Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 806 - 665: The Pillar in the Torrent

Chapter 806: Chapter 665: The Pillar in the Torrent

Li Xuan glanced over the content of the message and then calmly said, "It’s a military alert from the north. Mongwu Khan Tuotuobuhua has gathered ’Datan’ and ’Three Guards of Duoyan’ with four hundred and thirty thousand cavalry from Zhangjiakou to invade, and they have already advanced to the foot of Xuanfu City.

The nearby right guard of Wanquan not only turned a blind eye but even actively yielded the fortresses along the way. For some reason, the left guard of Wanquan also failed to light the beacon fires promptly to inform The Court."

Zuo Daoxing’s pupils shrank slightly, then his complexion turned livid with rage, "Those bastards, they all deserve to die! Watching Mongwu’s army invade Xuanfu like that, how dare they? How could they?"

He thought that the legacy of these military families truly couldn’t be trusted. County Prince Fenyang was too merciful; these people should be completely eliminated, not spared!

Li Xuan handed the list to Zuo Daoxing, "The military situation is urgent, and I must rush to the palace. Now that left Dudu is unharmed, I will leave the task of arresting the remnants of the Li Emperor’s followers to you."

He knew that if Zuo Daoxing were to handle the matter, there would certainly be a spree of arbitrary arrests.

But Li Xuan truly had no time to care about this issue at the moment.

Fortunately, this was not the final verdict. With himself, Shaofu Yu Jie, and Shangshu Yu Shiyue overseeing, those who were truly innocent could still hope to be released from prison.

Li Xuan then pointed to Huangfu Xuanji, "This man is a close aide of the Li Emperor and the mastermind behind the palace coup, cunning by nature. Continue your interrogation, and see if there are any oversights."

Zuo Daoxing’s eyebrows raised, understanding the implication. A cold murderous intent appeared in his eyes, "I shall ensure he spills everything!"

But Huangfu Xuanji was extremely panicked; he could tell that Li Xuan was hinting at Zuo Daoxing to continue with harsh interrogations.

Unable to contain himself, he cursed loudly, "Fuck your grandmother, Li Xuan you bastard, you son of a bitch! Listen to me, even if I turn into a ghost, I won’t let you go!

And, Prince Yi is insightful and capable, with grand schemes and talents. He will surely enter the Capital City and will have all you treacherous officials and rebels flayed a thousand times over, doomed forever!"

Li Xuan turned a deaf ear, his footsteps hastening as he walked out, until he paused slightly while passing a prison cell, glancing through the hole in the cell door.

Inside, Sun Chuyun was sitting on a wooden bed with an expressionless face.

Her limbs were wrapped with crimson chains, and over twenty Zhenyuan Nails were hammered into her body. Her complexion was slightly pale, her eyes lifeless, her hair unkempt, and she looked as withered as dead wood.

When Sun Chuyun sensed Li Xuan’s presence, a hint of liveliness flickered in her eyes, glancing vaguely towards the cell door.

But that glimmer of light in her eyes quickly faded away, dull as death.

Li Xuan couldn’t help but give a wry smile; one of the reasons he came to the Zhao Prison of Xiuyiwei was to speak for Sun Chuyun. But the military reports from the north today had disrupted his plans.

Li Xuan silently sighed and then ordered the prison head beside him, "This woman is not an ordinary prisoner; you must take good care of her. Ensure there is no lack in her food and necessities, and don’t let anyone interrogate her. If left Dudu asks, tell him it’s by my order."

The prison head here was also a Baihu of Xiuyiwei, who immediately bowed and obeyed respectfully.

Bilo, following behind Li Xuan, showed a puzzled expression, "Actually, Xiaowei Sun isn’t deeply involved in the case. Are you really planning to keep her locked up here indefinitely, Your Highness?"

"It was Empress Sun who first relied on her to contact Sun Jizong. Keeping her for a few years isn’t unjust," replied Li Xuan with a calm demeanor. "When the time is right, I will naturally set her free."

With the rebellion of the Li Emperor yet to be fully investigated, however much he sympathized with Sun Chuyun, he couldn’t let her go at this time.

As Li Xuan hurried to the palace, reaching the Taihe Gate with meteoric speed, he found that all regent ministers and several highly regarded generals of The Court had already gathered.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely somber and tension-filled, and the expressions of nearly all ministers were grave.

Regent Princess Yu Hongchang sat on the throne with a child in her arms, her face solemn.

The incident at Tumu Fort, Yexian’s invasion of the northern Zhili with just over thirty thousand troops.

Thus, the pressure from Tuotuobuhua’s four hundred thirty thousand strong army weighed heavily upon them.

Moreover, the current situation of the Jin Dynasty was even worse than during the Tumu Fort incident. The Emperor has passed away, the nation in doubt, nearly a third of the army of Weisuo and the Jingying around the Capital City had completely collapsed.

Inside the Jinluan Palace, Guo Cong, the left Dudu of the Central Army, and Marquis of Fengcheng, loudly said, "It’s impossible to massively redeploy troops from Datong and Taiyuan. After the great battle at Niujia Fort, over one hundred thousand of the Forbidden Army were ordered to rush back to the Capital City. According to military reports, they are traveling day and night and have now reached Zijin Pass.

The remaining four hundred thousand troops of the Weisuo Institute not only need to defend the north and secure the border but also have to guard against movements from Guyuan and Shaanxi. Now Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen, is rebelling in Xi’an with over two hundred thousand troops, and nearly a third of the military forces from Guyuan are leaning towards him. The Court must stay prepared—"

After Li Xuan entered, he fixed Marquis of Fengcheng with a look.

On the night of the Zhengtong Emperor’s conspiracy to rebel and restore his power, this left Dudu of the Central Army was nowhere to be seen.

He did not take part in the conspiracy, but nor did he emerge to help the Emperor.

However, after Li Xuan’s Shenji Camp entered the Capital City to quell the rebellion, this person appeared once again, very actively and vocally helping the Princess Regent and Li Xuan handle military affairs.

Li Xuan had not yet obtained direct evidence of this person’s involvement in the restoration, and after the incident, the Marquis of Fengcheng, Guo Cong, was obsequious and respectful to both Yu Hongchang and him, and efficient in his dealings, so Li Xuan temporarily shelved plans to take this person down.

He now needed a few individuals from the Jingnan Nobles to serve as figureheads, acting as flags, to demonstrate that The Court’s investigation of the treason case was just and impartial and not deliberately targeting the noble families.

Everyone had been listening to the Marquis of Fengcheng, Guo Cong, but when Li Xuan entered, they all turned to look at him.

Wang Wen, who had just received the title of Jing Shen Hall Scholar, loudly asked, "County Prince Fenyang, as the Dadudu of the five armies, you are in charge of all military affairs. Do you have a plan to address the military situation in the north?"

Even Yu Jie turned to look at Li Xuan now.

Following the rules set during the Taizu Era, the Ministry of War was originally responsible only for the strict selection of military officers, the organization of military expeditions, and the management of the postal system.

Strategies for defense were solely controlled by the Dudu’s mansion.

After the Tumu Fort incident, the Ministry of War became an enormous entity under Yu Jie, handling almost all military affairs, on par with the power held by the previous dynasty’s secretariat in the era of the two Zhaos.

But with Li Xuan leading the army to suppress the rebellion and taking over the Dudu’s mansion, the strategy of defense could no longer be decided by the Ministry of War alone.

Shaobao Yu Jie, reluctant as he might be, could not ignore the fact that Li Xuan was the Deputy Auxiliary of the Cabinet, the Chief Fuzheng Minister.

And in the upcoming battle of Xuanfu, the only force The Court could rely on was Li Xuan’s forty-thousand-strong Shenji Camp.

Li Xuan, confident, inquired, "What is the current situation in Xuanfu Town? Where is the new Zongbing of Xuanfu, Fang Ying?"

This matter should have been answered by Zuo Daoxing, but this Xiuyiwei left Dudu had only just woken up from several days of unconsciousness and hadn’t yet acclimated; the person in charge of the northern military situation at the moment was Wei Bailong, the Qianhu of Xiuyiwei.

This man immediately gave a solemn salute, "Your Highness, the situation in Xuanfu is very peculiar. On the day of the palace coup, the Princess Regent sent an urgent message to Xuanfu, ordering the Zongbing to lead troops into the Capital City to suppress the rebels. However, the current Zongbing of Xuanfu, Fang Ying, has made no move and offered no support to the Capital City.

Two days ago, however, some military officers in Xuanfu Town began to stir up trouble, claiming the previous Emperor and the Princess Regent treated the noble families harshly and unjustly, and they wanted to support Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen, as the Emperor to rebel. But as soon as this notion emerged, it was suppressed forcefully by Zongbing Fang Ying with Thunderbolt measures.

And now, this Zongbing has gathered one hundred and ninety thousand troops near Xuanfu and is entrenched in the military forts around Xuanfu City."

Li Xuan immediately had a sense of the situation. He looked at the former Zongbing of Xuanfu, now the left Dudu of the front army, Zhu Guoneng, "If you return to Xuanfu now, how many troops do you think you can control?"

Zhu Guoneng, after a brief contemplation, decisively replied, "If there is an official commission from The Court, I am confident that I can control sixty percent of the several hundred thousand troops in Xuanfu Town."

In truth, he was certain he could firmly bring nearly eighty percent of the soldiers in Xuanfu Town under his command.

His thirteen years of service as Zongbing of Xuanfu were not for naught.

Zhu Guoneng was hesitant to speak too certainly for one, and secondly, he didn’t want The Court officials to get the impression that he had deeply entrenched roots and extensive influence in Xuanfu Town.

"County Prince Fenyang!" At that moment, Shang Hong, the left Shilang of the Ministry of War, interjected with furrowed brows, "Your Highness, I think the best course of action now would be to discuss the deployment of the Shenji Camp to meet the enemy in the north. On one hand, Xuanfu Town has weaker military force, and on the other, its military morale is scattered; it is no match for Tuotuobuhua’s four hundred thirty thousand Iron Cavalry."

Having witnessed the battles at Chengde and the Chaobai River, he knew that at this time, only the forty thousand soldiers of the Shenji Camp had the capacity to defeat Tuotuobuhua’s four hundred thirty thousand Iron Cavalry.

Li Xuan, however, shook his head, "The Shenji Camp is not necessary; for this battle at Xuanfu, just Zongbing Zhu, Shaobao Yu, and I are enough to defeat the enemy," he asserted.

At the moment, the towns around the Capital City, Jizhou Town, Datong Town, and Taiyuan Town, as well as the Zhihuishi Divisions of Henan and Shandong, had not yet completed clearing out the remnants of the army.

Even within the Capital City, there remained numerous leftovers from the followers of the Li Emperor. And those nobles whose necks he had held at knife-point were still plotting to escape and retaliate at every moment.

How could he reveal his trump card now?

Only with the forty thousand troops of the Shenji Camp guarding the Capital City would certain individuals dare not act rashly.

Yu Jie and Zhu Guoneng were both stunned, looking at Li Xuan with surprise.

Li Xuan then gave another salute to Yu Hongchang above, "I also request Deputy Zongbing Fan Guang of Huailai to gather ninety thousand troops from the Huailai area and head north to reinforce Xuanfu immediately."

Fan Guang, the Deputy Zongbing of Huailai was one of the military leaders most trusted by the Emperor and Shaofu Yu Jie, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and extraordinarily brave, with a distinguished record of defeating the Mongolian Cavalry.

The area of Huailai, just outside the Juyong Pass to the north of Beijing, was an important stronghold.

In another world’s Ming Dynasty, there was a military leader with the same name and the same position as Deputy Zongbing of Huailai.

After the Jingtai Emperor’s death, Fan Guang’s family was stripped of its wealth, and his wife, children, and household were awarded to the Oirat people.

In this world, however, the ninety thousand troops of Fan Guang in Huailai comprised one of The Court’s most reliable fighting forces.