Han Ji

Late April. Yangtze River ferry crossing outside Jiangling City.

The ferry crossing is called Jiangjin Ferry, located ten miles southeast of Jiangling City. It is one of the largest ferry crossings on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The pier at the ferry dock extends from the shore all the way to the middle of the river. The bridge piers are made of whole pine logs driven into the silt at the bottom of the river. Over the years, the pine logs have been covered with moss.

The pier can accommodate four large ships and hundreds of smaller vessels at the same time. Normally, this is where merchant ships load and unload cargo, with rice from Jingzhou, Shu brocade from Shu, and tea from Jiangdong all being transshipped here. Now, the dock is full of soldiers.

Gan Ning's navy sailed eastward down the Han River for six days. The fleet departed from Xiangyang on the Han River, passing through Yicheng, Bianxian, and Dangyang, before entering the Yangtze River along the Yang River, stretching for several miles across the water. The sails on the large ships billowed in the wind like pregnant women's bellies, and the bows cleaved the river, splashing white waves.

Gan Ning stood at the bow of the lead boat. He was dressed in short clothes with the cuffs tied tightly, and a short knife hung at his waist, the scabbard bearing white salt stains.

The wind blew his hair back, and his face was covered in water droplets. He jumped off the bow boat, and his foot creaked as he stepped onto the wooden planks of the pier. The pier swayed, and river water rushed up from the gaps in the planks, wetting his straw sandals.

"My lord!" He smiled and cupped his hands to Liu Bei, "Gan Ning has brought the navy to meet us."

Liu Bei stood on the dock, the river breeze ruffling the hem of his robe. He gazed at the fleet of ships spread out on the river, large and small vessels lined up in formation, their sails overlapping and obscuring the shadows of the mountains on the opposite bank. The soldiers on the warships stood in neat rows, their oars churning white waves in the river.

Liu Bei asked Gan Ning how many ships he had brought. Gan Ning counted them on his fingers for him: twelve large warships, twenty large barges, and over a hundred smaller boats were taken from the Xiangyang navy. In addition, there were the ships he brought from Yuzhou, totaling over two hundred and eighty warships, three hundred transport ships, and fifteen thousand naval troops.

The Jingzhou navy numbered 12,000 men, plus Gan Ning's own 3,000, totaling 27,000 naval troops and over 500 warships. Liu Bei nodded and ordered Gan Ning to divide the navy into three divisions: one stationed at Jiangjin Ferry, one at Gong'an Ferry, and one at Yiling. These three ferry crossings would form a defensive triangle, controlling the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

After receiving the order, Gan Ning told Liu Bei that the navy was still lacking one thing: arrows. Naval battles use the most arrows. Before the enemy ships even get close, three volleys of arrows should be fired. Whoever has more arrows before boarding and engaging in close combat will have the advantage.

The Jiangling arsenal had 100,000 arrowheads, but not enough arrow shafts. The climate in Jingzhou was humid, and some of the arrow shafts in the arsenal had become damp and soft, rendering them unusable. Liu Bei sent him to Jian Yong for materials and also ordered timber to be transferred from Yuzhou, instructing the workshops to work day and night to produce more arrow shafts.

Zhang Fei waited at the dock all morning without getting a mission. He watched Gan Ning and Liu Bei chatting and laughing, his face turning red with embarrassment. Once everyone had left, he grabbed Liu Bei and asked gruffly, "Brother, what am I supposed to do?"

Liu Bei said, "Guan Chang will guard Jingzhou, Zilong will follow me, Xingba will manage the navy, and Qian Zhao has already been dispatched to scout the way towards Jiangxia. You..." He patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder, "You go and manage the supplies and guard the Jiangling granary."

Zhang Fei slammed his ring-pommel sword into the ground and declared, "I won't guard the granary!" Liu Bei replied, "The grain supplies in Jiangling are the lifeblood of the entire army. Losing even a single grain of rice will mean a day of hunger for the whole army. By guarding the granary, you are protecting the lives of the entire army."

The veins on Zhang Fei's neck bulged and then subsided. He thought about it for a moment and realized that his elder brother's words seemed to make sense. He pulled the knife out of the ground, wiped the mud off his pants, and turned to walk towards the granary.

Early May. Gangneung.

The appointment document for the governor of Jingzhou was sent from Xuchang. The imperial edict stated: Guan Yu is appointed as the governor of Jingzhou, granted the authority to command troops, and given overall control over the military and political affairs of Jingzhou.

Liu Bei read the memorial, placed it on the table, and said, "This is the Emperor's will." Jia Xu smiled and said, "This is Your Excellency's will; the Emperor merely affixed his seal." Liu Bei did not reply.

At the military and political meeting, the main hall of the Jiangling Prefectural Governor's Office was packed with people. Liu Bei sat in the main seat, with his old guard on his left: Jia Xu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Gan Ning.

On the right are the surrendered officials from Jingzhou: Kuai Yue, Fu Xun, and Han Song. The old guard and the surrendered officials from Jingzhou stand facing each other, with only a few steps separating them in the aisle. This is the first time the two factions have discussed matters together.

Liu Bei announced the personnel changes in Jingzhou. Guan Yu was appointed to lead the military affairs of Jingzhou and garrison Xiangyang. Xiangyang was the northern gateway to Jingzhou and the first pass to defend against Cao Cao's southward advance. Guan Yu clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, his armor clattering. Gan Ning was appointed to lead the Jingzhou navy and stationed at the three ferry crossings of Jiangling, Jiangjindu, Gong'andu, and Yiling.

Gan Ning clasped his hands in a fist salute, his palms angled upwards – a naval greeting. Zhang Fei oversaw the supply train of Jingzhou, commanding the granaries of Jiangling, Xiangyang, and Gong'an. Zhang Fei muttered, "This subordinate obeys." Zhao Yun joined the central army's movement and was stationed at Jiangling. Kuai Yue remained the Prefect of Nan Commandery, assisting in the administration of Jingzhou. Fu Xun remained the Assistant Prefect, and Han Song remained the Chief Administrator.

After announcing the personnel appointments, the next step was to divide the counties into prefectures. Liu Bei had Jian Yong spread out the household registration books of the eight prefectures of Jingzhou on the table. Nanyang Prefecture was in Cao Cao's hands and could not be touched for the time being. Of the six prefectures of Nan, Jiangxia, Changsha, Lingling, Guiyang, and Wuling, plus a part of Zhangling Prefecture, Liu Bei actually controlled six and a half prefectures.

The county and prefectural officials will be temporarily retained without replacement or accountability. However, Jian Yong will establish transport warehouses and ever-normal granaries in each prefecture, managing the grain but not the personnel. This is Liu Bei's old method: the grain is under the central government's control, and the personnel can remain in place initially, but they cannot move without grain.

The Jingzhou post station system also needed to be rebuilt. From Xiangyang to Jiangling, from Jiangling to Gong'an, and from Gong'an to Changsha, a post station was set up every thirty li along the way. Each post station was equipped with water, food, and horses to transmit military intelligence.

Qian Zhao said that the post stations and the intelligence network were two stems from the same root, and he proposed that all post station workers be trained by a special operations battalion for three months, so that they could ride horses, know the way, use carrier pigeons, and launch smoke rockets. Liu Bei agreed.

Gan Ning proposed building a shipyard in Jiangling. The climate in Jingzhou is humid; if ships are submerged in water for too long, barnacles grow on their hulls, and the wood rots quickly. Minor repairs are needed every month, major repairs every three months, and if a ship isn't docked for a year, its hull will rot through.

After the peach blossom season, it is the best time of year to repair ships, as the river level recedes and the hulls are easiest to dry. Liu Bei immediately allocated 30 million coins, ordering Gan Ning to build a dry dock at Jiangjin Ferry and Gong'an Ferry, each capable of accommodating twenty large ships at the same time.

Regarding civil affairs, Fu Xun suggested reducing taxes. He said that Jingzhou had had bumper harvests for years, and the private granaries of the local powerful families were overflowing, while the common people had little money and grain. He argued that the high taxes during Liu Biao's reign were a burden passed on to the common people by the powerful families, and that this should give the people of Jingzhou some respite.

Liu Bei immediately decided that the tax rate in Jingzhou would be reduced by 20% from the level during Liu Biao's time, effective from this year's autumn harvest. This was a step further than the 10% reduction stated in the proclamation for the people of Xiangyang.

Finally, Liu Bei mentioned the four southern commanderies. Changsha, Lingling, Guiyang, and Wuling had not yet formally submitted. Although the surrender documents had been sent to Jiangling, and the governors of the four commanderies had all pledged their loyalty to the court in their official documents, no officials had yet been sent to take over their territories.

Han Song volunteered to go to Changsha, carrying a personal letter from Liu Bei and taking the opportunity to meet with his old friend, Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha. Following the earlier recommendation of Han Song by Kuai Yue, Han Song himself stepped forward. Liu Bei said that the three commanderies of Lingling, Guiyang, and Wuling could be governed with a single proclamation; but for Changsha, he would need Han Song's assistance. Han Song agreed.

It was late at night when the military council adjourned. Everyone had left. Liu Bei walked alone to the backyard, the ginkgo leaves rustling in the night wind, the sound like rain.

Jia Xu followed from behind, holding the chess piece in his hand. Along the way, he changed his chess pieces from white to black and then from black to white, until the surface of the pieces was shiny from use.

"Jingzhou has been captured. It was taken without a fight, the entire city and territory, without shedding a drop of blood."

Liu Bei said, "We have taken Jingzhou. But our real enemy is yet to come."

He pushed open the backyard gate, which creaked open. The shadows of the ginkgo trees in the yard were spread across the ground. The summer breeze from Jiangling blew in from the Yangtze River, carrying the fishy smell of water and the sweet scent of soil from the distant rice paddies. The newly established Jingzhou slept soundly in the night breeze, knowing that a whole host of things awaited it tomorrow.