Chapter 33: The Imperial Court Conference (Part 2)

  "Please allow me to report on the military situation in other areas first. The most dangerous place right now is the Lona front line. According to our intelligence, the Yuwen Fengfang Army and the Yeshan Zun Army of the Mashen country have entered combat readiness. They are stationed within a hundred miles of the border with Lona and can launch an attack at any time. Currently, the Yuwen Fengfang Army is located northwest of Minnastrel, while the Yeshan Zun Army is located southwest of Minnastrel, forming a pincer movement against Minnastrel. This has never happened before..."

  Tang Yu cut him off with a dismissive tone, saying, "Tang Lan, you're being overly cautious. No matter where they are in Minas Tirith, as long as the Wu Sheng Guan fortress is in our hands, they won't dare to make any rash moves. At most, they'll just launch a small-scale attack on Luona, why make such a big fuss!"

  "We have reliable information that both legions have received massive support from other sources, especially the Yuwen Fenfang Legion. The Yuwen Fenfang Legion originally had four infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions, but now its strength has increased to six infantry divisions and four cavalry divisions. The Yeshan Zun Legion also added two infantry divisions. At the same time, the country of Masah is rushing to build a railway line from Morroco to Guangming City with all its might. I highly suspect that Masah is formulating an attack plan different from before, we must be extremely vigilant."

  "Tang Hu frowned: "So what's the reaction from Tang Heng's side? Have they noticed anything unusual about the enemy? Where is Wu Sheng Guan Ning Zhi Yuan? Is there any new intelligence?"

  Tang Lan said regretfully: "Not for the time being. They are highly vigilant and watching the enemy's movements."

  "So what's the intelligence from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Tang He turned his head and asked Tang Jing.

  Tang Jing's eyes were almost closed, and he said vaguely: "We haven't received any intelligence about the increase in troops of Yuwen Fenfang Army and Yeshan Zun Army. According to our understanding, Yuwen Fenfang Army still has four infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions, while Yeshan Zun Army still has three infantry divisions and one cavalry division..."

  Tang Lan almost suspected that this seventy-eight-year-old old man hadn't heard others' words clearly, or was simply talking nonsense. He couldn't help but say: "This is already a year-old intelligence. Your Ministry of Internal Affairs informed us in writing last month that the Yuwen Fenfang Army and the Yeshan Zun Army have increased their forces, and now you're saying they haven't... How can such life-and-death matters be taken lightly?"

  Tang Jing said dazedly: "Is there? Oh, maybe I remembered it wrong. People get old and their memory gets worse, please forgive me."

  Tang Lan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that apart from Tang Ming, probably no one else would use a 78-year-old old man to preside over intelligence work. This was simply unbelievable to outsiders and was playing with the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers as if it were a child's game.

  Tang Hu said impatiently, "Tang Lan, you are being alarmist. Indeed, the country of Martha has intentions to mobilize troops against Loona, this is a obvious thing, but if they want to capture Minnastrel and Wushengguan, even increasing their military strength will not be enough. As long as the navy can hold on to Loona's coastline, they can threaten the flanks of Martha's attacking army at any time, making them dare not launch a full-scale attack on Minnastrel and Wushengguan. In fact, in previous years, they could only allocate two-thirds of their troops to attack these strong fortresses. It is impossible for them to capture Minnastrel and Wushengguan."

  Yun Xian suddenly interjected, "Is there any information about the production of heavy artillery in Martha's country? They produce a large number of heavy artillery every time before they attack, it has become a rule. Without enough heavy artillery, they can't even attack Wushengguan and Minas Tirith."

  Tang Lan furrowed his brow, speaking with a hint of uncertainty: "Intelligence shows that Martha has so far cast a total of 160 16-inch caliber heavy artillery pieces and is increasing at a rate of 10 per month... This is indeed a somewhat strange number..."

  Tang Hu smiled and said, "It's impossible to capture Minastray and Wusheng Pass with over a hundred heavy cannons. So we don't have to worry at all."

  Tang Lan thought for a moment and agreed with Tang Hu's view, so she nodded slightly.

  Tang Ming suddenly asked: "Where are the other two legions of Martha's country now?"

  Tang Lan looked at Tang Ming with some surprise, but couldn't see any indication on his face. He thought for a moment and said: "The Yuwen Xing Space Army is still stationed in Yingchuan County, while the Lei Ting Army is near Qishan County."

  Tang Hu said with a cold smile: "They will need at least ten days to rush to the front line of Luona."

  Tang Lan nodded again, saying with deep feeling: "Yes. Especially the Yuwen Xingkong Military Corps, if they are to be deployed into battle, it will take at least a month of marching to reach the front lines."

  Tang Jing suddenly seemed to have sobered up a lot, and said in a clear voice: "However, our intelligence shows that the Yuwen Xing Air Force Corps and the Yuwen Lei Thunder Corps have both increased their personnel and equipment. We've made some rough estimates, and the number of land troops in the country of Masah has increased by ten infantry divisions and three cavalry divisions, with a total increase of about 400,000 people."

  Tang Hu sneered coldly, not taking it to heart at all, and said lightly: "The fall of the Masha country is not dead in my heart. It's normal for them to increase their military strength. In case something tense really happens on the front line of Loona, there are still 3 million Imperial Guards in Niluo who can respond at any time. The Imperial Guard is an invincible elite, what are you afraid of?"

  Tang Ming took a deep breath and said slowly: "Tang Lan, is there anything else you're worried about?"

  Tang Lan wanted to speak but hesitated, however in the end he mustered up his courage and said quickly: "Then, I still need to report on the situation regarding the Feng Huo Yun Long family."

  Tang Hu exclaimed: "Do they really dare to rebel?"

  Tang Ming's face darkened again, causing Tang Lan to feel a sense of unease in his heart, realizing that he shouldn't have brought up this cursed topic. However, since the words were already spoken, he could only continue on: "Your Imperial Majesty, Crown Prince, I dare not confirm whether the Feng Huo Yun Long family will rebel or not, but currently, the number of border defense troops under the control of the Feng Huo Yun Long family has far exceeded the allowed amount, with the Long family being the most egregious. The 83rd and 84th divisions of the Dragon family's border defense army each have a force of over 30,000 soldiers. The total military strength possessed by the four major families is close to 200,000. This is an enormous number; if the Shangguan Blood Army were to mobilize half of its elite troops and establish new units, it would take at least six months for them to be battle-ready. If the four major families were to make a move during this time..."

  Tang Lan saw Tang Ming's face getting increasingly ugly, and his own voice gradually sinking down, finally becoming almost as quiet as a mosquito. He knew he had inadvertently touched on one of Tang Ming's taboos. Perhaps it was because he had been persecuted by his loved ones too harshly in his youth, so Tang Ming was even more wary of internal turmoil than external invasion. The situation where the four major families repeatedly disobeyed the imperial court's orders had already made Tang Ming very dissatisfied and worried, as the officials sent by the imperial court were unable to stand firm there. Tang Ming could no longer tolerate this point. It was just that the imperial court's military strength was weak at present, and the finances were difficult, otherwise he would have taken action against them long ago.

  Now he's saying that the four major families are still greedy and want to swallow the elephant, plotting to advance inland. Isn't that exactly what Tang Ming is afraid of? Indeed, he secretly saw that Tang Ming's originally dark and gloomy face suddenly showed a hint of sickly redness, which gradually faded away, but his eyes flashed with a fierce light. He said in a murky tone: "There's no need to withdraw the troops from the Upper Official Blood Military Group, let them watch those native dogs."

  Tang Lan hastily nodded in agreement. Yun Xiao and Tang Jing had already known that Tang Ming, in his anger, had humiliated the four major families, making them feel like dirt. Tang Lan's words must have deeply provoked Tang Ming, with his temperament, once he got a chance, his next target would definitely be the four major families. Thinking of this, Yun Xiao couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, yet it was also a bleak feeling.

  Only Tang Hu's expression didn't change, but Tang Ming's words also made him react greatly. He almost jumped up and said: "How can that be? I'm still short of two divisions..."

  Tang Ming glanced at him with a murky gaze and said, "The Military Affairs Department will immediately order Du Gulongteng and Sima Zongheng to each dispatch an elite division to be under the command of the Crown Prince..."

  Everyone in the room suddenly lifted their heads in unison, their eyes all fixed on Tang Ming. They looked at each other, suspicious that they had misheard. Their astonished gazes were not due to the deployment of troops, but because of the two words "crown prince". This was the first time Tang Ming had personally expressed his intention to make Tang Ju the crown prince.

  However, for these two words, Tang Hu heard them clearly! He had been waiting for these two words for the first half of his life. In an instant, Tang Hu was so excited that he seemed to want to jump out of his heart and run around the imperial palace a hundred times to relieve his excitement. His eyes were fixed on the throne under Tang Ming, and the people around him were worried that he would not be able to hold back for a moment and go up to take the seat himself. This unbridled display of desire for the throne made Tang Lan feel that it was really unthinkable, how could Tang Ming possibly let his son be so presumptuous? Did he really have the intention of abdicating already? Wasn't this too early, he had only been on the throne for less than two years?!

  At that moment when his mind was a jumble of thoughts, Tang Ming's indistinct voice said again: "This is the troop assigned to the crown prince, they are not allowed to cause trouble, otherwise, the crown prince will deal with them."

  Tang Lan hastily said: "I know. However... I dare not guarantee whether Dugu Longteng and Sima Zongheng will accept the order..."

  Tang Ming's face suddenly turned dark, and with a sudden burst of force, he slammed his hand on the sandalwood tea table in front of him. The Jingdezhen imperial kiln carved white jade teacup on the table was shaken to pieces, making a loud clattering sound. The lid fell off the cup and rolled around on the table before shattering into fragments on the Hanbaiyu stone floor, producing a chilling cracking sound in the silence. Tang Ming's voice rose high in indignation as he cursed: "How dare they! Are they still subjects of the empire? Do they still obey the imperial court's orders? Do they still support the Crown Prince? Tell them clearly that if they refuse to accept the order, the imperial court will treat their actions as treason! Once the Asen Corridor is pacified, the Crown Prince will personally lead the army to attack them. Let them beware!"

  Tang Lan's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he repeatedly said: "Yes, I understand..."

  Tang Huo seemed to have gained great honor, excitedly waving his hands and feet, saying: "Right, that's it! If they don't listen, I'll return from the Ya Sen Corridor and immediately lead the army to conquer them!"

  A strange thought flashed through Tang Lan's mind, but it was not something she dared to say out loud, so she maintained her usual silence.

  Tang Ming nodded, his eyes coldly sweeping the crowd, and didn't say anything else. The Duke of Zhou helped him up and supported him as he walked out of the Diligent Government Hall. Just as they opened the door, a bone-chilling gust of wind blew by, causing the three department ministers inside to involuntarily shiver. Only Tang Hu stood proudly there, staring intently at the position where Tang Ming had just sat...