prynovel Chapter 7 Patience
Chapter 7 Patience
After a long silence, Xiao Qingkuang finally spoke, his voice hoarse and low: "Then, according to the Grand Commandant's opinion, what should I do? Should I turn a blind eye to the fall of Yanmen Pass and the provocations of the Northern Xiongnu? If I do not fight, how can I explain this to the people of the world? If I do not fight, won't I be branded with the eternal infamy of 'ceding territory to seek peace'?"
Gu Youzhi shook his head, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Your Majesty, this old minister does not advocate not fighting, but rather advocates 'delayed fighting' and 'outwitting' the enemy."
"A delaying tactic? A clever strategy?" Xiao Qingkuang narrowed his eyes.
"Indeed." Gu Youzhi stepped closer, lowering his voice as if afraid of being overheard. "Your Majesty, the Northern Xiongnu's invasion this time is fierce and clearly well-prepared. If our army hastily engages in battle, what are our chances of victory? Even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory, playing right into the hands of the vassal king. If we lose... the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"Then what should I do? I can't just cede territory and pay reparations to seek a peaceful life, can I?" Xiao Qingkuang looked at Grand Commandant Gu Youzhi with a face full of doubt.
"Your Majesty, our current compromises are for a better future—before that better future arrives, we need to learn to be patient!" Gu Youzhi earnestly advised. "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to stabilize the Northern Xiongnu! Therefore, this old minister believes we can send envoys to negotiate peace with the Northern Xiongnu! Even if it's just a temporary ceasefire, or even... paying a negligible price!"
"A negligible price?" Xiao Qingkuang frowned.
"For example, opening a few border markets, or making some verbal promises," Gu Youzhi said calmly. "The Northern Xiongnu are greedy, but they value immediate benefits more. As long as we show a willingness to negotiate, they will fight amongst themselves for the benefits, thus temporarily halting their offensive."
"But..." Xiao Qingkuang still felt a tightness in his chest.
"Your Majesty, enduring this moment of anger is for the sake of long-term planning," Gu Youzhi continued. "Taking this opportunity, Your Majesty can secretly mobilize the censors to thoroughly investigate the regional princes... We must strike first before those princes can act, cutting off their reach towards the capital one by one!"
"Sever their reach into the capital...?" Xiao Qingkuang murmured, the anger in his eyes gradually subsiding, replaced by a chilling coldness.
"Indeed." Gu Youzhi nodded. "Once we resolve our internal troubles and stabilize the court, we can then turn our attention to the Northern Xiongnu. With no worries about our rear, our Great Liang cavalry can drive straight in, expelling those bandits back to the depths of the grasslands, or even... completely annihilating them!"
Xiao Qingkuang's breathing gradually became steady.
He walked back to the dragon throne and slowly sat down.
His gaze seemed to pass through the vermilion gate and look towards the distant northern horizon.
There, there are the smoke signals of war, invading bandits, and enemies he must face!
But he knew that at this moment, the real enemy was not in the north!
"Peace talks..." Xiao Qingkuang repeated the two words in a low voice, as if he were chewing on the bitterness and helplessness in them.
"Yes, peace talks." Gu Youzhi nodded slowly. "Of course, this is only a temporary measure! Your Majesty, only by enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens can one achieve great things. The late Emperor..."
"Grand Commandant, there's no need for further words," Xiao Qingkuang raised his hand to stop the old minister's persuasion.
"Issue my decree."
After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Qingkuang's voice rang out again—though still tinged with a hint of suppressed emotion, it had regained its imperial majesty!
"The Minister of Rites is here to pay his respects."
As Xiao Qingkuang's voice rang out, Gu Youzhi couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart—he knew that His Majesty had made the right choice!
……
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Outside the main hall, the assembled officials looked at each other in bewilderment as they saw the Minister of Rites being summoned into the hall.
Shortly thereafter, they saw the emperor's personal eunuch, the chief eunuch, and the Minister of Rites walk out of the main hall together.
Then, the chief eunuch loudly proclaimed an imperial edict that shocked them:
"His Majesty has decreed that the Ministry of War shall remain inactive for the time being, strictly guard all passes, and refrain from launching any unauthorized attacks. Furthermore, effective immediately, preparations shall be made for peace talks with the Northern Xiongnu..."
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Outside the Golden Palace, beneath the red steps.
The courtiers, who had been whispering amongst themselves, erupted into a frenzy after hearing the chief eunuch read out the imperial edict on "peace negotiations."
"What? Peace talks?"
Minister of War Zhao Meng was the first to jump out. This white-haired old general stared wide-eyed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, his face full of disbelief.
The ivory tablet in his hand fell to the ground with a "crack" and broke into two pieces, but he was completely unaware of it, only pointing his trembling fingers at the tightly closed vermilion gate.
"What is Your Majesty trying to do? Are you going to hand over the empire left by our ancestors to others?"
Zhao Meng's voice was hoarse and filled with grief and indignation, carrying the pain of betrayal.
He had spent his entire life on the battlefield, dealing with the Northern Xiongnu for half his life. When he heard that the court was going to bow down to those "bandits," he felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, and his vision went black.
"Minister Zhao is right! What is this? This is humiliation! A disgrace to the Great Liang Dynasty!"
Immediately afterwards, General Ma Meng also roared out.
He was in the prime of his life, eager to establish his prestige in the army through military achievements. Hearing about the peace talks was like being doused with a bucket of cold water; all his ambitions and passion were instantly extinguished.
"Those barbarians of the North Xiongnu are going too far! They killed our brothers and occupied our cities. We didn't even retaliate, yet they want to negotiate peace with us? And even offer us benefits? How can we face the spirits of our fallen soldiers? How can we face our ancestors in the afterlife?"
Ma Meng's words were like a match, igniting the powder keg in the hearts of all the generals present.
"Your Majesty, please rescind your order!"
"This humble general is willing to lead troops north; I swear I will not return to the capital until the Xiongnu are defeated!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
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Dozens of armored warriors instantly coalesced into a steel torrent, roaring as they charged toward the gates of the Golden Palace.
They were no longer the respectful subjects they usually were, but a pack of enraged lions.
They wanted to see the emperor, they wanted to question him face to face, they wanted to let the emperor know that the soldiers of Daliang were not spineless!
Upon seeing this, the civil officials quickly retreated, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire of this anger.
They hid behind the pillars, watching this scene with complex expressions.
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Meanwhile, in the Golden Palace, Xiao Qingkuang sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed.
The roars coming from outside the hall reached Xiao Qingkuang's ears clearly.
Every word spoken by those generals was like a heavy hammer blow to Xiao Qingkuang, striking his pride as an emperor.
"These bastards!"
Xiao Qingkuang slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne.
At that moment, his chest heaved violently, and his young face was flushed red with anger.
"They show absolutely no appreciation for my painstaking efforts?"
"Whom am I doing this for?"
"It's for the sake of this great land and its people, so that these military generals will shed less blood in the future!"
"But what about them?"
"They only know how to act rashly and how to shout for war!"
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Xiao Qingkuang stood up and paced anxiously in the main hall.
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Gu Youzhi stood to the side, his expression still calm, as if the commotion outside the palace had nothing to do with him.
"Calm down? Grand Commandant, listen to this! Those are my generals! They're right outside the palace, pointing their fingers at me and cursing me. How can I calm down?"
Xiao Qingkuang stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed intently on Gu Youzhi.
"Grand Commandant, I understand everything you just said! I also know that the current peace talks are to lull the vassal kings into a false sense of security and to buy time! However, I cannot endure this indefinitely! I am the emperor, and I have my bottom line!"
"Your Majesty..." Gu Youzhi was about to speak up to persuade him.
"No need for further explanation!"
Xiao Qingkuang raised his hand, interrupting the old Grand Commandant.
"My mind is made up; I am going to see them!"
"I'm going to tell them that I'm not a coward, and that I want to fight this battle more than anyone else!"
"However, I want them to understand that war is not child's play, and it cannot be won with mere enthusiasm!"
"I want them to understand that, as the Emperor of Daliang, I desire to drive back those Northern Xiongnu bandits more than anyone else!"
"But...the time isn't right yet!"
"Therefore, they need to be more patient!"
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