Seizing Military Command

Commander-in-Chief's Mansion.

"Sterling, Chief Inspector Xiao Long came to see me just now and submitted his resignation—he's afraid too. He promised he won't interfere in my struggle with Yang Minghua tonight."

"That is because Your Excellency has won the people's hearts. After today's meeting, he understood that Yang Minghua truly has no support. Yang Minghua was too foolish, showing his intention to rebel in such a hurry."

"No, think about it. Before the meeting, Yang Minghua's strength included Lei Xun's 170,000 Central Army troops, Di Lin's 50,000 Far East Army troops outside the city, the Inspectorate's military police, his own guards, and the Imperial Capital Zhibu Shao police force. Meanwhile, we had only your 10,000 Imperial Guards. He wasn't foolish; he was confident! Such a perfect chance to rebel would have been a terrible waste to miss!"

"My lord, if this subordinate were Yang Minghua, I would not have let the officers of those units leave the Imperial Capital safely..."

"Closing the city gates and carrying out a massacre would be easy, but it would make the Far East Army, Border Defense Army, and Black Flag Army Yang Minghua's mortal enemies. Yang Minghua only wants to establish his authority; he doesn't want things to go that far. If more than eighty percent of the military opposes him, he won't be able to hold his position even if he takes it."

"But..."

"Only Ge Yingxing is Yang Minghua's mortal enemy, so he has already sent Di Lin to hunt him down. As for the others, Yang Minghua can slowly divide and buy them off after taking the Commander-in-Chief's position. That is far cleverer than a massacre."

A staff officer entered the temporary command post to report. "My lord, a large number of armed men in black have appeared around the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion. The defense commander requests instructions."

Sterling sprang to his feet. "How many?!"

"Four thousand eight hundred and twenty-one." The one who answered was unexpectedly Zichuan Canxing. "They are Yang Minghua's private guard."

Sterling did not ask why Zichuan Canxing could immediately state the exact number of Yang Minghua's guards. This should have been top-secret intelligence, something even Di Lin did not know. He understood the limits a subordinate had to observe. He would not say a single word that should not be said.

Sterling gave the order. "Ignore them for now, but keep them under close watch."

Zichuan Canxing asked with interest, "Why?"

"My lord, they are merely a rabble. There is no need to concern yourself with them. The Zhibu Shao police and the Inspectorate's military police are equally nothing to fear. If the Imperial Guard is placed under this subordinate's command, I guarantee that I can wipe them all out overnight!"

"Oh? Then what concerns you is..."

Sterling's worried gaze turned south, toward the Central Army's southern barracks. "The only thing this subordinate worries about is the Central Army. The scouts just reported that all Central Army units in the streets suddenly withdrew and assembled at the southern barracks. The gates have been sealed..."

"Such a large-scale movement—the Central Army is waiting for Lei Xun's mobilization order."

"Your Excellency is wise, exactly as you said. But they may have to wait quite a long time." Sterling could not help but laugh.

"Not necessarily." Zichuan Canxing shook his head. "Yang Minghua is no fool. If the Central Army does not appear at the appointed time, he will naturally send someone to take over Lei Xun's troops."

Sterling stared toward the pitch-black, silent south and murmured, "It all depends on you, Axu!"

"Cigarettes, beer, preserved eggs, eight-treasure porridge!"

"Mineral water, drinks, peanuts, chewing gum!"

"Newspapers, magazines, train schedules, playing cards!"

Inside the grim and solemn conference hall of the Central Army, more than three hundred assembled officers could not believe their eyes. A young man in a Deputy Commander's uniform pushed in a cart piled high with food, hawking his wares all the way!

Deputy Commander Ge Xin cursed, "Zichuan Xiu, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I saw people selling things like this on trains. Was I not convincing enough? No need to get so angry. I learned it from the slow trains. If you don't like it, I can imitate the express trains instead!"

Ge Xin said, "#·##￥*!"

A chorus of curses rose below as well.

Another Deputy Commander, Mi Haiyi, thought of a crucial question. "How did you get in? Where are the guards?"

Zichuan Xiu held up the troop deployment order in his hand. "I bribed the guards with this."

The cursing abruptly stopped.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the deployment order in Zichuan Xiu's hand. Someone whispered, "Impossible. It must be fake, right?"

But after the three Deputy Commanders examined it, it proved to be genuine.

The hall fell silent. No one knew what to do. What exactly was going on?

The officers present had all heard about the events at the daytime meeting. They had also received instructions from their direct superior, Lei Xun: "First, assemble the troops at the southern headquarters, fully armed and prepared for battle. Second, at seven thirty, all officers of Vice Banner Captain rank and above are to gather in the conference hall and await my final order!" Even the stupidest person knew what was about to happen!

Some were delighted, while others were worried, but most felt uneasy. In the Zichuan Family's two-hundred-year history, no one who had raised troops in rebellion had ever come to a good end. Yet they could not simply disobey their direct commander's orders...

They had gathered with all sorts of complicated feelings. From seven thirty until nearly ten, they stood in formation waiting, yet Lei Xun never appeared. Nor did anyone with sufficient authority come tell them what to do. Just as they were lost and unsettled...

Deputy Commander Zichuan Xiu arrived, carrying the deployment order!

"Lord Xiuchuan, may I ask what brings you here?" Anning, the third Deputy Commander, spoke up.

"Oh, it's like this. Everyone has been very busy lately and worked very hard. I heard that many people have gotten hemorrhoids, stomach ulcers, and the like. Commander Lei asked me to come reward everyone and hold a heart-to-heart social gathering so we can all have a little fun!"

As if anyone would believe that!

"Oh, no one believes me? Then I suppose I have no choice but to tell the truth. Actually, the moon is particularly lovely tonight, and Commander Lei suddenly felt like having everyone enjoy it together!"

Ge Xin could no longer endure it. "Lord Xiuchuan, where is our commander, Lord Lei?"

"Oh, when I saw him just now, he was on West Mountain in the north of the city. But by now, he may have gone to Qingxiu Mountain in the south. The scenery there is lovely, perfect for moon-viewing. You want to admire the moon with him? No need. The surroundings here are quite nice too, with the cool breeze and bright moon..."

"Why are you making such a sour face? Don't you like admiring the moon? Such an elegant activity, and you refuse to do it? Still, I expected that. Not everyone can be so poetic! How about Japanese adult films? The leading ladies have incredible figures, and their voices are sweet too..."

"You still have that sour face. I understand—you don't like Japanese films! What noble patriotic sentiment! Even when watching dirty movies, you insist on domestic productions! Fine, I have Hong Kong ones too. Don't like those? Then Taiwanese ones—but I hear they have been doing that recently, so I suppose you won't like those either..."

"Fine, if no one says anything, that means no objections. You are dismissed!"

"Hey, Deputy Commander Ge, why do you say I have no right to give orders? I hold the troop deployment authority and I'm a Deputy Commander. Why wouldn't I have the right?"

"Come on, everyone gets a share of the food. Pick whichever disc you like. Hey, you there, you've taken two cans of eight-treasure porridge already. No taking extra! And you in the Red Guard Captain uniform, you plugged the VCD in backward. Look at you, so impatient!"

Under Zichuan Xiu's pulling and urging, the officers who had stood in formation for nearly three hours were already exhausted. Since someone who looked authoritative enough, Zichuan Xiu—both a Deputy Commander and holder of the deployment order—had given them orders, and those orders were indeed pleasant ones—resting, eating, drinking, watching discs—well, Commander Lei's orders had only told them to wait. He had never specified how they had to wait. With a crash, the orderly formation broke apart. Everyone talked and laughed, scrambling for food and drink. The conference hall, grim and tense only moments before, became a party venue in an instant.

The expressions of the three Deputy Commanders shifted constantly. They all had the same question: What now?

Anning suggested, "Why don't we wait and see?" He had never been particularly enthusiastic about rebellion in the first place. He had only come because of pressure from Lei Xun. Now that Lei Xun had not appeared, nothing could be better.

Ge Xin objected. "How can we? The timing is so precious!" Lei Xun had already spoken to him beforehand. If they succeeded, he would become the new commander of the Central Army.

Mi Haiyi sneered. "The situation is unclear. Acting rashly now is the same as seeking a quick death." Rebellion might benefit you, but what did it have to do with me? If they lost, it would mean the destruction of his entire household. If they won, there was nothing in it for him. He could go do such a stupid thing himself.

Seeing that he could not persuade the other two Deputy Commanders, Ge Xin gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and headed for the conference hall doors. He had nearly fifty thousand troops of his own, enough to determine the overall situation.

A sharp feminine shout rang out from the doorway. "Stop!"

Shirakawa, Roger, and the others led more than forty of Zichuan Xiu's guards in blocking the entrance to the conference hall.

Zichuan Xiu said leisurely, "With such a refreshing breeze and bright moon, where is Lord Ge Xin hurrying off to?"

Ge Xin gave a "heh-heh" laugh. "Lord Xiuchuan came to make trouble in our Central Army with so few men? Isn't that a little too few?"

He was right. This was the Central Army's headquarters. Once fighting broke out, more than a hundred thousand Central Army troops would surround them, and not a single person on Zichuan Xiu's side would leave alive. Even the officers in the hall vastly outnumbered Zichuan Xiu's guards, and they were all fully armed.

Zichuan Xiu also gave a "heh-heh" laugh, then suddenly shouted. His voice was as shocking as thunder rolling in fury:

"Yang Minghua plotted rebellion and committed treason. He has been executed!"

"Lei Xun conspired with him, and his crimes were unforgivable. He too has been put to death!"

"Four hundred thousand loyalist troops from the Far East, led by Lord Ge Yingxing, have already arrived at the Imperial Capital!"

"The choice is yours, gentlemen! Whoever wishes to be buried alongside Yang Minghua and Lei Xun, please go right ahead! They must be very lonely down there!"

The content of his words was even more shocking than the force of his voice. Everyone trembled unsteadily from the blow!

"He is talking nonsense! Kill him!" Ge Xin, having recovered his senses, loudly ordered his subordinates.

"Nonsense?" Zichuan Xiu flung something before Ge Xin with one hand. "See for yourself!"

It was something so familiar that no one even needed to look. Everyone knew it was Lei Xun's most treasured and important possession: the commander's seal.

No one obeyed Ge Xin's order. They were all considering the new situation. Yang Minghua and Lei Xun were dead. The Far East's suppressing army had already arrived... What should they do?

Mi Haiyi spoke gently to Zichuan Xiu. "Lord Xiuchuan, let us speak plainly. What exactly do you want us to do?" His tone was far softer than before.

Zichuan Xiu answered solemnly, "I would not presume. I merely ask that everyone remain here tonight and wait until tomorrow morning."

The officers all relaxed. They had thought he wanted them to fight Yang Minghua. This condition was acceptable. They were unwilling to follow Yang Minghua in rebellion, yet lacked the courage to put down the rebellion themselves. The best outcome was to sit quietly here and wait for the storm to pass.

Anning interjected, "Lord Xiuchuan, do you understand the current situation?" What he meant was: if they turned against Lei Xun now, would the Commander-in-Chief spare them?

Zichuan Xiu understood their concerns well. He raised his right hand and swore, "I swear upon my father's grave: as long as everyone in the Central Army remains here tonight and does not leave this room, I guarantee that all of you will be unharmed. Should I break this oath, may the gods strip me of my life, honor, and property."

Everyone felt as if a burden had been lifted. This was the most solemn oath an officer of the Zichuan Family could make, and Zichuan Xiu had always been known for keeping his word. No one had ever heard of him making an oath and failing to honor it.

Anning and Mi Haiyi exchanged glances. Anning nodded and said, "I hope Lord Zichuan will keep his word." He had changed the way he addressed Zichuan Xiu, from "Lord" to "my lord."

Mi Haiyi moved to the right side of the hall. "I accept Lord Zichuan's terms. Those who agree with me, come stand over here."

The officers moved—readily, decisively, reluctantly, hesitantly—until nearly all of them had crossed over. Only Ge Xin and a dozen or so others remained where they were.

At Shirakawa's command, Zichuan Xiu's guards moved forward and surrounded them.

Ge Xin's expression shifted. Zichuan Xiu said to him mildly, "Lord Ge Xin, a wise man submits to circumstances. My promise applies equally to you. The great mistake has not yet been made. It is not too late to turn back."

Ge Xin mumbled a few indistinct words. "Thank you, Lord Zichuan, for your magnanimity..." Then he too crossed to the right, followed by all his subordinates.

Zichuan Xiu secretly let out a breath. It wasn't easy, but we've secured the Central Army's neutrality. Now Sterling's Imperial Guard will have no difficulty defeating Yang Minghua's guards. The overall situation is settled tonight!

"All right, there is nothing to worry about now. Everyone, just relax and enjoy yourselves! Eat whatever you like. Those who want to watch discs, come over here. As long as no one leaves, you can do whatever you want—"

"Who goes there!"

"Stop!" Zichuan Xiu's guards at the entrance shouted!

With several loud smacks, a few of Zichuan Xiu's guards were hurled inside, sprawled flat on their backs!

Chief of Staff Luobo Minghai's perpetually gloomy face appeared in the doorway.

Zichuan Xiu cried inwardly, This is bad!

If Luobo Minghai exposed Zichuan Xiu's lie, explaining that Yang Minghua was not dead and the Far East Army had not arrived, then issued orders in his authoritative capacity as Chief of Staff—the wavering Central Army officers might very well rebel again. If that happened... he and his men would die without even a place to be buried!

He could only strike with lightning speed and kill Luobo Minghai before he could speak! Killing intent surged in Zichuan Xiu's heart as his hand silently gripped the hilt of his sword...