Wubei Zhi (Vol. 82)

it became the secondary capital. Speaking of the regions north of the Yangtze, Xuzhou and Yingzhou stretch north across the Central Plains and connect with several provinces, serving as heroic garrisons. Therefore, a military headquarters was specially established in Huai'an, held by officials of significant civil and military rank, demonstrating a posture of strategic control. South of the Yangtze, Anqing sits at the lower flow of the Great River and controls the entirety of Chu, acting as a gateway to the region. Although military garrisons along the river are for defense against pirates, the people of Chongming and Changshu, and those along the ocean, appear and disappear among the waves to plunder. Therefore, river defense should be given equal weight to coastal preparedness. According to my assessment, Yingtian faces heavy labor burdens and frequent military duties. Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou are all considered heavily burdened areas. As for the annual suffering from floods and droughts and the periodic increases in military provisions, these are common afflictions for all three prefectures. In Taiping, Ningguo, Chizhou, and Anqing, the people are poor and the terrain is barren, making governance simple. Zhenjiang sits at the strategic crossing point of Jingkou. Huizhou has many mountains and little field space. North of the river, Luzhou is good land, while Yangzhou is a strategic crossing point, yet its customs