Chapter 87: The Big Basket

Xinghua City.

After circulating the intelligence, all the officers of the Five Cities Military Command stared in disbelief.

Commander Rong has led his troops to retake Taizhou and invites everyone to attend the victory banquet.

This kind of explosive news is no different from the sun rising in the west.

"Marquis, since Commander Rong is in such high spirits, why not indulge him?"

The battle at Gaoyou State is nearly over; once this concludes, we’ll go to the victory banquet!”

Li Mu smiled cheerfully.

He didn’t believe the sun rose in the west; likewise, the ragtag force led by Commander Rong had no capacity to retake Taizhou.

Recognizing something was off was one thing, but as a decent man, he couldn’t directly suspect a colleague.

Truth or falsehood—once we arrive, we’ll know for sure.

Especially the boastful claims in battle reports: three days and nights of brutal fighting, tens of thousands of enemy slain.

Those unfamiliar with Commander Rong might think the Overlord himself had returned.

Exaggerating battle achievements was common, but daring to boast this brazenly was rare indeed.

Even when he inflated his reports, he at most embellished the enemy casualty figures.

Even if he exaggerated the victory, he’d say soldiers fought bloody battles for three days and nights—not that he himself fought for three days and nights.

The court officials weren’t fools; everyone understood that a large army might fight fiercely for several days.

If he’s so formidable, why not take the military imperial examination and become a martial Zhuangyuan?

It’s not boasting—Great Yu’s martial Zhuangyuan were truly formidable.

They could shoot arrows and ride horses with near-perfect accuracy, wield weapons over a hundred jin as if they were toys, and kill an ox with a single punch was basic ability.

Every martial Zhuangyuan possessed the strength to kill a tiger barehanded.

Merely being strong wasn’t enough; they also had to be thoroughly proficient in military strategy and tactics.

Though the martial examination was held every three years, very few passed as military Jinshi, and the martial Zhuangyuan was rarer still.

Winning first place didn’t automatically grant the Zhuangyuan title.

One had to demonstrate overwhelming superiority and gain the Emperor’s approval to earn it.

In all these years since Great Yu’s founding, there had been only a handful of martial Zhuangyuans.

With such formidable figures existing, wise generals never emphasized their personal valor in battle reports.

“Obey him? I think you’re just craving more chaos!”

Forget it. Since he’s so capable, let the Ministry of War verify his battle claims.

I just fear he didn’t defeat the rebels and retake Taizhou at all—instead, he got defeated by them. Our Five Cities Military Command would lose face!”

Though he spoke of difficulties, the smile on his lips betrayed the Marquis’s good mood.

The last flaw had now been patched by the good news.

With this battle report, no one could ever accuse him of deliberately assigning suicide missions.

Whether the report’s contents were true, or whether Commander Rong and his men were alive or dead—none of it mattered anymore.

Bait is only needed when fishing.

When the water is drained, you simply walk in and grab the fish.

With the Gaoyou State battle ending early, the rebels’ current situation was like fish without water.

The rebel forces in Nantong State failed to cross the river; the Jiangnan Naval Force, seeking to redeem themselves, pinned them firmly on the northern bank.

The coalition armies raised by southern provinces launched repeated river-crossing assaults, driving them to despair.

Having missed their best chance to expand, the court’s encirclement was now complete.

No matter how the rebels struggled, their destruction was inevitable.

The court’s grand strategy remained unaffected; victories or defeats on local battlefields were trivial.

The Five Cities Military Command’s reputation? That was pure nonsense.

If they truly cared about the bureau’s face, they wouldn’t have sent a band of aristocratic wastrels to lead troops into battle.

“Marquis, Commander Rong knows the stakes—he wouldn’t fabricate a victory report.”

Since he’s already retaken Taizhou, we needn’t rush southward. Let’s first deal with the remaining enemies in Gaoyou State!”

Zhao Yawei feigned ignorance.

Compared to before, he now desperately needed military merit.

In the army, strength granted influence, but military merit was the decisive factor.

With Li Mu’s sudden rise, the position of this top-ranked Battalion Commander in the bureau had become extremely awkward.

With a colleague outshining him, his strength and merit appeared mismatched—in outsiders’ eyes, it proved his incompetence as a Battalion Commander.

Military merit wasn’t just about wanting it—you needed sufficient luck too.

In recent days, while hunting rebel remnants, the other Battalion Commands had all scored kills; his own unit hadn’t even encountered a single enemy.

No matter what, he had to join the aftermath of the Gaoyou State campaign.

…

Taizhou City.

One moment, Commander Rong had been commanding with great prestige; the next, he was a prisoner.

Along with him, a host of noble officers shared his fate.

They never imagined that, even after negotiations were settled, the rebels would turn on them.

Only the ringleaders would be punished; accomplices would be pardoned.

Such generous terms were undeniably lenient.

Had they not urgently needed a victory, they wouldn’t have risked court retribution by offering such favorable surrender conditions.

“Let me go! You can’t break your word!”

Commander Rong couldn’t help shouting in rage.

He simply couldn’t understand: if the rebels had already delivered the Zong family’s heads, why suddenly betray them at the victory banquet?

“Commander Rong, Commander Rong!”

“It’s not that we broke our word—we were forced.”

Frankly, your terms were very tempting.

But we are the leaders of the righteous army!

As for the Zong family? Merely a bunch of rats. Who gave them the right to command us?

Of course, you didn’t know these secrets, and we don’t blame you.

But you didn’t know—Embroidered Uniform Guard knew. Every brother in the righteous army knew.

When everyone knows something, it can’t be kept secret.

The court’s stance toward the righteous army has always been unchanged.

If we surrendered to the court, we’d all be flayed alive.

With no other choice, we’ve invited you here as our guest.”

Huang Renlong smiled amiably as he explained.

The deception had gone smoother than he imagined.

Had he not seen it completed, he wouldn’t have believed the Zong family’s name carried such weight—even their severed heads were so useful.

“Impossible!

I’ve confirmed it myself—the Zong family is one of the Seven Great Clans of the Two Huai, immensely powerful.

You’re just a salt smuggler. How could you possibly command the entire army?”

Commander Rong said in disbelief.

The stories of the Seven Great Clans of the Two Huai—he’d heard them so often while visiting brothels in Yangzhou that his ears were numb.

The court’s list of rebel leaders precisely matched the clan heads of the Seven Great Clans.

Minor figures like the Huang brothers weren't even qualified to appear on the rebel list—how could they become rebel leaders?

“If the Zong family were truly as powerful as you claim, how could you cut off their heads?

Even if you delivered their heads, you didn’t even check the time of death—whose fault is that?

Smuggling salt carries the death penalty; without proper preparations, my brothers would’ve been dead long ago.

Fortunately, the court is stingy—the soldiers in the bureaus were nearly starving.

We brothers couldn’t bear to see others suffer, so we used our money to support them.

When you gathered intelligence from our men, the fact you got even this much shows you’ve done well!”

Huang Renlong teased.

If the imperial troops were this incompetent, his rebellion might actually succeed.

The court listing the Seven Great Clans of the Two Huai as rebel leaders? Even an outsider like him knew it was political necessity.

If the charges weren’t severe enough, how could they sweep away the bloodsucking interest groups feeding on the salt trade?

If the Seven Great Clans were labeled mere accomplices, the scholars they’d funded would surely find ways to whitewash them.

The court officials who’d taken their bribes had a hundred ways to help them escape punishment.

Without eliminating the masterminds, salt reform would be a joke.

Labeling them as rebel leaders changed everything.

No one dared help them clear their names—just hearing their names made people avoid them like plague.

"Despicable!"

After cursing aloud, Commander Rong collapsed where he stood.

Even if his wits were dull, he knew he was finished.

Once in the hands of the rebels, his status and patrons became useless.

Even if he were lucky enough to be rescued by imperial troops, he was still doomed.

That boastful “victory report” was his death warrant.

……

The disturbance in Taizhou was swiftly reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Upon receiving the news, Marquis Wuyang immediately began cursing Commander Rong’s ancestors.

In his fury, he even spat out accusations of the imperial consort bringing ruin to the state.

The capture of a large number of imperial relatives and noble youths was a major incident—far more serious than the earlier assassination attempt.

For the nobles and imperial relatives, these men could lose battles, could die on the battlefield, but could never become prisoners.

“My Lord, these men were dispatched from our Five City Military Command; the cleanup must be handled by us.”

“Under no circumstances can the civil officials be allowed to interfere—otherwise, the consequences will be endless!”

When group interests were involved, Li Mu lost his usual composure.

He knew Commander Rong had caused trouble, but never imagined they were so bold—they didn’t just hand over the entire army to the enemy, but went and became prisoners themselves.

He didn’t expect them all to die, but at least a few should have died to prove their honor.

Since no one was willing to die, they would have to find a way to make them die.

Fortunately, the eunuch faction and the noble imperial relatives were temporarily allied, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard relayed the news immediately.

If they delayed even a few days, once the news spread, it would be far harder to handle.

“Issue orders: prepare the entire army for deployment. I will cleanse my own household!”

Marquis Wuyang spoke with murderous intent.

The trouble caused by his subordinates was his responsibility to clean up.

(End of Chapter)