Chapter 495 – Attack on Fengyi County (Part Three)
Huang Song was no fool; he understood the implications hidden in Feng Jue’s words.
However, he simply couldn’t accept it!
Ever since he was a child, he knew how lowly his status as a eunuch was. The people he wanted to befriend looked down on him, while those he despised clung to him, desperate for recognition. The obsession of wanting to be revered had burrowed deep into his bones. How could he gain the admiration of everyone?
Only by becoming a capable minister and pillar of the nation.
Huang Song was still striving toward this goal, riding the winds of opportunity as the Emperor’s favored young talent. At a tender age, he had already been promoted to the rank of colonel, but the cruel reality offered him no further chances.
Should he remain loyal to his ruler and country, or should he choose to save his own life and that of his family?
Feng Jue had given him the best advice; it was now up to Huang Song to make his own choice.
After a while, Huang Song, his voice hoarse, asked Feng Jue, “What if… I write a letter secretly informing the Emperor, feigning compliance with Changshou Wang’s recruiting efforts while secretly plotting to turn the tables on him?”
Feng Jue’s expression was cold, dousing Huang Song with a bucket of cold water and delivering a heavy blow to his spirits.
“First of all, Changshou Wang won’t believe that you’re sincere. Even if he did, he would always be on guard against you. Moreover, he has countless strategists at his command, and they might use this as an opening to breach the defenses of Chenzhou. At that point, no amount of excuses from you will help.”
Feng Jue paused before continuing, “Furthermore, the Emperor is petty and suspicious. Do you think he’ll believe you’re pretending to side with Changshou Wang? If you told him that, he would likely suspect you of treason, and your entire family would be implicated.”
After saying this, he calmly regarded Huang Song, waiting for him to come to his senses.
Currently, the northern part of Dongqing was engulfed in chaos, with the common people suffering terribly, while the south was a standoff between Changshou Wang and the Emperor.
No matter who won or lost, the world was already in disarray, and only a sage could turn the tide.
Is Huang Song a sage?
He is not!
So he could only focus on the simplest act of self-preservation, figuring out ways to strengthen himself so that he could secure a place in the turbulent times. This way, he could protect the common people under his governance and ultimately aspire for more. Right now, Huang Song was still too young and too weak; he needed to be a little tougher.
After a moment, Huang Song’s pained expression gradually calmed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made a firm resolution.
“I understand now. I will send a letter to the Emperor, proposing to vacate and seek a secure place for myself… Huai Jian, I’ll rely on you.”
Huang Song’s decision was within Feng Jue’s expectations. Compared to his desire to stabilize the nation, Huang Song placed a greater emphasis on his own life.
Now cornered by Changshou Wang’s plot, Huang Song naturally sought a way out, planning to seek revenge later.
As long as the green hills remain, one needn’t worry about firewood.
Resolved, Huang Song wrote a secret letter to the palace, nearly arriving at the same time as another secret letter to the Emperor’s dragon desk.
At this moment, the Emperor seemed to be in a state of mental turmoil. He was gentle and detailed with the beloved concubine, Hui Jun, but furiously exploded at others, a single slip-up could lead to swordplay, making everyone cautious and the aristocrats too afraid to discuss politics.
Once there were whispers among court officials about Hui Jun’s presence in the front hall, now they feared for her absence, which only escalated the danger.
If Hui Jun was present, even in a fit of rage, the Emperor would merely toss something in anger, scowling but ultimately safe.
But if Hui Jun was absent, well, one had to be careful; exiting the front hall unscathed was akin to a blessing from the ancestors.
Today, Hui Jun claimed she was unwell and didn’t accompany the Emperor.
The attendant serving closely quaked in place, and after reading one of the secret letters, the Emperor was fuming. He swept aside the mountain of documents on his desk, his face twitching in apparent pain.
Rubbing his head to suppress the splitting headache, he was panting heavily, sending chills down the spines of everyone around him.
The attendant hesitated on whether to discreetly send someone for Hui Jun’s help when the Emperor grabbed another secret letter and opened it with unusually rough movements. Upon unfolding it, his tight frown relaxed slightly, shimmering with a flicker of unpredictable intrigue in his eyes.
The first letter detailed a spy’s report on Changshou Wang’s secret attempts to recruit Huang Song and his extended discussions with his confidant.
The second letter was from Huang Song, candidly discussing Changshou Wang’s sinister ambitions, attempting to sow discord between him and the Emperor. With heartfelt words expressing loyalty, he feigned illness, suggesting he might not be able to relieve the Emperor’s worries at the front, and if the Emperor believed him capable, he’d prefer a post in a remote area, so as to continue serving the Emperor.
Had the second letter not arrived in time, the Emperor would have likely ordered the spies to eliminate Huang Song.
Even with the timely arrival of the letter, the Emperor’s suspicion toward Huang Song had already formed; he couldn’t help but wonder if Huang Song had accepted Changshou Wang’s generous offer, questioning his loyalty, and sought to find a reason to strip Huang Song of his position—
Now, with Huang Song’s self-awareness and request to leave the front line, the Emperor was less inclined to harbor resentment and doubt.
After contemplating, he wrote a decree summoning Huang Song back from the front, hastily sending it via express horse.
He didn’t want others to see him as heartless; since Huang Song had provided a step down, he took the opportunity.
After completing the decree, he penned another appointing Huang Song as the county magistrate of Zhaiyang in Maode County, Haizhou.
Due to suspicion and Huang Song’s young age, he didn’t grant Huang Song a significant official title, only providing him with a rather impoverished and remote county magistrate position. If Huang Song performed well, he could always promote him later.
Haizhou was one of the twenty-one counties of Liuzhou in Dongqing, being the poorest among the six provinces; Maode County was relatively prosperous, and Zhaiyang County was one of its best regions, serving as the Emperor’s alternative compensation.
All of this unfolded as Feng Jue had anticipated, using retreat as a strategy to help Huang Song secure a dwelling.
When these two edicts reached Huang Song, Jiang Pengji was already gearing up, ready to lead her troops into battle.
Do not underestimate the small size of Xiang County; the forces mobilized could reach as high as ten thousand. Each soldier was well-trained, far exceeding those weaklings who would betray allies in a fight, even if they didn’t match Jiang Pengji’s idea of “elite troops.”
Jiang Pengji was picky in her standards, but others were already quite content, placing enormous expectations on this army.
Xiang County was Jiang Pengji’s stronghold, and to conquer all of Fengyi County, she couldn’t possibly take all her belongings with her.
After much discussion, she decided to leave Feng Jin, Wei Ci, Luo Yue, and four thousand soldiers to safeguard the home front, while taking everyone else out to battle.
