The words of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, caused an uproar in the court of Emperor Hongxi of the Great Xin Dynasty.
Minister of War Li Jingyu and Governor-General of Liangjiang Su Chen, who was stationed at the front line and confronting the rebels across the river, gave two completely different views and opinions on the same matter.
This clearly indicates that the current Xin Dynasty is not very united.
Judging from the expressions of the court officials, they seemed more willing to believe the opinion of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang.
And that is indeed the case.
General Li Jingyu was originally forced into the position of Minister of War by Prime Minister Qin Ruhui. He was a military general who had long been stripped of his military power.
Even if one reaches the position of Minister of War, the troops and resources that can be mobilized are extremely limited, and the intelligence one possesses is naturally not as good as that of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, who is fighting on the front lines.
As for Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, he was a pillar of the Lingwu Coup of the Great Xin Dynasty and the first military general to personally lead troops to break through the capital. Naturally, he did not take Li Jingyu, the Minister of War who had long been sidelined, seriously.
Even the Ministry of War's transfer order couldn't reach the Liangjiang New Army's camp.
Furthermore, the position of Minister of War was originally a promise made to Su Chen by Prime Minister Qin Ruhui when he strongly invited Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, to lead troops into the capital to participate in the Lingwu Coup—that once the new emperor ascended the throne, the position of Minister of War would be none other than yours!
Unexpectedly, after Su Chen commanded his Liangjiang New Army to clear the imperial city for the fourth emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, Emperor Hongxi Zhao Lingzhan, and cleared all obstacles on his path to the throne;
To prevent the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Su Chen, from becoming too powerful and threatening his position as the retired emperor, the then-Prime Minister Qin Ruhui immediately handed over the position of Minister of War to Li Jingyu, the Flying General who had already lost power in the court.
His skill in managing people was truly masterful.
With the arrival of the new army from the two lakes and the 50,000 rattan armor soldiers dispatched by the Nanzhao Kingdom in Jinling City, Qin Ruhui also had the confidence to break ties with Su Chen.
In this way, even if Su Chen had a thousand or ten thousand complaints, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Qin Ruhui down the same path to the bitter end.
After all, his 50,000 Liangjiang New Army troops were surrounded by Qin Ruhui's 100,000 Lianghu New Army troops and 50,000 rattan armor troops, and their food and supplies depended entirely on the imperial court.
Su Chen, who had nowhere to vent his anger, could only take it out on the newly appointed Minister of War, Li Jingyu.
Such open and covert struggles between Su Chen and Li Jingyu were commonplace during the reign of Hong Xi of Daxin.
In short, even if it means the downfall of the country, factional strife is still necessary!
Let's get back to the main topic.
When Prime Minister Qin Ruhui, who was sitting in court on behalf of the emperor in the Golden Palace, heard the completely different statements from Minister of War Li Jingyu and frontline commander Su Chen, his cunning and shrewd face visibly froze.
Cough cough!
Qin Ruhui coughed twice before slowly saying, "Lord Li and Lord Su are on different sides, but their insights are both very valuable."
"but--"
Suddenly, Qin Ruhui changed the subject, saying, "Now that the new emperor has just ascended the throne, and the Great Xin Dynasty is in a precarious situation, I believe that we, as subjects of the Great Xin,..."
"At this critical moment, it is even more necessary for everyone to unite as one and work together to resist the foreign enemy!"
"Gentlemen, don't you agree with this?"
"Prime Minister Qin is wise and insightful!"
In the imperial court, all the civil and military officials shouted in unison that Prime Minister Qin was wise and sagacious.
However, the hidden expressions on everyone's faces were quite intriguing.
Qin Ruhui also knew that Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, must harbor resentment and dissatisfaction over his breach of promise.
Therefore, he decided to give Su Chen some compensation.
Qin Ruhui continued, "Lord Su, your Liangjiang New Army is at the forefront of the confrontation across the river with Wu Sanjia's Tiger Warrior rebel army;"
"Now the situation in the capital is critical. The various troops from Daxin who are coming to the aid of the emperor lack unified command and are bound to be somewhat chaotic."
After saying this, Qin Ruhui glanced at Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, and then at Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, before saying, "What I mean is—"
"The overall command of this defense of the capital is under the full authority of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, while the Ministry of War is responsible for coordinating the other reinforcements to support the emperor and cooperate with Governor-General Su's Liangjiang New Army in combat."
"I wonder what your two lords think?"
After hearing Prime Minister Qin Ruhui's arrangement, Minister of War Li Jingyu was the first to stand up and agree: "We will follow Prime Minister Qin's arrangements!"
Seeing this, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, could only grit his teeth and reply, "It's all up to Prime Minister Qin's arrangements!"
"good!"
Qin Ruhui immediately made the decision, saying, "Then this matter is settled. The responsibility for resisting Wu Sanjia's rebel army's attempt to cross the Yangtze River will be entirely entrusted to Governor-General Su of Liangjiang."
"All officials of the six ministries of the imperial court, including myself, must obey Lord Su's unified command and arrangements when the defense of the capital begins. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Prime Minister Qin!"
In the imperial court, all the civil and military officials echoed their sentiments.
Only the expression of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, was truly intriguing.
After finalizing the defense of the capital, Qin Ruhui moved on to the next topic, saying, "Gentlemen, the next important matter to discuss with you is how to handle the relationship between the Hongxi regime and Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin."
"Lord Wu, as the Minister of Rites of the Imperial Court, what are your thoughts?"
At this moment, Wu Dawei, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward unhurriedly, bowed slightly to Emperor Hongxi and the Prime Minister in the Golden Palace, and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Qin;"
"Regarding how to handle the relationship between the new dynasty and Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, our Ministry of Rites' opinion is to recognize the legitimacy of Prince Chen Huai'an's uprising to quell the rebellion."
"Restore all the titles and powers of the Prince of Jin as a peer-to-peer prince of the Great Xin Dynasty, and send envoys to visit the Prince of Jin's residence to discuss the matter of jointly governing the world with the Prince of Jin across the river!"
Um!
After listening to Minister of Rites Wu Dawei's speech, Qin Ruhui nodded slightly and said, "I believe that Minister Wu's suggestion is feasible!"
"Regardless, since Prince Chen Huai'an raised his army to quell the rebellion, he has neither ascended the throne nor established a new dynasty."
"Even when quelling the rebellions in the Western Regions, the banner of the Prince of Jin of the Great Xin Dynasty was still raised high!"
After a pause, Qin Ruhui continued, "Furthermore, in retrospect, the fact that Prince Jin, Chen Huai'an, raised an army to quell the rebellion seems somewhat understandable."
"At this critical juncture when the Great Xin Empire is beset by internal and external troubles, dividing the country along the Yangtze River with Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin and jointly governing it is not a bad expedient measure, at least it preserves the nominal integrity of the Great Xin Empire!"
What do you all think?
"Prime Minister Qin is wise and insightful!"
In the imperial court, the civil and military officials, who had long since become numb, dared not have any other opinions; they could only shout that Prime Minister Qin was wise.
The court of the Hongxi Emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty had long since become a one-man show by Prime Minister Qin Ruhui.
Finally, Qin Ruhui made the final decision: "Since none of you have any other objections, then I, on behalf of the Emperor, will issue the decree—"
"The Ministry of Rites was instructed to draft an edict of self-reproach, explaining to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin and the soldiers of the Po Lu Army the facts of Emperor Jian'an's persecution of the late Prince Chen Po Lu, and stating Emperor Hongxi's attitude towards this matter..."
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