Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 887 A Proclamation to the Southwest
After hearing Yang Yuan's words, the Hall of Diligent Governance fell into silence.

Seeing this, Yang Yuan slowly stood up from his seat: "Gentlemen, don't think that just because I speak so easily, it really is easy. Cough cough..."

Yang Yuan clutched his chest and coughed a few times: "Why did I rush back to the capital before I had recovered from my illness, upon hearing of the chaos in Western Xia?"

Gentlemen, when Wanyan Liang learned of the internal and external troubles facing our Great Song Dynasty, did he... remain inactive?

The ministers looked at each other, then were startled.

Yes, if Wanyan Liang were to suddenly interfere while the Song Dynasty was already in a mess, wouldn't that be adding insult to injury?

Yang Yuan slowly walked to the center of the main hall and stood steadily in front of the emperor's writing desk.

"Given the serious errors made by you gentlemen in all military and political decisions, both domestic and foreign, during the period when I was unable to attend to state affairs due to illness!"

"Given the current state of affairs facing our Great Song Dynasty: turmoil on all sides, widespread poverty, military defeats, and the loss of territory!"

"From now on, all the highest decisions of our Great Song Dynasty, both domestic and foreign, shall be made directly by Your Majesty and by Prime Minister Yang Yuan of the Great Song Dynasty."

"If any of you disagree, then please come out and clean up this mess!"

"If you can't do that, then the real situation requires absolute decision-making power!"

"I will request Your Majesty to issue a proclamation to the world, announcing that our Great Song Dynasty has entered a state of war!"
All human, material, and financial resources were subject to the unified command and arrangement of the imperial court under this condition.

All political, economic, and cultural activities, as well as all agricultural, industrial, commercial, military, and civilian occupations, shall unconditionally accept the court's command, arrangements, and appointments!

Upon hearing this, Chen Kangbo and the others were about to explode.

But Yang Yuan changed the subject and continued: "In return, I solemnly promise to quell the rebellion in Liangshan Prefecture, the financial crisis in the four routes of Sichuan and the Three Gorges, and the civil uprising before New Year's Day."

They pledged to complete all preparations for the recapture of Xixia Road before New Year's Day this year.

If I fail to do so, I will, on New Year's Day, resign from all my posts, be stripped of my title, and accept all punishments from the court!

Upon hearing this, some ministers who were originally prepared to launch into a tirade immediately fell silent.

Like a gambler who goes all in and then throws himself back onto the table.

Someone's betting their life on you, are you going to go for it or not?

Huang, the acting Vice Minister of Revenue, his eyes flashing, was the first to step forward and loudly proclaimed, "This humble official agrees!"

Upon seeing this, Chancellor Chen Weiqing and Ma Chongyuan, not wanting to be outdone, immediately stepped forward and echoed, "Your humble servant agrees!"

Qian Duanli was somewhat worried that his son-in-law was being reckless.

Who knows what kind of chaos has broken out in this place, which is thousands of miles away from Liangshan Prefecture?
What if he makes a boast and is unable to fulfill his promise?
Could it be that he's really going to resign from his position as prime minister?
Yang Yuan has reached this point and has no way out. Once he loses power, the consequences will be unimaginable.

However, now Yang Yuan has put himself in this predicament.

Although Qian Duanli was extremely worried, there was no reason for him to disagree with him at this time.

Therefore, Qian Duanli slowly stood up: "This humble official also agrees!"

Zheng Yuandong pondered for a moment, gave Yang Yuan a deep look, sighed inwardly, and finally stood up: "I, the Privy Councilor, also agree!"

Huang Xu secretly gave a wink to the ministers Chen Kangbo, Chen Junqing, Zhang Jun, and others who were still hesitating.

Huang Xu had pinned his hopes for purging the court on the plan to assassinate the powerful and treacherous Yang Yuan.

Therefore, he didn't care whether Yang Yuan was trying to seize power.

By agreeing to his request, you can first lull him into a false sense of security and lower his guard.

Secondly, we can make one last use of Yang Yuan's political wisdom.

He then made a series of arrangements to pacify Liangshan Prefecture and stabilize the four routes in Sichuan and the Three Gorges.

Then, capture and kill them in one fell swoop!
Then the internal and external affairs of the court can be decided in a day or two.

Chen Kangbo and others did not quite understand why Huang Xu was the first to stand up and agree, but they were very clear that Vice Minister Huang was a staunch anti-Yan faction member.

In terms of loyalty and intimacy with the emperor, even they cannot compare.

Therefore, there must be another reason for Vice Minister Huang's statement.

Furthermore, Yang Yuan is already the prime minister, and this request only concentrates power in one place. His Majesty can still restrain him.

And most importantly, they really don't have more than a 30% chance of solving this mess.

Not to mention, it was resolved before New Year's Day.

How long until the end of the year?
Only four months!

Just conveying the imperial decree to Xuzhou would probably take half a month; how could it possibly arrive in time?

Thinking of this, Chen Kangbo slowly stood up and said, "I agree!"

Seeing that the Left Chancellor had also expressed his opinion, Zhang Jun and Chen Junqing naturally no longer objected.

Thus, after this imperial conference without the emperor's presence concluded, Prime Minister Yang Yuan seized control of the government.

After Yang Yuan assumed control of the court as Right Chancellor, his first decree issued in the emperor's name was:
Shen Xuzhong was dismissed from his post as the Pacification Commissioner of Tongchuan Road and ordered to return to the capital to await further investigation.

The reason given was that the government "did not abide by the national constitution and laws, was incompetent and corrupt in governance, and suffered heavy losses in military operations."

The successor was General Shi Han, who was transferred from Lizhou Central Route.

As for Lizhou Central Route, the one-armed hero Chen Zhuoguang was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.

Then, Yang Yuan, in the name of the emperor, issued an imperial edict to appease the rebels in Liangshan.

This imperial edict placed all the blame on Sun Haohan, the supervisor of the mint who had been hanged by the mutinous army, and Shen Xuzhong, the pacification commissioner of Tongchuan Road who had just been dismissed.

Finally, he addressed the rebellious people of the twelve prefectures of Liangshan, saying, "I, Yang Yuan, have been granted imperial authority to oversee all military and civilian affairs in the realm, including matters of suppressing rebellions, banditry, and pacification."

Considering that you have your reasons, you are hereby ordered to lay down your weapons and return to farming and forestry the day the decree arrives.

All affairs at the Oasis Gold and Copper Mine were restored to their original state.

In addition, another 10% will be allocated from the original distribution ratio and given to the indigenous leaders of the twelve counties of Liangshan for their own distribution.

As for the missing 10% of military pay for the mine guards, hasn't the imperial court always controlled the distribution of their military pay?

This portion of military pay was naturally supplemented by the imperial court.

If you understand the Emperor's will and are grateful for His grace, immediately submit, cease fighting, and return to your livelihoods, then you will all be forgiven.

Otherwise, the barbarians of Mahu in Xuzhou will serve as a warning to you!
I, the King, will personally lead a large army to Liangshan Prefecture to quell the rebellion! Upon the arrival of the army, the ringleaders and their families will be exterminated, and all those who were coerced into joining will be executed!
Yang Yuan used both threats and inducements, issuing an imperial edict along with a military order and a state letter.

The military order was for the Mad Army, which had been stationed in Xuzhou and had become a local militia. Yang Shou personally carried the order to the camp.

The Mad Demon Army will immediately revert to the Imperial Guard, under the command of Yang Shou. If the twelve barbarian tribes of Liangshan Prefecture refuse to cease hostilities, they will immediately set out to quell the rebellion.

At the same time, another secret order was issued to the Liangshan Prefecture Mining Protection Army.

I've restored all your privileges; stop staying at home with your wives, kids, and warm beds.

How long can we live off our savings?

Don't you want to leave your children and grandchildren a respectable legacy?
The next day, Yang Yuan had a brief meeting with his prospective father-in-law, Qian Duanli.

The engagement letter with the Qian family was hastily completed without inviting any guests.

On the third day, the imperial court issued another decree, appointing Qian Duanli as the Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan.

He was ordered to immediately go to Sichuan to resolve a series of economic crises.

As long as the gold and copper mines in Liangshan Prefecture resume production and the minting bureau in Liangshan Prefecture resumes imports, the main economic problems in the Sichuan-Gansu region can be solved.

However, the series of events that have now erupted have caused many irreversible and serious damages to the people's livelihood and economy in the Sichuan-Guizhou region.

This process, including natural recovery, may take seven or eight years.

With Qian Duanli, a financial savvy god of wealth, big problems can be solved.

Of course, the "imperial court" also gave him several powerful weapons.

Policies such as tax reductions, tax exemptions, and the issuance of low-interest or interest-free loans through official financial institutions such as the Inspection and Verification Office, the Market Supervision Office, and the Pawnshop.

Qian Duanli was already skilled in economic management, and with the policies given by Yang Yuan, it was as if he was picking up political achievements for free, so he was naturally happy to go.

Besides, as a Vice Chancellor, he was a second-rank official.

But he wasn't the only one who held the position of Vice Chancellor.

The Sichuan Pacification Commissioner was also a second-rank official, but he was a powerful regional governor who held absolute power.

Yang Yuan's father-in-law has had enough of managing the money and is quite eager to experience the taste of power.

So, overjoyed, he went to Sichuan to take up his post.

After news of Yang Yuan taking control of military and political power, mobilizing the Mad Army of Xuzhou, and ordering the rebels of Liangshan Prefecture to immediately lay down their weapons reached Bozhou, Yang Xuan's army finally completed its assembly.

It lasted for... two and a half months.

Meanwhile, Dali received a letter from the Song Dynasty requesting the Dali Kingdom to send troops to assist the Song Dynasty in quelling the rebellion in Liangshan Prefecture.

"That little rascal, she's always Zhong Wuyan when she needs something, and Xia Yingchun when she doesn't!"

Empress Gao Shuyao of Dali held the little prince, pouted, and tossed the letter of state to Consort Dao.

"Here, you take care of your man's business."

Consort Dao was breastfeeding her child and didn't even glance at the imperial edict: "Isn't this also your child's father's business? You go and handle it."

Gao Shuyao wrinkled her nose and said to her junior sister Yangjinlamu, "Go and tell the emperor to gather three thousand troops and take a trip to Liangshan Prefecture."

Tell those tribal leaders to know when to stop!

Otherwise, if that killing god Yang Yuan really arrives, even if we escape into the Biluo Snow Mountain, we won't escape with our lives.

"Yes!"

Yangjin Lamu, who often sat in the palace in place of Gao Shuyao and acted as empress in governing the country, has undergone a great change in temperament and demeanor.

But her respect and loyalty to Gao Shuyao remained unchanged.

If it weren't for Gao Shuyao, she would be completely obscured, and there would be no way she would be where she is today.

Yangjin Lhamo hurriedly went to Yang Liangao's bedroom.

Yang Liangao's senility can no longer be hidden from anyone; the entire court has noticed something amiss.

However, the Gao family, who controlled seven-tenths of the Dali Kingdom, said nothing, and the one who took charge of state affairs was the empress, who was a woman from the Gao family.

Furthermore, although the emperor was somewhat... uh... "not wise," fortunately, the country was stable and the empress did not cause any trouble.

Moreover, the emperor already has a crown prince, so there is hope for the future of the country.

Therefore, the ministers turned a blind eye to Yang Liangao's "lack of wisdom".

Yang Yuan's measures regarding Liangshan Prefecture and the four routes of Sichuan and the Three Gorges have already been announced, making them an open secret.

After careful deliberation, Chen Kangbo, Huang Xu, and their ilk felt that following Yang Yuan's method, it was indeed possible to settle the matter by issuing a proclamation.

On the one hand, their concerns about the chaos in Liangshan Prefecture and the four routes of Sichuan and Shaanxi immediately eased.

On the other hand, they also became more wary of Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan has such power; if he were to harbor rebellious intentions, who could resist him?
Huang Xu recounted Yang Yuan's various accusations to Zhao Dun, and as soon as he began to express his concerns, Zhao Dun cried out in alarm.

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor! Yang Yuan is here; he wants to kill me! Protect the Dragon Palace, quickly protect the Emperor!"

Xiao Luo hid in the shadows, looking utterly helpless.

Huang Xu looked at Zhao Dun with a constipated expression, and suddenly thought of Emperor Yingzong of Song, Zhao Shu.

Historical records state that on the fourth day after Emperor Yingzong of Song, Zhao Shu, ascended the throne, he suddenly went mad, crying and laughing wildly, claiming that someone wanted to harm him.

At Emperor Renzong's funeral, he became even more erratic and incoherent. Chancellor Han Qi had to rush forward and pin the deranged emperor to the ground to ensure that the funeral could continue.

Could it be...

Thinking of this, Vice Minister Huang felt a pang of anxiety.

Once Zhao Dun completely loses his mind, who will listen to the orders of a mad emperor?

Vice Minister Huang originally intended to wait until Yang Yuan's strategy for pacifying the southwest took effect before planning to kill Yang Yuan.

Seeing that Zhao Dun's illness was becoming more and more frequent, Vice Minister Huang couldn't help but worry that the emperor's condition would become uncontrollable by then.

Looks like we need to act as soon as possible!
(End of this chapter)