Moving into Lujiang

Ji Ling...

Xiahou Xian had certainly heard that name.

He had been Yuan Shu's foremost general back then. Had Ji Ling's abilities been placed in the present age, he would at the very least have ranked among its renowned generals. But amid the chaos at the end of the Han, with so many stars shining brightly, he had seemed rather insignificant.

Xiahou Xian was in excellent spirits that day. Gaining two capable subordinates in succession gave him greater confidence in this force of trusted personal troops.

Next, after leaving Wen Qin and the others to arrange Ji Shao's transfer themselves, Xiahou Xian returned to Shouchun alone.

On the third day, Xiahou Xian finally received his transfer orders from Man Chong.

Yet Man Chong's orders were rather strange: he instructed Xiahou Xian to lead his own troops into Liu'an and join Yue Lin, who was stationed there.

Liu'an lay south of Shaobei, right beside the Bi River. Following the Bi River south led into the Dabie Mountains, plainly the opposite direction from Ruxukou, the target of this expedition.

Despite his many questions, Xiahou Xian led his troops out the very day he received the orders. This time, he brought a total of three thousand soldiers. Apart from twenty-five hundred infantrymen, the rest were cavalry.

Xiahou Xian and the others set off ahead with the cavalry. Shouchun was not far from Liu'an; they could reach it in less than a day.

This was Xiahou Xian's first real journey far afield since coming to Huainan. Although Shouchun was an important military stronghold, there were still plenty of ordinary people in the city, and even in the fields around it, many farming settlers could be seen at work.

Yet as their party followed the Fei River south, perhaps because it was winter, all they could see were endless withered grasses and white bones that no one tended.

Huainan had once been a prosperous land. But after Yuan Shu's extortionate levies, the mass relocation of its people inland during Cao Cao's time, and years of warfare between Wei and Wu, it had long since changed beyond recognition, scarred and ravaged wherever the eye fell.

On horseback, Xiahou Xian sighed inwardly and urged his mount onward with his whip. Only when they reached Liu'an did they finally see a little sign of human life.

Xiahou Xian had Wen Qin arrange for camp to be set up west of Liu'an, while he took Chen Yuan into the city to find Yue Lin.

Yue Lin was the current Administrator of Lujiang and the son of a distinguished, renowned general. Xiahou Xian felt it necessary to make his acquaintance.

Several hours later, Wen Qin's camp was finished. With a leaf between his lips, Wen Qin sat on the ground, bored out of his mind.

He felt as though he was about to grow mold. He really wished a battle would come right away so he could stretch his muscles.

Suddenly, an idea came to Wen Qin, and he abruptly sat up from the ground.

He went to the scouts' camp and called out, "Where's your commanding officer?"

One of the scouts replied, "Reporting to Commandant Wen, Major Jiang is not in camp. It seems he received an assignment from the administrator."

Since the scouts also needed horses, and Jiang Ban held great prestige in the army, the scouts' camp was temporarily under Jiang Ban's command as well.

Wen Qin waved a hand. "Forget it. Pick a dozen or so riders and come out on patrol with me."

"Well..." The scout seemed rather troubled. "Before Major Jiang left, he said no one was to leave without his orders."

Wen Qin's temper flared at once. "What? Do my military orders carry less weight than your Major Jiang's?!"

The scout said nothing.

Wen Qin tilted his head and said, "Fine, then. I was thinking of taking you along to earn some military merit. Forget it. I'll find someone else."

In a place like Huainan, it was very difficult for scouts to win promotion through military merit. Every day, they lived licking blood from the edge of a blade; any day might be their last.

So they were not doing it for promotion, but to gain more tangible benefits, such as grain, cloth, or simply money.

With those things, their families could live better. That was also what drove them to risk their lives so desperately on the front lines.

At once, several scouts stepped forward. "Commandant, do you mean it?"

"I'll go with you, Commandant."

"I'll go too."

Before long, quite a few men had taken an interest.

The trick really worked. Soon, Wen Qin had gathered more than thirty riders. Although the scouts knew what Wen Qin was actually going to do, once they heard there was military merit to be earned, they all scrambled to gather around him.

At this point, there was no need to concern themselves with Jiang Ban's military orders. After all, this Commandant Wen was the true commanding officer of these Huainan Commandery troops.

Liu'an, the administrator's residence.

Stroking his beard, Yue Lin looked at Xiahou Xian. "I never expected Administrator Xiahou to be so young. A truly gifted young man."

He offered a few perfunctory compliments, then ordered the servants to prepare some wine and dishes as a show of hospitality.

There was a resolute cast to Yue Lin's brow and eyes. Though he wore robes, he still exuded the distinctive authority of a warrior. One look marked him as a veteran general of many battles.

So Xiahou Xian thought to himself before saying, "You flatter me, Administrator Yue. I have come under General Man's orders for the two of us to station our troops in Liu'an and act as circumstances dictate. My abilities are modest and my experience limited, so I hope you will give me plenty of guidance in military matters."

Yue Lin smiled. "I wouldn't presume to offer guidance. Everything is for our Great Wei."

As he spoke, he raised his wine cup, inviting Xiahou Xian to drink with him.

Xiahou Xian drained his cup.

A little later, Xiahou Xian spoke again. "Administrator Yue, before coming to Liu'an, I made some inquiries. I heard that bandits frequently appear around Mount Tianzhu in southwestern Lujiang. Is that true?"

Many years earlier, after Yuan Shu's defeat and death, his subordinates Lei Bo, Chen Lan, and others had indeed occupied mountain strongholds, become bandits, and plundered the surrounding lands.

When Xiahou Xian first received this news, they were the first people who came to mind.

"Bandits?" Yue Lin gave a helpless chuckle. "What bandits? At most, they're merely displaced people."

Yue Lin continued, "Years ago, when our Emperor Wu, the Grand Progenitor, relocated the people of Huainan inland, it caused a tremendous stir. Many refused to obey and simply crossed the river to join Jiangdong. Some others had witnessed years of campaigns in Huainan. Whether Yuan Shu, our Great Wei, or Eastern Wu, they trusted none of them. They only wished to hide in the mountains and live in seclusion, away from the world."

"How do you know this, Administrator Yue?" Xiahou Xian asked.

"To tell you the truth," Yue Lin said, "a small portion of my men came from there. It's just that most of those people are still unwilling to trust us. However, since they have never engaged in plundering, I've simply kept one eye open and the other closed."

Xiahou Xian rubbed his chin. "That agrees with my suspicions. Once I reached Liu'an, I sent scouts to investigate. There were indeed no signs of plundering."

Yue Lin suddenly looked at Xiahou Xian in surprise and asked, "Could it be that you wish to bring them into the ranks, Administrator Xiahou?"

"Yes." Xiahou Xian nodded. "Our Huainan suffered a grievous loss of strength after the Battle of Shiting. Even if we cannot replenish our troops, moving them back to Huainan as farming settlers would greatly benefit our army."

"How do you intend to do it?" Yue Lin spread his hands. "Ordinary methods won't work, and suppressing them by force is even less advisable. Otherwise, I would have brought them into the ranks long ago."

Xiahou Xian glanced at Yue Lin. "That depends on whether you're willing to cut away some of your own flesh, Administrator Yue."

"What do you mean?"

"First, temporarily relax the restrictions on household registration in Liu'an and allow displaced people into the city. We could even provide lodgings specifically to help them settle in. We could also set a deadline-two months, for example. During those two months, they could move about freely. After two months, they would register as households, and whether they joined the army or took up farming would be up to them."

"Second, taxes. We could grant appropriate reductions or exemptions in the early stages. At the very least, let those displaced people see some hope of staying alive."

"There are many other measures. I'm sure you know what to do, Administrator Yue."

Yue Lin nodded in deep agreement, but then a troubled look crossed his face. "Once the displaced people enter the city, everything else can be discussed. But persuading them is difficult. Merely publicizing it with great fanfare inside the city has little effect. We can hardly take troops out to seize them, can we?"

Xiahou Xian's gaze blazed. "Why not leave this to me, then? I'll make the trip on your behalf, Administrator Yue."

Yue Lin smiled. "If you are willing, Administrator Xiahou, I would be most grateful."

"Administrator!" Just then, a minor clerk ran in from outside the hall. Both men's expressions froze, and they turned toward him at the same time.

"What is it?" Yue Lin asked.

The clerk said, "There's a man outside calling himself Jiang Ban, an army major of the Huainan forces. He requests an audience with both administrators."

Yue Lin gave Xiahou Xian a puzzled glance, then said, "Let him in."

Soon, Jiang Ban hurried inside.

He saluted the two administrators in turn and said gravely, "Commandant Wen has led several dozen riders into Mount Tianzhu."

Huh???