Chapter 361: Confrontation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Seated on the dragon throne, the Emperor wanted to laugh, but he also felt that it was infuriating. To think the solemn Imperial Court had become a marketplace for fighting. However, seeing those important ministers lose their composure like this, the Emperor felt that it was worth it.
The Emperor shook off the wild thoughts in his mind. Now was not the time to think about this. He’d better stop everyone from beating each other up first.
When the Emperor felt that the people below were almost done fighting, he asked the guards to step forward and drag them apart from each other.
Minister Qin’s eyes were bruised by someone. After he was pulled away, he pushed the guard away angrily and knelt on the ground, shouting, “Your Majesty, now that we finally eased the situation with the Jin Kingdom, we can’t let the peace be destroyed by Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan. Your Majesty, quickly order them to retreat.”
A white-bearded old man crawled up shakily and went forward to spit at him. “It’s fine if you’re disloyal and dishonorable, but you actually dare to implicate His Majesty. Your Majesty, it’s already dishonorable of us to throw away the empire that Emperor Shizong worked so hard to build. Now that we have a chance to take it back, how can we retreat? Your Majesty, please order the Ministry of War of the Ministry of Revenue to fully support General Yuan and General Qi. Even if we can’t take back all our hometowns, we have to take back the three prefectures of Jingzhao Prefecture, Henan Prefecture, and Kaifeng
Prefecture.”
“You think I don’t want to take back my homeland?” Minister Qin shouted angrily. “But we have to be able to defend it after taking it back. If we anger the Jin Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of their cavalry will go south. Not to mention the three prefectures, I’m afraid they will rush to the Yangtze River in
one go.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the few generals in the Imperial Court were so angry that their faces turned ashen. They stepped forward and requested to fight. “Your Majesty, we request to fight and assist General Yuan and General Qi.”
The white-bearded old man also mocked Minister Qin. “As long as Minister Qin doesn’t drag us down, General Yuan and General Qi can protect our land if they can retrieve the lost land. Your Majesty, just look at Hanzhong Prefecture. The border of Hanzhong Prefecture is long and has no passes. Even then, didn’t Qi Xiuyuan guard it for two years?”
Minister Qin sneered. “Credit can’t go to Qi Xiuyuan. It’s because the Jin soldiers didn’t do anything to get it back at all. He was lucky to encounter a battle between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia. Otherwise, let’s see if he can defend Hanzhong Prefecture.”
“Didn’t Minister Qin say that the Jin Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of cavalry? Why can’t they spare tens of thousands to attack Hanzhong Prefecture?” The official who supported the battle mocked. “Did the few battles between the Jin Kingdom and West Xia affect their military strength?”
“Your Majesty, the border of Hanzhong Prefecture is long, so it’s indeed very difficult to guard. However, it’s different if we take back the Jingzhao Prefecture. There are four passes in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Especially Hangu Pass, it’s a natural barrier that allows one man to hold out against 10,000 men. If we take back the Jingzhao Prefecture, the south of the Jingzhao Prefecture will be 50% safer.” The white-bearded old man knelt on the ground shakily and said tearfully, “Your Majesty, please issue a decree to make General Qi take back the Jingzhao Prefecture!”
“Your Majesty, please issue a decree to take back Jingzhao Prefecture!” All the people who were fighting knelt down. For a moment, only half of them were left standing in the middle.
The Emperor heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He was also inclined to take back the Jingzhao Prefecture because the geographical conditions of the Jingzhao Prefecture were excellent, unlike the Hanzhong Prefecture, which was dispensable.
Just as the Emperor was about to give the order, a general knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, let’s not talk about whether General Qi and General Yuan should take back the Jingzhao Prefecture first. By sending troops without orders, they were defying Your Majesty’s intentions. Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate if they have any plans to revolt before convicting them.” Qi Feng, who was kneeling below, felt his heart tighten. Seeing that the imperial Court was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, those who had been clamoring to send troops did not react at all. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and knelt two steps forward. “Your Majesty, I’m guilty!” The white-bearded old man, who had wanted to intercede for Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan, shrank back after Qi Feng stood up. When he heard Qi Feng’s next words, he almost fainted from anger.
He thought that Qi Feng was here to defend his son, but who knew that he was here to confess?
The others were also stunned, and the people who supported the battle widened their eyes. They had quietened down previously because they didn’t expect someone to suggest such a crime. Rebellion was a huge taboo, so they naturally had to think carefully before defending Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan. However, who knew that Qi Feng didn’t stand up for his son but confessed? Even if he professed his son’s admiration for the Emperor, love for the Great Zhou, and willingness to sacrifice himself for the Emperor, it’s fine. But no, he actually confessed!
The Emperor also looked at Qi Feng with a dark expression for a while before saying indifferently, “Oh.” He asked, “Minister Qi, what crime have you committed?”
Qi Feng cried, “Your Majesty, I didn’t teach my son well. Qi Xiuyuan left home when he was 13 years old and joined his uncle. Not only did he not come back all these years, but he also rarely sent letters. I really didn’t know that he would do such a disgraceful thing.”
Fan Siwen’s face was a little dark, and he hesitated for a long time. After the white-bearded old man glared at him twice, he gritted his teeth and stood up to interrupt Qi Feng. “Your Majesty, although Xiuyuan doesn’t have much contact with his family, he still sends letters back every New Year and during the festivals. As his uncle, I often receive letters of greeting from him. From the letters, he’s constantly thinking about taking back his homeland for Your Majesty and the Great Zhou. In addition, considering he’s in the army, this kind of thought will only grow stronger. I can believe that he sent out the troops to take back the Jingzhao Prefecture because he’s young and impetuous and succumbed to the instigation of the Jin soldiers. But I don’t believe he will rebel. Your Majesty, Xiuyuan’s entire family is in Lin’an Prefecture and he only has a few tens of thousands of troops under him. More than 100,000 troops from Xingyuan Prefecture can arrive within a day. Although he’s young, he’s not a brainless person. He definitely won’t do such a thing.
After Fan Siwen laid the foundation, the white-bearded old man immediately came out and said, “Your Majesty, most of the soldiers in the army want to take back their homeland and wash away their humiliation. General Yuan has even made this his lifelong goal. Your Majesty, having known General Yuan for more than 20 years, don’t you know that? As for Qi Xiuyuan, from his actions of taking back Hanzhong Prefecture, we know that he’s also a capable general who wants to take back his homeland for Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is suspicious of them, won’t it disappoint the soldiers at the front line?” Without waiting for Minister Qin to speak, Fan Siwen hurriedly kowtowed and changed the topic. “Your Majesty, Xiuyuan and General Yuan’s troops are still at the front line. Please decide whether to fight or not. Otherwise, the longer this drags on, the more dangerous it will be for our soldiers.
The pro-war faction immediately understood that before General Yuan and Qi Xiuyuan’s defense memorial arrived, they could not let anyone change the topic to rebellion. They immediately ran out and begged the Emperor to order Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan to continue forward and take back their homeland.
Hence, the topic was brought back. Minister Qin’s men wanted to change the topic back to holding the two of them accountable several times, but they were always stopped.
His Majesty’s back was originally straight, but after seeing that everyone was still arguing for a long time without coming to a conclusion, he waved his hand angrily and said, “The court is dismissed. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.” Minister Qin’s face instantly darkened, and the white-bearded old man was delighted.
Court was dismissed, but Qi Xiuyuan and General Yuan would not stop. It was worth it even if they could only retrieve an inch of soil a day.
The white-bearded old man happily went out with the help of his son and grandson.
His son and grandson were worried. “Father, don’t come tomorrow. It was too bizarre today.” Just now, he had seen his father take off his shoes and hit Minister Qin with all his might. However, other than his father and a few old scholars, no one dared to hit Minister Qin with their shoes..
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