Chapter 67 - 65: Every Commander Has a Devious Heart
The paper was thin, yet the characters written upon it were as sharp as a blade, radiating the same madness and resolve as their author.
Chen Ye clutched the letter, momentarily speechless.
The letter’s contents were simple.
Bai Yuge had ordered him to take command of the army immediately upon her death and stabilize the situation in the Great Liang Country.
She also mentioned she had already submitted a memorial to the Court. In her capacity as the Western Expedition Grand General, she had recommended him as the new Governor of Great Liang, granting him authority over all military and political matters in the region.
At the end of the letter, she had even thoughtfully suggested that he blame her—a dead woman—for all the massacres and harsh policies enacted since the siege began. This would be a way to win over the people and quell the resentment of the Great Liang Soldiers and People.
...
Chen Ye was silent for a long time.
He looked up at the palace ruins, still smoldering and belching black smoke, with only a single thought in his mind.
’That woman was insane. She even calculated her own death down to the last detail!’
’But me, the Governor of Great Liang?’
’What a joke!’
Chen Ye knew his own limitations.
His current status had been earned entirely through bloodshed on the battlefield. In the Court, he had no power or influence—absolutely no foundation to speak of.
It was a classic case of too many wolves and not enough sheep. He had no idea how many pairs of greedy eyes in the Great Yong Court Hall were staring at this freshly conquered prize, the Great Liang Country. How could it possibly fall to a nobody like him?
So, in Chen Ye’s eyes, Bai Yuge’s last command was utter nonsense.
He didn’t believe for a second it could actually happen.
He could already imagine the firestorm Bai Yuge’s memorial would ignite once it reached the Court.
Those dukes, nobles, and powerful members of the Noble Families would probably curse him and his ancestors back eighteen generations.
At that thought, Chen Ye silently folded the letter and put it away.
’It’s impossible.’
And events unfolded exactly as Chen Ye had predicted. When Bai Yuge’s memorial recommending him was presented to the Emperor, it immediately triggered a furious debate.
In the Court Hall, a tide of opposition surged forth, loud enough to nearly tear the roof off.
"Preposterous! This is utterly preposterous!"
"Who is this Chen Ye? A coarse Military General who came from nothing but a common laborer! He was merely lucky enough to achieve some minor battlefield honors, and now he dares to covet the position of a provincial governor?"
"Great Liang has only just been pacified, and everything is in disarray. It requires a veteran, a man of profound statecraft, to oversee it. How can we entrust it to the hands of a wet-behind-the-ears brat!"
"General Bai must have been bewitched by this villain."
In an instant, memorials of opposition piled up like mountains, and the Counselors’ spittle flew so freely it could have drowned a man.
Everyone believed the appointment was an absolute impossibility.
After all, Great Liang was a juicy prize eyed by countless factions. There was no way it would fall to some Chen Ye who had just popped out of nowhere.
But just then, a faction no one could have possibly anticipated stepped forward and unequivocally declared its support.
The Meng Family!
When Meng Yi, currently retired at home, used his family’s influence in the Court to explicitly back Bai Yuge’s memorial, the entire Court Hall was left in stunned disbelief.
Everyone knew it was Bai Yuge who had seized Meng Yi’s command, forcing the decorated veteran general into retirement.
A feud of that magnitude would have made anyone else into mortal enemies, incompatible as fire and water.
The Meng Family not kicking her while she was down would have been considered benevolent enough. Why on earth would they support her decision instead?
What in the world were they playing at?
As everyone reeled in shock and suspicion, news arrived that Bai Yuge had died for her country, perishing along with the enemy.
The entire nation was shaken, and the weight of her memorial of recommendation suddenly grew heavier.
It was no longer an ordinary letter of recommendation, but the last will of a Grand General who had died for her country!
The situation suddenly became awkward.
After all, no one dared to openly oppose the dying wish of a hero. They would be drowned in the scorn of the Great Yong people.
At this critical juncture, the Meng Family pushed again, announcing their unconditional support for Bai Yuge’s decision.
Finally, after long deliberation, the Emperor Great Yong, seated on his Throne, gave his approval with a stroke of his Vermilion Brush.
Approved!
Once the Holy Decree was issued, the court and country erupted in an uproar.
Countless people were green with envy, especially the nobles, who were so furious they beat their chests and stamped their feet.
They couldn’t understand how such a mud-caked peasant had lucked into such a huge prize.
But soon, these same people began to console themselves.
’It’s fine. He’s just a boorish soldier. He might be decent at fighting, but governing a region?’
’He doesn’t know squat!’
’Just wait. It won’t even be three months before he resigns in disgrace.’
Chen Ye was oblivious to these events in the Court. It wasn’t until the Holy Decree was laid before him that he was struck dumb.
’It... actually fucking happened?’
’This world is surreal!’
"Governor Chen, receive the decree," the eunuch delivering the proclamation said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Still in a daze, Chen Ye accepted the Holy Decree. Just then, Wang Xing appeared from nowhere and enthusiastically invited the eunuch aside for a meal.
After the eunuch left, Chen Ye remained in a state of shock. At that moment, another messenger from the Capital City discreetly handed him a private letter.
The envelope bore only two words.
Meng Yi.
Chen Ye’s heart leaped. He quickly found a quiet spot and tore open the envelope.
The letter was brief, its lines exuding a familiar, steady confidence.
In the letter, Meng Yi explained that his decision to defy the court’s consensus and support him was no mere whim. It was because he believed in Chen Ye’s capabilities and moral character.
He told Chen Ye to act boldly, without any hesitation, assuring him that the Meng Family would be his staunchest supporter from behind the scenes.
At the end of the letter, Meng Yi had written a single line.
"Do not disappoint me."
Chen Ye held the letter, standing silently in his tent for a long time.
The night wind drifted in from outside, carrying a slight chill that gradually cleared his muddled thoughts.
He finally understood.
Meng Yi had been stripped of his command and forced into retirement. While it seemed to remove him from the court’s conflicts, it was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the entire Meng Family, signaling an unavoidable decline in their influence.
Under these circumstances, Meng Yi had to devise a new strategy.
And so, he had set his sights on him.
An "insider" with no roots or powerful backing, someone who had once served as his Personal Guard and with whom he had a personal connection.
By promoting him to the position of Governor of Great Liang, Meng Yi was cultivating an ally outside the Court for the waning Meng Family.
It was a gamble, but also a long-term investment.
If the gamble paid off, the Meng Family would reap handsome rewards.
And if they lost... well, given the Meng Family’s current predicament, things couldn’t get much worse.
At the same time, Chen Ye also figured out why that madwoman, Bai Yuge, had chosen to recommend him.
She must have seen it all along. She knew that recommending anyone other than Chen Ye would fail to secure the Meng Family’s support. And without the Meng Family’s backing, gaining a firm foothold in the newly conquered lands of Great Liang was next to impossible.
That’s why she chose him.
Meng Yi had clearly seen this as well, but he went along with it because it was only to his advantage.
Having pieced it all together, Chen Ye let out a long sigh.
’Damn it. None of these commanders were simple. They calculated politics and people’s hearts down to the very marrow of their bones.’
Since things had come to this, Chen Ye had nothing more to say. He walked to his desk, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a few short words on a piece of paper. Then he sealed the envelope and handed it to the Meng Family’s messenger.
"Tell the General that I understand what must be done."