Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 200 Clever Plot
The news of the death of the King of Southwest spread across the country like a surging tide. At the same time, the urgent military report of the rebellion of the Prince of Southwest was sent to the Golden Palace at a speed of 800 meters.

Inside the Golden Palace, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it. The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, his eyes as cold as frost. He glanced at his ministers and asked in a stern voice, "Who can lead the troops to resist the rebels in the southwest?"

Xilin Yongxuan had not returned to China at this time, and the peace talks with Xilin were still going on. Although the overall situation had been basically settled, at this critical moment, the southwest suddenly rose up and disrupted everything. The important officials in the court looked at each other with different expressions. In the past, they could argue and quarrel over the issue of floods in the south of the Yangtze River, but now that they were discussing the matter of resisting the southwest army, the entire Jinluan Palace fell into a strange silence.

During the palace coup, the emperor offended most of the military generals.

Many generals in the court, such as Ningyuan Marquis and General Chen, were old acquaintances of the King of Southwest.

During the more than ten years of fighting against Xilin on the border, they fought side by side and had already established a deep friendship. General Chen and Ningyuan Hou had been injured before and their injuries had not healed yet, so they were naturally unwilling to lead the troops to the battle.

The King of Southwest had known them for more than ten years and they had a life-and-death friendship. Now that the King of Southwest had passed away suddenly, they were heartbroken. How could they easily send troops to fight against the Prince of Southwest on behalf of the Emperor?

There are only a handful of generals available to the emperor, and the Earl of Anping is one of them. He is a staunch royalist and is loyal to the emperor.

In addition, there are Shenwu General, Huqi General, etc. However, the combat capabilities of these generals are indeed far behind those of Ningyuan Hou and General Chen.

At this critical moment, Marquis Ningyuan and General Chen claimed to be ill and did not attend the morning court for many days. The emperor sent people to visit them, but they were told that they had not recovered and could not attend the court.

The emperor summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures for two consecutive days, but he still couldn't come up with a plan. The 200,000 troops led by the Southwest Prince were like a tiger descending from the mountain, advancing all the way to the outside of Zhongzhou City. Once they crossed Zhongzhou City, the front was flat and they could march straight into the capital. In Zhongzhou City, 100,000 soldiers and horses, led by General Lao Zhong, fought desperately. Seeing that it was not easy to attack by force, the Southwest Prince proposed peace talks with General Lao Zhong, trying to persuade him to surrender voluntarily.

From the southwest to Huainan, and then all the way to Zhongzhou, the governors of all the cities along the way opened their city gates one after another to welcome the army of the prince of the southwest, without losing a single soldier.

The southwest border of Zhongzhou was originally the fiefdom of the King of the Southwest who had been managing it for more than ten years. The reputation he had accumulated here had long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The news of the sudden death of the King of the Southwest made the local people very sad and angry. The people spontaneously supported the Prince of the Southwest, which enabled him to capture six cities without any effort.

Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly critical, the emperor could no longer suppress his anger and angrily rebuked the generals in the Golden Palace: "I have raised troops for a thousand days and used them in just one moment. Now the rebels in the southwest are coming with great force, and no one is able to stand up to resist the southwest for me! What use do I have for you?" In his rage, the emperor was so angry that a mouthful of blood rushed up his throat and he could not help vomiting.

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Lu hurriedly led the civil service group to argue with the military generals.

None of the generals from the southwest were willing to lead the troops to fight. Both sides insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in. When the situation was at a stalemate, the Earl of Anping stepped forward and volunteered to go to Zhongzhou to resist the prince of the southwest. However, new problems followed one after another. At this time, the treasury was empty and it was difficult to raise food and supplies.

The eldest princess is in charge of the Military Affairs Council. When Dayuan was determined to resist foreign enemies, she was able to plan and control the overall situation. But now Dayuan's generals are divided into two factions, with many internal conflicts and problems emerging like a tide. The most difficult problem is the lack of money!
The princess frowned slightly, and spoke softly but forcefully: "Dayuan and Xilin have been at war for many years, and there has never been a shortage of supplies and food. This is all saved by the treasury through frugality and thrift. Although last year was a bumper year, almost all the food was supplied to the front line. The expenses of the palace and the salaries of all officials have been cut. Even if the Earl of Anping leads his troops to Zhongzhou, I have calculated that the food and grass can only last for half a month. Can they really repel the southwest army within half a month?"

The Minister of War showed difficulty, shook his head and sighed, "The Prince of the Southwest is brave and good at fighting. He has been carefully trained by the prince since he was a child. He is brave and resourceful, and his prestige in the army is second only to the prince. With only half a month... it is really difficult to repel him!"

Not to mention half a month, even if it took half a year, it would not be easy to repel the southwestern army.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Lu frowned and asked, "Is it feasible to transfer troops and food from Jiangnan?"

The princess looked calm and her eyes were cold. She said slowly, "There is civil unrest in the north. The navy of Jiangnan is responsible for guarding the border and must not move lightly. They must be stationed at the border to prevent foreign naval forces from invading. The money and food in Jiangnan are only enough to supply the navy of Jiangnan. I have already sent a pigeon to Jiangnan, hoping that they can transfer some food and supplies to Zhongzhou. But distant water cannot quench near thirst, and it is not a long-term solution after all."

"What should we do? The treasury has no money or food. How can we fight this war?"

"We were about to have peace talks, but why did civil strife suddenly break out? What can we do? Once the southwest army passes through Zhongzhou, there will be no strategic locations to defend. It will only take half a month to reach Kyoto!"

The officials were talking to each other, with anxious looks on their faces.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, coughing non-stop and coughing up blood. Seeing this, all the officials knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Please take care of your health, Your Majesty!"

At the critical moment, Lu Jing said, "Although the national treasury has no money, the noble clans have money! Now is the time when Dayuan is facing life and death. Ministers, are you willing to donate some grain and silver to solve the urgent needs of the court?"

More than half of the officials in the court came from powerful clans. They owned vast tracts of land and abundant property, and their wealth was richer than the national treasury.

As soon as Lu Jing finished speaking, the originally noisy Jinluan Palace suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. As the leader of the Jinyiwei, Lu Jing knew the situation of the clans in the capital very well.

The Jinyiwei knew all these inside stories, and the emperor was naturally aware of them. Now that the country was in danger, the clans and families had to sacrifice their lives to show their loyalty. After all, everyone yearned for the merits of following the emperor, and if the court could successfully defeat the southwest army, the emperor would definitely remember their contributions.

Lu Jing went on to say, "The court will not ask for your money for nothing. The Grand Council will issue gold and silver notes, which can be regarded as the Ministry of Revenue borrowing money from you. After repelling the southwest army, you can use the gold and silver notes to ask the Ministry of Revenue to repay you. During this period of time, you can regard it as a loan from you to the court to tide over the difficulties."