Prime Minister

Chapter 1088 Who can clean up this mess? (Part 2)

Chapter 1088 Who can clean up this situation? (Second update)

Bianjing, the imperial city.

Military newspapers are delivered with gold medals.

Even though it was the middle of the night, he had to be the first to see any golden military bulletins from the northwest, even if it was in the middle of the night, he would be woken up.

Even if he had been handling state affairs for the day or was sick, he must be woken up without any delay.

The eunuchs guarding outside the palace heard that the palace had become a little quieter. It was obvious that the emperor had been tossing and turning for half the night and had just taken a short rest. At this time, the emperor was ill and needed to rest. Waking up the emperor at this time... just in case there was news of defeat.

He did not dare to disobey and immediately woke up the chief guard Shi Deyi.

When Shi De heard that the gold medal was being passed on, he did not dare to delay. He saw that the wooden tube was covered with vermilion paint and engraved with eight golden characters "Writings from the emperor are not allowed to enter the shop".

After Shi Deyi confirmed that it was a gold medal, he said to the eunuch, "You can leave now!"

If the eunuchs were pardoned, they would leave immediately.

Muffled thunder rumbled and heavy rain poured down on the hall from all directions. How could this man's strength match the strength of heaven and earth?

Shi Deyi wiped the bamboo tube dry with silk cloth, paused for a moment, and went back to the palace to report. But when he heard a rustling sound, when Shi Deyi entered the palace, the emperor had already stood up from his sickbed, wearing a middle coat.

"Your Majesty, this is Yu Chong's urgent report from the Six Hundred Miles Gold Medal, concerning the Fuyan Road... military report!"

Under the candlelight, when he heard that the letter was not written by Gao Zunyu to him but by Yu Chong, the emperor's expression changed.

Shi Deyi immediately cut open the bamboo tube, took out the letter and showed it to the emperor. He stood aside holding a candle, but saw that the emperor's hands were shaking as he held the letter.

Heavy rain washed the stone steps, and the hall was brightly lit.

Shi De was so angry that he didn't dare to breathe. He knew how much effort the government had invested in this battle in the northwest.

The emperor read the letter till the end, his brows showing a trace of relief, and said to Shi De with a smile: "I finally know the whereabouts of the army."

Shi De saw that the emperor looked well, and was about to offer some words to comfort him.

But the official's eyes turned dull at this moment, and he finally spat out a mouthful of blood!

I saw the official rubbing his chest and sitting on the ground.

Shi De was so shocked that he hurried forward to help him, while the emperor cried dejectedly: "Gao Zunyu has misled me, Gao Zunyu has misled me!"

The official pounded the ground repeatedly.

Shi De was so shocked that he didn't know what to do, and immediately sent someone to report the matter to the Empress and Consort Zhu.

When Empress Xiang and Consort Zhu arrived, they saw the Emperor lying on the ground in his robe.

They both said, "It's painful, it's painful."

They all know that the government has been working hard for the affairs of the Northwest and is exhausted. Now that the defeat has been reported, what do you want the government to do?

The two of them hurriedly stayed in the palace to comfort the emperor and served him until dawn.

When Empress Xiang saw that the emperor looked a little better, she immediately rushed to Baoci Palace to report to Empress Dowager Gao.

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Gao said anxiously, "Zhang Yue, Lu Gongzhu, and Sun Guo have repeatedly advised him not to rush into the attack on Xia. Now that the Western Army has been defeated, I think his illness is all caused by his desire for glory and success."

He said to the Queen: "Your Majesty, you are doing this and working so hard for the sake of our ancestors and the country."

Empress Dowager Gao shook her head and sighed, "It's a pity that the will is there but the strength is not. Wang Gui's talent is mediocre and he is not qualified to assist the emperor. It's useless to have a famous minister and a good prime minister."

"What?"

The emperor was sitting on the couch, and Wang Gui and Feng Jing came to visit the emperor on behalf of the two governments.

Wang Gui said: "Gao Zunyu was reckless and fell into an ambush, resulting in the death of more than 30,000 soldiers."

"But according to Yu Chongshi's report, after Zhong Yan led the vanguard across the dry sea, they were intercepted by the 200,000-strong army led by Liang Yimai, the prime minister of Xixia. Zhong Yan won three battles in a row, but was outnumbered by the Xixia army, so he asked Gao Zunyu for help."

"Gao Zunyu saw that the Xixia people were numerous and timid, and he was at odds with Zhong Yan and was jealous of his military achievements. Not only did he not send a single soldier to rescue them, but he ordered Zhong Yan to defeat Liang Yimai within three days."

"Zhong Yan was exhausted from the battle and repeatedly asked Gao Zunyu for help, but Gao Zunyu refused to send any troops. Only the veteran general Zhang Shouyue volunteered to lead 3,000 troops to support Zhong Yan."

"Zhong Yan knew he could not defeat the Xixia troops, so he and Zhang Shouyue led the entire army to break out. However, they were suddenly hit by a sandstorm and after a day of hard fighting, they were unable to make any progress. The next day, Zhong Yan led his troops to break out, but Zhang Shouyue and nearly 10,000 soldiers died on the way."

"Zhong Yan returned to join Gao Zunyu, who accused him of not being able to fight and threatened to execute him to uphold military law. Fortunately, the generals pleaded for him and he was spared."

"After that, Gao Zunyu retreated back to Yanzhou, but was pursued by the Xixia army. Several armies were defeated. Zhong Yan said to his subordinates, "How can I face the emperor if I return like this?" So he led his troops to intercept the Xixia army. In the end, all his troops, including Zhong Yan, were killed in the battle."

"Gao Zunyu fled before the battle and did not gather up the remnants of his army. His troops surrendered one after another and finally retreated to Yanzhou. Only 30,000 of the 100,000 troops remained, and half of the 200,000 civilians who followed the army were also killed. The generals Zhong Yan and Zhang Shouyue were killed in the battle... a total of 59 people."

The emperor closed his eyes after hearing this. Wang Gui and Feng Jing advised: "Your Majesty..."

The official's eyes were bloodshot, and then he said, "It's okay with me."

"Your Majesty, Gao Zunyu..." Feng Jing couldn't help but say.

This time Gao Zunyu is a relative by marriage, so he must be dealt with severely.

But the emperor said, "Since ancient times, those who are good at fighting have sought opportunities, not blamed people. It was because I was not careful in selecting people. Everything is my fault. So many soldiers of the Western Army were lost in vain."

"These troops are not from just one state or one route, and they were not gathered overnight. They are all the elite troops of the imperial court!"

Wang Gui and Feng Jing remained silent. They had expected that Fuyan Road would be in danger this time, but they had not expected such a tragic defeat. More than three-quarters of the nearly 40,000 soldiers in Fuyan Road were killed. This was the most capable unit of the Western Army.

In the end, famous generals of the Western Army such as Zhong Yan and Zhang Shouyue were killed in the battle.

"What do you two have to say?"

Wang Gui said: "I will leave everything to your majesty's wise decision."

Feng Jing glanced at Wang Gui unhappily and said, "Your Majesty, the troops of Fuyan Road are the strongest among the armies in Shaanxi and Hedong. There are also troops transferred from the Beijing camp. They are all elite troops that the court has raised for many years. As for the army of Jingyuan Road, we don't know yet. I'm afraid..."

"It is really difficult to defeat the Xia bandits. This is something that none of the Fan, Han, and Xia lords could do back then. Once the news of the defeat in Fuyan Road spreads, the entire northwest will be shaken, and the two capitals will inevitably be affected. I think it is better to send envoys to negotiate peace, recuperate for a few years, and then plan again."

After Feng Jing finished speaking, Wang Gui continued to remain silent.

Wang Gui was always politically correct, but the emperor's face was extremely pale and he looked weak. The two of them could see that the emperor was ill and was just holding on.

"You two nobles, please go back first!"

"Your Majesty, take care of your dragon body!"

Wang Gui and Feng Jing took their leave immediately.

Wang Gui and Feng Jing left the palace together, and the eunuchs on the left and right held umbrellas for the two ministers.

Wang Gui said: "The rain has continued from yesterday to today."

Feng Jing said: "Yes, the rain is falling as if the sky is cracked."

Wang Gui sighed, "When it comes to the ability to mend the cracks in the sky, neither you nor I have it."

Feng Jing said: "Yes, so..."

Wang Gui said: "So... now he is the only one who can come out and clean up this mess."

"In this dynasty, when it comes to civil and military strategy...he is the only one. I don't know whether there will be war or peace in the future." Feng Jing said with a sigh.

Finally, the two smiled bitterly at each other.

They both looked up at the same time and saw that the rain was still pouring down and the thunder was getting louder and louder. It sounded like the rumbling of war drums coming from the west, or the sound of iron hooves of Western Xia horses charging into the enemy's formation.

Both of them shook their heads.

The official in the palace was deep in thought behind closed doors. Was it really possible that he could not save the situation?

(End of this chapter)