Chapter 43
Chu Kingdom’s Yunzhou borders the grasslands to the north and has long been plagued by raids from the grassland tribes. As a result, the Chu Kingdom assigned defense generals to guard Yunzhou.
However, regardless of how things were handled, Yunzhou and other frontier prefectures were always a big headache for the Chu Kingdom. From the emperor to the Six Ministries, no one wanted to deal with the troublesome affairs of the frontier.
Compared to the frontier prefectures, which constantly needed silver to sustain them, the Chu Kingdom much preferred developing the five southern provinces of Jiangnan. After all, most of the successful scholars in the imperial examinations came from this region, and supporting one’s own hometown was only natural.
In the court of Chu, the emperor rubbed his temples, troubled by a recent major event.
“More than 200 newly appointed scholars, and 200 of them are from the five provinces of Jiangnan. Is Jiangnan truly the holy land of our Chu Kingdom’s scholars, so much so that the other 20 provinces cannot compare?”
The officials below—both civil and military—closed their eyes and kept silent, avoiding this sensitive topic. None of them wanted to touch this thorny issue.
The fact that the scholars from the five provinces of Jiangnan dominated 90% of the new appointees was glaringly suspicious. Even a fool could see there was a problem.
As for the mastermind behind this issue… everyone turned their gaze toward the head of the officials.
The emperor also looked at the prime minister and asked:
“Prime Minister Lin, what is your opinion on this matter?”
Prime Minister Lin Xue slowly opened his mouth and said:
“Your Majesty, while Jiangnan is indeed the cultural hub of Chu, these results are indeed astonishing. I believe it warrants a thorough investigation.”
“Hmm…”
The emperor pondered for a long time before finally issuing an order:
“Draft an imperial decree immediately. Send the Third Prince to Jiangnan to investigate this matter thoroughly.”
The emperor then stood up to leave, adding one final remark:
“Until this matter is fully investigated, no new appointees shall be officially recognized!”
“Dismissed!”
As the court adjourned, the officials hurried forward to congratulate the Third Prince.
“Congratulations to His Highness the Third Prince for being entrusted with this important task.”
“Indeed, Your Highness, be cautious on this journey.”
“The emperor’s decision to assign such a significant matter to His Highness speaks volumes. Seize this opportunity, Your Highness.”
With the emperor growing older and his energy waning by the day, many princes and court officials were eyeing the position of the crown prince.
Previously, the First and Second Princes had been the top contenders for the throne. But now, with the emperor entrusting such an important task to the Third Prince, it was a sign of something more significant.
Back at his residence, the Third Prince, Ye Dong, quickly packed his things in preparation for his journey. Just then, the imperial decree arrived.
“The imperial decree has arrived. Prince Ye Dong, kneel and receive it!”
“By the mandate of heaven, the emperor decrees: This year’s imperial examination in Chu has yielded unusual results, with scholars from the five provinces of Jiangnan accounting for 90% of the appointees. Such circumstances are not to be taken lightly.”
“I have pondered this matter deeply, fearing corruption may have tainted the examination’s fairness, betraying the hopes of scholars across the land. Thus, I appoint Prince Ye Dong to investigate this matter impartially and with sharp insight.”
“You are to thoroughly investigate the examination process, the conduct of the examiners, and the qualifications of the candidates. No matter who is involved, whether official or otherwise, the investigation must be carried out to the fullest, with no tolerance for favouritism or corruption.”
“If any acts of bribery or malfeasance are uncovered, severe punishment must follow to uphold the integrity of the court and reassure the people. Prince Ye Dong, do not fail me in this task. Discover the truth and report back swiftly.”
Ye Dong accepted the decree with a smile and discreetly slipped a silver ingot to the eunuch delivering the decree.
Meanwhile, in the camp of the Tu Man Tribe on the grasslands, Ye Chen was resting in his tent when he received news from Yunzhou.
“Your Highness, news has arrived from the Chu Kingdom.”
Chu Kingdom?
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. It had been a long time since any major news came from Chu, and communication between An Lushui and the Third Prince had always been normal.
The sudden arrival of news indicated something significant. He asked:
“What is it?”
The messenger replied:
“This year, over 200 new scholars were appointed, and 90% of them are from the five provinces of Jiangnan. His Majesty found this suspicious and has dispatched the Third Prince, Ye Dong, to investigate.”
“Ninety percent?”
Even Ye Chen found the number shocking. The five provinces only made up 20% of Chu’s territory. How could they account for 90% of the newly appointed scholars?
It was obvious that corruption and mutual support had escalated to an irreversible degree within the court.
Moreover, the fact that the Third Prince was assigned to handle this matter carried deeper implications.
However, the more chaos within Chu, the more advantageous it was for Ye Chen. The Chu Kingdom had an army of millions, while the Yunzhou Army only had 10,000 soldiers. Even if the Chu army stood still, it would eventually exhaust the Yunzhou forces.
But given enough time, Ye Chen could expand his 10,000-man Yunzhou Army into a million-strong Ye Chen Army. By then, the princes of Chu would be nothing but nuisances!
Thinking of this, Ye Chen took out a formula and a blueprint from his pocket and handed them to the messenger, saying:
“Deliver these to Li Xiaoyang in Yunzhou Mountain and to Governor Chen Xing in Yunzhou. Have them study this together and ensure it is produced in the workshops as soon as possible.”
The messenger carefully took the blueprint and headed back to Yunzhou.
Just as the messenger left, Yao Guangxiao entered the tent, holding a thick stack of plans. He said excitedly:
“Your Highness, I have devised a strategy to deal with the Kuangshi Tribe’s defense line.”
Ye Chen gestured for Yao Guangxiao to sit and asked slowly:
“Do you think our forces are ready for this?”
Yao Guangxiao shook his head and replied:
“Many of the new recruits are still not accustomed to the weight of the Xuan Armor, and many have yet to develop effective combat strength.”
“At present, only the heavy-armored soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion and the light cavalry of the Steed Cavalry Battalion are truly capable of battle. As for the other infantry battalions, with the mix of new and old soldiers, their combat strength still leaves much to be desired.”
Ye Chen nodded and said:
“There is no need to rush the attack on the Central Grasslands. What we need is to sweep through all three defense lines in one fell swoop, and then swiftly seize control of the Central Grasslands before they have time to react. We must avoid prolonging the front line, which would place too much strain on Yunzhou’s resources.”
Yao Guangxiao nodded and said:
“Your Highness, after further investigation into the Kuangshi Tribe’s defense line over the past few days, I’ve made some new discoveries.”
“What have you found?”
Ye Chen was always open to advice. Since Yao Guangxiao had raised his plan twice, there must be merit in it.
Yao Guangxiao spread out the map and said:
“After careful examination, we discovered that the royal tribes’ defense lines are not manned by soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder but are composed of small outposts connected to one another. Each outpost is at least half an hour apart from the next.”
“In case of trouble, these outposts can communicate quickly enough, but given the current combat strength of the Yunzhou Army, we can overrun an outpost before they have time to call for reinforcements.”
Ye Chen nodded and said:
“The Yunzhou Army can indeed take down their outposts, but defeating their entire 20,000-strong defense line is still unlikely.”
Yao Guangxiao agreed with Ye Chen’s assessment but added:
“That’s precisely where my other idea comes in. Your Highness, considering the royal tribes’ pride, if their outposts are repeatedly harassed, how long do you think it will take before they lose their patience and make a move themselves?”
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