Soul of the Revered Banner
Chapter 84: The Expedition

It was the end of September.

The autumn harvest had come to a close, and the army was mobilized in full.

Though Liang City’s grand military camp housed many titled nobles, it still maintained a standing force.

Thirty thousand men could be drawn directly from the Liang City garrison.

Later, Emperor Liang, feeling uneasy, expanded the mobilization quota by another twenty thousand.

Counting all the noble guards, personal troops, and retainers, the total number was estimated to exceed sixty thousand.

This was essentially the last of what Liang City could muster.

Years of war aside, just a few months ago, Feng Gan had led a force of a hundred thousand soldiers to their deaths.

It was only out of respect for Feng Gan’s valorous death in battle that Emperor Liang did not hold him accountable. In truth, the young emperor had already flown into a rage, erupting with ulcers from fury.

A hundred thousand soldiers, buried by Feng Gan in a single campaign.

Though previously outmatched, the southern front could still resist Northern Wei. But now, they had no choice but to shift to defense, relying on the natural fortress of Tong Pass.

And even that was a gamble. Pulling more troops from the provinces would mean stripping away the defensive strength of the entire Liang territory.

Should they muster their final reserves, some hundred to two hundred thousand, for battle against Northern Wei, it would be gambling the fate of the entire nation.

So, at this point, sixty thousand was the very best they could manage.

The enemy beyond had not yet been expelled, and it would be disastrous for chaos to break out internally due to troop shortages in the provinces.

Song Ran draped a cloak over Wen Yue’s shoulders. It was all she could do.

"Come back safe."

She leaned against Wen Yue’s chest. The armor was cold and hard, but could not sever the affection between them.

Wen Yue smiled and stroked her hair, speaking softly:

“Don’t worry. I will return triumphant.”

There was no time for lingering in sentiment.

Wen Yue strode out of his courtyard.

He paid his respects to his father.

The Jing'an Marquis let out a long sigh:

“In the blink of an eye, you've grown up.”

After exchanging a few words, he departed from the inner courtyard.

At the gates stood many people.

Wen Yue looked at them one by one and cupped his hands:

“Master Xue, while I’m away, I’ll trouble you to watch over the house.”

“Young Master, rest assured.”

“Chu Jiu, train diligently with Master Xue. I’ll bring you to war next time.”

Chu Jiu was reluctant:

“Young Master, take care of yourself first…”

“It’s time to go.”

The retainers and guards of the marquis estate assembled, providing Wen Yue with three hundred personal soldiers, all seasoned veterans with over a decade of training, capable of protecting him on the battlefield.

The Marquis’ household retained many more guards, and each year new ones were recruited.

The elite forces were those trained during the old marquis’ lifetime. After all these years, that foundation was nearly exhausted.

At the Liang City military parade ground, the commanders were appointed.

The role of supreme commander did not go to the Annan Marquis, Song Hao, but rather to Geng Lie, a third-rank Vice Minister of War.

Naturally, a civil official.

It was a matter of civil-military balance, and also of negotiating the interests of various factions. Each group would nominate their own candidate.

Since Wen Yue had already been granted the position of vanguard, if his father-in-law also claimed the top command, then whose army would this be, Liang’s or the Wen family’s?

Given these concerns, Song Hao was ultimately assigned as deputy commander.

It was a delicate position. If a civil official lost a battle, they could always blame the military officer deputy in a memorial.

The emperor, being only human, would form first impressions.

And if he saw a memorial laced with veiled critiques from a refined civil official, his opinion of the military man would sour.

Oftentimes, such a person would be punished, stripped of title, and cast into prison.

So, this was a scapegoat’s seat.

In the end, it all came down to political tradeoffs, Wen Yue received the vanguard position, and something had to be given in return.

His father-in-law willingly took the fall position to serve as Wen Yue’s shield.

Lengthy speeches followed, meant to rally morale, with name after name and title after title, it made Tu Shanjun’s head spin within the soul-banner.

“To war!”

The battle drums, as tall as a man, thundered.

Horns mounted on racks were blown.

The sixty-thousand-strong army set forth for Tong Pass.

Just as the army moved, Song Hao found Wen Yue.

“Son-in-law, from now on, Sanhu will serve as your personal guard.”

“How can I accept that?”

“You must. My current position is different. Sanhu is of no use to me now. You, as the vanguard, bear the Emperor’s will to crush the Wei army. You are bound to face bloodshed.”

And so, at his father-in-law’s insistence, Sanhu became the leader of Wen Yue’s personal guards.

Within the vanguard corps, Wen Yue made many strategic placements.

Forces that had previously gone dormant now rallied under him once more.

Added to that were the assets of the Jing'an Marquis.

And even some private forces of the Annan Marquis.

In total, twenty percent of the vanguard’s five-thousand-man force was under Wen Yue’s personal command.

With these men integrated into the army in a dispersed fashion, it would not be long before he gained full control of the vanguard force.

...

Liang City Imperial Palace. Internal Rectitude Office.

“They’ve departed?”

Zheng Zhong, who was using a jade board to trim his nails, glanced toward the eunuch in cyan robes who approached with quick, tiny steps.

“Reporting to the Chief, the army has already set out.”

The eunuch responded respectfully.

Zheng Zhong paused. He had men tailing Wen Yue every day, but still couldn’t find any weaknesses.

Mister Shen had already failed, this meant Wen Yue was no weakling.

Having already attempted one assassination in a moment of rashness, Zheng Zhong would not make that mistake again.

Now that the army had set out, though Wen Yue might gain opportunities, he was also now far removed from the political center of Liang City, making things easier to manage.

“Good that he’s gone. As long as Wen Yue remains in Liang City, he’s a thorn in our side. Now that he’s left, we can set him aside for now and shift focus to dealing with Gao Quan.”

“Let’s use the extermination case in Dongning as an entry point.”

“That old bastard Gao Quan misjudged people, recognizing such a disgraceful godson. It’s time he paid the price.”

“As you command.”

The cyan-robed eunuch smiled faintly. He had plenty of “nails” in place.

This case would serve as a wedge to pry open larger problems.

It would be more than enough.

Zheng Zhong did not fear Gao Quan. He had always seen through and had a handle on him. The only variable was Wen Yue, whose return to power had revitalized a previously declining faction.

That was what made things unpredictable.

Thus, Zheng Zhong paid special attention to Wen Yue.

No man was flawless.

“Can it truly be that Wen Yue has no weaknesses at all?”

“I don’t believe it.”

“It must be you people who’ve been incompetent. Keep searching. Don’t let any clue, no matter how small, escape you.”

“Break it down. Tear it apart. Analyze every incident for me, piece by piece.”

Though the eunuch acted meek before Zheng Zhong, he was no minor character.

As the second-in-command of the Imperial Directorate of Horses, he oversaw three major intelligence divisions and was Zheng Zhong’s key information hub.

An Ze rubbed his smooth chin, reviewing the dossiers spread on his desk.

These were all intelligence reports regarding Wen Yue.

Compiled from the testimonies of various agents, when cross-referenced, they gave a fairly complete picture of past events.

“A dozen or so days ago, Wen Yue transferred a group of Embroidered Guards from the Southern Office.”

“They were likely his old subordinates.”

Wen Yue had the right to requisition troops from other regions, nothing unusual there.

And he had only taken fifteen Embroidered Guards.

“Southern Office…”

An Ze felt he had caught onto something but it slipped away before he could grasp it.

He reexamined the personnel transfers within the Southern Office.

The changes were subtle, just one qianhu replaced.

The one who had been dismissed originally had a solid background, yet had been abruptly demoted for reasons unclear.

“Why isn’t the reason recorded here?”

“Such sloppy work,” An Ze muttered, frowning.

He rubbed his temples and dropped the matter for now. He would have his subordinates re-investigate it thoroughly.

The urgent priority was preparing the case against Gao Quan.

It was time to bring Gao Quan down.

An Ze looked toward the door, his face calm as still water, but his gaze shimmered with intent.

(Chapter End)