Jiuxi

Chapter 902: 900 [A Pair of Kings and Ministers]

The second day of the fifth month in the tenth year of Dajing Tiande.

Emperor Jingdi Alihehuan, who was 44 years old at the time, issued an edict to announce to the world, appointing Wuyan Shu as the commander of the front army, generals Miegudi and Gulijia as vanguards, and other brave generals such as Guyuk, Xilie and Chelimu to serve under his command.

Wu Yanshu commanded an army of 160,000, including 100,000 infantry, over 50,000 light cavalry, and the heavily armored cavalry Tiger and Leopard Battalion that made a stunning appearance in the Battle of Kaocheng and secured victory.

In the past six months, these 160,000 Jing troops have been transferred to Heluo and surrounding areas in batches, including some generals mentioned in the imperial edict. Therefore, after participating in the departure ceremony, Wuyan Shu, Miegudi and others immediately headed south with their respective personal soldiers.

Wu Yanshu’s mission was very clear. He would lead this army to attack Jingzhou of Southern Qi again.

This was a chance given to him by Emperor Jing to make up for his past mistakes, and this time his opponents would only be Liu Shouguang and Zhang Xu, so Lu Chen would no longer have the opportunity to make a feint to the east and attack in the west.

On the third day of May, Emperor Jing issued another imperial decree, stating that he would personally lead an army of 250,000 south to personally attack Southern Qi.

Since the emperor took action personally, naturally all the famous generals of Jing Dynasty emerged.

Eight great nobles of Jinglian who had experience in leading troops, including Qing Yugong, Sagai, Abuhan, Wengusun, Shanyang, Shengu, Shidun and Zhuotuo, accompanied the emperor on the expedition. Dozens of brave and skilled generals, including Asugei, Subunyan, Qing Yuzhongwang, Zhuge, Hesheli and Shubulie, gathered on the battlefield.

This was the second time that the Jing Dynasty had marched south with the whole country's strength since the conquest of Heluo 19 years ago. Everyone knew the emperor's goal, and he would not withdraw his troops until he had conquered Southern Qi.

Inside the Qinzheng Hall, the Regent Prince Wu Yan stood respectfully.

Emperor Jing sat behind the imperial desk, calmly reviewing the memorial from the Minister of Revenue, then put down his brush, looked up at Wu Yan, and said calmly, "Crown Prince."

"My son is here."

"After I leave the capital, you should focus on governing the country. Don't be arbitrary when encountering things, and listen more to the opinions of the ministers in the court."

"My son, I will obey my father's teachings."

"But you don't have to entrust everything to others. You have to make your own judgment."

"Yes, Father."

Emperor Jing nodded slightly, then looked at the three important officials standing on the other side, namely, Shangshu Ling Zhao Siwen, Chief Music Officer Tian Jue, and Hezha Army Commander Jiao Lu, who was guarding Dadu. He said calmly, "You will stay in Dadu and assist the crown prince wholeheartedly."

The three of them responded in unison: "I obey your command."

Emperor Jing gave a few more instructions and then asked Wu Yan and Zhao Siwen to handle government affairs.

The palace fell into a quiet atmosphere. After a brief moment of contemplation, Emperor Jing looked at Jiao Lu and said, "How many years have you been with me?"

Jiao Lu thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, more than thirteen years."

Emperor Jing smiled and said, "Thirteen years have passed in a flash. Time flies. I still remember how you looked like a young and naive person back then."

Jiao Lu smiled slightly awkwardly.

Emperor Jing said gently: "I know you also want to make achievements, but the prince is still young, I have to leave a trustworthy person to protect him, and no one is more suitable than you."

Jiao Lu was moved and quickly expressed his opinion: "Your Majesty, I will never take it lightly."

In fact, when the emperor led the army in person, it was customary for the Hezha warriors to accompany him to protect him. Jiao Lu did have the desire to fight on the southern battlefield, but Emperor Jing's words made all the distracting thoughts in his mind disappear instantly.

After Jiao Lu left, Emperor Jing turned to look at Tian Jue, and after a long pause, he said, "If things don't go well, give the secret edict to the crown prince."

Tian Jue naturally understood the deep meaning of this sentence, bowed and said: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing nodded with satisfaction, then stood up and walked to the wall, looking at the map of the world situation quietly for a long time.

Tian Jue looked at his back, with admiration quietly rising in his eyes.

……

As Emperor Jing issued two imperial edicts in succession, the mansions of the powerful and wealthy in Dadu became busy, and the military nobles who were about to accompany the emperor to the war took the time to make all preparations.

The Prince of Changshan's Mansion was no exception. The personal soldiers packed their luggage, and Qing Yuzhongwang personally led people to carefully check the weapons, armor, and war horses.

Qing Yugong arrived at Jinyuan, and Qing Yu Huaijin bowed respectfully and said, "Meet the king, father."

"sit."

Qing Yugong looked gentle, glanced at the usual furnishings in the house, and said softly: "I will accompany the emperor to the battle this time, and your brother will do the same. I will leave the house to you."

"Don't worry, Father. I know what to do."

Qing Yu Huaijin agreed obediently, and then said carefully: "Father, this trip south is full of dangers, you and your brother must be extra careful."

Qing Yugong smiled and asked calmly: "Why are you worried?"

Looking at his father's peaceful eyes, Qing Yu Huaijin said calmly: "Father, if our dynasty can defeat the Qi army this time, His Majesty's prestige will reach an unprecedented height. No one in the court or the country will dare to oppose him no matter what he wants to do. If my dynasty fails, His Majesty will not allow anyone to threaten the imperial power. He will definitely take ruthless action and kill the people he fears by any means necessary."

These words made it very clear that no matter what the final outcome of this battle was, the Qingyu clan would not be able to escape a tragic end.

Qing Yugong asked again: "Then what do you want your father to do?" At this moment Qing Yu Huaijin suddenly fell silent.

She realized that she seemed to have overlooked some issues.

After the rebellion was quelled in the winter of the year before last, Qing Yugong handed over the secret power of the Qing Yu family to her, saying that he and Qing Yu Zhongwang would inevitably be closely monitored by the chief's hawks. Qing Yu Huaijin did not think much about it out of trust in her father.

Now she has formed a big network in the shadow of Dadu and re-established contact with Lu Chen.

But every time she wanted to report these details to Qing Yugong, her father would interrupt her with various reasons and kindly tell her that she was the one who made the decision.

Now, after hearing Qing Yugong's simple and direct question, Qing Yu Huaijin finally came to her senses. She said earnestly, "Father, I just hope that you and brother can return safely."

Qing Yugong looked pleased, but shook his head and said, "Huai Jin, you underestimate our Majesty."

Qing Yu Huaijin looked at him in confusion.

Qing Yugong said slowly: "Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. Everything he does is to make Dajing the most powerful country in the world, and not a short-lived dynasty. Therefore, he will not deliberately target a certain person, and will not do anything to destroy his foundation. If he wins this battle, he does not need to attack the Qing Yu family. If he loses, as long as your majesty is alive, he will not let Dajing fall into a situation of fighting each other and falling apart."

"This……"

When Qing Yu Huaijin suddenly heard this unexpected judgment, she was confused for a moment.

Qing Yugong smiled and said, "Of course your worries are not without reason. His Majesty will not sit idly by and watch the Jinglian family threaten the imperial power. If it weren't for that scholar Du Weizheng's intervention, His Majesty should have reformed the Dajing military system and taken away the military power from us. He will still do so in the future, but there is a prerequisite, that is, this battle must be won. Who is the real enemy and who is the conflict that can be temporarily shelved, His Majesty can see more clearly than anyone else."

A strange feeling gradually arose in Qing Yu Huaijin's heart.

Since my father had such a clear understanding of Your Majesty, why did he hand over those powers to her, and never interfered with her decisions in more than a year, and didn't even pay attention to the specific progress.

Qing Yugong seemed to know her thoughts very well, and changed the subject: "What kind of promise did Lu Chen make to you?"

Qing Yu Huaijin calmed down and replied, "Seven days ago, I received his latest secret letter. He said he would do everything possible to delay Your Majesty and help me control the situation."

"Hold on..."

Qing Yugong narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled and said, "It seems that he is smarter than I thought. He should have guessed the truth of some things."

In fact, Qing Yu Huaijin was already a little confused at this time, because she didn't know what her father's plan was.

Qing Yugong looked at his daughter's thin face and said softly, "If I'm not mistaken, your Majesty's injury is not serious, at least not to the point where it will affect his life span."

Qing Yu Huaijin's eyes suddenly widened.

Qing Yugong explained: "Our Majesty is a man of deep thoughts. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is very calculating. However, he pretended not to target me, but to confuse Lu Chen and induce him to make the wrong decision on the battlefield. I think Lu Chen did not tell you this, but just tried every means to make you take that step, right?"

"Yes."

Qing Yu Huaijin spoke in a low voice. She didn't understand why she felt a trace of anger and betrayal in her heart.

Qing Yugong sighed and said slowly: "When your majesty is alive, the Qing Yu family will not be forced into a desperate situation. Huaijin, perhaps you think this idea is a bit naive, but I hope you can understand that your majesty's ambition is to become an emperor of all ages. He hopes to use a good story of monarch and minister as the most perfect footnote in history."

"But... why did father allow his daughter to make those arrangements?"

Qing Yu Huaijin looked at him steadily.

Qing Yugong's eyes suddenly filled with snow and he whispered, "Because your majesty is not a god after all, he will get hurt or even die. According to my understanding of your majesty, the moment his life comes to an end, the Qing Yu clan will face real killing intent. This battle concerns the fate of Dajing and the life and death of the Qing Yu clan. Victory or defeat is not a problem. When your majesty falls on the battlefield in the south, the backup he left in Dadu will definitely purge all forces that can threaten the imperial power."

Qingyu Huaijin suddenly realized.

For some reason, looking at her father's solemn expression, she felt a surge of sadness in her heart.

Qing Yugong stood up and walked to the window, saying with a sigh: "Meeting such an emperor is both lucky and unfortunate for a minister. I can only make preparations for both situations. The only thing to be thankful for is that you have grown up very quickly, better than I expected. Your performance in the past year or so is completely different from that in previous years. It is enough for me to rest assured to hand over the future of the Qing Yu family to you."

Qing Yu Huaijin said: "Father, I..."

"believe in yourself."

Qing Yugong smiled and said, "I choose to step back behind the scenes so that Your Majesty can be assured. This is also the premise for you to take care of everything."

Qing Yu Huaijin was silent for a long time, then stood up and looked at his father's back, and asked seriously, "Father, will you do your best to assist His Majesty this time?"

Qing Yugong looked out the window at the green of the courtyard and said softly, "Yes."

Qing Yu Huaijin frowned. Now she had no idea whether her father was a loyal or treacherous minister to Dajing. Many of his decisions seemed too contradictory to her.

Qing Yugong took a deep breath, as if muttering to himself.

"It has always been difficult to balance public and private interests, but as long as Your Majesty does not let me down, I will not let him down."

"Because your father is not only the head of the Qingyu clan, but also a Jinglian man."

(End of this chapter)