Chapter 774: While Reading the Southward Clause

Da Wang in Youzhou was sharpening his knives with vigor; aside from the garrison troops tied down by the autumn harvest, other elite training was visibly stricter, and they were occasionally sent to the northern border for drills. Causing such a big commotion, basically Baili Jing's intentions were known to everyone in Youzhou.

With such a big move, the court couldn't pretend not to know or fail to figure it out.

"The ministers all think Your Majesty's move is too risky. They all believe the court currently lacks the strength to go south and suppress the rebellion. At the very least, the time is not this winter; the ministers, in their words, have brought up Baili Jin's past lessons." Xie Yuan, finding a moment, tactfully raised this with the King; he was constantly being surrounded and blocked by ministers petitioning.

These days, the King never brought this up in court; if someone mentioned the recent cavalry movements, as soon as they spoke they were slapped with the accusation of spying on the army by His Majesty, after which no one dared to utter a word. They fell silent in court, and in private they surrounded the Imperial Tutor and Chancellor Xie Yuan, urging him to find a solution.

When Xie Yuan said this, the King was sunbathing outside the Lantai Hall; this guy claimed he hadn't been out in ages and was about to get moldy, so he needed some sun—who knows he had just returned from causing trouble in Yizhou. Hearing Xie Yuan's words, the King calmly switched the direction of his crossed legs.

"Tsk! They just don't want to break this temporary balance! How dare they think Baili Heng has no intention of heading north this winter, with Baili Hu in my hands and Baili Qi a thousand li away, unable to move north in the short term?"

"As if my inaction could maintain this false peace and keep them safe forever. Isn't this just procrastination?! They're sick, they need treatment!"

Xie Yuan: ……

The King shifted his pose again, adopting a thoughtful expression: "…or is it that you fear I'll repeat my old trick, getting the officials to take the lead in donating grain and fodder?"

Xie Yuan lowered his head slightly; …the blunt truth is a bit hard to hear.

"South of Luoshui Pass, they usually don't take the court seriously; even the Governor of Luoyang Commandery dares to go through the motions before me. What's the point of my occupying this base then? The territory is roughly the same as when I was the Northern Border King, yet I have to support a whole bunch of extra mouths! Don't complain that my words are harsh—do the ministers even disagree? When have they ever agreed on anything important?!"

"Isn't everyone out there busy collecting taxes right now? Then have them estimate for me how many more years it will take for my treasury to save up enough grain and fodder for a southern march!"

Xie Yuan: ……This is tough.

"Not to mention a surplus, the current year's deficit can't even be filled."

"The empire's army should be supported by nationwide taxes, but look now—I'm the one feeding it! And still people point fingers! Master Tui, what's that for? Go back and tell them, if anyone has an opinion, submit a memorial to me individually!"

"…Will obey the edict."

"Chancellor Xie, have you not heard the saying, 'The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago; the second best time is now'?"

Xie Yuan glanced at the King several times; such a philosophical remark really doesn't sound like something this guy would say!

To keep this guy from getting too full of himself, Chancellor Xie withdrew without showing much, trying to stay calm; back home he grabbed his elder brother to use this as proof—the King isn't that unlearned!

Xie Che is hard to put into words.

If he saw the King a few less times, he would believe it; his younger brother's bias is just too strong.

Doesn't the King just want to handle things calmly and then take it slow? After all, waiting another two years would allow a huge amount of grain to be stockpiled at Baiyang. He does want that! But the countdown to unifying the realm has already been going for over a year since it appeared, and now one-fifth of the time is gone—there's no room for the King to be careless.

Unifying the realm isn't just about settling a few brothers and taking down that ridiculous Great Chu; there are also the rebellious southern regions like Ailao and others.

And to the northern border cavalry, those southern lands are another world.

A distant other world.

Leaving aside terrain and climate, just marching a large army over there would take a long time. He's been reading histories lately, seeing how rebel‑suppressing forces took years to march over, and recovering a region often takes ten or more years—how could he possibly wait that long?!

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, we can't wait any longer; with him and Zhu Ti covering each other, and with home‑front warehouses, they can gather provisions while marching south.

So let's start with the chaotic Chen State; the King intends to use Chen State as a flag‑offering.

"Chen State is wealthy, situated in the flat Central Plains, more suitable for farming than the northern border. If we don't settle the Chen King, once he rebels, Chen State's grain will no longer be ours—it's as good as losing that huge tract of land. So it's better to take it back as soon as possible!"

Wei Shen doesn't understand the King's certainty: "How can you be so sure the Chen King will rebel? What if he honestly comes to Youzhou to explain himself?"

The King declared firmly: "Anyone coming like that is definitely a fake! He dares to try to deceive the sovereign with counterfeit goods—his crime is one degree worse!"

Wei Shen could only give him a thumbs‑up.

Fortunately, the Chen King may already have understood the King's character, so he didn't bother with this pretense; he simply acted as if he hadn't received the imperial edict, and Chen State remained quiet, keeping a low profile.

According to the intelligence office, even the little yellow‑gate attendant that Xie Yuan sent on the King's behalf has had no word, and hasn't stepped out of the Chen King's mansion gate. The King again sharpened his knives with vigor, for the pitiful little yellow‑gate attendant bearing the edict.

Xie Yuan even gave up trying to dissuade him first; the northern border officially entered war‑preparation mode.

The King is about to march south; Volume 3 opens tomorrow.