After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 904 - 890: Omens and Auspicious Signs

King Langya had great faith in Guo Pu’s prediction of heaven’s mandate, so after seeing Guo Pu off, he gathered his ministers, mentioning the young emperor of the Central Plains and shedding tears all over his face.

Except for a few confidants, no one knew what King Langya was thinking. They assumed he was worried about the young emperor suffering under Zhao Hanzhang’s care. Given that the new emperor was only ten years old, it was indeed something worth shedding tears over, so everyone joined in crying.

After they finished crying, someone proposed that King Langya should go to the Central Plains. He was a member of the imperial family, and since he was older, he should be by the new emperor’s side to keep an eye on Zhao Hanzhang. If Zhao Hanzhang treated the young emperor poorly, he could stand up for him.

King Langya: ...Thank you, but I don’t wish to court death.

So he continued to shed tears silently.

Then someone suggested bringing the young emperor over, citing a very proper reason, "There are many calamities in the Northern Land, so why not move the capital to Jianye? The new emperor is still young and needs time to grow, and Jiangdong is stable, just suitable for the new emperor."

King Langya raised his tear-filled eyes.

This suggestion seemed promising, so the official who proposed it became even more adamant, extolling the benefits and necessity of moving the capital to Jianye.

King Langya listened intently, occasionally nodding in agreement.

Wang Dun and Wang Dao sat on one side, with Wang Dao remaining silent and lowering his eyes, while Wang Dun appeared serious. However, upon close inspection, one could notice a hint of ridicule in the corner of his mouth, which even he hadn’t realized.

Within a couple of days, news of Guo Pu’s escape spread, causing some unease for King Langya, but he did not stop his actions.

Pursuing wealth amid danger, he had already offended Zhao Hanzhang. As he merely offended her a bit more now, if he didn’t make a move while she was entangled with external enemies, what chance of survival would he have once she defeated the Xiongnu and turned to deal with him?

Thus, auspicious signs and omens began to appear across Jiangdong and Jiangnan.

First, due to a drought, a stone monkey emerged from the Huai River, with an inscription stating that the Ziwei Star Lord had shifted, causing great drought under Heaven, and declaring that heaven’s mandate belonged to him!

Then, farmers in the Linhuai Kingdom unearthed a fungus resembling a monkey, which appeared to emit a golden glow. The farmers, not daring to keep it for themselves, handed it over to the county government, which then presented it to King Langya;

Lastly, someone captured a white monkey in the Yunmeng Marsh, snow-white all over, as if a sacred object, with rumors that it could even speak human language, claiming it descended from heaven to assist a holy ruler. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The merchant who fortuitously acquired the white monkey considered it too sacred to keep for himself, so he also presented it to King Langya.

Upon hearing this, Wang Si Niang was furious, "The hell with the white monkey, and the hell with the merchant. That Yunmeng Marsh is my territory, and the auspicious signs of King Langya appearing in my Jingzhou? Even if there are auspicious signs, they’re related to me, related to Hanzhang, and have nothing to do with him!"

Having detached himself from the battlefield to support Wang Si Niang, Wang Xuan couldn’t help but remark upon hearing her profanities, "Be more refined."

But he only said that much, then continued, "So many omens have appeared suddenly, it’s likely that King Langya has developed improper intentions, we must be cautious."

Wang Xuan said, "Write a letter to warn the governor, if King Langya truly intends to seize power, Jingzhou would be the first target. Jingzhou is the gateway to Jiangdong, there might be a fierce battle here."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yifeng’s face turned grave, deciding to begin preparations for battle that very day. Zhao Hanzhang, being held up by the Xiongnu, prompted Jingzhou to first secure itself.

While Jiangdong indulged in feudal superstitions, Zhao Hanzhang had already ordered the military to recover all lost territories in Yan State and Si Province, with most of Jizhou and Bingzhou also reclaimed.

The Zhao Family Army and the Shi Army collaborated, forcing the Xiongnu to retreat. A portion of their forces had already withdrawn to Youzhou. Wang Jun, who had diligently been eroding Liu Kun’s power base, turned pale upon discovering that the Xiongnu had been driven to Youzhou by Zhao Hanzhang and hurried back hoping to block the Xiongnu.

On top of it all, amid these challenges, Zu Ti marched his troops into Qingzhou, holding the imperial edict and official seal given by Zhao Hanzhang, directly assuming control of Qingzhou.

Wang Jun was appointed Qingzhou Governor, connected with Youzhou.

The Xiongnu launched a significant offensive, and because of its connection with Yan State, Qingzhou was also affected, losing over a dozen cities.

During this time, with the Xiongnu fighting fervently, and many high-ranking ministers captured along with Emperor Jin, Wang Jun disregarded Zhao Hanzhang’s orders for reinforcements to protect the emperor, specifically avoiding the Xiongnu’s forces while attempting to seize Liu Kun’s territories in Jizhou.

What was his aim? It’s plain to everyone.

He merely wanted Zhao Hanzhang and the Xiongnu to wear each other out, quietly expanding his own territory in the meantime, hoping to reap the benefits once the dust settled.

But how could he have anticipated that Zhao Hanzhang would manage to breach Pingyang City, kill Liu Yuan (Zhao Hanzhang: I did not), and even bring Shi Le to submission. The Xiongnu were thrown into internal strife, changing emperors one after another and consequently losing ground on the battlefield, facing consecutive defeats.

In theory, they should retreat through Bingzhou, withdrawing beyond the Pass. Instead, they retreated to Youzhou.

As the Xiongnu entered Youzhou, Beigong Chun took a position there, inadvertently severing the connection between Youzhou and Qingzhou. Taking advantage of the situation, Zu Ti stationed his troops in Qingzhou.

He reclaimed the more than ten cities occupied by the Xiongnu, employing interspersed tactical maneuvers extensively in this battle, leaving the Xiongnu forces disconnected and unable to coordinate, even struggling to convey messages. Under such looming threats, their fighting spirit was severely diminished. Additionally, since the Xiongnu were not adept at defending cities, they fiercely fought this battle with little obstruction, reclaiming their territory.

What remained were the troops in Youzhou.

Wang Jun did not treat his subordinates well. This troop in Qingzhou received little support from Youzhou.

Wang Jun merely issued remote commands to them, ordering them to hold Qingzhou, or to collect taxes and send them to Youzhou. Hence, when they saw the imperial edict and official seal in Zu Ti’s possession, they hardly hesitated before kneeling, recognizing Zu Ti as the new Qingzhou Governor.

In compliance with Zhao Hanzhang’s orders, Zu Ti incorporated these soldiers into the military, reorganizing their units, and additionally identified many veteran and wounded soldiers.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang promptly issued an order for Zu Ti to release these veteran and wounded soldiers.

For this reason, Zhao Hanzhang personally wrote a letter to these veteran and wounded soldiers; since they were illiterate, a military advisor read it to them.

"...You have served in the army for anywhere between twenty and over thirty years since you left home as lively young men and have now grown elderly with graying hair. I know you long to return to your homelands and families, and I too wish to send you back home. However, I am currently in financial straits, unable to bear the cost of your journey home and settlement. Therefore, I can only inconvenience you temporarily."

The military advisor turned a page and continued loudly, "For the time being, I can only grant you freedom. Each veteran will receive land nearby. All veterans will be exempt from three years of labor duty. The disabled and wounded veterans will be given priority for work in the workshops. When I, Zhao, have sufficient funds in the future, as long as you still wish to return home, I will definitely gather the travel expenses to send you back to reunite with your families!"

The military advisor rolled up the letter and declared loudly, "You’ve all heard the governor’s words, haven’t you? Starting today, any soldier who has served for twenty years or is over forty years old, any veteran who wishes to be freed, or wounded soldier missing arms or legs can register for their release. Each team, each squad must keep detailed records, ensuring every eligible soldier is approached. Have you all understood?"