MLMD -Chapter 275 Ambition Is a Good Thing

After Gao Qiqian left, more than a dozen Jinyiwei riders and soldiers from the capital garrison followed him out. As they went, they shot Yue Yang and the others one last look filled with resentment.

Once Gao Qiqian’s group had all gone, no one in the hall spoke. Everyone’s gaze turned to Yue Yang. In the end, it was the old matriarch who broke the silence. She walked up to Yue Yang and said softly, “Good grandson, Grandma doesn’t know exactly what has happened between you and the court, but as someone who has lived a long life, I must say this to you: think carefully before acting. Our Yue family now depends on you to hold it up. But don’t worry—no matter what choice you make, Grandma will support you.”

After speaking, the old matriarch leaned on her cane and trembled as she walked toward the entrance of the hall. Seeing this, the Linglong sisters hurried to follow and support her.

Once the old matriarch had left, the servants also dispersed. Chen Dazhi took the personal guards with him and left the hall as well, leaving only Hai Lanzhu and Yue Yang behind.

Yue Yang’s face was dark as he pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he turned to Hai Lanzhu and said, “The Xuan-Da Governor-General is being replaced? Didn’t Youshan Division receive any advance news at all?”

Hai Lanzhu shook her head. After taking a deep breath, she said, “If Youshan Division didn’t receive any news, there are only two possibilities. Either Gao Qiqian was lying to us, or the matter is still under secrecy at court and hasn’t been announced yet. That’s why our agents stationed in the capital haven’t obtained the information.”

Yue Yang sighed lightly. “If Governor Lu is no longer serving as Xuan-Da Governor-General, then the uncertainties ahead will be enormous.”

Hai Lanzhu understood Yue Yang’s feelings. Although Yue Yang was currently only a mere brigadier-general, he controlled Yingzhou Prefecture, Hunyuan Prefecture, Gaoshan Garrison, and other areas in northern Shanxi—more than a thousand square kilometers of land. The army in his hands already numbered over eighteen thousand men. Once another ten thousand new recruits completed their training, the troops directly under his command would reach twenty-eight thousand.

In terms of numbers alone, he would already be able to contend with the Xuan-Da Governor-General. To say that a newly appointed governor-general would tolerate such a situation—even Yue Yang himself didn’t believe it.

Hai Lanzhu blinked her beautiful large eyes and asked, “Husband, then what do you plan to do?”

“What else can I do?” Yue Yang sneered. “Block the soldiers when they come, dam the water when it rises. If the new governor-general knows what’s good for him, then fine. If he doesn’t, the army in my hands isn’t just for show.”

Hai Lanzhu nodded in agreement. Yue Yang was not boasting. After years of painstaking management, his prestige in northern Shanxi was at its peak. He held vast tracts of fertile land and enormous reserves of grain—seven to eight million dan stored in the granaries. The soldiers under his command were all carefully selected by him. They received Yue Yang’s pay, ate the grain he distributed, and farmed the land he allocated to them.

As a result, almost everyone knew only of the “Guardian of the State General” and hardly knew of the emperor. Moreover, Yue Yang’s subordinate commanders had long since bound their own lives and fortunes tightly to his.

To put it bluntly, if Yue Yang were to stand up right now and shout that he was going to rebel, he wouldn’t dare speak for others, but at the very least, his own army would certainly follow him. After all, from company commanders to battalion commanders, defense officers, and even garrison commanders—every one of them had been personally promoted by Yue Yang. Other than following him down this path to the bitter end, they had no other road to take.

At that moment, a voice sounded from the entrance of the hall. “Reporting to my lord, Deputy Director Jiang He of Youshan Division requests an audience outside!”

Yue Yang and Hai Lanzhu exchanged a glance. Yue Yang nodded. “Let him in.”

“Yes!”

Very soon, Jiang He entered. Dressed in black and still wearing that perpetually grim, resentful expression, he stepped forward, saluted Yue Yang and Hai Lanzhu, and said, “My lord, Madam, news has arrived from the capital. The court has already decided to remove Governor Lu from the post of Xuan-Da Governor-General. The position will be taken over by former Vice Minister of War Chen Xin’jia.”

“What?!”

As soon as Jiang He finished speaking, two cries of alarm rang out at the same time.

“Wasn’t Chen Xin’jia dismissed by the emperor? How did he end up coming to Shanxi as Xuan-Da Governor-General?” Hai Lanzhu’s small face was filled with shock.

Jiang He shook his head. “His Majesty did dismiss Chen Xin’jia some time ago, but for reasons unknown, His Majesty reinstated him a few days ago and even appointed him to the crucial post of Xuan-Da Governor-General. The exact reason is unclear to this subordinate. After all, the positions of our people deployed at court are still too low to uncover more important information so quickly. Oh, and there’s one more thing—rumor has it that the supervising eunuch of Shanxi is also going to be replaced.”

Hai Lanzhu sneered. “Oh? So who does the court plan to send this time as supervising eunuch?”

“Former Liaodong supervising commander Gao Qiqian,” Jiang He said slowly, enunciating each word.

Yue Yang’s expression stiffened instantly. He immediately recalled what Gao Qiqian had said as he left earlier.

“Yue Yang, don’t be in a hurry. You and I will meet again. But when we do, I hope you’ll still be able to be this arrogant.”

Thinking of this, Yue Yang burst out laughing, muttering to himself, “Chongzhen, Chongzhen… I never thought that just to deal with a mere brigadier-general like me, you’d go to such lengths. You’ve really put in a lot of effort—how very considerate of you.”

Hai Lanzhu’s delicate brows knitted together as she said worriedly, “Husband, this is clearly aimed at you!”

“Is it really necessary?” Yue Yang let out a long sigh. At this moment, he recalled a later generation’s evaluation of Chongzhen: ‘Fierce in temperament and deeply suspicious; decisive yet reckless.’

This sentence described Chongzhen’s character perfectly. During the seventeen years of his reign, he replaced fifty grand secretaries, eleven ministers of justice, and fourteen ministers of war. He executed seven governors-general, killed eleven governors, and forced one to death—among them Governor-General Yuan Chonghuan.

In more than two hundred years of Ming history, this was unprecedented. To be suspicious to such an extent—he truly deserved to be ranked first in the Ming dynasty.

Jiang He, still wearing his stern, judge-like expression, said coldly, “My lord, there are some things this subordinate shouldn’t say, but judging from the current situation, His Majesty has either grown suspicious of you or intends to take action against you. You must not let your guard down.”

“Take action? He’s certainly impatient.” Yue Yang’s expression slowly turned cold. He turned to Jiang He and said, “Deputy Director Jiang, go out first, then summon all commanders of a thousand men or above to the hall for a council.”

“Yes!”

A flash of barely concealed delight flickered in Jiang He’s eyes. He saluted Yue Yang and quickly withdrew.

After Jiang He left, Yue Yang smiled at Hai Lanzhu and said, “It seems your subordinate is quite an ambitious man as well.”

“Is ambition a bad thing?” Hai Lanzhu replied with a radiant smile. “Only people like that will follow us all the way.”