ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Chapter 137 – Secret Duel
Shen Leng looked at the people in his tent and was suddenly in a daze. He had been running the entire time, to the extent he did not get a chance to experience things. All he cared about was running; he barely enjoyed the joy brought by it. For example, his position as a Fifth pin general – he had more than a thousand combat soldiers under him, including brave men like Yang Qibao, Du Weiming, Gu Le and Wang Kuohai. And now, he had Dou Huainan, a somewhat interesting scholar, who came from an unknown background.

“This is the official registrar, Dou Huainan. In the future, you may ask him if you need help with all the arrangements pertaining to military affairs, as well as logistics.”

Dou Huainan nodded his head slightly, as a way of greeting him. He was not considered to be a person who was very pedantic. Shen Leng heard that last night, when he was strolling by the bank, he ran into Chen Ran, or otherwise known as ‘lidless’. They started competing skipping stones after they had a disagreement, and he actually managed to beat Chen Ran, who had prided himself on being good at skipping stones since he was a child. It was such a boring game, but they were at it for almost an hour. It was really surprising. When Chen Ran woke up in the morning, he was mumbling to himself about how his arm was sore.

‘Lidless’ was Shen Leng’s nickname for Chen Ran. It was an inside joke about Chen Ran’s father changing his name when he was a child.

Afterwards, Dou Huainan and Chen Ran went to visit Gu Le, who was heavily injured, and actually wrote a new prescription. He said that three medicinal ingredients in the prescription given by the military physician were not effective enough. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it scared Gu Le.

This morning before they started discussing official military business in the tent, he was unexpectedly playing hopscotch with Wang Kuohai. That was a game that was at least three levels more childish than skipping stones. The two men played to their hearts’ content, making Wang Kuohai, the overgrown child, extremely happy.

This was a skill.

Dou Huainan was a newcomer, but he became the third-in-command. Ranked right below Shen Leng was Wang Gendong, and ranked right below the latter was him. Furthermore, he was someone who held actual authority and power – he was the official registrar; a person who had to worry about everything, regardless of its importance.

“The commander ordered us to head down south as quickly as possible, to pave the way for the main forces. As for the route, there is no need to ponder too much about it. We will enter Nanping River and head back to Anyang before heading into the Grand Canal, going southward. After we get to Dongxi, we will head in the west direction and head into Cang River before entering Pingyue. The Pingyue’s waterway is accessible from all sides. The Navy’s operations will not run into any problems.”

Shen Leng looked at Dou Huainan. “Mr. Dou, is there anything you’d like to add?”

Dou Huainan bowed before smiling and saying, “I heard that you requested for some things from the commander before the drill on Yanping Island. Right now, the commander has not declared that the drill is officially over. Hence, you can still take advantage of the offer. Hurry back to the Navy and rake in as many things as you can from the arsenal. Since we are traveling far, we should ultimately be well-prepared, just in case.”

Shen Leng laughed. “I like your character very much.”

Dou Huainan said, “I feel that the Navy is representing the imperial court in our first appearance in Pingyue. Needless to say, the soldiers under you are all elites, except that the scale of our fleet is rather small. Last night, I took a look at it – we have eight Xiong Niu ships, one Tie Xi, two Liu Ying ships containing supplies, and one Fu Bo. Twelve ships in total…”

Shen Leng asked, “Mr. Dou, you are saying?”

“Let’s get hold of one Wan Jun.”

Shen Leng’s lips curled upwards. “Mr. Dou, do you know a person named Shen Xiaosong?”

“I don’t. Why do you ask, general?”

“Nothing. I thought that both of you shared the same teacher.”

Only Chen Ran understood Shen Leng’s joke…

Fu Bo was the newest type of battleship. As of now, it was Shen Leng’s flagship. However, Fu Bo was not a lot bigger than Xiong Niu. Fu Bo would gradually increase in production and eventually substitute Xiong Niu as Great Ning’s primary battleship. In that sense, Xiong Niu was a rather pathetic battleship. However, as of now, the Navy was heavily supplied with Xiong Niu battleships. Even if the production of Fu Bo was any faster, it was impossible for them to stop using the Xiong Niu ships immediately.

Xiong Niu battleships were 45 meters in length and Fu Bo battleships were 54 meters in length. Compared to Xiong Niu ships, Fu Bo ships were a lot faster and more agile. Most importantly, the structure of the sail had been improved; the skilled Great Ning workers mimicked the Qiuli ships’ structure and took it a step further. The five-mast Fu Bo battleships were capable of enduring long-term expeditions in distant seas. It was a lot more advanced compared to its three-mast predecessor.

Wan Jun was the Navy’s large-scale battleship. It was approximately a hundred meters long. Currently, there were a few of them at Anyang’s dock being remodeled according to the guidelines of the new type of battleship. Previously, when Shen Leng went to Anyang’s dock to take a look, the construction of the first completed Wan Jun battleship remained unchanged. It was 99 meters long, almost a hundred meters in length, 39 meters wide and had eight masts. It was akin to a movable fort.

Zhuang Yong’s flagship, Shen Wei, was also currently being remodeled in Anyang’s dock, except that it was not easy for a ship of that scale to be remodeled. Shen Wei was 132 meters long and 54 meters wide. Even when it was sailing the seas, it was like a giant beast.

Getting hold of a Wan Jun battleship; once this thought entered Shen Leng’s mind, it was impossible to be gotten rid of.

Even if Fu Bo was even more powerful, it was not considered to be a dominating large-scale battleship. After all, men did not like small things in general. With a Wan Jun as a flagship, it would look a lot more impressive and awe-inspiring.

“So…”

Shen Leng stood up and waved his arms. “Let’s get ready to come up with a plan.”

Wang Gendong’s face was somewhat pale. The commander-in-chief is about to go insane again.

“Let’s raid Anyang’s dock and get ourselves a Wan Jun!”

Shen Leng waved his arms. Everybody in the tent started laughing and cheered loudly.

Shen Leng departed Taihu Yanping Island with his fleet and headed back to the Navy’s camp in Anyang. The journey would take seven days. On day four, chaos ensued in Changan city; the news about Bai Shangnian and Mu Xiaofeng’s death stirred up a huge wave. The entire imperial court was akin to water that was being poured into a deep fryer. If not for the fact that the main hall was sturdy and solid enough, the roof would have collapsed by the loud clamor of the court councilors.

On the other hand, the emperor was very calm, as he had expected it.

After much difficulty, the morning imperial court session was finally over. The emperor immediately got onto a carriage and headed back to Si Mao Zhai. He ordered his servants to reject anybody who wanted to meet with him, including Mu Zhaotong.

In the morning, Mu Zhaotong had overwhelming support. The court councilors felt indignant at the injustice and requested for a strict investigation. In the afternoon, word got around, saying that Bai Shangnian and Mu Xiaofeng colluded with water bandits and used official business to avenge private wrongs. The 2,000 odd water bandits that infiltrated Yanping Island and set up an ambush to kill Zhuang Yong were let into the island by Bai Shangnian. The reason why that happened was because Mu Xiaofeng had a personal feud with a young man named Shen Leng. Zhuang Yong favored Shen Leng; hence, out of anger, Mu Xiaofeng went to look for Bai Shangnian. They plotted together and used the water bandits to eliminate both Zhuang Yong and Shen Leng.

It was strange how this piece of information got around. It made everybody wonder where it came from.

More importantly, regardless of whether it was Mu Zhaotong’s people or some other people, they did not challenge that information because it kept them safe and comfortable. It was the perfect golden mean. It did not raise the possibility of Bai Shangnian’s rebellion and it did not implicate the entire Bai family. All the more it could not implicate the cabinet’s great scholar. Naturally, it would not implicate the empress as well.

People who suffered losses and those who did not suddenly had a tacit understanding.

However, for the sake of pacifying his subjects, for the sake of establishing rules and laws, for the sake of making Great Ning fair, strict and impartial, he summoned the ministerl from the Ministry of Justice, Yan Jugang, as well as the Commandant of Justice, Han Huanzhi. Both of them were urgently summoned to the imperial palace. After two full hours, they finally came out. Shortly later, news got around that the minister of the Ministry of Justice would be carrying out the investigation personally for this case, and the Commandant of Justice, Han Huanzhi, would personally bring his men down to the south to investigate.

The Commandant of Justice, Han Huanzhi… was a nightmare in the hearts of several people.

Some people said that even if one’s bones and muscles were as strong as steel, the Commandant of Justice would still be able to torture them and turn them into an earthen jar. On the surface, it might not seem like a big deal; it would just break upon contact. His way of torturing people was covert – on the surface, the people seemed unscathed, but the moment they left, they would die.

Additionally, some other people said that if the malevolent spirits of the netherworld were captured by his people, they would also kneel and beg for forgiveness. The moment the Commandant of Justice’s men took out documents to handle affairs, be it human beings or ghosts, they would play by the book without making any mistakes. Even if the sky was filled with gods and buddhas, they would still catch them with shackles first.

It was said that a few years ago, the imperial censor of the Censorate exposed the assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments for corruption. The emperor passed down a decree, ordering the Commandant of Justice to investigate thoroughly. The Ministry of Appointments’ assistant minister ran as fast as he could after he left the main hall, and crashed into the sundial outside of the palace hall. He would rather smash his head into pieces than get interrogated by the Commandant of Justice.

Si Mao Zhai.

Unexpectedly, the emperor was still in a relatively good mood and was eating mangoes. They were the new tributes from Pingyue. For some reason, they managed to stockpile and kept supplying the imperial palace all year round, because His Majesty loved eating things like that the most. A lot of people could not get used to eating it, such as the Great Scholar Mu Zhaotong. There was once, His Majesty bestowed him a box of it. He thanked him profusely and brought it home in high spirits. After he took a bite of it, he never touched it ever again. He said that it tasted strange and that it was hard to swallow.

Han Huanzhi did not like the taste of mangoes as well. He had always had a problematic nose. In general, people with a problematic nose often experienced blockage within their noses, and were hence ineffective. However, his nose was problematic in the sense that it was too sensitive if the smell was a little strong, it would make him feel uncomfortable.

The Commandant of Justice’s office’s uniform truly reminded one of yakshas. The entire thing was made from a black brocade; there was an emblem on the left side of the chest – it was a design of a pair of white scales. Both cuffs were white as well; there was a hook on one of the cuffs and fetters on the other cuff. Even if they were to walk on the streets in broad daylight, they would appear to be lifeless, giving off a negative aura.

It was said that when the Commandant of Justice went home, he would have to change out of his uniform before he went out to meet with friends. Otherwise, nobody would be willing to be near him, as they claimed that it would bring them bad luck. This made the Commandant of Justice’s men to be helpless, angry and yet proud and contented.

“I have already ordered the Navy to head down south. I suppose that when you bring your men over, the Navy would have already set out. The southern coastal border region is major; the Qiuli people kept plundering time and time again, we continue tolerating them. In the Navy’s upcoming battle, they have to show Great Ning’s might and power. Hence, the investigation cannot delay the naval battle. Go down to the south together with the Navy then.”

Han Huanzhi frowned.

Was the investigation still possible?

If the investigation cannot delay the naval battle, he might as well not investigate altogether.

This would be the Navy’s first time having a real battle against the Qiuli people ever since it was founded. Han Huanzhi thought to himself: if the battle were to go south, the blame would be pinned on him. Even if his neck was any harder and stronger, he would not be able to handle it.

Hence, he understood what His Majesty meant.

“Understood.”

“If you investigate during the journey, it will inevitably slow them down and affect the stability of their minds. Hence, you should start investigating only after you get to Pingyue. If there is any issue, get Ye Kaitai to expedite the information back to Changan. I have already sent someone to inform him, he will cooperate with you to the best of his abilities…right, if you happen to see the southern border’s great general, Shi Yuanxiong, help me tell him that I haven’t seen him in almost six years, and that I do miss the times when he came to the capital to talk to me during the all-military competitions. The last few times he wanted to come to the capital but I did not grant it because the southern border needed him. Now that Pingyue is already stable, he can come.”

Han Huanzhi smiled slightly. “Got it.”

If Shi Yuanxiong entered the capital, Ye Kaitai would have great prospects for the future.