Chapter 750
Chapter 750
However, this tranquility was fleeting.
On the ninth day of the eleventh month, Crown Prince Ning Zheng, acting as regent, officially dismissed Zhang Ziyu from his position as Central Commander of Tianxi Province and summoned him to the capital to assume the post of Vice Minister of Rites.
It was, of course, a promotion. Yet while everyone expected Zhang Ziyu to flee rather than accept the post, he returned to the capital and quietly took up his duties as Vice Minister of Rites.
On the ninth day of the eleventh month, Ning Zheng dismissed Zhang Chong from his post as Acting Commander of Tianbei Province and reassigned him as the Commander of Tianxi Province.
The next day, Zhang Chong left Tianbei Province and headed south with all haste.
On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, Zhang Chong arrived in Tianxi Province and formally assumed the position of Grand Commander of Tianxi Province.
Witnessing this, everyone realized that the Yue court was preparing to move against the Zhong Clan.
On the seventeenth day of the eleventh month, the Duke of Weiwu, Bian Wu, formally requested to resign from his position as Privy Councilor, and King Ning Yuanxian of Yue accepted.
With that, the position of Chief Councilor of the Yue Privy Council became vacant.
The following day, before even receiving his consent, Ning Yuanxian appointed Zhong Yao as the Chief Councilor of the Yue Privy Council and issued a royal decree ordering him to enter the capital immediately to assume his post.
At the same time, a joint edict from the Grand Secretariat and the Privy Council of Yue reached Zhenxi Commandery, demanding that the Zhong Clan support the new policies by disbanding their private army and relinquishing command of the Zhenxi Army to the Privy Council.
Around the same time, Marquis Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu formally submitted a memorial, offering to surrender nine-tenths of his fiefdom, leaving only the Marquis of Xuanwu's estate and its attached manors.
Having managed Raging Tide City for over three years now, the Jin Clan's fiefdom no longer held the same importance, as most of its people had already relocated to Thunder Prefecture Island.
Thus, Gold Mountain Island, Raging Tide City, and Thunder Prefecture Island had become the true foundation of the Jin Clan.
***
After the royal decree arrived in Zhenxi Commandery, Zhong Yao claimed illness and refused to travel to the capital to assume his post as Chief Councilor of the Privy Council.
The Yue Grand Secretariat demanded to dispatch officials to Zhenxi Commandery to survey the Marquis of Zhenxi's fief, while officials from the Privy Council were sent to create a register of the Zhong Clan's private army and the Zhenxi Army.
The court was determined to reclaim the Zhong Clan's fiefdom and was preparing to reduce their private forces.
Zhong Sisi flew into a rage, killing three officials from the Privy Council and beating seventeen from the Grand Secretariat.
The Yue court was furious. King Ning Yuanxian issued a decree ordering Zhong Yao to hand over the murderer, Zhong Sisi, while also commanding him to voluntarily submit the military rosters and maps of his fiefdom in support of Yue's new policies.
It was also written that failure to comply would be considered treason.
But Zhong Yao paid the decree no heed.
In response, King Ning Yuanxian declared to the world that the Zhong Clan was plotting rebellion and issued a royal decree to the Grand Commander of Tianxi Province and the commander of the Nirvana Army, Jin Mulan, to annihilate the traitorous Zhong Clan.
The State of Yue was once again thrown into shock.
‘So soon, so hastily? They just finished a battle that decided the nation's fate, and now they're striking at Zhong Yao immediately?’
The common people were bewildered, but the court officials were not the least bit surprised.
This battle should have broken out months ago, but Ning Zheng had delayed it, not wanting a civil war to erupt in the capital.
Moreover, the Zhong Clan was a noble family at the apex of power in Yue, the largest military faction, and even a pillar supporting the state.
To suddenly declare such a clan as traitors would be too great a shock for the people of Yue, so a buffer period was necessary.
Civil war was inevitable, but a pretext was needed to dispatch the army.
***
Zhong Yao circulated a manifesto to the world.
Following this, the Zhong Clan began conscripting troops without restraint, their forces swelling rapidly from sixty thousand to one hundred thousand.
No one could fathom where they had procured the provisions and funds for such an army.
Soon, the Zhong Clan's army struck out in all directions, swiftly capturing every prefecture and city in the northern part of Tianxi Province.
Thus, the civil war in the State of Yue officially began.
With the exception of Gunan City, the entirety of northern Tianxi Province fell into the hands of the Zhong Clan's grand army.
Jin Mulan, leading the four thousand soldiers of the First and Second Nirvana Armies, held Gunan City firmly.
Gunan City was located less than two hundred li from Zhenxi Commandery. On a map, it was an isolated position, destined to be surrounded by the Zhong Clan's forces.
***
On the ninth day of the twelfth month, Zhong E led an army of forty thousand to attack Gunan City, defended by Jin Mulan.
Jin Mulan's nemesis, Zhong Sisi, also marched with the army.
Gunan City was a small, dilapidated old city, and Jin Mulan's defending force numbered only four thousand.
The two sides were outnumbered ten to one.
“Jin Mulan's four thousand soldiers are the most elite troops under Yue's command! If we eliminate them, Ning Zheng will have nothing left to stop our Zhong army.”
***
Prince Yan of the Empire did not return to the imperial capital, but instead appeared in Zhenxi Commandery.
“Zhong Yao, what I am about to say is of the utmost importance. First, in this battle, you are not fighting for the Ning Clan, nor are you attacking cities to seize territory. This battle is fought solely for the sake of the Zhong Clan. And in this battle, you have only one objective: the complete annihilation of the First and Second Nirvana Armies. This is not just my will, but the will of the Empire. Do you understand me?”
Prince Yan of the Empire spoke with grave solemnity.
“I beseech Your Highness to speak plainly.”
Prince Yan replied to Zhong Yao's words.
“Very well. I will be more direct. The First and Second Nirvana Armies are forces created by Shen Lang through bloodline modification. They should not exist in this world. Therefore, you must erase their existence completely. Understood?”
Zhong Yao's eyes narrowed. The words carried a profound meaning.
“Not only the First and Second Nirvana Armies, but all those with the bloodline of Jiang Li's remnants must also be erased. Including Gudu Huan, Nan Po, Duo Da, Duo Yi, the ten Lan brothers—all of them must be thoroughly wiped from this world.”
The information contained in those words was immense. What had changed? For the past decade, the Empire had maintained a relatively hands-off attitude toward those with the special bloodlines of Jiang Li's remnants.
Over twenty years ago, after Jiang Li's sudden death, the individuals with special bloodlines he had cultivated became war refugees, scattering across the world.
The Zhuo Clan took in Gudu Huan, the Zhong Clan took in Nan Po, and the King of Chu took in the Duo brothers.
These individuals with special bloodlines had existed in relative secrecy, but after the annihilation of the Zhuo Clan, the master of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion publicly took Gudu Huan as a disciple in name.
Soon after, the Empire suddenly seemed to adopt a lenient stance toward those with special bloodlines, not only tacitly approving but even endorsing the great houses of the world in taking in Jiang Li's remnants.
As a result, the identities of those with special bloodlines were revealed one after another, and it was only then that Shen Lang was able to create public miracles with the ten Lan brothers.
But now, Prince Yan of the Empire was ordering him to erase all traces of their existence. What did this mean? Why such a sudden change?
“Let me repeat myself. The First and Second Nirvana Armies should not exist in this world, and you must destroy them, no matter the cost. They number merely four thousand. Regardless of how many casualties your army suffers—be it thirty thousand or fifty thousand—you must annihilate those four thousand to the last man, root and stem. Xue Che has received similar orders: to completely annihilate the Jin Clan. Specifically, to destroy their entire naval fleet, leaving not a single ship, and to completely blockade all sea routes in the eastern waters. I hope you understand the gravity of this matter.”
Zhong Yao looked at Prince Yan and asked.
“Must it truly be done, no matter the cost?”
“How much food, provisions, and weaponry have you received in recent months?”
The amount was staggering. In the last war against the King of Chu, Zhong Yao's army had depleted nearly all its supplies. Yet, in recent months, they had been replenished at an unprecedented rate, with countless resources flowing into the Zhong Clan's storehouses unconditionally.
“I will say it again: you are not fighting this battle for the Ning Clan. And let me add one more thing: the moment you accomplish this objective, the Zhong Clan can establish itself as an independent state!”
A tremor ran through Zhong Yao's entire body. He had dreamed of the Zhong Clan's independence, a desire no less fervent than Su Nan's.
But reality had forced the Zhong Clan to rely on the State of Yue. The Zhong and the Chu were mortal enemies for generations, and the mighty State of Chu stood before them like a great mountain.
Therefore, despite his deep animosity toward Ning Yuanxian, Zhong Yao had no choice but to pledge loyalty to him and obey most of his commands.
He had once attempted to break away from Yue by forging an alliance with Prince Wu of the Empire, but in the end, Shen Lang, that scoundrel, had ruined all his plans.
'To establish an independent state.' For that goal, the Zhong Clan was willing to sacrifice any number of their clansmen's lives.
And now, Prince Yan of the Empire had offered that very prize.
“You have already conquered most of northern Tianxi Province, with only Gunan City remaining. Once you eliminate the First and Second Nirvana Armies, the entirety of northern Tianxi Province will belong to the Zhong Clan. First, the Zhong Clan will be enfeoffed as the Duchy of Tianxi. Nominally a vassal state of Yue, but in reality, an independent nation. At that time, Zhong Yao, you will no longer be the Marquis of Zhenxi, but the King of the Duchy of Tianxi. The future King of Yue will be your nominal sovereign, but your true sovereign will be one and one only: His Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Yan Empire.”
For a moment, Zhong Yao felt he couldn't breathe, the hot blood in his veins threatening to boil over.
King! What an enchanting word. People say that kings and nobles are not born to their station, but among the countless families in the world, how many could ever become the ruler of a nation?
“This is the Empire's promise to you. What say you?”
Zhong Yao replied in a trembling voice.
“This servant will devote his all to the state and not rest until death.”
“Remember. No matter the price, you must annihilate the First and Second Nirvana Armies! That army should never have come into being. Moreover, with Shen Lang conveniently away from them, you have truly been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”