Chapter Fifty-Nine: Riding a Tiger - Difficult to Dismount, Perilous to Advance or Retreat
The festival passes quickly, and the Spring Festival is over in the blink of an eye, but the festive atmosphere still lingers in the streets and alleys.
During the Spring Festival, the military camp was more lively and festive than ever before. Everyone drank and chatted, enjoying themselves under the moon, except for two people who were still not satisfied.
Yang Xiao was so drunk that she couldn't drink a single cup, which solidified her reputation in the military; Bai Ming missed a chance to confess his feelings because of this, and his carefully prepared words were once again lost.
Looking at Yang Xiao, who was both relaxed and diligent, he suppressed his restless thoughts. With spring approaching, he didn't mention it to her at all.
The air outside the governor's office still seemed to be thick with the scent of fireworks, as if the magnificent display of blacksmithing and the dance of fire-wielding swords were still unfolding before one's eyes. But looking up, one finds only the tranquility and peace of the past, and a familiar envoy standing before the familiar streets.
In the bustling crowd, the envoy's attire was extremely eye-catching, and in no time, a circle of onlookers gathered behind him. But he seemed completely unconcerned, and even adopted the demeanor of a so-called "civil official," walking towards the guards at the gate and bowing deeply.
"My name is Chen..."
"Oh, Lord Chen, you've come again." The soldier at the door, seeing this, bowed to him with a wry smile. "You've come quite early, it's only just after the New Year." He smiled and cupped his hands in return. "Wait a moment while we report to my lord."
Before Chen Rang could even display his refined and scholarly demeanor, the guard pressed him down. He was stunned for a moment before quickly responding to the soldier's words, saying in a respectful voice, "Very well, then I'll trouble you, sir."
After a six-day break from New Year's Eve to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and only a few days of drills, the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year holiday arrived again. Everyone was restless and rushed to Zhongli An's tent, eager to discuss the war after the New Year.
"Hey, Zhaoqing," Zhongli Shuo said in the governor's mansion, putting his hand on Bai Ming's shoulder and teasingly whispering, "You, the whole Spring Festival has passed, why aren't you with Lingyu yet..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming was startled and quickly sat up straight, gesturing for Zhong Lishuo to be quiet.
Zhong Lishuo glanced at Yang Xiao, who was chatting and laughing with Cen Xun, and waved his hand with a smile, "Don't worry, she can't hear you."
“Lingyu is still here,” Bai Ming nudged Zhong Lishuo and winked at him, “That’s enough.”
Zhong Lishuo smiled, crossed his arms, and ignored him, looking up at the map hanging on Zhong Li'an's back.
Just as he hung the topographical map on the wall, a report came from outside the door: "My lord, Chen Rang, the envoy from Nanyang, requests an audience and is waiting outside the door."
“Chen Rang…” Zhong Li’an frowned slightly upon hearing the voice, turned to look at the crowd below who were also frowning, and then looked up at the soldier who had reported the news. “Please invite him in first.”
"It hasn't been long," Yang Xiao said, holding a cup of hot tea, looking up at Zhong Li'an with a puzzled expression, "and he's already here again?"
Qi Kun sighed softly, glanced back at Yang Xiao, then turned to look at the door. "Let's see what he wants to do first."
Another burst of standard laughter echoed in the courtyard.
A familiar smile returned to Chen Rang's face. He bowed as he entered the hall, raised his hand to Zhongli An, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with a smile, "Lord Zhongli, everyone, it's been a long time. I've missed you all very much. Now that the new year has begun, I wish you all great success and a bright future."
Zhong Li'an chuckled softly upon hearing this. He shook his head gently and gestured for Chen Rang to sit down. "Mr. Chen, you are truly dedicated. You just arrived in Jizhou before the New Year, and you're here again before the holiday is even over." He glanced down at the teapot he was pouring tea into. "May I ask what brings you here this time, sir?"
"My lord, you're being too formal," a fawning smile spread across Chen Rang's face, almost overflowing from his thin features. He bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhongli An. "Perhaps in a few days, I will also have to call you 'my lord'."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Li'an frowned immediately, the teapot in his hand paused in mid-air, letting the tea slowly flow down.
Zhongli Shuo glanced at Chen Rang, then burst into laughter, before scoffing, "Could it be that you intend to rebel, sir? That won't do. If you were to rebel, wouldn't the Prefect of Nanyang send troops to attack us?"
Zhong Li'an chuckled softly, slowly lifted the teapot in his hand, placed it on the table, and quietly wiped away the spilled tea with a handkerchief.
“Oh dear, General Yude, you are mistaken,” Chen Rang said, and quickly stood up to clasp his hands in greeting to Zhong Lishuo. Then he looked up at Zhong Lian and said, “Gentlemen, you have misunderstood me.”
"Oh?" Zhongli An chuckled and sighed, then looked up at Chen Rang with interest. "What do you mean by that, sir?"
Chen Rang seemed to suddenly become interested. He sat down, leaned forward, and looked at Zhong Li'an with expectant eyes. "My lord has admired you for a long time. After my last visit, I saw that you and everyone else were so approachable and had extraordinary skills. My lord has been even more fond of you all."
He cleared his throat, raised his hand and pulled on his heel, looking at Zhongli An with a slightly mysterious expression, "Therefore, my lord has decided to offer this Nanyang Prefecture to you, and hopes that you will accept it."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li'an paused for a moment. He exchanged glances with the people present, then regained his usual expression. He frowned slightly as he looked at Chen Rang, then chuckled and waved his hand, "Giving away a city is no child's play. Please discuss this with your prefect, and do not joke or play games with me."
“Oh, Lord Zhongli, my lord truly admires you greatly. Giving Nanyang to you is no trivial matter. You can rest assured.”
Zhongli An chuckled and sighed, taking a sip of the hot tea in his cup. "Then I thank Prefect Xie for his kindness. However, I cannot accept such a reward without merit." He put down his teacup, looked up at Chen Rang, and asked, "Does Prefect Xie have some formidable enemy that is difficult to defeat, and requires our assistance?"
"Your Excellency is overthinking this," a fawning smile returned to Chen Rang's face. He cupped his hands in a smile to Zhongli An, "Not only my lord, but the entire population of Nanyang is counting on you to reclaim Nanyang. Wherever your troops go, peace and tranquility prevail. Therefore, the entire city of Nanyang loves and respects you greatly."
Yang Xiao rested her chin on her hand and glanced sideways at Chen Rang, tentatively asking, "Then why was the governor unwilling to submit when my lord sent General Zhao Qing to reclaim Yuzhou, but now he wants to hand over Nanyang County?"
Chen Rang seemed to have anticipated this problem. He smiled confidently and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Xiao, saying, "General Yang, you may not know this, but at that time, Lord Zhongli was a novice, and we were not clear about your strengths. We entrusted Nanyang to you so casually." He scratched his head and smiled apologetically, "Our Prefect Jie was also worried."
“I see,” Yang Xiao chuckled and nodded meaningfully. “It was my oversight. Please continue, sir.”
Chen Rang smiled and nodded to Yang Xiao, then turned to Zhong Li'an, and leaned down as if setting a trap, saying, "Our lord originally intended to present the seal directly to the magistrate, but the thousands of people of Nanyang really want to see the magistrate in person, so we cannot refuse..."
He looked around with feigned difficulty, then looked up at Zhongli An as if forced to, "Therefore, I can only ask you, my lord, to make a trip to Nanyang in person. I will prepare a grand banquet to invite you. I hope you will not disappoint the people's good intentions."
Yang Xiao listened attentively, holding her teacup. When Chen Rang asked Zhong Li'an to go in person, she glanced at him sharply, her gaze as sharp as a blade. Then she looked at Cen Xun sitting opposite her. Seeing that Cen Xun smiled and nodded at her as if he had expected it, she had an answer in her mind. She put down her teacup and looked at Chen Rang with interest.
“As Mr. Chen wishes, I absolutely must go to Nanyang,” Zhong Li’an said with a smile as he stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Rang. “However, I absolutely cannot accept this official seal.”
When Chen Rang saw that Zhongli An had decided to go to Nanyang, he smiled and got up to greet him. "My prefect is not as good as you, my lord, in terms of governance, but Nanyang is still well-organized and the people are living in peace and happiness. Perhaps you will change your mind when you get there?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li'an smiled and patted Chen Rang on the shoulder, saying in a friendly manner, "If that's really the case, I hope Prefect Xie won't change his mind."
“Of course,” Chen Rang smiled at Zhong Li’an, cupping his hands as he retreated towards the door. “In that case, I will take my leave. Now that you have agreed, my prefect’s invitation will be delivered soon. Your Excellency is certainly not one to break your word. We will be waiting for Your Excellency in Nanyang.”
Zhong Li'an stared at Chen Rang, his eyes filled with unfathomable depth. He tugged at the corners of his mouth and bowed to the smiling Chen Rang, saying, "Take care, sir."
This person comes in ostentatiously and leaves in a flurry, his manner as if he were joking, but the matters he speaks of are not to be taken lightly.
Seeing Chen Rang casually lift the curtain and step out the door with a relaxed smile, Zhong Li'an's forced smile immediately turned cold. He sighed, looked back at his trusted confidants who already knew the truth, and shook his head with a light laugh, "Gentlemen, what are your thoughts?"
Chen Rang's arrival undoubtedly kicked off the first major event of the new year.
“Brother,” Zhongli Shuo couldn’t contain himself and stepped over the table, frowning angrily at Zhongli An, “Isn’t Chen Rang obviously trying to trick you?” He pointed to Chen Rang’s back outside the door, “He’s been coming and going these past few times just to get you to go to Nanyang. I don’t think he has any good intentions. You can’t go to Nanyang.”
Bai Ming nodded in agreement, then frowned and looked at Zhong Li'an, "What Yu De said is true, my lord. People's hearts are not yet settled. We must think twice before making this trip."
Chen Rang and Jie Liang's intentions were too obvious; everyone could see them clearly.
The forces that were originally trying to take advantage of the situation now want to fawn over Zhong Li'an and curry favor with him after he became famous and dominated the Central Plains in one battle. They even want to give up their only territory, Nanyang County.
How could that be? When Xiao Yan usurped power, although he was powerless to conquer the Central Plains, he was still one of the most powerful forces in the world. At that time, Zhong Li'an was just an unknown prefect.
When Zhongli An raised troops to pacify the three prefectures, Xie Liang of Nanyang not only did not submit to Xiao Yan, but also wanted to take advantage of the chaos to gain a share of the spoils. This shows that Xie Liang was not lacking in ambition.
At present, Jie Liang has no intention of surrendering to Xiao Yan, and has even formed an alliance with him, aiming to control the four prefectures of Ji, Yu, Zhongli, and An.
Needless to say, the so-called surrender of the prefecture was definitely a ruse.
Then look at the envoy Chen Rang, who rushed to Zhongli An's camp again and again to flatter him before the end of the year. His only purpose was to use the pretext of yielding the throne to get Zhongli An to go to Nanyang.
Anyone with eyes could see that this was a trap, so how could Jie Liang not know? But they seemed to be certain that Zhongli An would go in person, and they waited confidently in Nanyang.
Zhong Li'an was known for "winning the hearts of the people" and "the army of benevolence and righteousness." This time, Chen Rang used his silver tongue to put him on a high platform in people's hearts.
They offered Nanyang to Zhongli An out of goodwill. If Zhongli An were to send troops to attack, it would be a betrayal of their promise and a self-destructive act. Not only would the Jiangnan region rise up against the alliance, but other warlords would also take the opportunity to attack, and Jizhou would instantly become the target of everyone's wrath.
If Zhongli An doesn't go, the people of Nanyang, who have already received the news, will be utterly disappointed. In that case, how can they win the hearts and minds of the people?
Zhong Li'an shook his head and sat back down, chuckling as he looked at the two people in front of him. He sighed helplessly, "It's difficult not to go. Chen Rang's words have put me on such a high pedestal. If I don't go, I'm afraid I'll lose the trust of the people."
“Who says otherwise?” Qi Kun nodded in agreement, leaning against the table and looking up at Zhong Lishuo. “Everyone knows that our lord loves the people. Now, Jie Liang and Chen Rang are using the people of Nanyang to hold our lord hostage, and they even want to offer Nanyang County to our lord. It would be inappropriate to refuse them, both morally and logically.”
“We can’t really send our brother, can we?” Zhongli Shuo stepped forward impatiently and pointed angrily towards the door. “Look at Chen Rang’s condition. We might as well just send troops and take Nanyang.”
Upon hearing this, Zhongli An couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and flicked Zhongli Shuo's nose. "You, people kindly gave us Nanyang County, but we want to send troops to attack it. If that's the case, how can we stand in this world?"
He sighed softly, leaned against the table, and looked up at the sun shining brightly in the sky outside the window. "This matter cannot be decided lightly. They really didn't give me any choice."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
