The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 221 Wang Xin is a Threat

Wenhua Hall.

Prince Chungshun entered the palace again.

"Uncle." The emperor was impatient and hoped to hear good news from Prince Zhongshun.

Prince Chungshun nodded, reassuring the emperor. Seeing his uncle's attitude, the emperor's mood softened, and he couldn't help but smile. It had been too long; he needed good news.

"I met with Fatty Feng, and according to him, Osaka has rebelled. This is no small matter." Prince Chungshun knew what the emperor wanted to hear and did not hide anything, informing him immediately.

Upon hearing this news, the emperor was not worried at all; on the contrary, he was even happier.

It was because of Luo Ming's failure that the retired emperor seized the opportunity to take away his military power. Now, regarding the Datong incident, the Beijing garrison was sent by the cabinet, and Zhang Wenjin's replacement of Feng Yong was also the cabinet's idea.

Everyone knew that the cabinet was backed by the retired emperor. Thinking of this, the emperor couldn't help but ask, "Is there any chance?"

If the Great Alliance fails, the Emperor Emeritus's prestige will inevitably be affected. It would be crucial to regain some power, and ideally, to reclaim military power. Otherwise, the Emperor suffers from insomnia and nightmares every day, and he does not want to continue living such a life.

Prince Zhongshun did not answer directly, but instead spoke of the information Feng Yong had given him: "The Hetao region has fertile land that can support at least 100,000 to 200,000 people, and no fewer than 100,000 archers. For many years, it has maintained a balance, taking advantage of internal conflicts to first support the Shanyu tribe and prevent the Hetao region from unifying, and then to create divisions among the various tribes of Dabansheng. This is why Datong has been stable in recent years. Now that the balance has been broken and the Hetao region has unified, if we rashly attack with the strength of Datong alone, one wrong move could lead to total defeat and the annihilation of the entire army."

Feng Yong's abilities are beyond question, and his judgment is certainly correct.

He believed that it would be difficult for Datong to quell the rebellion and that a long-term plan was needed. With this in mind, the emperor suppressed his joy and asked with concern, "What are Zhang Wenjin's abilities?"

The emperor worried that Zhang Wenjin's outstanding abilities might actually quell the chaos.

Prince Zhongshun shook his head. "Feng Yong said that this man is more trouble than he's worth. Now that he's in charge, it's good that he doesn't cause any problems. The only one to worry about is Wang Xin."

The emperor's face grew even more worried at the mention of Wang Xin.

This young general, who had only been in the army for three years, had already made a name for himself and become an indispensable pawn. No one could deny his ability to lead troops.

Prince Zhongshun laughed again, "This man is ultimately just a guerrilla general with limited power. He is not capable of quelling the chaos with his strength. With him in Datong, the situation in Datong will not fall to the worst possible state."

Upon hearing his uncle's idea, the emperor's mood took a turn for the better. In any case, achieving the situation he wanted without causing too much damage to Datong was indeed the most perfect ending.

But then the emperor thought of someone else and reminded him, "There is also a Tiancheng Army in Datong. It is said that this army is quite powerful. Could it be..."

“No,” Prince Zhongshun said confidently. “This man wants to be the military governor of Datong and would love for Zhang Wenjin to fail. Why would he want him to succeed?”

The emperor's expression became complicated.

It is true that civil officials should control military forces. I had hoped to do the same before, but the retired emperor beat me to it and controlled the cabinet for decades with the help of Zhou Daofeng. The entire court was filled with Zhou Daofeng's protégés and old friends, which suppressed the truly loyal and patriotic scholars.

Liu Ru remained loyal for decades, but he couldn't stand alone. Even though there were local notables like Cai Wen who lobbied for him, he ultimately had no way to use his talents.

"I can't worry about that now. As long as this man submits to me, I'm willing to give him an important position. I just hope he won't let me down." The emperor sighed.

The emperor's nephew is oversimplifying the matter. That person might not even be willing to submit. Even Prince Chungshun himself isn't sure. However, there's no need to say these things. Prince Chungshun said solemnly, "Your Majesty should pay more respects to the Emperor Emeritus recently and avoid angering him."

The emperor was startled and quickly asked, "Why is this?"

"The bigger the move, the more respectful you should be. Didn't Liu Ru teach you this principle?" Prince Zhongshun tried to put a bad word to Liu Ru.

Liu Ru's influence is diminishing, and the fewer people who can influence the emperor, the better.

The emperor's face darkened. Hearing his uncle's words, he felt a mix of emotions. He hoped his luck would improve and that nothing unexpected would happen in Datong.

To enter the Wenhua Hall, Prince Chungshun had to pass through the Huiji Gate, and the Cabinet was not far away.

People come and go at Huiji Gate, and there are many eyes watching.

Soon, Zhou Daofeng received the news, but he did not stop it. Instead, he summoned Zhang Jifu, who had been extremely busy lately and held great power. He was only a figurehead when it came to the position of Grand Secretary.

Zhang Jifu was startled when his mentor suddenly came to see him.

"Has the disciple made a mistake?"

When Zhang Jifu met Zhou Daofeng, he couldn't think of anything he had done wrong recently, so he asked him directly, which was quite impolite.

Zhou Daofeng didn't care at all and said indifferently, "You take the rules too seriously."

Zhang Jifu frowned, still not understanding.

Zhou Daofeng sighed inwardly, "Indeed, no one is perfect. Zhang Jifu values ​​rules the most and has indeed excelled by exploiting them, but ultimately, he has had a smooth life since childhood, never experiencing hardship or setbacks. 'Zhang Wenjin is better at maintaining the status quo than expanding it; I'm afraid he won't be able to handle the situation in Datong.'"

“Datong has three elite troops: Yongxing Army, Tiancheng Army, and Wang Xin’s Hexi Camp. Yongxing Army’s armored infantry alone can make the Hu people helpless. As long as Zhang Wenjin doesn’t make any mistakes, surely he can deal with Ou Yanhu?”

Ou Yanhu's reputation was not prominent; he was always associated with Mo Bisheng. Now, he betrayed and killed Mo Bisheng by poisoning and ambushing him, which also shows that his strength was far inferior to Mo Bisheng's. Otherwise, there would have been no need for him to resort to such despicable acts.

Even the Hu people are human, and human beings do not worship villains. Ou Yanhu's actions have dealt a great blow to his reputation. He would not have done this if he had other options.

The key point is that Zhang Jifu doesn't believe he could have misjudged people.

Wang Xin agreed, and he also promised Wang Xin a reward: after achieving success, he would promote him to the rank of adjutant general, and a branch of the Datong Army would be separated for him to lead independently. He also made generous promises to Hu Liyong of the Tiancheng Army.

Furthermore, all the generals and officers of Yongxing Army were promoted as they were due, with the imperial court opening the door wide for them.

Seeing his prized disciple's bewilderment, Zhou Daofeng sighed inwardly. This prized disciple had a smooth career and had always held a high position. Relying on his prestige, no one in the area had offended him. He had underestimated people's true nature.

He was right to do this before because he had someone above him. Now that he's out there doing things and taking responsibility for everything, this approach is going to cause problems.

In other aspects, this disciple was perfect, including his respect for the rules, which was not wrong in itself, but he relied on them too much.

"Tell Zhang Wenjin to persuade Ou Yanhu to surrender as soon as possible," Zhou Daofeng said slowly. His words shocked Zhang Jifu, who looked incredulous.

Before Zhang Jifu could ask, Zhou Daofeng had already given a detailed explanation.

“Ou Yanhu did not take the opportunity to attack Datong, which means that he does not currently intend to completely turn against the court. In that case, Zhang Wenjin’s attempt to persuade him to surrender is exactly what he wants and will surely succeed. The rebellion will be quelled effortlessly, and this will be Zhang Wenjin’s achievement. He should be promoted immediately and transferred away from Datong. Someone else should be chosen to take charge of the situation in Datong, and we should strive to resolve the problem of Ou Yanhu in three to five years.”

Ou Yanhu was able to seize the opportunity to overthrow Mo Bisheng, but he failed to seize the opportunity to attack Datong. Was this due to his oversight?
Zhou Daofeng's disbelief indicates that this person is even more worrisome.

The fact that he could resist the temptation to invade Datong suggests that he must have greater interests at stake. It's either the south or the north. This person is not content with unifying the Hetao region, but wants to unify the desert. Such boldness is something we have failed to notice all these years.

This person is a real threat. If he is not contained, and if he manages to unify the desert in ten or twenty years, he will become the greatest enemy of the Great Zhou.

It's not impossible; given the fertile land and large population of the Hetao region, it's quite possible that this person would be involved if not stopped.

This person should be stopped immediately and eliminated while he is still weak. But now is not the time, because Prince Zhongshun has entered the palace, and Zhou Daofeng has some idea of ​​his thoughts, including his next move. It is not hard to guess. Although the chances are slim, we should not leave any chance for others.

Therefore, in order to eliminate all possibilities, Datong can only win and cannot lose.

To ensure victory, it was essential to keep Ou Yanhu in check, both for immediate and long-term benefits. Zhou Daofeng's eyes showed weariness; he had to manage both internal strife and the affairs of the nation, but he was too old and could no longer keep up with his former energy.

Looking at his prized disciple, Zhou Daofeng said solemnly, "Keep an eye on Lin Ruhai. We must not let him enter the capital."

Zhang Jifu always believed that he was no less capable than his mentor. During his time in the capital, under the spotlight, he calmly handled everything and confidently believed that he was no less capable than his mentor.

But today's summons from his mentor was like a blow to the head, leaving Zhang Jifu dizzy and disoriented.

Despite Zhou Daofeng's reminder, Zhang Jifu still didn't understand and subconsciously asked, "Why?"

"With Lin Ruhai entering the capital, Wang Xin will definitely support him. With Lin Ruhai's methods and Wang Xin's abilities, Datong will really change. That would be a serious problem, even more serious than the threat posed by Ou Yanhu."

All the openings were blocked in advance, leaving the opponent no chance whatsoever, which was despair-inducing.

This is the real Zhou Daofeng.

Zhang Jifu came to his senses and bowed deeply. He realized that he had been blinded by his recent success. He appeared calm and composed, but in reality, he had become arrogant and reckless. Fortunately, his mentor had woken him up today.

My mentor never intervened to stop me, but instead watched coldly from the sidelines, because at that time, I was definitely resentful.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jifu was even more moved, and his eyes welled up with tears despite being in his forties.

"There's no need for that. You've already surpassed 99% of the people in the world. Don't underestimate yourself." Zhou Daofeng didn't want Zhang Jifu's arrogance to be affected; a person should have pride.

I don't like Wang Xin because of his arrogance.

This person is too arrogant.

Zhou Daofeng believed that this man could accept the idea of ​​using civil officials to control military affairs, given the current state of affairs in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, he was unwilling to employ him, even though he was a potential threat. Unfortunately, he was too loyal and virtuous.

So loyal it may seem like treachery!
After seeing Wang Xin, Zhou Daofeng finally understood the true meaning of those words.

(End of this chapter)