diskusbooks Chapter 368: Raising an Army Again
Chapter 368: Raising an Army Again
Deep in the magnificent imperial palace, Zhao Hui sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes deep and solemn.
Since he ascended the throne, in order to maintain the stability of the court, the positions of many ministers have remained the same and there have been no major changes.
But beneath this seemingly calm surface, differences in closeness and distance surged like undercurrents. Zhao Hui knew this was not a long-term solution and he had to take action.
Now, he felt that his foundation was solid, and his determination to reorganize the court became even stronger.
He decided to take action against those who were just sitting there doing nothing in order to refresh the atmosphere in the court.
First, there was a major personnel reshuffle at the Ministry of Revenue: Si Shitong was recalled from Yanzhou, and Zheng Xiangyi, the former assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was transferred to Yanzhou.
This transfer, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, attracted a lot of attention and speculation.
The Ministry of Rites also received a new appointment, and Feijie became a new official of the Ministry of Rites.
At the same time, the Ministry of War underwent a comprehensive adjustment, and many people were demoted.
Qin Lian was transferred to the Ministry of War to serve as Shangshu.
Zhao Hui knew that only by appointing people he trusted could he better implement his policies and ideas and make the court run more smoothly and efficiently.
Xing Shuren, a general with great prestige in the army, was still entrusted with an important task by Zhao Hui despite being injured and was sent to Yanzhou to take charge of the military power.
Zhao Hui believed that with Xing Shuren's ability and prestige, he would be able to stabilize the situation in Yanzhou.
After arranging all this, Zhao Hui's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally felt relieved.
However, at this moment, Empress Dowager Qin Xiangqian found him privately.
"Your Majesty, I have something to discuss with you."
Qin Xiangxuan waved her hand, asking the palace servants to leave, and then slowly spoke to Zhao Hui.
"Queen Mother, if you have something to say, just tell me. As long as I can do it."
Zhao Hui bowed slightly and said, "Although the Empress Dowager was not his biological mother, Zhao Hui did not want to offend her easily."
After all, who doesn’t want their mother to be honored and become the queen mother?
"It's about your royal brother. He was originally arguing with Zhao Wei, but he accidentally touched upon your father's taboo.
Now, as you know, your brother is an honest man in the big city in the west. He has never had any bad intentions towards you brothers. He was just maliciously framed by Zhao Wei. Sigh..."
As Qin Xiangxuan spoke, she gently wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Her sad expression could not hide the sorrow of a mother who was worried and distressed for her son.
"If I can bring you, Zhao Kangxuan, back, I will willingly give up my position as Queen Mother and live in a side palace with my son."
There was a hint of determination and expectation in Qin Xiangxuan's voice.
It cannot be said that this last sentence did not touch Zhao Hui's heart.
He had long wanted to let his mother enjoy all the glory and wealth in the world, but the position of empress dowager was of great importance and could not be changed easily.
"Empress Dowager, my brother has done something wrong and deserves to be punished. However, it's not completely impossible for him to return to the capital, but he can't enter the palace as a royal."
Zhao Hui pondered for a moment and said, "There is an imperial farm in the suburbs. The Queen Mother can go there to recuperate after she abdicates. I will let my eldest brother stay with her."
Qin Xiangxuan knew in her heart that this might be the most reasonable arrangement at the moment.
A few days later, Qin Xiangqian claimed to be ill and requested to go to the imperial estate to recuperate. At the same time, she was stripped of her title of Empress Dowager, and Concubine Li was appointed the new Empress Dowager.
The people below knew all about this series of changes, but since the insignificant empress dowager and the emperor had not expressed their opinions, naturally, others did not dare to say anything more.
After returning with his soldiers, Rong Yao recalled the alarming rate of ammunition consumption on the battlefield and immediately explained the situation to the Ministry of War.
In the imperial study, Qin Lian stood respectfully in front of the desk.
"Master Qin is right. We cannot rely solely on Dingzhou to provide weapons and ammunition. We must produce them ourselves."
Zhao Hui listened to Qin Lian's suggestion and clapped his hands in delight. He had always attached great importance to this matter.
By now, the production of bullets, gunpowder, lead balls, and even shells used by the imperial court was no longer a problem. The only thing that remained unclear was the ignition material.
What Zhao Sheng provided them now was a cylinder that was black on the outside and red on the inside, wrapped in copper. It could generate fire by simply impacting it with external force, and it would burn very vigorously.
They tried many kinds of materials but still couldn't figure out the secret.
Fortunately, Mr. Zhao provided them with these primers, making their own production or recycling and reuse of shell casings no longer a difficult problem.
The imperial court's current weaponry included homemade cannons and small artillery, including shotguns. Zhao Sheng also equipped them with mortars, but the ammunition had always been provided by Dingzhou.
In response, Qin Lian suggested that the court produce its own artillery shells to get rid of its dependence on Dingzhou.
After hearing this, Zhao Hui greatly appreciated Qin Lian's suggestion.
……
On that vast grassland, the Murong and Duan families were like stray dogs, driven all the way by the Yan army, deep into the northern desert for thousands of miles.
However, their misfortune did not end there, as they were ruthlessly driven away by the Huns.
In this cold and snowy November, they were forced to migrate south again. After a difficult journey of 500 miles, they finally found a place to set up camp with great fear.
In order to avenge their previous humiliation, the Murong family decided to contact the various Xianbei families.
As a result, the heads of the Yuwen family, the Tuoba family, as well as medium-sized families such as Yuchi and Gongshu came one after another.
"Why did you call us here in such a cold day?" After several Xianbei family leaders arrived, they saw the miserable appearance of the Murong family members and asked with a sneer.
Murong Bai looked around at everyone and asked, "Didn't anyone from the Yelu family come?"
"The Yelu clan is now quite close to the Xiongnu, and since the distance is quite far, they might not come."
After Tuoba Youyou returned to the grassland, he united some of the scattered small tribes of Tuoba.
As a leader, he couldn't stand Tuoba Jing throwing himself into the arms of the Xiongnu, and now the Yelu family is the same.
"Then leave them alone. My family has an idea, which is to take over the sixteen states of Yanzhou."
Murong Bai expressed his plan, with ambition glittering in his eyes.
Unexpectedly, Yu Wenhua said, "Don't even think about the sixteen states. There are still twelve states left for you to think about."
"Why?" Murong Bai widened his eyes and asked anxiously.
"Weizhou is now respected by the Great Zhou and the various tribes on the grassland, both economically and militarily. If we disrupt this balance, we will become their public enemy."
Yu Wenhua's voice was steady and powerful.
As soon as these words were spoken, most people nodded in agreement.
Duan Yu was about to say something, but Yu Wenhua continued, "From what I understand, Dingzhou is training Yanzhou's troops and selling them some new weapons, enough for them to use an army of ten thousand to counter our army of one hundred thousand."
These words were like a heavy blow, petrifying everyone on the spot.
"I heard that Liang State and the King of Qin were at war recently. Both sides used new artillery, but Liang State was ultimately defeated."
"Isn't it? If the cannon wasn't so heavy, I'd like to try it out on the grassland."
"Yes, yes, woo woo woo ..."
The place suddenly became noisy and everyone was talking.
Murong Bai saw that the situation was about to get out of control and knew that if it continued like this, his plan would be ruined.
"Everyone, what do you say we should do?" he shouted loudly, forcibly suppressing the noise below.
"In my opinion, there are many black markets in Yi Yu recently. I heard that new weapons have appeared in them, including cannons." Yu Wenhua reminded intentionally or unintentionally.
"So, your Yuwen family has already purchased it?"
Facing the distrust of others, Yu Wenhua pulled out a wheel pistol from his pocket, placed it on the carpet and said, "Open your eyes, what do I have?"
"What..." Everyone looked at the pistol in surprise, too shocked to speak for a moment.