“The Anning Palace, together with the Crown Prince and Niu Gengru, have already taken control of Chongli Gate. No secret edict will be able to leave Chongwen Hall! The great edifice is collapsing, and a single beam cannot support it!” Standing in the inner hall of the Capital Prefecture, Feng Liao pleaded desperately, “If Your Excellency wishes to minimize casualties and preserve yourself for future use, withdrawing to Taowu Camp at this moment might allow you to share military authority with Marquis Xinchang Li Pu…”
Although the Tanzhou Guard Prefecture had been relocated multiple times, its garrison camp at Taowu Camp and the manor estates under Yongchun Palace still controlled over eight thousand military households.
Among these military households, although over six thousand able-bodied men had been conscripted into active service and were currently stationed in Tanzhou and other places—these were the troops that Han Qian had suggested the Third Prince withdraw back to Jinling under the pretext of rotation—moving these forces would require time, making it difficult to rush them back in an emergency.
However, in a crisis, if all the military households and garrison households from the Taowu Camp garrison headquarters and Yongchun Palace were withdrawn into the Qiuhu Mountain estate, they could still mobilize over five thousand able-bodied men into active service in the shortest possible time.
The reason Marquis Xinchang Li Pu rushed to leave the city first, besides fleeing for his life out of fear of death, was to withdraw all the military households into the Qiuhu Mountain estate as quickly as possible and organize these available men.
The vast majority of these men had undergone multiple training rotations, and more than half had even participated in the Jingxiang campaign and the vassal-reduction war. Over the past few years, Qiuhu Mountain had not only been constructing sturdy fortifications but had also stockpiled large quantities of armor and weapons. If these men could truly be organized at the first opportunity, their combat effectiveness would be no weaker than the Imperial Guards or the Imperial Attendant Guards.
With the Third Prince absent, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu would naturally be the commander of these forces. However, if Han Daoxun withdrew from the city at this time and gained the support of Jiang Huo and others, given the reputation of the Han Daoxun and Han Qian father-son duo in the military, he would be qualified to share command of these troops with Marquis Xinchang Li Pu.
In this way, they could at least prevent Marquis Xinchang Li Pu from monopolizing control of these forces and stir the situation in Jinling City into even greater chaos.
“You should leave the city and rendezvous with Marquis Xinchang, mobilizing these forces in the shortest time possible. I will go see Director-General Wen right now. Director-General Wen is the Vice Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs, with prestige no less than Niu Gengru. And his son Wen Bo commands the Left Wuwei Army. As long as the Wen father and son can mobilize the Left Wuwei Army to defend Chongxin Gate and form a mutual defense with the naval water camp of the River Fleet Army controlled by Marquis Zhenyuan Yang Jian, the rebel forces will find it difficult to suddenly control all of Jinling. Then when you lead the troops to reinforce, we can hold out until Prince Xin leads the Chuzhou forces here, and there should be no problem!” Han Daoxun said.
Han Daoxun had seen the latest intelligence transmitted by Jinyun Tower’s secret agents and knew that the possibility of Zhong Yuli leaving the palace with a secret edict to meet him was extremely low. However, he did not want to leave the city. Instead, he wanted Feng Liao to escort his elderly father first to Lanting Lane, rendezvous with the assembled people there, and then find a way to leave the city.
That way, the Third Prince’s faction could still assemble six to seven thousand men of fighting strength outside the eastern city.
In this case, even if the other Imperial Guards and Imperial Attendant Guards were deceived by false edicts into siding with the Anning Palace, they could still ensure that Jinling would not fall completely into the hands of the rebel forces.
Then, as long as they could hold out until the Chuzhou forces arrived, there would still be a chance to suppress the rebellion as quickly as possible and spare Jinling from the ravages of war.
“I’m afraid the Wen father and son, Wen Muqiao and Wen Bo, cannot be trusted. If Your Excellency goes to find Wen Muqiao, you may very well be walking into a trap,” Feng Liao said.
“Wen Muqiao cannot be trusted either?” Han Wenhuan’s aged and dim eyes suddenly flew open. Wen Muqiao was one of Emperor Tianyou’s earliest supporters and followers when he rose to power in Jianghuai, and together with Niu Gengru, he presided over the Bureau of Military Affairs. He didn’t understand how Feng Liao could conclude that the Wen father and son were untrustworthy.
“The Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace have made many arrangements for the usurpation, but not a single one targets the Left Wuwei Army. I suspect that even if the Wen father and son have no issues, the Anning Palace must have arranged backup measures around them to ensure they can be eliminated at the first opportunity,” Feng Liao said. “In fact, this is exactly what the Young Master is most worried about. That person in the Anning Palace has spent too much time with His Majesty—so long that one simply cannot know whether among those His Majesty trusts, there are traitors loyal to the Anning Palace. The Inner Bureau is no exception. When Shen He died of poisoning, there was no longer any absolutely reliable channel to secretly memorialize His Majesty!”
“…” Han Laoshan and the others looked at each other, all thinking: could it be that there was no one left in Jinling who could be trusted?
“My Feng family has been utterly loyal to His Majesty, yet we suffered calamity from nowhere and nearly faced clan extermination. Just think—how many generals and ministers in the court can still remain utterly loyal to His Majesty?” Feng Liao said with feeling.
Han Wenhuan sighed. He had to admit that what Feng Liao said was not false. If not for the fact that his Han family was deeply entangled in the succession struggle, he wouldn’t care about Emperor Tianyou’s fate either.
“What about Marquis Zhenyuan Yang Jian?” Han Daoxun asked calmly.
“The latest intelligence shows that Yang Jian just sent people to escort his family out of the city. He must have detected the abnormality in the palace. Currently, it seems he’s not colluding with the Anning Palace. But not to mention that the River Fleet Army has little combat effectiveness once ashore—given Yang Jian’s nature, without a secret edict, or rather without His Majesty’s verbal command, he will most likely choose to wait and see,” Feng Liao said.
Marquis Zhenyuan Yang Jian was indeed a Yang clan relative and a trusted subordinate personally promoted by Emperor Tianyou, but that didn’t mean that when the tide had turned and the situation was beyond salvation, Yang Jian wouldn’t be pragmatic and make new choices.
“What about Generals Wu Jun, Kou Shixiong, and the others?” Han Daoxun asked.
Feng Liao, who had been hiding in Jinling for two months constantly preparing for the worst scenario, had conducted in-depth research on all the generals commanding the Imperial Guards and Imperial Attendant Guards stationed in the capital. He had no choice but to pour cold water on Han Daoxun’s hopes: “The Young Master said that if such a thing truly happened, most people in the court would hope that the most difficult few days would pass quickly—better to pay respects to the new emperor as soon as possible!”
“Has Qian’er ever said that, when forced into a corner, the Crown Prince’s succession might perhaps be the choice that would cause the least harm to the Great Chu state and its people?” Han Daoxun fixed his gaze on Feng Liao and asked.
Feng Liao lowered his head, avoiding Han Daoxun’s penetrating stare.
“Feng Liao, answer my question,” Han Daoxun demanded sternly.
Han Wenhuan sat in his armchair, also staring at Feng Liao without blinking.
Feng Liao’s answer was crucial, because at present, only Feng Liao was most clear about Han Qian’s true inner intentions.
If Han Qian also believed that the Crown Prince’s succession was a pragmatic choice when forced into a corner, then Han Qian might persuade the Third Prince to choose forbearance, or even persuade the Third Prince to support the Crown Prince’s ascension.
In that case, Prince Xin in Chuzhou would be isolated and would most likely give up on raising troops.
This would allow the Great Chu throne to be smoothly passed down, postponing the Great Chu’s problems until after Empress Dowager Xu’s death, rather than immediately fragmenting into four or five pieces and plunging the Jianghuai lands into a storm of blood.
Empress Dowager Xu was not young anymore.
“I also asked the Young Master this question, but the Young Master said that the Crown Prince’s body is frail and weak—he does not have the appearance of longevity. And neither Empress Dowager Xu nor Prince Xin can be trusted,” Feng Liao raised his head and said.
Han Wenhuan became puzzled, even suspecting that Feng Liao was harboring resentment and deliberately concealing the truth. He couldn’t understand why Han Qian would conclude that temporary forbearance was not a pragmatic choice.
Did it really matter who sat on that dragon throne?
At this moment, a household guard led someone in.
Seeing this person, Han Laoshan, Zhao Kuo, and the others were both surprised and delighted.
A trace of doubt flashed through Han Daoxun’s eyes. He asked the newcomer: “Director Zhou, how did you leave the palace? Has Director-General Zhong informed His Majesty of the truth of all these matters?”
The man took out a piece of yellow silk that he had kept close to his body from his bosom and handed it to Han Daoxun, saying: “I came precisely for this matter. This is His Majesty’s handwritten edict—His Majesty commands Lord Han to carry this handwritten edict and immediately go see Director-General Wen to act according to the edict!”
“Even if the Anning Palace has hesitations, His Majesty absolutely could not have had the opportunity to draft an edict!” Feng Liao stared at the newcomer suspiciously, suspecting that this person had already been bought by the Anning Palace and was now carrying a forged edict to lure Han Daoxun into a trap. He questioned: “Who are you?”
“Lord Han naturally knows who I am,” the man said. Though not young, with graying hair, he remained calm in the face of Feng Liao’s suspicions.
“This is Director Zhou Bin of the Inner Bureau, a subordinate of Director-General Zhong Yuli. This afternoon, it was he who went with Zhao Kuo to examine Shen He’s remains,” Han Laoshan explained to Feng Liao.
“It is indeed His Majesty’s handwriting…” Though Han Wenhuan had been retired for many years, he could still recognize Emperor Tianyou’s script. However, they had just concluded that Zhong Yuli would have had little opportunity to leave the palace, so how could his subordinate director have left the palace so quickly with an edict?
And they had also judged that Wen Muqiao and his son Wen Bo might already have problems, yet the handwritten edict clearly commanded Han Daoxun to carry it to see Wen Muqiao?
“Zhao Kuo, take Director Zhou to rest first,” Han Daoxun instructed.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Kuo still accompanied Zhou Bin out of the inner hall.
“Your Excellency, even if it is His Majesty’s handwriting, it must be a false edict drafted under His Majesty’s coercion,” Feng Liao said. He trusted the intelligence gathered by Jinyun Tower more. Zhou Bin’s edict had too many suspicious points. He could only speculate thus.
“What kind of person is His Majesty? How could he be coerced by others? Perhaps His Majesty also feels that the Crown Prince’s succession is the unavoidable pragmatic choice at present!” Han Daoxun raised his head to gaze at the courtyard outside, then looked at his father Han Wenhuan and asked: “Father, what do you think?”
Han Wenhuan sighed: “During the previous dynasty, when Taizong was enfeoffed as Prince of Qin and killed the Crown Prince and Prince of Qi at the Xuanwu Gate, Emperor Gaozu established him as heir apparent. That too could be considered an unavoidable pragmatic choice, couldn’t it?”
“No matter what, Your Excellency absolutely must not obey the edict!” Feng Liao said anxiously. “If Your Excellency’s speculation is correct and His Majesty was forced to choose the Crown Prince’s succession, then in His Majesty’s eyes, Your Excellency is a scourge that must be eliminated first! This handwritten edict is a trap to lure Your Excellency in.”
“Not obeying the edict means defying the command. The city gates are already closed. All the family members and dependents gathered at Lanting Lane will become rebels and will be unable to escape. They will strike without a moment’s hesitation,” Han Daoxun said with a bitter smile. “But even if His Majesty has already made a decision, and going to see Wen Muqiao is a trap, if I can trade my life to prevent Jinling from suffering the calamity of war, that would be a great fortune. Not everyone in the world can be clever people who only cherish their own lives…”
Feng Liao shamefully lowered his head. Zhao Kuo had just settled Zhou Bin in the clerks’ quarters outside and was about to step over the threshold when he heard Han Daoxun’s words, causing his expression to freeze.
Seeing that his father Han Wenhuan had something to say, Han Daoxun said: “Father, you know my lifelong aspirations. Don’t try to persuade me. Even if Wen Muqiao’s place is a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den, I must still make this trip.”
“Your going is undoubtedly seeking skin from a tiger!” Han Wenhuan said tremblingly.
“What of seeking skin from a tiger? The Liang army is watching like a tiger eyeing its prey. Right now, we can only hope that all parties still harbor a thread of scruple in their hearts,” Han Daoxun said.
Han Daoxun instructed Han Laoshan: “Prepare brush and ink. I’ll write a letter. You and Zhao Kuo deliver it to Qian’er together. You should all go to Lanting Lane. I’ll follow Director Zhou to see Director-General Wen.”
“Master, you cannot obey the edict…” Han Laoshan said through tears.