"He Aiqing, how are the preparations of the Southern Military Region currently?" Situ Mingyue thought about it and asked.
"Back to Your Majesty, the fifth and sixth legions have been reorganized and replenished to their respective four divisions, and are being further supplemented; the fourth legion has been stationed in the south of Hengzhou Prefecture, and there are three independent divisions in the southern military region. The regiment is now stationed there; three independent divisions of the Eastern Military Region have passed southward to Wenning Prefecture through Jiujiang Prefecture, and are now resting there, waiting for orders. Now the entire Southern Military Region has assembled a total of twenty army divisions, a total of About 480,000 people, as well as two naval divisions from the Eastern Military Region, are also heading south under the starry night, and are expected to arrive in Wen Ning Mansion within the next two days, but their baggage transportation may be slower." He Zhiqiu's mobilization of troops The situation is well understood.
"Then do you think we have a chance of winning if we fight against the Machikhans?" Situ Mingyue's eyes were fixed on He Zhiqiu's face.
"Your Majesty, the outcome of the war cannot be determined solely by the comparison of the number of troops. Although our army has a certain advantage in terms of numbers, most of our troops have just arrived in the south and are not familiar with the situation. To be honest, our morale has suffered due to some time ago. The defeat is not high, the battlefield situation is ever-changing, I dare not make a conclusion." He Zhiqiu expressed his opinion with difficulty.
Although He Zhiqiu said these words euphemistically, people who understood him would know that what he actually meant was that the empire had no chance of winning, and he just said it in a vague way. There was deathly silence in the hall. All the ministers lowered their heads and pondered the meaning of these words. They did not dare to raise their heads to look at the cold eyes of His Majesty the Emperor, for fear of being burned by the tragic death of Duke Hopkins and Marquis Ma Zhengfeng more than ten days ago. The cry for mercy still seemed to be echoing in the hall.
Seeing that all the ministers of His Highness were deliberately avoiding her gaze, Situ Mingyue became even more angry. But when she thought of He Zhiqiu's analysis, the reality was there. If they really wanted to express their opinions, she didn't know that she would want to hear them. Should you welcome the words that go against your own will or the truth that goes against your own will
The dull atmosphere lasted for a long time. Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had not spoken a word, the ministers were even more frightened. They all lowered their heads and kept silent. Finally, someone finally broke the deadlock: "Father, I have a suggestion. Is it possible?"
"Oh? Lang'er, tell me." Situ Mingyue's expression softened slightly.
"Since hundreds of thousands of our troops have already stationed on the southern front, it is unreasonable to just let it go without fighting. I think that the Machikhans are not afraid of the imperial army, but they are now forced to attack Liangshan, and there is nothing they can do about it. , I have no choice but to hold on like this. According to Erchen's opinion, the army can be ordered to advance southward to the border area to maintain a certain pressure on the Machikhans, but there is no need to take the initiative to attack. Wait for a period of time to observe whether it is war or peace. After the Spring Festival, We will make a decision later, father, what do you think?" The one who came out to smooth things over was the Ninth Prince Situ Lang. He saw that all the ministers did not dare to speak under the pressure of his father, and his father was also a little worried because it concerned the face of the empire. I didn't want to let it go, but being stuck like this was no solution, so I thought of a plan like this to reconcile.
"Yes, Your Majesty, what His Highness Ninth Prince said makes sense. We are approaching the Spring Festival, and I don't think the Machihans will take the initiative to attack us at this time. It's better to observe it over time and make a final conclusion." The minister who supported Situ Lang had a sharp face and a short beard, and it was none other than the Imperial Finance Minister Tian Yi. All the ministers of His Highness also cursed "Old Slippery" in their hearts and joined in the crowd to agree with his words.
Seeing that most of the ministers agreed with this view, Situ Mingyue sighed inwardly and had no choice but to agree to Situ Lang's proposal and slow down the war in the southern battlefield. But Situ Mingyue suddenly felt unspeakably irritated. Seeing that no one in the palace could share his worries, they were all mediocre people with disgusting faces. Such a huge empire was unexpectedly invaded by small barbarian countries. The whole court No one in the civil or military circles dared to take on this important task, and the generals he appointed could only stick to the status quo and could not do anything about the Machikhans. How could this not make him sad and disappointed!
Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor was in a bad mood, all the ministers felt on pins and needles. They all hoped to end the court meeting as soon as possible, so as not to be angered by His Majesty the Emperor and suffer unreasonable disasters.
Situ Mingyue felt even worse when she saw that His Highness was depressed and no one dared to write a letter anymore. She wanted to end the court meeting with a flick of her sleeves, but she saw a man coming from the palace door to inform the doorman and ran into the main hall.
"Your Majesty, Li Wufeng, the Military and Political Envoy of the Northwest County, is waiting outside the palace to be summoned to report on his duties."
"Oh? He's here so soon? Invite him into the palace." Situ Mingyue's face relaxed and he coughed lightly.
Wu Feng, who was wearing a first-grade court uniform, walked into the Qinzheng Hall with steady steps. As soon as he entered the hall, he felt that the atmosphere here seemed a bit heavy and depressing. He also felt a little drumming in his heart, but it must not be because of his audience. Causes this.
Arriving at the center of the hall, under the gaze of many ministers, Wu Feng bowed respectfully and said, "Li Wufeng, the military and political governor of Northwest County, comes to see your majesty! May my emperor live long live!"
"No courtesy, stay on your own." Situ Mingyue looked at the seemingly submissive young man in front of her with a complex expression, and the contradictory feelings lingered in her heart.
"Your Majesty, Li Wufeng, has been ordered to return to Beijing to report on his duties," Li Wufeng requested.
"Li Aiqing, you have traveled thousands of miles, why don't you go back and rest for two days before we talk." Seeing Wu Feng's tired look, Situ Mingyue hesitated and said.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. However, since the state affairs are important, I would like to finish my duties first and then take a rest." Wu Feng bowed again.
"Well, I and all the ministers also want to hear about the situation in the northwest county in the past two years and Aiqing's dispatch of troops to Luzon this time. Then you can tell me." To be honest, Situ Mingyue also wanted to know. How has the formerly remote and barren Northwest developed under Wu Feng's management in the past few years? Although the officials he sent out to learn about it all said that it has changed a lot, he who knew very little about the Northwest still wanted to hear. Listen to the report of the important minister of this specific management.
His Highness's ministers were all whispering among themselves while carefully looking at the young man standing in the center of the hall. It was really hard to imagine that a few years ago this guy was just a little-known regiment-level officer in the city guard. In the past year, he has become one of the most popular princes in the empire. Many ministers are not very familiar with Wu Feng, many have only met him once, and many have even never met Wu Feng in person.
After getting Situ Mingyue's consent, Wu Feng followed the procedure and asked Duke Ning Yuanwang, the first deputy minister in charge of the Imperial Administration, for instructions. Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had already agreed, Ning Yuanwang naturally had no objections, so Wu Feng He made a detailed report on the political and military affairs of the entire northwest region in the past few years since he served as the military and political envoy of the northwest county.
From the development of agriculture and industry and commerce to the construction of urban infrastructure, from the situation in the northwest periphery to the domestic security situation, from armament consolidation to improving defense, from consolidating political power to alleviating inter-ethnic conflicts, from counterinsurgency and suppression of bandits to the war against the Luobi people, Wufeng has He divided the affairs of the past few years into five aspects and made a comprehensive report. This was the material that Xiao Tang and others had prepared for Wu Feng in the northwest. After listening to such a speech, Situ Mingyue and all the ministers felt deeply that today's situation in the northwest was hard-won.
Although Wu Feng's words made his lips dry, he saw that His Majesty the Emperor and all the ministers were listening attentively, and he was secretly happy. If he could win the favor of His Majesty the Emperor and the ministers, his actions might be better. Excuse me.
"Well, Li Aiqing was able to manage this barren northwest so well in just two or three years. It can be considered a great achievement for his hard work. However, since the northwest economy still needs vigorous development and defense needs to be strengthened, why does Li Aiqing still have the energy to do it? What about the affairs abroad in Luzon?" After listening to Wu Feng's report, Situ Mingyue asked slowly with a smile on his lips.
Wu Feng was shocked. Although the old man in front of him was smiling, his question had a profound meaning. If he answered slightly wrong, he might be charged with contempt for the empire's provocation of war. Then The consequences were disastrous. He calmed down, organized his thoughts, and replied calmly: "Your Majesty, the reason why I decided to send troops to Luzon without your Majesty's consent is because I have no choice but to do so." reason."
"Oh? Difficulties? Reasons? Let's take a closer look. I and all the ministers are very concerned about this matter in Luzon." Situ Mingyue nodded with profound meaning.
"Your Majesty, Luzon is one of the three powerful countries in the central part of the mainland. Its strength is almost the same as that of Komini and Pasha. Its northwest territory borders the territory of Qingyang Prefecture in the northwest county of the empire. It was controlled by the Luobi people as early as During the northwest period, Luzon was spying on the northwest and sent a large number of spies to Qingyang and Jinzhou. However, Luo Bei was still powerful at that time and was unable to compete with the Luo Bei people."
"Northern Luzon has been a place where many ethnic groups have lived together for hundreds of years, and the ethnic composition is complex and diverse. In addition to the Andes as the largest ethnic group, our Tang ethnic group has lived and multiplied here for hundreds of years, and there are also other ethnic groups. Living on this land. It would be a good thing if these many ethnic groups could live in harmony. However, since the day Wei Chen took charge of the northwest, the Andes in Northern Luzon relied on the support of the local government to repeatedly bully and oppress other ethnic groups, including the Tang people. News about ethnic minorities continued to reach Wei Chen's ears, and the Tang people in Northern Luzon asked Wei Chen for help many times. However, considering the relationship between the two countries, Chen only sent a letter to the local government, asking it to treat residents of all ethnic groups equally. , ethnic minorities must not be oppressed, but the local government still turns a deaf ear.”
Wu Feng's well-founded analysis made some ministers in the Earth Hall who did not fully understand the situation nod frequently, but the vast majority of the ministers remained calm.
"Two months ago, the minister learned that Pasha and Komini had united to launch a surprise attack on Luzon. Due to their lack of preparedness, the people of Luzon collapsed at the first blow and their country was about to be destroyed. However, the Kingdom of Pasha and the Principality of Komini were of the same race. The Andes are the majority, especially the Cominis, who are even more xenophobic. The local Andes in Northern Luzon also launched riots under the instruction of some Pasha and Comini spies, looting and harassing other local ethnic groups, including the Tang people. The common people, and the trend is getting worse. The Tang residents in Northern Luzon reported three times a day asking Wei Chen to protect their lives and property, and many Tang and other ethnic minority refugees had fled into Qingyang. At that time, I If we want to obtain authorization from the DPRK and China, it is indeed too late. What's more, I think that since Luzon will be subjugated, its territory will be divided up by the Pasha and the Komini people sooner or later. Rather than doing this, it is better for the empire to take over northern Luzon. region, so that the Tang people on this land can have a place to belong to."
Wu Feng pretended to be polite and spoke his thoughts at the end. He also knew that the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government, including His Majesty the Emperor, were not uninterested in the land of Northern Luzon. It was just that sending troops without authorization was against the court system. Without a suitable reason, it could never be explained.
What Wu Feng said was true and false, both false and true. Situ Mingyue and the ministers all believed it. Imagine being in the situation at that time. If you want to get the opinion of the central government of the empire to make a decision, it is obviously not possible. In reality, the adage that the foreign emperor will not grant his orders is a true reflection of this matter. What's more, Wu Feng's last words touched the hearts of everyone present. Rather than letting other countries take over, it is better to take advantage of oneself. This is the truth.