Chapter 221

Chapter 221

Han Zhang did not directly incite all the border soldiers to rebel with him, but instead chose to take only the tens of thousands of soldiers from the Military Slave Camp. Naturally, this was not an act of trying to be a hero.

First, the grassland tribes beyond the northern border were always eyeing them hungrily. The main army really shouldn't be moved lightly; otherwise, if border defense were to fail, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Second, he hadn't been in the military camp long enough. At present, he had only established authority within the Military Slave Camp. Although the other soldiers admired him, that did not mean they would be willing to follow his orders and risk danger with him.

Therefore, rather than biting off more than he could chew and asking for trouble, it was better to just take those tens of thousands from the Military Slave Camp.

As long as the border remained stable with no worries at his back, he had confidence that with these tens of thousands of troops, plus the soldiers he had secretly amassed over the years, he could take back the lost southern territories, wipe out the court forces holed up in Haizhou, and overthrow the dynasty!

After all, modern guns against old-school blades was basically a one-sided slaughter.

However, saying they were ready to pack up and march didn't mean they could leave on the spot.

While the Military Slave Camp soldiers were packing their gear, Han Zhang quickly called over the Shen family, the Han family, and Jiang Wencheng and his husband to give instructions.

Overall coordination and holding down the fort would go to Shen's father and Jiang Wencheng;

Handling food and supplies would go to Shen Qinglan and An Yongyan;

Weapons production and backup would be handled by Grandpa Han and Clan Chief Han;

As for post-war cleanup and getting people's lives back on track, those tasks would go to Big Brother Shen, Second Brother Shen, Zhao Yongchang... as well as the "modern-day officials" he'd been training in secret over the years.

Everything else would be handled by the wives and husbands of the Han clan...

Of course, even at this point, Jiang Wencheng and the others still had no idea he intended to rebel. They only thought he was truly saving the people, and they were all deeply touched.

Brother Han truly was the most righteous and noble man in the world!

The court had done Brother Han so dirty, yet for the sake of the common people, Brother Han was still willing to risk his life.

Sages judge by deeds, not intentions. No matter what Brother Han thought in his heart, his actions were simply untouchable!

"Brother Han, rest assured. We've got things covered in the rear. Stay safe."

Jiang Wencheng and the others looked grim and worried.

Shen Qinglan could not help but rush forward and hug Han Zhang tightly, saying:

"Husband, no matter what, you have to come back alive. If you go back on your word, I... I really will take Xiao Tao'er and the others and remarry. Do you hear me?"

Even though he knew his husband was formidable and had that miraculous Power ability, he still couldn't relax, because there was always a chance something could go wrong.

He was scared. Truly scared.

Han Zhang felt the slight trembling in his arms and his heart softened with tenderness and ache. His husband worried about him, but how could he stand to leave him behind?

But nothing in this world came for free. If he wanted wealth and honor, if he wanted to make sure his husband never had to suffer humiliation like before, he had to risk everything to fight for it.

Han Zhang held Shen Qinglan's face in his hands, gently wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes with his thumb, his smile warm and relaxed:

"Don't worry. Don't you know what I can do? Stay home and wait for me, alright?"

But how could Shen Qinglan truly be at ease?

He buried his head in Han Zhang's chest, his tears soaking the front of Han Zhang's robes, until there was no more time to stall before he finally let go.

Then, reluctantly, he hung an embroidered sachet with a peace charm around Han Zhang's neck, and said, his voice choked with tears: "Husband, you must come back."

"..."

Han Zhang gripped the sachet tightly. It still held Shen Qinglan's warmth and a faint scent of herbs, making him almost lose it and want to take his husband with him.

But in the end, he held back that reckless impulse.

Not daring to say another word, Han Zhang took one last deep look at Shen Qinglan, burning that image into his memory, then swallowed his reluctance, turned, and swung onto his horse.

"Move out!"

At the command, tens of thousands of Military Slave Camp soldiers roared in unison, the sound shaking the plains.

Han Zhang led tens of thousands of troops as they galloped south.

Shen Qinglan wiped his tears, staring at the spot where his beloved had disappeared. Even after he couldn't see him anymore, he still refused to leave.

...

The fighting in the south was far more brutal than Han Zhang had imagined.

Because Emperor Taixuan had governed the country well over the years, the common folk felt a strong loyalty to the Zhao State. When the Qi State army came in killing, everyone naturally fought back hard.

Even after the cities fell and they surrendered, they still caused plenty of trouble.

Therefore, in order to quickly take over the cities, the Qi State army treated the Zhao State people rather harshly, just cracking down with military force and killing quite a few people.

Seeing this situation, Han Zhang was extremely anxious.

He already saw the Throne as his for the taking, and these dead and wounded Zhao State folks were all his "property"!

He was still waiting to ascend the throne and vigorously pursue construction. If the Zhao State population suffered too many losses, how many years of recovery and recuperation would be needed before things bounced back?

He had originally planned to fight this war slowly, letting Qi State further deplete the court's remaining strength before he went up to pick up the scraps.

But with Qi State treating Zhao State people like this, he could no longer sit still.

After only a few seconds of thought, Han Zhang decided to strike like thunder.

He immediately had people spread rumors everywhere that the Crown Prince and several princes, in order to eliminate dissidents, had disregarded the lives of the people and framed him to be exiled.

Also, that Old General Shao's sons and grandsons had died in vain on the battlefield, that Emperor Taixuan had been hunting down Zhao Yongchang, the descendant of the Former Crown Prince... and that this Qi State invasion was purely the negative fallout of imperial family infighting!

The common people are simple, but the common people are also fickle.

Originally, the Zhao State people fought desperately against the Qi army. Though they died, they did not regret it, because everyone carried patriotic feelings and felt they died a worthy death.

But now, learning that the imperial family they had supported was not nearly as loving toward the people as they claimed! And that their current suffering was even brought about by the imperial family's own self-inflicted disasters!

The people could no longer hold back. With Han Zhang's covert instigation, public opinion immediately boiled over.

"What? No wonder there were so many border generals, yet the Shao family's sons died in battle every single time... It was those princes who made the dark moves!"

"The Yunyang flood was deliberately caused by the Crown Prince? Damn him... My mother's family is in Yunyang Prefecture. A whole house of brothers, all drowned in that great flood!"

"Doesn't His Majesty claim to love the people as his children? Why does he shield these wolf-like princes!"

"What imperial family feud! What does their infighting have to do with us common folk? These nobles feast on delicacies daily, supported by the world's tribute. Why should we common people bear the suffering in the end?"

"The enemy is coming, and those high-and-mighty nobles are all fine and dandy—they've packed up their families and fled to Haizhou to keep living it up, just leaving us here to die!"

The people were seething with resentment, and in a single night, the royal family's reputation tanked.

It was then that Han Zhang, leading the soldiers from the border Military Slave Camp and his well-armed private army, appeared like gods descending from heaven.

Then, he tore through the enemy lines like a thunderbolt, taking back several cities the Qi State had seized in just a few days, rallying spirits wherever he went!

Not only that, but Han Zhang's logistics were also on point.

For every city he took back, he did three things:

First, he'd arrest and imprison the corrupt officials and shady merchants who oppressed the people, confiscate their assets, and hand it all out to the poor as war compensation;

Second, he'd hold public trials, letting the wronged citizens call out their crimes;

Third, he'd have his civil affairs staff guide the people in holding "grievance meetings," detailing how the Zhao royal family was clueless and two-faced, how they threw the common people into the fires of war without a second thought, stoking the people's resentment toward the Zhao royal family...

In short, he was just copying the great man's homework!

With the great man's successful example, why innovate? Just follow the great man's lead.

Han Zhang was feeling pretty good about himself, happily copying the homework, while behind him, Shen's father couldn't stop his lips from twitching.

"Public trials and grievance meetings... Little Han really knows how to go for the jugular."

But despite saying that, Shen's father was even more confident about Han Zhang's rebellion.

Because with Han Zhang handling things this way, he'd definitely win the people over in the future!

And at this point, Jiang Wencheng finally realized something was wrong.

Wasn't Brother Han supposed to be saving the people from disaster and driving out the Qi invaders?

But what the hell was he actually doing now?

Wasn't this just winning people over?

The terrifying thought of rebellion suddenly hit him...

Brother Han, didn't we agree to back the young emperor?

Why do you want to take the throne yourself?!

Jiang Wencheng's knees buckled, and he collapsed into a chair, big beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

It wasn't that he feared death—after all, when the crown prince sent him to Yunyang as a pawn, he had already prepared himself to die.

But his parents and the Jiang clan were still with the crown prince!

Once word of Han Zhang's rebellion got back, as his accomplice, what would happen to the Jiang family?

Although his father had chosen to abandon him back then, he understood it was out of necessity. His father wasn't truly heartless—any member of the Jiang family would be sacrificed for the clan's survival.

So, though hurt, he didn't hate the Jiang family.

He couldn't stand to watch his family die because of him!

With that thought.

Jiang Wencheng pushed aside his fear and hurriedly took An Ge'er to see Shen Qinglan. He was in too deep with Han Zhang to back out now, but he didn't want to drag his family down.

When the news from the front reached him, Shen Qinglan had already guessed they'd come, so he came clean and admitted that Han Zhang was planning to rebel.

"...I'm sorry, Big Brother Jiang. When you first came to Yunyang, you had no choice. If my husband hadn't pulled you onto his ship, you'd have been dead for sure."

"The reason we didn't tell you earlier is that 'success depends on secrecy, and loose lips sink ships.' My husband had no choice but to conceal it... As for Uncle Jiang and Uncle An's safety, my husband has already got it covered. Don't worry."

After all, the Shen and Han families also had many relatives on the crown prince's side, so they'd naturally make sure those loved ones had a way out.

Hearing these words, Jiang Wencheng and An Yongyan finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Meanwhile.

The Jiang, An, Pan, and Wu families, along with Shen Qingyue and Shen Qingquan, who had fled to Haizhou with the main group...

Were found by people Han Zhang had sent. When they heard that Han Zhang was rebelling and were asked if they wanted to leave with them.

After a brief moment of shock, their legs all went weak and they nodded frantically:

"Let's go! Let's go! We need to leave now!"

They had no choice—once news of Han Zhang's rebellion broke, anyone who had been close to him, whether they were involved or not, would definitely be targeted.

Staying meant death, plain and simple.