Chapter 142: Arrival at Sword Gate

You flatter me, My Lord. I should rather thank you for taking such good care of my unworthy son in Wudu. Her Royal Highness, My Lord, I have prepared a humble banquet to welcome you both. Please, take your seats." Having served as the prefect for many years, Xia Rongxin was naturally well-versed in official etiquette. He warmly invited the couple to the banquet and personally proposed a toast to them.

"We thank Lord Xia and everyone here for your generous hospitality. Let us all drink to this—cheers." Princess Wu Qingluan maintained her reserved demeanor, smiling and nodding silently without speaking, while Fang Xian raised his cup, cupped his fists toward the gathering, and smiled.

"Please, Your Royal Highness. Please, My Lord."
"Welcome, Your Royal Highness and My Lord, to Guangyuan Prefecture."
"We hope Your Royal Highness and My Lord will honor Guangyuan City with a prolonged stay of a few days."

The officials chimed in one after another. Befriending the Princess and the Prince Consort would be immensely beneficial to their future official careers. Although the Princess seemed difficult to approach, the Prince Consort appeared affable and easy to talk to.

"My fellow officials, entrusted by His Majesty to guard Jiange Pass, my mission is to simultaneously defend against the invasions of both the Xia and the barbarian kingdoms. Consequently, I shall soon initiate certain military preparations at Jiange.

However, Jiange County is a mere speck of land, hemmed in by towering mountains, dense forests, and perilous paths, with a population of barely over a hundred thousand households. Our logistical needs will require the utmost support from Guangyuan City. Therefore, I appeal to you all in advance to grant us every convenience hereafter, so that we may fulfill His Majesty's grave trust."

After three rounds of drinks, Fang Xian stood up, raised his cup, and bowed deeply to the civil and military officials assembled in the hall. His tone was heavy and his expression solemn; clearly, these were not mere polite pleasantries, but a genuine plea for assistance.

"May I ask what plans My Lord has, and how many troops you intend to raise? That will allow us to prepare the various logistical supplies in advance," Xia Rongxin asked earnestly.

"Currently, the garrison at Jiange numbers thirty thousand. His Majesty has now commanded me to bring fifty thousand troops of the Martial Guard, and I intend to levy an additional twenty thousand to bring the total force to one hundred thousand. Consequently, the prefecture will be required to provide a sustained logistical supply for a force of one hundred thousand.

Furthermore, there are numerous hunters within Jiange County. I plan to organize a reserve force of approximately thirty thousand to serve as backup personnel, which will also require thirty thousand sets of weapons and armor," Fang Xian explained.

"That poses no problem. Guangyuan Prefecture has not witnessed any major battles in recent years, so supplies in all respects are quite abundant. I shall immediately order the preparations to begin and have sufficient weapons and provisions for a hundred thousand troops for half a year delivered to Jiange County in succession within a month," Xia Rongxin nodded in agreement.

Setting aside the relationship between his son and Fang Xian, the sheer status of the Princess and the Prince Consort was enough to deter him from any slackness. Moreover, Jiange Pass was tied to the very security of the State of Wu; should it fall, Guangyuan City itself would be in peril. Thus, he would certainly spare no effort to support Fang Xian.

"Then I thank Lord Xia and all the other officials here. In addition, regarding Commander Guo, I hope that the standing garrisons throughout Guangyuan Prefecture will also seize the time to drill and make battle preparations, lest war truly breaks out and they prove fragile and vulnerable," Fang Xian reminded Guo Changfa.

"Thank you for the reminder, My Lord. I shall certainly see to it that the garrisons across the regions are urged to train diligently," Guo Changfa replied with a nod. At this moment, Guo Shunsheng had not yet returned, so he remained unaware that his son had offended Fang Xian.

Ultimately, Fang Xian did not linger long in Guangyuan City. After resting there for a single night and having a private, in-depth discussion with Xia Rongxin, he broke camp the very next day with the Martial Guard and headed directly for Jiange County.

During his private meeting with Xia Rongxin, however, he had shared his tactical assessment of Jiange Pass, His Majesty's endorsement, and the imperial court's high regard for the pass. In response, the prefect reiterated his full support for the defensive preparations at Jiange.

Guangyuan Prefecture bordered the State of Xia to the west, the barbarian territories to the north, Huayang Prefecture to the east, and Qingyang Prefecture to the south. It governed three sub-prefectures and eighteen counties, with Jiange County under the jurisdiction of Yicheng Sub-prefecture, serving as the most remote border county in the northwestern part of Guangyuan Prefecture.

However, Emperor Wu Qingdi had already enfeoffed Jiange County to Princess Wu Qingluan. This meant that henceforth, all military, political, and administrative authority over the entire county belonged to her. This greatly facilitated Fang Xian's mission to take command at Jiange Pass and prepare the military.

Five days later, the Martial Guard crossed the Longmen Mountains and entered Jiange County. Fang Xian had already dispatched a vanguard force of one thousand men a step ahead to deliver the imperial edict to Jiange County and make the necessary arrangements.

Consequently, no sooner had the main army traversed the plank roads and entered Jiange County than the Magistrate of Jiange, Huang Dayuan, led a group of local officials and Garrison Commander Zhao Yueqian to greet them.

"This subject pays respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess and My Lord the Prince Consort." Huang Dayuan was over fifty years of age, lean, with a slightly pale complexion, yet his eyes shone with a sharp, piercing intelligence.

Ever since receiving the imperial edict delivered by the vanguard force yesterday, he had known that Jiange County would henceforth exclusively belong to Princess Wu Qingluan, and that he and his fellow officials in the county would become subordinates of the Princess. Naturally, he was fully prepared to cooperate with all related matters.

"We have long heard of Magistrate Huang's great reputation. Common folk everywhere speak of your diligence, your love for the people, and how you attend to everything personally. Seeing you today, it is clear your reputation is well-deserved. Here is the imperial edict enfeoffing Jiange County as the Princess's fief; pray, Magistrate Huang, cast your eyes over it first."

Fang Xian stepped forward, smilingly excused them from the formal bow, and produced the imperial edict, unfolding it for their inspection. The golden silk scroll bore the enfeoffment text written in vermilion ink, complete with Emperor Wu Qingdi's imperial seal, making its authenticity indisputable.

"Your subjects will obey all arrangements made by Her Royal Highness and My Lord," Huang Dayuan hurriedly declared.

"All matters concerning Jiange County henceforth shall be decided entirely by the Prince Consort. You must all obey the Prince Consort and raise no dissent," Princess Wu Qingluan spoke up at that moment. By conferring supreme authority over Jiange County upon the Prince Consort Fang Xian with her own words, she ensured that everything Fang Xian did thereafter would be entirely justified and legitimate.

"Furthermore, this is the imperial edict appointing this Prince Consort as the General-in-Chief of Jiange Pass. From this point forward, all military authority over Jiange Pass rests in my hands. Do any of you have objections?" Fang Xian presented another imperial edict. How could the officials dare to object? They all professed their obedience to the imperial will.

"Gentlemen, we are all colleagues from now on. The Princess and I will be residing in Jiange County for the long term, so we shall discuss all matters after we have settled in.

However, I must ask Magistrate Huang and Commander Zhao to have the basic information regarding the county's civil administration and military readiness prepared. Tomorrow, I shall expect a report from the two of you," Fang Xian instructed, whereupon the army resumed its march toward Jiange County, which was still over ten miles away from the county seat.

Upon entering the territory of Jiange County, Fang Xian discovered that it was a county town concealed amidst clusters of mountains. Towering peaks and dense forests surrounded it on all sides; it was sparsely populated, and many deep mountain woods remained entirely untrodden by human foot.

"With so many deep mountain forests, there must be no shortage of fierce beasts. In a little while, I shall summon the Tiger King and have it organize the beasts within the deep mountains. At a critical juncture, they might prove to be of great utility," Fang Xian thought to himself on a whim. And this was by no means impossible, for the Tiger King already possessed the ability to command great packs of wild beasts.