Rebel armies ravaged several southeastern provinces. The court was too busy with internal strife to spare attention for suppressing the rebellion. Fortunately, a highly respected and farsighted man in the southeast stepped forward, directing local officials and soldiers against the rebel forces and finally stabilizing the chaos. Yet the disorderly court lacked the power to wipe out the rebels in one stroke.
Bai Yujun also learned who had risked the emperor's suspicion and the censure of the court officials to coordinate the troops across the region. It was an old minister who had retired to his hometown to spend his remaining years in peace.
The old minister was named Yang Chen. He enjoyed considerable prestige throughout the southeastern provinces, and both scholars and martial men gave him some measure of respect.
He was over seventy, with a great beard and a bent back, looking as though he might breathe his last at any moment. Seeing the court's failure to respond and the worsening situation, he had no choice but to take up this mess.
Fortunately, the old man had once served as Minister of War. At least he knew soldiers and understood warfare.
The local governments and official armies all wanted to swiftly destroy the rebels, but their superiors were useless. Whether officials or military generals, they were all children of local Aristocratic Clans and took the rebellion extremely seriously. Luckily, the retired old minister had returned to public life; otherwise, there truly would have been no one capable of commanding everyone's respect. For the court to make local officials devise their own cooperation in suppressing the rebellion was simply beyond absurd.
Rarely, the Aristocratic Clans, who had always loved dragging things down, were of one mind and finally got serious about handling a few practical matters.
The rebels had