Dongyi Kingdom! Cheng Yuanzhi gritted his teeth, determined to annihilate the Dongyi Kingdom, but when he thought about his ghastly state after boarding the ship, he feared that the Bai family soldiers might fare little better after boarding. They might collapse at sea before reaching Dongyi Kingdom.
By this time, Cheng Yuanzhi already understood the hardships faced by the naval soldiers.
After being despondent for quite some time, Cheng Yuanzhi heard that the scoundrels from Dongyi Kingdom had brought the corpse of Hancheng King back to Dongyi Kingdom and had brazenly claimed that only the Emperor of Zhou could retrieve it. Cheng Yuanzhi was furious and wanted to pick up weapons and fight Dongyi Kingdom immediately, but was restrained by Cai Ziyuan.
The naval soldiers were equally gloomy, with many clamoring that even if it meant death, they should recover the corpse of Hancheng King by launching an attack, but were stopped by Cai Ziyuan who said that swift horses had already been dispatched with the coastal battle report to Dadu City. If Dongyi Kingdom did not attack, they must hold their ground for now.
Otherwise, as Dongyi Kingdom was on guard and deliberately provoking them with Hancheng Kingâs corpse, it was a trap to force their navy into action. Falling into that would mean falling for their scheme!
If one truly wanted to recover Hancheng King, first they must hold their ground: one, to await the Emperorâs orders; two, to lull Dongyi Kingdom into thinking that the Zhou Dynastyâs navy had cowered, unwilling to reclaim their commanderâs corpse. When they lower their guard, thatâs the time to strike.
Furthermore, the distinguished Zhou official Liu Rushi is still in Dongyi Kingdom. Whether it be the Emperor or us Zhou soldiers, we would never leave a devoted court official in a foreign land! Nor would we leave the sacrificial Hancheng King in a foreign land!
The naval soldiers, knowing Cai Ziyuan was the strategist of the Bai family army, agreed that his reasoning made sense, thus they calmed down.
The coastal inhabitants and naval soldiers were heartbroken and terrified, especially those escorted back.
Some naive people among the civilians, nearly a month after Hancheng Kingâs martyrdom, only heard Dongyi Kingdomâs demand that the Emperor of Zhou must retrieve Hancheng Kingâs corpse. They even wanted to petition collectively, asking the Emperor to recover the corpse that protected them.
In a tavern, someone said, "After all, the Emperor of Zhou is quite a good emperor. When the new policy was first implemented, we commoners didnât understand it, but later, we found its benefits. So, if we write a petition, maybe the Emperor will consider public sentiment and demand Hancheng Kingâs body from Dongyi Kingdom!"
Yet these words were harshly criticized by local scholars. Emboldened by drink, they said, "How could a dignified emperor, for the corpse of a foreign-named Prince who surrendered to Zhou, lower himself to come to the coast? Even for the Emperorâs own brotherâs corpse, there would only be a slim chance heâd lead troops to Dongyi Kingdom for it!"
Some said, "If the Emperor does not come to the coast, then fight! At worst, weâll seize Hancheng Kingâs corpse back! Small Dongyi Kingdom, back then was merely a vassal state of Daliang; even if the Emperor wonât come, he can command the navy to attack Dongyi Kingdom and retrieve Hancheng Kingâs body!"
"Thatâs right! Small Dongyi Kingdom, fight it! Donât fear they wonât hand over Hancheng Kingâs remains! When Daliang was not as prosperous as Zhou now, they still beat Dongyi into submission!"
The scholars laughed even louder: "Currently, the Emperor of Zhou is gambling his nation against the Emperor of Yan. What is gambling a nation... if lost, one must bow to the other as a vassal! At such a time, starting a war is asking for defeat! That high-and-mighty Emperor... would never sacrifice the glorious realm for the corpse of a foreign-named Prince and willingly bow to that young Emperor of Yan!"
"Moreover, you must know that Zhou was originally landlocked, without a navy. What does this mean? It means the current navy is what remains from Daliang times. It was heard that during the funds distribution to the navy, the Zhou Imperial Court created difficulties, and later that Prince Auxiliary scattered many naval soldiers in Hancheng and yet didnât quickly re-enlist them, aiming to weaken the persistently loyal Daliang naval forces and rebuild new forces loyal to Zhou!" The middle-aged man sharing the table with scholars sighed, "This, in theory, is a common method after one nation takes over anotherâs army, to stabilize its regime, ensuring the grain and pay from the court wonât be used by the navy as a rebel resource, which is entirely reasonable!"
"Sadly, Zhou hasnât had the chance to completely rebuild its navy forces yet when Dongyi Kingdom began frequent provocations!" The middle-aged man took a sip of wine and continued, "So think about it... Is the current navy as formidable as the past Daliang navy? Would Dongyi Kingdom still be afraid?"
"This doesnât work, nor does that!" A butcher who came to the tavern nearly burst into tears, "Back then, Hancheng King surrendered to Zhouâs Gaoyi Prince, bearing much infamy to ensure us commoners wouldnât suffer in war! Isnât it so, that Hancheng King died protecting us civilians! After death, he cannot return to homeland? If the Emperor of Zhou truly cruel-heartedly ignores Hancheng King, then Iâll... Iâll hire a boat to Dongyi Kingdom and retrieve Hancheng King myself!"
Everyone remained silent, for the people understood that the scholar spoke truth â an emperor... how could he fight a war, risking losing the gamble, which would not only obliterate Zhou but also mark the Emperor in history as one who gambles his nation away?
An emperor wouldnât risk himself to retrieve an outsider Princeâs corpse by entering the constantly war-threatened coastal region.
The scholar saw the people silent and slowly raised his wine cup, "Itâs been nearly a month since Hancheng King fell in battle. If the days are counted... the battle report delivered to Dadu City, commands returned by horse without pause, then in six or seven days, weâll know... whether the Emperor will fight that small Dongyi over Hancheng Kingâs body!"
Suddenly, in the previously somber tavern, a squad of government officers with swords entered, causing the crowd to remain silent as they turned to look at the sudden arrival at the tavern entrance.
The shopkeeper, busy with accounts, was startled, quickly grabbing a few silver notes from the drawer, lifting the hem of his robe, and hustling out from behind the counter. Bowing and smiling, he greeted them, "Oh, esteemed officers, youâve had a tough day!"