Fu Shanhe

Chapter 572 Nine Emperors Standing Side by Side
Nanjing City.

A month has passed since the Northern barbarians besieged the city.

During this period, there was no good news, but bad news kept coming one after another.

Either this place was breached by the rebels, or that place was plundered by the northern barbarians.

The scorched earth policy slowed down the northern barbarians' offensive to some extent, but it could only buy them time.

"It's quite a coincidence that the reinforcements from various provinces were all delayed on the way for various reasons."

What do the Ministry of War and the Military Governor's Office think?

Wan Huaijin asked with a frown.

It wasn't that he wanted to cause trouble during the city's defense; it was simply that power is easy to give away but difficult to take back.

After the outbreak of the Battle of Nanjing, military and political power began to concentrate in the hands of the Governor's Office, which was controlled by the nobility.

If the cabinet wants to maintain its independence, it must make its presence felt and let all the civil and military officials in the court know that they are the highest authority in the Great Yu.

"Prime Minister, the reinforcements from various provinces are slow to arrive, most likely because they are frightened by the northern barbarians."

Facing hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, their small force would only be handing victory to the enemy.

For the sake of the greater good, waiting for the Marquis of Hanshui's reinforcements to arrive before launching a joint attack is also a good option.

Shi Qingchen's exoneration immediately put the two governors present in an awkward position.

According to custom, the Ministry of War should sternly condemn such behavior before they step in to help exonerate the situation.

Now that the Governor's Office has already said what the Ministry of War has said, what can they say?

"What Lord Shi said is correct. The reinforcements from various provinces are not strong enough and are unable to lift the siege of Nanjing on their own."

It would be more in line with the overall situation to launch a joint attack after the Marquis of Hanshui's army arrives.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Duke of Chu realized he had been tricked.

This is not a matter of reinforcements from various provinces; it is clearly a disguised way of urging the Marquis of Hanshui to speed up the march.

The reason they didn't bring it up directly is because the civil service group had a falling out with the Marquis of Hanshui earlier, and it wasn't appropriate for them to ask for help now.

To avoid escalating the conflict, they resorted to a roundabout approach, hoping that the Xun Gui Group would contribute to this issue.

Upon discovering the truth, the Duke of Chu was instantly overwhelmed.

If he could command the Marquis of Hanshui, he wouldn't have been unable to fulfill the agreements reached beforehand.

"In that case, I will trouble you gentlemen to urge the army that is coming to the aid of the emperor to speed up their actions!"

Before the noble faction could react, Wan Huaijin seized the opportunity to force the task onto him.

I wanted to refuse, but the words got stuck in my throat and I swallowed them back.

They're all in the same boat; even if they know they're being schemed against, they can only accept it.

The Marquis of Hanshui's loyalist army remained inactive, and the Yu armies in various regions dared not move.

Without reinforcements, the fall of Nanjing was only a matter of time.

"It is only right for the Grand Secretary to urge the army that is coming to the aid of the emperor to speed up."

But since the army has come from afar, the court should prepare all the necessary expenses in advance.

"Don't let the reinforcements go hungry before they arrive; that would be a huge problem!"

The Duke of Wei said with a displeased expression.

When needed, let them charge into battle; once the matter is over, discard them immediately.

Over the years, the civil service has done far too many similar disgraceful things.

learn from mistakes.

The nobles had already accumulated a wealth of experience in this process.

If you want them to risk their lives for you, you have to agree on the terms first.

If a promise is made but not fulfilled, even if the Marquis of Hanshui doesn't mind, his soldiers will still overthrow the Nanjing court.

"As long as the loyalist army can arrive ahead of schedule, nothing else matters."

Wan Huaijin immediately assured him.

Compared to the optimistic civil and military officials of the court, he was undoubtedly much more pessimistic.

Deep inside, a voice kept telling him that the Marquis of Hanshui's army to come to the aid of the king would not be coming.

This is not a matter of personal loyalty, but rather a problem arising from the emerging interest groups that are attached to the Marquis of Hanshui, who do not want him to continue to be tied to the Great Yu.

With the Nanjing court gone, it was the perfect time for a new dynasty to be established, and he became a founding hero.

With such huge profits at stake, few people could refuse.

Whether we like it or not, the Annam Protectorate has become too powerful to be controlled, and that is a fait accompli.

With the cabinet in power now, everyone is turning a blind eye, so the matter isn't too serious yet.

Once the young emperor comes of age, many hidden conflicts will be brought to the surface.

Rather than waiting until the future turns against us and bearing the infamy of being a traitor, it's better to use someone else to do the dirty work.

As long as the Great Yu Dynasty falls quickly enough, the Marquis of Hanshui will be a loyal subject of the Great Yu.

Unfortunately, he could only think about these things in secret and dared not confide in anyone.

There were quite a few intelligent people in the court who understood this matter, but they all unanimously chose to play dumb.

Revealing the truth will only offend people and serve no other purpose.

Even if you don't consider your own safety, you should at least consider your family.

The smarter a person is, the more worries they have.

……

Night fell once again, but undercurrents continued to surge through the city.

Left Censor-in-Chief's Office.

"Jun Cai, what brings you here?"

"Although the storm has passed, those in the court who are hostile to the He family still hold great power."

Once they discover your whereabouts, they will surely wipe you out!

Shu Jinglun said with a solemn expression.

This is no longer the era in which the Qingliu Group holds absolute power. Even though he is the Left Censor-in-Chief, his authority is greatly suppressed.

The Censorate, which used to be outspoken and confrontational, is still criticizing people, but its effectiveness has been greatly reduced.

The He family was nominally wiped out by the White Lotus Rebels, but in reality, they were caught up in the anti-tax movement and suffered the calamity of being exterminated.

Yun Xiangwen was in charge of carrying out the massacre, but there were multiple forces behind the scenes planning it all.

Besides these people, the vested interests who divided up the Ho family's assets also did not want any members of the Ho family to survive.

There are too many people involved; even he, as the Left Censor-in-Chief, cannot afford to offend them.

"Uncle, I risked entering the city this time specifically to save your family..."

"Nonsense!"

My family is perfectly fine; why would we need your help?

Realizing the situation was not good, Shu Jinglun immediately reprimanded He Juncai before he could finish speaking.

He could understand the unspoken meaning behind some things without them being explicitly stated.

There would be no other choice but the Northern barbarians to send He Juncai to risk infiltrating the city as an envoy.

How could someone as dignified as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Great Yu Dynasty possibly defect to the Northern barbarians and become their dog?

"Uncle, things are different now. The world has changed!"

"You may not know, but Da Yu has changed a lot in recent days."

The King of Lu, the King of Gui, the King of Shu, the King of Xiang, the King of Tang, and the King of Zhou all declared themselves emperors in their fiefdoms. Even the heir of the King of Chong, who fled to Songjiang, and the second son of the King of Huainan, who sought refuge in Fujian, declared themselves emperors.

Including the several rebel kings who declared themselves emperors, eleven new emperors emerged in the Great Yu Dynasty in just over a month.

Ignoring the rebel kings who claimed the title of emperor, the Great Yu Dynasty entered an era of nine emperors coexisting.

So many new emperors have sent imperial edicts to the Marquis of Hanshui, whose do you think he will listen to?

After He Juncai finished speaking, Shu Jinglun was completely dumbfounded.

He searched through all of Chinese history but could not find a dynasty with nine emperors standing side by side.

After such an upheaval, let alone leading troops to defend the emperor, the Marquis of Hanshui did not follow the crowd and declare himself emperor; he was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness.

"Don't try to fool me, kid. The imperial court couldn't possibly be unaware of something this big."

Verifying its authenticity won't take much effort!

Shu Jinglun said with a serious expression.

There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country.

If nine emperors were to coexist in the Great Yu Dynasty, the already fragile state would collapse instantly.

Even if Emperor Taizu were to be resurrected, he could not be saved.

"Uncle, how could I dare to lie to you about something so life-threatening?"

Right now, there are nine emperors ruling simultaneously, but it won't be long before there are ten emperors ruling together!
Seeing the great commotion caused by the Yu imperial family, the Tatars also prepared to join in the fun and were selecting a suitable puppet emperor.

It's estimated that before long, there will be another Great Yu emperor outside the city.

With so many emperors appearing all at once, the Marquis of Hanshui must be at a loss. In the short term, a loyalist army is certainly not to be relied upon.

Without reinforcements to relieve the siege, can the remaining troops inside the city truly hold Nanjing?

He Juncai smiled and asked in return.

His ability to infiltrate the city itself indicates a problem with the city's defenses.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to let a stranger into the city during a battle between two armies.

The Tatars may be infamous, but they are willing to spend money.

As long as the profits are large enough, there will always be people willing to cooperate with them.

The gentry of Jiangnan suffered heavy losses, but that doesn't mean they were all wiped out.

Similarly, some forces hidden in the shadows managed to survive.

Driven by deep-seated hatred, these people immediately accepted the Tatars' offer of allegiance.

Despite seemingly lacking a strong foundation, the Northern Barbarians had actually gained the support of the local gentry.

They are now using their existing connections to help the Northern Barbarians expand their advantage.

"All you've said is that you want to hand over Nanjing to the Tatars."

But don't forget, no matter how much the Great Yu Dynasty declined, even a broken ship still had three pounds of nails.

Even in their final moments, their counterattack could still have the power to take the Tatars away.

Jiangnan is not Liaodong; their proud cavalry can only exert 60-70% of their fighting power here at most.

Even if they manage to capture Nanjing by chance, they won't be able to hold it.

The battle for supremacy has only just begun, and you're already so eager to place your bets? Aren't you afraid of choosing failure and causing the complete annihilation of the He family?

Shu Jinglun shook his head and said.

The impending collapse of the Great Yu Empire does not mean that the Tatars will successfully seize the world.

Unlike the weak Song Empire, the Great Yu Empire still possessed considerable military strength even when it was on the verge of collapse.

In this respect, the Great Yu Dynasty at this time is somewhat similar to the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Even at the end of the dynasty, it was still able to expand its territory.

The fall of the north was mainly due to natural disasters, and secondly due to the mismanagement of Emperor Yongning during his reign, rather than simply a military defeat.

If it weren't for the years of natural disasters that led to constant internal strife in the north, the mere northern barbarians would have been no match for the Great Yu's empire.

"Uncle, the He family had no choice!"

"Looking across the world, there are only a few forces qualified to contend for the world, and the only ones in the first tier are the Marquis of Hanshui and the Northern Barbarians."

Although the Marquis of Hanshui was not involved in the Jiangnan massacre, the noble faction was the main force behind it.

Yun Xiangwen, who took matters into his own hands, was not only his former subordinate but also a relative by marriage to the Jing family.

Once the Marquis of Hanshui chooses to contend for the throne, the noble faction will definitely flock to him.

Even if my He family disregards our hatred and is willing to stand with them to support Marquis Hanshui, these people will still not feel at ease.

Whether for revenge or for the continuation of their family line, they were destined to stand on opposite sides.

Uncle, you have no choice in this matter either.

It is common knowledge that the Marquis of Hanshui disliked empty talk that could harm the country.

Looking at the officials of the Annam Protectorate, is there even one member of the Qingliu Party?

He Juncai replied in an icy tone.

Those who follow the emperor's lead will never receive anything in return.

In times of chaos, placing bets requires not only considering the other party's chances of winning the world, but also their willingness to accept the bets.

Compared to other warlords vying for power, the biggest problem for the Marquis of Hanshui was that he had too many supporters and the power to choose his subordinates.

Not only would the He family, a notorious gentry who led the resistance against taxes, be rejected, but even a renowned upright official like Shu Jinglun would be looked down upon.

"Alright, that's enough for today's conversation."

"You should stay here in the manor for now and not go out to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

Shu Jinglun said expressionlessly.

He neither readily agreed nor refused.

It's clear that he was experiencing a lot of complex emotions at that moment.

They wanted to preserve their wealth and status, but were also worried about damaging their reputation.

"Uncle, don't worry, I won't be going anywhere in the next few days."

However, once you have verified the information, you should make a decision as soon as possible.

If we react too slowly and someone else gets there first, the Tatars won't be so easy to reason with.

He Juncai offered a tactful reminder.

The Tatars wanted to defeat Nanjing from within, and he was not the only one who entered the city as an envoy.

Whoever succeeds in persuading others and opens the city gates with the help of those inside and outside will be the greatest hero.

If you miss this opportunity and surrender after the Tatar army enters the city, you will be treated differently.

"Ok!"

"I know the gravity of the matter. We'll discuss everything after we've verified the information."

Shu Jinglun said, feigning composure.

He didn't completely believe the news brought by his nephew.

The news of nine emperors standing side by side is too frightening.

It's understandable if a member of the imperial family occasionally has a moment of madness and declares himself emperor.

It's clearly abnormal that so many problematic members of the royal family have suddenly emerged.

Putting everything else aside, a rebellion always needs a core group of people.

Apart from the Prince of Gui, the Prince of Shu, and the Prince of Xiang, who might have had a few followers in their own fiefdoms, the rest of them came from the north to escape the disaster.

Joining the bandwagon and declaring oneself emperor might mean you can't even command a single county.

If the news is true, either they've all made a collective blunder, or someone is manipulating things behind the scenes.

Simultaneously controlling so many members of the imperial family and princes to raise flags and declare themselves emperors in different places is something that not everyone can do.

It's possible that the Northern barbarians fabricated this to undermine the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city.

If someone blindly believes this and foolishly places bets, they will become the biggest sucker.

After all, opening the city gates and surrendering also carries risks.

He was the leader of the Qingliu Party, not the leader of the noble faction, and he did not have military power.

To seize the city gate through a coordinated attack from within and without, the few servants in the mansion alone are simply not enough; more people need to be brought in.

The more people involved, the greater the risk of exposure.

If word gets out, the disaster of having their property confiscated and their entire family wiped out will immediately follow.

……

Guangzhou Prefecture, Governor's Office.

Returning to this familiar place, looking at every familiar blade of grass and tree, Li Mu nodded in satisfaction.

It's clear that the people below have put their hearts into it; the arrangements made during his tenure have remained unchanged.

"My lord, the imperial edict bestowing titles upon the King of Shu after his ascension to the throne has also been delivered to you."

They've become increasingly generous, starting with bestowing the title of Duke and now even becoming a King of the First Rank.

With the addition of the one in Nanjing, the Great Yu Dynasty has now officially entered an era of nine emperors coexisting.

Lan Linjie said with a smile.

As the director behind the scenes, he was very satisfied with his work.

After planning for so long, we have finally seen results.

Those who proclaimed themselves emperors were all members of the Great Yu imperial family, and it was an internal power struggle within the royal family. As an outsider, it would be inappropriate for him to support any of them.

Each one of them declared itself the legitimate authority and presented their own reasons, making it impossible for people to tell the difference.

"Has the news reached Nanjing yet?"

Li Mu asked calmly.

Frankly, he didn't want to play these tricks, but the Great Yu Empire was too wealthy.

Even in its current decline, it still has many supporters.

Compared to conquering the world, winning over the hearts and minds of the people is undoubtedly more difficult.

In order to speed up the process of pacifying the chaotic world, they simply adopted Lan Linjie's crooked idea and kicked the remaining foundation of the Great Yu Dynasty hard.

Upon hearing the news that someone had declared himself emperor, local government offices immediately reported the news to the Nanjing court.

Judging by the timeline, the memorials should be arriving in the capital by now.

……

(End of this chapter)