Chapter 499: Willing to issue a military order!

Capital city.

When Yan Xiuyun heard the young eunuch report the news of Wen Quan's death, he was shocked and immediately rushed to the Ministry of War.

Only then did he learn that Wen Quan was murdered by the King of Zhenbei, who then raised an "insurgent army" under the pretext of "clearing the court" and prepared to march south.

His first step was to capture Danzhou, the granary of the northwest.

And now, Danzhou has been under siege for half a month.

Yan Xiuyun immediately summoned the ministers of the court to discuss strategies to resist the enemy.

In the Golden Palace, all the ministers were shocked when they heard that Danzhou was under siege.

The former Danzhou general, Xiong Feng, had long been under the surveillance of the imperial court. It was thought that if the experienced Wen Quan was sent to take over as general, there would be no major problems in Danzhou.

I didn't expect Wenquan to die like this.

Someone advised:

"Your Majesty, although Danzhou is small, it is rich in products. If the King of Zhenbei gets Danzhou, there will be no more worries about the supply of food and grass.

I think we should issue an order immediately to dispatch troops from Longyou to the south of Danzhou and Yunzhou to the east of Danzhou to rescue them, and at the same time send a new candidate to serve as the general of Danzhou."

Yan Xiuyun said:

"Wang Youya, the prefect of Tanzhou, has already asked for help from Longyou, but I'm afraid it won't go that smoothly.

As for the Yunzhou garrison..."

The Minister of War immediately said, "Your Majesty, Yunzhou is also a border town, and the garrison must not move! Losing Danzhou is a small matter, but once Yunzhou is empty, the King of Zhenbei suddenly withdraws the siege and attacks Yunzhou, the court will be in danger!"

At this moment, another voice sounded:

"Your Majesty! Another urgent military report has arrived from Danzhou!"

Yan Xiuyun stood up immediately and said, "Speak!"

"The northwest has been experiencing high temperatures for days, and three granaries in Danzhou City caught fire at night, burning the grain inside.

The food in Danzhou City can only last for less than two months... Prefect Wang Youya requests the court to send troops and food supplies as soon as possible!"

"Have the reinforcements from Longyou arrived?!"

"There is a small mountain between Longyou and Danzhou, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The King of Zhenbei sent out twelve guards and 30,000 troops to occupy the pass in advance. The Longyou army was blocked on the road and could not reach Danzhou for a while!"

Yan Xiuyun looked unhappy, but he did not panic and made a decision quickly:

"The Ministry of Revenue was ordered to requisition 30,000 dan of grain from the capital and Jiangzhou and transport it to the northwest.

In addition, the King of Zhenbei received great favors from the imperial court, but had no intention of repaying his country. He occupied the northern border and commanded his own troops.

I now order the Imperial Academy to immediately draft a document to punish the rebels, and announce it to the world, detailing the crimes of the traitor Prince Zhenbei and his relatives.

At the same time, we must also demonstrate the court's intention to suppress the rebellion and call on people of insight from all over the world to punish the rebels and uphold the law of the country!"

After Yan Xiuyun finished speaking, no one in the hall responded.

He frowned slightly, his eyes fell on Zhu Qingyan, the academician of the Hanlin Academy, with an unhappy look on his face.

"My dear Lord Zhu, didn't you hear what I said?"

Zhu Qingyan walked out of the queue with his brows furrowed, which was very different from his usual calm expression.

She knelt in the hall, raised her eyes and said pleadingly:

"Your Majesty, the King of Zhenbei has evil ambitions, but Princess Ningyue is loyal to the court and will never follow her father in rebellion..."

A minister on the side sneered:

"What right does Zhu Xuezheng have to say this? Like father, like daughter. Princess Ning Yue was trained by the King of Zhenbei. Her father rebelled, so of course she had a part in it!"

All the ministers echoed indignantly:

"I have said it before, if this girl is not removed, she will become a great trouble in the future!"

"No matter what she did, the King of Zhenbei was guilty of treason and the family should be exterminated. She deserves death!"

Yan Xiuyun's gaze fell on Zhu Qingyan, his displeasure evident in his words.

Zhu Qingyan knew that if she continued speaking, it might anger the emperor, but she had to say it!

"His Majesty."

Zhu Qingyan straightened his back and looked up at Yan Xiuyun, his eyes flashing with determination.

"Princess Ningyue is straightforward and strong-willed by nature and doesn't like political games, but the King of Zhenbei has worked hard for many years and knows her character and weaknesses very well, so he has set up clever schemes to deceive her.

The princess is in a dilemma, so why would she be on guard against her own father?

But I dare to guarantee with my life that she has never had any second thoughts about the court and Your Majesty!

And... Your Majesty, please think about it. How wise was the late emperor? Since he saw that Your Majesty was a truly benevolent ruler of Daliang, how could he not see through Princess Ningyue?"

Zhu Qingyan said, looking at the ministers around him who were just filled with indignation, and asked:

“The late emperor knew that the Prince of Zhenbei had rebellious intentions, but he valued Princess Ningyue especially.

Now you are saying that she is also a traitor, so is your implication that the late emperor was confused?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers' faces changed immediately. They knelt down hurriedly and explained to Yan Xiuyun that they had no such intention, while secretly cursing Zhu Qingyan in their hearts.

Her words were so powerful that who could handle the accusation of "disrespecting the late emperor"?

Yan Xiuyun's expression was somewhat uncertain.

He thought for a long time, looked at the person who delivered the military report, and asked in a deep voice:

"Have you seen Princess Ning Yue among the army besieging Danzhou?"

The man replied that he had never seen it.

Zhu Qingyan saw hope and immediately said:

“Your Majesty, I was ordered to go to the Northern Frontier several years ago. I have some understanding of the situation in the northwest, and I am also an old acquaintance of Princess Ningyue.

I, your humble servant, would like to personally escort the food and military pay to the northwest to persuade Princess Ningyue to surrender!"

Someone said to the top:

"Zhu Xuezheng said it lightly. If she doesn't surrender, and you have delayed the military opportunity, what should you do?"

Zhu Qingyan raised his eyes and saw Yan Xiuyun looking at him with scrutiny, so he simply said:

"I am willing to issue a military order!

If I cannot persuade Princess Ningyue to surrender, I will die in battle in the Northern Frontier and will never return to the court!"

Having said that, no one raised any more questions.

After all, Princess Ning Yue is famous and has made countless military achievements. She is a rare and powerful general in a century.

Having such an opponent is definitely not a good thing for Daliang.

If Zhu Qingyan really has the ability to persuade her to surrender, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, it is worth a try.

After Yan Xiuyun considered it in his mind, he finally agreed to Zhu Qingyan's request.

After the court meeting was over, all departments immediately began to prepare for the battle, and Zhu Qingyan was called to the imperial study for a private talk.

Yan Xiuyun stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for her.

"Your Majesty, I am Zhu Qingyan, your humble servant, paying my respects to you." Zhu Qingyan walked into the imperial study and bowed to Yan Xiuyun's back.

Yan Xiuyun turned around, dismissed everyone, looked at Zhu Qingyan and said:

"How confident are you that you can persuade Princess Ningyue to surrender when you go to the northwest?"

Zhu Qingyan thought for a moment and replied, "Seventy percent."

"What about the other 30%?" Yan Xiuyun narrowed his eyes slightly, "It seems that you don't trust her that much."

"No, I believe her." Zhu Qingyan said without any hesitation.