By the end of the year, Murong Yan was reviewing the budget submitted by Zhou Xin and discovered that the funding for the Northwest far exceeded previous years. Upon further inspection of the year's records, he found that the Northwest had indeed consumed significantly more grain, funds, and military equipment than it ever had during the time of Yuan Xi and the others. He finally summoned Zhou Xin and asked, "What is going on?"
Zhou Xin looked troubled. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Your Majesty, rumors have been circulating in the Northwest, claiming that the Battle of Jade Throat Pass... holds a hidden secret. The soldiers in the Northwest have lost the support of the people. Although there were no major uprisings last year, there have been countless minor disputes and skirmishes."
Murong Yan understood. "You cannot find the source of these rumors?"
"The mouths of the masses are many," Zhou Xin replied. "It is truly impossible to investigate them all."
Murong Yan tapped the budget. "And so you intend to let this continue?"
Zhou Xin thought for a moment before finally saying, "If... if Your Majesty allows, I would like to borrow General Zuo. I fear only she can quell the rumors in the Northwest."
Murong Yan snorted. "Hmph. You are the Grand Marshal, yet you are useless even in this?"
Zhou Xin touched his forehead to the ground. "I have failed Your Majesty’s great trust. Please, punish me!"
Murong Yan did not truly intend to blame him. "Go to Nanqing Palace and ask her yourself."
When Zhou Xin arrived at Nanqing Palace, he saw Zuo Canglang standing beneath a window. Inside was a schoolroom where Murong Xuan was studying. His tutor was the Right Chancellor, Gan Xiaoru. Gan Xiaoru was a man of great learning, but his principles were flexible; he was quite adept at sailing with the wind.
Zhou Xin walked over and called out, "Ah-Zuo."
Zuo Canglang turned her head. Seeing it was him, she said softly, "Grand Marshal Zhou, it is rare to see you set foot in my Nanqing Palace. Is something the matter?"
Zhou Xin explained the situation with Murong Yan. Zuo Canglang’s brow furrowed. "There is armed resistance?"
"No less than two or three incidents a month," Zhou Xin said. "But they are all small guerrilla groups. I usually just drive them away and haven't reported it."
"And how does the Grand Marshal intend to handle it now?" Zuo Canglang asked.
"This cannot continue indefinitely," Zhou Xin said. "I just suggested to His Majesty that you make a trip to the border cities. His Majesty seemed to agree."
Zuo Canglang said, "If it were a matter of suppression, it would be easy given your military advantage. Since you have come to me, does it mean you do not wish to use force?"
Zhou Xin replied, "After all, they are all people of Yan."
Zuo Canglang turned her gaze back to Murong Xuan in the schoolroom. "In what capacity does His Majesty permit me to go to the border?"
Zhou Xin asked in return, "What capacity do you wish for?"
"I want command of the Northwest Camp," Zuo Canglang stated.
"That is not difficult," Zhou Xin said. "However, Ah-Zuo, the people’s hearts are currently turned against us. If you go and mobilize a large number of troops... I worry it will cause panic."
"I will be careful," Zuo Canglang said.
Zhou Xin nodded; he still trusted Zuo Canglang. "Then it is settled. When will you depart?"
Just then, Murong Xuan spotted Zuo Canglang outside the window and happily winked at her. Zuo Canglang said, "Once the Third Prince finishes this lesson."
Zhou Xin did not understand what she meant by that. However, the next day, Zuo Canglang requested Murong Yan to allow her to take the Third Prince, Murong Xuan, and Lady Zhitong to Mayi City. Murong Yan pondered for a long time. "Xuan’er is only five years old. Moreover, I hear from Zhou Xin that the Northwest is currently unstable. The border environment is harsh; are you certain you want to take him?"
Zuo Canglang said, "Since ancient times, a snake cannot travel without its head. The people’s hearts in the Northwest are unsettled because no suitable person has appeared to erase the influence of those who came before. I no longer hold a military rank and have lived in the palace for a long time; if I return to the camp, I will lack the proper authority. But if the Third Prince is there, there is at least a justification."
Only then did Murong Yan say, "But he is still young, after all."
Zuo Canglang said, "Therefore, I have an audacious request. I hope Your Majesty will carve out a territory to temporarily grant as a fief to the Third Prince and his mother. In this way, even if Your Majesty cannot be there in person, it will be as if you are."
"A fief?" Murong Yan said. "I presume you have already decided on a location?"
Zuo Canglang had indeed planned ahead. She took a vermilion brush and circled a spot on the map of Great Yan behind Murong Yan. Murong Yan was somewhat surprised; he had expected her to choose Suye or Mayi City. Instead, it was the desert near Mount Xiaoquan.
He said, "Here? Surely you know this is a barren wasteland?"
Zuo Canglang said, "The Third Prince is still small. If he were granted a city, I fear it would have the opposite effect. Having the title is enough."
Murong Yan finally conceded. "As you wish."
Zuo Canglang knelt to thank him. As she rose to take her leave, Murong Yan suddenly asked, "When will you return?"
Zuo Canglang smiled. "Is Your Majesty afraid I will run away?"
Murong Yan snorted coldly and wrote the imperial decree for her.
The following day, Zuo Canglang took Murong Xuan and Zhitong toward Mount Xiaoquan.
Upon hearing they were leaving the palace, a hint of joy appeared on Zhitong’s usually indifferent face. From the moment she stepped into the carriage and it began to move, the smile on her face became more and more apparent. Although Murong Xuan was five, Zhitong was only twenty-one, still in the prime of her youth.
Zuo Canglang said, "We are going to the Northwest because we have a heavy responsibility. And the cold of the border is no joke. Yet you are this happy."
Zhitong said, "I have always heard that the Northwest is desolate and cold, but I never imagined there would come a day in this life when I could follow the General, take Xuan’er, and leave the palace." She took a breath and grasped Zuo Canglang’s hand. "General, Zhitong is truly so happy."
Zuo Canglang pulled her hand back. "Don't make it look like the two of us are eloping with a child, alright? You’re happy now, but once we get there, you’ll realize how good you had it before."
Zhitong laughed through her tears. Turning to see Murong Xuan eating pastries, she pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, her eyes and brow filled with warmth and joy.
The carriage left Jinyang City and took the Jin-Ji Ancient Road. Zuo Canglang lifted the carriage curtain and saw the faint outlines of the mountains. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the year she first left Jinyang with Murong Yan to head for the Suye Camp.
He had laughed as he pulled her onto his horse and kissed her forehead firmly. Then, he had whipped the horse into a wild, passionate gallop.
Now, the ancient road remained the same, but the past was like a city built of sand, collapsing silently. Memory is a blunt, rusted knife; those whose flesh and bone it carves can only meet it with a smile.
When the carriage reached Mount Xiaoquan, Murong Xuan and Zhitong changed into thick fur robes. But in this new place, Murong Xuan was clearly very excited, unaffected by the cold and the wind-blown sand. Zuo Canglang took his hand and said to Zhitong, "We are going out for a bit. If you are tired, rest first."
Zhitong didn't ask where they were going, only saying, "Come back early, I will prepare dinner."
The garrison commanders of Mount Xiaoquan and Mayi City had long been waiting nearby. Zuo Canglang asked, "Have you all seen His Majesty’s appointment letter?"
The commanders hurriedly said in unison, "Reporting to the General, we have all received orders from the court and Grand Marshal Zhou. The nearby troops will follow the General’s command."
Zuo Canglang nodded. A commander asked, "Since the General has arrived at Mount Xiaoquan, shall we gather the soldiers and commoners for an address?"
Zuo Canglang said, "No need. Divide the men into two groups. One group will garrison the pass as usual, and the other will come with me and the Third Prince to see the Prince’s fief."
The two commanders were Shen Yuhe, the younger brother of Shen Yucheng, and Zhou Miao, the foster son of Zhou Xin. Both were Zhou Xin’s trusted subordinates and had fought alongside him many times. Since Zhou Xin had ordered them to follow her lead, they cooperated fully.
However, when they arrived at the so-called "Third Prince’s Fief," they were still confused. This area was almost entirely desert; they didn't see the point.
Zuo Canglang pointed at the map. "Although this place is far from the river, diverting water will be easy. I need a portion of the soldiers to go from here, to here..." Her fingertip traced a line across the map. "Dig a canal to divert the water from the White Wolf River to this location. The project is large and may take some time; you must be patient."
Shen Yuhe and Zhou Miao looked at each other. "General, this area has always been uninhabited. What is the use of diverting water here?"
Zuo Canglang said, "Do not ask questions. Go."
The two complied and immediately arranged for the soldiers to begin. Zuo Canglang cautioned, "Find someone knowledgeable in river engineering to lead them. Don't just dig blindly."
Once they left, Murong Xuan finally asked, "Ah-Zuo, why is there nothing here?"
Zuo Canglang held his hand and touched the yellow sand on the ground. "In many places in this world, there is nothing at the beginning."
Murong Xuan’s eyes lit up. "Do you mean that things will grow here later, and it will become just like Jinyang City?"
Zuo Canglang said, "What grows from the soil depends on what is planted. Only the one who sows the seeds can control it."
Murong Xuan didn't understand again. Zuo Canglang had to explain: "For example, if we raise a pair of gyrfalcons here, give them food and water, and don't let others hurt them, there will be more and more gyrfalcons here."
Murong Xuan understood then, looking troubled. "Big Grey eats so much! If there are many, many Big Greys, how much food will I have to find for them?"
Zuo Canglang laughed heartily.
Life in the border city was dull. The people of Suye and Mayi still caused disturbances from time to time. Zuo Canglang ordered her men to focus on dispersing them rather than using force, while she continued to work with Murong Xuan on the canal near Mount Xiaoquan.
She hired a local scholar to teach Murong Xuan, lecturing him on the principles of governing a state and bringing peace to the world. Murong Xuan only half-understood, but after his lessons, he would accompany her to the desert. Upon learning that this land was a gift from his father, he cherished it deeply. As a child, he did not understand its poverty or desolation.
Because soldiers were available, the canal project required little civilian labor. Only the few river engineers needed to be paid. Zuo Canglang had money; when Yuan Xi and the others were in charge, she had held some military funds. She hadn't spent much, and now she brought it all out, hiring industrious commoners to plant grass and trees along the banks of the newly dug canal. Daxi Qin, hearing of this, also sent several river engineers to help.
He even sketched designs for waterwheels and other equipment and ordered two officials from the Directorate of Imperial Works to assist.
The desert terrain was not easily changed, but the ground here was nourished by glacial water, making the situation slightly better than elsewhere. Now that the White Wolf River had been diverted here, patches of green slowly began to emerge.
A vast amount of grass seeds and saplings were scattered across the land. Murong Xuan watched as winter turned to spring, and spring faded into summer. The fierce Northwest sun tanned him dark, but this wasteland truly began to show a hint of green.
On behalf of Murong Xuan, Zuo Canglang issued a proclamation stating that any commoners willing to graze sheep or cattle here would be exempt from various taxes and fees, provided they planted grass and trees as compensation.
Slowly, a few households moved in and actually began raising sheep, grazing while planting. The commoners who had previously been hired to plant saw this and began to follow suit; gradually, there was no longer a need to pay for labor. The grass they planted daily was more than what the livestock consumed, but the growth of grass and trees still required time. Zuo Canglang kept experienced herders on hand to calculate and control the number of cattle and sheep.
By the second year, when the dry season arrived again, the people suffered from a severe water shortage. Zuo Canglang ordered the soldiers to maintain order while allowing the people on both banks to take water freely. Zhou Xin understood her intention and transferred some of the soldiers from Suye to help release fish fry and plant more greenery.
Gradually, Zhou Xin’s army began to earn a good reputation among the people. Furthermore, since Zhou Xin’s arrival, his discipline had been strict. Although every conflict still resulted in bloodshed and casualties, it was ultimately never the Yan army that struck first.
Thus, the unrest quietly and slowly diminished. Privately, the name of the Third Prince, Murong Xuan, began to spread throughout the border cities.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 玉喉关 | Jade Throat Pass | A strategic pass in the Northwest. |
| 甘孝儒 | Gan Xiaoru | The Right Chancellor and tutor to Murong Xuan. |
| 小泉山 | Mount Xiaoquan | "Little Spring Mountain," the location of Murong Xuan's desert fief. |
| 白狼河 | White Wolf River | A river in the Northwest used for the irrigation project. |
| 沈玉河 | Shen Yuhe | Younger brother of Shen Yucheng; a commander under Zhou Xin. |
| 周淼 | Zhou Miao | Foster son of Zhou Xin; a commander under Zhou Xin. |
| 将作监 | Directorate of Imperial Works | The government office in charge of construction and manufacturing. |
| 晋蓟古道 | Jin-Ji Ancient Road | The historical road connecting Jinyang and the Ji region. |
| 燕人 | People of Yan | Citizens of the State of Yan. |
