Chapter 195: Do You Recognize the Voice of Lord Heir?

With a crisp crackling sound, the tranquility of the room was shattered.

Huang Cheng looked at the teacup smashed on the ground, the sounds of congratulation from the daytime court assembly still echoed in his ears.

"What exactly happened?" he lifted his head, looking at the men standing before him, "How is it related to the Duke of Chengguo? Why is it that we have no information whatsoever?"

A man stepped forward with his head bowed.

"Due to the prohibition of aid and the isolation of Kaide Prefecture, news from there has been scarce," he spoke in a low voice.

"So you're saying that this is a problem of my own making?" Huang Cheng pointed at himself and said.

The man, terrified, quickly knelt down.

"Milord, I dare not... I dare not," he continuously kowtowed as he spoke.

The others held their breath in heightened silence.

Huang Cheng took several deep breaths.

"Speak," he commanded with a grave voice.

The man on the ground promptly responded.

"It happened exactly as described. Ding Dashan and a few others colluded to do this, insisting they were following the instructions of the Duke of Chengguo," he said.

Huang Cheng scoffed.

"The Duke of Chengguo is busy with military affairs; he doesn't even know who these few individuals are," he said.

These military leaders were at best the status of General Leaders. With myriad General Leaders in the northern lands, how could the Duke of Chengguo possibly know each of them clearly, let alone be aware of hidden passageways in Kaide Prefecture?

These events and individuals would certainly be of interest to the Duke of Chengguo, and if he made inquiries, there would be some hint of it; it was impossible for Huang Cheng to have no knowledge whatsoever.

Where exactly did the oversight occur?

Huang Cheng halted in his tracks.

Zhu Zan.

"Has there been any news regarding the Duke of Chengguo's heir?" he asked solemnly.

The man shook his head.

"Not at the moment," he replied.

Huang Cheng scoffed again.

"Like father, like son, grasshoppers on the same rope," he remarked, "Obviously, they are in it together."

He flicked his sleeve with a swish of his hand.

"Zhu Zan must be in Kaide Prefecture; I want you to search every inch of the ground," he ordered.

The men in the room responded in unison.

.........

The winter wilderness wind howled, chilling to the bone in a moment, yet the dense crowd standing in front of the gates of Kaide Prefecture showed not the slightest fear, their faces flushed and expressions excited.

"Has everything been taken care of inside and outside the city?" Ding Dashan suddenly recalled something and hurriedly turned to ask.

Army Head Wang, wearing an ill-fitting new army uniform from who knows where, glared at him.

"It's been cleaned up eight hundred times over; the ground is so spotless you could slip on it," he said. "Ding Dashan, could you stop being so timid? The imperial envoy and the Guerrilla Generals haven't even arrived, and you're already scared stiff. Don't wet your pants when you see them."

This comment provoked laughter among the surrounding crowd.

Flustered and red-eared, Ding Dashan spat and, due to the laughing crowd jostling about, someone squeezed forward to stand in front again.

Although the movement was slight, it was immediately noticed by Ding Dashan.

"Mao, step back a bit, won't you? Always trying to steal the limelight," he barked at a burly middle-aged military officer with a stern look.

Army Head Mao snorted.

"We're all serving our country by slaying enemies; how can it be called stealing the limelight?" he replied.

Ding Dashan was about to retort in irritation when Army Head Wang and the others poked him from behind.

"They're coming!" they exclaimed in a change of tone.

Ding Dashan immediately tensed up, no longer concerned about Mao stealing the limelight, as he looked up to see an array of densely-packed banners and ceremonial weapons approaching, their presence commanding attention.

They had never seen such a spectacle in their lives and fell utterly silent, their expressions tense.

The procession approached rapidly; when close enough to see the different characters on the banners, Ding Dashan couldn't recognize them all. Nevertheless, he watched as the imposing procession made way at the city gate and the high-ranking officials and generals of the Anli Army emerged, including those of integrity, armory, and Guerrilla Generals.

All these characters, whom this humble military leader could only look up to from a distance in the past, are here today just for them.

Not only these generals, but also a civil servant and a eunuch, both holding the bright yellow imperial decree.

Has received the imperial decree, will be remembered in history, the ancestors' graves of the Ding family are now smoking with pride, Ding Dashan trembles with excitement.

"Mao Tietou pays his respects to the esteemed officials."

Someone brushed past him, bowing and saluting to the approaching officials while loudly speaking.

This bastard! If it weren't for the fact that he also bravely fought the enemy, I would definitely kill him.

Ding Dashan cursed in his heart and hurriedly rushed to greet them as well.

What followed was all carried out according to prearranged plans; the emperor's imperial decree was publicly read, and Ding Dashan and the other seven were rewarded with promotions and noble titles; their parents and children also received rewards.

Looking at the few military leaders who stood before others with foolish grins, the officers of the Anli Army felt quite jealous.

After all, they had no idea about these people's private actions and now could not share in any of the credit.

If it had been any other time, they would have surely vied for the credit, but unfortunately, the significance of this event was extraordinary, and Kaide Prefecture was extremely important to the emperor, so they dared not resort to such tricks at this time, let alone threaten these military leaders whose names they could not even remember.

Next, the imperial envoys consoled the soldiers who fought the enemies, with rewards for each; the fallen soldiers were generously compensated, and after entering the city, they consoled the survivors and commemorated the Magistrate and other officials and civilians who died defending the city, with a mixture of tears and laughter until noon when they finally entered the government office to rest.

Ding Dashan and the other seven changed into their new official robes, excitedly attending to the imperial envoys and other officials, still discussing how much they hated the Jin thieves, how to plan the fight against the enemy, and how they accomplished all of this.

"Was this done under the orders of the Duke of Chengguo? Is there any correspondence to prove it?" a general suddenly asked.

Ding Dashan shook his head.

"There was no correspondence; it was a messenger sent by the Duke of Chengguo," Mao Tietou rushed to answer.

"That messenger delivered the message and then returned," Ding Dashan hastily added, not wanting to be outdone.

The general did not care about the competition between these two, but nodded thoughtfully.

That means there's no physical evidence, only verbal accounts.

If the stories are coordinated well, they can say whatever they want.

The imperial envoys, after a long and tiring journey, soon changed clothes and went to rest, but Ding Dashan and the others could not relax yet; they were dragged around by their somewhat familiar colleagues for inquiries, receiving congratulations with envy or admiration.

Ding Dashan and the others began to recount the recapture of Kaide Prefecture, when an unassuming man suddenly spoke up to interrupt.

"Did you encounter the Duke of Chengguo's heir here?" he asked with a hint of cunning, "Could that messenger be the Duke of Chengguo's heir?"

This sudden question quieted the noisy hall immediately.

The man's gaze swept across the expressions of Ding Dashan and the others; their faces were bewildered, without any hint of deception.

"No," they said in disarray, "absolutely not."

"We have already received the wanted order for the Duke of Chengguo's heir and have issued and posted it," Army Head Wang said. "We couldn't possibly fail to recognize him, nor could we conceal it without reporting, the officials are welcome to investigate."

The man smiled faintly because he had asked after an investigation.

"The Jin thieves have been expelled, but this is something you gentlemen must also keep in mind," he said. "Lest it disrupt military affairs and domestic law, and unsettle the people's hearts."

Ding Dashan and the others quickly stood up and promised compliance.

......…

As night fell, the imperial envoys left Kaide Prefecture, which did not indulge in excessive rewards or feasts; the defenders remained the same, and the sentries continued their duties.

Ding Dashan and the others entered a barracks and looked at Old Nine and the rest.

"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Ding Dashan asked.

"What? Do you need our help to defend the city?" Old Nine asked.

This person was always so blunt… But at this moment, Ding Dashan and the others had no complaints about his attitude.

"We just feel it's too sudden," Ding Dashan said, rubbing his hands and flushing, "Moreover, you have received nothing..."

"What we are due, we will naturally obtain from the appropriate place," Old Nine interrupted.

Mao Tietou was straightforward in speech, so Ding Dashan had no choice but to drop the pleasantries.

"Oh right," he suddenly recalled, looking at Old Nine, "do you recognize the Duke of Chengguo's heir?"

"Of course, I recognize him," Old Nine replied immediately, "The Duke of Chengguo's heir, so young yet with the talent that could shape heaven and earth, the wisdom to stabilize a nation, like a sleeping dragon or a young phoenix, a vision of both talent and appearance, coexisting with benevolence and chivalry, a wise and valiant young man, who wouldn't recognize him?"

Ding Dashan and the others were dumbfounded.

Isn't that a bit too much?