MLMD -Chapter 213 Clinging Relentlessly

Yue Yang’s words were like poking a hornet’s nest. Chen Xinjia, who was already furious, instantly exploded as if someone had stepped on his tail, jumping up on the spot, so angry that even his voice changed.

“Yue Yang! You’ve got some nerve! You dare to flout the laws of the state and ignore propriety and hierarchy. Do you believe I’ll immediately submit a memorial to impeach you? If I don’t bring you down, I swear I won’t be human!”

Not only was Chen Xinjia enraged—even Lu Xiangsheng’s expression darkened. He truly hadn’t expected this Yue Yang to be so arrogant. It seemed he would have to teach him a lesson.

Just as Lu Xiangsheng was about to speak, Yue Yang let out a cold laugh, cupped his hands toward Lu Xiangsheng, and said, “Governor Lu, this subordinate still remembers what you said earlier—that I am a Zhen’guo General personally appointed by His Majesty, holding a vice–second-rank position. And if I’m not mistaken, Lord Chen, as Inspector Censor of Xuanfu and concurrently Vice Minister of War, is only a full third-rank official, correct? Then I would like to ask: which law of the state requires a vice–second-rank official to kowtow and apologize to a full third-rank official? And who, exactly, is the one violating propriety and hierarchy?”

Yue Yang’s voice was loud—so loud that everyone in the hall heard it clearly. After hearing his words, everyone’s mouths fell open like hippos having teeth pulled, their faces uniformly blank with shock.

Dozens of generals stared dumbfounded at Yue Yang. Many of them were screaming inwardly, “Damn it, you can do that?!”

Indeed, on the surface, Yue Yang wasn’t wrong. His current military rank was Zhen’guo General, with a third-rank honorary title. In terms of rank alone, he really was a notch higher than Chen Xinjia. But Chen Xinjia’s actual post was Vice Minister of War—by modern terms, a deputy defense minister. And Yue Yang? At best, just a division commander. Now this “division commander” was brazenly telling the deputy defense minister, My military rank is higher than yours—you should be the one saluting me. How much audacity did it take to say something like that?

The forthright Mongol, Hu Dawei, also bared his teeth and said, “Damn it, I thought my guts were big enough already. Never expected this kid’s guts to be even bigger than mine.”

Wang Pu looked at Yue Yang with eyes full of admiration, staring straight at him as he muttered, “From now on, if anyone dares to brag about having guts in front of me, I’ll slap him twice without hesitation. This kid isn’t just bold—he’s boldly beyond all bounds!”

As for Lu Xiangsheng, the highest-ranking person present, he glanced at Chen Xinjia, whose hair seemed ready to stand on end from rage, then at Yue Yang’s gloomy face. He sighed softly, shook his head, and said nothing.

Silence. An eerie silence filled the hall. Only from time to time did a faint grinding sound break it. Everyone turned toward the sound and discovered it was Chen Xinjia grinding his teeth. Many people couldn’t help but shudder—grinding one’s teeth to make such a sound, just how much hatred was that?

Seeing Chen Xinjia looking as though he wanted to devour him alive, Yue Yang, having already thrown caution to the wind, sneered and said, “What? Lord Chen looks like this—could it be that what I said was wrong? Or has Lord Chen already been promoted to second rank, or even first?”

Pressed again and again by Yue Yang, Chen Xinjia finally couldn’t take it anymore. His face shifted repeatedly between green and red before he abruptly stood up, flung his sleeves, and strode out without saying a word.

Watching the venomous look Chen Xinjia shot him as he left, Yue Yang knew that from this day forward, the two of them were locked in a feud to the death.

Gazing at Chen Xinjia’s retreating figure, Lu Xiangsheng sighed. At this moment, he didn’t even have the heart to scold Yue Yang. With a trace of weariness, he pointed at Yue Yang and said, “Zhenghong, do you know just how great an enemy you’ve made from today onward?”

Yue Yang replied calmly, “Governor, this subordinate only knows that this man is narrow-minded and intolerant of others, with an excessive obsession for fame and gain. He is not fit to be an official, and his future will not end well.”

Yue Yang knew Chen Xinjia’s fate well. In another timeline, seven years later, he would be executed at the marketplace by order of the Chongzhen Emperor, charged with the crime of embezzling funds and disgracing the nation by losing fortified cities. His end was directly tied to his lack of ability despite ambition, and his narrow-minded character.

“You… you…” Lu Xiangsheng pointed at him for a long while, then helplessly let his hand fall. “How did I never realize before that your tongue is so poisonous?”

Yue Yang merely shrugged indifferently. “When soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we dam it. If Lord Chen truly wants to make things difficult for me, I won’t just lie down to be slaughtered. When the time comes, we’ll each rely on our own methods.”

“Alas…” Lu Xiangsheng let out a long sigh, waved his hand at the assembled generals, then leaned back against the long bench, closed his eyes, and said no more.

Seeing the exhaustion on Lu Xiangsheng’s face, Chen An, the central army general standing beside him, quickly gestured for everyone to leave. The generals dared not disturb Lu Xiangsheng, so they all rose and filed out one after another.

A quarter of an hour later, Lu Xiangsheng slowly opened his eyes, only to find Yue Yang still standing before him. Annoyed, he scolded, “Why are you still here? Waiting for me to invite you to dinner?”

“Governor, you jest. How would I dare make you treat me?” Yue Yang said with a grin, stepping closer and shamelessly asking, “Governor Lu, I see worry on your face. What’s troubling you? Could you tell this subordinate?”

“Nonsense. The army is about to set out for Hubei. There are countless things to prepare—how could I not be vexed?”

Though scolded, Yue Yang didn’t get angry and continued smiling. “For example?”

“For example, provisions, weapons, and so on… Which of these doesn’t require my attention? You could… eh?” At this point, Lu Xiangsheng showed a strange expression. He opened his eyes and looked at Yue Yang for a long while before slowly saying, “This matter—you might actually be able to help.”

Only now did Lu Xiangsheng remember that although the man before him was merely a small brigadier general, he was a genuine local tycoon. In last autumn’s harvest alone, he had reaped a full five million dan of grain. Throughout the entire Great Ming, there might be people richer in silver than him, but there probably wasn’t anyone richer in grain.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng’s eyes immediately lit up. He stood up, walked briskly over to Yue Yang, and asked somewhat excitedly, “Zhenghong, how much grain do you still have?”

Yue Yang was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. “Governor, that’s not really how one asks such a question.”

“Uh…” Lu Xiangsheng froze, then realized he’d been a bit improper. He shook his head self-mockingly. “These days I’ve worried myself nearly gray over provisions. I lost my composure for a moment—please forgive me.”

Seeing the undisguised fatigue on Lu Xiangsheng’s face, Yue Yang felt a pang in his heart. This outstanding military strategist and general of the late Ming had poured his heart and soul into this crumbling empire—yet in the end…

“Alas…”

With a soft sigh, forcing himself to calm down, Yue Yang asked solemnly, “Governor, since you want provisions, then speaking as a merchant, this subordinate must talk business with you. How much silver can you produce to buy grain?”

Lu Xiangsheng pondered briefly, then said, “At present, there are a little over ten thousand taels of silver left in the governor-general’s treasury. I plan to use ten thousand taels to buy grain. How much would that get me?”

After saying this, Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yue Yang with hopeful eyes. Due to consecutive years of drought across the realm, grain prices had skyrocketed. During the Wanli era, one tael of silver could buy two shi of grain; now, it likely couldn’t even buy half a shi. Lu Xiangsheng wasn’t unaware of market purchases, but grain prices now changed by the day. With a mere ten thousand taels, one couldn’t buy even three thousand shi. That amount wouldn’t last the army a month—before they even reached halfway, they’d be starving. Thus, Lu Xiangsheng could only place his hopes on Yue Yang.

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng’s expectant gaze, Yue Yang felt another pang. Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he said, “Governor, how about this: you give me ten thousand taels, and I’ll sell you eight thousand shi of grain. That should be enough, right?”

“Enough—more than enough!”

Lu Xiangsheng and Chen An behind him exchanged a look, both overjoyed. Eight thousand shi of grain, if rationed carefully, was enough to feed ten thousand troops for three months. With that much time, even crawling, they could reach Macheng.

Watching Lu Xiangsheng barely able to contain his excitement, Yue Yang only smiled silently. Truth be told, with Yue Yang’s current wealth, even giving Lu Xiangsheng ten thousand shi of grain for free would be possible. But he couldn’t do that. He had grain, yes—but using private wealth to support the state’s army was the stupidest thing one could do. Shen Wansan’s fate after helping Zhu Yuanzhang build Nanjing’s city walls during the Hongwu era was a cautionary tale.

After a long while, Lu Xiangsheng finally calmed himself. He patted Yue Yang on the shoulder meaningfully. “Zhenghong, this time, we truly owe you.”

“You’re welcome,” Yue Yang said with a faint smile. Then, with a crafty look, he added, “Governor, I have one more request.”

Lu Xiangsheng replied without hesitation, “Go on.”

“This subordinate still believes that the Chahar tribe must not fall. We should send troops to Chahar to help them resist the Jurchen invaders!”

“You…” Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yue Yang helplessly. “Why are you so stubborn? Do you really have confidence you can withstand the Jurchens?”

“If we don’t try, how will we know?” Yue Yang flashed a mouthful of white teeth, smiling brilliantly. “Governor, I request that you issue a written order allowing me to lead troops beyond the passes to aid the Chahar!”

Looking at Yue Yang’s confident face, Lu Xiangsheng asked, “How many troops do you plan to take beyond the passes?”

Yue Yang raised his right hand, extending his thumb and little finger, and said softly, “This subordinate only needs six thousand soldiers and two thousand militia.”

“Do you really have confidence?” Lu Xiangsheng still harbored doubts.

“If I can’t win, can’t I just run?” Yue Yang said something that left Lu Xiangsheng both amused and exasperated. “I may not dare boast about other things, but my skill at escaping is quite good.”

“All right!” Lu Xiangsheng finally understood that on this matter, Yue Yang was as stubborn as a turtle that had swallowed a weight—utterly resolute. Left with no choice, he reluctantly agreed to his request…