After the initial shock, everyone in the hall immediately turned to look at Wang Zhen and stared intently at him.
Duke Li Fu, a top nobleman who was granted a seat due to his outstanding achievements, stood up.
They all knew the importance of this message.
With the appearance of this information, all his previous plans were about to be overturned.
Their original plan was to hold the decisive battle with Li Qin in Liaodong or Liaoxi.
They kept him firmly outside Shanhaiguan, especially in western Liaoning, in the narrow Liaoxi Corridor.
This can greatly limit the power of Li Qin's Liaodong cavalry.
Moreover, even if they suffered a setback in the first battle and managed to keep Li Qin out of Shanhaiguan, the imperial court's manpower and resources were a hundred times greater than those of Liaodong.
We can wear him down completely.
They didn't even need to take action; they could have proactively blocked Shanhaiguan.
Li Qin commanded an army of over 100,000 men and tens of thousands of horses, all of which were previously supported by government funding.
Liaodong alone could not possibly support the food and supplies of more than 100,000 troops.
In the end, he could only reduce the number of troops to maintain financial balance; otherwise, he would inevitably face massive internal strife.
It can be said that from the very beginning of their plan, they were in an invincible position.
They can lose eight or ten times, but Li Qin can't afford to lose even once.
In their eyes, the Li Qin Rebellion, though shockingly difficult, was something that could inevitably be resolved.
It's just a matter of how to solve it and what method to use.
Their previous discussion was about how to eliminate Li Qin in the most economical way with the least amount of money.
It can be said that as long as Li Qin is blocked outside Shanhaiguan, he is basically facing a dead end.
However, this deadlock was completely reversed after Li Qin captured Shanhaiguan.
He directly shifted the battlefield from Liaodong and Liaoxi to the south, to the Youyan region south of Shanhaiguan.
The most crucial point is the capital city, which, as you must know, is located in the Youyan region.
Once war breaks out at the gates of the capital, it will shake the entire nation, regardless of the outcome.
This will severely damage the prestige of the imperial court.
That will probably make all the ambitious people in the world feel that they can try it too.
If such a situation were to occur, the consequences would be absolutely terrifying.
As the prestige of the imperial court declines, the cost of governing various regions will increase dramatically.
Originally, a mere thousand men stationed in a place were enough to intimidate the local gentry, clans, and other powerful groups, keeping them in line.
However, as the imperial court's prestige is damaged, it will make local forces restless.
Originally, a thousand people were enough to effectively deter and control the local area, but now three thousand or even five thousand people are needed to effectively control the area.
Therefore, Li Qin's troops must not be allowed to reach the capital, otherwise, regardless of whether Li Qin succeeds or not, it will have a great impact on the prestige of the court.
Therefore, they had to take the initiative and keep Li Qin out of the capital.
“Eunuch Wang, you just said that Li Qin has occupied Shanhaiguan, but what about Liaoxi?”
According to the intelligence we obtained earlier, Li Qin has just captured Jinzhou. What about the other cities in western Liaoning?
"Did he shoot them all down?"
Zhang Fu looked at Wang Zhen in front of him and asked another question.
Wang Zhen was clearly taken aback by Zhang Fu's question, because he hadn't expected Zhang Fu to suddenly ask about the situation in Liaoxi.
He had no prior knowledge of the situation in western Liaoning.
So when faced with Zhang Fu's question, he was speechless for a moment.
Seeing Wang Zhen speechless, Zhang Fu sighed and shook his head.
As expected, this eunuch was utterly useless.
Finally, he bowed to Zhu Qizhen and said:
“Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang just said that He Xiuwu is outside the palace. I request that he be allowed to come in and inquire about the situation.”
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Qizhen nodded after hearing Zhang Fu's words and said:
"Then let's summon He Xiuwu in."
Immediately after Zhu Qizhen issued the decree, a young eunuch went out and summoned He Xiuwu.
He Xiuwu, whose legs had gone numb from kneeling outside, waited anxiously.
Suddenly, a young eunuch came out.
His heart immediately jumped into his throat.
He then received an imperial edict summoning him to the palace.
The anxiety that had been hanging over me immediately subsided.
Because as long as the emperor summons him to the palace, it means that the money he gave to Eunuch Wang has taken effect.
The emperor was willing to listen to his explanation.
If he hadn't given money to Eunuch Wang, Eunuch Wang would definitely have reported the truth to him.
At that time, he probably won't receive news of being allowed to enter the palace.
Instead, he directly escaped the imperial edict ordering his execution at the Meridian Gate.
After letting out a sigh of relief, He Xiuwu immediately got up and headed to the palace.
However, due to his long-term pampered body, kneeling for so long caused him to experience blurred vision when he suddenly stood up.
I almost fell to the ground.
In the end, he managed to stabilize his body.
They followed the young eunuch into the palace.
Upon entering the palace, He Xiuwu was stunned, for he not only saw His Majesty the Emperor, but also the five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, as well as numerous top nobles including Zhang Fu.
What happened?
Why are so many high-ranking officials of the imperial court gathered in this palace?
The highest-ranking civil officials and military generals had all gathered there.
Has something big happened in the imperial court again?
Or did they already know about Li Qin's rebellion?
He Xiuwu was shocked by what he saw, but he didn't have time to think about anything.
He was immediately led by the eunuch to a hollow brick, where he performed a grand salute to Zhu Qizhen and kowtowed several times.
After that, he kept his head down, staring at the ground, not daring to look up.
Because he knew that his life was hanging by a thread, even if he said the wrong thing.
I would have been killed instantly.
At this moment, everyone in the palace in front of him was someone he couldn't afford to offend.
After seeing He Xiuwu enter the palace and perform the grand ceremony for the emperor.
Zhang Fu spoke first, addressing He Xiuwu who was kneeling on the ground, and asked:
"He Xiuwu, you are the garrison commander of Shanhaiguan. When Li Qin launched a surprise attack on Shanhaiguan and withdrew from Shanhaiguan..."
How is the situation in western Liaoning, outside the Great Wall?
He Xiuwu was taken aback when Zhang Fu suddenly asked about western Liaoning.
He originally thought that the people present would ask him questions related to Shanhaiguan.
However, to his surprise, the first question he faced upon entering the palace concerned Liaoxi.
At this time, he knew nothing about the situation in western Liaoning.
In the end, he could only answer Zhang Fu truthfully:
“Li Qin’s army suddenly appeared outside Shanhaiguan, so I don’t know the situation in western Liaoning.”
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