I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country Chapter 57.1

Published at 13th of July 2023 08:15:52 AM

 Chapter 57 Part 1

Xu Xiong Yuan indeed managed to establish connections with the powerful figures in Jiangnan.

Among the military advisers, those who were skilled in eloquence volunteered and went to persuade the powerful clans in Jiangnan. Using a combination of coercion and temptation, they even offered Xu Xiong Yuan's position as a concubine to the daughter of the prominent Yu clan.

Once the leader had set foot on the rebel's ship, the remaining few were persuaded with a mix of reluctance and coercion. However, some astute individuals sensed that something was amiss. They chose to flee to the countryside overnight, willing to abandon their wealth rather than conspire with Xu Xiong Yuan.

Naturally, Xu Xiong Yuan believed himself to be persuasive. If someone didn't want to cooperate with him, he would say, "Fine, you can leave, but leave your money behind."

Liu Yan secretly noted down the names of these law-abiding powerful figures and later informed the Supervisory office hidden in Jiangnan. As always, the emperor favored honest and upright officials and merchants.

While Xue Yuan rushed on horseback towards South Jing, those powerful figures who had joined the thief's ship planned to use their influence to persuade other influential figures to join them.

The more people involved, the greater the commotion, and the more precarious the emperor's position became. It might even reach a point where the court, without resorting to war and wasting military resources, would willingly dismiss the emperor and welcome Xu Xiong Yuan.

Xu Xiong Yuan dreamed of such a scenario, day and night, incessantly pondering about the court, the capital, and the throne.

Liu Yan protected Xu Xiong Yuan's dream like one would protect a child's childhood dream. Whenever Xu Xiong Yuan's face showed anticipation for the future, Liu Yan would smile and nod, saying, "General, everything you desire will come true. What we desire will be accomplished by you, General."

His tone was gentle, filled with hope and devotion. Every time he finished speaking approvingly, Xu Xiong Yuan would gratefully grasp his hand and exclaim loudly, "With Liu Xiaoyou as my confidant, what else could I ask for?"

Whenever this happened, Liu Yan would smile faintly, keeping silent.

South Jing and the border of Jiangnan.

The three defending armies tightly surrounded the area, intercepting every letter sent out by the powerful figures in Jiangnan. The messengers from Jiangnan were completely astonished when their envelopes were thoroughly intercepted by the three defending armies. People and horses were detained, even the carrier pigeons were shot down and subjected to rough treatment. In short, it was nearly impossible to escape.

Those who were preparing to leave Jiangnan with the letters wore expressions of disbelief. Only when they were bound and roughly tossed aside did they realize that the imperial troops were stationed at the borders of both regions.

Heavens…

The messengers shivered, their bodies covered in goosebumps. As they looked around, they saw a dense formation of upright soldiers stretching as far as the eye could see.

Suddenly, their vision darkened, and they felt dizzy.

While people within the province were still pondering rebellion and usurping the throne, the emperor's troops were lurking nearby, observing with a hawk's gaze. This spine-chilling sensation surged through their bodies, causing many to have weak knees and struggle for breath.

The emperor was watching them conspire against him.

Their breath grew shallow, and they continuously lamented, shouting at the top of their lungs, hoping that those within the province would hear their inner thoughts and quickly flee, abandoning their rebellious plans!

"Master, don't rebel! Hurry, take your wives and children and run! The emperor's men are here! The emperor knows!" they cried out.

Due to the urgency of the situation, the entire attention of the Jiashen Society was focused on the powerful figures. As for the common people, apart from encountering some marauding troops and suffering losses, they fared relatively well.

Xu Xiong Yuan's forces spread from Huaihua Prefecture to the surrounding prefectures and counties. As a result, he recruited twenty thousand young adults who had never set foot on the battlefield or killed anyone before. With both provinces facing food shortages, the private storehouses of the numerous powerful figures were opened, revealing batches of food that made Xu Xiong Yuan's eyes turn green.

With so much food, even if Xu Xiong Yuan maintained an army of fifty thousand soldiers, he would have no reason to fear. The emperor's granaries would probably pale in comparison!

Xu Xiong Yuan burst into laughter and immediately dispatched people to transport the food to the army, allowing them to feast to their hearts' content. The powerful figures whose food had been plundered forced smiles on their faces, their hearts aching with every bite, but they dared not voice their grievances.

Xu Xiong Yuan interpreted this cooperation as meaning that whatever belonged to the powerful figures was now his. Even if the noble families were unwilling, they had no choice. With the gates wide open, they could only watch as Xu Xiong Yuan's troops looted everything, claiming it was for logistical support.

The long-standing assets of many powerful families vanished into thin air. It was only at this moment that they realized Xu Xiong Yuan's previous politeness was merely an act. When it came to their interests, he didn't care who they were. After all, they had already boarded the rebel's ship. Could they still switch sides and join the court halfway through?

Once people with armed forces discarded benevolence and righteousness, they became a group of bandits and rogues!

Recently, Xu Xiong Yuan had been living quite well.

The young adults in Jiangnan were being forcefully conscripted into his camp. It had been more than ten days since then, and there was no news of an attack from the surrounding defense forces. The officials from the Jiangnan court had long since fled in a panic. Xu Xiong Yuan often remarked to those around him, "Perhaps the dog emperor truly cannot survive much longer."

The people around him constantly flattered Xu Xiong Yuan, providing him with the most comfortable experience of flattery. They took advantage of this peaceful period to prepare a righteous excuse for rebellion.

Nowadays, the emperor is diligent in governance and loves the people. The anti-corruption activities enjoy widespread support from the common people. They cannot simply use the emperor's exemplary governance and love for the people as an excuse, as the powerful forces do not want the emperor's diligence and love for the people to become a justification.

Finally, the members of the "Jiashen Society" decided to refute the current government by highlighting the drawbacks during Lu Feng's rule.

Regardless of whether these drawbacks were left behind by their mentor, Lu Feng, the issue of powerful local forces causing harm and loss of innocent lives is a result of your failure to handle it, Gu Yuanbai!

In short, even if it is not your fault, it becomes your fault. If you don't make any mistakes, how can we rebel?

While the members of the "Jiashen Society" indulged in the wealth of Jiangnan, Xue Yuan and General Dingyuan led ten thousand soldiers, urging their horses forward, and rushed to South Jing.

After coordinating the route and battle plans with the commanding officers of the garrison, they took a longer route from the border of Da Yue and blocked the end of the Jiang Xian Dao road from the rear, preventing the rebels from retreating.

The garrison had already received the news and was ready to enter Jiangnan and eliminate the rebellious forces!

After more than half a month stationed there, the generals were eager to achieve military merits, with their banners fluttering in the air.

As the mighty army marched, dust filled the air, the earth trembled, and the garrison forces approached from three directions, swiftly advancing to Jiangnan.

The desperate refugees along the way had yet to recover their spirits when they saw the well-equipped troops of the court approaching them. These refugees were stunned, unable to take a single step.

Whenever the soldiers encountered the affected civilians, they would provide them shelter and distribute large quantities of food purchased by the supervisory office. Some of the people among the refugees had gone without food for two to three days. They received the rice and noodles distributed by the imperial soldiers, tears streaming down their haggard and pale faces.

Only at this moment did they truly understand the significance of the country's soldiers and realize that the taxes they paid on ordinary days were not unjustified at all!

Just as Jiangnan was in turmoil, the court dispatched troops. This provided a great sense of security. After the exhausted and well-fed refugees had rested, they contemplated and changed their course, following the army from a distance, hoping to return to their hometowns with the large force.

Following behind this group of officials and soldiers, they felt a sense of reassurance and confidence.

When the members of the "Jiashen Society" heard that the court had already sent troops into Jiangnan, it was already two days later. By this time, the imperial troops were closing in on Longxing Prefecture, a mere two hundred li away from Xu Xiong Yuan's location.

Xu Xiong Yuan felt that everything was absurd.

Not long ago, the local powerful figures in Jiangnan sent a message, making it seem like the world's fate was converging on Xu Xiong Yuan. But inexplicably, why did the imperial troops appear just a hundred li away?

Did the heavens send divine soldiers?

Xu Xiong Yuan felt a sense of panic. Besides panic, there was also a fiery anger at being publicly humiliated. He gathered the members of the "Jiashen Society" and in a hurried and irritable tone, exclaimed, "Do any of you have a good solution?"

The members of the "Jiashen Society" were also stunned upon hearing this.

They had just convinced the powerful figures, lured them onto the rebel’s ship, and emptied several granaries. Everything seemed to be going well, but now the imperial troops were just two hundred li away?!

An atmosphere of panic spread throughout the hall, and everyone's faces showed a hint of unease.

Someone made an effort to stay calm and asked hopefully, "General, how many troops did the court send?"

"I have inquired about that," Xu Xiong Yuan's face turned ugly, and he angrily replied, "When did they arrive? We didn't receive any news at all!"

"It came so suddenly, it's probably a long-distance raid," Zhao Zhou said with a solemn expression. "But a long-distance raiding force cannot be too large, yet..."

Zhao Zhou had a bad premonition in his heart, and he involuntarily said, "General, is it possible that our capture of southern Jing and the invasion of Jiangnan went too smoothly?"

The local officials in southern Jing put up a symbolic resistance, while the local officials in Jiangnan had long fled. The sudden rise in food prices, news of epidemic outbreaks, and the sudden cessation of grain supply... It all inexplicably led to the rebellion of the "Jiashen Society."

In a daze, by the time Zhao Zhou received the news, Xu Xiong Yuan had already completely eradicated the powerful figures in Huaihua Prefecture.

Everyone in the hall was confused and restless.

Two hours later, the cavalry sent to gather information hurriedly returned and fell in the hall, filled with extreme terror. They exclaimed, "General, there are imperial troops on all three sides, and at a rough estimate, there are at least twenty thousand of them!"

Xu Xiong-Yuan abruptly stood up.

The hall fell into a quiet stillness, shaken by these words.

Uncontrollably, Xu Xiong-Yuan's facial expression became ferocious. He shouted, "Gu Yuan--!"

Liu Yan quickly stood up, walked into the hall, and bowed deeply to Xu Xiong-Yuan. "Jiangnan lacks the natural defenses of southern Jing. Once the imperial troops surround us on three sides, we are destined to have no way out. I, as a humble person, am willing to stay behind and delay the imperial troops in Longxing Prefecture. I implore the general to quickly retreat to southern Jing. I will do my best to hold off the imperial troops."

Xu Xiong-Yuan was immediately moved, his eyes filled with tears. "You have gone to such lengths for me..."

Liu Yan sighed and said solemnly, "General, please return quickly. Twenty thousand elite imperial soldiers are just two hundred li away from us. If they push their horses, it will be too late!"

"You're right, you're right," Xu Xiong-Yuan murmured in a panic. "I will assign 15,000 men to you, and you will be in charge here!"

Liu Yan nodded, and the people in the hall admired his character, showing a trace of admiration. At this moment, Zhao Zhou suddenly stepped forward and stood solemnly beside Liu Yan. He said, "General, I am also willing to stay here and hold the rear."

Translator's note: I cut it because there's more than 4k words. 

Chapter end