Chapter 1 The Grand Duke Yan Estate

The Grand Duke Yan Estate couldn't be described by mere words like magnificent or opulent. For starters, the main gate of the Grand Duke Yan Estate was almost the length of a short street. Three stone memorial archways displayed the Spring Southern Dynasty's emperors' bestowals and honors upon the Song family through generations. Before Ye Tao arrived, hundreds of lanterns had been hung along the entire street, illuminating the area in front of the Grand Duke Yan Estate. The Song family had even lined up nearly two hundred servants on both sides of the road, respectfully awaiting the arrival of Ye Tao, the Yun Prefecture Pacification Commissioner of Eastern Peace. This spectacle was indeed a bit excessive.

In comparison, Ye Tao and his entourage seemed much more composed and simple. Ye Tao, Dai Qiuyan, and Feng Zi rode in one carriage, while another carriage carried their personal attendants and a clerk from the Yun Prefecture Pacification Commissioner's office. In addition, there were twenty-four guards, including Liu Yong and Guan Huan, protecting them. This number and display were not only somewhat inappropriate for Ye Tao's current status but also less impressive than many of the other guests attending the banquet today. The people of Spring Southern loved pomp and circumstance, and their enthusiasm for it contrasted sharply with the atmosphere of Eastern Peace. However, Ye Tao never intended to conform to these local customs.

However, Ye Tao's seemingly unintentional "simplicity" appeared to be entirely anticipated by the Grand Duke Yan Estate. At the entrance, those welcoming Ye Tao included Tan Yuzhou, the Eastern Peace envoy stationed in Yuhang, and Song Yu, the former Spring Southern envoy stationed in Danyang. Both the selection of individuals and their attitudes seemed just right.

By the time Ye Tao was led into the estate and arrived at the banquet, which was indeed somewhat special, everyone could see that the hosts had put considerable effort into accommodating Ye Tao. His group was seated not in the slightly noisy main banquet hall but in a small building a few steps away, which was much quieter. The layout of the small building was gentle and refined, lacking the elaborate arrangements meant to create a festive atmosphere. Instead, it felt very "homelike." The main character of today's "birthday banquet," the Grand Duke Yan's youngest grandson, was gathered with several children of similar age around a small square table, playing much more than eating or drinking. However, these children were all from noble families, and even this small gathering had its own subtle nuances.

The game of pretending to be grown-ups was both amusing and nostalgic to the adults who had already become worldly. It was also an indispensable ingredient for creating a relaxed atmosphere.

"Pacification Commissioner Ye, I've heard so much about you," Grand Duke Yan actually stood up and, holding his three-year-old grandson, greeted Ye Tao.

"I wouldn't dare. It was remiss of this junior to arrive in Yuhang without first paying respects to the Grand Duke," Ye Tao firmly maintained his position as a junior and did not flaunt his official status, which clearly suited the purpose of today's banquet.

"Haha, my grandson rarely gets to see me, and since it's his birthday, I'm taking the opportunity to make some noise. It's also a chance for friends to gather and drink. His Royal Highness the Wise King highly praises Pacification Commissioner Ye, so I took the liberty of wanting to meet you, the most famous of the younger generation from the Central Plains. If there's any intrusion, please forgive me," Grand Duke Yan Miao spoke very politely.

"Grand Duke, you're too kind. You are my senior, so please feel free to address me as you wish. I'm not used to hearing 'Pacification Commissioner Ye' all the time," Ye Tao said amiably.

"Haha, then I'll be so bold as to call you Canghuai, is that alright?" Song Miao patted Ye Tao on the shoulder.

"That would be wonderful. Grand Duke, I came in a hurry and didn't prepare any gifts. However, I do have a little trinket for your grandson." As Ye Tao said this, Guan Huan, who was behind him, placed a small box in Ye Tao's hand. Seeing Song Miao nod, Ye Tao lovingly squatted down, opened the box, and placed it in front of the child.

Inside the box was a metal whistle of considerable size with a dial on the side. The dial was exquisitely engraved with images of several different birds.

"See, whichever bird you turn it to, the whistle will make the sound of that bird when you blow it. Why don't you try it?" Ye Tao placed the box in the child's hands and encouraged him.

The child looked up at Song Miao. Seeing his grandfather's encouraging expression, he boldly held the whistle and carefully put his mouth to the mouthpiece, puffing out his cheeks and blowing hard. Immediately, the clear sound of a crane filled the entire space.

"There are also orioles, magpies, Eurasian hobbies, skylarks, and several other bird sounds you can play with," Ye Tao lovingly stroked the child's head.

"Thank you, I really like it," the child carefully put the whistle back in the box, hugged it tightly, and thanked him loudly.

Song Miao patted the child's head, told him to return to his seat, and then said to Ye Tao, "Canghuai, that was very thoughtful of you."

"It's just a toy for children, nothing of value," Ye Tao said with a smile. "This junior is skilled at making these little gadgets, and this was something I made in my spare time."

Ye Tao's actions quickly eased the overly polite atmosphere. After taking their seats and chatting about some trivial topics, Dai Qiuyan politely excused herself to play with the children. Then, the main topic of today's banquet arrived.

"Canghuai, I'm sure you know why we've invited you here today, so let's not beat around the bush. Let's lay our cards on the table and see what we can discuss." It was Chang Hongquan who first brought the matter into the open.

"I don't even know what you're planning to discuss," Ye Tao said with a smile. "I've only heard that you're planning to send troops to attack Western Ridge. I don't know the time, the location, the scale of the deployment, or where you plan to start and where you plan to end. I only know that Eastern Peace might be able to help. But how can I discuss anything when I know so little?"

After a few glances at each other, Chen Xujing spoke, "Pacification Commissioner Ye, what if I told you that we plan to go all the way to the Great Southern Pass before stopping?"

The Great Southern Pass, also known as the Great Disaster Pass, was an extremely important pass in the southern part of Western Ridge. In fact, the border between Western Ridge and Spring Southern used to be just a little south of the Great Southern Pass. But after many battles, the current border was no longer there. Over the years, Western Ridge had seized four prefectures and twenty-seven counties of territory from Spring Southern, southeast of the Great Southern Pass. Now, Spring Southern was not only preparing to recover all its territory in one fell swoop but even planning to take the Great Southern Pass to greatly improve its border situation? This kind of boldness seemed unlike anything that Spring Southern, which had almost no adventurous spirit in military affairs, would decide to do.

"This is a major battle, so naturally, you'll have your own plans for troop deployment. What do you need Eastern Peace to do? If it's just purchasing firearms, especially fire oil bombs, is it necessary to make such a serious occasion of it?" Ye Tao asked in return.

"Fire oil bombs, trebuchets, ballistae... we've been stockpiling these for a long time. The current situation does require us to purchase a large quantity from Eastern Peace, and your country's ruler has made it clear that as long as production can keep up, there's no problem at all. But we need more than just these," Chen Xujing said decisively. "Pacification Commissioner Ye, can you really sell us the ten thousand horses you mentioned? And how long will it take to fully implement?"

Ye Tao looked at Chen Xujing and said, "Two months after the funds arrive. The Yun Prefecture Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau's delivery regulations have always been very clear. Don't you all know this? I'll say it again, for Yun Prefecture, this isn't a big deal. But how are you planning to train ten thousand cavalry? General Chen, you should also understand that soldiers on horseback and cavalry are two completely different things."

Chen Xujing nodded and said, "I naturally understand. My own twelve thousand cavalry have been training five thousand knights for Spring Southern on rotation. Even if they can't be compared to the elite forces of Eastern Peace or Yun Prefecture, they should be able to handle things as long as Western Ridge doesn't mobilize its elite northern cavalry. This is where we need Eastern Peace to help."

"Are you saying you want Eastern Peace to coordinate attacks in the north?" Feng Zi asked.

"That's right," Chen Xujing replied. "A two-pronged attack from the north and south to inflict heavy damage on Western Ridge."

Ye Tao shook his head and said, "Impossible. The north is not like the south here. Our entire border with Western Ridge is almost entirely mountains and passes. Eastern Peace can indeed attack Western Ridge, but the Western Ridge hinterland is undefended and there's no place like the Great Southern Pass to end the battle. For your limited campaign goals, you're mobilizing a strategic layout. When you take the Great Southern Pass, you can gradually withdraw. But what about Eastern Peace? What if the battle becomes stalemated and we can't withdraw? This kind of joint military action where you benefit and we bleed is absolutely impossible."

"It might not necessarily be without benefit," Jiang Yan, who had been sitting quietly on the side, added. "What if Spring Southern is willing to cede Ze Prefecture to Eastern Peace?"

Jiang Yan's words startled Ye Tao. He had thought that Spring Southern would use all sorts of reasons to request and persuade, such as an alliance between the two countries, but he didn't expect Jiang Yan to so bluntly offer territory as compensation. Although Ze Prefecture was somewhat desolate, it was not without value. On the contrary, Ye Tao could imagine that once this condition was reported to the imperial court, many people would be willing to make such an exchange. Ze Prefecture used to be a famous grain-producing area. Now, it was a buffer zone at the intersection of Eastern Peace, Spring Southern, and the Three Kingdoms. Years of back-and-forth warfare had reduced Ze Prefecture's population, greatly affecting its value. But once Spring Southern's conquest succeeded, Ze Prefecture would be in a relatively safe location. Western Ridge wouldn't be able to threaten Ze Prefecture. Although Spring Southern, which currently controlled Ze Prefecture, didn't have a deep attachment to it, Eastern Peace could organize some farmers to migrate to Ze Prefecture and, in almost one to two years, gain control of a place that could be called Eastern Peace's granary. In addition, at the time of the empire's collapse, the ruins of the former capital of the Great Tang Dynasty, which had been razed to the ground, were also in Ze Prefecture. Although that once magnificent city was now just ruins, with patches of tall grass and some stone foundations of buildings that had not been eroded by wind and frost, one could still vaguely piece together the layout of the city. There were even sections of the ancient city walls stubbornly standing, indicating the scale of the city that once existed there.

For Eastern Peace, which wanted to unify the world, especially for some of the old ministers who were considering the legal basis for ruling the world, the value of these ruins was immeasurable.