The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: A Calculated Move

Before the good news from General Zhang arrived, Li Jianwei had already met the imperial envoy.

“The daughter of a criminal official, Li Jianwei, why aren’t you kneeling to receive the imperial decree!” The person sent to deliver the decree was a eunuch from the palace. He stood at the entrance of the General’s residence with his nose in the air, followed by a dozen people dressed as imperial guards, holding sabers.

“A criminal official? Who is a criminal official?” Li Jianwei stood opposite him in light armor, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her face expressionless.

“The former Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, the Great General of the Northern Frontier, Li Liang, conspired with the Xiongnu to rebel and audaciously offended a concubine. After being caught, he committed suicide out of guilt. His Majesty, in consideration of his thirty years of service to the country in guarding the Northern Frontier, has specially pardoned his family. Li Jianwei, why aren’t you accepting the decree and giving thanks!”

The eunuch’s sharp voice carried far. His mission to the Northern Frontier had two parts: to publicize Li Liang’s crimes and to bring Li Jianwei back to the capital.

“What a joke. If my father really had any intention of rebelling, he would have returned to the capital with a large army. How could he have gone alone!”

“His Majesty is wise and mighty. How could he believe such absurd words? You must be a spy bribed by the Xiongnu, trying to sow chaos in our Northern Frontier!”

“My Li family has always been at odds with the Xiongnu. If we had sided with the enemy, heaven would have struck us down with thunder long ago!” Li Jianwei’s powerful voice was much louder than the eunuch’s, and it carried even further.

The surrounding soldiers and civilians went from whispering to shouting. Someone led them, and they yelled loudly.

“Exactly! The Great General is loyal to the court. Not only did he leave his wife and family in the capital, but he also left for the capital the day after receiving the summons. How could he possibly rebel!”

“The Great General has killed countless Xiongnu! The Young General has also killed many Xiongnu princes and generals! How could they collude with the Xiongnu? What a bunch of nonsense!”

“It must be fake news! The Great General is so upright and honest. How could he commit suicide out of guilt! It must be a rumor! It’s the Xiongnu who want to invade our Northern Frontier!”

“Spies! Spies! This person must be a spy!”

“General, please kill the spies! Kill them! Kill these people who are spreading lies!”

Hearing the increasingly loud discussions of the surrounding military and civilians, the eunuch, who had only brought a dozen imperial guards with him, panicked.

“Are you all questioning an imperial envoy and offending the Emperor! I am here with His Majesty’s decree!” The eunuch held up the imperial decree, trying to use the Emperor’s authority to force these people to bow down.

Such a tactic might work in the capital, but this was the Northern Frontier, a place where most people only knew the Li family’s Great General and Young General. Why would they be afraid of an Emperor they had never met? The General was the one who protected their peace, the one who helped them farm, and the one who fed them when their harvest was insufficient. Why would they side with an unknown person who wanted to harm their General instead of their General?

“How dare you! Impersonating an imperial envoy and faking an imperial decree!” Li Jianwei showed a look of righteous anger, then drew her long sword and cleanly beheaded the eunuch, who was half a head shorter than her. The other personal guards followed suit, and within three breaths, the dozen imperial guards who had followed them were also dead.

One of the personal guards was quick. He immediately tore open an imperial guard’s armor and ‘pulled out’ an unopened letter.

“General, this is a letter to the Xiongnu Khan!” the guard shouted, then presented the letter.

The surrounding soldiers and civilians were now even more convinced of their beliefs. They thought that the people who had just been killed were either Xiongnu spies or traitors who had been bribed by the Xiongnu. They were sure that the news of the Great General’s suicide was fake.

Li Jianwei shook the bl00d off her sword, sheathed it, and tore open the envelope to take out the letter. After scanning the contents, a look of extreme anger appeared on Li Jianwei’s face. “Absurd! The letter is from a court official to the Xiongnu Khan! It says that they have already used a divisive plot to get His Majesty to charge my father and brother with baseless crimes, and that the Xiongnu can now prepare to invade our Northern Frontier!”

“Everyone, before my father returned to the capital, he specifically told me to guard the Northern Frontier and never let the Xiongnu harass our people,” Li Jianwei said with a serious expression, while also having a personal guard hand the letter to an old village elder who could read and write.

“Although I don’t know why there has been no news from my father after a month in the capital, as long as I am in the Northern Frontier, I will never let the Xiongnu’s plot succeed! I also absolutely refuse to believe that a wise ruler would listen to such ridiculous rumors and think that the Great General who has guarded the Northern Frontier for thirty years would collude with the Xiongnu!”

“Everyone, please be more vigilant in your daily lives. If you see any suspicious people, report them to the patrol army immediately to have them arrested!”

“I will write a letter and send it back to the capital, warning my father to be wary of the treacherous officials who are truly colluding with the Xiongnu and betraying the country!”

Li Jianwei’s image in the eyes of the people of the Northern Frontier was excellent. As soon as she finished speaking, she was met with a chorus of support from the soldiers and civilians, who all said they only trusted the General and would never be deceived by spies.

After appeasing the people, Li Jianwei deliberately did not take back the letter, allowing it to be passed around in the crowd. She only ordered the dozen bodies to be chopped up and fed to the dogs as a warning.

However, the imperial decree, which had not yet been opened, was seized by Li Jianwei and taken to her study for careful examination. Faking an imperial decree was not an easy task, especially in the Northern Frontier, where it would be difficult to find the right materials and embroiderers to create the patterns. However, it was not difficult to modify the content of an existing decree, as long as she could find someone who could imitate handwriting and restore paintings and calligraphy.

…

On the fifth day after the ‘spies’ were killed and their bodies destroyed, General Zhang returned with a few dozen cavalry. He had left in black armor, but he returned in a white robe, tears in his eyes, standing in front of the General’s residence.

“General, the Great General and the Crown Prince were framed by treacherous officials. To protect the soldiers of the Northern Frontier from being implicated, they died to prove their innocence at the palace gates! But His Majesty still listened to the slander of treacherous officials, insisted that the Great General and the Crown Prince colluded with the Xiongnu, and even wanted to kill the Great General’s wife and his second daughter, who is not even fifteen years old!”

“Thanks to the personal guards of the Great General’s residence, who protected them with their lives, the Madam and the Second Miss were able to escape! It’s a pity that this subordinate was too late. The other guards were all killed by assassins. I only managed to save the Madam and the Second Miss!”

As General Zhang spoke, he shed two lines of clear tears and trembled as he took out the bl00d-stained letter that the personal guard had brought earlier.

“General! This is a bl00d-stained letter that the Madam brought out at the risk of her life! The Great General and the Crown Prince died unjustly! Please, General, avenge the Great General and clear his name! Don’t let the Great General die with his eyes open!”

Li Jianwei’s face instantly turned pale. She trembled as she took the bl00d-stained letter from General Zhang, her expression a mix of seven parts genuine emotion and three parts feigned.

“How could this be? My father told me that he and His Majesty were of one mind. His Majesty often wrote to him, telling him to take care of his health. How could His Majesty force my father and brother to die to prove their innocence!”

“What about my father’s and brother’s bodies? Are my mother and sister alright?” Li Jianwei staggered. If it weren’t for a personal guard holding her up, she would have fallen.

“This subordinate is incompetent. I only know that the Great General’s and the Crown Prince’s bodies were detained in the capital and have not been buried. The Madam and the Second Miss were frightened and are not suitable for fast travel. They should safely arrive in the Northern Frontier in three days.”

Li Jianwei didn’t say anything. She only told General Zhang to go back and rest. But when she appeared in front of her personal guards again, she had a piece of white cloth tied to her head and waist.

Li Jianwei didn’t say anything, but the soldiers and the people had eyes and brains. Combining the recent rumors with the General’s actions, they all understood that the Great General was likely framed by treacherous officials and died to prove his innocence so as not to implicate the Northern Frontier soldiers.

It was a pity that the treacherous officials were in power. Even so, the ruler still wouldn’t let the Great General go, and even wanted to kill his family! Was there any need to be loyal to such a ruler?

Perhaps those bribed spies from before were sent by the treacherous officials in the court, trying to lure their General away from the Northern Frontier and use the same old tricks.

…

“General, the soldiers and people have voluntarily tied white cloth around their arms to mourn the Great General and the Crown Prince,” a personal guard reported.

“The people’s complaints about the court are also getting louder, especially after you cried while holding the Madam. The women’s voices are also getting louder. They have even started setting up memorial tablets for the Great General and burning incense.”

Li Jianwei slowly exhaled. When she saw the wounds on her mother and sister, she wanted to immediately raise an army and march to the capital to confront the tyrant on the throne and ask him why he did this. Why did he kill her father, who was loyal to the great Jin? Why did he force her brother, who had given up martial arts for literature, to his death? Was his heart really so small? How could a ruler not even tolerate a loyal subject?

But Li Jianwei held back. A three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-strong army was indeed enough to march on the capital. But the price would be to abandon the people and land of the Northern Frontier, leaving them to be plundered by the Xiongnu. Li Jianwei couldn’t do something that would cut off her own escape route, especially since she had protected the people of the Northern Frontier with her life for thirteen years.

If she couldn’t act on a whim, she had to plan before she acted.

“Continue to gather information. Pay extra attention to people coming from the capital. Don’t let any spies in,” Li Jianwei calmly ordered, then lit and burned the secret message with a candle. “Have the generals I asked you to invite arrived?”

Personal guard: “General Zhang and General Han arrived fifteen minutes ago. Seven of the other eight generals have arrived. The remaining one is on patrol at the border and will arrive later.”

Li Jianwei nodded, then got up from her study and strode to the reception hall.

“Greetings, General!” everyone stood up and saluted.

Li Jianwei nodded and took her seat at the head of the table. “Everyone, according to a secret message from the capital, treacherous officials have misled His Majesty into falsely accusing my father and brother of colluding with the Xiongnu. They also intend to transfer the soldiers stationed in the Northern Frontier to the south to quell the rebellion.”

“How can this be! The Xiongnu have already received news of the Great General’s death. They are now eyeing us. Reducing the number of troops in the Northern Frontier at this time would be completely disregarding the lives of the people here!”

“The court wants to abandon us and disband the Northern Frontier army! They don’t care about the lives of the soldiers and people here!”

“His Majesty has been misled by treacherous officials. We should march south to clear the ruler’s side! Get rid of the treacherous officials who are misleading His Majesty! Don’t let them ruin the country!”

The generals who were invited to the meeting were all people Li Jianwei trusted. Besides General Han, everyone’s mind was very sharp. They had all studied military strategy and history and could infer a lot from the details.

When the rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked. When the birds are gone, the bow is put away. This was something every military general worried about. And not long ago, something even worse happened. The Great General of the Northern Frontier was slandered and forced to his death by the Emperor before the Xiongnu had been dealt with. The Emperor didn’t even spare his family and wanted to kill them all.

For a military general, being forced to die by the ruler they were loyal to was too humiliating, even more so than being captured alive by the Xiongnu! Every time they thought that they might be the next Great General, they couldn’t eat or sleep. They couldn’t wait to draw their swords and do something.

Most importantly, they were all people who had been promoted by the Great General and had fought alongside the Great General and the Young General. For both public and private reasons, they would stand on the same side as Li Jianwei.

“My father told me to protect the soldiers and people of the Northern Frontier,” Li Jianwei said. “This was my father’s last wish.”

General Zhang was the first to speak. “General, this subordinate has checked our current provisions, and they are enough for the soldiers to eat for a year. Why don’t we recruit fifty thousand more soldiers and leave two hundred thousand border soldiers here, with the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand marching south under your command to clear the ruler’s side.”

“The Great General’s last wish was to protect the Northern Frontier. We can play along with their plan, deliberately show a weakness to the Xiongnu, cripple them, and then march to the capital to get rid of the treacherous officials!” another general said.

With someone taking the lead, these generals, who were good at fighting, started offering their own ideas. None of the ten generals present thought that marching south toward the capital was a problem.

“There’s a drought in the south this year, so the harvest is probably not good. Under such circumstances, the Emperor is still raising taxes. This is forcing them to rebel,” Li Jianwei said, and the others immediately fell silent. “The imperial decree will arrive in the Northern Frontier any day now. If I don’t follow the decree, the Ministry of Revenue will surely withhold the latest provisions and military funds.”

“The autumn harvest is in a few months. It’s not a good time to move south,” Li Jianwei said, then paused. “And the responsibility of the border army is to protect the Northern Frontier. So, let’s adopt General Li’s suggestion and deliberately show a weakness to lure the Xiongnu into making a move, and then find an opportunity to cripple them.”

“After the battle, I will send an urgent military report to the capital, asking the court to send us provisions.”

“If the provisions arrive on time, it means that His Majesty has not been completely misled by the treacherous officials, and my father’s unjust death might be cleared.”

“If His Majesty, knowing that the soldiers are shedding bl00d to protect the country on the front lines, still listens to slander and withholds the provisions, then in the spring of the next year… we will get rid of the treacherous officials and clear the ruler’s side!”

Li Jianwei had no intention of hiding her plans. Once she raised the banner of rebellion, these people would be her foundation, and there was no need to be secretive.

“General, I listen to you when we’re fighting, and I’ll listen to you now,” General Han said, being the first to express his stance. He knew his mind wasn’t as smart as the General’s, so he simply gave up thinking.

“That’s good. We can slowly settle our families,” General Zhang said with a sigh. “It’s just a shame that the Great General will have to remain in the capital for a while.”

“If they don’t even spare my father’s and brother’s bodies, then it won’t be as simple as clearing the ruler’s side,” Li Jianwei said with a grim face.

After setting the general direction, the next thing to discuss was how to deal a heavy blow to the Xiongnu in a short amount of time, so they couldn’t invade the border again for a while. The discussion lasted for two full hours. After the generals had dinner, Li Jianwei saw them off one by one, leaving only the leader of the logistics army.

As soon as everyone else left, the leader couldn’t wait to speak. “General, this subordinate…”

Li Jianwei interrupted her. “I know. Train them well. If we march south, I will select ten thousand people from the logistics camp to join my direct army.”

The leader’s eyes lit up. “General, don’t worry. I will supervise them well!”

“Remember to choose some soldiers who are excellent at horse riding. If the luring plan succeeds, the number of warhorses available in the army will increase. When fighting on the battlefield, cavalry’s combat power is stronger,” Li Jianwei almost explicitly stated.

The leader nodded heavily. She understood what her General meant. A thousand well-trained cavalry could at least scatter a five-thousand-strong infantry team. If the logistics army wanted to have a place, cavalry was essential.

…

The imperial envoy was missing, but a military report from the Northern Frontier was placed on the Emperor’s desk. The Emperor had not expected that Li Jianwei, a female general, would have the guts to disobey an imperial decree. Therefore, he called his three sons and five Grand Academicians to a meeting.

“According to a military report from the Northern Frontier, thirty thousand Xiongnu are stationed at the border and could launch a large-scale attack at any time. Li Jianwei is using this as a reason to demand military provisions from me,” the Emperor said with an expressionless face. “Do you think I should give provisions to this Li Jianwei who has disobeyed my decree?”

The Emperor’s words seemed to be asking for advice, but his bias was already very clear.

“Father, a Xiongnu invasion is not a small matter. If the Northern Frontier falls, the Xiongnu will have an unobstructed path to the capital. Your son believes that we should give them the provisions,” the Third Prince, the King of Cheng, said first.

The Emperor didn’t say anything, his gaze falling on his other two sons.

“Father, Li Jianwei is threatening you. Your son believes we should not give her provisions. Even if we do, we should make her come to the capital to get them herself,” the First Prince said.

The First Prince, the King of Wei, had been severely reprimanded for his impulsive behavior, but he didn’t think he was wrong. In fact, he thought his approach was excellent. He had gotten rid of the most threatening Li Liang and his son in advance, leaving behind a Li Jianwei who was not a threat at all. What kind of waves could a female general make? The only thing she could do was hide in the Northern Frontier and survive with her father’s old troops.

“Father, your son believes that we can send a suitable minister to escort some provisions and take over the vacant position of the Great General of the Northern Frontier,” the Second Prince, the King of Zhou, said, cupping his hands.

“What do you gentlemen think of their ideas?” the Emperor asked the ministers. The five Grand Academicians exchanged glances. None of them had a clear preference for any of the princes before. Was His Majesty forcing them to choose a side?

“Your Majesty, this minister believes that the country’s affairs are of the utmost importance. Since the Xiongnu are coming fiercely, we should choose a suitable commander to lead the border army and go north with the provisions to repel the Xiongnu,” the Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Glory said.

“Li Jianwei’s disobedience is a great disrespect to Your Majesty. This minister believes that we cannot simply let it go. Your Majesty should issue a decree of condemnation and have it announced all the way to the Northern Frontier,” the Grand Academician of the Hall of Supreme Harmony said arrogantly. “The country has its laws. We cannot break the rules because of a war. If we set a bad precedent, it will be even more difficult to restrain military officials in the future. In the long run, the foundation of the country will be unstable.”

“That’s not right. With an external enemy at our doorstep, we can put aside formalities for now. We should prioritize the Northern Frontier and the people,” the Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Abyss said in opposition. “The case of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage has not been fully concluded. The young General Li may have just made a small mistake in a fit of anger.”

“Your Majesty, the south has not been settled. We cannot afford to have another incident in the north,” the Grand Academician of the Hall of Eastern Elegance said, hitting the Emperor’s weak point. If it weren’t for the rebellion in the south, where the army in the capital numbered only a hundred thousand, the Emperor would never have called them to a meeting. He would have simply suppressed the military report as if he hadn’t seen it.

The Grand Academicians had their own opinions, and the princes’ views were not in agreement. The small court meeting was in chaos. The Emperor’s face was grim and he didn’t speak. Shu Heng, who was in charge of recording, subconsciously held her breath, trying to lower her presence.

Ever since she drafted the decree summoning Li Jianwei back to the capital, Shu Heng had been summoned by the Emperor from time to time to be at his side. Shu Heng had not missed a single court meeting related to the Northern Frontier. Logically, this was a sign that the Emperor valued her. Shu Heng should have seized this opportunity to understand the Emperor’s intentions and perform well, which might have led to her becoming a favored official. But after Shu Heng understood the Emperor’s true intentions from his words and actions, she felt more repulsion and disgust than a desire to stand out.

Shu Heng thought a lot, but her hands never stopped moving, accurately recording the speeches of the princes and ministers.

“Shu Heng, I want to hear your opinion,” the Emperor said abruptly, making Shu Heng, who was standing on the side, the center of everyone’s attention. Shu Heng immediately put down her brush. Dressed in a green robe, she respectfully stepped forward, standing out among the red and dragon robes.

“To answer Your Majesty, this minister believes that we should send a minister to escort provisions to support the soldiers of the Northern Frontier, and at the same time, we can convey the Emperor’s intentions to General Li,” Shu Heng said, her head lowered. “If General Li has any objections to the case of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, we can let her return to the capital after she has repelled the Xiongnu, and hold a joint trial with the Grand Court of Appeal, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate.”

It was a standard answer. The Emperor was not completely satisfied, but compared to the sharp proposals of the ministers, Shu Heng’s words were more agreeable.

“Who in the court do you think can share my concerns?” the Emperor continued to ask.

Shu Heng honestly spoke her mind: “The more noble the person, the more the soldiers of the Northern Frontier will feel Your Majesty’s concern. This minister believes that we can send a noble member of the imperial family to escort the provisions with a minister from the Ministry of Revenue.” In Shu Heng’s opinion, the Emperor had already made a mistake, and he should not continue to make more. Otherwise, he would be forcing Li Jianwei to rebel. The provisions must be given, and it would be best to also announce a new investigation into the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage’s rebellion case, to give the soldiers of the Northern Frontier a clear explanation. However, Shu Heng knew that it would be difficult to get the Emperor to re-investigate, so she could only suggest that a member of the imperial family join to show the Emperor’s concern.

The Emperor didn’t say anything, but his gaze shifted back and forth between his three sons. This put the three princes on high alert. They all knew very well that this was both an opportunity and a challenge. Whoever could handle this matter well would stand out from their brothers.

“Father, your son is willing to share your concerns,” the King of Cheng said, kneeling on the ground and volunteering.

A look of satisfaction appeared on the Emperor’s face. “Good. I hereby decree that my son, the King of Cheng, will be the imperial envoy, responsible for escorting the provisions. In addition, Shu Heng will be appointed as a junior official of the Ministry of Revenue and will serve as the logistics officer.”