diskusbooks Chapter 1069 Transfer Order
Chapter 1069 Transfer Order
Throughout history, the power struggle between rulers and their ministers has been an essential lesson for emperors.
Ultimately, the outcome of the power struggle between the emperor and his ministers depends on the word "strength"—whether the emperor's determination, strategy, and military power are stronger, or whether the established families have a deeper network of relationships, wealth, and prestige built over centuries.
When conflicts become irreconcilable, confrontations between the emperor and his ministers can escalate into bloody coups and civil wars, often shaking the very foundations of the dynasty.
Although Zhou Pu was absurd, he had a fairly clear understanding of his own situation. He did not have the ability to confront all the court officials, and his skills in managing subordinates were only average. It was already quite difficult for him to maintain a superficial peace.
Besides, the court cannot function without these people; he couldn't possibly do everything by himself.
Therefore, he was more inclined to back down and avoid Cui Rong's suggestion.
He gave a few perfunctory words, saying he needed to think about it, and then went to the alchemy room, much to Cui Rong's annoyance.
However, things soon took a turn for the better. The Yang family soon discovered that Cui Rong had been deceiving them and had no real evidence. The so-called witnesses were just imposters. They had been playing them all along to use them to control other court officials.
When Consort Yang found out, she felt deeply sorry for her family and thought there was no hope for her future. One night, she took poison and committed suicide. When the palace maids found her in the morning, she was already stiff.
Both sides had their faults, and since the person committed suicide, no one could be blamed. Soon, Consort Yang was hastily buried, and the scale and ceremony were far less grand than when Consort Qian died.
It didn't make much of a splash.
However, the situation in the court quickly reversed again. After the Qian and Yang families joined forces, Zhou Pu was caught in the crossfire of the court officials and could neither advance nor retreat. His situation was worse than before, which made him very angry. He was so anxious that he developed blisters on his lips.
"Your Majesty, you see, I wasn't wrong before. These people are ungrateful. It's no use for Your Majesty to back down. If you take a step back, you'll have to take another step back. They will only take an inch and then a mile."
Cui Rong smiled gently on the surface and even handed Zhou Pu a cup of cold tea to calm him down, but in her heart she was very anxious and cursed Zhou Pu for being useless. She thought he was a cowardly emperor and far worse than the late emperor.
Zhou Pu was truly angered by these people today. Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone a king, who was being made difficult by a group of court officials.
After hearing Cui Rong's words, a cold smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. He put down his cup and let out a heavy "humph."
"Your Majesty is right. These people are bullies who prey on the weak. When Father Emperor was on the throne, none of them dared to say a word against him. The court was a one-man show. But now that I am in power, they say no to this and no to that, and I have to listen to them. Otherwise, they will stand by and watch, making things difficult for me. These are not subjects. They are clearly a bunch of ungrateful wretches, especially the Qian and Yang families, who are the most despicable!"
"Your Majesty, you've finally figured it out," Cui Rong said, adding fuel to the fire.
This was a rare opportunity, and she was determined to seize it to bring up the matter of military power again. She knew that Zhou Pu was angry, but his temper would flare up quickly and subside just as fast. In a few days, he might just back down and become a spineless coward. She had to force him to make a decision while he was still angry.
"Looking at all the civil and military officials in the court, only our Cui family is wholeheartedly on Your Majesty's side. These people are already so ungrateful now, and things will only get worse in the future. Your Majesty must come up with a solution. I wonder what Your Majesty has thought about the matter of transferring generals that I mentioned last time? Military power must not be placed in the hands of outsiders!"
His words were spoken with great sincerity, as if he was thinking of Zhou Pu in every way.
After hearing this, Zhou Pu didn't try to evade the issue this time. After pondering for a while, as if he had made up his mind, he hummed in agreement and said, "The Empress is right. This matter cannot be left unresolved, otherwise my life will be even more difficult in the future. Speaking of which, these people haven't been transferred for more than ten years, and it's time for them to be relocated. Also, I should promote some new nobles to check and balance these powerful families, otherwise they will become lawless."
Upon hearing this, Cui Rong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly smiled and flattered, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Since these people are all going to be moved, it would be only natural to place one's own people in there as well!
In the long run, the decision itself was not problematic, but it ignored the current national conditions, the current situation in the court, and the fact that Emperor Zhou Pu did not have the capacity to properly plan and arrange this matter.
This marked the beginning of a situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty where generals in various regions obeyed orders but not imperial decrees.
This further weakened the influence of imperial power, leading to its decline.
However, Zhou Pu and Cui Rong haven't realized this yet, which ultimately stems from a lack of ability.
However, a seasoned official like Zhang Ping'an, who had weathered many storms through two dynasties, could easily spot the problem.
When Zhang Ping'an received the official report that His Majesty had ordered the generals in various regions to be rotated back and forth, his heart skipped a beat. He felt that this was a very risky move, and that if he was not careful, it could cause unrest in various places.
These people are stationed all over the country. Although the conditions are harsh, they are far from the emperor's reach and no one is watching them. They live like local tyrants. Moreover, they have been operating in the local area for many years and have connections and resources there. Asking them to leave and start over in a new place all at once is something that most of them are unwilling to do.
They had become accustomed to this kind of life, and no one was willing to give it up and go back to suffering.
Most importantly, this method is too brutal, too fast, and too wide-ranging, making it easy for these people to unite against the Holy Mandate.
The law does not punish the masses. There must always be people stationed in the border areas of the southeast, northwest and northeast. If these people really unite to defy the imperial decree, Zhou Pu will be helpless for the time being.
But he is the emperor. After such a thing happens, what will the court officials think of him? What will the generals in various regions think of him? Will anyone listen to him as the emperor in the future?
Compared to his father's deep concern, Xiaoyuer was happy to watch from the sidelines. "Whether they obey or not, it has nothing to do with Huainan. I just hope that their tug-of-war can last longer so that His Majesty will not turn his attention to Huainan. That way, I will have more time to build our foundation."
"Let's hope so. When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. If the generals in various places really rebel, the consequences will be unimaginable. At that time..."
Zhang Ping'an suddenly stopped halfway through his speech and didn't continue, because he knew in his heart how difficult this matter was, not to mention the interference of the major families, there was a 99% chance that something would go wrong.
“Even the late emperor probably wouldn’t have dared to expand the operation so rapidly. Your Majesty has been too hasty. Never mind them for now. You should first arrange things at the firearms workshop and the recruitment process. Be very careful in selecting people, and absolutely do not let anyone discover that we are training troops in secret,” Zhang Ping’an solemnly instructed.
Little Fish knew the importance of the matter and nodded: "Understood. I personally oversee the selection of people. It's just for physical fitness, so don't worry!"
As soon as the transfer order was issued, apart from the Zhang family father and son, officials with some real power in various parts of the court, especially those from powerful families with connections, were all talking about it privately.
Many prominent families even stayed up all night to urgently convene their clansmen for clan meetings.
Needless to say, the military officers in various regions who received the transfer orders also received them.