Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 816 - 675: Glory and Dust

Chapter 816: Chapter 675: Glory and Dust

Outside Zhangjiakou, Li Xuan finally bit a significant chunk out of the more than two hundred thousand Oirat cavalry.

He took advantage of the voluntary retreat of the entire Wala army to make a cavalry charge shielded by the Yunzhong warship, followed by an infantry advance in support.

The Khan of Vala, Yexian, once again experienced the fierce ruthlessness and wolf-like ferocity and greed of Li Xuan’s military strategy.

He had actually arranged enough troops to cover the rear and coordinate support, with the army retreating in a staggered manner and protecting each other front and back.

But this hardly played any role, as Li Xuan temporarily formed two units equipped with a large number of muskets and Hudun cannons, who were also skilled in equestrianism.

They were positioned on both sides of the cavalry, using their horses’ speed for quick maneuvers, then dismounting for infantry combat and close-range shooting.

This caused considerable trouble for the Wala army, with up to seventeen thousand cavalry killed in action.

In the end, Yexian managed to get his troops out of Jin Army’s reach by a distance of seven li at dawn, thanks to his familiarity with the terrain and the lay of the land.

After a brief disengagement, all his Oirat soldiers were desperately fleeing north, fearing they might be caught by the Jin Army under Li Xuan’s command.

In terms of the battle, this could be considered a rout, and it was another tremendous blow to Yexian’s prestige.

But Yexian really didn’t have the courage to fight the Jin Army to the death, as his cavalry had traveled a long distance and were extremely exhausted.

To make matters worse, the County Prince Fenyang on the other side was thoroughly vile, constantly harassing them with various tactics, preventing them from resting.

Meanwhile, the Jin Army of Xuanfu, not only had a numerical advantage but also high morale and ample physical strength.

Yexian dared not drag this out any longer. He estimated that by dawn, Li Xuan would surely bring the full force of his army to bear.

At that moment, his troops would only become weaker and more exhausted.

Li Xuan didn’t chase too far either, stopping after covering one hundred and fifty li from Zhangjiakou.

His Xuanfu Jin Army was nearly reaching its limit as well. Continuing the pursuit would not gain much benefit and would instead greatly increase the risks.

He merely regretted that if he had an additional twenty thousand elite cavalry at his disposal, at least another hundred thousand Oirat lives would have been left here!

After leading his troops back to Zhangjiakou, Li Xuan left the extensive aftermath work to the Xuanfu inspectors and Zhu Guoneng, while he, along with Shaobao Yu, escorted Tuotuobuhua and three Mongol Taijis back to the Capital City on the Red Thunder Chariot.

The soldiers in Xuanfu were hoping that Li Xuan could stay a little longer and join the celebration banquet before leaving.

But Li Xuan was truly busy.

Military matters were only part of Li Xuan’s workload. In addition to that, there were the affairs of the state to attend to, and the Liudao Division couldn’t be neglected. After all, Li Xuan also held the positions of Fumo Zhonglangjiang and Head of the Shenyi Government at the Liudao Division.

Although the Court was managing various state affairs with the cabinet and regent minister in place, Li Xuan had his own thoughts and strategies regarding state politics. He didn’t plan to be a hands-off manager in the cabinet.

Li Xuan thought that if he were not in his position, it would be fine, but now that he was the Deputy Auxiliary of the Cabinet, with the authority and power to implement his own political strategies, he should take the initiative.

Mencius said, "When poor, a gentleman cherishes his integrity; when prosperous, he helps the world." As the protector of Neo-Confucianism in his time, he should practice this teaching.

As for the Liudao Division, after Li Xuan was appointed as the regent minister, he considered resigning from his position at the Liudao Division. However, Zhu Mingyue rejected the idea.

This Fumo Venerable didn’t explain why, only saying that there were currently no suitable successors within the Liudao Division. He asked Li Xuan to continue holding the position of Head of the Shenyi Government for the time being and to wait and see how things develop in the future.

Li Xuan, considering that the affairs of the Shenyi Government were mainly handled by Luo Yan and Yue Qianqian, and that having a force within the Liudao Division also helped him assert authority in the Court, readily agreed to this arrangement.

However, whenever Li Xuan thought of Zhu Mingyue, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows, showing a hint of worry.

Li Xuan wondered how the Divine Venerable was doing now.

Previously in Chengde, the Fumo Venerable had entered battle wounded, and his opponent was Shulv Ping, who also wielded the "Rule of Extreme Heaven."

Although Zhu Mingyue managed to suppress the former Empress of Liao after several hours of fierce battle,

Zhu Mingyue stayed in his ’House of Liudao Venerable’ for several consecutive days upon returning to the headquarters without leaving.

Although Zhu Mingyue did meet with his subordinates and handled official business, this behavior was quite rare for him.

Having held the position of Fumo Venerable for thirteen years, he was almost always battling demons or on his way to fight them, hardly staying at the headquarters for more than ten days.

So now, many people were concerned about Zhu Mingyue’s injuries.

Li Xuan couldn’t see through Zhu Mingyue’s condition and didn’t know how severe his injuries were.

But if such a situation with Zhu Mingyue continued, it was very likely that turmoil would arise within the Liudao Fumo Division.

While Li Xuan was deep in thought, Yu Jie, the Shaofu across from him, was busy handling official business.

He too was a busy person, holding a position in the Court similar to the Secretariat Director during the time of Former Zhao and Later Zhao, and also holding the position of a regent minister, with the right to inquire into state affairs.

This man liked to grasp power but didn’t have a Second Mind like Li Xuan to delegate some of his tasks.

Therefore, Yu Jie had to make

"Indeed, that is the intention!"

Li Xuan knew that Yu Jie had seen the memorial he had presented to Yue Qianqian a few days earlier. He smiled and counter-asked, "The Governor of Jiangxi has been in office for four years, and by conniving at the malfeasance in Prince Ning’s mansion, he allowed its influence to expand excessively in Jiangxi, obviously failing in his duties. What problem is there in my transferring him away?"

Shaofu Yu Jie, however, furrowed his brows ever deeper as he looked at the memorial in his hand.

Actually, it was a copy of Li Xuan’s memorial, transcribed by the officials of the Central Secretariat for circulation among the regent ministers.

The original already bore Yue Qianqian’s red seal and also the endorsements of Wang Wen and Quan Dingtian, the two cabinet deputy ministers. Therefore, as far as the regulations were concerned, this memorial was already considered passed.

——This was the reason why many regent ministers were so wary of Li Xuan.

Regent Princess Yue Qianqian was completely obedient to Li Xuan’s advice, compliant in all things he requested.

Hence, as long as Li Xuan could ally with any two or three current cabinet deputies, he could remove any official in The Court above the third rank.

The personnel authority of the eight regent ministers would thus become effectively nominal, with Li Xuan needing only to convene a court meeting, ensuring his recommended candidate was not placed below third in a "court election", to leverage Yue Qianqian’s approval for his final victory.

Shaofu Yu Jie shook his head, deciding to stick to the matter at hand, "You dismiss the Governor of Jiangxi, and I may not oppose, but who then shall succeed him? Prince, who do you have in mind?"

Without hesitation, Li Xuan replied with a beaming smile, "The Zhifu of Raozhou, Lei Li."

Shaofu Yu Jie was taken aback, not for lack of capability on the part of the Zhifu of Raozhou.

On the contrary, this magistrate was a rare talent in local governance, not only excelling in administrative duties but also being well-versed in military tactics, having quelled civil disturbances several times before.

Moreover, this man bore a significant grudge against Prince Ning’s mansion in Nanchang, with Raozhou being adjacent to Nanchang, separated only by Poyang Lake.

Over the years, the current Prince Ning often reached into Raozhou, only to be thwarted by the Zhifu, Lei Li.

Shaofu Yu Jie thought to himself that Prince Fenyang indeed had ulterior motives. Stroking his beard, he fell into deep thought, "To be promoted directly from Zhifu to Governor? There has been precedent for this in The Court. Lei Li’s abilities are certainly sufficient for the position of Governor of Jiangxi. But by doing this, Prince Ning will surely oppose.

Prince, now that The Court has triumphed over the Mongols and thus its foundation is stable, its authority established, is there a need to be so aggressive? It is known in military strategy that ’the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting’."

Yu Jie had been making preparations to counter a potential rebellion from Prince Ning’s mansion over the last few days.

But that was based on the premise of a weakened central authority and multiple internal and external threats.

However, Prince Fenyang’s major victory today markedly improved the Great Jin Dynasty’s situation both within The Court and outside, throughout the realm.

They could now not only spare hundreds of thousands of troops and vast amounts of wealth but also several individuals of heavenly rank.

Their deterrence against local malcontents had greatly surpassed what it was a few days before.

In Yu Jie’s view, Prince Ning might not dare to rebel under such circumstances.

Li Xuan understood what Yu Jie meant—that The Court could resort to political means to solve the issue, without the necessity of resorting to military action.

’The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting,’ an adage stated by Sun Tzu, and Clausewitz’s ’On War’ also said that war is a continuation of politics.

But he personally preferred the phrase ’Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun,’ and indeed, these three statements do not contradict each other.

However, power from the gun is fundamental—without sufficient strength, how can one strategize or apply diplomacy?

Nor can politics be conducted when one slap could simply end your life.

Li Xuan responded with a detached demeanor, "Shaofu, what do you mean by this? If Lei Li’s capabilities are sufficient for the office, why should he not assume the post of Governor of this province? To hesitate solely due to concern for a vassal king—such an attitude would be laughable if spoken aloud."

Yet at that moment, Yu Jie shifted his expression, "Prince, are you intending to provoke Prince Ning into rebellion? Why so?"

Li Xuan did indeed intend to push Prince Ning into rebellion.

But he certainly wouldn’t admit to such a thing—to avoid giving others something to use against him.

Not committing either way, he murmured softly, "Wrath swells up and overtops my brow, I lean upon the rail as the rain lets up. Lifting my gaze, I let out a long howl to the heavens, my aspirations fierce and resolute. Thirty years’ fame, dust, and earth; Eight thousand miles, roads, clouds, and moon. Do not take lightly—the whitening of youthful hair, empty and sorrowful—"

Yu Jie’s eyes sparkled halfway through listening. Uttering a ’hmm’, as if enlightened.

Li Xuan then looked at him, barely smiling, "Shaofu, you must feel it too, right? The undercurrents run deep in this world, trouble may arise at any moment. If The Court leaves hidden dangers unaddressed, it will only lead to future calamities.

Also, don’t you ever feel the bitterness of life’s shortness, and that time does not wait for us? There are many things you want to do, but the limited time in the future, entangled with too many constraints, could result in efforts ending in vain."

If he had the power to solve problems decisively, why should he opt for half-measures dragging on the issue?

Li Xuan had much he wanted to accomplish and didn’t have time to waste on Prince Ning.

You see, the imperial family of the Jin Dynasty always looked up to Prince Xiang and Prince Ning as leaders.

And one of the greatest barriers to his plans was, in fact, the Jin Dynasty’s imperial family! How could he govern, still to come, if he did not intimidate these people?

"Therefore, it seems Lei Li is indeed the most suitable candidate for Governor of Jiangxi for now," Yu Jie concluded, understanding Li Xuan’s intentions. He actually felt a shared sentiment with what Li Xuan proposed and admired it immensely.