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"Do you dare to accept this position of military supervisor?"
When the hot sales of "Southern Tour Records" gradually spread from the capital to various prefectures and counties, Emperor Xingwu was already worrying about other state affairs.
In mid-April, not long after the little princess' birthday, Emperor Xingwu summoned the two prime ministers, the Minister of Personnel Yang Zhimin, the Minister of Revenue Peng Kai, the Minister of War Tan Shixun, the commanders of the four battalions, and the four siblings of the crown prince who were in the court to the imperial study.
Qingyang came in with Yang Zhimin. His eyes swept over his father and his elder brother who had arrived earlier, and soon fell on a map hanging high on the north side. Below the map was the northern border of Da Qi, and above it was the vast grassland divided into the two major forces of Xihu and Donghu.
With such a map, coupled with the simultaneous arrival of four commanders, Prince Yong, Lü Zan, Zhang Jie, and Hou Wanzhong, the emperor's thoughts were laid out in the open.
So, without beating around the bush, Emperor Xingwu walked over to the map, tapped the Donghu section, and, looking at the dozen or so people before him, young and old, said, "The Donghu have become increasingly rampant in recent years. Last year, they even massacred three villages in Jizhou. If I don't send troops soon, the people of the north will be heartbroken that the court doesn't care about their lives. I called you here today to discuss how to fight them."
Prince Yong's eyes lit up, and he was the first to say, "That's hard to say. Just lead the troops and attack their lair! Big Brother, you didn't let me go to the campaigns against the Western Hu and Pyu Kingdom. You must give me a general this time! Don't let me sit idle any longer!"
Ever since the eldest brother ascended the throne, he was asked to supervise the country when he led the army. Although it was also an important responsibility, Prince Yong still preferred fighting. He was almost bored to death by always training troops in the North Camp.
Emperor Xingwu: "Shut up first."
Qin Bing: "Father..."
Emperor Xingwu glared at him and said, "You shut up too."
The uncle and nephew looked at each other and snorted a few times.
Emperor Xingwu's gaze naturally fell on the face of the prince standing next to Qin Bing.
Qin Hong quickly avoided his father's sight as if he was on fire, and tilted his head towards Yan Xizheng. He felt that this was the person his father trusted the most and whose words carried the most weight at the moment.
Yan Xi sighed inwardly. When the Emperor gifted them the "Southern Tour Travels," the Crown Prince had been quite happy for the little princess, snatching time from his busy schedule to read several copies at the Secretariat. Later, when the "Southern Tour Travels" became a hot seller in the capital, perhaps after celebrating Rui'er's full moon, the Crown Prince began to grow increasingly depressed, becoming less and less willing to offer advice, wanting him and Dai Lun to make the decisions.
Did he finally realize that his position as crown prince was not so stable?
If the prince still had ambition, Yan Xizheng would have given him some pointers, but the prince looked so demoralized that his spirit had been shattered. Why would Yan Xizheng waste his time going against the emperor's wishes?
Not to mention the emperor, even Yan Xizheng was not confident that the emperor would hand over Da Qi to such a prince.
Suppressing his sympathy for the Crown Prince, Yan Xizheng looked at Emperor Xingwu and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to send troops this year?"
Emperor Xingwu said: "Yes, the Donghu have been invading our borders for several years. Now that the northwest and southwest are stable, it is time to strike a blow against the Donghu. Otherwise, they will really think that I am as weak and vulnerable as the previous emperor."
Yan Xizheng: "I understand your Majesty's desire to attack the Hu, but I must remind you that after the founding of the Great Qi, we have experienced three major wars: unifying the South, conquering the Western Hu, and conquering the Pyu Kingdom. After each war, we had to recruit soldiers to replenish the army. Although the people have had enough food and clothing for a few years, their families have not yet flourished. The population of the Donghu is over one million, and all men, young and old, can serve as soldiers. Their current combat power is 200,000 to 300,000. If the two countries go to war, the Donghu can replenish their troops at any time, and it will be difficult for our Great Qi to recruit soldiers again."
Minister of Revenue Peng Kai said in embarrassment, "Last year, all three provinces suffered disasters. After the imperial court provided disaster relief, the national treasury was 30% emptier than the year before, after the expedition against the Pyu Kingdom. Now there is only a little over 7 million taels left. Once the army is dispatched to the Donghu, the national treasury will be stretched to the limit again. If all the official warehouses in Jizhou and Liaozhou are transferred to the front line, they can probably only support the consumption of 300,000 troops for half a year. If the Great Qi cannot guarantee that the war will end in half a year, or if the army exceeds 300,000, it will have to transport food and fodder from the south in advance."
There were problems with manpower, military pay, and food, and Emperor Xingwu's face immediately darkened.
As for the military generals, before founding the country, Lü Zan fought many battles in the Central Plains with Emperor Xingwu, and had little experience in fighting against the Hu enemies. The only time he fought against the Western Hu was when Emperor Xingwu used a clever trick to lead the Western Hu cavalry into the Wuwei Great Wall. From fighting to chasing the enemy, he never left the border too far.
After all, Lü Zan had fought against the Western Hu once, but Prince Yong had never even seen the grasslands outside the Great Wall, not to mention that he was asked by Emperor Xingwu to shut up.
Zhang Jie glanced at the map and said, "Your Majesty, the Donghu usually roam deep in the grasslands. They will only gather and march south if they intend to invade the border. If our army wants to defeat the Donghu, we must advance deep into the grasslands. A battle line of thousands of miles, and transporting weapons and supplies will take up 30% of our troops. Therefore, we must mobilize at least 500,000 troops to have a chance of victory. We must also be constantly vigilant against Donghu cavalry cutting off our supply routes."
Hou Wanzhong, who had been promoted from Liangzhou to the capital, echoed this sentiment: "Indeed, if the emperor is determined to attack the barbarians, the troops from the capital camp and Liao, Ji, and Jin provinces might be able to defeat the Donghu. However, they would need to prepare food and fodder in advance."
Minister of War Tan Shixun said: "If we start now, we can transfer an additional 3 million dan of grain and fodder from Qingzhou and Yangzhou to Jizhou before September."
Minister of Personnel Yang Zhimin said: "After the Western Hu submitted to our dynasty, the Eastern Hu have often had ambitions to annex the Western Hu. If we really want to send troops to the Eastern Hu, the court can send envoys to persuade the Western Hu to send troops at the same time as us, at least to contain some of the Eastern Hu's forces."
Right Prime Minister Dai Lun said: "This is still too much of a stretch. Your Majesty, please reconsider. This year is definitely not a good time to attack the Donghu."
At this point, several civil and military officials expressed their opinions.
Emperor Xingwu looked at his four children again.
Qin Hong knew his father was very disappointed in him and probably wouldn't take his words to heart, but he still said, "I also think this year is not a good time to send troops."
Qin Bing was still being told to shut up. Qin Ren glanced at the ministers and said tentatively, "How about Father wait a few years until the treasury and military forces are sufficient before attacking the Donghu?"
Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter for the last time.
Qingyang still held the same view as when he learned of the Donghu invasion last year: "I believe that at this time, national policy should still prioritize recuperation and rest, and avoid major wars that would mobilize the entire nation's forces. However, the Donghu have repeatedly invaded the border with such arrogance that Great Qi must dispatch troops to strike them hard. This is the only way to deter their evil ambitions and appease the people along the border."
Everyone looked at the little princess. Tan Shixun asked, "The Donghu have 300,000 cavalrymen. How can we defeat them if we don't mobilize the army?"
Qingyang: "When the Hu invade our borders, they often travel lightly. After breaking through the passes, they burn, kill, and loot along our border before leaving with their heavy loads. This is the perfect opportunity for our army to intercept them. Since the Hu can travel light and rob the people of Great Qi, why can't our Great Qi soldiers travel light and raid their tribes? They come for food, and we leave to retaliate. Aside from supplies along the way, we don't even need to steal their cattle or sheep. We kill small groups and return when we encounter a large army, just like the Hu come and go freely."
Hou Wanzhong: "The princess's strategy is feasible in terms of military strategy, but the Hu people are familiar with the grasslands and are not afraid of long journeys. Our soldiers will be deep in enemy territory, without the advantage of terrain and with the worry of running out of food and being trapped. I'm afraid their morale will be lost from the start, making it difficult to execute."
Zhang Jie: "We can select brave soldiers from the imperial camp and the border troops, and have sentries from the border troops who are familiar with the grassland terrain lead the way. If it's just a surprise attack, 10,000 soldiers each from the east and west will be enough. But each man must be equipped with three war horses, and they will take turns carrying the load, just like the Hu people fight."
Prince Yong was shocked and said, "Twenty thousand men means sixty thousand war horses. If we are surrounded by the Hu people, the Beijing camp will have no horses to train cavalry..."
Emperor Xingwu: "It seems you don't want to go?"
King Yong immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Go! I'm here to kill all the Hu people without a single piece of armor left, and not a single horse will fall into their hands!"
He just felt sorry for the hard-earned warhorse, not because he was afraid of fighting!
Emperor Xingwu then made the decision, saying, "I believe Lin'er's tactics are feasible, but we must publicly demonstrate our readiness to attack the Donghu head-on. Liangzhou, Jizhou, and Jinzhou have a combined 300,000 border troops, plus the 100,000 imperial troops stationed in the North and South Camps. This combined strength is enough to alarm the Donghu. Peng Kai, Tan Shixun, tomorrow you will mobilize food and fodder from Jizhou and Liaozhou to the north, based on the expenditures of a 400,000-man army."
The two men obeyed the order.
Emperor Xingwu: "Prince Yong and Marquis Wanzhong, I order you to organize your troops and march to Jizhou in May."
The second general obeys the order!
Qin Bing volunteered: "Father, I want to go too!"
Emperor Xingwu approved it and then said to his daughter, "You came up with this tactic. The situation on the battlefield is unpredictable. You will supervise the army on my behalf. If the commanders are undecided, I will grant you the authority to make the decision. Of course, if your mistakes in command lead to defeat, I will punish you according to military law. So, do you dare to accept this position of supervisor?"
Qingyang knelt down, looked up and said, "Your son is willing to go!"
The father and daughter spoke so quickly that the civil and military officials beside them were stunned for a moment before they reacted. Prince Yong was the first to object, "Brother, Lin'er is so young, she's never even been to a battlefield. How can you give her such a big task as supervising the army?"
Emperor Xingwu sneered: "You have been to the battlefield. Just now I asked you about tactics. What else do you know except killing and feeling sorry for your warhorse?"
Prince Yong: "...then there are generals like Hou Wanzhong, Meng Ji, and Guo Yanqing. Which one of them is less trustworthy than Lin'er?"
Emperor Xingwu said: "That's why I only let Lin'er supervise the army, not let her be the commander-in-chief. If you generals can discuss and come up with a perfect strategy, it will save Lin'er a lot of trouble."
Prince Yong couldn't refute his elder brother, so he winked at his second nephew.
Qin Bing, on the other hand, thought his sister's tactical plan for the cavalry raid on the Donghu was particularly good. Furthermore, during her southern tour, she had completely intimidated the civil officials into submission. She was a hundred times more capable than him, and a thousand times more intelligent than his uncle, who had barely read a book. Qin Bing said, "I agree to let my sister supervise the army. While she certainly wouldn't be able to kill the enemy in battle, she's quite capable of reading maps and formulating tactics. She's qualified."
Emperor Xingwu said: "When I personally led the expedition against the Western Hu, Lin'er was only nine years old, yet he was able to predict that the Western Hu would attack Wuwei at night from the well-traveled Huaian Town Pass. Now, several years have passed, and Lin'er's military strategy has only improved. You can rest assured that I will not treat the battlefield as a joke."
Lü Zan, who had been silent the entire time, was surprised and said, "Princess, you actually predicted it right? At that time, I thought the Western Hu would launch a surprise attack on the Shiheling Pass, where there were even fewer troops stationed."
Emperor Xingwu smiled and looked at his daughter: "Lin'er, do you still remember how you explained it to me at that time?"
Qingyang had personally experienced that battle since he was a child and was deeply impressed. He walked directly to the map, quickly found the locations of the two passes that were not marked on the map, and recalled them again.
Just based on her familiarity with the map and the Wuwei Great Wall, the important officials present almost believed it. If they thought about it carefully, Emperor Xingwu was putting himself in danger at that time. At such an urgent moment, the nine-year-old princess did not tremble with fear, but accompanied the emperor to speculate on the attack route of the Western Hu. This calmness alone is worthy of everyone's admiration.
Amidst the praises for the little princess, Qin Hong was stunned.
He remembered this because this was the test his father gave him and his sister that night. He answered it wrong, so his sister agreed with him at the time just to save his face?
Qin Hong's surprise and suspicion only lasted for a short moment, because it was common for his sister to take care of him and make excuses for him in front of their father over the years, and it was not surprising.
Then, my younger sister is indeed qualified to be the military supervisor, and my second brother should also be a brave general who is willing to charge into battle.
Only he, as the eldest brother, is unable to share the worries for his father.
【Author’s words】
Qin Ren: And me [Joker]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
P.S.: The plot is quite dense, but it has to be read one by one. If you are in a hurry, you can read a few chapters together. It may be more enjoyable that way [kiss]
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