On the twentieth day of the eighth month, the commander-in-chief of Ji Town, Chai Guozhu, received the imperial edict.
The content of the edict was simple.
First, announce the news of the new Emperor Jianyuan. The new Emperor Jianyuan Taichang would be using the new Emperor's era name Taichang in the ninth month of the 26th year of Wanli. The 26th year of Wanli would be the first year of Taichang.
Secondly, there were bandits in Jiangnan who attacked an important town with malicious intentions. Thus, the Commander-In-Chief of Ji Town, Chai Guozhu, was ordered to lead twenty thousand elite soldiers to head south to the capital to rendezvous with the Capital Camp in preparation for a crusade against the disobedient officials.
After Chai Guozhu saw the imperial edict, he was stunned for a while. Then, he gathered his trusted subordinates to discuss it.
"The imperial court has announced that the new Emperor has established Taichang, and that there are bandits in Jiangnan causing trouble. They want me to lead troops to the south to fight. What do you think of this?"
One of his trusted subordinates said, "Commander-In-Chief, shouldn't the new Emperor be crowned Jianyuan next year? Why do we have to go to the Founding Era now? "
Chai Guozhu shook his head.
"I don't know the specifics either. The capital was in chaos, Xiao Ruxun was declared a traitor and killed, the Retired Emperor abdicated, and His Majesty ascended to the throne. All of this happened too quickly, and I had no idea how to deal with it. And now, the Imperial Court wants me to go south to suppress bandits … Could this be …?"
The trusted aides looked at each other.
"Could it be that Shen Yicheng knows that Zong Bing and Xiao Ruxun are old friends, and is worried that Zong Bing will continue to lead the army in Ji Town, so …?"
One of the trusted aides spoke very tactfully, but the meaning was very clear.
Could this be Shen Yicheng's conspiracy?
Chai Guozhu looked worried.
At this time, another trusted aide said, "Even if that's the case, this is an imperial edict. There are official documents from the Ministry of War and the official seal. It's an official order to mobilize troops. If we don't send troops, it'll be equivalent to disobeying the imperial edict. The situation will be very serious."
Hearing this, Chai Guozhu's expression became even more worried.
"But the banditry in Jiangnan is naturally the Jiangnan rebellion. What does it have to do with us? Our mission is to guard Ji Town, not to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan. "
"Could it be that something big happened in Jiangnan?"
"Unless the Japanese pirates come again, what would be considered a major issue?"
"The Japanese pirates were defeated a long time ago. How could they appear again? This is impossible. "
"What does that mean?"
Chai Guozhu's head hurt from the words of his trusted aides.
"Alright, since it's an official order from the imperial court, I think we should still go."
Chai Guozhu said hesitantly.
The cronies looked at each other.
"Commander, the current situation is very strange. Should we wait and see?"
"But this is an edict from the Imperial Court, and it's not just for the commander-in-chief to go to the capital to report on his work, but to bring twenty thousand elite soldiers. If the Imperial Court wants to punish the commander-in-chief, why send him south with his elite soldiers? Wasn't this just asking for trouble? Does I think that the imperial court really needs troops to quell the rebellion? "
Another trusted aide opened his mouth and said, "This order is too strange. It doesn't say where the rebellion needs to be suppressed, nor who the traitor is. It only says Jiangnan. Isn't this a bit too strange?"
"That makes sense."
The opinions of his trusted aides could not be unified. Chai Guozhu felt that something must have happened in Jiangnan for the court to use such a strange order to summon him south. He instinctively felt a trace of danger. He did not want to go, but this was a formal order from the court. If he did not go, he would be defying the decree.
This was a crime that a general could not bear.
Right now, Shen Yicheng had no reason to move against him, but if he did not go, he would be giving Shen Yicheng an excuse.
Thus, he had to go, and he had to bring elite soldiers to avoid any mishaps.
"Has there been any other news from the capital? Has there been no response from the people we sent to gather information? "
Chai Guozhu asked.
"There's no special response for now. It's just that the capital was in chaos. That's all the news we got three days ago. We don't know anything else, but if the Imperial Court needs to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion, this news should arrive very quickly."
A trusted aide replied.
"Okay, I understand."
Chai Guozhu stood up. "First, gather the troops and prepare to head south. If there's still no news, I'll lead troops south to personally gather information. I have elite soldiers, so the Imperial Court should not move against me. In short, I can't defy the decree."
The trusted aides looked at each other and did not have any better ideas, so they could only clasp their hands and agree.
The same situation happened in Liaodong. A few days later than Chai Guozhu, Li Rusong received the order from the Imperial Court to mobilize troops, asking him to lead 20,000 cavalrymen south to suppress bandits. When Li Rusong received this order, his heart was pounding, and he felt that something was wrong.
After dealing with the messenger, Li Rusong went to find Li Chengliang with the edict.
It was better for Li Chengliang to analyze this kind of thing for him.
As expected, when Li Chengliang saw the edict, his expression changed dramatically.
"Dalang, you can't agree to this order!"
Li Chengliang looked at Li Rusong very solemnly.
Li Rusong frowned.
"Father, why? This is a formal transfer order from the Imperial Court, with the seal of the Ministry of War. If I don't obey it, I'll be defying the decree, which is equivalent to rebellion! "
Li Chengliang shook his head again and again.
It's clearly Shen Yicheng's order. The little Emperor has just ascended the throne, so what does he know? Shen Yicheng's order is a coup. At this moment, Shen Yicheng must be under the control of the military and the government. This order is definitely issued by Shen Yicheng. "
Li Rusong was surprised and said, "Why does Shen Yicheng want me to go south? Father, you've always suspected that there's something behind the coup. I asked you, but you didn't tell me. Now you still want to hide it from me? "
Li Chengliang took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Then he said helplessly, "I didn't tell you before because you're too straightforward and impulsive. But now, I have no choice but to tell you.
I suspect that this coup was deliberately started by Shen Yicheng. In order to deal with Hsiao Jixin and the Retired Emperor, Shen Yicheng deliberately started the coup and forced the Retired Emperor to abdicate. He even said that he killed Hsiao Jixin. Although the old Grand Secretary Zhao Zhigao and Song Yingchang died of illness, the timing was too coincidental. I reckon that their deaths had something to do with this coup. "
Li Rusong sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Shen Yicheng, he really … It can't be, Father. He's a civil official, a two-rank Jinshi. How could he do such a thing?"
"At that time, no one thought that Wang Mang would usurp the throne."
Li Chengliang's cold words blocked Li Rusong's words. "When we were at Zijing Pass, I told you not to get too close to Hsiao Jixin. I told you to go back to Liaodong immediately after the war. You did as I said, so you could safely be the Head Commander of Liaodong. Do you still not believe me?"
Li Rusong blinked.
"I don't dare."
Li Rusong really admired his father. The older he was, the smarter he was. By following his father's words, Li Rusong really avoided that terrible thing and could safely be the Head Commander of Liaodong.
"Why did I tell you to do that? Why did I tell you not to get too close to Hsiao Jixin? It's because Hsiao Jixin and the Retired Emperor are too close! You also said that Hsiao Jixin talked to you through the night and told you about his ambitions. Is that the kind of ambition a general should have?
The Retired Emperor must be planning something with Hsiao Jixin. The Governor of the Capital's military affairs, the Left Governor of the Central Army's Commander-In-Chief, Duke Qin. This is to build momentum. What is it for? The military power of the Capital! What is the military power of the Capital for? Mutiny! "
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