flstandardbreds Chapter 46: Invite Prince Yongle to Come Out
Chapter 46: Invite Prince Yongle to Come Out
Prince Ling hurried into the palace with the secret letter sent back by Doctor Yan and showed it to Emperor Jianning. Emperor Jianning immediately slammed the secret letter on the table and said, "How dare he, Prince Yong!"
"The Yi army has suddenly formed an alliance with their mortal enemy. This must be the work of King Yong. Not only has he repeatedly withheld the supplies sent by the court to Chiling Pass, he has also deceived the emperor and even dared to block the urgent military report sent 800 miles away. He deserves death!"
"But we don't have any definite evidence right now. The most urgent task is to send troops to support the front line, and military supplies must be sent immediately. Fortunately, Doctor Yan has gone to Chiling Pass. With his connections in the martial arts world, he should be able to solve the urgent problem, but the support of the court is also indispensable."
Emperor Jianning sighed, "I know this, but who can take on this important task at this critical moment?"
Prince Ling clasped his fists and knelt down, "Your humble servant is willing to lead the troops!"
Emperor Jianning interrupted, "You have just recovered, you must not get into danger again! You are my most capable assistant, the people who are behind you want to break my wings and put me in a helpless situation! Prince Yong's wolfish ambitions are obvious, he is playing dirty tricks everywhere, just to make the whole Da'an fall into chaos, so that he can reap the benefits! You must stay in the capital and help me stabilize the situation in the capital. Even if I can't save Yuan Xiao and his son, the position of the Governor of Jiuzhou Canal Transport cannot fall into the hands of Prince Yong's followers!"
Prince Ling thought about it, and suddenly a leisurely and elegant face appeared in his mind, "Brother, why don't we ask Uncle Yongle to come out of retirement!"
Emperor Jianning laughed, "We brothers are thinking alike!"
"I will go find Uncle Yongle now!"
Prince Ling took his leave and left in a hurry. Emperor Jianning ordered the eunuch Wang Quan to summon the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War to the palace for an audience. After the selection of the candidates, all matters related to the expedition had to be prepared. Most of the officials in the court were pawns planted by Prince Yong, and Emperor Jianning could not count on them at all.
However, military supplies must rely on the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
When Prince Ling rode his horse to Prince Yongle's villa, Prince Yongle, who was about the same age as Emperor Jianning, was picking flowers and playing with birds.
He was dressed in purple, with his black hair casually scattered, looking lazy and idle. Although he looked lazy, he was actually upright and relaxed. Time had left some marks on his face, but it was not difficult to see that when he was young, he was also a handsome man with unparalleled elegance.
Although he seems to be careless, his eyes are as sharp as fire, as if everything is under his control.
From a distance, he saw Prince Ling coming in. He looked him up and down with a satisfied look on his face. "Have you recovered, kid?"
Just as Prince Ling was about to bend down, Prince Yongle said, "Don't be so pretentious. Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Knowing that he was free and easy-going and not bound by etiquette, Prince Ling did not insist and briefly told him about the situation at Chiling Pass. "My nephew and my brother have discussed this and would like to ask my uncle to come out and lead troops to help Chiling Pass and resolve the crisis at the border."
Prince Yongle put down the bait in his hand, lifted his robe and sat down on the rocking chair, "Xiaowu, you are the youngest prince, and I am also the youngest prince. Tell me, why are we both destined to work hard?"
Prince Ling laughed, "Uncle, it's my duty. Da'an is our home... If we don't protect it ourselves, who else can we count on?"
Prince Yongle snorted, "You kid, I don't know you! When there's good news, why would you think of an old man like me? And you throw the hard work to me, Yongle Yongle. I chose this title in the hope that I could enjoy peace and comfort forever. But, things didn't go as I wished. When I was young, I charged into battle and survived many dangers. It was not easy for the world to be equal until your brother ascended the throne. I thought I could live a peaceful life for a few days, okay!"
He pointed to his head and said, "My hair has turned grey, but I still have to work hard for you!"
Prince Ling poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him respectfully, "Thank you, uncle! Although uncle has not been in the army for many years, the army has never lacked the legend of uncle. With you in charge of the army, your nephew and I can concentrate on rectifying the administration and clearing up the government."
There is no need to say more, everyone knows it tacitly.
Prince Yongle took the tea and took a sip, then sighed, "Prince Ling's tea is not tasty, bitter and sour, my pre-rain Longjing tea is wasted."
Prince Ling knew that he had agreed.
"There are still many matters that need to be finalized before the expedition, so I'll take my leave now. When the emperor's uncle returns victorious, I will not leave until I'm drunk with him!"
After he turned around, Prince Yongle said leisurely, "The Queen Mother has been confused all her life, but she finally did a good thing. This time, this niece's wife is a good choice. You must keep her and cherish her well..."
Prince Ling did not look back, but just smiled and left quickly.
After Prince Ling left, Prince Yongle's guards appeared, "My Lord, do you want to bring the Purple Armor Guards with you?"
"Of course we have to take them. Once the military supplies from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are out of the warehouse, let the Purple Armor Guard take over and rush to Chiling Pass! The reserve army is too slow, so the Purple Armor Guard will rush to the rescue with the military supplies to avoid delaying the military operation."
"But Prince Yong..."
Prince Yongle scoffed, "How long can a fool who hasn't rebelled yet but has made his intention of rebellion known to everyone last? Does he think that he has a few soldiers and horses in his hands and the court can do nothing to him? If Your Majesty and Prince Ling hadn't taken the people into consideration, how could he be so arrogant? Xiaowu was almost killed by him. Your Majesty has not had a capable person around him these years. You just wait and see. Now that Xiaowu is fine, Prince Yong's good days are coming to an end."
The military situation was urgent. After receiving the order, the two ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War immediately returned to the office to check the supplies and confirm them again and again. Just as they were ready, they heard the guards report that the Purple Armor Guards of Prince Yongle were ready to go and were waiting outside to receive the supplies.
The two men dared not delay any longer and quickly ordered the warehouse soldiers to carry the baggage out and hand it over to the Purple Armor Guards.
The leisurely Prince Yongle had already taken off his loose purple clothes, put on his golden swords and iron horses, and went to the camp outside the capital to inspect the troops. He didn't even have to go to the palace to see the emperor. Emperor Jianning directly sent a tiger talisman out of the palace and handed it to him. This trust made Prince Yongle doubt whether his will was firm enough to live up to this tiger talisman.
It was not until two days later that Empress Dowager Lan learned that Emperor Jianning had ordered Prince Yongle to lead troops to rescue Chiling Pass.
The die was cast. King Yong's plan to use the armies of Beiqi and Yi to control Chiling Pass ultimately failed when the military report reached Kyoto.
But how did this military report reach the capital? Prince Yong's people had no idea.
Over the years, no matter how hard she tried, she could never get her hands on the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
Emperor Jianning watched these two departments closely, and he couldn't even get a small treasury guard inside.
So we can only wait for the supplies to be released from the warehouse before we can find a solution.