Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 176 The Emperor's Little Thoughts

When Emperor Xia was involved in the struggle for the throne, he secretly trained a heavy cavalry force. Emperor Xia knew very well how long it would take to train a heavy cavalry force to be combat-ready.

Lu Chen has only been in Beijun for a little over a year. If the heavy armor in Beijun was given to Lu Chen by someone else and not made by Lu Chen, and the heavy cavalry in Beijun was also built by Lu Chen, then it would definitely take several years for the heavy cavalry in Beijun to become combat-ready.

Simply cladding soldiers in heavy armor and treating them as heavy cavalry doesn't necessarily make them stronger in combat.

In the short term, if heavy cavalry is well-trained, it may be more powerful than ordinary infantry. However, if the training methods are not appropriate, cavalry wearing heavy armor may be chased and beaten by light cavalry.

The thought that the heavy cavalry of Beijun was just a showpiece caused Emperor Xia's emotions to become very complicated.

He had originally planned to use the heavy cavalry of Beijun to intimidate those aristocratic families, but he did not expect that the heavy cavalry of Beijun would be wiped out so quickly.

However, the annihilation of the heavy cavalry in Beijun was also a good thing for him. He had originally planned to deal with the Beijun matter after resolving the issues with the aristocratic families.

Lu Chen and Bei Jun are both potential threats to him. Even if Lu Chen is indeed his biological son, he would never allow a prince who could threaten his position to exist during his lifetime.

Moreover, Lu Chen has the Xuan Yue Palace and a certain mysterious force behind him. It is clear that Lu Chen is a pawn, and someone wants to use Lu Chen as a pawn to deal with Da Xia and him.

At this moment, Situ Ce asked, "What does Your Majesty intend to do next?"

"Should we send a large army north, or let the Northern King continue to defend the north?"

Emperor Xia said expressionlessly, "Since Xiao Jiu has a mysterious force behind her and the help of Xuan Yue Palace, it means that Xiao Jiu still has value in their eyes. They can't just watch Xiao Jiu die like this and let her continue to guard the north. I really want to see what kind of force is behind Xiao Jiu."

Just then, the eunuch who had left earlier came into the pavilion. "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and the others have arrived. They are waiting for you in the study."

Emperor Xia did not continue his conversation with Situ Ce; he went directly to his study.

A short while later.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Several key ministers of the court had already arrived at the study to wait. After glancing at the people in the study, everyone immediately understood what the Emperor wanted to see them about.

Besides the two prime ministers, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War were also present, as were the Vice Minister of War and several generals promoted by Emperor Xia.

Clearly, the Xia Emperor had summoned them to discuss some military matters, possibly indicating a change in the war between the Xia and Wu dynasties.

At that moment, a eunuch's voice rang out from the doorway.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The people in the study immediately lined up in two rows, waiting for the arrival of Emperor Xia.

After Emperor Xia entered the study, he sat down at his desk, and the ministers immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Emperor Xia said calmly, "No need for formalities."

Right Chancellor Zhao Wenhan was the first to step forward and ask, "Your Majesty, have you summoned us at this time because there has been a change in the war situation at the front?"

The prime minister still held a certain position, and at such times, they could take the initiative to ask the Xia emperor questions.

Emperor Xia replied expressionlessly, "Indeed, the situation at the front has changed, but it's not in the west, but in the north."

Upon hearing this, the ministers in the study were all taken aback.

North?

Isn't that Beijun?

Could it be that the Northern King has already led the heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery to annihilate the Northern Xian King who marched south?

real or fake?

Is the Northern King really that powerful?

Last time, the Northern King had already defeated the Sirius King's 300,000-strong army. If he were to eliminate the Northern Xian King's 200,000-strong army now, the Northern King would truly have reached the point where his achievements overshadowed his master.

Just as people were lost in thought, Emperor Xia handed the battle report to the eunuch and said, "Pass it down and let them see it."

The eunuch immediately took the battle report and handed it to Lin Gaoyuan.

Lin Gaoyuan was stunned when he saw the battle report written by his son.

The 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun were wiped out?

How is this possible?!

At this moment, in order not to waste time, Emperor Xia spoke directly: "News has come from the north that the 50,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery fought a decisive battle with the army of the Northern Xian King in Tianguang City. In the end, the 50,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery were annihilated, leaving only a few thousand wounded. The army of the Northern Xian King retreated to the grasslands, but still sends cavalry south to harass Tianguang City from time to time."

Upon hearing Emperor Xia's words, all the ministers were instantly stunned.

The 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun were wiped out?

How is that possible?

Those were heavy cavalry!

Although heavy cavalry are not as mobile as light cavalry on the grasslands and may not be able to catch up with light cavalry, heavy cavalry are heavily armored and are not so easily wiped out by the barbarian army.

The ministers' first thought was that this news must be fake. They believed that the Xia Emperor was deceiving them to divert their attention and make them forget that there were 50,000 heavy cavalry in Beijun.

Lin Gaoyuan thought the same thing, but he felt something was wrong. After all, this was a battle report sent back by his son. Although his son might conceal something, it was unlikely that he would send back such a fake battle report.

Moreover, Emperor Xia's statement was far too direct. Those were 50,000 heavy cavalrymen; how could they simply vanish like that? The other ministers and powerful families would never believe such a statement.

Because it was so direct, Lin Gaoyuan felt that it might not be fake news. Just like when the Northern County wiped out 300,000 barbarians, the more fake news seemed, the more likely it was not fake news.

After regaining his senses, Zhao Wenhan immediately stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, has the news been confirmed? After all, that was 50,000 heavy cavalry; how could they have been defeated so easily?"

Emperor Xia said calmly, "My shadow guards have confirmed that this news is true. I was unwilling to believe it at first, but the Grand Preceptor's words reminded me that although the Northern Commandery has 50,000 heavy cavalry, these heavy cavalry have only been established for a short time and their combat strength is not strong."

"When facing barbarians, their greatest advantage is their heavy armor. It's quite normal that these 50,000 heavy cavalry would be wiped out by the Northern Xian King's army."

"However, this does not mean they have lost. The Northern Xian King has withdrawn to the grasslands, and the Northern Commandery is now safe. The mission of the 50,000 heavy cavalry has been completed. The court can now focus all its efforts on the war against Da Wu."

Although that's what the Xia Emperor said, all the ministers present knew very well that they hadn't paid much attention to the war in the north at all; they had been focused on the war between the Great Xia and the Great Wu from the very beginning.

As for what's happening in Beijun, it's none of their business. This is mainly because they believe that the 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun are Emperor Xia's private army, and their combat strength should be very strong. Dealing with the King of Beixian should not be a big problem for them, so they don't bother to pay attention to what's happening in the north.

Now, the Xia Emperor tells them that the 50,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery have been almost completely wiped out, with only some wounded soldiers remaining.

Of course, this was good news for most people present, but they still had no way of confirming whether Xia Huang's news was true or false.

If this is true, in the eyes of the aristocratic families, the Xia Emperor will have lost a powerful force. After the war between the Great Wu and the Great Xia ends, the Xia Emperor will no longer have the courage to touch the ancient aristocratic families.

The key question is whether this information is authentic.

It's true, and the powerful families are all overjoyed.

If it's fake, it means that Emperor Xia intends to hide his strength. This proves that he hasn't given up and still wants to take action against the ancient families. However, in Emperor Xia's view, there may not be an opportunity in the next few years, so he will endure humiliation for now.

Emperor Xia was most adept at enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens. He compromised with the aristocratic families countless times, but each compromise only deepened his hatred for them, making him even more determined to eliminate them. The aristocratic families naturally understood that Emperor Xia could no longer tolerate them after his repeated compromises.

However, even if Emperor Xia could not tolerate them, he still needed strength. He alone could not eliminate all the ancient families. If Emperor Xia had no weapons, the ancient families would not be afraid of him.

At this moment, Minister of War Chu Qinwu said, "Your Majesty, the war in the west is critical. Now that the war in the north has ended, shouldn't we recall General Lin?"

Emperor Xia glanced at Chu Qinwu and was about to say something when Lin Gaoyuan suddenly spoke up: "Although the Northern Xian King's army has withdrawn back to the grasslands, according to the battle reports from the north, the Northern Xian King's soldiers will still occasionally march south to attack Tianguang City."

"The Northern King no longer has many soldiers under his command. Tianguang City is currently garrisoned by 20,000 troops from the imperial court. To move them now would be tantamount to abandoning the North."

As soon as Lin Gaoyuan finished speaking, he handed the battle report to Zhao Wenhan, who took it and began to read it carefully.

At this moment, all the officials from the aristocratic faction were watching Zhao Wenhan closely, wanting to see his attitude.

After glancing at the contents of the battle report, Zhao Wenhan said, "If what General Lin said in his report is true, and the barbarian cavalry are still occasionally moving south, then the imperial court's 20,000 troops should not have been recalled so quickly."

Emperor Xia then said, "Alright, let's put the war in the north aside for now. The main reason I've called you here today is to discuss peace talks with Da Wu."

In name, the war between Great Xia and Great Wu was provoked by Great Xia. Since it was provoked by Great Xia, if Great Xia wanted the war to end, it would naturally have to propose peace talks first.

Although the Xia Emperor was unwilling to negotiate, if the war continued, the military strength of the Great Xia would be further weakened, and then how would he deal with the powerful families within the Great Xia territory?

Although many vassal kings have sent troops to the front lines, their armies are all incompetent and have little combat capability. The western front is currently being defended by the Great Xia army.

If we simply leave the armies of those vassal kings to guard the front lines, it probably won't be long before the million-strong army of Da Wu advances to the capital of Da Xia.

For the Great Xia Dynasty at present, the best outcome is peace talks.

Emperor Xia also knew that peace talks meant he would have to compromise with the aristocratic families again. This war was most likely instigated by the Chu family and the Great Wu Dynasty in collusion. The Chu family belonged to the aristocratic families of Jiangnan, and now the aristocratic families of Jiangnan had completely sided with the Eighth Prince's faction. The result of his compromise would likely be that the Eighth Prince would be made crown prince.

Although unwilling, Emperor Xia had no choice but to do so. He could not continue fighting, or he would squander all the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated.

For the next hour, they discussed the peace talks. Zhao Wenhan and some officials were puzzled, as the discussion should have taken place in the imperial court.

Why did Emperor Xia only summon officials related to the frontline battles to discuss peace talks today, while other officials did not participate in the discussion?

As the discussion progressed, Zhao Wenhan noticed a detail: the officials in the study were mostly from prominent families in Jiangnan.

The attitudes of military generals and officials from prominent families in Jiangnan towards peace talks were completely different.

The military officers in the study were strongly opposed to peace talks, while the officials of the Jiangnan aristocratic families wholeheartedly supported them. Only through peace talks could the officials of the Jiangnan aristocratic families gain more benefits from the Xia Emperor's compromise.

When these two sides are brought together, officials from the Jiangnan aristocratic families will find various excuses to talk about the war situation at the front, arguing that they should prioritize the people's welfare and attacking those military generals who only know how to achieve merit and establish their careers.

The military generals, on the other hand, believed that His Majesty's proposal for peace talks was forced upon him by the officials of the powerful families of Jiangnan, which inadvertently provoked conflict between the military generals and the powerful families of Jiangnan.

Military generals do want to make achievements and establish their careers. What general doesn't want to make achievements and establish their careers? Moreover, most of the generals in the Great Xia Dynasty were promoted later and have basically no military merits.

As a result, the Jiangnan aristocratic families kept proposing peace talks, which made the military generals very unhappy.

The peace talks were discussed for a long time without any concrete results. Finally, Emperor Xia decided to discuss it again in the court during the grand assembly.

After leaving the study, the officials from the Jiangnan aristocratic families gathered around Zhao Wenhan. Chu Qinwu asked curiously, "Lord Zhao, why did His Majesty allow us to discuss peace talks with a group of military officers? Shouldn't such matters be discussed at the grand court assembly?"

Zhao Wenhan stroked his beard, his eyes revealing a knowing glint in them, and said, "In my opinion, His Majesty intends to provoke conflict between the powerful families and military generals of Jiangnan."

At this point, Zhao Wenhan turned his head and glanced at the officials following behind him, then continued, "Look around, apart from Lin Gaoyuan, how many of the civil officials who came today are from other factions? You are basically all officials from the Jiangnan aristocratic families, aren't you?"

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, everyone instantly came to their senses. It turned out that Emperor Xia knew this war wouldn't last long, so he had set a trap for the powerful families of Jiangnan in advance.

They were just arguing with the military officers in the study, trying to prevent the war from continuing.

In their view, the war had already reached a certain point; if it continued, it might force the Xia Emperor to take desperate measures, which would in turn threaten the interests of the powerful families in Jiangnan.

War is merely a continuation of politics; it doesn't mean that it's good for them if the war continues indefinitely.

Before Chu Qinwu could continue speaking, Zhao Wenhan stroked his beard and said, "Let's not discuss this matter for now. You should send your men to investigate whether the 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun have truly been wiped out."

"If the 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun are really gone, Your Majesty's little tricks today will not have much effect."

Without the 50,000 heavy cavalry of Beijun, even if the conflict between the Jiangnan aristocratic families and military generals is stirred up, it will be useless. Does the Xia Emperor intend to take action against the Jiangnan aristocratic families after the war between Dawu and Daxia ends?

Zhao Wenhan didn't believe that the Xia Emperor would dare to do such a thing. The more the Xia Emperor made small moves, the more it proved that the Xia Emperor was guilty and dared not directly take action against the ancient families.

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's reminder, the officials of the Jiangnan aristocratic families immediately returned to report the news to their respective families and then mobilized all forces to investigate whether the Black Cavalry of Beijun had truly been wiped out.

(End of this chapter)