There was silence in the imperial study room, and when the atmosphere was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe, Taifu Zhou, Zhou Boxu and others arrived.
Several people wanted to salute, but were interrupted by the emperor's wave.
"Don't worry about the false etiquette, let's read the urgent report first."
Taifu Zhou and others didn't understand the reason. After receiving the emergency report and checking it, they realized that the situation was serious and their expressions changed.
"Nanyan actually started fighting at this time?" Taifu Zhou took a breath.
The emergency report stated that ten days ago, Nanyan suddenly led his troops to attack Yicheng.
In just three days, Nanyan launched two fierce attacks. Although Yicheng was not defeated, it might not be able to sustain it for long, so it requested the imperial court for emergency assistance.
After ten years of peace, war broke out in the southwest again.
When Mobei attacked the border, the imperial court mobilized the whole city to raise enough supplies, so that the soldiers at the border had the ability to compete with Mobei.
But now, the war in the southwest has started again. How should Dazhao respond?
"What do you think?" the emperor asked Shen Shen.
The two generals were frightened and didn't know how to respond.
At present, they are the only two generals left in the capital. If they lead an army to urgently aid the southwest, they will be unable to escape.
Prime Minister Xie said: "Yicheng is a pass. Once it is breached, the southwest will be lost. Therefore, we should immediately send troops to reinforce and defend Yicheng."
Taifu Zhou agreed: "Yicheng, like the border, is close to other countries. It is an important line of defense and must not be missed."
The emperor nodded and looked at the two generals.
Feeling the emperor's intimidating gaze, the two of them gritted their teeth and said: "I am willing to lead the troops there."
What can I do if I don’t want to? Resign and go into seclusion? The emperor didn't agree either.
If you can't avoid it, it's better to take the initiative to speak up, and you will get less scolding and less criticism.
Seeing the two of them volunteering, the emperor's expression softened.
The two took a deep breath and carefully worded their words: "It's just that the two of you have never been to the southwest and are not familiar with the terrain. I might not be able to fight effectively."
"I heard that there are many tigers and venomous snakes in Nanyan. The people in Nanyan are even better at taming tigers and venomous snakes and using them on the battlefield. They are extremely powerful and difficult to deal with."
"The two ministers have no understanding of this, let alone any experience in dealing with it..."
The two of them talked to each other about the difficulties of fighting in the southwest.
The emperor's face became darker and darker as he listened, and he asked the two of them first: "So what do you want?"
The two looked at each other and braved the emperor's anger and said bravely: "Your Majesty, please appoint a commander and lead the two ministers to the southwest."
It's okay to go to the southwest, but they have to make it clear first that they have insufficient capabilities and experience to guarantee victory in the war. If you want to defend Yicheng, you have to send another coach.
In this way, the two of them obey the coach's orders. If there is any fault, it is not their fault.
"Hmph! Normally, everyone is very capable, but when it comes to putting them to use, they say they are powerless. What use do I need from you!"
The emperor picked up several memorials and threw them at them.
The two men hurriedly knelt down and apologized: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty, please calm down. I am trying to shirk responsibility, and it is really embarrassing for me to do this."
Although the two of them have been promoted to this position through experience, they have never been to the southwest and dare not take the lead.
Their own personal death is not a big deal, but if they make a mistake, the entire army will be wiped out, Yicheng will be captured, the southwest will be lost, and the southward army will march to Beijing, and their families will have nowhere to escape. And they will also become sinners throughout the ages.
"Furthermore, there is a prince going to the border to stabilize the morale of the army. If only two ministers go to the southwest, the soldiers may be disappointed, the morale of the army is not good, and the people are uneasy."
After the two of them finished speaking, they knelt on the ground in panic, waiting for the emperor's decision.
The emperor held the case with his hands, his chest rose and fell violently, and there was deep anger lingering on his face.
The Minister of War observed the words and spoke hesitantly: "What the two generals said is not unreasonable. Your Majesty, please think carefully."
It's not that he speaks for them, but he also feels that these two people are embarrassing.
The emperor said nothing after hearing this, and turned his eyes to Prime Minister Xie and Taifu Zhou.
Taifu Zhou sighed: "Southwest is absolutely unbreakable. We should definitely appoint a capable coach."
"I second the proposal." Prime Minister Xie and others agreed.
Any coach? Anyone?
Among the princes, King Rui and others are all idle princes, incompetent and incompetent. Only Yu Zheng is worthy of the important responsibilities.
No, there is one more person.
The emperor's eyes fell on Zhou Boxu.
Zhou Boxu was extremely wise, skilled in martial arts, brave and resourceful, and he was also a prince-in-law. He was sent there with sufficient weight.
Realizing the emperor's intention, Zhou Poxu's heart tightened.
He wasn't cowering, but he was worried.
Yu Lan was already pregnant with Xiyue, and the date of her departure and return was unknown, and her life and death were unpredictable. He was afraid that Yu Lan would be worried and unable to calm down, and the fetal energy would not be stable.
But if the emperor decrees it, there is no choice.
After some thought, Zhou Boxu was mentally prepared.
"My son asked me to personally conquer the southwest." In the silence, Yu Zheng suddenly spoke.
The emperor's brows furrowed, his hand on the imperial desk clenched into a fist, and he said sternly: "If you personally conquer the southwest, who will be in charge of the imperial court in Beijing?"
Yu Zheng said: "In urgent matters, follow the authority. Right now, Yicheng needs ministers more than Shangjing."
Taifu Zhou, Prime Minister Xie and others can help handle the government affairs of the court. But in the southwest battlefield, civil servants could not go.
The emperor stared at Yu Zheng closely, unable to get off the tiger.
Yu Zheng understood that the emperor was worried about his safety, so he pursed his lips and said, "Father, there is no one more suitable than my son."
Having said this, if we continue to block it, we will definitely chill the hearts of our ministers.
The emperor sighed deeply and reluctantly agreed.
After hearing this, the two people who were kneeling on the ground felt heavy-hearted and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The coach made the decision, and the next step was to discuss how many troops and horses to bring, when to set off, and how to arrange the subsequent baggage.
The Minister of War said: "We can mobilize 20,000 light cavalry and 30,000 infantry and chariot troops."
There were 80,000 soldiers and horses left in the capital. Excluding the Forbidden Army and the Imperial City Camp, there were only 10,000 soldiers left.
Going to Beijing is Dazhao's heart, so some troops must be left to garrison.
Fifty thousand troops are enough for emergency reinforcement, but what should we do if reinforcements are needed later?
The emperor looked at the Minister of Household Affairs and asked if the treasury had enough silver to prepare the luggage.
The Minister of Household Affairs made a rough estimate: "Excluding the follow-up supplies at the border, the military pay and official salaries in various places can be enough for half a year."
Half a year is enough for urgent needs, but...
The Minister of War responded, "I'm afraid we won't have so much food when we go to Beijing."
There are 70,000 troops garrisoned in Yicheng, plus the 50,000 horses and horses for emergency reinforcements, the total is 120,000. Although not as many as the border people, they still need a lot of food.
When collecting food last time, Yu Zheng said that after supplying the border, Jiang Ji would only have enough food left to supply the people in Beijing for three months.
If we continue to raise food from Jiang Ji, the people in Beijing will run out of food.
After thinking for a while, the emperor said decisively: "The war is urgent. Let's allocate one month's food first and find other ways to deal with the rest."
"Yes." The Minister of War agreed.
The food issue has been solved for the time being, but there are still a lot of other problems.
The emperor and everyone were engrossed in their discussions one by one, unaware of the passage of time.
When it got dark, Chu Yu asked Jiang Shu if he wanted to eat first.
Jiang Shu shook his head: "I'm not hungry. I'll wait until the prince comes back."
Yu Zheng has been in the palace for more than two hours, but he hasn't returned yet, and he doesn't know what happened.
Could it be that the battle report has been sent back from the border and the war is not going well?
Apart from this, Jiang Shu couldn't think of anything else that could make Yu Zheng go away for so long.
Jiang Shu had no appetite due to worries in his heart.
