Chapter 43: Deceiving Heaven and Crossing the Sea (Part 2)
Chongzhen 1st Year
February 25th
Wenhua Hall
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"Hmm! You all still want to start with a song, right? Let's boost our spirits!" Yang Reform wasn't going to miss the chance to torment these Ming dynasty elites.
The ministers below looked displeased. It's not like we're attending court, why do we have to sing again? Although they were displeased, the song still had to be sung. This thing has already become a fixed program. Don't you want to improve your morale and spirit? Don't you want to report loyalty to the country? When the emperor puts on his hat, who can resist?
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"Wolf smoke rises, gazing north at the rivers and mountains..."
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"The dragon rises, the horse neighs loudly, and the sword's energy is like frost..."
A group of high-ranking officials sang with great enthusiasm, and Yang Guifei secretly felt pleased seeing the uncomfortable and stifled expressions on their faces.
The song is over.
Yang Reform spoke first.
"My dear colleagues, I suddenly thought of a matter that concerns the life and death of our dynasty yesterday, so I summoned you all today to discuss countermeasures."
Are all the ministers also surprised? What else can be related to the life and death of our great Ming dynasty? Has the emperor been frightened out of his wits? We have millions of civilians and a million-strong army, who are we afraid of? It's just that we temporarily can't handle the Eastern Barbarians and the Later Jin for now, is it necessary to be like this? All the ministers are puzzled.
……
"Is Yuan Chonghuan available?"
"I report to Your Majesty, I am here." Yuan Chonghuan also found it strange, why was he called today? Wasn't he going to be used as a scapegoat? He hadn't offended the Emperor!
"Yuan Aiqing, you and Master Sun have been discussing the sand table. What do you think about the Later Jin's detour through Mongolia to enter the pass?" Yang Gaizhi didn't prepare any small talk, preparing to directly point out the key issue.
"...I report to Your Majesty, I have been instructed by Lord Sun that the Later Jin will definitely take a detour through Mongolia to enter the pass." Yuan Chonghuan thought for a few seconds and immediately replied affirmatively that the Wild Boar Skin would indeed take a detour through Mongolia to enter the pass.
……
"Ah!"
"Ah~~~~!"
"Ah!!!!!!"
The officials present were stunned. The Eastern Barbarian, Houjin, had bypassed the Mongols? Was this possible? It was too terrifying to contemplate; if so, then the supposedly impregnable Jin Ning defensive line would be rendered useless. If so, then the Eastern Barbarians could attack us at any moment and get right under our noses? This...this was just too terrifying. No wonder the Emperor had summoned us for an emergency meeting; it was indeed a matter of great urgency!
"Does the noble gentleman have an objection?" Yang asked.
……
Many officials looked at me, I looked at them, and finally looked at Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chengzong. Seeing Yuan Chonghuan with a confident expression, and then looking at Sun Chengzong's old face without any reaction. In the end, they all expressed that they had no objection to this.
"Since you all agree on this, I'll ask again: how many times has our great Ming dynasty collapsed in battles against the Eastern Barbarians over the years? How much have we lost?"
Yang's reform hit the soft spot of this group of Ming dynasty elites. The Great Ming Empire to Dong Yu, that face is like a broom on the ground, specialized in sweeping the floor. If they can't even pick up their faces, there's nothing good to say.
Finally, someone came forward and said: "I report to Your Majesty, I think that our dynasty's war with the Eastern Barbarians has had its victories and defeats, but in terms of losses, ours have been greater..." This person spoke a fair word.
"What was the bigger loss that time?" Yang Gaofei asked.
"I report to Your Majesty, it was in the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor that our army suffered a great defeat at Sarhu, losing tens of thousands of elite soldiers and ceding territory of over a thousand li..."
"What about those losses in recent years?" Yang asked again.
"I report to Your Majesty, apart from the great victory of Jin Ning, almost all other places have suffered losses......" This person is still fair and clear about historical events. Of course, Mao Wenlong's battle achievements are "not supposed" to be counted in it.
"Since we've both suffered losses, I'd like to ask: were the attire, official documents, and imperial seals of our Great Ming Dynasty seized in large quantities by the Eastern Barbarians?" Yang asked.
...all the officials were embarrassed and sweated...
"...is, estimated... is......" This person was already close to being unable to understand what was going on, his head a jumbled mess.
"I'll ask again, if the Eastern Barbarians bypass and enter the pass, using the captured official documents and seals of our dynasty to deceive and open the gates of the heavily guarded city, how likely is this?"
Yang's reform speech was like a super-heavyweight shell that blasted through the psychological defenses of the senior officials.
If the Mongolian detour is said to be ineffective, Jin Ning defense line, the Great Wall, and the inner city are also very dense. It's not necessarily that Dong Yu Houjin can take it down easily, one by one, and Houjin's small number of people may not be able to withstand such losses. There is also a lucky psychology, but using the official seal of the Ming Dynasty to deceive the city gate... This thing is really too scary! Is it possible to open that city just by thinking about it?
But there are still some people who refuse to give up and come out to stir up trouble.
"I humbly report to Your Majesty, I think that although it is said so, the Eastern Barbarians' attempt to deceive and open the gates of our Great Ming Dynasty is impossible. Our dynasty's officers and soldiers will certainly strictly examine the official credentials and seals, and not allow the Later Jin to succeed in deceiving the pass."
Yang said with a smile, "Hmmm, very good. You think that all the officials in our dynasty will strictly examine the official documents and seals? How can they be examined? Those official documents and seals are originally genuine, can't they be verified as fake?"
The minister's face turned red, and he was speechless for a long time. After a while, he squeezed out another sentence: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, the court should quickly inform the defenders of the city that if the Eastern Barbarians bring fake official documents and seals to deceive the city gate, they can be caught off guard..."
Yang Reform said, "Hmm, very good, but I've heard that the generals of our dynasty are mostly illiterate. More than half of the high-ranking officials are also illiterate. Do you think they can understand? Without being able to read, how can they verify the authenticity of official documents and seals? The official documents and seals lost in Dong Yu, I'm afraid there are no less than a few hundred, maybe one or two hundred. What do you think? Can the generals guarding the gate recognize them?"
This minister's face was completely red, squeezed by the emperor to the point where he couldn't say a word. He could only kneel down on the ground and admit his guilt.
All the officials looked at me, I gazed back at them, and we all wore an expression of shock and incredulity. Then came the cold sweat. The heavy breathing. This news and its consequences were just too terrifying.
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"...We are guilty... We are terrified..." The people kneeling on the ground. This matter is really too terrible, and the consequences are quite serious.
Yang's face was expressionless as he gazed at the group of NPCs kneeling on the ground. In his mind, he felt a sense of disdain towards them - you bunch of pigs, probably still plotting against Mao Wenlong's life at this moment. Who would have thought that one day, someone would also put a knife to his own neck?
Yang's reform did not call on this group of pig-like teammates to stand up, but instead let them kneel on the ground and make them know their own weight.
"This possibility, I also thought of it by chance yesterday, it's really frightening. I didn't sleep all night, thinking about how to solve this matter. Which one of you, my dear officials, can help me resolve this worry?"
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After a while, a person kneeling on the ground walked a few steps with his knees and said: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, I think we should inform all levels of officials and generals as soon as possible, especially the gatekeepers. Explain to them that our dynasty has lost many official tokens, seals, and ceremonial attire in the Eastern Barbarian's Jin Dynasty. The city gates cannot be opened lightly... We must strictly inspect and verify before opening the gates..."
Who knows that another minister jumped out in opposition with his knees: "Your Majesty, absolutely not! Think of the mighty heavenly prestige of our great Ming dynasty. If Your Majesty makes such an announcement, where will you put the heavenly prestige of our dynasty? The court's face will be swept away, and when the Eastern Barbarians know about it, they will surely mock our dynasty as useless and incompetent. When the vast number of generals and soldiers know that our dynasty has lost so many official tokens and seals, in future battles against the Eastern Barbarians, morale will already be lost, then defeat before battle is certain..."
Yang's reform is laughable, you haven't even spoken yet, and you're already fighting among yourselves. You also know the mighty heavenly authority of my great Ming dynasty? This heavenly authority is probably not much better than a mop on the ground, specifically used to clean up after others.
Some other ministers also "kneeled" out to support the minister's words, a chorus of "impossible", but apart from "impossible", they couldn't say anything more substantial. They were purely fighting for themselves, no, for the face of the imperial court. Yang Reform ignored this.
"Hmm, not bad, anything else?" Yang asked with a hint of boredom.
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A minister came out, walked a few steps on his knees and said: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, I think this matter should be informed to all the gate generals, strengthen the guard. Moreover, I think the Eastern Barbarians may not dare to detour through Mongolia into the pass..."
"Why?" This person's words were a bit novel, and Yang's interest was piqued.
"I humbly report to Your Majesty, I think that since the Eastern Jiang has Lord Mao Wenlong holding it down, the Eastern Barbarians will definitely have to divide their troops to guard it. In this case, the military strength entering the pass will certainly be limited. Therefore... whether or not they enter the pass is still hard to say..."
This man still has some strategic thinking, Yang Reform took a look and said: "Hmmm, the other day, I issued a supplementary military salary, but didn't give any to Mao Wenlong. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War also want to deduct Mao Wenlong's military salary. Now that I think about it, let Mao Wenlong hold back the Eastern Barbarians?"
Yang's reform was merciless in exposing shortcomings. The high-ranking official who had come to report on the matter looked embarrassed, lowering his head and gazing at the ground, having been criticized by the emperor until he was speechless.
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Yang looked at the back of his head on the ground and said: "Yesterday, I thought about it for a night, and this morning, I also thought about countermeasures. I'm late, so I'll say sorry first. I've come up with a few countermeasures, let's discuss them..."
The high-ranking officials on the ground were ashamed and dared not speak out loud.
