Volume Two: Grandfather and Grandson, Domain Lords Chapter 102: The Seat of Jun Prefecture

A middle-aged official in a green robe, covered in mud, approached and knelt prostrate, clearly nervous. "Commissioner," he said, "this subordinate pays respects to the Military Governor."

The Prefect of Jinzhou chuckled. "Rise and speak. Did you supervise the construction of this waterwheel?"

The official stood and bowed his head respectfully. "I did, my lord. It was ordered by the Military Commissioner. My own rank, as well as those of many other supervisors, was also granted by the Military Commissioner—the ninth rank."

The Prefect of Jinzhou nodded and asked, "Is the Military Commissioner who gave you this rank young or old?"

"Young, my lord. The Military Commissioner said that as long as I built the waterwheel well, my descendants would serve as supervisors for generations to come, continuing to build waterwheels," the official replied reverently.

The Prefect of Jinzhou nodded, looking at the waterwheel and muttering to himself, "This must be Fufeng’s doing; the fifth son lacks this talent for governance."

After a moment, the Prefect turned and said kindly, "From now on, you are a seventh-rank supervisor, responsible for the water conservancy of the Han River. If you do well, this position shall be inherited by your descendants."

"Thank you for your grace, Military Governor!" The official fell to his knees and kowtowed.

The Prefect of Jinzhou signaled for him to rise, then returned to his boat to continue downstream. Seeing many more massive waterwheels along the way, he nodded in approval, thinking that with the increased harvest in Junzhou next year, the lack of food would be resolved. Only with stable food supplies could his rule be solidified and greater power developed.

When the boat reached Yancen City, Prefect Wei Xun of Junzhou was waiting on the shore. As the Prefect of Jinzhou disembarked, Wei Xun hurried forward to pay his respects. The Prefect responded warmly, and the uncle and nephew walked toward Yancen City together.

While walking, the Prefect noticed crowds of men, women, and children lining up near a brick kiln in the distance.

Wei Xun explained, "Uncle, those are commoners voluntarily carrying bricks. Anyone who goes up the mountain must carry two 'votive bricks' to receive a 'blessing coin.' Taoist priests on the mountain distribute porridge, and most people give their blessing coins back to the Taoist temple. The temple then uses the coins to buy rice, though in truth, the rice is provided by the government. The coins are insufficient, but this is the rule left by my cousin Fufeng."

The Prefect of Jinzhou nodded. "Fufeng has many strategies. This method is a masterstroke—it facilitates the construction of the temple while avoiding resentment from the people."

Wei Xun agreed. "Indeed. The main hall of the Nuwa Palace on the mountain is already built, and the Xuanwu Hall, Longevity Pavilion, and Kuixing Tower are taking shape. Once the roofs are finished, the statues can be installed. If you are interested, Uncle, you can go and take a look."

The Prefect of Jinzhou cast a deep look at Wei Xun. It was clear that Wei Xun did not grasp the true significance of building the Wudang Mountain Taoist Temple. The Longevity Pavilion and Kuixing Tower were dedicated to the two Holy Lords of the Tortoise and Snake, and the Longevity Pavilion was implicitly a shrine to the Prefect himself.

When the Prefect had chatted with Wei Fufeng in the West Garden, Fufeng had remarked that while the celestial palaces might not exist, destiny certainly did. If a statue were worshipped by many, it would naturally acquire spirituality and divinity—the so-called gods and Buddhas.

The Prefect did not believe in celestial palaces or the eighteen levels of hell, but he believed in ghosts and spirits, and he accepted Fufeng’s theory of destiny and the manifestation of divinity through worship. Thus, his greatest concern during this visit to Junzhou was the progress of the temple construction.

Hearing that the temple was nearing completion, the Prefect felt a sense of joy, yet he would not go up the mountain to see it. He had to avoid suspicion, letting the "miracle" be naturally accepted by the people of Junzhou without providing any grounds for criticism.

Of course, once the temple was complete, he would surely come to see it, but he would do so in disguise, keeping a low profile so as not to attract public attention.

Upon entering Yancen City, the Prefect of Jinzhou, in high spirits, inspected the city walls and streets. He saw people coming and going and shops bustling with business—a scene of prosperity and peace.

This year, Junzhou had experienced a bumper harvest, and with the soldiers receiving land grants, the foundation for a wealthy populace was laid. The soldiers and their families used grain to trade for other necessities, which in turn fueled the prosperity of Junzhou's commerce.

The taxes in Junzhou were much lower than in the era of Feng Xingxi. A land-based tax system had been implemented, and the poll tax was abolished, meaning wealthy households paid more while commoners paid less.

The Prefect had been hesitant to accept this tax method, fearing the hostility of the powerful families in Chang'an, which could hinder long-term development. But Wei Fufeng had argued that if Junzhou was to defend itself, it must win the hearts of the soldiers.

The Prefect understood that since the troops in Junzhou were primarily surrendered soldiers, and the largest landowner had been the former Prefect, Feng Xingxi, the land granted to the soldiers had come from Feng Xingxi’s holdings; the ordinary landowners of Junzhou had not lost their property.

***

Upon arriving at the prefectural office to rest, the Prefect of Jinzhou went to pay his respects to Prince Xuan the following morning. As soon as they met, he offered his congratulations: "I congratulate Your Highness on being enfeoffed as a Prince."

Prince Xuan did not look pleased. Anxious and worried, he asked, "Commissioner Wei, must I go to Jiangling Prefecture?"

The Prefect of Jinzhou replied solemnly, "Your Highness’s move to Jiangling Prefecture is decreed by the Emperor's imperial edict. I do not wish for Your Highness to go to Jiangling, but the imperial edict cannot be defied."

"Even if I must move, I do not necessarily have to live in Jiangling Prefecture. I find Yancen City to be quite good. You should submit a memorial to the court stating that Yancen City is also part of my fief, and that I have the right to reside here," Prince Xuan said firmly.

The Prefect of Jinzhou was surprised. Prince Xuan had been treated like a prisoner in Yancen City, yet he now refused to leave. He asked, "Your Highness, why are you unwilling to go to Jiangling Prefecture?"

"Jiangling is further from Chang'an, and the Military Governor of Jingnan is a mere martial brute. Commissioner Wei, you have always treated me with courtesy, and I do not wish to go to Jiangling," Prince Xuan replied.

The Prefect of Jinzhou did not want to keep the Prince, so he shook his head. "Your Highness cannot defy the Emperor’s decree. The purpose of sending you to Jiangling is to manifest the prestige of the Imperial Clan. If you do not go, the Emperor may be disappointed and might strip you of your titles. Even if you do not wish to stay in Jiangling for long, you must at least make the journey."

Prince Xuan nodded gloomily. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Commissioner Wei, if I go to Jiangling, will I still be the heir to the title of Duke of Xicheng in Jinzhou? Will the Emperor appoint someone else?"

The Prefect of Jinzhou was stunned. He finally understood the Prince’s true concern—he was loath to lose his inheritance as the Duke of Xicheng. He could not help but internally mock the Prince's ignorance; he did not realize that his greatest crisis was simply staying alive.

"Your Highness, rest assured. The assets of the Duke of Xicheng's estate in Jinzhou will always be yours, and the Prince's manor, once built, will also be yours," the Prefect replied solemnly.

Prince Xuan nodded. "That is good. Jinzhou is close to Chang'an; I shall return there to live in the future."

The Prefect of Jinzhou was speechless. He offered a perfunctory reply and took his leave. The next day, he accompanied Prince Xuan toward Fangzhou, and several days later, he personally saw him off at the border between Fangzhou and Xiazhou.

***

After seeing Prince Xuan off, the Prefect of Jinzhou inspected Fangzhou. He now served as the Deputy Military Governor of Zhaoxin, and in reality, he acted as the Military Governor, directly administering Fangzhou.

During his time in Fangzhou, Gao Yan sent word that Cheng Rui, the Military Governor of Jingnan, had agreed to a defensive alliance.

The original proposal from Jingnan had been for an offensive and defensive alliance, but Gao Yan, following the instructions of the Prefect of Jinzhou, had agreed only to a defensive one. The Prefect’s strategy was to "let go in order to catch"—to have Gao Yan present a conservative stance, gradually causing the defense to appear relaxed.

The Prefect surmised that since Kuizhou and Guizhou had originally belonged to Cheng Rui, the latter was psychologically more inclined to retake Kuizhou than to attack Fangzhou. However, nothing was absolute; if Cheng Rui were patient enough, he might choose to pick the "softest persimmon."

The focus of the Zhaoxin military defense remained on Jinzhou and Junzhou. Because of the Han River, troops from Jinzhou could quickly travel downstream to reinforce Junzhou. Although Fangzhou bordered both Jinzhou and Junzhou, it had no direct water route to Jinzhou. The Du River flowed from Zhushan County toward Junzhou, and the Wudang Mountains blocked land travel, meaning troops from Junzhou and Jinzhou could not quickly reinforce Fangzhou.

As for the binding power of imperial edicts, for the regional warlords, they were little more than a farce. The only use for an imperial edict was to gain moral justification, and the only use for a court title was to ensure that the common people accepted the local government.

***

Furthermore, the Prefect of Jinzhou kept a close watch on the situation in other directions, primarily to guard against the Tongguan Army and the Zhongyi Army.

He also kept informed of more distant developments. In the Huainan Circuit, Yang Xingmi and Sun Ru were still locked in chaotic warfare on both banks of the lower Yangtze River. Li Keyong of Hedong was campaigning in Yunzhou in the north, while the Xuanwu Army (Kaifeng Prefecture in the Henan Circuit), after suppressing Hedong, took advantage of the chaos in Huainan to seize Caozhou in the north and Shouzhou in the south.

Shouzhou was under the jurisdiction of the Huainan Circuit, and its strategic position made it the gateway to Huainan. The Xuanwu Army’s capture of Shouzhou signaled that the ambitions of Zhu Wen were beginning to expand southward.

As for Yang Shouliang and his party, who had fled to the Hedong Circuit, they were taken in by Li Keyong and settled in Jinzhou. Li Keyong requested the court to appoint Yang Shouliang as the Military Governor of Linfen, Yang Shouzhong as the Prefect of Jinzhou, and Yang Fugong as the Army Supervisor. The court, not daring to refuse, quietly granted the request, and Li Xian informed the Prefect of Jinzhou of this news.

***

Wei Fufeng, having straightened out the military affairs in Badong, quietly returned to Yuzhou. His grandfather had corresponded with him regarding the possibility of Cheng Rui seizing Kuizhou, urging Fufeng to prepare for support.

Wei Fufeng believed the possibility was slim. Kuizhou guarded the gateway to the upper Yangtze, and an attack from downstream was difficult. Moreover, Cheng Rui lacked sufficient troops; if he had enough, he would not have surrendered Kuizhou and Guizhou in the first place. He could not afford a war of attrition.

During his time in Kuizhou, Wei Fufeng had gained a detailed understanding of the situation in Jingnan. The agriculture there had recovered, but the returning population was at most thirty percent of what it had been. If Wei Fufeng were Cheng Rui, the best strategy would be to continue accumulating strength rather than rashly engaging in war.

Looking at Cheng Rui’s past actions, he had always focused on recuperation; his retreat from Kuizhou and Guizhou was, in fact, a continuation of that policy. Wei Fufeng guessed that without the temptation of external factors, Cheng Rui would not dispatch troops to retake Kuizhou, nor would he attack Fangzhou.

Cheng Rui’s advantage was his control of Jingzhou. If he managed Jingzhou well, he could lay the foundation for a grain-rich and well-manned army, much like why so many warlords coveted Xichuan—for the Chengdu Plain, the great granary.

Although he deemed a military strike by Cheng Rui unlikely, Wei Fufeng still made long-term preparations. If the opportunity arose, Southern Sichuan could quickly deploy ten thousand troops to travel a thousand miles downstream in a single day to reach Jiangling.

In truth, the greatest weakness of Jingzhou was that it was strategically constrained by the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

As Wei Fufeng had predicted, after he returned to Yuzhou, Jingnan maintained a peaceful stance toward both Kuizhou and Jinzhou. Furthermore, because of the establishment of Prince Xuan’s fief, a superficial cooperation was established, and trade was opened between them.