Chapter 86 of 100
Chapter 86
17 min read4,127 words
Chapter 85
When the Sixth Prince, Qilin, Hongzhao, entered the Chui Gong Hall, he was also somewhat surprised, for he saw his Fourth Brother, Prince Yan Hongjiang, who rarely visited the palace.
Emperor Wei waved his hand, signaling Zhao Hongzhao to stand aside for a moment. Then he turned to Prince Yan Hongjiang and said, "Hongjiang, tell Me the reason for your request to be transferred to Southern Yan. ... Is it because of what Hongrun said yesterday?"
Transferred to Southern Yan?
Zhao Hongzhao also looked at his Fourth Brother in surprise, as he understood what it meant for Prince Yan Hongjiang to voluntarily request a transfer to Southern Yan.
Prince Yan Hongjiang clasped his hands in a formal salute and solemnly said, "Yes, Father Emperor. ... I believe Father Emperor also knows that my Eighth Brother, due to his youthful mischief, once disturbed the peace of my mother's concubine by trying to leave the palace. I had a bias against him, but his words at the Xunshui Camp yesterday stirred my blood... Although I am foolish, I understand that our Great Wei's campaign against Chu will inevitably lead to the northern state of Han taking the opportunity to invade Shangdang or Southern Yan. Therefore, I humbly request to be transferred to Southern Yan to defend the northern gate of our Great Wei... I may not have the persuasive words of my Eighth Brother, but I also understand that constant concessions will not make the enemy retreat; instead, they will see us as weak and easy to bully... If Han invades, I am willing to lead the charge, defeat the enemy at the gate, and uphold the might of our Great Wei!"
Emperor Wei opened his mouth but could not speak for a long time.
After a long while, he sighed deeply, "Have you... thought it through?"
Prince Yan Hongjiang, known for his military demeanor, knelt and performed a military salute, saying solemnly, "I have thought it through, Father Emperor. I am not cut out to be an emperor. I wish to be the northern shield of our Great Wei, and I hope Father Emperor will grant my request."
Emperor Wei was moved by these words and, after much contemplation, nodded heavily and said, "Since you have made up your mind, I will not say more. ... Go to the harem to bid farewell to your mother, and then... then set out for Southern Yan. Report to the Southern Yan commander, Wei Mu... "
"Thank you, Father Emperor!" Prince Yan Hongjiang clasped his hands in a salute, then stood up. After nodding to his Sixth Brother, Zhao Hongzhao, he left the Chui Gong Hall.
At this moment, Emperor Wei turned his gaze to the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, who had been standing aside, and said somewhat wearily, "Hongzhao, what brings you to Me?"
Zhao Hongzhao smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "Father Emperor, I humbly request Your permission to go to Qi as a hostage."
Emperor Wei's expression changed dramatically, "To Qi as a hostage? Why do you have such thoughts?"
After a moment, he seemed to recall something and said with a troubled look, "You... are you worried that our Great Wei cannot defeat the Chu army?"
Zhao Hongzhao recalled the scene from the Xunshui Camp yesterday, the 25,000 soldiers united in hatred and high morale, and said with a smile, "They are already a formidable force, capable of repelling the Chu army. I am not surprised."
Emperor Wei's expression eased slightly, and he frowned, asking, "If so, why do you want to go to Qi as a hostage?"
Zhao Hongzhao said earnestly, "Father Emperor, the Chu army that invaded Ying River County is led by the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo. ... I believe Hongrun can defeat this army. However, the Chu army invading our Great Wei is not just the army of the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, but also the army of the Duke of Guling, Xiong Wu, who has already invaded Song County. ... The commander of Song County, Nan Gong, is a defected general from the fallen state of Song. From the way he has fortified himself for self-preservation, it is clear he has little loyalty to our Great Wei... I have heard that some officials in the Ministry of War have considered using the Duke of Guling, Xiong Wu, to eliminate the general Nan Gong, but I believe this strategy of using a third party to eliminate an enemy should not be used now... In a desperate situation, anything can happen."
"..." Emperor Wei remained silent.
"From my perspective, our Great Wei has invested countless resources in Song County over the years. Abandoning it would be a great loss. Although Nan Gong has little loyalty to our Great Wei, at this moment, we still need him to fight alongside us against Chu..."
"Do you mean to send reinforcements to appease him?"
"Exactly. ... To appease him with kind words." Zhao Hongzhao paused and continued, "Nan Gong is a smart man. Otherwise, he would not have forced the King of Song to abdicate and handed Song over to our Great Wei when the situation was unfavorable... Now, Qi cannot tolerate him, and the nature of Chu means he cannot join them. Therefore, as long as our Great Wei does not force him, he will remain on our side... If Father Emperor wants to take action against him, now is not the right time."
Emperor Wei nodded in agreement, "Your words are true... But where can I find troops to support Song County?"
It was no wonder Emperor Wei was troubled. After all, the six military camps of Great Wei were positioned as follows: Southern Yan and Chenggao were close to Han, clearly to prevent Han; Fenxiong Pass was already the front line; the Suiyang Camp was in the hands of the defected general Nan Gong; the Jishui Camp was preparing to block the Chu army invading Ying River County; and the only one left was the Dangshan Camp.
In Emperor Wei's consideration, the Dangshan Camp could not be easily moved. First, to prevent any changes in the battle situation in Ying River County, and second, to prevent the defected general Nan Gong from rebelling. If this force were sent to Song County and the Jishui Camp failed to stop the Chu army, what would happen to Daliang?
Rely on the Imperial Guard? The Palace Guard? The City Guard? Or the Imperial Bodyguard?
The first three armies were only used to maintain order in Daliang and the palace, with almost no combat experience.
As for the Imperial Bodyguard, due to strict selection and training, there were only about 700 to 800 adult soldiers with combat capability, and the rest were underage orphans from military households. How much combat capability could they have?
"Because of this, I want to go to Qi."
Zhao Hongzhao seemed to have guessed Emperor Wei's concerns and said with a smile, "This battle, thanks to Hongrun, the morale of the Jishui Camp is high, and they are a formidable force... Once Hongrun's words from yesterday reach the front line, I believe they will repel the army of the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo... But repelling the army of the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, will not shake the foundation of Chu. Instead, Chu may add more troops... At that time, another force will be needed to distract Chu, so they do not dare to attack our Great Wei with all their might."
"Qi?"
"Exactly." Zhao Hongzhao nodded and said earnestly, "Qi and our Great Wei have no past grievances. It was only because Father Emperor and the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, joined forces to destroy Song that the King of Qi was unhappy. ... We can form an alliance with Qi to jointly curb Chu's northward expansion. ... If the King of Qi is a wise ruler, he should ally with our Great Wei."
"Even so, there is no need for you to go to Qi... especially as a hostage." Emperor Wei's eyes showed reluctance.
After all, before Zhao Hongrun was favored, the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, was the most cherished and beloved son in Emperor Wei's heart, like a precious gem. He was even reluctant to let him leave the palace, let alone go to Qi as a hostage.
"Fourth Brother said it well. Our Great Wei has more than just Hongrun. He is only fourteen and already has the noble intention to defend our country. As his older brothers, how can we be outdone? ... Fourth Brother is going to Southern Yan, and I want to go to Qi... Since Qi has always had concerns and grievances with our Great Wei, sending a few envoys will not be enough to persuade the King of Qi. My status is just right..."
Emperor Wei closed his eyes slowly.
As Zhao Hongzhao said, to curb Chu, they needed to use Qi's strength. However, due to the Song County issue, the King of Qi would certainly have grievances against them. After all, the fallen state of Song was once an ally of Qi, just like the current state of Lu, which also followed Qi's orders. The three states had joined forces to curb Chu's expansion in the east.
Although Emperor Wei had tricked the Duke of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, he ultimately destroyed Song, a vassal of Qi. The King of Qi would not be pleased with them.
Therefore, to form an alliance with Qi, they needed to send a person of sufficient importance as a hostage.
And Zhao Hongzhao, the Qilin, was clearly qualified and intelligent enough to facilitate an alliance between Qi and Wei. As one of the most cherished sons of the Emperor, as long as Zhao Hongzhao stayed in Qi, Qi would not doubt Wei, knowing that Wei would never abandon such a talented prince.
Moreover, with Zhao Hongzhao's intelligence, he could certainly find a foothold in Qi and persuade the King of Qi to agree to the alliance.
"Very well."
Seeing that Zhao Hongzhao had made up his mind, Emperor Wei had to acknowledge the matter. After all, Zhao Hongzhao's status and intelligence made him the best choice to be sent to Qi as a hostage, even more so than the Crown Prince, Hongli.
In one day, I "lost" three sons...
Emperor Wei sighed inwardly, suppressing his reluctance and asked, "When do you plan to set out?"
"After Hongrun sets out. ... By the way, please do not tell Hongrun about this for now."
"I understand." Emperor Wei nodded, naturally understanding why Zhao Hongzhao said this. After all, in a sense, Zhao Hongzhao was making a significant sacrifice to support his younger brother, Zhao Hongrun, in the campaign against Chu.
Meanwhile, the Zhao Hongrun they were talking about had already arrived at the Ministry of War's armory with the Imperial Bodyguard, inspecting the handover of military equipment between the Ministry of War and the Jishui Camp soldiers.
After all, setting out on a campaign was not something that could be done immediately. It involved many tasks, such as the handover of newly forged equipment and the preparation of supply wagons.
After the handover with the Ministry of War, they still needed to go to the Ministry of Revenue to negotiate the supply of grain and military pay, a long list of big and small tasks.
However, during the inspection of the Ministry of War's armory, Zhao Hongrun unexpectedly saw a batch of almost historical war machines.
War chariots!
They are still here? These old antiques...
Surprised, Zhao Hongrun walked forward to examine the war chariots in detail.
At one time, the war chariots of Great Wei were feared by enemy states, but with the rise of cavalry as the main force on the battlefield, the many weaknesses of war chariots led to their rapid obsolescence.
So big...
Zhao Hongrun moved closer, carefully observing the ancient war chariots that had gathered dust in the Ministry of War's armory.
Speaking of which, the area around Ying River seems to be mostly open fields... Perhaps they could be useful?
Zhao Hongrun stroked his smooth chin, deep in thought.
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