Chapter 573 Return the Tiger Tally?
Xiao Yan's question caused the entire hall to fall silent, and the questioning in his words made Liu Tong'en's face suddenly tense.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How would I know Lu Jiuan's whereabouts? The people we sent to Pingyang County said he had disappeared a long time ago. Even the Duke of Dingguo's people couldn't find him. How would I know where he is..."
"Since you don't know, why can't he appear in Qinghe?"
"I……"
"Or does Commander Liu have other channels to find out his whereabouts?"
Liu Tong'en was foolishly led astray by Xiao Yan. His face flushed red as he managed to utter a few words: "I didn't..."
"If you don't have any, then what did you say?"
Liu Tongen: “…”
After Xiao Yan had cornered Liu Tongen and left him speechless, he said calmly:
"Since Prince Pingshan intends to rebel, he will never allow anyone to catch him with such evidence. Lu Jiuan has been missing for two months. He must be hiding somewhere else."
"This boy is cunning and ruthless, his methods even worse than Lu Chongyuan's. He was able to surrender to Prince Pingshan at the cost of the lives of the entire Lu family, using this as an excuse to accuse Your Majesty of colluding with the Lu family and wanting to silence them when the situation turned sour, and then use this as an excuse to start a rebellion. Then why didn't he dare to disguise his true intentions, lure the tiger away from the mountain, and then attack the capital?"
Liu Tongen couldn't help but argue: "But the Pingshan Palace is short of troops, how dare they split up..."
"Why not?"
Xiao Yan's voice was low but full of sarcasm: "Who told you that the Pingshan Palace was short of troops?"
"Taizu wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords, but the late emperor, believing that the feudal lords had made contributions, obstructed this plan. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, you were grateful for the contributions of their ancestors and did not want to disappoint them, so you treated the feudal lords with special favors and even specially allowed them to maintain troops."
"Pingyang County borders Haiti, and to guard against pirates, there are nearly 50,000 soldiers stationed there year-round. Adding to the troops maintained by the vassal princes, the Prince of Pingshan must have at least 60,000 to 70,000 troops at his disposal. Furthermore, Minister Yan just mentioned that the Prince of Pingshan holds immense prestige in his fiefdom, and that the entire area surrounding Pingyang County falls under his jurisdiction. How do you know he wouldn't rally support if he rebelled?"
Xiao Yan seemed to be questioning Liu Tong'en, but his eyes were on Emperor An.
"When Lu Chongyuan suddenly died in prison, Lu Jiuan took over all of the Lu family's hidden power and connections. A century-old family wouldn't leave no way out for themselves."
"When the imperial court raided the house, Commander Liu also saw the account books and the items that were seized. Do you think that with all the wealth the Lu family has accumulated over the years, they only have so few things? Or did Lu Chongyuan have Lu Jiuan secretly transfer them long before the Lu family was in trouble?"
Xiao Yan was a little aggressive.
"Do you know how many troops Lu Jiuan actually has? How many death warriors has the Lu family left behind? How could Commander Liu possibly know?"
"There are other princes from other regions. They have always had contact with each other. How can you be sure that Prince Pingshan didn't collude with others before he started his rebellion? You can be sure that they won't join forces, just wait for the court to send troops south, then make a feint and join forces with others to directly take over the capital."
"I don't mind leading the troops south. The Pingshan Palace can be eliminated with some effort, but the court has limited troops. If I take the troops away and Lu Jiuan attacks the capital, who will protect His Majesty's safety and keep the capital safe?"
"Commander Liu and the less than five thousand imperial guards you command? Or will you wait until the day they arrive at the city gates, and Commander Liu use your words and your claims of impossibility and uncertainty to dissuade the rebels?"
Liu Tong'en's face turned red when he was questioned, and then turned ashen the next moment, but he couldn't refute what Xiao Yan said.
Xiao Yan raised his eyes again: "Or does Your Majesty have other special forces or backup plans at hand, to be able to take precautions in times of crisis?"
Emperor An was shocked and his eyelids twitched. For a moment, he thought Xiao Yan knew what he was planning.
He was gripping the handle of the dragon throne tightly and thinking about how to respond, but he didn't expect that Xiao Yan, who had a fierce look on his face, had already looked away.
It was as if what he just said was just a casual remark made in anger.
"I'm not trying to shirk responsibility, nor do I feel I did anything wrong in suppressing the rebellion. However, the military forces at court are limited, and we absolutely cannot take all the troops stationed in the suburbs of the capital and other areas protecting the capital. If we want to extinguish the rebels in Pingyang County, we must also consider other things."
"Your Majesty has always been considerate. I believe you understand my intentions."
Emperor An: “…”
He wanted to say that he didn't understand, but Xiao Yan blocked all his ways.
Emperor An knew in his heart that Lu Jiuan was not in Qinghe at all, and he knew even more clearly that Xiao Yan's righteous words just now were just excuses for not wanting to leave the capital. But he couldn't say a word. Otherwise, how could he explain that he knew news that even the Privy Council's guards had difficulty in getting?
Emperor An suppressed his frustration and said in a deep voice, "Minister Xiao has a point, but we can't ignore the rebels in Pingyang County. Otherwise, if the Prince of Pingshan fully gains power, it will be difficult to suppress them."
He glanced at Liu Tongen, who then spoke, "Your Majesty is right. Since Duke Dingguo said Lu Jiuan is in Qinghe and you're worried he might try to lure the enemy away, why not have Duke Dingguo stay in the capital to protect Your Majesty's safety while you send other generals to Pingyang County."
"We can't withdraw all the troops in the capital, but there are garrisons in the southern prefectures. The Grand Canal Transport Department also has 100,000 guards ready to be deployed south at any time. I am willing to lead the troops to suppress the rebels in the Pingshan Palace and relieve Your Majesty's worries..."
Liu Tong'en raised his head as he spoke, "Duke Dingguo is extremely loyal. I'm sure he wouldn't sit idly by and watch Prince Pingshan rebel."
Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly: "Of course."
Liu Tong'en couldn't wait any longer: "Then please ask Ding Guogong to return the tiger talisman and have His Majesty order the troops to be mobilized."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall fell silent.
"Back in the Purple Palace, His Majesty trusted Duke Dingguo and bestowed upon you the Tiger Talisman, allowing you to use it to command the troops, force the Dragon Court Guards to retreat, and quell the chaos in the capital."
"Now that the crisis in the capital has been resolved and war in the south is imminent, Duke Ding will surely not cling to the tiger talisman and allow the army to be in disarray and its commanders to mobilize without orders."
Liu Tong'en looked at Xiao Yan, and his words were full of coercion, as if he wanted to return to him all the ridicule and grievances that Xiao Yan had just inflicted on him.
He wanted to see how Xiao Yan, who had just claimed to be loyal to the court and caring about the emperor, and who had been sarcastic to him everywhere, would respond!
There seemed to be a wind outside, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves rustled.
Everyone in the hall looked at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan stood there for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Commander Liu truly knows how to distort right and wrong. When it comes to loyalty and patriotism, and your unwavering devotion to His Majesty, no one in the court can match you."
Liu Tong'en ignored Xiao Yan's ridicule and simply said, "Duke Dingguo is unwilling to return the tiger talisman?"
"How could that be?"
Xiao Yan's eyes were cold and gloomy. "It's just a tiger talisman. Why wouldn't I want to return it? Moreover, it's to quell the rebellion within the court. If I hold onto the tiger talisman, wouldn't that mean I'm really disregarding the lives of the people in the world, as Commander Liu said?"
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