Jiuxi

Chapter 739 [Marriage Contract]

Jingchao, Dadu.

In the southeast of the imperial palace there is a dark blue building with a vast area and stacked roofs. From the exterior decoration it can be seen that this is a brand new government office.

This is the Dutongyuan newly established by Emperor Jing, which is roughly similar to the Privy Council before the Southern Qi Dynasty and the current Military Academy.

From the moment the Metropolitan Government Office came into being, the two northern and southern courts in charge of military affairs became history.

Today, the Dutongyuan is headed by Changshan Prince Qing Yugong, assisted by Sagai and others. They are mainly responsible for helping the emperor analyze the war situation and make plans.

In the meeting hall, a group of senior officials looked solemn.

Today, Qing Yugong sat in the first seat on the left, and the man in the main seat was Emperor Dajing.

Qing Yugong said: "Your Majesty, the defense line of our border army east of Nanjing City is relatively weak. An County has only 4,000 defenders, and Shenze City has only 3,000. Although there are 12,000 defenders in Nanjing City, they may not be able to stop the main force of the Dingzhou Army led by Lu Chen."

Emperor Jing looked at the battle report in his hand, and there was no obvious anger on his face.

On the other side, Sagai said, "Prince, didn't Chelimu gather more than 10,000 defeated soldiers?"

Qing Yugong glanced at him and said expressionlessly, "The battle at Yaoshan Pass was too brutal. These defeated soldiers will not be able to be used in the short term. If the court places high hopes on them, it will probably lead to a loss of military opportunities in the end."

Sagai frowned slightly, and Emperor Jing finally spoke: "The prince is right. In the final analysis, Pucha failed my expectations. Forty thousand elite troops could not defend Yaoshan Pass. You should know that Lu Chen only brought sixty to seventy thousand troops. There is no huge gap in the strength of the two sides."

At the end, there was a hint of coldness and sharpness in his voice, and all the ministers fell silent immediately.

At this time, basically no one would plead for Pucha. Firstly, the friendship between them was not that deep, and secondly, the defeat in this battle was too devastating, which directly affected the overall layout of Jing’s army.

However, Qing Yugong said, "Your Majesty, Lu Chen is too cunning and has endless tricks. The fall of Yaoshan Pass was indeed caused by many accidents, such as the Qi troops flying into the pass from the mountain and the extremely sharp weapons in the hands of the Qi army's infantry. General Pucha is naturally guilty of the defeat, but now is the time to use people, I hope Your Majesty will forgive his relatives."

Emperor Jing looked at him with a complicated expression. After all these years, this middle-aged man was still the only one who could understand his thoughts at the first moment.

Pucha certainly deserved to be put to death, but if too many people were implicated, it would probably have a bad impact on the army. However, Emperor Jing was not in a position to say this himself, and he needed someone to speak frankly and give advice.

When he thought of this, Emperor Jing's determination, as cold as iron, was slightly shaken. In fact, he didn't want to continue to attack Qing Yugong. Didn't he want the harmony between the monarch and his subjects to create a good story that would go down in history?

However, he had to consider the long-term stability of the country. While he was alive, he could control the generals below, but could his successor do the same?
Especially for a figure like Qing Yugong, who has unfathomable martial arts skills, outstanding military exploits and is known as a military god, his life span may be longer than that of the emperor. After his death a hundred years later, who can suppress Qing Yugong?
From a deeper perspective, if even he cannot solve the factional problems in the Dajing army, his successor will be even more at a loss as to where to start. In the end, there will definitely be many factions, each with its own support. The Dajing emperor is just the most powerful one among them. When a certain emperor becomes incompetent, the people below will be able to rely on the military power in their hands to threaten the stability of the imperial power.

Therefore, Emperor Jing wiped away the last bit of tenderness in his heart and said calmly: "According to the prince's words, Pucha's official position and title will be removed, and the court's rewards to his family will be taken back."

"Your Majesty is so kind!"

All the ministers responded in unison.

Emperor Jing said calmly: "This matter ends here. I want to know how you will deal with the next situation. Since Lu Chen of Southern Qi has occupied Yaoshan Pass, he will definitely continue to advance towards Nanjing City, and he has indeed done so."

He then looked to the side and saw the eunuch standing solemnly reading out the latest secret report sent from the south.

After the Qi army broke through Yaoshan Pass, it took only four days to capture An County. After a short rest, they continued to advance towards the small town of Shenze in the west. Perhaps it would not be long before they received urgent news that Lu Chen was leading his troops to besiege Nanjing City.

In the silence, Sagai said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead 20,000 troops south to rescue Nanjing."

He did not propose that Wu Yanshu lead his troops to retreat, because everyone knew that the emperor was determined to capture Jingzhou of Southern Qi this time and would never let Wu Yanshu fail.

Emperor Jing looked at Sagai calmly and did not respond.

Sagai's face gradually turned red, and he was quite embarrassed.

It was obvious that the emperor did not have much confidence in his ability to lead troops after the battle to pacify Zhao three years ago and his unsuccessful attempt to seize Shazhou two years ago.

Some people couldn't help but look at Qing Yugong.

Although the defeat at Yongqiu dimmed some of Qing Yugong's glory, he was after all the most knowledgeable person about military affairs in the court. If the only task was to save the city of Nanjing, there would surely be no mistakes.

Emperor Jing suddenly turned to look at Qing Yugong and asked, "What suggestions does the prince have?"

Qing Yugong replied calmly: "Your Majesty, why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? I am not underestimating the Southern Qi's Lu Chen, but our army only needs to defend Nanjing, and there is no need to engage in another decisive battle with the Qi army. I recommend General Shanyang as the commander, and lead 20,000 Dingbai troops to the south to deter the Qi army. This will be enough to ensure that Nanjing will not be lost."

Emperor Jing seemed very satisfied with this answer and nodded, "Okay. Shanyang."

"Chen is here!"

"You must lead 20,000 troops south quickly. Remember not to engage in direct combat with the Qi army. Only assist the defenders in Nanjing." "I obey your order!"

About a quarter of an hour later, all the ministers dispersed, except Qing Yugong, who was retained by the emperor.

The emperor and his minister sat opposite each other. Emperor Jing raised his hand and pinched his brows, then slowly asked, "Do you think Wu Yanshu can take Jingzhou?"

Qing Yugong said carefully, "From the current situation, the loss of Yaoshan Pass may not be a bad thing. It can strengthen Lu Chen's confidence in advancing to Nanjing City, and it can also give General Wu Yan more room. The key now is whether he can defeat the Qi army in the Taikang City area. If the Southern Qi can hold on, our army's situation will gradually become difficult. However, General Wu Yan is experienced in military operations and his layout is not inferior to mine. I believe that Your Majesty will definitely wait for that victory report."

The expression on his face was impeccable, but he was thinking about something else in his mind.

After the defeat at Yongqiu, the Xiashan Army controlled by Qing Yu was severely damaged and needed to return to the rear to recuperate. Therefore, at the beginning, the more than 100,000 people under Wu Yanshu were soldiers from other factions. Later, in order to plot against Jingzhou of Southern Qi, the emperor transferred 120,000 troops, of which only more than 20,000 infantrymen belonged to Qing Yu's city defense army.

At present, Shanyang has taken away another 20,000 Dingbai troops.

If you think about it carefully, now outside of Dadu, the core strength of the Tian family and the Qingyu family are not much different.

However, the emperor should also be able to notice this problem.

As expected, Emperor Jing said calmly: "I also believe in the judgment of the prince, but there is still a thorny problem at the moment."

Qing Yu bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

Emperor Jing looked at his face and said, "I have received a secret report that Ge Shukui of Dai is ready to make a move and is suspected of colluding with Southern Qi in secret. We must be on guard here. Although Ge Shukui is ambitious but incompetent, Dai can still mobilize more than 100,000 elite troops. If he suddenly stabs our northwest while our dynasty is entangled in a fight with Southern Qi, it may pose a great threat."

Qing Yugong pondered and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The Dai Kingdom has been hiding in a corner for more than ten years. It will not suddenly become unstoppable. We only need to send an additional force in the northwest, which will be enough to dispel Ge Shukui's delusions."

"But now our main enemy is in the south."

Emperor Jing finally expressed his true thoughts and said slowly: "I would like to borrow 30,000 soldiers from the prince. Is that possible?"

"Your Majesty, this makes me panic!"

Qing Yugong stood up quickly, bowed and said: "The troops under my command are your majesty's troops. I am only commanding the troops on your majesty's orders!"

Emperor Jing looked at his posture and smiled, "Don't worry, Prince. I just said it casually. How about this? Let Xiashan Army dispatch 30,000 troops to the important towns in the northwest border areas?"

Qing Yu bowed his head and said, "I obey your order!"

Emperor Jing said, "I wanted to let the prince go through this hardship, but this time we will not use troops against Dai State. We are just taking precautions in advance. The prince's talents cannot be wasted in such places. After all, our greatest enemy is in the south. After repeated consideration, I decided to let Mie Gudi lead these 30,000 troops. What do you think?"

Mie Gudi is one of the most senior Da Xiangyin in Xiashan Army and a man whom Qing Yugong trusts very much. The arrangement made by the emperor is indeed reasonable.

Qing Yugong said without hesitation: "I have no objection."

"sit down."

Emperor Jing looked gentle, and then said: "I asked the fourth son a few days ago, he is sincere to Yongping, and they have been getting along better and better recently, which shows that they are a perfect match. I have always respected the prince, so I did not directly announce to the world that they are getting married. Here is an imperial edict, the prince may take it back to show Yongping. If you and your daughter have no objection, the fourth son and Yongping's wedding date will be set at the end of this year."

The eunuch standing by handed the bright yellow imperial edict to Qing Yugong.

He respectfully accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.

Emperor Jing nodded slightly.

The emperor and his minister both knew that the imperial decree granting the marriage was a promise from the emperor to Qing Yu, guaranteeing that even if Qing Yu gave up part of her military power, she could still enjoy wealth and glory for a long time.

During this period, Qing Yugong stayed in the Dutongyuan willingly and supported all the emperor's arrangements on military affairs, which meant that he understood the emperor's intentions and was willing to make concessions.

The fact that he received the imperial edict today is a symbol of great significance.

Qing Yugong then bowed and took his leave.

Emperor Jing looked at his departing figure and sat quietly for a long time. Finally, he whispered to the eunuch beside him, "Tell Tian Jue not to touch the middle-aged scholar for the time being and wait for my instructions."

The eunuch said respectfully, "I obey your order."

Emperor Jing picked up the teacup in front of him, his eyes were extremely deep, and then gradually turned cold.

(End of this chapter)