Chapter 143 "One Who Doesn't Want to Be the Crown Prince..."
"One did not want to be the crown prince, and the other did not want to be the emperor. Today I realize that you two, father and son, are not only connected by blood, but also so similar in character!"
Empress Cao said.
As soon as the words were spoken, Emperor Renzong paused for a moment, then realized that it was indeed true. No father wouldn't be happy to hear his son praised for resembling him. However, the similarity in their lack of attachment to power, when applied to the relationship between an imperial father and son, becomes quite troublesome.
The Empress laughed just now because she had figured this out, right?
Emperor Renzong suddenly seemed to remember something and cautiously asked, "In the Empress's opinion, if I were to bring up the matter of abdication to Su'er, how would he react?"
"..." Empress Cao looked at him quietly: "Does Your Majesty not have an answer in your heart?"
Emperor Renzong: "...Alright."
It's easy to imagine that they would say things like, "I'm still young," or "Father, you have to take responsibility," just like Fan Zhongyan and Fu Bi. In more serious cases, if they get wind of it, they might even stay in the Northwest and never come back.
This is absolutely something Su'er would do!
But the Emperor was very unwilling. He described to Empress Cao his dream from two days ago: "If you could witness Su'er ruling the world and enjoy the company of your grandchildren, wouldn't you be tempted, Empress?"
Empress Cao's expression was subtle: "Of course I'm tempted, but if I try to live longer, I should be able to see it too, right?"
The Emperor: "..."
That's right, he's different from the Empress. Since ancient times, emperors have had an Empress Dowager upon ascending the throne. But there have been very few retired emperors throughout history.
However, Empress Cao was moved by the scene described by Emperor Renzong, and her mind became restless. She was torn between the desire to see Su'er ascend the throne as soon as possible and the wish to follow Su'er's own wishes, and for a moment she could not decide which one to win.
The main thing is, well, based on Su'er's own wishes and personality, he definitely only wants to be the Crown Prince for life. In fact, it was only through great effort that he was persuaded to take the position of Crown Prince.
The couple exchanged a glance, both showing a similar sense of helplessness.
"Oh, right," Emperor Renzong suddenly remembered an old matter that he couldn't understand no matter how hard he thought about it: "Empress, do you know why Su'er was so resistant to the position of Crown Prince at such a young age?"
If an ordinary child suddenly comes up with an illogical idea, it's usually assumed to be instigated by an adult. But Su'er is different; he's a genius who can recite the Four Books and Five Classics backwards at the age of three. We can't judge him using ordinary experiences with children.
The Emperor even suspected that someone in the inner palace might have said something to Su'er. But there was no reason for it. Empress Cao had given birth to the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and she doted on Su'er. Why would she say something that would push him into a pit of fire?
As for the other concubines, Su'er was not familiar with any of them and wouldn't recognize them. So it was even less likely that she would be instigated.
Empress Cao had pondered this question more than once. However, her relationship with the Emperor was distant, and they had never discussed it. But since the Emperor had brought it up, she offered her speculation: "Could it be that Su'er read history books when he was young and saw some unfortunate crown princes? And that led to a misunderstanding?"
"For example, Shen Sheng, Prince Zhao Zhang, Prince Fusu, Crown Prince Li, Prince Min of Changshan, Crown Prince Zhanghuai..."
Empress Cao rattled off a string of unfortunate crown princes, each one different, and Emperor Renzong grew increasingly silent. When she finished, he silently added in his mind, "Prince Yanyi."
Prince Yan Yi, also known as Zhao Dezhao, was the second son of Emperor Taizu of Song, but actually the eldest son who survived. Several years after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, Zhao Dezhao, fearing reprimand from Taizong, committed suicide. After his death, rumors and gossip never ceased.
Although Emperor Taizong nominally succeeded his brother, conforming to etiquette and the custom since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, rumors were rampant among the people, and even the Emperor himself harbored doubts. He wondered if Su'er was avoiding the position of Crown Prince because of this.
Su'er did not resist speaking out for the people, and he was quite capable of winning people's respect when he served as a leader. His resistance to the position of Crown Prince was not so much to the heavy responsibility it carried, but rather to the position itself.
Wow, so it's actually quite possible.
The Empress is right. "So, you also think it looks like it?" Empress Cao asked.
"Hmm," the Emperor said, "If what the Empress said is indeed true, I only know today the kind of determination Su'er had when he agreed to my request in the Fengxian Hall..."
Knowing full well the possibility, he still saw through the hidden problems within his rule and was willing to implement reforms. At that time, he even said he would retire after achieving his goals. Didn't he understand the principle of "the bow is put away when the birds are all gone, the dog is cooked when the rabbit is dead"?
But Su'er still agreed.
The Emperor had always believed that he had conceded more in that deal. However, two sentences from Empress Cao easily changed his mind.
That is why I can only feel at ease handing the throne to Su'er in person. Not only must I do it with my own eyes, but also in front of all the officials and the entire world as witnesses…
An idea gradually took shape in the official's mind.
——
Little did Fusu know that a casual remark from the Empress in Bianjing would almost have caused him to be exposed as a fraud. Fortunately, the Emperor was a self-reflective man who only ever lamented that he hadn't done enough. He blamed his ancestors and himself, never blaming any unfortunate prince in history, which allowed him to escape unscathed.
He's now thinking about how to take it to the next level.
Even if he takes Lingzhou first, and then successively captures the fortified villages, Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia, which is very close to Lingzhou, remains completely silent. It is estimated that the group of people in the city are so engrossed in the killing that they have no time to spare for anything else, as the plot of raising Gu poison has reached its climax.
Fusu wasn't in a hurry; he planned to reap the rewards when they finally managed to create a Gu King. Hopefully, the victors wouldn't be too surprised to discover that, apart from Xingqing Prefecture, the entire Western Xia had no other base of operations.
His gaze fell upon a mountain.
It was previously said that to transport salt from Western Xia to the vast plains of Weizhou and Zhuozhou, it was necessary to detour through Yunzhou. The reason why it could not be transported in a straight line was because the Taihang Mountains and the Yellow River were two natural barriers separating the route.
Controlling these two natural barriers is crucial for securing territory.
In addition, the Yanshan Mountains separate the seven prefectures in front of the mountains from the nine prefectures behind them in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. The Liao army retreated to the north from the Yanshan Mountains when it was routed. Now, more than half of the nine prefectures behind the mountains have been captured, and the remaining two prefectures are located in plains. With previous experience, it is only a matter of time before they are conquered and taken into control.
But what about the seven prefectures further north in front of the mountains? How can they be conquered without crossing the Yanshan Mountains? The Liao Kingdom could simply hold onto the natural defenses and abandon the agricultural areas to cut its losses. They were originally a nomadic nation; by conquering the seven prefectures in front of the mountains and raiding southwards every autumn and winter, they might have a more comfortable life.
So, which should we visit first, the Taihang Mountains or the Yanshan Mountains?
Fusu held the map in his hand, lost in thought for a long time. A sudden gust of wind made him squint. But this cold wind suddenly reminded him of something.
My father once said in a dream—when you intend to conquer a place, you'd better have an overwhelming advantage. Conversely, when you possess a tremendous advantage, you'd better truly utilize it to the fullest extent.
The desire to exploit people's hearts can be destroyed in a short time, but nurturing it requires a long and arduous process. Gunpowder, however, has an immediate and decisive advantage. Therefore, now that Fusu truly possessed gunpowder, when was a better time than to use it to its fullest potential?
“We’re going to Yanshan.” He pointed to the short mountain range on the map. “Be careful on the way! We might encounter remnants of the Liao army. Send out more scouts to explore the area!”
They might say a few more words about other matters, but when it comes to military orders, they never contradict their commander.
"yes!"
On this side of the Yanshan Mountains, it's still a plain. Just beyond that lies the frigid Inner Mongolian Plateau. In mid-spring, April, it's still as cold as winter.
The Liao soldiers, accustomed to the south, would surely find this climate unbearable. Coupled with the army's collapse, some remnants might even turn into bandits, ambushing and raiding in the mountains.
As for why Fusu knew?
Don't forget, in his first life he served as a military supervisor guarding the border of Shangzhou, defending against the Xiongnu! He knew more about the nomadic nature of the people than most people in the imperial court.
Therefore, when the scouts sent out reported finding traces of what appeared to be the passage of an army, Fusu immediately became vigilant.
He immediately ordered his troops to remain in place, hoping to wait for them to make their move, but they discovered that brightly colored flags were faintly visible among the clusters of green trees.
Wait, that's... a Song army flag?
Fusu's eyes lit up immediately, feeling a sense of surprise that was both unexpected and reasonable.
Whose banners could appear here? It seems Di Qing and he were thinking the same thing: attacking Yanshan!
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Author's note: Writing this was incredibly frustrating and I was constantly stuck... Why are there really sixteen states in Youyun?! I'm staring at the map every day, completely bewildered.
No, I need to finish this dungeon quickly! [emoji]
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