Jiuxi

Chapter 881 879 [Women’s Views]

The seventh day of the ninth month in the second year of Dingzheng in the Great Qi Dynasty.

There was a light drizzle in the sky and the cold wind was as low as a howl.

The young emperor Li Daoming stood beside his mother, watching the stone gate of the imperial mausoleum slowly fall, a trace of sadness appearing on his little face.

Today is the funeral at the mountain mausoleum, the day his father is buried.

According to the consultation of important officials in the court and with the consent of the two Empress Dowagers and his mother, his father was posthumously named Emperor Zhezong Rui.

Li Daoming did not understand the meaning of these five words. He turned around to look at his mother and saw that her eyes were red and swollen, and her sorrow was as heavy as ink.

"Mother..."

Li Daoming called out timidly in a low voice.

Queen Mother Ning took a deep breath, held Li Daoming's hand tightly, turned around and looked at the civil and military officials on the altar. Her eyes lingered on Lu Chen for a moment, and then she said sadly: "My dear ministers, please return to the capital."

"The minister obeys the order."

Everyone responded in unison.

Empress Dowager Ning took one last look at the majestic and solemn imperial mausoleum, suppressed all her grief, confusion, fear and doubt in the deepest part of her heart, and led Li Daoming onto the imperial sedan chair.

Civil and military officials from the court followed behind him, including palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial guards. Outside, there were five thousand imperial guards led by Shen Yulai himself, and three thousand cavalrymen from the Ruishi Battalion were patrolling along the way - this was a special order from Empress Dowager Ning, who ordered Lu Chen to bring the Ruishi Battalion with him to deter any fish that might have slipped through the net.

The funeral procession returned to the capital in a grand manner. The Imperial Guards and the Elite Battalion returned to their respective bases, and civil and military officials went to their respective offices to take up their duties. The new emperor was very tired from enduring this entire ceremonial procession, so Empress Dowager Ning allowed him to take a short nap.

Lu Chen entered the palace, because before he arrived in the capital, the eunuch beside Empress Dowager Ning sent him an oral order, asking him to enter the palace to discuss state affairs.

In the side hall of Wende Hall, Empress Dowager Ning looked at the Prince of Huai'an who was performing the ceremony meticulously and said gently, "No need to be polite. Come, give the Prince a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat."

Lu Chen did not act pretentiously and modestly. Through discussions on many state affairs during this period, he had come to understand the temperament of the Queen Mother Ning. Although they had disagreements over certain issues, the Queen Mother Ning would never be vague or evasive. At least until now, she was used to communicating with Lu Chen in a frank manner.

"Prince, can Da Qi only wait passively now?"

Empress Dowager Ning went straight to the point and asked directly about the issue that concerned her most.

Lu Chen pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Your Majesty, Jing State has more troops than Da Qi State, and they have seized countless wealth by destroying Zhao and swallowing Yan State, which is enough to support them to launch continuous wars. Our dynasty is slightly inferior in terms of military strength and national strength. Even with the victories in the past few years, it has not completely changed the power balance between Qi and Jing. Moreover, Emperor Jing took the initiative to shrink the defense line before attacking Dai State in order to guard against our border troops. Therefore, it is difficult for us to achieve results with small-scale fighting, and it will expose the strengths and weaknesses of our army. This is the reason why I did not agree to send troops to rescue Dai State."

Queen Mother Ning nodded slightly and sighed softly, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by the prince. I just feel that this is very painful. I know that the powerful enemy is sharpening his sword, but I can't do anything. I can only passively wait for the enemy army to march south."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Majesty, in fact, the court is not completely powerless."

"Ok?"

Queen Mother Ning's eyes lit up slightly, and she asked, "What good plan does the prince have?"

After all, Li Daoming is only five years old, not even old enough to start learning. It is obviously impossible for him to learn the righteousness of saints and the way of governing a country so early. In fact, his top priority now is still to grow up healthily, and the responsibility of learning these principles falls on the shoulders of Empress Dowager Ning.

Not only when facing Lu Chen, but also when Empress Dowager Ning summoned the two prime ministers and other important ministers, she would seize every opportunity to sincerely ask them for advice.

"Your Majesty, war is ultimately a test of national strength, which can be broken down into three aspects."

"Your Majesty, please tell me in detail."

"These three aspects are people, money, and equipment. Specifically, people refer to both talents and people's hearts. Soldiers who break into battle, generals who lead the army, commanders who make decisions, ministers who plan, and even every talent in every aspect can affect the outcome of a war. People's hearts are also easy to understand. Only by gaining the support of the vast majority of the people can the court integrate a stronger force. This is why we, the ministers, have established strict military discipline in Jiangbei. Only when the people of Jiangbei feel at ease, will they find ways to support the border army."

Lu Chen paused for a moment, looked at the Empress Dowager Ning who was listening attentively, and said, "For example, when I pretended to attack Heluo last year but actually led my troops to Jingzhou, it was the people of Dingzhou who, under the organization of government at all levels, checked in advance for possible spies of the Jing army in the territory, which prevented Wu Yanshu from receiving the news in time and finally made a wrong judgment."

Empress Dowager Ning said convincingly: "The prince is right."

"Wealth naturally refers to gold and silver. Perhaps many great scholars think that talking about gold and silver is vulgar, but Your Majesty should not think that way."

Lu Chen slowed down his tone and explained, "The soldiers' salaries, rewards, and even pensions are not much each time, but when added together, it is a terrifying number. In addition to the expenses for weapons, armor, medicine, food, and laborers and chores, we also have to consider the corrupt officials who enrich themselves. If there is no prior estimation and preparation, a war may drag down a country. This is what the ancient sages call warmongering."

Empress Dowager Ning felt a headache after hearing this.

Lu Chen observed her expression and continued, "As for the equipment, this is just a general summary. For example, the weapons used by soldiers, the armor they wear, and the various equipment used when defending and attacking cities, the improvement of the army's strength cannot be underestimated. But compared to the first two items, these things will not cause too many problems as long as they are handed over to reliable and professional people."

Queen Mother Ning pondered for a moment, gradually understood the hidden meaning of Lu Chen's words, and asked tentatively: "It seems that the prince has made a plan?"

Lu Chen replied, "If Your Majesty trusts me, you can let me return to Jiangbei as soon as possible to coordinate the training of the troops. I guarantee that when the Jing army marches south, there will be at least 200,000 brave soldiers waiting for them." Queen Mother Ning nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course, I originally planned to let the prince return with his cavalry after the funeral at the mountain mausoleum is over."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen bowed his head slightly, and then said: "But I have something else to say. Although national strength is the basis for dealing with war, it does not mean that the stronger party will definitely win. For example, on the eve of the fall of Heluo, Da Qi still had nearly 300,000 troops on the Jinghe River defense line. In terms of national strength and financial resources, it even crushed the three northern tribes. The final result is needless to say. Da Qi almost overturned. The reason is that a powerful dynasty often has internal problems, which allows foreign races to find opportunities to take advantage of it."

Queen Mother Ning was silent for a moment, then said sternly, "I understand. Prince, rest assured. When you lead the army to fight on the frontier, I promise that no one in the court will hold you back. If anyone dares to undermine the overall situation of Kangjing, I will never forgive him."

Lu Chen was quite emotional and said solemnly: "If everyone is united and the three armies are dedicated, the Great Qi will surely win."

Queen Mother Ning smiled and said, "I firmly believe this. The three points mentioned by the prince just now gave me some reminders. Since this war is inevitable, the court should start preparing from now on. As the queen mother, I should set an example and call on the court and the people to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, fill the treasury with food and grass as much as possible, and provide a more solid backing for the soldiers on the front line. At the same time, I will select a group of young and promising officials to go north to the border to strengthen the local government offices, so as to better appease the people and relieve the soldiers of their worries."

This is probably what it means to draw inferences from one example.

Lu Chen sighed inwardly, stood up and saluted, saying: "Your Majesty is wise, this is a blessing for Da Qi."

"Sit down and talk."

Queen Mother Ning smiled calmly and said gently, "The prince's words have benefited me a lot."

Although they were not a king and his subject in the traditional sense, their conversation was very harmonious.

After half an hour, Lu Chen, who had discussed all the details, bowed and took his leave, while Empress Dowager Ning fell into long contemplation.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuan Yuji, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, appeared in the palace.

He first reported to Empress Dowager Ning on the final stages of the purge of the palace, and then stopped talking.

Seeing this, Queen Mother Ning said calmly, "Just say what you want to say."

"Yes, ma'am."

Yuan Yuji said cautiously: "As a palace eunuch, I dare not and cannot discuss the important affairs of the court. However, I am deeply indebted to the late emperor and the queen. I have been thinking about it again and again recently and I am so anxious that I can only dare to make suggestions. The power of the Prince of Huai'an is very strong. Not to mention his foundation in Jiangbei, he is now involved in many parties in the capital. The queen has also granted him the power to supervise the military affairs of Jiangbei. I am afraid..."

I couldn't say the following words after all.

Empress Dowager Ning remained silent.

Yuan Yuji made up her mind and said with courage, "I have been thinking back to the past. The Prince of Huai'an ordered the Northern Army and the Feiyu Army to move south, and arranged for people to control the East Gate of the capital in advance. This was obviously not a sudden idea. Either he had noticed Li Shizhi's conspiracy in advance, or he already had... some plans. No matter which possibility it is, it is not the work of a minister. I beg Your Majesty to understand."

"All right."

Queen Mother Ning's face turned slightly cold, and she said slowly: "Don't say these words anymore."

Yuan Yuji's lips moved, and he knelt down and said, "My lady, I have no intention of slandering the Prince of Huai'an, heaven and earth can bear witness to this!"

"I know you are loyal."

Queen Mother Ning raised her eyes and looked forward, with complex emotions floating in her eyes. She said softly: "People often say that it is rare to be confused. Sometimes this is not a bad thing. As for the authority I granted to Lu Chen, do you think that he can't interfere in Jiangbei's military affairs without me asking for it? He already had this ability, otherwise how could those two cavalry units bypass Jingzhou and go south? Liu Shouguang is not so stupid."

Yuan Yuji was stunned.

"You still don't understand what kind of person Lu Chen is. No wonder you keep suffering."

Queen Mother Ning stood up and paced forward, continuing, "If you respect him one foot, he will at least treat you with a smile, even if he doesn't return your respect by ten feet."

Yuan Yuji looked at her profile and said with a guilty look, "Your Highness is right."

"Get up."

Queen Mother Ning shook her head and stopped scolding the loyal eunuch. She slowed down her tone and said, "For Da Qi, there are two things that are more important than all other disputes. One is the national war that Jing is about to start, and the other is to let the emperor grow up safely. As the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you are the person most trusted by His Majesty and I. You must remember these two things firmly and must not have any other thoughts."

Yuan Yuji, who had already stood up, immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "My lady, I will remember this and will never forget it."

Queen Mother Ning nodded, looked around, and at the familiar furnishings in the palace, the figure of Li Zongben emerged in her mind. She felt a wave of grief, but she still said firmly: "From the time when Emperor Chengzong believed in slander and killed Yang Guangyuan, to the successive shocks in the capital in just a few years now, it is enough to show that endless suspicion is the root cause of the overall situation."

Yuan Yuji said with great respect: "With the protection and guidance of the queen, your majesty will surely become a wise ruler of the Great Qi."

Queen Mother Ning seemed to want to deny this statement, but in the end she didn't care. She walked to the window and stood still, a trace of melancholy appeared on her thin face: "I am just a woman in the harem, I don't understand those big principles. I only know that human hearts are unpredictable and can't withstand speculation and testing, so I won't cross that tacit boundary."

"I hope... that young prince can also understand this truth."

(End of this chapter)