[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-386":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364655,4623,"Chapter 386: Ambush Battle","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-386",386,"\u003Cp>The capital, Taihe Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This won’t do, that won’t do—why don’t you take my dragon throne instead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning raged in rebuke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The content of the earlier high-level meeting had leaked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After time fermented it, instead of fading, it grew even more heated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil and military officials in court either fiercely opposed the tax reform or remained utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Emperor Yongning utterly isolated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To quell the turmoil in court and among the people, he had made many efforts, but he had overestimated his own credibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The series of reckless maneuvers he had employed to seize power early on had ultimately come back to haunt him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials fiercely opposed the tax reform not only because their own interests were threatened, but also because they feared the emperor would recklessly disrupt things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past few years, whenever domestic stability was achieved, court disputes inevitably erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This involved faults on both the ministers’ part and the emperor’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every initiative began with good intentions, yet each ended in chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning believed the officials were not working hard enough; the officials thought the emperor’s demands were too idealistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many matters were such that pulling one hair set the whole body in motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing nothing brought no trouble; once action was taken, problems arose everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The combat effectiveness of the Da Yu bureaucracy had long since declined; any complex operation was a test of the bureaucratic system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, please calm down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your subjects have never harbored such treasonous thoughts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the emperor sulk, the officials hurriedly knelt to beg forgiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, it was they who were sulking, attempting to pressure the emperor into abandoning his reforms through a show of force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their predecessors had carried out such maneuvers countless times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost every new emperor, upon ascending the throne, would go through a round of such turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some with weak wills compromised within two or three years, entering a model of joint rule between emperor and ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others with strong will and political acumen naturally suppressed the ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either ministerial authority curbs imperial power, or imperial power crushes ministerial authority—this has been the age-old game for over a thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their struggle was normal power rivalry; Da Yu had long since developed a system for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with Emperor Yongning, some changes had emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the power struggle, the empire itself now faced internal turmoil and external threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides daily power struggles, everyone now had to find ways to maintain imperial stability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder ministers all hoped the emperor would slow down and avoid stirring up trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the younger, more aggressive faction, they stood at the back of the line and had no voice for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former reformists had already been purged in earlier political struggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, trying to extend the tax reform from the eight southeastern provinces to the entire empire, he couldn’t even find anyone willing to carry it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that Emperor Yongning had briefly considered recalling several senior figures from the noble faction to court to push for comprehensive tax reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was only a thought—the noble faction’s chaos in the south didn’t cut into their own flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if it came to the north, the situation changed: the noble faction were also vested beneficiaries of the existing system; cutting their own flesh was far too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By convention, if no one in court supported him, the emperor should have backed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected Emperor Yongning had learned to sulk too—he came out swinging hard from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying he’d “give up the dragon throne” was effectively accusing the ministers of bullying the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though their actions indeed bordered on bullying the emperor, they could never openly admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the issue couldn’t be resolved, they might as well resort to magical warfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout history, powerful ministers who bullied emperors were arrogant and domineering—they never knelt to beg forgiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If word of today’s incident spread, it would become a tale of a young, foolish emperor, with ministers humbly kneeling to counsel him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning swallowed the curse he was about to hurl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers had made their stance clear through action; pushing further would only lead to mutual destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. The new tax law will not be extended for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning spoke with bitter resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside, he had resolved to cultivate a circle of loyal officials in court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never wanted to endure another such act of coercion again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had merely mentioned tax reform once in a high-level meeting—he had never even raised it publicly in court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely hinting at the idea had sparked a massive uproar; any normal person would feel suffocated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty is wise!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having achieved their desired outcome, the ministers ignored the emperor’s grim expression and rubbed salt into the wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Wan Junhui was the most embarrassed—this mess was his fault as Chief Minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was nothing he could do; Emperor Yongning was too diligent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only he’d learned from the former emperor—who, when trouble arose, simply hid in the palace and never showed his face—this scene of ministers forcing the emperor would never have happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or if he’d just had thicker skin and outright denied it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials who attended the meeting would never expose themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone else who dared to speak out would be accused of planting spies in the palace—a crime punishable by execution and family annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no evidence at all, it was mere rumor; under the pretext of harshly punishing false accusers, he could even eliminate those he disliked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor himself refused to use this ready-made imperial tactic—he was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t handle the emperor, he certainly couldn’t control the ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning appointed him Chief Minister precisely because his faction was weak, lacking the power to monopolize authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect was clear—he had never monopolized power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cost was that when problems arose, he, as Chief Minister, could not suppress the ministers either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the Prefect of Qiongzhou has submitted a memorial: the Annan people sent assassins disguised as an envoy delegation, attempting to infiltrate the capital to commit treason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The envoy group has already been detained by the Qiongzhou authorities; the court is requested to issue judgment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Siyuan immediately reported.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Minister of the Honglu Temple, under normal circumstances, he should not have meddled in this mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Chief Minister had given him a hint, so he had no choice but to raise the matter and shift the awkward atmosphere in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside, he cursed the entire family of the Prefect of Qiongzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If assassins disguised as envoys, why not report it directly to the court? Why send the documents to the Honglu Temple?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did handle foreign envoys, yes—but their job was only reception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreign diplomacy was irrelevant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In international relations, Da Yu was heaven itself; all vassal states were merely to obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ministry of Justice, how should these vassal-state assassins be punished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning asked coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, according to Da Yu law, the assassins should be publicly executed and their vassal state held accountable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Justice Di Deyu immediately gave his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Da Yu law was so extensive he wasn’t even sure such a provision existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not remembering it didn’t stop him from giving an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Yu had never been a purely legalistic state; human rule had always outweighed legal rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Yu law had to conform to collective moral views; if conflict arose, the Ministry of Justice held the authority to interpret the law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding a new clause to convict them was not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, phrases like “vassal state sending assassins disguised as envoys to plot treason” were too obscure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Yu had endured for 280 years—this was the first time such a thing had ever happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No normal person could imagine such a bizarre, absurd event occurring right beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the two nations not been at war, the court would surely have dispatched investigators to trace the full story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A pack of petty clowns—let the Qiongzhou Prefecture handle them according to law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for sending envoys to demand accountability from Annan—skip it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell Marquis Hanshui: strike them hard. I don’t want Annan to exist in this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning spoke with murderous intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, these Annan people had run straight into his gun barrel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor, seething with pent-up rage, had no outlet—then they came right to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers unusually offered no opposition to the emperor’s decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor venting his anger on Annan was far better than turning it on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the most active censors fell silent at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information everyone received was that Annan had invaded Guangxi, and Dayu was merely responding defensively—there was no question of reckless militarism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they’ve sent assassins to provoke us; if Annan continues to exist, where will we save face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dayu was founded on lessons learned from the Song, and in dealing with foreign enemies, its political stance is far more resolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn, as the sky just began to lighten, the Annan camp outside the city was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on the city gate tower, watching the abandoned enemy camp, Li Mu smirked with disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: have all Guangxi garrisons sortie to pursue the enemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell the troops to latch onto the enemy’s rear and strike hard, gradually devouring their forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This campaign prioritizes annihilating the enemy’s combat strength—not rapid victory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the hundred-thousand-strong Annan army stood firm in formation, wiping them out would come at a heavy cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now the battlefield has become the march route; even if the enemy departed last night, their rearguard has only advanced a few li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this distance, Dayu troops can catch up quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one-line snake formation looks imposing, but in actual combat, the head and tail cannot support each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These basic military truths must have been pointed out to the Annan King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing goes wrong, the enemy has surely assigned a rearguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Li Mu would have repeatedly warned his subordinates to beware of ambushes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he doesn’t need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so many wars, if one lacks even this basic battlefield instinct, one is fit to be only a Platoon Leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Climbing to higher rank would only harm oneself and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving the order, Wu Dagé immediately sprang into action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to before, Li Mu’s faction had now become institutionalized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, military orders were passed verbally; now, all such orders required official documents stamped with the Commander’s seal and encrypted with unique authentication codes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sacrificed some efficiency, but to prevent blame-shifting and bureaucratic infighting, this step had to be taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying solely on verbal orders made forgery far too easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In foreign wars, it didn’t matter; no soldier, no matter how desperate, would defect to Annan, a dead-end cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if it turned into an internal war, all manner of deceit and treachery would surface—and bribing insiders would become routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu was certain his own ranks contained spies planted by other political factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the methods of this era, no internal investigation could guarantee absolute purity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d avoided trouble not only by being cautious in personnel choices, but mainly because everything he did stayed within the bounds of political rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he occasionally crossed some lines, these were not matters of principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it reached the imperial court, he’d likely be scolded and fined a few months’ salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only during factional struggles might he lose his post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In times of chaos, for a general with outstanding battlefield achievements, such punishments were negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court now cannot do without the Merit Nobility faction; unless the Emperor had lost his mind and decided to discard the bow after shooting the birds, he’d dismiss him today and reinstate him tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the tightly closed city gates slowly opened, and the imperial troops marched out in orderly formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the departing troops, Li Mu’s mind conjured images of distant battlefields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom… boom… boom…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who fired the cannons? I haven’t given the order yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sound of artillery, Shi Yufeng angrily demanded an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an aging minister disfavored by the Annan Emperor, the miserable task of rearguard duty had fallen to him without surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To block the Dayu army, he’d set an ambush along the only viable route, planning to deliver a crushing first blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined that, despite all precautions, his own artillery fired before the enemy even entered the ambush zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, the cannon fire isn’t from our side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the sound, the rearguard has encountered trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the enemy took a side path, got ahead, and ran into our rearguard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Shi Yufeng’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The border between the two states was long, but the only major road suitable for large armies was Zhennan Pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how many small trails existed, no one could say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rugged mountain paths might halt other troops, but for Guangxi soldiers, they were as easy as walking on flat ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force of a hundred or so, carrying rations, could slip through without difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopping the Annan army entirely was impossible, but disrupting their retreat and slowing their withdrawal was feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget the rearguard—our mission is to hold the enemy for three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they haven’t reached safety after that long, they deserve their fate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep everyone hidden—don’t let the enemy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, the crack of Dayu arquebuses and the roar of field artillery shattered his illusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang, bang, bang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom… boom… boom…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know where they’d been exposed, but the fact remained: the enemy had discovered their ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enemies now appeared not only on the front, but on both flanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deploy everything we prepared—drop it all, then set the mountains on fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, evacuate this position immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Yufeng gave the order without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was meant to be an ambush had turned into a defensive battle—he was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expensive preparations—fire oil, boulders, straw balls—could no longer serve their intended purpose, but he wouldn’t let them fall into Dayu hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t kill the enemy, he’d use them to buy time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission was rearguard: delay the enemy’s advance. Victories were secondary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the fire took hold, it would inevitably slow the enemy’s pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, flames erupted from both sides of the mountain path, blocking the road entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, rolling smoke was visible for miles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it—the enemy is far more cunning than we thought!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Order the vanguard to organize firefighting immediately—don’t let the fire spread!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Sanqi urgently ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To lead his first independent campaign and face this—no one had it worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2452,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","852c5aefed486704c538d592d80cf42735430b02856778f2af779d8355e97d30","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-387","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-385",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]