Free Web NovelChapter 420: Chapter 423: Adding to the Chaos
The army sent to suppress the rebellion, confident in their superior numbers, paid the local populace no mind.
A violent conflict broke out between them.
The pacification army quickly overpowered the commoners who tried to stop them from setting fire to the mountains. The process inevitably led to casualties, and the numbers were considerable.
This made the commoners even more resentful.
Their families had lived in the area for generations, and their networks of relatives and friends had long since spread to the surrounding villages and towns.
Soon, people from other villages and towns rushed over. As more and more people gathered, the situation escalated.
Driven by hatred, many of them recklessly joined the rebel army.
This not only indirectly bolstered the rebels’ ranks, but also caused the court’s reputation among the people to plummet.
Hearing this, Li Ji couldn’t help but sneer.
’They played a winning hand so badly. How foolish!’
Chen Wangbei spoke with a solemn expression.
"General Xuanwei said this campaign will likely fail. It might even help the rebels establish a firm foothold in the region. My presence in Lingnan was no longer of any use, so I have returned to report to you, Your Highness."
Li Ji nodded slightly. "You’ve worked hard. Go and get some proper rest."
"It is my duty. I wouldn’t dare call it hard work."
Chen Wangbei cupped his fists in a salute, then turned and left the study.
Li Ji rested his temple on one hand, his gaze falling to the letter in the brush-washing basin, its ink now completely blurred.
He had been wondering why General Xuanwei would suddenly send him a letter at a time like this.
Now, he finally understood.
General Xuanwei had said in the letter that he wished to meet, but it was really a hint: he hoped Li Ji could find a way to secure the task of leading the army to quell the rebellion.
If he could get the Emperor’s permission to lead troops to Lingnan, he would naturally be able to meet with General Xuanwei there.
Li Ji’s index finger tapped lightly on his knee.
"Lingnan..."
...
The local County Magistrate detailed the events between the pacification army and the local populace in a memorial, which was submitted to the Central Secretariat and then forwarded to the Emperor.
After reading the memorial, the Emperor flew into a rage on the spot.
"I sent them to quell a rebellion, not to start another one!"
Someone had committed treason, and the Emperor had sent men to suppress it.
The cause was just, the action reasonable.
Yet, this mess had turned the court into the party in the wrong. The prestige of the Emperor and the court in the eyes of the people had been utterly squandered!
Everyone in the Imperial Study Room lowered their heads, not daring to breathe a word.
Finally, an elderly minister stepped forward. He suggested replacing the commanding military general immediately and having the Lingnan County Magistrate work with respected local clan elders to appease the distraught populace, doing everything possible to resolve the conflict between the court and the people.
The Emperor took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He accepted the elderly minister’s proposal.
But that raised a question.
Who in the court was capable of leading an army to suppress the rebellion?
The Emperor’s thoughts turned to Li Ji once more.
But he quickly suppressed the notion.
Li Ji had already accumulated too much prestige in the army. It would be unwise to let him return.
Another elderly minister stepped forward, proposing that General Xuanwei take over the pacification efforts.
The Emperor fell into a thoughtful silence.
He had originally sent General Xuanwei to guard Lingnan partly because he valued the general’s abilities, but also to counterbalance Duke Zhen.
At the time, Duke Zhen was constantly winning victories on the battlefield, becoming a hero revered throughout the ranks. This inevitably made the Emperor feel threatened. He wanted to reclaim military authority from Duke Zhen’s hands, but for the moment, he couldn’t find a suitable opportunity.
Coincidentally, that was when Duke Zhen and General Xuanwei had their falling out.
The Emperor had seized the opportunity to send General Xuanwei to guard Lingnan, placing the fifty-thousand-strong Heavenly Might Army under his command.
The Lingnan region was mountainous and forested, home to many ethnic minorities. It was a crucial, yet extremely difficult area to govern.
At first, some in the court doubted General Xuanwei could keep the fierce local minorities in check.
But after all these years, Lingnan had remained peaceful.
This was a testament to General Xuanwei’s capability.
Logically, there should be no problem with General Xuanwei taking over the pacification.
Yet, the Emperor still harbored doubts.
When he first heard that General Xuanwei and Duke Zhen had a falling out, he hadn’t thought much about it before sending the general to Lingnan.
But over the years, suspicion had gradually taken root in the Emperor’s mind.
The timing of their falling out was just too convenient, occurring right when the Emperor was looking for a way to strip Duke Zhen of his military authority.
The Emperor was never one to shy away from assuming the worst of people.
Now, he suspected: were General Xuanwei and Duke Zhen merely putting on an act?
With such doubts in his mind, the Emperor would not let General Xuanwei take command.
Seeing the Emperor’s silence, the elderly ministers knew he was displeased with the suggestion of General Xuanwei. Though they did not understand why, they dared not ask.
The Emperor asked if there were any other suitable candidates to lead the army.
The elderly ministers were nothing if not shrewd.
They could see that the Emperor distrusted the military generals.
So, they proposed a civil servant named Wu Shufeng.
Though Wu Shufeng had entered the bureaucracy through the imperial examinations and was a scholar with no physical strength to speak of, he had studied military texts since childhood and could recite various schools of Military Strategy by heart.
His skill in board games was also exquisite; he could integrate Military Strategy into his play. No matter how complex the game, he could find a solution. He was, by all accounts, a tactical genius.
If placed on a battlefield, he might just become one of the great scholar-generals of his time.
As the saying goes, seeing is believing.
The Emperor summoned Wu Shufeng to the palace and personally posed several problems one might encounter during a military campaign to test him.
Wu Shufeng answered fluently, his responses nearly perfect, with almost nothing to find fault with.
The Emperor was quite impressed with the sharp-witted young man. He quickly made his decision: Wu Shufeng would be the new commander of the pacification army, with General Xuanwei assisting him.
Wu Shufeng possessed tactical genius, while General Xuanwei had practical experience and was very familiar with the region.
With the two of them working together, there should be no problems.
As for the two incompetent military generals, who were more of a hindrance than a help, they were urgently recalled to Shangjing to await severe punishment from the Saint.
The next day, Hua Manman and Li Ji went out to see the shop, which was located in the very center of Kaiyang Street.
They were both very pleased with the shop.
The renovations and hiring would be handled by Prince Zhao’s subordinates.
Hua Manman didn’t need to worry about a thing; she just had to state her requirements.
After inspecting the shop, they stopped by the teahouse next door for a while.
They were led to a private room on the second floor.
Hua Manman and Li Ji had just sat down when they heard laughter and chatter from the adjacent room.
The room’s soundproofing wasn’t very good. Even though the people next door weren’t speaking loudly, Hua Manman and Li Ji could still hear them clearly.
