Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 366: Chapter 351: The Struggle in the Court

On the morning of May 20th, Yang Zhenshan led his troops on a military expedition, advancing directly into the territory of Qinghua Prefecture from the Tenglong Guard, with their swords pointed at Qinghua Prefecture City.

Prince Qing received the news immediately, and he was not panicked by this, as it was something they had anticipated.

On May 21st, the troops of the Tenglong Guard were stationed under the city of Qinghua Prefecture.

Meanwhile, news of Prince Qing colluding with Ji Feiyu in rebellion also reached the Capital City.

The news was reported by the Secret Martial Guards, and Yang Zhenshan had also made a report, but he could not use the expedited 800-li express, so his report was a step behind the Secret Martial Guards.

In the afternoon, within the Taiji Palace of the Imperial City, the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, Prince Gong, and the important ministers of the court gathered together.

The Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong were seated below the Emperor’s throne, while the various ministers stood in the hall.

At this moment, the Crown Prince’s face bore an indisguisable fatigue; he had not expected the situation to evolve into what it was now.

He had just begun to oversee the state, and then the Wuliang armies invaded Liaoxi, and Prince Qing conspired with Ji Feiyu in rebellion. He felt the immense pressure weighing upon him.

He had always longed for the throne, and now was the closest he had ever been to it, yet he also felt the tremendous pressure that came with the throne.

”What suggestions do you, my lords, have about the situation in Liaodong and Chushan Town?” the Crown Prince asked gravely.

Prince Cheng and Prince Gong sat on either side, watching the various ministers in the hall.

Neither prince was a simple character; having competed with the Crown Prince at court for over a decade proved their capabilities and strength.

The Crown Prince, as well as Prince Cheng and Prince Gong, were no longer young.

The old Emperor was now sixty-five years old, while the Crown Prince was nearing fifty, and Prince Cheng and Prince Gong were both around forty years old.

No wonder the Crown Prince felt aggrieved; wouldn’t anyone be frustrated after serving nearly thirty years as Crown Prince?

The crucial point was that he was under the strong and domineering Emperor Chengping for these thirty years, living in trepidation under the Emperor’s shadow day after day.

Thirty years a Crown Prince—should Emperor Chengping not pass away soon, it seemed likely that the Crown Prince would precede him in death!

”Your Highness, this old minister believes that the immediate priority is to select a new Governor and General for Chushan Town, to take command of the overall situation and exterminate Prince Qing’s rebellion,”

Li Siyuan stepped forward and spoke out.

”I second the motion!”

”I second the motion!”

The crowd echoed with agreement.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince’s expression shifted as he asked, ”Which elder in the Cabinet thinks is suitable for such an important role?”

Selecting a new Governor and General is a major affair, as it concerns the military authority over the entire Chushan Town.

Although the situation in Chushan Town is dire, this does not prevent the Crown Prince from wanting to keep Chushan Town under his control.

Prince Cheng and Prince Gong harbored the same aspiration.

Li Siyuan bowed and said, ”This old minister believes that Pang Tang, the governor of Liao Yuan, may serve as the Governor of Chushan Town, and Yang Zhenshan of the Tenglong Guard may serve as the General of Chushan Town!”

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince’s brow furrowed as he said, ”I remember Pang Tang has never been in charge of military and administrative affairs!”

Although the governor’s position is not comparable to that of a great regional bureaucrat, it still holds considerable authority on the local level.

Managing the political affairs of a province also denoted a high and weighty position.

However, the governor does not control military affairs.

Having held positions as County Magistrate, Prefect, Magistrate, and Assistant Governor, Pang Tang indeed never managed military and administrative affairs.

Yet Li Siyuan continued, ”Pang Tang is good at administration and is prudent and stable in his conduct. Although he is not skilled in military affairs, he can stabilize Liaodong.”

Li Siyuan’s words carried an implicit meaning, indicating that Pang Tang only needed to stabilize Liaodong and did not need to interfere with military affairs.

Why establish the post of governor in border towns, if not to counterbalance the General?

In peacetime, the governor oversees military affairs, higher in rank than the General, but in wartime, the governor must cooperate with the General.

Previously, Lu Chongde and Liang Chu of Chushan Town handled this matter well.

The governor is a civilian official, and the General is a military officer; how could a civilian match a military general in commanding warfare?

Thus, at this time, the new Governor of Chushan Town need not possess military prowess; merely being prudent and providing logistical support for the troops at the front was sufficient.

Further, being the governor of Liao Yuan, Pang Tang had the deepest understanding of Liaodong’s conditions, which would allow him to deploy Liaodong’s resources to ensure logistical support for the troops at the front.

Currently, Pang Tang could certainly not assume his post in Chushan Town, as Chongshan Pass had fallen into Ji Feiyu’s hands and Chushan Town lacked even a Governor’s Office. For handling affairs pertaining to Chushan Town, it would be more appropriate for Pang Tang to operate from Liao’an Prefecture.

Hence, the most suitable candidate for Governor of Chushan Town was Pang Tang.

The Crown Prince gave Li Siyuan a glance, his thoughts mixed.

He wanted to contest the position of governor, but out of respect for Li Siyuan’s stance, he ultimately compromised.

As for Prince Cheng and Prince Gong, they did not put their minds to the position of governor, because Li Siyuan’s words were clear: the future military authority of Chushan Town would lie in the hands of the General, not the Governor.

”Although Yang Zhenshan is talented, he is merely a Commander of the Guard, might he not command respect?”

”I feel that Marquis Jingyuan is more suitable to assume the position of General of Chushan Town!”

This time the Crown Prince did not give Li Siyuan a chance to speak and directly expressed his preferred candidate.

His reasoning was not unfounded; Yang Zhenshan was just a Commander of the Tenglong Guard, and in Chushan Town many held ranks above him. Appointing him as General might result in others refusing to accept his authority.

As Tang Feihu, Niu Zhuang, and others filled the roles of Assistant Generals with the rank of Deputy Commander of Chushan Town, each stood above Yang Zhenshan in rank.

If Yang Zhenshan were to be appointed General, then his rank would at least need to rise to that of a Deputy to the Commander in the Central Army Commander’s Mansion.

”His Majesty disagrees, Marquis Jingyuan has no experience in serving at border towns and is unfamiliar with the affairs of Chushan Town. How could he assume such a crucial post at this time?”

Li Siyuan had not yet spoken when Prince Cheng had already jumped out to object.

Who didn’t know that Marquis Jingyuan was the Crown Prince’s man? They certainly could not allow the Crown Prince’s person to take command in Chushan Town.

”No, Prince Cheng thinks Marquis Nanyang, Lu Baishu, is more suitable. Marquis Nanyang has high cultivation and has dealt with official matters in Liaodong multiple times, knowing much about Liaodong and Chushan Town, making him capable of bearing this responsibility.”

”It’s inappropriate, Marquis Nanyang is the Commander of the Xianwu Camp. How could he be easily reassigned?”

”Then let Prince Chang’s Princely Heir take the role. Prince Chang’s Princely Heir is talented and righteous, brave, and good at war!”

”Fierce and valiant in battle! If my memory serves me right, Brother Emperor, Sun Jizong has never been on the battlefield, has he?” Prince Cheng said dismissively with a laugh.

...

For a while, the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong were engaged in a heated debate, each wanting to recommend their own candidate for the post of General of Chongshan Town.

The Crown Prince’s face grew increasingly gloomy. Prince Cheng and Prince Gong were obviously ganging up against him. Any candidate he suggested was met with their opposition.

The ministers in the hall all fell silent, as if they had become mute.

The Crown Prince swept his gaze across these officials, his heart filled with silent resentment.

It might seem like the three princes were having a heated debate, but in reality, the court was still under Emperor Chengping’s control.

From the Cabinet to the Six Ministries, and the Five Army Commandery, each and every influential courtier was out of their reach.

None of the five cabinet ministers, the various heads of the Six Ministries, or the left and right commanders of the Five Army Commandery showed any inclination to take sides.

Such was Emperor Chengping’s grip over the court; even now, as Emperor Chengping lay in a stupor, these important officials did not side with him, the heir apparent.

The Crown Prince understood very well that as long as Emperor Chengping had not breathed his last, he was merely the heir apparent.

Hearing the refutations from his two imperial brothers, the Crown Prince’s gaze landed on Duke Ning Zhou Mao and he suddenly spoke up: ”I think General Zhou Lan is the more suitable candidate. Duke Ning, what is your opinion?”

Old man, stop playing dead, speak up for me now!

As the Crown Prince finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Undoubtedly, Zhou Lan was the most suitable candidate to be the General of Chongshan Town.

Prince Liang wasn’t suitable because he was the commander of the imperial guards. At this time, anyone could be moved, except Prince Liang.

The reason was simple. Prince Liang was personally appointed by the old Emperor, and anyone who moved against Prince Liang would be seen as harboring ill will. The importance of the imperial guard’s Twelve Camps need not be said.

To change the commander of the imperial guard’s Twelve Camps at this time would be tantamount to having a knife at Emperor Chengping’s throat.

Therefore, other than Prince Liang, Zhou Lan was the most appropriate candidate.

Duke Ning Zhou Mao sighed slightly in his heart. Helpless, he had to stand up and say: ”Your Highness, this old official thinks it’s not appropriate. Although Zhou Lan is familiar with the situation in Chongshan Town, it would take at least ten days to travel from the Capital City to Liaodong. Ten days is enough time for the situation in Chongshan Town to deteriorate beyond repair!”

”This old official believes the proposal of Elder Li is more appropriate. Commander Yang Zhenshan of the Tenglong Guard is fit for this great responsibility!”

He redirected the discussion back to Yang Zhenshan.

Sending Zhou Lan to Chongshan Town?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Right now, they at the Duke Ning Mansion cannot afford to stand out, as the Duke Ning Mansion is already conspicuous enough and definitely cannot allow Zhou Lan to advance any further.

As long as he does not step down, Zhou Lan cannot move forward; otherwise, the Duke Ning Mansion will certainly become a thorn in the side of the Emperor.

Whether it’s the current old Emperor or the new Emperor who will ascend the throne in the future, neither could tolerate a Duke Ning Mansion with overwhelming power.

In fact, Duke Zhou Mao didn’t want Yang Zhenshan to take up the post as General of Chongshan Town, because Yang Zhenshan was also from the Duke Ning Mansion’s side. However, having Yang Zhenshan take up the position was slightly better than letting Zhou Lan do it.

As for Li Siyuan, he didn’t care about the Duke Ning Mansion’s issues; he simply thought Yang Zhenshan was the most suitable.

Although Zhou Lan was also suitable, he had been in the Capital City and had left Chongshan Town for several years. His understanding of the current situation in Chongshan Town was definitely not as good as Yang Zhenshan’s.

After hearing Zhou Mao’s words, the Crown Prince felt even worse.

His original intention was to show goodwill to Zhou Mao. Since everyone opposed the people he recommended, it would have been better to show goodwill to the Duke Ning Mansion. As long as he didn’t let Prince Cheng and Prince Gong take advantage, it wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

Yet he did not expect Zhou Mao to be ungrateful for his favor.

Li Siyuan spoke out again: ”This old official believes that Commander Yang Zhenshan of the Tenglong Guard is fit for this great responsibility. I hope Your Highness will consider the big picture!”

His tone was rather discourteous.

I hope Your Highness will consider the big picture!

Wasn’t that just another way of saying that the Crown Prince had not considered the big picture before?

”I concur!”

”This old official concurs!”

Several officials stood up to concur, even Liu Yuanfu, who had been sitting in meditation, stood up to concur.

With Liu Yuanfu standing up, Guan Wenshuo naturally followed suit.

Li Siyuan represented the Cabinet’s opinion, Zhou Mao represented the Central Army Commandery and the nobility, while Liu Yuanfu and Guan Wenshuo represented the views of the Imperial Examination Hall.

Added to that, Minister of Rites Wu Liangzai and Minister of Industry Jiang Wei who stood out to concur, and the consensus among the ministers was essentially reached.

Minister of War Wang Lu glanced at Liu Yuanfu beside him and also stood up to say, ”This official concurs!”

Liu Yuanfu’s support for Yang Zhenshan to take up the post of General of Chongshan Town was not because of any personal connection; he simply felt Yang Zhenshan was suitable.

Although in terms of official rank, Yang Zhenshan was somewhat lower, nobody would doubt Yang Zhenshan’s abilities.

Yang Zhenshan’s previous battle achievements were enough proof, with a reputation as a god of death and a butcher, he was capable of deterring countless people.

Minister of War Wang Lu agreed more out of respect for Li Siyuan and Liu Yuanfu.

Wang Lu did not understand Yang Zhenshan, knowing only that he was a formidable figure, but how formidable he was, he himself did not have a clear concept.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong stopped arguing.

What else could they argue about?

Arguing further would be disregarding the overall situation!

Prince Cheng and Prince Gong didn’t really feel much about the outcome. Their goal was to prevent the Crown Prince’s men from taking charge of Chongshan Town. Now their goal had been half achieved—apart from their men also losing the chance to take charge of Chongshan Town.

The one who felt the worst was the Crown Prince. He didn’t gain anything and almost got tagged as indifferent to the overall situation by Li Siyuan, trying to curry favor with Zhou Mao but failing to receive any appreciation.

Now he felt like he had not only lost his wife but also his soldiers.

”Then let it be so. Pang Tang, the Liao Yuan Governor, is promoted to Governor of Chongshan Town, with the additional title of Right Deputy Imperial Censor. Commander Yang Zhenshan of the Tenglong Guard is promoted to the rank of Deputy Commander in the Central Army Commandery and is officially appointed General of Chongshan Town!”

The Crown Prince said solemnly.

”His Highness is wise!”

The officials cried out in unison, praising his wisdom.