Chapter 139: One Who Understands War

“Enough, enough.

“Let’s go down.

“Let’s go.”

Prince Fu wrapped both hands around his belly and began making his way down from the wall.

A sedan chair waited below.

Several dozen guards stood beside it.

According to rumor, even inside his own residence Prince Fu was accustomed to traveling by sedan chair.

Generally speaking, nobles riding in palanquins inside the imperial palace was nothing unusual.

But that was because the palace itself was enormous.

Prince Fu was simply too fat and disliked walking.

After Prince Fu entered the sedan chair, Mianzhou’s newly appointed Prefect stepped forward.

“Your Highness.

“Why not stay tonight at this subordinate’s private residence?”

“No.

“I’ll stay at the Prefectural Yamen.

“The Imperial Court’s rules cannot be neglected.”

“Yes.”

“Everyone, there is no need to escort me farther.

“Return early and rest.”

The newly appointed civil and military officials of Mianzhou City bowed toward the sedan chair.

“Lift.”

Once they had separated from the local officials the sedan chair traveled steadily toward the Prefectural Yamen.

The guards at the entrance immediately opened the gates and allowed the sedan to pass straight inside.

Although it was already night the yamen remained brightly lit.

In certain corners between bricks and tiles or inside cracks beside pillars one could still find blackened stains of old blood.

Several months earlier, a band of Yan dogs had suddenly broken into the city and charged directly into the yamen.

The line of writing once left upon a pillar had already been scrubbed away.

But the name of the man who wrote it had already been remembered by many.

Break the city.

Enter the yamen.

Kill.

Leave words behind.

That Yan Garrison Commander named Zheng Fan had displayed the arrogance and overbearing swagger of a Yan man to its absolute extreme.

The sedan continued directly into the rear courtyard.

The smell of blood there was, in a sense, even stronger.

Naturally, one could no longer actually smell it.

But once a man imagined how many officials had been beheaded here that night how one headless corpse after another had lain scattered across this courtyard even the wind seemed to become slightly sinister.

Prince Fu finally stepped down from the sedan.

Supported by a personal eunuch, he entered the room.

Two charcoal braziers burned inside.

Once Prince Fu sat down, the eunuch immediately brought hot water.

He personally removed Prince Fu’s boots and began soaking his feet.

Prince Fu’s ankles were already somewhat swollen.

It was mainly because he was too fat and rarely exercised.

After several days of travel, some swelling in his legs and feet was entirely normal.

The eunuch carefully massaged him to loosen his muscles and improve the circulation.

A maid brought tea from the side.

Prince Fu accepted the cup and began drinking.

Inside the hall also stood a middle-aged man wearing leather armor and a scholar wrapped in bulky brocade robes.

“Hoo…”

Prince Fu released a long breath.

He set down the tea cup.

Then said, “Do you two not find it ridiculous?

“Those scholars spend all day saying things like, ‘The Master did not speak of strange powers and chaotic spirits,’ or boasting that they nurture righteous qi within themselves.

“But in the end— they are too frightened to even live inside this yamen.”

Although this place still carried the signboard of the Prefectural Yamen the newly appointed Prefect and the others had chosen not to work here.

Instead, they rented a separate residence inside the city.

The reason was simple.

People had died here.

Many, many people.

And the dead had been their own kind.

The scholar spoke.

“Perhaps they are even laughing at Your Highness for being overly timid and not daring to step even half a pace beyond regulations.”

An Imperial Commissioner traveling on state business was bound by rules everywhere.

Even where he stayed was an important matter.

Of course, other Imperial Commissioners might not care too much and simply adapt to circumstances.

But Prince Fu was a Feudal Prince.

The Imperial Court had always watched the Feudal Princes extremely closely.

Civil officials, especially, would stare fiercely at any action by a Feudal Prince that exceeded proper bounds.

The Feudal Princes of Great Qian were noble because their surname was Zhao.

But the Feudal Princes of Great Qian also resembled a row of brightly polished spittoons.

Every scholar with a sense of righteousness wanted to spit into them.

No matter the time condemning the Feudal Princes and denouncing those parasites of the state was always politically correct in Great Qian.

And so the Feudal Princes could only bury themselves inside their estates and live their own lives.

Their fiefs might be enormous.

Yet they rarely even left their residences.

Some would not leave their own city for years.

“Let them laugh.

“Aren’t they also laughing at that old dog Yang?”

Prince Fu spoke calmly.

His appearance truly embodied the phrase a broad heart and a fat body.

“Your Highness.

“Up on the wall earlier, you were laughing at Grand Commandant Yang too.”

“No choice, Wenle.

“If you want to get along with a crowd, the easiest way is to curse someone together with them.

“The court has been raging lately.

“I hear memorials impeaching that old dog Yang are piled across the imperial study.”

Prince Fu raised one hand and rubbed his four-layered chin.

Then continued, “But after traveling all this way— let me speak from the heart.

“That old dog Yang doesn’t have it easy.

“Not easy at all.”

The scholar named Wenle nodded.

“Grand Commandant Yang truly has it difficult.”

“I understand eunuchs.

“They’ve lost the thing below.

“They were born incomplete.

“A civil official may deliberately court a beating before the palace to gain a reputation.

“But eunuchs— in truth, want reputation even more.”

Because they desired even more desperately to prove themselves.

Prince Fu raised his left foot, signaling the eunuch below to wipe it dry.

Then continued, “But traveling all this way—

I finally saw with my own eyes just how rotten Great Qian’s frontier army has become.

“I knew some of it before.

“But only after seeing it myself did I realize matters had already become this absurd.

“Great Qian claims eight hundred thousand frontier troops.

“Every year the Imperial Court’s taxes support those soldiers.

“But if we count the men who genuinely exist in this world instead of only existing on paper— we may have to cut that number in half.

“And among the remaining four hundred thousand— some have been turned into private slaves and laborers.

“The forces Grand Commandant Yang can genuinely mobilize across the three frontier commands may number only two hundred thousand.

“Perhaps not even that many.”

As he spoke, Prince Fu pointed toward the middle-aged man in leather armor.

“Meng Gong.”

“This general is here.”

“Tell me.

“If that old dog Yang truly dared lead troops out to attack— what kind of ending would he face?”

“Reporting to Your Highness.

“The Jingnan Army of Yan has fifty thousand men.

“But if one includes its Rear Camp and local garrison troops— they can field well over a hundred thousand.”

When it came to military affairs—

Qian people had never possessed much confidence against Yan.

The root of it all was the battle years ago when the first Marquis of Zhenbei used thirty thousand men to defeat five hundred thousand.

That one battle had shattered the martial backbone of the Qian people.

“Sigh.

“So the numbers would already be nearly equal.”

Prince Fu sighed.

If their numbers were merely equal to the Yan army then what the hell was the point of voluntarily going out to fight?

“Your Highness.

“The Jingnan Army of Yan— is cavalry.”

Qian’s shortage of cavalry had been a century-old disease.

Yan possessed better horse pastures.

And it bordered the desert.

Whether buying horses or simply seizing them—

Yan never lacked warhorses.

Qian was different.

Of course, methods were always devised by men.

Qian was wealthy, so it had attempted its own horse-breeding policies.

But every attempt had ultimately died without result.

Huge sums were thrown into the effort without ever producing much of a splash.

“That old dog Yang—

I curse him constantly.

“But I still acknowledge his ability.

“He didn’t rise to command all three frontier regions just because of those three nieces of his.

“There have been plenty of rebellions inside the country over the years.

“Old Dog Yang personally led troops and suppressed them one after another.

“He knows what he’s doing.”

That was precisely why Grand Commandant Yang had managed to become Grand Commandant.

For a eunuch to occupy such a critical military post while the civil officials pinched their noses and tolerated it meant that even those civil officials privately admitted one fact: this eunuch genuinely knew how to fight.

“The entire court is raging now.

“They are cursing Old Dog Yang for avoiding battle and fearing battle.

“There is already a strong movement to summon him back to Shangjing and replace him as commander of the three frontier commands.

“Do either of you know— who suppressed that movement?”

Wenle and Meng Gong shook their heads together.

“Chancellor Han.”

Surprise immediately appeared on both men’s faces.

Everyone knew Chancellor Han and Grand Commandant Yang were bitter enemies.

Back when Grand Commandant Yang had not yet been sent out of the palace, Chancellor Han had personally gone to war against him politically accusing him of misleading the sovereign and disrupting the inner palace.

He had nearly forced Grand Commandant Yang to be granted death.

Although Yang survived in the end he had emerged utterly disgraced.

“Unexpected?”

Prince Fu smiled.

“It wasn’t only Chancellor Han.

“Chancellor Fu.

“Chancellor Sima.

“All the Chancellors suppressed the court’s fury.

“Together, they guaranteed Old Dog Yang before His Majesty.

“That is the only reason Yang can still sit in that position.”

Prince Fu’s foot had been wiped dry and placed back inside his boot.

He struggled somewhat as he rose to his feet.

“The Chancellors in court are not fools.

“Under ordinary circumstances, if Old Dog Yang were removed— they would probably be delighted.

“But not now.

“Now— it would be inappropriate.

“If they remove Old Dog Yang for avoiding battle and replace him with someone else— then no matter who the replacement is, that man would never dare follow Old Dog Yang’s old path.

“He would have to find an opportunity to actively fight the Yan army.

“His Majesty may not fully understand how much fighting strength our Great Qian frontier army still has left.

“But the Chancellors understand.

“They know this is all our frontier army has left.

“If we throw these forces away— we won’t even have paper left to patch the windows.

“That is why, to calm the debate at court— they sent a useless Feudal Prince like me north as Imperial Commissioner to reprimand Old Dog Yang.

“Heh.

“If the Imperial Court genuinely intended a real reprimand— how could they possibly choose me as the Imperial Commissioner?”

Prince Fu understood his own position extremely clearly.

Wenle cupped his hands.

“Your Highness is too modest.”

“No.

“I am not being modest.

“Truthfully— the Chancellors in court have handled matters well.

“Earlier, I truly worried His Majesty might issue an edict removing Old Dog Yang or replacing him with someone else.

“My fief is in Chuzhou.

“If those Yan dogs break through the three northern commands—

I would be the first man to suffer.

“But now—

I can finally relax.

“One hundred and fifty thousand soldiers from the Western Army are already marching here.

“There are also fifty thousand Wolf Native Troops.

“The Capital Army has mobilized another hundred thousand.

“And the Zu Clan Army, which has spent the past several years suppressing pirates along the southeastern coast, has also been ordered to send fifty thousand north.

“Add it all together— roughly three hundred and fifty thousand reinforcements are already coming.

“Heh heh.”

The Western Army had spent years suppressing rebellions among the native chieftains of Great Qian’s southwest.

The Tattoo-Faced Minister had himself come from the Western Army.

One could say the Western Army was Great Qian’s most reliable field force.

The Wolf Native Troops belonged to native chieftains who had submitted to the Imperial Court.

They fought fiercely.

So long as the court provided silver and grain they were willing to fight on its behalf.

The Tattoo-Faced Minister had originally been the one to bring them under control.

Because of that, although occasional disturbances had continued in the southwest over the years none had grown large enough to recreate the disaster that had engulfed the entire southwestern region decades earlier.

The Zu Clan Army was an elite force from Great Qian’s southeastern coast.

It too was capable of real battle.

As for the Capital Army…

Prince Fu could not say.

Like the frontier army, Great Qian’s Capital Army garrisoned around Shangjing had long claimed to number eight hundred thousand.

But Heaven knew how many of those eight hundred thousand men spent every day hauling cargo and conducting business at the docks.

Rumor said Chancellor Han had originally intended to send two hundred thousand Capital Army soldiers north.

But in the end they simply could not scrape together that many.

They had barely assembled one hundred thousand and sent them on the road first.

Prince Fu trusted the Western Army.

Trusted the Wolf Native Troops.

Trusted the Zu Clan Army.

As for the Capital Army he only hoped they would not embarrass themselves too badly.

Then add the Regional Armies already ordered north from commanderies across the state they could probably gather another hundred thousand men.

And even if those soldiers were useless they could still serve as auxiliaries and help defend cities.

“If those Yan dogs want to come south— then let them try.

“Let us see whether they can bite through the three great northern commanderies of our Great Qian.”

Four hundred and fifty thousand reinforcements.

Granted one hundred thousand Capital Army troops and one hundred thousand Regional Army troops deserved large question marks beside their names.

But add Grand Commandant Yang’s troops from the three frontier commands and so long as they defended cities rather than fought in the field—

Prince Fu felt he could sleep peacefully after returning to his fief.

“The Chancellors do not have it easy either,” Wenle sighed.

“Exactly.”

Prince Fu smiled.

“This realm was hollowed out by worms long ago.

“For them to assemble this many soldiers and send them north within such a short time— that is already no small achievement.

“And transporting provisions for them afterward— that too will give the Chancellors enormous headaches.”

“With the situation as it stands now, Great Qian only needs to hold the three northern commanderies and keep the Yan dogs outside.

“Then the Yan themselves will probably collapse into internal chaos.”

Wenle’s assessment was actually the same as Zheng Fan and the Blind Man’s.

The Great Yan Dynasty now looked like blazing oil cooking over a roaring fire.

But such a state could not last.

Yan desperately needed enormous victories through foreign expansion to redirect its internal contradictions.

Otherwise the consequences of trampling the aristocratic clans would slowly begin appearing.

“That is also what the Chancellors believe.

“The Yan Emperor really is a vicious character.

“With one stroke of the blade—

Heaven knows how many aristocratic houses with centuries of inheritance can possibly survive.

“But the Yan Emperor is this addicted to slaughter— desperately militarizing the state and launching war after war.

“Ultimately— it is a path to death.

“It cannot last.

“Besides—

His Majesty has already dispatched three other Imperial Commissioner missions.

“And those three missions— are of much higher rank than mine.

“Heh heh.”

Three Imperial Commissioner missions.

Two were easy to guess.

One toward the State of Chu.

One toward the State of Jin.

Since the Yan Emperor had already raised his whip against Qian the other two states would naturally react out of fear that Qian’s fall might leave their own lips exposed to the cold.

As for the third Imperial Commissioner mission…

Wenle first looked puzzled.

Then realization appeared.

Prince Fu nodded.

“Correct.

“The desert.”

“If that is so— then Great Qian only needs to hold the three frontiers for one year.

“After that, Yan will collapse beneath pressure from within and without!”

Light shone in Wenle’s eyes.

Prince Fu reached up and rubbed his fleshy face.

“Truthfully—

I dislike those civil officials.

“They’re always staring at me, looking for some excuse to bite a chunk off me so they can polish their reputation.

“But I have to admit— those Chancellors truly are extraordinary.

“Heh.

“I suspect the Yan Emperor and his people are still sitting there dreaming that our court will remove Old Dog Yang.”

Troop deployment.

Strategic planning.

Diplomatic coalition-building.

One move after another.

One measure after another.

In such a short period of time—

Qian’s court had already pushed political wisdom almost to its limit.

Wenle, however, suddenly looked somewhat melancholy.

“It is only a pity.

“If our Great Qian…”

He began.

Then did not continue.

If Great Qian’s eight hundred thousand frontier soldiers and eight hundred thousand Capital Army troops had not decayed if most did not exist only on military registers then dealing with the Yan dogs would have been far easier.

One had to remember—

Great Qian paid grain and military stipends every year based upon the official troop registers.

Yet it had spent all these years supporting several hundred thousand men who did not actually exist…

“Great Qian— cannot produce a Tian Wujing.”

Prince Fu spoke.

News from Yan had long since reached Qian.

Over these years, the Silver-Armored Guard had done excellent work infiltrating Yan and gathering intelligence.

At the very least their performance had been far superior to that of Qian’s frontier army.

Embarrassment appeared on Wenle’s face.

Naturally, there could be no Tian Wujing in Great Qian.

The Chancellors could not possibly imitate him either.

Everyone knew exactly where Great Qian’s Three Redundancies lay.

Yet nobody had ever been able to change them.

Because those people themselves including the Chancellors’ own clans, disciples, and former subordinates were participants in that same system.

When reform required cutting your own flesh naturally the blade could no longer descend.

“Meng Gong.

“Why have you remained silent?

“This time, Old Dog Yang specifically named you and asked me to bring you north.

“That alone proves he genuinely values you.

“We have traveled together for many days.

“I know you are not the sort of man who loves speaking loudly or showing off.

“But you must understand— opportunity in life comes down to one word: seize.”

Gratitude appeared on Meng Gong’s face.

Naturally, he understood.

Tonight’s conversation might seem like Prince Fu simply had an idle mouth and wanted to chat.

In truth, Prince Fu had deliberately been guiding him.

Prince Fu laid out the intelligence he possessed.

The details he knew.

All of it.

So that when Meng Gong met Grand Commandant Yang tomorrow he would have something to show.

That was an enormous favor.

Meng Gong knelt.

With complete sincerity, he said, “This general thanks Your Highness for your guidance.”

“Get up.

“Get up quickly.

“And don’t ever say something like that outside.

“I’m a latrine.

“I stink.

“You absolutely cannot let anyone discover you have a relationship with me.

“Otherwise—

I might ruin your future.”

He spoke with complete sincerity.

Meng Gong kowtowed three times toward Prince Fu.

He had already begun treating Prince Fu like an elder.

Meng Gong came from the Meng Clan.

His father had once served as a Commander-General under the Tattoo-Faced Minister.

During the enormous southwestern rebellion of years past a rebellion unprecedented in scale the Tattoo-Faced Minister ultimately suppressed it.

Meng Gong’s father, serving as a Commander-General at the time, had once held an isolated southwestern city for an entire year with only eight thousand Qian soldiers until reinforcements finally arrived.

The Tattoo-Faced Minister had always fought boldly and aggressively.

And precisely because of that Meng Gong’s father had been especially important.

Whenever the Tattoo-Faced Minister launched an aggressive operation, he required a general skilled at defense to guard the vital points behind him.

Meng Gong’s father had been that man.

Any city he defended had never fallen.

Defense could be called the Meng Clan’s hereditary specialty.

Unfortunately, after the Tattoo-Faced Minister met his grim end the Meng Clan, having once served as one of his principal supports, had been banished far from the center.

This time—

Grand Commandant Yang had remembered the descendant of the Meng Clan.

His intention was obvious.

“Meng Gong.

“Tell me what you think.

“I’ll help you review your answer.”

Tomorrow, Meng Gong would meet Grand Commandant Yang.

It was almost like preparing for an examination.

Prince Fu genuinely had no intention of extracting profit from Meng Gong.

As a Feudal Prince, the only method he possessed for obtaining serious political benefit was rebellion.

He helped Meng Gong simply because he valued talent.

Meng Gong drew in a deep breath.

He looked somewhat hesitant.

“Speak.

“Speak boldly.”

Prince Fu encouraged him.

Meng Gong nodded.

“The arrangements made by the Chancellors are not wrong.

“Grand Commandant Yang’s decisions are not wrong.

“Your Highness’s words are not wrong either.”

“Continue.”

Meng Gong first retreated one step.

Then bowed toward Prince Fu.

“But—

Your Highness does not understand war.”

“…”

Prince Fu.

“Cough…

“Cough…”

Wenle could not stop himself from coughing.

Prince Fu, however, laughed freely.

“If I understood war— then that really would be…”

Great Qian raised its Feudal Princes like pigs.

So Prince Fu had simply eaten himself into a pig.

If Feudal Princes genuinely knew warfare and understood how to command armies how could the Imperial Court possibly sleep peacefully?

“Grand Commandant Yang’s decisions are excellent.

“But Grand Commandant Yang— in truth, does not understand war either.”

Grand Commandant Yang had indeed led troops and suppressed numerous rebellions.

But those rebellions had mostly consisted of peasant insurgents, bandits, and roaming mobs.

“Continue,” Prince Fu said.

His expression had begun sinking.

“The arrangements made by the Chancellors are also excellent.

“But the Chancellors— do not understand war either.”

The meaning was only one step removed from directly accusing all the Chancellors of empty talk and armchair strategy.

Prince Fu looked confused.

He asked, “Anything else?”

“Yes.”

“Continue.”

“Your Highness.

“The Yan court’s Li Liangting and Tian Wujing— how do their current positions compare with the Chancellors of our court?”

“They are at least their equals.

“Perhaps even above them.”

Prince Fu answered.

Heaven knew what the Yan Emperor was thinking to trust two military commanders and hereditary nobles to such an extent.

Meng Gong said, “What this general wishes to say is this:

Li Liangting and Tian Wujing understand war.”

(End of Chapter)