Chapter 187: Prelude to the Southern Expedition

The day after Li Chongjin was stripped of his military power, he just "fell ill".

According to the daily reports of the imperial physicians who visited the Grand Preceptor's Manor to take his pulse, the Grand Preceptor had fallen ill from worry, was bedridden, and had reached the point of not taking any soup or water.

Upon hearing this, Guo Rong merely said lightly, "Take good care of yourself," and then said nothing more.

He knew Li Chongjin was feigning illness to silently protest against him.

But he didn't care.

If it weren't for Guo Wei's sake, he would have lost his life already, let alone the fact that he now has no military power and cannot stir up any trouble.

He even issued an imperial edict, citing the Grand Preceptor's need for rest, to refuse all visits from officials and members of the imperial clan.

This left Li Chongjin completely isolated, and the Grand Preceptor's Manor became an isolated island.

With the internal threat eliminated, Guo Rong had no further worries and immediately devoted all his energy to preparing for the southern expedition.

In an instant, the entire Great Zhou began operating at full speed. The Ministry of War, the Household Department, the Ministry of Works—all agencies related to war—worked around the clock.

One after another, mobilization edicts were issued from Kaifeng and flew to every corner of the country.

One after another, troops ready to deploy gathered from all directions toward the Huainan front line.

Outside Kaifeng, in the military camps, the shouts of battle shook the heavens.

Countless soldiers sweated profusely on the drill field. They stared at the huge map of Southern Tang on the wall, their eyes gleaming with green light.

To them, that was not a map, but a huge treasure map.

Every city on the map represented countless military merits and rewards.

"Have you heard? That place in Southern Tang is filthy rich! The girls there all grow as tall as water onions!"

"Nonsense! I've long found out! Capture Jinling City, loot it! Then gold and silver, take as you please! Women, pick as you like!"

"Stop dreaming, damn it! Officer Wang, uh, I mean Lord Wang now. You forgot his rules? No harassing civilians, no plundering public property! Violators, be executed!"

"Damn! What's the point of fighting then!"

"You don't know shit! Lord Wang said, in this southern expedition, all spoils will be confiscated and then distributed according to military merit! The more enemies you kill, the more money you get! By then, will you still worry about having no money to buy land, build a house, and marry?"

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! This is called 'war dividends'! Get it?"

Under the dual stimulation of the merit ledger and war dividends, the soldiers of Later Zhou were filled with fervent anticipation for the upcoming war.

As the commander-in-chief who was to lead this war, Guo Rong was busier than ever.

He slept only two to three hours a day, either reviewing military reports in the Imperial Study or discussing battle plans with the generals in the Privy Council.

He wanted to ensure that this battle, which concerned the fate of the nation, would be flawless.

……

At the same time, Li Chongjin, who was under house arrest in his manor, was not as hopeless as he appeared.

Late at night, inside a secret room in the Grand Preceptor's Manor.

Li Chongjin showed no sign of being "beyond cure". His face was grim, his eyes filled with resentment and madness, as he confered with several trusted aides.

"Big brother! That brat Guo Rong is bullying people too much! Are we just going to let it go?" said a burly man with a full beard, angrily. He was an old subordinate promoted by Li Chongjin, a regional commander of the Imperial Guards, who had also been dismissed on a pretext by Guo Rong.

"Forget it? Impossible!" Li Chongjin sneered, "He made me suffer, so I will never let him have an easy time!"

"But our military power has been taken away, and our men have all been divided and absorbed by him. What can we use to fight him?" another trusted aide said, worried.

"We can't win by force." A flash of cunning passed through Li Chongjin's eyes, "But we can kill with a borrowed knife."

"Kill with a borrowed knife?"

"Exactly." Li Chongjin walked to the wall, lifted a painting, and revealed a map behind it.

That was precisely the map of Southern Tang.

His finger pressed hard on a place called Shouzhou on the map.

"Shouzhou is a key military stronghold of Southern Tang in Huainan, easy to defend but hard to attack. Its defending general is named Liu Renxian, Southern Tang's top general, loyal and brave, with the strength to withstand ten thousand men."

"If Guo Rong wants to launch a southern expedition, he must first take Shouzhou. As long as Shouzhou holds, his army cannot advance south. Then, with hundreds of thousands of troops stuck beneath a fortified city, their supplies exhausted and morale low, he will defeat himself without us lifting a finger."

"What you mean is…… we should find a way to help Southern Tang defend Shouzhou?"

"No." Li Chongjin shook his head, "We not only want to help them defend, but also give them a big gift."

He took out a scroll of sheepskin from his bosom and handed it to the bearded man.

"This is…… the complete battle plan, troop deployment, and supply lines of my Later Zhou army for this southern expedition!" The bearded man opened it and gasped in shock.

"You, take this personally and secretly head to Southern Tang. See to it that you deliver it into the hands of the Southern Tang sovereign, Li Jing." Li Chongjin ordered.

"Tell Li Jing, as long as he can hold Shouzhou and stall Guo Rong's army, I will rally other dissatisfied members of the imperial clan and generals in the capital, launch a mutiny, and cut off Guo Rong's rear!"

"By then, Guo Rong will be attacked from front and rear, and will surely die!"

"If we succeed, I will ascend the throne as emperor, and I wish to divide the river with Southern Tang, ruling forever as brothers!"

Hearing this, the trusted aides present were all shocked and terrified.

This was no longer a mere leak of military information.

This was colluding with the enemy and treason! He wanted to sacrifice the entire Great Zhou as an offering for his revenge!

"Big brother…… this matter…… the risk is too great." a trusted aide said in a trembling voice, "If it is exposed, we, we will be exterminated to the ninth degree!"

"Risk?" Li Chongjin laughed wildly, "Do we even have a way out now?!"

"Either we watch helplessly as Guo Rong unifies the world and exterminates us, our clan and old troops down to the last man!"

"Or we fight him to the death! Let's gamble!"

"If we win, we become founding heroes, ennobled as princes and appointed ministers! If we lose, it's just death!"

"My mind is made up! Anyone who dares to shrink back, I will kill him right now!" Li Chongjin drew the sword at his waist and said, brimming with killing intent.

Several trusted aides glanced at each other, seeing fear and helplessness in each other's eyes.

They knew they were already on this pirate ship and could not get off.

We wish to follow the Grand Tutor and accomplish great things! They could only grit their teeth and kneel.

Wang Hao's life at the Ministry of Rites remained peaceful; his daily work was simple and regular.

In the morning, he handled some affairs of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Rites.

In the afternoon, he plunged into the "Forbidden Arsenal," keeping company with those yellowed ancient texts.

That day, he was studying the manufacturing diagrams for a "composite bow-crossbow" in that Treatise on Heavenly Craftsmanship.

This bow-crossbow has an extremely complex structure, employing the principles of pulleys and levers; it is said to have a range of three hundred paces and can easily pierce the thickest iron armor.

Although the Wang Family already had firearms, these cold weapons also had their merits.

Just as he was immersed in it, a younger member of the Wang Family hurried in.

"Head of Family... oh no, sir." The younger member, already accustomed to the familial title, said, "Our spy planted in the Grand Tutor's mansion has sent an urgent piece of intelligence."

Wang Hao raised his head and took the small slip of paper.

On the slip was only a single line of text:

"Li, send a trusted aide carrying a secret map to Jinling."

Wang Hao's pupils contracted sharply.

He instantly understood what this line signified.

Li Chongjin, that madman!

He actually embarked on the absolute road of treason and betrayal!