Chapter 235

Chen Jingwen stood in the icy cold wind for a long time before finally summoning the courage to hire a rickshaw and head toward the imperial city.

All the way, he repeatedly weighed how to word his report. To tell the truth? That would be tantamount to seeking his own death, for the Regent Prince's wrath could reduce him to ashes. Or to fabricate lies? Lin Yu's actions in Shen City had already been telegraphed back; who could he fool?

Finally, he decided on a compromise—state the facts as objectively as possible, downplay his own humiliation, and emphasize Lin Yu's strength and Shen City's loss of control, blaming the other side's barbarity and unreasonableness.

Eastern Warm Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The atmosphere remained oppressively suffocating. Regent Prince Yelü Hua sat grim-faced beside the throne, a few Grand Council ministers stood with hands lowered, not daring to breathe. They had already learned via telegram of the shocking turn at the Shen City press conference, and also knew that the foreigners were once again advancing menacingly.

At this moment, they were anxiously awaiting the sole person who might bring "good news"—Imperial Envoy Chen Jingwen.

When the little eunuch announced Chen Jingwen's request for an audience, all eyes turned toward the hall door.

Chen Jingwen forced himself inside. He had changed into a clean official robe, but the fatigue and fear on his face could not be concealed. He did not even dare lift his head to look at the Regent Prince beside the throne, and he fell to his knees with a plop, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Your humble servant…… Assistant Minister of Rites Chen Jingwen, kowtowing to the Regent Prince, long live the Regent Prince, long live the Emperor, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

"Please rise." Yelü Hua's voice was ice‑cold, giving no hint of emotion. "Assistant Minister Chen, you've finally returned. How went the mission to Shen City?"

Chen Jingwen rose shakily, head lowered, not daring to meet Yelü Hua's sharp gaze. He took a deep breath and began the speech he had prepared:

"I report to Your Highness…… I, having received the imperial edict to go south, arrived in Shen City and originally intended…… originally intended to first settle at the Jianghai Customs Office, then proceed with pacification. But…… but just as I left the station, I was…… surrounded by heavy troops under Lin Yu's command."

He deliberately stressed the words "heavy troops," briefly described the elite black‑clad soldiers and the oppressive presence of that "iron monster," and emphasized that he had gone to Lin Gong Guan only under military coercion.

"Lin Yu…… outwardly treats me with courtesy and speaks gently, but…… his residence is heavily guarded, far surpassing an ordinary governor. From his words and deeds he appears young, yet…… his scheming is profound, and he seems to know everything about court affairs and my family, his speech laced with probing and veiled threats."

He skillfully framed Lin Yu's casual‑talk‑style psychological pressure as intelligence gathering and veiled threats, skirting over the details of how he had been frightened out of his wits.

"I…… I tried to expound the court's benevolence and admonish his unlawful acts, but Lin Yu…… was immovable, instead…… instead hinting that if I meddled further, I…… I might follow in the footsteps of the Zhou Special Envoy..."

As he spoke, he furtively observed Yelü Hua's complexion. The Regent Prince's face grew ever darker, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

"As for Shen City's current state……" Chen Jingwen's voice dropped lower, "I see its troops strong and horses sturdy, its equipment excellent, far beyond what the court had anticipated. Moreover, it has won the people's hearts…… uh…… at least partly among merchants and commoners. I believe…… Shen City…… has in fact completely slipped from the court's control. During my stay in Shen City, I was…… unable…… unable to enforce any imperial edict."

He did not directly mention the press conference, for he knew the court had surely learned of it via telegram; there was no need for him, this "failure," to repeat it and merely add fuel to the Regent Prince's anger.

After finishing his report, Chen Jingwen again knelt on the ground, cold sweat soaking his undershirt: "I…… I am shallow in talent and learning, unworthy of the emperor's grace, having failed my mission; I beg Your Highness to mete out punishment!"

The hall fell into dead silence.

Yelü Hua did not erupt immediately. He simply stared fixedly at the prostrate Chen Jingwen, his gaze complex. Chen Jingwen's report, though evasive on the main points, conveyed enough information for him to grasp: Lin Yu's strength and his grip on Shen City far exceeded their imagination; the court had utterly lost control of Shen City; and the imperial envoy he had sent was essentially going to invite humiliation.

Combining the telegram's contents about the press conference, a terrifying reality became clear to him: Lin Yu was not only powerful but also mad, having utterly ceased to regard the court at all!

"Trash!" After a long while, Yelü Hua squeezed these two words from between his teeth. He did not shout at Chen Jingwen, but that icy tone was more chilling than any roar: "You can't even win a war of words! What use is there in the court keeping you officials?"

Chen Jingwen trembled all over, kowtowing like pounding garlic: "I deserve death ten thousand times! I deserve death ten thousand times!"

Prince Qing and Xu Shichang, among others, also hurriedly knelt to beg forgiveness.

Yelü Hua closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, as if trying to suppress his raging fury. He knew that no matter how he rebuked Chen Jingwen, it would avail nothing. This old minister, though incompetent, had at least brought his life back, and also brought back firsthand (though humiliating) information about Lin Yu's strength.

"Forget it……" he wearily waved his hand, "Considering your labors on the road and…… the fright you suffered, I will temporarily spare you the death penalty. Strip you of the post of Assistant Minister of Rites and go home to reflect."

"Thank…… thank Your Highness for sparing my life!" Chen Jingwen, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out rolling and crawling.

Watching Chen Jingwen's disheveled retreat, Yelü Hua's eyes flashed with a hint of malign intent, but he quickly turned his gaze to the red dot on the map representing Shen City.

Chen Jingwen's failure utterly proclaimed the court's total bankruptcy in attempting to regain control of Shen City through diplomatic means of appeasement, pacification, or mere bluster.

Now, what lay before them seemed to be only one last road—to place their hope in that very frontier warlord they equally feared.

"Issue the order!" Yelü Hua's voice ice‑cold and resolute, "Urge the Fengtian side! Tell Murong Qin, time waits for no one! If he still does not mobilize troops, once the foreigners act, everything will be too late!"

A wind of urging blowing from Yanjing to Fengtian, carrying desperation and a do‑or‑die gamble, set off once again.

And how will that distant frontier commander Murong respond to this ever‑tightening situation?

Great Dry Dynasty, northern border frontiers, Longjin Port Fortress, Kwantung Army Headquarters.

This port fortress, Longjin Port, forcibly "leased" and operated for many years by the foreigners, has now become their most important military base in the northern territories.

Utterly unlike the appearance of cities in the interior of the Great Dry Dynasty, here Eastern‑style buildings and military facilities abound, with foreign soldiers patrolling the streets everywhere, filling the air with a stern, colonial atmosphere.

The Kwantung Army Headquarters is a heavily fortified Western‑style fortress, a huge sun‑flag snapping loudly in the cold wind.

Inside the headquarters, a spacious war conference room held a solemn atmosphere. A huge sand table simulated the terrain of northern and eastern China, while a large military map hung on the wall. Several foreign senior officers wearing general stars and staff officer ranks gathered around the sand table, whispering about something. The air was tinged with the smell of tobacco and disinfectant.

Seated at the head of the table was the Kwantung Army Commander‑in‑Chief, **General Nanda Yoichi**. He was tall and sturdy, with a stern visage and sharp eyes, dressed in a crisp army general's uniform, his fingers tapping the desk in a rhythm. At his side was the Kwantung Army Chief of Staff, **Lieutenant General Ishihara Shinichi**, a bespectacled man who looked refined and cultured, yet his eyes betrayed a shrewd and fanatical nature.

Spread across the table were two reports that differed sharply yet pointed to the same goal. One was a detailed analysis from the Kunshan intelligence outpost of Lin Yu's series of actions in Shen City, emphasizing the direct threat they posed to the empire's interests in China;

The other was a "request for aid" missive, just intercepted and decoded via a special channel, sent from the Regent Prince Yelü Hua of the Great Dry Court to Commander Murong in Fengtian, its lines brimming with despair and buck‑passing.