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"Can we trust what Minister Yang said?"

After the morning court session, many from the great families gathered to discuss subsequent matters.

Now that Minister Yang’s influence surged, representing the entire literati, and even though they were bloodline families, they couldn’t completely disregard the entire landlord class. Most of their business with Jiangnan was likely to be sabotaged.

But for them, it wasn’t genuinely about helping Chen Qing; rather, the interest offered by Jiangnan was substantial. However, if they could retake Jiangnan with ease, as Minister Yang suggested, then the industries currently produced by Jiangnan would naturally cease to be a concern.

Once they invaded, there would be no need to divide up the spoils, no more of this "you take seventy, I take thirty"—it would all be mine!

Jiangnan’s cooperation with them was possible only because the Imperial Court currently had no military force available to manage Jiangnan, yet Minister Yang suggested that now was the best opportunity for reconquest?

"According to Minister Yang’s earlier discussion, for reasons unknown, Princess Chang withdrew her army of the living dead from Nanming Prefecture.

Moreover, the fog over Jiangnan has thinned day by day, and according to scouts’ reports, it’s dwindling rapidly, so much that it might completely dissipate before long! "

"Completely dissipate..." Several military generals furrowed their brows.

That the fog might completely dissipate was not necessarily good news; Princess Chang had devoured three hundred thousand Golden Dragon Guards and refrained from attacking the Imperial Court solely because that thick fog served as a barrier.

If it were to vanish, it would truly be nothing short of a disaster!

"But isn’t Princess Chang facing the one from the West Sea?" One of the military generals spoke up, "If that’s true, then while Princess Chang is entangled with the West Sea, retaking Jiangnan might not be impossible."

All present suddenly fell silent.

If they could seize Nanming Prefecture, which connected the West Sea, Jiangnan, and the Imperial Court’s official roads, they’d control the entire Jiangnan.

Moreover, the Imperial Court had fortified Nanming Prefecture, so if they regained it, they might have the chance to hold it even if Princess Chang retaliated.

To backtrack for a moment, even if they couldn’t hold it, they’d still have time to transfer many resources from Jiangnan...

It seemed... they could indeed give it a try?

"But is the key intelligence accurate?" one of the military generals questioned, "If Chen Qing has truly allied with Princess Chang, why would she abandon Nanming Prefecture at this time? From a strategic standpoint, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for Princess Chang to use Jiangnan as her stronghold to confront the monster from the West Sea? "

"Perhaps there’s some agreement with Chen Qing, or maybe some other reason...." some generals stuttered reasons, but none felt quite right.

"Regardless, let’s first take a look at the evidence Minister Yang has," one of the young nobles slapped the table, "Our elders are not in Capital City, and while we manage the family affairs, we must be extremely cautious. If there’s an opportunity, we certainly cannot let it slip by, but we need to be absolutely sure! "

"In that case, Zhong Ze, your family knows those horse traders from the north—investigate if Chen Qing is truly aiding the enemy up there. Also, send someone to thoroughly inquire about Jiangnan, to confirm whether Princess Chang has indeed exited Nanming Prefecture, as Minister Yang claimed!"

"Understood!"

"We must locate the informant Minister Yang spoke of. Even if his information is accurate, we must ensure we hold all the latest intelligence in our hands and not let the sorcerer families get hold of it!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

-------------------------

Meanwhile, Minister Yang, after leaving court, was immediately taken by the Nine Ministers to the home of the Minister of Personnel!

"Minister Yang... with such intelligence, why didn’t you share it with us at once?"

Minister Yang was quite pleased with everyone’s earnest attention.

Stroking his beard, he spoke leisurely, "The intelligence had not yet been confirmed, so it wasn’t right to speak plainly to you, the Chief of Staff.

The reason I revealed some information earlier was mainly to firm up the resolve of those warriors.

With His Majesty absent from the Imperial Court and the Empress, though wise, still a woman who would inevitably hesitate in the face of major decisions, if I didn’t present some intelligence to arouse the interest of those warriors, today’s meeting would conclude without any result even if it lasted until dusk! "

The Chief of Staff exchanged glances; they had to admit that Minister Yang was quite adept at understanding human nature.

"Now that you have attained your goal, Minister Yang, would you be willing to analyze the latest intelligence with us old fellows?"

"Of course!" Minister Yang smiled, "After all, the Confucians and you are on the same side, unlike those warriors, who are fundamentally different from us scholars. But we must agree on something: The things that Chen Qing has been doing in Jiangnan can’t all go to you, otherwise it won’t stabilize people’s hearts. "

"We are well aware of that...," the Chiefs of Staff nodded repeatedly. They obviously couldn’t monopolize Jiangnan’s benefits—they needed to leave some "soup" for others, as they were, nominally, the representatives of the scholars!

Minister Yang then nodded, "According to my sources, that lad Chen Qing, through some means, came to an agreement with Princess Chang, which led her to withdraw from Jiangnan.

He has been calling up the militia he has recruited over the years, intending to seize Nanming Prefecture after Princess Chang retreats. "

"I’ve heard that Chen Qing has assured Princess Chang of supplying provisions for her army, giving her sufficient supplies to resist the West Sea adversary.

I am not clear whether this is true or not, but if Chen Qing can provide provisions for both the northern forces and Princess Chang, he surely has some exceptional source of supplies.

Some intelligence indicates that what Chen Qing now possesses could indeed undermine the literary circles’ foundation! "

"What exactly is it?" the Minister of Rites asked, frowning.

"Gifts of grain from the Mountain God!" Minister Yang said in a lowered voice, "At first, I wasn’t very convinced... but my subordinates brought me some things..."

As he spoke, Minister Yang took out some Dried Meat Worms and the latest crops, "Chen Qing has been promoting some form of divine worship in Jiangnan, utilizing a very special power.

I suspect it might be a kind of technique, capable of exploding crop yields, relying just on the lands around the Mountain God to support the population of Jiangnan numbering in the hundreds of millions! "

"You’re not joking, are you?" The other Chiefs of Staff instantly showed expressions of disbelief.

They were the Sect Leaders of the ancient Sorcerer Families; if such a technique existed, their families would have long overturned the bloodline families.

"I also found it unbelievable, but according to multiple sources, it is indeed the case. Nowadays, many lands of wealthy families in Jiangnan lie fallow, yet Chen Qing still manages to fulfill everyone’s grain needs.

Not only that, he even sells surplus grain externally.

The incidents I spoke of in court this morning are not fabricated; recently the northern grain and horse traders have all been frantically selling, sourcing their grains from Jiangnan! "

"Additionally, it’s said that upon reclaiming Nanming Prefecture, Chen Qing plans to open a trading port for commerce with the north, exporting even more grain. The accuracy of this matter is still under investigation, but if it’s true!"

Minister Yang looked at everyone and declared, "That would mean, Chen Qing... truly possesses a technique to make grain yields surge!"