The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 89: What a Big Pot

Just as the deputy general of Yulin Town said, the second prince changed the military report and put the blame of the defeat on Shi Guangzhu and the general of Yulin Town. After severely damaging the main force of the Ikh Ju League, they did not attack together, but instead engaged in infighting, which eventually led to the annihilation of the vanguard battalion.

The vanguard battalion, as the name suggests, is the one that marches at the front of the main force during a march, clearing the way for the main force; during combat, it is deployed at the forefront of the main force, taking the lead in launching an attack or being the first to withstand an enemy attack, testing the enemy's strength. It can be said to be the elite among the elite.

This battle not only wiped out more than 20,000 elite troops, but also killed several veteran generals from both dynasties. Although such a heavy loss did not cause serious damage to Dashun, it also had an impact on Dashun's political and military situation.

The death of Shi Guangzhu, a famous general who was good at commanding large armies in battle, directly broke through Emperor Yongchang's psychological defenses.

The person who gave advice to the second prince knew Emperor Yongchang very well. The furious Emperor Yongchang ordered that the general and deputy general of Yulin Town and others be arrested and brought to Beijing.

Of course, the emperor’s men definitely couldn’t reach Yulin.

It was already afternoon when Li Hu found out about this.

In the big tent, Li Hu sat cross-legged on the cushion in front of a low table. After reading the letter from the prince, he shook his head, threw the letter on the table, stood up, walked out of the tent, and looked into the distance with some annoyance.

Disharmony between generals and commanders has always been a taboo in military strategy. He didn't believe that Shi Guangzhu would make such a low-level mistake, and he didn't believe that the Yulin Cavalry would sit idly by and watch the vanguard battalion be wiped out. There must be some unknown trick here!
The second prince? Does he have the brains to do that?

Li Hu suddenly remembered the rainy night in Luoyang. The people from the Imperial Household Department once said that Dai Quan suspected that the emperor was behind the second prince. This made sense.

What could a person who could watch his own son being roasted to death not do?
Li Hu could never have imagined that the development of this incident was beyond the expectations of the retired emperor. He originally just wanted to turn the Hetao War into a war of attrition, drag it on little by little, empty the national treasury, make it impossible for Emperor Yongchang to explain to his subjects, and thus shake his throne.

There was a sound of footsteps, and Zhang Cheng came over with several generals.

Zhang Cheng walked up to Li Hu and whispered, "General, we have brought all the homemade muskets and ammunition. Do you want to take a look?"

Li Hu woke up from his deep thoughts, thought for a moment, and said, "It's enough for you to have a look. You must not only pay attention to fire prevention, but also to moisture prevention. In addition, ammunition is used for training, not for reproduction. Let the firearms battalion use it freely. If it runs out, I will find a way."

Zhang Cheng: “Yes.”

Li Hu paused and said, "From today on, both meals must have meat, especially dinner. Each person should have half a bowl of pork and half a bowl of vegetables, and there will be plenty of meat soup and rice."

Without waiting for Zhang Cheng to speak, Li Hu continued, "Only when you have a full meal can you have the strength to train. As for the military supplies, I will go to the palace. You will still be responsible for the subsequent training."

Zhang Cheng: “Yes.”

Li Hu: "Go get busy."

Zhang Cheng and the generals saluted and turned away.

Li Hu said to his personal soldiers: "Go home first and tell them that I might be home very late, so don't wait for me to have dinner."

The personal soldier: "Yes."

It was already early afternoon when Li Hu arrived at the imperial city.

In the distance, about a hundred officials, each holding a memorial in their hands, knelt down outside the Meridian Gate.

Li Hu was stunned for a moment, but still walked towards the Meridian Gate.

As they got closer, they found out that it was the group of people from the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial College. What were they going to do? Impeach the general of Yulin Town. No, the emperor had already issued an order. There was no need for them to submit a petition at this time. They were still kneeling here as if they were making a death appeal.

They are impeaching Shi Guangzhu!

Li Hu was furious. All the people died in the battle, but they still refused to let his family go? !
With a "humph", Li Hu strode towards Zuoye Gate.

The chief eunuch on duty led a row of imperial guards who stood in front of the crowd like nails.

Glancing at Li Hu's back, the eunuch spoke up, "There is a way to submit a memorial. First, submit it to the Administrative Office, and then the Administrative Office will submit it to the Study. Don't you know this little rule?"

The imperial censor kneeling in the middle of the first row held up his memorial: "We want to present it directly to the emperor!"

The official kneeling beside him said loudly: "Shi Guangzhu was eager for merit and acted rashly, falling into the trap of the Mongols, causing the annihilation of more than 20,000 elite soldiers in the vanguard camp, which completely destroyed the face of the court and ruined the court's military advantage in the Hetao area."

Another official kneeling beside him said, "Every family of the soldiers in the vanguard camp is in mourning, and people in mourning can be seen everywhere in the capital."

The eunuch sighed inwardly, he had heard what was happening outside. The prices of funeral items had increased several times, but even these were in short supply.

The censor then said, "The state has its own laws, and the army has its own laws. Shi Guangzhu has violated the state and military laws, causing the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. He deserves death! Please punish the Duke of Shan Guo Mansion according to the law and give an explanation to the court and the people! Give an explanation to the dead and the living!"

All the officials had discussed it beforehand, and now they all said in unison: "Your Majesty, please accept the advice!" More than a hundred people roared in unison, shaking the heavens and the earth.

Listening to the sounds coming from the Meridian Gate, Li Hu quickened his pace.

Not long after, Li Hu arrived outside Yuqing Palace and subconsciously looked inside Jingyun Gate, only to find that the gate of Qianqing Palace was closed.

Tsk, I guess he went into hiding in the Yangxin Palace.

After greeting the eunuch on duty outside Yuqing Palace, Li Hu walked in.

Li Hu guessed wrong this time. The emperor was in the Qianqing Palace, standing under the eaves of a side hall, looking towards the Meridian Gate.

Dai Quan was not there, only the chief eunuch on duty and several eunuchs stood silently on both sides.

They all heard the faint but clear roar coming from the Meridian Gate.

The eunuch on duty hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Your Majesty, let's go back to the study first. It would be terrible if we disturbed the emperor here!"

"Shock? Just them?!"

Emperor Yongchang waved his hand in disdain: "If they really dare to force their way into the Meridian Gate, I would admire their courage."

The eunuch on duty smiled and said, "We in Dashun have loyal ministers, but no ministers who plot rebellion."

Emperor Yongchang snorted, "It's fine if they are honest officials. I'm just afraid that some people are fanning the flames in the name of serving the country and the people, hoping that the world will not be in chaos."

As he spoke, Dai Quan walked over from Yuehua Gate.

The eunuch on duty said softly, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Dai is back."

Emperor Yongchang turned and looked.

Dai Quan walked over quickly and reported to Emperor Yongchang: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department and the Northern Pacification Department have checked, but there is no news about Hetao and Yulin."

Emperor Yongchang's eyes sparkled: "It's impossible that all these spies died on the battlefield."

Dai Quan didn't dare to answer.

Emperor Yongchang then said, "Send someone to Yulin to check, and don't alarm the second son."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang waved his hand.

The chief eunuch on duty led several eunuchs to retreat.

Emperor Yongchang looked at Dai Quan and said, "How credible are the second brother's military reports?"

Dai Quan didn't dare to say anything and knelt down.

"Don't kneel."

Emperor Yongchang sighed, "I am just a little worried. Although the second son has been a rough-tempered person since he was young, he can still distinguish the overall situation."

After a pause, he said, "I don't think he has the guts or the ability to do that!"

After hearing this, Dai Quan's eyes were filled with worry, and he hesitated whether to tell Emperor Yongchang about his guess.

At this moment, a red-robed eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came running towards this side with a panicked look on his face.

Emperor Yongchang's eyes flashed, and the eunuch in red had already run to the steps in front of him and knelt down.

Dai Quan's face darkened: "What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"

The red-robed eunuch spoke up: "Some family members of soldiers surrounded the Duke of Shan's mansion and demanded their lives."

Emperor Yongchang's expression changed drastically, and he said to Dai Quan: "Quick! Don't let anything happen!"

(End of this chapter)