But the true blow came from the common people. The southwest bordered Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan, two foreign empires. It had the Tea Horse Road, a place rich in profits.
There were many people in the capital who did business there. When the matter of the southwest reached the capital, the mountain of corpses and sea of blood was not something that could be described in a single letter from the Imperial Court.
Geluofeng was furious, so he didn't hold back at all. One could easily imagine the wretched state of the city.
"War! War! Mobilize the army and exterminate Mengshe Zhao! "
"What is the Imperial Court doing? The Ouzan are already attacking our Tang dynasty, so why hasn't the Imperial Court done anything? "
"Exterminate them and teach them a harsh lesson!"
"A debt of blood must be paid in blood! We must avenge the dead Han!"
… …
Everyone was furious. The Tang Dynasty had been peaceful for several decades. It had been able to rely on its army of several hundred thousand to subdue the massive armies of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, Goguryeo, Ouzan, and Mengshe Zhao, and even the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu of the far west. This was all because of its indisputable strength.
In all these years, this indisputable strength had deeply honored the people of the Tang Dynasty. And the war in the southwest had unquestionably made all the people feel a deep humiliation and offense!
And when this humiliation and offense transformed into rage, the first to bear the brunt of it was the Annan Protectorate in the southwest.
And Zhangchou Jianqiong, as the previous Annan Protector-General, was under even greater pressure.
"Bastard thing! Just what is Xianyu Zhongtong doing? I gave him the Annan Protectorate, but he actually made such a huge mistake for me! "
In the Minister of War's residence, Zhangchou Jianqiong slammed his palm on the table, his face red with anger.
The southwest was his territory, and he had presided over the border for several decades, never making a single mistake. Be it Mengshe Zhao or Ouzan, they never dared to act rashly. They were not called the "Tiger of the Empire" for nothing.
It was just that Zhangchou Jianqiong could never have imagined that before he could even stabilize his position as the Minister of War and familiarize himself with the inner workings of the military, something like this would happen in his garrison at the southwestern border.
What made it even more difficult for Zhangchou Jianqiong to accept was that despite being so close to Gelofeng, Xianyu Zhongtong hadn't received any news at all.
It was not until Gelofeng had retreated that Xianyu Zhongtong sent a message to ask him what he should do!
Everyone in the capital was criticizing the royal court, and the royal court was shifting this pressure onto him. Zhangchou Jianqiong felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles.
During this period of time, the number of civil and military officials who came to visit him almost broke his doorstep. Even though none of them said it outright, they were all criticizing the previous Southern Protector-General.
There were even a few imperial censors who came to accuse him of being responsible. This placed an enormous pressure on Zhangchou Jianqiong.
He could ignore the other civil and military officials, but no one could ignore the imperial censors of the court. In the records of the Tang dynasty, many of the important officials of the court had been criticized by the imperial censors.
If he made a single mistake, he might lose his position as Minister of War before he could even warm it.
But even though his heart was filled with rage, Zhangchou Jianqiong was also deeply puzzled.
"Gelofeng, oh, Gelofeng, just what are you trying to do? You should know the consequences of recklessly attacking the Tang dynasty. This was not as simple as a dispute. Just what else has happened in the southwest that I don't know about? "
Zhangchou Jianqiong muttered to himself, his mind spinning.
As a Great General, one's most basic ability was to remain calm. Although Zhangchou Jianqiong was furious, he would not be so easily dominated by anger.
After presiding over the southwest for so many years, Zhangchou Jianqiong knew every blade of grass and tree like the back of his hand. Although Geluofeng had been eyeing them like a tiger watching its prey and had always been filled with rebellious intent, he wasn't an impulsive, brainless existence.
Zhangchou Jianqiong would never believe that Gelofeng had mobilized such a large force just to break into a city and then retreat with nothing to show for it.
This was not Gelofeng's personality!
Zhangchou Jianqiong was sure that something had happened here that he did not know about. But the southwest was very far from the capital, and a round trip would take at least ten-some days.
But he couldn't wait that long!
… …
"It really was Chong-er's guess!"
In his massive estate, Wang Gen sat on a wooden armchair, a worried look on his face as he gripped the letter in his hand.
He had probably known about the southwest much earlier than anyone else, but Wang Gen had never believed it.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in Wang Chong, but an important matter of state couldn't be decided so easily based on the words of an outsider, a spy.
An important weapon of the state couldn't be treated so lightly!
"Milord, it's time for morning court!"
A maid suddenly walked in and respectfully reminded him.
"I know."
Wang Gen nodded, put on his last pair of boots, and left the estate.
This was the first morning court session since the news of the southwest had spread. Dressed in court robes, Wang Gen was stunned the moment he stepped into Taiji Palace.
The hall was packed with people. In the past, Wang Gen would only see a handful of people when he arrived. There would occasionally be a few more, but not too many.
But this time, almost everyone had arrived much earlier than usual. They were all whispering to each other, excitedly discussing something. Not even Wang Gen noticed.
The mood was completely different from usual.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
A few moments later, with the crack of a whip, hundreds of officials lined up, beaded curtains lowered, and an imposing figure descended. The morning court session had finally begun.
"The Holy Emperor has decreed that if there is a memorial, the court session will end if there is no memorial!"
In front of the sacred steps, a young eunuch with grizzled temples stepped forward and shouted in a shrill voice.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial …"
An old civil official over fifty years of age immediately stepped forward.
This was a routine meeting of the Imperial Court. Grain taxes, irrigation, the livelihood of the people … there were far too many things to discuss in every court session.
The Bureau of Works, the Bureau of Agriculture, the Bureau of Revenue, the Bureau of Personnel … one by one, they all took turns. Wang Gen's eyes were closed, his body motionless. He was already extremely familiar with these procedures.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial. The King of the southwest Mengshe Zhao Empire, Gelofeng, has disrespected the Tang dynasty and led an army to attack the Tang dynasty, destroying its cities and leaving mountains of corpses and seas of blood in its wake. Your Majesty, please make a decision! "
It was finally the Bureau of Military Personnel's turn. Before Zhangchou Jianqiong could speak, a fifth-rank general suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and loudly declared.
"Buzz!"
Zhangchou Jianqiong's face twisted into a purple hue as he turned to look. In the entire hall, the originally trivial atmosphere suddenly changed and became extremely stagnant.
"It's here!"
At almost the same time, Wang Gen opened his eyes. The previous court session was only the foreplay. The real highlight was the war in the southwest.
"Your Majesty, Gelofeng has offended the Tang dynasty. We cannot let them off so easily! They must be taught a lesson for being so ungrateful. This subject suggests that we immediately attack Mengshe Zhao and make them pay the price! "
Another general spoke up, his voice impassioned.
Wang Gen recognized Wu Zhengpeng of the Bureau of Military Personnel, a fourth-rank general. He was an 'old general' in the Bureau of Military Personnel and did not belong to any faction.
Both The King of Song and King Qi had tried to rope him in, but they had both failed. He was a staunch supporter of the war.
In the Bureau of Military Personnel, there were many others like Wu Zhengpeng who were loyal to the royal family and did not belong to any faction.
"Your Majesty, this subject agrees! May the Holy Emperor dispatch troops to punish Mengshe Zhao! Let Gelofeng understand the relationship between a ruler and a subject! "
"This subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
…
In the hall, all the pro-war officials stepped forward to express their support.
"This subject objects! … "
Just when the crowd was in an uproar, a resounding voice suddenly resounded. A white-bearded civil official with an extraordinary demeanor and the air of a Confucian scholar glared angrily at the crowd.
"The military is a major affair of the state. It cannot be ignored. Mengshe Zhao and the Tang dynasty have always been at peace. Why would Gelofeng suddenly lead troops to attack the Tang dynasty? There must be something fishy about this! "
"Does Lord Feng mean to say that what happened on the southwest border is fake? So many civilians and Governor Zhang Qiantuo died in battle. Did they die in vain? "
A general immediately glared at him.
"Lord Li did not say that. All of you keep talking about war. Do you know how many people die in a single war? So many people have already died. Do you want even more to die? This is a major affair of the state; we cannot act so rashly! "
Another official stepped forward and bluntly retorted.
If there were pro-war factions, there would be pro-peace factions. This had been the case in every dynasty, and it was the same in this one.
"Rashly? You civil officials actually call this rashly? If Mengshe Zhao does not learn his lesson, he will become even worse. If they become even bolder in the future and more people die at the border, are you going to take responsibility? "
The generals of the pro-war faction who were rebuked flushed with anger. The atmosphere in the hall became tense in a short period of time.
The civil officials and the military officials, the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction, had always been at odds with each other, but this time was especially different.
Soon, the controversy became an argument, and the argument became a quarrel! In the end, everyone joined in, and the entire hall was in chaos.
"Lord Wang! … "
"Lord Wang! … "
… …
Just as Wang Gen was deep in thought, a voice suddenly reached his ears, followed by several other voices.
"Ah?"
Wang Gen's expression froze for a moment before he regained his composure. It was also at this moment that Wang Gen realized that the debate in the hall had stopped. Everyone looked at him with a strange gaze.
"Lord Wang … What does Lord Wang think of Mengshe Zhao's attack on the Tang dynasty this time?"
A voice with a strange expression came from his ear.
Wang Gen was dazed for a moment before he finally understood why everyone was looking at him like this. The Wang Clan had always been on the same side as King Qi, so there was no question that the Wang Clan belonged to the pro-war faction.
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