The following day, at the Prime Minister's residence in Jinling City.
News has arrived that Wu Sanjia, the Grand General and Commander-in-Chief of the Great Xin Dynasty, is leading 180,000 elite troops south to Nanjing via Jinan Prefecture to rescue the emperor.
The news was immediately seized by the Red-Clad Guards stationed in Jinan, who dispatched an urgent messenger overnight to deliver the message to the then-Prime Minister Qin Huihui.
Upon learning this news, Qin Ruhui, who was in the Prime Minister's residence, flew into a rage and publicly denounced Wu Qidong, the garrison commander of Jinan Prefecture, as a traitor who had wasted the favor and support he had received from the Prime Minister.
Luo Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue and a staunch confidant of the Prime Minister's faction, said with deep concern, "Prime Minister Qin, once Wu Sanjia's Tiger Warriors pass Jinan Prefecture, the road ahead will be wide open!"
"Only the natural barrier of the Yangtze River can slow down Wu Sanjia's army's advance into Jinling City!"
After a pause, Luo Yuanji continued, "However, Fang Tianyao, the admiral of the Daxin Navy stationed at the strategically important Yangtze River, still maintains an ambiguous attitude."
"In that case, if Wu Sanjia's troops reach the north bank of the Yangtze River in ten days or half a month, we will be in a passive position!"
These words were immediately echoed by the other officials of the Prime Minister's faction in Daxin:
"Prime Minister Qin, Lord Luo is absolutely right. The situation is critical and urgent, and we must make a decision as soon as possible!"
"Prime Minister Qin, in my humble opinion, we must act swiftly and decisively to depose Emperor Lingwu and establish a new emperor!"
"Prime Minister Qin..."
For a time, the vast council hall of the Prime Minister's residence was filled with the voices of officials from the six ministries of the imperial court calling for the emperor's removal.
Some time ago, after Prime Minister Qin Ruhui and Empress Dowager Su Wan'er completely broke off their relationship in the Golden Palace over the matter of granting Wu Sanjia the power to control the army of the whole country;
Qin Ruhui and his cronies dared not attend court in the Golden Palace again, fearing persecution from the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital.
The Prime Minister's office council hall became the place where officials held their daily court meetings.
Similarly, Su Wan'er and her son, like frightened birds, only dared to hide in the small area of the capital city, where the Emperor and Empress Dowager were personally guarded by He Changdong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, every day.
The current Xin Dynasty is already in a state of being existing in name only.
The emperor's edicts could not leave the capital city, and the policies of Prime Minister Qin Ruhui, who was in charge of governing the country, also lacked the backing of imperial power, making them seem somewhat illegitimate.
This led to widespread panic among the civil and military officials of the Daxin regime outside of Nanjing, who were preoccupied with their own survival.
Those military commanders in various regions who held military power all maintained their own power and remained neutral, observing from the sidelines.
Even worse, some soldiers allowed their troops to plunder grain and wreak havoc on the region.
In this way, the poor people in various parts of the Great Xin Dynasty would suffer.
Especially in areas near the war zone between North and South, there was widespread starvation and nine out of ten houses were empty.
It truly proves the saying: When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer!
Of course, the lives and deaths of these ordinary people were not of concern to Prime Minister Qin Ruhui and his cronies.
What they cared about was how to protect their family's rights and interests in a chaotic world.
Let's get back to the main topic.
When faced with the proposal from his confidants to depose Emperor Lingwu and install a new emperor, Qin Ruhui's cunning and shrewd face revealed a rare fierce and determined look.
"Everyone, quiet!"
Qin Ruhui waved his hand, and the once noisy council hall of the Prime Minister's residence immediately fell silent.
All the officials present turned their gazes toward Prime Minister Qin, who was seated in the main seat, knowing full well that he was about to make a decision.
Qin Ruhui immediately mustered his troops and issued orders: "Liu Feng, how is the matter of recalling all the Red-Clad Guards that I ordered you to do?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Feng, the commander of the Red-Clad Guards, immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and reported: "Reporting to Prime Minister Qin, all of the more than five thousand Red-Clad Guards scattered throughout Jiangnan have been recalled to Jinling City."
"Adding to the existing three thousand Red-Clad Guards in Jinling City, there are a total of eight thousand men, ready to be dispatched by Prime Minister Qin at any time!"
Um!
Qin Ruhui nodded and said, "Very good!"
Then he asked, "Han Gui, how is the matter of me ordering you, in the name of the Ministry of War, to mobilize 50,000 imperial troops from the Jiangnan region to rush to the capital for troop rotation?"
Han Gui, the Vice Minister of War (in the Great Xin Dynasty, the Ministry of War consisted of one Minister and two Vice Ministers), said: "Reporting to Prime Minister Qin, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, has led 50,000 troops to Nanjing City in accordance with the Ministry of War's orders, and is ready to be at Prime Minister Qin's command at any time!"
Um!
Qin Ruhui nodded again.
The next moment, he suddenly stood up from the main seat in the council hall and addressed the assembled officials of the Great Xin Dynasty with righteous indignation:
"Gentlemen, before the late Emperor personally led his army into battle, he entrusted me with the weighty responsibility of restoring the Great Xin dynasty."
"After the late emperor's passing, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to assisting the new emperor in ascending the throne and governing the country."
"However, Su Wan'er, the birth mother of Emperor Lingwu, disregarded the imperial edict of Emperor Zhenwu of the Great Xin Dynasty that 'the empress dowager must not interfere in politics,' and successively colluded with treacherous officials such as Chen Huai'an and Wu Sanjia, attempting to overthrow the dynasty of our Great Xin Dynasty;"
After a pause, Qin Ruhui continued his passionate speech: "Now, the Great Xin Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. As the late emperor's entrusted minister, I should stand up to save the nation and prevent its imminent collapse."
"You are all officials of the Six Ministries of the Great Xin Dynasty, pillars of the nation. You have the responsibility and obligation to follow me, even at the cost of your lives, to uphold the Great Xin Dynasty."
"Listen to my command, loyal ministers and generals of the Great Xin Dynasty!"
brush!
The officials from the prime minister's faction and the six ministries present immediately straightened their backs and looked intently at Prime Minister Qin.
Qin Ruhui said, "I have decided that, effective immediately, Emperor Zhao Lingwu of the Great Xin Dynasty will be deposed, and Zhao Lingzhan, son of the Prince of Fu of the Great Xin Dynasty, will be enthroned as emperor."
"Minister of Revenue Luo Yuanji, heed my command!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
Qin Ruhui said, "I hereby order you to set off immediately to Suzhou Prefecture to welcome back His Majesty and return to the capital to ascend the throne. There must be no delay!"
Luo Yuanji immediately accepted the order: "Your subordinate obeys!"
Qin Ruhui then said, "Han Gui, Minister of War!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
"I hereby order you to immediately take my imperial edict to the headquarters of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and instruct him to lead 50,000 troops to the capital to relieve the garrison."
"If the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital refuse to accept the transfer order, it can be considered treason and they should be executed!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Qin Ruhui continued methodically, giving his instructions: "Liu Feng, Commander of the Red-Clad Guards!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I hereby order you to lead the entire Red-Clad Guards to accompany Governor-General Su Chen of Liangjiang into the capital city, responsible for protecting the safety of the deposed Emperor Zhao Lingwu and the deposed Empress Su Wan'er."
As he spoke, Qin Ruhui gave Liu Feng, the commander of the Red-Clad Guards, a meaningful look and said, "Remember, you must protect these two people. Under no circumstances should they fall into the water or get into a fire, which could endanger their lives. Do you understand?"
How could Liu Feng, the commander of the Red-Clad Guards, not understand the unspoken meaning in Prime Minister Qin's words?
He clasped his hands in a fist salute and immediately accepted the order, saying, "Please rest assured, Prime Minister Qin, this humble general will certainly protect the safety of the deposed emperor and empress!"
Finally, Qin Ruhui waved his hand and said, "Everyone, go and do your own thing!"
"Men, prepare the carriage! I wish to personally meet with this naval admiral, Fang Tianyao!"
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