Chapter 556: Heaven is high, let the birds fly freely

The Dragon King’s Residence had undergone a near-total upheaval, yet Qingcang City itself saw no major commotion. For the city’s displaced people, it merely meant the appearance of several hundred shiny bald heads. Those with better information knew that an 800-strong cavalry unit had entered the city overnight, guarding the Dragon King’s Residence. This elite cavalry, uniformly clad in white armor, riding white horses, and carrying sabers and crossbows, exuded a formidable presence.

Northern Liang’s control over Qingcang was an established fact. As there had been no massacre, and instead, a continuous flow of supplies entered the city—many rare goods, previously unavailable, suddenly proliferating overnight in Qingcang—most of the displaced population simply drifted along, accepting their lot. While some residents did flee the city, the curfew was relaxed, and there were no obstructions. After a few days, these Qingcang dignitaries, who possessed some family wealth, silently observed the situation. Seeing a scene of peace and prosperity within the city, they dejectedly returned.

In Qingcang, in addition to pots of porridge being distributed at the city gates, official notices were posted throughout the streets and alleys. A young scholar from Northern Liang, surnamed Chen, was temporarily appointed as Qingcang’s City Overseer. The Dragon King’s Residence was transformed into the new State Overseer’s official residence. Northern Liang lifted its embargo on salt and iron for Qingcang, and the City Overseer began to formulate household registers. It was rumored that any Qingcang residents who passed the review would be permitted to conduct business in Lingzhou, the wealthiest of the three states in Northern Liang Province. Discerning individuals detected the subtle influence, like spring rain nourishing all things. Naturally, some rejoiced while others grieved. However, Zhou Junchen, who would never again have the chance to wear a dragon robe in this lifetime, was decidedly delighted. The King of Northern Liang acted decisively. Official documents, personally approved by Northern Liang Protector Chu Lushan and Logistics Commissioner Li Gongde, had already been dispatched throughout Lingzhou. If he weren’t still helping City Overseer Chen clean up Qingcang City’s mess, he could have brought his family to Huangnan Commandery, the granary of Lingzhou, to serve as its prefect. This prefectural post was a genuinely lucrative position; the previous official, Song Yan, was now honored as Lingzhou’s Deputy Administrator, clearly indicating a prosperous path for promotion. Zhou Junchen, this opportunist, had one excellent trait: as long as he wasn’t required to risk his life and was given substantial benefits, he would exert his full effort without reservation. For the past five days, he had worked tirelessly and diligently for the unfamiliar City Overseer Chen, practically serving as his right-hand man. Once an uncrowned king who could afford to neglect morning court, he had barely slept a full night’s sleep recently. Qingcang’s personal guard, now like neglected stepchildren, felt both resentment and apprehension. Caught between the new master and old subordinates, Zhou Junchen truly played the roles of both matchmaker and new bride, constantly on edge. Yet, Zhou Junchen, who clearly saw himself as the future Prefect, was in good spirits. People with hope are often like this; no matter how short-sighted or shallow, as long as they can see a future, they won’t fear exhaustion.

As dusk was about to fall, just before the curfew, a young man who looked like a scholar, escorted by a contingent of white-horsed light cavalry, walked alone onto the dilapidated northern city wall. He saw the man, whose hair was styled into a Wudang Huangting Taoist topknot, squatting on the city rampart, twin sabers hanging from his waist, gazing northwards. The scholar followed the saber-wielder’s gaze. To the north lay Guse Province of Northern Mang. Last year’s one-sided battle, though seemingly an unexpected triumph for Northern Liang’s iron cavalry, was known by the scholar to have merely inflicted pain on Northern Mang, far from breaking its back. Overall, it was a mixed blessing. The advantage was that Guse Province had been devastated, with nine out of ten signal fires and post roads destroyed, making it difficult for large cavalry forces to march south for some time. The disadvantage was that it had awakened Northern Mang. Several highly decorated generals of the Southern Dynasty would begin to re-evaluate the military strength of both Liang and Mang. The next time a full-scale conflict erupted, Northern Liang would find it much harder to advance north with such ease and overwhelming force.

The young man, the newly appointed City Overseer of Qingcang, stepped forward and said softly, "Greetings, King of Northern Liang."

Xu Fengnian turned his head and smiled, "Ah, Xiliang, you’ve arrived. I’ve seen how swamped you’ve been these past few days, so I didn’t even have the heart to invite you for a drink."

Chen Xiliang smiled, offering no direct response. This was likely where he differed from Xu Beizhi. The latter, whether interacting with the Crown Prince or the new King of Northern Liang, always offered the sarcasm and disdain he felt was due, never possessing the humility of one living under another’s roof. Chen Xiliang, however, was different; he always stayed within his bounds. At one point, the two confidant strategists of the Crown Prince, Xu and Chen, "parted ways." Xu Beizhi was dispatched to Longqing Commandery, while Chen Xiliang lived a secluded life in the Qingliang Mountain Royal Residence, residing in a side room on the top floor of the Tide-Listening Pavilion, poring over books, all of which were part of Li Yishan’s bequeathed collection and notes. Northern Liang’s current military governance strategy, especially the reclassification of military official positions and the geographical deployment of fourteen future highly influential and powerful captains, was Chen Xiliang’s work. However, after his emergence, Chen Xiliang was granted full authority to manage two affairs: the transport of grain into Liang and the state monopoly of salt and iron. Neither went smoothly. For the former, the Chief Official of the Liuyang Imperial Court’s Menxia Province, the candid Weng Huan Wen, personally intervened to offer advice, intentionally making things difficult for Northern Liang. Chen Xiliang’s defeat was not unjust. Yet, later in Youzhou, even though he could "command" Huangfu Cheng, who held military power in Youzhou, he was still jointly ostracized by the deeply entrenched and domineering "salt-eating" powerful families. To this day, the ownership of several major salt pans remains unresolved. This made many high-ranking Northern Liang officials scoff, privately mocking this scholar, who was similar in age to the Northern Mang aristocratic family’s Xu Beizhi and had emerged from seclusion with him, remarking, "Indeed, no noble sons come from humble families!" Then, before he could achieve success, Chen Xiliang was urgently recalled by the new King of Northern Liang and sent to Qingcang, a desolate place of displaced people, to fend for himself. City Overseer of Qingcang? Could that compare to just any prefect in Lingzhou? Wasn’t this clearly a demotion? Looking back at Xu Beizhi, he was already a state official second only to the Logistics Commissioner among Northern Liang’s civil officials! Comparisons truly kill.

Xu Fengnian shifted his sitting position, hanging his legs over the wall, and lightly tapped the hilts of his sabers, "River Crossing Chess Piece" and "Spring Thunder." He said, "The matter of grain transport has already been handed over to the Logistics Commissioner to personally deal with those shrewd officials from Liuyang. As for the public-private ownership of salt pans, I understand your intentions. You want to establish new rules for Northern Liang, separating civil from military affairs, which is why you’d rather face obstacles than let Huangfu Cheng interfere. You aim for a slow, steady approach, expecting long-term success without any future complications. In truth, even if you were in Qingcang, you could still oversee this remotely. However, I’ve still decided to keep you from further involvement. On one hand, you might not know this, but Northern Mang has already resolved to attack the western front first. They’re determined to remove Northern Liang, this ‘stinking stone in the latrine.’ Northern Liang cannot afford to delay, nor can we waste time. It’s not that your strategy is poor, but rather, it’s the general trend of events; your human effort and favorable conditions were outmatched by the opportune timing. Additionally, Qingcang’s significance to Northern Liang is something many Northern Liang generals haven’t even fully grasped.

"For instance, after Liuyang suffered several significant defeats, the Emperor at the time was cursed by the entire court and commoners alike as the greatest prodigal son under heaven. The national treasury was depleted. In the decade prior, the court, under the misguided planning of many renowned ministers, moved the entire front line two hundred *li* south, dismantling numerous military towns and border forts. This wasn’t entirely wrong, of course; it did allow the Liuyang court to catch its breath and slowly recover, and the southern moved front line also became increasingly consolidated. But why did Gu Jiantang insist on pushing the front line north, despite the immense political risk, enduring accusations of excessive militarism from the Censorate and the five Bureaus of Scrutiny outside the Ministry of War?

"According to Gu Jiantang’s original intention, this long eastern front, which already consumed nearly half of the empire’s taxes, was not to be moved north en masse, but rather to selectively restore sixteen strategic fortresses and military towns. However, even with the strenuous support of Bi Yan’er and Gu Jiantang receiving the imperial decree to oversee military and political affairs in the North, only six were built. Subsequently, as you know, Chen Zhibao, the new Minister of War and a favorite admired by the Zhao Emperor, could only snatch food from the tiger’s mouth, contending with the various self-interested civil and military officials in the court. Coupled with an unknown agreement reached with Bi Yan’er Gu Jiantang, he seemingly retreated half a step but secretly advanced a significant stride, dismantling some secondary military towns on the new eastern front suspected of overlapping. Only then, with great difficulty, did he manage to restore ‘six more and three towns’ on the old eastern front from the court’s grasp. By the time Chen Zhibao left office, combined, this barely completed half of Gu Jiantang’s envisioned perfect eastern front.

"The purpose of these nine new fortresses, which consumed countless gold and silver, was not to instantly block Northern Mang’s iron cavalry in the north. Instead, it was to defend relentlessly, shamelessly, and desperately, aiming to emulate Wang Yangming’s steadfast defense of Xiangfan City. Their true intention was to make Northern Mang, with its desire for a quick victory, realize that a direct assault was futile. If they were to bypass them, their supply lines would be harassed by the elite cavalry from these military towns. Even if not completely severed, they would at least be exhausted by the constant engagements.

"Even if Liuyang suffered initial defeats, collapsing entirely and surrendering the entire new eastern front, allowing Northern Mang’s army to reach the gates of Tai’an City, it wouldn’t matter. As long as the various vassal kings contributed to the royal cause, and these nine military towns provided remote support, there would be a strong possibility of Northern Mang never returning. Of course, many believe Northern Mang could simply consume the new military towns on the old eastern front piecemeal. However, although Northern Mang has learned many siege tactics from the Central Plains over the years, their nature is fundamentally nomadic and predatory. To dismount and besiege a city would incur too heavy casualties. Winning a battle in one place and time would mean losing the grand strategy for conquering the world. Northern Mang is essentially just a larger Northern Liang, and likewise, cannot afford to waste time. Once the Western Chu restoration fails and Liuyang deals with those last remnants and rebels from the Spring and Autumn period, not only will the Central Plains’ wealth be entirely in the hands of the Zhao imperial family, but even the hearts of the people will be completely won. At that time, Liuyang will truly reach its peak. Yes, it will be roughly comparable, or at least capable of contending, with the Great Qin of eight hundred years ago."

Chen Xiliang’s lips were tightly pursed; he said nothing.

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "I know you still hold grudges, feeling that you could handle both tasks simultaneously. But you can say what you like; I won’t listen. Anyway, I’m about to leave Qingcang. I’ll pretend not to hear anything you say. Once you’re done as Qingcang City Overseer, if nothing unexpected happens, you’ll next become the Prefect of Liuzhou…"

Chen Xiliang shook his head, interrupting him, "I am a person whose ambitions exceed his abilities; I know my own limitations. Managing Qingcang’s affairs is already quite taxing for me, so I won’t be serving as Liuzhou’s Prefect. Moreover, Your Majesty, King of Northern Liang, you yourself have said that Qingcang is crucial to Northern Liang’s defense line, let alone Liuzhou which encompasses Qingcang. I can only talk; I am utterly incompetent in warfare. Furthermore, I am deeply afraid of seeing people die. If bloodshed occurs due to my plans, as long as I don’t witness it, I can still feel at ease. But to personally see smoke rising on the horizon, and people dying by my side—Chen Xiliang simply cannot bear it."

Xu Fengnian sighed, recognizing his resolve—a stubbornness so profound that even ten oxen couldn’t pull him back, much like his sister "Juzi." With a self-deprecating smile, Xu Fengnian said, "If you don’t want to do it, then don’t. I won’t force you. Besides, I’ll have an extra valuable bait: a provincial prefect position is a high office coveted by countless people. This time, in reorganizing the Northern Liang army, civil officials have taken over positions in all three original provinces of Northern Liang. Scholars will govern, and military men will lead troops. We don’t expect them to complement each other perfectly right away, but at least they should coexist without conflict, and neither side should be too unsightly in their actions. This extra prefectural position you don’t want, I can give it to the military generals who have suffered losses. Not just the prefect position; all positions, from top to bottom, can be filled by them. Consider it a way to appease them. Otherwise, don’t be fooled by how well-behaved everyone on the border has been since the early spring martial review. Many powerful figures are still secretly criticizing me behind my back, drowning their sorrows in alcohol. I hear green ant wine has been selling much better than in previous years."

Chen Xiliang smiled knowingly. "Being this King of Northern Liang is indeed not easy. It’s time to use the multitude of official posts in Liuzhou to appease hearts. Currently, Northern Liang shows signs of widely appointing scholars to official positions. It’s encouraging scholarly societies, funding the establishment of major academies, and even inviting the Grand Master of Shangyin Academy and literary giants like Huang Shang to evaluate essays. Each year, three ‘Championship Essays’ are selected from each of Northern Liang’s three provinces—Youzhou, Liangzhou, and Lingzhou. Those who win, regardless of their humble origins, can directly enter the official ranks, with the lowest position being Grade Eight. This is enough to drive those learned scholars who feel their talents are unrecognized utterly mad. In contrast, the military official faction, these vested interests, have seen their financial gains diminish, and those in power have lost authority. Their mood must be more than just depressed; they probably harbor murderous thoughts. As the head of the Northern Liang household, it’s time for the King of Northern Liang to ‘give a stick and a date’ (a carrot and stick approach)."

Xu Fengnian nodded.

Chen Xiliang said nothing more.

These two men had met at the Qu Shui Liu Shang (Floating Wine Cup) gathering at Baoguo Temple in Jiangnan Province. Xu Fengnian had missed the renowned blind man Lu Xu, but at least he hadn't missed this Jiangnan scholar of humble origin, whom Li Yishan had described as someone who only needed his vision to be broadened.

Chen Xiliang stood on the wall, his hands resting on the rough, uneven mud brickwork. His expression softened significantly, and he chuckled softly, "Back then, Chen Xiliang was merely a madman foolishly dreaming of a posthumous title like ‘Wenzheng,’ yet he couldn’t even enter the gates of Baoguo Temple. Forget about the elegant scholars seated inside; even the idlers wandering outside the temple would scorn me. All day long, I could only amuse myself by drawing dragons with charcoal. How could I have ever imagined that one day I would become so affluent that I wouldn’t even want to be a provincial prefect when offered? This twist of fate is truly absurd, even to a madman like me. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and want to slap myself twice; only the pain convinces me it’s not a dream. Am I not currently chatting casually with a brilliant vassal king who commands 300,000 iron cavalry, casually discussing the empire? Can an obscure scholar, full of anachronistic ideas, truly transform into a magnate filled with ambition?"

Xu Fengnian was amused and joked, "I hope we can part ways amicably, and that the day never comes when you, Chen Xiliang, feel that you’ve ‘met the wrong person.’"

Chen Xiliang nodded, clenching his fists and resting them on the city wall. "I hope to have a good beginning and end with the King of Northern Liang."

Xu Fengnian teased, "Well, I officially have two wives. Unlike you, you haven’t started a family yet. Now that you’re a prominent figure in Qingcang, you can truly ‘fly as high as the sky allows.’"

Chen Xiliang looked bewildered. "Hmm?"

Xu Fengnian pointed mischievously at his crotch.

Chen Xiliang’s mouth twitched, speechless.

Xu Fengnian stood up and jumped off the wall, patting Chen Xiliang’s shoulder. "Heroes of the *jianghu* all say ‘when a man dies, his balls face the sky.’ While alive, one must ‘live up to one’s bird,’ you know."

Chen Xiliang merely smiled and let the comment pass. He didn’t follow Xu Fengnian down from the city wall, but instead, took a rare moment of leisure to stand in place, gazing northward across thousands of miles of yellow sand, lost in thought, bathed in the lingering twilight.

As a true native of Jiangnan, Chen Xiliang was very unaccustomed to the customs and scenery of the empire’s northwest when he first arrived in Northern Liang. Here, dusk always arrived late, the sky always seemed higher than in the south, and the vast, boundless yellow desert made him feel tiny. Every inch of this land was once soaked in blood, and the signal fires that once burned day and night had finally dissipated. To the north lay the uncivilized barbarians, depicted by the Central Plains as merely knowing how to consume raw meat and blood, yet in reality, they were a formidable enemy unlike any Central Plains dynasty had ever faced. To the east, far to the east, was Tai’an City, the residence of the Liuyang Zhao imperial family. At this moment, Liuyang enjoyed harmony between ruler and ministers, growing increasingly powerful. So much so that Chen Xiliang, who loved to read history, was absolutely certain that future historical records, regardless of whether the emperor was surnamed Zhao, would be awed by these twenty years after the Spring and Autumn period. Future generations would yearn for it. Liuyang was experiencing another era of founding prosperity, with an enlightened monarch renowned for his diligence and tolerance. Among the series of famous ministers surrounding him, there was a long list of influential figures and notable scholars who would make future generations tremble: Zhang Julu, Huan Wen, Yao Baifeng, Lu Daolin, Gu Jiantang, Chen Zhibao, Lu Baixie, Lu Shenxiang, Nalan Youci, Zhao Youling, Yin Maochun... And there were also Wang Xianzhi of Wudi City, Cao Changqing, the most favored figure of Western Chu, and Qi Yanglong of Shangyin Academy. These individuals, together, shone brightly upon the ruins of the Spring and Autumn period, presenting a flourishing grandeur unique in eight hundred years.

Chen Xiliang subconsciously searched for Xu Fengnian’s figure. The King of Northern Liang, several years his junior, had long since departed.

This person.

Could he truly "fly as high as the sky allows"?