Chapter 97: Grand General Nian has rebelled

The Great Yuan Nation reformed its official system a few years ago, and after several reversals in between, the current administrative system is still somewhat chaotic. However, the Office of the Governor-General remains the highest local authority, and one must grasp both military affairs and civil livelihood with both hands—both must be firm. If the Inspector of Jinzhou were to see this former subordinate of his, he would be filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He Lingchuan never expected that after his father had remained in obscurity for so long without achieving his ambitions, he would suddenly rise to prominence this time.

This leap is too great.

The plan to break the rebel thieves, seize the Great Fanghu, and counter the government army was a major merit.

Executing Sun Fuping was the second major merit.

The position of State Preceptor has always been held by the person most loyal to the monarch and possessing the most extraordinary divine abilities; it can even interfere with the nation's destiny. Therefore, Sun Fuping's rebellion was a heavy blow to the Yuan Nation, directly shaking the morale of the army and the people.

Not to mention, he held countless earth-shattering secrets in his hands; if even one or two were leaked, it would likely shock the world.

Surrounding power and governance, how many unspeakable secrets are there? Based solely on the rich imagination of the common folk, one could concoct dozens of grand dramas, performing them every day without ever repeating the same one.

With Sun Fuping dead, the monarch has immediately rid himself of a major heart-worry, and he will be able to sleep more soundly at night.

He Chunhua sees things clearly, which is why these two great merits were worth fighting for.

"We are still far from the heavens, but this is a great step forward!" Although he spoke with an air of detachment, his glowing face betrayed the true fluctuations in his heart. "Xiazhou is not considered wealthy, but its geographical location is critical, and it is closer to the capital—at least much closer than Jinzhou or Qiansong Commandery."

The closer one is to the heartland, the more one is valued. Being holed up in Qiansong Commandery as they were before meant being in a remote frontier, while simultaneously enjoying the three major characteristics of bitter cold, scorching heat, and barrenness; true dignitaries would never come near it.

It was precisely because the local conditions were poor that the Emperor exiled criminals here to perform hard labor, such as He Chunhua back in the day.

He Lingchuan offered his congratulations.

Regardless, Xiazhou's geographical location is definitely better than Jinzhou's, otherwise his father wouldn't be smiling so broadly that his eyes were hidden. Furthermore, the Office of the Governor-General has immense local power; it would be no exaggeration to say it can cover the sky with one hand.

The great tree behind him has become thicker and stronger; leaning against it will be more comfortable and pleasant. Very good, very good.

"Also, Nian Zanli has rebelled." He Chunhua's smile faded slightly. "He raised an army in Xunzhou, responding to the Grand Marshal."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow and looked at He Yue.

Well, was that a correct prediction? He Yue, however, said: "No wonder the Wang Ting urgently promoted you to Governor-General of Xiazhou; they want to urge you to hurry to the front lines to fight."

"The former Governor-General of Xiazhou passed away from illness in office three months ago, and the Wang Ting has been busy with the war, so the position has been vacant." He Chunhua nodded. "You are right; the higher-ups have determined that I have merit in eliminating frontier bandits, resisting foreign enemies, and encouraging agriculture and trade, and they hope I will head north to resist the enemy and quell the disaster of Nian Zanli."

He rubbed his hands in excitement: "Finally, I can leave Heishuicheng and spread my wings in a legitimate way!"

It is difficult to achieve merit in times of peace; only in chaotic times do heroes emerge.

He had grand ambitions in vain, but had previously been confined to the frontier land of Qiansong Commandery. Abandoning one's post without permission is a grave crime; now that the Wang Ting has issued a transfer order, he can finally enter the pass by imperial decree and realize his aspirations.

How many years had he waited to finally get such a rare opportunity! He Lingchuan asked curiously: "If you let Father head north to resist the enemy, you must have troops. You have just taken office; are the local troops in Xiazhou easy to use?"

One doesn't know their roots or their bottom line; one doesn't know if they are cowards or good soldiers.

"The backbone will naturally be drawn from Heishuicheng; I will build my own foundation first."

"Uh, can the Heishuicheng army not guard the border? If they are transferred away..."

"Currently, our relations with the western nations are easing, and the Sandstorm Season will not end anytime soon. With the Panlong Desert as a natural barrier, there will be no border threats for at least the next three or four months; this is also something the Wang Ting has calculated." He Chunhua laughed. "We will lead the team north first; the affairs of Heishuicheng will be temporarily handled by the Commandery Assistant. As for the city army, he will also recruit new people to fill the vacancies; there is no need for you or me to worry."

He paused and looked at his two sons: "The war is urgent, and I need to select people to head north. You can make some preparations; we will set off in three days."

Lady Ying smiled: "We are hosting guests tomorrow night; Yue'er, you come help write the invitations, and they must all be delivered before tomorrow morning; Lingchuan, you help deliver the invitations when the time comes."

Both sons agreed. He Lingchuan had already finished two large bowls of mutton soup with thin noodles and polished off a plate of scallion meat potstickers, so he wiped his mouth and walked out of the side hall with He Yue.

Laughter came from behind; the He couple hadn't been this happy in a long time.

After walking about ten zhang, He Yue let out a long sigh: "Sure enough, the news of us killing Nian Songyu had just spread in the capital when Nian Zanli rebelled."

He Lingchuan laughed: "Don't take the problem upon ourselves; if Nian Zanli had no intention of rebelling, why would he send Nian Songyu to take the Great Fanghu? Father just... gave him a push."

"He has the blood feud of killing his son with us, and we will soon meet on the battlefield again; we will be extra hostile when we meet."

He Lingchuan asked him: "How much do you know about the war situation in the north?"

"After the Grand Marshal retreated to Wuzhou, he won two consecutive victories, and his morale was high, until he was thwarted by Wei Ao twelve days ago, losing a major general. As for the Xunzhou Governor, I only know that he strongly supports the Grand Marshal. Sigh, we are too far away, and the intelligence is no longer fresh."

He Lingchuan laughed: "This time, I'll let you go north to broaden your horizons."

"There will be such a day sooner or later; I am ready." He Yue looked at his elder brother. "What about you?"

"Me?" He Lingchuan was carefree. "What do I have to prepare?"

"Brother, you have practiced martial arts for many years; don't you want to seek a position in the army?" He Yue said softly. "Only with military merit can one be promoted. Look at the prominent figures on the current map of Great Yuan; which one does not have illustrious military merit?"

Become an official? He Lingchuan was momentarily bewildered. The original body was somewhat ignorant in this regard and had no plans. However, if the He family is to enter the heartland of Great Yuan and no longer be confined to a corner, where does He Lingchuan's path lie in the future? It's not that he can't continue being a second-generation heir, but it's just...

He inexplicably recalled last night's dream, that battlefield where blood and fear coexisted, and hope and despair were intertwined.

If he also rushed to the northern front, perhaps he would have to experience such a battle? Only, this time, it would be for real.

"You are right." He was silent for a moment. "I will consider it."

The brothers parted ways, each busy with their own tasks.

He Yue watched his brother's back, always feeling that he was a bit different.

It was just a feeling; he couldn't put his finger on it.

Taking advantage of the rest after the meal, He Lingchuan had someone find a target, nailed it in the martial arts arena, and also asked for a powerful bow, a one-handed crossbow, and several arrows.

Soon, these were all prepared.

He used to treat martial arts only as a hobby, and long-range projection was basically ignored. However, the trip to the Panlong Desert made him realize that it is better to fill in the short-board skills as soon as possible.

He grabbed the large bow, aimed, and shot.

The original body had extraordinary strength since childhood, and as he grew older, he practiced the Dao of martial arts. Once blessed with true qi, he could pull a six-shi powerful bow. Of course, for martial arts practice, a three-shi bow is sufficient; using true qi is too damaging to the target, and it is unnecessary.

"The Immortal" enters the third round of PK starting today, for a period of one week. I hope to have good results to roll into the fourth round, and then fly high and dive deep all the way.

The method is also very simple; everyone just needs to follow the reading, no need to hoard.

By the way, I didn't even see where the second round of PK was; how did it suddenly become the third round?

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 98 =====