Chapter 1019 Thousands of Miles of Rivers and Mountains, a Willow Branch

Mianzhou City,

The Governor's Mansion;

"Sir, your tea."

The old man handed a cup of tea to Zu Zhuming.

Zu Zhuming reached out to take it but placed it aside, rubbing his brow with his hand.

"Sir, still haven't made up your mind?"

"They are forcing me."

Zu Zhuming's hair was already half white, and at this moment, the "川" character between his eyebrows was particularly obvious.

At the previous military conference, the atmosphere was filled with agitation.

Some were shouting to return to the capital to defend the emperor,

Others were declaring that the situation was hopeless, so perhaps…

But the problem was that those shouting to defend the emperor weren't necessarily truly loyal officials planning to go, and those declaring the situation hopeless weren't all cowards afraid of death.

More than a decade before the first major Yan invasion, the Great Qian's border defense system operated as its own self-contained entity.

However, following that Yan invasion that reached the capital, the border defense system was continuously filled with troops from various sources. For a period, the court, out of fear, kept piling "elite" troops from all over the country there.

This resulted in the extremely complex power structure of the border regions.

Each army had a complex composition, a complex territory, a complex network of relationships, complex factions…

Zu Zhuming clearly remembered that during the first Yan-Chu war, the court originally intended to cooperate with Chu in a northern expedition, but it was forcibly suppressed by the old Prime Minister Zhong. Ultimately, the old Prime Minister Zhong's death caused that northern expedition to become a mere pipe dream.

Because the border armies were too "variegated," it was difficult to find a true leader to take charge of the overall situation, and the court itself understood this.

But even now, this situation had not fundamentally changed.

Previously, although he, Zu Zhuming, had nominally "managed" the border regions, now, with the fall of the capital and the imperial decree of surrender, he, Zu Zhuming, had lost legal support.

How could a Jiangnan native completely convince everyone in the border regions?

Before Zu Zhuming's rise, the Zu family was just an ordinary military family in Jiangnan, of middling rank, even somewhat below average.

At that time, banditry was rampant in the southeast, and Zu Zhuming rose rapidly by suppressing the pirates, establishing the Zu Family Army.

So, in essence, Zu Zhuming's appointment as governor of the border regions was as a guest general.

"Uncle Chen, the border regions cannot be defended."

"Sir, you are in a difficult position."

Uncle Chen was a personal guard left by Zu Zhuming's father, loyal and devoted, having served the Zu family for two generations.

Just then,

A personal guard came in to report:

"General, a… an old friend seeks an audience."

Zu Zhuming frowned slightly, looking at the veteran personal guard, and asked in confusion:

"An old friend?"

"General, please see him. He is indeed… an old friend."

…

The old friend was in the signing room.

This puzzled Zu Zhuming, because ordinary guests, even distinguished ones, would first be placed in the front hall to wait for him to meet them. Such a place as the signing room should only be entered at the invitation or accompaniment of the host.

Yet, this time, the usually disciplined men under his command had acted on their own initiative.

Inside the signing room stood a person, gazing at the surrounding calligraphy and paintings.

Back then, Yao Zizhan had also served as the governor of the border regions, and this had been his governor's mansion, leaving behind many calligraphic works. When Zu Zhuming took over, it was partly to show respect for his predecessor and partly because… ordinary dignitaries would have to spend a fortune to obtain a painting or calligraphy from Yao Zizhan. He would be crazy to remove someone else's original works.

As if hearing his footsteps,

The person in the signing room,

Turned around,

To Zu Zhuming's astonishment,

Knelt down on both knees:

"Father!"

This address struck Zu Zhuming like a bolt of lightning.

"Father, your son has returned!"

Zu Zhuming looked at the person's face, and said in disbelief:

"Dong… Dongcheng?"

"It is indeed your son, Father!"

"You… how are you… still alive?"

"Father, your son is unfilial. In fact, your son has always been alive."

"The young master is back!" Uncle Chen exclaimed.

…

"All these years, you have been living in Yan?"

"Yes, Father. In that battle,

Your son was captured by the Regent…

By Zheng…

By Yan…"

Zu Dongcheng opened his mouth several times, but could not bring himself to say that person's title.

Zu Zhuming said:

"The Regent."

"Yes, after that battle, your son was captured by the Regent, but the Regent was not a prince at the time."

"So, the news that Yan released at the time, saying that you were in Yanjing, refusing to surrender even in death, cursing the late Emperor of Yan, and then being executed, was all false."

"Yes, Father."

"You surrendered?" Zu Zhuming asked.

"Your son… your son…"

"No need to hesitate, tell the truth."

"Your son did see the late Emperor of Yan, but the late Emperor did not try to persuade your son to surrender."

"Heh."

Zu Zhuming smiled,

Reached out,

And patted his thigh,

"Indeed, a direct son being captured should be an extremely humiliating matter, and even the Zu Family Army at the time could have been suppressed by the court because of it.

Executing you, creating a loyal and courageous reputation of refusing to surrender even in death, could not only eliminate the matter of your capture but also raise my status.

Otherwise,

How could I have sat in this position as the governor of the border regions?

The Yan people,

That late Emperor of Yan,

Truly played a good game!"

Zu Zhuming's knuckles cracked,

He was very angry,

The reason for his anger was that

The late Emperor of Yan, by keeping his son as a chess piece, didn't seem to worry at all that he, Zu Zhuming, could command the border regions well or pose any threat to his Yan.

The source of his anger came from being looked down upon.

But this anger came suddenly and went quickly.

Because the one who looked down on him was the late Emperor of Yan.

Being looked down upon by such a person… didn't seem like a particularly humiliating thing.

"Was it the Emperor of Yan who sent you?" Zu Zhuming asked.

"Yes, Father."

"Sent you to persuade me to surrender?"

"Yes."

Zu Zhuming looked at the eldest son in front of him, whom he had once been so proud of and regarded as his true successor, and said:

"You can try."

Zu Dongcheng knelt down again and said:

"Father, you should already know the news of the fall of the capital. The Regent's army has already entered the capital, and the Emperor and officials have all surrendered. What is the point of Father continuing to hold the border regions?

Even,

Having lost the capital and the support of Jiangnan, does the border regions still have the ability to hold on?"

"I…" Zu Zhuming took a deep breath, "My Zu family has been a Great Qian military family for generations. How can we…"

"The Emperor has already bowed his head, the Emperor has already surrendered. Father, the Zhao family themselves knelt before the Yan people. What about my Zu family?"

"Dongcheng, can the Emperor represent Qian?"

"Isn't the Emperor… Qian?"

"How can my Great Qian be represented by just one Zhao Emperor?"

"Father, your son understands what you mean."

"Oh, you understand?" Zu Zhuming asked in surprise.

"Before your son came, His Majesty had specially received your son and said some things about you, Father."

Zu Zhuming's eyes narrowed slightly,

And said:

"What did the Emperor of Yan say?"

"His Majesty said that Father is a loyal minister, a Qian loyal minister, a Qian person's loyal minister. Father's loyalty is so great that it can fill the waves of the entire East Sea."

"Heh… heh heh heh."

Even Zu, the great commander, was so dignified,

Being "praised" like this by the enemy's emperor,

Was happy in his heart.

The same flattery, spoken by different people, had completely different effects.

"His Majesty also said…"

"What else did His Majesty say?"

"He said that the last person like Father who was loyal to Qian… was the Tattooed-Face Prime Minister."

"…" Zu Zhuming.

The Tattooed-Face Prime Minister was imprisoned in his youth and died in prison, almost a forbidden place in Qian's politics.

But there's nothing new under the sun. What seems mysterious to ordinary people is just… that's all it is in the eyes of true superiors.

As Qian's neighbor, Yan also attached great importance to the death of the Tattooed-Face Prime Minister. Even if the Secret Intelligence Division wasn't doing well, it could still investigate such a big matter.

Zu Zhuming was silent for a long time.

Seeing his father not speaking,

Zu Dongcheng broke the brief silence:

"Father should have received… a letter from home, right?"

Zu Zhuming nodded.

Zhao Yuannian established a puppet dynasty in Jiangnan, and the Zu family's old residence was within Zhao Yuannian's sphere of influence.

Part of the reason for the chaos at the previous military conference was that everyone had received news that the Zu family in Jiangnan had already defected to Zhao Yuannian.

Looking at the list of military positions from Grand Commandant to Supreme General, there was a large number of people with the surname Zu.

So,

Zhao Yuannian's being the Emperor in Jiangnan had the absurdity of "Mount Tai Er,"

But it also had a real political impact.

At least he could be related to the Regent as half an "adopted son," Zhao Yuannian still had some level of competence.

Now, the armies of the border regions were divided into multiple factions, each with different political goals and needs.

Some wanted to surrender to the Yan people, which was out of the question.

Some wanted to take their troops away from the border regions and establish a separatist regime in their hometowns, then see which way the wind blew;

Some planned to support a certain vassal king and establish a new dynasty.

The last type had quite a few people, because a hundred years ago, the Great Qian's founding emperor had risen in such a chaotic world and established the century-old Great Qian.

Correspondingly,

Because Zu Zhuming had moral cleanliness, he was incompatible with the surrender faction;

Also, because of the defection and greed of the Zu family in Jiangnan, Zu Zhuming could not integrate into those resistance factions;

Furthermore, because the Zu family's roots were in Jiangnan… to return and establish a separatist regime, he would have to cross the entire Great Qian from north to south, which was almost impossible. Did he think the Yan people were blind?

Letting him lead the Zu Family Army all the way home right under their noses?

Therefore,

The dignified governor of the border regions actually had completely different positions and wills from those factions under his command.

"Dongcheng, have you been doing well in Yan these years?"

"Father… your son has been doing… quite well."

Zu Dongcheng gritted his teeth,

And continued:

"Your son has married and had children."

"Children?"

"Yes, you have two grandsons and two granddaughters in Yan."

"Congratulations, Sir," Uncle Chen immediately said.

Zu Zhuming quickly asked:

"Who is your wife?"

"She is the virtuous Shuo Princess of Great Yan, the late Emperor… arranged the marriage."

Great Yan once had a very famous princess, the one from the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion.

However, this didn't mean that Great Yan only had one princess… There were still quite a few princesses in the Ji family's imperial clan.

"The Yan people are really willing to… invest a lot of capital," Zu Zhuming said with emotion.

His daughter-in-law was the daughter of the late Emperor of Yan's brother.

In the imperial family, she was among the most prestigious.

"Heh heh heh."

Zu Zhuming lowered his head and laughed,

"So… I've been defending the border regions for so many years, blocking my own in-laws?"

"Father… His Majesty said that he is willing to govern Qian with benevolence and righteousness, and the Qian people will be no different from the Yan people, treated equally."

"You don't need to tell me these nonsense."

Zu Zhuming looked at his son,

And asked:

"How old are the children?"

"Replying to Father, the eldest son and the second son are twins, thirteen years old this year. The eldest daughter is eleven years old, and the second daughter is ten years old."

"Thirteen years old already? Son, were you in such a hurry?"

Zu Dongcheng lowered his head in shame.

He knew where his father was surprised. From the age of the eldest son, and counting the ten months of pregnancy, Zu Dongcheng basically didn't hold out for long after being captured before going to have children with a Ji family's clan woman…

"Father, His Majesty has something for your son to pass on to you."

"A letter?"

"No."

Zu Dongcheng took out two pieces of yellow silk from his bosom, which were delivered to Zu Zhuming by Uncle Chen.

"This is…" Zu Zhuming's eyes widened, "Marriage certificates?"

"Yes."

The marriage certificates bore a large seal.

Although Zu Zhuming was seeing the names for the first time, he knew at a glance that these were his two granddaughters born to his eldest son.

The eldest daughter, betrothed to the Crown Prince of Yan.

The second daughter, betrothed to the Regent's heir.

Even Zu Zhuming, who had spent his life on the battlefield,

Was speechless in the face of these two marriage certificates,

Truly speechless.

He had originally thought that since they sent his son to persuade him to surrender, it would probably be the same old tricks.

But who knew that

The Emperor of Great Yan would actually be so… so… so…

Zu Zhuming couldn't think of a suitable word to describe the Emperor of Great Yan's actions.

Although the marriage certificates didn't specify that they were crown princess and heir's consort, so it was likely that they were concubines.

But in any case…

Looking at the entire Qian Kingdom,

It was probably hard to find a second Qian family as closely connected to Yan as his Zu family.

This was directly becoming in-laws with the Great Yan imperial family and the Regent's mansion, and in terms of seniority, Zu Zhuming was even a generation higher than the Emperor and the Regent.

To put it bluntly,

Even if Great Yan had a civil war in the future,

Whether the Emperor won or the Regent won,

His Zu family…

Would still be royalty.

"Dongcheng ah…"

"Father…"

"You beast!"

…

A new round of military conference was held again in Mianzhou City.

Because the Yan army stopped its offensive after breaking through Liangzhen, most of the generals were able to participate.

In any case,

Everyone had to make plans for their future as soon as possible.

But what was different this time was that

Halfway through the military conference, armored soldiers suddenly rushed in and captured all the generals.

Subsequently,

The various units of the Zu Family Army began to connect with each other. In order to divide and control, Zu Zhuming's power, although not high in the entire border regions, had his people everywhere.

With calculation against unpreparedness, plus the decisiveness of Grand Commander Zu, strongholds were directly opened from the inside, cooperating with the Yan army's takeover, leading to the Great Qian's century-old border defense line, which had cost countless manpower, material resources, and effort, and which had been a thorn in the side of the Yan people day and night…

Being completely lost!

…

"This subordinate, Zu Zhuming, pays respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, long live, long long live!"

"Marquis of Donghai, please rise quickly."

Ji Chengjue personally stepped forward and helped Zu Zhuming up.

Zu Zhuming's mind was a little dizzy at being personally helped up by the Emperor. What kind of title was this?

Immediately, he understood.

After understanding, he could only kneel down again:

"Your Majesty's grace, this sinful general, is ashamed to accept it."

Great Yan was stingy with titles, this was known throughout the Xia.

Previously, it was only aimed at non-relatives, but after two stingy emperors, the late Emperor and the current Emperor, even the titles of the imperial clan had shrunk several times.

Didn't you see that among the current Emperor's brothers, not even one had a royal title.

And a marquis, a marquis of military merit of a different surname, had an even more extraordinary meaning in Great Yan.

The Emperor's own elder brother was now only a marquis of military merit, but this honor was much greater than the royal titles of the imperial clan in the past.

Currently, Great Yan only had three royal titles of different surnames: the Regent, Zhenbei, and Jingnan, all of whom were previously marquises of military merit.

With this title of "Marquis of Donghai,"

Zu Zhuming's title was really easy to calculate.

If the Emperor wasn't included in the ranking, Zu Zhuming was definitely the fifth-ranked nobleman in Great Yan.

Ji Chengjue was worthy of being from a merchant background, being calculating when he should be, but also being more generous than anyone else when he should be generous.

"You deserve it, beloved minister."

The Emperor helped Zu Zhuming up again.

The significance of the border regions was great for the Qian people, and equally great for the Yan people.

Although the current Qian was almost on the verge of collapse due to defeat, Zu Zhuming's "Hongmen Banquet" directly cut off half of the chaos and trouble that Great Yan would face in ruling the Qian land in the future!

During the late Emperor's reign of "exhaustive military force,"

Ji Chengjue was the late Emperor's chief logistics manager.

So he knew very well that

The cost of defeating the enemy's army and overthrowing their government was often less than the cost of ruling and governing.

The former was often a one-time deal, while the latter… was continuous bleeding.

After appeasing Zu Zhuming,

The Emperor laughed loudly in the imperial tent,

And said:

"Alright, I can finally go to the capital and see that Zheng!"

These words

Were spoken with force;

But only Eunuch Wei, who was standing beside the Emperor, knew that His Majesty was saying these words with gritted teeth.

Because not long ago,

The Regent had sent His Majesty a letter,

In the letter, the Prince said that he had sat on the dragon throne in the Great Qian imperial palace;

And also said that

When he was sitting, he had deliberately left some gaps on the side, enough for His Majesty to bend his knees and accompany him.

After reading it, the Emperor

Cursed the Regent three times in a row,

Which were:

"Beast, Bitch, Beastly Bitch!"

Then,

The Emperor planned to personally go to the capital,

To perform a scene where he would sit on the dragon throne first, and then leave a gap for Zheng to take back the field.

Eunuch Wei didn't dare to remind the Emperor that the Regent was said to have entered the realm of a third-rank martial artist, could your Majesty's butt squeeze the Regent?

…

Two flowers bloom, each representing a branch.

In the north, the Emperor of Great Yan personally subdued the almost complete border regions and was leading a large army to the capital immediately.

And here in the capital,

It seemed much quieter.

A glass of fruit juice was placed in front of him.

Zheng Lin put down the pen in his hand, picked up the tea, took a sip, and said:

"Godfather, it's too sour."

"That's what makes it refreshing."

The Blind Man stretched out his hand, and a chair next to him moved "by itself," sat down.

"I'm fine," Zheng Lin said, "It's not as bad as being bogged down with paperwork."

"Godfather is quite pleased. Before, in Jinghai City, when your father pushed you out to take charge, you were sitting there, but I could see a fire in you.

Now,

It's been almost a month, and you can still hold your breath."

"Is that so?" Zheng Lin asked.

The Blind Man nodded.

People's nature needs to be tempered, especially the nature of young people.

And the best way to temper it is to give him something to be in awe of.

The Blind Man had to admit that the Master had succeeded in this regard.

"I just feel that dealing with these things, although cumbersome, is still quite interesting."

"Didn't deliberately say that to make me happy?"

"No."

"Do you like this feeling?" The Blind Man asked, "Sitting in this imperial study, approving memorials; you need to know that behind each memorial is the life of tens of thousands of people."

"Not to the point of liking it," Zheng Lin said, "Just consider it a kind of cultivation."

This answer was mediocre.

The Blind Man couldn't say he was very happy, of course, it wasn't disappointing either.

The desire for power depends on the person;

Those who have suffered hardships and bullying since childhood often crave power and status once they have the opportunity;

But this has nothing to do with his godson.

He was born as a son of a prince, even with a status similar to the second crown prince of Great Yan. Like his being born at the ninth rank, it was innate, too easy to obtain, and often difficult to create an obsession.

But fortunately,

Lin Er was not like his father, who had lived two lives, so he wasn't so Buddhist.

In short,

There was still hope for the future, and the great cause was still promising.

"The things you're dealing with now are actually small things. Now, more than 80% of the decrees do not leave the capital."

"I know."

"However, it will be soon." The Blind Man reached out and took out an orange from his pocket.

Zheng Lin's expression changed when he saw the orange.

Fortunately, Godfather didn't peel it but played with it in his hand:

"Just got the news that the Emperor has subdued the border regions and is coming towards us."

"Oh, is Godfather worried?"

"Not to the point of worrying. The world has not been settled yet, and it is estimated that the prefectures and counties and enfeoffment will be carried out at the same time, and the suppression and pacification of various places will not be completed in a short time.

The dishes have just been served, and they are too hot to eat. It is not yet time to distribute the dishes.

It is estimated that in the next five years, Yan will still be the Yan of the imperial court, and Jindong will still be the Jindong of the Prince's Mansion.

In the rest of the territory, you are in me, and I am in you.

As long as we don't tear our faces, it won't be clear-cut."

"Oh." Zheng Lin nodded.

"Forget it, I won't talk to you about these things first. It's almost time, go to the north of the city."

"What kind of ceremony is Father going to hold?"

The Blind Man picked up the glass of fruit juice that Zheng Lin had only taken a sip of,

Took a sip,

And then his expression trembled slightly,

So sour!

After overcoming this sourness,

The Blind Man replied:

"Arbor Day."

…

North of the capital,

A piece of land was cleared out.

The Regent of Great Yan, in front of a crowd of generals, personal guards, and Qian ministers, nobles, and commoners;

Picked up a shovel,

And symbolically shoveled two shovels of soil into the already dug tree pit.

Afterwards,

He reached out and took a small willow tree that had been moved over and placed it inside.

Finally,

He picked up the shovel again and symbolically shoveled two shovels of soil back;

The Embroidered Uniform Guard quickly stepped forward and filled in the soil.

A new willow tree took root here.

The Prince clapped his hands,

Took two steps back,

Looked at the willow tree,

And looked at the towering capital wall not far away,

And a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

More than a hundred years ago,

The First Zhenbei Marquis had defeated 500,000 Qian troops and planted a willow branch on the border.

Implying that when this willow branch turned green, he would have led the Great Yan cavalry and trampled on the capital, avenging the Qian people's betrayal and sneak attack!

Unfortunately, because of the urgent war in the north, Yan could no longer allocate more troops to the First Zhenbei Marquis from the front line of the decisive battle with the barbarians.

The First Zhenbei Marquis had to lead his troops to break through the three northern counties of the Qian Kingdom, absorb the population and wealth, and return to the country. Later, for the sake of checks and balances, the First Zhenbei Marquis, as a Southerner, was enfeoffed in the north, and he could not fulfill his long-cherished wish to break through the Qian Kingdom in the south for the rest of his life.

And more than a hundred years later,

The Regent of Great Yan planted a willow tree next to the capital,

And ordered a team of soldiers to guard it day and night and not allow it to be damaged.

At the same time,

A monument was erected next to the willow tree,

And a poem was engraved on the monument: Whips cracking, horses chasing silver waves, clear streams winding, watching peach blossoms.

This poem depicts the scene when the First Zhenbei Marquis broke through the Qian army, and it is also the origin of the name Yinlang County.

What was surprising was that

The signature at the bottom of the inscription,

Was not the Regent of Great Yan,

But:

Garrison Commander of Cuidui Fortress, Yinlang County – Zheng Fan.