freenovelworld Chapter 852: In the court, divide the country by the river?
Chapter 852: In the court, divide the country by the river?
The war in the north has just ended and we urgently need to rest and recuperate.
At this time, the imperial capital was immersed in an atmosphere of constant panic.
The sweltering summer heat, mixed with the panic in the court, made it hard to breathe.
It was even hotter inside the Xuan Zheng Hall, where many ice jars were placed.
The emperor, sitting upright on the dragon throne, felt a chill on his back.
After King Zhou ascended the throne, his civil officials chose the reign title Wenchu for him, and he became Emperor Wenchu.
"Wen" emphasizes that the country will be governed by culture, education and etiquette, and "Chu" represents the beginning of a new era.
This era name is very interesting.
It emphasizes the legitimacy of Li Ming's succession to the throne, and also implies that before Li Ming's succession to the throne, the entire Daqing was military-oriented, and only after Li Ming's succession to the throne did it begin to implement civil governance.
This not only suppressed Li Che, but also belittled Emperor Qing in both open and covert ways.
Of course, no matter how bold the officials of the aristocratic families were, they would not dare to change the temple name of Emperor Qing. He was still Emperor Taizu Qing.
Emperor Wenchu tried to keep a straight face as much as possible to maintain the dignity of the emperor, but his slightly wandering eyes betrayed his inner weakness.
Under the main hall, Zhai Yan had just fled back from the north in a panic.
He originally wanted to go to Zheng Mao for help, but Zheng Mao suffered a more miserable defeat than he did, so he could only return to the imperial capital with his remaining troops to report.
However, Zheng Mao was defeated and not a single soldier was left.
At this moment, he was kneeling on the ground, his face full of dejection.
Civil and military officials, led by the Left Prime Minister Du Fuchen and the Right Prime Minister Qin Huizhi, stood on both sides, all with solemn expressions and flickering eyes as they looked at the two people in the hall.
Du Fuchen, holding a jade tablet, reported the latest battle situation to Emperor Wenchu: "Your Majesty, Dingtao has fallen, the entire Yanzhou has fallen, and the rebel army has headed straight for the Central Plains."
"Thanks to the bloody battles fought by Generals Zhai and Zheng, we were able to escape and report back..."
Before he finished speaking, an official from the Censorate jumped out impatiently, pointing at Zhai Yan and shouting:
"Your Majesty! Zhai Yan lost his army and territory, and his 100,000-man army was scattered, resulting in the complete loss of the northern defenses. His crimes are unforgivable! Your Majesty, please punish him severely and uphold the law!"
Someone took the lead, and several other officials from aristocratic families also stepped forward to echo:
"Exactly! Zhai Yan was a great general, but he suffered a complete defeat. How can he stand before the court?"
"If he hadn't underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, how could he have been defeated at Dingtao?"
"Wang Sanchun is just a bandit, and he can't even defeat this. How can he have the nerve to return to the imperial capital?"
Almost all the ministers directed their criticism at Zhai Yan, but few mentioned the real commander Zheng Mao.
Zhai Yan raised his head, his eyes were red and veins bulged on his forehead.
He had fought for half his life, had he ever suffered such humiliation?
When these aristocratic families begged him to come to Beijing, they were so humble and even promised him huge profits and generous rewards.
Now that we've just been defeated, are you putting all the blame on him alone?
Zheng Maocai was obviously the head coach, but he lost even more miserably!
"Bullshit!" Zhai Yan roared, frightening several civil servants. "If you hadn't begged me so hard and promised me high positions and generous salaries, I wouldn't have done such a big thing!"
"Now that the war is going badly, you want to get rid of the donkey after it's done working?"
"If it weren't for Zhai Yan and the Southern Army soldiers, it's hard to say whether you would be able to stand safely in this Golden Palace today!"
He glared at the officials who accused him: "The defeat in Yanzhou was due to the enemy's superior strength and firearms!"
"Zheng Mao was a marshal, commanding an army of 100,000, yet he was attacked by the enemy at night, his center being routed. Is he innocent?"
When Zheng Mao heard his name being called, he shuddered.
He buried his head even lower, not daring to fart.
Emperor Wenchu, sitting on the dragon throne, saw the tension in the hall and feared they would start a quarrel, so he quickly spoke to smooth things over: "General Zhai, calm down. You are my right-hand man. In times of national crisis, I still need your help."
Zhai Yan heard the emperor's words, but he didn't care and continued to glare at the court officials from the aristocratic families.
Seeing that Zhai Yan was not giving him face, Emperor Wenchu could only ask Du Fuchen awkwardly: "Prime Minister Du, the situation is critical now. What can we do?"
Du Fuchen looked as if he was sharing the emperor's worries, as if he was sadder than anyone else because the Qing army was defeated.
He first bowed to Emperor Wenchu, then turned to Zhai Yan and asked sincerely, "General Zhai, in your opinion, how should we deal with the rebellion?"
Du Fuchen kept calling the enemy a traitor, and it was effortless for him to say so.
You know, even most of the ministers in the court still called Li Che Feng Wang.
After all, you always have to leave yourself a way out. The Fengtian Army is so good at fighting, what if they really break into the imperial capital?
Zhai Yan snorted coldly, suppressing his anger. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty! The only solution now is to gather the nation's elite troops and march north again."
"Recovering lost territory is already a difficult task, but if we can take advantage of the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, we might be able to stop the Fengtian Army in the north of the river and preserve half of the south of the Yangtze River!"
"It's just..." He paused, his eyes sweeping over the officials from the noble families, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "This time, we must not leave the army to those who only know how to talk on paper?!"
"Your Majesty, please place all the Imperial Guards of the Capital, the Southern Army, and the troops transferred from the southwest under my command!"
"Even if I die, I will defend the Yangtze River for Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenchu showed a look of struggle on his face.
Handing over the remaining troops, especially the troops guarding the capital, to Zhai Yan, an outsider, is tantamount to entrusting his life and property to him.
Moreover, wouldn't it lead to the division of the country if we stay in the south of the Yangtze River?
This is a huge gap from the emperor he imagined unifying the world.
Du Fuchen's eyes flashed, and he immediately seized upon Emperor Wenchu's hesitation and said loudly, "Your Majesty! General Zhai is brave, but his words are too pessimistic. Being timid before the battle is not what a commander should do."
"If General Zhai is not sure of victory, I believe that changing commanders mid-battle is a major military taboo. Although General Zheng Mao has suffered a minor setback, he is familiar with the situation in the north and may be able to redeem himself for meritorious service!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many officials immediately jumped out to support Zheng Mao. After all, Zheng Mao was one of them.
Seeing that another quarrel was about to break out, Qin Huizhi, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly coughed lightly, stepped out and bowed.
His movement immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Qin Huizhi's face remained calm as he slowly bowed to Emperor Wenchu: "Your Majesty, all the nobles want to fight, but if we cannot win, what can we do?"
Emperor Wenchu seemed to have grasped at a lifeline: "What do you think, Prime Minister Qin?"
Qin Huizhi said calmly, "Your Majesty, since our army cannot recover the lost territory at the moment, why must we continue the war?"
His words were so shocking that the whole hall fell silent. Even Zhai Yan frowned and looked at him.
Qin Huizhi continued calmly, "Although the Fengtian Army is strong, its territory is vast. It defends the grasslands in the north and Japan and Korea in the east. It also has overseas routes that need to be maintained, so its forces are actually dispersed."
"I observe that after Li Che conquered the northern states, he held his troops in place. This is precisely because his forces were stretched thin and needed time to consolidate."
He looked up at Emperor Wenchu, a sly glint in his eyes: "Your Majesty and Prince Feng are both sons of the late emperor, from the same lineage."
"Why not send an eloquent and eloquent person north to negotiate with Li Che? We can agree to divide the country into north and south with the Yangtze River as the boundary, and both sides will respect the legitimate rule of Daqing."