Jiuxi

Chapter 919: 917 [Walking to the End of the Water]

There has been a very interesting phenomenon in the court of Dajing in recent years.

The conflicts and disputes between Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong, the monarch and his minister, were hidden under the surface at the beginning, but gradually became public. No one had ever said publicly that Qing Yugong had any rebellious intentions. It was only because a few years ago an incompetent official submitted a memorial in which he made veiled allegations against Qing Yugong that he was demoted to a commoner by Emperor Jing and was never employed again.

From then on, no one dared to mention this matter in front of Emperor Jing. Even important officials like Sagai, who was deliberately brought up by Emperor Jing to compete with Qing Yugong, would at most use other things to target Qing Yugong.

No one knew why Emperor Jing did this, but since someone had set that unfortunate precedent, others naturally did not dare to accuse Qing Yugong of disloyalty.

What Abuhan said today was the first time that someone accused Qing Yugong of threatening the safety of imperial power in front of the emperor.

That's why Sagai was stunned and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

To his surprise, the emperor did not get angry and asked calmly, "Then what do you think I should do?"

"Reply to Your Majesty, I don't know."

Abuhan's answer left Sagai even more confused.

At this moment, Sagai couldn't help but wonder if this quasi-Tugu clan leader had something wrong with his brain.

What he said before was an open secret. Who didn't know that Qing Yugong's high reputation would threaten the safety of the imperial power?

Since there is no solution, why bother bringing up this matter for no reason?
Emperor Jing looked at Abuhan's solemn face and said with a half-smile, "In fact, there is a simple way. As long as you can replace Qing Yugong and help me break the deadlock on the western battlefield, I will naturally not need to use him anymore, and he will not be able to continue to rally the army's morale, and all hidden dangers will be broken by themselves."

Hearing this, a hint of bitterness appeared in Abuhan's eyes, and Sagai had already lowered his head.

Many things in this world are easier said than done. Anyone can talk well, and even a saga can occasionally have a flash of inspiration.

The problem is, is it really that easy to lead a large army?
For example, this time when Qing Yugong forcibly broke through Gaotang City, couldn’t Sagai and Abuhan think of such a simple strategy?

However, the most important thing in leading troops is to enforce discipline, especially for a fierce army like the Jing Army. Without sufficient ability and prestige, how can the soldiers under them fight to the death?

This is not a problem that can be solved by an imperial decree, because the most difficult thing throughout history is to make people work willingly.

Abuhan thought he couldn't do it, let alone Sagai.

When the Jing army had an absolute advantage, there was no need for the commander-in-chief to drive them forcefully, as everyone wanted to reap military merits eagerly. But now the Jing army needed to take one city after another, and every battle would be an extremely difficult and bloody fight. Apart from Emperor Jing himself, only Qing Yugong could do this by relying on his prestige accumulated over twenty years.

Abuhan said with great guilt: "I am incompetent and have let Your Majesty down!"

Sagai had no choice but to apologize.

Emperor Jing waved his hand, turned his head to look at the ripples on the water, and said calmly: "I know that you are loyal to the emperor and you are not jealous of the Prince of Changshan and you are slandering him maliciously. But I hope you understand that as the Son of Heaven, how can I punish him without teaching? As long as the prince does not show his rebellious intentions, I cannot take action against him on trumped-up charges, otherwise it will undermine the foundation of the court. If this happens once, the emperor and his ministers will be alienated. Don't you know how to learn from the lessons of Southern Qi?"

Sagai and Abuhan were startled.

The name "Yang Guangyuan" quietly emerged in their minds.

As expected, Emperor Jing continued, "When Emperor Chengzong of Southern Qi, Li Yu, murdered Yang Guangyuan, the biggest loss was not the collapse of the Jinghe River defense line. In fact, our dynasty did not have the strength to occupy this vast territory at that time, otherwise I would not have bothered to support the Yan State. For Southern Qi, the worst impact of this incident is that it undermined the confidence of the subjects in the royal family. Just like Xiao Wangzhi did not enter the capital for ten years, his vigilance and suspicion of the Southern Qi court were almost written on his face."

Abuhan sighed, "It's a pity that Li Duan, an outlier among emperors, appeared in the Southern Qi Dynasty."

When he mentioned his old rival of more than ten years, Emperor Jing showed a hint of respect on his face and said slowly: "Looking at the emperors of the dynasties in the Central Plains, there are not many who are stronger than Li Duan."

The two trusted ministers were surprised; they had not expected that the emperor had such a high opinion of the Southern Qi emperor.

Emperor Jing took a look at the expressions of the two men and said frankly: "Even if I were in his position, I might not be able to do better than him."

Abuhan quickly shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my arrogance. I dare not agree with this proposal."

Sagai also said: "Li Duan of Southern Qi is indeed extraordinary, but how can he be compared with Your Majesty?" "Your ability to flatter has improved a lot."

Emperor Jing smiled calmly, and then said: "Have you ever thought about what kind of situation Li Duan faced twenty years ago? Most of the royal family of Qi died, leaving only him and some remote clans. There were powerful enemy armies outside, and the government and the country were falling apart inside. Not to mention that during Li Yu's reign, the people were living in misery. How could someone without great perseverance survive such torment? Li Duan is not only tenacious, but also talented and capable. Only in this way can he win the hearts of capable ministers such as Li Daoyan, Han Lingfu, Qin Zheng and Li Tianrun."

The two important ministers could not help but remain silent.

Emperor Jing was obviously in high spirits today, and he said with emotion: "Take Lu Chen, who you are already very wary of, for example. If Li Duan had not planted the seed of friendship between the monarch and his subjects in his heart, how could he have remained rational under such suspicion? Li Duan did have flaws, as he did not cherish himself enough to die young. But even so, he still used his life to set a killing move for me and Qing Yugong in Yongqiu."

Abuhan sighed, "He who uses his own life as bait is indeed not an ordinary person."

"It's more than that."

Emperor Jing's eyes showed a deep feeling, and he said with a sigh: "The Battle of Yongqiu was the first time that the Qi army won a decisive battle. The impact on subsequent wars is immeasurable. More importantly, it left an unhealable rift between me and Qing Yugong. Because of this defeat, one of me and Qing Yugong must take responsibility. Victory can cover up all contradictions, but failure will make contradictions emerge. This is Li Duan's conspiracy. I know this but I still have to dismiss Qing Yugong from his military post, otherwise I will not be able to give an explanation to the court and the people."

At this moment, Sagai and Abuhan were afraid to listen any further. The latter mustered up the courage to say, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

Emperor Jing glanced at him calmly, shook his head and said, "I know you have been loyal for many years, and I will not blame you for making private suggestions, but I hope there will be no next time."

Abuhan bowed and said, "I obey your order."

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Emperor Jing stood up and walked to the side of the railing, saying calmly: "I am telling you all this today, first of all, I want you to understand the principle of working together in the face of a powerful enemy. No matter what internal conflicts exist, they must be temporarily put aside, and there must be no two minds on the battlefield. If anyone dares to do something like watching someone die and delaying military operations, I will let him know what the rules are."

Sagai felt a chill in his heart and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will follow your instructions and will not dare to disobey you in the slightest."

Emperor Jing stood with his hands behind his back, nodded slightly, and said, "Secondly, I didn't let you lead the troops, not because I doubted your ability, but because I had a more important task to give you. Just now you all mentioned the key to this battle. Let me ask you again, what kind of person is Lu Chen of Southern Qi? How much do you know about his leadership style?"

The two thought for a moment, and Abuhan spoke first: "Lu Chen doesn't seem like a young man in his twenties. He can be patient and wait for opportunities, but he can also risk everything and rush to attack. His way of using troops is not bound by rigid rules, and his changes are unpredictable."

Sa Gai followed up and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that Lu Chen is extremely cunning. It will not be easy to catch him."

"It's still superficial after all."

Emperor Jing smiled, inevitably a little disappointed, and then said bluntly: "In the final analysis, Lu Chen is a young man who is unwilling to suffer losses and will not sit still and wait for death. As long as you grasp this point, you will understand where the limit of his patience is. Qing Yugong's capture of Gaotang City is just the beginning. I predict that it will be difficult for him to capture Xileng Pass next. Lu Chen will definitely hold back Qing Yugong's army here."

He turned to look at the two important officials and continued, "I have sent orders to Shen Gu and Wen Gusun to launch offensives against the northern and western parts of Dingzhou at the same time, and do their best to compress the Qi army's defense line, so that the pressure on Lu Chen's shoulders will increase, and he will receive casualty reports every now and then. People like him will rebound at a certain stage. No matter which battlefield, he may face his most fierce counterattack at that time, and he may even bite off a certain army I sent out."

Abuhan said nervously, "Your Majesty, should we prepare early?"

"How do you prepare?"

Emperor Jing smiled and said, "Can you predict which route he will attack?"

Abuhan was speechless.

He is not a worm in Lu Chen's stomach, so how can he predict the future?

Emperor Jing's eyes gleamed, and he said calmly: "While I am putting pressure on the three armies, I am deliberately relaxing the intelligence gathering on the areas controlled by the Qi army, which is to give Lu Chen a chance to counterattack. I don't need to guess his specific plan, I just need to cut him in the waist with a knife. This is why I am explaining it to you in detail today, and it is also the task I want to give you."

Abuhan reacted faster. He pondered the word waist mentioned by Emperor Jing and said carefully, "Your Majesty, are you going to ambush the fourth army and attack from the junction of the three states of Southern Qi?"

Emperor Jing shook his head and said calmly, "This is just a trick. My real goal is to send a group of elite troops south to Huaizhou to wipe out Lu Chen's rear in one fell swoop. Without the support of Huaizhou, the Southern Qi Dingzhou Army will be like a tree without roots. Lu Chen will also be in a state of panic because that is where his foundation is and where his most valued and cared-about relatives are. Otherwise, why would he bring his wife and children back to Huaizhou from Dingzhou?"

Sagai and Abuhan's eyes lit up.

Emperor Jing looked up at the sky in the southeast and said softly, "If we don't do this, how can we let that young man experience the feeling of being at the end of one's rope?"

(End of this chapter)