Chapter 496: Zhang Tingyu: Jia Zi Jie Represents Absolute Correctness and Inevitable Victory

"It seems, then, that the Prince of Nan'an's uprising is actually a good thing!"

"Of course it's a good thing! I just hope he can show real skill and give Jia Zi Jie a bit of a show!"

"Exactly! I'll go back and draft a memorial right away; once Lan Yu is defeated, I'll submit it to Jia Zi Jie—do they really think they're a war god?"

"And Zhang Hengchen should be included as well; his flattery of the ruler, oppression of colleagues, and his face are disgusting!"

The hall erupted with a flurry of discussion.

These civil officials, suppressed for days, seemed freed by a single word from Xiong Cili, and rushed to vent their grievances and schemes.

Some impatient ones were already thinking of writing a letter to the Prince of Nan'an to establish contact in advance!

Xiong Cili listened with a faint smile, not interrupting; when they had mostly finished, he waved his hand, about to speak a few soothing words, when a faint commotion rose from outside the mansion gates.

At first the disturbance was distant, like a few shouts in the wind, but it quickly grew nearer and louder, gradually merging into a clamor.

There were gongs, drums, horse hooves, and many voices shouting together, rolling in from the far end of the main street:

"Great victory! Great victory!"

Everyone in the hall fell silent, exchanging puzzled looks, first bewildered, then as if hearing a funeral dirge.

"Who's shouting recklessly?" Yuan Kai was the first to stand, his complexion slightly changing.

Xiong Cili couldn't help but frown, calling out, "Men! Go out and see."

A steward of the Xiong household rushed out, and shortly after hurried back, before even stepping into the hall, he shouted hoarsely:

"Sir! Great victory! Great victory! The imperial army has crushed the rebels at Jizhou, captured the Prince of Nan'an alive! It's a triumph for the court!"

The words struck like a stone hitting water; the front hall buzzed with a sudden explosion.

Everyone rose, their faces full of shock and disbelief.

Yuan Kai's mouth twitched; after a long moment he forced out a sentence, looking odd:

"Wasn't the proclamation issued just last night? How could it be lost today?"

This damn thing is way too fast, right?

With such paltry skill, also trying to be like Chengzu clearing the court?

Chen Sheng slumped in his chair, the color drained clean from his face, murmuring:

"How could this be… it's only been so short?"

The faint smile on Xiong Cili's face froze at that moment.

He slowly set down his tea cup; the bottom clinked against the table, a light sound that seemed to strike each person's heart.

"Explain clearly," Xiong Cili said, staring at the steward, his voice deep.

"What 'Jizhou great victory'? What 'captured the Prince of Nan'an alive'? Did you hear wrong?"

The steward gasped, stammering:

"Outside… it's spreading everywhere! They say this evening, Lan Yu smashed tens of thousands of rebels outside Jizhou City, the Prince of Nan'an was captured in front of his formation, and Prince Dongping's heir also fled and was captured."

"Now the victory report is being sent into the city; the townsfolk are running out shouting!"

The people in the hall exchanged looks; the earlier words 'the commander is incompetent, causing the army's death' and 'both sides suffer losses' still rang in their ears, now feeling like slaps to their faces.

The hall fell deathly silent, leaving only the increasingly loud and near cheers from outside, rolling like a tide toward the whole of Shenjing.

Zhang Tingyu's residence, study.

Unlike the lofty discussions among the civil officials in Xiong Cili's mansion, this place was extremely quiet.

The study faced south, its window half‑closed, revealing a corner of bluish‑gray night sky and the gradually waxing autumn moon.

The candle had been replaced; the new flame burned brightly, casting a denser scholarly atmosphere throughout the room.

Zhang Tingyu, dressed in a half‑worn blue‑gray Daoist robe, reclined in a pear wood chair with a blue‑cloth cushion, a cup of Liu'an tea at his side.

Opposite him sat a young man in his early twenties, with a clear, handsome face and a hint of youthful green in his brows—his eldest son, Zhang Ruoxian.

Zhang Ruoxian had been sitting for less than half a cup of tea, already the third time he turned his ear to listen to the sounds outside. He finally could not hold back, whispering:

"Father, the Prince of Nan'an has risen in Jizhou to purge the court, and outside the whole city is in uproar."

"I returned today from my schoolmate, and along the way heard many talks; they say Duke Jing's choice of an unqualified man this time will likely lead to defeat."

Zhang Tingyu took a sip of tea, not lifting his eyelids, and simply hummed.

"Father!" Zhang Ruoxian became a bit urgent, leaning forward, and said:

"Why aren't you at all anxious? Outside they say Duke Jing has won several years of battles, has become reckless, and even sent a man no one has ever heard of—Lan Yu—to lead troops. Isn't that underestimating the enemy?"

"The Prince of Nan'an is a second‑rank Grand General, from a lineage of generals for generations. If Lan Yu fails, Shenjing will…"

Mainly I'm still worried that Jia Jing might lose, and my own father would be implicated!

"Why panic!" Zhang Tingyu gently placed the tea cup on the table, then lifted his eyes to his son, shouting sternly:

"When faced with matters, keep calm; being rash and impatient is no good!"

Zhang Ruoxian subconsciously sat upright, yet still couldn't hold back, saying:

"I am worried for you!"

"When you attain the position of Deputy Minister in the Cabinet, then you may worry for me, no sooner!" Zhang Tingyu said lightly.

He then felt his tone had become a bit stiff, and after a pause, said in a deep voice:

"You just said that outside everyone is saying Jia Zi Jie will be defeated. Then I ask you, in all these years Jia Zi Jie has campaigned from Liaodong to the Northwest, which expedition was reported like that?"

"When fighting the False Qing, some said he would lose; when battling the Northern Yuan, others said he must be defeated; when confronting the Huan Xie, there were also those who said, now that he controls all armies, this is utterly unreasonable!"

Zhang Tingyu simply did not believe Jia Jing could lose, or that anyone understood Jia Jing's true combat power better than he did.

Perhaps many people treat Jia Jing's feats—'smashing city gates', 'charging fifty thousand on a single horse', 'two arrows conquering Tianshan'—as exaggerated rumors.

But Zhang Tingyu knows these are truly real!!

Here I must mention that ever since Zhang Tingyu took on the 'Xing Dayu' and 'Jingcha' assignments—offices that offended people—and was thoroughly tied to Emperor Jing Sheng Di and Jia Jing's war chariot, his inner worries led him to repeatedly investigate and deeply study all of Jia Jing's past battle reports!

Even now his backyard still holds fragments of Jizhou City gates and wreckage of Northern Yuan supply wagons—the very 'originals' that Jia Jing smashed and flung away!

And as the investigation into Jia Jing's combat strength deepened, Zhang Tingyu had only one thought left in his mind:

In this lifetime, even if I offend everyone under heaven, I must stick close to Jia Zi Jie! Because Jia Zi Jie represents absolute correctness and inevitable victory...

And upon hearing Zhang Tingyu's words, Zhang Ruo'ai opened their mouth, momentarily unsure what to say!

Zhang Tingyu took a sip of tea, their expression calm as they continued to instruct:

"From now on, when facing matters, you must have your own judgment; don't just follow others. Prince Nan'an is indeed a rare second-rank general in recent years, but how did he attain this rank?"

"He rose through seniority, relied on his family's inherited status, and the court, having no one else, could only promote him from among the short."

"I have studied all his past battle reports; in terms of warfare, he can only be considered mediocre."

"When he initially led troops against Annan, the campaign was prolonged with meager results; suppressing the Wokou pirates, he also had more losses than wins; the few victories he did have were essentially won by sheer numbers."

"In terms of genuine ability, what kind of veteran is he? To put it bluntly, comparing him to Jia Zi Jie is an insult to Jia Zi Jie!"

Zhang Tingyu's words carried obvious admiration and respect for Jia Jing!

"But this time, isn't it that Duke Jingguo didn't personally lead the troops into battle?" Zhang Ruo'ai couldn't help but retort.

If Duke Jingguo were to personally take the field, the chances of victory would indeed be great, but Lan Yu is somewhat lacking!

"This only further shows that Jia Zi Jie has full confidence and a firm grasp of the situation; I suspect Lan Yu is no ordinary opponent either."

"Huh?! Perhaps Jia Zi Jie also intends to use Prince Nan'an to train troops and commanders! After all, the Twelve Regiment Battalion consists mostly of new recruits, needing to be tempered in the fires of war..." Zhang Tingyu mused.

"Using Prince Nan'an to train troops and commanders? Isn't that still underestimating the enemy?" Zhang Ruo'ai said, not understanding.

"Hmph! This is the breadth of vision and stature! Jia Zi Jie nowadays is no longer looking at issues from the position of a mere commander, but gazing upon the world, making long-term plans for state affairs."

"For the likes of Prince Nan'an to dare raise troops to overthrow the ruler right under his nose—that is sheer arrogance, blind and clueless!" Zhang Tingyu let out a cold snort and said in a deep voice.