Chapter Thirty-Four The Crown Prince

  The crown prince arrived, and all the officials of Pingliang went out of the city five miles to welcome him. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky, almost noon, that they finally saw the crown prince's carriage in the distance. The weather was still cold at this time, and those generals who were always in the military were strong and healthy, but they didn't feel anything. However, it was a suffering for a group of Pingliang civil officials, who were frozen with pale faces and white lips, shivering all over, and had already begun to curse in their hearts. Especially when looking at General Zhe Muhe standing in front, everyone was secretly thinking of flattering him.

  At first, the team was still neat and tidy. By this time, the officials had all run to the shelter to stomp their feet and shrink their necks, whispering to each other. Those generals were even more reckless, talking loudly in groups of three or five, occasionally glancing at Zhu Muhe with a slanted eye, pointing and laughing, and could still hear the sound of scolding and cursing in various accents. Zhu Muhe's face turned iron blue with anger, but he was also helpless, secretly vowing to take revenge on these unruly guys when the prince arrived.

  Until they saw the prince's carriage, these people stood in line according to their military and civil ranks, no matter what they were thinking in their hearts, but on the surface, they all showed respect. Zhe Mu River was also unwilling to argue with them anymore, staring at the approaching carriage, just hoping it would come a little faster. In these days, this general has been busy enough, half a month has passed, and his hair has turned white by half. Now that the prince has finally arrived, those generals who were eager to make trouble should be honest, shouldn't they?

  The carriage drove up close, and all the civil and military officials knelt down by the roadside, calling out, "Pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince..."

  The curtain was lifted, and Prince Li Xuan wore a light yellow robe, without anyone's support, he got off the carriage and smiled: "Get up, everyone."

  Everyone stood up, and except for a few officials who had met Li Xuanji before, most of them had never seen him. Now they looked carefully and saw that the prince in front of them was smiling, nodding to everyone as a courtesy, with a gentle attitude and a clear voice, giving people a sense of closeness at first sight. They all nodded secretly, indeed a noble person, with an extraordinary demeanor.

  Zhe Mu River stood up at this time, walked forward and bowed his body, saying, "Your Highness must have had a hard journey, I have prepared wine and dinner for you to refresh yourself."

  Li Xuanji, however, grasped his arm and looked around at the surrounding officials with a smile, saying: "I'm just passing through, and there are so many people serving me, what's the need for such hard work? It seems that General Li brought all these people to welcome me, and the weather is so cold... I feel deeply uneasy about this. In recent days, General Li must have been working hard too? It's all because of the ice and snow at the beginning of spring, the road is difficult to travel, and we've been delayed on the way for a long time. The affairs in Pingliang are all being handled by you, so it seems that General Li and everyone else has been working hard, which is only right."

  Everyone who heard this was warmed in their hearts. Li Xuan had been worried and troubled for some time, and he felt deeply moved upon hearing these words. He almost shed tears, his voice choked with emotion as he said: "This is all that we, your subjects, are capable of. It's too much for the Crown Prince to be so concerned about us. We are already content."

  He was idle in Pingliang, and the people of Pingliang already knew it deeply. The army had given this general a nickname, called "Mud General". At this time, this kind of behavior made everyone despise him to the bone.

  It's fine if it were someone else, although I would scold them in my heart, but I don't want to offend them too deeply. Anyone can see that this person is the crown prince's confidant, and it's even more impossible to say anything in front of the crown prince.

  But the first few generals didn't care about that, and immediately someone let out a cold hum, and someone whispered a few words in a low voice. Although the sound was very small, no one could hear what was being said, but the awkwardness on the general's face was visible to everyone.

  He and Chen Zu, as well as several other officials from Pingliang, paid their respects. Li Xuan's gaze shifted over, but he didn't reveal the slightest unusual expression. He also knew that his journey had indeed been somewhat delayed, and it was inevitable that these generals would have some resentment in their hearts. As long as they were placated properly, it wasn't a big deal.

  "Uncle, these generals are so majestic and heroic, one look and you can tell they're brave warriors. Can you introduce me to them?" This "uncle" was called out quite aptly, as the two families had intermarried for generations. From the Empress's side, this uncle was a bit distant, but still considered genuine and authentic. As a result, just now he had received his subjects with the dignity of the Crown Prince, but with one word "uncle", he completely let down his guard, and with the warm smile that always hung on his face like a spring breeze, it greatly increased the goodwill of several generals who were originally dissatisfied.

  "Later, General Li Ji of the Xuanwu Army's Touring Cavalry Division was summoned to an audience with the Emperor..."

  "The General Mo Zhenwei led his troops back to the capital and presented Zhao Cun to Your Highness as a courtesy."

  "Commander-in-Chief of Ningyuan General Li Xiaowei..."

  "Later, he was under the command of General Han Jichang, the Grand General Who Pacifies the South, and added as a Touring General..."

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  More than a dozen generals, the lowest of whom was also from the sixth rank of military rank, but the highest was not high, that is, from the fourth rank of Xuanwei General. After listening to the introduction of these generals, Li Xuancheng's surface was warm and polite, but his heart was slightly dissatisfied. How could it be said that he personally supervised the army in front, and these local generals who held the town only sent these people to listen to orders? Even if they couldn't come themselves, couldn't they send a deputy over?

  No matter what he thought, the introduction was over in a flash. A burly man with a pale face, supported by two guards on either side, bowed slightly and said weakly: "I am He Zhongduan, Commander of the River Garrison. I have seen the Inspector General."

  Li Xuanji was once again choked with rage, this big man looked majestic and powerful, but he was actually a sickly person. Just as he was about to speak up, Zhe Muhe on the side spoke up with a sarcastic smile, "This is one of General Han's favorite generals, and also the son-in-law of the East Chamber. Is this how General Han taught you? When meeting the Crown Prince, not even reporting your military rank, don't you think you've been pampered too much?"

  Pingliang Commandery Chen Zu was the highest-ranking military officer present, and at this time, he took a look and wasn't pleased. With his calm and broad-minded nature, he also silently scolded himself, thinking that the Zhao family had produced such an incompetent person. Not to mention his lack of military talent, but even his temperament was narrow and small-minded. How could someone with such poor character suppress these fierce generals? Just as he was about to step forward to mediate, a general from the River province suddenly spoke up coldly: "General Manager, my family's General Han is one rank higher than you, and also holds the hereditary title of Brave and Fierce Marquis. Can you even address him by name?"

  "We came here under the jurisdiction of our superiors and should not speak to our superiors like this, but today the Crown Prince is also here, and as the supervisor of the army, I, Zhao Lang, a general, dare to accuse General Zhu Muhe of the crime of being arrogant and overbearing, the crime of failing to manage the army effectively, the crime of favoring his subordinates, and the crime of taking revenge for personal reasons..." This Zhao Lang was originally a scholar who abandoned his studies to pursue a military career. When he spoke, he did so slowly and deliberately, but very intelligently. He didn't mention why Zhu Muhe had stayed in Pingliang for a whole month without rescuing Qingyang, avoiding the Crown Prince's displeasure. The people around him all nodded in agreement, and not one person stood up to speak on behalf of Zhu Muhe.

  "I, Zhang Tianba, Commandant of the Manifest Martial Guard, am willing to be a witness. Since the Grand General's administration of the military in Pingliang began, the army has become increasingly disorderly. Every day, there are soldiers fighting and causing trouble within the city walls of Pingliang. Especially the troops from the capital who have been stationed here, they forcibly seize civilian property, injure ordinary people, and their behavior is extremely bad. They also often quarrel with other imperial guard soldiers. The Grand General not only does nothing to stop this but also beats us when we try to reason with them. I, along with the other generals from Hezhong, have come to report this to Your Highness, hoping that you will make a clear judgment."

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  Zhe Mu River was also unlucky. For more than 200 years since the founding of the country, not a single general had reached his position. The commander-in-chief was questioned by his subordinates and eventually suffered a downfall. When he was confronted with difficulties, he became like a scorpion that couldn't sting, alone in his misfortune. This wasn't without reason. The Western Qin region was located at the intersection of four war zones, and since its founding, there had never been a moment when the sound of drums and weapons ceased. As a result, military achievements were highly valued in the Western Qin army, and most of the soldiers under his command were unruly and difficult to control. If you didn't have real ability, you couldn't keep them under control. Zhe Mu River, although holding the title of commander-in-chief, had never actually led an army before. He only had some ability in court politics. Now he was using those same tactics to govern the military, hesitating and unable to provide a reasonable explanation for not sending timely reinforcements to Qingyang. He couldn't even handle those who offended him face-to-face, instead waiting until later to find another excuse to take revenge. In the eyes of the old soldiers, this was just two words: incompetence. Now, in front of the crown prince, his behavior was like that of a low-ranking official, but at least he wouldn't dare confront him directly. However, in the military, it was like two generals not getting along, and everyone would engage in open and secret struggles. The most important thing was to look at their military achievements. When facing a superior officer, if someone secretly sabotaged their opponent, they would definitely be ostracized and receive cold stares from their colleagues, and their days in the military would be numbered. How much more so when Zhe Mu River's actions were so blatant? This was what led to this shocking incident.

  The originally calm and composed Crown Prince Li Xuancheng was also stuck there, unable to move up or down. This crown prince had been in the position for over a decade, his city walls were not shallow, after a moment of panic, he immediately calmed down. Before arriving at Pingliang, he had already thought things through, the soldiers and officials had been waiting for half a month, some resentment was inevitable, even some generals would slow down military affairs, missing opportunities to attack him, this was also within his expectations. However, after learning of the news of the Qingyang army mutiny, he could not help but take action. The Qingyang army mutiny, ah, this is a huge matter, and it has a huge connection with Li Xuancheng... The Lingnan rice that had been prepared early on was blocked by a heavy snowstorm, this heaven-sent snowstorm delayed many things.

  It's no wonder that over the past two years, he has become more and more daring. In the past, he would have left half of it behind, not daring to do too much. But things went smoothly, and the rice in Lingnan was abundant, and the Ministry of Revenue had always been under his control. As long as there was a paper trail, it could be covered up. Now, he has almost emptied the entire granary of Qingyang. Human power is sometimes exhausted, and when encountering such natural disasters, no matter how great one's power is, one cannot change the course of events. One can only minimize the risk afterwards. The mutiny in Qingyang was just such an opportunity, and he would not let it slip away. His trusted advisors thought for two days and two nights and finally came up with a plan. Since Qingyang was already in chaos, they might as well let it be chaotic, the more chaotic the better. Even if the Western Xia people took control of it, there was still Yanbian Town in the northeast, and over 100,000 relief troops were waiting to be deployed. Even if the Western Xia people really occupied Qingyang, they could retake it in an instant. Without grain or fodder, how long could the Western Xia people hold onto Qingyang? Would they be willing to stay there and engage in a decisive battle with the gathered Qin army?

  This trip not only needs to get along with the Western Army generals, but also has a great relationship in how to handle the head and tail of the Qingyang incident cleanly. What can help him greatly is not just the tens of thousands of troops from Pingliang, but more importantly, the rebel soldiers in Qingyang and the Western Xia people under the city.