Jing Province, Nan Commandery.
Xiangyang City, Council Hall of the Governor’s Residence.
“Gentlemen.”
Seated at the head of the hall, the dignified Liu Biao looked over the civil and military officials of Jing Province.
“Yuan Shu has now usurped Yu and Yang Provinces. Through underhanded schemes, he colluded with traitors to murder an imperial prince of the Han. His wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see.”
“Today we must determine our course of action. If we fail to do so now, we shall regret it too late.”
“What advice do you have for me?”
At this time, Liu Biao was only around fifty years old.
His fighting spirit had not yet faded.
Faced with Yuan Shu’s increasingly unrestrained behavior, he naturally wished to take action.
“My lord.”
A middle-aged man rose and bowed.
“In my opinion, although Yuan Shu’s military strength is growing by the day, Jing Province has no reason to fear him. However, meeting him head-on in open war would be unwise.”
“Yuan Shu and Jing Province have long borne old grudges against one another.”
“Given his predatory nature, he will sooner or later march against Jing Province.”
“At this moment, Your Excellency should govern with benevolence, winning the hearts of the people.”
“At the same time, strengthen the army through rigorous training, prepare military supplies and provisions, and patiently await the enemy.”
“Rest while he tires himself, and defend while waiting for his attack.”
The speaker was Kuai Liang, courtesy name Zirou.
Born into one of Jing Province’s great aristocratic clans, he now served as Liu Biao’s chief strategist and was one of the leading figures among the province’s powerful families.
“Master Zirou speaks wisely. Rather than exhausting our people and treasury by waging war against Yuan Shu, we should strengthen our own foundations and rely upon Jing Province’s strategic mountain passes to keep him outside our borders.”
“Master Zirou truly possesses talents capable of governing the world. I admire him immensely.”
“Respond to every change by remaining unchanged… Master Zirou…”
The assembled officials showered Kuai Liang with praise.
In their eyes, as long as they did not have to fight a war, everything else was negotiable.
As for “governing the people with benevolence”— the people they had in mind were naturally themselves.
Why fight Yuan Shu?
Would it not be far better to take advantage of Liu Biao’s benevolence and divide Jing Province’s wealth among themselves?
“Yidu, what do you think?”
Seeing the reaction of the court, Liu Biao felt somewhat displeased.
He did not show it, however.
After all, he owed his position as Governor of Jing Province to the support of these very men.
“My lord.”
Kuai Yue rose and bowed.
“I believe my elder brother’s words are entirely reasonable.”
“At present, Jing Province is still plagued by local clan forces that refuse to obey the Governor’s authority.”
“Why not suppress these rebellious clans first?”
“Once they are pacified, we can absorb their soldiers and greatly strengthen Jing Province’s military.”
“As for Yuan Shu of Runan, who murdered Prince Liu Chong of Chen…”
“In my view, his actions have effectively isolated him from the entire realm.”
“It only proves that, despite being born into the illustrious Four Generations of Three Excellencies, he is nothing more than a reckless brute—strong in courage, but lacking wisdom and judgment.”
“He is not an opponent Your Excellency need fear.”
After speaking, Kuai Yue bowed once more.
As Kuai Liang’s younger clansman, he naturally had no intention of contradicting his elder brother.
Indeed, he genuinely shared the same opinion.
The so-called clan bandits were, in reality, the powerful local aristocratic families who neither acknowledged Liu Biao’s authority nor cooperated with the provincial administration.
The private armies maintained by those families were precisely what Kuai Yue referred to as “clan bandits.”
“My lord, Master Yidu’s proposal is exactly the strategy that will revitalize Jing Province!”
“My lord, I believe those clan bandits must be completely eradicated. Only then can Jing Province’s army grow stronger and its prestige flourish!”
“…”
The officials erupted with enthusiasm.
These represented tangible benefits.
Unless those rival aristocratic clans were crushed, how could their own families continue to expand?
…
Liu Biao’s expression gradually darkened as he looked over the assembled officials.
After a moment, he spoke in a deep voice, “Zirou’s and Yidu’s proposals are much to my liking.”
“Tell me, then—how should we dispatch our forces to eliminate these clan bandits?”
What followed became little more than a discussion over how to divide the spoils.
No one mentioned attacking Yuan Shu ever again.
Suppressing those independent clans would also bring Liu Biao substantial benefits.
His control over Jing Province would become even stronger.
After all, the officials gathered in the hall at least acknowledged his authority.
Those powerful local clans, however, ignored him completely— some even sought to rule their territories independently.
………………
Early October, Dong Commandery, Yan Province.
Military Camp at Renping Crossing.
Inside the command hall of the fortress, “Gongda.”
Zhang Jing looked toward Xun You.
“Tomorrow I will leave for Boping. The army’s supply of grain and provisions must not fail under any circumstances.”
The reason he had brought Xun You along was not merely for strategic advice.
Xun You would also oversee military logistics and grain transport.
After all, this campaign was unlike their previous raid.
They were not merely striking and withdrawing.
This time, their objective was to incorporate as much of Ji Province’s territory as possible into the Taiping Prefecture.
Besides Xun You, both Wang Du and Man Chong had also accompanied Zhang Jing.
The Taiping Prefecture’s vanguard had already crossed the Yellow River.
At Boping, they were constructing defensive fortifications, turning the city into the army’s principal rear base.
“My lord, rest assured.”
Xun You bowed respectfully.
“I shall spare no effort in ensuring the army is fully supplied with grain, provisions, and military equipment.”
“Good.”
Zhang Jing nodded slightly before turning to Man Chong.
“Boning, how are things in You Province?”
“My lord.”
With a solemn expression, Man Chong replied, “According to reports from our scouts in You Province several days ago, Yuan Shao captured Fanyang about a month ago and has likely taken control of the entirety of Zhuo Commandery by now.”
“In addition, the forces of Tian Kai and Liu Bei in Qing Province have already assembled at Gaotang. They are expected to cross the Yellow River within the next few days.”
“I see.”
Zhang Jing nodded.
“As for Tian Kai and Liu Bei, we need only keep an eye on them.”
“But we cannot afford the slightest negligence regarding the war in You Province.”
“Most importantly, we must closely monitor the movements of Yuan Shao’s main army.”
Tian Kai and Liu Bei were no match for Yuan Tan.
They had not been before, and now the gap was even greater.
The reason was simple:
Qing Province’s economy simply could not support a truly powerful army.
Although Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all exceptional warriors, none of them was the one truly in charge.
All Zhang Jing needed was for them to avoid being destroyed— as long as they could keep Yuan Tan occupied, that would be enough.
“I understand, my lord.”
Man Chong bowed deeply in acknowledgment.
“Zhou Cang.”
Zhang Jing continued, “After I depart, you will remain here with your troops.”
“Supervise the construction of one thousand ferry boats for the army’s use.”
These ferry boats were not warships.
Nor could the Yellow River realistically produce a true navy.
If a fleet capable of mastering the Yellow River truly existed, it could probably dominate the open sea as well.
The purpose of these boats was straightforward.
They were for transporting soldiers and supplies.
Originally, Renping Crossing possessed only a little over a hundred ferries— fewer even than Cangting Ford.
Now that a major army would be moving through the area, such a small number of boats was clearly inadequate.
Should the army suffer a disastrous defeat after crossing the river, they might not even have enough boats to retreat.
“I accept the order, my lord.”
Zhou Cang respectfully cupped his fists.
“Guanhai—”
“My lord!”
Before Zhang Jing could finish speaking, a young officer from the central army hurried into the hall.
Bowing respectfully, he reported, “My lord, the Chief Strategist has sent a letter.”
“Bring it here.”
Zhang Jing nodded before continuing to assign the remaining duties.
Half an hour later, only after finishing all his arrangements did he finally open the letter.
In it, Cheng Yu reported what appeared to be a matter of only moderate importance.
To Zhang Jing, however, it was anything but trivial.
The law enforcement officials in Qing Province had escorted back a remarkable talent— a truly extraordinary one.
The man’s name was Zuo Bo.
He was one of the foremost papermakers of the age.
The paper he produced far surpassed even the famous Caihou paper of the era.
Even Zhang Jing’s father-in-law— the great calligrapher Cai Yong— had nothing but praise for Zuo Bo’s paper.
Cai Yong had once remarked that whenever he practiced calligraphy, he would not casually put brush to paper unless it was made by Zuo Bo.
That alone showed the quality of Zuo Bo paper.
It could be written on directly.
Although Caihou paper had already been invented, it absorbed ink far too easily.
Whenever it was used, it generally had to be backed with silk.
And silk was by no means inexpensive.
That was precisely why, despite the existence of Caihou paper, official documents throughout the empire were still commonly written on bamboo slips rather than on the much lighter paper.
“It’s time to give learning and literature in my territory a major boost.”
With that thought, Zhang Jing leaned over his desk, picked up his writing knife, and began composing a reply to Cheng Yu, instructing him to make the necessary arrangements.
— The end of the Chapter–
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