Naturally, it was impossible for the 10,000 soldiers the Qing Kingdom had sent to be stationed around Dongyi. Although this was the largest city in the world, it was not difficult for it to provide 10,000 soldiers with logistical tents. Due to some reasons that were difficult to explain, a new military camp, which should have been built in five days, had yet to be completed. Thus, a portion of the Qing army was only temporarily camped in temporary camps.
In the end, 5,600 people remained on Dongyi's side. The rest of the people were stationed in various vassal states to suppress and intimidate.
That night, after attending the banquet, the Great Prince was not in a hurry to rest. Instead, he gently waved his hand at Fan Xian. The two of them flashed into a quiet study.
The Great Prince was silent for a moment. In the end, he first took out a letter from his clothes. Fan Xian glanced over and saw the style of the letter. He was about to kneel down to receive the Emperor's secret edict when he was unexpectedly pulled back by the Great Prince.
"It's just the two of us. There is no need for our knees to suffer." The Great Prince gently shook his head.
Fan Xian was slightly startled. Shortly after, he slowly smiled and did not bow again. Accepting the Emperor's secret edict from his hands, he opened the seal and read it carefully. He then sank deep into thought and did not speak for a long time.
"I will return to the capital first. You will replace me here for three months." In the letter, the Emperor's tone was very warm. There was an undisguisable admiration for Fan Xian. Fan Xian's mood was relaxed, so his tone was also relaxed. He said to the Great Prince, "This arrangement is possible. The problem is, when you return to the capital and I come pick you up, are the two of us going on an errand in Dongyi forever?"
In order to conquer Dongyi as quietly as possible and let the Qing Kingdom's financial and military power suffer as little damage as possible, the Great Prince and Fan Xian, the two sons of the Emperor who had Dongyi blood running through their veins, were, without question, the best choices.
Although Sigu Jian's will during the opening ceremony a month ago had strongly pulled Fan Xian onto the path of the Dongyi people and pointed directly at the Emperor's heart, the Emperor was a wise man. How could he not understand this? On the contrary, he went with the flow and changed his original thoughts. He actually sent the Great Prince to lead the Qing army to be stationed.
Regardless of whether it was the Great Prince or Fan Xian, they both had half Dongyi blood in them. This was an unparalleled weapon when it came to conquering the hearts of the Dongyi people. At least, the conquered people would feel much better every time they thought of the Qing nobility above their heads being half Dongyi.
Particularly the Great Prince, he was a true prince. His birth mother's past was known to the world. Having him stationed in Dongyi could also represent the mixing of blood between the Qing Kingdom and Dongyi. If one truly wanted to conquer a piece of land, the mixing of blood was, without question, the most powerful weapon.
The Emperor saw far into the future.
However, it was impossible for the Emperor to allow the Great Prince and Fan Xian to stay in Dongyi for a long time. He only had these two grown princes and needed them by his side to help with court and military affairs. His sons were too far away from Jingdou. The Qing Emperor was also faintly worried about the two princes who clearly did not have much of the Li family air.
Fan Xian was well aware of this worry, so he was not surprised by the instructions in the secret edict. He only had a headache. The Great Prince had come and he was about to leave. What would he do in the future?
"Someone needs to be stationed in Dongyi." He looked at the Great Prince and asked, "What exactly does the Emperor plan to do? Are you going to do it, or am I going to do it? "
"I'm not sure either." A faint worry appeared between the Great Prince's brows. He was not a normal Qing official or commoner. Although he felt incomparable joy and shock at Fan Xian's ability to convince Sigu Jian to subdue the Sword Hut and swallow the land and people of Dongyi into the Qing Kingdom's territory without a drop of blood, he was thinking more about whether or not this process would proceed smoothly.
Although the Qing Iron Riders had effectively intimidated the hearts of most of the Dongyi people outside Dongyi, the behavior of the disciples of the Sword Hut made the Great Prince wary.
He glanced at Fan Xian deeply and said, "Although the Emperor did not say it explicitly regarding the Sword Hut, it is clear that he is not happy with this move."
"At the time, I was forced into a corner. Either I take over the Sword Hut or I start from the beginning," Fan Xian laughed coldly. "Did you think I wanted to be a fatty piece of meat caught between hard buns?"
"Father's intentions were clear. At the very least, you have to go back and report …" The Great Prince furrowed his brows slightly. Shortly after, he sighed. "I am only here to temporarily replace you. Father will not be at ease with me staying in Dongyi for long."
Fan Xian sank into silence. He knew the Great Prince was speaking from the bottom of his heart. The Great Prince had always had some care and closeness toward Dongyi. After all, Lady Ning had been giving him orders for many years. Additionally, he had military power in his hands. The Emperor would rather stay in Dongyi himself than be at ease leaving Dongyi to the Great Prince.
It was not difficult to carve out land and make a king. What kind of land to carve out and who to make a king was the difficult matter.
"In any case, the Emperor has not rushed me. I will stay in Dongyi for a while and help you sort out the situation," Fan Xian said. "After the situation has stabilized, I will return to the capital."
The Great Prince nodded and then said, "The Overwatch Council still needs you to manage it. Presumably, father will not always have you away from Jingdou. After you return to Jingdou, ask around and see what the future plans are for Dongyi."
"You are worried that the Emperor will send a powerful figure over and incite a civil revolt in Dongyi?" Fan Xian gazed at him with a slight smile. "I have made arrangements here. As half a Dongyi person, you don't have to worry too much."
His tone became serious. "Even if you are worried, you have to bury it in your stomach and not let others see."
The Great Prince knew that his brother truly cared about him. His heart moved, he nodded.
"Is Chen Pingping preparing to leave?" Fan Xian took a sip of cold tea and felt his mouth dry. He raised his gaze and glanced at him. This Great Prince had a close relationship with Chen Pingping. Presumably, he was well aware of what was happening in Chen Garden.
"He has already begun to make preparations. A few days ago, he went into the Palace to ask for his resignation." The Great Prince did not know that Director Chen, whom he viewed as an elder, had once had treasonous thoughts toward his father. He did not see this matter as serious. He only thought that Director Chen was getting old and should retire. Thinking of how he would leave Jingdou and not knowing if he would see him again in this life, the Great Prince felt a bit lost in his heart.
Fan Xian was silent. He calculated in his heart for a long time and then ignored this question. In the end, he asked, "The troops coming to Dongyi this time, are they truly all the Western Expedition Army? Can you completely control them? "
"The soldiers are all old. The problem is that there are many strangers in the middle ranks," the Great Prince said coldly with narrowed eyes.
…
…
In the next few days, he was still badly battered. The complicated handover and name changing ceremonies happened everywhere in Dongyi. Fortunately, the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple sent a large number of capable officials. Only then did Fan Xian not vomit blood because of these things.
What truly battered him was a popular uprising in the Liang Kingdom to the northwest of Dongyi. During the mobilization of the people to resist the Qing invaders, a Liang scholar who was deeply respected by the people self-immolated on the street. Black smoke rose and immediately ignited the hatred in the hearts of the Liang people.
Only now did Fan Xian truly understand how childish his initial thoughts were. To truly conquer a foreign country, it was impossible to do so without bloodshed.
The Great Prince had already led the army over to suppress it. Before he left, Fan Xian seriously exhorted that if it was possible for the Qing army to not act, then they must not act. Once the Qing army's hands were stained with the blood of the Dongyi people, it would be difficult to wash it clean. This kind of hatred could never be resolved.
The Great Prince followed the plan and sent a stern-worded letter to the manor of the Master of the City in Dongyi, rebuking the Master of the City, Yun Zhilan. He then urged the manor to be the vanguard and the local martial power as the vanguard to suppress the unrest in the Liang Kingdom. The Qing army was the rear and maintained a certain distance.
After the Great Prince and Yun Zhilan both left Dongyi, all affairs were handed to Fan Xian to handle. He hid by the seaside and thought of the never-ending sparks of fire in Dongyi. He felt a wave of irritation.
It should be better to have the manor of the City suppress it. It was probably like the puppet army in his previous life. Fan Xian sat on a large rock by the seaside and smiled bitterly. He knew that no matter what he did, no matter how Sigu Jian's last words and the disciples of the Sword Hut cooperated with him, he still could not change the fact that in the hearts of the people of Dongyi, he was an evil invader.
"How exactly do you want to deal with the matter of the Liang Kingdom?" Thirteenth Wang, who had become more and more silent these few months, was sitting by his side. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you want the army to massacre the people?"
"The manor of the Master of the City does not have an army. It only has the power and position that it has developed over the years." Fan Xian knew why Thirteenth Wang was asking this. After all, he was a Dongyi person. Yet, he had to suppress the unrest in the Liang Kingdom that he saw as righteous. Presumably, his feelings were complicated. He paused for a moment and then quietly said, "I have orders to try to keep as few people as possible dead."
"In the end, people will still die. Furthermore, once the weapons move, how will you control them?" Thirteenth Wang's gaze was confused. He only stared at the rise and fall of the waves on the ocean.
Fan Xian tilted his head and glanced at him. His expression gradually became serious. "Do you know the scholar who burned himself to death?"
"In the past, Sir Gu often came to the Sword Hut to speak with the teacher," Thirteenth Wang replied.
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "There are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the world. Although I have never seen this Sir Gu, presumably, he is also a remarkable figure. The chaos in the Liang Kingdom started because of him, but I am unable to deal with him. As for his family, don't worry. I will protect them. Sir Gu's ancestral hall will be built as soon as possible after the matter is over."
Thirteenth Wang looked at him in a daze. After a long time, he said, "You don't truly respect him. You just need to put on this attitude to appease the people of the Liang Kingdom."
"That's what all invaders do," Ye Zichen said. Fan Xian's expression was slightly dim. "However, I am surprised that you can think of this. Thirteenth, you are becoming more and more remarkable."
"I've seen too many things. No one can be simple." Thirteenth Wang stared into his eyes and said, "You once promised the teacher that you wouldn't let the people of Dongyi bleed."
"I don't like to see blood. Otherwise, why would I be tied to this carriage by the Sword Hut?" Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly. His smile gradually became icy. "But, necessary blood must be shed. Otherwise, if it continues to be chaotic, it will be like a whirlpool that will swallow all of Dongyi. At that time, even more people will die."
He turned his head and looked calmly at Thirteenth Wang. "I know what you are angry about. I also know what you are sad about. Look at my eyes and think of what I have sacrificed. Don't forget, if you only consider it from the perspective of my own interests, if the Qing army attacked, I would be free and unfettered. At most, I would cry for the innocent people of Dongyi. Why would I suffer like this?"
"If the two sides start to fight, Dongyi will certainly lose. The number of deaths will be in the hundreds of thousands," Fan Xian said with his eyes closed. Fan Xian closed his eyes and said, "My philosophy of life is very simple. Since this matter cannot be stopped, then the fewer people who die, the better."
"There is no difference between 10 lives and 10,000 lives," Thirteenth Wang said.
"Wrong!" Fan Xian said resolutely. "I don't care if a life has a price. I only know that a person's life is unique. 100,000 unique lives are more important than 10, 100, or 1,000."
"If the heavens gave me a multiple-choice question, between 100,000 lives and 99,999 lives, I would certainly choose the former because there is one more in the former."
"The people of Dongyi should learn to be grateful to me." Fan Xian looked into Thirteenth Wang's eyes and calmly said, "I have allowed many people who should have died to live."
Thirteenth Wang was silent for a long time. He then said, "But, these people did not need to die."
"The Emperor's cause requires them to die, so they must die." Fan Xian stood up from the large rock. "Even your teacher was unable to stop him. You should understand the pressure I am under."
Fan Xian patted the sand from behind his butt and narrowed his eyes at the endless ocean. "Sometimes, I find that I am almost Gao Daquan."
"What is Gao Daquan?"
"An inhuman description," Fan Xian shrugged. Fan Xian shrugged his shoulders. "But, thinking about it carefully, I am not Gao Quan. I am just willing to do this. I will not die for some ideal or some spiritual need, such as burning myself like Mr. Gu. I am a person who knows how to run and is good at running."
He then turned around and looked at Thirteenth Wang. Calmly, he said, "That day, Sigu Jian and I talked quietly in the room. You should have heard the contents of our conversation. Do you have any understanding of the Tyrannical zhenqi?"
…
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
