Chapter 808
The Darkness Before Dawn
Goodbye, Jinling, goodbye everyone!
Lan Yu pondered, his gaze piercing the vast sky, before turning and riding away. His fleet was waiting at the port; the Han King's delegation would arrive in Jinling at dawn the next day, and his own fleet would depart. The King of Wu had been defeated, but that did not mean Lan Yu had been defeated!
I will establish a nation overseas, and I will become that supreme being.
As Lan Yu waved, the soldiers quickly moved all the valuables from the Cui residence and loaded them onto the ship.
The whole of Jinling City knew about this great chaos, and Feng Sheng rushed to Xu Da's residence.
"Xu Shuai!"
Feng Sheng looked at Xu Da, who was reading in the study, and said, "General Xu, something terrible has happened! A mutiny has broken out! The mutineers have stormed into the city and started burning, killing, and looting the various families. This is an uprising! You must send troops to quell it immediately!"
Xu Da calmly turned a page of his book and said, "What's the panic? The sky hasn't fallen yet."
Feng Sheng said, "But the mutinous soldiers have already started killing people!"
"Let him kill him if he wants. Anyway, those powerful families are no good. It's good to kill them."
Feng Sheng was taken aback by these words, then looked at Xu Da suspiciously and asked, "Commander Xu, did you know in advance?"
Xu Da said, "I know."
"So you're just going to let them get away with it?"
Feng Sheng was puzzled, and Xu Da said, "When the King of Wu was alive, he wanted to deal with them, but unfortunately, he needed them to stabilize the situation in Jiangnan at that time, so he couldn't touch them. Now that our Wu Kingdom is about to perish, why should we still give them face?"
"But aren't we supposed to surrender to Chen Jiu Si? If he knows about this, will he not hold us accountable? He wouldn't want a ruined Jiangnan, would he?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Da chuckled and said, "Hehe, you're really naive. How do you know he doesn't want a dilapidated Jiangnan?"
Feng Sheng was stunned and looked at Xu Da, saying, "Commander Xu, what do you mean by that?"
"You're saying Chen Jiu Si orchestrated this? Does that mean Lan Yu, who led the troops, has already defected to Chen Jiu Si?"
Feng Sheng looked at Xu Da in surprise.
Xu Da looked at Feng Sheng and said, "Would you let the people who do the dirty work become your accomplices?"
"Ok?"
Feng Sheng was dumbfounded. He looked at Xu Da and said, "Commander Xu, you've confused me. Lan Yu does the dirty work. Who does the dirty work for, Chen Jiu Si?"
Xu Da said, "Hehe, what else?"
Feng Sheng looked at Xu Da and asked, "What inside information do you know?"
Xu Da shook his head and said, "I don't know any inside information, but I do know that Chen Jiu Si wants to eliminate the aristocratic families in Jiangnan."
Feng Sheng frowned slightly and asked, "What evidence is there?"
Xu Da looked at Feng Sheng and said, "If we leave evidence, would we still be Chen Jiu Si? However, you can see from the subtle clues in his administration. Whether it is his main base in Huangzhou Prefecture, Hubei Road, or the many places he occupies, the first thing Chen Jiu Si's Han King Army does when they enter is to control the powerful families. Then you will find that these powerful families will obediently hand over their land."
"Then Chen Jiusi distributed it to ordinary people, and his regime took root in the area and was supported by the local people!"
"This routine is very well-practiced, almost exactly the same."
Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng asked, "Aren't there any exceptions? Aren't there any powerful families that refuse to give it to you?"
Xu Da said, "Yes, the Wang family from Jiexiu, Shaanxi, held onto the land and wouldn't give it up, and then guess what happened?"
Feng Sheng asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Da said, "Hehe, the Wang family was attacked by bandits. Those bandits were quite powerful and killed the Wang family without any chance to fight back. Hehe, the Wang family of Jiexiu, they even have their own private army, but it was useless. They were still wiped out by the bandits."
"Then Chen Jie's Han King's army intervened, expressing deep sorrow. Seeing that no one from the Wang family had survived, they had no choice but to reluctantly take over all of the Wang family's land."
"Then the process of distributing to the poor is repeated, followed by suppressing bandits, stabilizing the region, gaining popular support, and consolidating the regime. Do you see?"
"Wherever Chen Jiu Si occupies, they cannot escape this fate. In other words, the so-called four great families of Jiangnan have become a thorn in Chen Jiu Si's side, and he wants to kill them as soon as possible."
"But he certainly can't bear this infamy; he has to give it to someone else."
Xu Da slowly said, "That fool Lan Yu thought he had stolen Chen Jiu Si's money and supplies, but in reality he helped Chen Jiu Si eliminate the biggest soft knife in Jiangnan. Now that these powerful families are gone, Chen Jiu Si can do things much more easily."
Upon hearing Xu Da's words, Feng Sheng frowned and said, "So, in other words, Lan Yu actually did all the work for Chen Jiu Si's benefit, then why didn't you stop him?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Da looked at Feng Sheng and said, "Why should I stop him?"
“I’ve always disliked those powerful gentry in Jiangnan. These families control 70% of the land in Jiangnan, turning almost half of the region into their slaves. Shouldn’t they be killed?”
"Besides, what excuse could I use to stop Lan Yu? If I were to speak up, I would inevitably leave evidence against him. Do you think Chen Jiu Si is a fool? Do you think he doesn't know the ins and outs of this?"
"If he takes action against us because of this, that's one thing, but if it affects my sister-in-law and the young master, wouldn't we become the sinners?"
Xu Da said, "If Lan Yu wants to make trouble, let him make trouble."
After hearing this, Feng Sheng thought for a moment and said to Xu Da, "Commander Xu, what do you think of Lan Yu's idea of going to Japan to establish a country?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Da exclaimed, "Utterly foolish!"
Feng Sheng was taken aback. Xu Da said, "Who is Chen Jiu Si? He's a greedy jackal. Do you think he's only targeting us?"
"No, he's watching us all around us, even far away. Look."
Xu Da put the book he was holding on the table and then said to Feng Sheng, "This is a top-secret internal reference book from the Chen Jiu Si Military Academy."
Upon hearing this, Xu Da looked at the book titled "A Brief Explanation of World Maps," opened it, and saw a rough outline of a world map, divided into seven continents and five oceans.
The detailed explanation that follows is divided into seven major chapters: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Oceania.
However, nearly two-thirds of the book is marked with maps of Asia, including Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries, the Ilkhanate, the Golden Horde, Rus' (Russia), etc.
Almost every chapter is written in great detail. In addition to Chen Jie's own understanding of the world, this is also because he sent a caravan to conduct on-site investigations.
Therefore, Chen Jiu Si knows all these places, and the fact that this book is a top-secret reference book of the military academy means that Chen Jiu Si has the idea of taking over these places.
How could Chen Jiu Si not have designs on Fusang, a country so close to Liaodong?
He's just tied up now; the country isn't unified yet, and his army isn't strong enough. But when he truly becomes emperor and eliminates the remnants of the Great Qian dynasty in the north, how could a place like Fusang not be occupied? Now that Lan Yu has gone to Fusang, Xu Da thinks Chen Jiu Si deliberately let him go. Once in Fusang, Lan Yu can kill all the resistance factions and take all the blame, while Chen Jiu Si's army can directly press on and annihilate Fusang.
Such a small country dares to defy the might of Heaven. In time, Lan Yu and his people will find that everything they have done has been in vain.
Even King Wu couldn't defeat Chen Jiu Si, so for little guys like Lan Yu to want to test his strength is simply overestimating themselves.
Xu Da sighed and said, "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The King of Wu has been defeated, so let him accept the consequences of his defeat. Come, let's go to the palace to see the Lady. It's time to prepare for the ceremony to welcome the Han army envoys."
Xu Da stood up.
Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng lowered his head, feeling heavy-hearted, but he still obediently left the mansion with Xu Da.
Meanwhile, at Tang He's residence, Tang He was drinking with Deng Yu. The two were old comrades-in-arms. It was he, Deng Yu and Chen Xiaohu who fought in the Battle of Luoyang. That battle was truly perilous.
The two were drinking when Tang He said, "To be honest, I don't feel wronged to have lost to Chen Xiaohu. Everyone says that Chen Xiaohu is Chen Jiu Si's cousin and got his position through nepotism, but he's not bad in a fight and he's willing to risk his life."
Deng Yu said, "The five army commanders under Chen Jiu Si are all excellent; they are all top-notch fighters!"
Tang He sighed and said, "I've come to terms with it. In this world, the victor is king and the loser is a bandit. Since the King of Wu lost, there's nothing more to say. Let the world go to the Chen family."
“Old Deng, you’re capable. Don’t be like me and put all your eggs in one basket. Although I hate Chen Jiu Si to the bone, I have to admit that he’s a ruthless and ambitious man. Following him will lead to a bright future.”
Upon hearing this, Deng Yu looked at Tang He and said, "Old Tang, what are you saying? How could I abandon you? If you say you're going to Huangjue Temple to become a monk, I'll go with you. If you say you're going to assassinate Chen Jiu Si, we brothers will grab our knives and go!"
"Heh, forget it, forget it. You want to be a monk? Your three young wives at home are willing to do it. Besides, do you even have the wisdom to do it?"
"As for assassinating Chen Jiu Si, forget it. I can't kill him. At most, I'll just end up taking another life for him. Why bother?"
Tang He poured himself a glass of wine and said, "I'll go back to Huangjue Temple first, and we can talk about it again if it's possible in the future."
Tang He looked at the sky and said, "If Chen Jiu Si allows me to build a tomb for the King of Wu, I will go and guard the tomb for him, which will fulfill my loyalty and righteousness."
Upon hearing this, Deng Yu sighed and said, "What should I do now?"
As Deng Yu was thinking this, he looked outside and suddenly saw flames shooting into the sky.
Deng Yu was taken aback and said, "Hey, Lao Tang, Lao Tang, where is the fire?"
Tang He glanced outside and said, "That direction, the four great families?"
Deng Yu immediately stood up and said, "This doesn't look like an accidental discharge; it looks like it was done by someone. Who did this? Did they have the guts of a lion or a leopard?"
As Deng Yu was speaking, Tang He frowned slightly and said, "Lan Yu."
"Ah, Lan Yu, where did he get the guts?"
Deng Yu was startled. Tang He said, "Several of my commanders have told me these past few days that Lan Yu is being a bit unruly. I didn't expect this kid to be playing such a big game."
Upon hearing this, Deng Yu said, "Old Tang, I remember your two guards are nearby. Why don't we gather together and go take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Tang He said, "What are you looking at? I'm not going. I no longer have any ambition to compete for supremacy. What would I do if I went now? I'd rather just be a monk."
"And you, Lao Deng, don't meddle. It won't bring you anything good."
Deng Yu looked at Tang He after hearing this, and then said, "You won't let me become a monk, and you won't let me do this either. Do you really want me, your old brother, to join Chen Jiu Si?"
Tang He looked at Deng Yu and said, "Hehe, don't you already know what's going on? You used to call him Chen the traitor all the time, but now you can call him by his name. When the Han army delegation arrives, you should start calling him King of Han."
"You old fool, how dare you laugh at me!"
Deng Yu was furious and reached out to grab Tang He, but Tang He nimbly dodged and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, stop fooling around. It's time for you to go back. Don't be rude tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Deng Yu sighed and said, "Then, Old Tang, farewell."
Upon hearing this, Tang He said, "Farewell. If you ever pass through Fengyang in the future, you may come to Huangjue Temple to find me."
Deng Yu clasped his hands in farewell and said, "Farewell."
After saying that, he plunged inside. Tang He watched Deng Yu leave, took a deep breath, and said, "Alas, in the end, the times have abandoned me."
……
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for Jinling City. The powerful families are in for a bad time, as a large army has stormed in and slaughtered many.
Are there any innocent people involved? Of course there are.
But so what? In the face of a massive army, everything is the same; all they care about is money, beautiful women, and treasure.
As for the elderly, weak, women, and children, a single cut is all it takes.
At this moment, in the Zhao family in the south of the city, Song Yan killed the second son of the Song family who was trying to kill him with a single blow. Hearing the curses around him, his expression remained unchanged.
He had received the most rigorous spy training in Huangzhou Prefecture. Before becoming a spy, he was the most capable fighter in the Huangzhou Prefecture army camp. He had become numb to killing. For the final victory, necessary sacrifices were inevitable.
What constitutes a necessary sacrifice?
The sacrifices of these people were necessary.
"Lord Commander."
As Song Yan was thinking, a cavalryman arrived and said, "The commander-in-chief orders us to end the battle quickly. The ships are ready, and we will board at the end of Yin hour."
Upon hearing this, Song Yan replied, "Okay, I understand."
At this moment, Song Yan said, "Men, take all the valuables away."
"promise!"
The soldiers responded immediately, and just then a soldier's voice came from not far away: "General, two children have been found in this cellar, what should we do?"
As the soldier spoke, his eyes fell on the two children below. The two children were a girl and a boy, but the girl was at most seven or eight years old.
Song Yan slowly walked over, and the little girl looked at him and said, "Don't kill my brother. I can give my life to save my brother's life."
Speaking with a slight tremor, Song Yan glanced at the siblings, sighed, pulled off the cloak behind him, and draped it over the shivering siblings, saying, "Live well."
Then he turned and left with the soldiers.
Despite his background in Huangzhou Prefecture, he wasn't cold-blooded enough. (End of Chapter)