Chapter 262: Empathy

With Yuanjiang County town already taken, Yue Fei and Zhang Jun still did not relax. Having just discussed this issue, they knew better than anyone that breaking into such a small southern county town was far too easy, not worth mentioning. The key was not letting the two rebel leaders escape.

Once they escaped and burrowed into Dongting Lake, this matter would never end.

But soon, a piece of news that excited Yue Fei, Zhang Jun, all the imperial army commanders, and even the surrendered generals came through.

"Zhong Xiang intends to surrender in person, bringing his children and the false Chu officials bound?" On a slope serving as a command post outside the city, Zhang Jun, who had now revealed his identity and taken the main seat, was greatly roused. "Go quickly and tell him: if he surrenders properly and then, on behalf of the court, pacifies the water stockades, towns, and lake islanders in Hunan, I, in my capacity as current Privy Councilor, guarantee that his descendants will not be cut off!"

The messenger dared not delay and hurried off again. Although there were some complications—doubts about the sudden appearance of the so-called Privy Councilor, demands for Yue Fei's official documents as a guarantee, and other messy affairs—the overall situation was clear. After several exchanges, good news was indeed confirmed: Zhong Xiang was truly going to surrender.

Spirits were high—truly high—because Zhong Xiang's surrender was tremendous good news for everyone present.

For high-ranking imperial officials like Zhang Jun and Yue Fei, it meant the stability of the Dongting Lake region after the rebellion would rise another notch; at the very least, no one could easily stir up trouble from the angle of shamanistic cults and sacrifices. For the imperial troops, although their military merits would be slightly diminished, it also meant they wouldn't have to risk continuing to fight through the possible spring floods; the remaining areas along the Xiang River in Hunan would likely be pacified by mere proclamation. And for the surrendered local fishermen, lake dwellers, and water bandits, it meant they wouldn't have to bear any moral or psychological cost for their surrender.

However, when Bi Jin, as Yue Fei's close Captain, went to take custody of the prisoners, he hurried into the city but did not return promptly. Not only that, shortly after Bi Jin entered the city, the previously somewhat quieted town suddenly erupted in noise and commotion, clearly indicating something had gone wrong. This caused many people, especially the newly surrendered locals, to show signs of panic.

But the noise and commotion quickly disappeared, presumably forcibly suppressed by the Imperial Guard's Forward Army. And not long after, everyone watched as countless armored soldiers surged forward, escorting dozens of captives dressed in strange clothes but clearly adorned with gold and jade. This finally allowed everyone to relax completely.

"What happened?" Wang Gui, seeing Bi Jin approaching first to report, immediately frowned and asked from a distance.

Bi Jin dared not be negligent. He bent down directly and reported carefully: "That scoundrel Yang Yao refused to surrender. He even kidnapped one of Zhong Xiang's sons and tried to flee. He's been captured, but it happened suddenly. The Imperial Guard accompanying us, to stabilize the situation, directly broke both his legs. He's in a bit of an undignified state right now..."

Wang Gui turned to look at Yue Fei, and Yue Fei turned to look at Zhang Jun... Hearing this news, Yue Pengju knew that the mission southward was essentially over, so he was happy to let this Privy Councilor take over.

Zhang Jun was only momentarily startled, then directly raised his hand: "No matter. Bring him along too. At this point, why care about dignity or not? It's nothing more than surrender or not. If he won't surrender, we'll deal with him on the spot."

Everyone from Yue Fei downward nodded together. That was indeed the logic.

And so, Bi Jin went to the rear to fetch the man, while Zhang Jun began negotiating with Zhong Xiang and his family before him.

Zhong Xiang, past middle age, had lost all his boldness after this military defeat. When he saw Zhang Jun, he just wept and wailed. First, he took off his false Chu king's robes and presented his seal. Then he promised to help the Privy Councilor pacify the remaining strongholds along the Xiang River in Hunan... The matter went so smoothly that everyone found it somewhat dull.

"I see you are so docile, valuing your children's lives more than your own, just like an ordinary wealthy old man. How did you come to rebel?" After reiterating that he would definitely protect the man's few young children, and seeing the other's relief, Zhang Jun couldn't help but feel curious.

"Your Excellency doesn't know, I really had no choice. It wasn't that I personally wanted to rebel; I was pushed into it and had no choice but to rebel." Zhong Xiang, whose ropes had been removed and clothes stripped, confirmed that his few young children would live. Then, thinking of his own certain death, he couldn't help but shed tears, raising his sleeve to cover his aged face. "Our Zhong family has done society business for generations on Dongting Lake, relying on the Great Sage's name. In good years, we collected grain and money; in bad years, we distributed grain and money. When prosperous, we collected grain and money; when impoverished, we distributed grain and money... For several generations, this society business was excellent. But after the Jingkang Incident, the court's demands became too great. Especially last year's tax and corvée increases, which were imposed on all of Jingxiang. The whole of Jingxiang became impoverished. For our society, it meant all outflow and no inflow. We were on the verge of bankruptcy, so those people pushed me into rebellion... Your Excellency, I truly didn't mean to..."

Zhang Deyuan certainly knew that Zhong Xiang was deliberately playing weak, and his words were full of omissions.

For one thing, this man's rebellion inevitably involved shamanistic cults and licentious sacrifices, and also the ambition that arose after the Jingkang Incident. At that time, this scoundrel had already begun expanding his society on Dongting Lake through force, training troops, and spreading ghostly rumors about the 'Chu King' and such... But after the Zhao Emperor escaped from the Huai River and settled in Nanyang, followed by the news of Fan Qiong being buried alive in Xiangyang, this half-baked rebel's ambitions were somewhat dampened, and he became fearful.

However, some things are truly like spilled water—impossible to take back. Since Zhong Xiang had crossed the red line right after Jingkang, even if he hadn't rebelled, once the court was stable, they would have dealt with this 'Great Sage Grandfather.'

This was the fundamental reason for Zhong Xiang's rebellion.

Only then came the pattern of the society business going bankrupt, forcing him to rebel.

Of course, in the end, this scoundrel was also unlucky... After all, in the scene following Jingkang, who didn't think the Great Song was finished? There were plenty of ambitious people, and a whole bunch had crossed the red line. So, dare I ask, what was wrong with the Great Sage Grandfather wanting to be a Chu King?

But then, didn't the Great Song manage to catch its breath and bounce back? That made things awkward.

"Ah..."

In an instant, Zhang Jun figured out the ins and outs of the matter. He found the man ridiculous in his heart, but since he still needed him to pacify dozens of strongholds in Hunan, he simply sighed and then comforted him with kind words. "What you say does have some reason. It can only be said that the general trend is like this; no one can do anything about it. You must know that the Emperor once sat in meditation with the monks of Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing. He said that a single speck of dust in the general trend, when it falls on an individual, becomes a great mountain. You were just unlucky."

These words truly had Zen-like reasoning. The Great Sage Grandfather, who had killed who knows how many monks, upon hearing this, felt as if struck by a staff. He was wounded to the very core of his being and couldn't stop weeping and wailing.

However, as the Great Sage Grandfather cried even more bitterly, Privy Councilor Zhang Deyuan instead grew tired of paying attention. Because his attention was now drawn to another person brought by Bi Jin—a stalwart man whose armor had been stripped and ropes cut into his flesh. His legs were completely useless, and he was being dragged up the small slope, yet he still held his head high, looking around. Then, gritting his teeth, he glared angrily at the surrounding surrendered generals. Wherever his gaze fell, except for Huang Zuo, who seemed unafraid, probably feeling that the people of Lizhou had been wronged, almost none of the later surrenderees dared to meet his eyes.

Without a doubt, this man was Yang Yao, who had previously tried to kidnap Zhong Xiang's son and flee. He was also the true military leader of the Dongting Lake rebels.

Yang Yao looked around contemptuously. When he saw the stripped Zhong Xiang just crying and wailing there, he could no longer contain himself. His eyes almost bloodshot, he shouted hoarsely:

"Zhong Xiang! If you're going to die, then die! What are you crying for?!"

In his words, Yang Yao no longer addressed the other as 'King' or 'Great Sage Grandfather.' Yet, having been dragged all the way here, he only spoke to this one person... This showed that he was half-disappointed in Zhong Xiang, yet half-resentful and unwilling to accept it.

This was only natural.

You must know that in these times, 'Grandfather' actually meant 'Father.' Zhong Xiang sold insurance through his society on Dongting Lake, and insurance was undoubtedly a great enterprise. So, everyone who joined their society—hundreds of thousands of people—called him 'Grandfather.' Combined with specific religious overtones and the addition of 'Great Sage,' this 'Great Sage Grandfather' was, in every sense, equivalent to the Godfather of Sicily in later times.

It's just that all the Mafia societies in Sicily combined might not be as big as this one society on Dongting Lake, let alone have the ability to step onto the stage of history.

Enough digression, back to the present. Leaving aside the Great Sage Grandfather, who had long lost his spirit and just covered his face and cried incessantly, the free-spirited Zhang Jun felt a stir in his heart... Through Yue Fei's earlier introduction, he already knew that Yang Yao was the true leader of the rebels, a capable man who had even studied a few years of elementary schooling. Moreover, since the court had already made its ruling, distinguishing between Zhong Xiang and the others by rank, this Yang Yao might not be unusable... In other words, Zhang Jun had inexplicably developed a fondness for talent.

"Yang Yao, are you willing to surrender?" With this thought, Privy Councilor Zhang didn't stand on ceremony and blurted out directly. His previously perfunctory words now carried a bit more sincerity.

Yang Yao, of course, had long expected this question. Before the soldiers on either side could set him down, he craned his neck and cursed at Zhang Jun, who was sitting upright in the center: "Yue the bandit! You lackeys of the court! First, you sent officials to take away our livelihoods, then you brought a bunch of Hebei dogs to kill our Dongting Lake brothers! How dare you still try to recruit me?! Do you think I'm also a spineless man like that one?!"

This outburst, aside from mistaking Zhang Jun for Yue Fei, was entirely within everyone's expectations. Even the 'Hebei dogs' in Yue Fei's army, having been through so much, felt nothing at the insults of a dying man.

Zhang Jun was also not angry. He just sneered in response: "Yang Yao, your words make no sense. There's a war in the north—a national war, concerning the life and death of the state. Was it only Jingxiang that had its land tax increased? The southeast also had its commercial tax raised, and Bashu even prepaid an entire year's fiscal revenue and land tax... Do you know that? Even I once donated my family property... Everything done was to protect the Central Plains and Guanzhong, and then recover Hedong and Hebei. It's like a family facing difficulties, everyone tightening their belts together..."

"Bullshit!" Yang Yao was thrown to the ground. With his lower body paralyzed, he propped himself up on his elbows and continued his tirade. "Who is a family with you?! We are naturally people of Jingxiang, and your Yue Family Army are naturally people of Hebei! We are naturally fishermen and farmers who can't get enough to eat, and you are naturally high officials, nobles, and military ruffians! What does protecting the Central Plains have to do with us? What does Hebei and Hedong have to do with us? For no reason at all, you want us to hand over the grain we worked hard all year to get, just for you to squander?! Even if you Hebei people wanted our help, you should at least act like you're asking for it! How can you be so indifferent to our lives and deaths?!"

Zhang Jun sighed. He just glanced at Yue Fei and couldn't be bothered to argue further, only feeling it was somewhat unfair for Yue Pengju.

Yang Yao, of course, knew nothing of this. He just continued his angry shouts: "Besides, what kind of character are you nobles? Do you take us for fools? The money and grain we scraped together with our lives isn't enough for one drinking party in your imperial palace! How much of it was actually used for the military? Do you really think we haven't seen the shape of officials?... You say you donated your family assets, that's because you know that if you win the war, you, a Marshal, can squeeze back ten times as much! But what about us? What benefit, even half a coin, would come to us if Hebei is recovered?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jun looked down at the strange false Chu robes confiscated beside him, then glanced at Yue Fei, who was clearly doing his utmost for the people of Hunan and Huxi but now had veins jumping at the corners of his eyes. Zhang Jun's patience was gone. He simply waved his hand: "Drag him down and behead him. Send his head on a tour along the shores of Dongting Lake!"

The surrounding armored soldiers hurried forward to drag him away. Yang Yao, however, showed no fear. As he was being dragged, he craned his neck and shouted strenuously at Zhang Jun: "Hey, Yue! Even if I die, I die for the folks of Dongting Lake! The people of Dongting Lake will remember me! In the future, I can still become a god or a saint in Dongting Lake! But you mongrel officials, you military ruffians who only suck the blood and marrow of the people—who will remember you in the future?! Who will remember you?!"

Moments later, without any further incident, Yang Yao was beheaded amidst his curses.

With that, of the two rebel leaders, one had surrendered and one was dead. Of the so-called forty-stockade rebel force, nearly half had been eliminated. What remained was nothing more than pacification by proclamation or storming the remaining stockades and towns. The overall situation could no longer stir up any waves.

But after this affair, Zhang Jun lost his interest in playing the refined general. He simply delegated the matters to Wang Gui, telling him to take the surrendered men and handle things quickly, while he himself sat still in his original spot.

Yue Fei was about to go supervise the setting up of the military camp when Zhang Jun called him back on the spot. Everyone knew that these two—one civil, one military—wanted to talk, so they tactfully withdrew. Even close aides like Bi Jin understood and sauntered down the slope.

Interestingly, with the others gone, facing Yue Fei, who was clearly affected by Yang Yao's earlier tirade and was somewhat gloomy, Zhang Jun found himself at a loss, not knowing how to begin.

To explain: Yue Fei suddenly halted in Hubei, remaining for a long time without moving, which triggered a wave of attacks from both the court and the public, eventually causing a political storm and even bringing a high-ranking Privy Councilor south to supervise the campaign... But if you look closely, this matter, which appeared seamless from the outside, actually consisted of two completely different things inside.

The first matter refers to Yue Fei's earlier delaying actions—that is, his sudden shift from suppression to pacification last winter, followed by a series of strange behaviors, all the way until he didn't act this spring.

This matter was a purely military affair. Yue Fei's strange actions were essentially for the sake of military operational security, to ensure the campaign's effectiveness—the fact that imperial troops couldn't beat water bandits was something military men could probably understand, but it wasn't something that could be said publicly, partly to avoid leaking military secrets and partly because it would seriously affect morale.

Therefore, he had to first numb his allies to numb the enemy, enduring considerable pressure and criticism to make this shift in military strategy. And now, with this sudden thunderous strike that crushed Zhong Xiang's rebellion, when the truth came out afterwards, although some might still think Yue Fei was making excuses, more people would believe in Yue Fei's judgment and plan.

Not to mention that Yue Fei, as the highest-ranking commander, had no reason not to inform the Zhao Emperor through the secret memorial system, leaving a way out for himself and the Imperial Guard's Forward Army.

In other words, the first matter carried no risk, because it was a reasonable military decision made by a commander with full authority, based on objective military conditions from a military perspective. There was no problem whatsoever, either in procedure or in core thinking.

But there was another matter—that is, after the beginning of spring, Yue Fei's later delay during the spring plowing season—which was very subtle.

Because this was no longer a military issue. It was a serious political issue concerning political ethics, moral evaluation, and various gains and losses... This matter, whether discussed before or after the fact, could not be easily resolved.

Otherwise, what?

The Son of Heaven and the chief ministers might, from an overall perspective and a utilitarian standpoint, approve of Yue Fei's judgment and acknowledge that he had preserved more and better spring plowing activities on the whole, but the problem was, would the common people of Hubei, the officials of the three circuits, and the various Confucians, Buddhists, and Daoists who had fled from the rebel areas also approve?

If they learned the truth of the matter, they would only hate Yue Fei to the bone... because what did the overall situation have to do with them? What did Hunan have to do with Hubei?!

Hadn't Yang Yao just cursed from the bottom of his heart, what did Hebei have to do with Jingxiang?!

Of course, one baffling thing in all this was that Yang Yao, who had always resented the increased taxes in Jingxiang due to the needs of the overall situation, would never know that Yue Fei, whom he cursed, had shown the greatest goodwill and tolerance toward the people of Dongting Lake from the most overall perspective, especially benefiting the people of Hunan and Huxi, whom Yang Yao cared about most.

In fact, Yue Fei was no fool. Judging by his actions, at first he clearly wanted to hold out under pressure and wait it out. After all, he could just say he wasn't confident he could persuade Huang Zuo, the most central figure, and that it was for military reasons that he had to drag things out until after the spring plowing.

Rationally speaking, this was the most appropriate and correct way to handle it—only because of military necessity had he waited until now, not because he had waited another month for someone's sake. No one could find fault with that.

But wasn't this just unbearable frustration in his heart?

Wasn't this a craving for understanding?

So, Yue Pengju still couldn't help but explain everything to Privy Councilor Zhang Deyuan, which was also equivalent to explaining the whole story to the Zhao official in faraway Dongjing... By now, how could Zhang Jun and Yue Fei not know that the Zhao official, while in possession of Yue Fei's military plans, had still taken the initiative to send someone to supervise the campaign? One reason was naturally out of respect for the political rules of the court, and the other was clearly that the Zhao official suspected Yue Fei for not moving for so long.

However, this guess could only be called a lucky hit. The Zhao official was indeed suspicious, but not out of some suspicion that his ministers found hard to voice. Rather, he firmly refused to believe that Yue Fei couldn't handle this matter in one winter and one summer, and thought Yue Fei had run into some trouble unrelated to military affairs.

That was why he had sent Zhang Jun out.

"Pengju, the senseless words of a few petty bandits, don't take them to heart." After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Jun finally spoke up to console him.

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei let out a heavy sigh after a long while: "I know well that Yang Yao is merely short-sighted, but the road to annihilating the Jin is long and arduous. If everyone in the world is short-sighted, it can't help but make one sigh."

Zhang Jun nodded repeatedly, also somewhat emotional, but he forced himself to cheer up: "Though you say that, our undertaking is a cause for a thousand generations. Why bother about this?"

"It's not just that." Yue Fei still stood there shaking his head. "To be honest with the Privy Councilor, if Yang Yao were a wicked and unscrupulous rebel, I wouldn't even give him a second glance. But this man still has some backbone after all... Privy Councilor, today I'll say something unpleasant. No matter what the court says, according to the hearts of the local people, after a thousand years of wind and rain, there might really be a shrine for Yang Yao on Dongting Lake, while I, Yue Fei, might only be remembered here as a tyrant who harmed the people for a thousand years."

Zhang Jun opened his mouth to speak, but only managed a bitter smile.

One could always say polite words—like the Great Song lasting for a thousand generations, and these people wouldn't rise again—but those were just polite words. Some things were just that realistic.

Take the excessive sacrifices on Dongting Lake. Through the Qin, Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, which serious official hadn't dealt with them? But had anyone truly put an end to them? And now, with Zhong Xiang so utterly defeated, if the common people suffered disaster or desperation again one day, they might well elevate the unyielding Yang Yao as a new Great Sage.

As for Yue Pengju, unless he had the kind of skill as Guan Yunchang, who was still being posthumously enfeoffed by the Supreme Daoist Emperor after a thousand years, his reputation on Dongting Lake might not even be as respectable as Yang Yao's.

In short, the great river flows eastward. For a mere mortal body to accomplish a deed that would be passed down for a thousand years... how difficult is that?

"Pengju."

His mind churning, the spring day momentarily took on an autumnal air of melancholy, but Zhang Jun quickly spoke up again. "Regardless, regarding your avoiding the spring plowing after the season, I have three words for you..."

"Please speak, Councilor." Yue Fei also forced himself to rally.

"First, as the current Privy Councilor and Imperial Commissioner supervising this campaign, I truly believe that your handling of this matter was absolutely without error—meritorious, not blameworthy."

"Thank you, Councilor."

"Second, I know your difficulties. I will absolutely not speak of this matter. I only say that you needed to train Huang Zuo, and you waited until today, and even now, pressed by me to send out troops, it remains extremely risky... You must cooperate with this and not refuse, because once this matter is discussed, even just debated, it will stir up a huge uproar, possibly even reigniting the civil-military conflict. Even if the official and the central government protect you, disputes up and down will be unavoidable."

"I had that intention myself." Yue Fei let out a light sigh.

"Third, no matter what, you must trust the official. I know you haven't been with the official for long, and you might be a bit uneasy, but the official truly trusts you no less than the Prince of Yan'an... And when I return this time, bearing this responsibility, I will certainly report to the official in private. But please rest assured, Pengju, as long as I am here, I will surely explain your pains to the official clearly. And in the end, the official is truly more divinely martial and brilliant than you imagine."

What else could Yue Fei say? He could only nod heavily.

In the second month, the grass grew and orioles flew over Dongting Lake, followed by continuous spring rains. Zhang Jun ultimately entrusted the mopping-up tasks to Yue Fei, then hurriedly returned north to explain things to the official. When he reached Jiangling Prefecture, he naturally couldn't avoid stopping to exchange words and explanations with Ma Shen, the Grand Coordinator of Hubei... After hearing Zhang Jun's words, Ma Shen only said it was good that the rebellion was pacified, but made no comment on Yue Fei's explanation for holding his troops still.

However, it was in Jiangling Prefecture that Zhang Jun obtained the latest gazette—and noticed the latest relevant movements of the divinely martial and brilliant Zhao official.

The promised 'practical demonstration' at Xuan De Tower to verify the existence of air pressure, to be completed within a month, was postponed due to imprecise equipment. The divinely martial and brilliant Zhao official had no choice but to personally host a banquet, pleading with Hu Anguo and others to give the arrogant Lu Benzhong another half month to refine the instruments.

PS: Maybe the future big shot has added another 'moe'!

Then, a book recommendation and sacrifice, "Picked Up a First Emperor"! The new book by Xiao Lang, author of "Picked Up a Record of the Three Kingdoms".

Finally, without occupying a VIP chapter, I'll report a number here... This chapter should bring the month's total to 146k. Although it's 20,000 more words than last month, it's actually still a vicious cycle. Not only did I not pay off the debt, but I added another 4k to the ledger... Fortunately, the Lu Xun Academy course is over. I can only say thank you all for your understanding... Actually, I can barely keep my eyes open right now... Why? Because I didn't sleep well yesterday, and then I couldn't sleep during the day. And why didn't I sleep well? Because I had to give a graduation speech today. For someone with super social anxiety like me, this kind of thing is just...

I should go out more and interact with people more.

I hope the new month can have a good start... Good night, everyone.