I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 280: Diverting trouble to the east
"Surrender? In Grand Secretary Li's mind, those who participated in treason and rebellion, crimes deserving the execution of nine generations of their families, can be appeased simply by surrendering? If others follow suit in the future, will there still be any law and order in the Great Yu?"

Ignoring the Minister of Justice's sarcasm, Grand Secretary Li continued, "Your Majesty, the Southwest Army has been stationed in the Southwest for more than ten years and is most familiar with the local customs, traditions, and landscapes. That is why they have been able to keep the foreign tribes out of the Great Yu Kingdom."

"If all the troops stationed in the southwest are executed or relocated, who will guard the southwestern border? If the Miao people in the southwest take the opportunity to invade and conquer the territory of Dayu, then it will be a great loss!"

Emperor Pingyuan's eyes darkened. He was blinded by anger and almost forgot about the Southern Frontier, which was eyeing Dayu with covetous intent beyond the southwest.

"Your Excellency's words are too alarmist," the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review retorted. "Our Great Yu has a strong military force of a million soldiers. How could we not be able to withstand a mere tribe from the Southern Frontier?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that Tang Zheng and the Southwest Army should be severely punished as a warning to others!"

Emperor Pingyuan nodded.

Grand Secretary Li earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, it is true that Dayu has a million soldiers, but it lacks good generals!"

Since the late emperor, there has been an emphasis on civil affairs over military affairs, resulting in a shortage of capable generals in the court. Emperor Pingyuan even established the position of military supervisor and dispatched eunuchs to various military camps to supervise and wield power.

Nowadays, apart from the Northwest Army, the military power of almost all other armies is firmly controlled by the eunuchs.

But how could eunuchs know anything about troop deployment and warfare?
Many generals were demoted or exiled due to conflicts with the eunuchs, further exacerbating the already talent-deficient situation in the Great Yu region.

The remaining generals were either too old to fight on the battlefield or too young to be experienced.

Given this situation in the court, how can we possibly wage war?
Grand Secretary Li suggested, "As the old saying goes, it is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but difficult to find a good general. The most urgent task now is to set up a military examination to select good generals from the heroes of the country and train them for the future."

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review retorted, "Grand Secretary Li also said that good generals are hard to find. Even if we hold a military examination tomorrow and select a few hundred promising talents, they will still need to be trained in the battlefield for several years."

"So, in the past few years, the imperial court just stood by and watched Tang Zheng grow stronger step by step in the southwest?"

The Minister of Justice sneered, "According to Grand Secretary Li's thinking, by the time Tang Zheng leads his army into Luoyang, Dayu will still not have cultivated any good generals!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Emperor Pingyuan, his head throbbing from the noise, asked Grand Tutor Zhang, who was sitting to the side, "What does Grand Tutor Zhang think?"

Grand Tutor Zhang stood up. “Your Majesty, this old minister believes that what Grand Secretary Li and the other officials said makes sense.”

"The traitors must be eliminated, but it is also true that there are no capable generals in the court. In that case, I believe we can send the Northwest Army to the Southwest to quell the rebellion!"

Emperor Pingyuan's eyes lit up.

"Absolutely not!" Grand Secretary Li immediately objected. "Your Majesty, the Northwest Army is stationed on the northwestern border to guard against the Tibetans and defend against the Turks. The weight of their responsibility and their importance is self-evident. If the Northwest Army is mobilized, the northwestern border of Dayu will become unstable!"

“Your Excellency is too worried,” Grand Tutor Zhang said slowly. “The Southwest Garrison has less than 50,000 troops, while the Northwest Army has a massive 300,000. The Northwest Army only needs to mobilize 30% of its forces to contend with the Southwest Army.”

"Furthermore, His Highness Prince Xuan is a brilliant military strategist, known as the God of War even in the Great Yu and the Turkic and Tibetan regions. With His Highness Prince Xuan personally leading the troops, the rebellion will surely be quelled within a few months. At that time, it will not be too late for His Highness Prince Xuan to return to the Northwest to garrison."

Grand Secretary Li sarcastically remarked, "Does Grand Tutor Zhang mean that the Turks and Tibetans will obediently wait for His Highness Prince Xuan to return to the Northwest and reignite the war?"

"I do not know when the Turks and Tibetans started their war, but although His Highness Prince Xuan has left the Northwest, there are still good generals guarding the Northwest. Prince Jiayu is His Highness Prince Xuan's second son and has the same demeanor as His Highness Prince Xuan. He will surely be able to defend the Northwest border well."

Grand Secretary Li was about to speak again when Emperor Pingyuan interrupted him.

"That's enough. Grand Tutor Zhang is right. Let's do as Grand Tutor Zhang says."

"Someone, immediately send an imperial edict to Prince Xuan, ordering him to lead 100,000 troops from the Northwest to the south to quell the rebellion!" Grand Secretary Li was so angered by Emperor Pingyuan's tactic of robbing Peter to pay Paul that he returned to his residence and lay on his bed, unable to get up.

After serving Grand Secretary Li his medicine, Master Li dismissed the servants in the room and said worriedly, "Father, His Majesty's actions may have ulterior motives."

"You noticed it too?" Grand Secretary Li coughed incessantly. "His Majesty wants to take this opportunity to weaken the Northwest Army and Prince Xuan's military power."

With 100,000 fewer troops, the Northwest Army's chances of defeating the Turkic cavalry have greatly diminished. Moreover, without Prince Xuan in command, if His Majesty were to send another military supervisor, the Northwest Army would inevitably descend into chaos, as there would be no one within the army capable of controlling such a supervisor.

If the Turks were to raise an army at that time, it would be a catastrophe for the people of the Northwest and the Great Yu!
It is hateful that His Majesty has been blinded by the desire to reduce the power of the vassal states, and has even disregarded the danger of national annihilation.

Master Li comforted his father, "Should your son send a message to Prince Xuan?"

Grand Secretary Li sighed, "What's the use of sending a message? Can our people outrun the imperial court's urgent dispatches?"

Even if we told King Xuan, what could he do? Could King Xuan disobey the imperial decree?

Master Li was at a loss. "Then what should we do?"

Grand Secretary Li shook his head. Now he could only pray that His Highness Prince Xuan would quell the rebellion soon and return to the Northwest Army.

"We can't control the fighting, but we must ensure that our supplies and military equipment are in place!"

This was the only thing the Li family could do for the Northwest Army and Dayu.

"My son will personally oversee the situation and will ensure that the Northwest Army receives not a single penny or grain of rice!"

Twenty days later, the imperial court sent an urgent message to the Northwest.

King Xuan was deeply shocked after reading Emperor Pingyuan's decree.

If it weren't for the fact that the Duke of Wei's family was filled with the dead and the demoted, making the situation too tragic, Prince Xuan would have suspected that this was a scheme orchestrated by Emperor Pingyuan and Tang Zheng!
How could this possibly involve him?

Suppressing a rebellion? His Northwest Army has always only fought against the Turks and Tibetans. When did it start to put the Southwest under the Northwest Army's control?

Are you still being unreasonable?
King Xuan took a deep breath, drove away the soldiers who were delivering the imperial edict, and summoned all the generals for a meeting.

Although Tang Zhao, who was practicing martial arts in the military camp, was unaware of what was happening, he still rushed to the royal tent to join in the fun.

King Xuan relayed Emperor Pingyuan's decree to everyone, asking, "Tell me, should I go or not?"

Tang Zhao felt that this was equivalent to "Am I going to rebel or not?"

Jiang Yiming felt the same way, but with Tibet and the Turks eyeing them covetously, and internal troubles constantly arising from external threats, it was not a good time.

“Your Majesty’s decree is one that Your Highness cannot disobey,” Jiang Yiming set the tone from the very beginning. “How exactly to fight is up to Your Highness.”

How can we fight? He doesn't want to fight at all!

King Xuan had fought alongside Emperor Gaozu in the southwest, where the climate and soil were extremely difficult to adapt to. When the Northwest Army arrived in the southwest, adapting to the climate and soil became a major challenge.

Not to mention the war!
If we win, we need to find a way to reassure the remaining soldiers of the Southwest Army; if we lose... we absolutely cannot lose!
If we lose to Da Yu, we're completely finished!