Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Deliberations on Rebellion
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The sound of robes swishing against each other echoed through the corridors of Crystal Sea Hall. Numerous figures hurried along, their appearances every bit as splendid as their status.
They were Clan Head Yuk Mu-hyeok's trusted aides and descendants—a group composed solely of the clan's core upper echelon. Without exchanging a word, they made straight for the meeting chamber.
The warriors guarding the Clan Head's quarters hurriedly stepped aside. Having already received word, no further orders were needed.
At the end of the corridor stood paper-screened doors serving as the main entrance. As the group approached, a surge of aura swept toward them.
At the same time, the doors swung open of their own accord.
The first thing to catch the eye was a long marble table, large enough to seat more than a dozen people.
The Yuk Clan Head had arrived early and was seated at the head. With a glance, he urged the others to take their seats. As they all sat, a heavy tension settled over the room.
The clan head spoke with a grave expression.
"I shall explain why I have summoned you."
His sunken gaze swept over the assembly. His words, delivered with deliberate emphasis, struck their ears like hammer blows.
"Prince Yeon intends to rebel."
"...!"
Gasps filled the space. All eyes widened in shock, fixed solely on the clan head's mouth. Some even showed traces of fear. The matter was that grave.
Yuk Seo, the eldest son and Cloud Sea Hall Leader seated to the clan head's immediate right, finally managed to speak.
"Has he openly demanded our participation in a coup?"
"No. It's intelligence gathered by our spies. The Northern Army's vanguard, which should have marched to conquer the northern deserts and highlands, has instead passed through Shanhai Pass into Hebei Province. Under the pretext of resupplying."
Shanhai Pass lay at the eastern end of the Great Wall, the foremost bulwark guarding the lands north of the Yellow River. If the expeditionary Northern Army had turned its blades and returned through there, the intent was clear.
Rebellion. It was hard to imagine any other reason.
"The news must have already spread across the land. Even without formal notice, the time has come to declare our stance."
"Then, what is your will, Father...?"
"State your individual views. I shall listen and decide."
The seated figures quickly exchanged glances. The first to voice an opinion was the second son, Yuk Hang.
"They are rebels. We must eradicate them. Did Father not champion a cause when aiding the Founding Emperor to establish this nation?"
"A peaceful realm under heaven."
"Yet the very blade meant to rid the empire of threats now seeks to plunge us back into chaos. We must break it."
The clan head's gaze shifted to his eldest son, Yuk Seo, on his left. Unlike his younger brother, Yuk Seo unraveled his thoughts in a measured tone.
"This calamity stems from the young emperor's bungled reduction of fiefdoms. Moreover, unlike the Founding Emperor, his aptitude is feeble, they say. He will suspect and guard against the military and warriors alike."
"Will we suffer the same fate as the Regional Kings?"
"In that case, would it not be better to raise the banner of purging the sycophants around the boy emperor?"
It was a direct rebuttal to Yuk Hang's stance. Yuk Hang's face flushed red. A retort immediately followed.
"The reason ancient clans like ours are revered is not merely our storied lineage. It is because we have upheld the mandate to protect the common folk and aid the imperial house."
"This side is House Zhu, that side is House Zhu. If they are not turning against their own blood, there is no flaw in upholding the imperial house."
"If we chase only profit, how are we different from upstart clans like the Nangong, Peng, or Yan?"
"From what safe perch do you dare utter the names of such rabble!"
"Is that something to say after speaking of rebellion yourself?"
The debate grew heated. Yuk Jin-yang averted his eyes from the unseemly spectacle of his elders and gathered his thoughts.
The clan head's words about listening and judging. It was not a question leaving room for answers. Anyone who thought otherwise was naive.
The clan head had already decided. The reason for convening this meeting was to gauge the caliber of his children and grandchildren.
For Yuk Jin-yang, it was fortuitous. He already knew the future. He need only attach plausible reasoning to the predetermined conclusion.
Steeling himself, Yuk Jin-yang spoke slowly and deliberately.
"May this foolish grandson venture a word?"
The charged atmosphere of the meeting shifted.
"Who do you think this gathering is, that you dare speak out of turn?"
"Enough. This is no place for you."
"One successful mission, and now you're full of yourself."
The elders scowled, his peers of the same generation sneered, and the retainers cast doubtful glances.
Amid such reactions, only the clan head responded differently.
"The Duke of Zhou sought counsel from a seven-year-old boy, and the tyrannical warlord Xiang Yu of Chu halted a massacre upon the words of a thirteen-year-old child. Does youth preclude wisdom? Speak, then."
It was none other than the Yuk Clan Head's permission. Though all were stunned, none dared object.
Yuk Jin-yang took a deep breath and polished the words in his mouth.
"I have heard that certain upstart clans, like the Hebei Peng Clan, are backed by His Majesty the Emperor himself."
"Indeed. Amid the chaos at the end of the previous dynasty, some rose by fortune's favor. Others sprouted under the graces of the newly ascended emperor."
"They will surely defend His Majesty, so he commands not only a million-strong army but also capable vassals."
"You may see it that way."
"I have heard that favors received in hard times are not easily forgotten, but late guests to a feast receive scant hospitality."
The calm words flowed in an even tone.
But their content was anything but ordinary. They pierced the political landscape with keen insight. The clan head was no fool.
The corner of the clan head's mouth lifted. Seeing it, Yuk Jin-yang inwardly sighed in relief.
He had struck the answer his grandfather kept hidden in his heart.
Soon, the other family members caught on, a beat late, to the implication of Yuk Jin-yang's claim.
The emperor had already begun excluding the ancient clans, building his own loyalist factions.
Even if the ancient clans now joined in suppressing the Regional Kings, they would not retain their current influence. From the emperor's view, the upstarts tamed by his handouts were far easier to wield than the ancient clans.
The military had to be considered as well.
The imperial guards, especially those protecting the capital regions of Zhili and Shandong, were elite troops versed in martial arts. Their commanding generals were the same—adepts of the imperial house and military's secret arts, formidable beyond measure.
Perhaps one among them would claim merit and birth a new martial clan. Precedents existed: the Yang and Ouyang clans from military stock.
The more such cases arose, the more rivals the Zhejiang Yuk Clan would suddenly face.
The clan head rendered his decision in a cautious tone.
"I must confer with the heads of the Five Harmony Alliance."
"B-But Father! Did you not say last time that if the ancient clans assemble, the House of Zhu would band together against us? Should we not move our clan alone?"
Yuk Gyun interjected hastily. The clan head scowled and countered.
"Is the moment you invoke the Five Harmony Alliance the same as now?"
"Pardon?"
"Prince Yeon is preparing to march south with the Northern Army. The court has likely already branded him a rebel. Both sides are desperate for martial forces."
"Ah!"
It was no longer mere circumstantial evidence. The civil war among the imperial dragon blood for the throne had begun.
The Northern Army, meant for the northern frontiers, had passed through Shanhai Pass back into North China Plain. It was open defiance of the emperor's order to pacify the north. Suddenly, a faction of the military had been absorbed into Prince Yeon's private army.
From that moment, the rift between the emperor and Prince Yeon was irreparable.
The other Regional Kings were no different. Prince Yeon had struck first. What guarantee was there they would sit idle?
In such a situation, even if the ancient clans gathered, the House of Zhu had little cause to unite against them. They would more likely seek to enlist the martial world. Every fighting force would count.
"Do you think ours is the only clan wavering? At the very least, we must rally the Five Harmony Alliance houses."
"May I add one more word?"
"Speak."
The furrowed brow softened. His reaction to his third son and youngest grandson differed starkly. Yuk Gyun bit his lip, swallowing his humiliation.
Yuk Jin-yang pressed on undeterred.
"Would it not be wise to make preparations with great fanfare?"
"With great fanfare?"
"It seems Jin-yang has yet to study the classics of war. Have you not heard of 'Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain'?"
Cloud Sea Hall Leader Yuk Seo cut in with a mocking smile, even citing a line from Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain. An army on the march should be swift as the wind, fierce as fire when striking, rapid as thunderbolts. But the citation ill fit the present.
Yuk Jin-yang silently regarded only the clan head. He nodded, urging his grandson to continue.
"If we are to side with Prince Yeon, we must buy him time."
"Time."
"The emperor's forces can muster hundreds of thousands in an instant. What of Prince Yeon?"
"Only the Northern Army immediately at hand. And even that not fully assembled. The court ministers will have taken measures."
The Northern Army was dispersed across key garrisons to repel invaders and guard the Great Wall, not concentrated in one place. To gather them all required the cooperation of other Regional Kings.
Even in the most favorable scenario for Prince Yeon, it would take a month.
"We must buy Prince Yeon time to prepare."
"In other words, shock the realm and tie up the emperor, preventing rash action?"
"Precisely. As long as our true intentions remain unknown, the emperor will hesitate to act impulsively."
"An excellent stratagem."
The clan head leaned back with a faint smile. The room's atmosphere subtly shifted at his approval.
The clan head turned to Grand Steward Choe Rim, who stood rigidly behind him.
"Send missives to Hanzhong, Taiyuan, Xuzhou."
Hanzhong, Taiyuan, Xuzhou. Along with Zhejiang, the bases of the four leading ancient clans.
"The content: 'This one intends to ascend the Yangtze after long years for a pleasure excursion. Let the four clans gather in Kaifeng for a hunt together.'"
"Understood."
"The meeting ends here. You are all dismissed."
Yuk Mu-hyeok did not see off those chorusing their assent. Among those turning to leave, only one caught his lingering gaze.
Yuk Jin-yang. His youngest grandson.
The boy he had thought merely a martial prodigy had revealed prowess in strategy as well.
Those of high martial attainment were plentiful in the jianghu. But if that were all, one ended as a mere wandering ronin or puppet. Such was the way of the martial world.
Moreover, the Zhejiang Yuk Clan was no ordinary warrior household. They prided themselves on descent from kings and nobles across generations. Hence the need to excel in both civil and martial arts.
And just now, his grandson had shown qualities befitting the lineage.
"A crane among chickens, indeed."
In the now-empty chamber,
Yuk Mu-hyeok murmured the proverb repeatedly for a long while.