Chapter 2656: Monarch and Ministers
Gu Zhong lowered his voice and hinted, "Your Majesty wants to ask Lord Zhou to take your pulse and tell you that Your Majesty is in good health and is not afraid of traveling far."
Manbao understood instantly that he wanted to lead the army in person.
Man Bao glanced at Tang He, then followed Gu Zhong back to the imperial study and asked quietly, "Isn't Xiao Yuanzheng here?"
Gu Zhong whispered, "With one more adult speaking, you will naturally be more convinced."
That's strange. For such a matter, one doctor can just say it. Who would need two doctors to testify?
Aren't you afraid that you might be trying to cover up your mistake?
It must be that Xiao Yuanzheng refused to testify.
Manbao weighed the pros and cons in his mind, wondering what he should say when he met everyone later.
She had a headache. Why should she, a mere imperial physician, be involved in such political struggles?
The moment he stepped into the imperial study, Manbao remembered what Mr. Zhuang had told him before: when serving as an official in the court, one should not put personal interests before public interests. No matter what selfish motives one has or what consequences one may face, fairness is the most important thing.
Manbao raised his eyes and said, "Okay, then let's be fair."
As the imperial physician, she only needs to tell the truth, and she doesn't care about other things.
Manbao calmed himself down, walked into the imperial study, took a quick look, and then stood obediently behind Xiao Yuanzheng with his hands clasped behind his back.
Xiao Yuanzheng tilted his head slightly to glance at her without saying anything.
When Manbao looked up, he saw Bai Shan standing aside with his hands behind his back. The two of them made eye contact, blinked at each other, and then lowered their heads, listening obediently to the bosses' discussion.
The emperor was sullenly directing the eunuchs to hang up the maps. There were two maps in total, one was a long-ago map collected in the Hanlin Academy, and the other was a current map.
The emperor pointed to the northeast and said angrily, "Compare yourselves and see how long this area has been separated from Goguryeo. It was fine before, but now the country is stable and the treasury is not that poor. Why can't we fight?"
The ministers said that they could fight. They were not opposed to sending troops, but only opposed you leading the troops.
Even Duke Zhao, who always stood on the emperor's side, couldn't help but hint in a tactful way, "Don't mix the two up. We didn't say we won't fight, we just refuse you to lead the army in person."
When the emperor heard they all agreed to go to war, he skipped the rest of the sentence and said, "Since you all agree, then let's mobilize the troops. It's August now, and we must end the war before December, otherwise the cold will be too cold for the soldiers to bear. I will personally lead 20,000 imperial guards to escort them back."
Ministers: ...
Old Tang had no choice but to step out and say, "Your Majesty, Goguryeo is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It's not easy to fight. I suggest that we rest a little and wait until next year to send troops."
The emperor shook his head. "Speed is of the essence in war. Let's wait until next year. Goguryeo will have recovered and will be even more difficult to defeat. We must strike now while they are under attack from both sides."
Yin Li said, "Your Majesty, Silla and Baekje are rebelling against each other."
The emperor twitched his lips. Yin Li had told him this news last night. He didn't know how to react when he heard it.
He really couldn't understand these two vassal states. They were more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.
You should form an alliance to fight Goguryeo. Even if you want to attack each other, you should wait until Goguryeo is defeated, right?
As a result, they started fighting for territory halfway through the war, without any regard for the moral obligations of allies.
The emperor felt that these two vassal states were not only stupid but also had bad character. He originally wanted to reward them with the Pyongyang area after conquering Goguryeo. After all, that area was too far away and might be difficult to manage.
But this time the emperor changed his mind.
He said, "Then we should secretly send envoys to Silla and Baekje to ask them to temporarily cease hostilities and first conquer Goguryeo."
"Your Majesty, the envoys from Goguryeo seeking peace are still staying at the Honglu Temple post. How are we going to get rid of them?"
"In my opinion, if Goguryeo is willing to take a step back, it is not impossible to negotiate peace." After all, sending troops is easy to say, but once they go, they will have to carry food, military equipment, and a lot of money.
Before the emperor could object, a minister shouted, "No! Goguryeo has no credibility. Three years ago, their prince was still studying in our Imperial Academy, yet they dared to attack Yingzhou. After being repelled, they asked for peace. How long ago, they were thinking of attacking Yingzhou again? How can we trust their request for peace?"
The emperor was even more disgusted. He pursed his lips and said, "During the reign of the last emperor, it was because Goguryeo invaded Liaodong that the last emperor sent troops to Goguryeo. He repelled them dozens of times and approached Liaodong City, but every time they were about to enter the city, they pretended to surrender. It's a shame that the last emperor didn't learn his lesson and always trusted him again and again, which gave them the opportunity to take advantage of us. How can I repeat the last emperor's mistakes?"
Actually, the Emperor and the Last Emperor were somewhat related; they were cousins. The Emperor hated the Last Emperor's cruelty, but in this world, he hated Goguryeo even more for its inconsistency. Therefore, he said, "Have the Honglu Temple send someone to contact them, detain them first, and prevent them from sending any news back."
"Hmph, feigning surrender? They're not the only ones who can do it. First, give them a hint that I intend to surrender, but their sincerity isn't enough. Then, I'll control their communication and bring them along when I personally lead the army."
Ministers: ...
There is nothing wrong with the first part, but could you please not add the last sentence?
The ministers were tired and expressed their opposition to the last sentence again.
The emperor pointed to Xiao Yuanzheng and Zhou Man and said, "Lord Xiao and Lord Zhou are here. If you are worried, you can ask them to check my pulse and see if I can mount my horse and fight the enemy."
Wei Zhi said sullenly, "Your Majesty, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You are a wise ruler, don't you understand even this most basic principle?"
The emperor said: "I am not on the front line, I am only in the rear."
"Then what is the significance of His Majesty leading the army in person?"
"Of course it's to boost morale," the emperor said with a grave expression. "The last emperor of the previous dynasty launched three eastern expeditions to Goguryeo, but each time he failed to conquer it. The King of Goguryeo has ostensibly submitted, but take a look at this: from the previous dynasty until now, has he ever been willing to respond to a summons to the capital? Tribute has been sporadic, and he's completely arrogant."
"I was able to conquer DTZ, Western Turks, Gaochang, and the Uighurs, so why can't I take down a tiny country like Goguryeo?" He said, "Since the founding of this dynasty, I have sent troops to conquer Goguryeo twice, but both times ended in failure. This time, I will take it down no matter what."
The emperor said meaningfully, "I am personally leading the army. Why should the soldiers accompanying me on the Eastern Expedition be worried?"
Wei Zhi pursed his lips and asked, "Your Majesty, how many troops do you plan to send? What results do you expect? If more than half are lost and there is no result, will Your Majesty advance or retreat?"
They were afraid that the emperor would deploy military forces without restraint like the last emperor of the previous dynasty.
It can be said that the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo was a major reason for the public resentment in the previous and later dynasties. Many people voluntarily cut off their limbs in order to avoid conscription.
Wei Zhi would never allow such a thing to happen in Dajin.
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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