Chapter 58: Wind and Rain in Chengdu

"A great victory reported!"
"A great victory reported!"
"The Lord Protector has successfully pacified Ba County and quelled the rebellion."

Several horsemen galloped through the main avenues of Chengdu, loudly spreading the news of the pacification of Ba County. A flying proclamation fluttered in the wind, detailing the triumphs achieved.

Ba County was pacified, and the proclamation flew swiftly to report the success.

Before long, the news reached the Governor's Estate.

Wang Shang, who remained in charge of administrative affairs at the estate, carefully perused the official dispatch sent back from Ba County, a satisfied smile blooming across his face.

After finishing his reading, he handed the document to Dong He, who stood nearby, and briefly recounted the course of events: "His Excellency has already subdued Liu He, and Ba County is now at peace. Presently, His Excellency has proceeded to Baidi to inspect the defenses and will soon return to Jiangzhou to tie up loose ends. After a few more days, he will return to Chengdu."

"Assistant Officer, this is a matter of great joy and should be proclaimed throughout the commanderies and counties," Dong He said, taking the document and offering a suggestion.

"Naturally," Wang Shang replied with a smiling nod. The rebellion in Ba County had been quelled within ten days without causing widespread destruction; it was truly a joyous and celebratory occasion.

His admiration for Liu Zhang deepened in his heart. Liu Zhang was gentle and benevolent by nature, averse to bloodshed, yet possessed a certain proficiency in military matters. He had swept away the chaos in Ba County in less than a month without inflicting severe devastation upon the localities.

Indeed, among all the Inspectors and Governors of Yizhou he had ever witnessed in his life, Liu Zhang was the paramount figure.

Summoning the clerical officer, Wang Shang handed him the victory report and instructed him to issue it to all commanderies and counties.

"For now, we simply await the Lord's return to deal with the rebellion in Nanzhong," Wang Shang thought, recalling a troublesome matter.

Recently, the disturbance caused by the rebellion in Yuexi Commandery had been escalating. In Jianwei Dependent State and Zangke Commandery, the Sou tribesmen had taken up arms to attack the county seats. The locally stationed troops, unaccustomed to martial affairs, were unable to resist, necessitating the dispatch of reinforcements.

However, the Sou tribesmen of Nanzhong were merely a cutaneous itch. Middle-aged Wang Shang had witnessed such rebellions countless times and had long grown accustomed to them.

"Assistant Officer, set your mind at ease. Once His Excellency returns, we merely need to dispatch troops to Nanzhong. They are nothing more than a mob of a loose sand; they can never amount to anything major," Dong He replied, attempting to comfort Wang Shang.

During this time, he had been reviewing past documents of the Governor's Estate and had grown quite familiar with the human sentiments and geography of Yizhou. The rebellion in Nanzhong did not qualify as a critical emergency.

***

The Huang Residence.

Huang Wan stared fixedly at the piece of silk placed on her desk, upon which five bold characters were written: "Exert yourself and eat your meals well." Looking at these words, she occasionally broke into a captivated smile.

This had been sent by her prospective husband before his departure for Ba County, delivered via his close personal servant Pang Que as a token of his sincere affection.

"Young Mistress, are those five characters truly so marvelous that they merit being gazed upon for an hour or two every day?" Seeing Huang Wan once again staring at the silk sent by Liu Zhang, Qinghe, who had just returned from outside, couldn't help teasing her.

Hearing this, Huang Wan's face flushed. She hurriedly gathered up the silk, tucked it close to her person for safekeeping, and defended herself: "Where is there an hour or two? I merely glance at it occasionally."

She then deftly changed the subject and asked, "Is there any news from outside?"

"Indeed there is. Your husband, Young Mistress, has already pacified the chaos in Ba County. There are horsemen proclaiming the victory with flying banners on the streets, and the entirety of Chengdu knows of it," Qinghe reported the news she had heard to Huang Wan.

Huang Wan was instantly overcome with delight, blurting out, "So quickly?"

In less than a month, Ba County had been pacified; the capabilities of her prospective husband were truly formidable.

Then, as if realizing something, she retorted playfully to Qinghe: "Do not speak nonsense. We are not yet married; you must address him as the Lord Protector."

***

The Zhao Residence.

Zhao Wei, who was usually poised and composed, was pacing back and forth in his study, betraying the considerable restlessness churning within his heart.

He had naturally received the news of Ba County's pacification, prompting him to silently curse Liu He and Yang Ping's faction: "A pack of useless trash, utterly worthless."

The combined rebel forces of Ba County had numbered two or three thousand men, yet they hadn't even stirred up a ripple before that young fool Liu Zhang crushed them.

He felt that something was amiss. Gao Pei, who had originally set out to suppress the Sou tribesmen in Yuexi Commandery, had instead rushed to Jiangzhou and dispatched troops to garrison Baidi and Kuimen, enabling this rebellion to be suppressed with such startling speed.

According to the official account issued by the Governor's Estate, Gao Pei had sensed abnormal movements in Ba County while passing through Jiangyang and had therefore led his troops thither.

However, Zhao Wei did not believe this explanation at all. Without prior communication and coordination with the Governor's Estate, how could Gao Pei have dared to redirect his main army toward Ba County? The timing simply did not add up.

He had originally hoped to leverage this Ba County rebellion to secure a posting for himself as the governor of Ba County, thereby seizing both military and political control of the region. But looking at it now, that ambition was likely nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water.

Ba County had not been captured, and from Hanzhong, Pang Le and Li Yi had sent letters stating that Zhang Lu's younger brother, Zhang Wei, was garrisoning Yangping Pass and refusing to let them enter Hanzhong. It seemed certain that complications had arisen.

One vexing matter after another had arisen recently, making Zhao Wei feel as though his ultimate goal was drifting further and further away.

If there was any good news of late, it was that Yang Ping, who had communicated and coordinated with him, had met his end on the battlefield and could never speak again.

It seemed he no longer needed to worry about any correspondence between himself and Yang Ping concerning the Ba County rebels being leaked.

As for the documents he had sent to Yang Ping, most concerned only trivial and mundane matters; distrustful of Yang Ping regarding major affairs, he had never committed anything critical to writing.

The moment Yang Ping rose in rebellion, Zhao Wei had burned all the documents in which Yang Ping had incited him to rebel, along with all their past correspondence, leaving no evidence behind now that Yang Ping was dead.

***

The Governor's Estate.

Liu Mao drained a cup of wine. The historically fragrant and mellow Tuqing wine, upon entering his throat, tasted bitterly astringent.

Pain, excruciating pain; his heart felt as though it were being carved by a knife.

That weak and incompetent younger brother of his had actually managed to pacify the rebellion in Ba County. And how little time had passed?

"Incompetent! Incompetent, utterly incompetent!" Liu Mao cursed Liu He and the great clans who had risen in revolt in Ba County.

He had originally thought them to be dragons capable of churning the rivers and seas, only to discover they were mere dogs and swine.

Not only had they failed to cause his younger brother the slightest bit of trouble, but they had instead elevated his brother's prestige.

He feared he might be destined to remain nothing more than an aristocratic idler for the rest of his days. How could someone with such soaring ambitions ever be reconciled to this?

"Jiyu, how wonderful it would be if you had died in Ba County," Liu Mao fantasized. If Liu Zhang were to die in battle in Ba County, the ministers remaining in Shu Commandery would certainly elevate him to the position of Governor of Yizhou—the position of Yizhou Governor that he thought of day and night.

Every waking moment, he longed for someone to address him as the Lord Protector, rather than having the irritating title of "Young Master" droned into his ears.

Where some grieved, others rejoiced.

Wu Xian asked Chaiwei, who had come to report the good news, "Is this true?"

Seeing Chaiwei nod and confirm the news of the pacification of Ba County, a look of joy bloomed on her face.

Both her elder brother Wu Yi and her paternal cousin Wu Ban had accompanied the army on the campaign to suppress the rebels of Ba County; the men of the Wu clan must surely have achieved merits this time.

This naturally led her thoughts to Liu Zhang, that brother-in-law of hers who, since arriving in Yizhou, had lived in seclusion and seldom socialized with outsiders. He had appeared utterly unremarkable, yet she had never imagined his military prowess could be so formidable, pacifying the chaos in Ba County with such astonishing speed.

Following that, she recalled Wu Yi's probing remarks to her earlier, and a flush of red bloomed across her face, overlaying her joy.

***

The Riverbank near Baidi City.

"Ziqiao, I wish you a smooth journey," Liu Zhang said to Zhang Song aboard the Mengchong warship, while giving a specific instruction to Xi Su: "Zizheng, guard Ziqiao well."

He recalled Zhang Song's words from the previous day: "For this trip to Jingzhou, I need only one boy to accompany me and two servants to row the boat; nothing more is required."

Nevertheless, Liu Zhang had arranged for Xi Su to escort him. With both civil and military virtues harmonized, this journey could truly be considered perfect.

Zhang Song was somewhat proud by nature and unwilling to accept unearned rewards, having declined the official rank Liu Zhang offered him; thus, he would be embarking on his diplomatic mission to Jingzhou as a private citizen.

"My Lord, Song takes his leave," Zhang Song replied, and Xi Su, standing beside him, also gave a compliant assent.

With the wind favorable, a single sail was hoisted high. The Mengchong warship, narrow and long, traveled at tremendous speed, riding the wind and cleaving through the waves. Before long, the massive warship that had filled Liu Zhang's field of vision dwindled into a tiny black dot, sailing toward the horizon.

The lone sail vanished into the azure sky, leaving only the Yangtze River flowing toward the edge of heaven.