At the break of dawn, Blind Bei found Zheng Fan. His face showed no signs of fatigue.
They sat in the courtyard, each on a wooden stool, with a small table between them. The table was set with four bowls of white rice porridge, a plate of pickled ginger, a plate of pressed vegetables, and two salted duck eggs.
Both of them simultaneously reached for a salted duck egg. Blind Bei peeled his entirely before placing it in his porridge bowl, while Zheng Fan knocked a hole at the top of his egg, peeled a bit off, and used his chopsticks to slowly scoop out the egg to eat.
It could be said that the inn was extremely busy throughout the night, and this busyness continued until now.
But even though everyone had been quiet for half a year, once things truly got moving, they still proceeded in an orderly manner.
"My lord, this world is indeed different from what we had imagined. It's even more interesting," Blind Bei initiated.
"Hmm."
Zheng Fan knew that this was a report, so he waited patiently as Blind Bei slowly laid out the details.
The information had come from the interrogation of the young masters last night, and from the intelligence gathered by Blind Bei and Xue Three. As for Fanli, he was probably still with the barbarian trading party and wasn't likely to be back anytime soon.
Blind Bei appeared to have summarized everything already. In fact, Zheng Fan was rather worried that Blind Bei might physically bring a pile of neatly copied documents for him to review.
He much preferred this method of receiving updates while eating breakfast.
"Forgive me, my lord, for my ramblings. I will slowly lay things out, from specific points to the broader picture."
"Okay."
"Our current location is called Hutou City. The city isn't large; strictly speaking, it's a satellite town. The entire northern region of Yan State adjacent to the desert, including Hutou City, falls under Beifeng Prefecture, which is roughly equivalent to a province.
"Yan State is divided into seven prefectures: Beifeng, Leshad, Tiancheng, Xiahu, Sanshi, Huwei, and Yinlang. The capital of Yan State is situated within Tiancheng Prefecture, making Tiancheng somewhat akin to the capital region.
"Beifeng Prefecture is basically Yan State's northern frontline. A hundred years ago, it was the battleground between Yan State and the Desert Barbarians.
"However, a split within the Desert Barbarians and the decline of their Royal Court's authority meant they could no longer rally to launch significant assaults. Furthermore, the rise of Qian, Chu, and Jin compelled Yan State to also shift its strategic focus toward the Central Plains.
"As such, while minor conflicts still sporadically occur between Yan State and the barbarian tribes over the past century, there has been no large-scale war involving more than ten thousand soldiers.
"Tuman City is Yan State's largest city on the desert's edge. It was previously called Tuman City, but the name—specifically, the characters used—was changed after a mutual agreement for peace. This city serves as the capital of Beifeng Prefecture. It's a major city, while Hutou City, where we are now, was established as part of the defensive network reliant on Tuman City. However, being the city closest to the desert, Hutou City has a thriving trade during peaceful times.
"Currently, Yan State, Jin State, Chu State, and Qian State coexist as the four main powers. Other smaller territories exist as tributaries to these four states.
"Yan State's political system is a bit complicated. Its structure is more akin to a co-governance between the monarch and major clans, with the royal family acting as the most powerful among these clans, essentially their leader.
"Meanwhile, Qian State and Jin State adhere to a bureaucratic system based on formal examinations, wherein the emperor and scholar-bureaucrats co-govern.
"As for Chu State, it maintains a rather archaic aristocratic system."
"So, by that logic, Qian State and Jin State are more advanced?" asked Zheng Fan.
"Your wisdom is remarkable, my lord," complimented Blind Bei before continuing.
"Ideally, the progression from an aristocratic system to clan-based governance, and then to a bureaucracy based on formal examinations, does represent a shift from rudimentary to advanced. However, a country's development isn't solely dependent on its internal factors; it must also align with the course of historical progression.
"After its founding, Yan State faced the long-term threat of the Desert Barbarians. Consequently, the state had to decentralize royal power to consolidate its forces. This has led to the current situation where multiple powerful clans coexist.
"This kind of system is not conducive to centralized governance. Especially when it comes to expansion, it often proves restrictive—similar to the situation of Sun Shiwan during the Three Kingdoms period.
"Therefore, despite nearly a hundred years of peace with the barbarian tribes and possessing fearsome iron cavalry that terrifies other states, Yan State remains unable to achieve unification from north to south, unlike the historical patterns familiar to us.
"However, it is precisely this system that ensures Yan State remains internally united when facing oppression from Qian State and Jin State. The clan leaders within Yan State clearly understand that if Jin State or Qian State were to destroy Yan State, their own comfortable lives would inevitably end.
"Meanwhile, although Jin State and Qian State utilize the imperial examination system, their long establishment has allowed the scholar-bureaucrat class to become deeply entrenched. They've grown into a parasitic stratum, rivaling even the powerful clans in its detrimental impact, much like the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Consequently, they have lost their ambition and capacity for progress.
"Chu State's aristocrats are solely concerned with a life of idle pleasure. They possess vast, undeveloped wastelands within their own territories. Therefore, unless provoked by other countries, they seldom wage war externally.
"For nearly fifty years, no large-scale wars have occurred among the four states, leading them into an era of quadripartite equilibrium."
"Oh, I see."
"In addition, my lord, there's another interesting piece of information. According to county office documents that Xue Three managed to acquire, there is an existing major empire to the west. Interaction between this Western empire and Yan State is quite frequent. Western envoys often pass through the desert to enter Yan State, subsequently traveling to other countries. This indicates that East-West relations in this ancient world are much more frequent than in the history of our own former world."