In the Eye of the Storm

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiyue was so terrified by Zhu Youning's audacious idea that he was left speechless.

Emperor Zhu Wen of Liang had not waged an external war for many years; why, then, was his nephew so bellicose?

If things were truly to proceed according to Zhu Youning's plan, the Wu State would never be able to hold its ground!

One move would affect the entire situation. Once the war began, the Wu State's thousand-mile defensive line along the river would be thrown into turmoil. At any time or place, skirmishes could erupt and impact the overall situation. Moreover, the King of Wu was already aged and increasingly senile, making it impossible for him to oversee the big picture.

Add to that a simultaneous offensive by the five states of Liang, Chu, Wuyue, Min, and Han, and the Wu State would be unable to preserve itself amidst such chaotic circumstances.

As for the final outcome for the Wu State, it would naturally be the annihilation of the nation!

But after the nation was destroyed, how would the territory be divided?

Zhu Youning naturally saw through Ma Xiyue's thoughts.

"Plunder the nation and divide the spoils; the more effort one contributes, the more one receives!" Zhu Youning paused before continuing, "Of course, under normal circumstances, the Liang State would occupy the lands north of the Yangtze and in Huainan, while the vast regions south of the river would be shared among the four southern states."

"And among the four southern states, the Chu State is the strongest. Surely the Chu State would be entitled to a larger share of the land?"

"If this succeeds, it will be a monumental achievement of territorial expansion, one that would not pale in comparison to the Old King of Chu's own feats of conquest. Opportunity knocks but once; the King of Chu must seize this chance!"

The next day, Zhu Youning reported to the military camp as usual.

Due to the expedition to Luoyang, hundreds of elite soldiers from the Right Wing of the Longxiang Army had been maimed by Li Cunxiao. This necessitated the replenishment of troops and a reorganization of the Right Wing.

Thus, Zhu Youning first presented two portions of the Great Buddha Stick to Zhu Wen, then submitted a petition to reorganize the Longxiang Army.

Zhu Wen's reaction seemed indifferent; he was far more preoccupied with enjoying the feeling of being vigorous and invincible in the bedchamber after taking the "elixir." Upon seeing that Zhu Youning had presented more, he granted all requests without a second thought.

Only then did Zhu Youning dare to take the next step.

In times of chaos, aside from one's own martial prowess, the army is paramount; after all, every bit of extra strength increases one's odds of success.

Consequently, Zhu Youning immediately dispatched men to select brave and battle-hardened warriors to form a special unit of over eight hundred men to be integrated into the Right Wing of the Longxiang Army.

In this selection, Zhu Youning prioritized a clean background above all else, with physical fitness coming second.

These eight hundred men all had their household registrations verified for authenticity. Most were youths from respectable families whose records were fully documented, with family relations—parents, grandparents, and the like—clearly traceable.

Furthermore, he rejected the elderly, accepting only the young and strong, as the older generation might have ties to the previous dynasty.

Zhu Youning did this solely to minimize the risk of moles; after all, the infiltration by the Buliangren was impossible to guard against entirely. Once their household registration was on record, even those with ulterior motives would have to consider their parents and family members before committing an act of betrayal against Great Liang.

Once the Right Wing of the Longxiang Army was successfully reorganized, Zhu Youning immediately procured weapons and equipment to arm them fully, drilling them day and night.

However, Zhu Youning soon found himself in trouble.

Being in Bian Prefecture, no matter who you were, you were watched by many; no unusual move could be hidden. As expected, Zhu Youning soon received word that officials had submitted memorials impeaching him, claiming that his unauthorized reorganization of the army was a violation of protocol.

This left Zhu Youning quite bewildered.

He was merely conducting a standard reorganization of his troops, and he had even obtained Zhu Wen's permission—where did this talk of "violating protocol" come from?

But this was only the beginning. Soon, upright officials in the imperial court were loudly decrying Zhu Youning for cultivating private death squads with sinister intentions, demanding that he be stripped of his titles as Jiedushi and Commander of the Longxiang Army to serve as a warning to others.

This made Zhu Youning laugh out loud.

It seemed these censors were merely speaking under duress rather than out of genuine conviction, as their arguments were truly bizarre.

Of course, there were some more "rational" voices in the court, but even these were directed at Zhu Youning.

Some officials argued that Pinglu was a massive garrison, controlling prefectures such as Zi, Qing, Qi, Hai, Deng, Lai, Yi, Mi, Pu, Xu, Yan, Yun, and Di. Its vast territory accounted for nearly twenty to thirty percent of the Great Liang Dynasty. If it were truly left as a single commandery, it would be the largest in the realm. It would be better to divide the thirteen prefectures of Pinglu into smaller garrisons, such as the Qingzhou Jiedushi, Qizhou Jiedushi, Yanzhou Jiedushi, and so on!

When Zhu Youning heard this, he did indeed furrow his brows.

Because there was no flaw in their logic; the Pinglu garrison covered such a vast area that it already constituted a quarter of Great Liang's total territory—it could be called half of the half-empire.

Do not underestimate this quarter; it was enough to rival the territory of Fengxiang in the west, or even the entire Qi State!

It was no exaggeration to say that if the Pinglu Jiedushi were to declare independence, he could become a nation—and a powerful one at that!

The implication of these officials was that if Zhu Youning truly became the Pinglu Jiedushi, he would have the qualifications to rebel.

Though that was unlikely.

In an instant, Zhu Youning was pushed to the forefront of the storm, which caused him great distress.

Having reached this point, Zhu Youning naturally understood that someone was deliberately targeting him.

With intent to investigate, Zhu Youning quickly sent men to inquire, and soon discovered the mastermind behind these officials.

Prince Jun, Zhu Youzhen.

Though he was a prince, this fellow did not like his biological father, Zhu Wen, nor was he favored by him. Although he had managed to secure the position of Commander of the Tianxing Army, the Tianxing Army was, after all, not a battle-hardened elite force, and he himself had never been granted the title of Jiedushi.

To be "granted the title" meant being appointed as a Jiedushi. One could hold a prefecture in name or in reality, but regardless, it was the highest honor a military officer could achieve.

Now, seeing that the non-lineal Zhu Youning had not only been granted the title repeatedly but had also obtained the most lucrative territory of Pinglu, Zhu Youzhen could no longer sit still.

Zhu Youzhen himself certainly wanted to be emperor. Although he did not desire the throne for the sake of supreme power, but rather to achieve some impossible, heaven-defying goal, he knew that if he intended to become emperor, he had to clear away all obstacles.

Zhu Youning was currently that obstacle, as his influence was growing far too rapidly. According to reports from Zhu Youzhen's subordinates, the reason for Zhu Youning's meteoric rise was his presentation of some kind of aphrodisiac...

This made Zhu Youzhen very uncomfortable. A promotion for offering an aphrodisiac?

Thus, driven by a mix of emotions, Zhu Youzhen had the censors of the Prince Jun faction launch a barrage of attacks against Zhu Youning.

Yet, unexpectedly, Zhu Wen did not listen at all; he did not even flip through the submitted memorials, continuing to indulge in song, dance, and wine.

In this regard, Zhu Youning found it unexpected, yet within reason.

He had not anticipated that Zhu Wen's neglect of state affairs would prove so immensely useful at this very moment.