fifth form

Chapter 3311 Subduing People by Force
"Your Majesty, weapons are instruments of violence, and contention is against morality!"

The holiday break for the Lunar New Year was not yet fully over, and the main hall of Weiyang Palace was already filled with officials.

The new emperor sat on the high throne in the main hall, indicating to his ministers that they could speak freely, and that any method could be tried as long as it could resolve the war.

However, the new emperor never expected to encounter such an unlucky fellow at the very beginning of his exploration.

The court was constantly changing, with some Confucian scholars beginning to take up positions and creating new faces.

The person who spoke was Di Shan, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. He had served as a minor official on the frontier and later worked as a clerk in the Taizhong Dafu's office. He was cautious and conscientious in his work and was promoted step by step until he finally became a Doctor of the Imperial Academy.

“The benevolent rulers of ancient times stopped wars rather than declared them. The only result of war is the devastation of lives and the flow of blood. In the end, everything is a losing proposition,” Di Shan said, bowing.

"Oh, does Minister Di have a way to stop the war?" the new emperor asked.

“The Xiong Kingdom has been attacking Shanggu County for thousands of miles, all for the sake of money and food. These material things can be obtained through labor, so we should just give them some,” Di Shan said. “Once their army retreats, we can build higher walls to block their next attack on the city!”

"I see!"

The new emperor nodded and looked down again.

"What is the Prime Minister's opinion?" the new emperor asked.

"Wherever Your Majesty's sword points, this old minister will follow and charge there!"

Tian Fen, sitting in the main hall, was filled with fervor. As a patient, Tian Fen had a perfect way of avoiding battle. His words would always follow the new emperor's wishes without any hesitation.

"What is Imperial Censor Han's opinion?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed shameful that Shanggu County was attacked, but the Xiong people have to pay a heavy price to strike at Shanggu County." Han Anguo pursed his lips and said, "They will retreat sooner or later after looting. We can reclaim our old territory and re-establish our base. As long as we hold our ground, we can achieve a trade of many for few. In a long struggle, we will surely win!"

"Speak freely, gentlemen!"

The new emperor nodded and then waved to the others in the Golden Palace.

Wei Qing and the others, clad in armor and wielding swords, had their mouths slightly open, but it was clear that none of them were skilled at verbal sparring in the imperial court.

If we're talking about logic, the arguments presented by many people in the court are difficult to refute, and Wei Qing and others can't produce any actual combat results to refute them, so everything has become a dilemma.

"It's a pity Dongfang Shuo isn't here; he's quite the talker!"

The new emperor cultivated all sorts of people around him, but there really weren't any who were good at empty talk. After all, empty talk isn't a good skill, but sometimes such a person is needed in the court so that the real issues can be introduced.

"Zhang Tang, the magistrate of Maoling, requests a word!"

When the sound came from the back of the hall, the new emperor looked over and saw a minor official holding a token, asking to speak.

The new emperor remembered Zhang Tang, who was a clerk in Tian Fen's residence. Zhang Tang was very capable in administration and filled the vacancy left by Zhang Xuezhou and others at Maoling.

"Minister Zhang, please speak freely," the new emperor nodded.

“Your Majesty, this scholar Di Shan is nothing but an ignorant and unreasonable Confucian scholar. He recites ancient texts by rote, unaware that the world changes with the times. We need to face problems according to reality,” Zhang Tang said. “The Han Dynasty and the Xiong Kingdom have been entangled for a hundred years, compromising time and time again, but none of these compromises have brought true peace. Instead, countless people have died. I can’t help but wonder if the late emperor failed to meet the standards of a benevolent ruler, or if this scholar thinks he has a higher standard and can perfectly stop the war!”

"Oh?"

The new emperor moved his body, feeling that his newly recruited ministers had finally come up with a sharp-tongued character.

Zhang Tang dared not confront the Imperial Censor Han Anguo, but instead chose to target the weakest official, the Doctor Di Shan, thus also involving previous emperors.

Throughout history, emperors primarily pursued peace talks, and even engaged in marriage alliances, maintaining a balance between nations as described by Di Shan. However, no single ruler truly resolved the issue.

Di Shan either had to admit that the previous emperors were incompetent, thus committing a grave offense of disrespect, or he needed to personally verify the standards for ending the war.

With just a few simple words, Zhang Tang not only refuted Di Shan, but also dragged him into the mess.

“Zhang Tang, the magistrate of Maoling, you only look at the current results, not at how many innocent lives were saved by the previous emperors’ efforts to stop the war. Your sophistry is simply absurd,” Di Shan said angrily, stepping forward again. “Ancient books, no matter how old, contain the principles of wise rulers. These are principles that have been followed for thousands of years. How come they have gone wrong in our generation? On the contrary, I heard that you, Zhang Tang, have been serving in Maoling. You have fabricated charges and framed people, coercing thousands of people to move to Maoling. Your atrocities will be punished sooner or later. Moreover, you have amassed a large amount of wealth in the process. Such corrupt behavior must be punished.”

"How dare you speak like that, Doctor? Those people from Maolingyi were fighting in the capital. They are all criminals. We are giving them a chance to reform, which is almost like giving them a second chance. How come you call it coercion?" Zhu Fuyan had been hiding in the back row, letting these court officials argue as they pleased. He never expected that he would be involved.

Zhang Tang's conviction was very standard, and every charge was verifiable. He was a good candidate for the job. Zhu Fuyan cooperated with him very well. He did things smoothly and was extremely efficient. He did indeed make a fortune from it.

It's fine not to talk about this kind of thing, but if someone is watching you and you bring it up, it will definitely get investigated.

"The true supervisor of Maoling is Lord Dongfang Shuo. We have indeed spent a lot of money on the construction of Maoling, but since the supervisor has not returned, this money has been held in Maoling, awaiting verification with Lord Dongfang in the future." Zhu Fuyan said with a bleeding heart, "You pedantic scholar, you believe everything you hear, you spout nonsense and cannot distinguish right from wrong. You speak the truth, but none of your truths can be verified in practice!"

“That’s right. If you have real skills, then show them, instead of spouting nonsense in court,” Zhang Tang said solemnly.

“You…you all, His Majesty has allowed us to speak freely, and we are following the ancient ways, but that doesn’t mean we…”

"Minister Di, if I were to put you in charge of a prefecture, could you prevent the Xiong Kingdom from invading this prefecture by following the laws of pacification?"

Di Shan was about to argue when the new emperor in the high hall spoke up with a question.

His eyes darted around for a moment, then he shook his head vigorously.

"I cannot!"

"What about a single county?"

"cannot!"

"What about a fortress?"

"minister……"

"Ok?"

The new emperor snorted, and Wei Qing, standing in the middle of the court, immediately drew his sword.

The cold light shone on Di Shan's face, making the doctoral officer's face turn pale.

"Not just one prefecture, not just one county, not just one fortress, then how exactly do you intend to use your method of stopping war?" The new emperor rose angrily and said, "How can I emulate the benevolent rulers of ancient times?"

"Your Majesty, if we cannot subdue people with virtue, we may be able to subdue them with force. I request permission to fight our way out of Yanmen Pass, and I will not return until we are victorious!"

Wei Qing spoke in a formulaic manner, uttering what he wanted to say.

His words drew sidelong glances from some, while others scoffed, feeling that the young man was too reckless and unaware of his own limitations.

"Urgent report from 800 li away!"

The court was in an uproar. Di Shan was being reprimanded by the new emperor and reluctantly accepted the duty of guarding a fortress when the sound of galloping horses rapidly approached outside the main hall of Weiyang Palace, accompanied by the guards' quick announcement and clearance.

"Hexi has fallen, and everyone in the prefectural government has perished while defending the city!"

"what?"

An urgent report reached the imperial court, instantly silencing everyone.

As the new emperor slowly sat down, tears streamed down Li Guang's face.

The northern border was an important place for Li Guang's family. His eldest son, Li Danghu, was serving in Hexi. After the battle of Mayi, Li Jiao also went to the north to recuperate. The fact that the two brothers were in the same place was obviously unexpected by Li Guang.

If everyone in the prefect's office dies, his two sons will surely perish as well.

"Your subject requests permission to fight!"

Li Guang stepped forward with a blank expression.

This time, no minister objected. Even the Imperial Censor Han Anguo looked serious, feeling that no one could stop the coming storm.