Chapter 131: The Calm Before the Storm

“Since General Father deliberately sent Deng Duoyong to his death, it seems it can only be related to me. Is Father seeking revenge against the Deng family?” Ye Xin asked.

“This matter concerns the reputation of General Lang; I dare not speak recklessly,” Autumn Guard replied cautiously.

Ye Xin pondered for a long while before speaking slowly, “Leading troops to seize a camp is an act of treason. So, back then, they intended to force Father into making a mistake, didn’t they? Calculating the timeline, their scheme must have been in the works for years—a truly meticulous plot! Could it be that Deng Zhiguo is also one of the famed generals?”

At that moment, Ye Suifeng strolled into the training ground, his face showing signs of fatigue. Yet the moment he saw Ye Xin, his expression brightened with joy, and he hurriedly called out, “Xin’er, have you already mastered a killing move?!”

“An accident,” Ye Xin smiled.

“Accidents like this are blessings in abundance,” Ye Suifeng laughed heartily. “Truly worthy of being a son of the Ye family. Even if your elder brother were still alive, I fear he would feel ashamed before you!”

“Second Uncle, have you gone to court?” Ye Xin shifted the topic.

“Yes,” Ye Suifeng nodded firmly. “Thanks to your merit, the Sovereign has entrusted me to temporarily serve as the Grand Prefect.”

“Grand Prefect?” Ye Xin was surprised.

“Indeed,” Ye Suifeng paused briefly. “Since the founding of the Great Wei Kingdom, only those with the title of Pillar of the State have had the right to enter the Grand Prefect’s position. By rights, it should be you, but you are too young. So I can only act as the Grand Prefect temporarily—it’s a compromise.”

“Is the Sovereign trying to win over our Ye family with all his might?” Ye Xin asked calmly.

“That’s exactly it,” Ye Suifeng said. “The Sovereign has issued an edict ordering Han Sanmei and Wang Fang to return to the capital immediately. Moreover, spies from the Great Zhao Kingdom have reported back that the Great Zhao’s monarch, Jiang Neng, personally presided over the state funeral of Zhuang Buxiu. It is said that Jiang Neng wept bitterly and mourned deeply at the funeral, while our Sovereign laughed heartily. I don’t think I’ve seen him so pleased in a long time.”

“What else was discussed at court today?” Ye Xin inquired.

“Autumn has arrived. Neither the Sovereign nor Jiang Neng truly intends to harm the other’s foundation. Both see each other as stepping stones or as rivals for domination over the Nine Kingdoms. With harvest season at hand, open warfare is unlikely,” Ye Suifeng explained. “But next year looks different. The Sovereign has shifted his focus to the southern front. He only asks Wei Juan to firmly hold the Wanqi Mountain area. Your Heavenly Wolf Corps will be sent south. Coupled with the visit from Duke Po Shan of the Dayin Kingdom... it seems next year will be a fight to the death with Dayin.”

“Next year is still too far away,” Ye Xin frowned. “Though the Blood Mountain Corps is not first-rate, its combat strength is not to be underestimated. Does the Sovereign want me to lead the new troops against the Blood Mountain Corps?”

“No,” Ye Suifeng shook his head. “Only half of the reorganized new troops will be incorporated into the Heavenly Wolf Corps. The other half will form a new city defense force. Once Han Sanmei returns, all the city defense soldiers will be under your command.”

“The city defense force... that makes sense,” Ye Xin said. If the city defense force were absorbed into the Heavenly Wolf Corps, their combined strength would surpass Pan Yuanshan’s Blood Mountain Corps. “Was Iron Book Lantern present at court today? Would he agree to this?”

“Han Sanmei is supporting him, and you likewise. It’s merely swapping the left hand for the right, what difference does it make?” Ye Suifeng smiled. “Besides, today the Sovereign officially appointed him Crown Prince. After years of anticipation, his wish has been fulfilled. He’s overjoyed and would never dampen Iron Book Lantern’s spirit over such matters.”

“So... everyone was happy today, except the Han family?” Xue Baiqi asked.

“No,” Ye Xin shook his head. “Han Sanmei is cunning and shrewd. Currently, Han Yuanzi and Han Yunzi of the Han family are still young and cannot hold the fort. They are no match for me. If Han Sanmei willingly hands over the city defense force to me, I will owe him a great favor and will look after Han Yuanzi and Han Yunzi in the future. But if he interferes, making excuses and causing trouble, it will inevitably sour relations between the Ye and Han families and put Iron Book Lantern in a difficult position. Han Sanmei has lived long and served as Grand Prefect for over forty years. If he can’t see through such a simple matter, then he truly is blind to what is right.”

“The city defense force is an elite unit,” Autumn Guard showed excitement. “If handed over to me, I could transform them into a truly formidable force in two or three months.”

Indeed, the city defense force was elite, boasting over a dozen Pillar of the State level commanders. Its mid-level backbone consisted of intermediate innate warriors, the only weakness being a lack of experience on the blood-soaked battlefield.

“Also, the Sovereign plans to expand the Heavenly Wolf Corps to sixteen brigades,” Ye Suifeng said.

“I thought it was twelve brigades?” Ye Xin was surprised again.

“Four more have been added. The Sovereign intends to settle the fate of the realm in one decisive battle and seize Dayin’s lands completely,” Ye Suifeng explained.

In various kingdoms, commanders’ troops were essentially their private armies, and key generals were their own retainers. But the strength of an army depended on the monarch, who controlled resources. No commander could hope to massively expand their forces and then demand payment from the monarch—that was a pipe dream. The monarch would refuse outright, leaving the commander to slink home with his retainers to retire.

This time, Ye Xin was different. It was Iron Heart Saint himself who decreed the expansion of the Heavenly Wolf Corps to sixteen brigades, signaling that next year’s resource allocation would heavily favor the Heavenly Wolf Corps.

Perhaps Iron Heart Saint had grown disheartened. After decades of stalemate with the Great Zhao Kingdom—neither side able to decisively win—although Ye Xin had emerged in the Great Wei Kingdom, the Great Zhao Kingdom had also produced a formidable figure, Yu Dao. Iron Heart Saint lacked confidence of victory next year. So, by leveraging the invasion of Dayin’s Blood Mountain Corps to stir up unity among the military and civilians, turning their sights on Dayin might open a new front.

There is a phenomenon called the butterfly effect, where the flutter of a butterfly’s wings in the Amazon rainforest could, weeks later, culminate in a storm over North America. It shows how a tiny initial change, compounded over time, can cause enormous differences in the future.

The Great Wei and Dayin Kingdoms had been allies for decades, maintaining a good relationship. But one butterfly called the Feihong Bridge checkpoint triggered a chain of massive changes.

If Han Yuanzi and Han Yunzi had not heavily extorted Dayin’s caravans, the noble youths of Dayin would not have harbored resentment towards Great Wei; if they held no grudge, they would not have sought every means to obstruct Pan Yuanshan’s army advancing into Great Wei’s northern front; if the Blood Mountain Corps had appeared early on the battlefield, Pan Yuanshan would not have harbored doubts, nor would the Xiao Mo Finger have had the chance to exploit the situation.

All of it originated from Ye Xin’s few words—the astonishing money-making plan.

If anyone in Great Wei knew these were all Ye Xin’s handiwork, they would surely be deeply afraid.

***

Ye Xin was finally officially appointed commander of the Heavenly Wolf Corps. He now possessed the strength of a Pillar of the State and no longer needed to continue his studies at the academy. Though the Hanwu Hall was beneficial to him, competing with ordinary students for scarce resources seemed unreasonable.

However, that evening at dusk, Ye Xin appeared again at the entrance of Longteng Martial Academy, surprisingly holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Students emerged from the academy’s gates. Seeing Ye Xin standing there, some lowered their heads and hurried past, while others, with clear consciences, though they had gossiped about Ye Xin behind his back, had not posted any notices or harbored grudges. They could at least claim they had been misled by fools.

But Ye Xin’s status was now too high—one of Great Wei’s Pillars of the State, commander of the Heavenly Wolf Corps—not the student they could casually approach. So they merely smiled distantly, not daring to greet him. Ye Xin responded naturally with a smile.

Soon, Ye Ling and her companions appeared. Their troop was called the Little Corps, a name that itself was a refusal, proving they never intended to accept others.

The four girls were all attractive. Walking together, having recently come into great wealth, their faces were all radiant with smiles that had yet to fade, making them look vibrant and lively.

Seeing Ye Xin, Ye Ling immediately greeted him with a smile, “Brother, you’re so kind today! Here to pick me up? Huh...” Her gaze fell on the flowers in Ye Xin’s hand.

Ye Xin smiled and walked over to hand the flowers to Wen Rong. Wen Rong blushed deeply; this showed she had already accepted Ye Xin in her heart. If the flowers had come from someone insignificant, she would not have shown such overt emotion.

“Oh...”

“Ohhhh...” Shao Xue and Shen Miao made drawn-out teasing sounds at Wen Rong. Wen Rong’s eyes darted nervously, avoiding Ye Xin’s gaze. Yet in that fleeting moment, she caught Ye Xin’s eyes lowering slightly, as if avoiding direct contact, which inexplicably gave her the feeling that Ye Xin was hiding a guilty secret.

Wen Rong was briefly startled. Her blush gradually faded, then she smiled gracefully and accepted the flowers.

Ye Xin had been appointed commander of the Heavenly Wolf Corps. People expected the young prodigy to swiftly reorganize his subordinates. But to everyone’s surprise, he devoted all his passion to courting women. This evening was merely a signal.

Every day when Wen Rong went to school, Ye Xin arrived early at the Wen family residence to accompany her. Wen Yuanren, the head of the Wen household, naturally came out to greet him, and the two families chatted cheerfully. When Wen Rong finished school, Ye Xin appeared again at the academy entrance, then took her shopping, dining, drinking, and sightseeing.

The young man was spirited and heroic, the young lady gentle and graceful—a perfect match. Wherever they went, they attracted attention.

(To be continued.)