The military operation the Exorcising the Dragon Gang launched on the night of the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, and the execution-style killing on the morning of the twenty-fourth, had effects and repercussions far beyond anything imagined. At the very least, they caught Zhang Xing somewhat unprepared.
All one could say was that, on the matter of imperial authority and the so-called legitimacy of Great Wei, probably not even the Guanlong aristocratic clans were as unrestrained and forthright as Zhang Laosan, let alone anyone else.
The officials of Liang Commandery were like monkeys that had fallen into an ice hole in winter and scrambled back out: as lively and frantic as could be. Envoys streamed between the camp and Gushu without pause. Negotiations went frighteningly smoothly, and their bottom line was more flexible than anyone's. Meanwhile, the defeated remnants of the Jing'an Directorate sank into utter silence, completely losing their ability to act. There were even reports that they were gathering the wounded, along with the consorts and princesses who had not been implicated, and preparing to withdraw to a city to the west for a little recuperation.
The Liang Commandery officials, meanwhile, were certainly going back north to Songcheng, the commandery seat.
They were parting ways.
What moved Zhang Xing most, however, was the reaction within the gang.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Zhang Xing felt that his prestige within the gang had risen enormously after this incident. Even Xiong Bonan and Xu Shiying seemed noticeably more careful and respectful toward him. Many of the subordinate leaders, regardless of background, strength, or age, had even adopted a somewhat deferential air. It was as though leading them to abduct an empress counted for more than all his hard work establishing the Exorcising the Dragon Gang's rear-area institutions, distributing