"Well, that means that now that the south is in a stalemate, and Lin Guoxiong has no worries, can he ignore the empire's requirements?" Although he was talking about the Lujiang incident, there seemed to be no anger or unhappiness in Situ Mingyue's tone. the taste of.
After considering his words, He Zhiqiu replied cautiously: "The special envoy from the Imperial Foreign Affairs Department has not yet responded, but I estimate that Lin Guoxiong will still find various excuses to delay."
"Hmph, what solution is the military department planning to come up with? Can't it just keep dragging it out like this?" Situ Mingyue frowned slightly and asked with some displeasure.
"Your Majesty, this -" He Zhiqiu didn't know how to answer this question for a while. His Majesty the Emperor was not unaware of the situation within the empire. He was so stretched that he, the Minister of Military Affairs, was powerless. The Battle of Longdong suffered heavy losses, and the Taiping Sect took the opportunity to rise in power in Kansai, directly threatening the neighboring Tianshui Prefecture. People's hearts and minds in the entire Heshuo area were floating, the wind was trembling, and everyone was surrounded by soldiers. It also affected the situation in the imperial capital. Various rumors and rumors were rampant. Even some officials in the court changed their minds after hearing the news and became frightened. Under such circumstances, the military headquarters had to dispatch two divisions from the Southern Military Region, where the situation had eased slightly, to station in Tianshui to prevent a chain reaction. Barely able to stabilize people's hearts. However, if he wants to forcefully enter Lujiang, it seems powerless. You must know that Lin Guoxiong has deployed three elite divisions in Lujiang, and they have the advantage. After such a long time, the situation in the entire Lujiang Prefecture has basically calmed down, and war breaks out again. , may not have very good results.
Seeing the bitter look on his military minister's face, Situ Mingyue also felt sad. She didn't expect that as a majestic emperor, he was trapped by his subordinates and could not find a solution. Isn't this a tragedy for the entire empire
Waving his hands in frustration, Situ Mingyue took a deep breath and calmed down before saying: "Okay, I don't want to talk about this now. Please, He Aiqing, please think about it."
"I obey, Your Majesty." He Zhiqiu also relaxed. If His Majesty insists on taking back the Lujiang River, the outbreak of civil war in the empire will be inevitable. It is hard to say what kind of situation the various turmoil caused by it will spread to. At least this is not possible. It is in line with the current interests of the empire. As a superior, you should clearly see this.
The imperial study suddenly fell silent. The Minister of Military Affairs was silently waiting for His Majesty the Emperor's inquiry. Situ Mingyue seemed to be unable to find the right words to start the topic. The atmosphere in the room seemed indescribably dull.
"He Aiqing, what's going on with this guy Yusuf? Why is he still lingering in Qinghe Mansion? Didn't he write to me to solve the problem within three months? Not only did I hand over all five city guard divisions to him, He was also equipped with two more independent divisions, why is there still no progress?" Finally finding a suitable topic, Situ Mingyue became angry when she thought of Yusuf, the arrogant commander of the City Guards, who had uttered arrogant words after the victory of Qinghe. The Taiping rebels in Beiyuan and Yanyun counties were to be wiped out within three months, but half a year has almost passed. The Imperial Army seems to have fallen into a swamp, trapped in Qinghe Mansion and can no longer advance even half a step. What is the reason for this
When His Majesty the Emperor asked about the war situation in the north, He Zhiqiu didn't think deeply about it. He and the military staff had thought and analyzed these issues countless times, and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, this cannot be entirely blamed on Lord Yusuf. In fact, the situation has changed a lot since the beginning of the year. Now the situation of the Taiping Army in the north has been much stable, so almost most of their elite troops have been gathered on the Qinghe line. According to intelligence, there are at least more than 100,000 troops stationed in Qinghe City. There are nearly 80,000 troops stationed at important positions on the left and right wings of Qinghe Fucheng. They are at odds with each other. In addition, their cavalry has been trained and trained for such a long time with the help of the Kaman and Puer people. The training has basically taken shape, and it is constantly harassing the supply lines of our frontline troops, putting our supplies at considerable risk, so—"
Although the relationship with Yusuf has not always been very harmonious, the other party relies on the emperor's confidant and has never been too willing to accept the blame of his nominal boss. He and the other party also have different views on the war situation. But He Zhiqiu didn't want to be unfair on this issue and still defended the other party according to his own opinions.
Shaking her hands impatiently, Situ Mingyue interrupted the Minister of Military Affairs and said in a deep voice: "This is not a reason. At present, there are five divisions of the City Guards plus two independent divisions, and a total of seven divisions have gathered in Qinghe Mansion. Here, I don’t seem to have heard a decent battle report in the past few months. Regardless of victory or defeat, is there not going to be a battle? Is it true that I gave him hundreds of thousands of the most elite troops in the empire just to let him waste his energy? Where are you going to live in harmony with the gang of hillbillies from the Taiping Rebellion Party and shake hands and have fun?" There was already a gloomy chill in his voice as he finished his words.
He Zhiqiu's heart trembled. His Majesty the Emperor has been unwell in the past six months and has been emotionally unstable. He often gets angry over trivial things. Many officials in the court have been declared deprived by the court because of trivial offenses that usually seem trivial. As a noble, he was imprisoned. Two days ago, an official from the General Administration of Finance offended His Majesty the Emperor because he made a mistake in the numbers when reporting the situation to His Majesty. He was directly sent to Kamchatka Island together with his family members. The Minister of Finance was also sent to Kamchatka. A one-year fine. If this matter does not satisfy His Majesty the Emperor, I'm afraid it will cause quite a stir.
"Your Majesty, calm down. Although Lord Yusuf has not made much progress in Qinghe, the expansion momentum of the Taiping Religion has been firmly suppressed by us. Their main elites have also been restrained by us in Qinghe. As long as we give time, we can regain the North Plains. And Yan Yun." Even He Zhiqiu himself found these words unconvincing. It was impossible to convince His Majesty, but for a while he couldn't find a suitable reason to relieve the other party. To be honest, even he himself I also feel that it is a bit unreasonable that Yusuf has been entangled in Qinghe Mansion for so long without a decent battle to explain.
"Given time? Huh, do you have to wait until I close my eyes?" Situ Mingyue's face became more and more gloomy.
"Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, He Zhiqiu was so shocked that he fell to his knees on the ground, sweating profusely, and was speechless for a long time.
"That's all, that's all, He Aiqing, I have nothing to do with you, just get up." Situ Mingyue sighed helplessly and asked the other party to get up, but she looked so lonely and desolate.
After being silent for a while, Situ Mingyue spoke again: "He Aiqing, since Qinghe Prefecture has contained the main troops of the Taiping Rebellion in the north, why doesn't the Northern Military Region take the opportunity to advance westward to recover the Yanyun Prefecture?"
It's coming, it's finally coming, and there's no way to hide. He Zhiqiu's heart twitched. This question is really hard to answer. If you don't pay attention, you will be involved in a fire that may burn yourself and even the He family to pieces. , but His Majesty asked him face to face, how should I answer
"Your Majesty, the Puer people have hundreds of thousands of troops on the northern border, watching eagerly. The northern military region is also under tremendous pressure. I estimate that the Pu people will not be able to hold on for too long. Once they withdraw their troops, we can-" He Zhiqiu gritted his teeth. He answered carefully, but in front of His Majesty the Emperor, who had been in danger for a long time, especially those sharp eyes wandered on his face like a razor, and the fine cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his mood.
"Hey, He Aiqing, are you being careless in front of me?" Situ Mingyue's face suddenly changed, and she snorted softly in her nose, "I know very well how capable the people of Puer are, and they need the 14th Northern Military Region An army division is huddled there half-movement? I heard that Zhao Chenghuai has been resisting and disobeying the orders of the General Administration of Military Affairs. How many heads does he have, but he still has the guts to dare to obey my orders? Or is it because of him? Is it because there is someone behind him to support him?"
The gloomy words suddenly hit like a storm, causing the frightened He Zhiqiu's face to turn into a sickly pale color. The whole study room was filled with ups and downs. At this moment, the conceited and eloquent Minister of Military Affairs could not find a word to respond in his mind.
"This, this, -" He Zhiqiu felt that his mouth was dry and bitter. This was due to excessive nervousness. He did not know who actually reported such confidential matters to His Majesty, although he did not expect to hide it. Your Majesty, I never thought that Dao would be suddenly mentioned under such circumstances.
He knelt on the ground again, not daring to say a word, and could only kowtow to express his apology. He Zhiqiu knew that any words at this time were unnecessary. His Majesty the Emperor had already seen everything, and his own explanations or cover-ups were purely unnecessary.
Breathing could be heard in the royal study room. He Zhiqiu suppressed his anxiety and quietly raised his head. He saw that His Majesty the Emperor's expression was confused and mixed with infinite pain, and he no longer looked like he was in charge of such a huge empire.
"What evil, evil! What evil did I, Situ Mingyue, do in my previous life to give birth to such treacherous sons!" Unable to catch up, a flush suddenly appeared on his pale face, and his violent coughing immediately attracted several children. Eunuch, "Get out, I didn't tell you slaves, how dare you break in?!"
Several young eunuchs were panic-stricken and hurriedly left with their heads in their hands. After a while, Situ Mingyue finally regained her breath and closed her eyes silently, feeling extremely painful. She seemed to be asking herself or the uneasy Minister of Military Affairs: "Why? Do these traitors have to make me angry to death before I can feel at ease?"
He Zhiqiu didn't dare to interrupt, so he could only bite the bullet and listen.
"My dear, do you think it was a mistake for me not to establish a heir apparent? Otherwise, why would I have caused so much trouble?" After a long time, Situ Mingyue asked this question.
"Your Majesty, the matter of establishing a crown prince is your Majesty's family matter. It should be decided by your Majesty yourself. Not only do the ministers dare not speak nonsense, but all the foreign ministers have no right to say anything." His heart tightened, He Zhiqiu trembled all over, and he quickly replied.
"Family affairs? Didn't I always tell you that the royal family has no family affairs? Why did you go back on your promise?" Situ Mingyue seemed to have calmed down a lot, glanced at the other party and asked.