The distant sky was a translucent blue, with clouds lingering intimately, the glazed tiles of Precious Ford Tower scattering shards of light.
The mounted archery ceremony had just concluded. The golden imperial guards' banners stood majestically, warhorses and flying arrows not yet withdrawn. Yet the Emperor and ministers from the two central government bureaus had already ridden back to the palace ahead of others. The remaining officials wore gloomy expressions, the North Garden completely lacking the stirring, festive atmosphere of previous years' mounted archery ceremonies.
Though the rebel uprising in Jiankang Circuit hadn't become widely known among court officials, the urgent northern frontier report arriving during today's ceremony left everyone present in disbelief.
It had been merely three months since Northern Frontier sent envoys to court. Military reductions along the border were still underway, and cross-border markets continued operating without suspension orders. How could Northern Frontier suddenly launch an invasion now!
And the commander leading Northern Frontier's great army was none other than their Xuanhui Northern Bureau Commissioner Zhao Hui.
·
The Hall of Profound Thought blazed with candlelight.
Though Inner Court personnel hadn't attended the North Garden event, they'd all heard about today's news from the north and knew the Emperor was in poor spirits. After setting stools for the two bureaus' ministers, they all withdrew.
Northern Frontier's invasion seemed sudden, yet it gave much food for thought.
On the eighth day of the fourth month, Northern Frontier troops marched south, their vanguard aimed directly at Tingzhou west of Mount Min in Chaoan North Circuit.
The Northern Frontier army pressed against the border yet only besieged Tingzhou without attacking. Defender Mao Zun fortified the city against enemies, sending urgent reports to Chongzhou. Chaoan North Circuit Pacification Commissioner Dong Yicheng, upon receiving the report, hastily dispatched twenty thousand troops from the newly built Mount Min strongholds westward to relieve Tingzhou's siege.
By the time the capital's Privy Council received the report, Tingzhou had been besieged for twelve days.
Approaching late spring, small birds chirped merrily outside the hall, fluttering past the eaves with cheerful twittering.
Though stools had been placed for the two bureaus' ministers, none chose to sit.
Domestic troubles unresolved, external conflicts arise.
Two of the three northern border circuits had successively fallen into military conflicts. If war indeed broke out with Northern Frontier, northern border defenses and stronghold arrangements would require complete reorganization. Moreover, large-scale mobilization of troops and provisions couldn't be accomplished overnight. Once major war erupted in the north, rapidly suppressing Jiankang Circuit rebels would become even harder. These marauding bandits plaguing Jiankang Circuit would inevitably disrupt military supply routes in Chaoan North Circuit and Linhuai Circuit. Achieving unified strategy across the three northern border circuits would prove extremely difficult.
Furthermore, once war ignited across these three circuits, there was no guarantee the formerly surrendered Southern Gu territories wouldn't rebel amidst the chaos—even cross-border bandit connections weren't impossible.
Thus, securing internal stability must precede external defense, yet without border security, how could domestic peace be achieved?
Clearly, Northern Frontier's sudden mobilization wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Otherwise they wouldn't have sent envoys immediately after Di Nian's arrival at the northern border, wouldn't have proposed military reductions and tribute decreases specifically this year, and certainly wouldn't have disregarded previous agreements during mutual border force reductions to launch a ten-thousand-troop invasion.
These matters occupied everyone in the hall with different calculations, yet none dared speak before the Emperor.
Meng Tinghui remained standing at the rear, still wearing her ceremonial riding attire, her mind somewhat calmer than when first hearing the news.
All were furious, but with events already unfolding, what use was anger?
Ying Gua also remained standing, hands clasped behind his back before the hall, his expression darker than ever before. His gaze fixed long on the desk as he muttered lowly, "This Dong Yicheng is utterly foolish!"
He never normally used such language to reprimand officials. Even when seething with rage, he'd never publicly vented his temper before.Although he was usually stern and taciturn, when had he ever allowed personal resentment to cloud his judgment in court politics or military affairs?
She knew he was genuinely angry this time.
With his resolute and unyielding nature, how could he fear an invasion from the Northern Frontier? Even if external threats and internal turmoil arose simultaneously, it would not have provoked such unrestrained emotion in him.
What angered him was Dong Yicheng’s rash decision to urgently dispatch 20,000 elite troops from the newly constructed strongholds in Minshan to relieve the siege of Tingzhou.
The newly built military camps at Minshan in the Chaoan North Circuit and Lijiang in the Linhuai Circuit had been specifically ordered by him earlier, during Di Nian’s reorganization of the Imperial Army. Their purpose was to reinforce several key positions along the northern border, guarding against the Northern Frontier exploiting vulnerabilities after military downsizing.
Tingzhou was a small and insignificant territory, with no reason to attract the attention of tens of thousands of Northern Frontier troops. Even if Tingzhou were captured by the Northern Frontier, the heavily fortified strongholds of Qing Province and Qingzhou to the south would serve as barriers. The Northern Frontier would not be foolish enough to tackle such a tough challenge, and the purpose of besieging Tingzhou could not have been to launch a direct invasion from there.
Yet Dong Yicheng had panicked so recklessly that he mobilized troops from the newly built Minshan strongholds to rescue Tingzhou!
With Minshan’s forces reduced, who could guarantee the Northern Frontier would not dispatch additional troops to directly threaten Minshan?
If Minshan were to fall, the Northern Frontier would gain another strategically vital position, enabling them to advance offensively while maintaining a defensible rear, with expedited routes for troops and supplies.
Foolish. Utterly foolish.
The seasoned generals of the Privy Council undoubtedly shared this sentiment. However, with the Emperor’s fury already ignited, none of his ministers dared to add fuel to the fire. Each was privately contemplating how the rapidly escalating conflict in the northern borderlands would unfold.
The officials in the Secretariat were even more troubled.
Over the past year, there had been frequent transfers among the officials in the Pacification and Transport Commissions of the Chaoan North Circuit. The Emperor had previously refrained from acting against Dong Yicheng, largely as a gesture of respect to the elders of the Eastern Faction after promoting Meng Tinghui in the wake of the Liu Banner Mutiny.
Since the resolution of the Xu Ting and Gu Qin affairs, the influence of the veteran ministers had significantly waned. With the Meng Faction now in power, the longstanding rift between the Eastern and Western Factions had gradually narrowed. Both sides understood that further infighting would only benefit the ambitious younger officials vying for advancement.
Yet Dong Yicheng’s actions had further complicated the position of the veteran ministers in the Secretariat.
The Secretariat had never advocated for war. With peace and stability prevailing for just over two decades, who could bear to subject borderland civilians once again to the horrors of conflict? Moreover, if war broke out, it would inevitably require the conscription of hundreds of thousands of laborers for grain transport and fortification construction. The Three Bureaus would also need to allocate funds and resources to the frontline troops—expenditures that the battle-hardened veterans of the Privy Council might not fully consider.
Dong Yicheng, having served as a border circuit pacification commander for nearly two decades, had committed this grave error for no other reason than his fear of losing even a small portion of the northern territory and incurring the Emperor’s wrath. Thus, he sought a quick solution by mobilizing troops from Minshan.
However, if this reckless deployment order resulted in a misstep, granting the Northern Frontier a tactical advantage, it would likely make a large-scale conflict in the northern borderlands unavoidable.
Furthermore, given the Emperor’s temperament, although he had always refrained from initiating war out of concern for the people’s welfare, he would never tolerate the Northern Frontier encroaching upon even an inch of their territory!
Thus, not a single parcel of land could be surrendered. With the Northern Frontier having violated the treaty first, their aggressive actions could not be forgiven.
For this reason, no one in the Secretariat spoke out. Instead, they had already begun calculating the military provisions and grain supplies needed for the northern frontier."Issue the decree," Ying Gua finally spoke again, the fury in his eyes still blazing, "Issue it immediately. Strip Dong Yicheng of his position as Chaozhou Pacification Commissioner."
She watched his angry expression from behind, feeling equally unsettled.
Rather than being angered by Dong Yicheng's foolishness, he was more frustrated with himself for not having appointed someone else earlier, which led to this passive situation.
And she understood deeply the turbulent thoughts struggling beneath his rage.
His sole focus was on nurturing the people and achieving peace—he had even agreed to Northern Frontier's request for reduced tributes, all for the sake of disarmament in the northern border and stability between the two nations. Who could have imagined that his concessions would be met with Northern Frontier's greedy retaliation?
He truly wished to avoid military conflict, yet he was provoked to the point where he could no longer suppress the desire to mobilize troops.
Moreover, there was the rebellion of the remnants of Zhongwan in Jiankang Circuit.
How could he not be enraged!
But if Dong Yicheng were dismissed, who would take charge of the military affairs in the Chaozhou region?
Ying Gua took two steps forward, his face cold as he declared, "Appoint Di Nian as the Pacification Commissioner of Chaozhou, Jiankang, and Linhuai Circuits, responsible for managing northern border military affairs. Regardless of external threats or internal turmoil, his pacification office will handle all strategies. The Privy Council's orders must leave the capital for the northern border tonight."
Entrusting such a critical task to Di Nian, who had never experienced major battles, indeed stunned several people present.
Fang Kai frowned and stepped forward to speak, but Ying Gua's gaze swept over him as he added, "Ensure Di Nian repels the Northern Frontier army beyond our borders and forces them back inside the Golden Gorge Pass. If he captures one or two of their provinces, he will be promoted to Champion General of the third rank. If he fails to repel the Northern Frontier army, he need not return to the capital to see me again."
Meng Tinghui was taken aback.
The northern situation was already chaotic—they had to continue suppressing bandits in Jiankang Circuit while resisting the northern enemy. The role of Pacification Commissioner for three circuits was no easy burden. And his military order was exceptionally harsh: not only must Di Nian repel the Northern Frontier army beyond the borders, but he must also force them back inside the Golden Gorge Pass! If he failed, even if Di Nian lost not an inch of territory, the outcome would still be deemed a failure without merit.
She furrowed her brows, feeling for the first time a sense of disagreement with his approach.
This was, perhaps, a bit too severe!
Jiang Ping could not help but step forward and say, "Your Majesty, is this order perhaps inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate?" he retorted coldly, his gaze growing even frostier. "Since I have granted Di Nian such heavy authority, how can I not issue strict orders? Do you take the command of three circuits' Imperial Army troops as a jest?"
Fang Kai murmured from the side, "Your Majesty might consider sending another seasoned general to the border…"
His words likely echoed the thoughts of many present, and upon hearing this, everyone looked up.Ying Gua said indifferently, "If we discuss military talent based on wartime experience, those in the Imperial Army who have personally experienced battle in the past twenty-seven years are as rare as phoenix feathers. The veteran generals in the army today were all young men twenty-seven years ago. Yet their temperaments now are vastly different from before." He looked at Fang Kai and raised his voice slightly, "Thirty years ago, Fang Qing dared not dismount when encountering the previous emperor's imperial procession. Would you dare do the same today?" Seeing Fang Kai's expression change abruptly, he continued, "Thus, the veteran generals now possess both reputation and influence, but lack the audacity of youth. If deployed to oversee northern affairs at the frontier, they would inevitably become constrained by fears of tarnishing their reputations. Moreover, relying on their past illustrious achievements, even if they occasionally make mistakes, they wouldn't fear my severe punishment." He swept his gaze over the Privy Council members and spoke sternly, "Do you think I'm unaware that the Imperial Army is also divided into factions? If we appoint entrenched veteran generals to guard the northern frontier, how could the three routes of the Imperial Army avoid conflicts over fame and profit? I have no mind to expend further effort on such matters!"
His words carried great weight, immediately causing everyone present to change expressions.
During the initial conquest of the realm, the armies of the previous emperor and Prince Ping had merged, later incorporating many captured generals and soldiers from the former Zhongwan and Nanguo. Although unified into the Imperial Army after the founding of the state, the various routes of the Imperial Army inevitably formed factions. Rather than selecting a veteran general with numerous old subordinates to guard the north, it would indeed be better to have Di Nian, who has no connections with the frontier armies, oversee the military affairs of the three routes.
Fang Kai decisively stated, "Your Majesty speaks wisely. The previous reorganization of the Imperial Army was handled by Di Nian. The task remained unfinished when turmoil arose in the northern frontier. Currently, the military situation in various garrisons remains unstable. If someone else were sent to take over the northern frontier, it would likely cause great inconvenience and potentially miss crucial opportunities. Moreover, Di Nian previously handled the suppression of rebellion in Chao'an excellently. If we issue strict orders this time, it might enable him to fully unleash his capabilities."
"Your Majesty," Zhou Bi promptly followed up, "Should we summon the Three Departments Commissioner Pei Hua for an immediate audience?"
At the mention of provisions and military pay, Ying Gua's brow furrowed abruptly. He turned to look at Gu Qin and said, "Go inform Pei Hua that with the major northern frontier battle imminent, he is to supervise matters of provisions and equipment. If the slightest error occurs, don't blame me for not considering past relations. And tell him not to come before me arguing - though I know the Three Departments have faced difficulties in governance over the years, how can the national treasury be enriched without pacifying external affairs!"
Gu Qin's complexion was quite poor as he gave a low acknowledgment, then glanced up at Zhou Bi.
Everyone knew this military conflict had arisen too suddenly. For a major battle, northern generals and soldiers would need to fight strenuously day and night, while the court would face enormous pressure in carefully planning logistics and military preparations around the clock.
Meng Tinghui could read the expressions of those present. Faced with such chaos in the northern frontier, whether in the Central Secretariat and Privy Council or the frontier commissions, surely no one would have an easy time.
After some thought, she also spoke up: "Your Majesty, if we engage in battle with the Northern Frontier at the border, it seems the matter of Zhongwan remnants causing trouble in Jiankang Route will inevitably become known throughout the court and the realm. It would be better to first publicly announce this matter, issuing a manifesto to denounce the rebellious traitors. This would pacify the people along the frontier routes and stop domestic rumors."
He turned to glance at her, the anger in his voice diminishing somewhat. "This should indeed be done."
Others might not have noticed, but she could detect something different in his gaze.
She assumed his changed look was because he saw she understood how to participate in discussions of military and state affairs. Immediately, she lowered her brows and eyes, bowing her head.With the great battle looming ahead, there was naturally no room for romantic thoughts in her mind. She only hoped to contribute to swiftly ending this war, so that the common people wouldn't bleed across the fields, the nation could restore its peaceful state, and he wouldn't have to endure such exhaustion.
Back when she was in Chongzhou, she had never imagined that Chaoan North Circuit would one day suddenly erupt in war.
Thinking of Yan Fuzhi and Shen Zhishu in Qing Province, and Di Nian who was still in Fenzhou of Jiankang Circuit, her heart grew heavy as if weighed down by a massive rock.
If she felt this way, how much more so for those common folk who had made their homes in the border prefectures? Who doesn't cherish their parents, wives, and children? Why should they needlessly sacrifice their lives and families for this war?
She could only hope that this war would be shorter, even shorter.
·
Since Tingzhou was besieged, Dong Yicheng was dismissed as Pacification Commissioner, and Di Nian assumed the role of Northern Three Routes Pacification Commissioner, it seemed all eyes across the nation had turned to this northwestern corner of Chaoan North Circuit.
First, Dong Yicheng dispatched twenty thousand troops from Minshan Camp westward to relieve the siege of Tingzhou, whereupon Northern Frontier indeed launched another southern assault on Minshan. Before the Privy Council's orders could reach the northern frontier armies, Qing Province Vice-Administrator Cao Zixiong sent Song Zhirui from Qing Province Camp northward to reinforce Minshan, successfully repelling the Northern Frontier army north of the mountains.
When Di Nian was appointed Three Routes Pacification Commissioner and the court proclaimed to the world about the rebel uprising in Jiankang Circuit and Northern Frontier's invasion of Chaoan North Circuit, issuing edicts to suppress the rebellion, the entire nation was finally shocked into awareness.
With imperial troops deployed in the north, border circuit residents grew increasingly panicked. Countless families from Chaoan, Jiankang, and Linhuai Circuits attempted to migrate southward, though many were hindered by rebel blockades in Jiankang Circuit.
At court, Fiscal Commissioner Pei Hua coordinated provisions for grain and equipment, ordering Northern Three Routes Transport Commissioners to make respective preparations. He also conscripted over seventy thousand civilian laborers from border circuits for grain transportation and camp construction, while instructing several eastern and western circuits near the borders to separately gather supplies for the northern war effort.
·
Though the capital enjoyed warmth, Qing Province city remained gripped by sharp spring chill.
The atmosphere in the Transportation Office was particularly frozen.
"Execute him."
Shen Zhishu spoke without looking up from his desk.
Everyone in the hall stiffened at his words, their eyes turning toward Vice-Administrator Cao Zixiong standing beside the desk.
But Cao Zixiong appeared oblivious to their gazes, steadily examining the documents on the desk with complete composure.
Finally someone stepped forward, unable to restrain themselves: "Lord Shen..."
Shen Zhishu abruptly looked up, sweeping his gaze across those below as he interrupted: "Have you all come to plead for Pang Mu?"
No one below responded.
Shen Zhishu slammed his paperweight down and said in a low, fierce voice: "Immediate execution, no pardon! No amount of pleading from any of you will change this!" Rising and walking down, he angrily continued: "Right now Chaoan Circuit faces battles at both Tingzhou and Minshan. Our officers and soldiers are fighting desperately at the front, yet Pang Mu through his personal negligence allowed tens of thousands of dan of imperial grain to be consumed by fire! If he isn't executed, how can we make the grain and supply transport officials of Chaoan take warning!"
Judge Jiang Yun stepped forward: "Your lordship speaks truth. However, Pang Mu has always been meticulous in his duties, diligent in governance and clean-handed. Moreover, he was specially transferred to Chaoan Transportation Office by Lord Meng from the capital. Although he made errors while transporting grain northward under your orders, surely death isn't the appropriate punishment..."Shen Zhishu sneered coldly, "Not enough to atone with death? I know you were all formerly capital officials, mostly transferred to the Chao'an Transportation Office by Meng Tinghui's orders, each relying on past merits and achievements to fear no punishment. But if this critical northern affair fails due to your errors, allowing Northern Frontier to tear open a breach at Tingzhou and Minshan, then Qingzhou and Qing Province will inevitably be ravaged by war. When that time comes, there will be no need to wait for His Majesty's punishment—I shall lead you all in committing suicide to atone for our crimes!"
Hearing that he wouldn't even spare Meng Tinghui's face, and confronted with his arrow-sharp sarcasm, the crowd fell silent.
Unexpectedly, Shen Zhishu's anger remained unabated. He turned and pointed at Cao Zixiong, addressing the group: "When Minshan was previously attacked, Cao Tongpan ordered Song Zhirui to lead Qing Province's main camp forces north to resist the enemy, saving Minshan's camp in the nick of time and repelling Northern Frontier's main army beyond our borders. In your eyes, this must be a great achievement. Yet when this report reached the capital, His Majesty didn't even utter a word of reward! Northern Frontier's invasion of our Great Ping territory is already an insult to our national prestige and sovereign dignity. Repelling their main army is merely a subject's duty—since we failed to gain an inch of their territory, who dares seek merit from above? However, if our slightest negligence leads to the army's defeat and annihilation, that would be a grave crime!"
He suppressed his rage slightly and continued: "Di Nian received the decree to pacify the Northern Three Routes and manage northern military affairs—have you any inkling of how strictly he controls his subordinates? Even if I hadn't beheaded Pang Mu, had he brought those remnant grains and scraps before Di Nian's army, he still wouldn't have kept his life! The grain transport from Jiankang and Linhuai routes has never committed such errors—why is our Chao'an so careless? Today, I'll make you understand: as long as I, Shen Zhishu, remain in the Chao'an Transportation Office, no one shall dare short Di Nian's main army by even a grain of provisions or piece of armor!"
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