Chapter 194: Good News Spreads

The early court meeting on a winter day begins while it's still dark, the palace hall bright with lights and the floor heating blazing hot, yet everyone's heart is cold as ice.

The emperor sitting on the dragon throne looks unwell, having not slept peacefully for a long time.

The full court of officials is incessantly quarreling.

The topic of discussion naturally revolves around Duke Chengguo's disobedience in not returning to court and his arrogant and domineering heir fleeing while bearing guilt.

As the argument goes on, everyone becomes increasingly enraged.

"Lord Huang, accusing Duke Chengguo at this time, could it be that you are settling personal vendettas?" an official yells at Huang Cheng.

"Exactly, you're scheming against a colleague, deliberately harming Duke Chengguo," another joins in with a shout.

Ning Yunzhao at the end of the hall frowns.

The truth cannot be said like this.

"This is falling into disadvantage," he whispers to the person beside him.

The nearby official can hardly contain himself.

"Then this time it's a tie," he whispers back, "Yesterday, Lord Ning had the upper hand."

The officials in the front are arguing heatedly, while those of us lower-ranking officials can only watch in quiet as it's not our turn to participate.

There are also some eager lower-ranking officials seeing the grand court as an opportunity to make an impression before the emperor and to stand out among the people.

"Not every moment of attention is good, nor is every opportunity to stand out," Ning Yunzhao suggests, "Now is not our time to speak, better to watch and wait."

Considering his uncle is Ning Yan, perhaps these are Lord Ning's intentions, so everyone decides to watch and wait, seeing those high-ranking courtiers argue endlessly.

Indeed, as Ning Yunzhao said, without Huang Cheng making a rebuttal, the emperor is the first to slap the dragon desk.

"Is every accusation by a censor motivated by private vengeance?" he bellows, "Absurd!"

Immediately, several censors stand up to contradict those two officials, sparing Huang Cheng from having to say anything, a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Not every single one," Ning Yan signals the two officials to step back, then steps forward himself and speaks in a deep voice, "But it's well-known that there is discord between Lord Huang and Duke Chengguo. Now when the battlefront is critical, Lord Huang is obstructing from behind. Do you mean to hand over the northern lands to the Jurchen people?"

Huang Cheng's brows furrow momentarily.

"I'm not the one giving the northern lands to the Jurchen people. It is Duke Chengguo who, coveting grand achievements, has stirred up today's chaos in the northern lands," he raises his voice in retort, and then with a sneer adds, "The current mess in the northern lands, perhaps, is exactly what Duke Chengguo wished to see, to show how important he is to the dynasty."

This accusation cuts to the core!

All in the court suddenly shift in demeanor.

"Lord Huang, do not speak nonsense," Ning Yan bellows.

"If not that, then why has it taken so long to subdue the Jurchen people? Why neglect Kaide Prefecture?" shouts Huang Cheng back, "So close to the capital, Kaide Prefecture has been occupied by the Jurchen, threatening the imperial city, making the people panic. Who is he trying to scare, who is he threatening? Thus, ten imperial edicts receive ten refusals to acknowledge, does he figure now no one can touch him?"

Indeed, it's a heart-piercing accusation!

It practically pins the crime of treason against Duke Chengguo.

The emperor has always been wary of Duke Chengguo's military power and to continue with such accusations....

"Huang Cheng, your heart is punishable," Ning Yan's face turns ashen as he shouts.

"Whose heart is punishable? If not, take back Kaide Prefecture," Huang Cheng roars back, "Drive out the Jurchen invaders, won't you?"

The loss of Kaide Prefecture is undoubtedly an undeniable issue, and the perfect weapon to attack Duke Chengguo.

Because it's such a critical and sensitive point, unless Kaide Prefecture is reclaimed, there's no resolution.

A silence falls over the hall.

In this silence, a cold smile emerges on Huang Cheng's face.

Just as he's about to press on with his assertions, an urgent report comes from outside the hall.

The emperor on the dragon throne immediately tightens his grip on the armrests.

Which area has fallen this time?

The officials also show varying expressions, their gazes fixated on the report being held high by the eunuch storming in.

"It is..." the emperor asks anxiously.

Before he can finish, the eunuch has already knelt with a thud.

"Your Majesty, Kaide Prefecture has achieved a great victory," the eunuch declares loudly.

Kaide Prefecture.

The great hall falls silent for a moment, everyone stunned, even the emperor seems momentarily unable to grasp what Kaide Prefecture is.

"Your Majesty, Kaide Prefecture has been reclaimed," the eunuch yells again and, bowing toward the ground, starts to weep, "Congratulations to Your Majesty, Kaide Prefecture has been reclaimed."

Kaide Prefecture, reclaimed.

The hall is quiet for a moment, then suddenly erupts.

The report is passed to the emperor's hands, he excitedly reads it, and upon confirming the words 'Kaide Prefecture great victory', he loudly states, confirming he's not dreaming.

"It is indeed a great victory," the emperor finally finds the words 'Kaide Prefecture great victory' and, assured it's not a dream, pronounces loudly.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Ning Yan is the first to bow and pay respects.

The others quickly follow, kneeling down, amidst which Huang Cheng's movements are exceptionally stiff, bowed to the ground, hiding his dark expression.

After several rounds of congratulations, everyone then rises to inquire about the specifics.

Upon hearing that it was the work of the garrison from five forts near Kaide Prefecture, the court falls silent for a while, then noise erupts once more.

"Even with five forts, that's only a little over two thousand people, right?"

"Isn't there three to four thousand elite soldiers in Kaide Prefecture?"

"In the past, it was always our fifty thousand against their thirty thousand, a dramatic disparity in numbers. I never expected to see a time when our two thousand would be facing four thousand on their side."

Hearing the inquiry, the military official who accompanied the eunuch explained the events, first describing the various atrocities committed by the Jin people when they occupied Kaide Prefecture, causing the people great suffering.

These matters were not detailed before, as it was heart-wrenching when the area was occupied, and the emperor didn't like to hear about it either.

Seeing the arrogance of the Jin people and the misery of the common folk, the guard soldiers could no longer endure it. Thus under the combined leadership of Ding Dashan, Wang Bao, and Mao Shiqi, they decided to wage war against the Jin soldiers in Kaide Prefecture.

They first used their familiarity with the local terrain to ambush small groups of Jin soldiers coming out of the city and dumped the corpses in front of Kaide Prefecture, creating a deterrent effect on the Jin soldiers.

Then they utilized the secret tunnels of Kaide Prefecture to send an elite force under the cover of a moonless and windy night into the city, setting fire to the military camp and, in the ensuing chaos, attacked the gate guards to open the city gates, allowing the gathered Zhou Soldiers to rush in.

Leveraging their knowledge of the Prefecture, they located the Jin leader Zhan Tiemu and killed him in a concerted effort, throwing the Jin soldiers into disarray, leading to some being slain or fleeing Kaide Prefecture.

Thus, Kaide Prefecture was recaptured.

Having said this, the general presented a wooden box.

"This is the head of the Jin thief Zhan Tiemu," he declared loudly.

This story stirred the hearts of all those present, as if they had seen it with their own eyes—the process was brave, strategic, calm, and as smooth as clouds and flowing water.

Setting aside how incredible this particular battle was, wasn't this clerk from the Minister of War exceptionally talented? Could it be that such a skilled clerk exists in the Minister of War? To be able to write such an analysis in such a short amount of time?

The emperor was particularly delighted upon hearing this and commanded the eunuch to open the box, allowing the audience to view the head of the Jin thief.

"It's clear that the Jin thieves are strong on the outside but hollow inside. Our Zhou valiant soldiers are heroes. Driving away the Jin thieves is just a matter of time," Ning Yan proclaimed loudly, then once again paid his respects to the emperor, "Congratulations to Your Majesty."

This time, his words were filled with confidence and pleasantness to hear, and the emperor nodded with a smile.

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Huang Cheng suddenly stood up and spoke, "This truly is a joyous occasion, surely providing peace of mind for Your Majesty."

He actually said that?

Ning Yan glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

The emperor, hearing his congratulations, looked even more content.

"With only two thousand soldiers, facing formidable castle defenses and a multitude of elite Jin troops, they not only recaptured Kaide Prefecture but also executed the Jin leader. What a great victory this is," Huang Cheng said excitedly, once more bowing to the emperor, "This is all thanks to Your Majesty's sage leadership and a blessing for the people."

The crowd hastily followed suit, shouting their praises.

"Your Majesty, such excellent generals and brave warriors must be richly rewarded," Huang Cheng said.

The emperor, smiling, raised his hand.

"Reward them, reward them handsomely," he declared.

"Your Majesty, with such excellent generals and brave warriors," Huang Cheng continued, looking up at the emperor with a sincere expression, "even if Duke of Chengguo is summoned for defense, what does great Zhou have to fear from the Jin thieves' arrogance, or the pressure of the Jin thieves' army of fifty thousand?"

Here it comes!

Ning Yan's expression darkened, his heart skipped a beat; he knew this Huang Cheng was up to no good.

This was going to be problematic.

No sooner had Kaide Prefecture fallen than the Duke of Chengguo was called back. Now that Kaide Prefecture had been reclaimed, the emperor had even more reason to summon the Duke of Chengguo back. What should be done now?

"Your Majesty..." he hurried to speak.

Another voice also rose.

"Your Majesty, the grand victory at Kaide Prefecture was achieved under the guidance of the Duke of Chengguo."

What?

This is related to the Duke of Chengguo?

The crowd was stunned again, looking towards the military official speaking.

The military official seemed surprised as well, appearing to think that what he had said was a given, while the crowd's astonishment seemed odd to him.

"It's written in the report," he said, pointing to the report placed on the imperial desk, "Ding Dashan and the others formulated their battle plan and achieved success under the guidance and arrangements of the Duke of Chengguo."

It's written?

The emperor, who had previously only been focused on confirming that one phrase, had not looked at the other contents of the report.

Picking up the report, he read it word by word, and indeed, the name of the Duke of Chengguo appeared.

It turns out...

Originally...

Like this...

"We have the upper hand now," Ning Yunzhao whispered to his colleague with a hint of a smile, "Impressive."

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Thank you md12 for the generous rewards and for the fairy's favor, (づ￣3￣)づ

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Moon rises above the sea, at the ends of the earth we share this moment; from all corners of the earth, we're fortunate to gather here today because of this book.

In this vast sea of humanity, such a gathering is truly a twist of fate, I, Xi Xing, hereby wish everyone a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival and happiness for your families.

Thank you all for your continued support of my work, Xi Xing. Thank you, thank you, I am truly honored and grateful.