Chapter 31: The Imperial Court Conference (Part 1)

  Tangchuan Empire capital, Niluo Divine Capital.

  The autumn wind is bleak, rolling up the gray dust that shrouds the entire city of Niluo, making it look even more gloomy and dismal. This ancient city has experienced too many changes in the past year or so. First, the 15th Emperor of the Tangchuan Empire, Tang Rong, died a tragic death. Then, there was an unprecedented earthquake that almost reduced more than half of the buildings to rubble. Its former glory, its former honor, and its former pride have all been gradually lost due to that devastating earthquake. Although the new emperor, Tang Ming, personally drafted a recovery plan, can the cultural heritage accumulated over thousands of years be restored in just one year?

  The location of the Emperor of the Tangchuan Empire, the Weiyang Palace, was also severely damaged in that earthquake. Although the Ministry of Government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs arranged for manpower and resources to repair it immediately, due to the large scale of the project and the high requirements of Emperor Tangming, "it must be built more beautifully, more luxurious, and more able to show the majesty of the heavenly kingdom", so it has not been completed yet. This includes the Taihe Hall, where the imperial court holds its morning meetings. Since the Taihe Hall is still under repair, the imperial court's morning meeting has not been held since the earthquake. Matters that normally require discussion and debate to decide have become a situation where the Emperor and a few core ministers discuss and decide privately before issuing an edict.

  This small-scale meeting is usually called an "audience" because the emperor is within three meters of the attendees, rather than at least eight meters away like in the morning court, where those standing behind could not even see the emperor's face. The location for holding an audience is usually in the Qianqing Palace, as it is closest to the emperor's bedroom and most convenient for his movements; he can get up from his beloved concubine and attend the meeting immediately, which often takes place at midnight or early morning.

  The Minister of Military Affairs, Tang Lan, has been feeling extremely exhausted and powerless to respond. The situation in various regions is so severe, but the Emperor has not taken any effective measures. He doesn't even bother with the suggestions from the Ministry of Military Affairs, neither approving nor rejecting them, just saying "I know" and leaving it at that, making Tang Lan unsure what he should do. Sometimes, he even has nightmares, dreaming that he is no longer in the Emperor's favor. In this state of torment, he realizes that he is too worn out, so much so that he doesn't even have any interest in enjoying the new concubine, Kang Shu Mei, bestowed upon him by the Emperor.

  At 5 am, when people sleep the most soundly, Tang Lan was woken up by his concubine in a daze. It turned out that the Emperor had issued an edict summoning him to enter the palace immediately for discussion. He hastily got up and rushed to the Imperial Palace's Diligent Governance Hall. When he arrived, he found that also attending this imperial meeting were Crown Prince Tang Ju, Minister of Internal Affairs Tang Jing, and Minister of Government Administration Yun Xian. Tang Jing and Yun Xian looked like they had just been pulled out of bed, their spirits extremely lacking; if not for the presence of Crown Prince Tang Ju, they would have definitely dozed off secretly.

  Upon seeing Tang Lan's arrival, Tang Jing and Yun Xian both nodded slightly to greet him, also secretly conveying through their eyes that today's meeting might have some unexpected scenes. The master of their eyes was undoubtedly the majestic Tang Pu. Compared to the three elderly men present, Tang Pu, in his prime, appeared robust and full of energy. His face was stern, and his gaze was sharp. Just standing there, he exuded a captivating charm that was especially attractive to women. From appearance alone, no one could associate him with the frequently defeated general on the battlefield, which is why some people privately said that Tang Pu's "bravery" was all used in bed.

  Tang Hu was disdainful of Tang Lan, who had just arrived, and ignored him completely. This was also due to a reason: when Tang Jin and Tang Hu were in the Niluo Divine Capital, they had fought over a woman, and in the end, Tang Hu had emerged victorious with his bravery, forcing Tang Jin to leave in anger for the distant South Sea to become the captain of a warship in the South Sea Fleet. His father, Tang Lan's display of weakness was undoubtedly despised by Tang Hu from the bottom of his heart.

  The three old men were communicating with each other through their eyes, realizing that today's imperial court meeting must be related to Tang Huai and the core issue might be solving the problem of Aisen Corridor. However, how the problem of Aisen Corridor would be solved was unknown.

  Emperor Tang Ming arrived quickly with the support of eunuch Zhou Gonggong. He was a man in poor physical health, slender and slightly hunched back, bearing many scars from the hardships he suffered in his youth, which made him pant slightly when walking. His sleep was probably not good either, with dense bloodshot eyes and an unhealthy pale complexion that made one wonder if he had also been called out of bed by someone. And the only person who would have the audacity and ability to summon the emperor at midnight was none other than Crown Prince Tang Ju. Although Emperor Tang Ming had not yet designated a crown prince, relying on the powerful influence of his maternal clan, Tang Ju's ascension to the throne was almost a foregone conclusion, and even the other three princes had already given up their ambitions to compete for the throne in their hearts.

  Tang Ming slumped his body behind the sandalwood tea table and sat down, taking a look at Tang Hu who was standing proudly in the hall. He weakly waved his hand, indicating for everyone to take their seats. Zhou Gonggong personally went to bring over steaming hot pearl milk tea, placing a cup in front of each person. The pure white milk tea had added to it pure pearl powder from Nanhai Yongxing Island, emitting a refreshing and calming fragrance that soothed the soul. Tang Hu picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp, while everyone else merely grasped their teacups, warming their palms before putting them back down. Tang Hu's expression clearly indicated that he was going to be the main character of today's imperial court meeting.

  As expected, Tang Ming leaned forward slightly, panting and muttering weakly: "Since everyone is here, let's get started. Tang Ju, tell us about the plan to counterattack Bennington, be more detailed."

  "With a slight bow, Tang Hu's majestic figure spoke in a loud and clear voice: 'Ladies and gentlemen, the Benning Prefecture is the military stronghold of the central part of the Azure Corridor, it is the central node of the entire Azure Corridor. Losing the Benning Prefecture is equivalent to losing the Azure Corridor, so we must recover it as soon as possible...' He spoke eloquently, accompanied by infectious gestures, quickly attracting everyone's attention. Tang Jing and Yun Xian were clearly interested in his plan, but only Tang Lan's face grew more and more gloomy, sipping milk tea with a bowed head. In his heart, he was indignant, Tang Hu seemed to have completely forgotten who had lost the Benning Prefecture in the first place, and how it was lost. What he wanted to do now seemed not to make up for his mistakes, but to achieve a great feat that would leave a name for thousands of years, like Pangu's creation of heaven and earth."

  Tang Ming's eyes drooped, and in fact, he had already noticed the expression of the Minister of Military Affairs, but he didn't say anything.

  "This is a perfect, seamless plan!" Tang Ju's voice was high-pitched as he finished his speech. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, and when he saw Tang Lan's distracted expression, he immediately became dissatisfied. His emotions were written all over his face, and in an instant, his gaze turned unfriendly towards Tang Lan.

  Tang Ming listened quietly and after a long while, said casually: "What are your views on the Crown Prince's plan? Military Department?"

  Tang Lan raised his head and met Tang Hu's very dissatisfied gaze. He, of course, knew the consequences of this kind of gaze, but he was now in a difficult situation and had to force himself to face it head-on; otherwise, all military affairs across the country might be messed up by Tang Hu's reckless behavior. He slowly organized his thoughts and spoke carefully: "Tang Hu, you mentioned mobilizing eleven central army divisions to attack Bennington, but have you considered where these divisions will be drawn from? Six central army divisions are already gathered at the Aisen Corridor, so at least five more need to be drawn out. The Shiyue Pass needs at least three central army divisions stationed there to prevent a surprise attack by the Yilan Nation while we're attacking Bennington... That is to say, in addition to the eleven divisions attacking Bennington, we also need to deploy three divisions to defend the Shiyue Pass... In this situation, the Ministry of Military Affairs really can't mobilize eight central army divisions to the Aisen Corridor."

  Tang Hu's face suddenly turned gloomy, and Tang Lan's cold water severely struck him. He was about to open his mouth to refute, but Tang Ming's gesture stopped him. He could only swallow hard, glared at Tang Lan with a resentful and venomous gaze that made even the battle-hardened Tang Lan feel a chill in his heart.

  Tang Ming glanced around and said slowly: "What about the Ministry of Administration? What does the Ministry of Administration think of the Crown Prince's plan?"

  Yun Xian coughed slightly, and he also saw Tang Hu's cold gaze. He was well aware of Tang Hu's overconfidence and arrogance, as well as his tendency to be overly ambitious. This plan to attack the Bei Ning Fu was full of mistakes, anyone could see that, but he didn't want to end up like Tang Lan, being held in grudge by Tang Hu, which would be a painful thing. His mind racing quickly, he placated, "Indeed, it's a flawless plan, with four times the strength to launch a devastating attack on the enemy is absolutely necessary. As the saying goes, 'ten fingers grasping a snail, nine out of ten will be secure.' The Bei Ning Fu is a crucial location, we must retake it as soon as possible, otherwise there will be endless troubles..."

  Tang Ming didn't let him finish, interrupting his words: "What about the Ministry of Internal Affairs? What's the intelligence from the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Report on the situation in Benin Prefecture! Does the capital city Benin Prefecture really need eleven main force divisions?"

  Tang Jing held his tea cup and said listlessly, "The Beining Fu currently has two main rebel forces. One is led by Stier, the other by Bai Wu Yu. They sometimes split up and sometimes merge, making it unpredictable. The supporters behind them are Masah Country and Yilan Country, with Longjing Country also involved. Stier's rebel army has a main force of about 20,000 people, while Bai Wu Yu's rebel army has a main force of about 25,000 people, including some palace warriors who defected during the Frost Morning Coup, making them relatively strong... Due to the rebels' propaganda, many have willingly fallen. Apart from these 45,000 main forces, there are approximately another 100,000 armed personnel... Therefore, Your Excellency's plan to mobilize eleven main force divisions to attack Beining Fu is completely necessary."

  Tang Lan furrowed his brow, Tang Jing was obviously supporting Tang Hu, but since he had already disagreed with Tang Hu, he didn't care about disagreeing a bit more. He couldn't help but say: "So-called armed personnel are just ordinary people who own weapons, how can they be counted as military strength? If calculated this way, it wouldn't even stop at 100,000!"

  Tang Jing took a sip of pearl milk tea and said slowly, "Military officer, I think as long as he has weapons in his hands, he must be considered within the scope of the enemy. I'm sure Military Officer wouldn't dare to guarantee that our troops will not encounter attacks from these people. The painful lesson of Menis has proven this point, we cannot repeat the same mistake. Anyone who is armed must be treated as an enemy and must be annihilated!"

  Tang Hu immediately followed up, saying fiercely: "That's right! As long as they don't put down their weapons, they are the enemy! The policy I enforced in the Azure Corridor was to annihilate anyone who refused to lay down their arms. Those were stubborn and unyielding die-hards, more difficult to deal with than real enemies. Over the years, I have thoroughly purged the southern part of the Azure Corridor, and there are no longer any forces resisting the Empire."

  Tang Lan let out a long sigh, not speaking. Tang Jing and Tang Ou were already in cahoots with each other, what else could he say? Anyway, the final decision was in Tang Ming's hands, so there was no need for him to make things too awkward with Tang Ou either.

  Tang Ming glanced around and said calmly: "In that case, let's discuss the issue of troop deployment now."

  As soon as everyone heard this, they suddenly understood that Tang Ming had already agreed to his son's plan and was just going through the motions earlier. Tang Lan's heart was suddenly filled with a dark shadow, feeling heavy and sinking. Since it had already been decided, why bother calling him here? Indeed, amidst his gloominess, he soon heard Yun Xian flattering: "In my opinion, we can mobilize some troops from the Upper Official Blood Army Corps at Shanhai Pass and the Jiang Chonglang Army Corps at Yumen Pass. At least, we can mobilize one or two main force divisions."

  Tang Hu completely had an arrogant look, and said impatiently: "At most, only four divisions can be withdrawn, but I still need five, and must think of a way from other places."

  Yun Xian glanced at Tang Lan and said calmly: "As for this point, I think the Military Department must have made all the arrangements."

  Tang Lan knew that today would be difficult to end well. Tang Ou was so arrogant and Tang Ming also ignored him, it could almost be imagined how spoiled Tang Ou was. In the entire empire, except for Tang Ming, there probably wasn't anyone else who put others in their eyes. Whether he expressed his opinion or not today wouldn't affect their decision-making. He thought for a moment and said ambiguously: "I'm not disagreeing with mobilizing troops, I just want everyone to know that pulling one hair can move the whole body, if we don't consider it carefully, it may lead to unpredictable consequences."