Chapter 245

Chapter 245

The Xiao Family, the Marquis’s residence.

Xiao Zhen brought up this matter to Tong Sui as well.

Tong Sui frowned as soon as she heard it. Two years ago, when she and her grandfather were in a standoff against Xie Jian in Jingzhou, they had gathered information about the Xie family and inadvertently uncovered some details about Wang Dingxian in Hanzhou.

Wang Dingxian was certainly brave on the battlefield and had racked up several victories. However, these victories came while Xie Jian in Jingzhou was severely damaging the morale of the Ling Kingdom. Once Xie Jian held his position and Wang Dingxian seized what he thought was a 'good opportunity' to attack, he suffered more defeats.

As the elder put it, Wang Dingxian needed to be led by a great commander and couldn’t stand alone.

"The late emperor has just passed away. Why is the current emperor in such a hurry to move the border generals?"

Tong Sui couldn’t understand. The Xianqing Emperor should be the person who knew the late emperor best. Does the Xianqing Emperor really think his military strategy is better than the late emperor’s?

Xiao Zhen: "It is said that both prime ministers advised against it. This morning, Marquis Fan remonstrated directly but was rebuked by the emperor, who accused him of favoring his father-in-law."

Tong Sui: "...Sure, for other stuff, it’s no big deal, but if things go south in Hezhou, we’re looking at another war."

Xiao Zhen: "There’s going to be trouble in Qingzhou sooner or later. What we need to guard against is his potential collusion with the Ling Kingdom."

Two years ago, while the Ling Kingdom lost 90,000 troops in that battle, it didn’t come close to the near-total collapse of the Liang Kingdom.

Tong Sui: "Should we try to persuade him again?"

If something happens in Hezhou, the capital will definitely have to send troops. Lu Gong won’t move easily, so either Qi Heng or Xiao Zhen will have to go. It would be better to prevent the fire from starting rather than rush to put it out on the battlefield.

Xiao Zhen smiled at her. "Do you know what status you and I hold in the eyes of the current emperor?"

Tong Sui waited for him to continue.

Xiao Zhen pointed to himself. "I’m just a country bumpkin."

Then he pointed to Tong Sui. "You’re the daughter of a hunter."

"No matter how much military merit we’ve earned, the emperor will always remember our origins. Today, it’s Pan Yong who’s out of favor. Tomorrow, it could be me."

With such status, how could the Xianqing Emperor possibly listen to his advice?

Tong Sui understood and bitterly smiled. "So that’s what he’s like."

Xiao Zhen: "He refused the apricots from Marquis Fan just because there was dirt under his nails."

Tong Sui: "Sure, Marquis Fan isn’t exactly polished, but if it were Fourth Younger Brother or Fifth Younger Brother who sent them, I’d take them—no problem. I’ll wash them first."

Xiao Zhen: "I’ll wash them for you."

Tong Sui smiled, and the couple began talking about other things.

With their status, there were some matters that, even if they cared about them, they didn’t have the qualification to advise on.

At the end of March, the late emperor was finally laid to rest in the imperial mausoleum, and the month-long national mourning period was almost over.

On the second day of April, Xiao Zhen brought the officer roster from the third round of examinations at the Eastern Camp to present to the Xianqing Emperor. With the emperor’s approval, these appointments would be official.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Eunuch Liu presented the roster to the Xianqing Emperor.

The Xianqing Emperor flipped through it and, seeing that the top three were still the Xiao brothers, was curious. "Are they ranked by age, or is Xiao Yan really better than Xiao Ye and Xiao She?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "Xiao Yan is not as good as Xiao Ye in the written exam, but he scored slightly higher in the martial exam. Xiao She far surpasses the other two in the martial exam but lagged too much in the written exam."

Mentioning his own brothers, Xiao Zhen couldn't help but show a hint of a headache.

The Xianqing Emperor said, "It must be wonderful to have so many brothers; it’s always lively. I only have myself."

Xiao Zhen replied, "But Your Majesty has millions of loyal subjects, and the empire is your home, filled with vibrant life."

The Xianqing Emperor smiled. "Though my mother was concerned about the Xiao Family, I’ve always admired them. The elder Xiao even saved the late emperor's life. Perhaps the late emperor was right in his assessment?"

As for the Eastern Camp, Xiao Zhen was confident in Luo Xiao’s ability to oversee the situation there.

The Xianqing Emperor approved the list and turned to Xiao Zhen, asking, "I'm planning to send Wang Dingxian to guard Hezhou. What do you think?"

Xiao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "I believe General Wang is more familiar with riverine warfare than General Pan. However, Hezhou still has 40,000 elite infantry. Although General Wang might be able to handle two tasks at once, with the late emperor's passing, nearly 90% of the 300,000 infantry in the capital are new recruits. Huang Qilin might take the opportunity to rebel. If Ling Kingdom attacks from the south, can General Wang alone defend against both Huang Qilin’s infantry and Ling Kingdom’s navy?"

The Xianqing Emperor slightly pursed his lips and said, "If General Wang can't, do you think General Pan could?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "No, General Pan also can't fully reassure me. The situation is different now. I suggest Your Majesty deploy 10,000 troops each to Huainan and Huaibei. If Ling Kingdom attacks, Huainan can quickly support Hezhou. If Huang Qilin attacks Hezhou from the rear, Huaibei can also respond in time."

The Xianqing Emperor nodded, walked to the map, and studied Huainan and Huaibei for a moment before smiling and saying, "Marquis Xiao, your words align perfectly with my thoughts. But where should we deploy troops from?"

The garrisons in various places all had their uses, and last year the court had just recruited 300,000 new troops. The public was already quite resentful about the conscription.

Xiao Zhen said, "Your Majesty can deploy 10,000 troops each from the Eastern and Western Camps."

The Xianqing Emperor said, "These two camps are filled with new recruits. I'm afraid they might not be up to the task."

Xiao Zhen replied, "Your Majesty can select two already-renowned brave generals to be the commanders of these two areas. This way, we can continue training the new recruits while boosting the morale of the new troops."

The Xianqing Emperor said, "You’re more familiar with the generals of our dynasty. Do you have any recommendations?"

Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "I only know a few great generals, and then there are the grassroots brothers I was familiar with when I was in the Right Route Army. I believe Huainan has a navy, so Your Majesty might ask General Xie Jian to recommend a commander. Huaibei is all infantry, and with the northern border free from the threat of Wu country, Your Majesty can ask Duke Feng to send a brave general from the Jizhou troops."

The Xianqing Emperor agreed and smiled. "No wonder the late emperor repeatedly told me to heavily rely on you before he passed. While others only frustrate me, you’ve solved a potential problem with just a few words."

Xiao Zhen bowed and said, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs. As officials who receive salaries from Your Majesty, it's our duty to help you identify and address any oversights."

The Xianqing Emperor immediately sent orders to Xie Jian and Feng Ji, and then called for Qi Heng, instructing him and Xiao Zhen to deploy 10,000 troops and head to Huainan and Huaibei for garrison duty.

Mid-month, 20,000 infantry arrived at their respective garrisons, and the two recommended commanders from Xie Jian and Feng Ji also rushed to their posts.

Privately, Wei Qi said to Song Lan, "Fortunately, the emperor listened to Marquis Xiao’s advice, bringing stability to Hezhou."

Song Lan smiled and nodded, but every time the Xiao Family made a splash, he felt a little awkward, reminded of when he viewed the Xiao Family as ordinary village leaders and the four characters he sent to Xiao Zhen at the Wei County tea house before heading to Jizhou with his son.

If he had known Xiao Zhen had such strategic talent, how could he have pretended to be a hermit and made a fool of himself?

Some were grateful to Xiao Zhen for offering a good strategy to the Great Yu Dynasty, while others wished they could tear apart the person who advised the Xianqing Emperor to reinforce Huainan and Huaibei.

Qingzhou, General's Headquarters.

Huang Qilin held the newly received information, his suspicious gaze sweeping over his deputies and two advisors. "I had just started planning, and the court has already reinforced Huainan and Huaibei. Could there be a court spy among us?"

The deputies and advisors knelt down and said, "General, we are utterly loyal to you. Please investigate!"

A strategist said, "General Feng, although the new emperor is young and impetuous, mistakenly considering Wang Dingxian a capable general, the late emperor left him many wise civil and military officials. It's entirely possible that some of them have already recognized the danger in Hezhou. Moreover, we have been following General Feng since the previous dynasty, so how could we betray you and put ourselves in a difficult position?"

"Yes, General Feng, we were all raised up by you. Anyone who dares to betray you will be cursed to die childless and in misery!"

Everyone began to swear heavy oaths.

Huang Qilin pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I believe you. However, I must remind you again that the new emperor, like his old man, fancies himself an enlightened ruler. Even if you support the new emperor as loyally as we supported the late emperor, he will still force you to return the ill-gotten wealth you have embezzled. Rather than being thrown under the bus after helping him cross the river, it would be better to follow me wholeheartedly and join Ling Kingdom. With this military success, we can live in luxury for the rest of our lives!"

Lü Sheng had many troops and a large territory in Qingzhou, and even had the confidence to declare himself emperor. Qingzhou, however, was too small, surrounded by the imperial army on three sides and the sea on one side. He needed to team up with the Ling Kingdom to stay safe.

"General Feng, rest assured, we will follow you to the death!"

Huang Qilin secretly spent several days thoroughly investigating those around him to ensure there were no spies. Only then did he resume communication with Lü Sheng and the Ling Emperor about whether and when to launch the uprising, which required careful planning.

Because Lü Sheng was so far away, the messengers took a long time to travel back and forth. It wasn’t until the middle of May, in the dead of night, that the Ling Kingdom’s naval forces launched a surprise attack on Hezhou, taking Wang Dingxian completely by surprise.