Zhang Luo understood his colleagues’ words. Although Wu’an was not far from the front lines, there was still a certain delay in information between the two places. The matters being pondered in Wu’an might have already occurred; they just hadn’t received the results yet. He sighed inwardly. From last year to today, he and the others had witnessed many significant events, and by now, they shouldn’t have been so tense. But when it came down to it, they still found it difficult to remain steady.
In contrast, the Emperor’s composure was far better. Zhang Luo glanced once more toward the Emperor’s quarters – the lights there had already dimmed, even though it wasn’t yet Xu hour (7–9 p.m.).
Chi Yi said, “Her Majesty has been reviewing battle reports from the front lines for several consecutive days and retired early today.”
After all, Wu’an was not Jianping. Many of the trusted officials the Emperor was accustomed to were not present, so Wen Yanran had to handle many matters personally. Even the workload of the palace attendants had more than doubled. Moreover, with some officials like Li Zengyu imprisoned for crimes and others resigning out of shame, the shortage of personnel had worsened significantly. This had further strained the already insufficient rest time for many ministers. Nevertheless, Chi Yi and Zhang Luo had shouldered immense pressure, taking on many responsibilities on behalf of Wen Yanran. Some officials from aristocratic families privately remarked that if not for their status as palace attendants, these two would already possess something of the bearing of chief councilors.
Zhang Luo nodded. “Lately, I’ve been quite concerned. The climate in Dan Province is harsh, and people from the Central Plains easily fall ill when they arrive here. We should still advise Her Majesty not to overexert themselves.”
Since being transferred to serve by the Emperor’s side, Zhang Luo had heard complaints more than once about the late emperor’s lack of benevolence. Before Wen Yanran ascended the throne, she was still a royal princess, yet she was left neglected in Tongtai, leading to a severe illness shortly after taking the throne. Even now, she could not be considered particularly robust in health. However, some were also relieved that the late emperor had not personally guided the Emperor, fearing that if she had inherited the temperament of Emperor Li, it would have been Jianping’s side at a loss during the Western War.
Chi Yi and Zhang Luo did not delve deeply into discussions about the front-line war. After taking a few sips of wine, they began to chat idly about news from Jianping.
Currently, it was time to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday. Although the main celebrant had gone to Wu’an, Jianping still had to follow the necessary procedures. It was said that rumors had been circulating recently in the Central Plains, claiming that the Emperor was the true dragon descended to the mortal realm. Many people secretly prayed to the Emperor in their homes, but due to legal restrictions, they dared not privately carve wooden statues of the Emperor. Instead, they settled for the next best thing – carving wooden statues of the State Preceptor to offer their prayers.
After all, having accurately selected the most suitable successor from the late emperor’s descendants, many believed that the State Preceptor truly possessed extraordinary qualities.
Upon hearing about this matter, Wen Yanran had Chi Yi find a statue of the State Preceptor for her. As she gazed at the wooden figure – solemn in appearance, plump and affluent-looking, yet bearing no resemblance to the actual person – she couldn’t help but feel immensely amused. Delighted, she packed it up and sent it to Tianfu Palace to share the joy. When Wen Jingmei received it, he, for once, exercised the authority entrusted to him by the emperor in managing state affairs. He discussed with Yan Xiaolou and borrowed personnel from the imperial guards to vigorously curb the superstitious practices in Jianzhou.
For someone whose long-term goal was to be a tyrannical ruler, Wen Yanran actually had no need for such mystical endorsements to bolster her authority. By sending the statue to Wen Jingmei, she had anticipated that his cautious nature would inevitably lead him to take action.
Wen Yanran now needed to personally suppress the Western Tribes on the front lines. Although this had a positive effect on stabilizing military morale, the prolonged absence of the Emperor inevitably caused unease back home. Additionally, communication delays made it impossible for her to learn promptly that the northern region was already planning to secretly plant spies, taking advantage of Jianping’s vulnerability. To prevent their undercover agents from being exposed prematurely, Wen Hong and others specifically instructed their subordinates to communicate under the guise of revering the emperor.
What Wen Hong and the others didn’t know was that the officials in Jianping didn’t see this as a cause for concern. Instead, they reported it as an opportunity to flatter the Emperor…
With the Jianping army stationed right before Lai’an, Wang You and the others had no time to slowly select an auspicious day. They simply chose a nearby date and summoned the four clans under the pretense of an alliance through marriage.
As for the Lao Clan, Lao Baijie herself was the young mistress, with her brother by her side, barely managing to maintain their footing. Both the Li Clan and the Fuhe Clan attended with their clan leaders accompanied by close relatives. They sat separately – Lao Baisheng sat among the Wang Clan members, while Lao Baijie, sleeves folded, took a seat beside the Fuhe Clan.
Since being captured, Lao Baijie had been unwell. Although the weather remained humid and hot, with many locals wearing light summer clothing, she wore a robe over her clothes, and her complexion was noticeably pale.
Servants poured wine for the guests. Fuhe Fang held his cup but did not truly drink. Having conspired with people from the Inspector’s side beforehand, he knew that Wang You planned to make a move during the banquet. At this very moment, many archers lay in ambush outside. The reason Fuhe Fang was aware of this was that a small portion of these archers had already been swayed by him in advance – though the number of those he bribed was not large, it was enough to make it difficult for Wang You’s orders to be carried out smoothly.
At the same time, Fuhe Fang silently assessed his own faction’s strength in his heart -after Ren Feihong’s departure, he indeed felt many inconveniences. The elite soldiers of the Fuhe Clan were all battle-hardened veterans. For those of them from the Western Tribes who sought to hold sway, it ultimately came down to whose blade was the sharpest…
Before Fuhe Fang could finish his thought, Lao Baijie beside him raised a cup to propose a toast. For this future heir of the Lao Clan, Fuhe Fang did not hold much regard. When interacting with her, he merely went through the motions to maintain appearances on both sides. Seeing her approach now, he slightly raised his wine cup, making a gesture of clinking glasses.
The distance between the two was already short. Since Lao Baijie had yet to fully assume control of her clan and held a slightly lower status, she deliberately took two steps closer. However, at that very moment, Fuhe Fang’s personal guard suddenly caught sight of a sharp glint of a blade emerging from beneath Lao Baijie’s sleeve.
Fuhe Fang and Lao Baijie were simply too close. In an instant, the two figures abruptly separated. Yet, it wasn’t until Lao Baijie fell that those around realized she hadn’t retreated – she had been kicked backward and sent tumbling.
She had stabbed Fuhe Fang but had also been kicked in the ribs by him, coughing up a mouthful of blood on the spot.
Fuhe Fang clutched his chest and staggered back, blood seeping through his fingers – in this era, it was not uncommon for local officials to be assassinated, but no one could have imagined that someone of Lao Baijie’s status would dare to openly commit such an act!
Lao Baijie let out a hoarse laugh. She had been drifting in and out of illness for some time, only gradually regaining clarity recently. However, unlike her brother, she didn’t entirely believe the things she had heard from the enemy camp. Yet, upon careful consideration of the situation in Tai Province, Lao Baijie concluded that even if the Fuhe clan hadn’t colluded with Jianping, they certainly had been willing to go along with the tide.
After all, she had been raised as the future heir of her clan and understood that at this point, with the Lao clan having lost a large number of elite soldiers, there was no way they could maintain their former status. However, she was also unwilling to let Fuhe Fang rise to power by stepping over her family – the Lao clan had fought on the front lines, while the Fuhe clan had expanded their influence in the rear, now even posing a subtle challenge to the Wang clan.
Once she grasped the crux of the situation, Lao Baijie was overcome with a surge of killing intent. She immediately plotted in secret with her brother, deciding to take action during the banquet.
Everyone watched as the heir of the Lao clan assassinated Fuhe Fang. Before they could react, they saw Lao Baisheng also slam the table and rise, stabbing Wang You’s eldest daughter in the chest – they not only intended to make things difficult for the Fuhe Clan but also had no plans to let Wang You use their family to turn the situation around.
The leader of the Li clan, who was also at the banquet, was almost stunned. They had all assumed that today’s conflict would be a struggle between the Wang clan and the Fuhe clan. Little did they know that the Lao clan, silent and unassuming, would carry out such a major move.
Before transmigrating, Wen Yanran had only skimmed through the plot related to the Western Tribes. Otherwise, she would have known that for the “united and harmonious” Western Tribes, tactics such as using others to eliminate enemies, watching from a safe distance, or stabbing former allies in the back before death were all standard maneuvers.
Outside Lexiang City.
Zhong Zhiwei, hidden in the woods, saw flames rising from the direction of the city and felt a surge of excitement. She turned to the imperial guards beside her and said, “Her Majesty’s plan has succeeded. The Western Tribes are utterly defeated. Now is the time for us to act!”
In an instant, Zhong Zhiwei’s command spread throughout the army. The imperial guards donned their armor and, like a coiling dragon, charged straight toward Lexiang.
Two days later.
Although the Western Tribes had been thrown into disarray by the Emperor’s strategy of setting fires, Tai Province as a whole remained a tough challenge. Many ministers were worried, unsure of how long it would take to conquer Tai Province. However, since the Battle of Menqu Slope, they had all learned one thing: if they lacked sufficient strategic vision, it was best to remain silent on military matters at the frontlines until the dust settled.
Of course, this silence wasn’t particularly difficult to maintain. Before the ministers could even begin to worry about provisions and soldiers, Wu’an received yet another report of victory – the surrender of Tai Province came faster than anyone had imagined. Tao Jia and the others hardly had to lift a finger; they simply camped outside, while the four western clans were already weakened by half due to internal strife.
That day, as soon as Zhong Zhiwei led the cavalry to the city gates, she saw the gates of Lexiang being opened from afar. For a moment, she thought it might be a trap – that the enemy had used the flames to lure her into attacking the city, only to ambush her like waiting for a hare at the tree stump. However, it turned out not to be the case. After Fuhe Fang and others had died, Wang You struggled to issue her final command as the Inspector, ordering her subordinates to open the city gates and surrender.
Afterward, many members of the Wang clan wept bitterly beside her. “Had we known it would come to this, it would have been better to surrender early on!”
Wang You closed her eyes and let out a cold laugh. Back then, when the Western Tribes were at the peak of their power, even if she hadn’t wanted to fight, her subordinates wouldn’t have agreed. More importantly, Jianping would never have accepted surrender – it was only now that Wang You understood. This war wasn’t started by the Western Tribes; it was the Emperor who wanted it fought. Only by clearing out the original forces in Tai Province could the imperial court calmly manage the affairs of the region.
The great victory in Tai Province was the second major event since Wen Yanran ascended the throne, following the ambush and defeat of the Marquis of Quanling at Northern Park. This event also demonstrated to the world the Emperor’s resolute and decisive temperament, as well as her outstanding strategic vision. Unlike the customary, ceremonial praise that generals offered to the Emperor after victories in the past, this time, from high-ranking commanders like Tao Jia and Zhong Zhiwei down to ordinary squad leaders and company commanders, everyone understood that the primary credit truly belonged to the Emperor herself. From the early preparation of the Iron Cavalry Battalion and the selection of Tao Jia as the general, to the strategy of luring the Western forces deep into Dan Province, and then deliberately letting the remnants of the Western army retreat to watch them engage in internal strife – Zhong Zhiwei and others later reflected on the Emperor’s planning, realizing that each step of the strategy was intricately linked and brilliantly executed.
After this event, many historical records included the following line: “In the first year of Zhaoming, the Western Tribes rebelled across the entire province. The Emperor personally went to Wu’an to oversee the campaign, appointing Tao Jia, Zhong Zhiwei, and Song Nanlou to command the three armies. Within two months, the military achieved a great victory, and the entire territory of Tai Province was pacified.”
