novelraw Chapter 795 - 773: Infighting
Chapter 795 - 773: Infighting
Fang Chuning also knew that Han Ziqi was unlikely to deploy troops to suppress the pirates. Before landing, he had already roughly understood the relationship between Sannan and the pirates. Now that Han Ziqi was shirking responsibility, Fang Chuning said, "The delegation was attacked. If the princely heir sends troops to eradicate the bandits, then we can still discuss the ownership of the pirates’ territory. My Beining is vast and resourceful and does not lack this piece of land. But if you insist on refusing to send troops, then when I return to Yangzhou and bring the Jiangnan Navy to suppress the bandits, Sannan will have no further qualifications to contest the ownership of this territory with Beining."
"General Fang, are you threatening me?"
"Wanting the land but unwilling to send people—doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?" Fang Chuning’s attitude was assertive and even arrogant. "Did I force you? Did I coerce you? Lin Xiao, did you hear me make unreasonable demands?"
"No!" Lin Xiao responded firmly and resolutely.
"Fine, let me think it over." Han Ziqi was also aware of near a hundred casualties in the delegation. "You’ve had quite a tiring journey here. Originally, we prepared a banquet for you tonight, but that hardly seems appropriate now. Let’s discuss it again in a few days. I’ll send someone to assist you in handling the aftermath."
"Thank you!" Fang Chuning’s tone softened slightly. For the fallen brothers whose bodies could be retrieved, almost all were brought back; they could only conduct cremations locally, carrying their ashes back to their homeland. Fang Chuning and all the soldiers deeply hoped that their brothers could return to rest in their roots.
By the time the aftermath was handled, it was already sunset. Xie Jue barely managed to regain some strength. Han Ziqi, surprisingly considerate, did not rush them to travel. Resting for a day or two in Shuilan City before continuing was not pressing—they would only need about five days to journey from Shuilan City to the capital. Sannan wasn’t all that large, so there was no need to hurry the journey.
"Did you push Han Ziqi to send troops?" Xie Jue asked as he sipped his congee, even knowing what Fang Chuning had been up to despite his state of half sleep.
"He refused!" Fang Chuning’s aggressive stance from earlier was long gone. "The ownership of the island’s territory is still uncertain—that’s why the pirates are acting so rampantly. Han Ziqi wants you to agree on the ownership before he’ll send troops to suppress the pirates."
"Dream on!" Xie Jue said coldly. "He does seem adept at bargaining."
"Let him be. A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years. Once we return to Yangzhou, I’ll settle this account." Fang Chuning contained his indignation. Nobody had anticipated such an inauspicious start, running into pirates. Besides the heavy loss of brothers, the Sannan people must have laughed at them behind their backs upon hearing the news. Before even reaching the capital, their reputation was already tarnished. Fang Chuning and Xie Jue were both fuming inside.
"You don’t need to test him further. If he truly does deploy troops to suppress the pirates, future disputes over the ownership of the territory would become troublesome."
"With his impulsive and profit-driven nature, that’s impossible!" Fang Chuning frowned, directing his gaze at Xie Jue’s waist. "How’s your injury?"
Xie Jue maintained a stony expression. "A fresh wound—can it heal in a single day?"
Willfully asking the obvious!
Fang Chuning smiled sheepishly. Xie Jue held back his frustration, asking softly, "How many casualties?"
Fang Chuning shot him a worried glance and spoke the truth, as there was no room for deception. "Thirty-six dead. Over fifty wounded. As for the corpses... Only eleven were recovered."
The rest sank to the bottom of the sea. Those whose names were missing from the roster were all presumed dead. Xie Jue felt an insurmountable sorrow—this was more agonizing than his first command failure on the battlefield. Back then, his mistakes stemmed more from fear and regret due to inexperience and arrogance. But now, even as a noble prince and battle-hardened general, he had committed another critical error.
"Ting Feng, this isn’t anyone’s fault. It was an accident. We couldn’t foresee the storm nor anticipate the pirate attack. The ones at fault are the rampant pirates, not you." Fang Chuning tried his best to soothe Xie Jue. "You can grieve, you can blame yourself, but don’t dwell on it excessively."
"I understand." His injuries were severe. Besides medicine, he had only been sipping congee—and now, his appetite was nonexistent. "Don’t worry about me. I’m not that fragile; I can handle it."
"I know." Fang Chuning looked at him with profound heartache. "But I still just want to hug you, comfort you, even if it could lighten your sadness just a little."
Because of the attack on the delegation, the banquet was canceled. Han Ziqi went to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion late into the night, grabbed the governor by the collar, and asked, "Was this attack on the delegation your doing? You’ve got some nerve, haven’t you?!"
"Innocent... innocent, princely heir! Even if we were brazen, we wouldn’t dare assault the delegation! This was an accident. Who could’ve known they’d encounter a storm and then pirates? Your highness, please calm down—this was fate. Their misfortune is a good omen for us!"
Han Ziqi threw him off violently and said in a deep voice, "Don’t think I don’t know what my older brother is scheming. He wants to sabotage this negotiation and even kill Xie Jue. I’m warning you—before my father and he finalize their discussion, not a single mishap is allowed! If anyone disobeys orders, I’ll kill them myself!"
"Princely heir, I am loyal to the king, with the sun and moon as witnesses—never a shred of treachery! The pirates ravaged the city. We suffered greatly as well; how could we collude with them?"
The governor cried out his innocence, but Han Ziqi didn’t believe him. Han Ziqi wasn’t the sole son of King of Sannan, nor his eldest. The King of Sannan had twenty-one sons. Han Ziqi ranked fifth, born of the late princess. The late princess’s second and third sons had lost their mother’s protection and failed to gain the king’s favor, with the maternal family’s power completely eroded. Han Ziqi’s maternal grandfather, however, was a general relied upon by the King of Sannan and had excellent relations with the Priest Court, making Han Ziqi the princely heir.
Sannan, while autonomous, was a Beining vassal state—it could not claim imperial titles and was limited to "king," akin to autonomous vassal kings under Beining. Thus, the princely heir was essentially equivalent to Beining’s crown prince.
Han Ziqi was the next in line to inherit.
But the King of Sannan’s eldest son, six years older than Han Ziqi, was exceptionally capable and had a son particularly beloved by the King of Sannan. Han Ziqi’s position as princely heir was tenuous, with intense conspiracies among the brothers far more vicious than those in the Yuwen Dynasty. The Yuwen Dynasty’s struggles were primarily between imperial power and clan factions, with relative unity among siblings.
Sannan, on the other hand, suffered from severe internal conflicts and mutual depletion.
Han Ziqi’s eldest brother was hot-tempered and bellicose, opposing this negotiation and advocating for an assault on the Twelve States. Han Ziqi and his elder brother had long been politically opposed, fearing that he would undermine the negotiation. If anyone had wanted Xie Jue and the delegation dead at sea, it would undoubtedly be him.
Upon hearing about the pirate attack, Han Ziqi immediately suspected collusion among his brother and others. Though pirates occasionally raided Shuilan City, it was quite rare due to the intriguing relationship between Shuilan City and the pirates...
The Shadow Guard relayed Han Ziqi’s conversation with the governor verbatim to Xie Jue. Xie Jue’s face remained calm as he mulled silently. He, too, had suspected internal strife among Sannan officials, deliberately teaming up with pirates. Everything seemed excessively coincidental.
"Send word to Ying Yi. Keep a close watch on the eldest prince’s every move. This journey to the capital is likely to be far from peaceful."
"Understood!"