Chapter 458: A War Without Smoke (7,000 words)
On this day, Jianning Mansion was "extremely lively". The encirclement and suppression plan against the Shen family, led by Zhao Duan, had just begun and attracted the attention of countless people.
The well-informed bigwigs in the city quickly found out what had happened.
After learning that both Envoy Zhao and Governor Ning had been assassinated last night, everyone was shocked and immediately began to wonder whether this "assassination" was real or was staged by "King Zhao".
In the eyes of many people, although the Shen family has deep roots and tentacles, they should not have the courage to assassinate second- or third-rank officials.
However, the authenticity of the assassination soon became unimportant, because after the grain transport soldiers sealed off the shops, the Shen family also began to fight back.
Unexpectedly, the Shen family surrendered and took the initiative to go to the Canal Transport Office to apologize and negotiate peace.
In the next few days, officials from all government offices in Jianning Prefecture were shocked to find that their policies were beginning to be obstructed.
Yes, the government order is blocked!
The imperial court set up offices of various sizes in Jianning Prefecture, including large offices such as the Grand Canal and the government office, as well as small offices involved in various aspects.
Ultimately, the court's laws, when broken down into details, have to be implemented on the local people by countless officials.
Almost overnight, most of the system was paralyzed.
"The Shen family decided to fight back."
The Grand Canal Administration Office.
Inside Ning Zechen's "office".
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back next to the antique display case. The table was piled high with official documents delivered by Mr. Wen.
These official documents all come from various government offices, large and small, and cover all aspects.
There was no trace of surprise on Zhao Duan's face:
"Just as I expected. The Shen family has indeed decided to strike back, and they've used the methods that aristocratic families are best at.
These clans will not choose to confront us head-on because they have no soldiers, no right to interpret the law, and most importantly, no legitimacy.
Therefore, if we were to fight the imperial court head-on, even if several Shen families were stacked together, they would be reduced to ashes."
Governor Ning sat at the large table, looked at him, and said:
"But the Shen family has been operating in this area for too many years, with their tentacles covering every piece of land and every alley. In terms of military force, the imperial court has the upper hand, but in terms of infiltration and control of the area, it is this group of locals who have the upper hand.
They only need to pass on the word and many locals will refuse to cooperate with the government... No, it doesn't have to be that complicated, because many of the lower-level officials are actually the Shen family's dogs."
Zhao Duan sighed:
"Yes, officials are of higher rank than clerks, but how can we get things done if we rely solely on officials? When clerks at all levels of government offices pretend to obey but secretly disobey, the court's orders will be obstructed and difficult to implement."
Governor Ning smiled bitterly:
"I've always felt the difficulty of this matter, which is why I've repeatedly requested the appointment of new officials. But now it seems that these powerful families haven't been using their full strength. While they've been working at full capacity, we officials have been reduced to mere figures."
Did you finally understand? Or were you unwilling to believe it before?
Throughout the dynasties, why did the imperial court try to win over the gentry and clans?
If the royal family's control was strong enough, there wouldn't be any problems with aristocratic families...
Zhao Duan murmured in his heart, but he was not depressed.
He walked over to the table and looked down at the "map" spread out on it.
It was densely packed with red and blue ink, marking out many areas, as if two armies were fighting.
There was no overt conflict between the two parties, but while the imperial court was targeting the Shen family's businesses, the Shen family was also increasingly paralyzing the imperial court's machine.
"It seems that I underestimated the aristocratic families of this era." Zhao Duan whispered.
"What?" Governor Ning didn't hear clearly, and then he saw Zhao Duan pick up a pen and spread out paper, and began to write a letter: "Envoy, what are you going to do?"
"Attract more people to participate in this feast." Zhao Duan explained without looking up while writing:
"Governor, do you believe it or not? The Shen family has definitely begun to win over other families, even promising them benefits, in an attempt to gather more allies and create obstacles for the imperial court."
"Your Majesty's Fengshan ceremony is imminent. Imagine what would happen if, upon your arrival, you discovered that all government offices were in chaos and the imperial court's issuance of orders was nearly paralyzed?"
Governor Ning's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly said:
"Your Excellency, what you mean is that the Shen family's plan is to drag it out? They are gambling that we can't afford to drag this confrontation out."
Zhao Duan nodded and said quickly:
"Now, we and the Shen family are like fighting a war of attrition without the smoke of gunpowder. It depends on who will collapse first.
If we were to calculate normally, we would definitely be the first to collapse, because even if we cut off all of the Shen family's shops and caravans, with their family wealth and stored silver and money, it would be enough to eat up all the money for a long time...
But we can’t keep the government offices paralyzed for long…”
"However, they overlooked me. Haha, if it were you, Governor, you would definitely not be able to hold on alone. But I can."
As he spoke, Zhao Duan had quickly finished writing the first letter to the local military government. He took out a seal, blew on it, and stamped a scarlet stamp on the letter paper!
He looked at Ning Zechen with a smile and said:
"Your Majesty has granted me the position of Fengshan Envoy, allowing me to coordinate all institutions of the Jiangnan court under the name of Fengshan. Even seemingly unreasonable orders can be pushed forward as long as they are justified by 'Fengshan'."
Governor Ning suddenly realized:
"So, you're going to write letters to other government offices, asking them to join forces and divide up the Shen family's assets?"
"Smart!" Zhao Duan smiled.
"The Shen family has a deep foundation, and their businesses spread across Jiancheng Road and even the Huai River Road. Similarly, the Shen family has many members, and each member has his or her own calculations and interests."
Governor Ning stood up excitedly and said:
“So, as long as we unite more people, divide up and surround and kill together, those members of the Shen family whose interests are affected will in turn put pressure on Old Lady Shen. For a large family like this, the most important thing is the cohesion of people’s hearts. Once the people’s hearts are scattered, it will be the time for collapse!
The Shen family is indeed not afraid of engaging in a war of attrition with us over money, but they are afraid of us engaging in a psychological warfare!
The old lady has to win over allies and maintain her obstruction of the imperial court, while also constantly offering benefits to compensate the losses of her people... She can't hold on for much longer!"
Zhao Duan smiled and drafted the second letter, which was written to "Feng Ju" who was sitting in the lake pavilion:
“Don’t forget, our allies aren’t just government offices; we also have the imperial merchants and families nurtured by the new policies.
Doctor Feng, who presides over the new policies at Huting, and I have an old acquaintance. With just a letter from me, he can mobilize those imperial merchants to join the hunt."
Zhao Duan took out the third letter and simply wrote it to King Huai'an!
The Prince of Huai'an, a fence-sitter, showed a tendency to lean towards the court when the market opened in Huting, so Zhao Duan simply invited him this time.
Let’s try it first and see whether there are any results.
His fourth letter was written to Luan Cheng, the prefect of Binhai Road. His request was simple, just one: to swallow up the Shen family's accumulation in Binhai Road.
The fifth letter...
The sixth letter...
Zhao Duan wrote a thick stack of letters in one breath, but considering the war of attrition with the Shen family, it had to be ended before the empress's Fengshan ceremony.
Taking into account the communication distance in that era, he contacted "allies" nearby.
Unconsciously, Zhao Duan's network of contacts was no longer limited to the capital, but had spread to nine provinces and eighteen prefectures.
Finally, he summoned the attendant Song Jinxi to come in and instructed:
"Send someone to deliver these letters. Let the Martial Arts Hall's priest run a trip. I need it to be fast and safe to avoid being intercepted."
"Yes." Song Jinxi nodded, took the letter, hesitated, and asked:
"Sir, do we need to spread out and protect our officials? If those assassins change their target and attack the officials below..."
Governor Ning shook his head and said, "No! Neither the Shen family nor the Prince Jing's Mansion would do something that breaks the rules."
He spoke with conviction.
The logic was simple. If Prince Jing turned around and killed his officials, then Zhao Duan could also send his men to hunt down the people in Prince Jing's mansion...
And considering that Zhao Duan has five world-level masters under his command, a large group of royal priests and the elite of Lihuatang... if both sides really break the rules and start assassinating each other.
Both sides will lose badly and it will be meaningless.
"Governor Ning is right. There may be more assassinations, but they are mainly aimed at me and Governor Ning. So I have been living in the Governor's Mansion for the time being."
Zhao Duan thought about it, and suddenly something came to his mind, and he smiled:
“However, although there is no need to assassinate each other, it does not mean that we can only passively defend ourselves.
I bet the spies from Prince Jing's Mansion are definitely watching our every move. So, we can deliberately throw out some bait to lure the spies out to grab it, and then you can kill them...
You can ask the shadow guards in the city to cooperate with you and provide intelligence.
Oh, I've witnessed the methods of the royal spies many times while I was in the capital, so I'll just give them a try this time."
When Song Jinxi heard this, he smiled and left the room.
The masters of the Wugong Hall have been trapped in the palace for many years. They finally got a chance to go out together and were so bored along the way. Now hunting down the secret spies in the palace is just the right way to relieve their boredom.
…
…
The two sides went to war completely!
This is a fact that people of all sizes in Jianning Prefecture have gradually come to realize.
It started when the Shen family and the Governor's Office began to compete openly and secretly.
This group of prominent figures who had participated in the "Jingyuan" dinner that day began to place bets, guessing who would stop and surrender first.
And how long it will last.
At first, almost everyone believed that the confrontation would take a turn for the better in a few days at most.
However, as the days go by, this silent battle not only shows no signs of "ceasefire", but becomes more and more intense.
What is particularly noteworthy is that in this drama of a struggle between the local bureaucracy headed by the Grand Canal Administration and the largest local clan of the dynasty, the Prince Jing's Mansion, which should have stepped in to mediate, was silent and almost non-existent.
The tenth day of the war.
Civil cases occurred frequently, with dozens of cases a day, and all county governments were overwhelmed.
The prefect of Jianning Prefecture could not bear it any longer and went to the grain transport office to beg for a ceasefire, but was politely "invited" out by Zhao Duan.
The twentieth day of the war.
Letters sent back from Jiancheng, Huaishui and Binhai were delivered to the Shen family mansion one after another.
On that day, the Shen family held a family meeting with most of the family members in attendance. No one knew what happened. They only knew that after the meeting, the Shen family took drastic measures, voluntarily abandoned their businesses in other places, and focused on retreating.
A full month into the war.
The collection of grain transport encountered obstacles this season. Zhao Duan went to the prison late at night and talked with He Xiaolou who was imprisoned there.
The next day, twenty strong men around He Xiaolou and Zhao Duan disappeared. In just two days, more than fifty corpses were found in the Grand Canal.
The canal transport vessels set sail on time and were not affected.
…
Forty-ninth day of the war.
It was cloudy and rainy. From dawn on, fine raindrops began to fall over Jianning Prefecture.
The atmosphere in the Caoyun Office, which was located in the central military tent, was almost like that on a battlefield. Zhao Duan moved out a green bamboo chair and sat outside the study with the double doors open.
Close your eyes and rest under the eaves that protect you from wind and rain.
"Sir, a secret letter from the Shadow Guard!"
Young secretary Qian Kerou ran from the front yard with light steps, her boots stepping on the wet floor, and the splashing rain soaked her trouser legs.
Zhao Duan opened his eyelids, raised his hand to take the secret letter, opened it and pulled out a thin piece of letter paper. After scanning it, the corners of his mouth raised and his face showed joy:
"Your Majesty's dragon boat has crossed the Huai River and will arrive at Jianning Prefecture in a few days."
Qian Kerou asked in surprise, "Is His Majesty coming?"
Immediately, her expression turned bitter again: "But the situation here..."
Although there was no smoke of gunpowder after forty-nine consecutive days of fierce fighting, the losses caused by the paralysis of the court's institutions and the accumulated affairs were enough to dismiss all officials in Jianning Prefecture.
However, the situation seems to have not changed. The two sides are still in a deadlock, and the Shen family seems to be determined to hold out until the empress arrives.
Once the empress arrives, the situation will remain the same, which will inevitably affect the Fengshan ceremony.
Zhao Duan might not care about such a serious crime and could endure it by relying on the favor of the empress, but a series of local officials headed by Ning Zechen in Jianning Prefecture and even the entire Jiancheng Dao group could not bear it.
In other words, even if Zhao Duan refused to give in and Governor Ning risked his life, the other local officials would start to "rebel" in order to avoid being affected.
"Don't panic, Ke Rou, do you believe me?" Zhao Duan smiled.
The secretary nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Of course I believe you, sir."
Zhao Duan smiled:
"If my judgment is correct, the Shen family can no longer hold on. In these few days, Old Lady Shen must make a choice."
Qian Kerou blinked: "Because of the secret letter from yesterday?"
Yesterday, the city's shadow guards delivered a secret letter at night, but no one except Zhao Duan knew the content.
Zhao Duan smiled but said nothing. Qian Kerou's guess was correct. According to the secret letter, a "palace coup" occurred in the Shen family mansion last night.
Unable to bear the losses and pressure, the Shen family, under the instigation and cooperation of several Shen family members who were secretly contacted and bribed by Zhao Duan, forced the old lady to abdicate.
Although they were suppressed in the end, the Shen family, which seemed powerful to outsiders, was already on the verge of collapse under the tremendous pressure internally.
Seeing that Zhao Duan didn't say anything, Qian Kerou wisely didn't ask any further questions, but said casually:
"By the way, just now, Honorer Song sent over two more spy heads. As per your instructions, they were sent to the Prajna Bodhisattva's courtyard as usual. The Bodhisattva is a little unhappy and wants you to come over."
"I know." Zhao Duan curled his lips.
During this period, in addition to the open war, the priests of the Martial Arts Hall used all kinds of means to lure and kill the spies of Prince Jing's Mansion in secret.
Zhao Duan was quite moved. What does it mean to strike at a lower dimension? Compared with the brocade guards of the imperial court, the servants in the palace, working together with the shadow guards, are simply invincible.
Fighting against spies is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables... But when you think about it, it's not surprising that the royal family has invested so much resources to support a team of only a few dozen people for the imperial court.
Zhao Duan sighed, picked up the oil-paper umbrella by the door, and walked to another separate courtyard with it.
As soon as you enter, you will see a pond in the courtyard. Green lotus leaves cover the water surface, and frogs and fish are hiding under the lotus leaves to "shelter from the rain."
Prajna Bodhisattva stood quietly beside the square stone pillar at the edge of the pond. There was no sign of being wet on her body, as if any raindrops would be pushed away by an invisible force around her.
She looked at the rippling water, slowly turned her head, and said through gritted teeth:
"Master Zhao, could you please stop sending your head to this poor nun?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Didn't the Bodhisattva promise me that you could pray for the deceased?"
Prajna Bodhisattva was dressed in a light veil, with flowing black hair, and her translucent eyes stared at him quietly:
"If I had known this earlier, I would have gone to the temple earlier. Why would I stay here to help you?"
Zhao Duan rolled his eyes and sneered:
"Do you think I don't know? The reason you didn't leave, besides wanting my body, is because you promised His Majesty to protect me until His Majesty arrives.
I have good news for you. Your Majesty's dragon boat will soon arrive at Jianning Prefecture. If the Bodhisattva can hold on for a few more days, she will be free and can leave on her own."
Prajna Bodhisattva bit her lips resentfully, acting like an 18-year-old girl:
"Why are you so cruel, sir? You know I am grateful for the favor I showed you in the debate that day. Your Majesty, even without saying anything, will help you in return for this favor."
Huh... Help me? Is it so as not to affect your Zen practice?
Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect. I helped you in the debate, and you benefited from it. If you don't repay me, you will inevitably have to pay the price in the future... You are obviously selfish, but you say you love me... Zhao Duan said disdainfully:
"Okay, tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Prajna Bodhisattva raised his hand and pointed to the small courtyard in the rain.
There, there was a "tower of heads" made up of piles of human heads, each of which came from a secret spy.
At this moment, at the top of the tower of human heads, two fresh heads had their eyes closed, and they died very peacefully.
When these heads were sent here, almost all of them died with their eyes open, but after being liberated by Prajna, they would appear peaceful.
"I just 'saved the souls' of these two donors and found some valuable information from the remaining memories in their skulls."
Prajna Bodhisattva's expression was extremely serious:
"I have seen that Prince Jing has secretly sent them to bring some people into Jianning Prefecture recently."
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows: "Who is it?"
Prajna Bodhisattva shook his head and said:
"Some of them are suspected to be sorcerers, but they are hiding their heads and faces, acting furtively. The only one who revealed his face is not a sorcerer, but a warrior. A warrior you know."
Someone I know? Someone I know? Zhao Duan asked curiously, "Who?"
"The chief disciple of Qingshan Wuxian, cuts off the flow of water."
…
…
As the residence of the prince, Prince Jing's Mansion is different from the Shen family who placed the family mansion outside the city. The entire palace was built inside the city, on an open space in an excellent location.
At this moment, deep in the palace, there was a garden filled with strange rocks and rockery bought from all over the place.
Prince Jing, wearing loose clothes with wide sleeves, slightly graying temples, and with a noble and elegant temperament, sat in a hexagonal pavilion with a long green bamboo fishing rod in front of him.
The end of the fishing rod dropped slightly, and a thin fishing line sank into the pond just below the pavilion.
Next to him was a bamboo basket, and behind the basket was a set of stone tables and stone benches.
At this moment, Duan Shuiliu, a short and strong man with a slightly square face and a big nose, wearing a black robe, was sitting at the table, holding a leg of lamb in one hand and a wine jug in the other.
Enjoy the meal.
The table was filled with food. Duan Shuiliu tore off a large piece of fragrant mutton with his big mouth, chewed and swallowed it. His rough appearance was in sharp contrast to the elegant Prince Jing.
He swallowed the mutton, picked up the wine jug, tilted his head back and put the spout into his mouth. When he couldn't pour out a drop of wine, he threw it away.
"Bang!"
The exquisite silver wine jug flew out of the hexagonal pavilion and fell into the pond, startling the golden carp in the pond.
"Mr. Duan, you scared my fish." Prince Jing frowned and reminded helplessly.
Duan Shuiliu chuckled, wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve, and said with a smile:
"Your Highness wants fish. I'll help you catch all the fish in the pond with just one palm. How about that?"
Prince Jing shook his head and said, "I admire Qingshan's martial arts. Mr. Duan's palm technique is a waste of talent against Youyu, isn't it?"
Duan Shuiliu said self-deprecatingly, "Your Highness, please stop flattering me. Last time at the lake pavilion, I failed to defeat Zhao Duan, didn't I?"
"Hey, Mr. Duan had a fierce battle with Hai Gongfeng in the past. It was not Mr. Duan's fault that Zhao Duan escaped." Prince Jing waved his hand.
Water shortage caused a sigh:
"Hai Chunlin is clearly old, almost too old to die, his energy and blood are weakening, but he still has such fighting power. He is worthy of being the one who represented the Yu Kingdom's royal family in his prime and came to Qingshan to fulfill the appointment. Losing to him is not shameful at all!"
After a pause, he said:
"Alright, I've eaten and drunk. The prince summoned me here, what for? You can't be asking me to kill that Zhao guy again, right? Haha, I'm quite surprised that this guy was able to defeat Xiao Ran."
Zhao Duan...
Upon hearing this name, Prince Jing's face darkened a little, and the information that his spies had been killed one after another in the past few days emerged in his mind.
He smiled.
"Zhao Duan is traveling with many experts on this trip, and I have no interest in fighting him again. In a few days, my niece will enter Jianning and go to Luoshan for the Fengshan ceremony."
Duan Shuiliu raised his eyebrows without saying a word.
Prince Jing smiled and said, "A few days ago, I asked Mr. Duan to return to Qingshan and deliver a letter to Wushan Lord. I wonder what Wushan Lord would say after reading it."
The "Mountain Master" he mentioned is of course the "Master of Qingshan", and is also known as the "Lord of Qingcheng City" by people in the martial arts world. He is the number one martial artist in the world and the leader of all celestial warriors and immortals.
Duan Shuiliu was silent for a moment, then said, "My master read the letter, tore it up, and said nothing."
"Didn't say anything?" Prince Jing asked.
Duan Shuiliu said unhappily:
"Why would I lie to Your Highness? My master didn't say a word. But... he went to bed earlier than usual that day."
Prince Jing was lost in thought. At this moment, outside the pavilion, Crown Prince Xu Jinglong came quickly over:
"Father, the old lady of the Shen family wants to see you!"
Prince Jing was startled, and the corners of his finely bearded mouth curled up slightly:
"Please ask her to come in."
…
…
When the old lady, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, dressed in pure black mourning clothes, with silver hair on her temples, walked across the bluestone road of the palace and arrived at the reception room under the protection of the oil-paper umbrella held by her maid Hong.
I saw Prince Jing and his son already waiting here.
"Haha, why is the old lady here today? You are a rare guest. It's so windy and rainy, please come in quickly to avoid getting caught in the cold wind."
Prince Jing had a warm smile on his face and went out to greet them personally, with Crown Prince Xu Jinglong following obediently behind him.
"I greet the prince." Old Lady Shen stopped and slowly bowed her head in greeting.
However, after not seeing her for more than a month, this old woman who originally had a rosy complexion and was in good spirits had become much more haggard.
Every wrinkle on his wrinkled face reveals the fatigue of exhaustion.
"No need to be so polite, old lady."
Prince Jing pretended to be displeased and personally helped the old lady with the title of Consort into the reception room.
After the servants served tea and snacks, Prince Jing asked about the burial arrangements of the second son of the Shen family with concern. When he learned that the coffin had been buried, he couldn't help but look sad and said a few polite words to comfort him, such as "don't be too sad".
Apart from that, there was no mention of the recent fight between Zhao Duan and the Shen family.
It was as if he was completely unaware of the storms in the outside world.
The old lady sat in the black sandalwood chair, was silent for a moment, and then said straight to the point:
"Prince Jing, I have the audacity to come here today to ask you a question. Does what His Royal Highness said in my Shen family's mourning hall that day still count?"
What did I say? Oh, right, the gate of the palace is always open to the Shen family... Xu Jinglong was stunned for a moment before reacting and smiling: "Of course it counts."
The old lady ignored him and continued to stare at Prince Jing.
Xu Jinglong: “…”
Prince Jing Xu Wen tried his best to suppress his smile: "Of course it counts."
The old lady nodded. The old lady who was in charge of the most powerful family in Jiangnan took a deep breath, as if she had finally made up her mind. Her gray eyes, which were cloudy due to insomnia, stared at Xu Wen and said:
"The Shen family needs the help of the palace."
Prince Jing was overjoyed and couldn't suppress his smile: "No problem, no problem... What does the old lady need?"
The old woman in mourning clothes said calmly:
"I don't covet anything else, I just want Zhao Duan to be buried with my grandson."
The Crown Prince Xu Jinglong, standing beside him, frowned and said, "The one who killed your grandson was the attendant Song Jinxi..."
The old lady snorted coldly:
"What weight does a mere eunuch who follows orders have? I only want Zhao Duan's life! From now on, the Shen family will follow the prince's orders."
The prince said unhappily: "Don't be too..."
Prince Jing raised his hand to interrupt him, and nodded as if he had expected it:
"Can."
This time, not only Xu Jinglong, but even the old lady was stunned. They looked at Xu Wen suspiciously, thinking that the agreement was too straightforward.
Xu Jinglong started to think, thinking that maybe this was the reason why his father invited Mr. Leduan to the house?
Yes, Hu Ting’s assassination failed, but this time it was at his own base, so the success rate was naturally different.
"I wonder how the prince is going to do it? Zhao Duan has many experts around him, I'm afraid..." the old lady asked hesitantly.
Prince Jing smiled slightly, as if he had been prepared. He reached into his arms and took out an envelope.
Immediately, a strand of black hair fell out of the envelope.
…
Outside the reception room.
A maid in the palace raised her head unexpectedly and looked at Lu Yan'er walking in the rain: "Your Highness?"
(End of this chapter)
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