When news of the city's fall arrived in Yingyang City like snowflakes, it was morning, and Emperor Rui was still in the Fengxiang Palace, not yet awake. Zhang Chao, carrying a stack of battle reports, came to the outside of the Fengxiang Palace and sent Eunuch Xue several times to go into the palace to call him, but Emperor Rui simply refused to get up.
Zhang Chao had already realized the seriousness of the matter. He paced back and forth outside the Fengxiang Palace, his face filled with anxiety.
After a long while, the doors of Fengxiang Palace opened wide, and Emperor Rui's faint voice came from inside, calling out, "It's Minister Zhang, come in quickly."
Zhang Chao hurried inside and saw Emperor Rui waiting for him in the outer hall. He was sitting casually in a wide chair, his whole body sunk into the thick mink fur covering it. His face was swollen, his eyes were lifeless, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked weak and listless.
Zhang Chao rushed in, knelt on the ground and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
"Minister Zhang, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise." Emperor Rui said weakly, his eyes half-closed, "Minister Zhang, why did you rush over? Is there something you need?"
Zhang Chao stood up and handed a stack of battle reports to Eunuch Xue, saying, "These are battle reports on the fall of cities in Moyan Prefecture. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Xue took the battle report, walked over and handed it to Emperor Rui. Emperor Rui didn't even open his eyes, casually waved his hand, and lazily said, "I'm too lazy to read it. Minister Zhang, you tell me what happened."
"Yes." Zhang Chao nodded and said in a low voice, "The Northern Rong people have rebelled. Yelü Yan has proclaimed himself the King of the Northern Rong and led 30,000 troops south. They have already captured most of Moyan Prefecture!"
"Oh?" Emperor Rui scoffed, "Those Northern Rong barbarians? Do you think my great nation is afraid of a few mere barbarians? Minister Zhang, I hereby appoint you as the General Who Conquers the North, and lead 100,000 troops north to punish the rebels! I want you to fight your way to the Northern Rong, wash the Northern Rong grasslands in blood, and avenge me!"
Zhang Chao looked bitter. Emperor Rui had lived through many peaceful and prosperous times and had never seen the power of the Northern Rong cavalry. If the Northern Rong cavalry were not invincible and had not defeated all their opponents in the chaotic world of the Nine Kingdoms, why would Emperor Yan treat the Northern Rong with such courtesy?
"What?" Upon seeing Zhang Chao's appearance, Emperor Rui was immediately displeased and said, "Is Minister Zhang becoming more timid with age, and afraid to go on a campaign?"
Zhang Chao was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, hurriedly saying, "Your humble servant dares not!"
"Then hurry up and go!" Emperor Rui waved his hand lazily and yawned sleepily.
Zhang Chao lay prostrate on the ground, his eyes darting around a few times, before speaking, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am old and frail, and I fear I am no longer fit to shoulder this heavy responsibility. It would be better to give this opportunity to a younger man to earn merit..."
Emperor Rui, somewhat impatient and barely suppressing his anger, said unhappily, "Then tell me, who should be sent to lead the expedition?"
Zhang Chao secretly glanced at Emperor Rui's expression and cautiously said, "This humble subject thinks... we can send General Liang Yimo to lead the expedition."
Liang Yimo was the eldest son of the Prime Minister, and the elder brother of Liang Yihan. Although he came from a scholarly family, he had no interest in books and literature. Instead, he was most interested in military strategy, strategizing, and swordplay.
In the twenty-seventh year of Yongxing, Liang Yimo became the top military scholar and was appointed as the General of Chariots and Cavalry by Emperor Yan. However, because the Dasheng Kingdom had been at peace for a long time without war, Liang Yimo's brilliant military strategies had no place to be used, and he remained in the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry without any further advancement.
Emperor Rui pondered for a moment, then nodded indifferently and said, "Very well, then appoint him as Grand General and have him muster 100,000 troops to set out on the expedition immediately! Minister Zhang, have someone draft the imperial edict and send it out. Remember to tell him that he must thoroughly annihilate the Northern Rong grasslands to avenge me!"
“Your Majesty…” Zhang Chao secretly glanced at Emperor Rui’s expression and whispered, “This humble subject feels that this is inappropriate.”
"What?" Emperor Rui frowned.
Zhang Chao said eloquently, “Sun Tzu’s Art of War says, ‘The general principle of warfare is this: if you have a thousand chariots, a thousand war wagons, and a hundred thousand armored soldiers, and supplies to supply them from a thousand miles away, then the daily expenses for internal and external affairs, the entertainment of guests, the cost of glue and lacquer, and the maintenance of chariots and armor will amount to a thousand pieces of gold. Only then can you mobilize an army of a hundred thousand.’”
"Marching into battle requires equipping soldiers with horses, armor, and weapons, as well as transporting grain over long distances. All of these require money. However, thanks to the efforts of Qian Zhisu, the national treasury is only slightly full. If we were to raise an army of 100,000, the military expenses would be a considerable sum. I'm afraid it's questionable whether the national treasury has enough money!"
"Even if the national treasury has enough money to cover military expenses, the Yongle Palace that the Emperor wants to build will probably have to wait a while longer..."
"Oh?" Emperor Rui's expression changed. He pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Speaking of which, how can I possibly need 100,000 troops to deal with 30,000 Northern Rong barbarians! Here's what we'll do: let Liang Yimo lead 20,000 troops. Tell him that he can only win, not lose! If he loses, I will not let him off lightly!"
A cold, triumphant glint flashed in Zhang Chao's eyes. He nodded, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I obey! If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I will take my leave."
"Go." Emperor Rui waved his hand weakly, then turned to Eunuch Xue and said, "Eunuch Xue, please order the meal to be served."
--
Everyone knew that 20,000 Pingyuan soldiers were a joke against 30,000 Northern Rong cavalry, but the imperial edict had been issued, and Liang Yimo had no choice but to accept the order.
When Yu Ke brought this news back, Li Molin smiled faintly and said, "The Great Sheng Kingdom is nearing its end!"
The two were talking in the main hall of the guest courtyard. Li Molin said thoughtfully, "Yu Ke, you've been in the palace for so long and still haven't found the location of the Imperial Seal. Now that the Northern Rong have rebelled, perhaps we can..."
Yu Ke pondered for a moment and said, "Does the young master intend to obtain the Imperial Seal through the Northern Rong King?"
Li Molin nodded and said, "Let's wait a little longer. Liang Yimo will lead his troops there, and Liang Yihan will definitely follow. I don't know how good Liang Yimo's strategy is, but with Liang Yihan's abilities, the Northern Rong will definitely suffer a great defeat. Then we can go and help him. We don't have to worry about the Northern Rong king refusing to hand over the imperial seal to us after he successfully enters Yingyang City."
Yu Ke frowned and hesitated, "Liang Yihan is a cultivator. Does he really dare to help Liang Yimo? Isn't he afraid of divine punishment?"
Li Molin smiled faintly and said, "If Liang Yihan doesn't use magic and only relies on his wisdom to help Liang Yimo, he shouldn't incur divine punishment."
Yu Ke remained silent for a moment, then said, "Young Master, it would be inappropriate for us to help the Northern Rong King rebel."
Li Molin shook his head and said, "Yu Ke, haven't you been well-versed in military strategy since childhood? The King of Beirong is brave but lacks strategy. We can just help him with strategy. For now, let's wait and see what happens, and go after Beirong suffers a crushing defeat."
Yu Ke nodded, his face full of thought, and said, "Yes."
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