Jingzhou is a vast territory with a strong army, rich in water and fertile soil, abundant in mineral resources, and currently one of the more stable and prosperous states within the nine provinces.
It lies just below Yu State, with Yangzhou to the east and Liang State to the west.
How important is it? Wang Yan, the cunning rabbit with three burrows, chose Jingzhou as one of the retreats for the Wang family. Therefore, the current Governor of Jingzhou is Wang Yan’s younger brother, Wang Cheng.
However, the local wealthy forces in Jingzhou are strong, and Wang Cheng is not a capable person, unable to completely control Jingzhou.
Chu Kang also holds no regard for Wang Cheng. So, when Zhao Hanzhang asked him why he didn’t send morials through the Governor of Jingzhou but instead traveled all the way here to stop her, he disdainfully said, "How can Wang Pingzi be worthy of sending my morial?"
Though he spoke thus, Zhao Hanzhang still noticed the resentnt in his disdain. Obviously, it was one thing for him to disdain Wang Cheng sending his morial, but Wang Cheng probably wouldn’t send it for him either.
She cleverly didn’t inquire further and changed the topic, "Mr. Chu, are there many people in the civilian sector, like yourself, who worry about the resurgence of conflict between Yan State and Yu State?"
Chu Kang replied without hesitation, "Many!"
He paused for a mont and then sighed, "Governor Zhao took only three years to pacify Yu State and recapture Si Province, and during both tax levies, he deliberately reduced the taxes. Anyone with a conscience in the kingdom can see that Governor Zhao has the people’s welfare at heart. Since this is the case, it should be known that the people have grown weary of war."
"If it’s to recover lost territory, we would naturally support it, but if another inner conflict of the Jin Dynasty arises, when would it end?" To Chu Kang, it would be better to cooperate amicably with Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang now that the Prince East Sea has died along with so many mbers of the royal family. They should first reclaim the lost lands, expel the barbarians, give the people a chance to catch their breath, and then they can emulate Cao Wei and Liu Shu, fighting among themselves, and whoever wins can govern the country.
Now that foreign unrest is not yet settled, they should refrain from fighting.
During his travels, Chu Kang had seen the devastation left by the Xiongnu’s rampage through cities and villages, leaving barely one in ten surviving.
Village after village was burnt to the ground, looted thoroughly, corpses lying everywhere. He could imagine that if Zhao Hanzhang and Gou Xi were to fight, once both sides were severely injured, Liu Yuan would surely march south, and by then Jingzhou would not be safe.
In the past two years, tens of thousands of northern aristocrats have migrated south, but less than a thousand survived to reach Jingzhou and Yangzhou. If Jingzhou were to be breached by the Xiongnu, where could his family go?
Thus, Chu Kang stopped Zhao Hanzhang, claiming it was for the country, but was it not also for his own family?
If the Jin State were to perish amidst the strong threat of the Xiongnu, then no one’s family could be saved.
Chu Kang earnestly implored Zhao Hanzhang to find a way to persuade Wang Jun and Liu Kun to talk things over and not to fight, lest they provoke Gou Xi. He didn’t believe they could stop Gou Xi’s great army.
Zhao Hanzhang repeatedly agreed, promising to send letters to Jizhou and Yan State upon returning to Luoyang, and would invite Chu Kang to discuss thods to halt the war.
The two rode together back to Luoyang, and before they even reached the city gates, they saw a long queue ahead. Cattle and horse carts were mixed together, and a soldier ca out beating a gong, "Make way, make way, the Inspector is returning to the city, everyone move aside."
A soldier ran from the city gates to inform them that the officials and staff in Luoyang had all co to welco the Inspector.
Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, Zhao Kuan, Wang Si Niang, and others stood not far from the city gates to welco them. Zhao Hanzhang lifted the curtain and glanced out, clicking her tongue, "I’ve only been gone for a few months, and Luoyang has beco so prosperous?"
Chu Kang didn’t take it seriously, saying, "All are here to pay their respects to Governor Zhao."
Just as he spoke, one person in the queue, not watching carefully, caused a sheep under his care to run out. The man beca flustered and quickly whipped around to catch it, trying to pull it back into line.
But the sheep deftly dodged, and the soldier walking at the front caught the sheep with an extended arm. The man halted, anxiously looking at the soldier, wanting to speak but didn’t dare, frozen in place.
The soldier took a few steps forward and stuffed the sheep into his arms, unceremoniously pushing him back, "Hurry up, hurry up, if you run into the Inspector, we’ll stew this sheep and eat it!"
The man held the sheep close and responded gratefully, returning to the roadside.
Zhao Hanzhang observed silently and asked, "Is he also here to see ?"
Chu Kang glanced over, coughed lightly, and replied, "Since they’ve co, they might as well bring so goods."
Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes lit up, growing spirited, "That’s a good idea, Mr. Chu, you’re welco to visit Luoyang often in the future."
Zhao Hanzhang tapped on the carriage wall and ordered, "Speed up, it’s only a thousand people, don’t delay the people’s entry and exit from the city."
The personal guards responded to transmit the order, and the army accelerated its pace, the carriage clattering forward, moving more than twice as fast as before.
The people queued to enter the city were sowhat disorganized, unable to avoid in ti, so the Zhao Family Army did not drive them away. They moved to the roadside themselves, and three people walking side by side squeezed into two. Even the wheels of Zhao Hanzhang’s carriage rolled off the road, crushing the erging weeds and uneven soil with clamor.
Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan were experienced, imdiately exerting their force upon the first jolt, steadying their legs and secretly grabbing the compartnt.
Chu Kang was caught unawares, his entire body bouncing up and down with the carriage, his soul nearly jolted out of him.
When the carriage finally turned onto the right path, Chu Kang’s hair was disheveled. He awkwardly supported himself on the carriage wall as he sat up, parting his hair to both sides, and looked up at the other two in the carriage. Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan turned their heads left and right, looking out the window, as if they hadn’t seen his embarrassed state.
Chu Kang: ...
Seeing the two steady as a mountain, he suspected that Zhao Hanzhang and the coachman had conspired just to laugh at him.
But turning to look outside at the crowded people giving them way, Chu Kang dismissed his suspicion, sighing, "I’ve often heard that the Zhao Family Army has strict military discipline, and seeing it today, it really lives up to its reputation."
If it were any other army entering the city, the people would have fled long ago, especially those carrying money and goods, daring not to let the soldiers see?
In fact, those who fled were also there, only they turned to run a few steps and looked back, seeing many queued to enter the city standing still. Instead, when they ran, those behind imdiately pushed forward and took their original positions, so they hesitated and didn’t run far.
Though they hadn’t run far, they didn’t dare return to the main road but hid in the woods, watching from a distance.
Seeing the Zhao Family Army pass those caravans and cattle without batting an eye, they were montarily stunned, "They didn’t even rob?"
"Nor asked us to donate military funds?"
The rchants visiting Luoyang for the first ti since the fall of the city fell silent, all looking at the Zhao Family Army, especially focusing on the carriage sheltered within the ranks.
Zhao Hanzhang should be in that carriage.
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