Chapter 654: Victory Reports Pour In

Shan Dongxing was deeply worried. "Dragging along two million people, can we really break through?"

Wu Gongling said, "Elder Shan, are you still expecting us to take all two million?"

"Most are nothing but rabble. They have never undergone long-term regular training. They move slowly, they cannot run, and they have little real experience of fighting."

"When the enemy is easy to bully, they can swarm forward, frighten people, and make a grand show. But if you truly expect them to fight a serious war, that is a joke."

"Before, we could exploit the contradictions within the imperial court and gain a little advantage."

"Now Nanzhou's forces command the five regional lords. Six regional armies acting together!"

"We are no match for them at all."

"If we don't run, are we supposed to stay behind and wait for death?"

"Dragging all this rabble along only wastes grain."

"Use them to block the pursuing armies. That is enough."

"Don't imagine we can take everyone with us. If we can bring away the Cangzhou core forces, that will already be good."

Shan Dongxing looked miserable. "If you knew we were no match, why did you agree to rebel in the first place?"

He truly regretted it now.

After all the burning, killing, and looting committed by the Cangzhou rebels, how could the imperial court possibly spare them?

And Shan Dongxing himself had killed Qu Yunkong, Sect Leader of Tongxian Pavilion, as well as the daughter of Zijin Cave's previous Sect Leader.

The three major sects would never spare him either.

Even surrender was too late now.

Wu Gongling said, "Wasn't it because we were deceived by them?"

"I thought that once war broke out, the armies of Han and Song would seize the opportunity to invade. Once the benefits were divided, our share would naturally be among them."

"Who would have thought both states would still show no reaction even now?"

"They are pushing us into a fire pit!"

"How could we not seek a way to preserve ourselves?"

"Breaking east is our only road to survival now."

"So long as we succeed in throwing the situation into chaos, we'll still have several hundred thousand troops in our hands. That will be the capital we rely on to protect ourselves!"

Shan Dongxing had no better idea.

He did not understand how to maneuver great armies or contend on a battlefield. At this point, he could only rely on this old general.

He cupped his hands. "Tongxian Pavilion's resolve has not changed. We are willing to continue supporting the Grand General!"

Wu Gongling sneered inwardly.

What other road does Tongxian Pavilion have now except tying itself to me?

His face, however, wore a cheerful smile.

"Naturally. Fortune and disaster, we share them together!"

...

"Shang Chaozong killed Shi Sheng?"

Inside the Yan imperial palace, Shang Jianxiong abruptly looked up from behind his desk when the news arrived. Surprise filled his face.

Tian Yu raised the report in both hands and nodded.

"Your Majesty, there can be no mistake. Ga Miaoshui witnessed it with his own eyes."

"Shi Sheng forced his way into Shang Chaozong's military camp intending to make trouble and demand an accounting."

"Shang Chaozong had him seized."

"At one command, Shi Sheng and his two trusted disciples were beheaded on the spot."

"Their heads were then sent to Su Qitong."

Shang Jianxiong's expression shifted repeatedly for quite some time.

At last he gave a low, cold laugh.

"Like father, like son indeed."

"Back then, Prince Ning gave one order and killed an Elder of Lingjian Mountain."

"Now his son has done the same."

"Good."

"That nature of never repenting is rather interesting."

"Very interesting indeed."

Then he lifted his chin slightly. "Keep an eye on the reaction over there."

Tian Yu knew exactly what he meant and bowed. "Yes."

Naturally he meant the three major sects.

And what reaction could there be?

The moment the news arrived, all three sects were stunned.

Inside a pavilion, Long Xiu abruptly rose under the gazes of Meng Xuan and Gong Lince.

A savage look appeared on his face as he gave one cold laugh after another.

Outside the pavilion, a crowd of Xiaoyao Palace disciples rushed over, angrily denouncing Shang Chaozong.

Some shouted that he had to be dealt with.

Others demanded blood for blood.

Among them were Shi Sheng's own disciples, weeping bitterly and begging the Sect Leader to uphold justice for them.

Their grief was genuine.

With Shi Sheng dead, the balance of power inside the sect would inevitably be reshuffled to some extent.

The people in Shi Sheng's faction would likely be pushed toward the margins.

Yi Shu said furiously, "Master, without Niu Youdao backing him, where would Shang Chaozong get such enormous nerve?"

"Niu Youdao and Shang Chaozong are jackals from the same lair."

"They never placed Xiaoyao Palace in their eyes at all!"

"They even dare kill an Elder of Xiaoyao Palace without cause. How can we let this pass?"

"All of you, shut up!" Long Xiu suddenly shouted.

Gong Lince and Meng Xuan exchanged glances.

Gong Lince spoke. "Brother Long, at a time like this, I hope you will remain calm."

"Accounts can be settled after the affair is over."

Going after Shang Chaozong now would be deeply unwise.

Their two sects would not allow Xiaoyao Palace to act recklessly either.

Of course, both men also trusted that Long Xiu understood the stakes.

In the end, Shi Sheng's death was temporarily suppressed.

There was no other choice.

Under the present circumstances, suppressing the rebellion outweighed everything else inside Yan.

Then victory reports began arriving in the capital one after another.

The effect of Shang Chaozong killing Shi Sheng on the war was enormous.

For the regional lords participating in the rebellion-suppression campaign, the shock was even greater.

Even the several Elders who had still been watching from the sidelines were badly frightened.

Then came Shang Chaozong's military orders, one after another, every one carrying a hidden killing blade.

Who now dared doubt Shang Chaozong's determination to enforce his policy of suppressing the regional lords rather than the rebels?

He had even killed an Elder of Xiaoyao Palace!

First Su Qitong's army broke through Luoxia Ridge, sending the rebels fleeing in panic.

The earlier order to stop and hold at Qianli River was then changed to pursuit.

Afterward, the other four armies rapidly carried out the Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion's operational orders.

All five regional armies launched full offensives.

The rebels were driven into retreat after retreat.

Of course, saying they "drove the rebels into retreat after retreat" made the five regional armies sound better than they deserved.

In truth, they encountered almost no meaningful resistance at all.

They were practically running forward to recover lost territory and chase the rebels away.

But naturally no one would report that they had merely picked up easy gains.

Their own merits had to be emphasized.

So victory reports began flying toward the capital like snowflakes.

"Victory report! Victory report! The rebellion-suppression army has taken Luoxia Ridge, fought all the way beyond Qianli River, and shattered the rebel forces!"

"Victory report! Victory report! The rebellion-suppression army has broken through Dangmen Mountain and routed the rebels!"

"Victory report! Victory report! The rebellion-suppression army has recovered Linhai Commandery and cut off the rebels' supplies!"

"Victory report! Victory report! The rebellion-suppression army has restored Yuanzhou!"

"Victory report! Victory report! The rebellion-suppression army has broken through the rebel nest in Cangzhou!"

"Victory report! The rebel stronghold has fallen. Cangzhou is now occupied by the rebellion-suppression army!"

To hearten the people, whenever a victory report arrived, the imperial court deliberately had the messenger gallop through the streets shouting the news so everyone would hear it.

Then the reports became impossible to stop.

Every pass taken and every county recovered generated another victory report.

The five regional lords commanded close to a million men between them, and victories were being claimed everywhere.

One could imagine how many reports poured toward the capital.

Dozens arrived every day.

Even old men in Yanjing had never seen such a mad succession of victories.

The rebellion-suppression campaign appeared to be crushing rotten wood.

The destruction of Yan's rebellion seemed only days away.

The people of Yanjing erupted in joy.

Some wealthy merchants were so delighted that their family fortunes finally seemed safe that they set up porridge cauldrons in the streets, giving food to refugees and celebrating the rebellion-suppression army's string of victories.

Those merchants all suffered later.

Every one of their households was confiscated.

The official reasons varied.

One accusation said that during the earlier grain levies they had concealed stores and refused to surrender them, creating suspicion that they had colluded with the enemy.

Now, after the danger passed, they were supposedly trying to buy public favor and escape punishment.

They were all branded profiteering merchants, and their family assets were confiscated into the state treasury.

Being condemned as profiteers was one thing.

Once the hat of "colluding with the enemy" was placed on their heads, they were also spat upon by the common people.

"The earlier decline in the rebellion-suppression campaign has been swept away. Victory after victory! Wonderful!"

"Look at who has taken the field. Commandery Prince Yongping!"

"And who is Commandery Prince Yongping? Prince Ning's son!"

"Exactly! They say Commandery Prince Yongping followed Prince Ning on campaign while still young and learned eighty or ninety percent of Prince Ning's ability."

"With Prince Ning's skill in him, what do you expect? Back then, didn't Prince Ning sweep away Great Yan's internal chaos just like this? Who could stop him?"

"'Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen'—the saying is known beneath Heaven. I hear Meng Shanming is serving under Commandery Prince Yongping himself!"

"For Great Yan to possess such tiger-generals is truly Great Yan's fortune!"

A group of students in a Yanjing tavern drank in great gulps and discussed the war loudly.

Beside a window sat a man who happened to be Song's envoy stationed in Yanjing.

After listening for a while, he turned and said quietly, "How exactly is this war being fought? Send word back and ask what is truly happening."

"Yes!"

An attendant quickly left.

The streets and alleys of the capital, the teahouses and taverns, all boiled with excitement under the endless stream of victory reports.

Everyone wore delighted expressions and discussed the war with rising spirits.

At first, the imperial court genuinely had intended to use the victory reports to restore public confidence.

Later, however, it realized the trend was becoming wrong.

The entire capital was praising the prestige of Prince Ning and his son.

The palace erupted in fury.

Someone was dismissed and investigated.

The practice of shouting victory reports through the streets was quickly stopped.

The wealthy merchants who had handed out relief porridge were also ruined because of this.

Those who knew the truth behind their fate remained coldly silent.

Those who did not know simply followed whatever rumor reached their ears, almost wishing they could dig up the ancestral graves of those merchants.

That reaction, in turn, earned them contemptuous mockery from certain people as "foolish masses."

...

"How did the war become like this?"

Inside the residence of the Grand Minister of Works, victory reports continued arriving.

Tong Mo sat behind his desk, tossed aside the latest one, and raised a hand to rub his forehead.

His head was beginning to hurt.

At first, after seeing report after report of victory and realizing the overall situation should finally stabilize, he had breathed a sigh of relief.

Now the victories themselves were giving him a headache.

The army was advancing too quickly.

Logistical supplies could no longer keep pace with the pursuit.

As the man overseeing the entire supply effort, how could Tong Mo not worry?

If the shortage of provisions caused the military situation to reverse, the responsibility would fall on him.

Before long, however, the people involved gradually understood what was actually happening.

What unprecedented string of great victories?

Wu Gongling had simply lost the will to fight and thrown a mountain of easy gains in front of the rebellion-suppression armies.

No wonder the regional lords were winning in torrents.

They were all exaggerating their battle achievements.

Shang Chaozong turned a blind eye to the false reporting.

He knew perfectly well when discipline on a battlefield had to be strict and when something could be allowed to pass.

Given the present situation, this was exactly the kind of atmosphere he needed.

The Yan court likewise could only pretend to be deaf and dumb.

It could hardly tell the common people: actually, we did not win.

So it could only say they had won.

Recently, however, the mood at court had begun to feel strange.

After the morning audience, the weather was fine.

Shang Yongzhong emerged from the great hall and looked up at the bright sky.

The blue dome was washed clean.

He had only just descended the steps when a eunuch approached and quietly asked him to stop.

"My lord, Palace Master Long requests your presence."

The eunuch gestured toward one side.

Shang Yongzhong looked back.

Beyond a moon gate some distance away stood Long Xiu, Palace Master of Xiaoyao Palace.

Long Xiu gave him a slight nod, then disappeared behind the gate.

Not knowing what the man wanted, Shang Yongzhong did not dare delay.

He hurried over.

After passing through the moon gate and glancing around, he saw Long Xiu standing beside a pond with his hands clasped behind his back.

Shang Yongzhong approached and saluted.

"Palace Master Long, may I ask why you summoned me?"

Long Xiu smiled faintly.

"My lord is Grand Marshal of Yan. What is your view of the present rebellion-suppression campaign?"

Shang Yongzhong replied, "The greater trend is settled."

"Wu Gongling has lost his territory. His supplies cannot last. Defeat is inevitable."

Long Xiu said, "From what I see, His Majesty is unwilling to give Shang Chaozong the great merit of suppressing the rebellion."

"Would my lord be interested in going to the battlefield and replacing Shang Chaozong?"

This was an offer to place the merit directly into his hands.

Shang Yongzhong's eyes flickered.

He understood at once.

The consequences of Shang Chaozong killing Shi Sheng had finally begun to appear.

They were preparing to move against Shang Chaozong.

[End of Chapter 654]