Chapter 831: Die!

“Master, Count Yishan and Sushan Camp cannot be allowed to go wrong. If something happens there, there will be no war left for us to fight.”

As the Blind Man spoke, he reached into his pocket and felt around.

Nothing.

Seeing this, Zheng Fan tossed him an orange.

The Blind Man caught it and began peeling.

The feel was terrible.

He frowned slightly.

A mandarin resisted a little at first, but once you got started, it obediently let you strip away its clothes layer by layer.

An orange was different.

No progression.

No rhythm.

The former was art.

The latter was hard labor.

“I know that.”

Zheng Fan rested one hand against his forehead and continued:

“I’ve read all the logistical memorials from the various regions. Things are difficult. Forget sustaining the army outside South Gate Pass through a prolonged campaign. Simply gathering all these troops here and feeding soldiers and laborers every day is already an enormous burden. If we haven’t even gone outside to fight yet and first have to suppress an internal rebellion, then wreck the entire structure around South Gate Pass in the process, there really won’t be any war left to fight. Qian and Chu would laugh themselves to death.”

“Chen Yang did make a mistake this time,” the Blind Man said, still wrestling with the orange. “How did Master originally intend to deal with him?”

“Establish authority.”

Simple and direct.

Back when Zheng Fan was still Defense Commander of Cuiliu Fort, he himself had done his share of sacrificing fellow Daoists so he could survive.

That did not stop him from standing on the moral high ground now and condemning Chen Yang for ignoring the greater situation.

Besides, a great army was assembling and a new supreme commander had arrived.

Someone always had to light the first fire.

Everyone understood the logic of killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys.

That did not make it any less useful.

Monkeys simply responded well to it.

“Kill him or not?” the Blind Man asked.

Zheng Fan answered:

“I’m still considering it.”

The Blind Man smiled.

“There you have it. Master has always preferred acting directly. You uphold the greater legitimacy when possible, but when the critical moment comes, you have never cared whose face gets slapped. So Chen Yang’s side probably understands what is waiting for them. If I put myself in his place, and my life or death was still being weighed and toyed with by someone above me, I might rebel too. Besides, Count Yishan is not alone. The rod will not fall only on his own back. Remember, after Chen Yang claimed illness and stayed home, the imperial commissioner first tried to select one of the officers under him to temporarily handle Sushan Camp. Not one of them gave the commissioner face. At the time, that was loyalty and brotherhood. But now that their chief is about to suffer, those younger commanders beneath him will inevitably be dragged in too. Even if Chen Yang is willing to bare his back and accept punishment, will every little military boss below him be willing?”

“I know the logic. It depends on whether Chen Yang himself can still control the troops under him.”

“Yes.”

The Blind Man set down the half-peeled orange.

He lifted his fingers to his nose and smelled them.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally said:

“Master, since the Secret Intelligence Department has already detected something, that means Sushan Camp must have made some movement.”

“And?”

“Master, if Chen Yang truly rebels, what chance does he have of winning?”

“Unless he hands South Gate Pass to Qian and Chu and goes to become their dog, none.”

Zheng Fan said this with complete confidence.

And the facts supported him.

By now, so many armies had already gathered around Zheng Fan.

Even if Chen Yang raised Sushan Camp in rebellion, the main army stood directly in front of him and could crush him almost immediately.

If he dared kick up trouble anywhere in Jin, he would be pinned down at once.

Rebellion itself also carried an inherent illegitimacy.

Prince Jingnan was gone.

If Chen Yang rebelled, then aside from Chen Yang and the officers personally closest to him, how many ordinary commanders and soldiers would truly be willing to follow him to the end?

Even if he offered South Gate Pass... would Qian and Chu dare accept it so recklessly?

And if he led his army out through the pass to defect, how many men would willingly follow him into another country and become rootless wandering ghosts?

Sushan Camp was an army composed mainly of Yan men.

Its makeup was entirely different from the forces beneath Prince Pingxi Residence.

And did Chen Yang truly fail to understand that going to serve Qian as a dog would not bring him any good ending either?

“So this subordinate also believes Chen Yang is unlikely to openly rebel for himself.”

“Mm?”

“This subordinate accidentally put himself too deeply into Chen Yang’s position just now. Then I realized there is a better way to dissolve the present crisis.”

“What way?”

“Rebellion.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not if he places the yellow robe... on Master.”

At those words, Zheng Fan’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Perhaps because the Blind Man spent so many years thinking about rebellion, he reached this possibility almost instantly.

And after that hint, Zheng Fan understood the beauty of the move at once.

Originally... he had been going there to punish Chen Yang.

To condemn him.

But if Chen Yang turned around and pulled something like this first, then as long as he forced the raw rice into cooked rice, Zheng Fan would have to acknowledge him.

Not only would Chen Yang erase his previous crimes...

Zheng Fan would owe him a debt of favor.

And Chen Yang himself could leap directly from Count Yishan into the ranks of the foremost ministers who had “followed the dragon.”

The Blind Man muttered:

“Right now really is a very good opportunity for someone to place the yellow robe on Master. The court only recently quarreled badly with the military bosses in Jin. Li Fusheng has just died in battle. And Master already has so many troops gathered around you. If you truly hardened your heart... this might actually work.”

“So?” Zheng Fan looked at the Blind Man with amusement. “You approve? We simply go along with the current?”

The Blind Man shook his head without hesitation.

He picked up the half-peeled orange and resumed his labor.

“How could I approve? This subordinate wants to play at rebellion personally. That is the only way it would be fun. He would be stealing my gaming experience.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Master, facing the present situation, this subordinate has three strategies.”

“Speak.”

“The inferior strategy: Master rides there alone and...”

“Rejected.”

“Yes. The middle strategy: we prepare in advance, continue marching, bypass Sushan Camp, and go first to South Gate Pass. Chen Yang himself should also be at South Gate Pass. Once the main army arrives, he will no longer have room to jump around.”

“And the superior strategy?”

“The superior strategy is naturally already inside Master’s head.”

“What if I actually had no strategy at all? Wouldn’t that make your flattery rather awkward?”

The Blind Man shook his head.

“When it comes to politics, Master is actually more talented than this subordinate.”

Zheng Fan said:

“Tell me. Those men around Chen Yang really do not treat this Prince as much of a Prince, do they? Heh. When Old Tian was still here, I already knew they had thoughts like these. But while Old Tian was alive, they did not dare. Now it’s my turn, and suddenly they dare. They truly don’t treat bean buns as real food.”

“And yet people like that are especially good at ruining things.”

“Exactly.”

“But this subordinate believes Master already has the situation entirely under control.”

“Enough.”

Zheng Fan sighed.

“Pass the order. The army continues forward. The central command changes route. We bypass Sushan Camp and go first to Suzhou City.”

...

Nobody expected Prince Pingxi’s central command to bypass Sushan Camp entirely and head straight for Suzhou City.

The common people of Suzhou finally felt as though the stabilizing pillar of the sea had arrived.

Prince Pingxi himself was bringing an army.

That meant Qian dogs and Chu slaves could not possibly break in.

And the military chaos everyone had already begun fearing probably would not happen either.

But the officials inside Suzhou City did not think that way.

The Prince had traveled west while refusing to meet local officials.

He passed cities without entering them.

Now his supposed destination was already close.

Yet instead of going to Sushan Camp... instead of going to South Gate Pass... he came first to Suzhou City.

What exactly did that mean?

Liang Cheng had not come on this campaign.

He remained behind in eastern Jin.

There was no choice.

Someone capable had to guard the household.

Someone with enough authority to mobilize every army in eastern Jin while Prince Pingxi was away.

No one but Liang Cheng fit that role.

This time, Zheng Fan personally appointed Ren Juan as commander of his central army.

Back when Zheng Fan served as General of Shengle, Ren Juan could technically have been considered his superior.

Today, Ren Juan had been enfeoffed as Count Shunhai and was stationed in the old capital region of Jin.

A former superior now had to kneel and greet his old subordinate.

Ren Juan himself did not seem troubled by it.

If anything, Prince Pingxi was the one who felt slightly awkward.

So inside the commander’s carriage, Prince Pingxi occupied the chief seat while Ren Juan knelt at one side.

“Once the matter here is settled, I’ll trouble Count Shunhai to personally make a trip to South Gate Pass.”

“Your Highness may rest assured. This general will never allow Chen Yang to do such a thing!”

“The state comes first. That was the lesson the Prince left us.”

The “Prince” in Zheng Fan’s words naturally meant Prince Jingnan.

Ren Juan nodded.

“With this arrangement, Chen Yang no longer has any reason to continue doing something stupid.”

Zheng Fan smiled faintly.

His fingertips tapped lightly against the table.

“Tea.”

“Cigarette.”

Then... under Ren Juan’s twitching gaze...

His Highness the Crown Prince carried the tea over.

The Heir of Prince Jingnan came with the fire striker to light the cigarette.

Ren Juan truly could not even imagine enjoying treatment like this.

Yet Prince Pingxi remained utterly composed.

By now, he had already grown used to it.

And the children seemed even more used to it.

Compared with him, Ren Juan felt that back when Prince Jingnan had been alive, the man had always observed certain rules and boundaries.

The Prince before him now... completely ignored those rules.

At times, he even seemed to enjoy the pleasure of trampling them.

Prince Pingxi took a sip of tea.

Exhaled smoke.

Then looked at the two eager children before him.

“Go.”

The two boys held hands.

Excited and nervous, they walked outside.

...

In front of the commander’s carriage stood the officials waiting to receive the princely procession.

They had arranged themselves in several neat rows.

The common people of Suzhou had been held back by armored soldiers under Ren Juan’s command.

The yamen runners and city garrison alone could no longer restrain the surging enthusiasm of the local population.

There was no helping it.

Because Prince Jingnan had annihilated his own clan, his reputation among ordinary people had never been easy to rehabilitate.

But as Zheng Fan rose from Count Pingye to Marquis Pingxi and finally Prince Pingxi, every major victory Great Yan won across the past several years had been calculated one way by the court and another way by the common people.

Among the people... they preferred putting the credit and glory on Zheng Fan.

Because Zheng Fan’s origins were clean.

Ordinary.

Easy to identify with.

The result... was enormous prestige among the populace.

Even children understood that if they played war and pretended to be Prince Jingnan, their fathers might beat them with a shoe sole.

But if they pretended to be Prince Pingxi... their fathers would smile with pride and tell their mothers:

Prince Pingxi came from a family just like ours!

Yet the surging crowd outside could not ease the anxiety of the Suzhou officials standing within the cordon.

The commander’s carriage had stopped long ago.

But the Prince himself still had not emerged.

Standing at the front of the officials was not the Prefect of Suzhou.

It was Zhou Furui, Prefect of Litian City.

Beside Zhou Furui stood Imperial Commissioner Xu Qingshan, holding the staff of imperial commission.

Zhou Furui’s hair was somewhat disheveled.

A sign that his thoughts had been in turmoil these past days.

Xu Qingshan’s official robes, meanwhile, remained immaculate.

His hair was combed and bound with perfect care.

Yet his entire person gave off the air of a man already nearing the grave.

Imperial decrees questioning his conduct had come one after another.

In truth, they were already only going through procedure.

The final punishment merely remained to be announced.

But at least for the moment... he still possessed the title of imperial commissioner.

So standing alongside Zhou Furui before all the officials of Suzhou remained entirely proper.

The sun blazed overhead.

The commander’s carriage remained silent.

Zhou Furui stepped forward first.

He came before the carriage and said:

“Zhou Furui, Prefect of Litian City, pays respects to Prince Pingxi. May Your Highness enjoy health and fortune!”

No response came from the carriage.

Zhou Furui turned his head.

He looked at Xu Qingshan behind him.

Xu Qingshan stepped forward holding the staff of imperial commission.

At first glance, the man truly looked distinguished.

Elegant.

A proper face for an official.

Because he still carried an imperial mission, he did not bow.

Instead, he spoke as an equal messenger of the throne:

“Imperial Commissioner Xu Qingshan greets Prince Pingxi.”

The moment his words fell... movement came from inside the carriage.

The curtain lifted.

Everyone instinctively rose slightly onto their toes to see.

At the front of the commander’s carriage... two small figures appeared.

One wore a fitted golden dragon robe.

The other wore a white python robe.

Their identities were easy to guess.

Easy to recognize.

Zhou Furui immediately prostrated himself.

Xu Qingshan prostrated himself too.

The Prefect of Suzhou, standing slightly behind them, dropped to his knees as well.

The officials farther back had not yet clearly seen who appeared.

They only thought it unlikely Prince Pingxi had somehow become that short.

But seeing the three great officials in front kneel, everyone immediately followed.

Zhou Furui and Xu Qingshan spoke in unison:

“This subject pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live Your Highness for a thousand, thousand years!”

Then the two men rose.

Zhou Furui bowed deeply toward Tian Tian.

“This humble official pays respects to His Highness the Heir. May Your Highness enjoy health and fortune.”

Xu Qingshan said:

“This official greets His Highness the Heir.”

Both Crown Prince Ji Chuanye and Tian Tian had already seen grand scenes.

Everyone in Prince Pingxi Residence knew just how convincingly the Crown Prince could pretend to be a little adult.

And as for Tian Tian...

Zheng Fan had personally taken him to war before.

How could he suffer stage fright?

But right now... the two children exchanged a glance.

Clearly, they were nervous.

This kind of matter was a first even for them.

Tian Tian was older.

So he took on the responsibility of elder brother.

He pointed toward Xu Qingshan.

“Are you Imperial Commissioner Xu?”

Xu Qingshan nodded.

“Answering Your Highness, that is indeed this Xu.”

The Crown Prince coughed lightly.

Then said:

“Xu... Qingshan.”

Xu Qingshan bowed.

“What instruction does Your Highness the Crown Prince have?”

The Crown Prince pointed at him.

“Why are you...”

He got stuck.

Xu Qingshan looked up in confusion.

“Your Highness, what about this subject?”

The Crown Prince answered:

“Why aren’t you dead yet?”

[End of Chapter 831]