Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Old General Shao, no matter how much he resented the imperial family, as a man of old with loyalty to the sovereign etched into his very bones, could hardly bring himself to rebel.

Just like Jiang Wencheng before him—he knew full well he was a pawn, and no matter how unwilling he felt inside, he still didn't dare defy the oppression of imperial authority.

But everyone has weaknesses—everyone has something they hold dear.

Some people value their own lives above all else, willing to sacrifice anything to survive—friends, family, dignity, and pride, all cast aside without hesitation.

Others place loyalty, integrity, and promises above life itself, and to protect what they hold dear, they walk calmly into death without a trace of fear.

Old General Shao and Jiang Wencheng were the latter.

Though Old General Shao appeared furious at Han Zhang for using underhanded tactics to drag him onto the rebel ship, in truth, he wasn't as upset as he let on.

The reason was simple: unlike Jiang Wencheng, who had been coerced for a time, the Weiyuan Marquis Manor had truly been ruined by the imperial family.

Those sons and grandsons of his who had died on the battlefield—except for a few who truly died in battle—had all been victims of the princes' power struggles!

How could anyone not harbor hatred after all that?

In the past, he'd had no choice but to swallow his anger—there was no opportunity.

Now that Han Zhang had already risen in rebellion, and the Shao family, as in-laws, couldn't escape implication—plus the military might Han Zhang had shown—what reason did he have left to back out?

Given Emperor Taixuan's temperament, even if he were to switch sides this very moment and "atone for his crimes" by reporting Han Zhang, he and his grandson might escape with their lives—but his little great-grandson carried the blood of a rebel family. Would he survive?

At this point, rather than groveling for survival in such a pathetic manner, it was better to cast all caution to the wind and stake everything on this one gamble!

That said, Old General Shao still had some doubts about Han Zhang's ruthless methods—attacking such a barren, tiny island as the small island of Wo, even going so far as to slaughter its inhabitants to the last.

Though the pirates on that small island of Wo had long plagued the Yunyang borders with raids, burning, killing, and looting—committing every atrocity imaginable, their crimes beyond redemption even in a hundred deaths—

Still, the island was remote, backward, and poor in resources. To expend such enormous military strength and provisions on a cross-sea expedition, from a purely military standpoint, seemed hardly worth the cost.

Moreover, executing all remaining captives on the island, regardless of age or gender... was that not a bit too cruel and against the will of heaven?

Facing the old general's hesitation, Han Zhang didn't bother to hide his disgust, sneering coldly:

"Too much? Old General, do you know the true nature of these Wo islanders? They respect China's superiority but don't revere propriety and righteousness—they fear might but don't cherish virtue. They're veritable wolves and tigers—greedy, ferocious, and never satisfied!"

"To leave such a scourge behind—even a single spark—will in time become a serious threat to our dynasty. Moreover..."

At this point, Han Zhang's tone turned icy, his voice dripping with murderous intent. "They bear a deep blood grudge against me. Unless their nation is destroyed and their kind extinguished, my fury will never be assuaged!"

Though this was not his original world, with similar history and similar geography, Han Zhang did not mind staining his hands with blood, using this small island of Wo as a sacrifice to the heroic ancestors of his past life.

So what if it's unfair? So what if they're innocent?

Why did the people of this small island of Wo have to resemble, in every way, those of the island nation from his previous life? They had only their own bad luck to blame for crossing paths with him.

Han Zhang didn't mind carrying this blood debt.

"Ah, I see..."

Old General Shao, unaware of the full story, heard Han Zhang speak of a great vengeance and suddenly recalled how the Han family had nearly been exterminated back then. His mind immediately jumped to conclusions, assuming the small Wo islanders had been involved in that affair as well.

If that was the case, then Little Han's hatred toward the small island of Wo made total sense.

In his shoes, he'd avenge his ancestors the same way.

But then, thinking it over, Old General Shao felt something was off: "No! Aside from revenge, there must be other reasons, right? You've always been shrewd with your calculations—not one to take a loss."

If it were just for revenge, that would be too big a loss.

The military spending and provisions used up by this campaign were no small amount!

Hearing this, the cold look on Han Zhang's face softened a bit, replaced by a meaningful smile as he praised:

"The old general is truly wise and sharp-eyed. This young one's little schemes indeed can't escape your notice. To be honest, I was lucky enough to discover by chance that this island, though it looks barren, hides several gold and silver mines of astonishing reserves beneath its surface."

"What?!"

His words hit like a thunderclap.

Old General Shao shot up from his seat, his eyes bulging wide. All trace of his usual composure and loyalty vanished—his mind was now utterly consumed by the words "gold mine" and "silver mine," his breathing growing rapid.

No wonder... no wonder Little Han dared to rebel.

With such terrifying thunder weapons at his disposal, and now an inexhaustible mountain of gold and silver as his financial backing, of course Little Han would refuse to swallow that humiliation any longer.

But then, Old General Shao suddenly slapped his thigh, his face twisting in pain as he lamented:

"Ah! Little Han, then you... you really shouldn't have killed everyone on that island! Isn't that wasting a gift from heaven? These could have been our laborers for the mines! What a waste!"

Seeing the old general's pained expression, as if he had lost a mountain of gold, Han Zhang merely waved his hand casually and reminded him in a relaxed tone:

"Isn't there the Jade Dynasty nearby? Their territory isn't large, but a few hundred thousand slaves for the mines should still be available, no?"

Old General Shao: "..."

Good heavens, so this is the vision of an emperor?

But this plan was brilliant!

Their Zhao State couldn't destroy the grassland tribes, couldn't destroy the neighboring kingdoms—but surely they could destroy a tiny Jade Dynasty?

And so, having just wrapped up on the small island of Wo, Old General Shao immediately led his troops to the neighboring Jade Dynasty.

When it came to rebellion, the fear was that delays would cause problems—he needed to hurry and capture those people for Little Han to work the mines!

Old General Shao adapted to his new role as a rebel remarkably fast.

Han Zhang nodded in satisfaction, then left a contingent behind to handle remaining matters on the small island of Wo before hurrying back to Yunyang Prefecture to cover for Old General Shao.

Though he felt Yunyang Prefecture was already firmly under his control, this military campaign had been no small feat—better to err on the side of caution.

Besides, there were certain things he needed to set in motion.

Jiang Wencheng had been "undercover" by his side for five years now, using various pretexts to buy him time with the Crown Prince.

Recently, the Crown Prince's patience had been running thin. He needed to coordinate with Jiang Wencheng to stage his "downfall."

And it was also time to head to the border and prepare for the uprising!

...

Yunyang Prefecture.

Han Zhang returned home weary from the road, finding Shen Qinglan chatting casually with Shao Langzhou, Jiang Liu, and Han Dong. The conversation was all about none other than Han Dong's marriage prospects.

Five years had passed, and the younger Han siblings had all grown up.

Qiu Geer and Fourth Brother from the second branch, along with Chun Ya and Xia Ya from the third branch, were about fifteen or sixteen now. It was time to start looking into marriage prospects for them, though there was no immediate rush.

However, Han Dong, as the eldest child of the main branch, was already nineteen this year, yet his marriage still hadn't been settled. The whole Han family couldn't help getting a bit anxious.

The truth was, Han Dong was stunningly handsome, with features like a painting and a fresh, lovely look—he was the prettiest of all the young ladies and lads in his generation.

As Han Zhang's own younger brother, he was the hottest commodity in Yunyang Prefecture, with countless big-name families dying to marry into his line.

Among them were even a few sons of wealthy local gentry, who'd been totally smitten by Han Dong—who'd inherited seven-tenths of the legendary heartthrob Han Jiu's charm—and each one was head-over-heels, swearing they'd marry no one but him!

So you'd think Han Dong's marriage would be the last thing anyone worried about.

But... it was precisely because so many people liked him that his marriage still hadn't been settled.

Because Han Dong thought every one of these guys was handsome, every one was sincere to him, and he was crazy about every single one!

So at this moment, Han Dong was furrowing his beautiful brows, sighing gloomily at his three sisters-in-law:

"Big brother's wife, second brother's wife, third brother's wife... I get everything you're all saying. I know I'm not getting any younger, and my marriage truly can't be delayed any longer."

"But Young Master Yu from the Liu family is as gentle as jade, Young Master Ye from the Zhang family is dashing and free-spirited, and Young Master Ying from the Zhou family is bold and full of fire... Every one of them makes my heart race, and they're all so sincere with me. I love them all—how the heck am I supposed to pick?"

"No matter who I marry, the other two will be heartbroken. I, I just can't stand it..."

"Ah, if only I were a man and they were girls or lads, then I could marry them all and not let a single one down!"

Han Dong was totally devastated, lamenting that he wasn't born a man, so he couldn't hold all three close and spend his life with each of his beloveds.

Shao Langzhou: "..."

Jiang Liu: "..."

These two good-hearted guys were totally shocked, their minds blown.

Meanwhile, Shen Qinglan—who had once contemplated entering the palace as a consort and using the Old Emperor's power to keep Han Zhang, his "pale-faced beloved," as a secret lover—said he totally got it.

After all, true love just doesn't play by the rules!

What's wrong with Dong Geer loving three fine men? He'd just made the same mistake every man in the world makes!

But even though he understood, the social rules of the day just wouldn't let Dong Geer have his way.

Besides, Dong Geer's three sweethearts were all sons of prominent gentry families—how could they ever share one husband?

Unless Dong Geer were a princess or imperial noblewoman, and those families offered up their sons as consorts to suck up to the royal family.

But that was obviously just wishful thinking.

Shen Qinglan could only helplessly offer his young brother-in-law some advice:

"Dong Geer, since you don't know which one to choose, why not let them settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors or a fight? That way, you won't have to stress over it."

Han Dong: "..." But he was a little greedy—what if he wanted all of them?

Why can't dreams and reality just get along?

Han Dong felt super bummed.

It was then that Han Zhang came back, weary from the road. Hearing his little brother's wistful sighs, he walked over with a big laugh, and, being the total hypocrite he was, said:

"Dong Geer, since you can't decide who to marry, then just don't marry! A good lad should aim high and wide—there's plenty of fish in the sea, so why fixate on just three in front of you?"

"Eldest brother..."

"Husband..."

Shen Qinglan and Han Dong, mid-conversation, looked over at the sound, and their faces lit up the moment they saw Han Zhang.

Thoughts of the Liu, Zhang, and Zhou young masters were instantly thrown out the window, replaced by pure joy as they hurried over to greet him.

What were outside men compared to their husband and big brother?