The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 167 Chu State
In spring, the river was full of water, and the large ship sailed smoothly on the Yangxia waterway, arriving at Jiangling, the capital of Nanping, in four days.

As Xiao Yi observed along the way, he came to believe that the small country of Nanping was nothing more than a bandit group that occupied a major waterway, set up checkpoints to levy taxes, and was obsessed with money.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, he did not enter Jiangling, paid the taxes again, and then turned into the Yangtze River.

Halfway through the journey, we finally left the border of Nanping.

Everyone, whether seasick or not, was listless and couldn't muster any energy for gambling or playing cards.

Xiao Yi analyzed the situation by looking at the map. Yuezhou is Yueyang, which is located on the shore of Dongting Lake. The Yuan River and Xiang River flow into Dongting Lake and then into the Yangtze River.

The large ship could either travel along the Xiang River to reach Tanzhou, the capital of the Chu Kingdom, or along the Yuan River to reach Langzhou, which is roughly equivalent to Changsha and Changde in later times.

Sailing down the river, they arrived in Yuezhou in just two days.

Turning into the mouth of Dongting Lake, one sees large ships anchored on the water, with the Chu-character flag fluttering loudly in the river wind.

In addition, in the distant harbor, there were also Southern Tang warships moored.

Xiao Yi looked through the binoculars and saw that the banner read "He Jingzhu, Prefect of Chuzhou of the Great Tang Dynasty".

If he hadn't been familiar with the course of history, he would have been intimidated by the imposing presence of the Southern Tang navy.

He beckoned Li Guanxiang over and asked, "Who is He Jingzhu?"

"He Jingzhu can be called a famous general of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He destroyed the Min Kingdom and his achievements were the greatest in the army. Last year, Ma Xige murdered his brother and seized the throne. He first sent an envoy to Kaifeng to submit to the emperor. The emperor did not reply. Ma Xige then asked the Southern Tang Dynasty for help. The Tang emperor sent He Jingzhu to lead an army to help. As soon as the Tang army arrived, it settled the situation in the Chu Kingdom. But after that, He Jingzhu did not leave and stayed in Yuezhou."

"understood."

The strategy of large countries stationing troops in small countries is not hard to understand.

Presumably, Emperor Yin of Han was busy with important matters at the time and had no time to attend to the State of Chu.

Xiao Yi asked, "So now, what are the attitudes of the Southern Tang towards the Ma family and Commander Liu respectively?"

Li Guanxiang said with a wry smile, "Although the State of Chu is small, the various forces are intertwined and can change overnight. I am away on a diplomatic mission, and the news is delayed, so I am unaware of the situation."

This person is quite cunning and never reveals his true intentions.

Xiao Yi was displeased, but nodded indifferently.

Soon, the Chu warships stopped them and ordered them to stop and put planks on the deck.

An Youjin said in a low voice, "Young master, I will handle it. No matter how chaotic the Chu Kingdom is, we still have to do business."

He rubbed his tired face vigorously and stepped forward again with a forced smile, "Sir, I'm just here in Tanzhou on business..."

"Seize all the goods!"

"Sir, what does this mean?!"

An Youjin was taken aback and immediately knelt down, kowtowing and saying, "We are just honest merchants."

"I don't care what you are."

The captain leading the search party pointed at Xiao Yi and the group of burly men behind him, and shouted, "Take all these able-bodied men away!"

"Here!"

Listening to the conversation, Xiao Yi judged that the Chu soldiers had not seen through their identities.

He observed calmly and saw that most of the Chu soldiers were poorly dressed, some had helmets and some did not. He guessed that they had recently suffered a defeat and, in desperation, were looting merchants and conscripting people to fill their ranks.

It's possible we'll have to pull boats along the Xiangjiang and Yuanjiang rivers.

As he was pondering this, a Chu soldier walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and started cursing.

"Bean! Are you deaf? I told you to get over there and squat down..."

"Snapped!"

Xiao Yi raised his hand and slapped him.

The Chu soldier was initially stunned, then flew into a rage, drew his sword, and shouted, "How dare you hit me?"

"Shh-"

Xiao Yi moved even faster, drawing a short blade from his pocket and placing it directly against the other's neck.

Because the situation is different now.

In Nanping, Sun Guangxian was clearly a reasonable man. Even though everyone suspected him, he still boarded the ship, introduced himself, and carefully verified the information. However, these Chu soldiers were on the verge of losing their order, and only by intimidating them could the problem be solved.

"What?!"

"Do you know who I am?!"

"Damn it! I don't care what kind of bastard you are."

"Is this how Ma Xige treats his guests after inviting me here?"

"You...you dare to address the king by his given name?"

Xiao Yi put down his short blade, stood with his hands behind his back, and shouted imposingly, "Show me the banner!"

An Youjin's expression changed, and he exclaimed softly, "Young Master Ximen..."

"What Young Master Ximen? I am Xiao Yi, an envoy from the Great Zhou Dynasty sent by the Emperor of the Central Plains to confer titles upon the ruler of the State of Chu."

"Here!"

Zhang Mantun loudly accepted the order and led his men into the hold. With a sound of cargo hitting the ground, the banner was soon raised.

Lü You and Fan Ji held up the official robes and draped them over Xiao Yi's shoulders.

The Chu soldiers were stunned and forgot to continue looting and capturing people.

Xiao Yi turned his head slightly and saw out of the corner of his eye that Li Fang had quietly led Li Guanxiang into the cabin, which put his mind at ease.

In the end, Li Fang was the most reliable. He knew that the biggest difference between Liu Yan and Ma Xige in the matter lay with Li Guanxiang.

Chu soldiers ran past the sampans like lightning. On the Chu ship, a messenger climbed the mast and signaled with flags.

In the distance, flag signals responded from the large ship.

"Tow the boat back!"

Upon receiving the order, the Chu general before Xiao Yi's expression changed slightly, and he bowed respectfully. "This humble servant was blind and offended Your Excellency. Please."

After saying this, the Chu soldiers retreated back to their ships and towed the merchant ships toward the Chu naval camp.

Xiao Yi ordered his soldiers to put on their armor, and he also changed into his official robes and summoned Li Fang.

"Brother Mingyuan, do you know what I need right now?"

"Could it be a letter from the government?"

"My friend Mingyuan understands me best."

"Forget about cork, we don't even have radishes."

Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "The cargo on the ship includes Dushan jade and ginseng. Brother Mingyuan should be able to carve them, right?"

Li Fang said, "Time is short and the boat is rocking, so it's probably difficult to make it look real."

"Can a few Chu warriors really tell the difference between the real and the fake?"

"Then I'll give it my best."

Li Fang cupped his hands in greeting, then took out a carving knife and a piece of jade that was half-carved from his pocket. He leaned against the wooden wall and continued carving.

Xiao Yi didn't know what to say, so he laughed self-deprecatingly, went to the deck, and stood at the bow of the ship.

The river breeze calmed his mind, and he remained composed even as he entered the Chu army's naval camp, surrounded by warships and filled with murderous intent.

The boat rocked slightly before docking.

On the shore, the Chu army was already lined up and waiting, surrounding a general who looked to be about forty years old and whose face was weathered.

Xiao Yi calmly disembarked, straightened his clothes, and tilted his head slightly, his expression carrying a hint of arrogance befitting an envoy from a major power in the Central Plains.

"Tang Shizhu, the commander of Hunan in the State of Chu, was unaware of the arrival of the envoy from the superior state and has offended you greatly."

"So it's General Tang. My apologies."

Xiao Yi returned the greeting meticulously. Judging from the name Tang Shizhu, he was probably not an illiterate military man. He hoped Tang would discover the letter of state was fake later.

"Xiao Yi, the Grand Zhou Dynasty's Inspector of the Ministry of Works, Commander of the Palace Guards, and Attendant Censor."

He holds too many official positions; he'll just pick a few important ones to introduce himself.

"Ah, so it's Lord Xiao. I've heard so much about you."

Tang Shizhu let out a soft gasp of surprise, which sounded almost fake, and asked with a smile, "May I ask, why did the King of Zhou suddenly send an envoy to the State of Chu?"

"What?" Xiao Yi said in a displeased tone, "Has the State of Chu forgotten that it once sent envoys to the Central Plains to pledge allegiance, or does it simply disregard the Great Zhou?"

Before Tang Shizhu could answer, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to the north sky, his expression turning stern.

"Your Majesty inherited the rightful lineage of the Central Plains and established this dynasty. Why don't you send envoys to congratulate him, acknowledge your vassal status, and pay tribute?!"

“Lord Xiao, you misunderstand. I just didn’t expect that the Zhou ruler, who is so busy with state affairs, would be able to pay attention to matters in the south at this time.”

"Your Majesty's ambition lies in the world, and naturally you have insight into all directions."

Tang Shizhu seemed taken aback, then smiled dismissively and said, "Lord Xiao, it would be best to keep your voice down. The Tang navy is stationed on the same river, and General He has brought a large army with him. What if he notices something amiss... Haha, let's not talk about that. Please rest in the camp tonight, and tomorrow I will personally lead you to meet the King."

Xiao Yi didn't need to really put Tang Shizhu in a tough spot, so he deliberately gave a sheepish smile.

Tang Shizhu's politeness was merely superficial. That night, he not only failed to host a welcoming banquet, but also didn't order any food or drink to be sent to the ship.

It seems they don't value the envoys from the Great Zhou Dynasty.

That makes sense. Given the current precarious and chaotic state of Chu, no matter what the relationship with the Great Zhou is, it's a distant solution that can't quench immediate thirst. In any case, Guo Wei is unlikely to send troops south. Tang Shizhu's request is simple: just avoid trouble.

Xiao Yi, however, did not intend to make things easy for Tang Shizhu. As soon as night fell, he summoned his men and poured out a bag of silver.

"Disembark and take your gambling equipment with you. Tonight's mission is simple: lose all your money and then go and inquire with the Chu soldiers."

"General, what are you investigating?"

"All useful information: Where did Tang Shizhu suffer a defeat? How did he lose? To whom did he lose? What is the current situation in Tanzhou and Langzhou?"

"Here!"

Lu You picked up a piece of silver and said, "I'll take less. I'm too good at gambling, I'm afraid I won't be able to lose it all."

"Fool, only those with good gambling skills can lose whenever they want. Look at me."

"Two idiots. The important thing is that they can gather information. I can buy them alcohol and get closer to them, isn't that fine?"

"You can't hold your liquor, so you got tricked into saying the truth and I had to take over..."

After the generals took their leave, Xiao Yi picked up his binoculars and peered into the night at the Chu Kingdom's water fortress.

The campfire illuminated the water village, and several furtive figures entered his sight. They were Chu soldiers who had removed their armor. They made their way to the shore, pulled a small bamboo raft out of the dark reeds, and soon disappeared on the river.

It turns out he was a deserter.

That night, his men returned one after another with the information they had gathered.

The first to report was Lü You.

"General, don't be fooled by my quick defeat; I've gathered a lot of information."

"explain."

"Just a few days ago, Tang Shizhu was ordered to attack Langzhou. On the Langzhou side, Wang Kui led his navy to meet the attack. Naval warfare is nothing more than fire attacks. Tang Shizhu took advantage of the wind direction and set fire to Langzhou's warships. But the old man was unlucky. Not long after the battle, the wind direction suddenly changed. The Langzhou army had the wind and the current and burned his warships instead. He fled all the way, and did not dare to stop even after passing Yiyang. He fled to Dongting Lake, and only when He Jingzhu defeated Wang Kui did he stabilize his position."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "It seems that Wang Kui is very skilled in battle. So, if Liu Yan goes to Langzhou alone as the military governor, he probably won't be able to control these arrogant and fierce soldiers."

Afterwards, everyone returned with their own inquiries, chattering away, some useful and some useless, making Xiao Yi's head spin. He then asked Yan Jinqing to compile the information before speaking.

The following day, Tang Shizhu led his navy on a journey back to Tanzhou.

The merchant ships were surrounded by the Chu navy.

Xiao Yi couldn't really go to Tanzhou with them, so he had to find a way to escape.

(End of this chapter)