Tubo was too close to Jinchuan, so Jin Feng had once made a special effort to study the history of Tubo in this world.
The Dangxiang people also shared a border with Tubo, and historically the two had clashed endlessly.
Most of the time it was the Dangxiang who came off worse.
It was not that the Dangxiang could not fight. Rather, Tubo sat on a high plateau, and the moment Dangxiang cavalry and their horses ascended, they suffered from altitude sickness.
This meant Tubo always held the advantage of attack. They could swoop down when the Dangxiang least expected it, plunder what they wanted, then flee. The Dangxiang had no way to pursue.
Of course, Tubo did not only plunder the Dangxiang. They plundered Great Kang as well.
That was why, when Great Kang was founded, the founding emperor had chosen Western Sichuan City as the regional capital.
For the past few years, Tubo had been mired in wars among its princes, so raids on both the Dangxiang and Great Kang had decreased.
But now the princely wars were essentially over. A zanpu named Gada had seized most of Tubo’s territory. Only two or three minor kings remained, cowering in remote corners of the plateau, clinging to survival. Their elimination by Gada was only a matter of time.
The man the Ninth Princess was to marry was this very Gada Zanpu.
If the Ninth Princess possessed enough skill to win Gada Zanpu over, she might become this world’s Princess Wencheng. Through a diplomatic marriage with Tubo, she could hold the Dangxiang in check.
The difference was that Princess Wencheng had enjoyed the backing of a powerful Great Tang and could speak with authority in Tubo, whereas Great Kang’s national strength was feeble. Against Tubo, it was the weaker party.
Once the Ninth Princess arrived in Tubo, her treatment would surely fall far short of Princess Wencheng’s.
Controlling Gada Zanpu would be exceedingly difficult, and if things went badly, she might even lose her life.
It was precisely because of this that Jin Feng felt a trace of admiration for this princess he had never met.
Qing Mulan looked at Jin Feng, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Sir, will you come with me to receive Wuyang?”
“In the past, the person Wuyang admired most was my elder brother Qing Huai. Now it is you, sir. If you go, she will certainly be delighted.”
Qing Mulan bowed deeply to Jin Feng. “Wuyang is about to be sent far away to marry in Tubo. As her cousin, I can do nothing for her. I beg you, sir, to grant this favour!”
“Even if you had not asked, I would have gone.”
The Ninth Princess had looked after the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce many times while in the capital, and she had clearly written in her letter to Qing Mulan that she wished to visit West River Bay. As a titled noble of Great Kang, Jin Feng was obliged both by sentiment and by duty to greet her.
Moreover, in two lifetimes he had never once laid eyes on a princess. He was rather curious about the Ninth Princess.
“Thank you, sir!”
Qing Mulan, who had been downcast for days, finally revealed a faint smile.
“You are going to meet Her Highness. Go and wash first, otherwise the princess might think I have been mistreating you.”
Jin Feng smiled and pointed at Qing Mulan’s mud-spattered clothes. “I will have Big Liu prepare the carriage.”
From Wulang Mountain to the ferry, the journey by carriage would take more than a day. That same morning, Jin Feng and Qing Mulan set off.
Qing Mulan had barely slept for several days. The previous night she had kept vigil for the fallen escorts. Now that the fighting was over and everything was settled, and with her acceptance of punishment, many of the knots in her heart had loosened. Not long after boarding the carriage, she fell asleep.
Fortunately, the mountain tracks were mostly stone and not overly muddy. The carriage moved slowly but steadily.
In the second carriage, Jin Feng watched Big Liu and the others riding on horseback and wondered whether he should produce raincoats.
Although Big Liu wore a straw raincoat, his clothes were still soaked through.
Even a tough old soldier like him shivered from time to time.
By noon the rain suddenly grew heavier. Big Liu had to slow the pace further. They travelled until nightfall before reaching Guangyuan Commandery city.
The downpour continued all night and showed no sign of stopping the next morning. Yet the Ninth Princess might arrive at the ferry that very day, so Jin Feng and Qing Mulan had no choice but to press on through the rain.
“Sir, this rain has been falling for nearly a whole day and night, hasn’t it?”
While eating at an inn they passed at midday, Qing Mulan said worriedly, “Autumn rain is usually welcome, but too much becomes a disaster. I have already seen two mountain floods. The fields in the valleys must have been washed away. I do not know how the villages downstream are faring.”
“Villages are generally built on higher ground, so they should be all right. Many common folk, however, will probably have to replant.”
Jin Feng frowned. “If the heavy rain lasts much longer and delays the planting season, next year will be a year of famine.”
Autumn rains tended to last a long time but were rarely heavy.
Yet these past two days it was as if someone had stabbed a hole in the heavens. Torrential rain had poured without cease for a full day and night.
The people had only just sown their wheat. Fields in lower-lying areas were almost entirely submerged.
“Many farmers borrow seed grain at high interest from the gentry. To replant they will need to borrow again, and on top of that the court has raised taxes. I truly do not know how the people will survive next year.”
Qing Mulan was so worried she could barely eat.
These high-interest seed loans were much like usury. Borrow one dou at planting time, and at harvest you repaid several times the amount to the gentry.
“Let us hope this rain does not continue much longer.”
Jin Feng gave a helpless sigh.
…
Meanwhile, several hundred kilometres away, the Ninth Princess stood in her cabin, also gazing at the downpour and sighing.
Jin Feng and Qing Mulan worried only about Western Sichuan. The Ninth Princess worried about the whole of Great Kang.
The water level of the Jialing River had risen sharply since she boarded the previous day, and it was still climbing.
When it reached that height, the people along the Yangtze would inevitably suffer.
The most frightening prospect was the Yellow River.
The Yellow River flowed through the loose soil of the Loess Plateau, carrying enormous quantities of silt. Over the centuries it had deposited so much that the riverbed now sat above ground level, a suspended river.
If the flow grew too great, the Yellow River could burst its banks at any moment.
Every breach of the Yellow River was a catastrophe.
In his previous world, only after New China was established and a massive reconstruction project replaced vulnerable sections with concrete embankments had the problem finally been solved.
But the Great Kang of today possessed cement only in West River Bay, and that had been produced only this year. Concrete river defences certainly did not exist.
“Your Highness, let this servant close the window. Your clothes are getting damp from the spray.”
Qin’er had appeared behind the Ninth Princess at some point and spoke softly.
“Close it,” the Ninth Princess nodded, then asked, “How much longer until we reach the Jinchuan ferry?”
“Under normal conditions we would almost be there by now, but the boatman says the current is too strong and he dare not go faster. He estimates another two or three hours.”
Qin’er answered while reaching to shut the window.
Just as the window was halfway closed, she suddenly stopped.
“What is it?” the Ninth Princess asked.
“Your Highness, look at those boats behind us. They are moving so fast!”
Qin’er pointed outside.
The Ninth Princess followed her finger and saw five or six long, narrow wooden boats rapidly closing in with the current.
Before Qin’er could speak again, the urgent clang of a gong sounded from outside, followed by the boatman’s hoarse shout.
“Everyone stay alert! River bandits! Protect Her Highness the Princess!”
