Chapter 368 Southwest
When the study was silent and the atmosphere was so depressing that it was hard to breathe, Zhou Taifu, Zhou Boxu and others arrived.
Several people wanted to salute, but were interrupted by the emperor.
"Do
n't worry about the false ceremony, read the urgent report first." Zhou Taifu and others didn't understand what was going on. After taking the urgent report and checking it, they realized that the situation was serious and their faces changed.
"Nan Yan also started a war at this time?" Zhou Taifu took a breath of cold air.
The urgent report said that ten days ago, Nan Yan suddenly led his troops to attack Yicheng.
In just three days, Nan Yan launched two fierce attacks. Although Yicheng was not broken, it was afraid that it could not hold out for long, so it requested urgent assistance from the court.
After ten years of stability, the southwest was in chaos again.
Mobei attacked the border, and the court mobilized the whole city to gather enough supplies, so that the border generals had the ability to compete with Mobei.
Now, the war in the southwest has started again. How should Dazhao respond?
"What do you think?" the emperor asked solemnly.
The two generals were terrified and could not think of how to respond.
Now there were only two generals left in the capital. If they led the army to urgently aid the southwest, they would have no choice.
Prime Minister Xie said: "Yicheng is a pass. Once it is breached, the southwest will be lost. Therefore, we should immediately send troops to reinforce and defend Yicheng."
Taifu Zhou agreed: "Yicheng is like the border. It is close to other countries and is an important line of defense. It must not be lost."
The emperor nodded and looked at the two generals.
Feeling the emperor's intimidating gaze, the two gritted their teeth and said: "I am willing to lead the troops."
What can I do if I don't want to? Resign and retire? The emperor didn't agree either.
Since they couldn't avoid it, they might as well speak up and avoid being scolded and criticized.
Seeing that the two of them took the initiative to ask for repatriation, the emperor's expression eased a little.
The two took a deep breath and said carefully: "It's just that we have never been to the southwest, and we are not familiar with the terrain. I'm afraid we can't fight effectively."
"I heard that there are many tigers and poisonous snakes in Nanyan, and the people of Nanyan are good at taming tigers and poisonous snakes. They use them on the battlefield. They are extremely powerful and difficult to deal with."
"We have no understanding of this, let alone experience in dealing with it..."
The two of them talked back and forth, describing the difficulties of fighting in the southwest.
The emperor's face became more and more gloomy as he listened, and he asked the two directly: "So what do you want?"
The two looked at each other, and said with a stiff face despite the emperor's anger: "Your Majesty, please appoint a commander to lead the two of us to the southwest."
Going to the southwest is fine, but they must first make it clear that they are incapable and have no experience, and cannot guarantee victory in the war. If they want to defend Yicheng, they must send another commander.
In this way, the two of them will obey the commander in chief, and if there is any blame, it is not their fault.
"Humph! On weekdays, you are all very capable, but when you are in a position to use your skills, you say you are powerless. What use do I have for you!"
The emperor picked up a few memorials and threw them at the two.
The two hurriedly knelt down and pleaded guilty: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please calm down. It is not that I intend to shirk my responsibility, but I am really unable to take on such a heavy responsibility."
Although the two of them had also been promoted to this place through experience, they had indeed never been to the southwest and did not dare to take the lead.
Their own death was a minor matter. If they made a wrong decision, their entire army would be annihilated, Yicheng would be captured, the southwest would be lost, and the Nanyan army would march to the capital. Their families would have nowhere to escape. And they would become sinners for all eternity.
"Besides, the prince is personally leading the army to the border to boost the morale of the army. If only the two of us go to the southwest, it may disappoint the generals and the soldiers, and the morale of the army will be low, and the people will be uneasy."
After the two men finished speaking, they knelt on the ground in panic, waiting for the emperor's decision.
The emperor supported the case with his hands, his chest heaving violently, and his face was filled with deep anger.
The Minister of War observed their expressions and spoke hesitantly: "What the two generals said is not unreasonable. Your Majesty, please think carefully."
He was not speaking for them, but he also felt that these two people were not up to the task.
The emperor did not speak after listening, and turned his eyes to Prime Minister Xie and Grand Tutor Zhou.
Grand Tutor Zhou sighed, "The southwest must not be broken. We should definitely send a capable commander."
"I second the proposal." Prime Minister Xie and several others agreed.
Send a commander? Who?
Among the princes, Prince Rui and several others are idle princes, incompetent, only Yu Zheng can take on the important task.
No, there is one more person.
The emperor's attention fell on Zhou Boxu.
Zhou Boxu is extremely intelligent, has great martial arts skills, is brave and resourceful, and is also the son-in-law of the emperor. Sending him is enough.
Realizing the emperor's intention, Zhou Boxu's heart tightened.
He was not afraid, but he was worried about Yu Lan.
Yu Lan was already four months pregnant. It was unknown when she would return, and it was hard to predict whether she would live or die. He was afraid that Yu Lan would be worried and her pregnancy would be unstable.
But if the emperor issues an order, there is no other choice.
After some thought, Zhou Boxu was mentally prepared.
"Your son requests your permission to personally lead the army to the southwest." In the silence, Yu Zheng suddenly spoke. The
emperor frowned, clenched his hands on the table into a fist, and said sternly: "If you personally lead the army to the southwest, who will be in charge of the court in Beijing?"
Yu Zheng said: "In an emergency, we have to make decisions based on our discretion. Right now, Yicheng needs your son more than Beijing."
The government affairs of the court can be handled by Taifu Zhou and Prime Minister Xie. But the civil officials cannot go to the battlefield in the southwest.
The emperor stared at Yu Zheng, and it was difficult to get off the tiger.
Yu Zheng understood that the emperor was worried about his safety, and pursed his lips and said: "Father, no one is more suitable than your son."
Having said that, if he continued to hinder, it would definitely chill the hearts of his subjects.
The emperor sighed and agreed helplessly.
After hearing this, the two kneeling on the ground felt relieved and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The commander-in-chief decided, and the next step was to discuss how many soldiers to bring, when to leave, and how to arrange the subsequent supplies.
The Minister of War said: "You can mobilize 20,000 light cavalry and 30,000 infantry and chariots."
There are 80,000 soldiers in Shangjing, and only 10,000 people are left after excluding the imperial guards and the imperial city camp.
Shangjing is the heart of Dazhao, so some troops must be left to guard it.
50,000 troops are enough for emergency assistance, but what if reinforcements are needed later?
The emperor looked at the Minister of Revenue and asked if the treasury had enough money to prepare the baggage.
The Minister of Revenue made a rough estimate and said, "Except for the follow-up supplies for the border, the military pay and official salaries in various places can be enough for half a year."
Half a year is enough, but...
The Minister of War continued, "I'm afraid there won't be so much food in Shangjing."
There are 70,000 troops stationed in Yicheng, plus the 50,000 troops sent in this emergency, a total of 120,000. Although not as many as the border, they also need a lot of food.
Last time when raising food, Yu Zheng said that after supplying the border, the remaining food of Jiangji would only be enough to supply the people of Shangjing for three months.
If he raised food from Jiangji again, the people of Shangjing would be out of food.
After a little thought, the emperor said decisively: "The war is urgent. First, transfer one month's worth of food, and find another way to deal with the rest."
"Yes." The Minister of War agreed.
The food issue was temporarily resolved, but there were still a lot of other problems.
The emperor and everyone discussed one by one with full concentration, and they didn't notice the passage of time.
When it got dark, Chu Yu asked Jiang Shu if he wanted to eat first.
Jiang Shu shook his head: "I'm not hungry. I'll wait for the prince to come back."
Yu Zheng had been in the palace for more than two hours, but he hadn't returned yet. I don't know what happened.
Could it be that the border has sent back another battle report and the war is not going well?
Apart from this, Jiang Shu couldn't think of anything else that could keep Yu Zheng away for so long.
Jiang Shu was worried and had no appetite.