Chapter 18

The urgent eight-hundred-li military report landed like a massive stone in the recently tranquil divine capital of Luoyang.

Contains: Divine Capital Luoyang. Also maybe "the eight-hundred-li urgent military report" is not a name. So proper noun: Divine Capital Luoyang.

The entire imperial court was shaken.

Contains: imperial court. Not a proper noun? It's a place but generic. Probably not a named entity; it's a common noun. We'll exclude.

Li Xuantong, chief secretary of the Yao Prefecture Governor-General's Office, submitted a memorial: The various barbarians of Yao Prefecture, incited by their chief Mo Zhenian, openly rebelled! The rebels, claiming they could no longer endure official oppression, seized several local cities, killed imperial officials, and grew mighty, shocking the surrounding prefectures and counties.

Contains: Yao Prefecture. Li Xuantong. Mo Zhenian. Court. Prefectures and Counties. Also maybe "the various barbarians" is generic. So proper nouns: Yao Prefecture, Li Xuantong, Mo Zhenian, Court, Prefectures and Counties.

This military report was like a resounding slap, fiercely striking the faces of all civil and military officials.

Contains: the whole court. Not a proper noun.

Especially Minister of War Zong Chuke!

Contains: Minister of War (official title). Zong Chuke. So proper noun: Zong Chuke. Also title: Minister of War is a rank/title; we need to include it as a named entity per instruction: official ranks/titles are to be listed. We have the glossary entry for Minister of War, so we must output that exact English form.

Everyone remembers that not long ago, a Hanlin Academician named Wang Jin had submitted a memorial that accurately predicted the Yao Prefecture rebellion.

Contains: Wang Jin. Hanlin Academician. Yao Prefecture. So proper nouns: Wang Jin, Hanlin Academician, Yao Prefecture.

The Ministry of War, responsible for reviewing the memorial, judged it as "alarmist and deceitful, confusing the masses." The one who drove this conclusion was none other than Zong Chuke himself!

Contains: Ministry of War. Zong Chuke. Also maybe the Ministry of War is a department; it's an official entity. Should we list? It's an official department; could be considered an official entity per instruction: official ranks/titles are to be listed. The Ministry of War is an organization, not a rank, but we may include it as a named entity. We'll translate it as Ministry of War.

Now, the prophecy has come true.

No proper nouns.

This is not merely negligence; it is malfeasance! It is a slap to the entire Ministry of War, and even more so a slap to your face, Zong Chuke!

Contains: Ministry of War. Zong Chuke. So proper nouns: Ministry of War, Zong Chuke.

Inside Ganlu Hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that one could barely breathe.

Contains: Ganlu Hall. So proper noun: Ganlu Hall.

Emperor Li Xian, who had only recently regained the throne, sat on the dragon throne with a deathly pale face, tightly gripping the urgent memorial from Yao Prefecture.

Contains: Emperor Li Xian. Dragon Throne. Yao Prefecture. Li Xian. So proper nouns: Li Xian, Yao Prefecture, Dragon Throne. Also "emperor" is a title, but we have the person's name.

Your Majesty, the civil and military officials were utterly silent.

Contains: Your Majesty (honorific). Could be considered a title. We'll include as Your Majesty. Also civil and military officials are generic.

Wu Sansi, Zong Chuke, and others all lowered their heads, their faces grim to the extreme.

Contains: Wu Sansi. Zong Chuke. So proper nouns: Wu Sansi, Zong Chuke.

On the other side, several Shenlong merit officials led by Prince of HanYang Commandery Zhang Jianzhi, though equally solemn in expression, secretly bore a faint, hardly detectable sense of delight.

Contains: Prince of HanYang Commandery. Zhang Jianzhi. Shenlong Merit Officials. Also maybe HanYang Commandery. So proper nouns: Prince of HanYang Commandery, Zhang Jianzhi, Shenlong Merit Officials, HanYang Commandery.

"Zong Chuke!"

Contains: Zong Chuke.

Li Xian's voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.

Contains: Li Xian.

"I am here." Zong Chuke's body shuddered violently, and he forced himself to stand.

Contains: Zong Chuke.

"I ask you! Why was Wang Jin's memorial rejected by the Ministry of War back then? Didn't you say the southwest was peaceful and the borders secure? Now explain to me how tens of thousands of rebels suddenly appeared!"

Contains: Wang Jin. Ministry of War. Southwest is generic. Frontier is generic. So proper nouns: Wang Jin, Ministry of War.

Li Xian fiercely slammed the memorial he was holding onto Zong Chuke's feet.

Contains: Li Xian, Zong Chuke.

"Plop"—Zong Chuke's knees gave way and he knelt directly on the ground.

Contains: Zong Chuke.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" He was drenched in cold sweat, his mind blank, "I... I am guilty! I failed to discern people and was deceived by those below! I never imagined that the barbarians of Yao Prefecture would dare to be so audacious!"

Contains: Your Majesty. Yao Prefecture. Barbarians is generic. So proper nouns: Your Majesty, Yao Prefecture.

By now, he could only shift the blame downward.

No proper nouns.

"Deceived?" Li Xian snorted coldly, "What a fine excuse of being deceived! Wang Jin's memorial was written in black and white, clear as day! It's your own blindness and stubbornness! Now that you've caused a great disaster, do you think a single claim of being deceived will absolve you?"

Contains: Li Xian, Wang Jin. So proper nouns: Li Xian, Wang Jin.

The emperor's thunderous anger made the temperature of the entire hall seem to drop to freezing point.

Contains: imperial hall. No proper nouns.

Zong Chuke knelt on the ground, trembling like a sieve, unable to utter a word.

Contains: Zong Chuke.

At that moment, Prince Liang Wu Sansi stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, although Minister Zong bears responsibility for negligence, the urgent priority now is not to assign blame but to quickly devise a plan to suppress the rebellion; otherwise, the spreading war could shake the foundations of the state."

Contains: Prince Liang Wu Sansi. Your Majesty. Minister Zong (referring to Zong Chuke as Minister of War). So proper nouns: Prince Liang Wu Sansi, Your Majesty, Minister of War. Also "state foundations" is generic.

His words seemed to consider the greater good, but in reality they were meant to excuse Zong Chuke.

Contains: Zong Chuke.

Li Xian's gaze turned to Wu Sansi, the anger in his eyes slightly subsiding.

Contains: Li Xian, Wu Sansi.

"Good. Then, according to Prince Liang's opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Contains: Prince Liang. So proper noun: Prince Liang.

Wu Sansi pondered briefly, then declared loudly: "I believe we should immediately dispatch a great army to launch a punitive expedition! The barbarians respect might but not virtue; only with thunderous force can we utterly annihilate them, thereby displaying the heavenly might of our Great Tang and intimidating the petty villains."

Contains: Wu Sansi. Tang Dynasty. So proper nouns: Wu Sansi, Tang Dynasty.

His words were echoed by many military officers.

Contains: military officers. (generic)

"What Prince Liang said is absolutely correct! These petty barbarians are nothing to worry about! I request to serve as the vanguard, and I will surely present the head of Mo Zhenian before Your Majesty!" A military officer stepped forward to volunteer for battle.

Contains: Prince Liang. Barbarians are generic. Mo Zhenian. Your Majesty. So proper nouns: Prince Liang, Mo Zhenian, Your Majesty.

For a moment, the cries for war rose and fell within the hall.

Contains: inside the hall. (generic)

Li Xian's brow, however, furrowed even deeper.

Contains: Li Xian.

Waging war is easily said, but it requires money, grain, and lives!

No proper nouns.

The court had just experienced a coup, with many affairs awaiting revival, and the treasury was not abundant. Launching a large-scale war would undoubtedly be a huge burden on the newly stabilized situation.

Contains: Court. So proper noun: Court.

At that moment, the longtime silent chancellor Zhang Jianzhi stepped forward and said:

Contains: chancellor (generic). Zhang Jianzhi. So proper noun: Zhang Jianzhi.

"Your Majesty, I have an objection."

Contains: Your Majesty.

Everyone's gaze focused on this individual, the first meritorious official of the Shenlong coup.

Contains: Shenlong Coup. First meritorious official is generic. So proper noun: Shenlong Coup.

"Oh? What lofty views does the Prince of HanYang Commandery have?" Li Xian asked.

Contains: Prince of HanYang Commandery. Li Xian. So proper nouns: Prince of HanYang Commandery, Li Xian.

Zhang Jianzhi slowly said: "Launching a punitive expedition is certainly appropriate, but how to fight involves great consideration. Yao Prefecture is remote, with high mountains and dense forests; our great army is unfamiliar with the terrain and unsuited to the local conditions. If we rashly advance, we risk repeating the mistake of the Gaozong era's southwestern campaign."

Contains: Zhang Jianzhi. Yao Prefecture. Our dynasty is generic. Gaozong Era is a proper noun. Southwest is generic. So proper nouns: Zhang Jianzhi, Yao Prefecture, Gaozong Era.

He paused, then shifted his tone.

No proper nouns.

"Furthermore, the memorial submitted earlier by Hanlin Academician Wang Jin not only foresaw the Yao Prefecture rebellion, but also proposed a strategy of 'combining suppression and pacification, with pacification as the main approach' for pacifying the borders and stabilizing the south. I believe that strategy is deeply thoughtful, far-sighted, hits the crux, and far surpasses a pure military conquest."

Contains: Hanlin Academician. Wang Jin. Yao Prefecture. So proper nouns: Hanlin Academician, Wang Jin, Yao Prefecture.

"Now that his prophecy has come true, should we, Your Majesty, reconsider the strategy he proposed?"

Contains: Your Majesty. So proper noun: Your Majesty.

Zhang Jianzhi's words were like a bolt of lightning, breaking the heavy gloom within Ganlu Hall.

Contains: Zhang Jianzhi. Ganlu Hall. So proper nouns: Zhang Jianzhi, Ganlu Hall.

Everyone remembered.

No proper nouns.

Yes! That young man named Wang Jin!

Contains: Wang Jin.

He is not only a 'prophet,' but also a 'strategist'!

No proper nouns.

The memorial that Zong Chuke had once demoted to worthlessness has now become, in everyone's eyes, the 'standard answer' for solving the problem!

Contains: Zong Chuke. So proper noun: Zong Chuke.

Zong Chuke knelt on the ground; hearing the two words 'Wang Jin' made his face burn with pain.

Contains: Zong Chuke, Wang Jin.

Wu Sansi's expression also turned grim.

Contains: Wu Sansi.

He never imagined that the big mistake he had just made on his side would actually become a weapon for Zhang Jianzhi and his allies to attack him, and it even inadvertently put Wang Jin on a pedestal.

Contains: Zhang Jianzhi, Wang Jin. So proper nouns: Zhang Jianzhi, Wang Jin.

Li Xian's eyes suddenly lit up.

Contains: Li Xian.

Exactly! Wang Jin!

Contains: Wang Jin.

My 'heaven-sent talent'!

No proper nouns.

He almost immediately recalled the young man who, on the pavilion, spoke eloquently, saying, 'One hand holding an olive branch, the other holding a sword.'

Contains: pavilion (generic). No proper nouns.

At the time, he only felt that the young man had talent and insight.

No proper nouns.

Looking back now, that wasn't talent at all—it was nothing short of brilliant strategy!

No proper nouns.

'Summon!' Li Xian ordered without hesitation, 'Summon the Hanlin Academician Wang Jin to the hall!'

Contains: Li Xian, Hanlin Academician, Wang Jin. So proper nouns: Li Xian, Hanlin Academician, Wang Jin.

His voice echoed in the vast hall.

At this moment, everyone's heart gave rise to the same thought:

The sky over Luoyang City was truly going to, because of that young man, once again stir up wind and clouds.

At this moment, Wang Jin was in the Chongwen Hall of the Eastern Palace, accompanying Crown Prince Li Chongjun in a game of chess.

When the eunuch delivering the edict came running in panic, loudly announcing his summons to the hall, Li Chongjun was being steadily defeated by Wang Jin's big dragon, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Hearing the edict, Li Chongjun first froze, then suddenly flung his chess piece away and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Good! Great!"

He grabbed Wang Jin's arm excitedly and said, "Master Wang! Something's happened in Yao Prefecture! I knew you'd have a flawless plan! Come on, let's go together! I want to see what kind of faces those scoundrels Zhong Chuke and Wu Sansi are making now!"

His excitement overflowed his words.

It seemed as if the Yao Prefecture rebellion was not a bad thing, but a great joy.

Wang Jin's (Wang Xiu's) face, however, remained calm.

He bowed deeply to the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, you should not involve yourself in this matter."

"Why?" Li Chongjun's smile froze.

A hint of depth flashed in Wang Jin's (Wang Xiu's) eyes.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

"Hide one's clumsiness."

"The Yao Prefecture affair is a state matter; the Emperor and the prime ministers will handle it. As the Crown Prince and heir, you should not get involved too early or too deeply in the court's factional struggles."

"If you step forward now, it can indeed boost my standing and vent some anger, but it will also cause the Wu and Wei factions to see you as a thorn in their side and to brand me thoroughly as a member of the Crown Prince's party. That would bring us a hundred harms and no benefit."

"What Your Highness should do is wait."

"Wait for the Emperor's edict. Wait for me to present to you, for the Tang Dynasty, a flawless plan to pacify the Southern Frontier."

Li Chongjun listened to Wang Jin's words, and the excitement and agitation on his face gradually cooled.

He looked at this 'teacher' who was a few years younger than himself, and a deep sense of conviction welled up in his heart.

He himself had only seen the immediate gratification of grudges, but the other had already foreseen the ensuing turmoil and the whole court's layout.

"Good." Li Chongjun nodded heavily, "I'll listen to you. I'll wait here for your triumphant return."

Wang Jin (Wang Xiu) bowed again, then turned and, following the edict‑bearing eunuch, strode forward with steady steps toward the Ganlu Hall that decides the empire's fate.