The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 208 Wu Yue's defeat and Wang Kui's death

The twilight's afterglow slanted through the window lattice, casting a dappled, yellowish shadow on the floor of the official residence.

Li Yi tidied up the documents on his desk and was just about to get up and stretch when he heard steady footsteps outside the door.

Looking up, I saw Xiang Xun stride into the room, bringing with him two pieces of news—

Firstly, the army sent by the Wuyue Kingdom to attack Changzhou was defeated by the Southern Tang reinforcements at the foot of Jinling City.

Bao Xiurang, the commander-in-chief of the Wu-Yue army and the prefect of Quzhou, was captured alive. Luo Sheng, the commander of the Central Army, was killed in battle. Wu Cheng, the right prime minister who was supervising the army, escaped back to Hangzhou alone.

Secondly, Wang Kui, the military governor of Wuping who led troops to Ezhou, was assassinated by his subordinate Pan Shusi.

The army led by Wang Kui that attacked Ezhou had all withdrawn from the territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the siege of Ezhou was thus broken without a fight.

Upon hearing these two things, Li Yi was slightly taken aback, feeling a sense of "both reasonable and unexpected" welling up inside him.

Because it is indeed something that happened in history, but the problem is... it shouldn't be happening in the present timeline, right?

Xiang Xun's expression was slightly solemn, and his brows were slightly furrowed. He said, "It is said that Wang Kui died before the defeat of the Wu-Yue army. Zhou Xingfeng, who was guarding Tanzhou, learned of the news and sent an envoy to Tokyo to report to the emperor. The round trip took several days."

"After Wu Yue's defeat, Qian Hongchu immediately sent someone to report, and the speed was even faster. The two reports were sent to the front line of the defense almost at the same time by such coincidence."

Li Yi invited Xiang Xun to sit down and had hot tea served before asking, "Brother Xiang, what happened that led to the defeat of the Wu-Yue army and the death of Wang Kui?"

Xiang Xun sighed and said, "According to Qian Hongchu of Wuyue, he ordered Wu Cheng and others to lead troops to attack Changzhou. They had already captured the outer city wall of Changzhou and captured Zhao Renzhe, the false commander of the Changzhou militia."

"However, the false Right Guard General Chai Kehong led troops to the rescue, covered the ship with tents, hid the soldiers inside, and falsely claimed that he was going to welcome Qiao Kuangshun, the Imperial Secretary who was on a mission to Wuyue, back to the country to report."

"The patrolling soldiers of the Wu-Yue army reported the matter, but Wu Cheng, who was in charge of supervising the army, did not investigate it carefully and directly ordered the Tang army to let them pass. As a result, the Tang army was able to land smoothly and take advantage of the Wu-Yue army's unpreparedness to break through the camp."

"Qian Hongchu submitted a memorial stating that due to the defeat in battle and the collapse of Wu Cheng's troops, he was worried that the Tang army would take advantage of the victory and invade. He had ordered Lu Yanzhu's troops, who were attacking Xuanzhou, to retreat back into Wuyue territory."

At this point, Xiang Xun picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued, "As for Wang Kui's death, Zhou Xingfeng's report was vague, only saying that Wang Kui's subordinate, Pan Shusi, secretly led his troops to retreat from outside Ezhou City, preparing to return to their garrison in Yuezhou. Wang Kui then led his men to pursue them overnight, but was ambushed by Pan Shusi halfway and fell off his horse and died in the chaos of battle."

"But according to the speculation of Fan Xiang and other gentlemen, it may be because of the severe cold that the soldiers of Wuping Army were unwilling to fight. In addition, when the news of our dynasty's temporary suspension of the advance spread, Wang Kui's generals must have all been reluctant to retreat, which led to the disaster."

After listening, Li Yi pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed a reason that cannot be ignored. Whether it is Jingchu or Wuyue, they all assisted our army in attacking the pseudo-Tang. Their generals and soldiers saw that our dynasty had already laid down its flags and stopped fighting, so naturally they no longer had the desire to fight."

"If the soldiers do not want to continue fighting, they will inevitably become lax and resistant. In that case, any unexpected situation may occur."

Xiang Xun nodded in agreement, saying, "That makes sense... Otherwise, how could things suddenly change when everything was going well?"

Li Yi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, considering carefully before saying, "Both of these news items are not good. Now that Wang Kui has suddenly died, chaos is bound to break out within the Wuping Army. It's impossible to get them to help restrain the Tang Army now; we can only hope they won't cause us any more trouble."

"As for Qian Hongchu of Wuyue, he was willing to send troops to help in the battle before, firstly because he dared not offend our dynasty, and secondly because the main force of the Tang army was tied down by our army, so the risk he had to bear was much smaller. But now that such a thing has happened, he may have the idea of ​​backing down."

Xiang Xun's gaze fell on Li Yi, who was sitting upright at the table, and he suddenly chuckled, "Brother, you see things very clearly! No wonder the Emperor trusts you so much, appointing you as the 'Acting Judge of the Imperial Procession' for this suburban sacrifice. Your wisdom and insight truly deserve such trust."

He wasn't just flattering me; he genuinely thought so.

In Xiang Xun's view, this newly emerging young general did not achieve his current status and position solely through risking his life on the battlefield.

From his initial suggestions on reforming the Imperial Guards and eradicating long-standing abuses, to his advocacy of "suppressing Buddhism" to replenish the treasury, and then to his ingenious ideas on renovating Longjin Street and boosting commerce... each and every one of these was beyond the comprehension of an ordinary military man. In this chaotic world, there were quite a few generals skilled in archery and horsemanship and capable of fighting.

However, warriors who can not only wield weapons and ride horses on the battlefield, but also possess keen insight and unique perspectives are truly rare.

If there is any flaw, it might be that the other person inevitably suffers from the common problems of youth: they don't know how to conceal their talents and are a bit too impetuous.

For example, during the campaign to conquer Shu this year, he made two pledges: once before the emperor and the other before Wang Jing, the general in charge of the western expedition. Not long ago, he proposed the military strategy of "the first battle is the decisive battle, and one battle will determine the fate of the nation" at the Privy Council.

But as the saying goes, flaws don't detract from virtues; the other person's daily words, actions, and interactions with others are generally considered calm and composed.

It's hard to imagine that someone from such a humble background could develop such vision and knowledge.

Indeed, troubled times breed heroes, regardless of their origins... Xiang Xun couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He felt that the current emperor had a keen eye for talent; having just ascended the throne last year, he had already discovered and promoted such a talent from the Imperial Guard.

Back when the current emperor returned from his campaign against the Northern Han, he mentioned marriage at Shangcai Post Station, wanting the empress's sister to marry Li Yi.

However, nothing came of it, so everyone dismissed it as a joke made casually by the emperor.

Who would have thought that after the Imperial Guards were reorganized at the beginning of the year, the marriage proposal would actually come true... Looking back now, doesn't it just show that the Emperor had a discerning eye and had long recognized this person's potential?
Li Yi said modestly, "Brother Xiang, you flatter me. I was just guessing. As for this job of 'Powerful Judge of the Imperial Sacrifices'... Alas, to be honest, Brother Xiang, the myriad details involved have truly given me a headache, and I have no leisure time at all."

Xiang Xun glared and said, "Ordinary people would be eager to get this job! But you, my brother, are complaining about the trouble? Do you know that the envoy of the imperial procession is one of the five envoys of the Southern Suburbs Grand Ceremony? Although it is a temporary assignment, it is of great significance."

Li Yi half-jokingly said, "Brother Xiang, weren't you also appointed by the Emperor as the ceremonial envoy for the grand ceremony? That's far more prestigious than my position as a 'judicial judge'!"

Xiang Xun laughed heartily: "I've toiled for so many years to finally make something of myself, but I can't compare to your rapid promotion. Back when I was your age, I was just a lowly clerk by the Emperor's side!"

The two exchanged a smile and chatted for a few more minutes.

Finally, Xiang Xun stood up, straightened his sleeves, and said, "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. My dear brother, you should also get some rest. Tomorrow's suburban sacrifice ceremony is very busy, so please make sure you're well-rested."

Li Yi immediately stood up as well: "Brother Xiang is right..."

The two walked hand in hand out of the warm official residence, and the evening chill immediately enveloped them. Reaching the corridor, Li Yi bowed and said, "Thank you, Brother Xiang, for making this special trip to personally inform me."

Xiang Xun waved his hand: "It's alright! You'll know about these things by tomorrow at the latest. I just happened to be passing by and told you in advance."

After watching Xiang Xun leave, Li Yi stood alone under the eaves with his hands behind his back, not immediately returning to his room.

He looked up at the dim sky, his thoughts racing—the Wu-Yue army was defeated at the gates of Jinling, and Wang Kui died in the rebellion of Pan Shusi… The outcome of these two events was the same as the history he knew.

However, the timing, process, and cause of the events differ.

Does this prove that destiny is hard to defy, or should we say that history changes because of itself... or is it the result of the interaction between the two?

Thoughts swirled and collided in his mind. After a moment of silence, Li Yi gathered his thoughts, gently exhaled a breath of white air, and it quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

For him, doing the things at hand well is the priority, such as the suburban sacrificial ceremony early tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)