Chapter 649: Nanzhou Marches to War

After the two maids curtsied, they followed Feng Ruonan into the room to attend her.

Shang Chaozong lifted his face to Heaven and let out a long breath, his expression extraordinarily complicated.

When he had first opened his mouth just now, he had actually found himself not knowing what to say. Only then did he realize how long it had been since he had truly spoken with Feng Ruonan. The realization left an unpleasant ache in his heart.

The reason he had changed his attitude this time naturally had much to do with Meng Shanming's persuasion.

Only after Meng Shanming explained matters did Shang Chaozong realize how deeply he had misunderstood Niu Youdao.

Only then did he understand that Niu Youdao's earlier refusal to move had not meant he cared nothing for Great Yan's survival. The time truly had not yet come. Now, at last, everything was ready. All that remained was for Nanzhou's army to march.

Only then did he understand that those earlier harsh rebukes, even the words "Anyone who acts without orders dies," had not been arbitrary tyranny. Niu Youdao had been restraining him before hot blood drove him into reckless action.

Only then did he understand that intercepting the military grain had not been about preserving Nanzhou's own strength either. Niu Youdao had racked his brains to preserve as much of that grain as possible from loss, so that the supplies Great Yan had borrowed could be put to their greatest possible use while also reducing the burden on Nanzhou's common people.

One layer of maneuvering had followed another. The same scheme had dragged down the rebels while also forcing the imperial court to grant Nanzhou military authority.

Even explaining all the twists and turns made one's head spin. One could imagine how difficult it had been to carry them out.

It was plain how much heart and blood Master Dao had poured into this—for Shang Chaozong, for Nanzhou, and for Great Yan.

Shang Chaozong felt deeply ashamed of his earlier misunderstanding. He had indeed judged a gentleman's heart by a petty man's measure. The shame of it left him almost unable to lift his head.

That was why, after Meng Shanming explained the reasons and relayed Niu Youdao's words concerning Feng Ruonan, Shang Chaozong could find no proper grounds to refuse.

More than that, he no longer had the nerve to refuse.

From beginning to end, everything that had happened had proven Niu Youdao correct. Was there really any need to doubt this decision of his now?

Meng Shanming glanced back at the sighing Shang Chaozong, then looked again at the tightly closed door. A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth, and emotion showed in his eyes as well.

When Niu Youdao had earlier taken Feng Ruonan's side, he had always done so indirectly, clearly unwilling to make the Prince feel that he was forcibly interfering in the Prince's household affairs.

Meng Shanming had thought that earlier intervention would be the end of it.

Who would have imagined Niu Youdao had been weighing the matter all along, waiting for the right opportunity?

This time he had stepped in decisively and without ambiguity.

Meng Shanming could only sigh in admiration.

The sense of measure, the timing—both had been grasped perfectly.

He was thoroughly convinced now.

It was genuinely difficult for him to believe that someone so young could possess such extraordinary ability to manage people and affairs. Many things required years of experience. How could a young man of this age accomplish them so naturally?

He could only sigh inwardly.

There truly were Heaven-gifted geniuses in this world.

He thought of that old acquaintance who always wore an amiable smile, Dong Guo Haoran.

Who could have imagined that Dong Guo Haoran would leave behind such a final disciple for this side...

The people inside the room emerged.

Shang Shuqing came out smiling brightly beside a female general clad in battle armor.

Meng Shanming stroked his beard with a smile and nodded approvingly.

Feng Ruonan walked toward the two men in armor and seemed uncomfortable all over. Clothing that had once been second nature to her now made her look strangely shy before others.

Shang Chaozong studied her.

He noticed at once that Feng Ruonan had grown much thinner. Her armor no longer fitted as closely as before and hung somewhat loose, while the tightened belt made her waist look smaller.

He noticed something else as well.

The moment Feng Ruonan put on battle armor again, a different light appeared in her eyes.

She was still awkward, but the spirit had returned to her. That indescribable vigor and vitality had settled over her once more.

"I'm ready," Feng Ruonan said awkwardly.

In truth, she had used nowhere near an hour.

"Let's go." Shang Chaozong turned Meng Shanming's wheelchair around and pushed him away.

...

Outside the Provincial Inspector Residence, a group of mounted men had already assembled.

Apart from the occasional snort of a horse, everyone stood in complete silence.

A group emerged from the residence.

At the front walked Shang Chaozong and Feng Ruonan, man and woman striding side by side through the gate.

The Princess Consort?

The assembled generals outside could not help exchanging startled looks.

Shang Chaozong swung onto his horse.

Feng Ruonan mounted as well.

Husband and wife immediately drew every eye.

Meng Shanming was also lifted onto horseback, using a specially constructed saddle.

An ordinary saddle could no longer hold him. His legs were crippled and unable to control the horse, so a low fixed railing had been built around the saddle to secure him.

With the army marching out, Meng Shanming did not want to sit in his wheelchair.

At least not now.

A carriage had been prepared for him. He could use it later on the road.

For the moment, what mattered was rallying the hearts of the people and raising the morale of the army.

Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain, and a group of cultivators also mounted one after another to accompany the force.

Shang Chaozong swept one hand forward.

Banners unfurled and opened the road. One great standard bore an enormous embroidered character: "Shang."

The mounted column flowed away like a long dragon, crisp hoofbeats ringing all along the road.

The streets they passed had been placed under guard. Commoners packed both sides, heads surging in dense crowds as whispers and discussion spread everywhere.

Many people found the expedition curious.

This time, the army had neither requisitioned grain nor conscripted soldiers.

The common people of Nanzhou had been fortunate throughout Yan's rebellion.

From beginning to end, it had almost seemed as though the war existed somewhere beyond their world. They discussed battles in teahouses and taverns, on street corners and in alleys, while farming and trade continued as usual without the slightest disruption.

Ga Miaoshui, draped in a black cloak, rode within the army with several eunuchs. He swayed with his horse's gait and occasionally swept a cold gaze across the surroundings.

He had come here precisely to watch every movement in Nanzhou closely.

What he had learned left his heart heavy.

There had been no frantic grain levies throwing households into chaos, no press gangs chasing men from place to place. From beginning to end, the common people had suffered almost no disturbance. They lived and worked in peace.

In these troubled times, Nanzhou truly seemed like a land of peace.

Compared with what Ga Miaoshui had seen in the capital and on his journey here, no one knew how many broken families, separated husbands and wives, and ruined households had been avoided.

An inexplicable sigh escaped him inwardly.

There were discordant notes even here.

Some wives stood beside the road with their children, weeping as they watched husbands and fathers disappear into the marching army.

This was war.

People would die.

Who knew whether those loved ones would ever return alive?

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. Look, even the Princess Consort is going with them. If it were truly dangerous, would a woman like the Princess Consort go onto the battlefield?"

Someone in the crowd offered the reassurance at just the right moment.

Lan Ruoting had arranged such people beforehand, specifically to prevent grief from spreading through the crowds and fermenting into unrest.

Feng Ruonan sat straight in the saddle, her eyes bright.

That long-lost feeling had returned.

From time to time she could not resist glancing at Shang Chaozong riding beside her.

The column left the city.

Outside waited cavalry beyond counting, part of the Yingyang and Wulie Guards.

Once the riders from within the city joined those waiting outside, the great force began to gallop.

They were all cavalry.

A vast cloud of dust rolled up beyond the walls.

There was almost no baggage train.

Grain, fodder, and other supplies had already been sent ahead the moment the imperial edict arrived.

Meng Shanming planned before he moved, and everything proceeded in orderly sequence.

Most of the military grain Nanzhou had intercepted had already been divided into batches and escorted ahead to Dingzhou.

Forces stationed along Nanzhou's borders had also begun moving toward Dingzhou in separate groups, preparing to rendezvous there with the cavalry now racing over from the capital.

From the city wall, Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting watched the army disappear into the distance.

...

Along the road, Shang Chaozong issued his first military order of the rebellion-suppression campaign.

All warhorses lent by Qi to Yan that had not yet reached the various regional lords were to stop where they were and await his troops' arrival to receive them.

At the same time, every province and prefecture along the route beyond Nanzhou was ordered to gather a specified number of warhorses and prepare grain and fodder for the army's passage, all to await requisition by the expeditionary force.

The moment that military order went out, officials throughout the route began cursing.

The various regional lords cursed even more loudly when the news reached them.

On what grounds was Nanzhou intercepting things meant for us?

Had they grown addicted to intercepting other people's property?

Yet there was nothing they could do.

Shang Chaozong was now Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion. Refusing to obey his very first order would be difficult to justify.

More importantly, he was taking only the horses that had not yet been delivered. If something had not reached your hands in the first place and he ordered it stopped, there was little basis for complaint.

The powers of the three major sects standing behind the regional lords also soothed and persuaded them, all so Nanzhou could enter the war smoothly.

The imperial court likewise pressed every administration along the route to cooperate.

No one wanted to give Nanzhou an excuse to find fault, throw down the burden, and retreat home.

Once Nanzhou's troops crossed out of Nanzhou and entered Dingzhou, the matter was finally certain.

Only then did the Yan court formally proclaim it throughout the realm.

Yanjing erupted.

Among the frightened hearts of the capital, a thread of hope suddenly seemed to appear.

...

"What is all that noise outside?"

In an alley, a youth in patched, ragged clothes carried two baskets into his home.

An old man, likewise dressed in patches and leaning on a crutch with his back bent, asked the question.

The youth answered excitedly, "Grandfather, the imperial court has appointed Commandery Prince Yongping, Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou, as Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion. Nanzhou has sent troops! Everyone says there may finally be hope of crushing the rebels!"

The hunched old man asked slowly, "Is that Prince Ning's son?"

The youth nodded. "Yes! That's him!"

The old man leaned against the doorframe and slowly lowered himself onto the threshold.

Emotion filled his voice.

"Prince Ning... Back when Prince Ning was still alive, what rebels would there have been? He swept them all away. We didn't have to keep fighting wars and handing over grain levies all the time. Life became easier for everyone."

"Pity he died a little too early."

"Now Prince Ning's son has come out. Seems there really may be some hope."

Ordinary people knew nothing of the true circumstances.

Perhaps even Shang Chaozong himself had never expected it.

At a time when fear had spread throughout Yan, the mere title "Prince Ning's son" brought people a thread of hope and something to yearn for.

All they wanted was for him not to disgrace Prince Ning's reputation.

In truth, most people no longer cared much about Prince Ning's life or death.

Prince Ning had been gone for too long.

What they cared about was the life before their eyes.

When would these endless levies finally stop?

Even wealthy households feared that if Yan fell, their family properties would be lost.

This was what the people's hearts meant.

What Shang Jianbo, Prince Ning, had left his son was the people's hearts.

...

Inside the Imperial Study, Tian Yu did not dare raise his head. He could only steal glances at Shang Jianxiong's face.

Shang Jianxiong held the Intelligence Directorate's daily report on movements within the capital.

His expression was ugly, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

The report was filled with excited comments from commoners about Shang Chaozong's expedition, together with every manner of nostalgic praise for Prince Ning.

Rip!

Shang Jianxiong tore the report to pieces.

Breathing hard, he hissed, "Unruly rabble! A pack of unruly rabble!"

His face had gone green with fury.

Fire seemed ready to burst from his eyes.

...

"More than forty thousand cartloads of military grain have all been sent out of Nanzhou. Not one cartload was withheld. Every bit has been committed to the war."

"People in Dingzhou checked the figures. There was even additional grain added along the way, bringing the total to a full fifty thousand cartloads!"

After reading the report in his hand, Gong Lince turned and spoke to Long Xiu and Meng Xuan, who were seated nearby.

The other two took the paper in turn and read it.

Both were somewhat surprised.

Niu Youdao had intercepted the imperial court's grain, yet in the end had swallowed none of it.

Meng Xuan found it strange. "Could we really have misunderstood him before?"

Gong Lince gave a cold laugh. "Misunderstood what? Do you think those grain carts just happened to fall apart all along the road?"

Long Xiu considered the matter for a while.

Then, with a hint of relief, he said, "Whatever else may be said, at least he understands the larger situation. I only hope the rebellion can be suppressed smoothly."

The final words came out in a faint murmur.

His gaze shifted toward Yi Shu standing outside the door.

[End of Chapter 649]