Dugong

Chapter 103 Three Principles of Military Strategy
The first day of the fourth month in the second year of Yongning.

The Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs plotted a rebellion.

The next day.

Kyoto was placed under martial law, and the city was searching for and arresting any remaining rebels.

……

At noon.

More than a hundred people were kneeling outside the Hall of Diligent Governance.

The first row consisted of imperial princes, the four Grand Secretaries, and trusted ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor; the second row comprised high-ranking officials; and afterwards, officials and nobles.
Li Ping'an was the only exception; he was ordered to investigate the case and knelt to the right of the King of England.

Not long after rejoining the cabinet, Grand Secretary Zeng glanced with disgust at the eunuch on his left, who was the successor of the "traitor of Chu".

Li Pingan sensed the keen gaze, tilted his head, and gave a gentle and friendly smile, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"concubine!"

"You brat, cough cough cough..."

Grand Secretary Zeng coughed violently a few times, almost unable to breathe, his eyes wide open, staring at Li Ping'an in disbelief.

Even when Eunuch Chu was alive, he would treat Grand Secretary Zeng with utmost courtesy, and he would never openly expose any past conflicts or rivalries between them.

What's wrong with the younger generation these days?
Li Ping'an ignored Zeng Ge Lao. He could shut up an official from such a clean background by spitting out a single sentence and then ignoring him.

Sure enough, Grand Secretary Zeng's face turned red, but he was too proud to argue with the eunuch.

The Grand Secretary Cui, who was standing nearby, asked, "Is Lord Zeng feeling unwell? Don't try to tough it out; call the imperial physician to take a look."

"No need for Lord Cui's concern."

Grand Secretary Zeng looked down on Grand Secretary Cui, who came from a powerful maternal family, and snorted coldly before closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

When Grand Secretary Cui was rebuffed, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "I was a third-rank scholar in the imperial examination back then, what are you, a mere third-rank scholar, pretending to be so important!"

at this time.

The Hall of Diligent Governance was heavily guarded, with many old eunuchs protecting Emperor Yongning, both openly and secretly.

suddenly.

From outside the hall came the voice of Eunuch Wei: "Your subject Wei Yun requests an audience with Your Majesty."

A strange light flashed in Emperor Yongning's eyes. In the past, Eunuch Wei was always elusive, but today he was requesting an audience outside the palace.

Just as the Emperor had said, Eunuch Wei was extremely loyal, and at the same time, he showed that even a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm was no match for a pack of wolves.

Emperor Yongning rose to personally greet him: "Mr. Wei, please come in quickly."

After entering the hall, Eunuch Wei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your aid. I hope you will forgive me."

"This is not Mr. Wei's fault; it was my greed that led me to this."

Emperor Yongning waved his hand, signaling Eunuch Hai, Eunuch Yuan, and the eunuchs who were both overt and covert guards to leave the Hall of Diligent Governance, leaving only the emperor and his minister to talk.

Eunuch Wei said helplessly, "I have failed Your Majesty's trust and have not been able to kill the barbarian Grand Master."

Emperor Yongning asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure it's him, Mr. Wei?"

"determine."

Eunuch Wei nodded and said, "The late emperor fought him several times during his reign, so his aura is definitely accurate. Moreover, below the Innate Realm, it would be extremely difficult for him to escape from my grasp."

Emperor Yongning sighed, "In truth, I harbor a sliver of hope that the Prince of Zhenbei is truly loyal to the dynasty, for his clansmen are still in the capital..."

Eunuch Wei declined to comment, saying that His Majesty's gentle nature was a good thing for the officials and the people, but sometimes he seemed a bit weak.

If it were the late emperor, he would never have had such a desire.

Emperor Yongning looked towards Cining Palace. Eunuch Leng had neither the qualifications nor the connections to collude with the Grand Master, and it was only through the matchmaking of Consort Zhang that things progressed.

"There are some things I've tolerated for a long time; it's time to settle accounts!"

……

After a while.

The gates of the Hall of Diligent Governance were wide open, and the imperial eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Attend court!"

Officials and nobles filed in, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Emperor Yongning coldly swept his gaze across the assembled officials, his eyes lingering on Prince Chu and the others. "If I had passed away last night, I wonder who would have succeeded me."

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongning desperately wanted a son. "My beloved ministers, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

All the officials and nobles rose, but Li Ping'an and Zhao Hui remained kneeling on the ground; the former remained calm, while the latter wept bitterly.

Emperor Yongning, knowing the answer already, asked, "Why is Seventh Brother doing this?"

Upon hearing the address "Seventh Brother," Zhao Hui's anxiety immediately subsided. He was grateful that his father had chosen a benevolent ruler; if it had been the Fourth Brother, he would have had no chance of survival.

"This sinful subject was misled by treacherous officials and harbored improper thoughts. This act of disloyalty and filial impiety deserves death. I beg Your Majesty to grant me a complete corpse."

Emperor Yongning asked, "Is what the Prince of Ying said true?"

"true."

Li Ping'an replied, "This servant led the search of the Prince of Ying's residence and found no overstepping of authority."

Zhao Hui wept and said, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

When Emperor Yongning saw Zhao Hui throwing a tantrum, a look of disgust flashed in his eyes. He felt a strange envy for the tyrannical and incompetent rulers in history who could ignore anyone's objections and kill whomever they wanted.

Unfortunately, the nation is currently in a period of weakness and needs a benevolent ruler to allow it to recuperate and thrive.

Whether Emperor Yongning was truly benevolent or merely pretending, he had to act as a benevolent ruler and try his best to project a gentle demeanor.

"It is understandable that Seventh Brother was deceived by treacherous officials, but he has committed a crime and must be punished. His title of Prince shall be stripped and he shall be demoted to Marquis of Linchuan. He shall go to his fief as soon as possible."

The Prince of Yi was demoted to Marquis of Linchuan. Although this was still a high-ranking official position, the punishment was severe.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

Zhao Hui dared not have any objections. The confession and punishment in court today had already been discussed in the Imperial Study. This was just a formality.

Subsequently, the King of Chu, the King of Qin, and others took turns apologizing, and Emperor Yongning offered a few words of harsh criticism and comfort.

All matters concerning the outer court have been considered closed.

The storm within the inner court has only just begun.

……

The next two weeks.

The Imperial Household Department, following the list left by Eunuch Leng, took turns purging the remaining rebels.

Hundreds of people were beaten to death, and the stench of blood lingered for days.

Countless people fell into wells or went missing. Rumor has it that a young eunuch in the kitchen found a human finger bone in his food, and from then on, no one dared to use the well water in the palace.

The emperor was angry and laid down millions of corpses.

Moreover, the palace eunuchs are not even considered human beings; the deaths of a few hundred eunuchs, when converted into silver at market price, are not even comparable to the number of horses that die in the Imperial Horse Stables every year.

……

Jingying.

North Sixth Guard Training Ground.

Li Ping'an sat upright in front of the army formation, his eyes sharp as he watched more than twenty grain supervisors distribute military pay.

The soldiers were already familiar with this way of receiving their pay. After receiving their silver and receipts, they would kneel and shout "Long live the Emperor!" while secretly thinking of the eunuch's kindness.

Who says all eunuchs are wicked? Commander An was a really good person!
Li Ping'an always wore a slight smile, and whenever a soldier secretly glanced over, he would subconsciously nod in response.

Perhaps it's a response to one person, or perhaps it's a response to many.

Li Ping'an knew nothing about military strategy or tactics; Eunuch Chu had never taught him, and there were no such books in the palace. Therefore, he could only resort to the most rudimentary method.

He would always be present to supervise whenever military pay was distributed.

Even if it takes two days and two nights of hard work, with a stiff and pale face and neck, they still have to ensure that the soldiers' pay is delivered to them in full.

"In my opinion, the so-called methods of training soldiers are nothing more than three things: showing power, showing favor, and giving money!"

Li Ping'an's idea was simple, which seemed like a crude trick to famous generals, but it was able to firmly grasp the power of the lower-ranking soldiers.

Two days and two nights later, all the pay for the twelve guards was distributed.

As was customary, Li Ping'an booked the Dingxiang Restaurant to host a banquet for the military officers, but not all of them, only the young heroes of the martial arts world under his command.

After several rounds of drinks, he ordered several large boxes of silver to be brought in, the gleaming silver ingots dazzling the eyes.

"Our family doesn't know military strategy, all we know is how to distribute silver. Everyone carries a pocketful, and how much you get depends entirely on your own abilities!"

(End of this chapter)