Chapter 657: If You Want to Condemn a Man, You’ll Never Lack a Charge

Cooperate?

Cooperate in wiping out Shang Chaozong’s one hundred thousand iron cavalry?

An Xianzhao looked utterly speechless. Slowly, he turned toward Shi Yuanlong, as though asking whether this man was telling some kind of joke.

Shi Yuanlong could not help raising a hand to rub his nose. His gaze moved from Shen Yuhong to Shang Yongzhong and back again.

Shen Yuhong continued, “You can both rest easy. Su Qitong was already one of Xiaoyao Palace’s people. Senior Brother Shi Sheng is gone, and this time I have come on behalf of Xiaoyao Palace to take over. Haozhou’s troops will naturally cooperate as well.”

“With the two sides joining forces, striking from within and without, with Heaven’s timing, the terrain, and men’s unity all on our side, cutting off Shang Chaozong’s tiger claw will be no problem. Nanzhou’s vitality will be badly damaged, making it much easier to deal with afterward.”

“Also...” He pointed at Shi Yuanlong. “Brother Yuanlong, I’ll need you to handle Dachan Mountain. Before matters begin, find some way to lure Huang Lie aside.”

“So long as Huang Lie is controlled, the people of Dachan Mountain will fear injuring the rat while trying to break the vase and won’t dare act recklessly. After that, controlling Shang Chaozong will be simple.”

“Once Shang Chaozong is in our hands, Nanzhou’s troops won’t dare move lightly. Xiaoyao Palace will handle the rest.”

Shi Yuanlong’s expression turned peculiar. “Brother Shen, do you not know that Shang Chaozong’s one hundred thousand iron cavalry have already left?”

“Left?” Shen Yuhong was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Shang Yongzhong, who had just finished laying out his grand plan for annihilating them, froze as well.

“What do I mean?” Shi Yuanlong lifted a hand and mimed someone walking away in an exaggerated fashion. “Left means they went away. Don’t tell me Brother Shen can’t even understand that.”

Shen Yuhong’s voice sank. “Brother Yuanlong, that joke isn’t funny at all. They left? Why would they suddenly leave when everything was fine?”

Shi Yuanlong asked in return, “Ga Miaoshui should have reported the matter of those hundreds of thousands of captives to the imperial court. You didn’t hear?”

Shen Yuhong still did not understand. “I heard about it. Xin Mao broke through the pass in one stroke and captured nearly four hundred thousand prisoners. Their disposition was troublesome, and the imperial court was hesitant about what to do with them. But what does that have to do with the one hundred thousand iron cavalry?”

Shi Yuanlong said, “Shang Chaozong insisted on his own view and forcibly ordered the captives escorted away.”

“Four hundred thousand prisoners. One careless mistake and there could be disaster. How could a handful of men possibly escort that many?”

“So Shang Chaozong sent his one hundred thousand iron cavalry to do it, with Meng Shanming personally overseeing and commanding the operation.”

His gaze shifted toward the somewhat stupefied Shang Yongzhong. “So I’m afraid Your Highness’s grand plan for annihilating them won’t be of much use now.”

Shen Yuhong’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “When did they leave?”

“More than half a day ago,” Shi Yuanlong replied. “They’re heading west, while the rebellion-suppression armies are moving east. The two sides are traveling in opposite directions.”

“Half a day means no small distance. There is no chance they will turn around now and obediently crawl into that mountain ravine you prepared for them.”

Shang Yongzhong looked dazed. Under his breath, he murmured, “How could this happen?”

His disappointment was obvious.

He had spent a long time studying the map and racking his brains over that excellent strategy, only for all his effort to become useless before it even had a chance to be employed.

The main reason they had wanted to eliminate those one hundred thousand cavalry was the Yingyang and Wulie Guards among them.

Those forces were Nanzhou’s great killing weapon.

Without the Yingyang and Wulie Guards, Nanzhou would no longer pose nearly so great a threat.

Even more unexpectedly, Meng Shanming had gone with them.

If they were going to move against the Yingyang and Wulie Guards, then naturally Meng Shanming would have to be dealt with too. He was one of Shang Chaozong’s two greatest arms.

Given the present situation, they did not dare kill Shang Chaozong recklessly, but Meng Shanming and the Yingyang and Wulie Guards absolutely had to be removed while the opportunity existed.

Yet both pieces of meat they had wanted to bite had somehow flown away.

Nanzhou’s strength remained entirely intact.

The consequences were easy to imagine. Once Shang Chaozong was killed, if Nanzhou rose in rebellion, the threat it posed might be far greater than Wu Gongling ever had.

“That fool Xin Mao should have slaughtered all four hundred thousand captives outright. He ruined my great plan!” Shang Yongzhong suddenly exclaimed in deep regret.

Shi Yuanlong nearly rolled his eyes.

It was easy enough to talk when one was not the person doing the killing.

Massacre four hundred thousand captives, most of them starving commoners forced into chaos by war?

Who would lightly dare make such a decision?

Even Shang Jianxiong probably would not dare issue such an order openly.

If it had to be done, it could only be done secretly.

Shen Yuhong, who had also been somewhat dazed, snapped back to himself at Shang Yongzhong’s outburst and hurriedly asked, “Brother Yuanlong, what about Shang Chaozong?”

“Oh, him?” Shi Yuanlong said. “He’s still here.”

“Right. Most of Dachan Mountain’s manpower went with the force escorting those captives. Only Huang Lie and a small number of others remain here.”

“If you still want to move against Shang Chaozong, things are actually simpler now. There is no need for all those twists and turns.”

“He has almost no protective strength around him. Just go straight over and seize him.”

“As for my side...” Shi Yuanlong chuckled. “That saves me some trouble too.”

He was not joking.

He genuinely felt it would save a great deal of trouble.

Even with a good plan, if they truly fought those one hundred thousand iron cavalry and some unexpected turn occurred, who knew how much his Tuzhou force would lose?

“So long as Shang Chaozong is still here, that’s enough.” Shen Yuhong released a breath of relief.

For a moment, he had feared Shang Chaozong had left too.

The whole point of this journey was to settle accounts with Shang Chaozong.

Shen Yuhong had won the right to represent Xiaoyao Palace here only after a measure of internal competition. Capturing Shang Chaozong was the deed that would let him claim vengeance and merit, giving him a proper basis to take over the influence Shi Sheng had held in Haozhou.

If Shang Chaozong escaped, swallowing Haozhou’s interests without any accomplishment to his name would not be so easy.

Everything needed a proper justification.

He turned to reassure Shang Yongzhong. “Your Highness, rest assured. So long as Shang Chaozong is in our hands, we will find a way to force Niu Youdao to appear and stabilize the situation in Nanzhou.”

Shang Yongzhong nodded silently.

The rest became much easier to arrange.

Of course, they could not simply accept Shi Yuanlong’s word without verification. The situation had to be confirmed first.

At present, Su Qitong’s Haozhou forces and An Xianzhao’s Tuzhou forces had gathered in this area.

Shen Yuhong first had Su Qitong summoned, along with the Sect Leaders of the three sects stationed with Haozhou. Ga Miaoshui was also secretly invited over.

Once the various parties met, the matter was confirmed.

Everything was indeed as Shi Yuanlong had said.

The one hundred thousand iron cavalry had truly left.

Ga Miaoshui had already reported this to the imperial court, but Shen Yuhong and the others had probably arrived while the message was still on the road and therefore had not learned of it in time.

Their own journey had been secret from the start.

They had not dared let too many people know, lest they alert the snake by striking the grass.

Shang Yongzhong produced Shang Jianxiong’s decree and showed it to Ga Miaoshui.

After examining it carefully, Ga Miaoshui understood the imperial court’s intent and returned the decree with both hands.

Once the various sides had met and agreed, support from the powers in Tuzhou and Haozhou was secured.

There was no longer any real obstacle.

Shen Yuhong and his party began appearing openly.

They crossed a ridge and headed toward Shang Chaozong’s command tent.

Su Qitong and An Xianzhao, who accompanied them, exchanged glances from time to time.

Both men felt bitter beyond words.

They truly did not want to participate in arresting Prince Ning’s son.

Nor did they want Shang Chaozong to meet such an end.

But matters had reached a point where they had no choice.

The cultivators accompanying them feared an accident and had already placed both men under watch.

...

“Why are they still not here?”

Behind the desk in his tent, Shang Chaozong lifted his head and asked the question.

He had remembered something and sent men to summon Su Qitong and An Xianzhao, but neither had appeared after a long wait.

He barked at the messenger, “Go urge them again!”

“Yes!”

Not long after the messenger left, he backed into the tent again and urgently called, “Your Highness!”

Shang Chaozong, who had returned his attention to the map, looked up once more.

A group had appeared outside the tent.

The man standing in the middle was someone Shang Chaozong knew very well, someone he had known since childhood.

His clan uncle, Prince De Shang Yongzhong.

The Grand Marshal of Yan who had inherited his father’s former authority.

On either side of his royal uncle stood a group of cultivators, all staring into the tent at him.

Feng Ruonan, standing nearby, did not understand what was happening. She looked outside, then toward her husband.

“Chaozong, it has been many years.” Shang Yongzhong stood with both hands tucked before his abdomen and called out with a smile. “What? You see your uncle and no longer know even the most basic courtesies?”

Shang Chaozong’s jaw tightened slightly.

He slowly came around from behind the desk, then strode forward and emerged from the tent.

His tigerish gaze swept coldly across the surroundings.

Only then did he see that a silent army had already encircled the entire place.

His personal guards rapidly gathered around him, weapons ready, scanning every direction with hostile vigilance.

Huang Lie and the remaining Dachan Mountain personnel hurried over as well.

Shen Yuhong immediately shouted, “Huang Lie, this has nothing to do with you. Don’t go looking for trouble!”

“If you’re truly tired of living, then go ahead and try something!”

Huang Lie’s steps froze.

He looked around.

The muscles in his face twitched.

Then he lifted one hand in a signal, and the Dachan Mountain cultivators stiffly stopped to one side to “watch the excitement.”

“Sure enough, after running wild outside for too long, you’ve forgotten every rule concerning age, rank, and respect.” Shang Yongzhong’s smile vanished as he stared coldly at Shang Chaozong.

“I truly grieve for Brother Jianbo.”

Then he slowly turned his head. “Eunuch Ga, proclaim the decree.”

Ga Miaoshui flicked an imperial edict from his sleeve, opened it before everyone, and began to read in a resonant cadence.

“By decree of His Majesty, Emperor of Great Yan!”

“Shang Chaozong, Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou, though holding rank as Commandery Prince, has disregarded imperial grace and acted from selfish motives. Without authorization, he attacked Dingzhou, burned and killed, plundered and pillaged, brought calamity upon the people, and caused grievances to fill the roads!”

“When rebellion arose in Cangzhou and the whole state mobilized to suppress it, Shang Chaozong perversely acted against the proper course, intercepting the imperial court’s military grain for the rebellion-suppression campaign and thereby causing repeated defeats in battle. He is a traitor to the state!”

“Irrefutable evidence having now been established, Shang Chaozong is hereby stripped immediately of the office of Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion and shall be escorted to the capital to stand trial.”

“Grand Marshal Shang Yongzhong is hereby ordered to assume control of all affairs concerning suppression of the rebellion.”

“End of decree!”

The surroundings fell completely silent.

Many of those who understood the circumstances looked downcast.

Once accounts were being settled, the charges hardly needed to be invented.

They had all been prepared in advance.

Faced with this situation, Huang Lie was powerless.

All he could do was sigh inwardly.

Why had Shang Chaozong insisted on killing Shi Sheng?

Were the three major sects truly so easy to provoke?

Ga Miaoshui rolled up the decree and said calmly, “Commandery Prince Yongping, receive the decree.”

“Receive the decree? Hahaha! Hahaha...” Shang Chaozong suddenly threw back his head and laughed, as though he had heard the greatest joke beneath Heaven.

When his laughter ended, he shook his head in grief and fury.

“I risked life and death suppressing rebellion for Great Yan, even at the cost of offending the three major sects. I never imagined what I would receive in return was this: if you want to condemn a man, you’ll never lack a charge!”

“My death is nothing to regret.”

“But if this continues, kill one Wu Gongling and there will certainly be a second Wu Gongling.”

“When will the Great Yan of the Shang clan ever know peace?”

Ga Miaoshui ignored him and extended the imperial decree toward Shang Yongzhong.

Shang Yongzhong immediately bowed and reached out with both hands.

“This subject receives the decree!”

Once the decree was in his hands, he straightened and swept one hand outward, issuing an order in his capacity as Grand Marshal of Yan.

“Seize him!”

Men on both sides immediately rushed forward.

Shing!

Feng Ruonan drew her sword and stepped in front of Shang Chaozong.

Her voice rang out sharply.

“Who dares!”

What bullshit imperial edict?

She did not care in the slightest.

Back when she was still in Guangyi Commandery, she had already led troops in open opposition to the imperial court.

[End of Chapter 657]