Imperial Palace, Great Chu.
Xiang Chong held a letter in his hands, reading it over and over.
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! If I can eliminate Fan Li this time, the Great Chu will truly be mine! The Great Ming Dynasty is truly powerful. Not only do they have four hundred and fifty thousand troops in Yunzhou City, but they can also spare three hundred thousand to ambush Fan Li."
It was a comical scene. Xiang Chong, the Emperor of Chu, was eagerly following instructions from a letter sent by the Great Ming Dynasty.
He had even sent Eunuch Chen to the front lines to deliver an edict, urging Fan Li to walk right into the trap.
Xiang Chong treasured the letter, reading it repeatedly as if it were a priceless artifact.
“The blame for the Yunzhou campaign lies with the Three Kingdoms. The Emperor of Chu, benevolent and wise, has maintained friendly relations with our Great Ming Dynasty since his ascension to the throne, never once causing offense… After this campaign, the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Han, and Wu will be destroyed, and the Great Ci Dynasty will also fall. His Majesty, Emperor Jiajing of the Great Ming, wishes to establish a brotherly bond with Your Majesty. With the sun and moon as our witness, and the mountains and rivers as our testament, our two nations, Chu and Ming, shall stand as equals, two emperors reigning side by side, our alliance eternal.”
"Your humble servant, Zhang Juzheng, bows before the wise and valiant Emperor of Chu."
Absolutely delightful!
Xiang Chong, who hadn’t received such praise in a long time, treasured the letter.
Emperor Jiajing of the Great Ming, the strongest individual in the world, wished to be his brother?
The Great Chu and the Great Ming, two emperors reigning side by side, one in the east, the other in the west?
Of course, Xiang Chong wasn't a fool. He wouldn't blindly trust a stranger’s promises.
But who was Zhang Juzheng?
A rising star in the Great Ming court, the third-ranking official in the Grand Secretariat, second only to Grand Secretary Yan Song and Junior Grand Secretary Xu Jie.
Zhang Juzheng’s letter bore the seal of the Great Ming’s Directorate of Ceremonial and the red endorsement of the Supervisor of Scribes. It couldn’t possibly be forged.
“I've achieved the greatest accomplishment among all the emperors of Chu, second only to our ancestor, the Overlord!” Xiang Chong exclaimed, trembling with excitement.
Eunuch Chen, who had just returned from the front lines, saw Xiang Chong shaking and assumed he was ill.
“Your Majesty, are you unwell? Should I summon the imperial physician?”
“Nonsense! I’m perfectly fine. Why would I need a physician?” Xiang Chong glared at him.
But the old eunuch was a trusted confidant. His anger faded quickly.
“Did you deliver my edict to Fan Li? Did he agree to march at full speed and reach Yunzhou City within two days?”
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Eunuch Chen thought to himself, ‘I only had the courage to deliver the decree. How could I ask Fan Li if he agreed?’
But he also knew that Xiang Chong wouldn't check if he had completed his task.
“Your Majesty, that treacherous Fan Li agreed. He’s marching towards Yunzhou City at full speed.”
Xiang Chong’s face lit up.
“Haha! Excellent! Fan Li is rushing his march. He won’t have time to scout the route carefully. Zhang Juzheng has already set a trap, 300,000 troops lying in wait. Fan Li won’t return alive!”
He burst into laughter.
Eunuch Chen, playing his part, knelt and said, “Your Majesty is wise!”
However, the old eunuch had his doubts.
The Great Chu was weaker than the Great Ming. If Fan Li was ambushed and killed, his 100,000 city guards would also be lost.
A loss of 100,000 elite troops in one go?
Would the Great Chu truly be qualified to share the world with the Great Ming after this?
Eunuch Chen almost spoke up, but seeing Xiang Chong’s delight, he held his tongue. He wouldn’t dare to ruin the Emperor’s good mood.
For the next few days, Xiang Chong eagerly awaited news of Fan Li’s demise.
He even personally wrote a eulogy commemorating Fan Li and the 100,000 city guards.
He was willing to maintain appearances.
However, the "good news" never arrived.
Because Fan Li and the 100,000 city guards… had vanished.
“Vanished? How is that possible?!”
Xiang Chong, unwilling to believe it, couldn't deny the truth. He had just received a second letter from Zhang Juzheng’s secret envoy, confirming the news.
“Zhang Juzheng had waited at the ambush site for three days, but Fan Li’s army never appeared. He had sent scouts to search, but due to the delay, they had lost all trace of the 100,000 troops.”
Xiang Chong was stunned. But the letter in his hand, written in Zhang Juzheng’s familiar handwriting, was genuine. The letter contained a strong rebuke from Zhang Juzheng.
“I led three hundred thousand troops with the intention of ambushing Fan Li. Now, he is hidden in the shadows. If I act rashly, my entire army will be exposed. If I continue to wait, my three hundred thousand troops will be tied down by Fan Li’s mere hundred thousand, and I won't be able to reinforce Yunzhou City. This is all Your Majesty’s fault! Our Emperor Jiajing will hold you accountable.”
Xiang Chong trembled with fear. He swallowed hard, looking at Empress Dowager Li and Eunuch Chen beside him.
“Mother… Eunuch Chen, what do you think… How will Emperor Jiajing hold me accountable? He… he wouldn't kill me, would he?”
The strongest individual in the world, after all, had accumulated a formidable reputation.
The fantasy Xiang Chong had entertained for several days, of becoming Emperor Jiajing’s sworn brother, had been shattered.
“I don’t think so,” Empress Dowager Li said, offering empty reassurance. She had spent her life within the palace walls and had never met Emperor Jiajing.
“Don’t worry, my son. If worst comes to worst, you can write a letter of apology to Emperor Jiajing.”
Eunuch Chen, hearing this, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Write a letter and apologize?
A conflict between emperors, a struggle for dominance – how could a mere letter of apology resolve such matters?
Zhang Juzheng’s letter, though harsh in tone, was vague in its wording. This was the subtle art of diplomacy, leaving room for maneuver in the future.
After the war, if the Great Ming prevailed, they could attack the Great Chu and even kill Xiang Chong and Empress Dowager Li.
If the war went poorly, and the Great Ming weakened, the Great Chu and the Great Ming could still maintain their secret alliance.
“Your Majesty,” Eunuch Chen said. His own knowledge was limited. He struggled to come up with a solution.
“Perhaps… you could write a letter for Zhang Juzheng’s envoy to take back to the Great Ming. Tell him that you are willing to do your utmost to locate Fan Li and cooperate with him in eliminating the traitor?”
“But… even Zhang Juzheng couldn’t find Fan Li. How could I possibly find him?”
It seemed Xiang Chong had a clear understanding of his own abilities.
“Your Majesty, the letter is simply a gesture of good faith, to prevent further angering the Great Ming. As for whether you can actually find Fan Li, it doesn’t matter. Like you said, even Zhang Juzheng couldn’t find him. How could you?”
Xiang Chong, enlightened, patted Eunuch Chen’s shoulder.
“Eunuch Chen, you’re my Zhang Liang!”
Zhang Liang, known as Zi Fang, was one of the “Three Heroes” who helped establish the Han Dynasty.
Eunuch Chen quickly knelt, protesting his unworthiness.
But in his heart, he was thinking, ‘Your Majesty, you’re forgetting your ancestors. You're a descendant of the Overlord, and you’re using an official from the Han Dynasty as a comparison? Even if I’m not worthy of being Fan Zeng, couldn't I at least be Xiang Bo?’
Zhang Liang was considered the ideal image of a strategist – brilliant, handsome, and loyal. He had served Emperor Gaozu of Han from beginning to end without ever threatening the Emperor’s authority. He had even maintained a harmonious relationship with Empress Lü, a ruthless and suspicious woman.