The twelfth month of Great Zhou’s 240th year was destined to be turbulent. Though rebellion and treason had occurred throughout history, it was rare to see an Empress fleeing the palace with the Crown Prince while coordinating with a Prince who commanded strong forces in both the West and North. Before settling the Shuo Xi Army corruption case, the Northern Garrison’s actions in Chang Zhou had already been confirmed.
Suddenly, both the Shuo Xi Army and Northern Garrison became the Emperor’s greatest concerns. The west and north were Great Zhou’s gateways, facing the Xi Rong people on one side and the Qiang barbarians on the north. Now, not only did external threats remain, but two of his elite forces had become fierce enemies. What troubled the Emperor even more was that among all his civil and military officials, he couldn’t find anyone suitable to lead troops westward.
In the Shuo Xi Army corruption case, the Emperor sent the Left Vice Minister of Revenue Yu Wen Xian westward, along with the Left Vice Minister of War Lin Xu Gui. Of these two, only Lin Xu Gui could command troops in battle. When the Shuo Xi Army had no thoughts of rebellion, Lin Xu Gui, carrying the Emperor’s orders, could temporarily control them. But now that Yan Chi had openly rebelled, and the Shuo Xi Army had been under Yan Lin’s command for many years, although no battle reports had arrived, the officials in Lin An believed it was only a matter of time before the Shuo Xi Army rose in rebellion with Yan Chi.
The Northern Garrison in the north couldn’t be taken lightly, and the Shuo Xi Army in the west couldn’t be underestimated. The Emperor intended to send Yue Qiong north and Duke Wei Peng Huai Chu west, but unexpectedly, Peng Huai Chu directly memorialized that he was no match for the Shuo Xi Army and might not be able to fight even one battle if sent west. Before the troops could move, the commander had already admitted defeat. The Emperor was furious but knew Peng Huai Chu wasn’t the best choice for the Western expedition. However, if he sent Yue Qiong west, Yan Chi’s Princess was Yue Qiong’s adopted daughter…
With the western expedition commander undecided in court, the Emperor could only appoint Yue Qiong as the northern campaign commander and Peng Huai Chu as deputy commander. He had intended to make Prince Cheng Yan Qi a military advisor, but with no one for the western expedition, the Emperor appointed Prince Cheng Yan Qi as deputy commander of the western expedition and recalled Minister of War Ge Yang, who was heading north, planning to make him commander of the western expedition forces.
By then, Ge Yang had already reached Feng Zhou and was about to reach Chang Zhou after passing through Chong Zhou. Unexpectedly, the Emperor suddenly changed his mind. With no choice, Ge Yang had to return, wasting many days. Fortunately, Ge Yang had learned about the military and civilian sentiment in the northern cities, so it wasn’t entirely fruitless. By the time Ge Yang returned to the capital, the Northern Expedition army was fully formed, with Jin Zhou and Ying Zhou garrisons combining nearly 100,000 troops ready to march, but the Western Expedition army was still uncertain.
The Emperor urgently summoned garrison troops from Luo Zhou, Chu Zhou, Yu Zhou, Yun Zhou, and Yuan Zhou, barely assembling 80,000 troops, but military supplies were insufficient. Thinking of the six months’ worth of provisions sent to Shuo Xi earlier, the Emperor’s regret was intense enough to turn his intestines green. Lights burned nightly in Chong Zheng Palace as the Six Ministries’ ministers worked themselves to exhaustion. Only after facing these troubles did they realize the empire’s treasury was already empty – forget about the Western expedition army, even the northern campaign’s provisions were worrisome…
By the time the news of Ge Yang’s appointment as Western expedition commander reached Yan Chi, they had passed Chu Zhou and reached Yuan Zhou territory.
Yuan Zhou wasn’t unfamiliar to both Qin Wan and Yan Chi. A year ago at this time, Qin Wan’s group had been trapped in Cloud Mist Mountain, and Yan Chi had descended like a divine warrior to save her life.
That evening, Yan Chi’s group arrived in Yuan Zhou City, taking shelter in a civilian residence.
Throughout their journey, Yan Chi made thorough arrangements and didn’t rush. After traveling for ten or so days, sometimes Qin Wan even forgot they were fleeing. While Luo Zhou still had strict military checkpoints and Chu Zhou had many wanted posters of the two of them posted, by the time they reached Yuan Zhou territory, the tension had noticeably eased.
After dinner, Yan Chi called Bai Feng and Fan Xin in for discussion, and when Qin Wan meant to leave, Yan Chi had her stay.
This had become the norm over the past few days. Whether it was Shuo Xi’s military matters or news from the court, whatever Yan Chi knew, Qin Wan knew. With Qin Wan knowing everything, her unease disappeared. If there was anything she didn’t understand, she would ask Yan Chi privately, and he would explain it to her in detail.
“The court must think we’re hurriedly heading west. To reach Shuo Xi, going from Yu Zhou to Ding Zhou would be the fastest. By going through Yuan Zhou, we’ve taken a detour. Just now when I went out for a look around, I found Yuan Zhou’s government offices very calm, though I heard the Yuan Zhou garrison received news from the capital two days ago that they need to reorganize troops to head north. They can probably dispatch over 10,000 troops, likely part of the capital’s military response to us.”
Every time they reached new territory, Fan Xin would go out to gather information. After he finished speaking, Bai Feng said, “General Zhou encountered some minor trouble, but it’s nothing serious. Though Lin Xie carries the Emperor’s token, not every garrison listens to him. The closer to the west, the more those people favor our Prince’s manor. At worst, they’re those who rose from the Northern Garrison. With tensions high now, these people all have their thoughts – either being overly eager to help or quietly observing. Moreover, the garrisons in these places have long been far from battle and have grown lazy. Suddenly receiving military orders, they’re too busy just assembling troops and preparing supplies to possibly stop General Zhou.”
Hearing this, Fan Xin laughed heartily. “The old Emperor is truly naive. Just a Lin Xie? Bringing only a thousand troops and thinking he could capture us? What have those noble sons in the capital been through? Not just one Lin Xie, even ten Lin Xies wouldn’t matter!”
Fan Xin spoke arrogantly, and Bai Feng smiled slightly. “In Shuo Xi, Lin Xu Gui must have also received the news. This Lin Xu Gui isn’t easy to deal with.”
Fan Xin waved his hand dismissively. “The western expedition’s commander is Ge Yang, and there’s also Prince Cheng – they’re all decorative pillows. Though Lin Xu Gui is indeed the Emperor’s trusted man, with Ge Yang above him, he must be dissatisfied. Just watch – not only does Lin Xu Gui have no military authority, but even if Ge Yang brings the army, they’ll be scattered sand.”
Bai Feng glanced at Yan Chi for a moment. “This Lin Xu Gui is still with the Shuo Xi Army – keeping him there is a hidden danger.”
Having listened to their discussion to this point, Yan Chi finally spoke. “The Emperor will have him leave. The court currently has no spare strength to deal with Shuo Xi; the north is the Emperor’s greatest concern.”
Fan Xin blinked. “By rights, our Shuo Xi Army should be somewhat more formidable than the Northern Garrison.”
Yan Chi’s lips curved slightly. “The Emperor has his considerations. If not for this, I wouldn’t be heading toward Jian Zhou.”
Fan Xin rubbed his hands and chuckled. “Yes, Your Highness sees further than your subordinate. If the Emperor doesn’t plan to deal with us immediately, then we have more time to plan properly. Now that Mr. Qi and General Chu are in Shuo Xi, even if something changes, they can act freely.”
Yan Chi pondered for a moment. “Chu Fei Sheng knows what to do. Though we bear the name of rebels, we still need a legitimate cause.”
Bai Feng and Fan Xin exchanged glances, both with sharp glints in their eyes. Fan Xin clenched his fists, showing some indignation. “Once the cause of the old Prince’s death is revealed, Shuo Xi’s military commanders will never again follow any orders from that old Emperor!”
The smile at Yan Chi’s lips grew cold. “That’s why we’re keeping Lin Xu Gui for now. He’ll be very useful later.”
Fan Xin and Bai Feng knew Yan Chi had his plans and naturally dared not say more. After talking a while longer and seeing it was late, they dispersed.
After the two left, Qin Wan helped Yan Chi change while saying, “The Empress knows the Emperor’s secret best, so naturally he won’t give her any chance. However, the Northern Garrison isn’t easy to deal with either. Wanting both a northern campaign and western expedition, the court must be in chaos.”
Yan Chi spread his arms, letting Qin Wan untie his sash. Though discussing serious matters, his tone had already become tender as water. “The Emperor is too greedy. He probably didn’t expect the Empress would be able to escape the capital. He’s sat securely on the throne for many years, thinking the capital region was as solid as iron and gold, yet couldn’t see that the foundation beneath the capital had long since rotted.”
“The Emperor wants to capture both the Empress and Crown Prince while also dealing with the Prince of Rui’s manor, but still miscalculated.”
Yan Chi gave a cold laugh. “Perhaps Father’s death made him think the Prince of Rui’s manor was nothing special. Since such a major concern could be resolved so simply, he naturally couldn’t resist. As for whether it was treacherous and despicable – for someone like him, how would he care?”
Qin Wan’s hands paused slightly as she looked up at Yan Chi, her eyes seeming to hold pity. Seeing this, Yan Chi smiled and leaned forward to lift Qin Wan in his arms.
While carrying her to the bed, he said, “Father spent many years in Shuo Xi. Though it was hard, he saw only loyal hearts, which made him lose his vigilance. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t follow in Father’s footsteps.”
Yan Chi set Qin Wan down on the bed and raised his hands to undress her. “Though I lost Father, having you by my side now, my heart’s desire is fulfilled.”
With her outer clothes removed, Qin Wan leaned gently into Yan Chi’s embrace. “I too am content.”