The prince is more stable

Chapter 793 Midnight Mutiny
Reasons such as "entering the capital to defend the emperor" and "purging the court of corrupt officials" have, after being used by countless ambitious individuals throughout history, become synonymous with rebellion.

Zhong Jianzhong never imagined that he would actually have to use this word one day.

Is it treason? Zhong Jianzhong didn't know, but Zhe Keshi's explanation was quite reasonable. Anyway, it was the Zhao family's country, and he was just supporting one of them. How could it be considered treason?
Whether it's burying one's head in the sand or not, as long as the reason is legitimate, one can act with a clear conscience.

“Since everyone agrees, then we will act at midnight tomorrow night, following His Highness’s orders, to control Chen Songling and reclaim military power in Yanyun,” Zhong Jianzhong said through gritted teeth.

Zong Ze suddenly said, "After the mission is accomplished, the entire Yan-Yun army cannot march south."

Everyone was stunned and looked at him.

Zong Ze said slowly, "Don't forget, we still have the responsibility to defend our land and borders. The Liao Kingdom in the north has not been destroyed, and they are still unwilling to accept defeat."

"If we withdraw all 100,000 troops from Yanyun, the Liao Kingdom may take advantage of the situation and reoccupy the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. At that time, we will not only become sinners for all time, but also tarnish Your Highness's reputation and be cursed by future generations."

The crowd exchanged glances. Zhong Jianzhong nodded and said, "Old Master is right. We cannot take the entire Yan Yun army with us. We must leave at least 20,000 troops with complete equipment and sufficient food supplies to guard against the Liao Kingdom taking advantage of our weakness."

Everyone also nodded.

They have always clearly distinguished between national and personal righteousness. The fundamental reason why these people from all over the country can come together and work as one is for the sake of national and personal righteousness.

Zhong Jianzhong said, "Then it's settled. We'll leave 20,000 troops to guard the border, and the remaining 80,000 troops will march south to the capital!"

After a moment's thought, Zhong Jianzhong continued, "Your Highness once discovered a talented individual under Commander Zhang of the Northwest Army named Guo Cheng, who is currently guarding Hejian Prefecture. Your Highness said that this man is skilled in defense and can be entrusted with important responsibilities."

"This time, as we lead a large army south, we should entrust the remaining 20,000 troops to Guo Cheng. After all, he is a man chosen by His Highness, so he must have some ability and his character is reliable. What do you all think?"

Everyone present agreed without objection.

Zong Ze added, "There is another matter. The mobilization of the army requires an official document from the Privy Council of the Imperial Court. Otherwise, if we encounter officials and garrisons along the way and are questioned, we will not be able to produce the document and will be regarded as rebels, which will alarm the Imperial Court."

Zhong Jianzhong smiled slightly and said, "His Highness has already taken care of this matter for us."

As he spoke, Zhong Jianzhong took out two official documents from his pocket. One was a document from the Privy Council to mobilize troops, and the other was a document from the Ministry of War. In principle, the Song Dynasty court needed the emperor's personal decree to mobilize troops. Only when all three documents were combined could the troop movement be considered reasonable and legal.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian took advantage of this loophole. With the emperor dead and a new emperor not yet enthroned, the so-called imperial edict in the emperor's own handwriting was naturally unnecessary before the new emperor ascended the throne.

After the two official documents were circulated among the people, everyone showed expressions of relief.

"Your Highness is truly remarkable. How did he manage to obtain such an official document?" Zhe Keshi grinned.

“His Highness naturally has his own abilities, otherwise, would we be so obedient to him?” Zong Ze glanced at him and said.

"With these two official documents, my army can march south without any obstacles along the way!" Di Zi said with a smug smile, stroking his beard.

Zhong Jianzhong slowly said, "Tomorrow night at midnight, I will personally lead a hundred guards into the commander's tent, ask Chen Songling to hand over the commander's seal, and then imprison him in Youzhou City until we have accomplished our mission in Bianjing, at which point we will discuss his fate."

As he spoke, Zhong Jianzhong suddenly stood up and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, for the sake of lasting achievements, wealth and glory, since we have chosen to follow His Highness in this battle, we will have no complaints and will follow him to the end."

"The foundation laid by our ancestors was hard-won. With the country without a ruler, only a hero like Your Highness is worthy of the position of ruler of the world. Only he can carry forward the foundation of the Song Dynasty, and only we, the crude warriors, have the opportunity to expand our territory and bring blessings to our descendants for generations to come."

"After tomorrow night, I and the gentlemen will follow Your Highness to plan important matters. In the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which led to the Zhenguan Era. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang launched the Tanglong Incident, which led to the Kaiyuan Era. We are willing to follow his example today. After this battle, our Great Song Dynasty will surely usher in its own golden age!"

"Gentlemen, let us go together!"

Inside the tent, the generals, though excited, tried to suppress their voices and growled, "We are willing to go!"

The next day, late at night.

Wearing a thick cloak, Chen Songling slowly walked out of the command tent and looked up at the moonless and starless night sky.

The camp was quiet, with only the occasional torches illuminating the night, making it seem even more lonely and desolate.

Chen Songling hasn't been feeling well these past few days. For some reason, he seems to have eaten something bad, vomiting and having diarrhea every day, and he's practically falling apart from exhaustion.

He instructed Zhong Jianzhong to invite a doctor from Youzhou City to treat him, but the doctor's prescription was lukewarm. After drinking the herbal medicine for several days, he still did not get better and continued to vomit and have diarrhea every day. His condition did not improve at all.

His original plan to gradually gain control of the Yan Yun army and win over the hearts of the soldiers had to be delayed due to his health condition.

These past few days, Chen Songling has been confined to his command tent, leaving even military affairs to General Xu and Zhong Jianzhong. He is unable to go into the ordinary soldiers' camps to win their hearts and minds, as he is completely unable to move.

The news of the emperor's death was an even greater shock to him, and his grief seemed to worsen his health.

Tonight, Nadia Chan's health seems to have improved slightly. He hasn't left the command tent for many days, so he finally came out to get some fresh air.

"It's probably just the change in environment. After all, I'm from the South, and it's inevitable that I'll have trouble adjusting to this cold and harsh northern land. I'll probably be fine after a while," Chen Songling murmured to himself, trying to comfort himself.

The process of regaining military power in Yanyun needs to be accelerated. The Emperor's previous instructions have now become a will. Chen Songling is loyal only to the Emperor and must carry out the Emperor's orders without fail.

At this time, he was also concerned about the political situation in Bianjing, and his heart was filled with worries. It must be said that Chen Songling was not a bad person. He had a patriotic heart and dreamed countless times of leading the elite army of the Song Dynasty to expand the territory for the emperor and unify the world.

But the emperor has passed away, and the new emperor is unknown. If a person with a completely different personality and ambition were to become emperor, it is unknown when his dream of destroying Liao and Xia for the Song Dynasty would be realized.

"It must be Prince Duan... It can only be Prince Duan."

As a government official in the capital, Chen Songling was naturally very familiar with the imperial family and relatives in Bianjing. According to ancestral rules, the person who ascends the throne can only be the emperor's brother. Following the order of seniority, Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, is the only candidate.

"What kind of person is Prince Duan?" Chen Songling frowned in thought. He recalled his meager interactions with Zhao Ji and tried to analyze Zhao Ji's personality and speculate on the decisions Zhao Ji might make after ascending the throne, especially regarding military campaigns in the north.

After a while, Chen Songling felt a little cold.

Now that Lunar New Year's Eve has passed and spring is just around the corner, the weather in the north is still very cold.

Chen Songling unconsciously shrugged and pulled the fox fur cloak around his shoulders tighter.

Chen Songling was suddenly startled and realized that something was wrong with his surroundings.

From the time he stepped out of the command tent to get some fresh air until now, about half an hour has passed, but during this time, not a single patrolling soldier has passed by the command tent, which is very abnormal.

In the past, at most half an incense stick's time, a patrol of soldiers would pass by the commander's tent at night. This was not a display by the commander-in-chief, but an ironclad rule of the camp.

Chen Songling frowned. Even at this moment, he still hadn't thought about it deeply. He subconsciously felt that the soldiers were being lazy and unwilling to leave their tents because of the cold weather.

This won't do. Winning people's hearts is one thing, but neglecting military affairs is another. Chen Songling also emphasized strictness in managing the army. This obvious laziness must be severely punished.

Chen Songling cleared his throat and shouted sternly, "Guards! Are the guards present? Guards!"

The area around the command tent was completely silent; there was no response, and no one came out to answer.

Without any apparent reason, Chen Songling finally noticed that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the air.

It was a chilling atmosphere, silent yet like dark clouds pressing down, heavily enveloping Chen Songling's heart.

Chen Songling was originally a civil official, and he held a very high official position, namely Vice Chancellor and Academician of the Longtu Pavilion, which was equivalent to a vice prime minister.

This was his first time leading troops, and he lacked experience. The only way he could win people's hearts was by using the political means of a civil official.

At that moment, he didn't understand what was happening. He just felt a sudden, inexplicable palpitation and a deep, visceral tremor. It was a primal, instinctive alertness that humans have when faced with danger. Even though there was no warning, he still felt a tightness in his chest, as if he couldn't breathe properly and was suffocating.

Gradually, Chen Songling figured it out. He finally understood that this strange aura was called "killing intent," a unique quality that existed when armies faced off.

A cold sweat broke out on his back. Chen Songling sensed something was wrong and hurriedly shouted loudly.

"Guards! Guards! Is anyone home? Come out here!"

After a long while, countless torches suddenly lit up within a radius of several feet around the commander's tent.

In the dim light, Zhong Jianzhong, clad in armor, slowly walked towards him. The torchlight illuminated half of his face, making Zhong Jianzhong's face appear both luminous and shadowy, like a Buddha or a demon.

Chen Songling was startled and his expression became panicked. He turned his head and looked around. Then he heard the sound of armor plates clashing all around him. Finally, countless armored soldiers appeared and surrounded him and the commander's tent from all sides.

"Commander Chen, there's no need to call anyone. Everyone in the entire camp is here, awaiting your orders," Zhong Jianzhong said with a smile.

At this point, given the situation, if Chen Songling still didn't know what had happened, then all these years of his life would have been wasted.

Staring at Zhong Jianzhong with eyes wide with rage, Chen Songling's refined face had become twisted and ferocious.

“Zhong Jianzhong, do you know what you’re doing? This is a coup, and your entire family will be executed!” Chen Songling shouted sternly, his voice filled with unwavering fear.

Zhong Jianzhong nodded: "I know, but it doesn't necessarily mean the extermination of nine generations of relatives. It might bring wealth and honor."

"Who ordered you to do this? What exactly is your purpose in launching this mutiny?"

Zhong Jianzhong and Zhe Keshi behind him, Di Zi and other generals all stared at him intently, their eyes filled with pity and mockery.

“Chen Shuai, you shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess…” Zhong Jianzhong shook his head and sighed.

"The 100,000-strong army of Yanyun was personally led by His Highness Prince Cheng. It has always been surnamed Zhao, forever surnamed Zhao, the 'Zhao' of 'Zhao Xiaoqian'!"

"We do not recognize imperial edicts or official documents, nor do we recognize the tiger tally or the commander's seal. We only recognize Zhao Xiaoqian as a person. Do you understand?"

"From this day forward, we, the 100,000 soldiers, will follow His Highness Prince Cheng to accomplish a monumental task. We are sorry to have to trouble Commander Chen for now."

(End of this chapter)