Chapter 1477: The Marshal's Mind

At last, the three of them felt they understood what the marshal meant.

For Zhao Song, it was easier — he was older, and after years as a senior officer leading troops, he had gained some insight into the workings of the court and could grasp the current distribution of power in the Great Han. The two younger men, however, were hearing such blunt explanations for the first time. Things they had only vaguely understood before were now being spelled out for them, and they felt as if a fog had suddenly lifted.

"Thank you for the guidance, Marshal. Zhao Song understands now…" After a moment of stunned silence, Zhao Song nodded gravely. The other two also wore expressions of sudden enlightenment.

Yet Marshal Shi Manqiang merely gave a cold laugh.

"Do you really think you understand? In my view… you still don't!"

"Still don't understand?" Zhao Song's eyes widened. He looked around blankly, only to find the two younger men even more bewildered. "Then… then… please, Marshal, speak plainly!"

"You lot! Haven't I been clear enough? The noble houses stand together, versed in both pen and sword… truly the pillars of the state. But is that alone enough?" Shi Manqiang shook his head again, seemingly dissatisfied with their failure to grasp the point. "We are to be pillars, but we are, after all, subjects. We must consider not only what His Majesty thinks, but also what those below think! The noble houses uniting as one is indeed a necessity of the times, but how will His Majesty view such a colossal power bloc? And how many below are striving to rise — will they truly be completely convinced by us?"

These two pointed questions once again left the three men speechless. They had no idea how to respond, because, truthfully, they had never given these problems much thought before.

"You are all too young to have considered such problems. But I, as one at the very peak of the noble houses, must think about this for myself and for all of you! Right now, His Majesty still relies on us and trusts us, but resentment from below is already secretly brewing. Everyone says our Great Han is just like the Former Han — the noble houses won't last long…"

The Former Han referred to the Liu Han dynasty of a thousand years ago. After the founding emperor established the realm and eliminated those unruly feudal kings, the Great Han was, for a time, ruled jointly by the emperor and the noble houses. But under the governance of three successive emperors — Wen, Jing, and Wu — the noble houses were either killed or suppressed, eventually fading away into nothing.

None of these three had read much history and were unclear on the intricate details, but they broadly understood Marshal Shi Manqiang's meaning — the noble houses' status was too privileged, they controlled too many resources and too much power, and through generations of descendants and marriage alliances, they would form a power bloc, which would inevitably risk arousing His Majesty's suspicion and resentment from below.

After pondering for a moment, they felt the marshal's words made a great deal of sense. Though such an outcome might not manifest in their own generation, over time, it would inevitably come to pass.

"Then… then what should we do?" Zhao Song looked at Shi Manqiang with a mix of confusion and unease. "Is the Marshal saying we should all keep a lower profile and each guard our own simplicity?"

"Keeping a low profile is only right. We have received such extraordinary grace and commendation from His Majesty — it is a tremendous blessing. We should never become carried away and must always remember our proper place! It was His Majesty who granted us all of this; we are merely basking in His Majesty's reflected glory!" A hint of sternness crept into Marshal Shi Manqiang's tone. "But mere low profile is useless. We can keep a low profile, but our titles and stipends will still be there, won't they? We can't possibly give all those back, can we? As long as we possess these things, those below who envy us will still envy us. Each guarding his own simplicity only weakens us all. That is why I don't particularly guard my own — when it's time to promote you, I promote you…"

"…" The three men exchanged glances once more.

So if neither a high profile nor guarded simplicity was the answer, what exactly should they do? Was the only path at the end of the road a dead end? That would be… too terrifying.

"So, you see, we must put loyalty above all else. Since those below will envy us no matter what, we lean upward — be loyal to His Majesty, generation after generation of loyalty, relying on His Majesty to preserve our titles and wealth." Marshal Shi Manqiang finally voiced his true meaning. "His Majesty has granted us dukes and marquises such extraordinary grace; we must repay the imperial house with absolute, unwavering loyalty. We must all share the fate of the nation, only then will we be worthy of His Majesty's profound kindness!"

"There's certainly nothing wrong with that…" Zhao Song nodded. "We are all deeply loyal to His Majesty — heaven and sun can bear witness. But how can we make His Majesty believe that? If His Majesty believes in our loyalty and is willing to employ us in service to the nation, that would naturally be best…"

"You've finally hit the nail on the head!" Marshal Shi Manqiang let out a long sigh. "We of the noble houses — since everything we have comes from His Majesty, since grace flows from above and our very lives belong to His Majesty — we must naturally spare no cost to demonstrate our loyalty to His Majesty, seizing every opportunity to do so. And now, isn't there a fine opportunity before you?"

The conquest of Japan — an opportunity?

Zhao Song lowered his head slightly.

"Winning this war against Japan is naturally our duty. Even if our bones are ground to dust, we would die a thousand deaths without refusal. Our utter sincerity and loyalty will surely be seen by His Majesty." Finally, he voiced his resolve.

"Mere bravery in battle is not enough. The world is full of brave fighters — it's not as if you few are the only ones. What makes it so that it must be you?" Marshal Shi Manqiang, however, seemed dissatisfied with their answer and shook his head again. "You must do far more than that."

"More…?" Zhao Song murmured, pondering. Then, as if suddenly struck by a thought, he abruptly raised his head to look at the marshal. "Could the Marshal's meaning be… could it be about the gold and silver mines in Japan?"

"What else could it be?" Marshal Shi laughed heartily. "Why else would His Majesty want to strike Japan? Since it is something His Majesty wants, then even if it lies at the ends of the earth, we must go and seize it to present to His Majesty!"

"But… but once we defeat Japan, won't we have taken them? When the time comes, all those gold mines will fall into the court's hands — can they possibly run away? With swords and spears pointed at them, the Japanese wouldn't dare disobey, would they?" Zhao Song still didn't quite grasp Marshal Shi's intent, so he pressed further.

"You… Falling into the court's hands and falling into His Majesty's hands — can those possibly be the same thing?!" Marshal Shi Manqiang sneered. "I've heard, rather, that the Grand Secretariat is eagerly rubbing its hands, planning to seize control of all the profits after Japan is conquered…"

It turned out that, through channels unknown, he had already heard that the Grand Secretariat intended, after the imperial army defeated Japan, to transfer all of Japan's gold and silver mines under its own control. And this Grand Marshal of the Great Han had his own differing views on the disposal of those mines.

"Under the Grand Secretariat's control?" The three men were shocked once again. Only now did they understand the marshal's true intent.

The soldiers at the front would shed blood and sweat, with no one knowing how many casualties it would take to conquer Japan — and then these civil officials of the Grand Secretariat, with nothing but the wagging of their tongues, wanted to take all the spoils of war? This… this was unacceptable! In an instant, this same thought flashed through the minds of all three.

In previous dynasties, where the separation of civil and military was less strict and the army's independence less pronounced, generals might not have reacted so fiercely. But in the Great Han, thanks to the rigid separation of civil and military authority and His Majesty's deliberate indulgence of the army, these men had long cultivated a proud defiance toward civil officials, entirely unlike the civil-official-fearing generals of the Song and Ming. And precisely because of this, they so vehemently resented the idea of those civil officials taking the spoils.

"The court… the court belongs to the imperial house. If the gentlemen of the Grand Secretariat wish… wish to arrange things so…" Zhao Song forced a smile. "That would… would… not be entirely improper…"

"Ah, we're all our own people here — why speak so cryptically? Since when did you pick up the habits of those scholars, talking in circles…" Marshal Shi shot Zhao Song a glance. "If you're unhappy, say it outright. No one here will report you. Everyone here thinks the same as you!"

"The Marshal is right. I too oppose handing Japan's gold and silver mines over to the Grand Secretariat." At this moment, Ma Tongji suddenly burst out. "War is a perilous affair. We all go into battle with our heads in our hands — no one knows who will bleed and lose their life. To expand the realm for His Majesty, we would die without regret. But if it's all to fatten the Grand Secretariat's coffers, then what meaning is there in fighting to the death? Not only would the soldiers find it hard to swallow, but even I, your subordinate, would feel bitter!"

"I think the same," Li Huanghe immediately chimed in. "If we at the front fight in blood and the Grand Secretariat simply plucks the peach with ease, I fear it will wound the troops' morale…"

Seeing everyone express such views, Marshal Shi's expression softened slightly, as if he were quite satisfied with their stance.

"At last, you show some sense. We fight to repay our sovereign's grace and defend our homeland — naturally, it is not to please the Grand Secretariat and the civil officials. Whatever gold and silver mines we capture are our spoils of war. If they are presented to His Majesty as private property of the imperial house, then all will naturally be convinced. But if they are silently taken from behind by civil officials without a word, not only would you find it hard to accept — even I would find it very difficult."

After the marshal made his stance clear, the tea room's private compartment once again fell into a strange silence.

The four military men had thus aligned their views, jointly opposing the Grand Secretariat's opinion. In the short history of the Great Han, this was not the first time, and it would certainly not be the last.

Having declared their stance, the two younger men fell silent, looking at Zhao Song and Shi Manqiang, waiting for these two senior figures to propose a course of action. Young men have passion, but they lack the methods to get things done. They knew this themselves, and so they were happy to follow the lead of their elders.