The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 165 Who are the Pillars of the State?
On the ninth day of the tenth lunar month, the autumn wind was bleak and chilly.

The Zhou emperor personally led his royal army to Yongning Town, and then dispatched Pan Mei, the guest envoy, as the inspector of Shouzhou, ordering him to pacify the local people within the territory of Shouzhou and let them return to their homes to resume their daily production and life.

The following day, Prime Minister Li Gu's letter of apology was sent to the imperial court by express courier, defending his withdrawal of troops and stating that his retreat was to preserve his military strength.

"Preserve our military strength?" Chai Rong was furious but laughed, slamming the memorial onto the table, making the celadon teacup clink. "What a silver tongue!"

"Hmph!" Chai Rong suddenly stood up, the hem of his crimson dragon robe brushing against the table. "Discarding their armor and weapons, throwing themselves into disarray, is this Li Gu's method of self-preservation?"

In an instant, all the civil and military officials in the tent held their breath and lowered their heads, no one daring to utter a word that would offend the emperor.

Just then, an autumn wind swept into the military tent, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker. Chai Rong paced back and forth with a frown, then looked up at the outside of the tent and remained silent for a long time.

He knew Li Gu's talent well; he was certainly no ordinary person. However, this time, he missed a crucial opportunity and almost caused a major disaster, which made him very unhappy.

However, recalling the Empress's advice, Chai Rong also thought it made a lot of sense. Besides, the war had only just begun and had not yet yielded significant results. If the officers in charge at the front were punished so severely, it would inevitably affect the morale of the troops.

After weighing the pros and cons, Chai Rong decided to adopt the Empress's suggestion and give Li Gu a chance to redeem himself through meritorious service.

After a moment's thought, he made a decision: "Remove Li Gu from his post as Commander of the Vanguard Army and reassign him to the Shouzhou Prefectural Government, where he will be responsible for all military affairs."

This imperial decree, though seemingly a demotion, actually still entrusts him with an important task. If Li Gu can do this job well, his previous mistakes will naturally not be investigated; but if he messes it up, then both old and new grievances will be settled together.

Wang Pu immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the vanguard cannot be without a commander for even a day. If we dismiss Prime Minister Li now, then the troops at the front will be without anyone to command them..."

In fact, he wanted to suggest to the emperor that Li Chongjin replace Li Gu as commander of the vanguard, because at present, Li Chongjin was the only general who could keep the situation in check on the front lines.

Moreover, the enemy had just achieved a great victory at Zhengyang, and having him command the vanguard would quickly stabilize the morale that had been shaken by the retreat. No matter how you looked at it, Li Chongjin was a very suitable candidate.

However, Wang Pu knew that the emperor was wary of Li Chongjin. Unable to fathom the emperor's thoughts, he dared not speak his mind and could only offer a subtle reminder.

"Minister Wang need not worry, I have already made arrangements." Chai Rong nodded slightly, then turned and sat down, saying in a deep voice, "I hereby appoint Li Chongjin as the Commander-in-Chief of the Huainan Road Campaign, to lead the vanguard troops and immediately advance towards Shouzhou City, and launch a full-scale attack on the city."

Yongning Town is less than 100 li from Zhengyang, and Shouzhou City is just north of the Huai River. Now that Chai Rong is personally leading a large army to the front line, he will arrive at the walls of Shouzhou City in a few days at most, so it is certainly safe to entrust the command of the vanguard to Li Chongjin.

As soon as he finished speaking, the officials in the tent naturally had no objections, as they were all used to the emperor's decisive and swift decisions.

The Hanlin scholar who was standing by walked to the side, took out the prepared white hemp silk paper, spread it out, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to draft the imperial edict appointing him.

At the same time, Chai Rong glanced around and then instructed, "My dear ministers, go and make preparations. We will set off early tomorrow morning. I will personally lead the central army to Zhengyang."

Everyone responded in unison and filed out of the tent.

……

At Zhengyang Camp, the first rays of dawn were just beginning to break.

Li Chongjin stood on the high platform of the training ground, wearing a set of finely forged mountain-patterned armor, the fine plates gleaming coldly in the morning light.

This nephew of Emperor Taizu Guo Wei was nearly forty years old. Time had left its mark on his angular face, his dark complexion showing a hint of fortitude, and his brows revealing the majesty of someone who had been through many battles.

Li Chongjin rested one hand on the hilt of his gilded sword at his waist, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over the soldiers in formation. Every soldier whose gaze fell upon him unconsciously straightened his back and gripped his weapon tighter.

"My lords!" Li Chongjin's voice boomed like a bell, echoing across the silent training ground. "Last night, His Majesty's decree arrived by fast horse, ordering us to march on Shouzhou City immediately!"

After saying this, he glanced at the soldiers below the stage and was very satisfied to see that they were all in high spirits.

Li Chongjin continued, "Previously, our army inflicted a great defeat on the reinforcements of the pseudo-Tang Liu Yanzhen in Zhengyang East, beheading more than 10,000 and capturing dozens of enemy generals and officers, including Xian Shilang! Now, the garrison of Shouzhou is isolated and without support, and affected by this great defeat, their morale must be low. This is the perfect opportunity for us to make our mark!"

He drew his sword abruptly, its blade flashing a blinding light in the rising sun. "Shouzhou City is on its last legs! The day we fall, His Majesty will surely bestow a great reward! My wife and children will be honored, and my family will be glorious—it will all happen now!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and startling the birds in the forest into scattering.

Li Chongjin turned to his generals and shouted, "Order all battalions to immediately break camp and raise troops! Cavalry first, followed by infantry. We must cross the Huai River today and reach the walls of Shouzhou!"

"Yes, sir!" the generals roared in response.

In less than an hour, several thousand elite cavalrymen had assembled.

War drums thundered and horns blared. Iron cavalry surged out of the camp like a torrent, the sound of their hooves shaking the earth slightly, and a chilling aura soared to the sky.

Li Chongjin rode his horse across the camp gate, squinting at the long lines of soldiers in the distance, a sharp glint in his eyes. In this southern campaign, the emperor had sent him to lead the vanguard, yet entrusted Li Gu with command of the front-line troops, clearly out of wariness and suspicion of him.

But what was the result?
Liu Yanzhen's reinforcements were still 200 li away when Li Gu was so frightened that he withdrew his troops from the city of Shouzhou. The hasty retreat caused considerable losses and had a great impact on the morale of the army.

If I hadn't led my troops to defeat Liu Yanzhen's forces east of Zhengyang, the course of the war might have taken a very different turn.

Hmph! Thinking of this, Li Chongjin felt very unhappy and secretly harbored a sense of humiliation.

He instinctively tightened his grip on the reins, and more thoughts surfaced in his mind, such as Zhang Yongde... that guy was able to rise to power through nepotism, which was nothing more than the emperor wanting to use him to check and balance himself.

But when it comes to military achievements and seniority, how can that guy compare to me? Back when I was fighting alongside my uncle Guo Wei in the north and south, Zhang Yongde was probably still somewhere peeing and playing in the mud!

But now the other party is in charge of the Palace Guard, and his status is equal to his own.

If we also consider another of the emperor's relatives by marriage within the Palace Guard... compared to Zhang Yongde, the commander of the Palace Guard, Li Chongjin felt that the empress's brother-in-law was a more troublesome competitor.

In less than two years, the other party had risen from a junior officer in the Imperial Guard to become the number two figure in the Palace Guard, a promotion that was truly astonishing.

However, now is not the time to worry about these things. The most urgent task is to take Shouzhou City as soon as possible and prove our worth with real military achievements.

He secretly plotted in his heart: This battle must be fought quickly to capture Shouzhou City, so that the emperor can clearly know who the pillar of the state is!
"Giddy up!" Li Chongjin immediately suppressed his thoughts, gently spurred his horse forward, and his crimson cloak fluttered in the wind.

……

At the same time that the vanguard was crossing the river, nearly a hundred miles away in Yongning Town, Emperor Chai Rong's central army had also broken camp and was heading towards Zhengyang.

Two days later, Chai Rong led his central army to Zhengyang in a grand procession.

The emperor's entourage, like a giant dragon, meandered along the official road, with crimson dragon flags fluttering in the autumn wind and gold-embroidered dragon patterns gleaming in the sunlight.

Chai Rong rode on his imperial horse, clad in a battle robe and golden armor, his brows furrowed as he gazed at the distant outline of the city.

Outside Zhengyang City, Li Gu had already led his civil and military officials to kneel by the roadside. He was dressed in plain clothes and did not wear an official hat, as a sign of his remorse.

As the imperial procession drew near, Li Gu touched his forehead to the ground and respectfully said, "Your subject Li Gu pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

The emperor immediately reined in his horse and coldly looked down at the high-ranking official. Li Gu's official robes were covered in dust, and his hair was disheveled; he was nowhere to be seen as the dignified prime minister he once was.

Chai Rong was angry and did not tell Li Gu to get up, but let him kneel down and talk.

Li Gu immediately trembled with fear, knowing that the emperor's anger had not yet subsided. He quickly prostrated himself and kowtowed, saying, "I was confused for a moment and withdrew my troops to defend the front without authorization, which caused me to miss the opportunity and almost caused a disaster. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Foolish?" Chai Rong sneered, "If Li Chongjin hadn't defeated the Tang reinforcements in time at Zhengyang East, I would probably be leading my troops to retreat to Yingzhou right now!"

Even if he didn't intend to pursue Li Gu's mistakes for the time being, and allowed him a chance to redeem himself, his anger was hard to quell anytime soon. He could take this opportunity to teach Li Gu a lesson and also to give others a warning.

"Your Majesty, I deserve to die!" Li Gu trembled, not daring to argue, only kowtowing heavily, blood already visible on his forehead. The officials kneeling beside him were terrified, even their breathing was slowed, for fear of provoking the emperor's wrath.

Seeing this, Wang Pu hurriedly stepped forward and advised, "Your Majesty, although Prime Minister Li has made some mistakes, his loyalty is undeniable. Moreover, the military affairs in Shouzhou are heavy, and a capable minister is still needed to oversee them..."

Fan Zhi, the chief minister, also spoke up to plead for leniency: "Prime Minister Li will surely be able to atone for his crimes and perform meritorious service to repay His Majesty's kindness in not punishing him."

Chai Rong remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Li Gu. Seeing that he looked haggard and had gray hair at his temples, his anger subsided slightly.

Recalling the tireless efforts Li Gu made during the personal expedition last year, and the fact that the other party had been captured by the Khitan in his early years and subjected to six severe tortures without yielding... he also made great achievements in military service and the management of the Yellow River.

All of this flashed through Chai Rong's mind, and his anger dissipated by more than half.

He felt he had given you enough of a warning, so he softened his tone slightly and said with a flick of his sleeve, "Considering your years of diligence and the fact that you are in need of capable people, I will allow you to atone for your crimes through meritorious service. However, if there are any problems with the dispatch of military supplies at the front lines, I will not spare you again!"

Li Guru was granted a general amnesty and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to your grace!"

Chai Rong said no more, and the imperial carriage continued on its way, heading straight into Zhengyang City.

Wang Pu followed closely behind and whispered, "His Majesty is magnanimous. Prime Minister Li will surely be grateful and do his best to complete the task entrusted to him by His Majesty."

"I hope so," Chai Rong said calmly. "Send someone to the front lines at Shouzhou to see how the siege is progressing."

(End of this chapter)