The Chief Administrator of Xiazhou had arrived in person, escorting the grain that everyone in the camp had been desperately longing for. He naturally received a warm welcome from the officers and soldiers.
Both sides exchanged formal courtesies, trading two rounds of polite pleasantries with beaming smiles, brimming with the warmth of old friends meeting for the first time.
After all, the security of Xiazhou still depended on Zhao Pan.
And whether the war on the northern front could continue depended on whether Chief Administrator He could keep shipping grain here.
Their mutual interdependence dictated that their relationship was close from the start.
Zhao Pan looked as though he had been molded straight from common folklore's template for a great general: broad-shouldered and thick-waisted as a bear, with heavy eyebrows and a bearded jaw, his face practically radiating hearty forthrightness. When he let out a great laugh, it seemed loud enough to shake down the young trees beside him.
With the military provisions delivered, border soldiers naturally came forward to take over. He Chunhua's men could finally rest.
Zhao Pan tugged He Chunhua along toward the camp, eager to host a banquet to welcome him.
By now it was early in the hour of the Monkey—past three in the afternoon—and only five people were seated in the main tent. On the opposite side sat Zhao Pan and a deputy general, while on this side were He Chunhua, his son, and Elder Liang.
Notably, perched upon Zhao Pan's shoulder was a hornbill. Half yellow and half black, its curved beak was astonishingly large, taking up at least a third of its body length, and above its eyes rested an exaggerated casque.
He Lingchuan doubted very much whether, obstructed by that casque, the hornbill's two tiny eyes could even see anything directly in front of it.
Once both sides completed their introductions, the meal was served.
He Lingchuan looked down and saw only two dishes on each table: mixed-grain rice and stewed meat, alongside a small bowl for wine.
The wine bowls were soon filled to the brim, giving off quite a fragrant aroma.
There were two bowls of meat on Zhao Pan's table, for the hornbill on his shoulder hopped down onto the tabletop and began pecking at the meat.
It had no hands, but fortunately its beak was huge; tossing a chunk of meat into the air, it caught it in its open bill and swallowed it whole.
Gulp after gulp, astonishingly quick.
"Early this morning, a wild boar of three or four hundred jin rammed headfirst into our stockade, which is how it ended up as this bowl of meat on our tables. Otherwise, apart from mixed grains, wild greens, and this jar of wine, I truly couldn't have produced a fourth item to host our guests," Zhao Pan said with a laugh. "It probably knew you were coming, Lord He; otherwise, we haven't seen a living creature on the front lines in quite some time."
The birds and beasts in the nearby mountain forests had long since been picked clean by starving soldiers.
The coarse rice was mixed with a fair variety of beans. He Lingchuan could only identify soybeans and mung beans, along with a mottled variety of unknown origin. The pork had simply been boiled in water with only salt added. He Lingchuan popped a piece into his mouth and found his palate flooded with a rank, gamy flavor that was practically impossible to swallow.
The meat of wild boar and domestic pig were worlds apart.
On this war-torn front line, rations were constantly in short supply and men could barely get enough to eat, let alone have ginger, garlic, Sichuan pepper, star anise, or soy sauce to mask the rankness and enhance flavor.
Yet He Lingchuan didn't even furrow his brow, finishing it off with a cheerful smile. Back when he had staked out demons on the Chipa Plateau, he had stuffed far more foul and bizarre things into his mouth.
Elder Liang, by contrast, took merely a single bite before laying down his chopsticks.
Zhao Pan's eyes flicked over, taking it all in.
Meanwhile, He Chunhua recounted the skirmishes along the way before apologizing: "I have failed our King's trust. Of the twenty thousand dan of grain gathered by the royal court, I managed to deliver only nine thousand. I am truly incompetent!"
Before reaching the front line, he had already dispatched an emissary to deliver the news, so Zhao Pan had turned the report over in his mind and digested it several times, filtering out most of the negative sentiment. He simply shook his head and sighed, "It is fortunate that Chief Administrator He escorted it in person. Anyone else probably wouldn't have saved a single grain from Hong Chenglüe!"
He Lingchuan glanced at his father. Seeing him hesitate as if holding back words, he spoke in his stead: "Does General Zhao hold Hong Chenglüe in such high regard? We've rarely heard his name before."
"Hong Chenglüe's fame was made in the northern demon kingdom. He fought far more against the eastern nations, so word of his deeds rarely reached this region. But Nian Zanli and I spent years guarding the north, so we know his past very well." Zhao Pan waved his hand. "A truly skilled warrior gains no renown for flashy victories. In these chaotic times, men who make a name for themselves in a single battle are everywhere, but how many can win a hundred consecutive battles, or even subdue the enemy without fighting? Let me mention another person; you will certainly recognize him—"
"Hong Xiangqian."
He Chunhua gave a slight start. "The rebel chieftain?" With Zhao Pan suddenly bringing this person up, He Chunhua immediately realized that both men shared the surname Hong.
"Indeed. The rebel ringleader who threw the central plains into turmoil and pressed right up to the capital, Hong Xiangqian, is Hong Chenglüe's own brother!"
Father and son were both astonished. "Hong Xiangqian's own brother was actually here in Xiazhou?"
Hong Xiangqian had committed a crime warranting the extermination of his entire clan—meaning Hong Chenglüe was essentially an imperial fugitive on the run?
"Yes. There was a deep rift between the two brothers, so Hong Chenglüe didn't join Hong Xiangqian's rebellion. Otherwise, whether Ke Jihai and the others could have defeated Hong Xiangqian and relieved the capital's crisis would have been anyone's guess." Zhao Pan let out a long sigh. "Hong Chenglüe is peerless at seizing tactical opportunities; in at least two critical campaigns, he subdued the enemy without fighting. For Lord He to preserve nearly ten thousand dan of grain against him, I couldn't dare ask for more."
He Chunhua's brows furrowed tightly. "Still, with such a man roaming behind our lines, he remains a grave threat. We must find a way to eliminate him."
He had already experienced Hong Chenglüe's slipperiness firsthand. Just last night, the man had slipped away under the very noses of the Xiazhou army twice, and had nearly killed his son.
Every one of Hong Chenglüe's opponents wished him dead, yet he was still living hale and hearty.
Thinking up to this point, another thought suddenly surfaced in He Chunhua's mind.
"Subdue the enemy... without fighting?"
Zhao Pan set down his bowl. "What did you say, Lord He?"
"Oh, nothing." He Chunhua raised his wine bowl. "A toast to General Zhao. Having you guard our borders is a blessing for Great Yuan."
Zhao Pan was a general of equal renown to Ke Jihai and Wu Di. Had anyone else been sent, they might truly have failed to hold against Nian Zanli's offensive.
He raised his bowl and drained it in a single gulp, without excessive humility.
"During his inquiries in Bailu Town, my son heard that Hong Chenglüe and his wife lived there in seclusion for three years, in utter poverty." A proud, distinguished general retreating from the world, willing to endure destitution and indignity—even popular storybooks wouldn't dare write such a thing, because no one would buy it. He Chunhua asked further, "What really happened back then? Does General Zhao know the truth?"
"Many versions have made their way from the northern demon kingdom. The most widely circulated one claims that Hong Chenglüe suffered hardship in his youth and was rescued from peril twice by his wife, A-Jin. Having wandered and endured suffering together, their bond ran exceptionally deep. Later, when A-Jin suffered a difficult childbirth, Hong Chenglüe swore a blood oath to sheath his blade forever. Regrettably, the son still died in infancy, and his wife was left paralyzed. Disheartened and bound by his oath, he simply hung up his official seal, resigned his post, and retreated into rural seclusion."
He Chunhua couldn't help but chuckle. "Absolute nonsense. Such a trivial matter could make a general at the height of his glory sheath his blade? What child's play!"
"I don't believe it either, but common folk love stories like that," Zhao Pan said with a grin. "Years ago, I heard that Hong Chenglüe was once embroiled in royal infighting and picked the wrong side, supporting the mortal rival of the current Demon Emperor. Heh, you and I both know how perilous that is. So it's far more likely he resigned to flee danger, perhaps using his wife's difficult labor as a pretense. It was wise of him to run, and run quickly, too; otherwise, once the new emperor of Beijia ascended the throne, he might not have possessed the magnanimity to spare him."
Even if the emperor had it, Hong Chenglüe wouldn't have dared gamble on it.
"That makes more sense," He Chunhua mused. "Yet for him to come out of retirement now and command troops for Xunzhou—that is most likely at the instigation of the northern demon kingdom."
"Undoubtedly. Nian Zanli suffered defeat at his hands twice, yet Hong Chenglüe is now leading Xunzhou troops. If not for the northern demon kingdom's direction, why would he serve a man he previously defeated?" Zhao Pan snorted. "War is raging everywhere, and everywhere the demon kingdom's meddling hand can be found. Yet it refuses to step onto the battlefield itself—infuriating!"
He Chunhua murmured an affirmation, lost in thought.
Having talked for so long, everyone had long finished the food.
Zhao Pan was considerate enough to say, "You've traveled a long way, and darkness has fallen. I won't disturb your rest."
He Chunhua replied, "No matter. I wish to inspect the front line right now."
The new Chief Administrator of Xiazhou was dedicated to his duties, unlike those pampered officials. Zhao Pan naturally wouldn't object. "Then please follow me."
He Lingchuan naturally followed behind his father to tour the front lines with them.
It turned out that the two opposing sides were separated by the Han River, which was roughly fifteen zhang wide. The land north of the river had been seized by Xunzhou, while Zhao Pan's army was stationed to the south.
The Yuan imperial camp was laid out in good order, and the opposite bank was brightly illuminated as well. From where He Lingchuan stood, he could even spot the silhouettes of Xunzhou sentries clutching long spears.
Though the two sides were so close, the atmosphere at the moment was surprisingly tranquil.
He Chunhua asked, "There hasn't been any fighting recently?"
Even on the front line, battles were not fought every single day.
"These past two days, seedlings are being planted in the farmland behind our lines, so both sides agreed to a temporary truce." Zhao Pan pointed to a fluttering yellow flag in front of the camp. "The planting season has arrived. If we don't rush to cultivate the fields, there won't be anything to eat next year."
"It seems Xunzhou isn't well-stocked on grain either." Otherwise, the Xunzhou forces would have launched an all-out assault to crush the Yuan army's opportunity to cultivate military colony land.
"Xunzhou suffered a drought last year, resulting in a poor harvest. If Hong Xiangqian hadn't suddenly attacked Woling Pass this year and the Grand Marshal hadn't staged his coup, I doubt Nian Zanli would have chosen to turn traitor and rebel this year."
"The northern demon kingdom provides no aid?"
"After Sun Fuping was killed, Nian Zanli's treason was exposed, forcing him to surrender to the Beijia Kingdom on his own initiative. I hear Beijia has treated him rather coldly."
He Chunhua chuckled. "Desperation makes for a poor bargain." Had Beijia actively solicited Nian Zanli's defection, his treatment would surely have been far more generous.
"Indeed. If Beijia supported Nian Zanli with money and grain whenever asked, we wouldn't have held out for so long," Zhao Pan said bitterly. "They just want to watch us exhaust ourselves so they can reap the spoils later. That fool Nian Zanli!"
"Yet the northern demon kingdom has moved now, employing a scoundrel like Hong Chenglüe," He Chunhua mused. "Their strategy toward the Yuan Kingdom might have shifted."
Zhao Pan sighed. "There are no outsiders here, so let me give you the bottom line. Lord He, in the eyes of an ancient, storied realm like the northern demon kingdom, we are nothing more than a tiny, insignificant state. Their focus right now is on the east; they shouldn't have much interest in reaching over here."
He Chunhua fell silent. Beijia's attitude toward Nian Zanli spoke volumes of that kingdom's arrogance.
After all, across its six-hundred-year history, it had always been a dominant power.
He Chunhua's mood was nuanced; he almost felt he ought to be grateful for Beijia's indifference, for without it, Xiazhou would be in far greater peril.
Chapter 274