officials

• Lin Wen — Commandery Governor; appointed after Zhao Anping's transfer. 11
• Zhao Anping — Former Commandery Governor; recommended Lin Wen as his successor and was transferred away rather than dismissed. 11 13
• Li Tupu — Director of the Commandery Administration Hall; led resistance to Lin Wen after being passed over for promotion. 12 13
• Yuan Zhimen — Deputy Director of the Commandery Governor's Office and deputy leader of the post-disaster reconstruction task force. 13 20
• Lei Tiantong — Finance Department director and reconstruction task-force member. 20
• Fang Dashan — Garrison commander who supports Lin Wen and commands the local Imperial troops. 20 27
• Zhao Minggong — Appointed deputy county chief to handle affairs in Lin Wen's absence. 21
• Qin Luoshuang — Staff adviser and later deputy county chief under Lin Wen's protection. 46 48

Economy and Infrastructure

Long Mountain Commandery's poverty is closely tied to its isolated terrain and poor transportation. Outside its small eastern plain, modernization rapidly disappears, with western areas described as increasingly primitive. 25

Measure	Recorded figure
Area	More than 50,000 km² 10
Reported population	More than 1.3 million 10 12
Estimated actual population	1.4–1.5 million 12
Annual output	89,000,000 Imperial yuan 12
Per-capita output	680 Imperial yuan, based on the reported population 12

Development plans repeatedly stalled because the commandery lacked funds. The archives held numerous suspended, shelved, or unfinished plans, many prepared under Zhao Anping. 12

Imperial Highway Project

The Imperial Trunk Plan includes a proposed east–west highway connecting Imperial Highway No. 128 in Cloud Province to Imperial Highway No. 133 in East Qin Province. 13

Feature	Details
Total length	121 km
Length in Long Mountain Commandery	101 km
Planned investment	5.6 billion Imperial yuan
Priority	Last-ranked; no projected start date
Required local preparation	Improve security and clear or demolish structures along the route 13

Lin Wen promoted the project to attract investment, including by misrepresenting its “branch route” and “non-priority” labels as a trunk route with special priority. 13

Flood Disaster and Reconstruction

Flood-control failures endangered more than one million residents of Long Mountain Commandery. During the emergency, Lin Wen was assigned the most dangerous stretch of the Changpai Village embankment; its survival prevented further catastrophe for people who had fled there after other dikes collapsed. 3 10

The disaster left approximately 300,000 victims requiring homes and relief. 12 Reconstruction faced shortages of supplies, transport difficulties, embezzlement, inadequate refugee conditions, and withheld relief funding. 22 28 48

Changpai Village Dike

The Changpai Village dike became a local symbol after Lin Wen's defense of it. A stele was erected there praising his “boundless compassion” and naming him the “Primal Chaos Lightbreaker,” titles Lin Wen disliked. 30

Reconstruction Measures

• Lin Wen established a post-disaster reconstruction task force and used it to remove corrupt officials from influential posts. 19 20
• Nearly 3,000 Imperial soldiers were mobilized to assist reconstruction in Changle Town. 27
• One hundred staff members from the Commandery Administration Hall were transferred to Changle Town for relief work. 27
• Lin Wen ordered the existing resettlement site selections discarded in favor of building a new town for disaster victims. 27
• He promised refugees food, hot water, tents, medical treatment, medicine, justice, and new homes. 29 30
• He increased food rations using his first commandery-chief salary and ordered that no deductions be taken from the victims' provisions. 43

Political Conflict

Lin Wen's arrival triggered internal opposition from officials connected to the prior administration, particularly Li Tupu. 13 He later seized control during a coup, supported by Fang Weiwei, Fang Dashan, and Imperial soldiers, then purged officials accused of corruption or rebellion. 20

Public trials in Changle Town held officials accountable for mismanagement, embezzlement, and abuses committed against disaster victims. 37 39

Long Mountain Commandery also became a target of Yu Zhongxian's faction. Their plans included withholding aid, starving the population into unrest, inserting agents, and exploiting Lin Wen's shallow political roots to undermine Governor Sheng Huaixuan. 47

Notable Events

• Flood-control emergency — The Changpai Village dike is defended amid a commandery-wide flood crisis. 3 4
• Lin Wen's appointment — Zhao Anping transfers out and Lin Wen becomes Commandery Governor. 11
• Grant of special command authority — The Empire gives Lin Wen unusual military and administrative powers. 12
• Highway investment campaign — Lin Wen publicizes the Imperial highway project to attract developers and investors. 13 15
• Administrative coup and purge — Lin Wen takes control of the commandery administration and forms the reconstruction task force. 20
• Refugee uprising — Corruption and deprivation at Settlement Site Eleven lead refugees to revolt; Lin Wen intervenes directly. 28 31
• Public trials — Commandery officials are tried before disaster victims for corruption and mismanagement. 37 39