knife

Chapter 27 Women Can Be Incredibly Powerful Too
Jiang Qian, the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu!
Zhang Qingyun leaned against the car wall, her eyes filled with admiration.

Southern Chu has always been regarded as a mortal enemy by the Qin Dynasty, while Northern Yuan is nothing more than a minor ailment in the eyes of the Qin Dynasty, not worth mentioning.

Three years ago, the Qin Dynasty had a chance to severely damage the Southern Chu, but unfortunately, it failed in the end. The one who thwarted the Qin Dynasty was none other than Jiang Qian, the Empress Dowager of the Southern Chu.

Despite being called the Empress Dowager, she is actually only twenty-two years old this year.

She became the Crown Princess at fifteen, the Empress at eighteen, and a widow at nineteen, becoming the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu.

The emperor of Southern Chu had always been in poor health. Shortly after ascending the throne, he encountered a once-in-a-century flood disaster in Southern Chu. Eleven of the twenty-six prefectures were affected, with corpses floating everywhere, countless starving to death, popular uprisings, and rebellions by the southern barbarians. The empire was suddenly on the verge of collapse.

The young emperor, working tirelessly day and night to handle state affairs, suddenly collapsed and died in the court.

Most importantly, the emperor had no son.

The Southern Chu Kingdom was thrown into chaos.

Peasant uprisings, turmoil in the southern border regions, the death of the emperor, and a power struggle among the royal family.

Seeing a rare opportunity, He Qiku, the commander of the southern garrison of the Great Qin, submitted a memorial to the court and immediately dispatched troops to attack Xiangcheng, a key town of the Southern Chu. This time, the Great Qin was united in purpose, and in a very short time, all factions reached a consensus. They not only agreed to He Qiku's military action, but also immediately transferred tens of thousands of imperial guards from Chang'an to the south to assist him in attacking Xiangcheng.

If Xiangcheng falls, the gates of Southern Chu will be wide open, and the Jianghan Plain, which has been coveted by Qin for hundreds of years, will become fish on a felt board, enough for Qin to feast on.

If this war is truly won, the internal conflicts of the Qin Dynasty will be greatly alleviated, and even the Linghuye military group outside the pass will inevitably become obedient again because of this victory.

Without the constraints imposed by Southern Chu, the imperial court still held an overwhelming advantage over the regions beyond the Great Wall.

Everyone thought that Southern Chu was facing the danger of national annihilation this time.

At this moment, Empress Jiang Qian, who had been ignored by everyone, suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.

It's unclear how she used it, but in a very short time, she gained the support of Xiang Ying, a veteran general of Southern Chu, and Xiong Yi, the prime minister. In less than a month, she captured the rebellious royal family members in Danyang City (the capital of Chu). Then, with lightning speed, she adopted a three-year-old royal child as her son and installed him as emperor—the current young emperor of Southern Chu.
Thus, all military and political power in Southern Chu fell into Jiang Qian's hands.

Jiang Qian's next move was even more dazzling.

First, Empress Dowager personally led the reinforcements straight down to Xiangcheng, where she engaged in a decisive battle with He Qiku on both land and water routes outside the city.

The number of participants on both sides exceeded 200,000.

Then, He Qiku, a veteran general of the Qin Dynasty, suffered a crushing defeat.

The Imperial Guards from Chang'an were at odds with He Qiku's Southern Garrison. At the most crucial moment of this decisive battle, the Imperial Guards, eager to gain merit, disregarded He Qiku's orders and were lured deep into Chu territory by the Chu army, where they were annihilated in one fell swoop.

With all 50,000 imperial guards in black, the Chu army seized the opportunity to advance and confront He Qiku's southern garrison.

At this time, the morale of the Southern Garrison Army had plummeted to its lowest point, and they would undoubtedly lose if the war broke out.

At this time, Jiang Qian sent people to negotiate peace with them.

How bitter it is to have no choice.

If war breaks out and we lose, the southern garrisons will inevitably collapse like a house of cards. Once the 80,000 southern garrison troops fall, chaos in the south will be inevitable. And right now, He Qiku can't see any hope of victory at all.

Although the State of Chu is currently in a state of chaos.

However, the victory at Xiangcheng gave Southern Chu a chance to catch its breath.

On the contrary, the Qin Dynasty could not afford to lose.

Ultimately, He Qiku agreed to Jiang Qian's peace demands, and both sides ceased hostilities.

The Qin Dynasty, which initiated the war, gained nothing. It not only lost morally but also suffered a crushing defeat on the battlefield. In the end, He Qiku, the initiator and commander of the war, was held accountable by the Qin court. The imperial guards officers who had been released by the Southern Chu returned to the capital in disgrace and blamed He Qiku, who was then imprisoned and questioned.

If it weren't for the strong reaction of the 80,000 garrison troops, He Qiku would have almost lost his life.

In the end, however, he was stripped of all his official titles and retired to his hometown, where he was placed under house arrest in Chang'an.

After this battle, Jiang Qian's position in the country was solidified, especially her prestige in the military, which was almost at its zenith, and a large number of officers became her absolute supporters.

After selecting 10,000 elite soldiers from Xiangcheng and returning to Danyang City, Jiang Qian was already the de facto number one person in Southern Chu.

Over the next three years, Xiang Ying retired from military service and was granted the title of Duke of Zhongguo, while Chancellor Xiong Yi abdicated due to illness and was granted the title of Duke of Yingguo. The titles of the two veteran ministers were hereditary.

At this point, Jiang Qian had complete control over both the military and political affairs of Southern Chu.

For the past three years, Jiang Qian has streamlined the government, cleaned up the bureaucracy, reduced taxes for the people, and allowed them to recuperate. In the southern border region, he has used both suppression and appeasement to pacify the barbarians. For a time, the Southern Chu has miraculously come back to life and shows signs of a revival.

How could anyone not admire a woman like that?
And this person is only twenty-two years old!
Those who do not accept what Heaven offers will surely be punished by Heaven.

The Qin Dynasty failed to seize the best opportunity and will inevitably face a strong challenge from the Southern Chu in the future.

The generals in Southern Chu are mostly young and ambitious, and they're all incredibly warlike. How could I possibly compare to someone like that!

Zhang Qingyun sighed.

She was a woman blessed by heaven.

It's really hard to imagine the charm of such a talented and beautiful woman!

It's truly something to be envied, jealous of, and even resentful of!
That fat uncle is truly despicable; how could he use such an outstanding person to motivate himself?

I'm afraid even if I tried my hardest, I still couldn't compare to someone's tiny little feet.

This left Zhang Qingyun feeling extremely disappointed, and in her low spirits, she quickly drifted off to sleep amidst the creaking of the carriage.

She was awakened by the noise outside.

Opening the car window, I saw a bustling crowd outside. The wide road was smooth and tidy, with rows of poplars planted neatly on both sides. Although they were bare right now, their branches reaching straight to the sky had a different kind of charm.

In the distance, a majestic, bluish-gray city wall came into Zhang Qingyun's view. At this moment, the sun was setting, and the last golden rays of sunlight poured down from the top of a distant mountain, making the entire city shimmer with golden light.

That is Tai'an City.

A most dazzling pearl outside the Great Wall.

The wealthiest city in the entire area outside the Great Wall.
It is also a commercial center, a bulk commodity distribution center, and an intelligence center outside the pass.

Zhang Qingyun felt that she had finally returned to the human world from a wild and untamed place.

Whether it was the main road beneath her feet, the white poplars by the roadside, or the vast fields on both sides of the road that had already been mounded with earth, everything was telling her that this was a world ruled by humans, not the barbaric land she had experienced a few days ago where tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals were everywhere and where bloodshed occurred every day.

"Uncle, is that Tai'an City?" Zhang Qingyun couldn't help but ask, pointing to the magnificent city in front of him.

"Of course!" The fat man couldn't hide his pride. "More than twenty years ago, when the city lord arrived here with his infant son and our group, this place was just a small castle that could barely accommodate two or three thousand people. It's been more than twenty years of hard work that has finally brought us to where we are today."

"You're also from inside the Great Wall?" Zhang Qingyun asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought you were native to the area outside the Great Wall."

Li Kaixin seemed to have no defenses against Zhang Qingyun. Although it was just a simple conversation, Zhang Qingyun still learned a lot of information from him that outsiders might not know.

Although Li Dachui was not the city lord's son, he was raised by the city lord from a young age. When he came, he was still a tiny baby!

What's the difference between this and a son?
Zhang Qingyun mentally complained.

But what exactly is their relationship?

This is indeed a question worth exploring!
Really interesting.

Li Dachui, a figure who is considered the young lord of Tai'an City, is also the most notorious bandit outside the pass. Clearly, Tai'an City is in the open, while Li Dachui, the bandit, is in the shadows.

Tai'an City claims to have banned all violence and murder, focusing solely on commerce. Yet, it secretly harbors a notorious band of bandits. Who would believe they have no other intentions?
She looked at Li Kaixin, and the fat man was also looking at her.

"Uncle, why do you trust me so much?" Zhang Qingyun didn't think Li Kaixin was a big mouth and a person without any guile. How could he possibly be the steward of the city lord's mansion?
Li Kaixin laughed heartily: "Because Miss Qingyun is no outsider! The little cat sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that the young master calls Scholar Zhang 'father-in-law'! So, this is news that outsiders could never possibly know, and naturally, there's no need to hide it from you, Miss. As far as I know, this is the first time the young master has so openly expressed his affection for a woman!"

A rosy glow instantly filled Zhang Qingyun's face, just like the western sky at that moment.

She was embarrassed and annoyed.

"Uncle, don't listen to their nonsense. Brother Li is only saying this to save my father's life!"

"Really? Hahaha!" Fatty Li laughed even harder, but every expression between his brows told Zhang Qingyun: I don't believe it!
Zhang Qingyun offered no further explanation.

She noticed that these people were all unusually confident in their own judgment.

Once they've made up their minds about something, you can argue with them endlessly, and they won't change their minds in the slightest.

It's pointless to say anything, so why waste your breath?

Having this kind of understanding is not necessarily a bad thing for these people.

At least it will make my future situation better.

Zhang Xueshi's daughter became the woman of the bandit Li Dachui. Zhang Qingyun believed that this news would soon spread throughout the area beyond the Great Wall, and even into the interior of the country, reaching Chang'an.

Because Linghu Ye and his group wouldn't mind using this opportunity to tarnish Zhang Xueshi's reputation.

"We're home!" With the fat man's happy shout, the large, flamboyant characters of Tai'an City grew bigger and clearer in Zhang Qingyun's eyes.

(End of this chapter)