Chapter 832 Rebellion

The marshal carriages varied, some grand and imposing like mobile skyscrapers, daring to compete with the city defense arrow towers in height; others luxurious and refined, exquisitely carved and elegantly decorated. Compared to them, the carnival floats in the red-tent brothels during big city temple fairs were simply tawdry, vulgar displays.

But at its core,

A marshal carriage, with "marshal" coming before "carriage."

A slightly more spacious carriage, flying the royal flag, simple to the extreme, yet it did not diminish its status as the center of this moving torrent, constantly swelled by converging troops.

Inside the carriage,

The Prince of Pingxi himself sat, reviewing the reports submitted daily by each unit.

With each incoming troop, its commander was required to follow this rule, reporting on the unit's current status, needs, potential problems, equipment, supplies, morale, health, and so on, down to the smallest detail.

The marshal carriage would reply that same evening, creating a common understanding between the top and bottom.

In his early years, the Prince of Jingnan was known for his attention to detail, managing the entire army. Even the "Prince of Pingxi," who was essentially forced into his position, was merely a "blank space" left behind by the Prince of Jingnan.

This top-down control made it easy to provoke resentment from the various military leaders below, turning them into puppets. Secondly, it easily exacerbated the "a general is incompetent, and the whole army is useless" problem to the extreme.

But at this moment, these problems did not exist, at least temporarily.

Firstly, the troops from Jinzhong and Jinxi who had been conscripted this time had mostly participated in the national war against Chu. Most of them had been promoted, but few had retired to enjoy their pensions. Everyone was used to being "controlled" and "manipulated" in every aspect by the marshal's tent.

It was said that an experienced old lady in a red tent could understand what you wanted with just a pat on the butt and change your position accordingly.

But these roughnecks with their scarred faces, lofty ambitions, and love of munching on garlic could be trained to be even more cooperative, even to the point of anticipating and suggesting problems and solutions, obedient and submissive, and not trying to rush things.

Secondly, the Prince of Pingxi had a good teacher. No rising star or second-generation heir to a military family had ever received the treatment the Prince of Pingxi had received in his youth.

During the Yan-Chu war, when the two sides had deployed millions of troops, the Prince of Jingnan had allowed Zheng Fan to sit in his central command tent for a month or two, handling the army's affairs with his own royal seal.

Even a pig would undergo a qualitative change if nurtured in this way. Moreover, even Fan Li wouldn't go against his conscience and say that his master was inferior to a pig.

In addition, the blind man, who had guarded the home for years, had also joined the team, bringing Chen Daole and He Chunlai with him to become the Prince of Pingxi's right-hand men, rebuilding and operating the entire command center.

"Tea."

The Crown Prince handed over the tea and then sat back down obediently. The carriage swayed slightly, and the Crown Prince seriously looked at a copy of a report that had been reviewed and sent out yesterday.

He could understand the words, but when put together, they became confusing.

But the Crown Prince cherished this opportunity, asking Tian Tian about anything he didn't understand.

Tian Tian didn't really understand either, but because he was older than the Crown Prince, he would make things up.

The two children would occasionally discuss things together, finally arriving at an "I see" attitude.

"Smoke."

Tian Tian put down the report in front of him, got up, and took out a cigarette from the iron box he kept close to him.

He didn't rush to hand it over.

Tian Tian first turned the cigarette upside down and tapped it on the back of his soft hand.

He didn't know why he was doing this, but he always saw his godfather doing it, so he helped complete this step.

After tapping it, he put it to his godfather's mouth.

Zheng Fan opened his mouth and bit the cigarette, his eyes still on the latest report in his hand. It was from a prefect, stating that he had completed the first batch of grain transportation, and would also provide the necessary grain for the subsequent troops and laborers passing through his jurisdiction.

However, he also mentioned that his jurisdiction could only do this much.

Because the amount of grain needed would only increase when the various armies gathered at Nanmen Pass, and no one knew how long the war would last. The prefect truthfully stated that it would be difficult for his area to bear the pressure of logistical support.

Tian Tian brought the fire starter and lit the cigarette for Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan handed the report to Tian Tian.

Tian Tian took it and stood to the side, reading it.

The Crown Prince looked up.

Children, after all,

Have an instinct that if you look, I must also look.

So Tian Tian also gave the report to the Crown Prince. After the Crown Prince read it, he frowned.

These days, as the "marshal carriage" advanced, various adjutants, guerrillas, and generals had brought their subordinates to join them. The two children were really happy to see more and more soldiers around them every day.

But the problem was that now that there were more and more soldiers, the food seemed to be running out.

An army was completely different after leaving its garrison. It was like a person staying at home all day, making do with some porridge. It was okay if the body was a little weak.

But once they needed to work outside, they had to be more particular about their food, otherwise they wouldn't be able to work at all, and their bodies would easily collapse. This didn't even include the cost of clothes and new tools needed for going out.

Now,

Military pay, rewards, etc., could all be postponed. After all, the war hadn't even started yet.

Moreover, the Prince of Pingxi's banner could provide the various armies and the lower-level soldiers with a great sense of "pie in the sky."

No advance pay, no reward money, everyone could bear it for the sake of the Prince of Pingxi's reputation, hoping for the rewards after a great victory.

But the food problem,

Once there was a shortage of food, morale would immediately decline. The generals didn't feel this as deeply as the soldiers below.

Insufficient food meant insufficient war preparation, no confidence in the war, and everyone would feel uneasy. All kinds of negative emotions would be amplified in the military camp. A drop in combat effectiveness was good, but the worst thing was unstable morale, which would cause them to collapse at the first touch.

"Father, why is there so little food here?"

Tian Tian asked.

In his impression, everyone in Fengxin City lived a pretty good life.

Moreover, his godfather had just fought a battle in the winter, and there hadn't been a shortage of food.

The Crown Prince also looked over curiously.

Zheng Fan said, "Because Jindong is sparsely populated, grows a lot of grain, needs relatively little grain, and has more surplus."

It was actually very complicated, because all the land in Jindong belonged to the royal palace. Although it was cultivated through contracting, even awarding land only reduced the royal palace's commission. So, in essence, the royal palace was the largest and only landlord in Jindong.

Without middlemen making the difference, the royal palace had a strong ability to mobilize resources. Moreover, there were various industries such as commerce and workshops that also belonged to the royal palace that could be used for adjustment. In addition, a series of sound laws and regulations meant that the yield per acre of land cultivated in the Jindong area had always been very high.

However, the main reason was that Jindong was sparsely populated, otherwise the blind man wouldn't have been worried about "labor."

Relatively more was grown, relatively less was consumed, and naturally more was put into storage.

But in other places, more land was cultivated and more grain was harvested, but their own consumption was already considerable.

For example, Tiancheng County in the Yan Kingdom, the capital area, had the highest total and per-acre grain yield in Yan, but every year the imperial court had to transfer grain from other counties to support it.

Zheng Fan continued,

"In addition, there have been frequent wars in recent years, and the people's strength has been overdrawn too much. Whether in Yan or Jin, taxes have been collected for several years in advance. After your father ascended the throne, he adopted a policy of recuperation, and the imperial court's local tax revenue could only maintain a facade. The grain reserves in various places have actually been exhausted."

Ji Chuanye asked, "Godfather, is there still time to order a levy now?"

"There is time."

"Then we..."

"Then we don't have to go out of Nanmen Pass to fight. Let's turn around and put down local rebellions first.

When the late emperor was in power, he tightened his belt to support the army in fighting. Now, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The family has finally saved some food, and they can finally hope to avoid freezing, starvation, and becoming refugees. If we forcibly levy and conscript again, the people will not agree."

The seemingly vast Dayan Empire was actually hollowed out, which was the consensus of the Dayan high-level. At the same time, the high-level of the Qian and Chu countries also had people who could see this clearly.

Otherwise, the war against Chu wouldn't have ended with the retreat even after breaking through the Chu capital of Yingdu.

In fact, even the Battle of Fancheng, which the Prince of Pingxi had just fought, was a quick battle. After solving the Fancheng crisis, he immediately began to withdraw his troops, and the logistical pressure was not as great as expected.

"Chuanye, remember, your surname is Ji, you are the Crown Prince, and this world, this Dayan, is indeed yours, but this is based on the premise that the common people can still live.

Throughout history, many countries and dynasties seem to have been destroyed by local warlords, powerful officials, or internal strife, but there is usually a premise that the people are already living in misery.

You can't expect the people to willingly kneel and worship you while selling their children, suffering from hunger, and enduring starvation.

Your imperial grandfather could do it,

Your father can't do it yet, and you will have even more difficulty."

"Thank you for your teachings, Godfather. I will remember it."

"Yes."

In the following days,

More and more troops gathered towards the marshal flag, but the army's speed was not slowed down, and even accelerated.

During this period, Zheng Fan did not receive any local officials, and even the generals who brought troops to gather were not seen by Zheng Fan.

Although Dayan had suffered a defeat, the foundation of the Yan army was still there, and the Dayan system was still there.

With the Crown Prince and the heir of the Prince of Jingnan by his side, and being a genuine military noble, Zheng Fan didn't need to do anything to win over others, let alone shake the hands of the generals who came to join him with ecstasy and say: It's so good that you're here.

In fact,

When his royal flag moved west from Fengxin City, passing Wangjiang, it marked the beginning of the situation stabilizing.

The colder and calmer he was under the royal flag, the more at ease the people below would feel. The restlessness in them would be dispelled more quickly, and even the restlessness in the places where the army passed would be cooled down immediately.

The effect was similar to a military parade, or the emperor's tour.

It was hard to say about other things, but the Prince of Pingxi was really good at being a political mascot.

However,

When the marshal carriage passed through the territory of Litian City, not far from Nanmen Pass, a report from the Secret Intelligence Division fell into Zheng Fan's hands.

The content of the report was very simple. Usually, the simpler it was, the bigger the matter was, so big that the officials of the Secret Intelligence Division who presented the report didn't dare to add a few more words on it.

Report: Earl Yishan Chen Yang intends to rebel!

Putting down the report,

Zheng Fan reached out and gently pinched his brow.

Seeing this,

The two children thought their godfather was tired.

The Crown Prince consciously offered tea, and Tian Tian picked up the cigarette and gently tapped it on the back of his hand.

Just as the two children habitually wanted to come over and see what was written on the report that was causing their godfather so much trouble,

Zheng Fan turned the report face down on the table,

Waving his hand, he said,

"Go play somewhere else."

...

"Is this fun?"

"Are you joking with me?"

"You're crazy, you're crazy!"

Chen Yang roared at the two generals in front of him, who were like his right and left arms.

He couldn't help but be crazy,

Because the two generals, one in his hand held a dragon robe, and the other in his hand held a "jade seal."

The dragon robe was real, but the jade seal was naturally fake.

The former was just a set of clothes. If you didn't pay attention to the details of the needlework, you could easily fake it by simply piling up materials. The jade seal was different.

But sometimes, these matters don't need to be taken too seriously.

The two generals both had the surname Chen. One was Chen Yang's adopted son, named Chen Xiong; the other was Chen Yang's nephew, named Chen Yuan.

As for Chen Yang himself, he originally had three daughters and three sons, but the eldest son died early. Although the second son was an adult, he had always been weak and not suitable for military life. After being granted a favor two years ago, he refused to accept the official position and instead prepared for the imperial examination himself. He failed last year and is still studying at home. The youngest son inherited his father's bones, but he was still young, not yet ten years old.

Therefore, Chen Xiong and Chen Yuan were considered Chen Yang's direct line in the army, and each of them commanded a troop, now with the rank of guerrilla.

"Father, I'm not crazy!" Chen Xiong said, "I'm thinking for your sake!"

Chen Yuan also took a deep breath and said, "So am I."

Chen Xiong continued, "I've already talked to some other generals in the army, and they are willing to support it as long as you agree."

"Heh."

Chen Yang found it very funny and incredibly absurd. He sat back in his chair,

"Crazy, crazy, really crazy."

Chen Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground, said,

"Uncle, the death of Earl Huwei will definitely be investigated by the imperial court. You should also know the Prince of Pingxi's temper, plus the relationship between the Prince of Pingxi and Earl Huwei.

Yes, in our opinion, it was because of the imperial envoy's chaotic orders that our Susuan Camp was paralyzed at that time.

It was because the imperial envoy interfered that Earl Huwei ultimately led troops to replace our Susuan Camp.

It's all the imperial envoy's fault, and it's all the Litian City prefect's fault for trying to smooth things over!

But uncle, ask yourself, are we really blameless for Earl Huwei's death?

If you hadn't been against the imperial envoy, if we hadn't supported you in making the imperial envoy lose face, causing the situation to completely collapse,

How would Earl Huwei have been transferred to clean up the mess, and how would he have led only his own troop to rescue that Ran Min?

Uncle,

We are wrong, and we are guilty!

The Prince of Pingxi is coming here with a royal flag and a mighty army. What will he do when he arrives at Nanmen Pass?

First, to rectify the source; second, to sacrifice the flag!

That imperial envoy will definitely not be able to escape, and the imperial court has already issued an order to punish him.

But the imperial court's decree did not mention any punishment for you or our Susuan Camp. Is it because the imperial court has forgotten?

No,

It's because someone will naturally come to clean us up next!

That person,

Is coming soon!"

Chen Yuan roared.

Chen Yang sat in his chair, pointing at this nephew, and said, "So, you want me to rebel, to raise the flag and rebel at this time?

Rebellion to save our lives,

Then what?

The Prince of Pingxi is already mobilizing troops, and he's not far away. What can I do if I rebel now?

Could it be that I should hand over Nanmen Pass to Qian and Chu?

Could it be that I should lead you to betray the country and become a comfortable duke in Qian and Chu?

I, Chen Yang, will never do such a thing that goes against my ancestors!"

Chen Xiong said, "Father, this dragon robe and this jade seal were prepared by you in the past."

Chen Yang took a closer look and realized, but immediately said,

"That was when Prince Jingnan was still alive. I and your uncles planned to recommend the prince to the throne, but who knew that the prince would choose... alas."

Chen Yuan stood up and said, "Uncle, as things stand now, if we continue to wait for the Prince of Pingxi and his army to arrive, we can only sit and wait for death. You can only be at their mercy!

It's the imperial court that has been unrighteous first. We, these soldiers, followed Prince Jingnan in the past to fight in the north and south, shed so much blood, and lost so many comrades before we conquered these three Jin lands!

Now,

The imperial court wants to get rid of us now that we are no longer useful;

Ran Min was promoted by His Majesty, by the imperial court;

That imperial envoy was also sent by His Majesty, by the imperial court!

If the imperial court hadn't forced us too much, causing the Susuan Camp to be angry, how could we not have followed along when Earl Huwei sent troops to Liangdi!

Uncle, if you don't want to be publicly humiliated, if you don't want to be used to sacrifice the flag, if you don't want to bear the guilt for Earl Huwei's death, you..."

"I will never betray and surrender to other countries!"

Chen Xiong also stood up, holding up the dragon robe in his hand, and shouted:

"I didn't want you to flee to Qian Chu. What we and the many generals below mean is that instead of sitting and waiting for death, it's better to give this dragon robe and jade seal..."

Chen Xiong and Chen Yuan looked at each other for a moment,

Then,

The two of them spoke in unison:

"To the Prince of Pingxi, and support the Prince of Pingxi to ascend the throne!"

————

There will be more tonight, it will be later.