Chen Du "whooshed" up with a nod and a bow, "This humble official acknowledges the guilt and begs Lord Yang for mercy... "
Yang Ge moderated his tone, "You’re not too bad, although you’ve done plenty of dirty deeds in the past, but when push came to shove, you didn’t run away. Plus... My Regional Commandant has repeatedly sent personal letters south to plead on your behalf, which is why I agreed to meet you today."
Upon hearing this, Chen Du gasped for air like a drowning man surfacing, and gratefully clasped his hands towards the northwest, "Shen... Lord Shen, this humble official will forever remember your kindness and dare not forget!"
’Shen?’
Yang Ge sized him up suspiciously, suddenly asking, "Do you know my Regional Commandant from before?"
Chen Du hesitated for a moment and said reluctantly in a low voice, "This humble official wouldn’t dare deceive Lord Yang, I was born into ’Huaiyang the Chen Family,’ and I’ve known Lord Shen since childhood..."
Yang Ge:...
Well, well, did he just trick his way into becoming a little noble?
"No wonder..."
Keeping his expression tense, he continued, "Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. Think about all the underhanded things you’ve done and hurry up and make amends. Pay back what you owe, surrender what you must, and clear the boundaries... Don’t envy those civil officials who fled early. Those who are meant to die will die no matter where they run!"
Chen Du wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his face showing his difficulty.
Yang Ge’s face turned stern, his voice growing colder, "What, you’re unwilling?"
Chen Du hurriedly gestured with his hands, "This humble official wouldn’t dare, but the corruption within the Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office isn’t something that has accumulated during my term alone; if I were to rectify it, relying solely on my own power would hardly make a difference."
Yang Ge fell silent, and after a long time, he softly said, "Do what you can do, if you act, you live; if you don’t, you die. Surely you aren’t thinking about dying together with them, are you?"
Chen Du frantically waved his hands, "This humble official certainly wouldn’t dare waste your lordship’s kindness!"
Yang Ge nodded, "Then I’ll be waiting to see your performance... "
After a pause, he added, "Another matter, you’re aware of the pirate problems along the coast, right?"
Chen Du hesitated a bit, and stammered in reply, "This humble official has... has heard something."
Yang Ge slapped his hand on the armrest of his chair, "Louder, I can’t hear you!"
Chen Du had no choice but to loudly respond, "Replying to your lordship, this humble official is aware."
"Since you are aware..."
Yang Ge let out a sigh, and said indifferently, "Then marshal the troops. The invading pirates number twenty thousand. You should first dispatch two regiments of soldiers to meet the enemy."
"This..."
Chen Du’s face showed distress, "May I ask if there is any Imperial decree or military command from the Left Army’s supreme command?"
Yang Ge furrowed his brow deeply, asking sternly, "What? Without an Imperial decree or a command from the Left Army’s supreme command, you all intend to sit back and let the coast rot and poison the lands for thousands of miles?"
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Chen Du carefully replied, "It’s not that this humble official is shirking responsibility. Handling the pirates is the responsibility of the three Ninghai regimes, unless the pirates land and start harming the coastal populations, this humble official has no authority to mobilize the regiments to fight against the pirates."
Yang Ge, "Are you suggesting that Yang Erlang is fabricating military intelligence?"
Chen Du, "This official wouldn’t dare; it is really because regulations are thus. There is neither Imperial decree nor clear enemy situation, and truly, this humble official has no authority to mobilize the regiments of Jiangzhe. Even if this official risked his life to issue such orders, the regiments would not recognize this humble official’s commands."
Yang Ge threw up his hands, "So what do you suggest we do? Just sit and watch the pirates harm the coastal people? It’s certain that the Ninghai regiments won’t oppose the pirates. Once the pirates have poisoned the coast for thousands of miles, I can’t say what King Ning will do, but you, as the Jiangzhe Regional Commandant, would certainly have to pack your bags... I’m right here; you can’t possibly say you, Chen Du, weren’t aware of it beforehand, can you?"
If no one broke this matter, later on Chen Du really could deny and deflect it thoroughly.
"This..."
Chen Du began wiping sweat again, unable to stop the cold sweat, and after struggling mentally for a long while, he suddenly remembered something and repeatedly gestured with his hands, "Please, my lord, save me, save Huaiyang the Chen Family!"
Yang Ge replied indifferently, "I have shown you the way, but you refuse to take it, what more can I do."
Chen Du pleaded in a mournful voice, "It is not that the official is unwilling to fulfill his duty, but the regulations are such, and the official is powerless!"
Yang Ge, his face showing deep contemplation, sighed heavily after a long while and said, "Since you indeed cannot mobilize the troops... then do this, move all the red cannons from your Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office’s armory to me, I will organize some manpower to control the situation, and when the raiders land, then you call the troops to encircle and suppress them, this should comply with the regulations, right?"
"What? Red cannons?"
Chen Du was shocked, looking helpless as he stared at Yang Ge.
Seeing this, Yang Ge got up to leave, "Then just wait for your death!"
Chen Du hastily grabbed his sleeve, "My lord, let’s talk things over, everything can be negotiated!"
Yang Ge shook off his grasp, his expression unyielding as he shouted, "Afraid of the wolf before and the tiger behind, still talk about what! Just eat whatever you want to eat, drink whatever you want to drink, I guarantee when the time comes I’ll only behead you alone, not implicate your Huaiyang the Chen Family!"
Chen Du: "Please, Lord Yang, let’s talk this over, let’s really talk this over!"
Yang Ge: "What does it have to do with me, if the raiders really land and poison the lands for miles, I, being merely an ineffective officer from the Imperial Guard, will not be the one dying, why should I wade into this murky water with you... Gu Tong, prepare the horses to return to the capital!"
Outside, Gu Tong responded loudly, "Yes!"
Seeing the situation, Chen Du hurriedly spoke straightforwardly and loudly, "My lord, I will immediately order the armory to be opened and all the red cannons to be moved to you!"
Yang Ge’s steps slowed as he left, showing hesitation, "This... forget it, with my clean reputation, I really don’t need to wade into these troubling waters with you folks who chop heads, you’d better discuss this matter with the King of Ning, I assure you when I return to the capital I will report only the facts, nothing more!"
Chen Du: "Please, my lord... I will add two thousand more recruits for you!"
Yang Ge looked down at him, "Didn’t you say you couldn’t mobilize anyone from Jiangzhe?"
Chen Du faltered, stammering out, "Recruiting doesn’t fall under the purview of the Military Commission..."
Yang Ge paced back and forth in front of the door, finally gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, "Alright then, I will take the risk and go through fire and water again... How many red cannons does your Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office’s armory have?"
Chen Du hurriedly got up and under Yang Ge’s puzzled gaze, ran out of the office, later dragging in a small officer clad in green robes, pointing at him to Yang Ge, "My lord, this man is in charge of the gunpowder depot of the armory, he is more familiar with the matters related to the armory than I am."
Yang Ge looked incredulously at the man, "You don’t even know how many cannons your Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office has?"
Chen Du laughed awkwardly, "This... haha..."
Yang Ge’s fists clenched, pointing upstairs, "Go, write the order, if I don’t see the two thousand recruits you mentioned before nightfall, I’ll return to the capital overnight!"
Chen Du laughed sheepishly as he gestured with his hands and scurried upstairs to write the orders.
Yang Ge then turned to the small officer in green robes, his face dark as he asked, "Your Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office, how many red cannons and how many cannonballs do you have?"
Under Yang Ge’s fierce gaze, the small officer in green robes trembled as he responded, "Reply, reply, Lord Yang, our Jiangzhe Regional Commandant Office’s armory currently has seventy-eight red cannons, and two thousand two hundred and some cannonballs."
Yang Ge furrowed his brow, "Why are you trembling?"
The small officer in green robes, sweating profusely, "Reply, reply Lord Yang, our Wei has been at peace for long... the red cannons in the armory have not been tested for four years, and their maintenance has been... somewhat improper, nearly half of them have rusted, and the cannonballs have also absorbed some moisture..."
"Chen Du!"
Yang Ge, furious, drew his cold moon blade three inches from its sheath, wishing he could cleave the scoundrel upstairs in two.
Chen Du, his spirit shaken, holding a brush with an innocuous smile, whispered, "My lord, what do you need from this official?"