Chapter 515: The Emperor’s Personal Expedition
Zhu Qingyan stood there in a daze for a moment, looking at the fleeing back of King Zhenbei, and had no choice but to grit his teeth, mount his horse and turn away.
After King Zhenbei galloped all the way to meet up with his own men, it was obvious that everyone heard the loud noise from the east.
"Your Highness, should we take advantage of the opportunity to catch up and capture the little girl and Long Buqi together?" a soldier suggested.
A violent look appeared on King Zhenbei's face. He squinted and looked back, but was a little hesitant.
He wasn't sure if this was another trap set by the other party.
I just got fooled and almost failed. I can't be careless this time.
"Go back first, retreat!"
…
"General Long, what happened just now!?"
Before the horse stopped, Zhu Qingyan had already jumped off the horse and rushed towards the pungent black smoke.
Long Buqi's body and face were covered in dust and dirt. He didn't even notice Zhu Qingyan's return. He just stared blankly in one direction with undisguised fear in his eyes.
Zhu Qingyan looked in the direction he was looking, and saw only scattered pieces of iron on the dark ground. He was stunned for a moment.
Is this... an explosion?
Then she noticed the various wounds on Long Buqi's body. Some were caused by the explosion, while others were broken iron and stone fragments deeply embedded in the flesh, even with a smell of burnt flesh.
Not only him, but many other soldiers were injured.
Zhu Qingyan hurriedly asked about his injuries, and Long Buqi said that there was no serious problem for the time being and he would go back to treat the wound.
Then he recalled what had happened before. He had been keeping a close eye on the every move of King Zhenbei and Zhu Qingyan in the distance. Seeing that King Zhenbei was about to leave on horseback, he ordered his men to load the shells as Zhu Qingyan had instructed in advance.
Those responsible for operating the artillery were specially trained gunners brought by Zhu Qingyan from the capital, and they were the only ones who knew how to operate it.
But who would have thought that before Long Buqi gave the order to ignite, "Wanjun" actually exploded on its own!
The four gunners closest to the scene were blown to pieces in an instant, and the others were injured to varying degrees.
"No, Wanjun clearly hasn't reached its usage limit yet, how could it explode by itself..."
Zhu Qingyan murmured to herself for a while, but neither she nor Long Buqi understood how to make cannons, and they couldn't figure it out no matter how hard they tried.
Long Buqi's face looked very ugly.
"Sir, we only have three cannons.
Tianwei has been used up all the times, and now Wanjun is also destroyed.
Only the Divine Guard can be used five times..."
Five shells are not enough to fight the enemy in battle.
The King of Zhenbei is smarter than a fox. He was fooled once, so how could he be fooled a second time?
Zhu Qingyan forced himself to calm down.
Although Wanjun was destroyed, fortunately, King Zhenbei did not know the real situation on his side.
Although King Zhenbei did not fully believe his bluffing just now, he was certainly afraid of it.
In the short term, he should not dare to take the risk of launching a large army to attack.
Zhu Qingyan thought for a while and asked Long Buqi to take his men back to Qingshi Pass first, and told him to take the broken iron pieces on the ground with him.
"It's blown up like this, why are you picking it up again..." Long Buqi was puzzled.
Zhu Qingyan just asked him to do as he was told.
Although she didn't understand the ins and outs of how the cannon was manufactured, she felt that the wreckage of the cannon should not be allowed to be picked up by the enemy.
…
The situation at Qingshi Pass had not yet been reported back to the capital, but Yan Xiuyun had already received the news that Danzhou had fallen.
For a time, the government and the public were shocked.
If Danzhou is lost, once the King of Zhenbei takes Qingshi Pass and Yunzhou in the east, the gates of the capital will be wide open and the country will be in danger.
Yan Xiuyun immediately summoned all the ministers and announced a shocking decision -
Gather the defenders of the capital and lead the army in person!
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately opposed by a group of ministers.
The Minister of War was the first to step forward and say:
"Your Majesty, the total number of troops stationed in the capital is only 30,000. Sending aid to the northwest is just a drop in the bucket.
What's more, the border is far away, and on the battlefield, arrows have no eyes. If something happens to you, how can the country be stable? How can the country be entrusted? Your Majesty, please take the overall situation into consideration and withdraw your order. "
The ministers immediately echoed:
"Your Majesty, please take back your order!"
Yan Xiuyun waved his hand and said in a deep voice:
“Now the imperial court is fighting against the King of Zhenbei, and they lost the first battle and lost Danzhou. People at the border are in a panic, and the common people can’t sleep at night.
Although there are only 30,000 troops stationed in the capital, only the emperor can lead the army in person and advance and retreat together with the soldiers in order to stabilize the morale of the army and appease the people.
I will not be a king who loses territory. I will not give up even a blade of grass or a tree in the territory left by the previous emperor!
I have made up my mind. Anyone who dares to dissuade me will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane!"
As soon as Yan Xiuyun said this, all the ministers fell silent and looked at each other with their heads down.
Finally, it was the nearly 70-year-old Taifu Xu Chengye who stepped forward tremblingly and said:
"Since Your Majesty has made up his mind, then I, an old minister, would like to ask Your Majesty how to arrange the affairs of the court at the risk of my own life.
The current Crown Prince is still young, and needs someone to assist him in governing the country. Otherwise, if the rear is in chaos, the front will be in turmoil."
Yan Xiuyun nodded and said:
"I also intend to appoint a regent. Do you have any recommendations?"
Grand Tutor Xu thought for a moment and said, "I think we can recall the former Imperial Academy Academic Director Dong Ye. Mr. Dong is highly respected and has considerable talent for governing a country. He can take on this task."
As soon as this was said, some of Li's supporters were unhappy and stood up and said:
“It is true that Mr. Dong is highly respected, but he is a member of the Imperial Academy. How can he understand the frontline affairs, let alone the dispatch of food and fodder, and the storage of military supplies? I am afraid that he cannot be relied on at the critical moment.
Your Majesty, I believe that Duke Li Lie of Weiguo is worthy of this important task. He is loyal to the royal family and has been to the battlefield with the late emperor. With his assistance, the rear will be stable and the front will be worry-free.”
"The Duke of Wei only knows how to fight wars. When it comes to domestic affairs, I'm afraid he's still far behind!"
"That's better than being a pedantic scholar who only talks on paper!"
Now that Zhao Sicheng has become the Minister of Works, he naturally has the right to participate in politics.
He looked a little hesitant and glanced at the Minister of Works standing in front of him.
The Shangshu didn't say anything, and it seemed inappropriate for me to give advice rashly.
The most important thing is the current situation. Once the emperor thinks that I am involved in party struggles, what I say may backfire.
Zhao Sicheng thought it over again and again and decided to remain silent.
The ministers saw that the quarrel was getting more and more intense. If it weren't for their status, they would have rolled up their sleeves and started fighting.
Yan Xiuyun listened to their arguing, which was nothing more than nominating one person from the Dong or Li families to assist in the administration, and he immediately felt upset.
The noisy sounds gradually faded in his ears, and a thin but always tall figure emerged in his mind.
A few years ago, when he had just ascended the throne, she had bowed deeply to him under the moon and said that she was willing to assist the wise monarch in creating a peaceful and prosperous era.
I hope she keeps her word.
…
That afternoon, the imperial edict appointing the regent was delivered to the Duke of Weiguo's mansion by Chief Steward Zhao.
Duke Li Lie of Weiguo and his family knelt in the yard, listening to Chief Steward Zhao reading the imperial edict. When it came to appointing him as regent, Li Lie's face suddenly showed surprise.
But when he heard that Dong Ye was also a regent, the corners of Li Lie's mouth drooped again.
After the imperial edict was announced and Li Lie accepted it and thanked him, he approached Manager Zhao with a cautious smile and asked in a low voice:
"May I ask Chief Steward Zhao, when His Majesty issued the decree... did it state that I and Elder Dong would assist in governing the country together, and who would be the main and who would be the assistant?"
As he said this, he hurriedly explained: "I am mainly worried that if I don't distinguish between the primary and the secondary, if I have any disagreements with Mr. Dong, I don't know what to do..."
Manager Zhao smiled slightly and said politely:
"Duke Weiguo, isn't His Majesty's intention clearly written in this imperial edict?
Well, I have to hurry to Dong Lao's residence to convey his imperial decree, so I'll take my leave now."
Duke Weiguo stared blankly at the back of Manager Zhao and was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
He read the imperial edict over and over again for a long time, but could not understand where His Majesty wrote about the priority of the two people in assisting in the administration.
Li Lie's son came forward and muttered after reading the imperial edict:
"The two regents didn't know the priorities. Your Majesty could make a mistake in making such an important decree. It seems that he was so angry about what happened in Danzhou that he lost his mind..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Duke Weiguo slapped his son on the back of the head.
"You know nothing! Even if your Majesty was careless for a moment, wouldn't the people in the Hanlin Academy who drafted the imperial edict remind your Majesty?
This clearly has a deeper meaning!"
"What's the deep meaning?"
Li Lie's eyebrows were twisted to the point of being knotted. Finally, he sighed heavily and said:
"If a minister assists in the administration of state, he or she will usually have a golden seal, which represents the emperor's authorization to participate in the administration of state affairs.
But Eunuch Zhao did not mention the golden seal just now, which shows that there are other candidates for the main and auxiliary positions.
This time... that old man Dong Ye got a good deal!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
