Chapter 81: My Family Has Three Hundred Thousand Troops

“I’ll give all of you a word of advice. Dig out your hearts, lungs, and guts. Air them out, wash them clean, and put them in order! It grows clearer to me by the day that the threat weighing on my heart is not outside our borders. It is not the barbarians.

“It is you.

“It is right here, inside this hall!”

“We are guilty! We deserve ten thousand deaths!”

Within the great hall, from the Chief Ministers at the top to ordinary civil and military officials below, every courtier dropped to his knees.

Emperor Ji Runhao of Yan sat upon the dragon throne and looked down at the mass of kneeling officials.

He felt not the slightest satisfaction at being the supreme ruler beneath heaven.

This position belonged to that clan.

That position belonged to another.

And this position over here had always belonged to yet another family.

His court, his civil officials, his generals they had not been arranged according to his wishes.

For nearly a century, those posts had been entrenched possessions of the great aristocratic clans.

There were occasional reversals.

Occasional struggles.

But in the end, it was merely one family stepping down so another could step up.

Official posts, instruments of state authority, had become no different from stalls in a marketplace.

My grandfather sold vegetables from this stall.

My father sold vegetables from this stall.

Therefore, naturally, I should sell vegetables from this stall too!

Even if I cannot tell one vegetable from another, this stall still belongs to me.

Farmers in the countryside boasting that the old Emperor could eat ten dripping, oily flatbreads for breakfast was a joke.

But the Emperor of Yan’s imperial court truly was not fundamentally different from the market those old farmers visited every day.

Since ascending the throne, Ji Runhao had promoted many officials from humble families.

But they were still far from becoming a force of their own.

Compared with the aristocratic clans, they remained much, much too weak.

Still, at least everyone maintained a certain sense of ceremony.

When the man on the dragon throne grew angry, those beneath the dragon throne who ought to kneel immediately knelt.

Everyone calmly confessed their guilt, and together they finished performing today’s play.

Of course, the Emperor had not become angry today without reason.

In recent years, the conflict between the imperial court and the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei had already approached a boiling point.

But with the issuance of the Edict of Self-Reproach, the old situation of turbulent undercurrents was being shattered.

Soon, the confrontation between the central court and this powerful frontier feudatory would be dragged openly into the light.

And once it was laid upon the table, there would be no room left for compromise.

The Edict of Self-Reproach was the Emperor of Yan’s declaration of war against the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Because of that, over the past two days, the court ministers had moved with astonishing speed.

Each represented the clan behind him as they pressured the Emperor.

Some argued that the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei was the pillar of the empire’s northern frontier and could not be touched lightly.

Some argued that the three hundred thousand Zhenbei troops were the very foundation upon which The Great Yan Dynasty survived.

Others argued that reducing the power of the feudatories would shake the foundations of the state.

In short, because of a single Edict of Self-Reproach from the Emperor, the ministers had been forced to step forward immediately and become conservatives opposed to weakening the feudatories.

But Ji Runhao alone knew that these very same people had once been perfectly willing to watch him move against the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

If one ignored population alone when judging the aristocratic clans, then the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei in Beifeng Commandery was unquestionably the foremost great clan in all of Yan!

The Emperor wanted to weaken the feudatories.

That was perfectly normal.

The ministers and the aristocratic clans behind them could understand it.

After all, unless an emperor was an idiot, he would inevitably seek to weaken powerful regional lords.

Centralize authority.

Make his own will supreme.

That was the lifelong pursuit of every emperor.

And if someone had to be cut down, then naturally everyone was delighted to see the Emperor gnaw first upon the hardest bone of all the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Because it was hard.

Because it was difficult to bite through.

So, Your Majesty, please take your time grinding your teeth against it.

But now things were different.

The Emperor had made up his mind to rip away the final fig leaf!

If the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei were truly driven into a corner, were those three hundred thousand Zhenbei troops supposed to be easy prey?

Beifeng Commandery itself was not large.

It bordered the desert and did not possess much wealth worth taking.

But once those three hundred thousand iron cavalry were unleashed, could Lesha, Tiancheng, Xiahu, Sanshi, Huwei, and Yinlang Commanderies possibly escape?

The foundations of the aristocratic clans did not lie in the imperial court.

Those sitting in court were merely their representatives.

Their true roots were local.

And once war broke out across those lands, who would care which clan you belonged to?

If matters truly reached that point, with the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei no longer suppressing the north, the barbarians might seize the opportunity and pour in as well.

Then the entire State of Yan would be beaten into one enormous pot of porridge.

The State of Qian outside their borders might be useless, and the State of Jin might currently be tearing itself apart internally, but that did not mean the Emperor of Qian or the great clans of Jin would willingly ignore such a magnificent opportunity to profit from chaos inside Yan.

In short there could be no war.

Absolutely no war!

“Of the six military commands of the Zhenbei Army, three have already marched out.

“One has entered Tong City on the border between Beifeng and Lesha Commanderies.

“One has entered Liang City on the border between Beifeng and Sanshi Commanderies.

“And one has entered Chui City on the border between Beifeng and Xiahu Commanderies.

“What does the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei intend by this?

“I believe all of you understand perfectly well.

“They are forcing my hand!

“They are coercing me into backing down!

“They are waving a blade directly before my eyes and asking me—

‘Are you afraid or not?’”

Ji Runhao rose from the dragon throne.

He continued in a thunderous voice:

“The founding of The Great Yan Dynasty was harder than that of any state before it!

“Defending The Great Yan Dynasty has been harder still!

“Among the emperors of Yan throughout the generations, few never personally led an army into battle.

“Three emperors even died upon the battlefield!

“I know what all of you fear.

“I understand what all of you are worried about.

“But the time has passed when we can cover our own eyes and pretend nothing has happened.

“If tomorrow one hundred and fifty thousand Zhenbei iron cavalry ride south, how long can Lesha, Sanshi, and Xiahu Commanderies hold?

“If the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei becomes even more unrestrained— if it ignores the desert barbarians entirely, or even borrows troops directly from the barbarian Royal Court then several hundred thousand cavalry could drive straight south.

“It would not take long before they reached Tiancheng Commandery.

“They could reach the very foot of the capital!

“You are all urging me to take one step backward.

“But have any of you considered what happens if I retreat and the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei does not?

“Have you ever considered whether I, your Emperor, am easier to reason with whether my Ji Clan is easier to reason with or whether the iron cavalry and blades of the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei are easier to reason with?”

None of the ministers below dared speak.

They could only lower their heads farther.

And farther still.

“I will say no more.

“Yesterday, I ordered the Eldest Prince, Ji Wujiang, to lead the commandery troops of Tiancheng Commandery into Stone Mountain Camp.

“The garrisons of Huwei and Yinlang Commanderies also received my decree yesterday and have begun redeploying toward the capital.

“The Imperial Guards in the capital have likewise been ordered to prepare for war.

“I give you half a month.

“Within half a month, I want to see your answer!

“For centuries, whenever the emperors of my Ji Clan marched to war, the Imperial Guards formed the main force while the private troops of the various clans served as support.

“Only after enduring countless hardships have we preserved the fortunes of The Great Yan Dynasty until today.

“I do not wish to hear any more words of persuasion.

“My decision is made.

“If the Zhenbei Army dares make another move—it will be regarded as outright rebellion!”

With that, Ji Runhao waved his hand and turned away.

“Court dismissed!”

...

“Your Majesty, the Second Prince is waiting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

“Send someone to tell him later that he should keep a closer eye on the Imperial Guards.

“He needn’t run to me asking for instructions over every little matter.

“He is no longer a child.”

“This servant obeys.”

“Help me change.”

“Where does Your Majesty intend to go outside the palace? This servant will make the arrangements.”

“The Western Garden.”

...

The Western Garden had been constructed during the previous Emperor’s reign.

In his old age, the previous Emperor had lamented the inconvenience of living in the capital.

He sent an envoy to the State of Qian, saying that he greatly admired the gardens south of the Yangtze in Qian.

For the sake of diplomatic relations, the Emperor of Qian ordered an Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Works to lead a group of skilled craftsmen to Yan and build the Western Garden.

The State of Qian had even used the matter as propaganda.

They said the barbaric people of Yan adored Qian culture, and that the benevolent Emperor of Qian had sent men to build them a garden.

The people of Yan, they claimed, had been delighted beyond measure a pack of country bumpkins who had never seen anything refined.

What most people in Qian did not know was that the annual tribute silver Qian paid Yan that year contained an additional sum the money used to build the garden.

The previous Emperor had died in the Western Garden.

Ji Runhao, however, disliked its little bridges and flowing streams.

He had almost never stayed there.

But when a certain guest from the north entered the capital, Ji Runhao ordered him lodged in the Western Garden.

Ji Runhao and Wei Zhonghe had only just entered the front courtyard when they smelled wine and meat.

In the courtyard, a man over fifty with graying temples sat beside a stone table.

Five enormous jars of wine stood at his feet.

More than ten substantial dishes covered the table chicken, duck, fish, pork, dog, beef, mutton.

Everything one could ask for.

At the sight, Ji Runhao removed his cloak and tossed it to Wei Zhonghe.

Rolling up his sleeves as he walked forward, he cursed, “You bastard. You certainly have a good appetite.”

The Marquis of Zhenbei saw Ji Runhao approaching.

He smiled.

He did not rise.

Still sitting there, he replied, “I’ve spent too many miserable years eating thin soup and bland food in the Marquis’s residence.

“No matter how much wine and meat I eat now, it never feels like enough.

“Besides, northern cooking is rough.

“How could it compare with the restaurants and imperial kitchens of the capital?”

As he spoke, the Marquis personally tore off a duck leg and handed it to Ji Runhao.

Ji Runhao showed no disgust.

He took it, sat down, and bit off an enormous mouthful.

The Marquis of Zhenbei rose and poured wine into the bowl before Ji Runhao.

Then he asked, “You cursed them out, didn’t you?”

Ji Runhao still had duck meat stuffed in his mouth.

Holding the duck leg in one hand, he pointed at the Marquis with the other and cursed, “You pack of animals.

“I only just dismissed court and someone has already sent word to you?”

“Of course.

“If you’re going to send information, you have to send it early.

“If you’re going to curry favor, you have to curry favor early too.

“You deliberately stationed City Defense troops around the Western Garden instead of Imperial Guards.

“Wasn’t that precisely to make it easier for them to send me messages?

“There’s an enormous chest of letters in my privy.

“Every clan has sent something.

“And they all use excellent paper.

“Heh.

“I’ve been wondering whether, if I wipe with enough of it, my ass might eventually pick up a little scholarly fragrance.

“If you want to read them, go rummage through my latrine yourself.

“There’s still a whole pile I haven’t used.”

Ji Runhao swallowed the duck meat.

Then he lifted his wine bowl and washed it down with a large gulp.

“I’m not reading them.

“They stink.

“They stink beyond endurance!”

“True.

“There’s really no need.

“In the end, they’re all going into the cesspit anyway.”

After finishing the duck leg, Ji Runhao picked up his chopsticks, pulled a plate of fish toward himself, and began eating with gusto.

The Marquis of Zhenbei refused to be outdone.

He dragged an entire basin of pork knuckle toward himself.

Gnawing on it, he cursed, “If people from Qian saw the way you eat, they’d probably go home saying the Emperor of Yan is so poor he can’t even afford a proper meal!”

“Damn it.

“Food just tastes better when I eat with you!”

“Hahahaha!

“That’s true.

“When we were little, we used to fight over a single chicken leg.

“Whoever won got to eat it.

“That chicken leg...

“Damn, it tasted good.

“I still haven’t forgotten it.”

“I must have been fucking insane back then.

“I actually competed with you to see who could eat more.”

“Hahahahaha!

“That’s because you were stupid.

“I grew up in the north eating the same food as common soldiers.

“When I entered your princely residence and saw all those dishes, my eyes practically glowed green.

“And you actually challenged me to an eating contest!

“Hahahaha!”

“Come.

“One bowl.”

“Good.

“One bowl.”

The Emperor and the Marquis of Zhenbei raised their wine bowls and knocked them together.

The Marquis lowered the rim of his bowl.

The Emperor lowered his as well.

The two bowls met evenly.

Then both men drained them dry and wiped their mouths on their sleeves with absolutely no dignity.

“Shulan turned fifty.

“I couldn’t let you stay by Shulan’s side for her birthday.

“When I see her later, who knows how she’ll curse me.”

“Heh.

“Shulan is virtuous.

“She’ll understand.”

“Of course I know she’s virtuous!”

After two large bowls of wine, Ji Runhao was clearly becoming emotional.

“If you shameless bastard hadn’t interfered back then, how could Shulan possibly have followed you north and spent half her life eating wind and sand?”

“Fuck off!

“Shulan made the right choice following me.

“I’ve only had one woman in my entire life—Shulan.

“What about you?”

“I did that to ensure the imperial clan had descendants!

“I had no choice!

“I was forced to—”

“Enough, enough.

“Stop making yourself sound so noble and helpless.”

“...” Ji Runhao.

“AAAAAGH!”

Ji Runhao roared, lifted a wine jar, and began pouring it straight into his mouth.

Then he slammed the jar onto the table.

Pointing at the Marquis of Zhenbei, he cursed, “You bastard!

“Every time, you deliberately use Shulan to stab me where it hurts!”

“I say, Ji Runhao, don’t drink a little horse piss and start falsely accusing people.

“Who the fuck mentioned Shulan first this time?”

“You did!

“You did!

“It was you!”

“...” the Marquis of Zhenbei.

“But Qian-girl really does look like Shulan.

“She genuinely looks exactly like Shulan did when she was young.”

The Marquis of Zhenbei immediately stood.

Pointing at Ji Runhao, he cursed, “You shameless old bastard!

“What kind of father-in-law talks about his daughter-in-law like that?”

“Pah!

“Qian-girl is my daughter-in-law!

“My son is going to marry your daughter!

“I’m happy!

“I’m happy!

“In the future, Qian-girl’s children will carry my surname Ji, not Li!”

“Don’t think I don’t know about the filthy traditions of you imperial families.

“Has there ever been a shortage of that sort of thing throughout history?”

“Fuck!

“I’m not letting you take advantage of me like that.

“Don’t even dream of making me call you Father!”

“Call me what?”

“...” Ji Runhao.

Ji Runhao managed to keep his mouth shut.

The Marquis of Zhenbei sat back down in disappointment.

“Truthfully, I really don’t want my girl marrying into the imperial family.”

“As long as Qian-girl gives birth to an imperial grandson, I’ll make him Imperial Heir.

“If I live long enough to see the Imperial Heir reach adulthood, I can even let him succeed directly to the throne!”

“Sigh.

“I’m not worried my girl will be bullied inside the imperial palace.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried that after you die, your Ji Clan will be bullied by Qian-girl.”

“...” Ji Runhao.

“Your Second Boy is an honest man.

“Maybe not that honest.

“But even if he isn’t honest, he’s still the most honest among your sons.

“Qian-girl is like Shulan when she was young.

“Naturally intelligent.

“Clear-minded and perceptive.

“But unlike her mother, I raised her at my side from childhood while killing barbarians.

“If—

“I’m saying if—if that day really comes...

“You die.

“Your Second Boy ascends the throne.

“Then your Second Boy dies too...”

“...” Ji Runhao.

“Tsk, tsk.

“Don’t let the princes and nobles of your Ji Clan end up butchered by Qian-girl until barely any remain.

“If that really happens, when the two of us are drinking together down in the Yellow Springs, I might actually feel a little guilty toward you.”

Ji Runhao heard this and was not angry in the slightest.

Instead, he immediately replied, “Those useless sacks of wine and rice in the imperial clan waste grain merely by remaining alive.

“I can’t kill them.

“But if Qian-girl kills them, good!

“Kill them well!”

“You’re certainly open-minded.”

“Heh.

“I chose Second Boy as the future Crown Prince.

“Would I not know his temperament?

“I chose Qian-girl as Crown Princess.

“Would I not know what sort of...”

“What sort of what?”

“What sort of family upbringing she has.”

“What’s wrong with my Li Clan’s family upbringing?!”

“I didn’t say anything was wrong.

“Look at you blowing your beard and glaring already.

“You’re the one feeling guilty first.”

“I’m not!”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You absolutely are!”

“Fine.

“I am.”

“That’s more like it.

“You and I can probably live another ten or twenty years.

“That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?

“Once the two of us finish what we truly want to accomplish—once we carve out an enormous territory for The Great Yan Dynasty, for the people of Yan—once we leave our children and grandchildren an enormous inheritance—then as long as the family estate is large enough, we won’t need to fear whatever trouble they make!

“Take another ten thousand steps backward.

“Even if Qian-girl really wants the hen to crow at dawn, even if she wants to become Empress of The Great Yan Dynasty—let her!

“The child in her belly will still be my own grandson.

“If she wants to rule, let her rule.

“Eventually she’ll have had enough fun.

“She’ll grow old.

“She won’t have the energy anymore.

“She’ll want to rest.

“Won’t she still have to return power to my own grandson?”

At this point, Ji Runhao reached out and gripped the Marquis of Zhenbei’s hand.

The Emperor of Yan’s eyes had turned completely red.

“I truly can accept anything.

“I truly can let go of anything.

“There is only one thing

“I cannot let go!

“Hundreds of years.

“Hundreds of years!

“We people of Yan have defended the entire East from the barbarians for hundreds of years!

“If generation after generation of Yan people had not died in the desert, relying on the useless trash of those other three states, they would have become barbarian slaves long ago!

“And even so, they still curse us people of Yan as barbarians!

“Do you know?

“In their eyes, we Yan people and the desert barbarians are the same!

“We are all barbarians.

“All uncivilized savages!”

The Marquis of Zhenbei allowed Ji Runhao to grip his hand.

He closed his eyes.

Then nodded.

“Yes.

“Yes.”

“I cannot forget what happened a hundred years ago.

“The barbarian host marched south to fight a decisive battle against The Great Yan Dynasty!

“And that Emperor of Qian actually dared raise five hundred thousand troops to launch a surprise attack against our undefended rear!”

Hearing this, the Marquis of Zhenbei clenched his teeth as well.

His family the line of the Marquis of Zhenbei had established its foundation precisely in the battle that crushed those five hundred thousand troops of Qian!

“Liangting.

“Do you still remember what we said when we were children?”

The Marquis of Zhenbei nodded.

“I remember.”

...

Back then, two ten-year-old boys had just finished fighting over a chicken leg.

Ten-year-old Li Liangting was enjoying the chicken leg.

Ten-year-old Ji Runhao sat nearby with a bruised and swollen face, watching him enviously.

After a while, Ji Runhao said, “I heard outsiders say that the people of Qian call us Yan barbarians.

“Just like we call the desert tribes barbarians.”

“Mm.

“I heard that too.”

“They can call us barbarians.

“Fine.

“When I become Emperor someday, I’ll show them exactly how terrifying real barbarians can be.

“I’ll capture their Emperor and their princesses and bring them all to the capital.

“I’ll lock them in pigsties.

“I’ll make them dance for me.

“Sing for me.

“Recite poetry and compose prose for me!

“I’ll take everything they’re so proud of and grind it beneath my feet!”

“What a pity.

“I can’t become Emperor.”

Ten-year-old Li Liangting, who had just finished his chicken leg, said this without the slightest fear.

“Then you’re really useless.

“They call you a barbarian and you can’t even do anything back.”

Ten-year-old Ji Runhao, who had just been beaten up, mocked him.

Ten-year-old Li Liangting was still licking grease from the corner of his mouth and savoring the chicken leg.

Hearing that, he smacked his lips unhappily.

He thought hard, trying to come up with some way he could retaliate.

He thought.

And thought.

At last, he seemed to find one.

He said, “My family has three hundred thousand troops.”

(End of Chapter)