Chapter 79: The Choice of Nian Zanli

He Lingchuan asked curiously, "What does this have to do with Sun Fu and Nian Songyu? Why did they run over to seize the Great Square Pot?" "Sun Fu conspired with the Grand Marshal and was personally stripped of his title of State Preceptor by the King afterward, which is why he never used the State Decree from beginning to end in the Panlong Desert," He Chunhua replied. "As for the Inspector of Xunzhou, he originally belonged to the Grand Marshal's faction and had deep private ties, but he has remained inactive until now and has not openly rebelled. I suspect that if Nian Songyu could have retrieved the Great Square Pot for him, it would have been an incredible bargaining chip; he could have easily chosen whichever side he wanted to support."

A man as shrewd as Sun Fu had stood on the wrong side this time, and the price was his life in Panlong City.

In a struggle involving power, one truly cannot afford a single wrong step.

He Yue said in a clear voice, "The magnificent main battlefields are in the north and the center. Black Water City and the Panlong Desert are merely tiny splashes caught up in the waves."

He Chunhua and his eldest son exchanged a look.

Their thrilling, death-defying adventure seemed like nothing in the eyes of those in high positions who were planning the grand strategy.

He Lingchuan searched his memory for a moment, then gave up. The original owner had only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, and had absolutely no concept of the major affairs of the state; he had almost no impression of these influential figures his second brother mentioned.

Lady Ying had been listening the whole time and only then spoke up: "In that case, there was no harvest from the trip to Panlong City? And it even cost many lives."

She rarely interfered in the men's discussions of national affairs, but the He family father and son had barely escaped with their lives, and of the two hundred men they took out, only a few dozen had returned.

They had returned empty-handed, and the dead still needed to be compensated. Was her husband's adventure not very cost-effective? He Chunhua laughed heartily upon hearing this: "My lady, that is not how you calculate the accounts!"

"Although we didn't get the Great Square Pot, we finished off Nian Songyu and Sun Fu; that is the greatest harvest of this trip!" He grabbed a full cup of wine and downed it in one gulp. "Sun Fu was one of the primary culprits of this rebellion, and the Royal Court viewed him as a major threat. By killing him, I have relieved the King's worries and boosted the morale of the army; it is a great merit."

He Yue also said, "Sun Fu served as State Preceptor for many years, knew countless secrets, and was himself deep in schemes and formidable in his cultivation. His attempt to seize the Great Square Pot in Panlong City, whether to assist the Grand Marshal or defect to someone else, was deeply feared by the Royal Court. By eliminating this future trouble for Great Yuan, we have actually involved ourselves in the great war against the rebels; we might even be rewarded for our merits later."

He Lingchuan laughed, "Killing Sun Fu was to share the nation's burdens; killing Nian Songyu was to remove a threat for the second brother. If we had died in the desert, he would have definitely come looking for you later."

Lady Ying was curious: "What business would he have with Yue'er?"

He Yue's face turned pale, and he said unhappily, "Don't listen to Big Brother's nonsense. However, the Inspector of Xunzhou didn't get the Great Square Pot and even lost a son; I don't know what his next move will be."

He Chunhua sneered, "I was thinking on the road about how to explain the deaths of Sun and Nian to the Royal Court, but it turns out I was worrying for nothing. Tomorrow, I will submit the news of the Inspector of Xunzhou and Sun Fu conspiring for the Great Square Pot to the Royal Court; from now on, he won't have time to come and trouble me."

He Lingchuan remembered his father's gloomy face during the desert march over the past ten days or so, and looking at him now, beaming with joy and with a faint trace of ferocity between his brows, he knew his father had finally let go of the regret of missing out on the Great Square Pot.

He Chunhua asked He Yue, "Let me test you: if the news of Nian Songyu and Sun Fu's deaths reaches Xunzhou, how will the Northern Expedition General act?"

He Lingchuan was unconvinced: "Old man, why don't you ask for my opinion?"

"Then you tell me."

"Rebellion," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Defending himself is useless; besides rebellion, he has no other choice."

The Inspector of Xunzhou, Nian Zanli, had originally been in the same boat as the Grand Marshal, but he was not on the scene when the Grand Marshal rebelled, and he had kept his troops hidden afterward. Others did not know what he was planning, but the Royal Court was certainly dissatisfied: not sending troops to fight the Grand Marshal meant not showing loyalty.

Now that the news of Nian Songyu and Sun Fu plotting to seize the Great Square Pot had spread, the Inspector of Xunzhou was truly in a position where he could not clear his name; no matter how he argued, the Royal Court would not believe him. What's more, he had harbored evil intentions from the start.

Isn't this just forcing him to rebel? "Not necessarily, Nian Zanli still has other choices," He Yue said. "Besides rebelling with the Grand Marshal, he can also defect to the Northern Demon Kingdom!"

He Lingchuan was stunned: "He is called the Northern Expedition General; hasn't he fought many battles against the Demon Kingdom?"

It seemed he really should find an opportunity to cram these facts.

"Actually, the Nian family has managed things quite well in the north," He Yue said. "After Father came to Qiansong County, he also fought the external enemy every few days, and it has been ten years. But look, our border trade is very prosperous now, and our relations with many countries are also good."

"That's because there is still the Panlong Desert between us and the external enemy; as long as we hold Black Water City, the other side cannot get in..." He Lingchuan laughed. "Alright, alright, I know what you want to say; Nian Zanli might surrender to the Northern Demon Kingdom."

"Then his gift of surrender to the Northern Demon Kingdom would be Xunzhou, which is under his jurisdiction," He Yue said solemnly to He Chunhua. "Calculated this way, he wouldn't lose out, because the Northern Demon Kingdom would still appoint him to continue serving as the head of a province. Using surrendered generals to govern surrendered provinces is something that has existed since ancient times."

"Then he only has these two choices left: follow the Grand Marshal or defect to the Northern Demon Kingdom," He Chunhua mused. "Although the Grand Marshal has suffered defeats recently, his foundation is solid; if he adds the Inspector of Xunzhou as an ally, there is no telling when the civil war will end. If he wants to defect north, the Northern Demon Kingdom would certainly be happy to take another province without shedding blood. Furthermore, Xunzhou's terrain is critical; once it is occupied by the Demon Kingdom, what lies behind it is a vast expanse of plains and fertile fields, easy to attack but hard to defend."

"In other words, no matter what the Inspector of Xunzhou does next, it will be a deep, bloody cut for Great Yuan," He Lingchuan stretched. "If I were the King, I would rather maintain the status quo."

He Chunhua frowned upon hearing this.

He Lingchuan wiped his mouth and was just about to leave the table when he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Old Man, Sun Fu's magic staff doesn't respond to me; do you have the user manual?"

After losing its master, the beast-headed staff had returned to the appearance of a vajra pestle, and no matter how he tried to drive it with true qi, it remained silent.

"That magic staff doesn't really suit you; why not sell it?"

Lady Ying also spoke up: "There are more places to spend money after returning from this adventure. Not to mention anything else, just the compensation for the families will cost a lot of silver! It would be better to sell it for money to cover the deficit."

He Lingchuan crossed his arms over his chest: "This is my reward for saving dozens of people; Old Man gave it to me personally, so how could there be any reason to take it back?"

Trying to swindle him? The compensation for the families comes from the public account, and it doesn't require the He residence to pay.

He Chunhua was thoughtful; he casually pulled a notebook from his bosom, flipped through it with a rustle, and then tore out a page for him: "Here, the instructions for using that staff are written on it."

(End of chapter)