Wu Feng didn’t particularly notice anything amiss about Prince Gong no longer assigning him the tasks related to Chief Administrator Ling and Bai Guan. He was already quite busy—though the group of men under Lin Chong had all been brought under control, some were still causing serious trouble. Lin Chong’s troops were stationed at Guangning Guard, and just the other day word came that an uprising had broken out at Guangning Guard. One of Lin Chong’s former assistant generals had called Prince Gong a treasonous rebel and incited several hundred soldiers in an attempt to seize power.
It was just that he’d been constantly occupied with matters on Prince Gong’s side and couldn’t get away. Since the affairs on Prince Gong’s side now had leads and the news from Han Zhengqing’s side was extremely favorable, he felt reassured and honestly reported the situation at Guangning Guard: “I’m afraid it’s not very good. A bunch of troublemakers are stirring things up. Yesterday the scouts reported that they could maintain control, but I think it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause—Guangning Guard is like Bai Guan’s Weihai Guard, somewhat difficult to handle. This subordinate would like to go there in person.”
Actually, he was originally supposed to go in person anyway. Prince Gong had already made plans before, but had wanted him to help bring Bai Guan’s Weihai Guard under control, which was why he’d kept delaying sending him. But now when Prince Gong heard him volunteer to go, he felt somewhat uneasy again—could it be that Marquis Dingyuan and Huang Yiqing had already gotten to Wu Feng?
Chief Administrator Ling’s betrayal had filled Prince Gong with insecurity. He was truly afraid that another close minister might stab him in the back.
After much deliberation, he gave a couple of dry laughs: “Forget it, no rush. You should also keep an eye on Chief Administrator Ling for me and investigate this matter thoroughly. Han Yang has an impulsive temperament—he’s just a cunning soldier without much real ability. Don’t let him bungle things.”
Wu Feng had always obeyed Prince Gong’s every word. Since Prince Gong said this, he had no other opinion. He acknowledged with a sound and took his leave. Prince Gong, however, stared at his retreating back for quite some time.
Wu Feng was completely oblivious. He went to his residence to change clothes and have a meal, instructed someone to make a trip to Guangning, and dispatched his trusted men to go hold down the situation there first, only then heading to the prince’s mansion.
Han Yang wasn’t at Chief Administrator Ling’s location. The attendants said he’d come by earlier, instructed them not to use torture and to provide three meals a day on time, but then the man himself had disappeared.
Hearing this, Wu Feng walked over to where Chief Administrator Ling was. Chief Administrator Ling had already been settled in, lying on a bed, half-dead with his eyes squinted, sleeping in a daze. Before Wu Feng could even ask, an alert palace servant came forward to answer: “That was also Young Master Han’s instruction. He said we needed to let the man rest and recover his energy before we could properly interrogate him.”
Wu Feng didn’t think much of Han Yang—not because he looked down on him for being Han Zhengqing’s son, but because Han Yang was someone whose emotions were written too plainly on his face, looking no different from those dandy young masters all over Taiyuan’s streets.
Such a person, having mixed around in military camps for several years, had become even more unreliable, learning to act like those soldier-ruffians, full of bad habits but without any real ability.
He didn’t care at all about Han Yang’s instructions and ordered the attendants: “Lift him up, pour a basin of water on him to wake him up.”
In the depths of winter, cold water was no different from ice—it was the most effective at shocking someone awake. What need was there to let him rest and recover?
Having given his instructions, Han Yang, who had gone first to find Marquis Dingyuan, didn’t know that Wu Feng had gone there after he left. This time he didn’t go to the flower house from before, but went to the one opposite. He circled out from the back courtyard of that building and wound his way into the original one, finally managing to see Lu Ran and Marquis Dingyuan. Without time for pleasantries, he first explained that Prince Gong had previously planned to send him to find Han Zhengqing, but then Han Zhengqing had sent someone with a letter. Unusually downcast, he said: “From what Prince Gong said, Minister Cui’s situation over there might not be good.”
When he had been stationed at Datong, Han Yang knew the situation beyond the passes quite well, so he told Marquis Dingyuan: “This Grand Master is a ruthless character. He rose to power by killing his own brother. The Tartar Khan is only king in name—the one truly in charge is this Grand Master Yecha. He’s cruel and bloodthirsty by nature. Ever since he took this position, the Datong border has been under pressure. He also has no sense of honor—every time merchant caravans go beyond the passes, he swallows both the people and the goods whole. Over time, our court simply closed the border markets. Unable to buy or plunder, and now with winter here and my father providing them convenience, wouldn’t they be like starving wolves?”
Marquis Dingyuan and Lu Ran exchanged glances, both their faces showing some worry. They were concerned for Cui Shaoting—Guyuan might not be able to withstand the combined forces of the Tartars and Han Zhengqing.
If even Cui Shaoting’s side failed, then… even these old veterans couldn’t help but pale at the thought.
The room fell unusually quiet for a moment. Han Yu, who had been silent from beginning to end, suddenly spoke up: “Can Your Lordship contact Governor-General Cui?”
Marquis Dingyuan looked over at him. Seeing his gaze was frank and open, neither evasive nor dodging, he pondered for a moment before saying: “Do you have a plan?”
Han Yu nodded. Seeing Han Yang also looking over, he took a sheet of paper from the table, wrote down Yecha’s name, and said softly: “Though the Tartar cavalry are strong and fierce, they’re not a unified force either.” Seeing Marquis Dingyuan’s eyes brighten, he continued: “The Tartar Khan is still the khan after all, and Yecha is merely a grand master. If he’s this formidable and controls troops many times more numerous than the khan’s court, can the Tartar Khan tolerate him? Actually, starting from years ago, news began circulating within the Tartar court about discord between Khan Tuomu and Grand Master Yecha. Once, when Yecha attacked Xuanfu, it was agreed that Tuomu would send troops from the khan’s court as reinforcements, but in the end Tuomu didn’t send a single person.”
Lu Ran’s mind worked quickly. Hearing Han Yu say this, he understood: “You mean to sow discord between them?”
Han Yang slapped his hand down: “Yes! Those two groups have been at odds for a long time. Previously my fa—Han Zhengqing controlled the Fan family’s merchant caravan, right? The Fan family’s caravan was clearly under Yecha’s protection and collected furs beyond the passes quite smoothly, but once when they encountered people from the khan’s court, those people didn’t give them any face at all. Even when they invoked Yecha’s name, they were still beaten and had all their goods stolen…”
It seemed that the conflict between the khan’s court and Yecha was indeed quite deep. Marquis Dingyuan thought for a moment and made a swift decision: “Lu Ran, go to Governor-General Cui and deliver this message in person.”
Seeing Lu Ran open his mouth to object, he shook his head: “Things are almost settled on my end. Man proposes, heaven disposes—we’ve already done what we should do, and the situation is now tilting in our favor. If we still can’t get those thirteen thousand guards under Bai Guan, then there’s nothing to be done about it. You being here serves no purpose. You should go to Governor-General Cui’s side first.”
The very Cui Shaoting they worried about, however, wasn’t worried in the slightest. He was carefully examining a map when, hearing the scout’s report, he suddenly smiled: “Yecha is really going to Jingzhou?”