newbobooks Chapter 267: Behind the Scenes, First Morning Court
Chapter 267: Behind the Scenes, First Morning Court
The end of winter in the eleventh year of Yanchang.
Daliang suddenly sent troops to launch a surprise attack on the southwestern border, and war broke out again on the border!
Fortunately, Dongchuan Hou and others had been on guard, and the generals guarding the pass fought with Daliang, and both sides won and lost.
When the news reached the capital, the court was in an uproar.
According to the ritual system of the Great Yan Dynasty, the new emperor and his ministers mourned for the previous emperor for 27 days, and officially went to court after the funeral. During this period, only memorials were submitted for review.
But this unexpected thing happened...
An imperial decree was immediately issued from the palace to hold a court session the next morning.
This does not violate the etiquette. In the etiquette of Dayan, state affairs come first. When major events such as war occur, the court should be opened early.
The news reached the Duke Su's Mansion.
Xue Zheng's face was very serious. He looked at his two sons standing in front of him and said:
"I have long anticipated that Daliang will take this opportunity to attack the southwest after hearing that the previous emperor passed away and the young emperor ascended the throne. But the next arrangement is very crucial..."
"Ning will definitely use her cousin Tang Yuan as the commander-in-chief. Currently, the only general who can take charge of the court is Tang Yuan, besides your eldest brother."
"But once the military power in the southwest falls into Tang Yuan's hands, the power of the Tang family will surely surpass ours."
Xue Zheng judges others by his own standards.
If the Empress Dowager was in power now, the commander-in-chief of the southwest would definitely be a general from the Xue Party, and would never use an outsider.
and so……
By analogy, would Ning Wanyin give such an important thing as the military power in the southwest to an outsider?
Her brother is a sickly person, and her father has served in the army for many years but has made no achievements. He is just an ordinary general. If her father is promoted, he will definitely not be able to win the support of the people.
These two people are obviously impossible to use.
But Tang Yuan is a very suitable candidate.
He had also helped in the war in the southwest, so he was familiar with the military affairs in the southwest...
When Xue Zheng heard that a fight had broken out in the southwest, the first thing that came to his mind was that Ning Wanyin would give the power of commander-in-chief to Tang Yuan!
"Dad, you absolutely cannot agree to this. You must strongly oppose it at the court tomorrow morning!" Xue's second son hurriedly said.
Xue Zheng nodded, "Of course. But the court is no longer ruled by my Xue family. If we want to stop Tang Yuan from taking command, we need others to oppose it. You should contact the court officials immediately and spread the news that Ning Wanyin will use Tang Yuan as the commander-in-chief tomorrow."
"Ning Wanyin only employs her relatives. If the Tang family controls the military power in the southwest again, the power of the foreign relatives will be strong. Those neutral officials are all loyal to the late emperor and they certainly don't want to see this situation happen."
"The situation of the war in the southwest is another matter. Half of the country of Da Yan has fallen into the hands of one family. Those important officials all understand the importance of this. Song Gu is devoted to the country, so this news must be conveyed to him."
They both understood and comprehended their father's plan.
This is to unite the court officials to oppose Ning Wanyin.
And Xue Zheng thought of another level.
The first arrangement Ning Wanyin made after taking over the government aroused opposition from the ministers, which must have been a huge blow to her prestige.
The ministers would also think that she was just a woman and not worth considering.
in this way……
Only in this way can the prestige of powerful officials be established.
Things have changed, and it is time for them to use their power as subjects to suppress the power of the emperor.
On this day, the mansions of the ministers were in turmoil, with news being passed around privately constantly.
Xue Zheng is ready.
Everything is waiting for the morning court!
……
At five o'clock the next morning, heavy snow fell.
Helian Xi sat on the dragon throne obediently. These days, he has been sad about the departure of his father.
Ning Wanyin planned to arrange a tutor for him after he finished mourning.
However, he grew up with Ning Wanyin since he was a child, so he still understood the most basic etiquette in the palace.
The Queen Mother talked to him about this yesterday.
Today, he needs to go to court obediently, just like his father did before.
In Helian Xi's heart, his father was a good emperor.
Except for festivals, he usually attends court diligently. I should be like my father!
Helian Xi straightened his body, with a blank expression on his face, trying his best to make himself look like a reliable emperor.
But there was an inexplicable sense of nervousness in his heart.
After all, it was his first time to attend the morning court, and he was afraid that he would not perform well.
Helian Xi quietly looked at the pearl curtain and phoenix throne on the side.
Beside him there was a phoenix throne with a pearl curtain hanging down, and his mother was sitting next to him.
The Queen Mother is with him!
Thinking of this, Helian Xi was no longer so nervous.
Wang Degui stood at one side and saluted loudly: "Announce, all the ministers come to see the emperor——"
Because the eunuchs around Helian Xi were young and had no experience in serving the emperor, Ning Wanyin kept Wang Degui and asked him to serve Helian Xi.
Wang Degui was filled with gratitude and took good care of the young master.
Generally, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he will use his own eunuchs. However, the eunuchs of the previous emperor would either take up an idle job to live out their retirement, or guard the imperial mausoleum for the previous emperor.
He can still continue to serve as the chief steward, all thanks to the grace of the Queen Mother!
Wang Degui immediately worked with full concentration, not daring to make even the slightest mistake.
The ministers had been waiting outside the Golden Palace for a long time. When they heard the call, they filed into the hall and kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to the two people on the high platform:
"Long live my emperor."
"The Queen Mother is a thousand years old."
Helian Xi sat upright and said in a clear and loud voice: "Everyone, please stand up."
He practiced these four words several times in private yesterday.
The Queen Mother told him that he was still young and should just listen to the affairs of state.
But he needs to memorize a few commonly used phrases, and he also has a few words to say.
In order to avoid making mistakes, Helian Xi memorized it very seriously!
All the ministers thank you and stand on both sides.
Ning Wanyin got straight to the point and said, "Daliang has invaded our territory. Do you have any suggestions for this?"
The new Minister of Rites Duan Langyuan took an active step forward:
"I have a report to make. I have heard that the way to use troops is to use strategies first. It is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to get a general. The southwest border is in need of a commander who can lead the overall situation and command the battle. I dare to recommend General Xuanwu Tang Yuan as the commander of the southwest to lead the southwest war."
In the military system of Dayan, the commander of an army is a general of the first rank. The army is divided into four parts, with four generals of the second rank commanding all the camps.
The commander of the Northwest Army is the Marquis of Changping. Tang Yuan was granted a high rank due to his father's merits. After following the emperor in person, he was promoted all the way. Now he is a capable general in the Northwest and leads a division.
The commander-in-chief of the Southwestern Army was originally Xiao Yunjing, but the position is now vacant.
Among the four generals in the southwest, Marquis Dongchuan and his legitimate son each hold one.
The remaining two had no family background and were promoted based on their military achievements.
The four generals each guarded their own place, which was fine in normal times. But in wartime, a commander who could take charge of the overall situation was needed.
"I second the motion!" The Left Vice Minister of Rites immediately agreed.
After the former Minister of Rites Yao passed away, the new Minister of Rites always wanted to curry favor with the Ning family, but he never found an opportunity.
When he heard about the war in the southwest this time, he immediately recommended Tang Yuan.
Some officials in the court, like him, who wanted to show goodwill to Ning Wanyin, all expressed their support.
There are four or five of these people in total.
As soon as they finished speaking...
Xue Zheng immediately stepped out and said, "I think Tang Yuan is still young and has little experience in leading troops. It is inappropriate for him to take on such an important task."
As soon as he opened his mouth, many court officials stood up to second his proposal.
Not only the Xue party, but also many neutral ministers opposed it. They did not join the Xue family, but to avoid the power of the foreign relatives.
If we hand over the southwest to Tang Yuan, then when the father and son join forces, if something happens in the west...
Half of Dayan’s territory is in danger of falling.
They heard that the Queen Mother had already chosen Tang Yuan, so they strongly opposed it!
Many censors who were on good terms with Song Gu echoed the proposal.
Another censor said in a sarcastic tone, "I think Tang Yuan is the Empress Dowager's cousin. If you use Tang Yuan as the commander, it will inevitably make people suspect that the Empress Dowager is using people based on personal connections. Please be careful!"
Song Gu just stood there and said nothing.
He also heard that Ning Wanyin wanted to appoint Tang Yuan as the commander-in-chief, but he wanted to hear the Queen Mother's opinion first.
At one word of opposition to Tang Yuan, eight out of ten people in the hall stood up.
The Minister of Rites was frightened by the scene and dared not say a word.
This was Helian Xi's first time attending court, and he encountered this kind of situation. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but he felt that the atmosphere was extremely tense.
He was somewhat worried about Ning Wanyin, but he did not look at her.
Ning Wanyin had told him that he should sit upright and keep a straight face when attending court.
Only when a monarch is calm and composed can he calm the hearts of his subjects.
"I think what Duke Xue said makes a lot of sense." Ning Wanyin said slowly, "General Yu Song, the Loyal and Mighty General of the Southwest, joined the army at the age of fifteen and has led troops for twenty years. He is skilled in archery and horse riding and is familiar with the art of war. When the late emperor personally led the army, he made many contributions and is now one of the four generals of the Southwest. This time when Daliang invaded the border, he led the troops to a great victory. I think he is worthy of being the commander-in-chief."
This is one of the generals mentioned in Jiang Chengxu’s previous memorial.
Ning Wanyin read the Southwest War Report carefully. Among the several generals who were under key observation, his combat capability performed the best.
Only when the fighting starts will you know which people can be used effectively.
As for what if he can't stop Daliang? It's okay, Ning Wanyin has a few alternatives on her southwest observation list.
"Also, transfer Tang Yuan and Shi Fang to lead an army each to rush to the southwest for support. It was them who rushed to the southwest for support last time and cooperated with the Southwestern Army in combat. What do you think, my dear ministers?" Ning Wanyin said the second half of the sentence.
Except for a few court officials who knew about the war in the southwest, most of the court officials were stunned.
Ah? Yu Song? It seems he is a general in the southwest, but there are too many such generals.
There were constant wars in the southwest, and two rebellions. Except for Dongchuan Hou Changqing, the four generals had been replaced several times, and most people were not familiar with Yu Song.
Xue Zheng frowned and looked serious when he heard this. He was particularly concerned about the situation in the southwest. He also had some knowledge of the generals in the southwest. But he never expected that Ning Wanyin could casually name a general in the southwest, and that this person was indeed very suitable.
"The Queen Mother is wise!" Song Gu was the first to step forward and agree.
He also thought that Ning Wanyin would choose Tang Yuan.
Song Gu was a civil servant and was not good at military affairs, but he guessed that this candidate was left by the previous emperor.
Otherwise, how could the Queen Mother know the generals in the southwest? So he was the first to agree based on his loyalty and trust in the late emperor.
Ning Wanyin looked at Xue Zheng, "What do you think, Duke Su?"