Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 399 Yuan Shu is not Yuan Shu
It's no wonder Chen Qingzhi was so surprised. Given his humble origins, the fact that he had managed to become a minor general was already a great favor from the emperor.

To ordinary people, someone like him daring to plot for the position of governor is already like a toad trying to eat swan meat.

Not to mention the Grand Commander who led the Northern Expeditionary Army, who usually governed several prefectures and whose status was far above that of the Prefect.

Although Chen Qingzhi had lofty ambitions, he was far from being so fanciful as to want to become the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition.

"Don't open your mouth so wide," Zhu Yi laughed. "You've completely ruined your image as a refined and scholarly general."

"And what about my reputation as a scholar-general?" Chen Qingzhi said with a wry smile, "Then don't try to make fun of me."

"You still have to have dreams, what if they come true?" Zhu Yi said with a smile.

“Dreams must have boundaries; once those boundaries are crossed, they become mere wishful thinking,” Chen Qingzhi said helplessly.

“I don’t think it’s wishful thinking.” Zhu Yi shook his head and counted on his fingers: “You have three advantages that others cannot match. First of all, you are His Majesty’s number one confidant. No one can match that level of trust.”

"Secondly, you come from a humble background, so His Majesty need not worry that entrusting the army to you will result in you becoming too powerful to control."

"That's true." Chen Qingzhi gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Thirdly, His Majesty has high hopes for you, believing you to be exceptionally calm, courageous, and resourceful, possessing the qualities of a great general. His only concern is that you have no experience leading troops, and he fears you might become another Zhao Kuo, a mere armchair strategist." Zhu Yi continued:
"So sending you to lead troops to meet Yuanfa Monk is His Majesty's test for you. Now that you have perfectly completed the test, I will put in a few more good words for you, and I guarantee His Majesty will have no more concerns."

"Even if what you say is true, how can I convince the masses?" Chen Qingzhi said with a wry smile, "You may not know, but these 20,000 Imperial Guards have never been convinced by me."

"Have you taken it yet?" Zhu Yi asked.

"They've probably given up by now," Chen Qingzhi said.

"Isn't that settled?" Zhu Yi laughed. "Actually, managing 20,000 troops and 100,000 troops is the same. It's just a matter of managing a few more generals. You don't need to manage every single soldier."

"Let's not even talk about that far ahead. I can't get past the Emperor's hurdle—no matter how much he trusts me, he can't possibly put this heavy burden on my shoulders." Chen Qingzhi still shook his head repeatedly.

"I've said it before, nothing is difficult if you put your mind to it!" Zhu Yi was a little angry. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "If you're really worried that you're not qualified enough to handle things, then find someone tall to take the lead, and you can do the work from below. If it works out, it's all your credit; if it doesn't, you can shift the blame and say that someone tall is hindering you."

“Sigh…” Chen Qingzhi couldn’t help but smile wryly. “It is indeed a method, but it’s a bit underhanded.”

"Don't you only want to achieve great things, not build a career?" Zhu Yi retorted with his words.

“Indeed, whether he is in command or not is not important; what matters is whether he can make the decisions.” Chen Qingzhi nodded.

"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be in charge!" Zhu Yi patted his chest and said, "A man can't say he can't do it, you know?!"

"Okay, okay, I can do it, but can you?" Chen Qingzhi raised his hands in surrender.

"You'll see whether I can do it or not just by watching," Zhu Yi said with a smile. "Just promise me one thing, and I'll do exactly what you want!"

"What is it?" Chen Qingzhi took a sip of tea.

"I guarantee we'll take Shouyang," Zhu Yi said quietly.

"Pfft..." Chen Qingzhi almost spat a mouthful of tea onto his face. "If Shouyang were so easy to take, would His Majesty have gone to such great lengths to build the Fushan Dam back then? Wasn't it because he had no other choice but to go all out? And yet he still failed..." "Just because no one else dares to make such a guarantee, but you dare to sign a pledge, do you think His Majesty won't be tempted?" Zhu Yi then laughed.

"Good heavens... this is another military order." Chen Qingzhi said speechlessly, "You won't be done until you've screwed me over."

"I'm just asking you, if I gave you 100,000 troops, could you take it? If you don't have that confidence, then just pretend I didn't say anything," Zhu Yi said irritably.

"Actually, I've considered this countless times in my mind, and now is indeed the best time to capture Shouyang." Chen Qingzhi thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
"I've devised strategies and have some confidence in them, but I'm not yet at the point where I can make a pledge."

"What are the odds of success?" Zhu Yi pressed.

"Half and half," Chen Qingzhi said cautiously.

"If you're 50% sure of success, then go for it! People like us have to take on challenges that others dare not take and do things that others dare not do. If you play it safe, you'll never have a chance to get ahead in your life!" Zhu Yi said in a deep voice.

"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Chen Qingzhi picked up his cup and drank tea instead of wine, saying, "Then I'll leave it to Ji Wen."

"Just wait for good news!" Zhu Yi said with a confident smile.

~~
Zhu Yi was not exaggerating. Chen Qingzhi had been stationed in Xuzhou for a month when he received an imperial edict appointing him as a general with the authority to act on behalf of the emperor and to lead the army to Shouchun with General Yuan Shu of Anxi.

Upon receiving the order, he handed over the defense duties to his deputy and immediately led 10,000 troops to Hefei.

Ren Yuan and the others naturally followed Chen Qingzhi.

The army lingered in Huainan Commandery and Xia Cai County for several days, awaiting rendezvous with their commander-in-chief, Yuan Shu…

Yuan Shu was a member of the Northern Wei imperial family. His father, Yuan Xi, the Prince of Xianyang, was the second son of Emperor Xianwen (Tuoba Hong) and the eldest brother of Emperor Xiaowen (Yuan Hong). After Emperor Xiaowen's death, Yuan Shu became the head of the regents, but was later executed by Emperor Xuanwu for plotting a rebellion.

Yuan Shu lost his status as a member of the imperial clan at a young age and lived in poverty, lacking food and clothing. Fortunately, he was adopted and supported by his sixth uncle, Prince Pengcheng, Yuan Xie, and was able to live a good life again.

As an adult, Yuan Shu was handsome, eloquent, and possessed the strategic skills of a general. During the reign of Emperor Xiaoming, he rose through the ranks to become Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, finally restoring his family's fortunes.

However, at this time, Emperor Xuanwu listened to the slander of treacherous officials and had his sixth uncle, Yuan Xie, a famous minister of the Northern Wei Dynasty, executed. Yuan Shu was completely disheartened and resolutely went to the Southern Dynasty.

After returning south, he was highly valued by Emperor Wu of Han and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Ye. He led troops to quell the southern barbarians many times, and it has been twenty years since then. He was promoted to various positions, including Imperial Envoy, Military Governor of Ying, Si, and Huo Prefectures, General of Anxi, and Governor of Ying Prefecture. He can be considered the first person to surrender to the Yuan clan in the south.

Yuan Shu's loyalty to the Southern Dynasty was beyond doubt, but his hatred for the Northern Dynasty vanished with the death of Emperor Xuanwu and the decline of the Wei Dynasty.

This is normal. Any normal person would be saddened to see their once powerful homeland suddenly engulfed in internal strife, which intensified over the years and showed signs of collapse.

Now, Xiao Yan has ordered him to attack Shouchun, stabbing his dying homeland in the back. One can imagine Yuan Shu's feelings.

However, he had suffered many hardships since childhood and was very cautious by nature. He was afraid that if he refused the emperor's order, he would be slandered as having his own country in mind and having ulterior motives, and would arouse the emperor's suspicion.

So he still accepted the order and came...

(End of this chapter)