Chapter 37: Winds Rises in Tianwu City
The Great Qing Imperial Palace â Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Heavy rain continued to fall, forming a curtain of water cascading down in front of the hall.
Inside, Shen Yian stood before the dragon couch, maintaining a respectful bow.
After a long while, Emperor Wu finished his meditation and opened his ice-cold eyes that seemed to look down upon the world.
âAs a father, he should return.â
âAs a general, he cannot return.â@@novelbin@@
After a pause, Emperor Wu continued: âRecently, barbarian raids have been frequent. Without a great general to oversee the army, how can the soldiersâ morale be maintained?â
Shen Yian hesitated for a moment before carefully asking: âDoes Father Emperor mean that if thereâs a great general to oversee the army, General Ye could return?â
Zhao Hai, who was listening on the side, almost coughed out loud.
Goodness, was His Highness doing this on purpose?
Emperor Wu frowned slightly and nodded: âYes.â
The military most fears changing commanders on the battlefield, let alone for a general like Ye Feng who has deeply rooted himself in the hearts of the soldiers.
A sudden change of command would likely cause an extreme reaction among the troops.
Sebei City has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists. Whichever side controls it, the Great Qing or the barbarian nation, gains the initiative.
If Sebei City were to fall due to Ye Fengâs departure, even nine heads wouldnât be enough for Ye Feng to lose, and it might even implicate the entire Ye family.
Shen Yian furrowed his brows. The old man seemed to have relented, but in reality, he had dug a big pit for him to fall into.
At this point, he had no choice but to initiate his backup plan.
âFather Emperor, in my opinion, if the barbarians are unable to raid the border for a long period of time, could General Ye return?â
âHe could.â
Emperor Wuâs eyes flashed with a cold light. He seemed to have guessed what his Sixth Son was planning to do.
âDo you have a way?â
âYour son has one!â Shen Yian took a deep breath and replied.
âNo jesting?â
âNo jesting!â
Shen Yian stepped forward half a step, cupped his hands in salute, his eyes resolute.
âGood! Good, âno jestingâ indeed!â Emperor Wu suddenly stood up.
âZhao Hai! Draft an imperial edict!â
Zhao Hai, somewhat dazed, came to his senses: âYes! Your Majesty!â
About ten minutes later, Zhao Hai slowly approached and handed the edict to Shen Yian.
âYou want to deliver the edict yourself?â Emperor Wu asked in a solemn voice.
âYour son will go personally.â
Shen Yian affirmed decisively.
âI know what you want to do. How confident are you?â Emperor Wuâs expression darkened slightly, his tone even more serious than before.
According to spy reports, the recent frequent barbarian raids were due to the barbarian leaderâs old age and his sonsâ restlessness. Internal conflicts had also led to growing resentment among the people, with a trend towards civil unrest.
He wanted to use Shen Yian as a sharp sword to pierce through the barbarians.
Emperor Wu turned and waved his sleeve, unfurling the other half of the hanging map, revealing a complete world map.
Hereâs the translation of the provided Chinese text:
He wanted to lead his sons to conquer a vast territory for the Great Qing, accumulating blessings for thousands of generations to come!
Emperor Wu looked towards the Great Qingâs territory: âI heard the Sixth Son say that the land in Liaodong is fertile. If cultivated, it could become the Great Qingâs largest granary.â
âYour Majesty means...â Zhao Hai was startled. Since His Majestyâs ascension to the throne, the Great Qing had been focusing on recovery and development. Apart from defending against barbarian and Japanese invasions, they hadnât raised arms against others.
âI want to take this place!â
West of Liaodong, tens of thousands of troops were already stationed there, along with the second princeâs ten thousand Golden Iron Cavalry.
He had been waiting, always waiting for that old man to die, waiting for an opportunity!
Now the opportunity had come!
âYour Majesty is wise!â
Zhao Hai was somewhat excited, never expecting to see in his lifetime the Great Qingâs iron cavalry crushing the barbarians unstoppably.
âSummon the messenger!â
âGreetings to Your Majesty!â
A Martial Guard Division messenger hurriedly entered the hall.
âOrder! Xuanwu and Zhuque to immediately head to Sebei City and await orders!â
âYes, Your Majesty!â
The messenger wrote the message, had it stamped by Zhao Hai, and quickly left the hall.
Zhao Hai sighed inwardly, realizing His Majesty was indeed still worried about the prince.
âCome!â
âSummon Prime Minister Wei Ling!â
âSummon Duke of State Ye Tiance!â
âSummon Minister of War Sun Wuzhong!â
...
As orders were issued one after another, the imperial guards were kept busy, disregarding the heavy rain as they rode swiftly out of the palace on horseback.
This caught the attention of Shen Yian, who was sitting in a carriage. He curiously lifted the curtain to look.
Whatâs going on?
So many imperial guards leaving the palace with orders?
Could it be that the old man is planning to make a big move using this opportunity?
Looking at the situation, it seemed highly likely.
To get his father-in-law to return, he had really exerted himself this time.
Shen Yian smiled and then suddenly sighed.
This trip would take at least four or five days.
No, he had to make that silly girl compensate him properly. Thatâs decided.
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