Chapter 186: Stripping of Military Power

The Commander-in-Chief has, for our Great Zhou, shed blood and exerted effort; he is indeed the pillar of the state, a minister of the arms. How could I, for the sake of my own grand unification, neglect the health of this meritorious servant of the nation?

I cannot be so selfish!

Guo Rong stood up, spoke with an indisputable tone, and loudly announced:

Issue my imperial edict!

Commander-in-Chief Li Chongjin has laboured greatly, achieved great merit, and is loyal to the state. However, accumulated toil has caused illness, old wounds burden him, making him unfit for heavy military duties. I am deeply worried.

Specifically, relieve him of all military posts, including Commander-in-Chief and Palace Commander of the Guard, etc.

Grant him the title of Grand Preceptor, placing him first among the Three Dukes! Appoint him as Grand Secretary, making him head of civil officials! Bestow upon him the special honour of 'not needing to state his name when paying homage, not needing to hurry when entering court, and wearing shoes and sword in the hall'!

Moreover, bestow upon him ten thousand mu of fertile land, ten thousand taels of gold, and a manor! Order him to rest well and nurture his longevity!

Unless there is a major state or military affair, no one may disturb the Grand Preceptor's tranquil cultivation!

Thus ordered!

As the imperial edict was issued, the entire Hall of Great Celebration fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was left by Guo Rong's divine maneuver feeling charred on the outside but tender inside, as if struck by lightning.

Just a moment ago, they were saying Li Chongjin was the best choice to guard the capital.

The next second, using 'poor health' as an excuse, they stripped him of all his military power, clean and thorough!

And that's not all; in order to 'compensate' him, they gave him a whole bunch of impressive-sounding but utterly useless empty titles.

Grand Preceptor? Grand Secretary?

First among the Three Dukes, head of civil officials? Sounds impressive. But in the Great Zhou, a dynasty founded on martial power, without military authority you are nothing!

And the 'no need to state name when paying homage, no need to hurry when entering court, wearing shoes and sword in the hall'?

This is outright humiliation! Such treatment is reserved only for powerful ministers or elders on their deathbeds. Guo Rong is plainly telling everyone: Li Chongjin, you may go home to retire, first receive the treatment you deserve, then await death.

How is this a reward?

This is clearly a carefully plotted political murder carried out under the guise of 'care'!

Everyone's gaze focused on Li Chongjin.

They saw that this person, who had just been fantasizing about commanding the empire's troops as the foremost clansman, now had a complexion as pale as a corpse.

His body trembled slightly—not from excitement, but from extreme anger and humiliation.

His lips quivered, wanting to say something, yet he could not utter a single word.

He wanted to roar, to question Guo Rong on what authority!

But he could not.

Guo Rong's justification was open and aboveboard, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"I am doing this for your health."

This is an emperor's utmost meticulous care for a meritorious subject.

If he dared to utter a 'no', it would be 'not knowing good from bad', 'failing to repay the imperial grace'.

If he dared to claim his health was fine and he could still lead troops into battle, Guo Rong could conveniently send him south to lead the vanguard, to gnaw the hardest bones, die on the battlefield, saving trouble.

"Cousin… cousin…" Li Chongjin strained from his throat a few hoarse words, as if his voice had been scraped raw; he actually uttered on the court the words 'cousin', "Subject… my body… is still acceptable…"

"I say you cannot, therefore you cannot!"

Guo Rong interrupted him, his voice not loud, yet carrying an indisputable imperial aura.

He slowly descended the vermilion steps, approached Li Chongjin, and personally steadied his trembling arm.

On his face was a 'sincere' smile, but his eyes were icy cold.

"Elder cousin, you have toiled for our Great Zhou and for my Guo family for half a lifetime. Now it is time to rest."

He patted Li Chongjin's shoulder in a familiar gesture, but his words were like knives, slicing into his heart one after another.

"From now on, the burden of this realm shall be borne by me alone."

"You, just peacefully serve as your Grand Preceptor, enjoy your blessed ease—look at flowers, plant grasses, dandle grandchildren—wouldn't that be delightful?"

Having said that, he turned around and, facing the assembled civil and military officials, spoke loudly:

"The Grand Preceptor is unwell; I am deeply pained. Attendants, convey my imperial carriage to personally escort the Grand Preceptor back to his residence!"

"Moreover, send the imperial physicians daily to take his pulse at the Grand Preceptor's residence. Be sure to restore his health!"

These words were spoken without a single leak.

They both demonstrated his utmost care for the 'meritorious subject' and completely cut off Li Chongjin's last sliver of hope.

Sending the imperial carriage to convey you is granting you immense prestige.

Sending the imperial physicians to treat you confirms the fact that you are unwell, and incidentally monitors your every move.

Li Chongjin's final psychological line of defense collapsed completely.

He felt all his strength drained. With a 'plop', he went limp on the ground, his face ashen like death.

He knew he was finished.

His decades of establishment and painstaking effort, today, in this Hall of Great Celebration, were destroyed in an instant by Guo Rong's few light words of 'concern'.

"Subject… Li Chongjin… thank… Your Majesty… great favor…"

He squeezed these words out from between his teeth, each one tinged with blood.

Looking at Li Chongjin collapsed on the ground, Guo Rong's eyes held not a trace of pity.

He knew that mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward oneself.

Today, he does not move against Li Chongjin; tomorrow, Li Chongjin will join others to act against him.

He turned, remounted the vermilion steps, and his gaze swept over the silent imperial clansmen and high officials, and the generals who held military power.

Those people, upon meeting his gaze, all lowered their heads, daring not to meet his eyes.

They were all completely subdued by Guo Rong's thunderous methods.

Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

Guo Rong today, in front of everyone, killed Li Chongjin, that fattest, strongest 'chicken'.

He simply wanted to tell everyone:

Those who follow me prosper; those who oppose me perish!

In this Great Zhou's realm, he has the final say!

"Court dismissed!"

Guo Rong flicked his sleeves and left, leaving the hall shaken with shock and fear.

……

The news spread, and the entire city of Kaifeng trembled.

The commoners chatted in confusion, not understanding why yesterday he was still the mighty Commander-in-Chief, and today he had become a patient who needed to go home to retire.

But those with keen political sense all caught a whiff of blood.

They knew that an invisible political storm had already swept across the entire court.

Wang Hao, in the Taichang Temple's library, upon hearing the news, merely gave a calm 'oh,' then continued lowering his head, organizing the ancient texts in his hands.

He was not at all surprised by this.

This was exactly the result he had anticipated.

They just didn't expect Guo Rong's methods to be so decisive.

Wang Hao spread out a sheet of paper, picked up his brush, and wrote a letter to Wang Zhen in Yangzhou.

On the letter, he wrote only eight characters:

"The Northern Bureau is settled; we await the Southern Campaign."