His Majesty's will was finally officially announced in the court on the first day of February, and the army was scheduled to march to the Northwest battlefield on the twelfth day of February. The date was slightly different from the rumored eighth day of February, but the general who led the army did not surprise people's expectations. It was Yu Manlou, the general of Zuo Wuwei.
Yu Manlou was known as a Confucian general, and he was considered an older one among the sixteen guard generals. In terms of age, he is the oldest besides Yu Zhengdong, the right leader of the guard, and Luo Yao, the left front guard. Yu Manlou led the troops to march, which was a major event in Chang'an City. Since the establishment of the country in the Sui Dynasty, there have been few examples of the troops stationed in Chang'an City going out for battle since the reign of Emperor Taizong. From this we can see His Majesty's confidence in the Northwest War, and also the emperor's worry about the Northwest War.
An army of 700,000 gathered in the northwest and successfully captured the Mandu Banner. It is understandable for the emperor to increase his troops at this time, but he did not transfer troops from the local area but from Gyeonggi Province. The profound meaning of this is worth thinking about. The rumors about Prince Yi's desire to go to the northwest to lead the army became clearer and clearer, but His Majesty didn't mention it at the court. But sending Yu Manlou to increase troops to the northwest was an extremely clear signal.
He was not clear about Yang Kai, the king of Xujun who was in charge of military affairs in the northwest, but he was obviously dissatisfied with Li Yuanshan and other generals. Another meaning is that Prince Yi Yang Yin wants to go to the Northwest to preside over military affairs... Don't talk about it!
After the decree came down, the courtiers had their own thoughts. People who were close friends with Prince Yi sent people secretly to ask for instructions on how to deal with it next. Those who were hostile to Prince Yi secretly rejoiced, and felt more at ease in their hearts. Those who opposed Prince Yi's leadership were mostly those who were loyal to the Sui Dynasty. They don't want to see a prince holding a heavy army. This is definitely not a good thing for His Majesty and Jiangshan Sheji.
Now that His Majesty's will has come down, Prince Yi should give up.
After the early court, General Yu Manlou of Zuowuwei, Zong Lianghu, Minister of War, Duke Huaiqiu, Minister of Rites, Pei Yan, Minister of Huangmen and others were left by the emperor to discuss matters in Dongnuan Pavilion. Among the four people, only Duke Huaiqiu and Prince Yi are quite close on weekdays, but only for fishing. When it comes to right and wrong, few people see it more clearly than Duke Huaiqiu. The emperor didn't seem to have any doubts about the veteran of the three dynasties, and kept his heart open as usual.
The four of them first went to the court room to eat some food, and then went to Dongnuan Pavilion under the guidance of the eunuch. The emperor has always been lenient to his courtiers, so he specially ordered them to have breakfast before coming in to discuss matters. When the four of them entered the East Nuan Pavilion, the emperor was reading the newly delivered memorial while eating.
The emperor's appetite seemed to be poor, and there was only a bowl of japonica rice porridge and a few vegetarian side dishes in front of him.
Duke Huaiqiu, who was walking in the front, frowned slightly, and couldn't help but leaned over and said: "Your Majesty, although the state affairs are busy, the dragon's body is the most important thing. How can you only eat these things..."
The emperor smiled and waved his hands to stop him from continuing: "Maybe it's because I've been on fire for the past two days and I have a bad appetite. You can go down smoother if you eat something light, and it will be fine in a few days... Tai Hospital prescribed lung clearing Fang Zi, who went along with the anger, made a big fuss. I didn't want to eat it, but I couldn't help myself in these things."
Duke Huaiqiu smiled and stood aside with his head bowed. Although the official position of Huangmen Shilang is not high, he has great power. Although he was the last to come in, General Yu Manlou and Minister of War Zong Lianghu deliberately reserved a place for him to stand beside Duke Huaiqiu. The courtiers were a little jealous of this outrageous Huangmen servant who was usually low-key, and when they mentioned him, they would often have such four-character comments.
Unfathomable.
"Sit down first, I'll talk to you guys after I finish eating."
The emperor pointed to the Hu stool opposite the kang, and continued to drink his bowl of porridge. After flipping through the memorial for a few times, the emperor frowned slightly.
With a snap, he closed the memorial and threw it aside.
"This Yuan Chongwu is getting more and more presumptuous... His son died in Chang'an City. I sent people to appease him, rewarded him generously, and made Yuan Chengshi a county marquis... and gave him half a month's leave to deal with the funeral. But he gave me Here is such an excerpt, saying that sadness is more than being unable to handle official duties, please allow another month of leave... I know that he is sad and sad, but the war in the northwest is raging, what is he thinking about telling me these things at this time!"
"Okay... Since he wants to rest, let's take a good rest. Pei Yan... drafted the decree, I heard Qing's sadness, and I was also deeply saddened. What Yun Qing said, take a good rest and wait for your mind to calm down before serving the country. In addition, we will draw up an edict... Duguxiu, the servant of the Ministry of punishment, will be transferred to the governor of Shandong Province, and will leave Beijing with the army to take up the post in the northwest on February 12th. As for who will fill Duguxiu's actual vacancies, let the officials draw up a list!"
"Your Majesty..."
Duke Huaiqiu's heart tightened, he took a step forward and bowed his head, saying: "It's better to discuss this matter in the long run... Yuan Chongwu's heartache is understandable for his son's death. If he is dismissed right now, I'm afraid there will be some rumors..."
"I have never been afraid of rumors, and I have never only rewarded my courtiers!"
The emperor said angrily: "Don't think that I can't see what's behind his troubles, if I make an order to keep him earnestly, it won't take a few days to impeach Mou Liangbi and Yang Kai, I'm afraid it will be snowflakes Fly in the same way. If I don't directly break the minds of these people, maybe they will do something nasty."
These two incidents were linked together by the emperor, which shocked the hearts of the four important ministers in Dongnuange. Although the emperor hadn't mentioned Prince Yi these days, it was obvious that his patience was almost exhausted. Yuan Chongwu wanted to test the emperor blindly at this time, and he could only say that he had suffered on his own when he was deprived of his official position.
It's just a second-rank official in the frontier, so it's okay to say no, the involvement is so huge, the emperor was not so violent before.
Seeing that His Majesty has made up his mind, Duke Huaiqiu couldn't say anything more.
Pei Yan leaned over to answer, stepped forward to take the pen handed over by Su Buwei and began to draw up the will.
The emperor's appetite seemed to be getting worse, he waved his hand to ask the little eunuch Mu San to take away the food: "Change me to a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, why is my heart so angry?"
Mu San quickly agreed, and after tidying up, he bowed and retreated.
When he walked out of the East Nuan Pavilion, he faintly heard the emperor mention Prince Yi's name. So he deliberately walked slowly and listened carefully.
"I know Lao Liu's desire to serve the country, but he is too impatient! Now half of the civil and military people in the Manchu Dynasty have jumped out to speak for him, ha... is this forcing me!"
Mu San's heart trembled, and he hurriedly left.
…
…
The emperor lost his appetite after drinking less than half a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, and waved his hand to ask Mu San to remove the bowl and chopsticks.
"Recently, the battle reports from the Northwest come in one by one every day. You all have to take a look."
He pointed to the thick stack of papers on the table, and Su Buwei hurried up to pick up the battle reports and handed them to the leader, Duke Huaiqiu. The emperor rubbed his frowning brows, looking a little gloomy: "Over 300,000 reinforcements from the Meng Yuan Royal Court have arrived at Keqin Banner, and 60,000 cavalry from Keqin Lelang, the leader of Keqin Banner, have also assembled... But the Mongolian Yuan team does not seem to be in a hurry to get back the lost land, and there has been no movement for nearly a month, which is unusual."
He looked at Yu Manlou and said: "After you arrive in the northwest, pass on my will. Yang Kai, the king of Xu County, led the army to conquer powerful enemies. He has achieved outstanding results and worked hard. I am very relieved. Yang Kai's salary will be according to the prince's rule from now on. The system was issued twice as much, and Yang Kai's second son was granted the title of Marquis of the county, and the location of the food town was discussed by the officials before making a decision. Reward Yang Kai with a golden armor and a golden sword, and strictly enforce military laws. Four ways. He has the right to make decisions on the fly. During the war, officials below the fourth rank in the Northwest do not ask for instructions and deal with them according to the situation. Tell him... to fight this battle with all hands and feet, I can trust him."
"besides… "
The emperor paused and said: "The logistics of the army are all in charge of Mou Liangbi. Recently, there have been many memorials referring to his corruption and recklessness. Let him write a defense note. If it is true as stated in his note, I will They will not tolerate it either. After the army left the customs, it is said that the winter clothes and boots were not distributed neatly for a month. I have read the memorial, and I know it well. I heard that he caught a cold in the northwest, so I specially asked the imperial physician to prepare some decoction, and you bring it to him. Give it in private, and don’t let others know.”
Yu Manlou's heart moved, and he soon understood the true meaning of His Majesty's will.
He hastily leaned over and said: "The minister complies with the order and will truthfully tell Lord Mou what His Majesty said."
The emperor hummed, looking at the memorial in front of him a little lost.
Duke Huaiqiu and Pei Yan looked at each other, and saw each other's thoughts in their eyes. The emperor rewarded Xu Jun Wang Yang Kai heavily, this is to tell those who support Prince Yi Yang Yin, don't worry about it anymore. Yang Kai's position is as stable as a mountain, His Majesty just trusts him, so don't be stupid again. The eldest son of King Xujun will inherit the throne in the future, so His Majesty granted his second son the title of County Marquis. This generous gift is enough for Yang Kai to be grateful.
Golden armor and golden sword, serious military law. This was the emperor's attitude towards Li Yuanshan and the others. Although the emperor is far away in Chang'an City, he is not ignorant of things in the northwest. The golden armor means that King Xujun is conquering in place of the emperor himself, and the golden sword means that he holds the emperor's order in his hands. As for the will that Yang Kai below the fourth rank can dispose of at will, it has increased Yang Kai's power to the extreme. If you go one step further, you will be able to directly deal with the generals of the third rank!
Mou Liangbi will be demoted to one level, and his salary will be fined for one year. This is to balance the dissatisfaction of those who advised Liang Bi, and it is also to stabilize the hearts of the people in the northwest. Rewarding one and punishing the other, the emperor's balance technique can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye, but it is impeccable. It not only beats those restless people, but also does not make them feel too embarrassed.
And the emperor asked Yu Manlou to secretly deliver medicine to Mou Liangbi, just this one thing could make Mou Liangbi tearfully grateful!
"Your Majesty, what orders do you have for military affairs?"
Yu Manlou leaned over and asked.
"It's nothing, you are a battle-hardened general, and you are better at leading troops than I am. If I command indiscriminately, the battle will get worse. Remember, you are the deputy commander of the Northwest Army. Discuss with Yang Kai more about everything, take the battle situation as the basis, don't worry about other things at all, and don't need to worry about anything. Since I chose you, I trust you."
"The minister must do his best."
The emperor hummed, looked at Zong Lianghu, and said, "The errands of the Ministry of War are all on your shoulders, and you have worked hard these days. I have already decreed that your eldest son will work in the Ministry of Rites. I have a reminder from Mr. Huai, Sooner or later it will become my humerus."
Zong Lianghu was stunned, quickly lifted his robe and knelt down to thank him.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "I know whoever does things with all his heart. I also know whoever wants to fish in troubled waters. I called you in today to tell you to do things in a down-to-earth manner, and you can't let go of your hands and feet."
He paused and said, "That's all. If you have any ideas, please tell me."
"Your Majesty..."
Duke Huaiqiu was silent for a while and said, "Should I ask the Ministry of Punishment to send someone to accompany the army to the northwest?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, nodded his head and said: "If it wasn't for Huai Lao's reminder, I would have forgotten it. Let Huo Geng, the criminal secretary of the Ministry of punishment, take someone there. Since you want to gag, you have to be strict. Pei Yan...you Just come to draw up the decree, and get Huo Geng later, and you can just meet him."
Pei Yan bowed his head and said: "I obey the order."
The emperor put on his boots and got off the kang, and walked under the huge map to have a look. On the map that marked all the cities of the Sui Dynasty, a long and narrow triangular area was outlined with a red line in the northwest corner. It used to be the territory of Meng Yuan, but now it belongs to the Sui Dynasty... It is Mandu Banner, with a grassland that is two thousand miles long and hundreds of miles wide!