NOVGO.NET Chapter 670 - 327th - : Dog Bites Dog
Chapter 670: 327th Chapter: Dog Bites Dog
In Jiangnan, among the dozens of prefectures, only Yangzhou Prefecture has been the most prosperous city in Jiangnan since ancient times, known as the first prefecture of Jiangnan. It has always been a place sought after by various forces. A saying has been passed down from a long time ago: controlling Yangzhou Prefecture is equivalent to controlling the entire Jiangnan, and also to possessing half the kingdom.
During the previous dynasty’s turmoil, the various noble families in the capital and Jiangnan intended to seize Yangzhou, but unfortunately, their strength was insufficient, and they were no match for the rebels and insurgents.
At that time, Yangzhou Prefecture was occupied by the previous dynasty’s insurgents, whose power was extremely strong, making it difficult for any force to contend with them.
Decades ago, the Zhao family uprising led by the late emperor was not very powerful, but they had already captured many cities in the Central Pass.
At the time, the Zhao family uprising led by the late emperor faced two predicaments. One was to continue northward to attack the capital Chang’an. The other was to march south to attack Yangzhou Prefecture. As long as they captured Yangzhou Prefecture, they could recover other prefectures in Jiangnan.
At that time, the previous dynasty had not yet fallen, and all the court’s forces were gathered in the capital, where there was an army of hundreds of thousands. For the Zhao family uprising led by Zhao Yao, advancing northward to attack the capital was a very difficult task and one with no chance of victory.
To capture the capital, it was best for the Zhao family uprising to first capture Yangzhou Prefecture, thus obtaining wealth and provisions, and gaining the strength to attack Chang’an.
Compared to attacking the capital, capturing Yangzhou Prefecture was relatively easier. The strategists beside the late emperor and the emperor all suggested attacking Yangzhou Prefecture first.
In fact, at that time, it was difficult for the late emperor and the emperor to capture Yangzhou Prefecture, but they had to attack it. With the unified effort of the strategists and soldiers, the Zhao family uprising finally captured Yangzhou Prefecture. However, it also took a lot of time.
The reason why the Xie family of the Duke Zhen Country Mansion helped the Zhao family uprising back then was because they captured Yangzhou Prefecture.
At that time, as a top noble family in the capital, the Xie family did not have an easy time there. Due to the war, the court was short of money and provisions, and the emperor of the previous dynasty extorted the noble families. If the noble families did not comply, they faced only one outcome: death.
Before the outbreak of war, the last few emperors of the previous dynasty always coveted the wealth of the noble families, exerting all kinds of pressure on them. By the time of the last emperor, the extortion became even more aggressive, making life unbearable for the capital’s noble families.
As a top noble family at the time, the Xie family naturally became a primary target for the previous dynasty’s emperor and officials to plunder. Severely weakened by these robberies, the Xie family feared it could not withstand further aggressive plundering. At that time, the Xie Family Patriarch thought of a way out and focused on Yangzhou Prefecture, but to no avail.
As the world became increasingly chaotic, things became worse for the noble families, and without action, the Xie family would eventually vanish in the chaos.
The Xie Family Patriarch saw that the Zhao family uprising had captured Yangzhou and thought of allying with the Zhao family, providing them with funds, provisions, and manpower.
After the Zhao family uprising captured Yangzhou Prefecture, they indeed obtained a lot of funds and provisions, but without the Xie family’s help, capturing the capital successfully would have been difficult.
The Xie family helped the Zhao family capture the capital, resolving their predicament, but the Xie family was no longer what it used to be. The Xie Family Patriarch then focused on Yangzhou Prefecture again. He originally thought that since the Xie family helped the Zhao family, the Zhao family would agree if they asked for Yangzhou Prefecture, but unexpectedly, the Zhao family refused.
Unable to obtain Yangzhou Prefecture, the Xie family turned their attention to Jinling Prefecture. Compared to Yangzhou Prefecture, Jinling Prefecture was much inferior. Moreover, Jinling Prefecture was destroyed during the turmoil, so since the Xie family wanted it, it was given to them.
Soon after the late emperor gave Jinling Prefecture to the Xie family, he also gave Suzhou Prefecture to the Marquis Xuanping’s Mansion. Actually, at that time, the Marquis Xuanping wanted Runzhou Prefecture.
Runzhou Prefecture is above Jinling Prefecture; obtaining Runzhou Prefecture would allow the control of Jinling Prefecture. The late emperor did not agree to the request from the Marquis Xuanping.
The late emperor’s idea at that time was to use Runzhou Prefecture to balance Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture, so the governor of Runzhou Prefecture was an official appointed by the court. The official was neither a person of the Crown Prince nor of Prince Dai.
Over the years, most of the governors of Runzhou Prefecture were members of the Meng family.
Although Mr. Meng had retreated into seclusion during the previous dynasty and stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs, it did not mean he was alone without any kin. On the contrary, the Meng family was once a large family, a literary lineage for generations, otherwise, they wouldn’t have nurtured a great scholar like Mr. Meng.
Perhaps the Meng family exhausted all their literary aura or luck cultivating a great scholar like Mr. Meng, and since then, each generation of the Meng family has been less accomplished than the last.
The late emperor appointed Meng family members as governors of Runzhou Prefecture, and the Meng family was immensely grateful, diligently guarding Runzhou Prefecture and preventing it from falling into the hands of the Crown Prince or Prince Dai.
With Mr. Meng present, nothing would happen to the Meng family members in Runzhou Prefecture. The various forces within Runzhou Prefecture dared not act rashly.
Since Mr. Meng fell seriously ill, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s men, along with those local families in Runzhou Prefecture, became restless. In the past few months, they have been scheming in secret, waiting for Mr. Meng to pass away.
After Mr. Meng’s death, they couldn’t wait to take action. The Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s people fought fiercely on the Run River, while the Meng family in Runzhou Prefecture was temporarily unharmed. The Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s people dared not kill the Meng family now, as Mr. Meng had just passed. They plan to resolve the Meng family after seizing Runzhou Prefecture.
Zhao Yao, after listening to his second uncle Liang Run’s account of the Runzhou Prefecture, wore a complex expression.
"So the big thing refers to the seizure of Runzhou Prefecture."
"The situation in Runzhou Prefecture is extremely complex. What I just mentioned are trivial matters," Liang Run admitted, not too knowledgeable about Runzhou Prefecture’s situation. "Whether it’s the Crown Prince or Prince Dai, they are determined to seize Runzhou Prefecture. Previously, with Mr. Meng around, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s people were cautious, but now that Mr. Meng is gone, they act with impunity."
Zhao Yao frowned deeply, his delicate and handsome face taut with worry.
Seeing Zhao Yao’s serious demeanor, Liang Run hastily asked, "Yao Yao, is something the matter?"
Zhao Yao recollected his thoughts and said, "I didn’t expect the situation in Jiangnan to be so intricate. I thought only Yangzhou’s situation was complex, but it seems other prefectures have become just like Yangzhou back then." Indeed, the situation in Jiangnan was even more complicated and troublesome than the capital.
"Although the noble families in Jiangnan aren’t as prestigious as those in the capital, these families have entrenched themselves in Jiangnan for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It’s not an exaggeration to call them local emperors," Liang Run remarked, "Do you think these Jiangnan noble families will willingly submit to the court? Do you think they will hand over the canal transport and salt to the court willingly?" Jiangnan’s noble families are wealthy primarily because of the canal transport and salt. Having the court reclaim these resources is akin to losing their parents.
"Aren’t the noble families in Yangzhou afraid after Father eradicated them?"
"Naturally, the families in the other prefectures are afraid, as they differ significantly from those in Yangzhou. But the families in Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture are not afraid because they have the backing of the Crown Prince and Prince Dai," Liang Run replied, who was somewhat familiar with the situations in Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture, hence his perplexity. "Yao Yao, why did the late emperor give Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture to the Duke Mansion and the Marquis Mansion at that time? The families in these two places have become increasingly arrogant and domineering due to the support from the Crown Prince and Prince Dai."
"It’s simple, to have them fight each other," Zhao Yao said with a deep meaning on his face, "The most important thing is that Grandpa and the others couldn’t control the Jiangnan noble families at that time, especially since Jiangnan was far from the court, and the mountains made it distant from the emperor’s influence."
He continued, "Father schemed for many years to eliminate the noble families in Yangzhou. Although Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture are not as significant as Yangzhou Prefecture, the families in these two places are just as difficult to deal with as the families in Yangzhou. Having them fight each other is the best way to resolve them."
Liang Run suddenly understood and nodded, "I see, but these years, the noble families in Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture have committed many reprehensible acts by relying on higher powers." He let out a heavy sigh, "In these two places, they practically rule with an iron fist."
"They won’t enjoy their arrogance for much longer."
"Yao Yao, what do you plan to do next?" Liang Run asked, "Although the Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s people are fighting for Runzhou Prefecture, it doesn’t mean Jinling is safe. Prince Dai certainly has people in Jinling; it’s possible there will be trouble in Jinling in a few days."
"Jinling still has the Empress and Seventh Brother’s people." The Hidden Guard who had been with Zhao Yao discovered during previous investigations that Empress Xie and Prince Jing had arranged for people in Jinling City. "My brothers in the capital don’t dare fight openly but they slaughter each other in Jiangnan."
Liang Run expressed his disdain, "They treat Jiangnan like a battlefield, disregarding the lives of the Jiangnan people."
"Second uncle, let’s stay here to observe the situation, and leave in a few days." Zhao Yao’s mind was troubled by concerns about his Third Uncle, who remained in Jinling.
What exactly was Third Uncle doing in Jinling? Is it related to the matters in Runzhou Prefecture? Is he trying to save the Meng family in Runzhou Prefecture?
If his guess was correct, the Meng family was probably already under someone else’s control, but for now, their lives should be safe. Besides, Father would not let anything happen to the Meng family.
Given Father’s treacherous nature, it is unlikely he only wants the noble families in Jinling Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture to fight amongst themselves; there must be other schemes involved.
Right, there was also the person with uncanny strategic abilities mentioned by Third Uncle and Mr. Meng; who could it be?
This person appears to be on the Crown Prince’s side, but in reality, he is not the Crown Prince’s person, nor is he Prince Dai’s person. He manipulates everything from behind, not to help anyone, but for amusement.
Whether it’s the Crown Prince’s people or Prince Dai’s people, they are all unknowingly being played like puppets. He can even predict Father’s schemes—is he challenging Father intellectually? Or is he provoking the court?
If things are indeed as he suspects, then the upcoming imperial examination will likely set off a storm of bloodshed.