Fu Shanhe

Chapter 459 Forced into the Palace
The chaotic battle has continued until now, with both sides fighting with bloodlust.

Everyone had only one thought in their minds: to kill the enemy in front of them.

The addition of the Tatar royal guards was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The evenly matched battle began to tilt in favor of the steppe coalition.

"Admiral, things are hopeless! We must break through!"

The captain of the personal guards spoke up to remind him.

Even when it comes to going all in, it depends on the balance of power.

Although the right flank army was not weak, the steppe coalition was even stronger.

With a troop advantage of more than double, they managed to hold off their offensive, turning the surprise attack into a war of attrition.

"You guys find a chance to break out on your own. This admiral isn't going anywhere this time!"

Jing Yifeng sighed and said.

For the right flank army, breaking through the enemy's encirclement was not difficult; the difficulty lay in how to shake off the enemy's pursuit.

The failure to defeat the enemy sealed the tragic fate of the right flank army.

At this moment, the battle is taking place in the camp, and the enemy cavalry has been replaced by infantry, which is when the difference in strength between the two sides is the smallest.

With more armored soldiers and a higher proportion of firearms, the Yu army gained a considerable advantage in last night's battle.

Once they break through, it's equivalent to giving up advantageous terrain.

Even if they temporarily escaped their pursuers, they would be annihilated one by one by the enemy during the encirclement and interception.

"My lord, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

The captain of the personal guards hurriedly tried to persuade him.

When their commander-in-chief decided to die, it was undoubtedly a devastating blow to his personal guards.

It's impossible for them to break through and leave on their own.

According to military custom, any personal guards of the commander-in-chief who are killed in action are executed.

Even if someone is lucky enough to survive, they will never be able to go home for the rest of their lives and will have to live in hiding.

"There's no chance!"

Jing Yifeng shook his head and said.

The Right Route Army was the foundation of the Jing family line in the military, filled with a large number of Jing family members, as well as relatives and friends.

Now that the army has been annihilated, how can he, as the commander-in-chief, face his elders in Jiangdong if he returns alive?

At that moment, he personally experienced the desolation of Xiang Yu before he committed suicide at Wujiang.

Losing this military force would not only ruin the Jing family, but also severely damage the nobility faction.

Judging from the current situation, the noble faction, which suffered heavy losses, will be unable to control the court after the war.

It's virtually impossible for them to make a comeback.

Losing control of the court means having fewer resources at one's disposal.

The aristocratic faction could bear the economic losses alone, but the personnel losses were too heavy.

No matter what you do, you need people.

A large number of elite sons were killed in action, and the blood of the noble class was drained.

Even if the army is reorganized later, the control of the nobility over the troops will be greatly reduced.

The troops at that time will become a new group with the commander-in-chief at its core.

Similar to the Annamese Army Corps, apart from its political label as an armed force of nobles, it actually had very few sons of nobles in its ranks.

If Li Mu hadn't been a core figure in the aristocratic faction, the Annam Army wouldn't even be considered part of that faction's armed forces.

If nothing unexpected happens, the aristocratic faction will fall apart after the war, and will never regain its former glory.

"Admiral, if you have chosen to fight to the death, how can we live on in disgrace?"

"I've already lost my life anyway, so what if I have to fight the Northern barbarians?"

The guards immediately stated their position.

They were all servants, and their entire families depended on the Jing family for their livelihood.

From birth, they are instilled with the idea of ​​loyalty to their master's family.

"Alright, then let's fight the enemy!"

Jing Yifeng said with a heroic air.

Having made up my mind, my initial fear of death gradually faded away.

The killing continued, and the entire battlefield had become a living hell, littered with severed limbs and broken bodies.

As soldiers fell one after another, the number of Yu soldiers participating in the battle decreased sharply.

Swallowing the poison he had prepared beforehand, Jing Yifeng mounted his warhorse once more and led his personal guards in the final charge of his life.

When the commander-in-chief leads by example and fights desperately, it has a tremendous impact on the morale of the troops.

Yu Jun, who had been in a slump, also launched a fierce counterattack.

The battle continued until evening before gradually coming to an end.

Apart from a few soldiers who managed to break through the encirclement, most of the officers and soldiers of the right wing army fell on the battlefield.

Despite being the victors in the war, the Tatar leadership had nothing to laugh about.

The battle, which lasted for a day and a night, inflicted heavy casualties on the grassland coalition forces.

If you simply calculate the exchange ratio, they are actually at a disadvantage.

During this period, many units were defeated and routed by the enemy.

If the supervisory team hadn't arrived in time, the allied forces might have been routed by the enemy.

The Tatars alone suffered 15,000 casualties, while the Guifang suffered nearly 40,000 deaths.

The auxiliary forces suffered the heaviest casualties, shrinking from 80,000 before the war to less than 30,000.

Of course, not all of the auxiliary troops were killed in battle; most of them took advantage of the chaos to escape the battlefield.

They were forced to just go along with it anyway, so naturally they had no loyalty to speak of.

When things are going well, one person can do the work of two, but when things are going badly, they can collapse in the blink of an eye.

Hugjil, the head coach, had bandages wrapped around his body.

The era of firearms has cut off the path for commanders to lead from the front.

No matter how strong or brave an individual may be, they are still just flesh and blood.

Before firearms, all beings are equal.

Fortunately, he was lucky; the bullet only hit his arm. If it had been just a fraction higher, he would have said goodbye to the world.

With current medical technology, if a bullet pierces the chest, regardless of whether it hits a vital organ, the chances of survival are not high.

Even if it's just a shot to the arm, if it gets infected, it can still be life-threatening.

"Everyone has seen the casualty figures."

Even a cornered army can inflict heavy casualties on us, so the Yu Dynasty is far from as weak as we imagine.

The time was not ripe to march south and destroy the Great Yu.

In the short term, we must first plunder the Great Yu to enrich ourselves and gradually build up our strength.

Hugjil said in a low voice.

From a strategic perspective, this southern expedition was undoubtedly a success.

It not only weakened the Great Yu militarily, but also dealt a heavy blow to the Yu Dynasty politically.

The reform efforts of Dayu were completely interrupted.

Without Jing and Li in charge, the noble faction would fall apart, and the Great Yu would once again be plunged into endless political struggles.

The central government's authority has further declined, greatly stimulating ambitious individuals, and anti-Yu forces across the country will become active again.

"Great Chanyu, simply plundering won't do; we need to occupy some territory."

The key to the gradual encroachment of the Great Yu is to nibble away at the enemy's territory. When opportunities come knocking, they cannot be easily let go.

If possible, it would be best to seize strategic locations such as Shanxi, Liaodong, and Xuanfu to establish strategic initiative.

Bortawanhu spoke first.

Compared to the initial strategic plan, the current expansion plan has been significantly scaled back.

However, for the Tatar Kingdom, this was still a case of a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

These regions combined have a population of over ten million, more than ten times the size of their ethnic group.

It's easy to seize these places, but difficult to hold them. "Borta, your appetite is too big."

Even setting aside whether we can absorb so many places, the Yu Dynasty would not accept such ceasefire terms.

Despite the enemy's heavy losses, their foundation remains intact, and they have vast territories behind them to replenish their forces.

If we push them too far, the various factions of the Yu Dynasty will join forces and wear us down.

It would be enough to use the momentum of a great victory to force the Yu Dynasty to abandon Liaodong.

If they cross the Great Wall and the Yu Dynasty feels a life-or-death threat, then the war will continue indefinitely.

Sarina immediately objected.

If he could take advantage of someone weak, he wouldn't mind swallowing Da Yu whole.

However, the recent battle made them realize that the elite troops of the Yu army were not lacking in the courage to fight to the death.

If they hadn't been so greedy, wanting to swallow up the right flank army in one gulp, the enemy wouldn't have fought them so desperately.

The heavily fortified siege ultimately resulted in one death and one injury.

Such a resounding victory was unacceptable to the Tatar dynasty.

If this happens once or twice more, their position as the overlords of the grasslands will be in jeopardy.

For the Tatar dynasty, the best option was to use its auxiliary troops and Guifang cavalry to wear down the Da Yu.

It doesn't matter how many of them die if they're not one of our own.

Even if you win on the battlefield, you're still a strategic loser if you personally get involved in exchanging pieces.

……

Gazing at the city ahead, Emperor Yongning couldn't help but let his tears flow freely.

From the time the emperor personally led the expedition until now, more than three months have passed, and he has finally returned to the capital.

Compared to the high spirits they had when they left, now all that remains is the relief of surviving a disaster.

Fortunately, the army withdrew in time; if enemy reinforcements had arrived any later, they would not have been able to escape.

Contrary to expectations, the officials did not come out to greet the emperor upon his return to the capital.

It wasn't that everyone was arrogant and domineering, not even giving the emperor a proper show of respect; it was mainly that the civil and military officials cared about their reputation.

Courtesy, that's the treatment given to those who have won a battle.

After suffering a defeat, we can simply sneak into the city; why do we need any grand gestures?

Immersed in the grief of defeat, Emperor Yongning was unaware of what this scene meant to the generals in the army.

The procession slowly entered the city and returned to the palace. Emperor Yongning couldn't wait to convene a court meeting.

Having been away for so long, and with the power in the court entrusted to the three cabinet ministers who remained behind, he was not at ease.

Having tasted the bitterness of losing power, I really don't want to go through it again.

"Your Majesty, news has come from the front that the right wing army launched a counterattack against the northern barbarians ten days ago."

The two sides fought fiercely for a day and a night. The right flank army was outnumbered and nearly wiped out.

Several high-ranking generals, including Commander-in-Chief Jing Yifeng, died in battle; it is estimated that no more than a thousand soldiers managed to break through the encirclement.

Upon hearing this devastating news, Emperor Yongning felt a pang of sorrow, and then realized that something was wrong.

"Why are we only receiving this message now, even though it was sent ten days ago?"

Although the battle was fought along the Great Wall, it was actually not far from the capital.

During wartime, military intelligence was transmitted via express courier, which traveled 600 li (approximately 300 kilometers).

Normally, he should have received the message while en route to the evacuation.

The fact that it's been delayed until now suggests either that something unexpected happened or that someone is deliberately blocking the news.

"Your Majesty, the message was sent a long time ago, but you just didn't see it."

As soon as Marquis Weiyuan finished speaking, the atmosphere in the court suddenly became subtle.

By directly targeting the emperor, they clearly intend to stir up a big controversy.

"Bastard!"

"I……"

Before Emperor Yongning could finish speaking, a group of nobles stepped forward and bowed to him.

"Your Majesty, the failure of this imperial expedition was entirely due to your own willful actions."

For the sake of the nation and its people, we humbly request Your Majesty to abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor!

These two simple sentences immediately caused an uproar in the imperial court.

When a war is lost, someone has to take responsibility, but usually it's the ministers who take the blame for the emperor.

This situation is special. Before Emperor Yongning could shift the blame, the noble faction took the initiative.

"For the sake of the nation and its people, we humbly request Your Majesty to abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor!"

As the officials were in a state of confusion, the three cabinet ministers stepped out of the queue.

What was thought to be a righteous rebuttal to the noble faction turned out to be a shocking rebuttal, as they also joined in the clamor for the emperor's abdication.

The quick-witted officials have realized that the top civil service officials and the aristocratic faction have reached an agreement.

Today's grand court assembly is the "Feast at Hongmen" that everyone has prepared for the emperor.

Seeing that the high-ranking officials had made their stance clear, the civil officials joined in twos and threes, pleading with Emperor Yongning to abdicate.

It's clear that Emperor Yongning was truly unpopular.

Normally, if such a scene were to occur during a court assembly, there would always be a few loyal ministers who would step forward to stop it.

From the moment the curtain rose until the officials took sides, no one spoke up for the emperor.

In the blink of an eye, almost all the officials in the court had left their positions.

Of the officials who remained in their original positions, only a group of upright officials remained.

It wasn't that they were particularly loyal; the main problem was that no one had informed them beforehand about this plan to depose the emperor.

Anyone who's been in the imperial court knows that this kind of information lag means being far from the center of power.

Before the leaders of the "pure stream" could even express their opinions, the officials, already sweating profusely, joined the petitioning procession.

In such a critical situation, one either sides with the officials or supports the emperor; there is no third possibility.

"For the sake of the nation and its people, we humbly request Your Majesty to abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor!"

Seeing that they were about to become a lone force, several bigwigs of the Qingliu Party hurriedly stepped forward to state their position.

Reason told them that if they didn't firmly take sides now, they wouldn't be able to leave the court alive today.

Not only will they die, but their entire family will also be affected.

Judging from the statements of the officials, it is almost certain that Emperor Yongning will abdicate.

Since the dawn of humanity, no emperor has ever been able to maintain his throne after losing the support of his officials.

"Hahaha……"

"You are truly my most loyal subjects!"

"You're all so eager to shift the blame for the defeat onto me. Don't you bear any responsibility?"

Who was the first to clamor for a personal military campaign?

"Who's responsible for making such a mess of logistics and supplies allocation?"

"Preserve your strength on the battlefield..."

……

Faced with Emperor Yongning's questioning, the officials all lowered their heads.

In an era where the emperor was the master of his subjects, it was hardly a glorious thing for ministers to step forward and force the emperor to abdicate.

Moreover, Emperor Yongning's shouts were not without reason.

The defeat in the war was caused by a combination of factors.

While the emperor certainly bears the greatest responsibility, the nobility and the civil service also have their own responsibilities.

The reason why everyone chose to force Emperor Yongning to abdicate was not the defeat in war, but the rapid deterioration of the relationship between the emperor and his ministers.

Emperor Yongning had done too many bad things, leaving his officials feeling insecure.

"For the sake of the nation and its people, we humbly request Your Majesty to abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor!"

……

(End of this chapter)