Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 139 The court is in turmoil, the old and the new.

Starting on October 15th of the calendar, the troops that had followed Emperor Xu on his personal campaign returned in defeat. This was not a complete rout, but rather a helpless lament, echoing the "Song of the Charioteers."

At dawn on the 16th, the garrison commander, dressed in his pajamas, rose from his tent in the central army camp. He looked at the soaring murderous aura emanating from the Sun Limitation Division, a few miles to the north.

Emperor Xu walked toward the desk, while the Attendant had already unrolled the map. His fingers traced patterns on the silk cloth engraved with various geographical symbols, then suddenly stopped five miles outside his own camp. As he stared at the location of the Red Army's encampment on the map, the sounds of battle filled his mind.

Several hours later, he saw the fleeing soldiers. Although he sent his personal guards to inquire, no news had come back yet, but he knew that this was yet another defeat.

The emperor walked into the main camp and calmly said to the many armored soldiers, "Don't panic."

Emperor Shu controlled his panic, at least outwardly, and asked the general: Where are their reliable troops?
Although he wished for as many soldiers as possible to protect him at this moment—a subconscious human reaction in a crisis—his inherited destiny as the Son of Heaven told him that an emperor was not allowed to panic like an ordinary person.

Therefore, under the supervision of the emperor, the soldiers who entered the camp began to quietly and discreetly recount the current situation.

After entering the camp, the military commanders around Emperor Shu seized the opportunity to "offer their opinions to His Majesty." They tacitly reported the size of their troops that they could mobilize at the moment, and then offered their advice to Emperor Shu based on the military strength they could still control.

Inside the tent, the emperor, holding a mirror, readily accepted the advice and delegated command authority to the most capable individuals one by one! This was because his mirror not only reflected the true thoughts of those who offered advice but also revealed whether others held positive views on the advice.

In military strategy, in a major battle involving more than 5,000 troops, when chaos occurs at the front line, the first priority is not to increase the defensive forces around the center, but to have the reserves form a barrier in the direction of the chaos to prevent it from spreading.

At this critical moment, Emperor Xu did not interfere with the legion unnecessarily, but instead chose to delegate authority.

Thus, the massive and rigid legion made a tough decision, abandoning the collapse zone of the bombing-Japanese forces in the east and directly establishing new positions to block the fleeing soldiers and the enemy's onslaught.

Several kilometers away, within the Hao army's formation, Zhao Cheng, having detected this scene through the Ya people, immediately adjusted his deployment.

He ordered his light cavalry to stand by, circle around to the rear of the Da Yao front camp, raise dust and create a commotion, making it appear as if they were about to attack.

Within the main camp of the Emperor of the Yao Army, since the Emperor's command system was still in place, after observing Zhao Cheng's flanking light cavalry, a paper phoenix unit was immediately launched from the rear camp tent. This paper phoenix unit, stepping on foot pedals, took off into the air with the flapping wings of bamboo dragonflies on both sides of its back.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Paper Phoenix troops arrived above the Hao army cavalry and fired rockets with incendiary devices attached to them at the attacking enemy.

Although the rockets did not cause much damage, the troops on the Yao Army's side, including the main force and the routed soldiers running around outside the main force, no longer panicked when they saw the Hao Army cavalry, who seemed to be "aggressive" and ready to devour people, dodging the rockets in a sorry state. The routed soldiers who had been scattered by the Hao Army and driven here earlier began to regroup.

…The fierce battle begins…

Three hours later, just as Zhao Cheng's vanguard infantry of 5,000 men were 200 paces from the main camp of Emperor Da Yao, and the left and right flanks of the remaining soldiers were suppressing the reinforcements of the Yao army, Zhao Cheng's assault troops and Emperor Da Yao's central army clashed. After the first round of crossbowmen from both sides exchanged fire, the armored soldiers of both sides began to line up and engage in close combat.

The soldiers could feel their own crossbow bolts whizzing overhead. Meanwhile, enemy bolts rained down on them like a hail of bees, and they struggled to hold the iron-clad wooden shields strapped to their arms high.

Finally, amidst suppressed breathing, the melee units clashed. The carnage of tens of thousands was a bloodbath that filled the sky. The heavens were cloudless, the stars and sun shone brightly, and even a blood moon could be seen.

After about half an hour of fighting, as some of the Yao army lines were forced to retreat and could not hold on, black smoke began to rise from behind, causing the Yao soldiers in front of the lines to keep looking back.

It is important to understand that in a battle involving tens of thousands of people, when the fighting reaches its most intense stage and both sides are holding their breath, the loss of the command flag or instability in the rear can be factors that shake the morale of the soldiers fighting on the front lines.

The reason for the black smoke behind the Yao army was that a group of dragon horse cavalry sent by Zhao Cheng were constantly lighting torches and throwing them at flammable materials. Their damage was not significant, but it had the effect of "shaking the morale of the Yao army".

Returning to the front lines, in this critical moment, the Emperor did not leave, so the generals and soldiers remained steadfast. The central army dispatched a subordinate official to each front, shouting slogans such as "His Majesty is still here, hold on, hold on!"

The perspective shifts to Hao Jun's main position. Zhao Cheng, looking at the still resilient Yao army, couldn't help but sigh, while the soldiers following him were also shaken by the Yao army's tenacity.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Cheng still did not give up. He chose the southeast corner and sent his last elite reserve force there.

At the command of the banners, three squads of Heavenly Dragon Crossbowmen rushed to the front lines. These powerful long-range phalanxes moved toward the battle line, as imposing as an iceberg approaching the Titanic.

On the main camp of the Yao army, the dragon-horse knights (Yao army adjutants) flying in the sky, upon seeing the movements behind the Hao army's lines, hurriedly flung out their command flags, attempting to notify the ground commanders to bring up the archers from the rear.

However, the moment this junior officer of the Yao Army drew his flag, he was struck by an arrow.

The arrow was fired by Zhao Cheng's three subordinates, who rode the Haotian Lion and hovered in the sky, seizing this crucial moment. They drew their bows and fired several arrows to suppress the enemy, thus slowing down the Yao army's deployment by twenty breaths.

For large-scale troop deployment, this "200ms" delay had already had a fatal effect. Hao Jun's Heavenly Dragon Crossbowmen arrived at the battlefield first.

When the first volley of arrows from the dragon crossbowmen swept past the reserve troops behind Da Yao, the screams of the archers in the rear of the Yao army caused the armored soldiers who were cutting down the enemy at the front to let out their last breath in panic; the already shaky line collapsed first.

Twenty breaths later, the Yao army archers finally caught up, but they only fired one volley. The lighter arrows bounced off the dragon crossbowmen's armor and did not create any effective suppression on the battlefield. As the dragon crossbowmen adjusted their firing, the Yao army's momentum was at a disadvantage when they fired their crossbow bolts in the second volley.

The third round was met with suppression. When the archers of the Yao army saw their comrades' calves and chests pierced, they were not so frightened that they ran away, but they panicked and could not draw their bows properly, and their arrows were all out of aim.

When the Haotian Dragon Guards, armed with shields and halberds, pressed forward, the chaos behind Da Yao intensified. Da Yao's southeast side collapsed first, followed by a chain reaction of fleeing soldiers.

…Destiny…

An hour later, Zhao Cheng watched as the main force of the Yao army regrouped ten kilometers away and steadily retreated, and he sighed.

He won the battle just now, but it wasn't a complete victory; Hao Jun first broke through Yao Jun's left flank, but Yao Jun's central army of two thousand men still held firm for half an hour.

After the two thousand elite soldiers in formation were finally shot down by crossbow bolts, the banner of the garrison commander was re-erected among the fresh troops that arrived three miles behind. The Great Yao was not only composed of this group of five thousand soldiers, but also had more behind him.

The various regional military forces brought by the emperor were too numerous, with a wealth of elite soldiers and generals. As long as they were not completely defeated in one blow, it was not considered a complete defeat.

The Yao army was like winter ice; even if you put in the effort to break it into a pulp, it would refreeze if you were too slow. Zhao Cheng had already annihilated many of the Yao army's generals and elite troops, but he was already too full to eat anymore.

The Yao army, centered around the emperor, has regrouped. Although their remaining morale prevents them from continuing the fight, they are not something the Hao army can easily break through and take down.

Zhao Cheng could only watch as the Yao army retreated in formation. As for the fleeing soldiers, he was unable to pursue and kill them.

As for Zhao Cheng's attack this time, he has already launched two proactive forward assaults. From initially flattening Hongrixian to now defeating the main force of the Garrison Emperor, he has advanced a total of five li. If he advances another ten li, he will lose the battle.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states: "If one rolls up one's armor, travels lightly and swiftly, day and night without stopping, and marches at double speed to seize a hundred miles of territory, then even the generals of the three armies may be captured; with the elite troops in front and the weak behind, according to the usual pattern, only one-tenth of the men will reach their destination."

Although Zhao Cheng now knows Wu Fei is in Bo County, he has learned from his conversation with Pu E that there is a general in Zhenzhou skilled in surprise attacks. If he continues his relentless pursuit while exhausted from the current fighting, leaving no openings, then the Zhenzhou general could simply copy Zhao She's strategy from the Battle of Eyu, launching a surprise attack on the rear supply lines, cutting off the last supply route, and then waiting in ambush. Zhao Cheng's current advantage would quickly turn into a complete defeat.

Therefore, Zhao Cheng decided to retreat with his entire army. However, things were not peaceful at the Emperor's place. After Zhao Cheng left, his secret guards discovered that his generals seemed to be plotting something.

…the aftermath of the war…

After the emperor's personal expedition suffered a setback, the territory of Da Yao west of Thang Long Pass was not reclaimed.

This caused the colors of the northern trigram on the map of mountains and rivers to change rapidly, becoming increasingly multicolored. Officials in various prefectures began reporting instances of arrogant and domineering military families within their territories.

On October 19th, the news reached the court of Da Yao, causing a great shock throughout the capital. Since Wu Fei launched his attack two months ago and conquered Bo County, there had been widespread talk in Da Yao about the incompetence of the pseudo-Hao regime.

Ten days ago, news came from Bohai that Wu Fei had led a detachment to achieve a series of victories, while the Emperor had gathered the elite troops from the north. Shouldn't the world be at peace by now? But now the fighting has turned out like this?!
The battle reports from the west and Bo County arrived almost simultaneously. However, the high-ranking families in Yaodu were all talking about the topic of "Emperor Xu being trapped".

In the eyes of those high-ranking officials in the court who had a broader perspective, what was the current situation of the emperor? It was a matter of utmost importance.

The old minister, his beard white, said, "His Majesty's ability to withdraw is more important than anything else!"

Before the court assembly, the more conservative faction in the court held a small meeting at the residence of the late Minister of Works, Sikong. Among them, the heir apparent of the Minister of Works said, "The Bo people are currently in high spirits, their army has won three consecutive battles, and their morale is at its peak. They absolutely cannot surrender without a fight. Therefore, we should put pressure on the Eastern Market army, then turn west or north—in short, launch an attack! This way, the false Hao will be unable to pursue His Majesty."

Beside the candlesticks, maids used scissors to trim the wicks so that the flames would burn brighter.

Sima, Situ, and Sikong reached a consensus and ordered the Ministry of War to draft a military order overnight. The order was simple: command the Eastern Market Army to immediately capture Gushou Pass. Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the vicinity of the Zhou Prince's residence, where another group of ambitious individuals are also plotting. After leaving the palace, the Zhou Prince's advisors visit the homes of some court officials to discuss their plans for "stirring up trouble" at the court meeting the following day.

Under the divine right of kings, the ruler's legal authority is derived from a virtual "supreme" authority. In the East, however, "the will of Heaven is difficult to fathom."

A new emperor can only be approved by the previous emperor who carries the "will of Heaven." The highest priority for such approval is "personal appointment," followed by the principle of the heir apparent.

The Great Yao represents the world as a family's property, referring to the debaters who serve the emperor's rule: the entire world belongs to one family.

The war in Bo County was part of the "royal family's property," so in the eyes of the conservative faction, they could sacrifice a part to preserve the overall situation.

The same applies to the advisors of King Zhou. One of the advisors in King Zhou's palace, named Suwang, said: "If King Zhou can ascend the throne, those small families in the world can be temporarily abandoned. We can deal with them slowly in the future and then mobilize the troops of the world to take them back."

In the eyes of ambitious individuals, the key question now is: Is Emperor Xu still alive in the war in the west? This will determine whether the entire family fortune can be legally transferred to the Zhou king.

Since the Prince of Bo's failure to secure the throne, the advisors gathered around the King of Zhou have become increasingly active. The number of people who can stand on the grand jade steps is limited. Furthermore, besides those who can stand there themselves, they don't want those they dislike to stand there; they want "a court filled with upright officials."

To put it bluntly, now that the position of Crown Prince of Zhou is secure, these people are eager to realize their previous efforts ahead of schedule.

Narrator: In classical Eastern dynasties, even if the monarch was very clear about the position of the crown prince, he would still support a rival for the crown prince. The fundamental reason was not that the monarch disliked the eldest son, but that the factions around the crown prince, in the process of "unbeatably waiting to take the throne," would force the crown prince to extremes.

At this moment, these opportunists around King Zhou were all sent by aristocratic families. After Emperor Xu ascended the throne, the aristocratic families enjoyed a period of ease and happiness. However, as Emperor Xu's control over the court became increasingly problematic, the aristocratic families felt that Emperor Xu was not "benevolent" enough and was somewhat tyrannical.

The next day, the court meeting began. Under the presiding of King Zhou, the various factions in the court initially expressed their concern for the country and stated that they were also acting "for the sake of the country." Then, they began to clash over decision-making.

Some courtiers argued that troops should be dispatched immediately, along with envoys to negotiate with the State of Hao. — These were people bribed by the Zhou king's faction, purely there to stir up trouble; they wanted to exaggerate the extent of the chaos to damage Emperor Shu's prestige, and they even hoped that Emperor Shu would disappear after this battle so that the Zhou king could ascend the throne the next day.

After being reprimanded by high-ranking officials, this group was forked away by palace guards. Then, a second group tentatively suggested that the King of Zhou should immediately inspect the troops of the realm.

The three high officials in the court exchanged glances, then looked up at the King of Zhou, who had been "effectively overseeing the country" for the past two months, their eyes clearly saying, "Aren't you being a little too impatient?"

…After the great battle, it snowed in the north…

Within the Heluo Commandery, the Emperor's entourage arrived. Regardless of the disarray of the other armies, his dignity remained intact. Heavy snow concealed the scars on the ground.

Upon learning that the regional military governors were colluding with each other, the emperor immediately ordered them to return to their posts and send 500 soldiers from each governorship to protect him.

Just as Emperor Xu thought he had made the right decision, news came from the capital: an imperial edict was issued to punish the regional military governors for their mishandling of the war.

The news that came from Yaodu was so strange that the emperor and his entourage left immediately without being escorted by the regional military governors.

Having just experienced the battlefield, the emperor was exhausted and was clearly struggling to maintain his ailing health.

When Emperor Xu heard that the people around King Zhou were causing trouble in Yaodu, he was even more furious.

When Emperor Xu heard his inner courtiers advising him to go to Luozhou, he immediately beat one of them to death in a fit of rage, and then looked at the "Map of Mountains and Rivers" alone.

After some deliberation, Emperor Xu made his decision and issued an edict. First, he ordered Wu Hanluan from the direction of Zhenzhou to lead his troops to defend the emperor. Meanwhile, another edict was sent to Yaodu, preemptively rewarding the Eastern Market Army.

A few years ago, he wouldn't have issued such an order. The Wu family wasn't worth winning over; he wanted to suppress and control them.

The Wu family had become too powerful and difficult to control, entrenched in Zhenzhou.

But now the situation has suddenly changed, and a threat far greater than the Wu family has emerged within the imperial court.

Now, the powerful and unwieldy samurai clan has become a bargaining chip for balancing things out.

Emperor Xu knew very well that in the current out-of-control situation, Wu Fei, who had been held hostage in Yaodu, was one of the very few useful talents he had directly promoted in the past two years, and he could be used as a tool to control the situation.

Note: In times of crisis, a monarch can negotiate with local factions, but he can only negotiate with one local faction at a time. When a monarch is not prepared to negotiate with local factions, he needs to suppress those that are too powerful. Therefore, the shift from prevention to reliance is not contradictory. The relationship between Empress Dowager Cixi and Li the papercutter in the late Qing Dynasty exemplifies this.

The very strength that Wu Hanluan originally intended for the court to be wary of has ironically become the guarantee that allows Emperor Xu to trade with peace of mind.

If he goes to Luozhou, things are uncertain. Many of the local powerful families are close to the inner circle of the Prince of Zhou's mansion. The Emperor feels that if he goes there, he might suddenly fall ill and die!
Several years ago, Wu Hanluan's attempts to curry favor with the King of Zhou were met with indifference. Furthermore, he was constantly belittled by the powerful clans surrounding the King.

As the victor of the previous court struggle, Emperor Xu was extremely sensitive to power. If it weren't for the current military setback, which triggered a chain reaction, those ambitious figures in the court would have had no chance to rise to power.

…The imperial decree to go to Yaodu was issued sooner than that to Zhenzhou…

On October 28th, the scorching sun shone on Yaodu. After the court meeting, the families of the city's powerful and wealthy were seen moving around, clearly indicating that a storm was brewing.

Although many officials in the court only mentioned the "matters" of Bohai briefly when discussing them.

But now, the Dongshi Army, which has made outstanding contributions in Bohai, is being secretly remembered by various forces.

Because the factions around King Zhou had been too restless in the court these past few days, the steady and old ministers felt that if they didn't do something, they would be dealt with. So they revoked the original order urging the Eastern Market Army to advance north.

Subsequently, Sima sent envoys to persuade the Eastern Market Army not to be influenced by the situation at court, but to steadily advance in the north. The implication was that the Eastern Market Army should prepare to become a stabilizing force.

King Zhou's behavior was so disgraceful that, in comparison, the infamous reputation of the Eastern Market Army back then is now insignificant.

The conservative faction is now doing everything in its power to welcome the emperor back to the capital.

However, even if the emperor returned to the capital, he could not directly control the situation; it would be necessary to mobilize troops to the capital, which was different from mobilizing troops from outside the capital. After looking around, the officials in the capital ultimately decided that the Eastern Market Army was the safest option.

Meanwhile, the relatives and nobles of Yaodu, such as the Li and Mu families, whose members served in the Eastern Market Army, all kept a low profile amidst the chaotic court affairs, avoiding visits from various outside parties.

The forces that are jumping around so high right now are those that haven't found a stable foothold; the Li and Mu families are both in a position where they "can't lose money," so there's no need for them to follow the trend and take risks.

…the roly-poly toys…

Master Li of the Li family was having his servants whipped for breaking the rules and mingling with outsiders. This unusual outburst of anger silenced the entire household.

The servants had no idea why their kind-looking master was so angry, and the servant himself was also puzzled. He could usually chat with everyone in the Grand Minister's household, so why couldn't he today?

All that could be heard was Master Li scolding the servants around him: "Times have changed. I told you to keep a low profile and avoid associating with people outside the mansion. If you don't listen, this is what will happen to you."

Just as they were about to kill the servant, a servant's voice came from outside the mansion gate announcing that someone from the palace had arrived.

The eunuch entered and announced the imperial decree in front of everyone in the mansion, rewarding the Li family with an additional 1,000 shi of salary, as well as various precious jewels and treasures.

Master Li accepted the imperial decree with a wry smile, but then twisted his ankle on the way out and was unable to enter the palace for an audience.

As for the master of the Mu family, he suddenly caught a cold, had a high fever on his forehead wrapped in an ice towel, and looked miserable as he met with the imperial physician sent from the palace.

The imperial physician took the old man's pulse and immediately discerned that his cold was not caused by food poisoning or kicking off the covers, but rather by recent periods of prolonged exposure to cold and subsequent exposure to dampness. However, the physician knew that this ambiguous answer was not something he could reveal. So he prescribed some medicine, comforted the old man, and returned to the palace to report.

The eldest son of the Mu family chased after the imperial physician, bringing him a packet of gold as a token of appreciation for his service. He inquired with great concern how the physician should describe the illness. The physician replied, "We will explain the illness to the Prince of Zhou; please do not worry."

Two months later, after the emperor returned to the capital, the two old foxes suddenly recovered from their illnesses.

(End of this chapter)