Chapter 510 Retreat
Early on the second day, Lin Changning led 5,000 cavalrymen to set off from both sides of the Weihui River, clearing out the remaining imperial troops and clearing the supply lines.
Ensure logistical support for Zhao and Qin during their attack on Mengjin.
After traveling for two days, ensuring the safety of the surrounding supply routes and the absence of any remaining or ambush troops, they left a small group of men at key encampments before quickly withdrawing to Weihui to reunite with the King of Chu and his forces, before heading towards Mengjin.
Unlike Lin Changning and his group, the imperial court was in an uproar this morning. The emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, watched the high-ranking officials arguing with a dark face.
"Your Majesty, I suggest that you write a letter to the Prince to seek peace. The Prince's rebellion is nothing more than a misunderstanding. There are villains instigating between Your Majesty and the Prince. The matter of the Emperor Emeritus's edict is completely unfounded. I believe that after the explanation is cleared up and the treacherous officials are eliminated, the Prince will withdraw his troops from Taiyuan."
The Minister of Rites looked up at the Emperor and offered his advice with little sincerity.
He was an old man over fifty years old, a veteran of three reigns, and he understood the current situation quite well. The new emperor transferred him from the lucrative Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Rites and replaced the people in the Ministry of Revenue with his own people, clearly showing that he didn't like an old man like him.
At this moment, the King of Chu is about to enter Luoyang City, and His Majesty has no one to lead the troops. The few generals and the Minister of War that he has have all been sent out.
Even if they sent them out, they were still no match for the King of Chu, clearly showing signs of defeat.
He was an old man and a veteran of three reigns, so the emperor couldn't find any excuse to kill him. Even the King of Chu had worked with him before the King of Chu was enfeoffed, so he probably wouldn't make things difficult for an old man like him even after ascending the throne.
So the Minister of Rites stroked his beard. As for those imperial edicts, although he had heard about them back then, the late emperor had suppressed them. After the Prince of Chu returned from the frontier and attended the funeral, he was sent to the Chu region and granted the title of Prince. Later, for various reasons, he was transferred to what is now Taiyuan.
He wasn't the one who offended the King of Chu, so even if the imperial edict was changed, it wouldn't concern him. He should just live obediently until the King of Chu entered the capital or the court achieved a great victory.
However, given the current situation, His Majesty is probably...
The old fox stroked his beard, glanced sideways at the Vice Minister of Rites, coughed lightly, and then bowed to his superior before returning to his position.
The emperor above was so angry he almost laughed. He ordered the emperor to write a letter to Uncle Jiu to seek peace, which was clearly a confirmation of the rumors spread by the King of Chu!
The emperor gripped the memorial tightly in his hand, grinding his back teeth fiercely.
His gaze fixed on the Minister of Rites, he suddenly chuckled softly: "So, Minister, you also think there's a misunderstanding between me and my Ninth Uncle? Then why don't you make a trip there and mediate between us?"
The Minister of Rites' eyes darted around, a sneer forming in his mind. Did His Majesty intend to use him as cannon fodder? The Minister of Rites lowered his head to conceal the emotions in his eyes, chuckled dryly a few times, and bowed to the Emperor: "Your Majesty is joking. I'm afraid my old bones can't withstand the bumpy journey. Perhaps Your Majesty could find someone else? I think the Vice Minister of Revenue would be quite suitable!"
The emperor cursed the old fox Minister of Rites in his heart, but he also knew that even if he sent the Minister of Rites out, the old fox would find a way to refuse.
After turning his gaze to the Vice Minister of Revenue, the Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the desk: "Huang Qing, what do you think?"
The Vice Minister of Revenue stepped forward, wiping the sweat from his brow, his heart pounding with anxiety: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I believe this battle is inevitable!"
The emperor gave an "oh," his gaze sweeping over the Vice Minister of Revenue: "So, you're the one who advocates war, Vice Minister?"
Huang Qing knelt down tremblingly: "Your Majesty, the King of Chu has now reached Weihui. Even if he seeks peace, he may not necessarily withdraw his troops. I urge war!"
Not advocating for war is not an option either. King Chu, along with his generals and soldiers, has suffered greatly at the hands of the Ministry of Revenue over the years. During Chen Jing's tenure, he embezzled an unknown amount of grain and provisions from the border regions.
Let alone Chen Jing, if any of these people from the Ministry of Revenue were to go out and sue for peace, not only would the King of Chu not kill them, but the generals and soldiers under the King of Chu alone could tear them apart alive.
Therefore, even though he knew that it wouldn't make much difference for the emperor to send more troops, he still had to advocate for war.
The emperor sighed softly, a sense of powerlessness clouding his heart. His Ninth Uncle's troops were all elite soldiers, and now that the Central Plains were wide open, it would only take half a month to invade Luoyang.
The grain supply route was just repaired this year, and even though all the troops recently deployed have been brought in, there isn't a single good commander. For some reason, the generals sent out are all strong commanders, but they either die, are beheaded, or surrender.
Now that the battle has come to this point, even though he possesses the entire world, he feels powerless. His gaze sweeps over the crowd below, and the emperor asks again, "My other ministers, do you have any suggestions?"
The people below argued and made noise for a long time, but still couldn't reach a conclusion. After a while, a young scholar suddenly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
The emperor squinted at the scholar who had stepped forward. He recognized him; this man was the third-ranked scholar he had personally appointed in the first year of his reign, and he had beautiful handwriting. "My dear minister, please speak..."
The emperor still held some hope, after all, this person was someone he had personally promoted, and he hoped to hear some different advice from these newcomers.
After stepping forward and bowing to the emperor, Zhou Hanlin knelt in the hall and said with a serious expression, "It is no longer meaningful to distinguish whether the imperial edict is true or false. Moreover, the King of Chu has already captured Weihui. With our current strength, we are at a disadvantage in fighting against the King of Chu's elite troops."
Upon hearing this, the emperor became more serious and nodded slightly, signaling Zhou Hanlin to continue.
"Good, continue."
Zhou Hanlin felt a chill run down his spine. Remembering what his younger brother's classmate had said, he forced himself to continue, "Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty should move south to buy more time for the reorganization and support of troops in various regions."
Upon arriving at this point, Zhou Hanlin glanced at the emperor at the head of the table, and as expected, the emperor's expression instantly darkened.
"Does my subject mean that I should flee?"
Zhou Hanlin gritted his teeth. Since things had come to this point, he was still the third-ranked scholar appointed by His Majesty. If the Prince of Chu were to ascend the throne, things would be difficult.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We can temporarily avoid the King of Chu's advance and withdraw from Luoyang first. The King of Chu is now in the Central Plains, and with the gates wide open, it will only take him a month or so to invade Luoyang. The city can be abandoned, but Your Majesty cannot be harmed. After avoiding the attack, we will wait for reinforcements from various regions. The King of Chu will certainly not be able to hold out for long. At that time, we can return to Luoyang, which will not only solve our current predicament but also bring the traitor to justice."
No sooner had he finished speaking than an older censor cursed, "Bah! Coward! His Majesty is the Emperor, how can he retreat to a mere regional prince?"
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