Waterways crisscrossed Jianghuai like silver ribbons, rippling in the wind. Across the rivers, ships rode white waves and thundered forward.
This was the Luo Clan's fleet. Inside the cabins, capable-looking men rested with their eyes closed. Unusually, they were not Dare-to-Fight Warriors.
The Dare-to-Fight Warriors were invincible horsemen and the strongest armored soldiers, but because they had spent so long in the North, the Luo Clan almost never sent them south of Jianghuai, fearing illness and diminished fighting strength. Caution was the watchword.
The Luo Clan had another base in Southern Heaven: Luo Village, once their refuge.
After the main body of the Luo Clan relocated to Zhao City, Luo Village in Southern Heaven had not been abandoned. Instead, it became their southern headquarters, specifically responsible for southern affairs. The Southern Garrison Command was handling this investigation in Jiangdong.
During the Zhou State era, Jiangdong had been the fief of Wu State, one of the Ji domains.
Later, Chu State occupied it, and the Xiang Clan of the Ji surname was enfeoffed here. They played an extremely important role throughout the shifting storms of Chu State's history and in the uprisings at the end of Qin.
The Hegemon-King Xiang Yu, in particular, was the only Son of Heaven the Chu people had ever produced, and his prestige throughout Jiangdong was immense.
After Han was founded.
While elevating Xiang Yu's status and achievements, Liu Bang began dividing Chu State's former lands. Jiangdong was reconstituted as Wu State, the old Kuaiji lands were enfeoffed as Yue State, and the old Jingchu lands had even less to do with Chu State. Only Xiangying remained, renamed Chu County, to serve as Chu State's capital.
Lü Zhi moved large numbers of Chu people to replenish the exhausted, severely depopulated Guanzhong, reducing Jiangdong's population. Successive emperors