EWRN - Chapter 58
Chapter 58: Alliance
Two days later, Huo Jinyu was sitting in the Hall of Imperial Governance, reading a scroll. Eunuch Wang hurried in from outside, clutching a letter in his hand.
Eunuch Wang had become increasingly favored of late. Huo Jinyu had essentially handed over management of the imperial palace to him. Although Eunuch Wang was very docile and loyal in Huo Jinyu's presence, out of her sight, he reigned supreme. He managed all the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace and also handled the secret correspondence between His Majesty Huo Jinyu and the outside world. Of course, he would never dare to defy Huo Jinyu's will, for he knew full well that without Huo Jinyu's permission, he could never have achieved this position of being second only to one and above all others. If he ever harbored thoughts of rebellion, he feared Huo Jinyu would immediately take his head.
Huo Jinyu was engrossed in a storybook when she suddenly heard Eunuch Wang's report. "Reporting to Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the northwestern border. It is a letter from Chief Steward Lu." Eunuch Wang knelt on the ground and performed a salute.
Huo Jinyu set down the scroll, cleared her throat, and said, "Present it to Us."
Eunuch Wang rose and respectfully handed over the letter.
Huo Jinyu shook the small, slightly curled envelope, tore open the wax seal with her fingers, and pulled out the letter, beginning to read it carefully.
After a long moment, Huo Jinyu gave a cold smile. She folded the letter, stuffed it back into the envelope, and handed it back to Eunuch Wang. "Eunuch Wang, dispose of this for Us."
"Yes." Eunuch Wang complied, taking the envelope and exiting the hall to destroy it.
"Eunuch Li, report to Us on the situation at Baili Mountain," Huo Jinyu said, turning to Eunuch Li, who seemed to have nothing to do.
Eunuch Li had been staring into space out of boredom. Startled by His Majesty Huo Jinyu's sudden question, he quickly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and began his report.
After several months, the Star-Plucking Tower was complete, its interior newly decorated, waiting only for His Majesty Huo Jinyu to move in with her consorts.
Hearing this, Huo Jinyu felt a pang of melancholy. After all this time, she had long since understood her feelings for Yan Xi. She adored Yan Xi. She liked her.
Huo Jinyu didn't quite understand what kind of emotion this was. She only knew that she thought of Yan Xi constantly, wanting to see her every minute of every second. She wanted to draw her into her circle, to embrace her, to hold her hand, to kiss her, and even… to go a step further.
But Huo Jinyu knew in her heart that this was wrong, that it was abnormal. In her two lifetimes, she had never heard of women being together with other women. It violated all ethical and moral principles.
As an emperor for decades, Huo Jinyu could not accept something so heretical and deviant. Moreover… moreover, Yan Xi would have to return to the Northern Kingdom for revenge sooner or later. Huo Jinyu had always known about her secret dealings with spies from the Northern Kingdom. Perhaps she could even guess at some of Yan Xi's thoughts. Yan Xi was unwilling to accept her fate; she would eventually return to the Northern Kingdom to reclaim what belonged to her Yan Clan.
It seemed it was time to start planning to send Yan Xi back to the Northern Kingdom.
After reporting on the Star-Plucking Tower, Eunuch Li gave an update on the Brocade Guard Army. The army currently numbered one hundred and fifty thousand, and one hundred thousand men were now equipped with Reinforced Iron Armor. General Jian Wei was diligently training the troops every day, and so on.
Once Eunuch Li had finished his report, Huo Jinyu waved her hand, dismissing him. She then leisurely left the Hall of Imperial Governance and headed for Yan Xi's Jinxiang Palace.
Huo Jinyu had her own selfish desire: while Yan Xi was still here, she wanted to spend more time with her.
Winter arrived quickly. Every household in the Great Yuan Kingdom had stored enough grain during the autumn harvest, so they had no worries about surviving the winter without food. On the contrary, every family had more than enough to eat and stay warm.
But it was a different story in the Northern Kingdom. When the Yan Clan was in power, the Northern Kingdom had begun to emulate the Great Yuan Kingdom, specifically reclaiming fertile land for planting crops. During the decades the former Yan emperor ruled, the people of the Northern Kingdom had also lived well-fed and happy lives.
But this year, the former Yan emperor had passed away, and the Wu Clan had seized power. In just a few short months, the Wu Clan had confiscated a great deal of the common people's land and destroyed countless fertile fields. They used the excuse that true nomadic people of the steppe had no need for something as illusory as farming. If they lacked something, they should take it by force, just as the Wu Clan had plundered the fertile lands of the Northern Kingdom's people. They incited the populace to plunder the wealth of other nations.
At first, the people were resistant. But as winter approached, their fields were destroyed, their stored grain was insufficient, and they were reluctant to slaughter all their cattle and sheep. In the hearts of some, the thought of plundering began to take root.
The Northern Kingdom's imperial palace.
The Wu Clan Chieftain and several Wu Clan elders gathered in the palace's Hall of Auspiciousness for lunch. A few men in black and gold robes sat around a dining table laden with large bowls of beef and mutton, various game meats, and vegetables that were rare in winter.
"If you ask me, the men of our Northern Kingdom have been made soft by that old Yan geezer. They're like a bunch of chicks, with no bloodthirst left in them," said the leading Wu Clan Chieftain, stuffing his mouth with meat and gulping down wine. He drank so fiercely that wine trickled down his beard. He slurred his words.
One of the elders also grabbed a large helping of meat with his chopsticks, shoved it into his mouth, and chimed in without any sense of decorum, "Exactly! Plundering is the tradition of our bloodthirsty steppe clans. That Yan Clan, what couldn't they have done? Instead, they had to learn that bullshit etiquette from those weaklings in the Great Yuan Kingdom. It's ruined the children."
The other elders agreed enthusiastically, chiming in, "Yes, yes, the First Elder and His Majesty are absolutely right."
The Wu Clan Chieftain wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing grease all over it. He disgustedly wiped his hand on his clothes to get rid of the oiliness and continued, "Our Northern Kingdom is full of men of flesh and blood, not like that Great Yuan Kingdom. Some bullshit Second Prince, not even a proper titled prince, dares to send someone to negotiate terms with me, the dignified Emperor of the Northern Kingdom. It's truly laughable. Hahaha." After speaking, the Wu Clan Chieftain roared with laughter. He found the matter utterly ridiculous.
"What? The Second Prince of the Great Yuan Kingdom sent someone?" the First Elder asked quickly.
"Yes, yes, that Second Prince of Great Yuan said he wants to form an alliance with our Wu Clan, put on a few shows to help him gain military merit and earn the title of Prince. Hahaha, how foolish! Why would I ally myself with such a low-class grandson! It's hilarious!" The Wu Clan Chieftain slapped the table and laughed heartily, not forgetting to grab a few more pieces of beef to devour.
"Your Majesty, this subject believes this is feasible!" the First Elder said solemnly after careful consideration.
"Oh? How so? First Elder, please speak your mind," the Wu Clan Chieftain said without immediate objection. He still held great respect for the clan's First Elder, who was, after all, known as the 'Star of Great Wisdom'.
"Your Majesty, allow this old subject to analyze the situation in the Great Yuan Kingdom for you," the First Elder said, swallowing the beef in his mouth and clearing his throat. "Currently, Emperor Yuanjin of Great Yuan is in power, and the Second Prince is being thoroughly suppressed by him. I've heard that the Second Prince, Huo Jinye, has been humiliated multiple times, all due to traps set by Emperor Yuanjin. Now, Huo Jinye has even been exiled to the border, moving further and further away from a princely title. But opportunity is always accompanied by risk. Now that Huo Jinye is at the northwestern border of the Great Yuan Kingdom, his only way out is to achieve military merit. And this merit can't be earned just by wishing for it. He must either defeat or repel an enemy."
"I understand all that. So what do you mean when you say it's feasible?" the Wu Clan Chieftain asked, swirling the wine in his cup.
"This subject means that we can choose not to form an alliance, but we can choose to make a transaction," the First Elder said. Seeing that everyone at the table was listening intently, he felt quite pleased with himself and continued, "It's not impossible for us to cooperate with Huo Jinye's act. Since he can't offer what we want, he should compensate us with cities!"
The First Elder emphasized his last sentence, his face full of pride.
Cities?! That was a fine prize! But…
"The First Elder speaks with reason, but cities are also very important to Huo Jinye. Why would he be willing to hand them over?" the Second Elder asked after carefully considering the First Elder's words. He thought it was feasible but had a question. "If he loses cities, how can he claim any merit?"
The First Elder, as if dealing with a hopeless case, thumped the Second Elder with his large hand. "Are you a fool? Our forces are still recuperating. How many cities can we even take? Of course we won't be trading for the cities themselves!"
To the others, the First Elder's words seemed rather contradictory. "But didn't you just say to compensate with cities?" the Third Elder asked, confused.
"Sigh, I call you fools, and you really are fools." The First Elder sighed dramatically. "It's the dead of winter. The people of the Northern Kingdom don't have enough grain stored, so naturally, they must plunder. When the time comes, wouldn't it be wonderful if Huo Jinye just opened up a few cities for us to pillage? He certainly won't agree to cede the cities, but he has nothing else of value to offer in exchange for the Wu Clan's cooperation in his little play. This is the only good solution. This way, both sides are satisfied. Isn't it wonderful?" The First Elder stroked his beard in satisfaction.
"But if the city gates are wide open, why don't we just take the opportunity to occupy the cities?" the Fourth Elder, who was usually at odds with the First Elder, began to pick fault. "Surely our forces are not so weak that we can't occupy one or two cities?"
"You truly are a fool!" the First Elder spat, speaking with disdain. "Can one or two cities satisfy the needs of so many people in the Northern Kingdom? If we really did occupy them, word would reach Emperor Yuanjin's ears, and he would immediately dispatch troops to take them back. Why go through so much trouble for nothing? Since Huo Jinye wants to put on a show, he must pay the price with the resources of his cities!"
"So that's how it is," the other elders murmured to themselves. Only the Fourth Elder shot the First Elder a venomous glare.
"Excellent! Excellent!" The Wu Clan Chieftain repeated the word twice, clearly in agreement with the First Elder's words. Slaughter, arson, and plunder—it suited the Wu Clan Chieftain's desires perfectly. His people, the clans of the northern steppes, should plunder, plunder, plunder!
A day later, the envoy sent by Young General Hou to negotiate returned with a letter from the Wu Clan of the Northern Kingdom. The two sides formally reached an agreement: Huo Jinye would give up the resources of five cities in exchange for the merit of repelling the enemy. Although Huo Jinye was somewhat reluctant, Chief Steward Lu persuaded him that those who achieve great things do not fuss over minor details; one must know when to take and when to give up to walk the great path. Perhaps this could even be a good opportunity to deal with a batch of disobedient generals.
Both sides were busy with their own little calculations.
The night deepened.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment