Fu Tinghan said, "The Emperor is appealing to them, but not to us, especially since many of our policies are newly established. The Emperor represents the court, surrounded by so many old ministers, that any policy proposed requires lengthy debate. And what we lack most is ti."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "These years were not only plagued by war but also natural disasters. I have a constant feeling that life will beco even harder in the coming years, so we can’t afford to waste ti in internal conflict. Even though Gou Xi is botherso, he can restrain the court."
"Poor Uncle," Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "At his advanced age, navigating under the eyes of Gou Xi and the Emperor, life won’t be easy."
Recalling the words in the letter, Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes flashed with coldness, "Although I’m willing to make concessions to Gou Xi, it doesn’t an that he can freely decide Uncle’s fate. This ti, he strangled Uncle into unconsciousness. If I don’t speak out, won’t he resort to violence next ti?"
Ji Yuan nodded repeatedly, also filled with anger, "Sothing must be done to show him that the Clan Leader of the Zhao Family cannot be pushed around at his whim."
Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes in thought, and after a mont, she raised them and said, "We need to send soone to Jizhou."
Ji Yuan: "To assist Liu Kun? But our troops are already here, holding back the Xiongnu forces, which is substantial support. I’ve heard Liu Cong has already brought back the main army for reinforcent, leaving only part of his troops in Jinyang."
"No, go to see Wang Jun," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Now Liu Kun can focus on dealing with Wang Jun. Although he lacks military talent, he is quite renowned among civilians, attracting people spontaneously to him..." and then they leave him.
"Zhongshan County is his hotown; it’s understandable to ally with him, but Dai County, Shanggu County, and other counties turning to him is due to his reputation," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Wang Jun wants to contend with Liu Kun in Jizhou for counties, which is impossible without military force."
Fu Tinghan: "What if he relies on military force?"
Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Liu Kun wouldn’t be his match."
Historically, Liu Kun’s brother Liu Xi was killed by Wang Jun in this struggle, Wang Jun’s military strength was only second to hers and Gou Xi.
Moreover, Wang Jun is ambitious, with aspirations for the throne similar to hers, unlike Gou Xi who rely seeks to control the Emperor for pleasure.
Their biggest difference lies in Zhao Hanzhang’s ability to prolong her reign indefinitely. She is not impatient about ten or twenty years, uncaring of the Emperor’s na as long as she can rule her territory; pretending to be a sovereign is sufficient;
Wang Jun, on the other hand, is anxious, ready to stir upon Prince East Sea’s death. If sothing happened to Emperor Jin, he might directly proclaim himself Emperor.
Such a person is hard to persuade, but also easy to persuade.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Send soone to convince him, why bother about Jizhou? Half of Jizhou is in the hands of Shi Le and Liu Yuan; can he win against Shi Le or Liu Yuan?"
"Instead, focus on Qingzhou," she excitedly said, "If he agrees to take Qingzhou, I’m willing to support him with so funds, provisions, and weapons!"
Ji Yuan and Fu Tinghan:...
Ji Yuan quickly reacted, pondering, "How confident are you, Lady, in persuading him?"
"I’m not confident, but I’m sure soone is. We just present him with facts," Zhao Hanzhang said, "How can he be certain that continuing the fight will defeat Liu Kun?"
"Tell him I support Liu Kun!"
There’s no need to tell; everyone in the world knows Zhao Hanzhang supports Liu Kun.
Ji Yuan: "But how can we make him believe that he can conquer Qingzhou? That’s the key."
Zhao Hanzhang scoffed, "If he fights for Jizhou, Gou Xi won’t provide funds or weapons; he’ll only be able to seize half and then confront Shi Le and Liu Yuan;
"But if he fights for Qingzhou, I’ll give him funds and weapons. He once concurrently held the position of Qingzhou Governor. Although Gou Chun was appointed Qingzhou Governor by the court, they never revoked his position, so it’s legitimate for him to take Qingzhou," Zhao Hanzhang said, "By now, Gou Chun has been in Qingzhou for several months, right?"
"The people of Qingzhou must resent him greatly. If Wang Jun attacks Qingzhou, perhaps the Qingzhou citizens might even aid him."
Ji Yuan said, "If Lady were to act as a diator, you could persuade him."
His eyes gleaming, he laughed and said, "Just convince him this way; the problem is who might be suitable to go?"
Zhao Hanzhang and Ji Yuan exchanged a glance, and Ji Yuan laughed, "I have soone in mind, and it seems Lady does too. Why don’t we write the nas of our chosen candidates on our palms and see if our minds are aligned?"
At that mont, they were camped in the wilderness, sitting around a fire. Nearby, Fan Ying was about to get up to fetch pen and ink when Fu Tinghan stopped her, saying, "I have it here."
He took out a bamboo tube from the cloth bag he carried, unscrewed it, and poured a bit into the lid; it was ink.
As he looked in his pocket for a brush, Zhao Hanzhang had already dipped her finger in ink and said casually, "It’s easier to clean hands than brushes."
Fu Tinghan:...He hadn’t asked her to wash anything.
Ji Yuan laughed heartily, also dipping his finger in ink to write on his palm. Monts later, they both opened their hands, and everyone curiously leaned in to look.
On Zhao Hanzhang’s palm were the words "Xin, Jie," and on Ji Yuan’s palm were "Jie, Xin."
Fan Ying couldn’t help but murmur, "Weren’t you supposed to write one na?"
Ji Yuan said, "That’s the cunning part about Lady; clearly stating to write one na, yet she wrote two."
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Mutual deceptions, mutual deceptions."
Ji Yuan laughed heartily, then got serious, "Zhao Xin has the eloquence, can represent Lady and the Zhao Family’s stance; and Wei Jie has prestige, equally skilled in debate, Wang Jun being soone who seeks fa, surely wouldn’t overly trouble Zhao Xin for Wei Jie’s sake, and with his involvent, the conditions Zhao Xin promises will be believable."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "I think so too; only Wei Jie’s health is poor, not sure if he can handle the journey."
Ji Yuan said, "If he could travel from Jiangnan to Luoyang to seek refuge with Lady, surely he can travel from Luoyang to Jizhou. If Lady is worried, you can send more to protect him."
Given the rampant banditry along the way, extra manpower is indeed needed.
Moreover, traveling from Luoyang to Jizhou to reach Wang Jun’s place involves passing through Shi Le’s territory, requiring additional caution.
While Zhao Hanzhang was contemplating, a clerk carrying a bunch of docunts dashed up and said, "My Lord, My Lord, let go with them; I can protect Mr. Wei."
Zhao Hanzhang looked up, raising an eyebrow, "Zhao Shi? How did you end up on the battlefield?"
Zhao Shi glanced briefly at Fan Ying before replying, "My Lord, I was selected from the Imperial College for this campaign, initially ant to join the battlefield, but Fan chose as a clerk."
Stationed in the rear, Zhao Hanzhang had continually led troops to reclaim lost territory, often reaching a location only as Zhao Hanzhang had already seized the city and left, thus only handling the aftermath from behind.
By the ti they caught up, Zhao Hanzhang would have moved on again, and communication was maintained through ssengers to exchange news and receive orders. Were it not for their encircling but not assaulting Pingyang County, he might not have seen Zhao Hanzhang today.
With hope in his eyes, Zhao Shi looked at Zhao Hanzhang, "My Lord, please let go with them; I’ve trained hard in martial arts, and I’m only a year younger than Yong, who is conquering cities."
Zhao Hanzhang sized him up and even squeezed his arm, before smiling broadly, "Alright, my Zhao Family has a Qilin who shouldn’t be confined indoors; you can go."
Feeling happy, Zhao Shi replied, put down the docunts, and solemnly saluted, "I will not let the mission entrusted by my Lord down."
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