Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 913 - 753 Signboard Announcement (Request for Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions)

Chapter 913: Chapter 753 Signboard Announcement (Request for Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions)

As Qian Long finished speaking, the entire Wenhua Palace erupted into commotion.

"Is this statement true? According to the timeline, when this talisman paper was sent, it was less than two Shichen since they began engaging the enemy. Has the battle at Podi Mountain already been won?"

"Beheading fifty thousand? Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"

"Indeed, County Prince Fenyang never disappoints. Since he has commanded the army, he has been undefeated in battle and successful in every attack!"

At this point, the many supporters of Prince Fenyang in the palace were ecstatic.

"What of Yexian? In the previous battles in front of and behind Xuanfu, didn’t Yexian also lose to Prince Fenyang?"

"Mobilizing seventy thousand troops to sweep across the steppes, flattening the Khan Court, such military merits are unprecedented, truly a feat for the ages."

"Ha! Who was ridiculing earlier? Saying that throughout history, none boasted as much as County Prince Fenyang. In your eyes, Yexian’s nearly a million troops might seem overwhelming and invincible. But in the eyes of the County Prince, they are but chickens and dogs made of clay."

"Deputy Guanjunrong Envoy Shang Hong, Daxueshi, had already presented a memorial before, stating that County Prince Fenyang has seven victories, Shiwei’s Yexian also has seven defeats. He believed that in terms of heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony, none were with Meng Wu. And now it turns out to be so!"

"Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! This battle by Prince Fenyang has at least secured a century of peace for the Northern Border of our Great Jin."

Yu Hongchang found herself unable to remain calm and composed at this moment.

She did not wait for Qian Long to hand over the talisman paper, instead, she directly reached out and snatched the talisman paper from Qian Long’s hand.

Then she slightly raised the corners of her lips and flicked the talisman paper directly into the hands of Chen Xun, "This is a report from Xiuyiwei, not a military report sent back from the camp of the Great General Zhenbei. Grand Secretary, once you have read it, please let everyone in the hall take a look."

The many officials present, however, felt slightly relieved.

—Precisely because this battle report came from Xiuyiwei, it was even more credible, with no possibility of falsifying military information.

Yu Hongchang’s confident behavior in letting them read the talisman paper further stabilized the ministers’ hearts.

"— Prince Fenyang positioned his troops against the mountain and took the initiative to attack. He first broke through Meng Wu’s cavalry on both flanks, then encircled Meng Wu’s central army, greatly defeating them with a square formation."

After reading it, Grand Secretary Chen Xun handed the talisman paper to another person and ruefully said, "Without a detailed battle report, I cannot understand this fully."

He wasn’t completely ignorant of military tactics, but the arguments from Xiuyiwei clearly defied common military sense.

While the officials were passing around the talisman paper, another golden light traversed into the hall.

This time, it was the official military report from the camp of the Great General Zhenbei, also carried by a Fire-Eye Crow.

Li Xuan had led the troops north under the title ’Great General Zhenbei’, so the highest command structure for this northern expedition was indeed the camp of the Great General Zhenbei.

As Qian Long tore open the letter tube, his face lit up with joy.

"Our army has beheaded at least five hundred and thirty thousand, and among the Wanhu of Meng Wu, we have confirmed the death of more than sixty individuals. Such a splendid victory is unprecedented since the founding of our dynasty. Moreover, the losses of our northern expedition army are almost negligible, tallying just slightly over ten thousand."

The hall burst into astonishment once again.

The faces of many showed disbelief, shocked by the minor casualties.

In the past, Great General Lan Yu in the battle at the Buyuer Sea also beheaded hundreds of thousands, but the Jin Army suffered over one hundred thousand casualties.

In this battle at Podi Mountain, Prince Fenyang Li Xuan faced an enemy twice his size with only four hundred and thirty thousand troops, yet the casualties were just slightly over ten thousand, making them instinctively question the authenticity.

"The talisman paper bears the signatures and seals of Shaofu Yu Jie and Daxueshi Shang Hong."

When the talisman paper reached the hands of Wang Wen, the current regent minister, his eyes suddenly lit up, showing a dazzling brilliance.

Yu Jie and Shang Hong were currently the two strongest Daru of Confucianism in Jin.

Wang Wen thought that with their Haoqi cultivation, they definitely would not falsify military achievements.

Even if there was a great defeat in MoBei, and they needed to cover up military information to stabilize public sentiment, this was not the way to do it.

However, Wang Wen then looked puzzled, "Why is there no seal from Prince Fenyang? Why is this military report so brief?"

He first looked at the signatures at the end of the talisman paper, then at the content of the paper.

On hearing this, Quan Dingtian could not help but chuckle knowingly, "Shangshu Wang sees the whole from one part, this talisman paper later explains that Prince Fenyang fought fiercely with Yexian. It seems that their battle has not yet concluded, hence he couldn’t sign. A more detailed report probably needs to wait until their battle is resolved."

In addition to being the regent minister, Quan Dingtian was also a cabinet member and Minister of Revenue. At this moment, his ranking in the court was just above Wang Wen, being the third one to read this talisman paper report after Chen Xun and Minister of Personnel He Wenyuan.

Having just read this part, Wang Wen’s eyes glowed, "Does this mean there’s a possibility that Prince Fenyang might capture and kill this adversary?"

His words invigorated the ministers behind him, sparking another flurry of discussions.

The humiliation brought by Khan Yecian Chrolus in the Tumu Fort battle fifteen years ago still remained fresh in the memories of all Jin ministers.

Although in the fourteenth year of Jingtai, the battle at Xuanfu where County Prince Fenyang decisively defeated Meng Wu and captured Mengwu Khan Totaabuqa avenged past disgrace,

how could that compare to directly capturing and killing the prime culprit, Yecian Chrolus, giving the Jin people a thorough satisfaction and a sense of exhilarating vindication?

"Khan Yecian could not escape? This indeed is a feat of the ages!"

"Please ask the Jianguo Princess to order the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple to prepare for a grand ceremony to notify the Grand Temple! The late Emperor had always been zealous about the northern expedition against Meng Wu to wash away the immense disgrace of our Great Jin."

"Yu Jie, Shang Hong, and Zhu Guoneng, what is the meaning of this? How could they simply stand by and watch His Highness Prince Fenyang, fight Yexian alone?"

"It must be that His Highness Prince Fenyang insisted on it himself, desiring a fair battle with Yexian. It was the same during last year’s battle at Xuanfu; when Prince Fenyang fought Totaabuqa Khan, he did not want others to intervene. Prince Fenyang’s courage and wisdom are unmatched, but this character trait of his—sooner or later he’s bound to suffer for it."

"I think it’s not a big problem, with Grand Tutor here. Grand Tutor knows the importance of such matters, and he surely will not allow Yexian to escape!"

At that moment, Hongshang was fixing her gaze on Chen Xun. "Grand Secretary, the great victory at Podi Mountain is now undoubtedly confirmed, should The Court not issue a declaration?"

The Meng Wu at Podi Mountain is more than thirteen thousand li away from the Forbidden City, and it would take at least five or six days for the dispatch riders of the Great General Zhenbei’s camp to arrive from there.

The Court naturally cannot wait until then, nor is there any need to.

Hence, this swift spread of good news, can easily be handled by The Court itself.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xun glanced at the night sky outside the palace: "Let’s wait a bit longer, it’s deep into the night right now, and most of the people have already retired to rest. It wouldn’t hurt to wait for the official battle report to arrive tomorrow before issuing the declaration."

He knew that inside and outside the Capital City, many Confucian scholars were deeply concerned about this Northern Expedition.

However, Prince Fenyang had always been victorious in battle, his military exploits brilliant.

As reports of victories had been continuously arriving from the north, the morale of the people in north Zhili was still relatively stable; there was no need to rush the declaration.

"What about the rewards then?"

This was the newly appointed left Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel, who bowed to Regent Minister Hongshang: "Since Prince Fenyang has greatly defeated the Meng Wu, shouldn’t we discuss the matters of his reward?"

The many regent ministers present upon hearing this couldn’t help but slightly furrow their brows, feeling an immense headache.

The awards for this battle were actually straightforward, just reward according to the military merits, just as usual. After all, The Court now had the funds.

The problem lay with County Prince Fenyang; last year, Li Xuan had greatly defeated the Meng Wu and had also swept through the forces of Prince Ning and Xiangwang Manor. His military merits were unmatched in history.

To date, The Court had yet to make any award!

At this time, nearly all the ministers thought of the phrases ’merits too high to reward’ or ’no rewards sufficient’.

Li Xuan was already County Prince Fenyang, a Regent Minister, the Dadudu of Five Armies, and Taibao of the current reign.

Even Emperor Youlong would have to honor him as ’Father Shang’ in the future.

What kind of reward should The Court now offer to match his contributions?

Could they make him a blood prince directly? But there had been no such precedent since the foundation of the dynasty, and only at the end of empires in history like the Tang Dynasty had such situations arisen.

The people inwardly complained, thinking Emperor Jingtai before his demise had elevated Prince Fenyang too high, leaving them with this great dilemma.

At that moment, Hongshang spoke with an expressionless face: "Are you gentlemen troubled over the rewards for Prince Fenyang? This matter is actually simple; before this campaign, Prince Fenyang had once spoken to this palace, stating that he would have many descendants in the future. He does not wish to favor some and slight others, so if this Northern Expedition were victorious, he would not seek anything else, only a few more hereditary, irrevocable titles."

Although Hongshang’s tone was calm, she clenched her hands tightly.

When she first heard Li Xuan’s words, she was infuriated to the extreme, nearly kicking Li Xuan off the bed.

These titles were mostly intended for the children of Luo Yan and Xue Yunrou—what with his ’many descendants, not wishing to favor some over others,’ he really had the nerve to say such things while in her own bedchamber.

Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the palace couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If it wasn’t the direct conferring of a prince, then everything else was negotiable.

However, several regent ministers looked at each other and implicitly reached an understanding.

All were thinking for the good of the dynasty, and resolved that no matter what, they could no longer allow Prince Fenyang to lead the troops.

As of now, Jin did not need Prince Fenyang to lead the troops personally; the many domestic and foreign troubles since the fourteenth year of Jingtai had all been flattened by His Highness.

Minister of Personnel He Wenyuan also sighed in relief: "The matter of rewards isn’t urgent, we can wait for the official battle report from the camp of the Great General Zhenbei. It should be arriving soon, as Yexian, without Dragon Qi and military support, cannot hold out for long against Prince Fenyang."

But their wait lasted until four shichen later, only until the morning of the next day. A Fire-Eye Crow arrived with a complete military report.

"In yesterday’s battle at Podi Mountain, a total of 534,257 Meng Wu knights were slaughtercam-killed! Six Mongwu Taiji were killed, along with sixty-three Wanhu, and three hundred and twenty-five Qianhu Nayan—"

As Xiuyiwei Eunuch Qian Long loudly proclaimed this complete battle report on the imperial steps, the fatigue and impatience on the faces of the assembly in the palace were instantly wiped away.

As soon as Hongshang officially ordered the cabinet to publicize the decree, cheers erupted throughout the palace and beyond.

This news quickly spread outside the Forbidden City, and in no time, the entirety of Capital City was jubilant, with countless firecrackers bursting, echoing through the sky.

At the same time, Hongshang was reading the memorial that had been sent along with the military report.

This memorial, originating from Li Xuan, suggested that after the battle at Podi Mountain, the Meng Wu no longer held the power to resist Jin, and that it was time to establish Zhihuishi Divisions in both MoBei and MoNan.

The Court needed to make preparations, to discuss the divisions between Zhihuishi Divisions and local Weisuo Institutes, and to select officials from The Court for administration.

Reading this, Hongshang immediately looked up, her eyes meaningfully sweeping over the assembly of ministers.

At that moment, officials led by Zhang Jiuling inexplicably felt a chill down their spine.