Chapter 78 The Show Begins [First Update]

"This is a divisive tactic."

From the capital to the common people, to Wanzhou, the sea.

Anyone with a brain knows why the rebels are saying this.

The more the emperor fears something, the more they will say it.

Haiwanzhou Yamen (official residence of Haiwanzhou).

Su Qing said to his subordinates, "The rebels are terrified of Prince Zheng, hence their remarks."

After saying that, he called out a few people by name: "Your mouths are quite sharp, getting this news to the capital so quickly."

The people whose names were mentioned perked up.

How did Lord Su find out?!

The others also looked over. Such an outrageous rumor, and they all had to report it to the Emperor?!

Why is that?

Looking at the identities and ages of these people, without exception, they were all newcomers promoted by the imperial court this year.

I see.

They were truly loyal to the emperor.

Do you know what time it is now?

How could such baseless rumors even reach the capital?!

It is common knowledge that Prince Zheng would never pay any attention to the rebels.

Such nonsense really doesn't need to be told to the Emperor.

One of them stubbornly insisted, "It is my duty as a subject to report what I know to the Emperor. What is wrong with that?"

“That’s right, the Emperor won’t believe it anyway, so why bother, Lord Su?”

The younger officials thought so, but some of the older officials, especially those with close ties to the capital, thought to themselves, "A bunch of fools. The Emperor is already very wary of Prince Zheng. If there are such rumors, won't that only increase his suspicions?"

This has really harmed Prince Zheng.

Prince Zheng has just reorganized the local garrison, and they are now capable of fighting the rebels.

If the emperor becomes suspicious at this time, their battle in Haiwan Prefecture will be in serious trouble.

Taking this opportunity, Su Qing suppressed these people and prevented them from having any contact with important local affairs.

The officials naturally did not object.

However, the rebels, seeing that this divisive tactic was effective, began to spread rumors.

"Your Highness, you've fought so hard, yet the higher-ups still doubt you so much. Why not just rebel?"

"With your abilities, there will be no more bandits in the world."

“We’ll follow you immediately; you’re much better than that petty emperor.”

The people and officials of Shunchang Kingdom, mindful of the emperor's feelings, dared not speak too plainly.

But these rebels have no reason to care about such things.

Say as harsh a thing as you can.

Some even said, "We were originally subjects of Shunchang Kingdom, so why did we rebel? It's because the emperor was tyrannical and only cared about selfish pleasures."

"This is not our fault! It is the Emperor's injustice, the injustice of Heaven!"

Su Qing had no idea what the people of Wanzhou thought.

But she nodded inwardly.

Of course, such statements should still be refuted publicly.

What prince is so loyal to the emperor and loves his country, and has never harbored any rebellious thoughts?

You traitors and rebels, stop talking nonsense, etc.

In any case, these words were extremely perfunctory, merely refuting a few points according to the rules.

Yan Zhengzhou remained silent, but his subordinates, including Ma Hao, grew anxious: "Does Lord Su not know the Emperor's temperament? There's no point in refuting him like this."

Even military officers could see it.

Why can't Lord Su understand?

Yan Zhengzhou paused for a moment: "She has her reasons."

"We just need to focus on fighting the war."

Is it enough to just fight the war wholeheartedly?!

Ma Hao and the others were even more surprised.

In the past, the prince would definitely have tried to dispel the emperor's doubts.

What happened this time?

Are we just going to ignore everything?

"Your Highness!"

Yan Zhengzhou shook his head: "Continue training the troops."

The crowd looked at each other, and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Their prince is just too kind.

Lord Su has too high an opinion of the Emperor.

Heaven knows what the Emperor will think next.

But both Lord Su and the Prince told them to calm down and just do their jobs.

As for the reaction in the capital, there's really no need to worry about it.

Prince Zheng and his men had no choice but to focus on training their troops.

Only by winning a battle quickly can the prince's reputation be cleared.

But they also had their own thoughts.

If the prince really has rebellious intentions, wouldn't that be a good thing?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Ma Hao quickly slapped his forehead: "How could you think like that!"

Their prince would never do such a thing.

There is no one in this world who can persuade him!

At the same time, Su Qing's memorial was also submitted.

One purpose was to clarify the false rumors, and the other was to demonstrate that Prince Zheng was innocent and that he believed the Emperor would not easily believe the rumors.

This made the emperor extremely embarrassed.

They wished they could bring Yan Zhengzhou back immediately.

But such an order seems to confirm those rumors, which is really inappropriate.

But letting them off so easily is too lenient on them.

There was no explanation for what happened to Yan Zhengzhou.

In the past, they would have already submitted a petition to the emperor.

There was much discussion about this in the court, but the people still trusted Prince Zheng implicitly.

If this person wanted to rebel, they would have done so long ago; why wait until now?

They don't cling to power, and they hand over military power whenever they want; everyone has seen that over the years.

Even the rebels on those islands were sent there by Prince Zheng back then.

If he hadn't recaptured the capital, the emperor might still be in Nanjing.

So arguing about this won't lead to anything.

Should Yan Zhengzhou be transferred back now?

That's even more impossible.

It would be ridiculous to recall generals at the last minute when a major battle is imminent.

The wealthy businessmen from Jiangnan who donated money would not agree to it either.

The safety of their hometown is very important, and so is their waiting to go out to sea to sell their goods.

After much arguing...

The emperor realized that he could only swallow his anger and pretend not to know about these rumors.

This was worse than eating shit for him.

In the end, it was the Empress Dowager who intervened.

The Empress Dowager said, "How could the Prince have any rebellious intentions? Don't worry about it."

The capital city was bustling with noise and commotion.

It won't affect Haiwanzhou's deployment.

Military troops are stationed and patrol the ports of all sizes in Wanzhou, Hainan.

If there is any unusual activity on the shore, it can be detected immediately.

The army mobilized more than 30 ships of various sizes, which was more than enough to deal with the small islands.

The local soldiers are mostly skilled in naval warfare, and after two months of intensive training, they are certainly sufficient.

Meanwhile, the weapons workshops in Haiwanzhou finally began to produce weapons.

Compared to the weapons from Guangyuefu, their production speed is somewhat slower.

However, their quality is comparable.

Lord Zhen was forced to work while crying and sobbing.

Su Qing certainly didn't promote him, but he ensured the safety of his wife, children, and concubines.

After this incident, he became more sensible.

Although he still wanted to be promoted, he didn't believe anyone except for Lord Su's orders.

As weapons were shipped out in batches, the battle at Haiwanzhou drew ever closer.

The already panicked rebels had no idea what to do.

They were already afraid of Yan Zhengzhou; back when they fought in the capital, this war god had driven them into a series of defeats.

If it weren't for the logistical problems Yan Zhengzhou had faced at the time, these people would have been driven away long ago.

Now things are much better. The already formidable God of War has Su Qing, that woman, to provide logistical support.

Even if they receive donations from wealthy businessmen, they are not subject to the businessmen's control.

Everything was done in a very orderly and methodical manner, without any rush or delay.

Many people realized that they were completely finished this time.

The decisive battle is drawing ever closer.

Suddenly, news spread from Haiwan Prefecture: "If anyone is willing to surrender, the imperial court will make an exception."

These words immediately caused conflict among the already fearful rebels.

Should we lower the price?

Or should they feign surrender, or simply run away?

Su Qing gave him three days.

After three days, it will be a different story.

The local residents of Haiwanzhou all stayed at home, fearing that they would be affected by the war.

In these three days, some rebels did surrender, but most of them put up a last-ditch resistance.

What terrified the rebels even more was...

After three days, the garrison made no move whatsoever, and had no idea what they were up to.

Until late at night on March 16th.

The rebels, who were asleep, were dragged out of bed.

The more than 4,000 rebels on the six nearby islands were all awakened.

Prince Zheng led his troops to quell the rebels and has already ascertained the situation on all the nearby islands.

That night, torches lit up the sea, and screams echoed continuously.

Twenty thousand garrison troops fought against more than four thousand rebels.

The sea only returned to calm at the first light of dawn.

Of the more than 4,000 rebels, half died directly in the naval battle, and more than 700 were captured on the spot.

The remaining rebels either jumped into the sea or escaped in small boats.

The rebels entrenched on the small islands near Haiwanzhou were finally wiped out.

Yan Zhengzhou truly deserves the title of God of War.

The minor leaders only found out after they were captured.

Not only were there surrendered rebels tipping them off, but there were also accomplices secretly passing on information.

There was no other way; they were genuinely terrified.

The mere mention of Prince Zheng's name is enough to send chills down your spine.

Su Qing's side has weapons workshops and ample logistics.

From any perspective, it seems like they can't win.

It would be better to surrender sooner rather than later.

The local people of Haiwanzhou cheered and celebrated as they watched the rebels being captured on the dock, all surrounding the prison van.

There's not much to say about these thieves.

Su Qing ordered that an auspicious day be chosen for the sea sacrifice.

To comfort the souls of the deceased local people.

"Very good!"

"Did Lord Su really issue such an order?"

"I thought she would be more soft-hearted because she is a woman."

"Who among those who can become high-ranking officials would be soft-hearted?"

"A life for a life! These rebels deserve to die!"

Some people were secretly muttering, "If the rebels have been here for at least two or three years, why didn't the imperial court do anything about it before when they could have controlled it?"

Do they really have to wait until something serious happens before sending troops?

I originally thought the imperial court was incapable of handling this.

It seems that there are still good generals and good officials.

The insider glanced in the direction of the capital: "Don't you know? The emperor is wary of Prince Zheng's abilities and is afraid that if he gains military merit, it will threaten his position."

Is this why a capable general was stripped of his military power?

Why do we turn a blind eye to local thieves?

How absurd!

What do you think?

"Prince Zheng is twenty-five years old this year and has never married. Do you know why?"

I don't know.

"Because the Emperor is thirty-five years old this year and has no children, he says he will bestow a marriage upon Prince Zheng, but he doesn't actually mention it at all, just because he is afraid that Prince Zheng will have a child first."

The good news that Prince Zheng and Lord Su had joined forces to quell the rebels spread throughout Jiangnan.

The emperor's speculation naturally spread to more places.

Who doesn't like to hear gossip, especially royal gossip?

The emperor already had a bad reputation in the Jiangnan region, and now he has become an even bigger laughing stock.

Some even said, "If he really can't have children, then let the prince have them."

"That's the God of War, his children are bound to be better than sickly ones."

Su Qing looked at the collected discussions and silently suppressed her words.

They previously said they would let Prince Zheng ascend the throne, but Prince Zheng rebelled along with them.

Those kinds of words are actually not so bad.

Letting the Emperor hear this and letting him desensitize himself is actually quite good.

Such rumors concerning future generations and offspring were what truly struck a nerve with the emperor.

For Yan Zhengzhou's sake, it's best not to let them find out.

"Reward the soldiers, everyone has worked hard," Su Qing said.

The entire city of Wanzhou was in a state of jubilation.

This sea area is finally clean!

When Su Qing was rewarding the soldiers with supplies, he spotted Yan Zhengzhou in the crowd.

We set off last December and finished fighting in mid-March this year.

There's absolutely no need to worry about his fighting skills.

Yan Zhengzhou noticed Su Qing's gaze and couldn't help but stare at her for a while longer.

Su Qing stood directly beside him and said with a smile, "Congratulations, General."

Yan Zhengzhou hummed in agreement: "Congratulations to Lord Su as well."

Yes.

Congratulations to them both.

They were already renowned.

It has become increasingly famous in the Jiangnan region.

The mess that General Fu and Prefect Zhang made previously created has turned this place into a chaotic mess.

But when those two took action, everything changed.

It is truly a blessing that Shunchang State has them.

The local people were overjoyed, their happiness evident in their words.

Looking at the revelry of the crowd in front of him.

Su Qing said, "You could have done so much more."

Yan Zhengzhou did not deny it again.

Having made up his mind before leaving the capital, he was ready to take the plunge.

Or rather, taking the initiative to find Su Qing would provide the answer.

She can do far more than she can do herself.

I should be the stepping stone.

The kind of willingness.

Yan Zhengzhou nodded slightly and whispered something in her ear.

Su Qing smiled: "The real show will begin when we return to the capital."

Back to Beijing?

Ma Hao, Yun Xiluyun, and even Quan Jingwu only heard this sentence.

Prince Zheng is going back to the capital.

Is Lord Su also going to the capital?

And what kind of show will it be?