Original subtitles

♫ Raising the wine cup, I toast to the boundless sky ♫

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫

♫ Love and hate, debt and feuds, have all dissolved. ♫

♫ Where's my soul's hometown and my kindred spirits? ♫

♫ Seasons rolling by, we dream for harvest. ♫

♫ Warriors and warhorses howl across the sky. ♫

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫

♫ Will it be enough to drain this cup I toast to peace? ♫

[Swords into Plowshares]

[Episode 42]

[Kaifeng Prefecture, Bianliang City]

Mr. Xu.

I'm here.

On your last coming to court,

was it that I failed to make myself clear to you,

or was it that you yourself failed to make it clear to your lord?

Your Majesty, please forgive me.

All causes,

lie with me, your guilty servant.

I beg Your Majesty, with your heaven-like benevolence,

not to shift the blame

onto my lord and ruler.

I summoned him to the capital,

intending to clarify some matters with him face to face.

Yet he claims illness and refuses to come.

Is he doubting the court,

or is he doubting me?

I dare not.

Of course you dare not, Mr. Xu.

The one who dares is your lord.

Your Majesty,

my lord has always been humble and respectful, would never dare harbor any intent to offend your heavenly authority.

Southern Tang is but a small state.

We willingly cede prefectures and commanderies,

voluntarily request a lowered state title, and reverently submit a letter of oath.

We only wish to be your subject every year, and pay tribute every year.

Our descendants, will never rebel against Song.

I beg Your Majesty to show mercy,

and preserve our ancestral altars.

I have said,

the common people of Jiangnan are also my children.

These are my sincere words from the heart.

It is a pity,

that your lord does not understand them.

In the past,

I said another thing to the Meng clan of the southwest:

"Beside my own bed,

how can I allow others to sleep soundly!"

I wonder if your lord can understand this.

Your Majesty,

Your Majesty is a virtuous Emperor.

How can you raise an army without just cause?

Warfare is an instrument of violence.

Sages use it only when they have no other choice.

Mr. Xu, you too have long endured the chaotic times.

You should know the common people of the world have long suffered from division.

Do you truly believe that what I want

is the land and wealth of Southern Tang?

What I want is all lands under heaven,

as a whole unbroken.

What I want is the leftover grain in small households' jars.

What I want is a court and government that can reclaim wasteland in good years

and provide relief in famine years.

A court and government

with which farmers can farm with peace of mind,

artisans can work with peace of mind,

merchants can trade with peace of mind,

and scholars can study with peace of mind.

A world where diligence can lead to wealth and honor,

and goodness can prevail under heaven.

A world where every person under heaven can live like a human being, in an age of peace.

This is what I want.

It is also what the late Emperor Shizong of the previous dynasty wanted.

It is what all people under heaven want.

Your Majesty is wise.

In your view, Minister Xu,

is this war，

unavoidable?

Your Majesty,

I am an old and incompetent minister.

I failed to persuade the Song ruler to cease hostilities.

I have brought worry and fear to my sovereign,

and disaster upon the state and its people.

I beg you

to punish my crime,

according to the law.

With the state in dire peril, you sleeps quite soundly, old general.

I am advanced in years.

Old people need more sleep.

I beg Your Majesty to forgive me.

Song is sharpening its weapons and feeding its horses.

The ministers are anxious,

yet only you, old general, can sleep peacefully.

Do you have some

plan to save us from this crisis?

I do.

I have three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior.

The superior strategy for now

is for you to survey the land, the troops and people, the money and grain, and compile clear registers.

Then offer these thirty prefectures to the Song state,

so their ruler can pacify Jiangnan

without shedding blood.

I understand your superior strategy.

But what of the middle and inferior strategies?

Rather than waiting for death, it is better to strike first.

The Longxiang Army has been formed for two years.

The Song navy's ships are all at Jiangling.

I wish to emulate

Lü Meng's strategy of crossing the river in disguise, mobilize the Longxiang Army,

sail upstream, catch them unprepared,

and set fire to their boats, burning them in their own stronghold.

The Longxiang Army

is the state's sole reliance on the Yangtze.

If we lose it,

the court loses the strategic advantage of the Yangtze River.

The peril of destruction would be upon us in an instant.

I

cannot risk the entire state on such a gamble.

Then what is your inferior strategy, old general?

The inferior strategy,

is to cede Jiangzhou, Hongzhou, and other prefectures in Jiangxi region.

to the Qian clan in the southeast, allying with Wuyue to resist the Zhao clan.

Why the Jiangxi region prefectures?

Shouldn't it be Runzhou, Changzhou, and Suzhou?

Ceding land to ally with Wuyue...

You have considered this before.

But why would you consider ceding Runzhou and Suzhou?

For decades,

our two states have fought,

repeatedly contesting these three prefectures.

Back and forth for so many years,

these three prefectures are war-torn.

I thought,

if Wuyue is willing to take them, we might as well give them away.

You know why have they been fought over for decades?

Because they are an eastern barrier.

Once these three prefectures are lost,

Wuyue's warships could sail upstream and within a day and night reach the walls of Jiangning.

Then,

with the Song army to the west locked in stalemate with our main force,

if the King of Wuyue personally leads a division

to attack Jinling from behind,

you and the imperial clan and nobles in the city

would, in an instant, be left with nowhere to be buried.

So that is why you advise me to cede the prefectures on the right bank.

The Song navy,

sailing downriver from Jiangling,

will first strike Jiangzhou, Hongzhou, and other Jiangxi region prefectures.

These places have long been seen by the Song ruler and his army as their possessions.

Once Wuyue troops garrison these prefectures,

discord will surely arise between the Qians and the Song court.

By then,

it will be Wuyue's navy on the front line.

Our Longxiang Army and main force can await the opportune moment to act.

We could advance to reap the benefits,

or retreat and still have the option to watch and see who prevails.

Old general,

these are truly words that plan for the state.

I dare not accept your undue praise.

Do not be so modest.

I will now bestow upon you the ceremonial axe and banner,

and appoint you Military Governor of both Fenghua and Zhennan,

as envoy to Wuyue, to follow the precedent of Shu and Wu of Three Kingdoms period,

establish an alliance between our two states, and jointly resist the tyrannical Song.

The state faces difficulty;

I will strive to do my best.

Three hundred twenty-one dragon boats were built at Jiangling.

The navy numbers twenty-seven thousand eight hundred men.

If we use the Yangtze as our supply route,

with naval protection,

six hundred thousand hu of grain can support an army of one hundred thousand for half a year.

If we abandon the water route for land, using the Huai and Si as supply lines with continuous boat and cart transfers,

we would need to recruit extra over two hundred thousand civilian laborers.

For every hu of grain delivered to the front, two to three hu would be wasted on the road.

To support one hundred thousand troops for half a year, no less than two million hu of grain is needed.

Wuyue pays annual tribute of two hundred thousand taels of silver and silk bolts.

Over these years, how much has been accumulated in total?

Your Majesty,

from the first year of Jianlong to now,

the total is one million four hundred fifty-eight thousand.

If you use the reserve funds to buy grain,

I urge you to consider it with extreme caution.

You must understand that the money and grain among the people exist in a fixed quantity.

More grain makes money cheaper;

more money inevitably drives up grain prices.

Flooding the market with one and a half million tales of silver and silk

will only compel the wealthy and grain merchants to seize the chance to hoard and inflate prices,

monopolizing the court's benefit.

For the realm,

the price of grain is the price of all goods.

If grain becomes expensive, everything becomes expensive.

In the end, those who suffer will be the poor and humble households.

We will not buy grain in the Central Plains.

Draft an edict:

Appoint Cao Bin as Commissioner of Pacification and Control of the Southwest Front Camp at Shengzhou,

and Pan Mei as Army Supervisor of the Campaign, to command a combined force of one hundred thousand

to campaign against Jiangnan, to console the people and punish the guilty.

Yes!

Your Majesty, I...

Kuangyi, Master Pu, you will oversee the army's provisions.

Establish a Land and Water Transport Commission at Jiangling.

Release six hundred thousand hu of grain from the Three Departments' reserves for the southern campaign.

Six hundred thousand hu is not enough.

Draft another decree:

Appoint the Grand Marshal of All Forces, the King of Wuyue, of the Qian clan,

as Grand Commissioner for Pacification and Control of the Southeast Front Camp at Shengzhou,

and concurrently Chief Transport Commissioner of the Yangtze.

Also, send a state letter to Chu.

Return the one million four hundred fifty-eight thousand taels and bolts of silver and silk to him.

Have him prepare for me

three million hu of grain.

Heir, forgive me.

The King is currently discussing important affairs with the ministers and marshals.

[Ma Youcheng] A strict order has been issued:

[Ma Youcheng] without command,

[Ma Youcheng] all nobles, clan members,

civil and military officials, are not permitted to enter.

I, the heir, cannot enter, so why is the Eldest Brother allowed in?

Heir, forgive me.

[Jiang Duoxun] The Eldest Prince has recently been

[Jiang Duoxun] participating in Chancellor's Office affairs.

He is also a minister now.

I am the King's heir apparent.

Heir, forgive us. The King's command cannot be disobeyed.

Who will be in overall charge of military provisions, armor, weapons, and equipment?

King,

this is a national war.

Everything must be handled with care.

I will personally serve as Commissioner of the Transport Office for the Southeast Front Camp of Shengzhou.

As Commissioner, Minister, you are to keep control at the central command.

We still need a competent Deputy Commissioner to accompany the army,

to handle affairs at the front.

I believe

the Eldest Prince could serve as Deputy, to accompany and serve by your side,

coordinating at the front matters of provisions, armor, weapons, and equipment.

Approved.

Your son receives the instruction.

King,

I believe

the Eldest Prince is steady, resolute, wise, and discerning, possessing your former style.

Since participating in major governance, he has handled affairs appropriately.

He should remain at the Western Capital, acting as regent.

As for the post of Deputy General Transport Commissioner,

why not let the heir apparent gain some experience?

The Western Capital has Shen in charge.

There's no need for any troublesome regency.

Appoint Weizhi as Deputy Transport Commissioner at the front.

It is decided.

[Southern Tang has sent an envoy, indending to ally against Song.]

This Li Yuanqing has come again.

This matter involves relations between two states.

The due courtesies must not be neglected.

Weizhi, meet him on my behalf.

See what he has to say.

Act according to circumstances.

Understood?

I understand.

Your lord wishes to form an alliance with my king?

Indeed.

The state of Wuyue has established rules.

The Qian clan also has ancestral teachings:

diligently fulfill tributary duties, revere and serve the Emperor, serve the great central state well.

Regarding your lord's request, please forgive...

Eldest Prince, I have learned your breadth of mind and strategic calculations well.

So, as to these formal, diplomatic words,

there is no need to say more of them.

In any case,

you cannot decide this matter.

You

only need to relay,

the terms of the alliance proposed by my lord on his behalf,

to your father, the King.

Please state your proposal, Marshal.

If we can agree to an alliance,

my lord

is willing to send his son as a hostage to Hangzhou,

and cede the six prefectures of Jiangxi region, including Jiangzhou and Hongzhou to Wuyue,

as a gesture of goodwill.

Marshal,

do you take my father and me for fools?

Whether this matter succeeds or not must be decided by your father, the King.

You only need to relay the message verbatim.

If it were other matters, they would require my father's sole decision.

But if you only have this proposal,

I can tell you right now, it is absolutely impossible.

If you and your lord can agree to one thing I propose,

I might be able to bring the discussion of an alliance up to my father.

May I ask, Prince,

what matter are you referring to?

If your state can provide our state with three million hu of grain,

the matter of the alliance might be possible.

What are you thinking?

Even if he were born a fool,

he wouldn't be fooled by the same person twice in a row, would he?

Li Yuanqing definitely would not be deceived again,

but the Tang ruler might.

Eldest Prince,

this is not a question of whether one will be deceived or not.

Within Southern Tang,

they have suffered three floods in five years.

To raise funds for the Longxiang Army navy,

the granary reserves have been completely depleted.

Furthermore,

due to the floods and famine, starving people who lost land and property

have mostly fled into Wuyue's prefectures and counties.

The number is nearly one hundred fifty thousand in total.

The people are the foundation of the state, and also the source of tax revenue.

Losing people means losing wealth.

For five consecutive years, tax revenue has sharply decreased.

I'm afraid

even if the Li clan were willing to be fooled this time,

they no longer have the capacity to be fooled.

As you, Minister, have rightly said, in the current Southern Tang state,

it is certainly impossible to produce three million hu of grain.

As the saying goes,

ask a high price from the sky, bargain for land on the ground.

Demanding grain from the Southern Tang envoy is merely a smokescreen.

What I truly want

is actually Chongming Town.

Chongming Town is nominally a military garrison,

but in reality, it's just two sandbars exposed above the water.

[Sun Chengyou] It's situated at the river mouth,

[Sun Chengyou] mostly consisting of shallows.

[Sun Chengyou] The surrounding sea routes and channels,

are broad,

but too shallow.

They can only accommodate small boats and light vessels.

Most larger seagoing vessels entering

would run aground almost immediately.

In earlier years, when Huanglong and Qinhuai House divided trade routes,

we used Chongming as the boundary,

precisely because riverboat designs and seagoing vessel designs are incompatible.

West of Chongming,

only riverboats can pass.

East of Chongming,

only seagoing vessels can pass.

Chongming

is a place of little value.

What use does Wuyue have for it?

It may be militarily useless,

but it can be used to store grain.

Why store grain in Chongming?

You have never led troops, Prince.

If we march north to take the three eastern prefectures,

the supply route would have to go overland.

Storing grain at Gujunsha

places the supply line within enemy territory.

Not only is it impractical,

but a single detachment from Zheng Yanhua's Zhenhai Army and Du Zhen's Jiangyin Army sailing down the river

could burn all the grain on Chongming Island.

Storing grain in Chongming,

is not for the three eastern prefectures,

is it?

No.

You are discerning, Father.

Your plan targets Jiangdu Prefecture north of the river.

But if you can think of it,

an old hand like Li Yuanqing might think of it too.

If you ask for it,

will he give it?

If I ask,

Li Yuanqing certainly will not give it.

But if Uncle Chengyou goes to ask,

he might be willing.

Me?

Three hundred ninety-five.

[Qian Ying, Qian Chu's eldest daughter] Three hundred seventy.

Three hundred...

Mother,

it doesn't add up.

If it doesn't add up, someone is playing tricks.

These contracts and cargo lists are all signed by your uncle.

Surely he isn't deceiving himself?

That certainly is not the case.

But the numbers really don't match.

Then you must have calculated wrong.

No, I didn't.

Mother, look.

The total value of goods in the contract is three thousand six hundred strings of cash.

But on the cargo list, based on the types of goods, quantities, and unit prices,

it comes to

over four thousand six hundred seventy strings.

This single deal

lost nearly thirty percent.

Who is the contract with?

The buyer is

Fujiwara Yoshimitsu from the Genji House of Heian-kyo.

How many coins in a string here?

Seven hundred and seventy.

How many coins in a string in Heian-kyo?

Oh!

Heian-kyo has always revered the Great Tang.

They follow the old system of one thousand coins per string.

I see.

That explains it.

Your ancestors are named Qian, meaning "money".

If you are this confused about money,

and outsiders hear of it,

tarnishing the family's reputation,

you'll invite ridicule as a tiger father's dog daughter.

I don't want to be a fisherman selling fish anyway.

Say that again.

Your daughter...

said nothing at all.

Greetings to the heir.

Mother, Weijun is here.

Is Mother here?

She is.

Let him in.

Greetings, Mother.

Elder Sister, you've worked hard.

Indeed I have.

The Tenson King of Ryukyu presented a five-colored conch shell. They say it can produce musical notes.

I specifically sought it out to congratulate you on your eighteenth birthday.

Where is it?

Bring it here for me to have a look.

Set it aside.

You are the heir to the state.

Such frivolous pursuits can be tolerated once, not twice.

Yes.

I will respectfully heed Elder Sister's admonition.

I'm tired.

I'll go out for a walk to stretch my limbs.

Your son will accompany Mother.

Palace affairs are complex and numerous.

You have been overexerting your mind and energy.

You really should move around more.

Think your father is showing favoritism?

I wouldn't dare.

You're his son, he's your father.

What is there to not dare?

As the heir of Wuyue,

my every word and deed must not be disrespectful or improper.

Save those formal words for when you're with outsiders.

Don't bring them back home.

Your father is usually busy with court affairs.

The attention he gives you brothers is little to begin with.

If you have thoughts or complaints and don't tell him plainly,

waiting for him over there to guess and wonder,

when will that ever end?

If this goes on for long, between father and son,

even where there's no rift,

one will appear out of thin air.

My father is the sovereign.

Be it thunder or nourishing rain,

I dare not complain.

You,

you've got it wrong,

and you're being too narrow.

After Minister Yuan passed away,

the old ministers have dwindled, most are gone.

Minister Shen seems hale and hearty,

but in truth, he's over twenty years older than your father.

Now,

he's also an old man in his sixties.

The world is in turmoil,

disturbances haven't ceased.

Court affairs,

must be shouldered by the young.

I know.

Weizhi entered the court earlier than you two brothers.

Now he's in the ministerial office, formally participating in governance.

Seeing this, you brothers

feel anxious, resentful,

that's quite normal.

I hold no hidden resentment.

I just feel I cannot share Father's burdens.

Seeing Eldest Brother's achievements pile up, I feel ashamed,

and wish to offer my meager efforts.

Talking to you is exhausting.

All this beating around the bush, isn't it just that you want to join the court?

You want to join the court,

you want to work, that's good.

When our own son wants to make something of himself, as parents we can only be happy.

Be bold, and tell your father directly.

Mother,

I am the heir, in a sensitive position.

Some words

you can say,

Eldest Brother can say,

but I cannot.

So today you've set your sights on your old mother, is that it?

Fine, fine.

I'll speak for you.

Your father is a straightforward man.

All my life,

I've hated people who hesitate and waver, who are indecisive and wishy-washy.

Who did you get that from?

I knew

Mother loves me most.

Wanting to work is a good thing.

Why wouldn't you dare say so?

Is it because of Weizhi?

Weizhi is a good child,

and a capable one.

Throughout the court and beyond, inside and outside the palace, everyone sees clearly

that he has clear plans in mind.

You always say he's like Sixth Brother.

But in my opinion,

he's more like you in your youth.

You use him.

Up and down, inside and out, everyone is convinced.

Those who can work should of course be given major roles.

But to those who can't, if you don't let them learn,

then in thirty or fifty years, they still won't be able to.

Did you think of these words yourself,

or did Weijun say them?

What do you think?

Your own son,

don't you have a sense of him?

I knew it.

These words, Weijun couldn't have said them himself.

Knowing that, you still keep him in the dark?

After all, you've been

a father for nearly twenty years.

Weijun is a good child.

I know that in my heart.

I was considering,

to let him grow a few more years,

and be mature a bit more.

Last time he went to Huanglong Island,

he insist on pick the time of the Dragon Banner Assembly.

Spent all day mingling with the Sheng, Tian, and Jiang families,

and those ship owners, hanging around together.

Privately promising official posts, he did many outrageous things.

Chengyou was there too, and didn't rein him in at the time.

But then again, it's his own uncle and nephew;

some favoritism is unavoidable.

I think he's itching for a beating.

Your subject Qian Weijun pays homage to the Great King.

Greet Minister Shen.

Weijun pays respects to the Minister.

Your subject dares not accept the heir's courtesy.

Shen, you deserve it.

This son of mine,

his scholarly ability is average,

and he has no great talent for governance.

He only became heir because he was born at the right time.

I am, after all, his father.

Though I don't expect

him to achieve great things,

I still hope he will become capable,

so that in the future, he won't bring harm to the state and its altars.

Master Han Yu said: [Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

A teacher's role [Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

is to transmit the principles, [Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

impart knowledge, and resolve doubts.

Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher.

These are the pillars of human relations.

Today, I

entrust my heir to you.

With the ritual gift of dried meat, I ask you to be his tutor. [Ritual gift of dried meat is used to seek discipleship.]

Literature and composition are secondary.

Teach him some methods and rules for handling affairs,

so he may understand the difficulty of state affairs,

the hardship of the common people,

and the order of high and low.

My

earnest heart,

my deepest intentions, come from utmost sincerity.

I hope you, Shen, will understand.

Your subject is overwhelmed.

Sir, you are above.

Your student, Weijun, from this day forward,

will inquire after your well-being everyday,

attend morning and evening, and reverently listen to your teachings.

Your subject is old and frail,

and came from a humble clerk's background.

My talent is crude, my learning shallow.

I fear I may misguide the heir.

At the dawn of the Han, three heroes emerged.

Among them, Xiao He was also a clerk,

yet he laid the four-hundred-year foundation of the Han.

At the end of Han, the Three Kingdoms divided the realm.

Lu Zhi was a clerk,

yet from his school came

the Zhaolie Emperor, Liu Bei, a hero of the realm.

To have a clerk as tutor and guardian,

is my son's good fortune.

If that is the case,

I, your subject,

accept the command.

Let it be decreed:

From this day forth,

the heir, Weijun, is appointed Observer of Governance,

to attend the ministerial residence every five days, to learn official affairs.

We, your subjects, accept the decree.

Has the Old Marshal considered this clearly?

Three million hu of grain, to turn a generations-old enemy into an ally.

For your state, this deal

can hardly be called a loss.

Interstate relations are conducted with state ritual.

Even the current King of Qian, in years past when jointly discussing peace,

dared not mock and ridicule a great state's envoy like this.

Young Prince,

you participate in the ministerial council,

yet engage in

such childish and undignified antics,

disregarding the gravity of state affairs.

Is this the intention of the King of Wuyue?

My royal father's heart holds only the great righteousness of the realm.

The Southern Tang carve out territory, claim vassalage,

split the land, divide the state, defying Heaven's Mandate.

[Zhang Li, Imperial Edict Secretary] My King does not recognize this.

[Zhang Li, Imperial Edict Secretary] So-called diplomatic relations are a pure joke.

How can there be any talk of profit?

The proposal of three million hu of grain is something I offer, regarding that you,

advanced age yet unwavering loyalty to your lord,

with arduous travels, which cannot have been easy.

Hence I proposed.

According to your words, this is not the King's position.

Even if an agreement is reached, it would be nothing but a private pact.

Associate Chancellor,

how can you decide matters for the State of Wuyue?

The current Great King of Wuyue is indeed my father.

If this matter can be agreed to,

I will then petition him and facilitate the alliance.

If it cannot be agreed to,

Old Marshal, you may return to your country today and report back.

In those years,

when I was drinking with Cheng Zhaoyue,

the King condescended to personally take up the kitchen duties.

The wine was strong, the fish fragrant.

Time flies and things have changed.

To think it has already been an event thirty years past.

I was young then.

I heard

the Great King and my elder sister recount the old days.

If not for you, Marshal,

my elder sister would have had no chance to become the ruler's wife.

Speaking of it,

you could be considered the matchmaker for the Great King and my sister.

You, sir, are the esteemed maternal uncle of Wuyue,

Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner of Zhedong.

This time,

having invited us to this place,

surely you're not merely to reminisce about the past?

The Qian family has an ancestral teaching:

serve the great central plains dynasty well.

If Wuyue forms an open alliance with Southern Tang,

proclaiming it to the world to resist the Song ruler,

such a thing,

let alone the six prefectures west to the river,

even if your ruler

were willing to cede the three in the east,

the Great King would absolutely never agree.

Some things,

can be said

but not done.

Other things,

can be done

but not said.

The King has done nothing,

yet effortlessly gained six prefectures from your ruler.

The Song ruler, though a military man,

is no fool.

So you mean,

to gain the six right-bank prefectures for free,

the King dares not;

but to secretly share a common enemy with our dynasty,

and jointly resist the Song court,

the King is willing.

Marshal, allow me to explain.

In all matters,

once they involve the court and the government,

bound by ancestral teaching and legitimate succession,

Wuyue cannot agree.

Conversely,

if they don't involve the court or government,

then we can still do business.

In that case, I wonder,

what can Wuyue offer our Great Tang?

That depends

on what your ruler currently lacks.

Lacks troops,

lacks grain,

lacks silver and silk,

lacks gold and brocade.

What Wuyue has,

Great Tang lacks all of it.

Wuyue has ancestral teachings:

not a single soldier or guard

can be lent out.

Then,

apart from soldiers,

everything else can be lent?

If you are asking about Wuyue,

with ancestral teachings in place,

none can be lent.

What if I

do not borrow from Wuyue,

but from the Huanglong House instead?

The enterprises that were once under the Shanyue House

are now all placed under the Huanglong House's banner.

The Qinhuai House, is personally founded by you, Marshal.

Within the Huanglong House now, I, a junior of little talent, happen to be in charge.

Since it's business,

whatever the Shanyue House could do for the Qinhuai House back then,

the Huanglong House,

can do it all.

However,

I currently have no ready cash.

Can this business

still be done?

Without ready cash,

we can mortgage for a loan.

May I ask, what would serve as collateral?

This junior has heard

that this Gujun Shoal,

is under your name, Marshal?

Chongming Town?

What use does Wuyue have for Chongming Town?

Your Majesty.

The so-called Chongming Town is in fact nothing more than

two sandbanks at the Yangtze River estuary, named Gujun Sand.

On each sandbank, there is a military stockade,

garrisoned with one squad of fifty men, serving as a river mouth sentry post.

The late Emperor considered it of little use,

so he ordered the Old Marshal Li to manage it through the Qinhuai House.

For King Qian to offer us provisions, supplies, and equipment,

just to demand such a

useless sandbank?

Report to Your Majesty,

Gujun Sand is not useless.

The Qinhuai House handles all maritime trade affairs for the state,

conducting sea trade with Gaegyeong, Heian-kyō, Siam, and other places.

The fleets all set sail from Gujun Sand.

The Huanglong House's ships are advanced and powerful, dominating the sea routes.

For decades, there have been many disputes.

The Qinhuai House,

though unable to contend with them directly,

has also never

simply handed over the state's maritime trade profits.

The Marshal means to say

that King Qian wants

to monopolize the profits of the sea?

Your Majesty,

the profits from the sea are indeed great, but distant water cannot quench a present thirst.

The military threat from the Song ruler is a danger pressing at our eyebrows.

I beg Your Majesty to consider our ancestral altars and state,

and cede,

Chongming Shoal to Wuyue,

to obtain the benefit of their grain and resources.

Your Majesty,

the value of Chongming is not limited to maritime trade.

That place guards the estuary, and is the boundary between the Yangtze and the open sea.

To the north, it borders Taizhou and the Jinghai Army;

to the south, it connects to Wuyue's Suzhou and the Zhongwu Army;

to the west, it reaches our Great Tang's three prefectures of Jiangxi region,

as well as the Jiangyin Army, the Zhenhai Army,

and the eastern and western wards of Changzhou.

If Wuyue raises troops to march north,

sending a flanking force to attack us by sea route,

at that time,

with the Song army in the west

and Wuyue in the east,

our imperial navy would be caught head and tail,

and the natural moat of the Yangtze

might no longer be ours.

Your Majesty,

sea-going ships have a deep draft,

river ships have a shallow draft.

Once a sea-going ship passes Chongming and enters the river,

shoals and undercurrents will cause it to run aground eight or nine times out of ten.

The Huanglong House

has roamed the seas for years,

yet has never been able to enter the Yangtze.

This is precisely the reason.

Marshal,

exactly how much

grain, supplies, armor, and weaponry has King Qian promised?

I report to Your Majesty,

it is not King Qian,

but the Huanglong House.

From the date stipulated in the contract,

the provisions supplies for all the garrisons east of the capital,

as well as for the Zhenhai Army, Jinghai Army, and Jiangyin Army,

including armor, weapons, silver, silk, and gold brocade rewards,

will all be borne by Wuyue's Huanglong House.

Your Majesty,

This is

a policy to destroy the state.

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