Chapter 186: A Rift Has Formed

Chen Prefecture City.

Inside the tent of the Cavalry Commander beside the military governor's office.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Han Tong sat in the chief seat, brows furrowed, fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

Zhang Yongde sat at the lower seat, holding a teacup but not drinking for a long time, eyes downcast, unknown what he was thinking.

"Have you heard about the situation over at Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping?"

Han Tong broke the silence first, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Zhang Yongde slowly nodded, setting down his teacup.

"I have."

"Sixteen elite warriors, none escaped."

"On Chen Wenzhong's side, only seven were lost and eleven wounded."

His tone was flat, but a barely perceptible tremor flashed in his eyes.

"Clean and swift."

Han Tong exhaled a turbid breath, leaning back against the chair.

"More than just clean and swift."

"It was outright crushing."

"Those people were not ordinary figures."

"Even those 'stalwart soldiers' Zhao Kuangyin secretly trained a few days ago probably can't compare."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of complexity.

"Chen Wenzhong... in military affairs and governance, even his methods for dealing with covert deceit are now so shrewd."

"When did his troops become this strong?"

Zhang Yongde glanced at Han Tong.

"Shi Dun is a fierce general."

"But this deployment, interlocking step by step, doesn't match his usual style."

"There must be an expert behind it guiding him."

"Or perhaps... Commissioner Chen himself is devising the strategy."

Han Tong snorted.

"Whether it's Shi Dun or Chen Wenzhong, it shows his roots in Luo River are deep, his claws sharp."

"Now the lord is gravely ill..."

He said up to this point, then stopped, not continuing.

But Zhang Yongde understood his meaning.

"If this great tree Chai Rong falls, will the monkeys beneath scatter, seek other branches, or... will the strongest among them seek to establish their own domain?"

The tent fell into silence again.

An intangible rift, as if spreading with this silence, quietly spread between the two veteran generals and throughout the Chen Prefecture army.

……

Almost at the same time.

In Zhao Kuangyin's infantry commander's tent, the scene was quite different.

Wang Yansheng's face was ashen, with an unhealed scrape on his forehead left from a previous clash with Inspection Bureau agents.

"Trash!"

Zhao Kuangyin violently threw the military report onto the desk, his chest heaving.

What he cursed was naturally the 'Yinying' squad that had been annihilated.

"Sixteen! They didn't even reach the edge of the granary!"

"The Iron Crow Army, vaunted as divine, is nothing more than this!"

Wang Yansheng said softly:

"Commander, it's not that they are incapable."

"It's simply that Chen Wen's defenses are too tight, as if they knew they would come."

"Moreover, the ambushing Jing'an troops are absurdly strong..."

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes turned sinister.

He certainly knew how formidable the 'Yinying' squad was.

Precisely because he knew, he grew all the more alarmed.

Chen Wen not only could accurately predict the attack, but could annihilate the enemy at such a small cost.

What this signified, he dared not ponder deeply.

Was it the complete suppression of the Investigation Network?

Or had Jun Ying's strength opened a generational gap?

Or both?

"What about the fifty we sent out?"

Zhao Kuangyin suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice.

He had originally intended to let those fifty 'fire-tempered' stalwart soldiers act amid the chaos, to see if they could gain some advantage or at least tie down Luo River's forces.

"Just reaching the border, we found the situation amiss—shouts of killing shook Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping, ambushes erupting everywhere."

"Subordinates feared being trapped in a encirclement, so I immediately ordered a retreat."

Wang Yansheng replied.

Zhao Kuangyin let out a breath of relief; fortunately, he didn't suffer a setback.

But soon after, a feeling of vexation welled up.

He acted with utmost care on his side, not daring to overstep the boundary.

Chen Wen's side, however, had already resolved the crisis as easily as chopping melons and cutting vegetables.

The superior side was instantly apparent.

This feeling of being utterly outclassed left him with a heavy stone lodged in his chest.

"Commander, the army is now rife with discussion."

Wang Yansheng leaned in, lowering his voice further.

"Many brothers feel that Commander Chen's side boasts strong troops and sturdy horses, clear rewards and punishments, and… seems to possess an ineffable kind of 'luck'."

"By contrast, we…"

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Zhao Kuangyin's face darkened further.

He, too, had felt it.

In the past, within the Chen Prefecture army, Zhao Kuangyin was also a notable figure, with his own following of brothers.

But since Chen Wen rose to prominence—especially after earning merit in the Battle of Gaoping, being ennobled as a marquis and taking charge of three counties—the tide has gradually turned.

Some mid- and lower-ranking officers, even some generals who were originally on good terms with him, now express envy and longing toward the Luo River side.

Even veteran generals such as Han Tong and Zhang Yongde have grown ambiguous in their attitude.

This intangible rift is continually eroding his foundation in the army.

……

A few days later.

At a routine military coordination meeting.

Such a rift has almost surfaced.

The topic was the deployment of autumn defense forces and the allocation of grain and fodder.

When the Luo River defense zone was discussed, Zhao Kuangyin's side proposed that Luo River's troops were elite and its grain plentiful, so it should bear more of the front line and allocate some grain and fodder to support other strained areas.

This was clearly intended to weaken and restrain Luo River.

Shi Dun, representing the Jing'an Army, attended; upon hearing this, he exploded.

"Bullshit!"

He shot to his feet, his voice booming like a great bell, shaking dust from the rafters.

"We're out on the front lines fighting to the death, battling the Khitan, guarding against bandits, and protecting the realm and its people!"

"You lot sit in the rear doing nothing, and now you want to bleed us dry?"

"Where do you get the nerve!"

Wang Yansheng's face flushed, and he also slammed his hand on the table and rose.

"Shi Dun! You're being insolent!"

"This is a military meeting! How can we tolerate your shouting?"

"Luo River is prosperous, part of the Later Zhou's land, its forces strong; it naturally ought to share the court's worries!"

Shi Dun spat.

"Pah!"

"Don't try to pin a big hat on me!"

"Luo River's prosperity was forged by Commander Chen and us, blade by blade, brick by brick!"

"What the hell does it have to do with you!"

"Want grain and fodder? Fine!"

"Trade it for military merit!"

"You bastards, besides whispering behind our backs, what else can you do?"

He swept his gaze over the generals present who leaned toward Zhao Kuangyin, his eyes fierce.

"Don't think I don't know you're colluding with those sneaky Iron Crow Army!"

"We haven't settled the score over the Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping matter yet!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was startled.

Although everyone had suspected it in private, this was the first time Shi Dun exposed it so directly.

Wang Yansheng was both shocked and angry.

"You… you're spitting blood!"

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of hand, Zhang Yongde hurriedly rose to smooth things over.

"Alright! Everyone, say a little less!"

"General Shi, sit down!"

"General Wang, please calm down."

"The matter of autumn defense still requires careful deliberation…"

Han Tong also spoke with a solemn face:

"What's all the fuss about!"

"Don't let outsiders see us as a joke!"

"Each of you, take good charge of your own defense zone!"

"Grain and forage allocation, according to old practice, must not be arbitrarily altered!"

"The meeting ended in discord."

"Shi Dun left, huffing angrily."

"Wang Yansheng and the others' faces turned ashen."

"Han Tong and Zhang Yongde exchanged a look, each seeing deep helplessness and worry in the other's eyes."

"The rift was now clearly visible."

"The Chen Prefecture army, once fairly united, was now inevitably moving toward division under the catalysis of external pressure and internal competition."

"And all of this."

"All of this, following the news of Chai Rong's condition, was transmitted to Luo Chuan and placed on Chen Wen's desk."

"He silently looked at the detailed report sent by Qian Gui, concerning the quarrel at the military meeting, concerning the attitudes of Han Tong and Zhang Yongde, and concerning the step-by-step pressure from the Zhao Kuangyin lineage."

"He knew."

"The rift in Chen Prefecture, to him, was both a crisis and an opportunity."

"He must tread more carefully, walking his own path between these rifts."