A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 155 Fortune and Misfortune
A nine-foot-high platform stands on the red steps, where the heavenly gate opens with the strokes of frost.

The vermilion gates were torn apart, and the steps were stained with the blood of three dukes.

The Three Dukes.

Chancellor, Grand Commandant, Imperial Censor.

Following the witchcraft case, Zhang Tang was promoted to Imperial Censor, one of the Three Dukes.

Blood forms the steps.

This is the core prophecy of this poem.

Zhang Tang's path to the position of one of the Three Dukes was paved with blood, some of which was the blood of others, and some of his own. Reaching the position of Imperial Censor was the end of his life.

Not to mention that he has no chance of becoming prime minister, the false cases that Zhang Tang fabricated to curry favor with the emperor in order to get promoted will surely become a sword pointed at Zhang Tang's heart under the upcoming accountability system.

The imperial system, which drew upon the wisdom of many and was tailor-made for Zhang Tang, was originally intended to benefit him. However, under the subtle adjustments of Prime Minister Gongsun Hong, it turned into a system that would ultimately lead to Zhang Tang's demise.

Gongsun Hong did not target Zhang Tang. In fact, the new system for selecting officials was the graveyard of cruel officials, and Zhang Tang could not escape it.

The emperor and his ministers looked at each other in silence.

……

The scenery of the Southern Yue Kingdom exudes a vibrant, even ferocious, vitality.

On both sides of the water, trees of various colors stand densely, including banyan trees with majestic canopies, palm trees standing upright like fan sheaths, and fishtail palms with drooping, thick leaves, all intertwined.

The limited spaces between the large trees were filled with hibiscus, coral trees, and many other exotic flowers and plants whose names I didn't know.

Dozens of complex and rich aromas permeated the air, steamed and refined by the hot wind, blending together to form the unique fragrance of Lingnan.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Prince Zhao Yingqi, or rather, the future King of Nanyue, excitedly told his Han wife, Lady Jiu, and son, Zhao Xing, who were visiting Nanyue for the first time, about the light gray, round stone bead, like the Suihou Pearl, embedded in the middle of the river a few miles ahead. "This reef is called Haizhu Stone. Legend has it that it was transformed from the Yangsui Pearl left by the Queen Mother of the West. The people of Nanyue use it as a marker. Once you pass Haizhu Stone, the river can be called Zhushui. Once you pass Haizhu Stone, Panyu Port is very close, right on the banks of Zhushui River."

The weather was hot and humid, and the river breeze was sweltering. The woman from the Han region could not quite understand the joy of the king. She felt that the sticky heat was like vines tightly binding her body, making her extremely uncomfortable. She responded only half-heartedly. The young Zhao Xing was even more dizzy from the sun and could not hear his father's words at all.

Not everyone can endure such a wild and untamed place.

Zhao Yingqi's skin was completely dry, a natural ability he was born with. His wife and children clearly did not have this ability, so he could only reluctantly send them back to their cabin to rest.

When he came out again, he saw Zhang Cigong, the accompanying captain, preparing for the arrival in port. He walked over, put his hand on the gunwale, and said, "Zhang Gong is also a Han Chinese. Why are you so comfortable with sailing?"

"Does the Crown Prince remember the names of my marquises?"

"Lord of the Shore".

"When I was young, I robbed people with others and raided the local area. I relied not only on land skills but also on water skills to avoid being caught by the local government."

"Very good at swimming?"

“No, I can sail faster than the others. When the officers and soldiers are busy arresting the others, I can take the opportunity to escape.” “…The past of the Marquis of Antou is truly ‘wonderful’.”

"Later, I followed the general to fight against the Xiongnu and made great contributions. His Majesty also knew about my past. Hou Ming Antou is both a past and His Majesty's intention to come to the shore of Nanyue. When the Crown Prince did not see my two thousand armored soldiers, everyone felt as if they were on land and no one was dizzy?"

Zhao Yingqi then noticed that the Han soldiers who were "escorting" him back to Nanyue were all on the ship, and their expressions were normal. "These soldiers were trained by His Majesty in his earlier years for the southern campaign?"

“Yes, it was prepared for the attack on the Nanyue Kingdom. It’s not just these two thousand men, but also the tens of thousands of troops led by Lu Bode, the captain of the crossbowmen. The essence of war is speed, taking advantage of the enemy’s unpreparedness. Nanyue has towering mountains and steep ridges. As long as things don’t go smoothly, the heavenly army can use the waterways of Lingnan to arrive in the morning and attack Panyu City in the evening.” Zhang Cigong said without any attempt to hide his intentions.

The Nanyue Kingdom had already become fish on the chopping block of the Han Dynasty. Zhao Yingqi had already agreed to its submission in Chang'an. Since they were one of their own, there was no need to hide it anymore.

As Zhao Yingqi listened, a hint of sadness appeared on his face. This was the tragedy of a small country facing a large country. Large countries had ample time, manpower, and resources to turn the insurmountable obstacles of small countries, such as mountains and waterways, into their own advantages through deliberate selection and training. Small countries, however, could not do so.

This is one of the reasons why the North is generally stronger than the South.

Seeing that Zhao Yingqi's expression was unusual, Zhang Cigong assumed that Zhao Yingqi had been frightened and comforted him, saying, "The Nanyue Kingdom is already quite capable. Looking around, the only ones that our Great Han Dynasty has been preparing and planning for for more than ten years are the Xiongnu and the Nanyue Kingdom."

Zhao Yingqi gave an awkward but polite smile. Was this something to be honored about?
It's a little better than a grasshopper, but it's still a grasshopper, isn't it?

As they spoke, Panyu, the capital of the Southern Yue Kingdom, came into view in the distance.

The gray-brown city wall, over six zhang high and constructed of rammed earth, was almost the same height as the city of Chang'an.

"Master Zhang, what do you think of this city?"

"Vulnerable!"

Zhang Cigong looked up for a while. Panyu City had watchtowers at the four corners, and the city walls were equipped with barbicans and crenellations. It looked no different from the Han Dynasty city. However, the city gate facing the Pearl River and directly opposite the dock did not have a barbican.

If the Han army were to attack, they could directly assault the city gates, leaving the Nanyue army no time to react. Once the city gates were breached, the country would be instantly declared destroyed.

It was only because the Southwest Yi Road was not open before that it was impossible to launch an attack on the Nanyue Kingdom from the upper reaches of the Zangke River; otherwise, the Nanyue Kingdom might not have survived to this day.

Zhao Yingqi fell completely silent. In the past, the people of Nanyue, including his great-grandfather Zhao Tuo, the Martial Emperor of Nanyue, and his father Zhao Mo, the King of Nanyue, did not believe that any army could reach the walls of Panyu City. Therefore, there was no need to build an additional barbican to defend against the enemy, so no barbican was built.

In the end, it seems that it was really unnecessary. The Han army did not come by force, but was "invited" by him. Whether there was a barbican or not made no difference.

Panyu City is quite large, with at least twenty or thirty large ships coming and going on the water, and even more small boats, like water mosquitoes, darting in and out, their masts standing tall.

During his time in Nanyue, Zhang Cigong did some research on Nanyue. It bordered the Han Dynasty to the north, Minyue and Dongou to the east, and was connected to overseas countries such as Duyuan, Yilumo, and Chenli to the south by waterways. It was an important hub for merchants from all directions.

In the Nanyue Kingdom, there was a law called "Transportation Policy": Han caravans would stop at the Wuling Pass and were not allowed to set foot in the Nanyue Kingdom. The rest of the journey could only be entrusted to local Nanyue caravans for transport. Similarly, merchant ships from overseas countries could not continue after arriving in Panyu and could only be entrusted to local Nanyue caravans for transport north.

With this decree, Nanyue firmly monopolized the north-south trade, importing large quantities of bronze and ironware, silk and cloth, lacquerware and roof tiles from the Han Dynasty and selling them to Minyue, Dongou and other countries. In turn, Nanyue bought pearls, rhinoceros horns, spices and other items from Minyue, Dongou and other countries and sold them to the Han Dynasty. Nanyue not only made a fortune, but it was practically accumulating gold and jade.

Gazing at the boats on the water, Zhang Cigong took a deep breath, his eyes turning cold. "This is robbing the Han people! Unforgivable!"

(End of this chapter)