Chapter 246

Chapter 246

The late emperor had passed away, and the new emperor had just ascended the throne. The imperial guards were mostly new recruits who had only been enlisted for a few months. This was the perfect moment for Huang Qilin and Lv Sheng to betray the court.

Huang Qilin chose to defect to the Ling Kingdom, while Lv Sheng directly declared himself emperor in Liangzhou, adopting the dynastic title "Wu." He gradually dispatched troops to capture cities in the direction of Chang'an.

Reports from both regions reached the capital almost simultaneously.

Furious, the Xianqing Emperor threw the report from Hezhou onto the gleaming marble floor of the grand hall. "I just promoted Wang Dingxian, and this is the 'gift' he gives me in return. Is he out of his mind? I specifically warned him to be on high alert against the Ling Kingdom taking advantage of our vulnerability. The Ling Kingdom has just seized Yangzhou and Taizhou. At this rate, the Qingzhou and Ling armies might have already captured all the eastern regions of Hezhou!"

As the Xianqing Emperor scolded, he glared at Wang Bangxian, the Empress’s father.

Wang Bangxian broke out in a cold sweat under the emperor's glare.

Wei Qi said, "Your Majesty, during the night raid by the Ling Kingdom army, Prefect Yang Xiaojin of Taizhou personally led the defense and fought valiantly until his death. However, Prefect Mao Xueli of Yangzhou, a man strongly recommended by Minister Wang this spring, surrendered without a fight. I humbly request that Your Majesty punish Mao Xueli for treason and hold Wang Bangxian accountable for negligence and dereliction of duty."

Song Lan stepped forward and said, "I concur, Your Majesty!"

Several other officials also stepped forward in agreement.

Wang Bangxian knelt on the ground, his face flushed with shame. "Your Majesty, I was also deceived by Mao Xueli's loyal appearance. Now, Yangzhou has been lost due to my mistake, and I have no face to stand before Your Majesty. I request punishment!"

The Xianqing Emperor thought of the twenty-odd chests of gold, silver, jewels, and rare antiques that Wang Dingxian had sent him after being dispatched to Hezhou. It was clear that the Wang family was sincerely loyal to him. It was just an unfortunate recommendation and a deceptive feint by the Ling Kingdom that led to a misjudgment in defense.

While the military situation was dire, the Xianqing Emperor was most furious with Wang Dingxian. Wang Bangxian was merely implicated by Mao Xueli's actions. After all, how could one predict from an official's performance whether they would surrender in the future?

After a moment of silence, the Xianqing Emperor said, "Considering that Wang Bangxian was also deceived by Mao Xueli, I will only penalize you by deducting six months of your salary. If there is another incident, I will punish you severely."

Wang Bangxian bowed his head in gratitude.

Wei Qi and Song Lan exchanged glances, one indignant, the other helpless.

At that moment, Fan Zhao stepped forward. "An incompetent general drags down the entire army. What does Your Majesty plan to do about Wang Dingxian?"

The Xianqing Emperor felt a twitch at the corner of his eye. He knew Fan Zhao would bring this up. On the surface, Fan Zhao was targeting Wang Dingxian, but in reality, he was mocking the emperor for appointing the wrong general and for not heeding Fan Zhao's earlier warnings, leading to this disaster.

Therefore, the Xianqing Emperor said coldly, "Replacing Wang Dingxian at this point would only destabilize the army and be of no benefit to the war effort. The priority is to give him a chance to redeem himself. Right now, we need to discuss how to send reinforcements to Hezhou and Liangzhou."

Qi Heng stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, two years ago, I led the army to Hezhou and only fought a small battle. I’m itching for a real fight. Please allow me to lead reinforcements to Hezhou this time. I will drive the Ling Kingdom back across the Yangtze and bring back Huang Qilin's head, resolving the threat from Qingzhou once and for all."

Zhao Jin said, "I am willing to go with Marquis Qi!"

The Xianqing Emperor looked at Lu Gong and Xiao Zhen. "Before his passing, the late emperor instructed me to consult with Duke Lu and Marquis Xiao in times of war. What are your thoughts?"

Lu Gong said, "I agree to send Marquis Qi and Zhao Jin with an army of 140,000 to reinforce Hezhou."

Xiao Zhen said, "I also agree."

The Xianqing Emperor said, "Good. Then, who should we send to deal with the rebel Lv Sheng?"

Lu Gong said, "Lv Sheng’s army consists entirely of cavalry. I suggest that General Zhao Liangchen divide his forces and send 50,000 troops to advance northward to Yinzhou. I will lead 50,000 cavalry from the Southern Camp to march from Chang'an to Jincheng, pressuring Lv Sheng’s army from both the north and south, forcing them to retreat to the heart of Liangzhou and surrender. With 130,000 troops remaining to defend Hanzhong and Chang'an, the Liang Kingdom would not dare to launch an attack."

Xiao Zhen said, "Your Excellency's plan is excellent, but the eastern front is under intense pressure, and the capital is of utmost importance. Your Excellency is the foremost general of the imperial guards. You should remain in the capital to protect the Emperor. As for Lv Sheng, an opportunistic rebel, I, along with General Zhao, can handle him."

The Xianqing Emperor said, "Marquis Xiao speaks wisely. Duke Lu, you will remain to guard the capital. In that case, I order Marquis Xiao to take command of the Southern Camp again and appoint Duke Lu as the Commander of the Eastern Camp."

Both accepted the imperial decree.

Luo Xiao said, "Your Majesty, with Duke Lu and Marquis Fan guarding the capital, I sincerely request to join Marquis Xiao in the campaign against Liangzhou."

The Xianqing Emperor smiled and said, "Approved. With all of you formidable generals, we have nothing to fear from the two rebels."

After the court was dismissed, the Second Chancellor and the generals went to the imperial study to discuss the strategy for the two fronts.

As for the Liangzhou front, the Xianqing Emperor, the Second Chancellor, and Duke Lu felt reassured with Xiao Zhen in charge. Thus, this time, they focused on how to push back the Lingguo forces and take Qingzhou.

With the Second Chancellor and Duke Lu present, and with Qi Heng's prestige and Zhao Jin's steadiness, Xiao Zhen felt confident about the situation on the eastern front. The Southern Camp was full of Xiao Zhen's acquaintances, from the commanders to the troops, almost all of whom were already familiar and didn’t need further introduction. The Eastern Camp, although mostly composed of new recruits, had already been trained into shape by Xiao Zhen and Luo Xiao, so the transition was smooth for Duke Lu to take over and continue the training.

As Duke Lu saw Xiao Zhen out of the Eastern Camp, he sighed, "Actually, I prefer to lead troops into battle. Everyone praises me for my skills, but a general stuck defending the capital is like a tiger caged, unable to show its true strength. What’s the point of being a general if I can’t lead troops into battle?"

It was no wonder Fan Zhao always complained about wanting to go to battle; Duke Lu felt the same, but his age and temperament kept him from voicing it as openly.

Xiao Zhen said, "Duke, don’t worry. Once Liangzhou and Qingzhou are fully under the control of the court, and the northern regions are stable, there will be future campaigns against Liang and Lingguo. Surely, the emperor will give you the chance to shine again. For now, with the court still unstable, only you can reassure the emperor and the officials. Isn’t that, in itself, a form of military service?"

Duke Lu smiled and said, "Actually, the same goes for you. The reason I dare to request to lead the troops is because I know you are someone the emperor can rely on."

Xiao Zhen said, "I wouldn’t dare to compare myself with you, Duke."

Duke Lu shook his head helplessly, "You’re just like the Xiao elder."

Having nothing more to say, Xiao Zhen glanced in the direction of the capital and said softly, "To be honest, I’m concerned about leaving my family behind this time."

Duke Lu said, "Are you talking about Lady Anguo?"

Xiao Zhen said, "Yes. Our child came at an inconvenient time. The house is full of women. If anything happens, I’d appreciate your help in looking after them."

He returned to the Southern Camp, and the Xianqing Emperor also called back his three younger brothers, saying that with their skills, having them assist in the campaign against Lü Sheng would increase their chances of success.

Duke Lu said, "Don’t worry, whether the war reaches the capital or not, I’ll take care of both your families as if they were my own."

Xiao Zhen bowed to him, turned his horse around, and galloped away.

As night fell, Xiao Zhen sent Xiao Ye back to the Marquis’s residence and went to the Duke’s residence with Xiao Yan and Xiao She.

Madam He sighed, "Just when things had finally settled for a year, it’s starting up again. When will this end?"

If she really thought about it, she had been worrying about her husband and son for eleven years. In those eleven years, there had been constant wars, big and small, across the land.

Xiao Yan said, "Soon. After we finish off Lü Sheng and Huang Qilin this year, according to our old man’s calculations, the court will wait another three or four years before going to war with the southern two states."

Madam He said, "Those two, already powerful officials, why do they need to seize so much land? If they just handed it over, there wouldn’t be any issues."

Xiao Yuchan clicked her tongue and said, "Look at my mother, becoming more enlightened by the day."

Madam He glared at her daughter.

Xiao Shouyi looked at his nephew, about to speak, when Xiao Zhen said, "Uncle Shouyi, shall we talk in the study?"

Xiao Shouyi stood up.

Xiao Yan said, "Should we go listen too?"

Xiao Zhen said, "No need. You should spend more time with Huai Zu."

When they reached the study, Xiao Shouyi finally spoke his mind. "You are all going off to war. Should I also submit a petition to the emperor?"

Last year, when my nephew submitted his mourning petition, he said that if the country goes to war, all the uncles and nephews would be ready to join the campaign.

Xiao Zhen said, "That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Today in court, I was thinking that if the emperor personally appoints you to lead the troops, we will obey. But if the emperor doesn’t want to interrupt your mourning period, then Uncle, you should continue to stay at home. In case of any changes in the capital, with you at home, Second Aunt and Xiaoman won't be bullied."

Xiao Shouyi nodded, then bitterly smiled. "It's not that the emperor is unwilling to disturb me; he has simply forgotten that I exist in the capital."

With both an elder and a nephew more prominent, he had always been the least noticeable member of the Xiao Family. Even his two sons were more famous than him for their recklessness or simplicity.

Xiao Zhen said, "Uncle, in the emperor's eyes, we nephews are all the same. We are heavily relied upon when needed, but once we are no longer useful, the emperor begins to dislike our backgrounds and shifts to favoring those famous generals from noble families. Rather than seeking empty fame, we should protect the safety of our family. That's why I trust you. If it were Third Younger Brother or the others, I wouldn't feel at ease leaving any of them to guard the family."

Xiao Shouyi said, "Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, Uncle doesn’t seek those things. Tell Aman that she can rely on me just like she would on Fifth Younger Brother."

Xiao Zhen chuckled. "Fifth Younger Brother's simplicity is just like yours."

Xiao Shouyi gave his nephew a light pat on the shoulder.

After settling this, Xiao Zhen headed straight back to the Marquis’s residence.

Tong Sui and the others were waiting for him to join them for dinner. With Xiao Ye keeping the mood light, the dinner was free of any sadness. But after the meal, as they were about to part ways, Mianmian hugged her two uncles.

Liu Chu gently gave some instructions and left first with her daughter.

Xiao Ye took his wife’s wrist and said to his brother and sister-in-law, "Take your time. Mingxiu and I need to say our goodbyes."

After everyone left, Xiao Zhen accompanied Tong Sui back to their room.

Tong Sui hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy yet and was as active as usual. Even Old Master Ma, who wanted her to rest and focus on her pregnancy, was asked by Tong Sui to continue teaching.

Xiao Zhen had Tong Sui sit in front of the vanity. He stood behind her to comb her hair, and as he did, he sighed.

He didn’t even notice it himself, but Tong Sui smiled and said, "What's wrong? Are you worried about me?"

Xiao Zhen looked up and met her eyes in the mirror. "I'm worried even though you're not pregnant. In the next few months, you'll only become more inconvenienced."

Tong Sui said, "What inconvenience? I don’t need to do anything."

Xiao Zhen said, "There’s Lu Guogong outside the city. What concerns me is what’s happening inside the city."

Tong Sui said, "Are you talking about the emperor and Marquis Fan?"

Xiao Zhen said, "Yes, one is stubborn and arrogant, and the other is reckless and proud. If the former suppresses the latter, the Wang family will definitely be involved behind the scenes. If the latter doesn’t want to be suppressed, he has 20,000 Imperial Guards under his command."

Tong Sui's heart tightened. "Marquis Fan? The late emperor treated him like a son. How could he possibly have such thoughts?"

Xiao Zhen said, "The more reckless someone is, the harder they are to predict."

"No matter how they fight, just stay out of it and focus on protecting yourselves. We'll deal with everything when I return."