Chapter 77

Translator: She.Wee
Editor: KitKat

———-

When Xiao Zhige received the reply from Yanzhou, he had already arrived in Yongzhou. By November, the weather had grown increasingly cold. Even though Yongzhou was located in the South, the people there had already donned their padded cotton clothing.

Sitting atop his horse, Xiao Zhige gazed into the distant North. By now, Yanzhou would be experiencing its first snowfall.

The gates of Yongzhou slowly creaked open, the loud sound pulling him back from his thoughts. Behind Xiao Zhige followed twenty thousand troops from Yanzhou, their cold and stern eyes fixed on Kang Hong, who had come to greet them.

Kang Hong, the General of Martial Valor, was one of the Twelve Generals, a direct subordinate of Xue Qi, and a loyal supporter of the Third Prince’s faction. He was in his early thirties, tall and robust, with rough, dark skin, clearly a man of the military—a stark contrast to those pampered parasites like Zuo Qiu, who had risen through the ranks by relying on connections. Kang Hong was a man with real abilities.

However, the situation in Yongzhou was not much better than in Qingzhou. Refugees had caused chaos, powerful families had been slaughtered, and they had even breached Yongzhou’s defenses, pushing all the way to Ruan Zhou.

There was no need for Xiao Zhige to guess who was behind all of this. It was nothing more than an attempt to use the chaos in the southern provinces as a way to impeach the Crown Prince. The more severe the situation became, the graver the Crown Prince’s crimes would appear. Even if they couldn’t topple the Crown Prince in one fell swoop, they could at least tarnish his reputation. If a nation’s heir had a bad reputation, his position would become increasingly unstable.

Kang Hong spurred his horse forward to greet Xiao Zhige and led the party into the city.

As they traveled through the streets, they saw desolate roads, collapsed houses, and even dark red bloodstains on the ground that had yet to be cleaned. These were evidence of the turmoil that had taken place within the city. Despite everything, Kang Hong was no pushover like Zuo Qiu so the refugees had not managed to take over the city. The chaos had, however, spread to the surrounding counties.

The city was relatively peaceful now, but ordinary citizens dared not leave their homes or venture into the streets. They spent most of their days holed up indoors. Soldiers patrolled everywhere within the city, the atmosphere cold and tense.

Suppressing his emotions, Xiao Zhige dismounted and followed Kang Hong into the mansion. Without any politeness, he sat directly in the seat of honor and asked, “What is the current situation in Yongzhou?”

Having heard about Xiao Zhige’s actions in Qingzhou, Kang Hong’s eyes flashed with caution as he replied, “The refugees have occupied Guangping County, where most of their forces are concentrated. I sent people to try to persuade them to surrender, but they refused. We have clashed several times since then, but there is a strategist among the refugees whose tactics are quite formidable. Even I suffered some losses, so I decided not to attack preemptively and waited for Your Grace to arrive and take charge.”

Xiao Zhige gave a noncommittal “hmm,” neither agreeing or disagreeing. Instead, he said, “The soldiers have traveled a long way and are exhausted. We will discuss this matter later.”

Kang Hong was taken aback and grew anxious. “How can we afford to delay dealing with the refugee chaos? I heard that the Prince quelled the rebellion in Qingzhou without shedding a drop of blood, which is truly admirable. However, the situation in Yongzhou is different from that of Qingzhou. These refugees are extremely fierce. If we do not resolve this quickly, it could lead to even greater disaster!”

“If General Kang could afford to wait for me to come and take charge, it seems the situation is not that urgent,” Xiao Zhige remarked coldly, casting a glance at him before rising to his feet. “I am tired. We will discuss this matter another day.”

Without waiting for Kang Hong’s response, Xiao Zhige left the room.

Kang Hong watched him leave, his expression uncertain. After a long moment, he called someone over and gave them instructions, “Keep an eye on them. Report any developments immediately.”

…

After arriving in Yongzhou, Xiao Zhige indeed showed no urgency, displaying none of the swift and decisive actions he had taken in Qingzhou. He neither punished the powerful families in Yongzhou nor showed any intention of sending troops to flatten Guangping County. Kang Hong asked him about it three times, but each time Xiao Zhige only said that they would discuss it later.

Kang Hong couldn’t figure out Xiao Zhige’s intentions and spent the following days with a sour expression.

Meanwhile, the powerful families of Yongzhou had also been growing increasingly anxious. They gathered one day to discuss what to do.

Initially, they hadn’t taken the Northern Warlord too seriously. No matter how fierce and ruthless he was, what could he do? A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake. He might have been invincible in the North, but now that he was in the South, surely he would have to play by their rules. They assumed it would be nothing more than a matter of spending some money. But to their dismay, he didn’t play by any rules at all. He had arrived in Qingzhou and, within three days, exterminated the entire Shi family. Such ruthless actions had filled them with dread.

These powerful families were used to dealing with officials, speaking in circles and always leaving room for maneuver. They had never encountered such a straightforward killing machine who gave them no room to negotiate. Panic started to spread among them.

Before Xiao Zhige even reached Yongzhou, they had gone to seek help from their commander, Kang Hong.

Over the years, not only had the noble families of Yejing taken money from them, but Kang Hong and the Yongzhou army had also taken a significant amount annually. In exchange, Kang Hong naturally had to protect them.

The powerful families argued among themselves for a while, but no one could come to a decision. It wasn’t until Kang Hong arrived that they fell silent.

Someone anxiously asked, “General Kang, what do you think we should do?”

Kang Hong’s expression remained stern as he scanned the room before saying, “I’ve already assured you that I can protect you all. There’s no need to make such a fuss.”

The powerful families thought to themselves that if they weren’t careful, they could end up with their entire families executed. How could they not be anxious? But Kang Hong had always been a figure of authority, and no one dared to openly contradict him. Someone awkwardly said, “This… After all, this concerns the life and death of our families…”

Kang Hong shot a glance at the speaker and said, “How does it matter if he’s the Northern Warlord? Without evidence, he cannot kill people at will. Besides, I am the Commander of Yongzhou. If there’s any blame or punishment to be meted out, it should go through me first. All of you just stay at home and keep your children in line. Unless there’s something urgent, don’t come looking for me. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to you.”

The powerful families exchanged glances and, after a while, they could only nod in agreement.

***

“Did Kang Hong meet with them?” Xiao Zhige stood by the window, listening to Xie Ling’s report.

“Yes, but it seems neither side was very satisfied. I reckon that within a few days, someone will come forward with a pledge of loyalty,” Xie Ling replied.

This was a strategy Xiao Zhige had planned from the beginning. Yongzhou was different from Qingzhou. Zuo Qiu was incompetent and had no loyalty from his soldiers. Xiao Zhige had made a swift decision to eliminate him, allowing him to take full control of Qingzhou without anyone hindering him. However, Kang Hong was a seasoned General with military achievements, and he was well-regarded by the soldiers. Xiao Zhige couldn’t simply remove him. As a result, things were not as straightforward as in Qingzhou. He had to secretly gather evidence while letting them simmer.

Kang Hong was a strong-willed person, and the powerful families of Yong zhou feared him. They wouldn’t dare act too boldly, and they would have to take the initiative to offer bribes and hostages. Their alliance was far from unbreakable. Moreover, with the Shi family’s recent downfall as a cautionary tale, it wouldn’t be long before someone took the initiative to pledge their loyalty.

Xiao Zhige nodded slightly and asked, “What about Guangping County?”

“Our people have already met with the rebel leaders. From the information we’ve gathered, there seem to be two factions among the rebels. One is composed of ordinary rebels, including many elderly, women, and children. The other appears to be a group of mountain bandits, fewer in number but all young and strong, and well-trained. The two factions do not get along well and are only cooperating temporarily.”

Xiao Zhige’s expression grew intrigued as he tapped his finger on the windowsill and said, “As far as I know, the first group to rise up in Yongzhou was a band of mountain bandits, correct?”

“Yes. The refugees joined them later. But the bandits were so ruthless that the two groups eventually split into factions.”

“Convince the refugee leader as soon as possible, and also investigate the background of that group of bandits,” Xiao Zhige ordered, his hands clasped behind his back. He added, “See if they have had any interactions with Kang Hong or anyone close to him.”

Xie Ling took his orders and left. Xiao Zhige then sat down at his desk and took out the letter he had been keeping close to his chest.

He had received the letter from home shortly after arriving in Yongzhou. After reading it, he couldn’t bring himself to burn it, so he kept it close. Whenever he thought of An Chang Qing, he would take it out and read it again. The handwriting on the letter was neat and elegant, and just by looking at it, Xiao Zhige could almost imagine An Chang Qing sitting in the study, slightly bowed, smiling as he carefully wrote each character.

Gently caressing the envelope with his thumb, Xiao Zhige’s expression softened. He carefully folded the letter again and tucked it back into his chest before standing up to leave.

***

Xiao Zhige’s prediction was correct. Within five days, someone secretly approached Xie Ling and presented a pledge of allegiance.

As it happened, Xie Ling had just uncovered some evidence, and after comparing it with the pledge, he smiled and went to find Xiao Zhige.

He placed a spy’s report and an account book from the Lin family in front of Xiao Zhige. “As you predicted, General. That group of bandits had dealings with one of Kang Hong’s Deputy Generals.”

“Moreover, according to our spy, the bandits’ behavior doesn’t resemble that of ordinary bandits. In fact, they seem more like… Trained soldiers.”

Considering that it was these bandits who had first started the rebellion, Xie Ling continued slowly, “It seems likely that Kang Hong and the Third Prince are behind this.”

The civil unrest began in Qingzhou when the Crown Prince dispatched troops to suppress the rebels. However, the heavy-handed approach only fueled the rebels’ anger, backfiring spectacularly. This led to a series of uprisings across Yongzhou and other regions, with the unrest spreading like wildfire, even reaching the borders of Ruanzhou, threatening Yejing.

Now, rumors in the marketplace accused the Crown Prince of cruelty, and many court officials had begun to impeach him. Emperor Anqing, already in poor health, had to manage the aftermath of the Crown Prince’s failure. Meanwhile, the Third Prince and his faction, who had been quiet since the elixir incident were becoming active again.

Xiao Zhige casually flipped through the account book, noting the substantial bribes paid annually. His gaze grew cold, but a smirk tugged at his lips. “Instruct Tie Hu to take troops to Guangping County. Make sure to capture that group of bandits and secure the evidence.”

***

Kang Hong learned of the situation seven days later.

Not only had the rebels in Guangping County surrendered, but their leader, hoping to atone for his crimes, had also captured the bandits who had initiated the rebellion and slaughtered innocents, offering them up. By the time Kang Hong got word, the leaders of the bandits were already being escorted into Yongzhou, shackled in heavy chains inside a prison cart.

When Kang Hong saw them, his heart sank. But before he could say anything, he heard Xiao Zhige’s cold voice behind him: “Men, arrest the traitor Kang Hong and bring him to justice!”

Xie Ling was well-prepared. Before Kang Hong’s soldiers could react, Xie Ling had already pressed a sword to Kang Hong’s neck and loudly declared, “Kang Hong, General of Yongzhou and Strong Martial General, you stand accused of accepting bribes, raising private troops, colluding with rebels, inciting rebellion and plotting treason. Do you admit your guilt?”

Kang Hong’s eyes flickered as he exchanged a glance with the prisoners in the cart. He realized then that there was no way out. He had lost, outmaneuvered by Xiao Zhige.