Chapter 615: Conversation between the Retired Emperor and the Longxing Emperor
After receiving the battle report from Shu today, Emperor Longxing opened it and took a look. As expected, the situation in the entire Shu region had changed drastically in more than a month.
Not only were all the troops that were besieged in the two places rescued, but Jia Cong also took advantage of the situation to defeat the troops in southern Xinjiang.
Even the tens of thousands of allied forces from the Western Mountains and Wild Rivers were killed completely by Jia Cong in his rage.
The Longxing Emperor didn't seem to care about the deaths of Ma Shang, Sun Ze, and the others. While he shouldn't have said it, he thought, as long as his son was safe, what did it matter if the others died? Wars are inevitable. The court should provide compensation and grant decrees where necessary. What was the big deal?
What surprised Emperor Longxing even more was that the Xuhen tribe actually surrendered directly and Longyou City changed hands.
This means that the situation in the entire Shuzhong area has become completely clear. I am afraid that it will not be long before the war in the southern border area will be completely over.
As long as the Qiongbu Prefecture and the Wumeng Mountain tribes can be completely subdued, Daqian's power in southern Xinjiang will be greatly increased. As for the Luo family's land, it is indeed not easy to attack. Emperor Longxing did not plan to conquer the Luo family's ghost country this time. However, there is only the Luo family's land left, and the tribes in that area can only hide in a tiny place. What does it matter?
If we can take advantage of the situation to level the two rivers, it will be an unexpected surprise.
How could a father not be happy when his son brought him such honor? Therefore, after receiving the battle report, he immediately showed off to the emperor.
Look at this? My son!
After reading it, the emperor nodded with satisfaction, "Emperor, you have a good son!"
Although he didn't reply, Longxing Emperor thought to himself, isn't that right? Who else but me could have such a good son? Although it sometimes makes me angry, it really makes up for it when something happens.
"I don't know how much stronger he is than you, the emperor, my father!"
The smile on Emperor Longxing's face froze. It seemed that these words were not good words.
"Father, do you think the war in southern Xinjiang is about to end?" Emperor Longxing asked. With Jia Cong away on the , being an emperor wasn't an easy task. With hundreds of thousands of troops fighting, the court was practically gritting its teeth to support them. The daily costs of food, fodder, and military pay were astronomical. The sooner it ended, the easier it would be for him to relax.
A few days ago, the Queen had mocked him, saying that he owed his daughters millions of taels of silver, which he had promised to pay back in the spring. But now it was the Dragon Boat Festival, and he still hadn't received any money.
It wasn't that Emperor Longxing didn't want to pay it back. A few million taels of silver was a lot. It wasn't much, but it wasn't small either. With such a large country, things were bound to happen every day. Money was always needed. Furthermore, with the current deployment in southern Xinjiang, and Niu Jizong's troops in Fengzhou also suffering heavy losses, even a penny split in half wouldn't be enough. Where would he find the spare cash?
Fortunately, those girls had already submitted a memorial to the emperor through Lin Ruhai, saying that the court was in trouble and that the money should be used to purchase food and fodder or to pay the soldiers of Daqian. Otherwise, he, the emperor, would have lost all face.
The Emperor nodded and said, "Now only the remnants of the Wumeng Mountains and the Wudeng tribe are left . The Wudeng tribe can't hold on alone, and I don't think they're a match for this little monkey. Once the Wudeng tribe is defeated, the war in the Jiading area will be over. By then, there will be no need for this little monkey to attack, and the Wumeng tribes will retreat on their own."
"The Wumeng and Xishanyechuan tribes have been severely weakened. It may not be a good idea to completely destroy them now. On the contrary, it would be more appropriate to keep them and the Qiongbu Prefecture in check. Therefore, the war should indeed end."
"Now you should consider all matters that will happen after the war!"
"The entire Shu region is in great trouble due to the war, and the people are suffering. Add to that the Nan'an Palace, and the officials in the prefectures, counties, and districts of Shu, and the court will need to lay off a large number of them."
Originally, all the officials in Shu, big and small, were probably more or less related to the Nannan Palace. Some of those who were less involved could stay temporarily, but those who were too deeply involved naturally could not stay.
"Father, has this brat forgotten something?" Emperor Longxing asked, frowning suddenly. "Why didn't he mention Zhao Guang? If I remember correctly, wasn't Zhao Guang captured by the Xuhen Tribe? Now that the Xuhen Tribe has surrendered, doesn't that mean Zhao Guang is in this brat's hands?"
"Don't you have a brain?" The retired emperor looked at the Longxing Emperor with dissatisfaction. "Do you think that if you leave all the affairs of Shu to this little monkey, you can throw your brain away?"
Emperor Longxing smiled awkwardly upon hearing this. However, it was indeed the case. If it were someone else leading the army, he would have naturally thought about it, but why would he waste his brain on his own son, and a capable one at that? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
After a moment, Emperor Longxing suddenly realized, "This kid is waiting for my secret order?"
"Thinked it through?" The Emperor gave him a look of disdain. "Zhao Guang was a prince conferred by our Daqian . Compared to being captured, dying in battle is what he should do. As for why the little monkey didn't say it clearly, what do you want him to say? Should I tell you to chop Zhao Guang off for you? Or should I send him back to you for disposal?"
Emperor Longxing nodded repeatedly. Zhao Guang had caused chaos throughout Shu, so he deserved the death penalty. Add to that his other crimes, and the extermination of the entire Nannan Palace and his entire clan wouldn't be too much. However, Daqian still needed to maintain its dignity...
Moreover, if Zhao Guang was brought back, should he be killed or released? Or would it be best to let him die in battle?
"I will give that brat a secret order later and let him handle it accordingly."
"Father, I have already had the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate the date for the betrothal ceremony for this young man on the ninth day of the fifth lunar month."
After hearing these words, the emperor finally cheered up.
"Are you ready? My grandson is not here now, so you can't be harsh on those two little girls."
"Father, everything else is settled, but the old master disagrees with the dragon and phoenix enamel plate and the dragon and phoenix ruyi. I've used both coercion and inducement, but the old master says they are incomparable to other treasures and are all reserved for the royal family. Even offering them as a gift would be excessive."
"You mean Guan Jie?" The emperor frowned.
"Is it that old man or someone else?" Emperor Longxing's face was filled with lawsuits. According to Guan Jie, other matters could be justified by skirting the rules or using the name of royal favor, but these two were not acceptable...
"That old bastard, after all these years, he's still so stubborn?" The retired emperor cursed. "How can my grandson's marriage be against etiquette? Dai Quan, send Guan Jian to the palace tomorrow. I want to have a good talk with him."
Dai Quan, who was pretending to be calm, quickly responded to the order, but in his heart he mourned for Guan Jie. It was unlucky for the old man to have met such an unreasonable man and woman.
You know that they are your grandsons and sons, but Guan Jie doesn't know. However, that old bastard deserves to be in trouble. This old scholar relies on his age and the fact that he is the Minister of Rites, but he has never taken eunuchs like them seriously. Now, is it your turn to be humiliated?
