Dawn, Hearing Hall
White lanterns were hung all around the hall, and white gauze was wrapped around the hall. On both sides of the hall, there were Imperial Guards standing far away, and Imperial Guards on duty standing close by. All of them held their swords in their hands, and did not move an inch. There were even two young generals patrolling the hall, their eyes sweeping across the hall.
The Crown Prince walked leisurely, his mind restless. He strolled into the hall and heard the ceremonial officer rousing himself. 'Pa, pa, pa', the Crown Prince woke up. He looked around and saw that from the inside of the hall to the bottom of the steps, the hundreds of officials stretched all the way to the ceremonial door. The first, second and third rank officials, from near to far, were all holding ceremonial tablets in their hands, wearing brand-new official robes.
The red robed eunuch held the Edict of Succession in his hands.
"By the will of the Heavens, the Emperor has decreed," The Crown Prince is of noble character, and is honest and sincere. The Crown Prince shall inherit the throne. "
"Your subjects receive the Edict!" The officials bowed down in unison. The Crown Prince then spoke out, "Your son receives the Edict."
Since it was the Crown Prince and the officials who had received the Edict, a eunuch stepped forward and draped a dragon robe over him. Actually, he had changed the robe he was wearing.
He then invited the Crown Prince up the steps. The Crown Prince sat on the throne, his heart was in a state of confusion. At this point, the eunuch shouted, "The new Emperor has ascended the throne, all officials pay their respects!"
The eunuch's voice was sharp and piercing, echoing throughout the hall. The Prime Minister Zhang Yun Ke immediately led the officials to kowtow three times and nine times, "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
The Crown Prince sat on the throne and looked at the officials kneeling before him. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his face flushed red.
"Finally, I have ascended to the throne." The Crown Prince thought to himself, "From today onwards, I am the Emperor. I am the most powerful man under the heavens."
Just as he was thinking about this, he saw the Imperial Qi floating in the air around the Crown Prince's body, and started to merge with his body.
The Crown Prince's Imperial Qi was originally green, but now it was thick and dense.
"Phew!" The Crown Prince exhaled deeply, as the sound of a dragon's roar could be heard.
"Everyone, please rise." The new Emperor stretched out his hand and gestured for the officials to rise.
"Dear ministers, I have just ascended to the throne, so the affairs of the country are of utmost importance. However, there are many things waiting to be taken care of at the moment, and I have no idea what to do at the moment. You don't have to be restrained, and if there's anything, report it quickly." The new Emperor glanced at them and said.
The Prime Minister, Zhang Yunke, stepped forward and spoke, "Your Majesty, the most important matter at hand is to decide on the title of the Daxing Emperor's temple. Next, the title of the Emperor's reign has to be decided as well. Gather all the officials and announce it to the outside world. This will determine the title of the Divine Weapon."
"There are still some things that we can discuss after the funeral."
"I second the motion. The Daxing Emperor wielded the Three-Foot Sword and leveled the world. For eleven years, he was diligent and loved his people. He toiled day and night. He was truly a saint that was rarely seen in history. I believe that the most important task at this moment is to offer a good title to the dragon's lair. "The Minister of the Board of Rites stepped forward and said.
The new Emperor sat down, his face was filled with sorrow and deep thoughts. He then spoke, "My father is the founding Emperor of Daxu. According to the rules, the title will be decided by the Board of Rites."
"As for my reign title, I intend to follow my father's footsteps and create peace. I shall call it Qi Tai. However, I will not be using the title of the Emperor. It will be used on the first day of the next year."
This was the meaning of the title. Generally speaking, when someone with a different surname conquered the world, they would be using the title of Qi Tai. That year would be the first year of the new title. For someone with a different surname to inherit the throne, they would have to wait until the next year to use the new title.
The Emperor of this world used the system of one generation and one yuan. In the future, he could be called Qi Tai Emperor or Qi Tai Emperor.
The Qi Tai Emperor then spoke, "The country is in a state of turmoil, and we have to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos. I will issue an edict, and order all the local officials to hold their positions. I will also order all the provinces and counties to open up their warehouses and provide relief to the people. The Cabinet of Ministers shall not slack off in the slightest!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Prime Minister acknowledged.
Qi Tai Emperor, who was sitting up straight, moved a little and said, "After this ceremony, the Da Xing Emperor's funeral must be completed and a green hut must be built. I will do the ceremony of a filial son and all of you must do the same!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" According to the rules, the Emperor had to guard the coffin for twenty-seven days. Since the Qi Tai Emperor had ascended to the throne, the moment the ceremony was completed, he would immediately give the order for the entire palace to be covered with white banners. The yellow and red lanterns were all removed.
The eunuchs carried the mourning clothes and hats and knelt down to present them to the Emperor. At this point, the Qi Tai Emperor's tears flowed down his cheeks as he changed into the mourning clothes. After some time, he said softly, "Father Emperor, I will protect the land of the dynasty, and continue to prosper. I hope the heavens will bless me."
The Emperor then asked, "Has the True Sovereign arrived?"
"Your Majesty, the True Sovereign has arrived. He's waiting for you at the entrance of the side hall."
When the Qi Tai Emperor heard this, he didn't speak and walked into the side hall. There was already a screen with a painting of the country, placed behind the Dragon Throne.
On the painting of the country, there were farmers, aristocrats, merchants, soldiers and officials. All of them had their own duties, as though the entire world was under their control.
"True Sovereign Pei has arrived." Following the eunuch's voice, Pei Zi Yun entered. He had only just entered when he felt a chill run down his spine. When he looked at the Crown Prince, he realized that he was the new Emperor, and was no longer the same as before.
"My beloved subject has arrived." The Qi Tai Emperor spoke out.
"Long live your Majesty. Congratulations to your Majesty for ascending to the throne." Pei Zi Yun bowed. When the Emperor heard this, he laughed, "Although I have ascended to the throne, the world has yet to be at peace. King Lu has created chaos, and brought chaos to the lands. As the new Emperor, every time I think about this, I feel sorry for him, and wish that I could lead the army myself."
"It's just that I have to observe filial piety. You're the one who was appointed by the previous Emperor. You're the Imperial Envoy. What rules do you have in mind? Once you've thought it through, just tell me, and I shall pass it down."
Pei Zi Yun understood. The Emperor had been observing filial piety for twenty-seven days, and the imperial court had officially entered the mourning process. Hence, he couldn't meddle too much. He pondered for sometime before speaking, "Your Majesty, order someone to retrieve the map. I shall explain it to you now."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, the Emperor listened and ordered, "Men, bring me the map."
Immediately, an imperial guard brought out the map. Pei Zi Yun stretched out his hand and drew a line on the map, "Your Majesty, you've sent me thousands of letters. Your subject doesn't dare to lie."
"The most important thing is strategy. Now that King Lu has gained control of the three prefectures, his influence has spread to almost half of the world. This is worrying."
The Emperor looked at the map and nodded his head.
"To deal with King Lu, I have a plan. The first step is the iron curtain, which is to surround him. Once everyone is in position, we can then find an opportunity to strike."
"Although your plan is simple, it's the right path. It's very insightful." The Emperor nodded his head, "As for the specifics, I'll have to trouble your subject to explain."
The Emperor had interacted with Pei Zi Yun for a long time, and naturally understood that the more powerful a person was, the more simple his explanation would be. If someone couldn't understand what he was saying, it meant that he was half-baked.
"The previous Emperor ordered me to control the six prefectures. Based on my status, my authority is too great." Pei Zi Yun replied honestly.
"I'm a Daoist. Even with the previous Emperor's orders, it's impossible for me to control the troops of the six prefectures. In other words, even if I did, it would cause many officials to be wary of me. That would be disadvantageous to your Majesty. This is the first important thing that the Emperor has to do, and you can't do it behind the backs of the officials."
This suggestion was very reasonable. It was for the sake of the Emperor, and even more so for the sake of the country.
The Emperor was still wary of Pei Zi Yun when he heard this. He then asked, "Oh, do you have any suggestions?"
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he smiled, "All the Emperor has to do is to gather all the important officials and bring this up. There will be many who will object. They will say that authority cannot be held by a single person, and definitely cannot be held by a Daoist."
"At this point, as long as someone suggests it, and say that it was the previous Emperor's orders, they can't oppose it directly. However, they can still divide the authority."
"Actually, it's just to divide the Emperor into several groups, with the officials as the Imperial Envoys. They are not allowed to fight in the open, and are only allowed to defend the city. This will be the same as the time when Ji Bei Hou was surrounded. The only difference is that I won't be the only one in power, so as to appease the officials."
"Phew!" When the Emperor heard this, he held his breath and sighed, "These words are good. However, I'm a little worried. When Count Zhong Qin tried to do the same thing, he was defeated. How will you deal with it?"
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he nodded his head, "Your Majesty, Count Zhong Qin wasn't able to truly create the iron curtain. As a result, he revealed a flaw in his plan, and was led into a rhythm. That's why he was defeated."
"Hence, this iron curtain isn't just a matter of the six prefectures."
"In order to deal with King Lu quickly, we have to kill him. Hence, we have to mobilize half of the world."
"Half of the world?" The Emperor mumbled.
He then saw Pei Zi Yun pointing, "Your Majesty has to instruct all the prefectures to act according to Ji Bei Hou's plan. The frontlines will be fortified, and the soldiers will be gathered to defend. At the same time, we have to set up a second line of defense. This is to prevent anyone from panicking if they break through."
"This will be done within the prefecture, and won't require much manpower or rations."
"However, we're afraid that there will be disputes between the various prefectures. If there's a gap, King Lu's army will be able to break through. Hence, the officials will be appointed as the Imperial Envoys, and will cover two or three prefectures."
"Apart from this, Your Majesty can issue an imperial decree, and reinstate the generals and officials to win over the hearts of the people. From there, you can pick out generals and assign them to the various routes. The Imperial Envoys will be the main generals, and the generals will be the counselors. Gradually, they will form a counterattack army."
"As for this official, I only need to be the main commander in name, and control seventy to eighty thousand soldiers."
"As for sealing off the frontlines, and connecting the hearts of the people, this will cause the enemy to abandon the dark side and join the light side. These are all tactics used by Ji Bei Hou, and can be used together."
"Especially when you announce that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, and that King Lu has been stripped of his title, and is a traitor. This will have the effect of stabilizing the hearts of the people."
The Emperor looked over and immediately understood Pei Zi Yun's intentions, "Is this to form a line of defense around King Lu, and to concentrate all the troops, so that King Lu will be surrounded by enemies from all sides, and won't be able to move?"
"Yes, the Imperial Envoys have to be conservative. The more conservative they are, the better it is. Those who are too aggressive can't be used. As for the generals, with the Emperor's decree, they will be more aggressive in seeking war."
"The generals cannot be the main generals, but they can be counselors, as well as the assistant generals."
"Just defending won't do. The purpose of our defense is still to defend seven times and attack three times. These three attacks are for the generals who are eager to achieve victory."
"Your Majesty can give them three thousand, or five thousand men, and allow them to attack at a lower rate."
The Emperor had the experience of dealing with Ji Bei Hou. He thought about it carefully before sighing. These few small steps had changed the entire situation of the war. The balance between the civil and military, as well as the use of the generals, were all balanced out. It was extremely ingenious.
Not to mention the other details, just the fact that the generals were given three to five thousand men, was a very deep meaning.
Using people, controlling people, and even the contradictions between the civil and military were all melded into one, and there wasn't a single trace of fire or smoke. The Emperor thought about it from the perspective of an Emperor, and couldn't help but shiver. He could understand the Great Ancestor's worries. He then heard Pei Zi Yun speak, "As for the details, I can't summarize them now. Only when we're on the battlefield will we be able to adapt to the situation."
When the Emperor heard this, he nodded his head and said, "Your words agree with me. Go back and recuperate for a few days. In a few days, the decree will be sent down."
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