Chapter 159
Chapter 159
Prefect Zhang Chong of Raging River Commandery did not return to the commandery city immediately. Instead, he found a mansion near the Raging River and stayed there. He stood by the window, motionless, gazing at the fiercely flowing river. The reason he had failed to achieve any notable success in the bureaucracy and had wasted years was his lack of backing. Moreover, his upright character made him incapable of flattering or currying favor with others, leaving him in a state of hardship for the past decade or so in the official world.
When he had passed the imperial examination with second-class honors in his youth, he had expected everything to be smooth sailing. He first toiled for several years in the Censorate, then spent a few more years in the Central Secretariat. The Censorate, the Central Secretariat—the names sounded grand, but in reality, they were positions with no power, involving daily clerical work and running errands for anyone who called.
For the scions of powerful families, these were positions taken merely for prestige, but for someone of common birth like Zhang Chong, they were posts of hardship and adversity. The Central Secretariat was the chancellor's institution. In Zhang Chong's third year there, the Central Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs were all abolished and merged into the Grand Secretariat. A large number of officials who performed menial tasks were dismissed, and Zhang Chong left the capital to serve as a city lord in a small town. After serving as a city lord in several different places, a decade had passed in the blink of an eye. It was only a few years ago, after he had eliminated the Count of Dongjiang, that Zhang Chong finally caught the eye of the king and Governor-General Zhu Rong.
Having caught the attention of the king and the governor-general, he was greatly promoted to the position of Prefect. The position of Prefect was akin to a provincial governor, the highest post a local official could attain. Above the Prefect was the Provincial Grand Governor, but that was not a permanent position. If he successfully destroyed the Count of Xuanwu's Estate this time, Zhang Chong would be appointed as the Vice-Governor of Yan Province. This would be the greatest honor for him, both personally and for his family, as it was the highest local office a commoner could achieve.
The post of Vice-Governor of Yan Province was not about implementing new policies or being a harsh official. Rather, it was a test of one's ability to see the bigger picture in military, political, and diplomatic affairs. Yan Province was originally territory belonging to the State of Wu, brought over when Duke Weimu Bian Mu defected to the southern State of Yue. Even after twenty-odd years, the people's loyalty in this region had not yet shifted to the State of Yue, causing various problems. Merchants, spies, and brokers from the states of Wu, Chu, and even the Great Yan Empire were active in Yan Province, creating a complex mix of people.
Serving as the Vice-Governor of such a place would be an extreme test of his abilities. If he successfully held the position, the next step would be Vice-Minister of one of the Six Ministries, the core of power. After that, Minister of one of the Six Ministries, and finally, he might even become one of the chancellors of the Grand Secretariat. Chancellor was the pinnacle of a lifetime of achievement.
The king had made Zhang Chong a harsh official, a sharp blade. But he had no intention of letting him remain a harsh official forever; he wanted to groom him into a true pillar of the nation. Aware of the king's intentions, whenever Zhang Chong wanted to reflect on the misery and frustration he had experienced in the bureaucracy and temper his grand ambitions anew, he would visit the Raging River and watch its powerful current. Each time, his heart would be set ablaze again, and he would rise with greater courage, overflowing with talent and fighting spirit.
*No matter how fierce the political strife, can it compare to the raging river before my eyes? Indeed, I, Zhang Chong, am like the mighty waves of this Raging River, and the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is but a rock embedded in its waters. No matter how solid the rock, it cannot withstand the towering waves and will one day break apart, becoming like a pebble swept away by the current.*
Just then, Zhang Chunhua entered with a bowl of medicinal soup and said gently.
"Father, the wind is strong by the river. And you haven't fully recovered yet."
Zhang Chong took the medicinal soup and drank it all in one gulp.
"Chunhua, my dear, I am sorry. I have crushed the budding of your emotions."
Zhang Chunhua shook her head.
"Love between a man and a woman is a pastime for idle moments. Such love is completely insignificant compared to the fate of our family. Besides, emotion is merely an impulse to procreate. In the end, it's all for a moment's shiver."
Zhang Chong was rendered speechless by his daughter's stark reply. Chunhua asked him.
"Father, now that Shen Lang has won the Gold Mountain Island dispute, has our situation become much worse?"
"Not worse, but more intense! Originally, I intended to end the fate of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate through a coordinated, elegant attack from multiple fronts, a relatively gentle method. I wanted to avoid overly drastic measures and large-scale bloodshed. That is what makes a capable statesman. If I must kill countless people to destroy Count Jin Zhuo's family, it would make me look incompetent.
If I had a choice, I would not want to cooperate with a beast like Qiu Tianwei. That would become a political stain on my future. But now that the Jin Clan has won the Gold Mountain Island dispute, the situation has instantly shifted from a political struggle to a military one. There will be bloodshed ahead, and my reputation, Zhang Chong's reputation, will only worsen."
Zhang Chunhua asked.
"So even though they won the Gold Mountain Island dispute, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is still in trouble, and the fight will become even more vicious and intense than before?"
"As long as the king's determination to implement the new policies remains unchanged, the Jin Clan's crisis will never be resolved. When fighting a vastly more powerful enemy, the best outcome is to lose with minimal damage. If you happen to win against a powerful foe through a stroke of luck, it will only lead to an even more disastrous result."
His words made sense. Even on Earth, if a great power sought to punish a smaller nation over a territorial dispute, everyone would rejoice if the great power won. But if the great power lost, it would grow enraged and escalate the war to annihilate the smaller nation, all to save face and solidify its international standing.
"Then, the moment the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is completely destroyed, I will go and seduce Shen Lang again. It won't be too late to sleep with him then."
Zhang Chong wished he could cover his ears, but he could only let out a sigh.
"That won't be possible. Before, win or lose, we could still maintain a veneer of civility. But the coming battle will be one of mutual slaughter, where corpses will litter the fields."
Two hours later, Zhang Chong, despite his weakened state, took a carriage to the Count of Jinhai's Estate. The estate was in complete chaos. Tang Lun was venting his fury like a madman. The beautiful garden, designed for scenery, had been utterly destroyed by his sword, and precious porcelain vases were shattered where he had thrown them. The calligraphy and paintings on the walls had been burned. Four or five servants within the estate had been killed on the spot by Tang Lun, unable to escape his wrath, and no one dared to even collect their bodies.
When Zhang Chong entered Tang Lun's study, the Count of Jinhai rushed at him, brandishing a greatsword, and roared angrily.
"Are you looking to die? Didn't I say no one was to enter?"
The moment he recognized the visitor as Zhang Chong, he scowled and lowered his greatsword.
"So it's Prefect Zhang. What is it?"
"I came to ask if the Count of Jinhai has a plan for what comes next."
Tang Lun said coldly.
"What plan could there be? I have no choice but to drag my feet and not actually hand it over. Though I signed the contract, it's a pipe dream if you think I'm just going to give up Gold Mountain Island."
"Even so, how long can you delay? Can you refuse to hand over Gold Mountain Island even if the king issues a royal decree?"
Tang Lun sneered.
"A royal decree, you say? When would that ever happen? The king is also waiting for the Count of Xuanwu's Estate to die."
"Would the Count of Jinhai care to hear my thoughts?"
"Speak."
"Hand over Gold Mountain Island immediately. Transfer it right away. Do not damage the smelting works you've built there, nor the mines. Hand it over to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate completely intact."
Hearing this, Count of Jinhai Tang Lun spoke in a furious voice.
"Prefect Zhang, have you gone completely mad?"
"Then the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will be overjoyed and send countless people to Gold Mountain Island. The iron ore produced on Wang'ai Island is of very poor quality, so the Jin Clan will borrow a large sum of money to invest a massive amount of manpower, resources, wealth, and military strength into Gold Mountain Island to begin producing iron ore there in a short time."
"If I give them Gold Mountain Island intact, won't that be playing right into their hands? Are you asking me to do a favor for Jin Zhuo?"
"Count of Jinhai, is it true that all the steel weapons used by the army under the pirate king Qiu Tianwei are supplied by your family, produced with iron ore from Gold Mountain Island?"
"Prefect Zhang, you shouldn't speak of such things so carelessly. I have done no such thing."
What an amusing man. To be playing dumb even at a moment like this. Who didn't know that the Count of Jinhai's Estate was in league with Qiu Tianwei, and that Tang Lun even handled dirty work for him in the State of Yue?
"After you hand Gold Mountain Island over to Count Jin Zhuo, make a secret pact with the pirate king Qiu Tianwei, offering him seventy percent of the island as a gift. You must make him send his troops to seize it. Do you think Qiu Tianwei will come?"
"Of course he will! Qiu Tianwei is a vicious and greedy shark. If I offer him Gold Mountain Island as a gift, how could he possibly give up such a fertile island?"
In fact, Tang Lun left out one secret. Every year, he had offered thirty percent of the iron from Gold Mountain Island to Qiu Tianwei as protection money.
"If that happens, Qiu Tianwei will lead a large army to invade Gold Mountain Island and wage war against the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. At that time, do you think the king will issue a royal decree and dispatch troops to help Count Jin Zhuo eliminate the pirates?"
"Of course not. The king is just waiting for Jin Zhuo to die. Qiu Tianwei's forces are several times larger than Jin Zhuo's, so he will surely win."
Zhang Chong said.
"By the time the war breaks out, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will have already invested a great deal of manpower, military strength, and wealth into Gold Mountain Island. How many warriors will die when he fights Qiu Tianwei? How much wealth will be lost? Gold Mountain Island will not be a fertile island that brings profit to Count Jin Zhuo, but a slaughterhouse. The Jin Clan will be bled dry there, down to the last drop."
Tang Lun continued Zhang Chong's line of thought.
"Then, when the Hidden Yuan Society demands repayment of their massive debt and takes the mortgaged Wang'ai Island, the Jin Clan will be finished. In that case, reclaiming Gold Mountain Island will not only fail to help them but will actually hasten their demise!"
So he said, but the price they had to pay for the destruction of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was to drag the greedy shark known as Qiu Tianwei into the fray. The pirate king was a force beyond their control. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Zhang Chong would not have wanted to execute this stage of the plan.
"Therefore, Count of Jinhai, you should hand over Gold Mountain Island, and give it to the Jin Clan completely intact."
Count of Jinhai Tang Lun frowned and said in a chilly voice.
"Why should I hand it over? What benefit is there for me in destroying the Jin Clan? If I hold out for a year or two without giving up Gold Mountain Island, the Jin Clan will be destroyed anyway, and the island will still be in my hands."
Tang Lun's words were no different from saying they should all go down together.
*I have no objection to eliminating the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, but if you demand I give up Gold Mountain Island as the price, I will no longer cooperate. Implementing the new policies is none of my business anyway, and destroying the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is your mission, Zhang Chong.*
Zhang Chong frowned. Indeed, comparing the Count of Jinhai and the Count of Xuanwu, one was a man of outstanding character, while the other was base. One was honest, upright, and noble, while the other was vicious, fickle, greedy, and selfish. Unfortunately, the man in the same boat as him now was the latter. Zhang Chong said calmly.
"Count of Jinhai, you must hand over Gold Mountain Island completely intact. And you must do so as quickly as possible."
The Count of Jinhai laughed loudly at his words.
"What? I'd like to ask why I should follow your orders. The Prefect of Raging River Commandery has no right to control my Count of Jinhai's Estate, does he?"
"Because I intend to submit a memorial to the king, pressure you, and force you to hand over Gold Mountain Island. If you refuse, Count of Jinhai, then I will not attack the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. Instead, I will unleash the attack of the new policies on the Count of Jinhai's Estate and eliminate the Tang Clan first. After all, you are also an old, established noble family, are you not?"
Hearing this, the Count of Jinhai's expression changed drastically, and he asked in a furious voice.
"Zhang Chong, you dare?"