Chapter 149 Emperor Yongde’s Little Plan
In the evening, in the imperial study.
Emperor Yongde quickly read the expedited document sent by Wu Mingzi, placed it on the table, and stood up and said:
"I understand. Prepare your carriage and proceed to Changchun Palace."
The document was sent by an envoy from Zhao Mu, the commander of the frontier, stating that the emperor had already followed the imperial order and sent Wei Liang, the vanguard, with 10,000 troops to Xiaogang Village to fight against the Western Rong. Zhao Mu would then personally lead 50,000 troops to support Wei Liang.
Did he think he didn't know what the King of Qi was planning? Helping the King of Xiliang defend against the enemy was simply a cover-up. Sending his son westward with 50,000 elite troops was clearly an attempt to seize territory.
Knowing that Mei Dai was his beloved concubine, he still did this. It really didn't give him face.
But even though he was angry, he couldn't do anything to the King of Qi.
Firstly, for so many years, everyone has been on good terms with each other, and they cannot do anything that would cause discord. Secondly, he is counting on the King of Qi to fight against the Northern Di.
It must be said that the King of Qi had chosen the right time to strike at his weak spot. He had originally intended to swallow his anger and pretend he didn't know.
But he can tolerate it, but Prince Jing cannot.
When Prince Jing learned that Xiao Beiheng was leading his troops westward, he did not send troops in a hurry, but traveled day and night to meet the emperor in the name of paying tribute.
Upon meeting Emperor Yongde, Prince Jing hinted that the reason they valued peace wasn't because they didn't want to seize the Prince of Western Liang's territory, but rather because they were looking out for Emperor Yongde's favor. Now that Prince Qi had directly dispatched troops, ostensibly to help the Prince of Western Liang resist foreign enemies, anyone could see what he was up to.
When it comes to territory, we have to make it clear.
Geographically, Jingzhou bordered a corner of Liangzhou to the north and Shengzhou to the east, making Liangzhou Jingzhou's home. Prince Jing hadn't even taken action yet, yet the King of Qi had dispatched troops all the way from Anzhou in the east. Remember, Liangzhou and Anzhou were separated by the sea to the south and Zhongzhou to the north.
This is snatching food from a tiger's mouth, this is pulling out grass from a rabbit's nest, this is contempt for His Majesty, this is disregarding brotherhood, this is...
In short, the King of Qi went too far.
Emperor Yongde was already dissatisfied with Prince Qi's actions, and now Prince Jing was fanning the flames in front of him, he could no longer tolerate it. Mei Dai tearfully spoke of Prince Qi's son, Xiao Beiheng, in the emperor's bedchamber. He led his troops to Xiliang, surely to seize her father's territory. Your Majesty could not sit idly by.
With these three parties combined, Emperor Yongde felt that he had no choice but to do something.
All the focus is on Xiao Beiheng, and he must not be allowed to reach Xiliang smoothly.
Considering that the King of Qi was at war with the Northern Di and could not easily offend him, Emperor Yongde was at a loss.
Sending troops directly to stop Xiao Beiheng would definitely not work; that would be tantamount to confronting the King of Qi directly. He couldn't even guarantee that Xiao Beiheng would obey the decree. He heard that the King of Qi tore up the last decree...
At this time, General Wei from the border sent a letter saying that a miracle had occurred in Xiaogang Village. He was overjoyed to hear that he had finally found an excuse to send troops.
Emperor Yongde waved his pen and ordered the border commander Zhao Mu to immediately send troops to Xiaogang Village to fight against the Northern Di and protect Xiaogang Village, the "holy place".
The story of divine apparitions in Xiaogang Village is completely unbelievable. He had been emperor for over twenty years and had never seen any divine beings. It's likely a hoax perpetrated by local people for their own benefit. Such hoaxes were common throughout the Great Yan Dynasty.
But this was something he could take advantage of.
He specifically emphasized in the decree that there were gods in Xiaogang Village, and Zhao Mu had to protect Xiaogang Village and not allow other troops to pass through, so as to prevent the army from being too murderous and disrespectful to the gods.
If Xiao Beiheng went west along the main road, he would have to pass through Xiaogang Village. This way, Zhao Mu could legitimately stop Xiao Beiheng.
Zhao Mu was not only stationed there by imperial order, but was also a close friend of the King of Qi and supplied Xiao Beiheng's army with fodder. Xiao Beiheng, out of respect, could not force his way through. He had no choice but to either take the rugged southern mountain route or cross the northern mountains to enter the Western Rong territory. Taking the southern mountain route would hinder the army's movement and would take an additional month and a half. Going north would not only involve crossing the mountains but also risk a potential battle with the Western Rong.
Either way he goes, he can be delayed for a while.
This way, they didn't directly offend the King of Qi, and they could also temporarily hold Xiao Beiheng back. As for the King of Xiliang and the King of Jing, it was up to them to do whatever they wanted.
Emperor Yongde thought his idea was brilliant. After writing the decree, he immediately ordered someone to rush it to Zhao Mu at the border for 600 miles.
Now that he had read Zhao Mu's reply, he felt that his business had been accomplished.
It’s time to go find Concubine Xian to drink and watch the dance.
When he thought of Mei Dai, he felt like he was being scratched by a cat and felt itchy.
Compared with other concubines, Mei Dai is not only young and beautiful, but also considerate, good at singing and dancing.
Arriving at Changchun Palace, Consort Mei Dai, beaming with joy, greeted him outside the palace gates. She wore a wide-sleeved, flowing gown, her hair tied high. Under the light, she seemed to radiate a halo, which surprised and delighted Emperor Yongde.
When the two of them arrived at the palace, Mei Dai said to Emperor Yongde, "Your Majesty, I have found a fine wine from the south, and I would like to invite you to taste it today."
"My beloved, I haven't appreciated your singing and dancing yet," Emperor Yongde said, "If you drink first, you'll get drunk easily."
"That's fine, Your Majesty, just drink and enjoy the dance." Mei Dai said as she filled Emperor Yongde's glass with wine and held it in front of him with both hands. "Your Majesty, please drink this cup. It is my gratitude for your military assistance."
Emperor Yongde took the wine, but was too embarrassed to express his true thoughts.
Although he had ordered troops to be dispatched, he only dared to stop outside the border, not to go directly to help the King of Xiliang. That would mean offending both the King of Qi and the King of Jing. He couldn't do that.
The only thing they could do was to delay Xiao Beiheng's arrival until December, hoping that the weather outside the Great Wall would be too cold and the Qi army would not be acclimated to the weather there, so they could wait until the spring to advance.
If Xiao Beiheng insisted on moving westward, he would not dare to make any further moves.
By then, the King of Xiliang should have been able to repel the Western Rong with the help of Xiao Zhuo, right?
When Emperor Yongde thought of Xiao Zhuo, his face darkened and he slowly put down the wine glass in his hand.
Mei Dai saw this and felt uneasy. She carefully observed Emperor Yongde's expression, which didn't seem to indicate he was angry with her. She then thought carefully about her mistakes. Thinking back, she realized there had been no mistakes in her behavior.
She sat down next to Emperor Yongde and tried to lean in. Seeing that Emperor Yongde did not reject her, she boldly put her arms around Emperor Yongde's arm and said softly:
"Your Majesty, if you have any thoughts, please tell me so that I can share your worries."
"I was thinking of Xiao Zhuo..."
Mei Dai finally understood what Emperor Yongde was thinking and reminded him, "Your Majesty had previously promised me that Xiao Zhuo would help my father."
"I have spoken my word, and I will never go back on it." Emperor Yongde stroked the back of her hand. "Once he has relieved your father of the danger from the Western Rong, I will order Zhao Mu to destroy this bandit. My beloved concubine will have no objection then, right?"
"How dare I ask Your Majesty?"
Mei Dai greeted him with a smile, thinking secretly in her heart.
In his previous dream, Emperor Yongde had been filled with affection for Xiao Zhuo. Now that he was awake, he had transformed into someone with a deep hatred for him. What had happened between them?
If you want to know this, asking directly is definitely not the way to go. Perhaps only Emperor Yongde would reveal it in a dream.
"My beloved, you don't have to take these things to heart." Emperor Yongde picked up the wine glass and drank it all. He pointed to the center of the hall and said, "Come, dance for me."
The band that had been prepared at the foot of the stairs immediately started playing dance music.
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