Chapter 1016: Going North to Protect the King
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The cabinet had a headache.
Previously, there had already been a huge commotion to investigate the inner palace. Fortunately, it was reasonable to use the excuse of wanting to investigate the palace for disrespect.
If they continued to investigate the reason for the Third Prince’s Hanshi Powder, they would definitely have to do it again.
At that time, the Third Prince’s disgrace could no longer be covered up.
Even under normal circ.u.mstances, such matters had to be covered up for the sake of the dignity of the royal family. No one dared to cause trouble outside.
Not to mention that it was an eventful period.
The generals led by Duke Xu were clearly aware of this, so they simply covered their ears.
What could they do?
After an intense argument by the two sides.
In the end, Yu Zongshen discussed with the cabinet and decided that the Third Prince would be placed under house arrest in the palace in the name of being seriously ill. Palace guards would be sent to guard the palace. No one was allowed to enter or leave.
In the name of disrespecting the empress and overstepping the etiquette system, Imperial Concubine Xu was punished to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors.
Without a real crime, Imperial Concubine Xu and the Third Prince would not experience a fall from power, let alone lose their power.
It was as if they were being handled gently.
However, this was already the best solution the cabinet could come up with to cut the Gordian knot.
The Xu Residence had a large army and was intertwined in the army. Now that the King of Liang was rebelling, it was time to use the troops. If they dealt with it too seriously, it would definitely arouse the dissatisfaction of a portion of the generals in the court, further exacerbating the conflicts and disputes between the civil and military officials. At the same time, it would affect the morale of the Liang army.
The old generals led by Duke Xu were at their peak.
Only a few court officials were left in the Imperial Library.
Lord Qi had a bad temper and was immediately furious. “They’re unscrupulous just because Thief Liang is causing trouble and mobilizing troops to steal the country. It’s as if the Great Zhou’s territory will…”
The latter words were indeed a little treasonous, and they could not be exposed.
The cabinet was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After a while, an elder opened his mouth. “Why don’t we use the name of the cabinet to send an order for King Yue Fei to send troops to guard the capital?
This way, the Great Zhou will be impregnable…”
These words expressed the thoughts of many people in the cabinet.
They immediately joined in.
“King Yue Fei is also guarding the territory of the Yin Imperial Family. This is a good move…”
“Now that the army in the capital is empty, these generals in charge of the army are all facing the sky. If we don’t suppress them, I’m afraid there will be troops at the front line and a fire in the backyard…”
“Ever since King Yue Fei guarded the North, the Imperial Court has issued a recruitment doc.u.ment for two years in a row. The scale of the You army has also reached 500,000 people. It won’t affect anything to transfer 200,000 people to the capital to guard it.”
Immediately, someone objected.
“No, the You army is a barrier against the Northern Barbarians and the rule of the Han people. How can we ignore the border defense? Are you old and muddle-headed? Have you not had enough of the lessons from the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians?!”
“Some time ago, King Yue Fei sent a memorial to the Imperial Court, saying that the Northern Barbarians’ actions have been abnormal recently. He’s afraid they’re acting strangely and are affected by the drought. In the past two years, the Northern Barbarians have been causing frequent trouble at the border. We have to be wary.”
“The Northern Barbarians is a large tribe. It’s said that they have 300,000 soldiers. In addition, everyone in the Northern Barbarians is a soldier. There are more than a million of them. The 500,000-man You army is just in name. Have you forgotten that after King Yue Fei was appointed to guard Youzhou, the emperor sent the army supervisor, the Ministry of War, and the Imperial Historian to cooperate with King Yue Fei to report to the North? What was the situation with 300,000 You soldiers at that time?”
Everyone present looked at one another, speechless for a moment.
The Marquis of Zhen continued, “The so-called 300,000 You soldiers are just for their reputation to coax outsiders and intimidate the Northern Barbarians. The Ministry of War and the Imperial Court have sorted out all the Chinese books in the army over the years. Only then did they realize that the You army
is in a difficult situation. There are less than 200,000 people who can really enter the battlefield. These 200,000 people are all wearing armor that they’ve gathered from everywhere. They can’t protect themselves. Their weapons are all cut. There are less than a thousand horses charging, and a portion of them are old horses…
When the news reached the capital, he simply couldn’t believe how King Li of Zhou had survived all these years. He suddenly felt a strong sense of admiration.
“The new recruits have been in the camp for less than three years and lack combat experience. They’re far inferior to the old soldiers. When the new recruits enter the camp, they need the old soldiers to lead them. Some old soldiers can no longer go to the battlefield. They keep their military status and stay in the army only to train the new recruits. The new recruits and old soldiers alternate. It will take at least three to five years to complete the training. There are definitely less than 300,000 soldiers who can really go to the battlefield.’
These civil officials did not know how to use troops. With just a few words, they felt that it was just a matter of transferring 200,000 troops to the capital to guard it.
How could they know the inside story?
The atmosphere became a little heavy.
Lord Qi sighed with emotion. “It’s not easy for King Yue Fei either. The Marquis of Changxing has caused a calamity for the You army. King Yue Fei has not taken on a cushy job, but a mess. He has relied on his own strength to take in the old troops, reorganize the You army, and revive their reputation. In the past two years, the Northern Barbarians has been affected by the drought and has often disturbed the border cities. There have been no mistakes.’
Of course, if it weren’t for the mess, the emperor wouldn’t have handed it over to Yin Huaixi so readily.
Everyone agreed deeply.
At this moment, Elder Yu said, “Don’t place your hopes on King Yue Fei. Even if the Great Zhou Dynasty is in pieces, King Yue Fei has to guard the territory of China well. We can’t let the Northern Barbarians take half a step into Han territory.”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the cabinet looked surprised.
Yu Zongshen’s hand, which was spinning walnuts, finally stopped. “Back then,
Xiang and Liu invaded Xianyang. Where was the powerful and terrifying Qin army?”
No one in the Imperial Library said anything.
Yu Zongshen said calmly, “After the Founding Emperor destroyed the six states, w.a.n.g Jian and his deputy, Zhao Tuo, led an army of 500,000 troops to pacify the Baiyue area in the south of Lingnan. At that time, the entire south China was under the rule of the Baiyue and did not belong to the Han. The Founding Emperor was worried that the Baiyue would take the opportunity to cause trouble and prosper, so he sent Zhao Tuo to guard the Baiyue area. He also intermarried with the local Baiyue people and educated the Baiyue barbarians, causing the entire Nanyue to be included in the territory of China. Later, Zhao Tuo established Nanyue. The current-day Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and other places were conquered at that time.”
To establish Nanyue, 500,000 Qin Dynasty troops were taken away.
Moreover, they would never return.
It was not to protect the rule of the Qin Dynasty, but to unify the territory of China and lay the foundation.
What kind of situation was this?!
“In the last years of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang started an anti-Qin uprising to overthrow the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty. At the critical moment of the life and death of the Qin Dynasty, the Second Emperor, Hu Hai, repeatedly asked Zhao Tuo to send troops north to protect the king. Zhao
Tuo had 500,000 mighty troops, but he had never sent troops north. Was Zhao Tuo really not loyal enough?”
There was still silence in the cabinet.
Elder Yu sighed softly. “When the Founding Emperor was seriously ill, he summoned Zhao Tuo, who was guarding Baiyue, and gave him the last imperial edict in his life. The Founding Emperor said to Zhao Tuo, ‘Nanyue is the southern gate of China. For thousands of years, it has not been under Han rule. I’m afraid there will be endless trouble in the future. You have to guard
Nanyue..”