knife

Chapter 238 The Storm Arrives

Tiele cut several kinds of fruit into small pieces, put them into a machine, and then turned the handle. Juice flowed out from a tube at the front of the machine, falling into a cup below with a tinkling sound.

Tiele picked up a full glass of juice and handed it to an old general with white hair and beard sitting next to him. He said with a smile, "General Yeli, you have been stationed in the north for many years, which has caused your heart and lungs to be overheated. The juice made from these fruits will be very beneficial to you. This is one of the dozen or so prescriptions that the old immortal Fu prescribed when he came to the manor to examine my mother. I will copy this prescription for you later!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yeli smiled as he took the cup, downed the full glass of juice in one gulp, and wiped the juice off his beard. "Your Highness, the 25,000 soldiers of the Eastern Camp have received His Majesty's decree and will naturally follow Your Highness's lead."

"Thank you, General Yeli!" Tiele sat down with a smile, took a handkerchief and slowly wiped his fingers, saying, "The succession of our Great Yuan imperial throne has never been uneventful. Every time it is always a grand affair. But that's good, because none of the leaders chosen in this way are useless. This time, I'm afraid it will be the same!"

Yeli nodded: "The Renduo family of the Southern Camp and the Xifeng family of the Northern Camp are both very powerful and have an unparalleled influence on the Great Yuan. No matter who comes to power, their interests will not be affected. Therefore, for many years, they have always maintained an impartial and neutral stance. Whoever becomes emperor in the end, they will serve him. So, you can't count on them. Of course, you can't count on the Third Prince either!"

"We don't need to consider the Western Camp either. Those barbarians only have eyes for our eldest brother. Neither I nor the third brother will ever try to win over these unstable factors, because while they might help you succeed, they are most likely to ruin your plans. Moreover, I believe that although our eldest brother is in the Southern Frontier, he has definitely left an eye in Yandu, and that eye is definitely in the Western Camp!" Tiele said.

"Since Wutu is the Second Prince's man, then the matter is already seventy or eighty percent accomplished!" Yeli laughed. "When the time comes, as soon as the East Gate opens, our Eastern Camp will march into the capital and immediately take control of the Imperial Palace and other key locations. Do those soldiers in the garrison who have never been on the battlefield know how to fight?"

“We shouldn’t underestimate them. In the past few years, the Third Brother has put a lot of effort into them, and they are still quite capable!” Tiele shook his head and said, “However, the 30,000 garrison troops are stationed throughout the vast Yandu. It is difficult to concentrate them in an emergency, and I will get the news as soon as they make a move.”

“As long as the garrison troops in Yandu move, it means there’s been a change in the palace, and we must act immediately.” Yeli nodded and asked, “Is communication with Wutu still going smoothly?”

"It's going smoothly. Gao Qunshu has been in the city the whole time, responsible for liaising with Wutu."

“That’s good. Then let’s carefully consider all the details of entering the city. Your Highness, such matters must be decided in one go. If things drag on, it will be troublesome!” Yeli said, “Aketun has controlled Yandu for many years. He controls not only the garrison troops, but also various departments and government offices, and even those involved in the underworld and bandits. He has people everywhere.”

“Akhdon is used to winning people over with small favors!” Tiele said with a wry smile. “In this respect, I am indeed inferior to him. Now, five or six out of ten ministers in Yandu probably support him. And my identity is indeed somewhat awkward. The Qin people are our greatest enemy, but I happen to have half Qin blood!”

"This is a disadvantage, but also an advantage!" Yeli smiled and said, "His Majesty's choice of the Second Prince was not without this consideration. The vast Qin Kingdom is now in complete chaos. Think of the Qin's conquest of Yong, a full sixty years of war, seven or eight out of ten of the population was lost. At that time, our Great Yuan was just a few insignificant small tribes. But now it's different. The Qin has declined, but our Great Yuan has just conquered the Western and Northern Hu, and its momentum is at its peak. This is an opportunity given to us by God to unify the world. How can we miss it? The Qin bloodline in His Highness is indeed of great help to us."

"But some people don't think that way."

"Those old fogies always think that we can sweep across the world with our horses and swords. They really underestimate the heroes of the world. If it were that easy, how come your father, such a heroic figure, never even conquered the lands beyond the Great Wall?" Yeli sneered. "As long as Qin remains a unified and powerful state, we cannot shake it in the slightest. If we want to devour it, we can only wait until they fight each other to the death. But even so, we cannot be careless. Because the Qin people are numerous, they can fail a hundred times, but as long as they are given one chance, they can recover. As for us, one failure could plunge us into an abyss from which we can never rise again."

"Although the Qin people are currently in internal turmoil, there is one thing that can firmly bind them together: their proud culture! Compared to them, our Great Yuan is still far behind. Although Father has been working hard over the years to help all the tribes of our Great Yuan begin to identify with their own identity, to be honest, the results have not been very good. There is still a long way to go to achieve this."

"His Majesty once told me that the simplest way for our Great Yuan to unify the world is to first conquer Qin, then spend several decades assimilating into it, and finally utilize the Qin people—no, by then the Qin people will also be Yuan people. Anyway, by then, they will help us take down all those who do not submit to us." Yeli laughed, "I think that's why His Majesty ultimately chose you. Conquering Qin may not be particularly difficult, but to completely assimilate into it while maintaining the superiority and nobility of our race, that's difficult. How to strike that balance, I certainly can't figure it out."

“Of course there is a way!” Tiele said with a smile.

"These are things Your Highness will have to do in the future!" Yeli said with a smile. "However, I reckon I won't live to see that time. I just hope that in my lifetime I can see Your Highness lead the army to take over the area outside the pass, and then control Yangguan to spy on the interior. As long as this is achieved, I feel that our journey to the Yangtze River is not a dream, but something that can truly be looked forward to. Your Highness, let's carefully consider the mission of the Eastern Camp after entering the city!"

"General Yeli may be old, but his temperament is still as impatient as when he was young!" Tiele laughed and pulled back the curtain covering an entire wall of the study, revealing a map of the entire garrison of Yandu to Yeli.

"Was this provided to His Highness after Wutu took office?" Yeli exclaimed in amazement at the level of detail in the drawing.

"Exactly!" Tiele pointed to several places he had specially circled with cinnabar and said, "If it weren't for Wutu, I would never have imagined that my good third brother could actually deploy heavy troops in these places. Tsk tsk, it is indeed a good move, but it is too unexpected."

"When these places remain unknown to outsiders, it's a brilliant move; once known, it's a fatal one. Only a bookish strategist like Akdun would make such an arrangement. A true military strategist would never put their own brothers to death. 'If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place.' Yeli has fought his whole life, and truly deceptive strategies are few and far between. Most battlefield victories ultimately come from open strategies. You know perfectly well that the enemy has arranged things this way, but you have no recourse but to react passively!"

Using the map as a guide, the two discussed their respective tasks after the 25,000 troops of the Eastern Camp entered the city.

The main focus is on control.
The minority are eliminated.

Because of Wutu's presence, this originally complicated task became exceptionally simple, and both of them seemed very relaxed.

On this day, news from outside kept reaching the mansion.

People were gradually summoned to the palace. Meanwhile, Tiele already possessed the list drawn up by Yingzhuo.

That was the emperor summoning these people for a final talk, and as far as Tiele knew, it was the last thing the emperor did for him.

Time passed slowly, and as evening fell, several palace guards escorted a eunuch on horseback to the outside of the Tiele residence.

"His Majesty summons the Second Prince to the palace urgently!" The eunuch was covered in sweat, his voice trembling with anxiety.

"What happened?" Tiele grabbed the eunuch and asked sternly.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty suddenly coughed up blood, coughed up large amounts of blood. Attila managed to stop the bleeding for His Majesty. His Majesty has ordered the Second Prince to come to the palace immediately!" The eunuch trembled all over.

"Besides me, who else was summoned?" Tiele asked, taking a deep breath.

"And, and the Third Prince too." The eunuch rattled off seven or eight names in one breath. "These people all live in the city; they've probably already entered the palace!"

Tiele took a deep breath. Those who had been summoned to the palace during the day had not yet returned. Now, the last batch of people on the list had all been summoned at once. His Majesty's health might really not be able to withstand it.

"Someone, change your clothes!" he shouted.

After quickly changing his clothes, Tiele had just stepped out of the main hall when Gao Qunshu rushed in from outside.

"Your Highness, hurry to the palace! His Majesty is dying. Wutu just sent word that Akdun has ordered him to seal the city gates and forbid the Second Prince from entering the city. The Second Prince should go through the east gate; Wutu is waiting for you there!"

"Alright, General Yeli, thank you for your trouble!" Tiele turned around and bowed to Yeli.

"I'll go back and prepare right away!" Yeli didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

"Gao Qunshu, you should go into the city and mobilize all of us to make all the necessary preparations!"

"understand!"

Standing on the threshold of the main hall, Tiele issued a series of orders, and everyone in the mansion immediately sprang into action. In a short while, thousands of people in the vast mansion vanished without a trace.

Looking at the mansion, which was still brightly lit but actually nearly empty, Tiele smiled. Perhaps tomorrow, this place would become his former residence.

He walked down the steps.

"Son!" came Princess Chang Le's voice from behind.

"Mother, wait for me!" Tiele shouted.

Princess Chang Le's face showed no joy, but rather an extremely solemn expression: "Granny Duanmu will go with you!"

"Mother, tonight is not safe. Let Granny Duanmu protect you!"

"Do I need protection?" Princess Chang Le smiled and said, "As long as you are safe, I am safe. You are my root."

Chang Le reached out and hugged Duanmu Miaomiao beside her, whispering, "No matter what, make sure he's alright!"

Duanmu Miaomiao nodded.

(End of this chapter)