Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 142 The Western Sea Plan, Past Events

Emperor Yongping said calmly.

"Just last night, Consort Yue conspired with Prince Zhongshun, Marquis Xiaoyue, Duke of Beijing, and others to rebel."

"The Empress and the Crown Prince have been murdered. I only left the capital under duress."

"Now that the capital has fallen into the hands of the traitors, this is truly a time of crisis."

"Old Duke, I am currently in dire need of a protector to safeguard me. I wonder if you would be willing to help me?"

Upon hearing this, the British duke quickly bowed and said...

"The British government has been blessed by the Emperor for generations, and dares not fail to serve His Majesty to the death."

"This old minister is willing to obey Your Majesty's orders."

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"The old Duke is loyal to the country, which greatly pleases me."

"Duke Zhang Bi of England, obey my command."

"The old minister is here."

"I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal for Suppressing the Rebellion, and give you control over the military power of the three prefectures near the capital."

"This is the Golden Token. With this token, you shall immediately summon troops from the three prefectures to come to the capital to defend the emperor and punish the rebels."

"Old minister, I obey."

After the British prince received the golden token, Emperor Yongping continued.

"Old Duke, I entrust the safety of the capital to you."

"Within the capital, there are also a large number of members of the imperial family, princes, and ministers."

"A weighty responsibility is imminent."

The Duke of England said solemnly.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Where does Your Majesty plan to stay during this period?

Emperor Yongping gave the Duke of Yingguo a meaningful look and then said.

"Old Duke, who do you think built this villa where you live?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Ying looked at Emperor Yongping in shock.

The Duke of Ying is truly confused now, unable to figure out what Emperor Yongping's true intentions are.

Based on the current situation, my son-in-law must have known something beforehand, which is why he brought the whole family, including the British family and the Sheng family, to this remote mountain to avoid disaster.

Judging from how easily Emperor Yongping found this place, the Duke of Ying felt that Emperor Yongping and his son-in-law must have had some communication.

Now it seems that it wasn't just communication; even this hiding place was provided by Emperor Yongping.

In other words, Emperor Yongping must have foreseen this rebellion long ago.

In that case, it's likely that Emperor Yongping deliberately sent the Empress and the Crown Prince to be killed by the rebels.

The more the Duke of England thought about it, the more horrified he became. He dared not think any further and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty is the most honored person in the land, and there is absolutely no room for error."

"Please take good care of yourself, Your Majesty. I will return to welcome Your Majesty back to court after I have led the army to pacify the capital."

Emperor Yongping had a clear understanding of the Duke of Ying's reaction.

However, Emperor Yongping did not mind this.

After all, the Duke of England was loyal enough, and since this matter involved the royal family, the Duke of England was mature and prudent, and naturally would not leak the matter.

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"Old Duke, please do as you please. If you can capture the rebel leaders alive, then do so. If not, kill them without mercy. Do not let a single one escape."

"The minister obeys the order."

After arranging the suppression of the rebellion, Emperor Yongping moved into a separate residence.

This put some pressure on everyone in the villa.

However, Emperor Yongping rarely left his residence, and it is unknown what he was busy with in his room.

The Duke of England, along with his sons, began to conscript troops, thus beginning the campaign to restore the capital and quell the rebellion.

Leaving aside the events in the capital, let's turn our attention to the Western Sea. After a long voyage, Jia Jue led his army to the western coast and successfully landed.

After the army arrived and set up camp, Gu Qianfan couldn't wait to go to the commander's tent to see Jia Jue.

In the dim candlelight, Jia Jue looked at Gu Qianfan, who had an anxious expression, and asked him.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Gu Qianfan quickly said.

"General, after the Duke of Nan'an led the vanguard to recapture Mingjing City, he led his army to plunder the city. After that, the entire army became extremely unrestrained, and the city's defenses were neglected."

"The Western Sea Barbarians dug tunnels in Mingjing City and left thousands of people behind in advance."

"They launched a surprise attack on the city tower under cover of night, and with the help of those inside and outside, opened the city gates and let tens of thousands of Western Sea barbarians into the city."

"The 80,000 vanguard of the Western Navy were completely annihilated by the Western Barbarians, and the Duke of Nan'an was also captured alive by the enemy."

Jia Jue looked slightly surprised after hearing this, and then snorted coldly.

"Useless trash, he's not worth dying for, but he ruined my plan."

Jia Jue originally thought that even if the Duke of Nan'an was incompetent and greedy, as long as he could confront the Xihai Shengfan head-on and restrain them, he could lead his army deep into enemy territory and wipe out the Xihai Shengfan's stronghold.

The complete annihilation of the Western Navy's vanguard has undoubtedly disrupted Jia Jue's plans.

After a moment's thought, Jia Jue looked at Gu Qianfan and asked.

"Qianfan, how long will it take for the Imperial Guards and the main force of the Beijing Garrison to arrive at the Western Sea front?"

Gu Qianfan replied without hesitation.

"According to the information received two days ago, the reinforcements will not arrive for another twelve days."

"General, the vanguard of the Western Navy has been wiped out. The Western Navy is only 200,000 strong at full strength. In addition, the corruption in the army is appalling, and there are many who embezzle funds. The actual number of troops is only 150,000. After the loss of 80,000 vanguard troops, the remaining Western Navy troops are all old, weak and disabled, and have no fighting power whatsoever."

"Currently, the aboriginal people in the Western Sea are stirring up trouble and have the potential to swallow up the entire Western Sea."

"The reinforcements will not arrive for more than ten days. If they are allowed to wreak havoc in the Western Sea for more than ten days, I'm afraid the entire Western Sea will be devastated."

After pondering for a moment, Jia Jue stood in front of the map and spoke.

"Lord Zhongjing, Commander Gu, come and see."

"Our army is currently located in the southeast of the West Sea. To our northwest lies the West Sea jungle, the stronghold of the Western Sea barbarians."

"Lord Zhongjing, didn't the navy ships carry ten ships of oil?"

Marquis Zhongjing, Shi Ding, nodded slightly and then spoke.

"Reporting to the commander, there are indeed ten ships carrying oil."

After hesitating for a moment, Jia Jue spoke with a firm gaze.

"Immediately unload all ten boatloads of oil from the ship."

"Lord Zhongjing, I hereby order you to lead an army of 30,000 men, carrying these oils, and to march 200 li within three days. At midnight three days later, use the oils to turn the Xihai forest, where the Xihai barbarians have lived for generations, into a sea of ​​fire."

Shi Ding was shocked upon hearing this. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at Jia Jue and said...

"General, the Western Sea has a million inhabitants. Such slaughter is... I'm afraid..."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"In times of emergency, we must act expediently and not worry about anything else."

"If we don't kill them, are we supposed to let them kill the people of my Great Zhou?"

"It is now September, and the wind is blowing from the southeast. Ten boats of oil are fueling the fire, and the wind is helping the fire to burn."

"Once a wildfire starts, it spreads like wildfire, and no human can outrun it."

"Of these million barbarians, not one in ten survived the fire." "Although the killing was excessive, blame it on their being born as barbarians. If they remember to be born into my Great Zhou in their next life, they will not suffer this misfortune."

"Before you set fire to the place, remember to cut down a firebreak first, so as not to burn yourselves."

"After the mission is completed, you will retreat southeast along the same route."

"As for the Western Sea barbarians on the front, I will lead an army of 10,000 to meet them personally."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ding quickly replied.

"General, this is not appropriate. There are tens of thousands of Western Sea barbarians on the front. You are leading 10,000 troops. I'm afraid you are not up to the task."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Back then, when I led five thousand iron cavalry, I dared to charge straight into the center of the two hundred thousand main force of the Xiongnu. What is there to fear about a mere tens of thousands of barbarians from the Western Sea?"

"If they stay obediently in Mingjing City, I can't do anything to them. We can just stall for time and wait for reinforcements to arrive before attacking the city."

"If they dare to leave the city and fight in the open, I will show these barbarians of the Western Sea that the elite of my Great Zhou are not the good-for-nothings of the Western Sea Army."

"We will make sure they never return."

Seeing Jia Jue's soaring spirit, Shi Ding could only nod and say something.

"Since the commander-in-chief is so confident, this humble general will obey."

"After the fire is set, I will lead the army to retreat immediately and then go to the aid of the commander-in-chief."

Jia Jue said after smiling calmly.

“Lord Zhongjing, there’s no need for such a stern expression. Just wait and see.”

"Commander Gu, are the guides you were asked to prepare ready?"

Gu Qianfan quickly agreed.

"Reporting to the Commander, a total of sixteen guides have been prepared and arranged."

Jia Jue smiled with satisfaction and said.

“Very good, Marquis Zhongjing, ten guides are assigned to you. The army will rest for a day and break camp at dawn tomorrow. The Western Sea Forest is now in your hands.”

"Rest assured, Commander, I will certainly live up to your mission."

After assigning the tasks, Shi Ding hurriedly went down to mobilize the troops.

Inside the command tent, Jia Jue looked at Gu Qianfan and asked.

"Qianfan, where is Gu Tingye? Where is he now?"

Gu Qianfan recalled for a moment and then said.

"He did not participate in the Battle of Mingjing City. He was quite clever, knowing that given the current state of the Western Navy, the Battle of Mingjing City was most likely a trap, so he pretended to fall off his horse and recuperate in the rear."

Jia Jue said after thinking for a while.

"In that case, you shall immediately take my military order and go to take over the rear guard of the Western Navy. Then, I will order Gu Tingye to temporarily take charge of the rear guard of the Western Navy and see if we can find a suitable person among the less capable ones."

"In addition, matters concerning the logistics and supplies of our army are also entrusted to the Western Navy."

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Any Western Navy commander who dares to disobey orders shall be executed without exception."

"clear."

Gu Qianfan immediately accepted the order and left.

After that, only Jia Jue remained in the huge command tent.

At this moment, Jia Jue couldn't help but worry about his family far away in the capital.

Despite having made extensive preparations, Jia Jue still couldn't help but have some concerns.

Jia Jue had long been aware of the problem regarding the rebellion in the capital.

Just before Jia Jue left the capital this time, Emperor Yongping gave him some special instructions, which led to Jia Jue arranging for his family to hide in a secluded mountain villa.

Thinking of this, Jia Jue felt a little sympathy for Emperor Yongping.

It's true that it's lonely at the top.

After sorting out his thoughts, Jia Jue shook off his distractions and couldn't think about anything else.

Right now, I still have to clean up this mess in the West Sea.

If I were to let the situation in the West Sea deteriorate further because of my own distraction, that would be irresponsible to my soldiers.

After reviewing the military report and analyzing the enemy's and our own situation, Jia Jue began to rest and recuperate.

The next day, the army split into two groups. Thirty thousand troops followed Marquis Zhongjing straight to the Western Sea Forest, while ten thousand troops, led by Jia Jue, quickly set off towards the Mingjing City area.

It is foreseeable that the upcoming battle in the Western Sea will inevitably escalate to a fever pitch.

Time flies, and three more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Qianqing Palace in the capital, the rebel leader Consort Yue and others gathered together. At this moment, everyone stared at each other, at a loss for what to do.

"I am extremely anxious," said the Duke of Bei Jing.

"It's been three days already, and we still haven't found any trace of His Majesty?"

Xiao Yuehou shook his head and said.

"We searched the entire palace, but there was no trace of His Majesty. We also interrogated all the palace eunuchs and maids, but no one knew His Majesty's whereabouts."

“We even thought before that if it didn’t work out, we could simply restore the retired emperor to the throne and make the second prince the crown prince.”

"But the retired emperor refused and even sealed off the Daming Palace."

"This road is also blocked."

The Duke of Dongping was furious and cursed.

"Okay, so you guys did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"His Majesty only has two princes. Now that the Crown Prince is dead, even if you rebel, His Majesty will have to keep the Second Prince as his only heir, no matter how unwilling he is."

"You guys are really ruthless. You're using us as scapegoats to pave the way for the Second Prince, aren't you?"

Consort Yue felt incredibly disgusted upon hearing this. If her son had truly survived and been named Crown Prince by His Majesty, then she would have tolerated the Duke of Dongping's words.

But Consort Yue knew in her heart that His Majesty already knew this secret.

After Consort Yue married Emperor Yongping, she was unable to conceive for two consecutive years.

Consort Yue initially thought she was unwell and took a long time to recuperate, but the doctors all said that Consort Yue was perfectly healthy.

But at that time, Emperor Yongping and Empress Shen already had a son, so Emperor Yongping should have been fine too.

Just as Consort Yue was puzzled, she discovered a secret: Empress Shen had been secretly arranging for someone to drug Emperor Yongping.

After discreetly withholding some of the medicine, Consort Yue invited a renowned physician to examine it.

Then Consort Yue received a startling answer: these drugs were all designed to render men infertile.

Moreover, these drugs are carefully formulated and will not render men impotent, but will only cause them to be infertile.

After reaching this conclusion, Consort Yue killed the renowned physician to silence him.

Then she began to ponder what she should do next.

Consort Yue considered exposing Empress Shen to Emperor Yongping, but while this would certainly lead to Empress Shen's deposition, it would also bring her own troubles in the future.

After all, the eldest prince was Emperor Yongping's only son. He had caused the death of the prince's birth mother, so it was no wonder that the prince could live a comfortable life.

In feudal society, a woman without a son would inevitably face a miserable old age.

After much deliberation, Consort Yue made up her mind to keep the matter a secret and to have a child through artificial insemination.

Therefore, Consort Yue set her sights on Prince Zhongshun.

Prince Zhongshun was also unable to control his lust, and under the deliberate seduction of Consort Yue, the two also became lovers.

More than a year later, the second prince was born.

Consort Yue was initially worried that Empress Shen would notice something amiss, but after learning of Consort Yue's pregnancy, Empress Shen first sulked for a few days, then doubled the dosage of the drug she gave Emperor Yongping, and the matter was dropped.

(End of this chapter)