Chapter 293: Political Aftermath

"Your Highness, these corpses are all high-ranking officials of the pseudo-dynasty.

Those on the left are the nobility of the pseudo-dynasty, those on the right are the civil officials, and those in the middle are the imperial clans.

The Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Duke of Chu, and the Earl of Wudu who resisted stubbornly in Nanjing are all among them.

Do you wish to behead them and display their heads?"

Hu Yuzhe introduced them with slight embarrassment.

It is not easy to be a surrendered official; seeing these loyalists who died for their country, one is naturally a rung lower.

Only he himself knew the bitterness deep in his heart.

If possible, he wouldn't want to be the one to kick someone when they were down.

But among the high-level officials of the Bai Lian Holy Kingdom, he was the only surrendered official who had met these high-ranking officials.

To show loyalty, he had to advocate for severe punishment of these people.

Even if they were just corpses, he still couldn't let them go.

"Although these people were stubborn, they were, after all, loyal and righteous men; arrange for them to be buried with honor.

To intimidate the hearts of the people, pick a few notorious ones from the captives and behead them for public display."

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan shook his head and said.

Praising loyal officials is something that rulers of all generations must do.

The stage was already set, so naturally, he had to perform.

From the moment he entered Nanjing, he was no longer a grassroots king, but one of the regional warlords with a chance to contend for the world.

Military means alone were not enough; he also had to learn to use political means.

"Your Highness, your benevolence is unparalleled..."

Hu Yuzhe immediately began to flatter him.

Knowing that his role was not likable, he could only bite the bullet and continue acting.

To highlight Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's benevolence, political posturing alone was not enough; he needed a supporting role to set it off.

Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's direct subordinates were not suitable for this work.

Other surrendered officials had just returned and did not have high status in the small court, nor did they have enough political weight.

The role of the clown could only be played by Hu Yuzhe.

While building momentum for Pingnan Fu Haoxuan, he also used the contrast with surrendered officials to strike at the reputation of the Great Dayu and highlight the justification for rebellion.

The Capital.

When the bad news of Nanjing's fall arrived, the Yongning Emperor was stunned, and tears couldn't help but flow down.

Although he had been mentally prepared after the fall of Hangzhou.

But when it really happened, he still couldn't face reality.

"Your Majesty, it is time to eat."

The imperial eunuch Su Haoyu spoke to persuade him.

In the 270-plus-year history of the Great Dayu, the Yongning Emperor's diligence in government definitely ranked in the top three.

Even looking at the entire human history, there were few emperors more diligent than him.

Unfortunately, effort did not equal reward, and the situation in the world continued to deteriorate day by day.

"I have no appetite, take it away first!"

"Have the ministers arrived yet?"

The Yongning Emperor asked, suppressing his grief.

A major event like the fall of Nanjing, which pierced the heavens, could not be solved by the emperor alone.

Although he was very dissatisfied with the ministers in the court, when problems arose, he still needed them to handle them.

"Your Majesty, officials of Rank Three and above in the capital, as well as the nobility and princes, are all waiting outside."

Su Haoyu said slowly.

Encountering such a thorny issue, not only was the emperor panicked, but the civil and military officials, as well as the imperial clans and nobility, were also afraid.

The Great Dayu practiced a two-capital system, and the fall of Nanjing had an extremely bad political impact.

With the Bai Lian Sect rebels raging in the south and the grassland coalition forces roaming in the north, the Great Dayu had reached a very dangerous situation.

A slight carelessness would lead to a change of dynasty.

Anyone with a little historical common sense knew that every change of dynasty was filled with blood and wind.

As vested interests, being purged by the new dynasty was almost inevitable.

"Bring them in!"

The Yongning Emperor waved his hand and said.

There were no secrets in the Great Dayu; the news of Nanjing's fall would spread throughout the world before long.

The imperial court had to come up with a response plan as soon as possible to suppress the bad influence brought by Nanjing's fall.

"As you command!"

After speaking, Su Haoyu turned and went out directly, bringing everyone in.

"Grant seats!"

After habitually saying this, the Yongning Emperor immediately realized he had made a slip of the tongue.

There were too many people attending the meeting, crowding the small inner hall; there was simply no place to put chairs.

"Officials of the Cabinet, Six Ministries, and the Chief Military Commission stay; Su Haoyu, take the others to the side hall to rest first."

The Yongning Emperor immediately spoke to remedy the situation.

Summoning so many officials was a decision made in a moment of panic, without thinking.

More people didn't necessarily mean more power, but it certainly meant more problems.

Once positions diverged and arguments started, it would be endless.

Under normal circumstances, such a life-and-death matter should be decided in a small meeting.

"My lords, please!"

After making a gesture, Su Haoyu led the way directly.

After being played, everyone looked at each other and retreated from the inner hall helplessly.

Having finally managed to mix into the highest decision-making circle, they were out of the game before the discussion even started.

Feeling unhappy, they could only endure it.

Everyone knew that the emperor's mood was very bad right now.

Making trouble at this time would cost one's head.

"Your Majesty, the Ministers of the Six Ministries of Nanjing all died for their country; please grant them posthumous titles!"

After seeing everyone off, the Senior Grand Secretary Wan Junhui spoke first.

In the past two years, the civil officials had lost too much face; even he, the Senior Grand Secretary who came from a civil official background, couldn't bear to look at it.

The Bai Lian Sect rebels growing strong was the primary responsibility of the civil official group.

Affected by this, the military generals who had been suppressed by them for a long time recently showed signs of rising.

First, the influence of the nobility group increased, and then the Liaodong Town broke away from control.

Continuing until now, the collective martyrdom of the Ministers of the Six Ministries of Nanjing finally won back a game for them.

"Senior Grand Secretary, it wasn't just the six ministers who died for the country; many imperial clansmen and nobles also coexisted with Nanjing.

I propose that the imperial court reward these loyal and righteous men!"

The Duke of Cheng, Jing Guoliang, immediately took over the conversation.

He had no objection to rewarding the six ministers who died for the country.

The defense of Nanjing could be fought until now, and the defenders could be considered to have done their best.

The main officials responsible for guarding Nanjing all died for their country after the city was breached, which further highlighted their integrity.

But everyone had lost people, so they certainly couldn't let the civil officials monopolize the beauty.

If they were going to do political propaganda, they should do it together.

"Lord Jing's words are reasonable; Ministry of Rites, leave this matter to you."

The Yongning Emperor made a decision decisively.

He naturally understood the way of balance.

Although he often messed it up, it didn't affect his love for playing balance.

It seemed like this was about drafting posthumous titles, but in reality, it was a struggle for the right to speak.

There was no doubt that civil officials had the advantage in this regard.

The Ministry of Rites drafted the posthumous titles and would certainly take care of their own people.

Even if they were all honorary titles, there were still different grades.

Jing Guoliang wanted to speak, but seeing the Yongning Emperor's impatient expression, he swallowed his words back.

At a time like this, what was needed was to pull together in times of trouble; indeed, one shouldn't get entangled in these details.

At the very least, before the posthumous titles were released, there was no way to pick faults.

"As you command!"

The Minister of Rites responded immediately.

These were their duties; even without the emperor's decree, they would have to do them.

To reward loyalty and righteousness, according to the Great Dayu Law, after an official died for the country, the imperial court was responsible for their funeral affairs, and those with great achievements were to be granted posthumous titles.

Of course, officials who were responsible for the defeat would certainly not enjoy these treatments.

"Your Majesty, Nanjing is of great significance; the imperial court must recover it as soon as possible.

If it drags on for too long, I fear the hearts of the people in the world will change."

Cabinet Minister Gu Jiaxi proposed.

He didn't know how to recover Nanjing specifically, but Nanjing had to be recovered.

If the Northern Barbarians' invasion tore apart the dignity of the Great Dayu, then the fall of Nanjing signaled the change of the dynasty.

Losing the hearts of the people was more serious than losing cities and land.

If the imperial court couldn't recover Nanjing as soon as possible and stabilize the hearts of the people in time, then the change of dynasty was right before their eyes.

All the ministers present would have to be responsible for this and bear the infamy of a thousand years.

Everyone couldn't accept such an outcome.

Although they couldn't be counted as famous ministers of a generation, at the very least they had fulfilled their duties.

The collapse of the world situation was their responsibility, but they absolutely shouldn't bear the primary responsibility.

Compared to the treacherous officials in history, they could all be counted as good children.

At most, they occasionally tricked the emperor and reached out to grab some money, but they hadn't done anything to betray their ancestors.

"Ministry of War, do you have a plan?"

Being named by the Yongning Emperor, Wan Yuxuan didn't feel any joy at all.

Being valued was a good thing, but at a time like this, he would rather not be valued.

The problem of the Northern Barbarians' invasion hadn't been solved yet, and now came the fall of Nanjing.

The Ministry of War was not omnipotent; formulating combat plans also had to be based on actual conditions.

Although their previous strategies were mostly whimsical, they were also theoretically supported.

"Your Majesty, this matter needs to be discussed at length.

The Northern Barbarians have tied up too many of the imperial court's troops; the number of troops that can march south to recover Nanjing in a short time is truly limited.

The urgent priority is to let the prefectures near the rebels prepare to hold their ground.

Only after the war in the north ends will the imperial court have the surplus strength to recover Nanjing.

Compared to troops, what the imperial court lacks most right now is money and grain.

If money and grain can be allocated in time, then organizing the recovery of Nanjing immediately is not completely impossible."

Let the dead friend die, not the poor me; at the critical moment, Wan Yuxuan decisively chose to shift the blame.

"Ministry of Revenue."

As the Yongning Emperor's words fell, Pang Chengjie knew things were going to be bad.

The Minister of Revenue of the Great Dayu was truly miserable.

Every time there was a problem with the war at the front and the Ministry of War wanted to shift the blame, they would think of them first.

The reasons were all ready-made: the imperial court owed money and grain to the troops below, affecting the combat effectiveness of each army.

"Your Majesty, the imperial court has been fighting wars for years, and the people have suffered from constant natural disasters.

Taxes from various places simply cannot be collected in time.

The imperial court's fiscal deficit is serious, and the Ministry of Revenue has long been hollowed out.

To support the expenses of the army to rescue the throne, we have been scraping together funds.

In a short time, there is truly no way to raise more money and grain.

Moreover, there are Northern Barbarian cavalry raging outside; even if money and grain were raised from local areas, there would be no way to transport them back."

Pang Chengjie chose to play Tai Chi immediately.

The Ministry of War shifted the blame to money and grain, and he returned the problem back.

The garbage fighting on the battlefield led to the inability to transport local money and grain to the capital.

The capital itself was under the threat of the enemy; the Ministry of Revenue could only think of ways within the capital right now.

If it were about raising money, the capital certainly wouldn't lack it.

But if they wanted to raise grain, then don't waste the effort.

The grain in the capital all relied on being transported from outside.

After the Northern Barbarians killed their way over, they could only use the grain stored in the official granaries to guarantee the daily needs of the officials and people in the city.

Fortunately, during the late emperor's reign, they had carried out a massive reorganization of the official granaries in the capital, and there was enough stored grain to support them.

However, this stored grain wouldn't last long either.

If the Northern Barbarians really besieged them for a long time, they would at most hold on for another half a year before they would have to bite the bullet and leave the city to fight a decisive battle with the enemy.

"Humph!"

"Your reasons are all very sufficient, so how should the problem be solved?"

The Yongning Emperor reprimanded unhappily.

If everyone had no problems, then it became his problem as the emperor.

There was no doubt that he didn't want to carry this black pot either.

The functional departments pushed the responsibility to each other, and everyone thought about shifting the blame; instead, no one cared about how to solve the problem specifically.

The impression of the civil officials, which had risen slightly because of the martyrdom of the Nanjing officials, was beaten back to its original form all at once.

They were still the people he was familiar with; before doing anything, the first thing everyone thought of was how to shift the blame.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

Seeing the emperor erupt, the ministers hurriedly spoke to persuade him.

With Nanjing's fall, the Yongning Emperor needed to go to the Taimiao to plead guilty; it was inevitable that he was in a bad mood.

If possible, no one wanted to make the emperor angry right now.

Mature politicians needed to consider many problems; once a young emperor went on a rampage, it would cost lives.

Who in the court didn't have some problems?

If the emperor took things to the extreme, no one would have a good life.

"Since you want me to calm my anger, then give me a solution.

No matter who it is, today you must give me a feasible solution.

If you can't think of one, then stay in the palace and think slowly; I will provide your meals.

Senior Grand Secretary, you are the head of the hundred officials, start with you!"

Seeing the Yongning Emperor was serious, the ministers' faces turned ugly all at once.

Solving the problem was truly too difficult.

"Your Majesty, the war in the north should last for a few more months, and recovering Nanjing will have to be dragged out for a period of time.

But we can't do nothing right now.

Direct interference by the imperial court in local affairs is too time-consuming.

I propose that on the basis of forming regiment armies, we further delegate power to local offices.

Allow them to raise their own military pay, form armies to suppress the rebellion, and participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Bai Lian Sect rebels.

Anyone who makes great contributions in the war to suppress the rebellion will be granted corresponding official titles by the imperial court according to their merits..."

Wan Junhui replied nervously.

Whether delegating power could solve the problem, he himself didn't know.

The only thing that was certain was that after doing this, the power of local offices would become infinitely large.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 294 =====