Chapter 104

Give way to the virtuous and the legitimate

In less than three days, Song Chen's report was already on Liu Buqi's desk!

When he heard the news about the merchants from the Great Wall defenders, he immediately sent out scouts, so he was able to find out the news in a short time.

The Steppe Khanate is indeed gathering troops and carrying a large number of siege equipment. Judging from the gathering location and equipment, the target can be determined to be Youzhou!

Although Yesen took away most of the Khanate's combat-capable troops, the assembled force this time was a staggering 50,000! However, no matter how much they inquired or spied on, they could not clearly determine who was commanding this expedition!

Looking at the intelligence, Liu Buqi was already very clear that the Grassland Khanate came this time to relieve the siege of Yehe. Although the number of troops sent out seemed to be large, the 20,000 defenders stationed on the Great Wall line with a solid defense system should be more than enough!

She immediately summoned Xu Ningmei into the mansion and agreed to hold a meeting the day after tomorrow to discuss the defense. All officials above the county magistrate level from the three prefectures and six counties in Youzhou would participate.

But during this meeting, a sudden incident caught Liu Buqi off guard!

This was the first time Liu Buqi convened a meeting of such scale. She naturally sat in the main seat and waited for Xu Ningmei to report the latest grassland intelligence before she began to arrange the next matters.

Unexpectedly, the magistrate of Chang'an County stepped out from the crowd and said, "Sikong, Situ, the attack on the grassland is of paramount importance. The current political order in Youzhou is unclear, which is not conducive to unified action!"

Liu Buqi looked at the Chang'an County Magistrate at the bottom of the stairs, confused. "Oh! Tell me, why is the Youzhou government order so unclear?"

"Before His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan left for the expedition, he didn't designate who would preside over affairs in Youzhou. Other minor matters are easy to handle, but war is a matter of great importance to a nation. A single mistake can lead to irreparable consequences. Government orders must be unified from top to bottom, and a clear person in Youzhou must be appointed to carry out the Prince of Yan's authority!"

The words of this unfamiliar county magistrate made Liu Buqi feel creepy!

The grassland soldiers are approaching, and at this time someone suddenly appears to covet the power of Youzhou. This is obviously not a spur-of-the-moment idea, let alone an individual behavior!

Sure enough, a lot of officials suddenly stood up behind the county magistrate, occupying almost half of the conference room, and they all supported his proposal!

Liu Buqi took a deep breath. He had never expected this situation to happen. Now he had to calm down, see the situation clearly, understand their plans, and respond to all changes with the same attitude!

"Oh, so that's what we should do?"

The leading county magistrate continued, "Three things should be done at this time. The first is to immediately consult His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan and determine who will be in charge of Youzhou affairs!"

"The second is to immediately submit a petition to the imperial court, asking the emperor to appoint someone to oversee the overall situation in Youzhou!"

"Third, until His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan or the imperial court issues an order, please ask the Princess of Yan to take charge of the government from behind the scenes and temporarily manage the overall situation!"

Liu Buqi's eyes narrowed. Asking for instructions from the King of Yan and the imperial court were both like water from afar that could not quench thirst immediately. No news would come back for ten days or half a month!

But after ten days or half a month, the grassland army may have already launched an attack. At this time, someone must take charge of the overall situation! So the purpose of this group of people is to push Yue Hanxin out!

This was indeed beyond Liu Buqi's expectations. She didn't even know whether Yue Hanxin knew about these things!

"That's nonsense. Youzhou naturally has its own established laws. In the past, when the King of Yan went on campaign, it was Madam Liu who presided over the overall situation. Today, we can just follow the old rules!"

"Besides, Madam is well versed in government affairs, understands military affairs, is familiar with the affairs of Youzhou, and has the support of the military. She is the only person to deal with the threat to the grassland at this time!"

Lv Qinghou, who rushed back from Zhenbei Prefecture to attend the meeting, stood out from the crowd, and immediately some officials stood up to support him. Liu Buqi roughly estimated that there were about 40% of the officials in the hall.

Although not as many people support the Chang'an County Magistrate, it is still quite powerful. The officials who are still left in the hall and have not chosen sides should be the neutral faction.

The Chang'an County Magistrate laughed, "You're a well-read man, don't you know the order of rank? Madam Liu is in charge of Youzhou affairs because His Highness the Prince of Yan doesn't have a concubine at home!"

"Now, Princess Yixiang is the consort of Prince Yan, personally appointed by His Majesty. She is the legitimate wife of our Lord, and we should obey His Majesty Prince Yan's orders when he is away!"

"Although Madam Liu is renowned, she is also a minister in Youzhou. It is her duty to fulfill her duties. The Princess of Yan is in charge of the overall situation, and Madam Liu can also assist her. So why is it that Madam Liu is the only one who can do this?"

"Most importantly, the battlefield is unpredictable, and Madam Liu is nearly full-term pregnant. If anything goes wrong, wouldn't we all become criminals in Youzhou? Furthermore, Madam could give birth at any moment, and it would be difficult to ask for instructions, which would delay the battle. But Princess Yan has no such concerns!"

To be honest, if they were in a different place, Liu Buqi would have wanted to applaud and cheer for the Chang'an County Magistrate, whom he had rarely met before!

This statement had practically blocked all of his escape routes, and all of his reasons were clearly stated, leaving almost no room for rebuttal! The arguments of Lu Qinghou and the others also faded!

If things continue like this, no matter how smart Liu Buqi is, he will have to surrender and admit defeat!

Fortunately, a deep voice suddenly sounded outside the door, and Liu Buqi took a deep breath. He knew he could handle this level today!

"There are 50,000 Canglang soldiers guarding Youzhou, and they all follow Madam Liu's orders!" It was General Song Chen, the Zhendong General, who hurried to attend the meeting!

Just these one sentence instantly crushed the overwhelming momentum of the Chang'an County Magistrate and his officials!

This is the last big boss left in the army, the only one who can directly control the remaining troops in Youzhou and resist the attack from the grassland!

Without the full support of the military, even if Yue Hanxin was appointed to take charge of the overall situation in Youzhou, it would be nothing but a mirage!

Liu Buqi's eyes turned, and when Song Chen's appearance caused a huge impact, he announced it directly with lightning speed.

"Everyone, I have military matters to discuss with General Song. Today's discussion ends here and we will discuss the topic again tomorrow!"

Without waiting for the other side to refute, Lu Qinghou and other "local" factions bowed and saw Liu Buqi off and left!

Liu Buqi asked Gongsun Wuhui to send someone to invite Lu Qinghou and another official named Zhang who had been arguing in the hall to the study.

As a result, an official who had just remained silent in the court also came with them.

After Lu Qinghou's introduction, I learned that this official surnamed Zhang was called Zhang Ruoxu. He was a scholar in the capital. After fleeing to Youzhou, he had been under Lu Xin.

Because of his outstanding abilities and literary talent, although he is only a sixth-rank chief clerk now, he actually serves as Lu Xin's deputy!

The official who came with him was named Li Huaigu, a sixth-rank official under the command of the Wind and News Envoy. He had originally fled to Youzhou with Zhang Ruoxu.