"We must go." Wang Zhikun didn't say these words aloud. He merely glanced coldly at the generals in the camp, slapped the table, and said with earnestness, "This Grand Commandant doesn't care whose men these Black Riders are. This Commander-in-Chief only knows that the winter training order from the Privy Council clearly states that three thousand cavalrymen from the Yanjing Camp must enter Dongyi. No one can stop them!"

The three thousand Yanjing soldiers were merely a probe, an advance force, a demonstration of the attitude with which the imperial court was pressuring the First Prince step by step. Wang Zhikun's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold light gradually appearing within them as he squeezed his voice into an icy line: "No matter what, the ten thousand soldiers led by His Highness are ultimately citizens of our Great Qing. His Highness cannot risk mutiny by bringing those soldiers to stop us. Therefore, the problem at hand is the one thousand Black Riders stationed in the Niutou Mountain area. Two days from now, transmit the Privy Council's order to them again. If they still refuse to yield... then that only proves that they are no longer an army of our Great Qing."

"But... His Majesty's attitude towards Lord Fan is still unclear." A general said worriedly. If the Yanjing Camp truly clashed with the Black Riders, it would be tantamount to a formal break with Fan Xian's faction. The atmosphere in the capital was very delicate. The generals in Yanjing City were not clear on how the one in the palace intended to deal with Fan Xian. If they merely wanted to give Fan Xian a cold shoulder, then the Yanjing Camp's actions were too harsh and severe, and it would be difficult to smooth things over in the future.

The camp tent was deep within Yanjing City, but it was actually an extremely spacious room, merely given a name with a strong military flavor. At this time, the generals inside the room were all Wang Zhikun's direct confidants, so they could speak more freely, and some things could be said more clearly.

The worry that the previous general had voiced was also a worry in Wang Zhikun's heart. His Majesty had indeed removed Fan Xian from all his official positions, but he had not truly punished him. Who knew how the situation would develop in the future?

Outside Yanjing City, the one thousand black-clad cavalrymen with an aura of the underworld were indeed a formidable force. However, Wang Zhikun had led troops for twenty years, and the Yanjing Grand Camp had jurisdiction over one hundred thousand elite soldiers. Simply in terms of numbers and equipment, it was the strongest of Qing's five border armies. There was no way they couldn't break through the blockade of these one thousand Black Riders.

The current problem was that the Yanjing side could not possibly commit all its forces. Once the flames of war were ignited, Dongyi City was only nominally under their control, and the hearts of the people were far from settled. It was feared that it would truly lead to the first real civil war in Qing.

Wang Zhikun could not bear this historical responsibility no matter what. Especially since his position in the army had already reached the top. No matter what merits he established on the battlefield, at most he would return to the capital like Marshal Ye and become a Right Vice Minister of the Privy Council, making some progress in reputation, but in reality, there would be no benefits. For this Grand Commandant of Yanjing, there was little room left for him to strive in life.

Therefore, he had to consider his family's direct line, for the future. Although His Majesty still looked down upon the world, His Majesty was ultimately old... there would always be a day when he passed away. If Fan Xian could survive this storm... no, even if Fan Xian couldn't survive it, when the Third Prince ascended the throne, with his affection for Fan Xian, would he tolerate him?

Wang Zhikun's brow furrowed tightly. After all, he was a military marshal, skilled in battlefield strategy, but struggled with details. The matter of the imperial concubine selection in the capital did not allow him to understand His Majesty's intentions. His brow furrowed and relaxed, and he finally made up his mind, coldly saying, "Move again the day after tomorrow. If anyone dares to stop us again, confiscate their weapons directly!"

……

……

All the Yanjing generals left the camp tent with their own thoughts and worries, because they were not clear whether the military action the day after tomorrow would truly clash with the Black Riders. Even more, they did not know whether His Highness the First Prince in Dongyi City would truly lead those ten thousand elite soldiers back east and confront the Qing border army head-on. In short, these loyal generals of Qing were worried that Qing's first civil war would break out in their area of jurisdiction.

Grand Commandant Wang seemed to have made up his mind, but that night he went to the Mei residence and found Mei Zhili, the leading civil official of Yanjing City.

Mei Zhili was a disciple of Duke Liu, and although he was not deeply acquainted with the Fan faction, he was familiar with Fan Xian. After hearing Grand Commandant Wang's sincere request for guidance, this Lord Mei asked Wang Zhikun a question indifferently.

"Is Tong'er still in the capital?" Ever since Mei Zhili left the position of Prefect of the Capital in the fourth year of Qingli, he had come to Yanjing City and cooperated well with Grand Commandant Wang in military and political affairs, rarely causing trouble. Grand Commandant Wang also deeply understood this Lord Mei's vision and strategy. Just the fact that this adult could retire unscathed from the position of Prefect of the Capital knew this person's ability in officialdom. The two had a good private relationship, so Lord Mei referred to Wang's family's daughter as if she were a junior, only calling her Tong'er.

Upon hearing the two words "Tong'er," Grand Commandant Wang's expression did not change, but the heart that had been honed by the ice and snow of the battlefield trembled imperceptibly. He knew what Mei Zhili wanted to point out.

Wang Tong'er had entered the Prince He residence in June of this year and became the First Prince's concubine. Moreover, this young lady had been instructed and taught by Fan Xian for several months before getting married. Not only in Kyoto and Yanjing, but in fact, most people in the world knew that in addition to the four sons of the Fan family, Fan Xian also had three students with noble identities: the Third Prince, Miss Ye Ling'er of the Ye family, and this third person, Miss Wang from the Yanjing Grand Commandant's residence.

In the world of Southern Qing, filial piety came first, followed by the respect for teachers. Given the relationship between the Yanjing Wang residence and Fan Xian, the one thousand Black Riders blocking the road under Niutou Mountain seemed somewhat complicated. Wang Zhikun glanced at Mei Zhili and said after a long silence, "There is an edict from the palace and an order from the Privy Council. Even if it causes some controversy in the future, this matter must be done."

"The Grand Commandant misunderstands." Mei Zhili looked at his nose, and his nose at his heart. He had escaped the political vortex of the capital for several years and did not intend to participate in this major event. However, he was from the Duke's mansion, and his connection with Consort Yi in the palace and the Third Prince was too deep. Even though he was in Yanjing now, it would be difficult to escape in the future, so tonight, he spoke these words clearly in front of Wang Zhikun.

"The teacher-student relationship between Lord Fan and Tong'er is certainly a concern, but the most crucial thing is..." Mei Zhili sighed, looked at Wang Zhikun, and said, "You are sending troops to Dongyi City, but everyone can see that His Highness no longer listens to the orders from the capital. And Tong'er... is the prince's concubine. Have you thought about this problem? If His Highness truly occupies Dongyi and establishes himself as king, even if you gather one hundred thousand soldiers from Yanjing to take Dongyi down, how will Tong'er survive in the prince's residence?"

Wang Zhikun had guarded the border of Southern Qing for many years, enduring much hardship and cold. He had a daughter after reaching the age of no confusion, so he naturally cherished her like a treasure, which inevitably spoiled her, thus creating Wang Tong'er's bad habits. Fortunately, Fan Xian forcibly suppressed Wang Tong'er's bad temper. Whenever he thought of this, Wang Zhikun secretly felt a bit grateful to Lord Fan. However, after being pointed out by Mei Zhili, he said in a daze, "Could it be that Lord Fan had already anticipated the current situation? That's why he promoted the marriage between His Highness and Tong'er, contrary to everyone's expectations, in the capacity of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"

Thinking of this, Wang Zhikun felt a chill in his heart. He did not expect that young lord to be so far-sighted, which was truly alarming.

Wang Zhikun's position was truly awkward at the moment. Although the Yanjing Grand Camp was strong, Dongyi, where its blade was pointed, was already within the sphere of influence of the First Prince and Fan Xian. Coincidentally, these two young dignitaries had inextricable connections with Wang Zhikun: one was his son-in-law, and the other was his daughter's teacher.

After pondering for a moment, Mei Zhili said, "As for what Lord Fan was thinking at the time, it is meaningless for you and me to speculate now. However, there is one thing that must be reminded of the Grand Commandant... I can think of this problem, and the one in the palace can naturally think of it too. However, the palace has never taken any action against Yanjing."

He raised his head, glanced at Wang Zhikun indifferently, and said, "If Lord Fan truly predicted the current situation, it can only be said that his vision is far-reaching. Grand Commandant, you are stationed in Yanjing, but you are targeting Dongyi City. If His Majesty suspects that you are not loyal enough, no matter who is sent here, it will be difficult to unite the military hearts of Yanjing. In this way, the safety of Dongyi City will naturally be more guaranteed."

"My loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as the sun and the moon. If Fan Xian wants to exploit this, it will not work." There was no anger in Wang Zhikun's words.

Mei Zhili nodded and said, "Obviously, Lord Fan's arrangement did not work. The capital has not taken any action against Yanjing City. His Majesty is ultimately a wise ruler and trusts the Grand Commandant... Even the military order from the Privy Council and the secret edict from the palace are actually tests that His Majesty has given to you, Grand Commandant."

Wang Zhikun was solemn and bowed with cupped hands, saying, "I am enlightened."

However, Mei Zhili's expression was still grave. He slowly said, "But Grand Commandant, are you really not considering Tong'er anymore? Considering the discussions in the world? If you can truly subdue Dongyi City in one battle, you will naturally be a meritorious minister of our Great Qing. But once civil war breaks out and the flames of war continue... pressure from all sides will be piled on you."

"But what can be done? If the troops are really not moved, then I will be failing His Majesty's trust." Wang Zhikun raised his eyebrows and said heavily, "The conflict in the capital will ultimately fall on the battlefield. As His Majesty's subject, there are many things... that must be done."

"Must be done, not must... then don't do it." Mei Zhili looked at him quietly and said after a moment of silence, gnashing his teeth, "To say something disloyal, this is after all the Emperor's family affair. We subjects should of course be loyal to His Majesty. However, if Qing truly descends into civil war, how can you and I explain it to the world? The changes in the capital should be resolved on the battlefield. However, Lord Fan and His Majesty clearly do not want this turmoil to spread too far. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have kept Lord Fan alive, and Lord Fan would not be honestly living as a wealthy idler in the capital."

"They are both guarding that bottom line. Grand Commandant, please also remember this bottom line when you send troops the day after tomorrow. Intimidation is acceptable, and invading is acceptable, but if you really want bloodshed... I think it is unwise. Perhaps this is not the result that His Majesty wants."

"But the opponents are the Black Riders. That group of wolf cubs from the Overwatch Council will not understand what it means to retreat." Wang Zhikun said with his eyes closed, "This sense of proportion is too difficult to grasp. We must send troops, but we can't really fight. We must not delay His Majesty's grand plan, but we must prevent the situation from expanding too severely."

Saying this, Grand Commandant Wang sighed deeply. He had spent his entire life in the midst of swords and shadows, but he had never encountered such a complex situation. To fight is the simplest thing, even if the opponents are Fan Xian and the First Prince, but if the eastern part of the empire is really disrupted, His Majesty will be unhappy.

"Since His Majesty has a secret edict, we must fight. At least we must truly confront each other and suppress the Black Riders' momentum." Mei Zhili lowered his eyes slightly and said, "The palace's order must be carried out. Overwhelm them like a storm pressing down on a mountain. How many days can the Black Riders resist? Although they are a group of cold-blooded cavalry who kill without blinking, His Highness is not, and Lord Fan is not either."

"This situation cannot be maintained for many days. Eventually, we will have to break the pretense." Wang Zhikun looked at him and reminded him, "His Majesty's decree is here. I don't want His Majesty to misunderstand that I am not handling things properly."

"No, there will definitely be an opportunity to stabilize the situation between Yanjing and Dongyi City." Mei Zhili looked at him and suddenly smiled slightly, saying, "Lord Fan spent so much effort on Tong'er, on your relationship with the First Prince, in order to seek a balance between the two sides. As for His Majesty's edict... I think he must have a way to end this matter."

"Although the edict is difficult to defy, this Commandant truly does not want to meet my Great Qing's children on the battlefield." Wang Zhikun's brow furrowed deeply, and after a long silence, he slowly said, "But I can't see any way to allow this Commandant to not violate the edict and withdraw from Niutou Mountain."

"Then it depends on Lord Fan's methods." Mei Zhili calmly extended a finger. "To maintain the status quo, we need a variable. We don't know what this variable is, but Lord Fan must know."

Wang Zhikun sighed, "I don't believe he can do this, but if he can really find this variable within five days, I'm afraid I will admire him as much as Tong'er does."

Two days later, a somber atmosphere pervaded inside and outside Yanjing City. Border troops gathered from various military camps in the city and set off eastward. After traveling for half a day, they joined up with the three thousand Yanjing Camp soldiers who had been sent out earlier and arrived at the foot of Niutou Mountain.

An official road passed through the foot of Niutou Mountain, crossed the edges of the golden and red autumn mountains, and extended towards the coast of the East Sea. Following this road, the army could directly reach Dongyi City.

A dark mass of troops gathered here, banners flying in the wind, cavalry covered in light armor, full of murderous intent. This army numbered more than ten thousand, and its momentum looked quite frightening.

However, this menacing Qing border army was blocked at Niutou Mountain and could not advance a single step, because at the entrance of the road at the foot of the mountain, there were three rows of cavalry in full black armor waiting in formation.

Only three rows, a total of about a hundred black riders, exuded a chilling, ominous aura. They blocked the center of the road, and on the gentle slopes of the mountains on both sides, there were two thicker black ink lines, which were also Black Riders.

In order to show his loyalty to His Majesty, Yanjing Grand Commandant Wang Zhikun made a heavy investment in this test, sending a full ten thousand border troops. Of course, the Grand Commandant himself would not lead the troops personally. The leader was one of his trusted generals, who had received a secret order.

The general looked at the black riders on the distant road, feeling a chill in his heart. The Qing military had long known about the Black Riders of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council and had long been jealous of them, because they possessed the best equipment and the best warhorses. The light armor on their bodies was all personally crafted by the three great workshops of the inner treasury, and their combat power was completely built with gold.

Within the military, there had always been a legend that the Black Riders were invincible if they numbered less than a thousand, and unconquerable if they numbered more than a thousand. This was because in the past few decades of cooperation, the Qing military generals had deeply known the power of these Black Riders. It was also because the Qing laws and edicts strictly limited the number of Black Riders to less than a thousand.

Of course, some military generals were not convinced. The elite of the Qing army was famous throughout the world. Whether it was the Dingzhou cavalry or the Longbow Camp of the Beida Camp, they were all famous. How could they be willing to let an affiliated cavalry of the Overwatch Council steal all the limelight?

However, in the rebellion in the capital three years ago, Fan Xian led five hundred Black Riders to sneak into the capital. In a bloody battle under Zhengyang Gate, the Black Riders were like killing gods from the underworld. In front of countless eyes, they forcibly crushed the rebel cavalry.

That was the elite of the Lao Qin family! Even Qin Heng was killed by the Black Riders! This ironclad fact made the Qing military truly understand the power of the Black Riders. No one dared to underestimate them anymore, and they even developed a certain indescribable fear in their hearts.

The Yanjing general narrowed his eyes, looked at the lone rider in front of the Black Riders, and clearly recognized the other party's identity from the silver mask: the leader of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, Silver Mask Jing Ge!

The Yanjing general's heart turned cold, because he knew that the Black Rider commander opposite him was the fierce general who had killed Qin Heng with a single spear.

After pondering for a moment, the Yanjing general led several personal soldiers and, with the sound of hooves, approached the Black Riders' defense line.

"Commander Jing." The Yanjing general ordered his subordinates to hand over the Privy Council's troop deployment order and said in a deep voice, "Please yield the way."

Jing Ge silently took the Privy Council's order, looked at it, and said, "This unit is only under the jurisdiction of the Overwatch Council. We have not received an order from the Council to this day, so... I'm sorry, I cannot comply."

The First Prince, leading ten thousand elite soldiers, was actually stationed in Song territory not far from Niutou Mountain, but in order to respond to the imperial court's inquiries, he could not personally lead the troops to block the way, so he had to hand over this task to the Black Riders.

The mask on Jing Ge's face shone with a cold silver light. He looked at the dense Yanjing army opposite him and said in a deep voice, "I am ordered to garrison Dongyi and strictly prohibit irrelevant people from entering. If anyone dares to enter without permission... they will be killed without mercy."

His words were very clear, very calm, but they carried an undeniable certainty.

Ordered to garrison Dongyi? Whose orders? Lord Fan's? But now Fan Xian was no longer the Director of the Overwatch Council. As for the claim that they only listened to the Overwatch Council's orders, it was even more of a joke. If Yan Bingyun really sent Overwatch Council officials to mobilize the troops, these Black Riders would probably cleanly kill the envoys with a single slash and burn the Council order into ashes.

Hearing these words, the Yanjing general felt a chill and anger in his heart. He said in a cold voice, "This is the imperial court's decree. Could it be that you are disobeying the imperial order?"

Jing Ge did not answer this question. After completing the conversation that should have been conducted, he reminded them, "Don't think about detouring into Dongyi. This unit doesn't want to climb over mountains and ridges to confiscate your weapons." After saying this, he led his horse back to the black riders, who were standing solemnly, and the iron spear hanging beside the saddle shone with a cold light.

The Yanjing general took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, and narrowed his eyes to observe the black cavalry at close range. After watching for a while, he had to admit that their equipment was far superior to his own. And judging by the weight of the equipment, he could also tell that the individual quality of these cavalry, and even the quality of the warhorses, were far superior to those of the Yanjing Grand Camp officers...

Although there were only a thousand people, it would be all but easy to break through with as little bloodshed as possible against these thousand gods of death.

……

……

The true confrontation between the Yanjing Grand Camp and the Black Riders entered the third day, which was also the fifth day that Grand Commandant Wang had calculated. Occasionally there were some small frictions between the two sides. The Yanjing side's desire to fight and anger had surged up, while the Black Riders, despite their small numbers, were still indifferent and unmoved, as if they were not ordinary people.

It was a time of great tension. Grand Commandant Wang also felt that he could not hold on any longer and had to teach these Black Riders a lesson. Because His Majesty's decree was here, he had already given Fan Xian and the First Prince enough time to react by waiting for five days. If the Yanjing side still maintained the stalemate and could not enter Dongyi, he was afraid that the Emperor in the capital would be extremely furious.

Just as Wang Zhikun was about to sign the military order to forcibly enter the Niutou Mountain line and launch an attack on the Black Riders, suddenly, a general with a solemn expression rushed into the Commandant's office with a war report in his hand.

Wang Zhikun narrowed his eyes and looked at the contents of the war report, feeling a chill in his heart. He did not expect that Fan Xian could actually cause a change in the north of Qing, and this change was something he could never have imagined!

He knew that his army could withdraw now, without violating His Majesty's decree or causing a civil war within his jurisdiction. This was originally an extremely wonderful thing, but for some reason, Wang Zhikun's eyes showed no peace, but were full of worry.

The military report came from the Beida Camp in Cangzhou. It clearly stated that Shang Shanhu, who had been recuperating in the Northern Qi capital, had suddenly returned to the border and led one hundred thousand brave soldiers to attack the southern line, pressing seventy li north of Cangzhou!

……

……

(Today is the last day of 2008. I had some feelings at first, but then I thought, I should save it and chat with everyone when Qing Yu Nian is finished next month. I just wish everyone a happy new year, a truly happy one. For those of you who still have monthly tickets, please vote. Don't waste them. It's the last month, and I want my face to be more radiant. I heard that monthly tickets are doubled tomorrow, I hesitate...)

(That's all for today, because I'm going to play cards with my parents. Happiness! Hehe, thank you all.)