Chapter 298 Your Majesty is Wise! May the Great Qi Empire Be Victorious!
Of course, fighting a war is not so easy.
Even though the Great Qi was well-prepared, with ample supplies and well-equipped troops, Yangjin was no pushover.
This Tibetan female Zanpu was a formidable figure who had fought on horseback for many years, and in her early years she earned the title of "Princess Chizun" for her outstanding military achievements.
She also gathered a group of elite soldiers who had followed her in battle for many years and were more familiar with the high-altitude climate and terrain.
Therefore, even with Li Yuanzhao in command from the rear, the battle remained deadlocked from the very beginning.
The two sides traded blows, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.
With its superior national strength, the Great Qi made steady progress, winning more than ten cities on the border of Tibet in six months, and extending its battle line westward.
However, relying on the terrain and the advantage of cavalry, Yangjin repeatedly ambushed the Qi army in canyons and grasslands, causing considerable losses.
Just as the two sides were deadlocked, the Nanzhao Kingdom suddenly unilaterally broke its alliance with the Qi Kingdom and announced an alliance with the Tubo Kingdom to jointly fight against the Qi Kingdom.
This sudden betrayal caught Li Yuanzhao completely off guard.
When the spies brought back details of the internal strife in Nanzhao, she learned that the person behind Nanzhao's "turn against them" was actually an old acquaintance—Li Yuanshu.
It turns out that back then, Li Yuanshu changed her name and fled to Nanzhao. Then, using some unknown means, she gained the favor of the King of Nanzhao in less than a year and was made queen.
She then proceeded step by step, secretly cultivating her power, and in just two years completely took control of the Nanzhao court.
Ultimately, the King of Nanzhao died of illness, and Li Yuanshu, as the Queen, ascended the throne by imperial decree, becoming the new King of Nanzhao.
Now, taking advantage of the fact that the Great Qi and Tubo are at war and their forces are scattered, she has chosen to form an alliance with Yangjin and send troops to launch a surprise attack on the southwestern border of the Great Qi!
This younger sister, who has not been seen for a long time, has become increasingly ruthless and decisive in her methods over the past few years, and she seems to have an almost complete grasp of the military layout of the Great Qi.
The combined attack from Tibet and Nanzhao plunged the Great Qi into a predicament of being attacked from both sides.
News of the loss of several cities on the southwestern border and the deaths of the defending generals kept coming in.
In the Western Regions battlefield, Deputy General Wang Feng was caught off guard and fell into an enemy trap, resulting in the interception of supplies and provisions by the Tibetan army, causing heavy losses.
The morale of the troops at the front immediately wavered.
Some ministers who advocated peace dared not accuse the emperor of being blinded by lust, and could only further condemn Jue La Yun Dan for bewitching the emperor.
...
The candles in Xuanzheng Hall burned all night, their flickering light illuminating the huge map of the territory inside and casting a long shadow of Li Yuanzhao.
She stood with her hands behind her back in front of the map, listening to the eunuch's low report of the latest battle report from the front.
When she heard that the allied forces of Nanzhao and Tubo had formed a pincer movement, she suddenly chuckled and said, "My sister is more capable than I imagined."
Su Qingci stood aside, his expression solemn, and said, “Your Majesty, the Nanzhao Kingdom has issued a proclamation in the name of the Third Princess of the Great Qi Kingdom and the current King of Nanzhao. It has been circulated throughout the world. The proclamation accuses you... accuses you of not being of the bloodline of the Great Qi royal family, but of being a bastard of unknown origin.”
"Oh?" Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "Let me see."
Su Qingci quickly took out the transcribed booklet from her sleeve and handed it to Li Yuanzhao with both hands.
Li Yuanzhao took it, slowly unfolded it, and examined it carefully.
The proclamation was written with great literary flair. It first denounced her for "murdering the king and seizing the throne, favoring treacherous servants, waging wars and poisoning the people," while saying that Nanzhao's military expedition was "to relieve the people and punish the guilty, and to save the common people."
Then, he went on to praise Nanzhao as the "legitimate continuation of the Great Qi" and the "righteous army," and even used the banner of "helping the second prince Li Yuanyou regain the throne" to call on the people of Great Qi to "distinguish between the treacherous and the false" and help Li Yuanyou regain the throne and restore the world to Li Qi.
The words are filled with fervor and passion.
"The writing is quite good." Li Yuanzhao finished reading, closed the booklet, and said, "How could such a talent exist in a barbaric place like Nanzhao?"
Su Qingci lowered his head and replied, "I heard that it was written by a scholar who failed the imperial examination this year. He was dissatisfied with the court because of his failure, and when he heard that the King of Nanzhao was recruiting talents from all over the country, he fled to Nanzhao with resentment. He was highly valued by Li Yuanshu, and this proclamation was written by him."
Li Yuanzhao casually tossed the proclamation onto the imperial desk and looked at Su Qingci, "Then this is the prime minister's fault. How come such a talent wasn't discovered sooner?"
Su Qingci immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "It was my dereliction of duty, Your Majesty, that I should be punished."
Li Yuanzhao said calmly, "Get up."
The ministers in the palace, who had been filled with anxiety due to the unfavorable war situation, felt somewhat relieved to see that the emperor remained so calm in the face of such a scathing proclamation.
Several senior officials who had just advocated for peace talks now bowed their heads and remained silent.
Li Yuanzhao continued, "Issue my decree, ordering Jiannan and Lingnan to quickly assemble an army of 300,000 men, advancing by land and water, to attack Nanzhao."
The Minister of War asked hesitantly, "Then who will be the commander-in-chief..."
"Commander-in-Chief?" Li Yuanzhao's lips curled up slightly. "Aren't they going to help Li Yuanyou regain the throne and restore the Li Qi dynasty? Let Li Yuanyou take the position of commander-in-chief."
Li Yuanyou?!
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
Even Su Qingci, who had just stood up, looked up at Li Yuanzhao on the throne in disbelief.
Back then, the second prince, Li Yuanyou, was demoted to a commoner for treason. It was only publicly announced that he was imprisoned in Kaiyuan Temple, but the court officials all thought he was already dead.
I never expected him to still be alive?
And the Emperor even wants to appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the campaign against Nanzhao?!
A minister asked tremblingly, "Your Majesty, isn't this action somewhat inappropriate?"
Liu Jinzhang, who had remained silent until now, spoke up, “I think Your Majesty’s plan is brilliant! Nanzhao is stirring up trouble under the banner of ‘supporting Li Yuanyou and restoring the legitimate dynasty.’ Now we’ve sent Li Yuanyou to personally lead the troops to punish them, catching them completely off guard. The person you claim to support has turned out to be the commander-in-chief of the campaign against you. Their so-called righteousness has instantly crumbled, and the inflammatory words in their proclamation have become a joke! Not only will the Great Qi be able to stabilize the morale of its army and people, but even their army’s morale will be damaged.”
"But... what if His Highness Prince Cheng betrays his allies at the last minute, or secretly colludes with Nanzhao..."
Su Qingci understood the Emperor's meaning and continued, "We all know Li Yuanyou's character. He has never been good at military affairs, let alone has the talent to lead troops. It is likely that he is only a nominal commander this time, without any real power to control the army. All matters, big and small, in the army are decided by the supervising officer. Even if he has ulterior motives, without troops or power, he cannot cause any trouble."
Liu Jinzhang nodded in agreement: "What Prime Minister Su said is absolutely right. In that case, this expedition will need a capable military supervisor to oversee troop deployment and war strategy. I wonder who Your Majesty prefers?"
Li Yuanzhao's gaze swept over the two prime ministers. "Which one of you do you think is suitable?"
Su Qingci and Liu Jinzhang exchanged a glance and both gave the same name, "General Ru".
Li Yuanzhao smiled slightly, "Then I will issue an imperial decree appointing Rumo as the military supervisor of the Southwest Route Army, in charge of all military and political affairs related to the campaign against Nanzhao."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the prince and his officials, her previously calm tone suddenly turning somber, carrying the unique imperial authority.
"In this battle, we must not only win, but I will also ensure that Tibet and Nanzhao never again exist on our territory, and that the might of our Great Qi will be displayed to all corners of the world! May all the surrounding small countries submit to us forever and never dare to offend us again!"
These words resonated deeply, instantly igniting the atmosphere in the hall.
All the civil and military officials knelt down in unison, shouting, "Our Emperor is wise! Victory is assured for Great Qi!"
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