Fu Shanhe

Chapter 503 People are panicked
Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"What day is it today? Why are there so few people?"

The young emperor's question plunged the hall into a deathly silence.

Normally, before the court assembly even begins, all the officials would arrive outside the main hall to wait, fearing they might be even a fraction late.

Today, the situation is completely different. Even after the start time of the court assembly, less than 30% of the civil and military officials have come to attend.

With so many people gone all at once, it's impossible to cover it up with just a simple excuse of taking leave.

It was obvious that they felt the court was doomed and were preparing for the future, attempting to preserve their wealth and status through political severance.

"Your Majesty, the rebels breached the outer city yesterday, and everyone has gone to inspect the city's defenses."

Jiang Shuhan kindly concealed the truth.

The truth was too cruel; telling the young emperor would only add to his troubles and had no real meaning.

The fall of the outer city severely damaged the confidence of officials within the city.

If you look closely, you'll find that the officials who were clamoring to take the initiative are now nowhere to be seen.

It's clear that their loyalty to the court is all talk; in practice, they always prioritize their own safety.

"Ok!"

"Since everyone is busy, there's no need to wait. Let's begin the morning court session!"

Emperor Fu'an said calmly.

The royal children are often precocious, and he naturally noticed the stiffness in the Prime Minister's tone when he replied.

However, even if there are problems, they are not something he can handle.

"According to the order!"

The ministers responded in unison.

No matter how young the emperor is, he is still the emperor, and the proper etiquette must still be observed.

"With the outer city falling, do the Ministry of War and the Military Governor's Office have anything to say?"

After the formalities were completed, Vice Minister Bai Jilin took the lead in questioning him.

No wonder he was so angry; the outer city was lost in a very chaotic manner.

Despite having so many garrison troops in the city, they failed to stop the vanguard of the rebel army.

In his mind, the Beijing garrison was not that useless.

"While the Governor's Office bears some responsibility for the fall of the outer city, the Ministry of Revenue bears the greatest responsibility."

The military rations allocated by the imperial court were actually coarse bran.

The worst part is that even when they're eating bran, they don't let people get their fill.

Treating soldiers so harshly has destroyed morale; how can they fight a war with such a destructive attitude?

Marquis Weiyuan replied irritably.

This is not an attempt to shirk responsibility.

In the past, when his subordinates reported to him, he simply assumed that the generals below him were exaggerating.

At most, the Ministry of Revenue was short of money, so they mixed some bran into the military rations to make up the difference.

Given the difficult situation at court, it's understandable that everyone would have to endure a few days of hardship together.

He personally visited the military camp after the outer city fell.

Seeing the soldiers scrambling for the barely edible bran porridge, I realized how the Ministry of Revenue treated people.

By the time they realized the seriousness of the problem, it was too late.

The officers and soldiers below not only had grievances against the imperial court, but also harbored deep resentment towards him, the leader of the noble faction.

Both Jing and Li were in power, but what kind of lives did they lead when they were in charge, and what kind of lives do they lead now?

The stark contrast directly led to his and the Marquis of Zhendong, two noble leaders, losing their prestige in the army.

Of course, losing prestige is not a big deal, since they didn't have much prestige to begin with.

His rise to power was entirely due to the absence of a powerful figure in the mountains.

"Your Excellency is right. The Ministry of Revenue must bear full responsibility for the fall of the outer city!"

Minister of War Luo Wenbo then delivered the final blow.

The Ministry of Revenue is incompetent and has caused this mess; he won't take the blame.

The once-powerful Beijing garrison was reduced to a spineless state due to food shortages.

Looking at the entirety of history, it is an absolutely explosive phenomenon.

"Lü Lingfeng!"

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Shuhan spat out three words, only to suddenly realize that the person in question hadn't even shown up.

Not only was Lü Lingfeng absent, but almost all the core members of the Qingliu Party were also absent.

The few Qingliu Party members present at the court meeting were either a group of old scholars who were stubborn and inflexible, or greenhorns who had just entered officialdom.

"The situation is dire, the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Halfway through his sentence, Bai Jilin awkwardly realized that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had long been rendered ineffective by their actions.

Without a professional intelligence agency, figuring out whether the Qingliu Party members were colluding with the Liaodong rebels would not be something that could be accomplished overnight.

There is absolutely no time to waste in the current situation.

"Dispatch the Five Cities Garrison and immediately arrest Fei Xinyuan, Yue Xiangsong, Lü Lingfeng, and their accomplices. Delay could lead to unforeseen consequences!"

Jiang Shuhan immediately gave the order.

Political struggles are ruthless, and in critical moments, there is no room for sentimentality.

The Qingliu Party members did not participate in the coup to depose the emperor; if they were willing to switch sides, the rebels would certainly welcome them.

Given the collective absence of the Qingliu Party members from the morning court assembly, it can be almost concluded that they colluded with the rebels, or at least reached a tacit agreement.

As for the other faction officials who were also absent from the court assembly, there was no time to worry about that for the time being.

Even if accountability is to be pursued, we must first get through this crisis.

"Prime Minister, if they really are colluding, it's probably too late to arrest them now."

The capital city is short of food and cannot hold out for long.

If the rebels besiege the city for a month, the inner city will collapse without a fight.

For the sake of the nation and its people, we must prepare for the worst.

No matter how the situation develops, His Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the rebels.

In my humble opinion, it would be better to break through the siege and head to Shandong for temporary refuge, awaiting the arrival of the various armies sent to join forces in suppressing the rebellion!

Minister of Rites Yuan Tianyu made the suggestion.

It wasn't that he wanted to bring the war back to his hometown; it was mainly because, among the surrounding provinces, Shandong was the most stable.

In other provinces, rebels were everywhere, and local order had long since collapsed.

Even if the imperial court were to intervene, local government offices would be unable to provide any assistance.

Although Shandong also suffered from disasters last year, its favorable geographical location made up for it.

Not only is it located by the sea, but it is also adjacent to Southern Zhili.

The disaster victims could either flee south to escape the famine or join the migrant army directly at the port.

Since there are other options available, there's no need to take unnecessary risks.

Even if a few individuals have ideas, few are willing to follow suit.

In addition, being adjacent to Southern Zhili, it was easier to obtain grain from the south, making the situation within the province much more stable.

If the imperial court arrives in Shandong, the transportation route for money and grain to the southern provinces will be greatly shortened, and the efficiency will be improved accordingly.

When the owed money and food are paid out, the soldiers will have enough to eat, and their resentment will disappear.

Even if the Beijing garrison, having regained its fighting strength, couldn't defeat the Liaodong troops, it wouldn't be difficult for them to hold the city.

"Lord Yuan, the rebel army is mainly composed of cavalry."

Once outside the protection of the city, it would be impossible to safely reach Shandong with a large army.

The Marquis of Zhendong immediately poured cold water on the situation.

Evacuating the capital sounds simple, but in reality, it's a pipe dream.

The rebels might not care if ordinary people fled, but they would definitely pursue the imperial court relentlessly if it withdrew.

They probably wouldn't have made it to Tongzhou before being blocked by the rebels.

"My lord, the main force can't escape, but what if we reduce the number of people?"
The rebels are pursuing him because they know His Majesty has left.

We can easily arrange for doubles to impersonate His Majesty and the Retired Emperor in the palace to draw the rebels' attention.

At the same time, reliable guards were arranged to escort His Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus away from the capital to Shandong for temporary refuge.

To better deceive the rebels, we will remain in the capital until His Majesty has safely departed, at which point we will devise a plan to break out!

As soon as Yuan Tianyu finished speaking, the hall fell completely silent.

From a strategic perspective, the most crucial factor for the Liaodong rebellion to succeed was the timely control of the emperor and the retired emperor. Sending them away first would be tantamount to cutting off their lifeline.

But if that happens, the courtiers who stayed behind to distract the rebels will be in trouble.

The idea of ​​trying to find a way to break through is a joke in itself.

When the Liaodong troops entered the city, all of them became key targets of surveillance.

The Liaodong soldiers are not easy to talk to; if they ruin someone's plans, it's no wonder they're not allowed to live.

“Lord Yuan, it’s easy to distract the rebels. With me, the Grand Secretary, here, the rebels shouldn’t suspect anything.”

But how can we guarantee His Majesty's safe departure?

And how can we guarantee that His Majesty will be able to control the situation once he arrives in the area?

Jiang Shuhan asked, frowning.

For three hundred years, the Great Yu Dynasty nurtured scholars, and when the country faced crisis, it was never short of loyal and righteous men.

The challenge lies in ensuring the smooth implementation of the plan.

The emperor was young, and the retired emperor was an extremely incompetent ruler.

Without the assistance of key ministers, he simply couldn't control the situation, let alone clean up this mess.

"This……"

When it came to the core issue, Yuan Tianyu immediately stalled.

After safely sending the person away, we can also make some plans.

Subsequent attempts at regentship were simply unsolvable.

Selecting capable ministers to go to the capital is not just a matter of a single sentence; it also involves the interests of all parties.

If the interests of all parties cannot be balanced, even if a suitable candidate is chosen, they will still be unable to maintain order in the local area.

To put it bluntly, even if the imperial court moved there directly, losing the capital city would be a political disaster, and the local governments might not be willing to accept it.

Historically, only the Han and Tang dynasties managed to reclaim their capitals and achieve a unified empire.

The Han Dynasty was established by Emperor Guangwu who restored the land and rivers, and the connection can only be made because the Han Dynasty continued.

In reality, only the Tang Dynasty managed to retake the capital after its fall.

The process of the Tang Dynasty recovering the capital was extremely difficult.

After the fall of the capital, the local military governors often paid lip service to the emperor's edicts while secretly disobeying them.

After recapturing the capital, it was lost again not long afterward.

After going through several cycles of ups and downs, it ultimately met its demise.

The situation in Dayu was even worse; the emperor didn't even have time to escape before he was trapped in the city.

……

"Brother, the surrender proclamation has been out for so long, but no one has come out to surrender. Why don't we just order an attack on the city?"
We have informants inside the city; with their help from within and without, taking the city gates shouldn't be too difficult.

Shi Jingzhong offered his advice on the spot.

The successful capture of the outer city greatly boosted the morale of the troops.

With victory just one step away, the Liaodong army was eager to break through the inner city.

"Haste makes waste; we should stay calm, especially in situations like this."

Our force consisted entirely of cavalry. We were able to capture the outer city by catching the imperial court off guard.

Now that we're attacking the inner city, are you planning to send your cavalry to besiege it?

Moreover, the situation in the outer city is far less optimistic than you imagined.

The number of defeated soldiers scattered among the people is still unknown.

"How can we attack the city with peace of mind if we don't incorporate these people into our own ranks!"

Shi Jingfeng shook his head and refused.

While capturing the capital in one fell swoop would be incredibly glorious, the Shi family could not afford the losses.

Even if we really have to attack the city, we'll just recruit cannon fodder troops.

He knew better than anyone what those officials in the capital were like.

There are those who are willing to live and die with the Great Yu Dynasty, but they are definitely only a very small minority.

Moreover, he was using the title of the retired emperor, which essentially gave them a way out to surrender, so there was no reason for them to fight to the death.

The main reason for the lack of action is that those who participated in the overthrow of the emperor have no way out now.

After all, some political struggles are life-or-death from the very beginning.

If restoring the retired emperor to the throne is politically correct, then all the ministers who participated in deposing the emperor were traitors.

Promises of forgiveness are useless; once the political label of "traitor" is attached, it can never be removed.

For all those involved, they would rather die than admit that they were traitors.

These people happened to be in control of the court, and they chose to fight to the death. Even if others wanted to surrender, they could only think about it in secret.

The fact that the enemy does not surrender does not mean that the "political inducement to surrender" has lost its effectiveness.

The most important aspect of conquering a city is winning its morale; dividing it from within is far more likely to succeed than breaking through from the inside.

Moreover, they have the Shanxi merchant group as an ally, and there is already a group of people in the city who are inclined to support them.

These people are not good at working hard, but they are professionals at sabotaging others.

"Ninth Brother, what Eldest Brother said is right. We really can't fight head-on now."

There are also 70,000 to 80,000 troops from the Beijing garrison in the inner city, and these men are not to be trifled with.

If pushed too far, they'll choose to fight to the death, and our mere 10,000 cavalry might suffer a great loss.

Time is on our side; once the main force arrives, the outcome will be decided!

Shi Jinglin said with a smile.

The current way things are played in Liaodong Town is very similar to when Dong Zhuo entered the capital.

In order to put pressure on the city, the cavalry constantly went out to conduct operations, deliberately creating the impression that a large army was pressing in.

However, the marching speeds of cavalry and infantry are actually quite different.

If they were to travel with infantry, it would be impossible to complete a raid of more than 600 li within three days.

Fortunately, the morale of the Beijing garrison was low and they had no will to fight, otherwise they would have been exposed when they captured the outer city.

"Alright, you can go and recruit the defeated soldiers!"

Screen out all the generals and their servants, and don't let them infiltrate and cause trouble.

Remember to win people's hearts; there are many good soldiers in the Beijing garrison, we can't waste them."

Shi Jingfeng immediately gave the order.

The quickest way to increase strength is to incorporate various government troops.

He couldn't use the generals from the noble faction, but that didn't prevent him from using the soldiers trained by those generals.

The court's harsh treatment gave him the perfect opportunity to get involved.

The lower-ranking soldiers had a very simple sense of right and wrong: whoever gave them food, they would follow and risk their lives for.

We'll break it down and distribute it among the various departments; it won't be long before we can digest it.

……

"Brother Lü, Brother Le, the situation is not good!"
The Five City Garrison Commands mobilized in large numbers; if it weren't for the chaos in the city, we would have been found long ago!

Fei Xinyuan said with a worried expression.

It seemed as if he was secretly regretting his previous decision.

It's true that the Liaodong army is about to attack, but they haven't actually broken in yet. The imperial court still calls the shots inside the city.

The fact that the "pure stream party" hastily came out to take sides is clearly irresponsible towards their own lives.

No matter how dangerous it is, we can only endure it.

Those guys in Liaodong Town have virtually no political influence.

In order to control the situation, they will definitely put the retired emperor in charge of the government in the early stages.

We both know the Emperor Emeritus's temperament; he can't tolerate any injustice.

"If we don't take a stand, the lower-ranking officials might be fine, but the three of us are definitely dead!"

Le Xiangsong replied with a bitter expression.

There was no other way; given the situation that day, only a dozen or so people were qualified to oppose the abolition of the emperor.

It just so happens that all three of them are people who have a voice.

Although opposition is futile, in Emperor Yongning's eyes, not standing up to oppose is tantamount to betrayal.

Moreover, they later followed the trend and joined the court officials in "requesting" Emperor Yongning to abdicate.

(End of this chapter)