Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 439 The Road to Legend
Xiao Yan's cursing echoed in the meditation room.

"No more than ten thousand? Listen to what I'm saying?!" The emperor's face turned red, clearly furious with the old bald monk.

"Even a centipede dies but doesn't fall down; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse! What can ten thousand soldiers do? They're not even enough to fill someone's teeth!"

"Did His Majesty agree?" Chen Qingzhi asked softly.

"He didn't even ask if I agreed." This was what angered Xiao Yan the most. "It was a divine decree delivered directly; I have no choice but to obey, or else they'll sabotage me!"

“Indeed.” Chen Qingzhi nodded understandingly. The Buddhist sect had been acting domineeringly for a long time. If they went against them, it was hard to guarantee that the tragedy of last New Year’s Day would not be repeated.

"So now, we either have to hold back, or we can only send 10,000 troops on a northern expedition." Xiao Yan said through gritted teeth, "No matter what I choose, I will be laughed at by the world."

"What does His Majesty mean?" Chen Qingzhi pressed.

Xiao Yan remained silent for a long while before uttering two words: "Northern Expedition".

"..." Chen Qingzhi was not surprised. He knew that this was not a problem for the shrewd emperor...

If we only send 10,000 troops on a northern expedition, we won't mind losing them all. If we can conquer cities and seize territory, it's a win, whether it's a big or small win.

Therefore, no matter how unhappy the emperor was, he would still reluctantly launch a northern expedition.

"After calming down and thinking it over, I still can't let emotions get the better of me. The opportunity is too good to pass up now. The Northern Dynasty is leaderless and in a state of utter chaos. Even if we only send 10,000 elite troops, we can still take a big chunk of flesh from them," Xiao Yan said, invigorating his spirits.

"Even if we are unable to recapture Luoyang, it would be excellent to push the battle line as far as possible into the heart of the Northern Dynasties and create favorable conditions for the future unification of the country! So we must seize the opportunity and strive for victory."

“Your Majesty is absolutely right. There are ways to live a rich life and ways to live a poor life. We can both get by,” Chen Qingzhi echoed softly.

"Ziyun is absolutely right," Xiao Yan exclaimed, "You've got the same idea I was thinking!"

"Moreover, although the remaining civil and military officials of the Northern Dynasty are temporarily subservient to Erzhu Rong due to his tyranny, they must all hate this murderous tyrant in their hearts. We can make full use of the surrendered members of the Northern Dynasty's royal family, under the banner of avenging them and restoring their country, to win over the hearts of the people of the Northern Dynasty as much as possible."

“Absolutely.” Chen Qingzhi nodded and said, “If handled properly, it can greatly reduce the difficulty of the Northern Expedition, and may even turn the tables.”

"That's right." Xiao Yan nodded with a smile and said, "After much deliberation, I have chosen to enfeoff Yuan Hao as the King of Wei, and I plan to send troops to escort him back to the Northern Dynasty to restore his kingdom."

"Yuan Hao?" Chen Qingzhi was both surprised and surprised by the emperor's choice.

He knew the princes of the Northern Dynasties in great detail, and knew that Yuan Hao was the grandson of Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei, Tuoba Hong, and the nephew of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, Yuan Hong. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu, he inherited his father's title and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Beihai.

Therefore, he was Yuan Xu's cousin, belonging to the first echelon of those who inherited the Northern Dynasty's imperial lineage. There was no need to worry about legitimacy; if a northern expedition were launched under his banner, many people would surely submit.

However, Chen Qingzhi felt that Yuan Hao was not a good choice. First of all, this man was notoriously ambitious but incompetent, and his character was also quite poor…

In fact, Yuan Hao was the previous governor of Xuzhou before Yuan Faseng. Because he exploited the land too much, he was impeached by the censor and stripped of his title and official position by the court, and stayed at home for several years.

This also shows that his status in the Northern Dynasty was probably not very high. It's important to know that corruption was rampant in the Northern Dynasty. From the Empress Dowager down, not a single official was clean, yet none of them fell from power because of corruption. Moreover, he wasn't even in Luoyang, yet he couldn't even hold the position of Governor of Xuzhou; his influence was questionable.

It wasn't until last year, when there was truly no one else available in the court, that Yuan Hao was able to regain his title and was appointed as the Left Minister and the Western Circuit Commander, leading troops to suppress Suqin Mingda's rebellion in Guanzhong.

After the Heyin Incident, Yuan Hao was originally in the Northwest and had no chance to defect.

As a result, Ge Rong killed Du Luozhou and withdrew his army from Henan. Erzhu Rong then issued an edict in the name of the imperial court, ordering Yuan Hao to go to Yecheng to take over the territory ceded by the rebel army.

As a result, as soon as Yuan Hao arrived in Henan, he took his son Yuan Guanshou and his close confidants and went to Daliang.

Upon meeting Xiao Yan, Yuan Hao tearfully pleaded for his position as the ruler of Wei and requested that Xiao Yan send troops to help him fight his way back to the north. His words were quite tragic and heroic, leaving a good impression on Xiao Yan, who then bestowed upon him the significant title of King of Wei.

~~
In any case, the fact that Yuan Hao was enfeoffed as the King of Wei indicates that the emperor had decided to launch a northern expedition under his banner.

Chen Qingzhi was powerless to change the emperor's mind, so he did not offer any praise or criticism of Yuan Hao.

Then Xiao Yan continued, "But Yuan Hao is just a decoy. If we rely on him to command, my 10,000 troops will probably be wiped out as soon as they leave the country."

"Your Majesty is wise." Chen Qingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "His Highness Prince Wei does indeed lack military talent and needs to be assisted by another general."

"Indeed, I value his ambition over his abilities, lest he become a dangerous foe. Even if I fatten him up, he'll just be a fat sheep, ready to be slaughtered and eaten at any time," Xiao Yan nodded.

"But we need to pair this sheep with a fierce tiger..."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Qingzhi and said, "Ziyun, you fierce tiger, are you willing to accompany him?"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Chen Qingzhi replied without hesitation in a deep voice.

"Hey, don't rush to agree." Xiao Yan waved his hand and said, "Think it through first. If you are confident that you can make great achievements and return safely, then it's not too late to take on this job."

"Your Majesty, I have thought it through." Chen Qingzhi said resolutely, "Firstly, I cannot disobey Your Majesty's command. Since Your Majesty wants to send me, I will go through fire and water without hesitation. Secondly, the Northern Expedition is also my long-cherished wish. I know that I am not qualified enough to command a large army. Being able to lead 10,000 troops on a Northern Expedition is more than I could ask for."

"Thirdly, three thousand Yue soldiers can conquer Wu! The victory or defeat in war does not depend on the size of the army, but on whether the people are united in purpose and share a common hatred for the enemy!" He paused, then said in a deep voice:
"Now, just as Your Majesty said, the Northern Dynasty is a disorganized mess with its people scattered. At this time, we only need to send a small number of loyal and capable soldiers, led by a brave and resourceful general, to drive straight into Luoyang!"

"Haha, good, it's good that you have confidence!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but be overjoyed and said, "The powerful general that Ziyun mentioned, are you talking about yourself?"

"I am being presumptuous," Chen Qingzhi said modestly, yet he was not about to back down.

"Very well, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Marquis of Changsheng Township, General of Biaoyong, and the authority to lead troops to escort Yuan Hao back north!" Xiao Yan then issued the decree in a deep voice.

"Your subject accepts the decree!" Chen Qingzhi bowed solemnly and accepted the seal of the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition.

(End of this chapter)