HBBMAWH Chapter 97

"It turns out he is Liu Zhan's son." The Emperor's brows relaxed, showing a hint of nostalgia.

Liu Zhan had passed away more than ten years ago. In his youth, he was valiant and skilled in battle, achieving remarkable military feats at a young age. During the reign of the previous Emperor, he was bestowed the title of Tiger General for his bravery is akin to that of a tiger.

"Liu Zhan's son shouldn't be a total fool. Besides, since Wang Yifa could have him as a deputy general by his side, he should at least be capable of handling some matters." Though Emperor Taifeng said so, he didn't act hastily. He then asked if anyone had other recommendations.

However, there were no other suitable candidates.

Jiang Manyue remained silent. This was too coincidental. The Chen Dynasty had been stable for a long time, and there hadn't been outstanding military commanders to fill the gap left by Wang Yifa's death.

Currently, the most renowned generals were General Dingnan and Marquis Pingxi. However, one was stationed in the south, while the other faced threats from the west.

Therefore, it was difficult to find a reliable candidate. Normally, a successor would be carefully selected before an old general stepped down. But Wang Yifa's sudden death caught everyone off guard. Even he himself probably did not expect that he would pass away at this time.

So, he didn't leave any last words.

But the Beirong people were lurking in the north, ever ready to strike.

The Beirong people were a nomadic tribe skilled in horseback archery, even their women grew up on horseback. Therefore, the situation in the north was urgent. The military couldn't afford to be without a leader, otherwise, the stability of the army would be compromised, posing great danger.

Jiang Manyue's arguments  were not enough to counter the majority, so Liu Neng ended up taking over Wang Yifa's position.

For this reason, Gu Zhuo, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who was a little happy to see Jiang Manyue deflated, glanced at Jiang Manyue proudly. He has always disliked Jiang Manyue.

As for why he disliked him, it probably started when Jiang Manyue once stole the limelight at the hunting ground.

In Gu Zhuo's eyes, someone like Jiang Manyue, who appeared frail and scholarly, shouldn't have stolen the limelight from other warriors. He neither resembled a qualified scholar nor respected the iron-willed generals.

This is where Gu Zhuo's bias comes into play. No matter how you look at it, Jiang Manyue doesn't seem like someone who can't handle responsibilities, but compared to Gu Zhuo, he could indeed be considered weak.

Gu Zhuo was tall and robust, taller and stronger than most men. With his hawk-like nose and narrow eyes, he looked somewhat fierce, especially standing among the other officials of the Six Ministries.

Take Jiang Nan, for example, another Minister of the Six Ministries. Jiang Nan wasn't bad-looking and was quite handsome in his youth, which was why he caught Lady Fu's attention back then. Jiang Nan had a typical refined and scholarly appearance, and when standing next to Gu Zhuo with his sturdy physique, there is a world of difference.

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of War was a particularly special part, responsible for military affairs. Most officials of the Ministry of War were not purely civil officials; it was quite normal for them to have been military commanders before.

Gu Zhuo was one such person. He rose from being a low-ranking soldier and had even served as the commander of the Imperial Guard. The current commander of the Imperial Guard, Zhang Feng, was promoted from under him. With such seniority, many people in the court were willing to give Gu Zhuo face.

Moreover, upon learning that Jiang Manyue was married into the newly ennobled Carefree Prince, and openly stated to the Emperor that he didn't care about his princess's status, this further disgusted Gu Zhuo.

And today in the court, the other party kept arguing with him. Even though the Emperor eventually adopted his suggestion, it still left him feeling unsatisfied. Fortunately, the other party lost in the end.

Then, when Gu Zhuo thought he could see some dismay or frustration on Jiang Manyue's face, he found that Jiang Manyue hadn't paid him any attention at all, and seemed to be lost in thought.

This situation made Jiang Manyue somewhat worried. His concern wasn't just because of Liu Neng, but mainly because of the sudden death of General Wang Yifa.

Now, thinking back, the death of General Wang Yifa seemed suspicious. Although it happened a few months later than now, it was still a sudden and severe illness that led to his death.

Jiang Manyue felt like a murky darkness was looming in front of him, but amidst that heavy shadow, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light. Perhaps that glimmer of light was the breakthrough point.

Perhaps uncovering the cause of General Wang Yifa's death was the breakthrough point, but reality didn't offer them any respite or time to seek the truth. It was the same back then, and it ended up being left unresolved.

Gu Zhuo couldn't discern what Jiang Manyue was thinking from his deeply concerned expression. Jiang Manyue was thinking too deeply and didn't notice that someone had been observing him all along.

Since things have come to this, there is no need to stop it. In front of the Emperor, if you say the same thing too many times, it will only make him think that you do not know how to advance or retreat.

When it's time to give in, you have to give in. Jiang Manyue is not prepared to continue to be tough; preferring to die to obtain concessions from the Emperor is the behavior of an official who loves to die for their principles.

That's not Jiang Manyue.

As soon as Jiang Manyue returned home, he saw Yan Cai handing him a letter. It was delivered by the courier in the morning. Yan Cai didn't open it without permission, but judging from the handwriting on the envelope, it should have been sent from Mobei.

Yan Cai could think of only one piece of information about Mobei.

"Is it a letter from Chen Nan?" Yan Cai peeked over to see.

Jiang Manyue nodded and handed the letter to Yan Cai. Yan Cai glanced at it and showed no interest in the contents of the letter. 

Who are these people mentioned? Liu Neng and Wang Yifa... he doesn't know any of them. Forget it, it doesn't concern him.

However, what surprised Yan Cai was that it seemed Jiang Manyue had been exchanging letters with Chen Nan all along.

"You guys are secretly writing to each other." Yan Cai grumbled a few sour words and got his nose pinched by Jiang Manyue.

"Don't think too much. It's nothing."

"I'm not thinking too much. It's you who's overthinking." Yan Cai pushed him away, having no interest in Jiang Manyue's affairs. Chen Nan's rough style, it's definitely not Jiang Manyue's taste.

"Darling, I support whatever you want to do."

Yan Cai's current attitude was to let Jiang Manyue do whatever he wanted to do. After all, even if he couldn't continue working, Jiang Manyue wouldn't be left without a meal here. He could still support a family of three.

It must be said that Yan Cai was gradually adopting the mindset of an old father. He was always willing to wait for the tired bird to return to its nest. Thinking about it, Yan Cai is so shocked that he gets goosebumps all over his body.

He then hugged his son tightly and got rid of this ridiculous thought.

"Did something happen?" Yan Cai asked, seeing Jiang Manyue looking serious. He didn't know what was said during the morning court, and even if he did, he might not understand the severity of the situation.

"Mm." Jiang Manyue replied briefly. Yan Cai became serious, his intuition telling him it's not good.

And from Chen Nan's letter, Jiang Manyue also felt something was off. The timing of General Wang Yifa's sudden death was too delicate, and according to Chen Nan, there were no signs of illness before that.

In light of this, his death from illness deserved further investigation.

Could it have been Liu Neng's doing? But Jiang Manyue didn't think so. Liu Neng's personality didn't lend itself to military strategy; he was only suited to be a puppet in someone else's hands.

Moreover, General Wang Yifa had shown favor to Liu Neng; there was no reason for Liu Neng to harm him. Unless he believed that General Wang Yifa would never let him be his successor, so he killed him while the general was still looking for his successor.

While this logic made sense, Jiang Manyue wasn't inclined to this speculation.

There must be a deeper conspiracy at play. His gaze fell on the map drawn on the table, and to the north of the Chen Dynasty were the Northern Rong people, who had always been watching closely.

Was all of this really just a coincidence?

The author has something to say:

Someone mentioned that Liu Neng is very similar to Zhao Kuangyin. Your intuition is not wrong, there is indeed a shadow of Zhao Kuangyin in him. When I was creating the character, I did think of him. Zhao Kuangyin also had a famous father who was a renowned general, and he was well-versed in military strategy from a young age, but had little actual combat experience.

In this aspect, Liu Neng is a bit stronger; he managed to reach the position of vice-general, but he is more suitable to be led rather than lead others.

As for Zhao Kuangyin replacing the old general Lian Po, it was because Zhao's king was a fool who fell for Qin's deception, while Liu Neng could replace Wang Yifa because—Wang Yifa died. Based on seniority, it was indeed his turn.

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