Chapter 324: How Could One Seek Perfect Safety to Repay the Son of Heaven?

Taishi Ziyi certainly had reason to stand there stunned, because this Changshan Company Commander Zhao's words contained far too many things worth pondering — or rather, worth mocking.

For instance, the strength of the Liaoxi Wuhuan was plain for all to see — tens of thousands of renowned shock cavalry, isolated five hundred li beyond the frontier — yet they were pacified just like that, and in a manner that involved over ten thousand heads taken, over ten thousand captured, one chieftain killed and another chieftain taken prisoner, which could hardly fail to make one gasp.

Still, considering the reputation of that General of the Guards over there, it was not entirely unacceptable.

There was just one thing: if one followed this Company Commander Zhao's account, the entire Wuhuan tribe had now lost its lifeblood, and the various barbarians and mixed Hu of Liaoxi had come in white garments to pay homage to the General of the Guards — this meant that nearly two hundred thousand non-Han people of Liaoxi were about to receive the judgment of their final fate at Liucheng... But why was the General of the Guards not inviting the other General Holding the Tally appointed by the imperial court, General of the Right Lord Zhao, to meet at Liucheng, and instead asking Lady Gongsun to come and discuss matters?

Or perhaps he had merely happened upon the messenger sent to invite Lady Gongsun, and someone else had already been dispatched to invite Lord Zhao?

Of course, regardless, although Taishi Ci's family had somewhat declined, he was after all of aristocratic lineage — something evident from his surname, his literacy from childhood, and his early service in the commandery — and now, renowned in his prime, having also lived in Liaodong for quite some time and even served as Zhao Bao's Major, he could more or less make out some of the shadowy implications.

And so, Taishi Ziyi did not press the matter. Instead, he simply laughed heartily, exchanged a few more amiable words with Zhao Yun, and then dispatched several riders to serve as guides for this newly acquainted comrade, before continuing upstream along the Dalinghe to find Zhao Bao... Matters between a father-in-law and son-in-law were best left for them to handle themselves. From Taishi Ci's perspective, reporting it was sufficient; how to decide was the General of the Right's own affair.

But evidently, Zhao Bao had absolutely not received any invitation from Gongsun Xun. In fact, it was only from Taishi Ci that he learned the news that Liaoxi had been pacified, and he was left utterly dumbfounded. By the morning of the second day, as scouts returned from the opposite bank of the Dalinghe, Taishi Ci was temporarily ordered to lead eight hundred elite cavalry to escort the General of the Right, Holder of the Tally, and Administrator of Liaodong, Zhao Bao Zhao Weihao, swiftly across the river to Liucheng to see his venerable son-in-law.

Journeying westward, the course of the campaign and its colossal results grew ever clearer. All the stories and signs indicated that General of the Guards Gongsun Xun had taken a perilous gamble, turning defeat into victory, and had thoroughly shattered the military structure of the Liaoxi Wuhuan... And in a place like the frontier, without military capability — or more bluntly, for a Hu tribe, without soldiers and without commanders — one could only await slaughter.

"This is truly..." Days later, outside the eastern gate of Liucheng, Taishi Ci sat on horseback, looking around, yet not knowing what to say.

It turned out that, having heard of Zhao Bao's arrival, countless chieftains of the mixed Hu who had come to Liucheng to await the final fate of the Wuhuan — or rather, to await the descent of their own final fate — had flocked to kneel and welcome him. Hundreds of tribal headmen, along with their accompanying kin, trusted followers, and confidants, dressed in white robes, knelt in a vast expanse along the main road outside the city, forming a stark contrast with the grimy domes of their tents behind them.

Yet what Taishi Ci saw was nothing. If one truly looked down from a height, in the Liaoxi frontier in mid-fourth month, the sky was blue, the mountains were green, the waters were clear, and the ground was... red. Add to that the slate-blue walls of Liucheng, the Han cavalry in their crimson straight-hemmed robes, the mixed Hu chieftains in white, and the enormous military camp and prisoner-of-war camp on the other side of Liucheng — it possessed a flavor all its own.

"My lord." Atop the high platform in the center of Liucheng, Xi Zhong could not help but chuckle softly. "You should still go out and welcome him. Lord Zhao has spent many years in Liaoxi and is long accustomed to the tricks of these mixed Hu — how could he be fooled by these people? He has halted outside the city precisely because he is waiting for you, my lord, to come out."

"Indeed." Lou Gui also gave a dry laugh. "In the end, it is the son-in-law welcoming his father-in-law — can that possibly cause a loss of face?"

"What Zhicai and Zibo have said are both correct." Gongsun Xun, hearing this, could not help but smile faintly. "My father-in-law is certainly waiting for me... Since Teacher Liu passed away, the number of people in this world whom I can properly address as 'my lord' can be counted on one hand. Why quibble with an elder?"

Lou Gui and Xi Zhong both responded with accompanying laughter.

"Then let it be so. The two of you, along with Yigong, Suqing, and the others, go out together on my behalf to welcome him." Gongsun Xun gazed into the distance at his father-in-law's procession and continued. "Since he has come, invite his venerable self to enter the city as soon as possible... Tell him... tell him that Jian Shuo and Dong Zhong are dead, that Empress Dowager Dong has also passed away in Yongle Palace, and that the Grand General has sent me a secret letter, ordering me to lead troops into Luo and exterminate the eunuchs... I am waiting in the city to discuss it with him."

With these words, Gongsun Xun turned and sat down on one of the two Grand Commandant chairs that had long been placed on the high platform, apparently intending to await his father-in-law's arrival right there.

Hearing this, Xi Zhong no longer cared in the slightest about Lord Zhao and immediately could not help but open his mouth to ask: "Is what my lord said true? The deaths of Jian Shuo and Dong Zhong were already within expectations, but how did the Empress Dowager pass away? And when did Grand General He send this letter?"

"In such matters, if I say it exists, then it exists." Gongsun Xun was unconcerned and merely urged them on. "Quickly, go and invite my father-in-law here on my behalf... You may tell him this openly in public; let us see how my father-in-law reacts."

At this, Lou Gui and Xi Zhong could only look at each other in dismay, but ultimately had no choice. They bowed and hurried out to welcome the guest.

And indeed, Gongsun Xun, looking down from his vantage point on the high platform within the city, saw Lou Gui, Xi Zhong, Han Dang, Gao Shun, and the others go out of the city to welcome him. After they met Zhao Bao and exchanged only a few words, the latter completely lost his composure, then actually broke away from the crowd and entered the city without a care for anything else.

"Father-in-law!" A moment later, atop the observation platform within Liucheng, the moment he saw Zhao Bao hastily ascending the platform, Gongsun Xun immediately stepped forward and bowed with utmost respect.

"Hold a moment, Wenqi." Zhao Bao was panting heavily and spoke as soon as he opened his mouth. "When I heard the Son of Heaven had passed, I knew that Dong Zhong and Jian Shuo could not survive long, but how did the Empress Dowager pass away? And to kill a mere handful of eunuchs, summoning a few prison officials would suffice — why would He Suigao want you to lead troops a thousand li into Luo?"

Gongsun Xun was silent for a moment, then simply told the truth: "In reply to my lord, the Empress Dowager likely passed away at the beginning of the month. I, too, have only just received a verbal message delivered by fast horse. As for why she suddenly died, it was probably because, being a woman, she heard that her nephew's entire family had been exterminated and was overcome with fear and anxiety for a time."

"How can a moment of fear and anxiety satisfy the people of the realm?" Zhao Bao managed to catch his breath, but his indignation was unbearable. "She was the Empress Dowager! This dynasty governs the realm with filial piety. The Son of Heaven has been dead less than two months, and people's hearts are already unsettled. Now that the Empress Dowager has also passed, is He Suigao not afraid that people's hearts will grow unstable?"

"The Empress Dowager's sudden death has indeed caused some discussion." Gongsun Xun, hearing this, immediately shook his head at the top of the stairs. "But it is not enough to affect people's hearts... Does my lord know? From the time the previous Son of Heaven passed, to the bestowal of the posthumous title 'Ling', to the recent change of the reign era to Guangxi, in these two months, He Suigao has neither entered the palace to observe mourning nor gone to the imperial tomb, yet I have not heard of anyone remonstrating. Truly, no one in the realm cares about these things. As for the Empress Dowager's sudden death, though it may cause some slight ripples, it can be covered up by merely adding a few fine posthumous titles. Why make a great fuss?"

"Then what do they care about?" Zhao Bao's heart grew ever colder. "If He Suigao carries on like this... is he truly not afraid that all people's hearts will be lost?"

"Has my lord grown confused?" Gongsun Xun could not help but sneer at these words. "The whole realm is waiting for He Suigao to execute the eunuchs! Kill the Ten Regular Attendants, bloodily purge the Northern Palace, then exterminate the entire clans of the Ten Regular Attendants along with their sons, disciples, and protégés everywhere — then He Suigao will be the Duke of Zhou of the present age. Who would still care about a greedy Empress Dowager? As for mourning the Son of Heaven... he was merely a tyrant whose head was taken by Heaven's punishment — what is there to speak of? That the people of the realm have not cheered in delight and held feasts to celebrate is already a considerable show of propriety. How can one still demand perfection and assign blame?"

As he spoke, Gongsun Xun actually stepped forward, took the hand of Zhao Bao — whose face had long since turned pale — and helped him into the Grand Commandant chair on the high platform. Only then did he bow and speak earnestly: "Father-in-law... you just asked me why the Grand General wants me, after settling the Liaoxi affairs, to swiftly lead troops into Luo. I would rather ask you, father-in-law, what you think. The eunuchs have brought calamity upon the realm for decades — do you truly believe that the decades of resentment held by the realm's scholars can be relieved by the lives of the Ten Regular Attendants alone? If this time we do not kill until blood flows like a river, who will be satisfied? And as for you, my lord, you already have some points of suspicion. Now that that tyrant, the Son of Heaven, is dead, you should all the more seize the opportunity to firmly establish your stance. How have you become muddled again?"

Zhao Bao, who had arrived earlier with a belly full of discontent and a belly full of confidence, prepared to question his son-in-law, was now doused head-on by Gongsun Xun with the situation in Luo. He was utterly disoriented and speechless for a long while.

In fact, even Taishi Ci, who had accompanied him, listened with his heart pounding in fear, and at this moment was filled with worry for his own General of the Right... This matter of executing the eunuchs allowed not the slightest hesitation — surely there would not truly be any implication?

After all, any clear-sighted person knew exactly what Zhao Bao's situation was.

In the final analysis, although Zhao Weihao's political stance was without issue, because of Zhao Zhong's existence, he had never truly faced political attack from the Northern Palace, nor had he ever truly experienced the sense of humiliation that scholar-officials felt when confronting imperial power and the eunuchs. One could even say that he had indeed relied on Zhao Zhong's political presence to reach his current position... This skewed stance made him naturally hope that matters would not reach the point of utter chaos.

In truth, Cao Cao was similar; he also hoped to minimize the affair, ideally executing only the chief culprits, so as to avoid implicating himself... Thus, in a certain sense, Yuan Shao's mockery — that because Cao Cao was of eunuch stock, he could speak without feeling the strain in his back — was quite reasonable.

One cannot say that because one is Cao Cao and the other is Yuan Shao, Cao Cao must be right and Yuan Shao must be wrong... What kind of reasoning is that?

Judging the matter on its own merits, on the issue of executing the eunuchs, Cao Cao had no right to speak. As for whether Yuan Shao harbored sinister motives, that is an entirely different topic.

And the current situation was that, at this stage, decades of humiliation and oppression had long since made the Partisans — or rather, the entire traditional scholar-official class — red-eyed with fury. No one was going to let things go lightly for the sake of some so-called greater good. Otherwise, why not let the eunuchs of the Northern Palace and their sons, disciples, and protégés line up to commit suicide first, and then let things go lightly?

"Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong now both understand that the situation has changed. They know that everyone in the realm wishes to exterminate their clans, and they even specifically sold out Jian Shuo to the He clan to seek safety. Ordinarily, they dare not even leave the palace gates." After sitting down, Gongsun Xun continued to use this topic to batter his father-in-law. "They also fawn upon Empress Dowager He all day long, and through General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao, they try to reconcile with the Grand General. But the Grand General is, after all, not so muddled as to believe them... Now, the entire court, high and low, is filled with Partisans and scholars. To put it bluntly, at this moment, if the Grand General can do this thing for the realm's scholars, then all will naturally be well. If he cannot, I fear the scholars will have to do it themselves."

"Even so, that does not justify summoning outside troops into Luo!" Zhao Bao finally spoke another sentence, but his confidence was already gone.

"If not summoning outside troops into Luo, then what?" Xi Zhong, standing nearby, suddenly interjected with a smile. "Lord Zhao, you have long resided in Luo. May I ask, before the establishment of the Western Garden Imperial Army, could the ten thousand or so troops of the various forces in Luo... be entrusted with such a grave responsibility?"

Zhao Bao was once again speechless... According to tradition, before the Western Garden Imperial Army, Luo had the Northern Army's Five Colonels, the Rapid as Tigers, the Feathered Forest — three armies — plus the Colonel Director of Retainers, the guards of various government offices, and the forces under the Colonel of the City Gates, totaling over ten thousand troops (figures from Wang Lang's oral account). But expecting He Jin to trust these men was somewhat unreasonable, because historical experience had repeatedly shown that when these mid- and lower-ranking military officers directly faced the political pressure of the Northern Palace, they were truly useless. Who knew how many imperial affines had died at the hands of these very men?

"Then what of the Western Garden Imperial Army?" Xi Zhong, seeing this, smiled again. "Could the Grand General entrust his life and the safety of his family to the Western Garden Imperial Army?"

Zhao Bao still said nothing. He, too, had only just come out from Luo, and so he knew very well that the Western Garden Imperial Army was also unreliable... The main issue was that the composition of the previous Eight Colonels of the Western Garden was far too complex. Setting aside whether Jian Shuo's subordinates could be thoroughly brought to heel by the Grand General simply because of Jian Shuo's death, would the remaining Colonels truly support He Jin unconditionally?

Even if they ostensibly supported him, that would not be his, He Jin's, own strength, would it? At the very least, in the short term, he could not risk entrusting them with anything.

And so, the matter circled back: He Jin needed enough troops to ensure he held overwhelming military force in his hands... At this juncture, outside armies with few entanglements in Luo were actually the most convenient and practical.

"But can outside armies be guaranteed to be usable?" After pondering for a long while, Zhao Bao managed to counter, but his tone was utterly devoid of confidence.

Xi Zhong smiled but did not answer... He truly did not know the specific circumstances, and so truly did not know how to reply.

"I, too, had concerns before." Gongsun Xun withdrew his gaze from the imposing figure of Taishi Ci standing behind his father-in-law, and only then chuckled softly. "But after receiving the Grand General's letter, I had nothing to say... Previously, the Grand General summoned the worthies of Luo to publicly discuss this matter. Apart from my teacher, Master Lu, and the Master of Writing Zheng Tai, who opposed summoning the border armies on the grounds that they were fierce and unruly, there was one other person who opposed it — none other than the Registrar of the Grand General's office, Chen Lin."

"Out of all the worthies of the court, only three opposed it?" Zhao Bao felt his mind was already in utter turmoil.

"Chen Kongzhang's point was... when great armies gather, the strong become king." Gongsun Xun paid no heed to the other's loss of composure and continued to smile as he spoke. "The meaning of these words was to covertly warn He Suigao that some people have vast influence, and summoning outside troops into Luo is not impossible, but checks and balances must be established. Otherwise, if all those summoned are the disciples and former subordinates of a certain family, then the one calling the shots will no longer be He Suigao. And the Grand General, to some extent, understood Chen Lin's meaning, and so he summoned a full nine outside armies in one breath!"

Zhao Bao was dumbstruck: "Nine armies?!"

"Indeed. Among them, the Governor of Bingzhou, Dong Zhuo; the Martial Vehemence Commandant, Ding Yuan; and the Administrator of Dongjun, Qiao Mao — these three armies are already assembled. One from the east, one from the west, one from the north; one from Liangzhou, one from Bingzhou, one from Yanzhou. They are not under each other's command and will check and balance one another, and should also be the quickest to enter Luo. There are also five armies being recruited: Wang Kuang and Bao Xin of Taishan; Zhang Yang and Zhang Liao of Bingzhou; and my younger brother Liu Bei has already set out for Danyang... Finally, there is me, this General of the Guards, leading a victorious great army south to serve as the anchor." Gongsun Xun, having said this, could not help but show a look of puzzlement. "Father-in-law, with the Grand General making such arrangements, I truly cannot see where there is any impropriety. If, under such circumstances, the affair still fails, can one only say that Heaven's Mandate is not with him?"

"I do not know either..." Zhao Bao answered blankly. "Nine armies, mutually checking and balancing, able only to honor the Grand General as their leader — there is absolutely no cause for concern... In that case, I fear that you, the anchor, will not even need to move before the Grand General's execution of the eunuchs this time is accomplished with effortless ease."

Gongsun Xun remained silent, and Lou Gui, Xi Zhong, and the others nearby also looked at each other, with nothing to say.

On the high platform, there was a moment of silence. After a long pause, Gongsun Xun seemed to suddenly remember something, as if just waking up: "Setting aside the matters in Luo for now, regarding the disposition of Liaoxi this time, does father-in-law have any specific instructions? I saw you speaking with many tribal chieftains outside the city just now."

"My mind is already in turmoil." Zhao Bao suddenly rose and answered. "Handle this matter yourself. When necessary, just give me a notification."

Gongsun Xun slowly nodded, then escorted the other, along with the accompanying Taishi Ci, all the way down from the high platform.

"My lord!" The moment the man was gone, Xi Zhong could not help but open his mouth to ask. "All that you just said — was it true or false?"

"Not a single word was false!" Gongsun Xun turned back, his expression changing to a sigh. "It is not only that the Grand General sent a letter; his Chief Clerk, Wang Qian, has always been on good terms with me and also sent a private letter, which was especially detailed..."

"Then…" Xi Zhong hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward and asked in a low voice. "Then, my lord, wouldn't the Grand General be as secure as Mount Tai in this matter?"

Gongsun Xun sighed again at these words. He first nodded, but then shook his head.

"What does my lord mean by that?" Even Lou Gui beside them could not hold back.

"I mean… the Grand General's arrangements are extremely secure, with nothing improper about them." Gongsun Xun answered with a solemn expression. "But the House of Han has reached its current state, and it absolutely cannot be revived! The eunuchs, the consort kin, the scholar-officials, the outside troops — this time, they will not stop until the situation is utterly beyond repair. The Grand General may be secure, but perhaps the scholar-officials will still meet with disaster; if not the outside troops, then perhaps the inner troops will still revolt… The collapse of the greater situation cannot be stopped by a single so-called foolproof plan."

Lou Gui and Xi Zhong each fell silent.

"Still, this is ultimately a good thing." Gongsun Xun smiled again. "Just as my father-in-law has always harbored gratitude and even guilt toward the Zhao clan in his heart, I too feel a certain sense of gratitude for the Grand General's past guidance and assistance… Now that he has handled things so properly, it saves me from worrying on his behalf… From now on, we shall each resign ourselves to our own fates."

"When things have reached such a state, one can only resign oneself to fate." Lou Zibo sighed softly.

"Still, I truly never imagined that my lord could use the situation in Luoyang to intimidate Lord Zhao." Xi Zhong paused briefly, then smiled again. "I originally thought that with Lord Zhao coming with such aggressive momentum, and with his status and position so unassailable, it would at least make things difficult for my lord…"

"Indeed." Lou Gui also could not help but change his expression and smile. "In a few days, when the Old Madam arrives, even if Lord Zhao wishes to act, it will be difficult. He can use his status as an elder to pressure my lord, but he absolutely cannot handle the Old Madam… It is rare that my lord possesses such quick wit."

"I was indeed fortunate." Gongsun Xun said indifferently. "After all, I had already made up my mind this time to thoroughly purge Liaoxi — all two hundred thousand people were to be registered as common households. If he had truly tried to forcibly interfere, I would have had no choice but to act harshly. At that point, if things turned ugly between father-in-law and son-in-law, there would have been no helping it… However, the fact that my father-in-law cares so much about the Zhao clan's safety gives me some new ideas…"

Xi Zhong's heart stirred slightly, but Lou Gui lowered his head and pretended not to hear.

Three days passed. Just as word came from the east that Lady Gongsun, surrounded by attendants and leading a procession of unknown immensity, was about to arrive within the borders of Liaoxi, suddenly, this pair of father-in-law and son-in-law bearing imperial tallies in Liucheng welcomed another uninvited guest first!

"Who has come?!"

At the Liucheng Separate Division Commandant's residence, Gongsun Xun was in the midst of arguing with Zhao Bao about how to deal with the Duan tribe Xianbei… This was probably the one matter on which Gongsun Xun had not yet made a firm decision. He himself was somewhat angry, yet he had to admit the other party bore no ill intent, and moreover Zhao Bao was defending them with all his might. So it was indeed a difficult matter, and this argument was a serious discussion. When he suddenly heard the report, he was momentarily stunned.

"Reporting to my lord!" Gao Shun, unhurried and composed, answered. "The scouts report that Kebineng, leading ten thousand Xianbei troops, has already reached thirty li west of the Dalinghe. By tomorrow, he will arrive at the riverbank and face Liucheng across the river."

"Hold on!" Zhao Bao suddenly frowned and interjected. "Earlier, you said that the Provincial Governor, Liu Yu, Lord Liu Boan, had won over Yan Rou, and that large tribes like Suli had also broken away and sent envoys here to pay their respects. Kebineng's strength should already be greatly diminished. Where, then, does he get these ten thousand troops?"

"He has mobilized his entire force!" Gao Suqing replied succinctly.

Gongsun Xun's expression remained as usual.

Zhao Bao, however, showed a slight change of expression: "Before, Qiuliju sent his son Louban to seek reinforcements, but that was under the premise that the entire Wuhuan army still existed. Now, the Wuhuan forces have been completely annihilated… Kebineng cannot possibly be unaware of this, can he?"

"How many days has it been?" Gongsun Xun suddenly laughed from the side. "My mother will arrive in Liucheng from Liaodong the day after tomorrow. How could Kebineng not know?"

"But he still came!" Zhao Bao also spoke with knitted brows. "And he mobilized his entire force! What is the meaning of this?"

"This means that even knowing defeat is certain, he still advances against difficulty to rally the hearts of his people!" Gongsun Xun's sneer deepened. "In other words, I underestimated Kebineng after all. This is actually a man who does not let temporary adversity dampen his ambition! He may well achieve great things in the future!"

"So?" Zhao Bao continued to ask.

"So…" Gongsun Xun suddenly rose and stood beside his father-in-law, laughing darkly. "How many heroes are there under heaven? Even among the Xianbei barbarian curs, there is such a figure. My lord, we have been entrusted by the imperial court with the responsibility of several commanderies, bearing the tally to oversee military affairs in Youzhou. How can we fall behind a barbarian cur?"

"Well said." Zhao Bao also spoke with awe. "I have only brought eight hundred cavalry with me, and will naturally follow your central army. You need not concern yourself with me — give your orders!"

"Tomorrow, Yang Kai will lead a thousand troops to defend the city." As soon as the other finished speaking, Gongsun Xun placed his hand on his sword and issued orders. "The rest of the entire army, over ten thousand strong, along with those miscellaneous Hu chieftains outside the city, will cross the river today and establish a fortified camp. We will wait for him, Kebineng, on the west bank. I wish to see, now that the great rains have passed, what waves those wretches can still stir up!"

The generals obeyed with awe.

"What is the meaning of this?" At the same time, hundreds of li away at the Chengde-Yuyang road junction, Cheng Pu, who was feeding horses and sharpening weapons, also welcomed an uninvited guest.

"Reporting to Commandant Cheng!" The man on the ground kowtowed in reply. He was a trusted aide of Mohugou. "My chieftain says that he knows his previous crimes warrant ten thousand deaths and does not wish to do anything futile… He has sent me this time to hand over Chengde City, along with the entire clan's women and children within the city, to the General of the Guards as atonement! The entire clan, high and low, also submits to the General of the Guards' disposition without any complaint! He requests that Commandant Cheng swiftly dispatch troops to enter the city!"

Cheng Pu, who had sat idle in Yuyang for several months, was speechless for half a day.

——————I am the very afraid of death dividing line——————

"When Emperor Ling died, the Crown Prince ascended the throne, and Empress Dowager He presided over the court. Grand General He Jin and Yuan Shao plotted to execute the eunuchs, but Empress Dowager He would not heed them. Jin then summoned three routes of border troops and raised five routes of recruits. He also wished to use the Grand Ancestor as a rear guard to suppress the situation and coerce Empress Dowager He. When the letter reached Liaoxi, the Grand Ancestor read it and laughed, saying: 'Eunuch officials have existed from ancient times to the present, and it is fitting that they do, but rulers of the age should not grant them excessive favor and authority, allowing things to reach this point. To punish their crimes, one need only execute the chief villains — a single prison clerk would suffice. Why summon outside generals in such confusion? To desire the execution of them all, the matter will inevitably be exposed. I fear that before I even arrive, I will witness their defeat.'" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor, Grand Ancestor

PS: Thanks to the new Alliance Master, Cardinal Richelieu… the twenty-third Alliance Master… truly, my gratitude is boundless.

Apologies, I overestimated myself. I was too sleepy and fell asleep… and then I actually dreamed about the college entrance exam. To be this anxious, it seems I deserve it… Honestly, I don't even dare to look at the book review section or the QQ group… my mental fortitude.

(End of Chapter)