Lu Yanzheng's prediction was correct. Half a month after Prince Yong surrendered to the court, the court issued a decree in a grand manner to strip Lu Yanzheng of his status and power as the Grand General Protector of the Nation. It also dispatched a 50,000-strong army led by the Marquis of Jingyang and supervised by the Vice Minister of War to the northwest to take over all affairs of the border army and Qiongzhou Prefecture.

The Marquis of Jingyang is a hereditary military family of the Zhan family, who were meritorious in the founding of the Great Yue Dynasty. The current Marquis of Jingyang has not yet abdicated because none of the next three generations of the Zhan family can uphold the family's honor. Only the old Marquis of Jingyang can struggle to support the family.

Originally, he was too old to be sent out again, but Emperor Jingqing had no one else to use. In addition, the Zhan family still had some prestige in the army and urgently needed imperial favor to help the Zhan family preserve their family business. So Emperor Jingqing and the old Marquis of Jingyang hit it off.

Unfortunately... just as the imperial court was preparing for a major undertaking, the heavens did not cooperate.

Since the beginning of spring, there has been continuous rain, both heavy and light. For the people of Dai Viet, who have just experienced various disasters, even the spring rain, which is as precious as oil, cannot quench their worries.

Before the imperial army could even set off, it was blocked by the people in Jinzhou.

"Your Majesty, please open your eyes and look at the people! Please, please stop the war! We are all barely surviving!"

"Years of natural disasters and instability on the border have meant that less than one-tenth of the crops planted in the fields survive. The imperial court still takes more than half of the grain tax, and now war is about to break out. Where are we ordinary people supposed to survive?"

"Heavens above, please let the Emperor see us! We don't want war, we just want to live a good life..."

The cries of the people soared to the heavens, and they knelt collectively in the path the army was bound to take. This brought tears to the eyes of the newly recruited soldiers in the ranks, who stopped in their tracks, making it impossible for the Marquis of Jingyang's army to pass.

"My lord, look at this..." The Vice Minister of War felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing the scene before him.

He also came from a poor family; how could he not understand the hardships of ordinary people?

Now the Emperor is determined to build the Star-Picking Tower and is forcing the soldiers to take over the border city and Qiongzhou Prefecture. He only has one sentence, but the people below have to do everything they can to prepare food, pay and all kinds of logistical supplies.

The Ministry of Revenue has been complaining for more than a day or two, but the Ministry of War can't do anything about it!

Marquis Jingyang stared at the kneeling people, tightened the reins, and his aged yet powerful voice suddenly rose, "The imperial decree is inviolable! Everyone, get out of the way immediately! Otherwise, the long sword in my hand will not be so merciless!"

The Vice Minister of War was startled by these words and opened his mouth to try to dissuade him, but the Marquis of Jingyang had already rushed out first!

"ah!"

"Run, everyone! The soldiers are killing people!"

"Kill us! Kill us! We're all going to die anyway..."

The scene immediately descended into chaos. Some people were trampled under the horses, while others were trampled by people after being knocked down by the horses. Putting aside everything else, the stampede alone caused the loss of nearly half of the petitioners.

Marquis Jingyang, however, seemed oblivious to all of this, and loudly commanded, "Anyone who obstructs us again will be killed without mercy!"

Since he has already discussed it with the Emperor, this matter will absolutely not change, and no one can stop him from preserving the glory of the Zhan family!

The soldiers behind were not as fanatical as the Marquis of Jingyang, but they had no choice but to obey orders. The cavalry charged ahead, followed by the infantry, and they forcefully dispersed the crowd of civilians before speeding away.

The Vice Minister of War couldn't help but look back repeatedly, only to see the people kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly, and countless people embracing each other, wailing in grief.

He looked again at the old but still upright back of the Marquis of Jingyang and sighed deeply in his heart.

It seems he needs to write home immediately and ask his family to find a way to send the younger children to Lu Yanzheng's territory.

...

"General, news has come from Jinzhou." Qin Shen entered with a secret report.

Lu Yanzheng immediately put down his official duties, quickly glanced through the document, and then clapped his hands and chuckled, "Those who do evil will not live, now we have a legitimate reason to attack."

Qin Shen peeked out and asked, "General, what makes you say that?"

"See for yourself." Lu Yanzheng handed him the letter. "The Marquis of Jingyang's actions have already caused the court to lose the hearts of the people."

Qin Shen was shocked after reading it. "How could the Marquis of Jingyang do such a thing?"

He came from the Qin family, which, like the Zhan family, was a long-established military family in Dayue. Although they were military officers, they often cared for the people more than civil officials.

Qin Shen couldn't understand why the Marquis of Jingyang would ruin his own reputation in his old age.

“When people are in high positions for too long, they easily forget their original intentions. Once that heart that seeks the well-being of the people is corrupted by power and money, it can never be returned to.” Lu Yanzheng also sighed with emotion.

He admired Marshal Qin so much not only because Marshal Qin was his teacher, friend, and father, but also because of Marshal Qin's unwavering devotion to the people for decades.

However, Marshal Qin also had many times when he was not in control of his own destiny, so there were some bad habits in the border army, such as the local garrison.

He wasn't Marshal Qin, so he wasn't bound by those constraints. Therefore, after taking office, he directly removed everything that Marshal Qin dared not touch.

Upon hearing this, Qin Shen immediately understood and shook his head, saying, "Let's not think about those things anymore. Now, how should we deal with this situation?"

“Of course…” Lu Yanzheng smiled lightly, “I’ll accept it without being polite.”

"Huh?" Qin Shen was completely confused. "What do you mean?"

Lu Yanzheng glanced at him but didn't answer. Instead, he changed the subject, "Have you prepared everything I asked you to?"

Upon hearing him mention this, Qin Shen immediately put aside his previous doubts and asked with great confusion, "General, are you really going to Qinzhou at this time?"

A few days ago, the general asked him to pack some things, as he was going to Qinzhou in the next couple of days.

Lu Yanzheng countered, "Why not?"

Now the court is eager to take away his power. If he weren't begging the court to do things for him, would he have to stay here all the time?

“Not only am I leaving, but once Lu Yao is fully familiar with the affairs of Qiongzhou, you will also have to go back to the border town,” Lu Yanzheng said nonchalantly.

Although it was only a few days, Lu Yao's methods satisfied Lu Yanzheng. With Qiongzhou in his hands and the gunpowder weapons developed by the border troops in his army, even if the Marquis of Jingyang's 50,000 troops attacked, Lu Yao could at least hold them off for ten days to half a month, which would be enough for him to deal with.

Upon hearing this, Qin Shen understood and nodded after thinking for a moment, saying, "Indeed, General, you have thought things through thoroughly."

There are quite a few capable people in the border army. Since the general trusts them, they will naturally not disappoint him.

The general is meant to accomplish great things. We can't expect him to personally garrison every territory we conquer, can we? What would that look like?