Chapter 805
Sudden Changes in Jinling City
Upon hearing this, Xu Da glanced at the generals behind him. At this moment, all the generals remained silent, appearing to be obedient to Xu Da's orders.
Xu Da knew that these people had to force him to say some things, so he said, "Sister-in-law, the King of Wu is gone, but our Jinling cannot be without a leader. So we have all discussed it together and we are going to support Biao'er as the King of Wu, and you as the Regent Princess, to take charge of the entire situation in Jinling."
As soon as Xu Da finished speaking, the others immediately chimed in, "Yes, Commander Xu is right. Sister-in-law, please agree. With our support, we will definitely ensure that Biao'er inherits our elder brother's legacy and leads the Southeast!"
"Please, madam, grant my request!"
At this point, the other generals also spoke up. After listening to their words, Ma Xiuying did not react at all. After a long while, when everyone had finished speaking, Ma Xiuying said, "I disagree!"
Ok?
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned, looking at Ma Xiuying with puzzled expressions and asking, "Sister-in-law, you...you don't agree?"
Ma Xiuying said, "I disagree."
Xu Da and the others were taken aback, then looked at Ma Xiuying with confusion and asked, "Why?"
Ma Xiuying asked, "Gentlemen, do you think we can still defend Jinling City without Chongba?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent. Without Zhu Chongba, they not only faced the problem of low morale, but also had to contend with the enemy's strongest military force, Chen Jiu Si.
The battle of Luoxingdun is still fresh in everyone's mind. That great battle left everyone with lingering fear. Could an army possibly withstand such a force?
It's meaningless. Chen Jiu Si alone could break through the entire city of Jinling, so their desire to protect Jinling is wishful thinking, or rather, an unrealistic and stubborn resistance.
How ridiculous!
The generals fell silent. At this moment, Ma Xiuying sighed and said, "Then what's the point of fighting? It's all about the victor and the vanquished. If Chongba loses, we all lose too. Let's stop struggling. Struggling will only lead to more deaths."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent.
The impulsive young general Lan Yu said, "Madam, we still have nearly 200,000 troops at our disposal. As long as we support the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, we will have a backbone and may be able to fight against the traitor Chen!"
Ma Xiuying said, "That's meaningless self-harm. The Han King's army and our Wu King's army are both Han people in the end. Why should Han people kill each other?"
"Furthermore, Biao'er will never inherit the throne of Wu. If he doesn't, he will only be Zhu Chongba's son. If he does inherit the throne of Wu, he will be an enemy of the Han army. Chen Jiu Si may spare Zhu Chongba's son, but he will never spare the new King of Wu!"
"He is my and Chongba's only child, and I will never let him become a tool in your hands!"
Ma Xiuying's words were extremely harsh. If an ordinary woman had said such a thing, a general would have drawn his sword long ago. But since it was Ma Xiuying who said it, they could only remain silent.
After a while, Ma Xiuying said, "Let's wait. Chen Jiu Si will give us a way out. We just need to wait. I will help us secure a good future!"
Hearing this, the generals frowned, and Lan Yu said, "Then we're giving up all our beautiful land to Chen Jiu Si. I... I'm not willing to accept that!"
"You're not satisfied, so what do you want?"
Xu Da turned to look at Lan Yu. Although Xu Da was the commander-in-chief of the Wu King's army and should have represented the interests of the army, he still remembered Zhu Chongba's dying instructions.
"Xu Da, I'm entrusting your sister-in-law and Biao'er to you!"
Yes, Zhu Chongba entrusted his family to Xu Da in the name of his elder brother at the end, and Xu Da also had to make a final concession for his sister-in-law and nephew, even if it meant the collapse of the entire Wu King's army.
Even if these generals lose their power!
So when Lan Yu stepped forward to jump, Xu Da sternly rebuked her, telling her that she couldn't be so arrogant and disrespectful to her sister-in-law!
Lan Yu then lowered her head and said, "Commander Xu, I misspoke!"
However, he was still unwilling to accept it, and bowing his head did not mean that he admitted his mistake.
Xu Da didn't make things difficult for Lan Yu, but simply said, "Alright, since my sister-in-law has said so, then I'll also express my opinion: I firmly support my sister-in-law's decision."
"If you have any other ideas, say them now!"
Hearing this, the group fell silent. Perhaps surrendering to Chen Jiu Si wasn't so hard to accept. The main question was whether Chen Jiu Si would truly accept them if they pledged allegiance to him.
This news has left everyone feeling uneasy.
Ma Xiuying looked at everyone and said, "You are all capable people, pillars of the nation. You deserve a better future, instead of staying in Jinling with old folks and spending your whole lives like this!"
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. After a long while, Xu Da said, "Then let's call it a day!"
The generals left the main hall and went outside. Lan Yu found Mu Ying and said, "Mu Ying, are you willing to surrender like this?"
Mu Ying said, "How could I be willing to accept this? But my godmother has already said so, what can I do?"
Lan Yu said, "How about we pull off a big heist?"
Mu Ying looked at Lan Yu and asked, "What's big?"
Lan Yu said, "Lead your troops and establish your own independent state!"
"You want to rebel?"
Mu Ying's eyes widened suddenly, and Lan Yu immediately covered Mu Ying's mouth, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Those old men are always hesitant and indecisive. I think we should do something big ourselves."
Mu Ying said, "What big deal? How do you plan to do it? Or do you think the two of us can beat Chen Jiu Si?"
Lan Yu said, "Even the King of Wu couldn't win, how can we expect to win? Don't be silly. But Mu Ying, we can't stay in this land of China. We can go somewhere else!"
"Lan Yu, what do you mean?"
Mu Ying looked at Lan Yu in confusion. Lan Yu said, "Fusang!"
Mu Ying was taken aback. Lan Yu said, "Actually, I've been eyeing this for a while now. But King Wu is going to fight Chen Jiu Si for the ownership of the world. Compared to the world, Fusang is really insignificant, so I didn't pay any attention to it!"
But things are different now. Things have come to this point, and there is no place for us in the Central Plains anymore. We might as well flee to Japan!
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying said, "Fusang does have some strength. Can the two of us handle it?"
Lan Yu said, "The current Japan is like a naked woman, completely defenseless."
"Zhang Shicheng transferred all of Japan's strongest force, the 10,000-strong ninja army, to the Central Plains to fight for him. As a result, they were wiped out by the combined forces of the King of Wu and the traitor Chen, which directly damaged Japan's vitality."
"Let me tell you, I've planted spies in Japan. They say that ever since all the ninja forces were transferred away, rebellions have started to break out in the areas that were originally ruled by ninjas, and power has slowly fallen back to the samurai class!"
"The entire dynasty has split into two parts from the Kamakura Shogunate: one part is Kyoto of the Northern Court, and the other part is the Yoshino family of the Southern Court. The two groups are fighting fiercely. If we send a mighty army to them now, it will be enough to let them know who is the king of this world!"
Lan Yu's eyes lit up as she spoke, and Mu Ying's eyes also lit up as she said, "This is good news! Why don't we go and inform Commander Xu, and ask him to lead his troops to conquer Fusang?"
"Ugh!"
Lan Yu said, "No, don't you think there's something wrong with Xu Shuai?" Mu Ying was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Lan Yu said, "Ever since the King of Wu left, Commander Xu has been completely defenseless and is just waiting to become Chen Jiu Si's general!"
"Ah, what nonsense are you talking about? My master isn't that kind of person!"
Mu Ying immediately became anxious.
Lan Yu said, "Alright, even if Commander Xu doesn't have this idea, we can't let him know. We can't even have too many people involved in this, at most 20,000!"
Mu Ying was taken aback and asked, "Why?"
Lan Yu said, "Chen Jiu Si came to take over our Jinling Prefecture in order to take over our army and land. The land is right here, needless to say, but our army has disappeared on a large scale. Chen Jiu Si will definitely chase after us. If he catches us in Japan, we will be wiped out."
"Therefore, this operation must be carried out discreetly, and the number of personnel cannot be too large; 20,000 is just right!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying said, "Then the two of us?"
Lan Yu said, "It's just the two of us. You can work under Commander Xu for now. Wait for my news, then we'll steal Commander Xu's tiger tally, transfer the troops out of Jinling first, and then we'll do something big."
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying thought for a moment and hesitated, as stealing the Tiger Tally was too risky.
Lan Yu said, "Mu Ying, you are the adopted son of the King of Wu and the elder brother of the Crown Prince. The situation is so urgent now that everyone has no choice but to surrender to the traitor Chen. But we need to give the Crown Prince a chance, a chance to retreat."
"As long as we become powerful in Fusang, we must bring the Crown Prince to Fusang to become emperor in the future. Although Fusang is small, it is still an imperial city."
"When the time comes, you will be the regent and I will be the general. We will protect the crown prince and when the time is right, we may be able to return to China and seize the throne from that traitor Chen."
"This is a strategy of enduring hardship and biding one's time!"
Lan Yu persuaded Mu Ying, who pondered for a long time after hearing this, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, before finally saying, "Alright, let's do it this way!"
"For the sake of the Crown Prince!"
"For the sake of the Crown Prince!"
The two put their hands together, and then Mu Ying asked, "When shall we make our move?"
Lan Yu said, "Wait, I still have things to do. You go and steal the tiger tally first. I still need to contact the commanders of the various armies. We can't do anything without their support!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying said, "Alright!"
The two secretly plotted their departure, and no one cared about them. The entire city of Jinling was plunged into a state of impending crisis.
Therefore, no one paid attention to their little tricks.
However, the people in Jinling didn't pay attention, but Chen Jiu Si's men did. Before his men even arrived, his spies had already thoroughly investigated the situation in Jinling.
Chen Jiu Si now knows more about the situation in Jinling than Xu Da and others.
There was nothing that could be done; Chen Jie won, and the victor takes all, including the hearts and minds of the people.
Previously, it was very difficult for spies from both sides to infiltrate each other, and both sides' counter-espionage organizations actively investigated. But now it's different. Officials of the Imperial Guard Commandery under Zhu Chongba have begun to gradually defect.
You might not be familiar with the Imperial Guard Commandery, so let me give you a name for it: the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
That's right, the Imperial Guard Commandery was the predecessor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which means that the Embroidered Uniform Guards in Nanjing have begun to pledge allegiance to Chen Jiu Si.
They've started to betray us—no, they've abandoned darkness and embraced the light!
Therefore, Chen Jie now understands Jinling better than anyone else.
By this time, the spies had already delivered the intelligence to Chen Jie. Chen Jie was stationed in Hongdu City, with Chen Chun standing behind him, who was compiling various information for Chen Jie.
Chen Jie glanced at the reports and said, "So, it turns out that none of Zhu Chongba's generals and commanders have any designs on this, but Lan Yu and Mu Ying are secretly plotting something?"
Chen Chun said, "Hmm!"
"Our spies infiltrated into the army reported that Lan Yu has been constantly drinking with the commanders of the thousand and hundred households these days, and he keeps saying that we are all Wu King's men, and we can't expect to have a good outcome if we follow this Chen guy, so we might as well rebel!"
"What the thousand households have to say."
"Some were interested, while others were indifferent. However, those who were interested could still attend Lan Yu's banquet the next day, while those who were indifferent were excluded!"
Chen Jie said, "Hehe, it seems Lan Yu wants to pick someone capable. By the way, do you know what they're planning?"
Chen Chun said, "According to our intelligence report from the logistics department of the Wu King's army, Lan Yu has retrieved a lot of intelligence about Fusang in the past few days, and also took a map of Fusang from the bookstore!"
"Fuso?"
"Heh, this kid picked a good spot!"
Chen Jie muttered something to himself, and then Chen Chun said, "My lord, shall we..."
Chen Chun made a decapitation gesture, and Chen Jie raised his hand and said, "Alas, no need. Lan Yu is good at leading troops and killing. I don't like that place, Fusang. Let him go and clean it up first. After all, I am the army of a king, and I practice benevolent governance. I cannot kill too much at such a small country."
"Let Lan Yu do his thing for now. Once he's done his work, we can send our royal army to reclaim Fusang Province."
"My lord is wise!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Chun immediately agreed, "That's a ruthless move! Lan Yu kills people, our lord saves them, we're definitely a righteous army, and we even managed to take over the territory, that's what you call a kingly army!"
High, it is high!
Chen Jie then looked at the map and said, "By the way, are Lan Yu and the others interested in Japan?"
Chen Chun was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by that, my lord?"
Chen Jie muttered to himself, "Cui, Gao, Jiang, and Zhang are all wealthy in one region. Of the ten provinces in Jiangnan, seven belong to Jiang. Of the ten provinces in Jiangnan, Cui and Gao share the spoils. And there's cotton and iron. The Zhang family is king!"
After Chen finished explaining, Chen Chun immediately realized that he was talking about the four great families of Jiangnan. These four families were all incredibly wealthy and controlled the economic lifeline of Jiangnan, including land, salt, iron, and cotton. All the resources that the state should have controlled were taken over by these people.
Public resentment was boiling over, and even when Zhu Chongba arrived, he didn't dare to eliminate these four families directly. These four families were also a major concern for Chen Jie.
After all, in terms of military strength, these four families could be wiped out with a wave of their hand. However, if they were wiped out, it could cause an economic crisis in Jiangnan. Therefore, the rulers do not want Jiangnan to fall into chaos and can only accommodate them. But if there are rebel armies, they could easily wipe out these four families if they are not careful.
If Chen Jie arrives in Jiangnan as a savior and implements a series of economic reforms, there shouldn't be as much resistance, right? (End of Chapter)