Chapter 143
Commander Wei was quite surprised by the Seventh Prince's reach. He obeyed the Emperor's orders and was in charge of guarding and protecting Zhaoyang Palace during the Seventh Prince's confinement period—this was the official matter.
Secretly, his main job was to observe the Seventh Prince and monitor any unusual activity in Zhaoyang Palace. Therefore, he was one of the first people to know that the Seventh Prince was exceptionally skilled, and he suffered quite a bit as a result.
When Commander Wei first received this task, he didn't take it seriously. He thought that he was just a prince, and no matter how miraculous the rumors in the palace were, the real person was not that great, and most of them were just rumors.
Then, Commander Wei spent a year in dire straits.
Whenever the Seventh Prince disappeared silently from Zhaoyang Palace, it was time for Commander Wei to be scolded and punished at Qianyuan Palace.
The number of times wasn't many, and actually, only the first time did the emperor fly into a rage, pointing at him and cursing him as a good-for-nothing before sweeping everything off the table. After that, as the number of times increased, the emperor got used to it and no longer reacted much. However, Commander Wei could clearly feel that the emperor's trust in him was slowly decreasing, and he began to doubt his own abilities.
Commander Wei tried many methods to intercept the Seventh Prince, even standing guard at the entrance of Zhaoyang Palace day and night, his eyes bloodshot and not daring to blink too fast, but to no avail. The Seventh Prince still disappeared without a trace, and he couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
For a fleeting moment, Commander Wei truly had a wicked thought: he wanted to tie the Seventh Prince to the bed, stand by the window, and stare intently at him to see where he could run off to.
In short, Commander Wei's year as a guard at Zhaoyang Palace was more tiring than his ten years in the Imperial Guard. Once his confinement was over, he could leave Zhaoyang Palace, and he was even happier than the Seventh Prince himself. Without being ordered, he couldn't wait to leave with his men.
—Who would have thought that his joy would not last long before the Seventh Prince came knocking on his door.
"No one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason," and seeing the Seventh Prince's confident and well-prepared demeanor, Commander Wei had a bad feeling. He forcibly suppressed it and dared not think any further.
His Majesty wouldn't be so cruel, he would never push the Seventh Prince to him, no, no... Commander Wei comforted himself in his heart.
With a few words, he dispersed the noisy crowd. Minister of War Xu Pingchuan wanted to stay and watch the excitement, but his status made it unsuitable for him to stay, so he regretfully took his leave.
It's worth mentioning that Xu Pingchuan gave the Third Prince several meaningful glances, signaling him to come with him. Whether the Third Prince genuinely didn't see it or was pretending, he simply stood behind the Seventh Prince, clearly intending to follow him.
Xu Pingchuan's eyes twitched, but he couldn't pull the Third Prince back. In the end, he twitched his lips and gave up.
He couldn't control the Third Prince anymore, so he let him do whatever he wanted. Xu Pingchuan just ran away like that.
Commander Wei led the two princes to his tent, took a moment to catch his breath, and then looked directly into the Seventh Prince's eyes, asking, "I wonder what brings Your Highness here today?"
He took a sip of tea, trying to calm himself down.
"I'm here to take over the Imperial Guards," Xue Jin'an said without hesitation, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.
Commander Wei was caught off guard and choked a little. His violent cough could not hide the doubt and disbelief in his eyes as he looked at Xue Jin'an.
Commander Wei did not believe Xue Jin'an's words. Outsiders did not know, but it was widely rumored that the emperor doted on and cared for the seventh prince. As someone who had been by the emperor's side for many years, he did not know the truth.
From the very beginning, the emperor showed an unusual level of concern for the seventh prince. Commander Wei could sense that this concern was not for the good; it was even mixed with ill intentions and apprehension.
The emperor viewed the seventh prince as if he were looking at a clam carrying a rare pearl; all his favoritism and concern were merely a means to better crack the shell and obtain the pearl inside.
The matter of the princes coming to the Imperial Guard was proposed and finalized at yesterday's morning court session, but no official imperial edict has been issued yet, meaning it is still just an empty promise.
Commander Wei had been focusing on the Imperial Guards lately and hadn't been on duty at the palace, so he was unaware of what had happened at the morning court session. However, since the Seventh Prince dared to speak so openly, he was clearly not afraid of scrutiny. Commander Wei could only suspect that something had gone wrong, causing a problem with the transmission of information.
Commander Wei wasn't in a hurry. Such a big matter couldn't be kept secret. He estimated that by noon, when those rich and noble young masters and soldiers outside came to their posts, news would spread.
Among the young master soldiers, those like the Lieutenant General are rare. The vast majority of young master soldiers are neither good at literature nor martial arts, and spend their days loafing around in the camp, leading other soldiers astray. Apart from being better at gathering information, they are basically of little use.
Having spent so much time by the emperor's side, Commander Wei, even if he wasn't as adept at discerning the emperor's intentions as Li Hechun, could at least guess some of the emperor's thoughts.
An emperor might provide freshwater mussels with ample space and resources to help pearls grow better, but he would never allow them to dominate the waters and unify the waters to the point where they could rival him.
Indeed, that was the case. The emperor's original words were simply to send a few princes to the Imperial Guard for training. He only arranged the camps they were assigned to and did not give them any official positions or titles. His intentions were quite clear.
"I have never heard of this matter before. I will look into it further before I can give you an answer." Commander Wei was certain in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He tried to dodge the question by stalling for time.
Xue Jin'an was exploiting the information gap, so Hu was unlikely to catch him off guard. He pressed on aggressively, "Commander Wei doesn't believe me. Does he think I, His Highness, am forging an imperial edict?"
Xue Jin'an immediately asked for the entire Imperial Guard, but in reality, the Imperial Guard was only his ultimate goal. His current stage goal was to gain a foothold in the army and build an elite personal guard that was entirely his own.
The Imperial Guards, numbering as many as 600,000, protected the capital.
However, the entire capital city, including the surrounding counties and villages, is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guards. Of these 600,000, after deducting the local garrison troops and the portions allocated to the Jingzhao Prefecture and various ministries, only the 200,000 in the camp are truly under Commander Wei's control.
Although this number of 200,000 seems significantly reduced, it is still double the size of the Northwest Army, and even if their combat effectiveness is not good, they should not be underestimated.
If Xue Jin'an wants to control this army, personal charisma alone is not enough; he also needs absolute dominance. If anyone is dissatisfied, he can simply send his personal guards over and subdue them.
Xue Jin'an knew that if he initially mentioned forming a personal guard, he would most likely be rejected. However, if he initially demanded the entire Imperial Guard, they would be more willing to agree to form a personal guard for him. This was the "demolition effect."
"This humble servant dares not, I was merely following procedure. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Commander Wei retorted humbly but firmly, refusing to back down.
Xue Jin'an was subtly adjusting his facial expression, trying to show his displeasure, when the Third Prince slammed his fist on the table and stood up, clearly unhappy.
"What do you mean? Are you disobeying the imperial decree? The Emperor spoke during the morning court session. I and the court officials heard it clearly, word for word. This is all the Emperor's will. You don't want to relinquish even a fraction of your military power. Are you planning to amass power and become a figurehead?"
The label of "Third Prince" was immediately slapped on Commander Wei's head. Xue Jin'an glanced at him upon hearing this, confirming that he hadn't done it intentionally, but genuinely meant it.
The Third Prince was probably the only one present who truly believed the Emperor intended to let Xue Jin'an take over the Imperial Guard. There was nothing he could do; that was just his personality—he loved to the point of wanting to live, he hated to the point of wanting to die.
"Empress Xiaozhaoren is someone Father Emperor truly loves and cherishes. Seventh Brother is Father Emperor's only legitimate son and the future Crown Prince. What's wrong with Father Emperor showing some favoritism?" The Third Prince spoke with conviction, not feeling that there was anything wrong with his words.
Commander Wei: "..."
Xue Jin'an: "..."
If this wasn't said by the Third Prince, both of them would have thought the speaker was extremely malicious.
If this news gets out, and someone with ulterior motives pulls a fast one, Xue Jin'an's ambition for the position of Crown Prince will be a sure thing. Not only will the Emperor be furious with him, but the princes will also be able to use this as an opportunity to attack him.
If anyone else had said these words, Xue Jin'an would have suspected their sinister intentions.
But it was the Third Prince who said these words, and it was already a consensus among the court officials that the Third Prince was a brainless brute.
The words spoken by a brainless person basically represent his true thoughts, which makes one wonder whether the emperor really had such thoughts, or did something that caused misunderstanding and left such an impression on the third prince.
The emperor had already shown great favor to the seventh prince, which undoubtedly reinforced this perception among the court officials. To some extent, the seventh prince's position became more secure, and he became an even bigger thorn in the side of the other princes.
"Well, the princes, it's alright then." Ever since Xue Jin'an met and got to know the other princes, he hadn't paid them much attention.
The current struggle for the throne is less a contest among the princes themselves and more a contest among the various forces behind them. Without those forces, a prince who has not yet matured is like a tiger with its teeth pulled, possessing only a title but no real power.
Xue Jin'an pulled out his skill list and, mimicking the appearance of Consort Rong Xiao Shu from years past, adjusted his facial expression to look pitiful and called out, "Third Brother."
If you can talk, then talk more.
Xue Jin'an's voice remained calm, and on its own, it didn't seem like anything special. However, when paired with his deliberately adjusted expression, the calmness in his tone inexplicably turned into the despair of someone who had suffered countless grievances.
The third prince turned around and glanced back, paused for a moment, and then became extremely angry.
He strode up to Commander Wei and grabbed him by the collar, trying to lift him up. Commander Wei remained motionless, his breath deep, and then he raised his hand to grasp the Third Prince's fist.
The two men locked eyes; the Third Prince's forehead veins bulged, while Commander Wei's arm muscles bulged. For a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.
"Your Highness, please have some self-respect and do not put me in a difficult position." Commander Wei's voice lowered slightly, carrying a warning tone.
These words further alarmed the Third Prince, who gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want? To kill me? Fine, come on then, I'll see if you have the ability!"
"This humble servant dares not—"
"What wouldn't you dare to do? What else wouldn't you dare to do?" The Third Prince pointed in Xue Jin'an's direction and said angrily, "Look at what you've done! You've humiliated my seventh brother like this, what else wouldn't you dare to do?"
Commander Wei stared at the Seventh Prince, who was drinking tea with a blank expression, and the silence was deafening.
He humiliated the Seventh Prince? The Seventh Prince who tormented him for a year, whose martial arts were so advanced that his whereabouts were elusive? Commander Wei turned his gaze back to the Third Prince's face as if listening to a foreign language, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would directly question whether there was something seriously wrong with the Third Prince's eyesight.
Xue Jin'an rummaged through the database of melodramatic novels, specifically looking for those scenes where the scheming, innocent characters made their appearances. He then pulled out the pitiful act of Xiao Shu and the Fifth Prince, mother and son, and spoke up at just the right moment, "Third Brother, Commander Wei didn't mean that..."
He paused deliberately for a moment, squeezing his throat to make his calm voice hoarse, and lowering his tone, "Never mind, Third Brother, don't blame him."
The calmer the voice, the more fragmented it feels when paired with this combination.
Commander Wei, who also sensed something was wrong this time, was speechless: "..." No, Seventh Prince, how can you be so uncivilized!
Commander Wei couldn't help but say, "When you were in Zhaoyang Palace—" It wasn't like this at all!
"So, you dare threaten a prince?" The Third Prince's anger flared up, and his voice, laced with inner force, nearly deafened Commander Wei.
If Commander Wei hadn't reacted quickly and restrained the Third Prince's hand, the two would probably have already started fighting.
The Third Prince couldn't just speak without experiencing it firsthand. He roared at Commander Wei with the central theme, "You dare to make my seventh brother, who has been pampered and never suffered a bit of hardship, look like that? You deserve to die!"
The thunderous voice rushed straight to his head, and Commander Wei's ears went numb, buzzing and ringing. His expression and eyes gradually became numb and dull, and in his daze, he actually actually heard a bit of what the Third Prince said.
Still feeling unsatisfied after his outburst, the Third Prince kicked over the solid wood table in front of him.
He didn't hold back at all with his kick; his internal force permeated the entire table, causing it to shatter into pieces before it even hit the ground.
The Third Prince glared fiercely at Commander Wei; anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one being "humiliated."
"Third Brother, that's enough. If you cause trouble here, Father will definitely punish you." Xue Jin'an stepped forward at the right time, grabbed the arms of the two men, and separated them without any room for doubt. He used quite a bit of force, and Commander Wei's reason, which had been blown away by the Third Prince's shout, finally returned somewhat.
He couldn't help but gesture to the Third Prince with his eyes: Look!
The Third Prince refused to accept his message and glared at him fiercely: You bastard!
Commander Wei: "..."
At this moment, he realized with a profound realization that the Third Prince truly had no brains.
Ignoring the subtle exchange between the two, Xue Jin'an said, "Let's talk, Commander Wei."
Commander Wei still tried to stand his ground, saying in a stiff tone, "Seventh Prince, I only obey orders. Please forgive my rudeness."
As for whose orders to take, of course it's the emperor's.
“Alright.” Xue Jin’an nodded, showing no sign of reluctance.
Just as Commander Wei was about to breathe a sigh of relief, his arm was suddenly grabbed, and then he was spun around. When he came to his senses, he was already lying on the ground, his arm in pain, and a knee was pressing against his waist.
He tried to get up, but the Seventh Prince's full weight pressed him down again, and a soft sword gleaming with cold light grazed his face and embedded itself in the ground.
—This is incredible. The blade of a soft sword is extremely thin to bend more easily, sometimes even as thin as a cicada's wing. With a slight flick of the wrist, the blade will dance like a silver snake. Therefore, soft sword techniques are mostly based on agility.
To insert such a soft sword straight into the ground is not a pipe dream, but it is not easy either. First of all, the speed of the sword strike must be fast.
It is said that when martial arts reach their peak, even flying flowers and plucking leaves can injure people, precisely because of their speed.
The Seventh Prince's martial arts skills were far superior to what he had imagined. Commander Wei's heart sank, and he became more wary of him than ever before.
Xue Jin'an wasn't afraid of his wariness, but rather of his lack of wariness. Only when he was on guard would he remain calm and cautious, thinking about bringing the message back to his master.
"Shall we talk?" Xue Jin'an asked again.
Commander Wei remained silent for only one breath before nodding in agreement: "Alright."
Xue Jin'an controlled the pace of the conversation throughout. He brought up the matter of taking over the Imperial Guard again, and Commander Wei refused again, but offered another feasible solution.
This time, he carefully chose his words and spoke in a tactful tone: "Your Highness's martial arts are superb, but a general who commands troops cannot rely solely on martial arts. Military strategy, military management, military achievements... all are indispensable. Even if I were to voluntarily step down and yield the position to a more capable person, Your Highness might not necessarily have a good outcome."
"Otherwise, how could I have the title of commander but only a little over ten thousand elite soldiers under my command?" Commander Wei chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Then you're utterly useless," the Third Prince said with obvious disdain.
"Your Highness is right." Commander Wei looked ashamed.
Commander Wei and Xue Jin'an's eyes met unexpectedly, but they quickly looked away, both understanding each other without saying a word.
Commander Wei was not telling the truth. He only controlled 10,000 of the 200,000 Imperial Guards. He could no longer hold his position. He was clearly showing weakness to the enemy, both to test Xue Jin'an and to lower his expectations.
Xue Jin'an also used military tactics as he wished, employing a feint to keep Commander Wei guessing about his true strength.
After a brief exchange of words, Commander Wei feigned reluctance and presented the plan he had already conceived: "The capital is a crucial strategic location, and the Imperial Guard is the last line of defense for the city. It is of paramount importance... Controlling 200,000 troops is not easy. It is useless for me to believe in Your Highness, but the other soldiers must also believe in you. Only then can Your Highness command them as easily as an arm or wings, right?"
"Your Highness, why not start as a centurion?" A centurion is the lowest rank of military officer, usually consisting of fifty to two hundred men. Commander Wei gave Xue Jin'an the highest rank, two hundred men.
Xue Jin'an didn't mind that there were only two hundred men, but he could tell that Commander Wei wanted to get rid of him. He wouldn't allow the other party to keep him in the position of centurion.
"Sure, but once my troops are trained, how will I demonstrate it to the generals and soldiers?" Xue Jin'an looked directly at Commander Wei, directly bringing up the topic he was trying to gloss over.
Commander Wei, having exhausted all other options, decided to choose the nearest time to discourage Xue Jin'an, saying, "Three months from now, it will be the time for the Imperial Guards to inspect their troops and hold drills and competitions. Your Highness can then demonstrate your results."
Training troops is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It might take about a year to see some results, but three months... Commander Wei shook his head inwardly.
It wasn't that he looked down on Xue Jin'an, but a new official needs at least a month to get used to things. What can they do in the remaining two months? They might not even be able to figure out a basic matrix, let alone while they were figuring it out. Meanwhile, the other battalions had been properly trained. They were starting from different points, so how could they compare?
Admittedly, the training competition was not just a team event, but also an individual event. The Seventh Prince's martial prowess was invincible on the stage, but that only demonstrated his individual strength.
From the very beginning, Commander Wei made it clear that commanding the three armies is not just about personal strength. No matter how well the Seventh Prince performs, if his soldiers are not capable, it doesn't count.
Of course, it is possible for the Seventh Prince to master the divine weapon, but Commander Wei thinks it is extremely unlikely.
To forge a divine weapon in three months and sweep away thousands of troops, one must be born under the guise of the Martial Star. If the Seventh Prince truly possesses such ability, let alone abdicate, I'd make him kneel and kowtow without hesitation.
Such a celestial star is a blessing for the Great Qi Dynasty. If one day we can see the Great Qi Dynasty defeat the northern barbarians and bring all nations under one rule, he will be willing to do so.
Unfortunately, Commander Wei didn't believe the Seventh Prince was some extraordinary genius.
Xue Jin'an was pleased with Commander Wei's tact and the two reached an agreement.
After the conversation, Xue Jin'an didn't waste any time and immediately began to muster the troops at the drill ground.
Upon hearing that the Seventh Prince was going to lead the troops, the lieutenant general who had been subdued by Xue Jin'an immediately raised his hand and indicated that he would lead his men to surrender without listening to anything else.
Commander Wei's face contorted with rage. "Get back here! Don't you know your rank and how many soldiers you command?"
Commander Wei wished he could kick him twice.
Although the General of the Central Army in the Great Qi Dynasty was far inferior to that of the Qin and Han Dynasties, he was still a fourth-rank military officer with more than a thousand soldiers under his command. This is one of the reasons why the beating of the General of the Central Army attracted so many onlookers.
The lieutenant general was somewhat unconvinced and wanted to argue his point, but Commander Wei remained expressionless: "Don't force me to beat you up here."
Given the General's temperament, the fact that he could obediently stay under Commander Wei's command is enough to show that Commander Wei's martial prowess is quite high, at least higher than that of the General himself.
Amidst the jeers and cheers, the general retreated sheepishly.
With no troublemakers around, Xue Jin'an quickly mustered his troops.
Commander Wei was quite surprised when he received the list. Since a gentleman's agreement had been reached, he had no intention of deliberately assigning more soldiers to Xue Jin'an or making his training more difficult—after all, there were only three months, and he wouldn't be able to achieve anything significant anyway, so why resort to underhanded tactics? Being straightforward would be more convincing, wouldn't it?
Therefore, Commander Wei not only gave Xue Jin'an the roster, but also the attendance sheet and other documents that could fully reflect a soldier's strength.
He had already prepared for the Seventh Prince to take away two hundred elite soldiers, but who would have thought that the Seventh Prince would choose soldiers who were not ranked high in the evaluation.
There were some decent fighters among them, one of whom was quite capable, possessing the courage of ten thousand men, but he was a troublemaker who wouldn't listen to orders. Commander Wei had already prepared to pack him up and send him to the Imperial Guard, but Xue Jin'an picked him out instead.
Besides this person, the most difficult to manage among them is the heir apparent of Prince Ping. Prince Ping doesn't have much of a reputation in the capital, far less active and famous than Prince An, but the heir apparent of Prince Ping is much more famous than the heir apparent of Prince An.
This young master can be called the most dissolute playboy in the capital. He has done many outrageous things. It was Prince Ping who personally submitted a memorial to send him to the Imperial Guard. It has been almost five years. In the past five years, this young master has not changed much. On the contrary, the soldiers in the camp avoid him.
besides……
Anyway, when Commander Wei counted the names on the list, troublemakers made up 30%.
"Are you really not going to reconsider?" Commander Wei gently reminded him, and even recommended some people, all of whom were the best of the best.
Xue Jin'an declined: "No need."
Commander Wei was more direct: "These few are unruly, I'm afraid it won't be good."
“It doesn’t matter, I’m going to be defiant,” Xue Jin’an said.
Those who are disobedient are the ones who cause more trouble.
Xue Jin'an thought to himself and gave Commander Wei a standard smile as a way of thanking him for his repeated reminders.
Commander Wei felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at them, and silently lit a row of white candles for those troublemakers in his heart.
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