Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 822 Trouble
Duke Wei looked at the map and saw that their troops were gathering in increasing numbers, and even the troops stationed at sea were being mobilized, all in an effort to achieve a decisive victory.

After many days of hard work, things finally started to look promising. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as if he had returned to his youth, leading his troops to victory in every battle.

The Liang family believed that the country belonged to them, and that without military families like theirs, how could they possibly sit on the throne? This time, he showed the Liang family that it was as easy as turning his hand to control the political situation.

After this, his people will take control of all government offices, turning the officials on the dragon throne into puppets of the Jiang family.

Wei Guo was pondering this when his steward quickly entered the room.

"Master," the steward said anxiously, "something has happened to the Prince of Qin."

Upon hearing the news from the steward, the Duke of Wei's expression grew increasingly grim. Before he could speak, he slammed his hand on the table: "Giving him so many officials and soldiers was meant to allow him to deal with the Empress Dowager and the Wang family father and son. If he wasn't confident, why launch a palace coup?"

The steward said, "Perhaps the King of Qin is too confident, thinking he can decide the outcome in one game."

Duke Wei's anger surged even higher: "I told him not to act rashly unless the situation becomes critical..."

“During the Emperor’s serious illness, even if the Empress Dowager wants to establish the Prince of Huai as the heir, she can have the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the censors obstruct it and delay it for a while, and then our troops will arrive.”

"He doesn't understand such a simple principle? The palace releasing this news at this time is clearly a deliberate setup, waiting for him to take the bait."

The steward was well aware of this principle, but the King of Qin always believed that the current situation and the ability to win over so many people to support him were all due to his own abilities.

All of this came too easily, causing the King of Qin to underestimate himself.

"The person escaped?" Duke Wei asked. "Can you be sure?"

The steward replied, "Yes, but my two daughters and young son are being held in the capital."

Duke Wei's gaze shifted: "The court failed to capture the King of Qin. Was it because the King of Qin wasn't stupid enough to be completely useless, or was it intentional?"

"This..." The steward was a confidant of the Duke of Wei, but he dared not speak carelessly. "Otherwise, let's call the gentlemen over..."

Duke Wei shook his head: "No need."

There's no point in pursuing this further. Their actions have been too blatant lately, exposing too many people. Even if we back down now, those people will still be caught by the Wang family father and son. Since retreating won't save us, we have to fight to the bitter end.

“Tell your family to send more men!” said the Duke of Wei. “Now that the King of Qin has made such a mess of things, we have no way out.”

The damage from such a drastic measure was too great; at least decades of hard work had been wasted. The Duke of Wei was unwilling to accept this; otherwise… he really wanted to leave the King of Qin and his son here.

After the steward left, the Duke of Wei immediately got busy. The family retainers who were waiting nearby received the letter and quickly sent it to various places.

By evening, with most of the business done, Lord Wei was preparing to rest when the general he had sent to the northwest brought back the news.

"How is it going?" Duke Wei asked, as the He family army should have a result by now.

The general lowered his head and said in a low voice, "The He family army has captured Dashun City and joined forces with Baibao City, suppressing our troops in the Northwest."

"What?" Duke Wei stood up in surprise. "Wasn't it said that the He family army fell into chaos after He Tan died? How come they've joined forces with Baibao City again?"

The general whispered, "There are rumors that He Tan is not dead and has been leading the He family army in battle. Our spies in the He family have not made any moves. Something must have gone wrong."

Duke Wei glared at the general: "Didn't you say that the Cao family saw He Tan die with their own eyes?"

"Cao Jun has also disappeared. It seems that the Cao family's troops have been absorbed by the He family's army."

It seemed that it took the Duke of Wei a long time to understand what he was saying.

The general said, "Our men haven't been able to confirm the authenticity of the information yet."

These words made Duke Wei even more embarrassed. The truth of the news had not yet been confirmed, which meant that none of the people with any status in He's army had been captured.

Duke Wei asked, "Didn't they engage the He family army in direct combat? Otherwise, how could they not know who was leading the troops?" The general shook his head: "The He family army is skilled at surprise attacks, and several battles have taken place at night. The garrison troops in the several northwestern garrisons do not usually camp together, so He Tan can always find the weakest point to attack. By the time the other garrison troops receive the news, it is already too late."

Duke Wei frowned: "How did the He family army know about our troop situation? Did someone inform He Tan?"

At first, they were too busy dealing with the He family army to think about these things. Besides, given the He family's status as a family of military generals, and He Tan's extensive experience in military affairs in the Northwest, it was not surprising that he would know about the situation of the various local armies. But later, they felt that something was wrong.

"Before I returned to deliver the message, He's army burned down one of our granaries where we stored grain. This granary was very well hidden, and in theory only our people should have known about it."

Duke Wei asked, "Is there a traitor in our army?"

The general nodded: "That's what the commanding officers have in mind."

Duke Wei's heart sank. This was not a good thing. Suspicion and distrust had arisen between them, and things could easily escalate into trouble.

Soldiers are only brought together temporarily; without trust, how can they fight together?
“He Tan is deliberately trying to sow discord,” said Duke Wei. “Go back immediately and don’t ruin the harmony before there is concrete evidence.”

The general said, "But what if...we keep leaking information from our side?"

The possibility that He Tan is alive, and the fact that He's army knows the situation in their camp, combined with these two confusing pieces of information, is enough to cause unease among the crowd.

Duke Wei frowned in thought: "We must find a way to stabilize the situation in the Northwest as soon as possible." Only by dealing with He Tan as soon as possible can he focus on attacking Bianjing. If the Northwest falls, he will be attacked from both sides.

Who should go now?

Duke Wei suddenly thought of Marquis Changyuan.

He didn't quite trust Marquis Changyuan; leaving him in the familiar capital of Jingzhao was too risky. If he could transfer his troops to the northwest...

The problem now is that Marquis Changyuan may not be willing to go.

Duke Wei looked at the general: "After you return to the Northwest, immediately try to make the troops of Marquis Changyuan's eldest son encounter He's army. It would be best if Zeng Jiqing were killed or captured. If that's not possible, make him seriously injured."

The general said, "What does the Duke mean?"

“It was because of Zeng Jiqing’s accident that Marquis Changyuan led his troops north.”

Marquis Changyuan is filled with hatred and will show no mercy, eliminating the He family as quickly as possible.

Duke Wei was worried that the court would soon convict the King of Qin of treason, and that when the official document reached the Northwest, some people might back down because of it, so he could not wait.

"This subordinate will take care of it immediately."

The general dared not delay and returned directly to the Northwest.

Duke Wei initially felt it was too slow, that the back-and-forth would take a long time, and that further planning... would be disadvantageous for them if it dragged on.

But he had already instructed his generals that since the He family army hadn't made a move against Zeng Jiqing, they would find an opportunity to kill Zeng Jiqing and then shift the blame onto the He family army.

If all goes well, Marquis Changyuan will have taken over the Northwest and he will have already arrived at the gates of Bianjing.

There are problems in one place and two places. I hope there won't be any more trouble.

……

Xie Yuyan stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the fleet not far away. Su Man handed Xie Yuyan the letter he had just received.

Su Man said, "The news came from Sanfoqi."

(End of this chapter)