Chapter 371: Xia Town Falls

The few of them exchanged glances, then all turned to look at Zhang Yu.

Liu Xian asked with some hesitation: "Why do we need to do this? With our military strength, there's no need for such a thing at all. Holding Xia Town while wiping out the rebels on the side isn't all that difficult."

These words made everyone nod in agreement.

In fact, everyone present knew in their hearts that although the rebel army looked formidable, they were really just a mob of rabble—not even as good as the rebels in the southwest.

These rebels were poorly equipped; some even carried hoes, and none of them had received any training. The bows and arrows in their hands were the kind hunters used for hunting, and they wore no armor at all.

Such rebels, when facing a well-equipped army, basically had no chance of winning, so the government forces had no need to yield at all.

Since these rebels dared to rise in revolt, the government forces could simply roll right over them—putting down this rebellion was no great difficulty.

Now the government forces were instead giving up Xia Town, which would greatly boost the rebels' momentum, making them look like a big deal, and even the entire north would be shaken—the capital would be shaken too. This was a case of losing more than one gained.

Zhang Yu glanced at the few people around him and let out a helpless sigh.

These companions he had befriended at the Imperial Academy were each highly capable and talented in their own ways. Take Liu Xian before him—his military strategies were far superior to Zhang Yu's own. Lu Xiangsheng was accomplished in both letters and arms, and Cao Wenzhao's valor surpassed the entire army. These were all rare talents.

But Zhang Yu felt they lacked sensitivity on one particular point—their judgment of the political situation at court.

So Zhang Yu said slowly: "The things you can see—do you think His Majesty cannot see them too?"

The meaning of these words was simple: if you can all judge that the rebels are not worth a single blow, do you think His Majesty doesn't know that as well?

Everyone fell silent.

They were all students who had come out of the Imperial Academy, and they had a very clear understanding of the current Emperor.

Judging from the current Emperor's actions, he was absolutely not a muddle-headed ruler. Especially his way of never shielding anyone from punishment made them feel that His Majesty was a sage and enlightened sovereign.

Whether it was a prince who committed a crime or the Kong family who committed a crime, the current Emperor dealt with them without the slightest mercy. This filled their hearts with drive and also with confidence.

Because they knew clearly that no matter what they uncovered, the current Emperor would never deceive them, nor would he let their efforts go to waste.

As long as one stood on the side of justice, then justice itself would be upheld.

Such an emperor might not be liked by the old hands of officialdom, but for newcomers like them, they rather liked him.

Every young person, when first stepping into society and onto the path of officialdom, has righteousness surging in their hearts.

It was only after a dozen or so years, or even decades, of grinding that the righteousness in their hearts was worn away. When faced with many hopeless situations, they too would drift with the current.

The few people present had not yet reached that point.

Zhang Yu's words plunged the few of them into deep thought.

Liu Xian said slowly: "Grand Secretary Xu Guangqi and the Duke of Ying—they probably see it clearly as well."

The few of them nodded simultaneously.

They were subordinates of the Duke of Ying and had spent some time with him. The impression the Duke of Ying left on them was very deep—approachable in daily life, he could be considered a good superior.

The Duke of Ying did not put on the airs of a duke before them, had none of the profligate arrogance of noble scions, and was instead very wise, good at adopting their opinions, and possessed keen judgment of the situation. This could be seen from the Duke of Ying's actions.

Controlling the troops in Jining city, transferring Shandong manpower to form this army of theirs, having them prepare in advance to put down the rebellion—from these actions one could see that the Duke of Ying had long since made his judgment of the situation.

Since he had judged things long ago and the man himself was sound, he naturally could not make such a muddle-headed decision. That meant there were things in play that they did not know about.

Zhang Yu looked at the few of them and said slowly: "The difference between us and the higher-ups is the asymmetry of information."

"The decisions the higher-ups make may seem utterly absurd and incomprehensible to us. But that's because we're judging from our own perspective, based on the information we've come into contact with.

"But for the higher-ups, they have access to more information. The decisions they make may be diametrically opposed to the ones we would make. You should all know the role of intelligence—even two aspects of a single piece of intelligence can be contradictory."

"Just tell us the real reason already." Cao Wenzhao looked at Zhang Yu and said with some urgency.

Letting out a sigh, Zhang Yu glanced at Cao Wenzhao and said: "Do you think the most troublesome thing for the court right now is putting down the rebellion? Are these rebels really worth the court mobilizing its full might?"

"They're not even as good as those people in the southwest—they're not worth the court's full mobilization at all. What the court is most worried about right now is the Kong family."

"You need to understand, the Kong family are descendants of Confucius the Sage, venerated by scholars for generations—one could say they are an existence that scholars rely on very, very heavily. But where are the members of the Kong family now?"

"The Duke Yansheng committed an offense and was stripped of his title by His Majesty. Where is he now?"

"He's on the rebels' side, and he even produced a manifesto of rebellion. Whether this matter is true or false, there is ultimately such a matter. If the rebels use this to incite the scholars, what then?"

"That is what the court is most worried about—not some so-called rebels. How to appease the scholars is more important than putting down the rebellion."

"Once Xia Town is given up, the rebels' spearhead will point straight at Qufu. With a member of the Kong family in their ranks, what do you think the rebels will do after they reach Qufu?"

Everyone present was naturally a learned and intelligent person. Before the matter was pointed out, they might have been somewhat confused, but after Zhang Yu revealed it, they understood in an instant.

The Kong family had to be dealt with—this point was indisputable.

Previously, His Majesty had been under pressure and had not exterminated the Kong family utterly, instead directly releasing Kong Yinzhi. His Majesty must have been displeased about that in his heart.

Now that the Kong family had become entangled with the rebels, what would His Majesty do?

He would certainly go with the flow and let them entangle themselves even deeper.

Once the momentum of rebellion grew loud, the Kong family's affairs could no longer be hidden. At that point, no matter how His Majesty kneaded and shaped the Kong family, no one would say a word of dissent, and no one would stand by their side anymore.

Even if His Majesty did not exterminate the Kong family completely, the Kong family would already have fallen into the mud.

After the few of them figured this out, the way they looked at Zhang Yu changed somewhat.

Clearly, none of them had thought of this—Zhang Yu had deduced the gist of it merely from the court's actions. This kind of insight was something none of those present possessed.

"You're impressive." Cao Wenzhao looked at Zhang Yu and said with admiration: "From now on, whenever anything comes up, I still need to consult you—and I must never offend you, or else I'm afraid my fate would be quite miserable."

"You just need to fight well." Zhang Yu said with exasperation: "In the future, when we step onto the official stage, I'll be in the rear, and you'll be at the front."

"We'll coordinate with each other, wipe out Wild Boar Skin, and destroy the Tartars. At that time, I'll be a wise minister, and you'll be great generals renowned across the land—together we'll leave our names in history."

Hearing these words, the atmosphere among them relaxed, and they all laughed.

At this moment, Sun Chuanting walked over from not far away. After glancing at the few of them, he said with a stern face: "What are you laughing about? Get moving already."

The few of them exchanged looks and laughed again, but their pace quickened considerably.

Sun Chuanting watched their retreating figures, and a smile appeared on his face as well.

This was the future of the Great Ming.

Although Sun Chuanting was very young now, his seniority and prestige were beyond comparison with the few men before him. At the same time, Sun Chuanting was also highly trusted by His Majesty—everyone knew this.

Sun Chuanting right now could be said to be full of drive and vigor.

After this rebellion was put down, Sun Chuanting believed that His Majesty would absolutely take action, and when that time came, it would be the opportunity for men like himself.

After a minor setback, the army did not tarry and continued marching toward Juye.

At the same time, Xiazhen fell, and the rebel army's spearhead pointed directly at Qufu.

For a moment, the whole realm was shaken.

Countless people began spreading the news in haste, and even the capital was in a panic three times a day, for His Majesty was still in Jining at the moment.

At this time, within the city of Jining, there was instead no sign of alarm.

Zhu Youxiao rose in the morning, practiced a set of boxing forms, drank a bowl of thin congee, and ate two steamed buns.

He felt that with food in his belly, his mood improved considerably, and he walked outside while loosening up his limbs.

The early morning was still a bit cool, and the crisp weather made one feel very comfortable.

Though summer was about to arrive, the weather of late spring was still quite pleasant.

Glancing at the sun rising slowly at the horizon, Zhu Youxiao turned to Chen Hong and said: "Any news? Let's hear it."

"Yes, Your Highness." Chen Hong hurriedly replied: "Lord Chen Sihai just sent over a routine memorial."

"Is that so?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Hong with interest and asked: "What has happened?"

"There's no problem on the Jinan side for now." Chen Hong said hurriedly: "Lord Chen has already brought the situation under control. The Shandong Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Judicial Commissioner have all been arrested. The evidence of their crimes is still being verified, and I believe results will come soon. The Shandong Governor has cooperated very well—allocating grain and fodder, commanding the troops. Lord Chen said there's no problem."

Zhu Youxiao nodded, waved his hand, and gestured for Chen Hong to continue.

Chen Hong hurriedly continued: "Battle reports have come from the front. Xiazhen has fallen, and the rebels' spearhead points directly at Qufu. Judging from the current situation, I believe they will take Qufu within a few days."

Chen Hong knew something of the court's troop deployments as well.

Qufu was a place that ought to have been heavily garrisoned, but that was not the case now.

There were not many troops in Qufu at present. Chen Hong believed that once the rebels arrived at Qufu, those left behind would either surrender or flee.

As for the court's main army, one portion had been taken by Sun Chuanting to strike directly at the rebel lair in Juye.

The other portion was stationed in Jining, commanded by Qi Jin, waiting for the opportunity to sally forth.

He believed that once the time was ripe, the army here would charge straight for Qufu to wipe out the rebels there.

Chen Hong also knew about the Kong family's affair. His Highness was clearly intent on crushing the Kong family utterly.

Now, facing the rebels, the Kong family had two choices: either defend Qufu to the death, or flee from Qufu.

Whichever choice they made, it would be a very heavy blow to the Kong family.

Defending Qufu to the death would certainly bring heavy casualties; fleeing Qufu meant abandoning home and property, and life would not be easy either—it would even force them to cut ties with Kong Yinzhi.

If it truly came to that point, the Kong family would indeed fall a thousand zhang in a single plummet. Of course, there was another path—joining the rebels in their rebellion.

Once they chose that path, the court's army would wipe out the Kong family along with the rebels.

Zhu Youxiao nodded again and said: "Aside from that, is there anything else? Is Jining city peaceful? Are the gentry of the various regions behaving themselves?"

"According to reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the gentry of the various regions are behaving themselves. None have acted rashly. As for within Jining city itself, naturally there is no problem."

"With Your Highness seated here, no petty scoundrel dares offend the imperial presence." Chen Hong said with a fawning smile on his face, while quietly slipping in a flattering remark toward Zhu Youxiao.

"You're getting better and better with words." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "Since there's nothing to do today anyway, bring a few people and let's go out for a stroll."

"I've been in Jining this long and still haven't gone out for a walk. Staying cooped up in the courtyard all day, my whole body is about to rust."

"Yes, Your Highness. This servant will make the arrangements at once." Chen Hong hurriedly replied.

While Zhu Youxiao was preparing for his leisurely stroll, in Xiazhen, Wang Haoxian was celebrating with his men.

Since the uprising began, it could be said that everything had progressed very smoothly. Wherever the army went, the Ming troops collapsed at the sight of them.

Taking city after city and fort after fort along the way had greatly boosted Wang Haoxian's confidence.

Continuing to fight from here, following the canal northward, they would capture the capital. At that time, he too could taste what it was like to be emperor.

The emperor's seat rotates among men—now it should be his turn.

Glancing at Kong Yinzhi, whose expression was ashen and dejected below, Wang Haoxian said with a smile: "Duke Yansheng, why so glum? We've already taken Xiazhen now, and the next step is to advance on Qufu. When that time comes, the Duke Yansheng will be able to go home."

Hearing these words, Kong Yinzhi raised his head.

His eyes were bloodshot, with heavy dark circles beneath them—clearly he had not slept well for a very long time.

Kong Yinzhi looked at Wang Haoxian, wishing he could grab a blade and hack this man before him to death.

If not for him, how could he have fallen to such a state?

Return to Qufu—ha, when he truly reached Qufu, what was he supposed to do?

Kong Yinzhi's heart was also filled with rage—the court's army was simply too useless.

How could these rebels, who looked like beggars, have beaten your official troops into a complete mess?

Are you all secretly rebels yourselves?

Utterly useless! A complete disgrace to your families!

Of course, such thoughts flashed by in an instant. Kong Yinzhi was more worried about his own situation—what was he to do?

"Then congratulations to the Great Marshal." Kong Yinzhi said slowly.