Fu Shanhe

Chapter 424 Conflicts intensify

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Upon hearing the devastating news, the civil officials turned ashen-faced.

They messed up completely this time.

They encouraged the emperor to issue an edict ordering the Marquis of Wuyang to go north, but they only wanted to give the noble faction a warning and never intended to destroy their own Great Wall.

From the perspective of the civil official group, the Marquis of Wuyang's troops could be defeated, could suffer losses, but could not be completely annihilated.

From the murderous glint in the eyes of the nobles, it was clear that this matter would not end so easily.

The Minister of War alone cannot quell the anger of the noble faction; a more influential official is needed to take responsibility.

"My esteemed ministers, devise a plan to clean up the mess!"

Seeing that none of the ministers spoke, Emperor Yongning immediately urged them to speak.

Reason told him that he had to give the nobility an explanation as soon as possible.

The longer it drags on, the more likely something serious will happen.

Once the nobles become disloyal, his control over the army will decline sharply.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wuyang has died for his country, and the court should reward him handsomely!"

Xu Wenyue spoke first.

"What Grand Secretary Xu said is very true. Not only should the Marquis of Wuyang be richly rewarded, but the court should also treat the officers and soldiers who died for their country with courtesy."

The Ministry of Rites must take their funeral arrangements seriously and ensure that these heroes depart in grand style.

Lü Ze'an added.

The deed is done, and the only way to remedy it now is to deal with what happens afterward.

However, this result clearly failed to satisfy the nobles.

To have a grand funeral is the treatment due to those who die for their country, and cannot be considered compensation.

It was customary for the imperial court to bestow titles upon them.

If the nobility were in a weak position, they might not be able to fight against the powerful, and perhaps everyone would just tolerate it.

Things are different now.

Even after losing hundreds of noble sons, the noble faction still controlled the most elite army of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Although the Battle of Changping ended with the complete annihilation of Yu's army, it still demonstrated the prestige of the noble faction.

Despite being at a significant disadvantage in terms of troop strength, they were able to take away hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, including tens of thousands of genuine prisoners.

Such a record would undoubtedly be considered outstanding in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Even the renowned Liaodong Town cannot guarantee that it will do better.

The results gave everyone confidence.

If the Marquis of Wuyang's troops possess this level of combat strength, then the troops under the command of the other major noble factions must also be quite formidable.

Despite losing three towns, the noble faction still has eighteen towns and over two hundred thousand elite elite troops.

Including the local armies, the noble faction still controls more than half of the military force of the Great Yu.

In this context, if one's own children are murdered, one will certainly seek justice.

The advantages of a political marriage that has lasted for over a century are now becoming apparent.

Even if no one in your own family has died, but someone in a relative's family has, everyone still has to come out and support them.

Especially for the fallen nobles, this sense of shared destiny was essential to protecting their family businesses from being coveted by others.

Those nobles who had never been involved in politics in the past were now present in the main hall, waiting for the court's response.

"We crude warriors don't understand or want to hear profound truths."

There is only one problem now: there are treacherous officials in the court colluding with the northern barbarians to deliberately send the loyalist army to their deaths.

We are here today to seek justice for our fallen comrades.

As soon as Marquis Wuxiang spoke, the atmosphere in the hall became heavy.

The scope of "treacherous officials" is far too broad.

All the civil officials present were circled inside.

Everyone was involved in instigating the emperor to send troops to Wuyang that day.

This isn't something that can be solved by sacrificing a few pieces; it's a matter of life and death for everyone.

"Lord Wuxiang, you need to be responsible for your words."

The officials standing here are all pillars of our Great Yu Dynasty; where are the treacherous ministers?

The truly treacherous officials have long been imprisoned by His Majesty; you mustn't make a mistake for yourself!

Gu Jiaxi immediately warned.

When someone from the nobility dies, it's understandable that they might make a scene.

However, this kind of "fuss" must have limits.

It's acceptable to bite a few unlucky people to death and try to get some compensation.

Trying to drag everyone into this is going too far.

They did that for the greater good.

If we don't intervene and allow the Marquis of Wuyang to go to the capital and join forces with the emperor, then the civil official group will be exposed.

Without these civil officials as pillars, the Great Yu Dynasty would be in who knows how chaotic it would have become.

“I can take responsibility for what I say.”

Why is Grand Secretary Gu feeling guilty and resorting to threats?

Let me tell you, my son cannot have died in vain.

Since you dared to do it, you must take responsibility for it!

As soon as Marquis Wuxiang spoke, the atmosphere in the hall became even more solemn.

They've just lost their son and are in a fit of anger. Trying to discuss the bigger picture at that time would only bring shame upon yourself.

"What Marquis Wuxiang said is what we mean."

Today we've come to seek justice. Either the treacherous officials die, or we die.

You despicable villains who colluded with the Northern barbarians and betrayed the land and state of our Great Yu, we will haunt you even in death!

The nobles' statement not only terrified the civil officials, but also greatly alarmed Emperor Yongning.

Now he suddenly realized that the civil officials' coercion was nothing, and that no matter how much the scholars made a fuss, it was all just empty talk.

These brutes, if they start causing trouble, will really be a disaster.

Despite the fact that the noble families do not hold many positions in the court, they control all the military forces in the capital.

In normal times, everyone goes about their own business and no one feels any pressure.

Now that this group of people is banding together to cause trouble, it has put pressure on Emperor Yongning.

His intuition told him that if things weren't handled properly today, there was a real possibility of bloodshed at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The death of a few civil officials is not a big deal, but the death of a few nobles might trigger a coup.

Under normal circumstances, nobles wouldn't be this resolute, but those who have lost their sons are a different story.

Few can remain rational in the heat of rage.

If they have a change of heart and stage a coup, then there will be huge chaos.

Emperor Yongning could not guarantee that the noble sons guarding the imperial city would remain loyal to their duties throughout the process.

If these people loosen their grip even slightly, the situation will spiral out of control.

There was nothing that could be done; too many people had died this time, and most of the noble families in the capital had lost members.

In clan society, no matter how distant the bloodline, as long as they belong to the same family, they must stand up.

If a member of the clan is framed and killed, and no statement is made, the clan's cohesion will be lost.

If someone takes the lead, then everyone will join in the commotion.

Even if the emperor is unhappy, can he eat them?

"My dear ministers, please calm down. We can discuss this matter. It hasn't come to this yet."

Seeing the conflict escalate, Emperor Yongning hurriedly tried to persuade him.

Deep down, he hated the person who leaked the information.

Originally, he only summoned civil and military officials of the third rank and above to resolve the matter quickly, but he never expected that a group of nobles would be summoned.

When there are too many people, things become complicated.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wuyang is the Emperor's brother-in-law; he cannot die such an unjust death!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Emperor Yongning instantly flew into a rage.

It's troublesome when nobles cause trouble, and now even the maternal relatives are joining in.

He couldn't refute these words; the court had to give an explanation for the death of the Marquis of Wuyang.

Otherwise, it won't be long before the Empress Dowager comes knocking on our door.

The people causing trouble were only targeting the civil officials, not the emperor himself. But in their hearts, they harbored no small amount of resentment towards Emperor Yongning.

If the Empress Dowager makes a scene, the Emperor might end up needing a couple of canes.

In the Battle of Changping, not only did the civil official group play a disgraceful role, but Emperor Yongning himself was also primarily responsible.

"This is a matter of great importance. It would be better to wait until the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan arrive in the capital before discussing and handling it."

Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Emperor Yongning decisively resorted to delaying tactics.

It wasn't that he was protecting civil officials; it was just that too many people were involved.

He could dismiss a few ministers, but he, as emperor, couldn't get rid of all the high-ranking officials in the court.

Unfortunately, the nobles and relatives of the emperor were all in a fit of anger, so the chances of successfully reasoning with the victim's family at this time were almost zero.

Let's stall for time and let everyone calm down first, so that it will be easier to negotiate the price later.

The essence of politics is the art of compromise.

The dead cannot be brought back to life. The reason everyone is making such a fuss is not only because they want revenge, but also because they want to gain benefits.

At this moment, the noble faction is leaderless, and negotiating with so many noble families separately is extremely difficult.

Once the interests are agreed upon, a few scapegoats can be thrown out, and the matter will be resolved.

Deep down, Emperor Yongning was already secretly plotting who should take the blame.

The Minister of War who was imprisoned was one example, the Vice Ministers on the left and right were another, and the rest of the Ministry of War officials were also to be demoted.

In addition to directly administered departments, someone in the cabinet also needs to take charge.

At least two cabinet ministers will be forced to retire.

If the aristocratic faction is dissatisfied, it is acceptable for the cabinet to replace them.

Anyway, he wasn't very satisfied with any of these people, so he might as well take the opportunity to replace them with his own people.

Some officials in the Six Ministries should also be dismissed and replaced with capable individuals.

In a short time, Emperor Yongning had already begun planning a personnel reshuffle.

If we can take this opportunity, we can replace all the key government departments with our own people.

He didn't lose out in this whole affair.

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed."

The northern barbarian army is about to besiege the city. If the treacherous officials are not eliminated, the consequences will be dire!

When the Earl of Tong'an's words reached Emperor Yongning's ears, they were immediately interpreted as a "threat."

With the northern barbarians at the city gates, civil officials posed no threat, but military generals could.

If some nobles harbor resentment and open the city gates to let the northern barbarians in, then the country would truly be threatened.

"Lord Tong'an, you're teaching me how to do things!"

Emperor Yongning questioned him, displeased.

He was forced to abdicate by civil officials, and then by nobles and imperial relatives; he was practically caught in the middle.

Now they're actually resorting to threats, daring to use the safety of the capital to blackmail him—it's utterly outrageous!

If it were a powerful figure from a noble family who said this, he would definitely think twice before acting, because such a person not only talks the talk but also walks the walk.

The Earl of Tong'an before me is clearly far inferior.

"My lord, I don't dare!"

The Earl of Tong'an answered without changing his expression.

If he were alone, he would have already knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

However, given the strong momentum of the nobility banding together, there is absolutely no need to back down.

Now that he's in the right, it doesn't matter if he offends the emperor.

If Emperor Yongning were to settle scores later, the powerful figures of the nobility would surely cover for him.

If faction leaders don't protect their underlings, who will dare to charge into battle?

……

Amidst the commotion, the Duke of Cheng's fleet successfully arrived in Tongzhou.

This time, no one clamored for the loyalist army to march north and reach the northern barbarians.

High-ranking officials and nobles value their lives more than ordinary people. No matter how fierce the internal strife is, it is still a struggle for interests.

If the northern barbarians were to invade, the loss would not only be of our interests, but also the lives of our entire families.

In the previous looting, there were many instances of massacres of entire cities.

No one dared to gamble on the integrity of the Northern barbarians.

The Duke of Cheng's decision to station troops in Tongzhou was a significant safeguard for the security of the capital.

To attack the capital, we must first take down the Tongzhou camp.

However, the Northern barbarians would most likely not dare to fight such a battle.

The earlier defeat of Wuyanghou's forces had already inflicted heavy losses on the Guifang.

If a battle of this scale were to be fought again, it would have to be fought by the Tatars themselves.

The two sides directly exchanged pieces; the Great Yu could not afford the loss, and the Tatars could not afford the loss either.

"The Marquis of Wuyang died for his country, and there was constant strife in the court. The northern barbarians besieged the capital."

"Heaven is not protecting our Great Yu!"

Looking at the intelligence in his hand, Jing Guoliang sighed deeply.

The worst-case scenario has finally occurred.

Emperor Yongning, who should have been actively handling the aftermath, once again demonstrated his indecisiveness in this incident.

He wanted to take the opportunity to purge the court and replace it with obedient people of his own, but he didn't want to offend the civil officials too much and damage his reputation.

Now we're waiting for him to come to Beijing to clean up the mess and carry out his plan of using someone else to do the dirty work.

Having learned the truth, Jing Guoliang was completely stunned.

If it were a more decisive leader, a major reshuffle would have been carried out in the court long ago.

The decision to send Marquis Wuyang north to resist the northern barbarians was the result of the civil officials' coercion, and they would naturally have to take responsibility for any problems that arose.

The nobles have all started making a fuss, and they could easily use their power to make personnel adjustments.

First, replace the ministers of the six ministries with your own people to seize actual power in the court, and then gradually replace the cabinet.

Once the government has stabilized, an investigation will be launched under the guise of anti-corruption.

There are very few innocent people in the imperial court; all those responsible can be framed and dealt with.

Changing the charge was also to save face for the imperial court.

This approach can both appease the wounded nobles and silence the civil officials.

After all, we have to consider the bigger picture.

Others can be sacrificed, and so can high-ranking civil servants.

Newly promoted officials, for the sake of their own power, will help the emperor get things done.

Even if trouble is caused, the factory guards can arrest people.

On this issue, a series of problems arose, and the nobles all supported the emperor.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yongning chickened out and missed the opportunity to win over the people.

Even if all the officials involved are punished later, the nobles will not remember his kindness.

The civil officials also wouldn't appreciate his good deeds.

It's because he only delayed the issue and didn't provide any substantial support.

Caught between civil and military officials, the emperor can act as an arbitrator or take sides, but he cannot compromise his principles.

"My lord, walls have ears!"

Master Zhang spoke up to remind him.

Tongzhou is right at the gates of the capital, and there are spies and informants everywhere from the imperial guards.

These reception stations were always staffed with imperial guards.

Their every word and action will be reported.

"What are you afraid of!"

"I have acted uprightly and sat properly, so why would I be afraid of slander from petty people?"

This is what I truly feel; I dare say it even in the imperial court!

Jing Guoliang said, feigning a defiant tone.

The problem is that he didn't react to such a big thing.

Complaining a few words in private can actually put the emperor at ease.

(End of this chapter)