The Blood Crown - Chapter 61

Seventy-seven days after the rebel army submitted to the court, they rebelled once again.

Emperor Zhaowu, who had a reputation for indecisiveness and was criticized by later generations as excessively compassionate, immediately ordered the execution of Yang Yue.

No one needed to advise him this time. He ordered the reorganized rebel army in Luoyang to rush to Shu to suppress Bao Yunyong.

Bao Yunyong would not just wait to die in one place. Shu had already been plundered almost empty. As Yan Sikong had predicted, they took boats down the Yangtze River, capturing two small cities within seven days, and their rebel army had grown to fifty thousand by the time they reached Kuizhou.

Kuizhou was strategically located, upstream of Jingzhou. If you wanted to conquer the world, you had to first take Jingzhou, and if you wanted Jingzhou, you had to take Kuizhou first. Once the rebel army took Kuizhou, the river route for transporting grain to Jingzhou and the official road behind it would be in danger, and this group of rebels would no longer be a motley crew; they could truly dominate a region.

Kuizhou was by no means an easy target to attack, but Bao Yunyong had no better choice. If this path was blocked and the rebel army from Luoyang arrived, they would be trapped from both sides, and they would be doomed. Now the only way to survive was to occupy Kuizhou, hold the defensible position, and naturally, many heroes would come to join them.

In the past, an army of fifty thousand militia would not be able to attack the well-defended Kuizhou. However, Kuizhou was also suffering from snow disasters, and food was scarce. People’s hearts were wavering, but Bao Yunyong wasn’t in a hurry to attack the city. Instead, he had his soldiers who had relatives in Kuizhou shout under the city every day, urging them to surrender and join the rebel army for the greater cause.

The Kuizhou garrison remained steadfast and unmoved.

The two armies were at a standoff when, hundreds of miles away in the capital city, a minor incident occurred.

While Zhou Mixing was enjoying himself in the Tinglan Pavilion, he got into a fight with another man over the affections of Night Departure. The other man was drunk and, in his drunken state, made reckless remarks, saying that when Prince Liang rallied the rebel army and stormed the capital, the first person he would kill would be Zhou Mixing’s father, Shuntian Prefect.

The man managed to escape while being taken to the Yamen, and his whereabouts were unknown, but his words caused quite a stir. Because of the cancellation of the New Year’s ceremony, the reduction of salaries, and the strict investigation of land encroachments, the phoenixes and dragons who had enjoyed more than two hundred years of glory were resentful but dared not speak out. Rumors circulated that Emperor Zhaowu wanted to use the snow disaster to reduce the power of the vassals, and the vassal lords were all secretly recruiting troops and buying horses. 

The land of the mist and willows was a place where all sorts of people mingled, and it was normal for people with secrets to come and go. The drunken man’s words, however, made it seem more credible. 

The news spread like wildfire throughout the court and the commoners. People no longer knew whether this crisis was caused by Emperor Zhaowu hearing that Prince Liang intended to rebel and wanting to cut the vassals down to size or by Prince Liang hearing that Emperor Zhaowu wanted to weaken the vassals and preparing to rebel. Neither of them had any such intentions originally, but now they were forced into an impossible situation. 

Emperor Zhaowu, pretending to be angry, gave Jiang Ling a thrashing in the court in front of everyone. 

This one thrashing wasn’t a big deal. Censors were greatly encouraged by it and took turns to make criticisms. For an official to be rewarded with a thrashing in the courtroom, regardless of whether they were beaten to death or half to death, it was a badge of honor because it was evidence of their willingness to defy the emperor’s authority and be loyal.

In just a few days, the two words “cut vassals” that were originally extremely taboo had already stirred up a storm.

In the end, there was no one to say for sure whether Emperor Zhaowu had heard rumors that Prince Liang was planning to rebel and wanted to cut the vassals or whether Prince Liang had heard rumors that Emperor Zhaowu wanted to cut the vassals and was preparing to rebel. The two of them had no intention of doing so originally, but now they were forced into an impossible situation.

Yan Sikong silently lay in wait, watching the situation unfold according to his plan. Every time he thought of Ge Zhong enduring what kind of torment, he felt an unparalleled sense of pleasure. If he just wanted the lives of these bandits, a few assassins would be enough, but he wanted more than just their lives. He wanted them to be disgraced, to taste the bitterness of life, and to die in agony.

Spring snow had not yet melted, and urgent news came from Kuizhou: the commander of Kuizhou had been assassinated by a spy, and the city gates were opened. Bao Yunyong captured Kuizhou without a single soldier, and when the twenty thousand rebel army from Luoyang arrived at Kuizhou, it was already “The King of Heaven’s Banner” on the city walls.

Although Prince Liang did not join forces with Bao Yunyong to surround Kuizhou as rumored, Kuizhou’s fall was a fact. With only twenty thousand troops, it was impossible to attack the heavily fortified Kuizhou.

The court and the people were in turmoil. Everyone knew that this crisis was different from the usual. A slight mistake, and Jinling would likely have more than one emperor. If Prince Liang declared himself emperor, it would be a bit easier, but if some lowly bandit took the throne, the entire nation would have to change their surnames.

Emperor Zhaowu issued an edict, appointing General of the Flying Cavalry Di Feng as the commander to raise troops and horses from Luoyang and Huguang to join forces with the Luoyang Rebel Army to defeat the rebels. 

Using the excuse of suppressing bandits, the troops and horses requisitioned from the Huguang area, which were originally supposed to be given to the court, were primarily from Jingzhou.

If they handed over troops and horses, they would be abolished as vassals. If they did not hand over troops and horses, they would be openly rebelling. This plan would kill two birds with one stone: it would expose Prince Liang’s true face and also provide an explanation to other vassal lords who were quietly watching events unfold.

Prince Liang was finally forced to the brink.

The plane was delayed, and I spent thirty hours lying down to finish this chapter…