xymnovel Chapter 166 Ma Xiang Becomes Emperor
Chapter 166 Ma Xiang Becomes Emperor
Chapter 166 Ma Xiang Becomes Emperor
February 20th, Chengdu, Dacheng Hall.
It had rained for three days, and the bluestone pavement in front of the palace was covered with muddy water, with a few rotten vegetable leaves floating on it. The red silk hanging from the eaves was wet from the rain, its color darkened, like dried blood. The palace door was ajar, and dozens of lamps were lit inside, but the light was still dim and yellowish. The paper windows were torn, and the wind blew in, making the lamp flames flicker wildly.
Ma Xiang sat in the main seat.
He was still wearing the same ceremonial robes of a prince, but now he wore a yellow silk cloak, the hem of which trailed on the ground, stained with mud. On his head was a newly made crown, actually woven from bamboo strips, with several strings of seashells hanging from it, jingling as he moved. He stood ramrod straight, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused, avoiding looking down.
The area below was packed with people.
On the left are the military officers led by Wang Rao, all clad in armor and carrying swords, but their armor is incomplete, consisting of leather armor, iron armor, and even stolen uniforms worn by county soldiers. On the right are the civil officials led by Zhao Zhi, dressed in deep robes and hats, but the fabric is coarse and the stitching is crooked, clearly indicating that they were hastily made.
The hall was buzzing with activity, like a marketplace.
Wang Rao was boasting to a general beside him, "When I conquered Luo County, I killed seventeen of them, one by one! My face was splattered with blood!"
The general grinned: "Brother Wang is mighty! I also killed eight when I attacked the west gate..."
"
Zhao Zhi watched coldly without saying a word.
A minor official behind him whispered, "Prime Minister, it's almost time."
Zhao Zhi nodded, stepped forward, and cleared his throat.
The sound wasn't loud, but the hall gradually quieted down.
"The auspicious hour has arrived—" he drawled, "to conduct the coronation ceremony."
Actually, there wasn't much of a ceremony.
There were no officials in charge of ceremonies, no musicians, no entourage. Zhao Zhi pulled a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve, unfolded it, and began to read. He was reciting a prayer he had composed himself, written in a refined and scholarly style, interspersed with a few lines from the *Taiping Jing* (Scripture of Great Peace). When he reached the line "The Yellow Heaven shall rise, and a new ruler shall descend to earth," a military officer shouted, "Good!"
Laughter.
Zhao Zhi's face twitched, but he continued reading.
After reading it aloud, he turned around and bowed to Prime Minister Ma: "Your Majesty... please accept the imperial seal."
The seal was carved on the spot. The wood was hollowed out and a piece of jade was inlaid. The jade was taken from Xi Jian's private treasury. It was originally a piece of jade stone, which was polished and then carved with the six characters "Seal of the Great Cheng Emperor" in a square shape.
Zhao Zhi held the imperial seal in both hands, walked to Ma Xiang, and knelt down.
Ma Xiang reached out and took it.
Wood is heavy, jade is cool.
He held it in his hand and felt his palms sweating.
"Long live Your Majesty!" Zhao Zhi shouted, leading the way.
"Long live! Long live!"
The voices were mixed; some were shouting, some were laughing, and some were joining in the commotion.
Ma Xiang stood up.
The seashells on the crown jingled, and he adjusted them; they were slightly crooked.
"I..." he began, his voice hoarse, "Today I ascend the throne, the nation is named Dacheng, the reign title... Huangxing."
The roughnecks didn't know what Huang Xing meant, but no one asked.
"The rewards are as follows." Prime Minister Ma picked up the scroll of names from the table, unfolded it, and read aloud, "Wang Rao, appointed Grand General, commanding all the armies of the realm. Zhao Zhi, appointed Prime Minister, overseeing all government affairs. Wu Si, appointed Commandant of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the imperial guards..."
The list is very long.
As he read on, he couldn't even match some of the names to his own; they were relatives and fellow villagers that Wang Rao had stuffed in, as well as local ruffians who had taken advantage of the chaos to join him. The official titles bestowed upon them grew increasingly grand: General of Chariots and Cavalry, General of the Flying Cavalry, General of the Vanguard, General of the Rear... There were also a bunch of provincial governors and prefectural governors, though their actual territories were quite small.
After the reading was completed, a chorus of thanks resounded throughout the hall.
Wang Rao, with the loudest voice, said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! I swear to serve you to the death!"
Zhao Zhi simply bowed and remained silent.
Ma Xiang sat back down and felt uncomfortable in the chair.
He looked out of the hall.
The rain was still falling, and everything was shrouded in a gray haze, making it difficult to see the distant streets. But one could vaguely hear crying, cursing, and sporadic sounds of fighting, as the Dacheng government troops were maintaining order.
He suddenly remembered the yellow flag sewn by a woman in the dilapidated temple in Mianzhu.
At that time, the flag was clean.
What now?
He looked down at the wooden seal in his hand.
The wood grain is smooth, and the jade is inlaid crookedly, like a mocking mouth.
On the same day, in Hanzhong and Nanzheng.
It had been raining for several days, but the military camp remained orderly.
Rain shelters were erected on the drill ground, and soldiers drilled under them. Spear formations, sword and shield formations, bows and crossbows—one after another, the shouts deafening, drowning out the sound of the rain. Steam rose from the kitchen, large pots of millet rice were cooking, and meat was sliced into stews, the aroma wafting out, mingled with the earthy smell of rain.
Inside the central command tent, Liu Bei was examining a sand table.
The sand table was newly made; the terrain of Yizhou, its mountains, rivers, passes, and cities were all sculpted from clay and adorned with small flags. The red area represented the region controlled by Ma Xiang: Mianzhu, Fuxian, and Chengdu, connected by a crooked line.
The blue areas represent the cities still defended by government troops: Jiangzhou, Langzhong, and Jiameng Pass.
He looked at Zhang Fei: "Yide, where have the supplies been transported to?"
Zhang Fei wiped the rain from his face. He had just returned from the Micang Road crossing: "The first batch of 30,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) has arrived at the post station in the middle of the Micang Road. The second batch of 50,000 shi will be transported tomorrow. That's enough to feed an army of 10,000 for three months."
"Alright." Liu Bei then looked at Jian Yong: "Has the memorial been sent?"
"It's been sent," Jian Yong said. "It was an urgent dispatch, delivered from the city last night. A secret letter was also sent to Lu Shi and Zhang Rang at the same time."
"Is Zhang Rang's gift... generous enough?"
"Five hundred gold ingots, one hundred bolts of Shu brocade, plus a pair of jade discs." Jian Yong paused, "Zhang Rang is greedy; these are enough to tempt him."
Liu Bei nodded.
He walked to the tent entrance and lifted the curtain.
Raindrops drifted in at an angle, hitting his face; they felt cool.
In the distance, the recruit camp was in the middle of training. Three thousand newly recruited refugees, dressed in uniform brown uniforms, stood in formation in the rain. The instructors' shouts pierced the rain: "Straighten your backs! Legs together! Grip your spears tightly!"
These new recruits included those who had fled famine from Guanzhong and those who had escaped chaos from Yizhou; they were all unfortunate people who could not survive. Liu Bei gave them food and clothing, and taught them how to kill, so that they could kill even more people in the future.
Chaotic times.
He lowered the curtain and turned around.
"Yun Chang, go to the recruit camp and keep an eye on them. I need them to be ready for battle within a month."
"Yes."
"Yide, reinforce the plank road on the Micang Road again. Especially the dangerous sections, make sure it can accommodate supply wagons."
"clear!"
"Xianhe, continue to monitor the court's movements. Report to me immediately once the imperial edict arrives."
"Yes."
The group accepted the order and withdrew.
Only Liu Bei and Xun Cai remained in the tent.
Xun Cai was organizing documents at her desk; her pregnant belly was already showing, and she was having some difficulty sitting. Liu Bei went over and helped her up.
"Take a break."
"I'm not tired." Xun Cai smiled, placing her hand on her abdomen. "I haven't had morning sickness for the past few days, and my appetite has returned."
Liu Bei placed his hand on it, as if he could feel a slight movement.
He smiled.
"He's a boy, he knows how to care for his mother."
"How did my husband know it was a boy?"
"intuition."
After a moment of silence, Xun Cai asked softly, "Husband, how confident are we in our journey to Yizhou?"
Liu Bei did not answer immediately.
He walked up to the sand table and looked at the red area.
"General Ma, this rabble is doomed to defeat. But before they fall, they will launch a counterattack. We have 10,000 against 25,000, a numerical disadvantage. But we have well-trained soldiers, ample supplies, and the support of the people." He paused, "I'd say nine out of ten."