Chapter 243 Traitors in Chaotic Times (19) How to Become a Super Strategist...
Yue Su pointed his finger at Song Ce's nose, trembling with rage, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time. He never imagined that this seemingly weak and poor county magistrate would dare to slander him so blatantly in the imperial court! If this were to get out, the Yue family would be utterly disgraced!
"Your Majesty, please investigate!" Yue Su suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Wei Shaosu on the high seat, saying, "As a man of integrity, I would never do such a scandalous thing! This Song Ce is deliberately trying to confuse the public and is slandering me with malicious words. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me!"
Song Ce stood still, his eyes clear as he looked at Yue Su kneeling on the ground. He spoke calmly, "Why is Lord Yue so agitated? Just now, you asked me why those who jointly submitted the petition, all law-abiding citizens, would slander me for no reason. Now, I would like to ask you, Lord Yue, I was merely making a casual joke, and you reacted so strongly. Could it be that those who jointly submitted the petition might have maliciously accused me because I punished them and upheld the laws of our dynasty?"
"You!" Yue Su was speechless, his face turning pale and then red.
Wei Shaosu watched the farce unfolding below, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. He hadn't misjudged Song Ce after all; Song Ce hadn't disappointed him, fully demonstrating his intelligence and courage in the court.
Which of the civil and military officials present wasn't a shrewd person? One by one, they all stood obediently with their eyes downcast. Wei Shaosu was a man of great talent and ambition, and his trusted advisors were certainly no ordinary people either.
"Gentlemen, that's enough." Wei Shaosu cleared his throat, his eyes full of authority. "Minister Yue, please rise. Minister Song was merely using you as an example; why take it so seriously?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Su glared fiercely at Song Ce, but dared not say anything more. He could only get up from the ground with a resentful expression, flick his sleeves, and stand aside.
At this moment, Changsun Xin, who had served as the tutor of the late emperor when he was still the crown prince, stepped forward, nodded kindly to Song Ce, and asked, "I am Changsun Xin. I was honored to be the late emperor's tutor, and later the new emperor did not abandon me and appointed me as a first-rank official to assist the emperor. I am truly ashamed. Lord Song, there is something I do not understand, and I hope that you can enlighten us."
"Please speak, Lord Changsun," Song Ce said politely, returning the greeting.
Changsun Xin nodded and asked in a deep voice, "I just heard that Lord Song is promoting free schools in Shiguan County. This move is certainly to discover talents for our Dali, but I wonder if Lord Song has considered that these poor children do not have the family tradition of learning like those from aristocratic families. Even if they are fortunate enough to study and learn to write, how many of them will truly become successful? In the end, it will probably just be a waste of the imperial treasury's money."
Song Ce smiled slightly, bowed, and replied, "Lord Changsun, you are mistaken. As the poem 'Feelings' says, 'Heroes each have their own perspectives; why ask about their origins?' Throughout history, how many pillars of society have emerged from humble backgrounds? Yi Yin was once a slave of the Xin family, but later, due to his expertise in governance, he was highly valued by Tang of Shang; Emperor Gaozu of Han was merely a village head in Sishui, yet he rose from Pei County to eventually unify the country; Gao Shi of Tang made a living by begging in his early years, and only in his sixties was he granted the title of Marquis of Bohai County. This shows that whether a person succeeds or not does not depend on their background, but on whether they have an ambition to rise."
At this point, Song Ce paused, then turned to the disgruntled ministers. "Furthermore," he said, "establishing free schools is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but rather a long-term decision. Even if we cannot immediately select a large number of talented individuals from these impoverished children, as long as we persevere, one day they will become pillars supporting our Great Li dynasty! Moreover, the fact that the people can read and write will make them more sensible and aware of right and wrong, which will greatly benefit the stability of the court and the country in the future!"
After listening, Changsun Xin nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "Even so, the treasury of Dali is empty. Lord Song is willing to make reforms, but I wonder how the tax collection in Shiguan County is?"
Song Ce smiled and casually announced a huge amount equivalent to the silver reserves of the Dali Kingdom.
Changsun Xin slightly widened his eyes, sighed inwardly, and then remained silent.
Next, several ministers stepped forward to ask Song Ce questions, all of which he calmly deflected.
As the young emperor's close advisor earnestly quoted classical texts, the civil and military officials felt a deep sense of pride in his successor, recognizing the ever-flowing river where each wave surpasses the last. A person who could articulate the initial intentions of his reforms so eloquently was certainly no ordinary individual.
Wei Shaosu watched Song Ce debate with the court officials, and he felt increasingly satisfied.
"My lords," Wei Shaosu rose from the dragon throne and said in a loud voice, "Do any of you have any objections to what Minister Song has said?" Upon hearing this, all the officials in the hall fell silent, and not a single one dared to question him.
"I hereby declare that Song Ce's actions were correct and he is confirmed innocent! Not only that, I will also promote Minister Song to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and grant him an imperial edict. All ministers shall regard Minister Song as I, the King, shall be in charge! From this day forward, Minister Song shall fully implement the reform measures of Shiguan County throughout the country to thoroughly rectify the lawless practices of our Dali! Furthermore, no one shall interfere or cause harm in this process. If anyone disobeys my orders, I will punish them severely!"
Wei Shaosu's words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, immediately causing a huge uproar in the court. The faces of the powerful ministers who opposed the reforms were extremely ugly, but they dared not disobey the emperor's will, and in the end they could only lower their heads in embarrassment.
After his speech at the Linde Hall, Wei Shaosu's trust in Song Ce gradually became unbreakable.
After that, whether in the imperial court or the inner palace, whenever anyone openly or secretly slandered Song Ce, Wei Shaosu resolutely stood by his side. He even went so far as to use imperial power to purge all officials, large and small, who had insulted and slandered Song Ce, in order to maintain his authority over the reforms.
Seeing that Wei Shaosu was so determined and thorough in his reform efforts, the members of the aristocratic families all backed down, and no one dared to speak nonsense or question him anymore.
With Gao Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoer guarding Shiguan County, Song Ce had no worries. And with the unwavering support of the highest authority in Dali, he directly withstood the immense pressure from aristocratic families and began to vigorously implement reforms in the Dali Dynasty.
In just over three years, the Dali Dynasty transformed from a weak kingdom struggling to survive amidst the forces of the Yan army in the north, the Meng family army in Qinzhou, the Wu army in the south, and the Liang army in Qi into a military superpower with "a strong army, a full treasury, fear from righteous armies, and ever-growing national strength." From then on, the armies of the surrounding kingdoms never slept soundly again.
Song Ce's name also resounded throughout the country as the reforms of the Dali era came to fruition.
That night, the fragrance of ambergris wafted through the Zichen Palace. Wei Shaosu stood before a huge map of the Dali Kingdom and asked Song Ce in a deep voice, "My dear minister, we have supported each other as ruler and subject for many years. To me, you are closer than a brother. Now, I ask you, how should our Dali Kingdom proceed in the future?"
Song Ce paused, then smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, why don't you speak frankly?"
Wei Shaosu turned around and pointed to the capital of Dali on the map, "Could our dynasty unify the world?"
"Your Majesty, do you wish or not?" Song Ce asked.
"I want to! I want to! I dare not stop thinking about it for even a moment! But since the rise of the Great Li Dynasty, I have deeply felt the hardships of life. I wonder if my great ambitions will be realized in my lifetime?"
"Your Majesty," Song Ce bowed deeply, his eyes shining, "No great undertaking in the world is without difficulty. In my opinion, the time is ripe. Now, the Qi region is gradually being annexed by the Wu army, and the Qin region is also declining under the iron cavalry of the Northern Yan. For our Dali, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
"Oh?" Wei Shaosu's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "How do we take advantage of this?"
Song Ce's gaze fell on Heyang, the border between Dali and Qinzhou, and he said calmly, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the garrison in Heyang is less than ten thousand men. Now is the perfect time to retake it."
"This..." Wei Shaosu hesitated for a moment and said, "Now all the talented generals of Dali are stationed at the border, and there are no capable military officers available in the court. I wonder if you have any suitable candidates in mind?"
Song Ce spoke calmly, uttering a single word: "Me."
“You mean me, my dear minister? Well… wait, wait a minute, you just said: ‘Me?’ This ‘me’ doesn’t mean… yourself, does it?” Wei Shaosu asked, somewhat confused and astonished.
Seeing Wei Shaosu's stunned expression, Song Ce nodded solemnly: "Your Majesty, you heard me right, it is indeed your humble servant."
The Linde Hall remained silent for a long time, the candlelight flickering gently, casting the shadows of the emperor and his minister on the ground. For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.
Wei Shaosu stared intently at Song Ce's composed profile and said solemnly, "My dear minister, do you know that leading troops into battle is no child's play? Although the garrison at Heyang is less than ten thousand, it can be reached by fast horse from Meng's main camp in Qin Prefecture in a single day. If we are not careful, we will be plunged into utter ruin! Although you are well-versed in the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, you lack practical combat experience. My dear minister, you may excel in literature, but you may not be so adept in martial arts!"
Seeing that Song Ce's expression remained unchanged, Wei Shaosu earnestly advised, "My dear minister, you are my right-hand man. The Dali Reform still needs your leadership. How can you personally take risks and cause worry to the court and the people?"
"Your Majesty," Song Ce stepped back and bowed deeply to Wei Shaosu, "the reforms are now on track, and officials in all departments are familiar with the procedures. In contrast, our military is somewhat weak. I am willing to lead troops into battle to expand the territory of Dali and complete Your Majesty's unification of the country!"
Wei Shaosu wanted to persuade him further, but Song Ce suddenly asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, are you willing to believe me?"
Many years ago, by a campfire on a rainy night outside Pingzhou, the then-young Song Ce had asked him this question.
Wei Shaosu was momentarily dazed, but recalling her own youthful self, she answered firmly once again, "I believe!"
Song Ce bowed again, "In that case, Your Majesty, please allocate my troops and entrust all matters of commanding troops and fighting to me."
"Good!" Wei Shaosu laughed loudly, just like many years ago. "Since you have such ambition, I am very pleased! I grant your request! When you go to Heyang, I will prepare 30,000 elite troops for you, and all the necessary provisions and weapons will be provided."
As he spoke, Wei Shaosu walked to the dragon table, opened a hidden compartment without any hesitation, took out a sharp gemstone dagger, and handed it to Song Ce.
"Heyang City can be considered the gateway to Qinzhou. If you can take this place, Dali will have the opportunity to directly attack the heart of Qinzhou. This dagger was given to me by the late lord and has accompanied me through many life-and-death battles. Today I give it to you, my dear minister, hoping that you will act prudently and return in triumph."
Song Ce's expression was solemn as he accepted the dagger with both hands, saying earnestly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."
"Good!" Wei Shaosu patted his shoulder and said gently, "Your Excellency, once you leave, you can make decisions on all matters in the army as ordered, without having to come to court to report on everything."
"Your humble servant obeys!"
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Author's note: A little bitter melon working overtime on Saturday [crying][crying]
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