Chapter 112 Explanation

On the eighth day after the Japanese pirates were pacified, Prince Mu received an urgent letter from the capital, and was impeached as expected. More than a dozen days later, the big colander of the court had leaked almost everything it should. Although the specific information was still concealed, the bloody atmosphere of the execution of four or five hundred people in one go still seeped out from the leaked words, making all knowledgeable people shudder. In the more than a hundred years since Emperor Xiaozong, the civil officials have been working day by day and never slacking off. They have already occupied an absolute advantage in the government, and gradually transformed the harsh and cruel politics of the founding of the country into a cozy nest that makes the literati content. Now that the prince has led his troops, it is inevitable that the literati will suddenly be frightened, recalling the terror of being dominated and oppressed by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, and the humiliation of being imprisoned by severe punishments.

...In order to prevent the political tradition from being destroyed by the Mad Duke, to protect the peace that has been longed for for a hundred years, and to implement love and true righteousness, the lovely and charming upright characters work together and finally take action against the Prince of Mu!

Of course, compared with the Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty, the literati of Da'an are still relatively respectable; at least they dare not follow the example of Su Che and Sima Guang and make a fuss about the victory over Japan, advocating paying compensation and apology to Japan. The civil officials of Da'an were actually very clear that although the prince's tactics were cruel, the charges against him were mostly not false. It was meaningless to drag in the evidence of collusion with the Japanese, and it might even be used to accuse the emperor. So after much deliberation, the impeachment charges did not include any substantive content, but only accused the Mu family of being "domineering", "contrary to ancestral teachings", and "having intentions that could not be questioned".

——Putting aside the facts, just tell me whether you are domineering or not!

The fury of the civil servants was already expected when they started to deal with those successful candidates in the imperial examinations. But the most bizarre thing was the attitude of the cabinet. Several senior ministers did not follow the court's public opinion and show a united front against a common enemy. Instead, they just did their job and sent an urgent letter to the prince, asking him to "give a clear reply" and "do not delay". Although "do not delay", the efficiency of the court is well known to everyone. After the reply was made clear, the two sides engaged in a verbal battle, which would take at least half a year. As time went on, the situation changed and many things could be subtly planned.

In fact, as if they were afraid that Prince Mu would not understand, Lord Yan and Lord Xu, who were in charge of the cabinet, put a lot of thought into it. Judging from the handwriting, this carefully worded official document was written by Zhang Taiyue, who was the Hanlin scholar and the acting imperial edict writer at the time.

——The official document ordering the prince to understand the reply was actually written by Zhang Taiyue himself. If Mu can't even understand this signal, then there is no need for him to get involved in politics and he can just go home and wait to be thrown into jail.

Facts have proved that after being beaten into a tender and elastic flesh by the government, the prince still understands this little trick very well. He read the document carefully, his expression remaining calm; then he checked carefully and took out a letter from the secret box in the cabinet. This letter was written personally by Lord Xu and Lord Yan, and was also issued in the name of the cabinet, but the content was much more friendly and easy-going. It was asking about his progress in going south to suppress the Japanese pirates and expressing the court's sincere concern.

Perhaps taking into consideration the prince's ability to understand, this letter did not contain any empty words; apart from a little necessary cover-up, the underlying message that had been painstakingly planned was basically laid out and revealed. But even so, Mu Qi was still greatly shocked. He read the letter several times, savoring every word carefully. After ruling out all the impossibilities, he had to accept the only fact: these two old men really wanted to fight the Japanese pirates, and they wanted to do it on a big scale.

No, isn’t this character twist a bit too big?

Well, when Mu Qi made up his mind to deal with those 400-odd people, he also thought about using this small pot to force the cabinet to submit, turning the tables and stimulating the enthusiasm of the central government. But the fact that the central government suddenly became so radical still far exceeded his expectations. Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu were both veterans who had been immersed in the civil service system for decades. They should have internalized the court's rules long ago. However, only a dozen days after the news was reported, the two old men were able to turn the tide, break all the previous inertia of thinking, and come up with such a ruthless move. Their quick and experienced reactions, and their skillful and brilliant tactics were truly unparalleled in the world.

You know, although expanding the war against Japan to enhance the emperor's authority sounds justifiable, it actually destroyed the hard work of several generations of civil officials over the past hundred years, which was tantamount to a great betrayal of one's own class. A scholar who had studied hard for decades was able to stab the consensus of civil servants so smoothly and without any hindrance, and he didn't even need to do any psychological preparation before he defected. This kind of political quality alone is beyond the reach of a fool like Mu Qi.

...In fact, if you think about it carefully, these two old guys might have been born at the wrong time. They have been rubbed by Master Feixuan for too long, which led to their current inhuman appearance. If they could really be born during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, they could at least get a position like Gongsun Hong with just this set of political skills!

Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines; isn’t this the sorrow of the two old men?

But it's okay now. With the prince's encouragement, the two old men finally got rid of the wrong path and got on the right track - people have to look at the big picture, as long as the two old men can do a good job in dealing with the Japanese pirates, the foreigners and the northern desert during their tenure, then all the dirty things they did before, such as forming cliques for personal gain, being frivolous and shameless, are actually just minor details, which can be just mentioned in history books without damaging their reputation. Sometimes, unless you push them hard, you don't know how great people can be. Xu Shaohu is only fifty, and Yan Fenyi is only seventy. They are all so young and young that they are at the right age to go out and explore. If it weren't for the encouragement from the prince, could they have made this decision?

Therefore, the prince is very virtuous; ordinary people may not understand this noble and subtle virtue, but the wise will always understand this truth. Only the Spring and Autumn Annals know me and judge me!

As a virtuous and righteous prince, Mu Qi sat upright and digested this shocking change. Then he picked up the brush, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote a reply with great effort:

"Respectfully submitted to the Lord..."

·

That afternoon, Prince Mu summoned Qi Yuanjing to a small separate room, asking him about the follow-up affairs of the battlefield and focusing on the situation of the invasion of Japanese pirates from other places. The Japanese pirates did not invade in one direction this time; in addition to Shandong, which suffered the heaviest blow, Zhejiang and Guangdong were also invaded. Therefore, Yu Zhifu, who was also specially summoned to Beijing, received an order from the Ministry of War and was ordered to go south urgently to assist in defense. Fortunately, the Japanese pirates arrived in a hurry and their combat power was not strong, so the problem was not serious. But the two groups of Japanese pirates from the north and south came together with such a clever coordination of timing that it could not be explained by chance.

Kusunobu Nishi has committed suicide, and no one knows the details of this invasion. But if we carefully analyze the timing of the cooperation between the north and the south, some things are very clear.

"Judging from the timing, these waves of Japanese pirates should have coordinated, and they might have been under unified command." The prince said: "Since it is a unified command, there must be a greater force behind the scenes. Such a mastermind can't be let go for nothing, right?"

Qi Yuanjing lowered his hands and replied: "Of course, this depends on the court's opinion."

Da'an valued civil officials over military officials, and military generals did not have much decision-making power in military strategies; Qi Yuanjing's qualifications were originally very shallow, so it was quite normal for him to say such things. But the prince just smiled:

"The imperial court is just a few palaces and temples, and food still needs to be eaten from separate pots. There are so many people in the imperial court, do they all have the same ideas?"

This was too explicit. Qi Yuanjing was a little surprised: "What does the prince mean?"

"I don't have any intention." The prince said in a gentle voice, "I just want to ask General Qi to read a letter. Of course, this letter is not supposed to be read by you, so please do not pass it on after reading it."

After saying that, he pulled out the letters from Lord Yan and Lord Xu from his sleeve and handed them to Qi Yuanjing.

Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu spoke out their mind in the letter, pouring out everything that should and should not be said. Therefore, at the end of the letter, they repeatedly reminded the soldiers to keep the secret and not to leak any information in the army. Mu Qi could understand their thoughts very well, but he also looked down upon the closed and conservative style of these two old men - the reason they were so timid and tried their best to keep the news from the top was that they thought they had the situation under control and tried to solve the problem with so-called political means; but the rest was fine, but how could they hide the major event of declaring a full-scale war against the Japanese pirates from a general like Qi Yuanjing?

After so many years of emphasizing civil affairs over military affairs, have you even forgotten all the military knowledge?

So the same thing goes, if you don’t push yourself, you don’t know how good you can be. Lord Yan and Lord Xu have been immersed in officialdom for too long, and this conservative, closed-minded and conspiratorial style will probably never change; but it doesn’t matter, because Mr. Mu is not conservative at all, and is willing to give the two old men a hard time and let them see the real world.

Of course, whether Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu could understand this intensity is not the point, at least Qi Yuanjing who received the letter understood it quite fully - he was a little confused when he unfolded the letter, but the more he read it, the faster his expression changed, and finally sweat dripped down his forehead, and there was not a bit of blood on his face - God have pity, although General Qi is gifted and has a high emotional intelligence, he is now just a grassroots general. How could he have seen the intrigue and magic bombardment in high-end games, and the fighting that even the avenue is about to be wiped out?

Oh my god, is this how top masters cause trouble?

He put down the letter with great fortitude, his expression a little dazed:

“This, this is…”

"This is a signal to start a war." The prince did not give him any room to escape and pointed it out directly: "The court is going to fight again."

Of course Qi Yuanjing knew that a fight was about to break out again! But in the past, no matter how the civil servants fought and bit each other, it was ultimately a fight between gods and mortals watching, and had basically nothing to do with him, a low-level military officer, and in the end he was just a spectator after dinner. But now the incident happened suddenly, and he was hastily exposed to the most straightforward and embarrassing side of the political struggle. Naturally, he was shocked and at a loss.

To put it bluntly, no matter how fiercely the elders fought, he was just a small commander. A small commander knew nothing and could do nothing. His only reaction was to be stunned.

Qi Yuanjing had no choice but to speak in a low voice:

"My Lord, why are you showing me this? I wonder what your intention is?"

"I don't have any intention. I just want General Qi to experience the ups and downs of the capital." The prince said calmly, "Only after experiencing the ups and downs can we make a choice more easily, right?"

Qi Yuanjing couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Do I have any choice?"

"Of course you have." The prince said calmly: "General Qi is a person who has registered with the emperor, and this trip has nothing to do with us. As long as you are willing to leave the front line of the anti-Japanese war and act low-key, I believe those civil servants will not make it difficult for a while."

Political struggles also need to be organized and disciplined. One cannot get carried away and lose everything. Although Mu Qi was ruthless enough to kill people indiscriminately and was willing to disrupt the political situation in order to eliminate future troubles, he also set up sufficient defenses before taking action, isolating Qi Yuanjing from the incident throughout the process so that he was not directly affected. Because of this, Qi Yuanjing actually still has room to retreat and withdraw. As long as he cut ties with Duke Mu's Mansion in time, it would not be difficult for him to protect himself.

Those who do great things can be verbose, but they cannot leave no room for any more. Even if something really happened, Qi Yuanjing was the seed he had preserved with great difficulty, so there was always a glimmer of hope.

However, this is blatant favoritism and obvious double standards. If Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu, who were dragged into the water for no reason, knew that this madman could be so well-intentioned and considerate of others, they would probably be so angry that their eyes would bleed.

In order to cover up a little, the prince said:

"So, if you want to avoid disaster, it's actually very simple. The emperor's decree is to march south to suppress the Japanese, and it does not limit the direction. If General Qi wants to distance himself from it, he can go to Guangdong now and join up with Yu Zhifu. After all, the general has received an imperial decree, so as long as he keeps a low profile, no one will deliberately target him."

This statement is both sincere and practical. During the Da'an Dynasty, which emphasized civil officials over military officials for more than a hundred years, the status of military generals declined greatly, and their voice in the court was almost eliminated. Therefore, in the political struggles among civil officials, grassroots military generals like Qi Yuanjing were basically left out - the higher-ups did not believe that the military generals could cause any trouble, so they were too lazy to spend any energy on them. Good fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and such contempt, which is almost an insult, is precisely the key to saving lives. When the top leaders are fighting each other, they have no energy to deal with this little Karami.

Qi Yuanjing was silent for a moment: "...Even so, can it be guaranteed to be safe for a long time?"

"That's hard to say." The prince said calmly, "Who knows about the party struggles? If the opponent is a person of Sima Guang's caliber, the general can only hope for the best."

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Sima Guang was fighting with Wang Anshi, and the resentment in his heart could not be let go; once he rose again, he would not even let go of a completely unrelated minor character like Ayun, and he was determined to kill him as soon as possible. No matter how hard Qi Yuanjing tries to keep a low profile, the time he spent with the Crown Prince will leave an indelible mark on him. If the crown prince falls and the cabinet falls, will others really show mercy?

Of course you can make a choice, but the consequences of the choice may not be under your control.

Qi Yuanjing sighed: "... Even so, why did the prince tell me all this? I ask myself, I am not that close to the prince..."

"Because General Qi is our important hope." Mu Qi said calmly: "I believe the general has also understood the letter from the elder - now that the court struggle has begun, the battle against Japan is the most crucial victory. If we win the war against Japan, we win; if we lose the war against Japan, we lose. Military victory is so important, and judging from the current situation, General Qi is probably the most reliable talent we can use. Soldiers are a matter of life and death, and people who are involved in matters of life and death should always be frank and open."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. I, your humble servant, ..."

"Of course, if we want General Qi to cooperate, we must set a price to show our sincerity." The prince interrupted him directly: "According to national practice, except for relatives and royal family members, no one can become a marquis without military merit. If there is really someone who can quell the Japanese pirates, then the title of Duke or above cannot be dreamed of; but the title of Earl or Marquis below the county does not seem too much."

The remark was made lightly, as if it were just a casual chat. But Qi Yuanjing was dumbfounded, and suddenly took a breath of cold air, as if he couldn't believe it:

"Is this, is this--"

Title! Name and salary! During the Da'an period, emperors succeeded one another in number, and each emperor followed Emperor Gaozu's temperament and was shockingly stingy with regard to titles. Apart from the so-called "Marquis Cheng'en" who was conferred the title because of his in-laws, in the past hundred years, no more than ten people have been fortunate enough to be conferred the title!

You know, even though Mr. Yangming protected the emperor, he was only granted the title of earl!

When he thought of this, Qi Yuanjing's breathing became rapid, and he almost thought he had heard it wrong!

"What's the big deal? The ancestral system of Emperor Gaozu states that the criteria for conferring titles in our dynasty is 'suppressing calamities' and 'making contributions to the country'. The Japanese pirates have been harassing the coast for more than a hundred years, causing countless harm. If we can wipe them out in one day, how can it not be considered as comforting our ancestors and making contributions to the country?" The prince laughed and said, "Besides, when Emperor Yingzong seized the throne, wasn't even the eunuch Cao Jixiang conferred the title of Zhaowu Earl?"

Qi Yuanjing: …………

——That’s right.

So, the one who calls you the Gate Emperor is the one who calls you the Gate Emperor. He can always break your imagination by creating bizarre operations that push the limits. It is said that the title of nobility in the Da'an Dynasty is so precious and valuable that one has to calculate military achievements and convince people's hearts with gritted teeth before one can barely get one. But as long as the old example of Emperor Yingzong is brought up, then no other people’s hearts will count - I worked so hard to wipe out the Japanese pirates, how could I be worse than a eunuch who seized the throne?

Everything is afraid of comparison. If you only look at the miraculous operations of big men like Wang Yangming, Wang Yue, Wang Ji, etc., of course you will feel that the title is extremely difficult to obtain and you are far from qualified; but as long as you look back at the emperor who is calling you, wouldn't the self-confidence and sense of deservingness arise naturally, and you will no longer have any mental exhaustion.

"However, the title should also be considered." The prince seemed to be thinking about something. "If we can really use the navy to wipe out the Japanese pirates and deter the foreigners, it will be the greatest achievement in the past hundred years. Such a contribution must be matched with a good title... General Qi, what do you think of 'Marquis of Champion'?"

·

As a human being, you should be magnanimous, and if you want to cosplay, you should cosplay to the end; since we already have "Sejong", how can we not have "Guan Guanhou"? Besides, calming the waves of the sea to intimidate the world and opening up thousands of miles of sea territory with one battle, such an achievement would not be an insult to General Huo if he was named Marquis of Champion!

——At least it won’t be more humiliating than Lao Deng, right?