Chapter 58 Internal Division

Zheng Zelin ultimately, after some hesitation, accepted the document of appointment. To say he did not covet the post of Commander-in-Chief would be a lie.

Who wouldn't want to become the Commander-in-Chief of this two-hundred-thousand-strong army? It goes without saying that even Zheng Zehai, given the opportunity, would certainly have desired it.

"Since this is the appointment of the Prime Minister himself, and given the extremely critical juncture for the Zheng faction, as the current acting commander of the Zheng faction, it is my unshirkable duty to accept this great responsibility. I ask Brother Gu to return and convey my utmost gratitude to the Prime Minister for his trust. I will certainly lead the entire two-hundred-thousand-strong force of the Zheng faction to defeat the Ma-Sha allied forces."

Having accepted the letter of appointment, Zheng Zelin now possessed the demeanor of a Commander-in-Chief, both in his speech and his bearing.

Gu Wenzhe was naturally quite satisfied with Zheng Zelin's attitude, for only in this way could the two-hundred-thousand-strong army of the Zheng faction avoid falling into chaos, which was of paramount importance to both the nation and the military situation.

"Since Commander Zheng has accepted, my mission entrusted by the Prime Minister is fulfilled, and I should return to Pingling City to report. Before I left, the Prime Minister specifically gave me a private message to relay to Commander Zheng."

Gu Wenzhe stood up; with matters here concluded, it was time for him to return to Pingling City. However, before his departure, Sun Huairen had given him strict instructions to make sure these words were delivered to Zheng Zelin.

"What words?"

"In extraordinary times, decisive action must be taken!"

Hearing Gu Wenzhe's words, Zheng Zelin knitted his brows slightly, carefully pondering the meaning of these eight characters. How intelligent Zheng Zelin was; he could naturally guess the implication behind Sun Huairen's words.

"Very well. The Prime Minister's words will naturally be engraved in my heart. Please rest assured, Mr. Gu."

As the commander of the Third Corps, Zheng Zelin was no pushover. In these extraordinary times, he knew very well what should be done and what should not be done.

After Gu Wenzhe departed, Zheng Zelin still felt somewhat at a loss, unsure whether accepting this appointment was right or wrong.

However, Zheng Zelin quickly made up his mind. He immediately summoned Jiang Long, commander of the First Division of his Third Corps, and Lin Cheng, commander of the Nineteenth Division, to come see him.

If one were to ask whom Zheng Zelin trusted most in Luzhou City at present, it was precisely the commanders of these two divisions under his command. As for the Seventh Corps under Song Pu, Zheng Zelin had already dispatched Zheng Zehai to handle them. He firmly believed that with Zheng Zehai's methods and Song Pu's cooperation, controlling the few divisions in Huangzhou City would not pose a major problem.

The most urgent task right now was the several corps stationed in Luzhou City.

"You two are among the people I trust most and can rely on in Luzhou City. Now, I have some news to share with you." After calling Jiang Long and Lin Cheng into the commander's mansion, Zheng Zelin did not conceal anything and went straight to the point.

Jiang Long and Lin Cheng exchanged glances, stood up straight, and addressed Zheng Zelin, "Commander, just tell us your orders. We are your soldiers."

"Very well. Since you say so, I will hide nothing further. Previously, my second younger brother, Zeliang, traveled to Pingling City to seek assistance from the central government, but after leaving Pingling City, he was ambushed and lost his life outside the city walls."

"Although I am furious about this matter, under normal circumstances, as the eldest brother, I would have rushed to Pingling City at the first possible moment to demand an explanation."

"But I cannot do that now. Our Zheng faction is currently beset by internal and external troubles. In Huangzhou City and Bozhou City, we face the encirclement of the Ma-Sha allied forces. Internally, the commanders of the various corps of the Zheng faction remained united previously because my second brother was here. If they were to learn now that my second brother has perished, I fear they would each harbor their own ulterior motives."

At this point, Zheng Zelin paused. Neither Jiang Long nor Lin Cheng were fools; they understood the implication of Zheng Zelin's words all too well.

"Commander, just give your direct orders, and the two of us will undoubtedly follow them to the utmost."

Seeing the commitment of Jiang Long and Lin Cheng, Zheng Zelin finally set his mind at ease, because it now appeared that his own Third Corps was his most dependable pillar of support.

"Very well. Since you are willing to follow me, I have nothing more to conceal."

"I am not worried about anyone else at the moment; my greatest concern is the Twelfth Corps. When Hong Xianhe joined our Zheng faction back then, it was out of sheer necessity. For years, he has long been dissatisfied with the administration of our Zheng faction, and his private grievances against us have grown steadily."

"Therefore, if they learn the news of my second brother's murder, he will undoubtedly choose to rebel. Consequently, I want you to draw upon the full strength of the First and Nineteenth Divisions and deploy them around the Eighth Corps under Hong Xianhe's subordinate Zhang Linhan and the Tenth Corps under Zhou Dahu. If they show any signs of unrest, capture their division commanders at the very first moment."

Zheng Zelin was still an old hand in these affairs; the principle of capturing the bandits by capturing their leader first was applied to absolute perfection.

"Commander, what about the other corps?" Lin Cheng asked from across the table. Although the military situation in Huangzhou City and Bozhou City was currently very tense, there were still quite a number of Zheng faction troops stationed in Luzhou City.

"Hmph, as for them? Naturally, someone else is watching them. The direct-line troops of the Zheng family are far more than just our Third Corps." Zheng Zelin had already made arrangements regarding the Fifth, Ninth, and Eleventh Corps.

Originally, Zheng Zelin had intended to have Zheng Zehai's Eighteenth Corps keep an eye on Hong Xianhe's Twelfth Corps, but upon second thought, he decided to let his own Third Corps handle that task.

As for the other three corps, they were assigned to be monitored by the Eighteenth Corps. Although Hong Xianhe was the most likely to rebel, he only had two divisions left under his command, whereas the other three corps combined still totaled four divisions. Therefore, assigning the Eighteenth Corps—whose strength remained unimpaired—to watch them was the optimal choice.

"Alright, go and execute this immediately. You must ensure the absolute success of this operation. Should we fail, we will be plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation." Zheng Zelin resumed a stern expression, acutely aware that a single misstep in this matter would lead to a total loss of the entire game.

Having received their orders, Jiang Long and Lin Cheng withdrew directly to make arrangements.

As for Zheng Zelin, he once again dispatched messengers to invite the commanders of the three corps—Sun Hehai, Han Gun, and Liang Yi—to the commander's mansion, under the pretext of discussing the deployment for the Bozhou Campaign.

As for Hong Xianhe, Zheng Zelin had also made arrangements: he sent men to notify the two divisions under Hong Xianhe's command to be prepared, drill constantly, and hold themselves in readiness to move to the Bozhou front lines at any moment.

This arrangement seemingly possessed not a single flaw. However, what Zheng Zelin did not know was that Hong Xianhe had already learned of Zheng Zeliang's murder in Pingling City.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Twelfth Corps.

Corps Commander Hong Xianhe had already summoned the corps chief of staff Huang Han, Eighth Corps Commander Zhang Linhan, and Tenth Corps Commander Zhou Dahu—several key figures of the Twelfth Corps—to the headquarters.

"Commander, over the past couple of days, the men from the Third Corps have been lingering around us. They claim to be drilling on the surface, but in reality, they appear to be keeping us under surveillance."

The first to speak was Eighth Corps Commander Zhang Linhan. A man of meticulous thought, his analysis of the situation was quite astute.

How could Hong Xianhe not know? Although he rose from the ranks of outlaws, the fact that he had survived to this day proved he was far from brainless.

"That's right, Commander! Has something happened? Why is it that over the past two days, I've sensed something going on in Luzhou City that makes me feel thoroughly depressed?"

Tenth Corps Commander Zhou Dahu was an uninhibited man who frequently peppered his speech with coarse language, but what he voiced was precisely the question everyone wanted answered.

"Huang Han, tell them," Hong Xianhe, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke, instructing the Twelfth Corps' chief of staff to explain the situation to everyone.

Huang Han stood up, glanced around the room, and began, "Gentlemen, you are all the backbone of my Twelfth Corps. I ask that once we step outside today, not a single word of what is said here must be leaked; otherwise, it will invite the doom of death."

Seeing Chief of Staff Huang Han look so grave, the men present immediately nodded in succession.

"Commander Zheng Zeliang of our Zheng faction has been murdered in Pingling City. This is intelligence that our agents in Pingling City risked their lives to send back."

Huang Han's words fell like a massive boulder crashing into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples. The expressions of everyone present instantly turned solemn as they began to murmur and discuss amongst themselves.

"Quiet! Hold your discussions for a moment. To address the questions raised earlier by Commander Zhang and Commander Zhou, I will give you my answer. According to the intelligence we have obtained, the government appears intent on appointing Zheng Zelin as the Commander-in-Chief of our Zheng faction. Therefore, the two divisions of the Third Corps surrounding us are likely keeping watch over us on behalf of the future Commander-in-Chief."

"Furthermore, the Eighteenth Corps also appears to be making moves, placing all of us non-Zheng-surname corps within their surveillance perimeter."

Hearing Huang Han's words, Zhang Linhan and Zhou Dahu narrowed their eyes slightly. As corps commanders, they had naturally already guessed some of the implications.

Since Hong Xianhe and Huang Han chose to release this news at this juncture, they must have conceived a different course of action.

Sure enough, after Huang Han finished speaking, Hong Xianhe cleared his throat and looked at everyone assembled.

"Gentlemen, the situation is as it stands now. Our Twelfth Corps, after all, is like a stepchild—a bastard force that cannot compare to those direct-line troops of the Zheng faction. Thus, they are afraid we will rebel; they are afraid we harbor divided loyalties."

"I, Hong Xianhe, started out as an outlaw bandit. Even though I've become a so-called corps commander today, I've never received much respect. Since they have already bared their swords against us, I see no further need to spare their feelings. I say we might as well take this opportunity to rebel outright and be the masters of our own destiny."

Though they had already guessed Hong Xianhe's intentions, hearing him articulate them directly still caused Zhang Linhan and Zhou Dahu's hearts to tighten. Although they had followed Hong Xianhe in pledging allegiance to the Zheng faction back then, over the years, they had still developed a certain sense of belonging toward the faction.

Seeming to read the expressions on his men's faces, Hong Xianhe continued.

"Comrades, I know the commander has treated us quite well over the years. But that was the commander's personal kindness—what does it have to do with the rest of the Zheng family? Now that the commander is dead, do you still think there is a place for us to stand within the Zheng faction? Zheng Zelin has the Third Corps watching us—what do you think they are doing?"

"Isn't it precisely so that the moment we make a move, they will strike and take us down? If that happens, we will all become fish on someone else's chopping block, at the mercy of others."

It must be said that Hong Xianhe's speech moved many of those present, for they could not deny that what he said was indeed the truth.

At that moment, Zhou Dahu suddenly sprang to his feet and roared, "No matter what the rest of you say, I followed the boss up the mountains back then! What the boss just said is spot on: the commander's kindness belongs to the commander, not their Zheng family. Now that people want to kill us, how can we sit back and let ourselves be captured without a fight? I have only one thing to say: wherever the boss tells us to go right now, that's where we go!"

Hearing Zhou Dahu's words, Zhang Linhan also stood up. "Boss, since things have already reached this point, the few of us brothers went up the mountains together back then. Since we're rebelling, this brother is duty-bound!"

"Good, good, good! You truly are my brothers, Hong Xianhe's men! Right now, Ninth Mountain is still at the front lines and cannot be reached, but we must quickly figure out a way to extricate ourselves from Luzhou City. Otherwise, if we truly get surrounded and trapped, we won't even have a path to the heavens left." Hong Xianhe was overjoyed upon hearing his two subordinates' words.

Yet he did not let his elation cloud his judgment and immediately set about arranging the next steps. The most urgent priority was how the Twelfth Corps could safely break out of Luzhou City.

At this moment, Chief of Staff Huang Han spoke up, "Commander, I do have a stratagem that can allow us to slip out of Luzhou City smoothly."

"What stratagem?"

"In the ancient Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang once employed a tactic of increasing cooking stoves to deceive the enemy, while actually evacuating his troops in staggered batches. In the end, hundreds of thousands of troops successfully withdrew without the enemy noticing the slightest trace."

"Our Twelfth Corps currently has a strength of nearly twenty thousand men; we might as well adopt such a method to secretly evacuate the city. Furthermore, once we pull out of Luzhou City, we must rapidly seize control of Qianlin City in our rear. Using Qianlin City as our base, on one hand, we can secure a firm foothold, and on the other hand, we can use it to oppose the Zheng faction."

Huang Han's detailed deduction won Hong Xianhe's praise, ensuring that the entire Twelfth Corps could successfully make its escape.

"Qianlin City? Excellent! Moreover, this place is very close to the opposing Chu faction. If worst comes to worst, we can simply defect to the Chu faction then," Hong Xianhe laughed heartily. Huang Han's strategy could not have been better.

"Since that is the case, let us do it this way. Huang Han, take sole charge of arranging this matter, assisted by Zhang Linhan and Zhou Dahu. We must complete our full evacuation within three days at the latest."

Saying this, Hong Xianhe let out a sigh, "I always feel that if we stay here any longer, the grass on my grave next year will grow more than a foot or two high."