Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Early in the second month, Jizhou City.

The imperial messenger finished reading the edict and, bowing, placed the bright yellow scroll into the hands of General Han Zongping, saying with deep meaning, "General, from last autumn to now, this is already the third time His Majesty has urged you to come to the capital. The first two times, you claimed illness and did not go, and His Majesty, considering your health, did not pursue it. Now, His Majesty is gravely ill and urgently summons you to the capital to discuss matters of succession. If you delay again, do you want His Majesty to depart without peace?"

Han Zongping tightly held the scroll in his hand, bowed three times toward the capital, then stood up, his expression solemn, and said, "Rest assured, sir, I will set out today."

The imperial messenger wiped his reddened eyes, glanced at the towering general standing nearby with a squad of guards, and said to Han Zongping, "Among the four generals in the north, you have the highest prestige. At the beginning of the year, when His Majesty summoned you twice, Generals Lü Sheng of Liangzhou, Zhao Liangchen of Jinzhou, and Chen Wang of Liaozhou all looked to you for leadership. When you did not comply, they all claimed illness as well. Rumors have long circulated in the capital that the four of you intend to rebel, causing His Majesty great worry and worsening his condition. Only if you go can His Majesty find peace."

Han Zongping stood with a stern demeanor, his eyes lowered.

The imperial messenger continued, "General, rest assured. His Majesty knows you cannot abandon your border duties, so he has specially dispatched General Yan Zhong to temporarily take over Jizhou. When you return from the capital, General Yan will report back."

General Yan Zhong slapped his chest and declared loudly, "General, rest assured. I will defend Jizhou with my life; not a single barbarian will step inside."

Han Zongping nodded and had his servants lead the two men to rest while he prepared for his journey to the capital.

After they left, Han Zongping sat in the hall and slowly unrolled the edict. Though the edict was written by a civil official, the imperial seal on it was genuine.

At this moment, three people rushed in: his son Han Bao, and his two advisors, Wei Qi and Song Lan.

Han Bao, twenty years old, with a scholarly appearance, anxiously asked, "Father, the court is urging you to go to the capital again?"

Han Zongping nodded and looked at the two advisors, "His Majesty wants me to go to the capital to discuss matters of succession. My decision is made; I will set out shortly. Gentlemen, there is no need to persuade me further."

Wei Qi sighed, "General, are you still unwilling to believe that His Majesty has passed away? This is clearly a plot by Imperial Uncle Dou, who fears your military power, to forge an edict and lure you to the capital. If you go, it will be a one-way trip."

Han Zongping replied, "These are all your speculations. Have you considered that if His Majesty is still alive and I disobey the edict, it would confirm the rumors that I intend to rebel? I, Han Zongping, have served the court faithfully all my life and would rather die than bear the stigma of betraying my sovereign. After I leave, please continue to teach my son and manage the military affairs, which will be temporarily overseen by General Yan."

Wei Qi retorted, "General Yan Zhong is related to Imperial Uncle Dou and colludes with him to control the court. Can't you see through Imperial Uncle Dou's ambitions?"

Han Zongping responded, "Perhaps this is His Majesty's intention. Because I refused twice, His Majesty suspects me. Once I explain myself in the capital, His Majesty will surely allow me to continue defending Jizhou."

It is true that His Majesty favors Imperial Uncle Dou, but Han Zongping himself was personally promoted by His Majesty and has never been suspected because of Imperial Uncle Dou's slander.

Wei Qi became angry and flung his sleeve, "I fear you will never see His Majesty!"

Han Zongping smiled, "Even if I don't, I will have no regrets. At least I will not betray the court and will die with a clear conscience."

Wei Qi was speechless, "..."

Han Bao fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, "If you insist on going, Father, I will accompany you. If His Majesty is alive, we will both return safely. If this is all a plot by Imperial Uncle Dou, he will harm me after harming you. I might as well go with you."

Han Zongping helped his frail son up, gripping his thin shoulders, "No, if it truly is a plot by Imperial Uncle Dou, it means His Majesty has passed and the villains are in power. In that case, you should heed the advice of the gentlemen and rally the troops of Jizhou to march to the capital and purge the traitors, supporting the young emperor."

Han Bao pleaded, "The army of Jizhou was trained by you, Father. How can I, who lacks virtue and ability, command them? Only you can shoulder this responsibility!"

Han Zongping released his son and turned away, "I have defended the border for thirty years, and for thirty years, I have only led troops north. Unless I see His Majesty's coffin with my own eyes, I will not turn south..."

Suddenly, a violent cough interrupted his vow.

Song Lan apologized, "I have caught a cold these past few days. Please forgive me, General."

Han Zongping glanced at the advisor who was also concerned for him and waved his hand, "Gentlemen, please return."

Song Lan immediately bowed and left.

Wei Qi, incredulous, chased after him and stopped him, "Aren't you here to assist the General in achieving greatness? Are you so easily convinced to watch the General go to his death?"

Song Lan smiled, "The General is loyal to His Majesty. We managed to delay him for months, but now that the court is using the pretext of succession, our words alone are no longer enough."

Wei Qi, seeing his calm smile, whispered, "Do you have a plan?"

Song Lan nodded, "But this plan is dangerous. Do you, Brother Wei, wish to join me?"

Wei Qi replied, "If it can change the General's mind, I am willing to do anything."

Song Lan then grabbed his wrist and went to seek out Han Zongping's deputy, Fan Zhao.

Meanwhile, Han Zongping had packed his belongings and was instructing his son on other matters when he heard a commotion outside. Surprised, father and son walked out and, just as they reached the courtyard gate, a formidable general approached—his trusted deputy, Fan Zhao. Fan Zhao, covered in blood, strode forward, holding two dripping heads in his hands.

Han Bao, frightened, hid behind his father.

When Han Zongping recognized the heads, he was stunned, then suddenly furious, pointing at Fan Zhao and shouting, "You ungrateful wretch! Are you trying to make me bear the eternal disgrace of defying the edict and rebelling against the sovereign?"

Fan Zhao snorted, threw the heads of the imperial messenger and Yan Zhong to the ground, and knelt, "It is the General who is confused. His Majesty has long passed, and everyone in the capital knows it. Only you refuse to believe it and insist on walking into a trap. I did not want you to go to your death in vain. Killing them was the best way to stop you. If it doesn't work, cut off my head and take it to the capital as an apology to Imperial Uncle Dou!"

As he spoke, Wei Qi and Song Lan also approached, kneeling behind Fan Zhao, "We came up with the idea, and General Fan carried it out. Please cut off our heads as well and take them to the capital as an apology."

At this moment, a soldier rushed in, reporting, "General, several of General Yan's guards have fled the city on horseback. Should we send more men to chase them?"

Han Zongping collapsed to the ground.

Chasing them would confirm his rebellion, but not chasing them would still result in the guards spreading the news of his killing Yan Zhong and the imperial messenger, leading to the same accusation of rebellion.

Song Lan raised his gaze and, looking at the most respected general in the kingdom, declared loudly, "General, I swear on my head that His Majesty has long passed, and the capital is controlled by villains. They deceive the young emperor, the virtuous ministers, and the common people. Now, rebels are rising in various regions of the north, claiming to restore the empire while gathering wealth and causing chaos."

"At this critical moment, if you lead your troops south, it will be a righteous act to purge the court of traitors and save the people. The late emperor would smile in his grave, and future generations would praise you for saving the Zhou Dynasty. How could this bring any disgrace?"

Wei Qi added, "Indeed, General, you have defended the borders for thirty years and are a hero in the hearts of the people. They all hope you will save them from their suffering. If you fall into Imperial Uncle Dou's trap and die in the capital, who will save the people and restore the Zhou Dynasty? Would you sacrifice the greater loyalty to the empire and its people for a lesser loyalty to the late emperor?"

Han Bao, crying, knelt before Han Zongping, bowing, "Father, listen to the gentlemen! Even if His Majesty is alive, Imperial Uncle Dou, the great villain, must be punished. After you eliminate the traitor for the court, if His Majesty punishes you, we will submit ourselves to justice. Who could say the Han family is not loyal to the sovereign?"

Seeing the situation, Han Zongping took a final look at the two heads and sighed deeply, "Very well, I will follow your advice, but I must make it clear: if His Majesty appears to stop me during the journey south, I will immediately surrender to the court."

Wei Qi and Song Lan were overjoyed and exclaimed together, "General, you are wise!"

Han Zongping led his troops southward, but he needed to make a series of preparations first.

First, he dispatched five teams of messengers to the capital city, Liangzhou, Jinzhou, Liaozhou, and Qingzhou, informing them of his intention to "purge the court and remove the treacherous ministers."

To the court, he hoped the Emperor would come forward to dispel the rumors.

To the border garrisons of Liangzhou, Jinzhou, Liaozhou, and Qingzhou, Han Zongping hoped these four regions would remain neutral, focusing on defending their borders rather than allowing the northern barbarians or the two pretenders in the south to take advantage of the internal strife in Dazhou. He also planned to leave ten thousand troops to continue guarding Jizhou, taking only fifty thousand troops southward.

Qingzhou and Liaozhou were the closest, and their generals expressed support for Han Zongping.

It was a widely acknowledged fact that Imperial Uncle Dou had deliberately concealed the death of the previous emperor and repeatedly forged imperial edicts to reclaim control over the border armies. The generals of Qingzhou and Liaozhou neither wanted to rebel nor be manipulated by Imperial Uncle Dou, so it was most fitting for Han Zongping to take the lead.

The general of Jinzhou was Zhao Liangchen.

Zhao Liangchen had a grudge against Imperial Uncle Dou and a comradely bond with Han Zongping from fighting side by side on the battlefield. He was willing to support Han Zongping, but hoped that Han Zongping could clear out the rebellious forces in Jinzhou while heading south, restoring peace to the people.

Since the Han family army was stationed in Jizhou, there were no uprisings in the surrounding areas. After reading Zhao Liangchen's letter, Han Zongping asked the messenger, "Is Jinzhou really that chaotic?"

The messenger replied, "Yes, Shuozhou has already been occupied by a self-proclaimed 'Prince of Dai,' who is said to have recruited an army of one hundred thousand men."

Han Zongping, frustrated, said, "What's wrong with the Shuozhou army? They can't even deal with a single rebel prince!"

He was confident that with only fifty thousand troops, he could fight all the way to the capital city!

Wei Qi remarked, "I've always said that the entire court and local governments are thoroughly corrupt. If there were more virtuous and capable officials like you, the two pretenders in the south wouldn't have risen."

Song Lan nodded in agreement.

Han Zongping shook his head and continued to ask the messenger, "How do those rebel princes treat the people?"

The messenger sighed, "Wherever I passed, the people were displaced and suffering. Only the counties around Da Tong remained peaceful."

Song Lan, having lived in Wei County for several years, asked with concern, "Did you pass through Wei County?"

Wei County was quite far from Da Tong and might have been occupied by some rebel prince by now.

The messenger nodded, "On my way, I rode swiftly without delay, but on my return, I specifically inquired about Wei County. I learned that a civilian general had emerged there, leading the people of two counties to defeat a cruel rebel leader. Now, he temporarily governs seven counties, training troops and distributing land to the people. People from other counties are flocking to join him, creating a scene of prosperity."

Han Zongping: "A civilian general? Has he not declared himself king?"

Messenger: "No, he is said to be temporarily governing the seven counties for the court, protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of the people."

Han Zongping: "This is indeed a remarkable person. When we pass through Wei County, we should meet him."

Song Lan, intrigued, asked, "May I ask the name of this civilian general?"

Messenger: "His surname is Xiao, and he is said to be seventy-one years old."

Song Lan: "..."