Chapter 210

Guilin Prefecture.

"Holy Emperor, the puppet dynasty's great army has retreated!"

Shi Shi Qichuan said with excitement.

Since learning of the imperial army's retreat, he had rushed straight to the palace at the fastest speed, not even having time to take off the armor on his body.

As the city Garrison Commander, he had borne too much pressure in recent days.

Even if the enemy only launched probing attacks, it brought huge pressure to the defenders, and several times they almost killed their way into the city.

"Is the news confirmed?"

Shi Shi Rongxuan asked with concern.

Defending Guilin to the death was a last resort; if he had a choice, he would never stay and fight the imperial army to the death.

He had only lived a few good days; Shi Shi Rongxuan didn't want to die young and benefit someone else.

"Holy Emperor, I sent people to verify it.

The puppet dynasty's great army has already retreated thirty li; it is said that the puppet dynasty's Viceroy of Five Provinces issued an order to withdraw the Among Guangxi Town to the Guangdong battlefield.

With one town of elites missing, the enemy army didn't have enough troops.

I guess they were worried we would take the opportunity to kill our way out and fight a decisive battle with them, so they ran away first.

Do you think we should send troops to pursue?"

Shi Shi Qichuan asked tentatively.

The surprise came too suddenly; he hadn't thought about what to do next.

In essence, defending Guilin to the death had more political significance than military significance.

According to the original plan, as long as they resisted symbolically for a while, they would look for an opportunity to retreat.

Later, because the imperial army besieged the city, their retreat plan failed, and they were forced to defend to the death.

"Pursue my ass!

Hurry up and summon the ministers to discuss matters; something big is about to happen in Guangdong!"

Shi Shi Rongxuan couldn't help but laugh and scold.

The imperial army's retreat was the best news he had received since the outbreak of the Guilin defense battle.

Standing from the perspective of the Holy Kingdom, the imperial army attacking Guangdong would inevitably further compress their strategic space.

But standing from the perspective of the Bai Lian Holy Emperor himself, it was another situation.

In essence, the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom was a joint-stock company; Shi Shi Rongxuan was able to be the boss because his strength was the most formidable in the early stages.

With the changes in the situation, the troops under his command repeatedly suffered losses, while the strength of the three princes of different surnames continued to grow.

With the growth of one and the decline of the other, he, the Holy Emperor, could no longer suppress the three princes below.

The Western Town Army daring to defy his orders and change the march route was the best proof.

Now the imperial army wants to attack Guangdong, which to a certain extent is also helping him weaken the feudal lords.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to jump out of the cage of Guilin is the best choice.

The Forbidden City.

Looking at the mountain of memorials, Emperor Emperor Yongning began to regret it again.

Earlier, to vent his anger, he had been willful in dealing with Yin Zuo and the other.

It was refreshing, but the sequelae left behind were very serious.

Yin Zuo and the other plotted rebellion, and the party members who relied on them naturally could not escape the fate of being purged.

Among them, many were trusted aides he had personally promoted, including the officials from his residence during his time as Prince Fu, who were also implicated.

The officials took this issue seriously; even though he, the Emperor, came forward to protect them, the impeachment memorials never stopped.

If another emperor encountered this situation, he would have long since taken measures to beat the remonstrating officials to ensure his right to speak in the court.

Emperor Emperor Yongning, who considered himself a wise monarch, was unwilling to block the path of remonstrance.

Although the content of the impeachment had elements of exaggeration, the crimes listed were basically true.

The civil official group of Great Great Dayu was already strong, especially when they were in the right; the Emperor, they dared to spray just the same.

At first, they were impeaching the remnants of the Yin Zuo party, but later, one by one, they started to mock him, the Emperor, making Emperor Emperor Yongning very headache-ridden.

Dealing with these impeached officials meant his trusted aides were wiped out.

Not dealing with these people meant the civil and military officials in the court wouldn't agree.

He had thought about cold-treating it and relying on time to dilute the contradictions.

He never expected that the officials not only didn't stop but instead started digging for evidence.

Facing the evidence that surfaced, Emperor Emperor Yongning couldn't protect them either.

Reading the sages' books, "be close to virtuous officials, stay away from villains," had long been carved into his bones.

Asking him to go against the officials for a group of corrupt officials was impossible.

Investigate one, deal with one.

It seemed there was no problem, but in reality, it put Emperor Emperor Yongning in an awkward situation, making him not a person inside or outside.

Trusted aides felt he lacked responsibility.

Especially those unlucky ones who had only collected a few hundred taels of silver and were defined as corrupt officials were even more dissatisfied with the handling results.

Clearly, they were already very clean; they never touched money they shouldn't have, yet they still carried a bad reputation.

According to this standard, one couldn't find a few clean officials in the Great Great Dayu Dynasty.

The officials felt Emperor Emperor Yongning was acting.

Political struggle is cruel; since he chose to execute Yin Zuo and the other, he should have known to purge their party members.

If he didn't want to make things big, he should have dealt with the two with another crime to reduce the political impact as much as possible.

Wanting both this and that in politics—how are the others at the card table supposed to play?

"Your Majesty, I just received news that Xu Xu Wenyue's mother has passed away.

If there are no surprises, his memorial requesting mourning leave is already on the way."

Wang Jing Yifeng stepped forward to report.

The factory guards, who had resumed their posts, were far from their former selves in terms of personnel scale and combat effectiveness.

To prove their value, they could only take a different path.

A large number of intelligence personnel were lost, and they couldn't plant people in officials' mansions in the short term, so they sent people to watch from the outside.

Important information couldn't be collected, but they obtained quite a bit of ordinary intelligence.

"Sigh!"

After a sigh, Emperor Emperor Yongning's face suddenly became ugly.

The rebellion suppression war is at a critical moment; Xu's mother passing away at this time is clearly not the right time.

According to convention, parents passing away requires three years of mourning.

As one of the leaders of the pure faction, Xu Xu Wenyue will definitely strictly abide by it.

Regarding his reputation, even if the Emperor issued an edict to retain him, he would choose to go home to observe mourning.

"Summon the Grand Secretaries to discuss matters."

Emperor Emperor Yongning said with a frown.

Xu Xu Wenyue mourning means someone needs to be re-selected to preside over the rebellion suppression work.

There are not many people in the entire Great Great Dayu who can coordinate the relations between provinces and suppress the proud soldiers and fierce generals on the front line.

"Troubled times!"

Pang Pang Hengsheng couldn't help but sigh.

During the Emperor Tianyuan era, his days as a Grand Secretary were stifling, but the situation was generally improving.

After surviving to the Emperor Emperor Yongning era, he became the Chief Grand Secretary and assistant minister, and no one could give him a hard time anymore.

Unfortunately, a series of troubles followed one after another.

Thinking of this, he hated Yin Zuo and the other to death.

Without these two idiots messing around, there wouldn't be the Bai Lian Cult rebellion that spread across several provinces.

Without this money-swallowing beast, with the family foundation left by the late Emperor, they could now start recovering Liaodong.

Having completed this merit, he, the Chief Grand Secretary, could retire and become a famous official of a generation.

Now, let alone becoming a famous official of a generation, not being cursed by later generations would be considered not bad.

"Grand Secretary, Grand Secretary Xu mourning at this time, the Cabinet and the front line are both vacant.

This candidate, I'm afraid, is a bit difficult!"

Mr. Yan on the side reminded him.

The pure faction camp has had bad luck recently; first, a large wave of up-and-coming stars was pitted to death by Yin Zuo and the other, and now the pure faction pillar Xu Xu Wenyue is going to mourn.

The pure faction party, which originally occupied a dominant position in the court, now only has Pang Pang Hengsheng supporting it alone.

Various factions in the court will definitely not let go of this opportunity, and the small groups within the pure faction will also not miss the chance to make trouble.

If they are not careful, the next court will be another big melee.

"Changing commanders before a battle is a military taboo.

I hope Your Majesty can withstand the pressure and forcibly issue an edict to retain him.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong on the front line, the Great Great Dayu Dynasty will be in big trouble."

Pang Pang Hengsheng said bitterly.

Knowing it was impossible, he always held unrealistic fantasies.

It was not that Pang Pang Hengsheng had lost his mind; it was purely that the court needed stability at the moment.

Since Emperor Emperor Yongning ascended the throne, the officials have either been engaged in party strife or on the way to party strife.

If this bad atmosphere cannot be curbed, something big will happen sooner or later.

"If Your Majesty is unwilling to forcibly retain him, Grand Secretary might as well recommend the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan.

With their prestige in the army, pacifying the rebellion will be easy.

If that really doesn't work, let the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang go; he can also stabilize the situation."

Mr. Yan pondered for a while and said.

None of these three are civil officials; according to normal circumstances, the Cabinet should strongly oppose it.

But the situation is special now; Xu Xu Wenyue is being transferred away, and if an ordinary person goes, they won't be able to hold the field at all.

In fact, the three people he nominated would also have difficulty coordinating the relations between provinces.

However, the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan have high prestige in the army and possess considerable military command capabilities.

Even if they can't sort out the local relations for a while, as long as they can defeat the enemy on the battlefield, civil officials can be arranged to handle the aftermath later.

The Marquis of Marquis Wuyang is a relative by marriage, has experience in presiding over rebellion suppression, and has a close relationship with the Emperor, so no one would dare to provoke him when he arrives locally.

"The Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan have decent capabilities; the Marquis of Marquis Wuyang is just making up the numbers.

When he was suppressing the rebellion in Yangzhou a few years ago, he didn't command it personally at all and directly delegated power to the noble descendants under his command.

It just so happened that the noble descendants under his command were promising, so they achieved decent results.

The situation now is different; relying solely on delegating power is far from enough, and one must also suppress the monsters and ghosts in the local area.

Ordinary people dare not offend the status of a relative by marriage, but they can disobey in public and comply in private.

Even Xu Xu Wenyue's orders, when they reached the local area, were selectively executed by everyone."

While speaking, Pang Pang Hengsheng secretly calculated.

Recommending nobles to serve as commanders is naturally no problem militarily; what is troublesome is politics.

Against the backdrop of suppressing military generals, giving nobles the opportunity to lead troops will inevitably increase the noble group's right to speak in the court.

As a member of the civil official group, he must consider the interests of the civil official camp and cannot personally come forward to recommend the two.

If the Emperor intends to support the nobles and arranges for someone to recommend one of the two as commander, he can still release some water when opposing.

But after Emperor Emperor Yongning ascended the throne, although he had also wooed the nobles, he had no intention of reusing them.

"Grand Secretary, someone from the palace has come to send a message; Your Majesty summons you to the palace to see the Emperor."

The butler's voice interrupted Pang Pang Hengsheng's deep thought.

After glancing out the window, his brows furrowed slightly.

At this time of day, the palace gates had long been closed.

The Emperor summoning everyone to discuss matters at this time is a bit too diligent.

The worst thing is that no matter how late he stays up at night, Emperor Emperor Yongning has never missed a morning court session.

Young people can toss and turn like this, but for officials of Pang Pang Hengsheng's age, it is not so harmonious.

According to this method of tossing, officials of age in the court will sooner or later die suddenly in office.

The problem at hand is troublesome, but it is not urgent.

Even if Xu Xu Wenyue wants to go home to observe mourning, he will wait until the successor official arrives before resigning and leaving.

According to his idea, before finding a suitable candidate, it is better to simply drag out the personnel appointment and continue to let Xu Xu Wenyue preside over the rebellion suppression.

At most, the Emperor will be scolded by the outside world for being heartless, and it is not a big deal.

"Understood!

Can't keep Your Majesty waiting; prepare the sedan chair immediately, I will set off at once."

Pang Pang Hengsheng said expressionlessly.

Some things can be thought about but cannot be said.

"Lower the sedan chair!"

Following the eunuch's voice, the sedan carriers steadily lowered the sedan chair.

As an old official, Pang Pang Hengsheng still had preferential treatment.

He could enter the imperial palace by sedan chair and did not need to walk in from outside the palace gate.

However, for safety reasons, after entering the imperial palace, he needed to transfer to a small sedan chair in the palace.

"Grand Secretary, we have arrived!"

"Grand Secretary, we have arrived!"

After calling twice without seeing any movement, everyone instantly realized something was wrong.

After opening the sedan door, looking at Pang Pang Hengsheng lying motionless, the leading eunuch hurriedly stepped forward to check.

Finding that he had no breath, the middle-aged eunuch immediately realized the situation was bad.

"Quick, call the imperial physician!"

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and carry the Grand Secretary to the room to rest."

Even though he tried hard to calm himself down, his trembling body exposed his inner panic.

He only hoped that Pang Pang Hengsheng could be rescued; otherwise, the Chief Grand Secretary dying in the palace would be a matter that would pierce the sky.

Although he hadn't done anything, if the civil officials made a fuss, he could still be the scapegoat.

"Eunuch Cai, Grand Secretary Pang..."

The imperial physician's stuttering words told everyone the bad news.

Such a life-threatening event, no one dared to hide it.

Soon the entire palace became lively, and several Grand Secretaries who heard the news rushed over and kicked Eunuch Cai, who was by the hospital bed.

"Lord Pang, why did you leave!"

It looked like they were sad and heartbroken, but in reality, they were taking the opportunity to check Pang Pang Hengsheng's body.

When everyone was discussing matters together during the day, he was fine, but now he had suddenly passed away, so it was hard not to suspect.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Emperor Yongning was so angry that his face turned iron-blue.

He was also sad that Pang Pang Hengsheng had passed away suddenly, but the performance of several Grand Secretaries made him even more worried.

This is the imperial palace; without his permission, who would dare to attack the Chief Grand Secretary of the dynasty?

The actions of several people clearly showed their distrust of him, the Emperor.

Knowing is knowing, but Emperor Emperor Yongning also knew that this was not the time to lose his temper.

The Chief Grand Secretary of the dynasty died in the palace; it is normal for the ministers to be suspicious.

After all, his relationship with Pang Pang Hengsheng had never been very good.

"Grand Secretary Pang worked hard for my Great Great Dayu all his life and had great merit to the country; his funeral affairs must not be sloppy.

Issue an edict to the Ministry of Rites to hold a funeral for Grand Secretary Pang.

Send someone to notify the family and let them..."

Emperor Emperor Yongning endured his displeasure and issued the imperial edict.

No matter how much he disliked Pang Pang Hengsheng, since he died suddenly in the palace, he had to reward him.

(End of chapter)