Chapter 422: Rapid News Reaches Chang'an, Trusting One's Own Child's Assessment of the Grand Tomb Governor

The early morning still carried the cool moisture of night dew.

Chang'an.

The suspension bridge at the western city gate was just slowly lowered in the morning light, and the bluish‑gray city bricks still held a thin dampness.

The gate guards were rubbing their sleepy eyes and tidying their armor when the distant clop clop of horse hooves came, drawing nearer and shattering the quiet of the morning mist.

Three dark‑red warhorses galloped in like arrows shot from a bow, their manes lifted by the wind, sweat droplets rolling down the neck hair.

The mounted knights wore light gear; their Xuanse Jinshen cloaks covered dust‑stained short armor, sword tassels at their waists flailed wildly in the wind, their faces showed the fatigue of a long ride, yet could not hide the excitement in their eyes.

The lead rider, whose horse was the fastest, was still about a yard from the gate when he raised his voice in a hoarse shout, cracked from dryness yet carrying a force that pierced the morning mist:

"Rapid news! Rapid news!"

The second rider, close behind, burst out in succession: "General Chen Yan's great victory in Hezhou!"

His breath surged, he casually wiped the froth from his mouth corner, and gave the horse's hindquarters another strike with his Horse Whip.

The warhorse let out a short whinny.

The three riders swept past the western gate watchtower, their hooves unrelenting, the Xuanse Jinshen casting crisp after‑images in the morning light.

The lead knight let out a low cough, then raised his voice again, the hoarse tone cutting through the street's morning silence: "Rapid news, rapid news!"

The second rider, still close behind, heard his sword at the waist clang softly from the horse's bounce, his shout booming like thunder down the main street: "General Chen Yan's great victory in Hezhou!"

Mid‑sentence, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat mixed with dust from his temple.

His gaze swept over the early‑rising merchants at the street edge who had stuck their heads out at the sound, his excitement deepening.

"Crush the Tongtian Hui rebels, behead the bandit chief at the capital observatory outside Fenglin City!" the third rider shouted in succession, his loose helmet bobbing up and down with the horse's speed, and before the words ended he added, "A great victory over the invading Tuyu Hun!"

The shout startled the old tree branches beside the street into a slight tremor.

A few dew‑laden leaves fluttered down.

"Hey!"

"Did you hear clearly what he just said?"

Old Zhang, the seller of wheat cakes, still had his hand on the hot stove rim, stretching his neck toward the direction where the hooves faded, his coarse voice full of doubt.

He had opened his stall at dawn and had just arranged the first batch of wheat cakes.

All he heard was a rapid rush of hooves mixed with intermittent "rapid news," and he couldn't tell which road the news came from.

"It sounded like some 'great victory'? The last few words were too fast; the wind scattered them, I didn't hear clearly."

"Heard it clearly! All heard it clearly!" Not far away, old Chen, the seller of fermented rice, slapped his stall, his cloudy eyes shining, his voice trembling with excitement, "It's General Chen Yan's great victory!"

Liu Dalan, who was grinding tofu nearby, straightened his back, a grin spilling from his face, and loudly added to the group: "Subdued the Liuren rebels in Hezhou, and achieved a great victory over the Tuyu Hun cavalry at the gate!"

He had just been cupping his ear to listen.

Though the three riders' shouts were hurried, the key sentences were not missed.

A double great victory!

"What a joyous occasion!"

Aunt Zhao, who sold needles and thread, laughed so broadly her basket of needles and thread shook out its edges: "Lord Chen Yan has won another battle!"

She tiptoed to look toward the far end of the street, her tone full of exhilaration, "Now the frontier is stable, and life can be steadier!"

The bamboo curtain of the porridge shop was lifted by the morning breeze, bringing in a hint of the outside clamor.

At the table by the door, a middle‑aged merchant in a blue short robe had just scooped a spoonful of hot porridge; upon hearing the news outside, his brows twisted into a knot, and the porcelain spoon tapped lightly against the bowl rim, producing a crisp sound.

He set the spoon down; his voice, though low, caused several people at the neighboring table to pause, "Didn't they say the Hezhou rebels and the Tuyu Hun army were coming in force?"

"How could they be wiped out so quickly?"

This middle‑aged merchant in the blue short robe, however, knew that the rebels and Tuyu Hun had long been colluding, a two‑sided pincer that made the situation extremely perilous.

Especially on the Tuyu Hun side, originally four thousand cavalry were at the gate, and later three thousand more were added...

That makes a full seven thousand!

Moreover, Tuyu Hun's cavalry wielded curved blades, charging like black clouds, virtually impossible to resist.

Each side alone was a force not to be underestimated, let alone when they combined to cause trouble...

It hadn't been long, yet they managed to defeat both sides?

The silence in the porridge shop had just begun to spread when a hearty laugh rang out at a table near the back, shattering the doubt.

"You haven't even looked at who delivered the blow!"

The speaker was a man in a gray sturdy outfit, looking like a courier‑armed warrior; he slammed his coarse porcelain bowl onto the table, lifted his head and chest, his tone brimming with undeniable pride, "That's our Lord Chen Yan!"

He leaned forward, his voice growing louder, carrying an uncontainable pride: "Lord Chen Yan, undefeated in battle and invincible in attack!"

The middle‑aged merchant's fingertips still lightly brushed the bowl rim; his brows had relaxed, yet his eyes retained a hint of reminiscence as he slowly spoke, his voice tinged with contemplation: "I recall when Lord Chen Yan left Chang'an, he took only eight hundred cavalry..."

A scholar at the neighboring table, dressed in a silk‑draped long robe, immediately set aside his scroll and declared loudly: "Are there fewer miracles created by Lord Chen Yan?"

When the words "Lord Chen Yan" were mentioned, his eyes instantly brightened, the lines brimming with unabashed reverence.

Ask, when has Chen Qingtian ever gone on campaign without achieving a decisive victory with fewer forces?

As soon as the scholar finished speaking, a burly man at the neighboring table, his shirt unbuttoned, slapped his thigh hard, his booming voice shaking the tea cups on the table: "Exactly!"

His face flushed with excited red, he lifted the coarse porcelain tea cup and drained it, then set it down, his tone resolute: "When Lord Chen Yan acts, flattening rebels and foreign foes is a matter of a flip of the hand, isn't it?"

"Eight hundred can generate the momentum of eighty thousand!"

The burly man said, his eyebrows and eyes radiating proud honor.

He sat upright, his smile unstoppable, truly like a spring breeze.

The elderly man at the neighboring table slowly set down his tea cup, his cloudy gaze turning to the morning light outside the window, gently stroking his silver whiskers, and let out a long sigh: "Our Great Zhou's Chen Piaoqi, with such capability and spirit, given more time, I'm afraid they won't be outdone by the Han dynasty's Huo Piaoqi!"

His fingertips gently stroked his beard, his eyes full of satisfaction and admiration; after a pause he added softly: "What's even more remarkable is that he's still so young. When Huo Piaoqi made its achievements, it was already a celebrated tale; now Chen Piaoqi, at such a tender age, already has this record, and its future deeds and prospects are truly limitless!"

In the corner, a young peddler in a blue short jacket sprang to his feet, the cloth draped over his shoulder slipping to his elbow, his eyes brimming with uncontainable anticipation, "When Lord Chen Yan returns in triumph, I will go to greet him!"

He clenched his fist and pressed it onto the table, his voice tinged with excitement: "Let's properly admire the dashing bearing of our Great Zhou's soldier‑immortals!"

The peddler's words just fell, and the porridge shop's pot burst open instantly, the chorus of agreement rising and falling.

"I'll go too! Count me in!" the traveling doctor by the doorway quickly waved his hand in agreement, the copper rings on his medicine box jingling, "When Lord Chen Yan supervised the execution of the Zhao bandits, I was stuck at the back of the crowd and only caught a distant glimpse. This time I have to get up close, no matter what!"

The silk‑cloth shop assistant at the next table set down his chopsticks, his eyes flashing, "I was there too! I saw Lord Chen Yan in a purple official robe standing on the high platform of the execution ground, his bearing extraordinary! Yet I was still far away; this time I'll get a good look at this treasure Heaven has bestowed on our Great Zhou!"

"I'm going too!"

"Take me with you!"

The up‑and‑down responses struck the wooden beams of the porridge shop.

Even the shopkeeper poked his head out from behind the counter, smiling, "If you're all going, my shop will have to close for half a day; I'll go along to join the excitement!"

"Victory news, victory news!"

"General Chen Yan's great victory in Hezhou!"

The three riders urged their horses nonstop, their figures flashing past the tavern banners in the bustling market and the archways at the alleys.

The shouts of "victory news" and "great victory" rolled through Chang'an like thunder.

They sped straight toward the center of Chang'an.......

Inside the great hall of the Tian Guan Fu.

Sandalwood incense curled in the air.

The incense burning in the bronze beast‑head furnace exhaled a rich aroma, winding around the blue curtains hanging from the beams.

Yuwen Hu, dressed in a python robe and jade sash, sat upright behind the uppermost purple sandalwood desk, where several scrolls on Guanzhong agriculture were spread out.

On the lower side, the other five officials and a group of subordinate officers, all in court robes, were furrowing their brows, discussing the grain and fodder allocations reported from each prefecture and county.

Suddenly a Personal Guard lifted the curtain and entered, his expression urgent yet unable to hide his joy, raising the battle report with both hands and kneeling to report, "Grand Preceptor! Hezhou urgent report! Duke of Wei great victory!"

Yuwen Hu's gaze tightened, and he raised his hand, signaling to present it.

He unfolded the Bamboo Silk Scroll scented with ink, his eyes scanning phrases like "Eradicate the Tongtian Society, Decapitate the bandit leader, Crush the Tuyu Hun", and his previously solemn expression gradually relaxed, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly before bursting into loud laughter, "Hahaha!"

His laugh was hearty, shaking the candles in the hall to a slight flicker. He clenched the battle report tightly, his fingertips whitening from the pressure, yet his eyes could not hide his approval: "A Yan, that kid, gets things done and always puts people at ease......"

Yuwen Heng, also dressed in a four‑claw python robe with a neatly tied jade sash, had just seen his elder brother finish reading the battle report and laugh heartily. His ever‑sharp eyes were now full of curiosity, the hair at his temples swaying slightly with his slight forward lean, and he asked, "Brother, what exactly has A Yan achieved, what glorious results?"

The other officials present were equally extremely curious.

Hearing this, Yuwen Hu's smile widened, he lifted the battle report, his fingertip gently rubbing the edge of the page, and called out loudly to the hall of officials, "Come!"

Before the words finished, he handed the battle report to the attendant beside him, his tone brimming with barely concealed pride, "Take it and have a look!"

The attendant quickly took the report with both hands and first presented it to the nearby Yuwen Heng.

Yuwen Heng impatiently unfolded the yellow hemp page, his eyes racing over the words; the faintly puzzled expression was instantly replaced by shock, and he muttered continuously, "Take Ji Shi Pass without bloodshed?!"

Du Yaoguang's brows jumped sharply, "A massive defeat of seven thousand ambushed rebels?!"

Pei Xun inhaled a cold breath, "Behead the Tongtian Society leader inside Fenglin City?!"

Yu Tinggui: "Force the surrender of forty thousand Liuren rebels in Hezhou?!"

Hou Mo Chen Yi: "Trap over six thousand Tuyu Hun cavalry inside Baohan City?! An annihilation?!"

The battle report circulated among the officials; each time it reached a new hand, a suppressed gasp sounded.

The officials who had been seated upright leaned forward, their gazes glued to the page, shock spreading through the hall like a tide.

Some froze with a hand on their beard mid‑air, some opened their mouths so wide they forgot to close them, and others kept rubbing the characters on the report as if to imprint the incredible feat into their eyes.

Du Yaoguang slowly lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over the colleagues in the hall before finally settling on Yuwen Hu at the front, his tone full of admiration and shock: "Lord Chen's command of troops is divine and masterful!"

He paused, then a long sigh escaped his throat, his graying beard trembling slightly, "Taking a pass without bloodshed, setting ambushes to defeat the enemy, beheading the bandit leader, forcing the surrender of the Liuren, and finally annihilating the Tuyu Hun cavalry—these five moves, each a masterstroke, interlocking perfectly. For an ordinary person, achieving even one would be a great merit; he accomplished them all in one breath!"

Du Yaoguang raised his hand to his chest, his eyes full of reverence for the unparalleled genius, "Such strategy and boldness are rare in all ages! He truly is the unrivaled talent of our Great Zhou. With him, how could the borders be anything but peaceful!"

Pei Xun's shock gradually faded, replaced by a smile mixed with relief and pride, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes softening a bit.

He lightly pinched his beard, silently exclaiming in his heart, "My son‑in‑law's prowess in warfare is truly extraordinary!"

"He may already be no less than his grandfather..."

One could even say he surpasses his predecessor, the student outshining the master.

The Chen Family's innate talent for warfare truly passes down through generations…

"Good lad!"

"I haven't misjudged him!"

Yuwen Heng's eyes were filled with unabashed admiration, shining brightly, praising, "That battle was truly damn beautiful!"

It was heartfelt satisfaction, after all he was his own kin…

With more time and training, this will become the Blade to attack Qi State and unify the Central Plains!

Yu Tinggui clenched his cuff, his gaze as sharp as a blade, "This battle has displayed Great Zhou's military prestige!"

It is a classic underdog victory that will shine through the ages, and can be used to intimidate both the southern and northern kingdoms.

The younger generation of Great Zhou's military commanders also followed suit…

And his legitimate eldest son Yu Yan, also serving under the Duke of Wei, will surely earn considerable merit thanks to the ties between the two families!

No wonder Jiang is still sharp as an old pepper!

His father's judgment of people remains as poisonous as ever…

"Truly the Grand Preceptor's trusted favorite!" Du Yaoguang blinked, silently sighing while a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

This future leader of the Great Zhou military has an unusually close relationship with his son‑in‑law, closer than actual brothers…

His wife is also his daughter's close confidante...

What a uniquely advantageous position!

We must have the Du clan's youngsters cultivate this friendship; he will surely become Great Zhou's backbone.

Especially since the Grand Preceptor treats him as his own, there's no worry of him being suppressed…

Amid the hall's chorus of praise, Yuwen Hu raised his hand and made two empty gestures, and the hall fell silent instantly.

He lightly tapped the desk with his fingertips, a gentle smile on his face, and when he spoke his tone was full of self‑effacement: "You all overpraise me! A Yan, this child, though he achieved great merit in this battle, still lacks some mastery of warfare; there is still much room for improvement."

Yet his mouth corner kept rising, and the wrinkles at his eyes brimmed with unmistakable pride: "But this child is diligent and inquisitive; after more combat experience, he will surely rise to a higher level."

"Grand Preceptor, the Duke of Wei has won a great victory and will soon return to court..."

Hou Mo Chen Yi, the Grand Duke, clasped his hands and bowed, earnestly asking: "Should we prepare the formal rites to receive them early?"

As he spoke, his mouth corner also kept rising.

He was full of pride in his own decision.

After all, his two legitimate sons had already entered the Mingjing Office and the Supervisor's Residence...

Chen Yan's status rose like a boat on rising water, and his own children's future prospects would certainly not be lacking.

"No need!"

Yuwen Hu shook his head at the words and said gravely: "Within the next month or two, A Yan probably won't be able to return..."

"Calculating the journey, at most half a month..."

Hou Mo Chen Yi was startled, murmuring, and as a Zhuguo General and a military scholar, he suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed in surprise: "Grand Preceptor, could the Duke of Wei still intend to…?!"

Yuwen Hu chuckled lightly, tapped the desk once with his fingertip, and a hint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes: "A while ago A Yan sent someone back to Chang'an, after the great victory over Tuyu Hun, wondering whether to press the advantage and expand the gains, he sought my opinion..."

All the officials in the hall held their breath and focused, and even the bowing Hou Mo Chen Yi quietly lifted his head.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the curious faces, then suddenly raised four fingers of his right hand, his tone carrying an inscrutable smile: "I will answer with just four characters..."

The hall fell silent enough to hear the faint crackle of sandalwood incense burning, and everyone's eyes were fixed on his fingertip.

Yuwen Hu faced the full‑room stare, a smile at his mouth corner, and slowly, deliberately enunciated: "Choose the right moment and act!"

He trusted his own child's judgment.