Chapter 641
Chapter 641
“Your Highness, it is best to quit while you are ahead!”
Those were the final words in the letter Shen Lang had written to Ning Yuanxian. He was saying that the victory at hand was already a tremendous achievement, and they should not be greedy for more. An undercooked meal was hard to eat, but it was better than starving to death. Although Ning Yuanxian was deeply uncomfortable with the situation, he instinctively trusted Shen Lang’s judgment. Taking a deep breath, he said.
“We shall discuss this matter again!”
Upon hearing this, the entire court erupted.
‘Discuss it again? What do you mean by that, Your Highness? Could it be that you, too, are jealous of the Crown Prince’s achievements and intend to prevent him from earning merit? The time you entered the barracks of Bian Wu, a general of the State of Wu, alone was far more perilous than this. For the Crown Prince to go to the State of Nangu and take command now is the surest path to victory. And you forbid him to go? How utterly ridiculous and absurd!’
* * *
Just as expected, once word of what had happened in the great hall spread, the people were incensed, cursing furiously. The anger of the capital’s citizens was directed at Ning Zheng, Shen Lang, and even Ning Yuanxian.
‘Ning Zheng, Shen Lang, you traitors! Do you care so little for the nation’s interests for the sake of your own? To let King Gong’s army escape just to prevent the Crown Prince from earning merit. You shameless, despicable scoundrels.’
Countless impeachment memorials flew into the royal palace like a blizzard. Under someone’s organized manipulation, throngs of people surrounded the Tianyue Commandery and the Marquis of Changping’s Estate. Every time Ning Zheng stepped outside, they would point and shout, “Traitor, traitor!” Ning Zheng was not Shen Lang. Shen Lang was not to be trifled with. He was petty, and whether it was a commoner or not, he would often wipe out their entire family if they crossed him. If not that, he would have them seized and brutally drowned in a cesspool. But Ning Zheng was very magnanimous; not only did he let the people point and curse at him, but he also hadn't killed a single one of the subordinate officials within the Commandery who had feigned obedience to his face while obstructing him in various ways.
“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!”
Soon, the Jin Clan’s villa was burned down again. The people who set it on fire also ruthlessly dumped tens of thousands of pounds of feces inside, the stench piercing the heavens. Of course, there wasn't a single soul in the Jin Clan’s villa at the time. Since Shen Lang wasn't even in the capital, it was merely a pointless release of anger, like beating a dead tiger. So, was the people's outrage unreasonable? Not entirely. Shen Lang and Ning Zheng’s stance seemed to oppose that of all the officials and the people, so such a reaction from the populace was entirely possible.
‘We have won a great victory in the war in the State of Nangu, so now is the perfect opportunity to annihilate King Gong’s army in one fell swoop and achieve a total victory. But you two want to hide your heads like turtles and let King Gong’s army escape? Traitors, treacherous ministers, you deserve to be stabbed a thousand, ten thousand times.’
It wasn’t just the people of the State of Yue’s capital; even people from the modern era would likely be even more furious in such a situation. The masses are always like that. They always want their country to appear mighty, and if it doesn't seem domineering, they believe it's a loss of sovereignty and a blow to national prestige.
The court was split into two factions. The Crown Prince's faction was the war faction, while Ning Zheng and Shen Lang were the shameless appeasement faction. This time, they were truly condemned by all. Whether they were court officials or common people, they were all convinced they were on the side of justice, and Shen Lang and Ning Zheng became unshakeable treacherous ministers who suppressed the Crown Prince for their own gain. Ning Zheng’s miraculous and magnificent performance at the Heaven-Worshipping Ceremony before the army departed had vanished like smoke.
As the war intensified, Ning Zheng, as the Commander of Tianyue, had implemented a strict wartime system, which had earned him the ire of merchants, officials, and commoners alike, who cursed him fiercely. But at that time, even though the people of the capital were inwardly dissatisfied with his strict methods, they believed what he was doing was right and beneficial to the country. Now, however, Ning Zheng was a clear-cut traitor. It wasn't just the people of Yue; even Ning Zheng's own direct soldiers, the capital's garrison, couldn't understand him at all.
‘His Highness Ning Zheng isn't that kind of person. He wouldn't neglect the country for his own benefit, nor would he harm the nation's interests out of jealousy for the Crown Prince!’
But as Ning Zheng and Shen Lang showed such weakness, even the brothers of the garrison grew somewhat dissatisfied with them. It was said that what mattered was the right timing, favorable geography, and the support of the people. Right now, the Crown Prince’s faction had the right timing and the people's support. The people of Yue stood with him, hoping he would go south, annihilate King Gong’s army in one go, earn unparalleled merit, and thereby bring decades of stability to the State of Yue.
The memorials impeaching Ning Zheng and Shen Lang grew more numerous, and soon even Marquis Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu was fiercely impeached. The issue was that the Privy Council and the Grand Commandery of the Tiannan Province had previously issued an order for Jin Zhuo to lead two thousand of his private soldiers to the second battlefield as an example to the nobles of the realm, but he had refused.
‘Now we see it for what it was—an act of utter treason. When the country was in peril, even insignificant nobles sent troops to the battlefield in the State of Nangu, yet you, Jin Zhuo, one of only two ancient marquisates in the State of Yue, did not send a single soldier. Do you have any loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country? Your rebellious intentions are as clear as day.’
Soon, an even more absurd rumor spread. It was said that Shen Lang, resentful of being exiled from the capital, had betrayed the State of Yue and the King, and that the Jin Clan had colluded with the Chu army to divide the Tiannan Province. Shen Lang, harboring sinister intentions, was trying to let King Gong’s army go, nurturing a future disaster to elevate his own status. And Ning Zheng was a fool being played by Shen Lang.
When everyone pushed in the same direction, no one could stop it. Ning Zheng could no longer even step outside. Even if he went to the Tianyue Commandery, he couldn't get any work done; no matter what order he gave, it wasn't executed. Except for his direct subordinates, every official, even the clerks and commoners, defied his commands, making it impossible for him to take a single step.
Yet, in the following court sessions, under pressure that could move mountains and overturn seas, Ning Zheng still held his ground. The Crown Prince must not go south. The main army must not advance rashly but should engage King Gong’s army in fortification warfare, a war of attrition. Each time, he was criticized until he was black and blue, and he and Shen Lang were shamefully branded as appeasers.
It was a true injustice. While one could say that Shen Lang was indeed sinister, Ning Zheng truly had only the country's best interests at heart. When Yue Fei marched north to reclaim lost territories, he did so out of wholehearted loyalty to the nation and was hailed as a paragon of loyalty for the ages. Qin Hui and Emperor Gaozong, for their own selfish interests, prevented Yue Fei's northern expedition and even had him killed on baseless charges, making them true traitors and a disgrace for all time.
But where had Ning Zheng shown any intention to appease? He was only worried that the nearly two hundred thousand strong main army of Yue would fall into King Gong's trap and suffer losses. If that happened, it would be a truly fatal disaster for the State of Yue. He proposed fortification warfare because, although it would consume vast sums of money and yield slow results, it was the only safe strategy. But the officials and people of the realm paid no heed to his thoughts. They simply condemned him, asserting that he and Shen Lang wanted to let King Gong go, that they couldn't bear to see the Crown Prince achieve merit, and that they were the real traitors.
In that atmosphere, portraits depicting the two in various grotesque and disgraceful poses were plastered all over the capital. Even if the capital's garrison tore them down, more would immediately appear. In every portrait, the traitors Shen Lang and Ning Zheng were shown kneeling, with the word "traitor" written on their faces or backs. People spat countless times on every posted portrait, even smearing them with feces or throwing blood-soaked menstrual cloths used by women at them.
What began with posting portraits later evolved into wooden statues. They were lifelike kneeling statues of the traitors Shen Lang and Ning Zheng. When Shen Lang received word of this in a letter, he was so furious that he actually burst out laughing.
‘Let them talk, let them talk! It's been a while since I've had the chance to act superior and humiliate my opponents. In the past, I've only slapped the faces of tens of thousands at most. This time, I'll be slapping the faces of millions, tens of millions. It will be even more gratifying.’
The more fiercely the people reviled Shen Lang and Ning Zheng now, the more Ning Zheng's greatness and integrity would stand out later. The entire country was wrong, and only Ning Zheng held the correct view. Moreover, he had steadfastly maintained his opinion in court, unyielding in the face of countless criticisms and insults. What an outstanding man! Wasn't such a person worthy of becoming the Crown Prince?
The court sessions entered their tenth day, and Ning Yuanxian was finally exhausted, feeling an unprecedented level of pressure. This was because someone was deliberately steering public opinion, and the officials and people had tacitly classified him as an appeaser as well. The term "inept monarch" had resurfaced. Even a king was terrified of standing in opposition to all his officials and people. This was all because Nangong Ao, Zhu Lin, and Princess Ning Luo sent a memorial every single day, their resolve to urge the Crown Prince to go south growing stronger and stronger.
This encirclement was of an unprecedented scale, forcing Governor-General Zhu Rong to once again conscript soldiers from the Tiannan Province. No, it could be said he had squeezed them out. Numerous nobles and officials sent their armed household retainers, and the State of Yue's army stationed on the Nangu battlefield already exceeded two hundred thousand. With two hundred thousand men against King Gong’s army of less than forty thousand, was it right not to fight? Should they really just let King Gong's army escape? Moreover, this battle had grown to an enormous scale, spanning hundreds of miles, and even Ning Yuanxian's heart was beginning to sway.
“Ning Zheng, has your opinion changed after seeing these memorials?”
Ning Yuanxian asked in a gentle tone. Ning Zheng carefully read the memorials. To be honest, his own mind was in a whirl right now. He had never been to the State of Nangu, and maps alone could not show its true nature. If he were to judge on his own, he would think this battle was winnable. King Gong's defeated army was surrounded, and it was a battle of two hundred thousand against a little over thirty thousand. By all accounts, victory should be certain. But the secret letters Shen Lang sent one after another always said the same thing: King Gong was plotting something, and Ning Zheng must stick to his original position and not waver. When Ning Zheng couldn't see the truth clearly for himself, he always trusted Shen Lang's choice.
Now, all the ministers in the court were staring intently at Ning Zheng. He was the final obstacle to annihilating King Gong's army in one go and allowing the Crown Prince to achieve his great merit. With all the ministers watching him like hawks, Ning Zheng's hair stood on end.
“I still maintain my original position and believe that His Highness the Crown Prince should not go south! Since we have completed the encirclement of King Gong’s army, we should continue to surround them, build fortifications on the spot, and gradually tighten the noose. We must not rashly initiate a battle!”
As soon as Ning Zheng stated his position, a censor suddenly rushed forward, faced Ning Zheng, and threw a powerful punch.