Chapter 151 The Fall of the Southern Territory
Mu Xi's brain is still rebooting.
King Yu then glanced at the fake meteorite again, suddenly becoming arrogant: "Hmph, what can this thing prove? I also had the omen of 'the heavens descending and the dragon rising' back then. Since you are all afraid of the so-called 'female ruler rising', let it stay here. In the end, we will see whether my 'heavenly dragon rising' or the so-called 'female ruler rising' comes true."
Immediately, someone took the lead and shouted: "With the king's blessing and approval, our Great Yu will surely rise to prominence and be followed by the emperor."
"Heaven has blessed us, and the dragon rises in glory..."
The ministers echoed their sentiments, and the atmosphere finally calmed down.
Mu Xi's worries about the "meteorite" were finally put to rest, since she had no intention of spending money to bring back the fake meteorite.
The Yu King's Palace and Tianjun Hall were brightly lit.
The night was deep, the candlelight flickered, but could not dispel the chilling atmosphere that permeated the area beneath the throne. The air, like solidified lead, weighed heavily on the hearts of every courtier.
King Yu Muji first informed his ministers of the contents of the urgent report from the southern border.
The southern sea area and border guarded by Zhu Mingjun and Mu Cong were completely lost in just one month.
Mu Cong, to be precise, should be called "Xi Cong".
He is the son of Xi Yu, the former ruler of Yan, and Lady Mu, who is also the aunt of the current King of Yu, Mu Ji, and the great-aunt of Mu Xi.
He was born as the eldest prince, but unfortunately, the Yan Kingdom was destroyed and the Mu clan of the Yu Kingdom usurped the throne.
Furthermore, because he was half of the Mu clan, he was willing to open up the southern border to facilitate the surrender of the Mu clan's powerful army into the city.
Not only did he surrender, but Xi Cong also offered to take his mother's surname to show his "sincerity," and changed his name to "Mu Cong" from then on.
Out of consideration for blood ties and surrender, King Mu Huan of Yu preserved his original fiefdom, allowing him to remain the Zhu Mingjun.
However, this Zhu Mingjun was all in name only.
Even if they were "real," they were born arrogant and licentious, only wanting to enjoy wealth and honor, and were fond of male lovers. They had no offspring and were unwilling to worry about trivial matters, only wanting to enjoy pleasure until death.
After Mu Ji ascended the throne, he sent his loyal and capable generals to garrison the area.
Who would have thought that after the fall of the southern border, pirates landed, entered Zhu Mingjun's residence, captured Zhu Mingjun as a hostage, and demanded 100,000 shi of grain from Prince Yu Muji in exchange for his ransom.
Mu Ji clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white: "The pirates... how could the pirates be so fast? And how could they have stormed Zhu Mingjun's residence? Could it be that Mu Cong has 'surrendered' again?"
Haha, the word "again" is really clever.
The messenger, catching his breath, stammered, "No...it wasn't Zhu Mingjun...it was...it was..."
"What time is it? Stop stammering and speak now!" King Yu Muji was already furious.
The messenger could only report: "The coastal counties offered almost no resistance... General Dai Rong had already disappeared before the city fell..."
Dai Rong was the son of Dai Duo, a capable lieutenant of Mu Ji back then.
No one knows how capable this person is, because he has never actually been on the battlefield. However, the Dai family has been in the military for generations, and Dai Duo and his son are extremely loyal to Mu Ji.
Therefore, Mu Ji distrusted others and entrusted the power, which was tantamount to that of a "feudal lord," to this father and son.
After Dai Duo passed away, his son took over the business. Although pirates continued to roam the southern border over the years, they were able to sustain themselves.
But what happened this time?
"Useless, all useless..." General Pang Ming roared, pointing a finger to the sky, "Your Majesty, Dai Rong is just a coward who only knows how to talk about war on paper. He probably fled in fear of battle long ago."
Pang Ming is seventy-two years old this year. He is a veteran general who came from the generation of the late King Mu Huan.
The Pang family has never been on bad terms with the Dai family, and they look down on each other, so it's normal for them to kick each other while they're down now.
With the original owner's meager memories, Mu Xi could only watch the drama unfold while wondering what these things had to do with her and why the Prince of Yu had specifically summoned her.
Pang Ming, though in his seventies with white hair and beard, still had a booming voice: "Your Majesty, Zhu Mingjun is, after all, a descendant of the previous dynasty. I've heard that he only knows how to indulge in extravagance and debauchery in his fiefdom, and Dai Rong is incompetent and neglects military preparedness. Today's disaster is entirely caused by the two of them. Zhu Mingjun cannot be saved, and Dai Rong cannot be tolerated... cough cough... If it weren't for my old age and declining strength, I would have personally gone to the southern border to kill the pirates without leaving a single one alive."
Before Pang Ming could finish speaking, his son Pang Yi abruptly changed the subject: "Father is absolutely right. What's even more infuriating is that a few months ago, the batch of powerful bows and crossbows that the Armed Forces Department had specially prepared for Jin Fangjun in the Western Territory were ambushed by pirates in the waters of the Southern Territory. How precise were the pirates' methods? Without these powerful weapons, how could those rabble have so easily advanced so far?"
As the son of Pang Ming, the only surviving general of the Yu Kingdom, Pang Yi naturally followed in his father's footsteps and became a "General Who Serves the Seas," managing the naval forces.
Logically speaking, Yansheng is surrounded by the sea and has a developed shipbuilding industry, so its navy should be quite strong.
Unfortunately, although Yan Sheng is surrounded by the sea, its inland areas are vast, and it has never been willing to develop its navy, as it would be a waste of manpower and resources. It only defends against pirates and does not pursue them, so its navy has become a mere decoration.
Pang Yi is a good-for-nothing who thinks he is talented, but in reality he is lazy and only got his general title because of his father. He is unaware of this. Now that he has this opportunity, he wants to show off, but he can't grasp the key points.
Yang Huaizheng, the Junior Supervisor of the Armed Forces Department, was also present and immediately retorted, "What does the Armed Forces Department have to do with any problems with the transportation? Is it wrong for the Armed Forces Department to have obtained the weapons? It's just that the weapons were supposed to be handed over in the Western Territory, but the Western Territory..."
Um?
Is this referring to the Jin Fangjun Mansion?
Before Mu Xi could even raise an alarm, Gao Quan said, "The southern border is in danger. What good is all this commotion? The Crown Prince of Jinfang is so calm. These four lords are supposed to be guarding their own territories, but now, their weapons are failing, their seas are falling, and they have to ask the court for help. What use are these four lords then?"
That old dog Gao Quan, he even uses this kind of thing as an opportunity to make false accusations?
"Grand Marshal Gao, you are mistaken..." Mu Xi then recalled that there had indeed been a case of weapons being stolen from the western border. Unfortunately, Mu Xun was unable to attend the ceremony, so she had to confront the enemy herself. "What use are the Four Great Lords? It has always been so. If Grand Marshal Gao wants to ask this question, you should ask the kings and nobles of past dynasties. As for the previous theft of weapons, although the weapons were stolen on the western border, the pirates who kidnapped them came from the southern border. Do you expect my western border troops to cross the border to track them down?"
Gao Quan sneered: "Tracking across borders? But someone has to be able to do it. Zhu Mingjun and General Dai Rong are incompetent in the fall of the southern border. If the western border falls soon, there won't even be a person in charge there. The pirates won't be able to take hostages even if they want to."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xi couldn't hold back any longer and seized the opportunity to make a request: "Your Majesty, Grand Marshal Gao is right. My father, Lord Jin Fang, Mu Zhen, has been seriously ill for many years and is recuperating in Moyang City. The western border is unguarded, and as time goes on, it will become increasingly unstable. Today, I was fortunate enough to receive a divine revelation on Qifeng Terrace, which suggests that my father's illness may soon be cured. This puts my mind at ease, but I am still worried about the western border. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to return to the western border in place of my father."
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