lcionline Chapter 771 Disregard
Chapter 771 Disregard
Jiang Canghai's only concern was that the troops he withdrew would weaken his own forces in Qiongzhou, putting him at a disadvantage in the war against Zhang Cheng.
However... since our side and Zhang Cheng are currently at a stalemate, the possibility of a large-scale war breaking out between the two sides is not high. In addition, with Xiao Ming Wang personally overseeing the situation here, there is no need to worry too much.
Soon, Jiang Canghai selected 20,000 elite troops from the White Lotus Army and led them straight to Qingyue County. After arriving in Qingyue County, they would be stationed there for a long time, forming a standoff with the tens of thousands of troops led by Yang Erlang.
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Beijing.
Xia Yuanyao, who almost never attends court, made a rare appearance at the morning court session and flew into a rage!
"I entrusted the affairs of the state to you, and this is how you repay me?"
Xia Yuanyao angrily threw the memorial in his hand to the ground. The memorial contained nothing but news of Yang Zheng's conquest of the entire Qingzhou.
Although Xia Yuanyao spent most of his time in the harem indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs, this did not mean that he was completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world.
On the contrary, Xia Yuanyao was very clear about how terrible the situation was in Kyushu.
Of the nine prefectures that once belonged to the imperial court, only Jingzhou and Youzhou remain in its hands!
Considering the special circumstances of Youzhou, the only prefecture that the imperial court can directly govern is... Jingzhou!
Even if Xia Yuanyao were foolish, he should have realized how unstable his throne was. This situation filled Xia Yuanyao with immense fear, which was the main reason for his furious outburst.
Although he didn't have much power as emperor, he was still an emperor no matter what!
The reason he was able to enjoy himself in the harem and have three thousand concubines was because he had the status of emperor. Once he lost that status, he would probably be worse off than a farmer toiling in the fields...
The thought of Yang Zheng's methods of dealing with corrupt officials and powerful families made Xia Yuanyao shudder, and he would often wake up in a cold sweat from his dreams.
"I deserve to die ten thousand times!"
Faced with the furious Xia Yuanyao, Prime Minister Fan Jiu hurriedly knelt on the ground, trembling as if he were extremely frightened.
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
The other ministers followed suit, kneeling on the ground one by one. However, if one were to observe their expressions closely, it would be found that they did not show much fear.
An emperor's authority depends on the extent of his power. An emperor with great power can naturally make his subjects tremble with fear when he is angry.
But for an emperor like Xia Yuanyao, who has almost no power, his anger is almost like impotent rage, and the officials have no need to fear him at all!
Since Xia Yuanyao had no power to punish them, they naturally had no fear of him.
The reason they knelt down and acted fearfully was just for show.
Xia Yuanyao knew in his heart that he couldn't do anything to these officials below him. Therefore, after venting his anger, he turned around and sat back down on the dragon throne, looking at the ministers below and saying, "Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The prime minister and a group of officials all stood up.
Xia Yuanyao then asked, "Now that the bandit Yang has occupied Qingzhou and controls two prefectures, I wonder if any of you have a plan to eliminate him?"
The officials below looked at each other without saying a word.
If they had a way to deal with Yang Zheng, they would have done so at the very beginning of his rebellion. Why wait until now?
Seeing that no one spoke for a long time, Xia Yuanyao had no choice but to turn his gaze to Fan Jiu, the head of all officials, and said, "Prime Minister Fan, you speak."
"..."
Fan Jiu looked troubled and racked his brains for a while before finally speaking: "Your Majesty need not worry. The three major camps in the capital will soon be rebuilt. In about another month, the three major camps in the capital will be able to form a fighting force. At that time, whether it is the bandit Yang, the White Lotus bandits entrenched in Yuezhou, or the rebellious officials and traitors in other states, none of them will be a threat!"
The reconstruction of the three major military camps in the capital has been underway for more than half a year. Logically speaking, given the resources available to the imperial court, the reconstruction of the three major military camps should not have taken so long.
However... the reality is just that absurd. More than half a year has passed, and the reconstruction of the three major military camps in the capital is still not completed.
The reason for this situation was the ministers present.
The officials of the Xia state were corrupt, and even the magistrates of remote counties could embezzle large sums of money, not to mention the high-ranking ministers in the court.
The reconstruction of the three major military camps in the capital was mainly overseen by Prime Minister Fan Jiu. Fan Jiu would take the lead in embezzling every penny of money and grain that came out of the national treasury, and the officials below him would naturally follow suit, with those with more power taking more and those with less power taking less.
It is no exaggeration to say that at least 70% of the money and grain coming out of the national treasury will be embezzled after passing through the hands of these officials, with only 30% actually reaching the intended recipients.
Under such circumstances, the reconstruction of the three major camps in the capital was naturally quite difficult, and many of the conscripted soldiers did not even receive the most basic military pay.
"Oh?"
Perhaps unaware of the corruption among the officials, or perhaps simply indifferent to the matter, Xia Yuanyao's eyes lit up upon hearing that the Three Great Camps were about to be rebuilt, and he eagerly asked, "Has the reconstruction of the Three Great Camps in the capital been completed?"
"Your Majesty, it will be ready soon!"
Fan Jiu replied, "Give us just one more month, and the three major camps will surely be rebuilt. Then we can send troops to quell the rebellious officials and traitors in various prefectures!"
"Good good!"
Xia Yuanyao was immediately delighted, as if he could already see the beautiful scene of the three major camps being rebuilt, suppressing the rebels in various places, and bringing the nine provinces back under the rule of the imperial court, with peace and prosperity prevailing.
"Prime Minister Fan, I entrust this matter to you. You must rebuild the three major camps as soon as possible and quell the rebels in various prefectures!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Thus, Fan Jiu easily glosses over Yang Zheng's conquest of Qingzhou, as if Yang Zheng's conquest of Qingzhou was no big deal at all.
In reality, the officials in the court were well aware that Yang Zheng's capture of Qingzhou was an event that would shake the world.
Before this, there might have been some people in various parts of Kyushu who were optimistic about Yang Zheng, but there were definitely not many.
After all, Yang Zheng was from the harsh and cold Liangzhou. The land in Liangzhou was barren and the climate was harsh. Yang Zheng, who was in this place, was inherently inferior to the rebels in other states in terms of the foundation for competing for the world.
But things changed after Yang Zheng took Qingzhou!
Yang Zheng, who only controlled Liangzhou, was not a threat. But Yang Zheng, who controlled two provinces, had become a force to be reckoned with, and truly possessed the power to overthrow the imperial court and contend for the world.
Many officials present even considered sending their clansmen to secretly contact Yang Zheng and invest in him, hoping to secure a higher position after the change of dynasty...