Autumn came in the blink of an eye.
The fleet on the Daxia Sea is heading towards the Leah continent.
Guan Xiaoxi's 400,000-strong army crossed the Maurya Kingdom and headed west.
They had already gone very far away, and even the information from the Tianji Pavilion was difficult to transmit back to Chang'an.
Daxia remains the same, Chang'an remains the same.
However, this unprecedented expedition of the retired emperor still touches the hearts of hundreds of millions of people in Daxia.
Even though the retired emperor had been away from Chang'an for nearly half a year, the people in the streets and alleys of Chang'an were still talking about what good news their retired emperor would bring back from this expedition.
No one would think it was bad news, because their emperor was invincible!
When everything was flowing slowly forward like water, in the imperial study of the Great Xia Palace, the new emperor Wu Tianci summoned three prime ministers to discuss a war against the Yelang Kingdom!
Zhuo Bieli brought Fu Xiaoguan's words when he resigned to Wu Tianci.
Wu Tianci was excited.
He issued an edict to reprimand Wu Zongxuan, the king of Yelang, and ordered him to hand over Wu Chengyun, the Marquis of the Northwest, and the crown prince Wu Wenqing, who were in collusion with Yu Shurong.
Wu Chengyun, Marquis of the Northwest, is the younger brother of King Wu!
The Emperor of Daxia's imperial edict of reprimand did not spare him the slightest bit of face. The sharp words and harsh rebuke made it difficult for the fifty-year-old King of Wu to accept it, and even more difficult to back down.
And this is exactly what Wu Tianci needs.
The result exactly matched Wu Tianci's intention. The King of Wu did not accept the order and even directly executed the eunuch who delivered the order. This gave Wu Tianci a reason to send troops to Yelang Kingdom.
"My intention is this: Feng Xi's troops of the Second Army of the Great Xia Army are stationed in Far North Road."
Wu Tianci imitated his father's example and stood up. He walked to the wall where the map of Daxia was hung. "From the Far North Road to Yelang Kingdom, we will pass through three countries on the way!"
"Prime Minister Yan," he turned and looked at Yan Xiwen, "the Ministry of Rites will issue an edict to these three countries, asking them to let them go."
"Since Yelang dares to ignore the majesty of Daxia, then this battle... I believe that this battle will directly destroy Yelang. What do you think?"
Yan Xiwen and others had no objection to this battle. Firstly, the rules established by Daxia needed to be maintained by powerful military force. Secondly, this was to establish the authority of the new emperor, so this battle had to be fought to show the momentum of the superior country.
"We second the motion!" Yan Xiwen and the other two bowed and expressed their agreement, which made Wu Tianci even happier.
"Then let the Ministry of War issue the transfer order. The Ministry of Revenue must prepare all the supplies needed by the Second Army within one month."
Wu Tianci returned to the tea table and brewed a pot of tea. "I hope that this war will start in the spring of next year. Give the Second Army a month... to destroy the Yelang regime!"
"Liu Jin, draft the decree!"
Liu Jin hurried over and was about to pick up his pen when Qin Mowen said, "Your Majesty, we have no objection to this war, but... after all, this war is a major matter. It requires discussion and a vote by the cabinet. Only after the vote is passed can it be officially implemented. Your Majesty, I ask you to follow this procedure."
Wu Tianci's face darkened, and he remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he sighed, "Ah... To be honest, this is the rule set by my father. As a son, I certainly cannot violate it. However, I want to ask Prime Minister Qin, has my father's expedition been approved by the cabinet?"
Qin Mowen was stunned. Fu Xiaoguan launched expeditions on land and sea at the same time. This was a decision he made alone and it was not voted on by the cabinet.
But who is Fu Xiaoguan?
Everything he did turned out to be absolutely right in the end!
His prestige in the court was so high, and his status in the hearts of the officials was so high that no one would question his every decision.
Although you are the son of Fu Xiaoguan, you are only thirteen years old after all. Your ability needs to be proven in the subsequent process of governing!
Normally, the cabinet would have approved this expedition to Yelang, but this rule cannot be bypassed just for this reason!
With this first transcendence, there will definitely be a second and countless times.
He once said that the desire for power is endless!
The cabinet he set up for the long-term stability of Daxia became useless and lost its meaning of existence.
Qin Mowen bowed again and said, "He is the Emperor Emeritus. I believe he has a deep meaning behind establishing this rule... Learning from the best of all and implementing the decision that is most beneficial to Daxia is not a bad thing for the Emperor or Daxia."
Wu Tianci's interest waned. "I know. Then you should submit this matter to the cabinet for discussion."
The atmosphere in the imperial study suddenly became somewhat dull. Ning Yuchun changed the subject at this moment, "Your Majesty, it is already autumn. The tribute lists from various countries have been submitted through the diplomatic embassies of various countries in Chang'an City. Please review them."
Wu Tianci is still a child after all. He is feeling depressed at the moment and naturally has no interest in this matter.
"There's nothing to see. We'll follow the rules set by our father. Ten percent will go into the imperial treasury, and the rest... will go into the national treasury."
"I obey the decree!"
"There is another matter that requires the Emperor's decision..."
Wu Tianci stood up and interrupted Ning Yuchun with a wave of her hand. "Just make the decision. It will be submitted to the cabinet for discussion anyway. The cabinet has so many ministers. Since everyone trusts the cabinet so much, the result of the cabinet discussion and vote will be correct."
He walked towards the door of the imperial study and said, "From now on, please do not bother me with any matters concerning the state!"
…
The three prime ministers, Yan Xiwen, Qin Mowen and Ning Yuchun, looked at each other in confusion.
"This..." Yan Xiwen thought for a moment. "The Emperor is young, and all he wants is to showcase his talents and ambitions. He's a bit overly eager, but that's understandable. I think he'll just get used to it slowly."
Qin Mowen remained silent. Ning Yuchun took a deep breath and looked up at the roof of the imperial study. "Once in Jinling, when we were drinking, he said something. He said that power is addictive and can make people obsessed."
"He said that if power is concentrated in the hands of one person, he will definitely abuse it because there are no laws or regulations to restrain him."
"The harm this would cause is enormous! That's why he said at the time that power must be caged... Three-ministerial deliberations, cabinet votes—this is the cage he's been building for so many years."
"I hope the emperor can understand his painstaking efforts."
"Let's not rush. Let's first complete the conquest of Yelang. As for the rest... we also need to change our habits."
Yan Xiwen picked up the teacup on the table, only to find that the tea had gone cold.
"In the past, we relied on him for many things, so we liked to consult him on matters big and small. Now... now, we still have to consult the emperor on major matters, but as for the rest of the minor matters, we will decide on our own and let the cabinet decide."
The three of them left the imperial study. The weather in Chang'an in September was a little cooler.
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