Chapter Forty-Two: Enfeoffment

Chen Jie nodded. "That's wonderful. I'll go back and pack my things right away. Um... actually, wouldn't it be better if I went with you? It's not very safe outside." Seeing Jiang Bai's youthful and delicate face, Chen Jie finally recalled her actual age. Her exceptional medical skills often made him forget that she was merely a girl of fifteen or sixteen, and now that he remembered, he felt somewhat hesitant.

Jiang Bai understood his concerns. "Medical Doctor Chen doesn't need to worry about me. Pan Rui is coming with me as well."

Chen Jie let out a sigh of relief. "Then I shall trouble my young friend Jiang. I'll return to make preparations and move over early tomorrow morning."

After seeing Chen Jie off, Jiang Bai organized her medicinal herbs and went to inspect the residence with Pan Rui. The process went smoothly, and Jiang Bai successfully obtained the keys. Early the next morning, Chen Jie arrived with his medicine boy to begin the move.

Upon learning of this, Yang Bin understood their predicament and specially dispatched a few soldiers to help transport the herbs.

The courtyard in the West City was indeed somewhat old, but it had the advantage of being spacious and quiet. Chen Jie, Jiang Bai, Pan Rui, and the medicine boys spent the better part of the day cleaning and organizing, finally settling in. Chen Jie and the boys could finally look forward to a peaceful night's sleep.

Having finished helping out, Jiang Bai and Pan Rui did not linger, telling them to rest well and leaving further discussion for another day.

As Jiang Bai walked back in the company of Pan Rui, she was entirely unaware that she had missed a fascinating drama.

"General, the imperial court's envoy has arrived outside the city." Deputy General Zhou Hu strode into Duan Yue's study and reported in a low voice.

Duan Yue raised his head and let out a cold snort. "Let them in. Oh, and there is no need to send anyone to welcome them."

Before long, several envoys attired in magnificent official robes stepped inside. At their head was a middle-aged man with a look of haughtiness upon his face. He offered a slight, cupped-hand salute and said, "General Duan, an imperial decree has arrived. You are hereby appointed as the Marquis of Western Pacification, granted a fief of a hundred leagues, and entitled to the revenues of ten thousand households. Furthermore, a newly appointed prefect has been dispatched to take over Pingcheng. It is hoped that the General will complete the handover at an early date."

Duan Yue raised an eyebrow and replied with unbridled defiance, "Pingcheng is a crucial stronghold in the north. If I had not led my troops to suppress the bandits and safeguard the peace of this region, heaven knows what suffering Pingcheng would have endured. To think that I am merely granted a marquisate—how unjust is Heaven!"

The envoy's expression shifted slightly. Watching this man blatantly distort the truth caused the envoy's face to twitch with anger, but he maintained a forced composure as he said, "General, the imperial court has its own considerations. Your meritorious service is illustrious, and this marquisate is an imperial grace. We trust the General will not disappoint the sacred will."

Duan Yue sneered, slamming his teacup down onto the table with a loud crash. He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the envoy's face like a blade, laden with a biting sarcasm: "Grace? The imperial court's grace is to demand I hand over Pingcheng and become a marquis in name only? What a complete joke!"

The envoy's expression froze, and a thin film of cold sweat seeped from his temples, yet he pressed on: "General, the imperial decree cannot be disobeyed. Pingcheng is a vital fortress of the state, and the court has its own arrangements. If the General is dissatisfied, you are free to submit a memorial expressing your grievances, but I must ask you to handle the handover as swiftly as possible."

Duan Yue let out a scoff, leaning his hands backward against the edge of the desk. "Pingcheng was won by me with blade and spear. Does the court expect to take it away with a single word? They truly hold Duan Yue in far too little regard."

Hearing this, the envoy felt a sinking premonition in his heart. He had previously heard that Duan Yue was unruly and untamable, and seeing him today, the rumors were entirely true. He took a deep breath, attempting to smooth the atmosphere. "General, the court is not unmindful of your contributions. It is simply that Pingcheng occupies a strategic crossroads, and the court must dispatch dedicated officials to govern it to ensure absolute security. Once you are enmarquised, you will still be able to command troops and guard the region—why not embrace this?"

Duan Yue turned around, fixing a blazing gaze upon the envoy, his tone freezing cold: "Guard the region? Ha! Point out to me which marquis possesses such vast authority? And they must dispatch a new prefect besides? Who is this person? Do they possess military experience? If war breaks out in Pingcheng once more, will he be able to hold the line?"

The envoy was momentarily at a loss for words, stammering, "The new prefect is a senior minister of the court, well-versed in both civil administration and military strategy. He will certainly prove competent."

Duan Yue gave a cold laugh, his tone dripping with disdain: "Civil administration and military strategy? I fear he only knows how to talk on paper. Pingcheng lies on the frontier, overrun by bandits. The previous prefect was a civil official by background who allowed himself to be coerced by those villains into committing atrocities, plunging Pingcheng's people into misery. If we do not use iron-fisted methods of suppression, how can we possibly safeguard the peace of this land?"

The envoy's complexion grew even more unsightly. Just as he was about to advise further, Duan Yue waved a hand, his tone allowing for no objection: "Enough. Go back and tell the imperial court that I, Duan Yue, will hold Pingcheng. If the court insists on sending someone to take over, let them come and try for themselves, and see if they can wrest Pingcheng from my hands!"

The envoy was utterly shocked upon hearing this, and hastily exclaimed, "General, are you planning to defy the imperial decree? That is an act of treason!"

Duan Yue smiled coldly, his voice laced with mockery: "Treason? If the court truly regarded me as a meritorious minister, would they treat me thus? Go back and tell those high and mighty lords that I, Duan Yue, will swallow none of this!"

Seeing that Duan Yue's resolve was immovable and knowing that further persuasion would be futile, the envoy could only offer a cupped-hand salute of farewell. "Since the General insists upon this course, this subordinate has nothing more to say. However, the imperial decree has already been issued, and I hope the General will think twice."

Duan Yue let out a cold laugh and was about to erupt once more when the military strategist, Duan Jing, gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "General, this matter should not be met with brute force. Better to accept the decree first and devise a long-term plan thereafter."

Half-persuaded, Duan Yue offered a half-hearted, awkward bow. "This subject receives the decree."

Seeing this, the envoy closed his eyes, feigned ignorance, nodded, and promptly took his leave.

Duan Yue put away his frivolous smile and straightened his posture. "Zhongxuan, their methods are as ruthless as ever."

"Naturally. To cultivate officials who wreaked such havoc in Pingcheng, what kind of good people could they possibly be?" Duan Jing walked to his side, harboring not an ounce of sympathy for these parasites who occupied official posts while contributing nothing.

Duan Yue nodded and said, "Zhongxuan, we must plan ahead."

"Elder brother, Pingcheng is our foundation. As long as we firmly control this place, even if we are enmarquised, the imperial court can do nothing to us." Duan Jing was unconcerned about the question of Pingcheng's allegiance.

Just as Duan Jing's voice trailed off, Duan Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, casting his gaze into the distance as if looking past the scattered pavilions to something far beyond.

"Enmarquised?" Duan Yue repeated in a low voice, his tone laden with mockery. "Is the court planning to use a title to appease the populace? They lost Pingcheng, and lacking even the courage to dispatch troops to retake it, they are instead in a rush to bestow honors upon bandits like us. How utterly laughable."

Duan Jing did not reply immediately. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Duan Yue and said, "The court's intentions may not be merely to appease the populace."

"Oh?" Duan Yue raised an eyebrow, clearly piqued by Duan Jing's words. "And what do you mean?"

Duan Jing smiled faintly, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and slowly continued, "The court conferring this marquisate is not merely for our appeasement. Perhaps they wish to use our hands to deal with other rebel armies."

Hearing this, Duan Yue frowned slightly, then let out a cold laugh. "A borrowed knife to kill? The court calculates cleverly indeed. Yet what makes them think we will obey obediently?"

"Our current predicament," Duan Jing replied, setting down his teacup with a calm tone. "Our target has always been Pengcheng. If, after capturing Pengcheng, we lose Pingcheng without the imperial court's appointment documents and support, it would be virtually impossible to retake the city using our own strength alone. The imperial court's enmarquisement appears to appease us, but in reality, it grants us a justified reason to hold Pingcheng firmly. In exchange, however, we are required to deal with other rebel armies. As long as we engage in battle with them, the court can sit back and reap the spoils."

Duan Yue fell silent for a moment, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes. "So you're saying the court intends to use us as their running dogs to be sent to our deaths?"

"Not necessarily death," Duan Jing shook his head. "They likely understand that relying solely on our forces may not be enough to deal with those long-entrenched armies. But they understand even better that if we do not move, the rebel forces will only grow stronger, plunging the court into an even more difficult position. Therefore, they are willing to take a gamble—a gamble that we can tear open a breach among the other armies."

Duan Yue sneered. "The court plays a cunning game indeed. However, Pengcheng is still under the court's control. Even if we conquer it, we won't be clashing with other armies. Where do they get the confidence that we will fight to the death for them?"

Duan Jing did not answer at once. Instead, he slowly stood up, walked over to the window, and cast his gaze toward the distant mountains. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice: "Because the grain is in their hands, we have no choice but to fight for the court."

"Grain?" Duan Yue frowned, not entirely grasping Duan Jing's meaning.

Duan Jing turned around, looking straight into Duan Yue's eyes. "Pingcheng is our current foundation. Due to its unique climate and terrain, if we were to lose Pingcheng now, we would completely lose our foothold. Therefore, we must secure Pingcheng for at least the next three to four months. But the problem is that we do not have enough grain; without grain, we cannot hold this place. The court issuing this marquisate at this moment gives us a justifiable reason to plunder—though the target they hope we seize is not Pengcheng, but Licheng, which is under the control of the southwestern rebel forces! As long as we retake Licheng, the court's rewards will be issued once more, and the threat of the southwestern rebels will be neutralized."

Upon hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Duan Yue's eyes, followed immediately by a cold snort. "Licheng is far too distant from Pingcheng. It may serve as a hub for the court and the southwestern Green Cloud rebel army, but it is utterly useless to us."

"That very distance is precisely what they want. It makes it inconvenient for us to govern, ensuring we won't actually take over the territory—otherwise, wouldn't the court be working to build a wedding dress for us? Afterward, edicts transporting grain will be used to coerce us into dispatching troops to Licheng. They will provide a portion of grain to help us survive the first snowfall, but not the full amount—just enough to last until we compromise. Only if we agree to send troops to the southwest will the second batch of relief grain arrive." Thinking of the grain that had been burned earlier, Duan Jing realized it was truly more than just an outlet for anger.

"You mean there will be a third batch?" Duan Yue felt something was amiss, left with a hanging, unsettled sensation.

"There will be, but it depends on whether we win or not." Duan Jing's tone remained calm, though a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "If our chances of victory are high, this third batch of grain and reinforcement will arrive. If the enemy wins, the court not only weakens their vitality but also saves its own effort and grain."

Duan Yue finally understood the dark scheming of those scoundrels. "And it's not just about reinforcements. They're granting a marquisate, not the post of defense commissioner, which means we aren't given the authority to command regular troops, nor can we mobilize local resources for defense. Even if we take Licheng, we won't be able to legitimately claim it. They never intended to give Licheng to us at all!"

Duan Jing shared the exact same thought. "This is where their brilliance lies. It appears they haven't seized military power and have granted us immense autonomy, yet they tightly control our sphere of activity. Forget Licheng; we cannot even act freely against Pengcheng."

"Hah! Even if a new prefect comes to Pingcheng, he needn't dream of seizing even the slightest bit of administrative authority from my hands!" Duan Yue resolved to guard the power currently in his grasp.

"That is precisely the effect they wish to achieve. As long as elder brother confines your focus to Pingcheng and endlessly tangles with the prefect over power, you will have no energy left to dispatch troops to Pengcheng!" Duan Jing slammed a hand down upon the window sill, turned around in anger, and sat down beside Duan Yue.

Duan Yue understood the imperial court's sinister plot, yet could find no way to break the deadlock. The atmosphere between the two grew somewhat oppressive for a time, broken only by the gentle whisper of the wind outside the window, carrying a hint of chill.

After a moment, Duan Yue suddenly asked, "Zhongxuan, when do you think the court's disaster relief grain will arrive?"

Duan Jing mused for a moment and slowly replied, "According to imperial precedent, relief supplies usually arrive within a month after the end hostilities. However, this situation is somewhat special, and the court may accelerate the pace. I reckon that in ten days at most, the grain will arrive in Pingcheng."

"Ten days..." Duan Yue repeated in a low voice, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. "Ten days from now, if we lack sufficient grain in our hands and have no funds to purchase any, we will have no choice but to follow the court's orders and face the Green Cloud army. Hah, to be driven to such a pass."

Duan Jing checked the figures in the ledger once more. "There is no other way. Whether through purchase or requisition, we cannot gather a sufficient amount of grain. What we have is enough for us to survive the winter, but adding the city's populace makes it utterly impossible without the court's disaster relief grain. Therefore, whether we accept it or not, we must make all decisions within these ten days."

Duan Yue said nothing further, merely nodding in silent agreement. He knew that the days ahead would be the most critical moment of all.

The next day marked the scheduled date for Jiang Bai to check Duan Jing's pulse. Knocking on the door, Jiang Bai found Duan Jing sitting behind his desk, holding an official dispatch with an expression of profound exhaustion, his other hand massaging his throbbing temple.

"Military Strategist, this will not do. You are currently suffering from excessive rumination and frequently stay up late, which will continuously impair the recovery of your heart and qi-blood." Jiang Bai was far from satisfied with the results of the pulse diagnosis.

"Matters are numerous and complex; how is it possible not to ponder excessively?" Duan Jing offered a bitter smile. Staying up late and overthinking were not habits he could simply drop at will.