The Tiancheng Palace was newly built on the site of the previous dynasty's palace. After the old was demolished and the new was built, its original appearance could no longer be seen. Only three palace walls were retained. Looking from the mountain outside Quecheng, it looks like three concentric rings.
The palace's main hall was Yuanming Hall. A bright corridor paved in front of the hall, officials ascended in the morning as if they were walking on a heavenly path. However, there was no "light" within the hall. Yuanming Hall was a long, narrow rectangle. After entering the hall, one had to walk a hundred steps to reach the emperor's presence. Within this hundred-step distance, there were no side windows or daylight, only the bright pearls. Day and night, the darkness was as dark as a dream. Spending long periods within, one could forget the passage of time.
Therefore, at the request of the ministers, the palace eunuchs placed a huge bronze lotus clepsydra in the middle of the hall. However, the ministers did not consider that the current emperor was unpredictable and reluctant to speak. Whenever no one spoke in the hall, the ticking sound of the clepsydra was like a death curse, which was really creepy.
This is the situation now.
Tick, tick.
The sound of the clepsydra echoed in the huge Yuanming Hall, interweaving with the sound of incessant rain outside the hall. Hundreds of court officials stood in the hall like clay figurines, no one moved, no one spoke.
The man seated on the upper steps remained silent for a long moment. The thick, beaded curtains obscured his face, making his presence even more difficult to discern. He resembled a stone statue enshrined in this ancient palace, cold and awe-inspiring.
Finally, that voice, so calm that it had no fluctuations, sounded in the hall, with a bit of hoarseness from not having spoken for a long time.
"Why are you all silent? Is it difficult for a strong man to do this alone?"
This is more than just asking too much! It's simply asking too much!
The Bijiang Rebellion has been going on for more than ten years. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has almost never mentioned the matter of recovery. Now he actually talks about the three-month deadline. Isn't this asking for his life?
The ministers secretly complained, with cold sweat running down their faces, almost merging with the sound of the leak.
Among them, only the three people standing in the front could maintain a calm expression. Xiao Zhun was one of them.
"Please give it a try."
It was Marquis Qinghuai again. The ministers breathed a sigh of relief, but then they felt something was wrong.
As expected, the throned emperor spoke slowly, "I am deeply moved by your sincere heart, but the peace of the capital cannot be achieved without you. Therefore, to suppress the Bai clan rebellion this time, we must find another brave warrior."
The silence was finally broken, and the ministers were stunned and in an uproar. Sanyue said that Bijiang had surrendered, but he wouldn't allow the general to go to war? The capital was peaceful with six armies guarding it, so why did he need a big shot like Xiao Zhun? What was the emperor's intention behind this arrangement?
"Your Majesty, please reconsider."
Taiwei Xu You was the first to express his opinion, and the ministers reconsidered.
Xuanyuan King Su Che stood beside Xiao Zhun, but didn't say anything at this point. He was quite tall, even taller than Xiao Zhun, a former military commander. His hair and beard were a little gray, but his eyes were still sharp.
"Why is the emperor's uncle silent? But do you have something to say?"
His Majesty has very good eyesight. He can tell who has spoken and who has not at a glance even from such a distance.
Su Che stepped forward, bowed, and said solemnly, "I think that perhaps sending troops to fight is not the best strategy."
Xu You perked up upon hearing this and disagreed, "I don't understand what King Xuanyuan means. Could it be that after years of training, our Tiancheng army still can't defeat a mere band of rebels?"
Prince Xuanyuan remained calm, "General Xu is mistaken. A war between two factions involves far more than just the two. If we had no worries, why would we have tolerated the Bijiang incident for so many years?"
What King Xuanyuan said was exactly what Xiao Zhun had been worried about all along.
The Tiancheng Dynasty had barely reached its centenary, and while the threat of Bijiang had seemingly been eliminated, the dynasty was actually plagued by multiple obstacles. To the east, the Shen family of Huozhou held a strategic position, acting with ambivalence. To the north, the Gelete Plateau lay far from reach. Southwest Wancheng, once the most secure strategic location, was placed in even greater jeopardy by the fall of Bijiang.
The Bai family chose Bijiang as their hiding place because of its vastness and complex terrain. A large-scale army entering it might not necessarily gain any advantage. Without accurate intelligence, searching would become a major problem and would inevitably evolve into a protracted war. Once the army set out, the rear of Quecheng would be empty, and any potential crisis could cause turmoil in the dynasty.
In fact, how could the current emperor not know this?
"Uncle Emperor, what you said is absolutely right, but I wonder if there is any clever way to resolve this dilemma?"
The hot potato was thrown back into the hands of King Xuanyuan, and the ministers were indifferent and just watched the fun.
Before Su Che could speak, another voice sounded.
"I believe that the rebellion in Bijiang is not a disaster that occurred overnight, and the task of suppressing the rebellion should be considered over the long term."
The person who spoke was an old man with a white face and beard. He was the third person standing there, the current Prime Minister Bai Zhaoyu.
These words expressed the thoughts of all the ministers, and the hall suddenly became a scene of "chickens pecking at rice".
The emperor leaned slightly, supporting his forehead with one hand, and assumed a playful attitude.
"You are mistaken, Prime Minister. From the Yu'an Rebellion to the traitor Bai's escape to Bijiang, it was only a little over a month. Now I have given them a full three months, which is already a great mercy."
This sounds a bit like a rogue.
Although the Bai clan's rebellion to Bijiang took only a month, it was more than a decade ago. Even the previous emperor was unable to do anything about it, and now that the rebels have been tolerated for years, they will surely be even more difficult to eradicate. Naturally, this cannot be dismissed as a minor rebellion. However, if the emperor is being ruthless, what can the ministers say? After all, they've been recuperating for years, and now suddenly calling for war and killing is a bit too much for anyone to handle.
Bai Zhaoyu looked to be in his seventies, coughing twice every time he spoke. He looked like an oil lamp that could be blown out by the wind at any moment, but his words were firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, what you said was about the situation back then. Now, more than a decade has passed, and the situation is very different. You should be cautious."
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