At the beginning, I gave up my military power with a cup of wine, and I ascended the throne

Chapter 111 The Emperor's Wrath

All that remains is deep awe and fear.

He was even somewhat glad that he did not ally with the Northern Wei, but instead turned against it and joined Dao Xiaohan's army in advance.

"I am Rabdan, your humble servant, honored to meet the great general."

Rabdan dismounted from his horse, knelt on one knee with an extremely respectful look and tone.

"General."

Gu Yun also dismounted, bowed and clasped his fists.

"Gu Yun, thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Han looked at Gu Yun.

If he had not persuaded the three Shatuo tribes this time, the outcome of the war would have been unpredictable.

"Compared with the great general guarding Qimen Pass, what I am doing is nothing."

Gu Jun did not take credit for himself, but shook his head.

"Ah."

He looked at Labdan and waved his hands, lifting him up with gentle innate energy.

"Labdan, you are the main contributor to the great victory over Northern Wei this time."

Xiao Han praised.

"You're welcome, General."

Rabdan was terrified: "It is all thanks to the great general who charged into battle and made every possible effort. From now on, the three Shatuo tribes will swear to follow the great general until death."

"very good."

He nodded slightly.

Hatai Chanyu and Mahaduo Chanyu of the Mituo and Rongnu tribes came over and knelt on one knee.

Today, after seeing the bravery of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry and the means of General Xiao Han, the General of Pingxi, these two people, like Labdan, were convinced.

"Today, outside Qimen Pass, we defeated the Northern Wei cavalry. You three Shatuo tribes deserve credit for the great contribution."

Xiao Han's voice was not loud, but the three cavalry units around him heard it clearly. They waved their scimitars and shouted excitedly.

The grassland tribes admire the strong and are willing to submit to the strong. Undoubtedly, General Xiao Han of Pingxi is the strong man who can make them submit.

The 80,000 cavalrymen of Xiliang and the three Shatuo tribes chased for hundreds of miles. Of the more than 100,000 Northern Wei troops, only less than 20,000 escaped.

In one battle, 90,000 people were beheaded, not counting the soldiers who died in the previous siege. If all were added up, I'm afraid the Northern Wei Dynasty lost more than 100,000 elite troops at Qimen Pass.

Even a powerful country like the Northern Wei Dynasty would suffer heavy losses.

The news of the great victory in Xiliang was sent to Jizhou and the capital at an express speed of 800 miles.

For a moment, the world was shaken.

Beijing.

early morning.

All civil and military officials are present.

The prince's wife sat high on the dragon throne, a rare smile on her face.

"My dear ministers, do you know why I am so pleased today?"

The emperor spoke.

Some of the people in the hall knew about it, but Da pretended not to know.

"An urgent report from the border just arrived yesterday evening."

The emperor waved his hand, and Gao Qian, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, stepped forward, picked up the memorial on the desk, opened it, and began to read it word by word.

"I, General Pingxi, and Xiao Han, the governor of Xiliang, present this report to Your Majesty for your review."

"A few months ago."

"Two hundred thousand troops of the Northern Wei army marched southward, approached Xiliang, and fiercely attacked Qimen Pass."

"I led tens of thousands of troops from Xiliang to fight them fiercely. Later, 10,000 cavalrymen from Northern Wei bypassed Tianxian Pass and broke into the heart of Xiliang."

The memorial consisted of several hundred words and described in detail the situation of the Xiliang War.

"A total of 130,000 Northern Wei soldiers were beheaded."

The last number is the highlight. After hearing that 130,000 Northern Wei soldiers were beheaded, all the officials in the court, both civil and military, could not help but gasp.

That’s 130,000 heads.

Kill him if you say so. Many civil servants complained in their hearts.

This General Pingxi is indeed a fierce general of the Marquis of Zhenbei, with the skill of beheading inherited from him.

Some people had gloomy expressions, some looked around, some were hesitant to speak, and only a very few people had happy looks on their faces.

Sitting on the dragon throne, the expressions of all civil and military officials were visible in the court records, and the smiles on his faces disappeared.

He said in a deep voice: "Such a great victory is rare in history. Why do you all look so unhappy?"

"His Majesty."

An old official with white hair stood up, revealing a look of compassion and forcing out benevolence in his eyes: "Such killing is against the harmony of nature."

"Yes."

Another civil servant stood up and agreed: "Besides, the Northern Wei people seem to be fierce. After suffering such a big loss this time, they will definitely not let it go."

"General Pingxi may have made great achievements in this battle, but in fact, it has planted a huge hidden danger. If the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty return, the world will be devastated again."

The faces of those generals turned pale.

"A corrupt scholar."

“It stinks.”

The Minister of War cursed in a low voice.

"How dare you, a warrior, speak so arrogantly in front of His Majesty in the palace?"

The old civil servant trembled and scolded the Minister of War: "You are just a warrior who only knows how to wield swords and guns all day long. What can you achieve?"

"My dear, you are right."

Sitting on the dragon throne, the emperor smiled and nodded, "May I ask Minister Xu and Minister Li, since fighting against the Northern Wei is inappropriate, what should I do?"

"this."

The old scholar in the Hanlin Academy hesitated.

"Your Majesty, I think the Northern Wei are barbarians and cannot be civilized. We should educate them with reason and emotion, pass on the etiquette of the Celestial Empire, and help them to be civilized. This will surely make the Northern Wei grateful."

The civil servant who spoke earlier felt very good about himself.

"it is good."

The emperor clapped his hands and said, "My dear ministers Xu and Li, you are indeed from aristocratic families, well-versed in culture, and are well-known scholars in the world."

"I approve of your idea."

"Someone is coming."

"exist."

"Please ask the two ministers Xu and Li to leave, prepare the carriages and horses, and set off tomorrow to send them to the Northern Wei to educate those barbarians. The two ministers cannot return to the capital until the Northern Wei submits to our Central Plains Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, I am old and frail, please replace me with someone else."

"Your Majesty, I am a humble official with little knowledge and talent, and I am not qualified for this position."

The two civil servants collapsed to the ground, but the emperor ignored their pleas and waved his hand. Two imperial guards came in and dragged the two men out.

"Who recommended and promoted these two?"

The emperor's face was extremely gloomy.

Seeing that no one answered, he said, "Gao Qian, read to them how many people were killed or injured in this battle in Xiliang."

"promise."

Gao Qian said in a deep voice: "There were 10,000 Xiliang soldiers in Qimen Pass, 9,000 of whom died in battle. The Black Armor Army had 10,000 soldiers, 9,200 of whom died in battle. The Shen Ce Army had 8,000 soldiers, 7,800 of whom died in battle. Xue Niu Guard, Yan Ma Guard, and Qi Lian Guard sent out 20,000 elite cavalry, 13,000 of whom died in battle."

"Four thousand people died in the battle of Yancheng. The Northern Wei attacked Xiliang for more than two months, and a total of 53,000 Xiliang soldiers died in the battle."

"My dear ministers, is there anything else you want to say?"

Faced with the questioning, no one in the court dared to answer.

"Your Majesty, the main reason why Xiliang suffered heavy losses in this battle was that Jizhou not only failed to follow your Majesty's orders and rush to Xiliang's aid."

"Instead, they allowed the Northern Wei army on the east route to continue to increase its troops at Qimen Pass, and voluntarily gave up the western defense. This led to the Northern Wei light cavalry attacking Xiliang from Tianxian Pass."

Gao Qian’s explanation was timely.

"What a great Zhenbei Marquis."

"What a great Xie Xuanli."

The emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Isn't he known as the Northern Palace Army with 300,000 cavalrymen? But he can't even keep a few tens of thousands of Northern Wei people under control!"

(End of this chapter)