Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 79: Court Assembly

Half an hour later, all the civil and military officials gathered at the temporary palace.

The urgent dispatch from Liangzhou had traveled all the way from Ji County to the hot spring palace via the eight hundred li relay. The Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers, who lived near the palace, had naturally noticed this group of fast horses. They had been wondering what urgent military situation Liangzhou could possibly have, when they were summoned into the palace by the Emperor.

“One month ago, the Xiongnu who were driven to the Western Regions by the Duke of Yan attacked the Wusun Kingdom’s pastures at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. The King of Wusun sent envoys to request aid from our court…”

Yin Shuhuai signaled Zhuang Wuwei to pass the memorial from Liangzhou to the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers for them to read in turn. After the ministers had finished reading, they understood in their hearts that it seemed the Wusun Kingdom had been caught off guard by the Xiongnu remnants fleeing all the way to the Western Regions, and had no choice but to request aid from Liangzhou.

Everyone knew the importance of the Western Regions, and they all advised the Emperor to agree to the Wusun Kingdom’s request—not only to dispatch troops to assist Wusun in defeating the Xiongnu, but also to take this opportunity to reclaim the Western Regions and restore the glory of the Protectorate General of the Western Regions.

At the crucial point, all the civil and military officials were filled with passionate determination. This was because after the death of Emperor Li, the central court of the Central Plains had fallen into fierce factional struggles. The maternal relatives, eunuchs, and powerful ministers had taken turns holding power. But no matter which faction had seized authority, they had only cared about power struggles. Over time, the court’s control over the local regions had grown weaker and weaker, let alone controlling the Western Regions.

It was not until the Duke of Yan had taken the Emperor and moved the capital, pacified Goguryeo in the east, destroyed the state and established commanderies, expanded the territory of the Yin Dynasty, implemented new policies in Jiangnan and Shuzhong, vigorously promoted the imperial examination system, spread the new rice that yielded three harvests a year, encouraged commerce, and built water conservancy projects… that these various reform measures had indeed made the state treasury increasingly abundant, and the Emperor’s control over the court had grown stronger and stronger. But correspondingly, the aristocratic families’ and nobles’ control over the court had grown less and less.

Everyone knew that this was the tacit cooperation between the Duke of Yan and the Emperor. These two people, relying on their strong military force and holding the sharp weapons made by the Shangfang Office, had endless methods of gathering wealth and simply did not care about the face and interests of the aristocratic families and nobles. The aristocratic families and nobles knew this perfectly well in their hearts, but the blade was already pressed against their necks. Even if they wanted to resist, they were helpless Shentu Yang and Yin Shuhuai’s cooperation was simply too seamless. By the time the aristocratic families and nobles had realized what was happening, they had already become turtles in a jar, taken by Shengtu Yang to Ji County.

What had originally been thought of as “holding the Emperor to command the nobles” had now become “serving the Emperor to command the ministers.” These two, the ruler and his minister, complemented each other quite well, but they had treated the aristocratic families and nobles as fools. The aristocratic families and nobles, whose political living space had been squeezed, were of course unwilling to sit and wait for death. Seeing that the relationship between Yin Shuhuai and Shengtu Yang was growing more and more intimate, the aristocratic families and nobles were worrying about how to sow discord between them, when the Wusun Kingdom’s request for aid gave them a glimpse of an opportunity to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

As the saying goes, a general in the field is not always bound by orders from his sovereign. Shengtu Yang was originally a powerful minister who “held the Emperor to command the nobles.” Even if he was blinded by lust and willing to share the vast empire with the Emperor, the Emperor had originally been a puppet, having experienced being controlled by powerful ministers across three reigns. Once he had grasped great power, how could he be willing to be restrained again?

Now Shengtu Yang held military power, and the Emperor controlled financial power. With the ruler and minister facing each other day and night, there was naturally no room for others to interfere. The only plan for the present was to first get Shengtu Yang transferred away from the Emperor’s side, and then look for an opportunity to sow discord between the two… In a flash of lightning and sparks, the aristocratic families and nobles seemed to have already thought of a way to make this pair of ruler and minister turn against each other. Unfortunately, before they could step forward to recommend that the Duke of Yan lead the troops to the Western Regions, Grand Commandant Huo Quan had actually stepped forward ahead of them.

“This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity! Now our Yin Dynasty has an abundant state treasury, strong soldiers and horses, has pacified Goguryeo in the east and unified the north and south… The entire court and countryside are united in purpose, and the Emperor is diligently governing. If we can take this opportunity to reopen the passage to the Western Regions and restore our dynasty’s prestige, then the Emperor’s wisdom and martial prowess will certainly far surpass that of the previous dynasty…” Huo Quan was so excited he was speaking incoherently, his two wide sleeves flapping about: “Your Majesty, this minister believes this matter is feasible. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to the Governor of Liangzhou, ordering him to recruit soldiers locally and attack the Western Regions—”

Commandant of the Center Wang Su rolled his eyes, unable to bear it any longer, and stepped forward: “Reclaiming the Western Regions is such an important matter, it requires sending a hero who is skilled in warfare, wise and brave, to be competent for the task. Looking around, over the past dozen or so years, only the Duke of Yan has ever led the Yan Kingdom’s iron cavalry to crush the Xiongnu in a great victory. This humble minister believes that we should have the Duke of Yan lead the court’s troops westward through the Jade Gate, to display our nation’s might.”

Once these words were spoken, Grand Commandant Huo Quan, who had been speaking so confidently just moments before, was suddenly as silent as a crow. When it came to leading troops in battle especially the ability to win battles—who in the entire court could match the Duke of Yan Shengtu Yang? Even if Huo Quan had intended to fight for an opportunity for the Huo family’s direct line, he did not dare to compete with Shengtu Yang.

Shentu Yang’s face was expressionless, and he had no intention of speaking.

Commandant of the Center Wang Su waited for a long time, but did not see Shengtu Yang volunteer to take on the task. He had no choice but to brace himself and use a provocation: “Why does the Duke of Yan not speak? Could it be that he is unwilling to share the Emperor’s worries?”

Prime Minister of Yan Yao Wenruo let out a cold snort, retorting point for point: “Is the Commandant of the Center using such a clumsy provocation because he thinks us rough people cannot see your intention to sow discord?”

“The Prime Minister worries too much. This minister merely feels that the situation in the Western Regions is complex, and the Xiongnu remnants are especially unstoppable in their momentum. Only the Duke of Yan’s talent can drive out the barbarian invaders and awe the foreign tribes. For our Yin Dynasty to display its might in the Western Regions, it all depends on this one move. I beg Your Majesty to think thrice.”

Once these words were spoken, everyone looked toward Yin Shuhuai. Even Shengtu Yang was no exception.

But Yin Shuhuai did not rush to speak. He pondered for a moment, then asked Shengtu Yang: “Do you want to go?”

Shentu Yang’s expression was inscrutable. “Does Your Majesty want me to go?”

Yin Shuhuai said: “The various states of the Western Regions are interlocked like the teeth of a dog, and the situation is extremely complex. Moreover, the desert environment is completely different from the Central Plains. I fear that the Yan Kingdom’s soldiers may not acclimate to the local conditions… If we have the Governor of Liangzhou recruit soldiers locally, supply food and logistics from the Central Plains, and then dispatch a supervising army to oversee the battle, it might be feasible.”

The implication was that Yin Shuhuai actually agreed more with Huo Quan’s proposal.

When Huo Quan heard this, his whole body perked up. He looked at Wang Su with immense satisfaction, and said with restrained flattery: “None is more wise and sage than Your Majesty.”

Shentu Yang remained unmoved, and continued to ask: “I wonder who Your Majesty has in mind to serve as the supervising army?”

“Naturally, we must send a strategist who is well-versed in military affairs and skilled in logistics.” When Yin Shuhuai said this, he looked toward Yao Wenruo with a smile.

Who? Me?

Yao Wenruo looked somewhat blankly toward the Emperor, then looked back toward Shengtu Yang, not knowing what kind of game this pair of ruler and minister was playing.

Shentu Yang imperceptibly curved the corner of his mouth. He had known all along that the Emperor actually could not bear to let him leave, yet did not want him to miss the opportunity to earn merit. So the Emperor had recommended his trusted confidant Yao Wenruo to lead the military logistics to the Western Regions. On one hand, this was to fully support the Governor of Liangzhou in reclaiming the Western Regions; on the other hand, it was also to take this opportunity to restore the close connections between the central court of the Central Plains and the various commanderies of Liangzhou and the various states of the Western Regions.

…The Emperor truly loved him. Shengtu Yang thought happily to himself. But it was precisely because the Emperor valued him so much that Shengtu Yang was even more determined to lead the troops to the Western Regions in person he wanted to become the Emperor’s great hero, to expand territory and defend the empire for the Emperor.

Since Shengtu Yang was determined to go, Yin Shuhuai had no choice but to agree. He immediately issued an edict appointing the Duke of Yan Shengtu Yang as Grand Marshal, with authority over all the empire’s military forces.

When all the civil and military officials heard these words, their expressions suddenly turned gloomy. Yet they were constrained by Shengtu Yang’s overwhelming power and did not dare to speak out in opposition. They could only look at Yin Shuhuai with faces full of grief and indignation, hoping the Emperor would change his mind. Unfortunately, the Emperor’s word was his bond, and of course Yin Shuhuai would not change his mind.

Shentu Yang noticed the undercurrents surging between Yin Shuhuai and all the civil and military officials, and his heart grew even more pleased.