Chapter 1441 - 1348: Breaking Through

Zhao Hanzhang kept Zhang Shi in the court for official duties, and also asked him to bring his son to Luoyang to study.

Then, Zhang Mao not only sent his wife and children, but also his daughter to Luoyang, entrusting her to his brother so that the siblings could study together in the Capital City.

Using this as a stepping stone, the brothers Zhang Shi and Zhang Mao reconciled.

The various seeds brought back by the Western Region diplomatic mission were of great significance to the country, especially the cotton seeds. Not only Zhao Xin, but also Zhang Shi, Shan Feng and other members of the mission were rewarded and promoted. Those who couldn’t return also received condolence payments and rewards.

The court ministers deliberated for a long time, and after competition among regional inspectors, the cotton seeds from the court were redistributed.

They were directly handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture in each state and county, to cultivate the first season of cotton in each region.

Among them, Xiliang, Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou received the most seeds because these four places are the coldest.

Although Xiliang had a batch of seeds, many were sent to Luoyang for He Mingming’s birth last year. Even after another year of cultivation, it didn’t have enough to distribute to the people of Xiliang.

Reciprocating favors, this time Zhao Hanzhang included Xiliang in the distribution.

Moreover, when it comes to cotton cultivation, Xiliang’s technology was still not as good as Luoyang’s. So, she not only allocated seeds but also dispatched an official from the Ministry of Agriculture to take office there, to oversee technological innovations in Xiliang’s livestock and agriculture.

Among the four states, Youzhou and Bingzhou received the most cotton seeds, equally!

The frail and weak Wei Jie had been using cotton for a long time. He was among the first to use it, so he knew how warm it was.

As soon as the news came out, he jointly submitted a petition with Shi Le, and to secure more cotton seeds, he personally returned to Luoyang, coughing while appealing to Zhao Hanzhang for seeds.

Considering Wei Jie’s ailing health, Zhao Hanzhang allocated a significant amount of seeds to Youzhou.

Beigong Chun was different. He didn’t speak, but while celebrating the Eldest Prince’s first birthday in the Capital City, he appeared in front of Zhao Hanzhang three times a day, smiling and inviting her to practice shooting and horseback riding in the martial field.

He also said to Zhao Hanzhang, "Once the Eldest Prince grows a bit older, I am willing to teach her the Beigong Family’s spear technique."

When Zhao Hanzhang allocated seeds, she gave him extra tokens.

Zu Ti: ...

He said nothing. When handling Ministry of War matters in the Capital City, he encountered Zhao Hu several times on the street, each time asking him, "Has the Seventh Grandfather’s caravan to the Western Regions not returned yet?"

Zhao Hu: ...

He was heartbroken.

After three years, he no longer hoped to get the reward money from Zhao Hanzhang, just wishing the caravan would return safely. If they could bring back cotton seeds, so much the better; even without the bounty, they could still grow cotton and earn considerable income.

Zhao Hu had quite a bit of arid land at his disposal.

After several encounters, Zu Ti and Zhao Hu developed some camaraderie, and it was then that Zhao Hu promised him that if his caravan could bring back cotton seeds, he would certainly allocate some to Zu Ti.

Zhao Hu was rather courteous to Zu Ti; he was the Jizhou Governor and Minister of War, one should be amicable and not fuss over minor gains. Zhao Hu believed Zu Ti was also a generous person and wouldn’t let him suffer losses.

Zhao Hu was curious, "They haven’t returned in three years; the diplomatic mission also went through numerous hardships. Why does Minister Zuo think they can return safely?"

Zu Ti said with a smile, "Officials have official channels, merchants have trade routes. Seventh Grandfather is adept in this area, he should know better than me. Traders and travelers have their own survival wisdom and pathways. What he brings back might exceed what the mission does, and there may be even more who return safely."

Zhao Hu raised an eyebrow and didn’t deny this point. He had similar confidence in his caravan, even without any news for three years.

They didn’t have the heavy responsibilities of the diplomatic mission. In critical moments, they could even discard goods and money, as long as their lives were preserved.

Unlike Zhao Xin and others, who were part of the Hua Country’s diplomatic mission; even in death, they must first uphold the dignity of the country and the emperor, having many considerations—they were not as enduring as his caravan.

This also meant they might choose to stay to preserve themselves and maximize profits, rather than risking a return to the Capital City.

Zhao Hu lamented, "I wonder if they will come back while I’m still alive..."

Zu Ti said meaningfully, "Seventh Grandfather is blessed; surely, you will witness their return."

A few days later, Zhao Hanzhang ordered Zhao Erlang to return to Chang’an to gather troops and cooperate with Xiliang, advancing in two routes westward to the Western Regions.

The Western Region was scattered with small states, or tribes grouped together, not even considered countries.

Yongzhou and Xiliang suddenly dispatched troops, catching them off guard.

Zhao Erlang had not fought in a long time, and this time, with Beigong Tuanyuan accompanying him, he was determined to excel, leading his troops to run wild, covering two thousand miles in five days, subduing three tribes along the way, seizing numerous Wu Castles.

Zhang Mao, heading north less than five hundred miles, fought two battles with the Northern Xiongnu, but heard that Zhao Erlang had already cleared the road from Xiliang to Chang’an, arriving at Zhangye.

Zhang Mao couldn’t help but glance sideways, "A true young talent indeed! From Zhangye to Chang’an is two thousand miles, along the way are many roving bandits and horse thieves. Over the years, we haven’t managed to clear them completely because they were secretly supported by Wu Castles and various tribes. I thought he would bypass these forts heading west, but unexpectedly, he took them all down."

Moreover, Zhao Erlang directly led his troops into the territory of the Western Qiang. He believed it too far to travel from Xiliang to the Western Regions, thus tearing down everything north of Gelmu in Northern Qiang territory, and suggested to Zhao Hanzhang, "Sister, expand my Yongzhou over here, so the next diplomatic mission can take this route west, and I guarantee they’ll never encounter horse thieves again."

Zhao Hanzhang stared at Zhao Erlang’s battle report, speechless for a while; the area he conquered was equivalent to the northern half of modern Qinghai. Such a large territory couldn’t possibly merge into Yongzhou!

However...

"What’s the situation with Western Qiang? How come there wasn’t any resistance?"

Yuan Li immediately ordered an investigation.

However, it was difficult to gather information from Western Qiang; high mountains, vast lands, sparse population, large swathes belonged to highland regions, making it hard for people from the plains due to breathing difficulties, limiting movement. Although Yuan Li sent spies there, the information they managed to collect was very limited.

Later, Yuan Li received the news, "Yao Yizhong has considerable prestige; several tribes of Western Qiang have aligned with him over the years, offering their allegiance. Deng Zhi Qiang initially wished to do so as well, but for unknown reasons, suddenly started a confrontation with the Yao Family this year. When Prince Qin attacked West Sea County, they were embroiled in an internal conflict, unable to support West Sea County."

Additionally, Zhao Erlang was too fast; the Qiang Clan region was sparsely populated, sometimes running for a day without encountering a village. With his rapid warfare, news hadn’t even spread before he had penetrated the northern part of Western Qiang.

Naturally, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t think this was merely luck and highly praised, "Second Son is indeed a soldierly talent!"

Such military fortune is indeed a skill!