coobybook Chapter 969 The Civil War Is About to End
Chapter 969 The Civil War Is About to End
On the day the Prince of Jin left the capital, it was still dark in the morning.
Without alerting anyone, he quietly left the city gate with only a small team of guards and embarked on the official road to Shu.
Meanwhile, on the parade ground of the Imperial Capital Military Academy, Luo Yueniang was frowning as she looked at an artillery firing table filled with arcs and numbers.
Calculating these unfamiliar symbols was ten times harder than wielding her gleaming silver spear, but she was full of energy.
Meanwhile, on the southern battlefield thousands of miles away, a battle report was delivered by fast horse to the Yangxin Hall in the capital under the cover of night.
The following day's court assembly was solemn.
Li Che sat on the dragon throne, and all the civil and military officials of His Majesty Daqing gathered together.
After everyone had finished paying their respects, Li Che spoke in a calm voice: "Yang Zhongsi sent an urgent message to me, saying that the remnants of the Southern Army have suffered repeated defeats and have fled into the malaria-ridden lands of Lingnan."
"It is reported that they are requisitioning fishing boats and building large ships along the coast, showing signs of fleeing to Qiongzhou Island."
He paused, his tone unreadable: "Furthermore, several generals in the Southern Army have secretly submitted letters of surrender to me, offering to act as inside agents for the royal army. Among them are some from aristocratic families."
These words caused a slight commotion in the hall, and even Luo Yueniang, who was standing at the back, felt a slight tremor in her heart.
Although Li Che's tone was calm, the information he conveyed was anything but simple.
The Southern court's fate was sealed; fleeing to Lingnan meant losing all strategic depth, and its demise was only a matter of time.
This year-long civil war is finally coming to an end.
The demise of the false emperor's forces foreshadowed the reunification of the Great Qing Empire, and the young emperor would become the true ruler of the land.
Without a doubt, history has begun a new chapter.
These people are fortunate; they not only became witnesses but also had the opportunity to write their own chapter in this new era.
Before everyone could finish processing what was happening, Li Che directly posed the question: "What do you all think? Should I accept their surrender?"
After a brief silence, Huo Duanxiao stepped forward first: "Your Majesty, I advocate accepting the surrender."
"Oh?" Li Che remained noncommittal. "Tell me about it."
Huo Duanxiao cupped his hands and said, "The Southern Army's defeat is inevitable, but even a cornered beast will fight. If we forcibly block their path to survival, their last stand will cause trouble for our army, and the people of Lingnan and Qiongzhou will also suffer from the ravages of war."
"If we accept the surrender, we can quickly pacify the south, allowing the soldiers to return home soon and the people to recuperate. This is the best course of action."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhuge Zhe stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I object!"
All the ministers turned their gazes to Zhuge Zhe, and they were all somewhat surprised.
Zhuge Zhe and Huo Duanxiao were a great pair of partners, both being close advisors to Li Che, and they worked together very well in the court.
Even when there are disagreements, they will point them out tactfully, but they have never been so confrontational before.
Li Che looked at Zhuge Zhe, and understood why he was reacting so strongly.
Zhuge Zhe came from a prominent family of the previous dynasty. His entire family was forced to flee beyond the Great Wall, and they harbored deep hatred for these prominent families of the Daqing dynasty.
The Huo family was a prominent family in the dynasty and did not have much personal enmity with other prominent families.
Their differing stances led to their differing attitudes.
As expected, Zhuge Zheyi said sternly, "These treacherous people who seek personal gain by betraying their lord can betray the false emperor today. Who knows if they won't betray His Majesty again in the future?"
"If we allow them to surrender, it will not only discourage the soldiers fighting to the death on the front lines, but also sow the seeds of future trouble within the army."
"We should take advantage of their weakened state and wipe them out in one fell swoop to prevent future troubles!"
The two senior officials held distinct views and each stuck to their own opinion.
Soon, other ministers also joined the discussion.
Some supporters of Huo Duanxiao believe that casualties should be reduced and people's livelihoods should be restored as soon as possible.
There are also those who strongly support Zhuge Zhe, believing that one should never be lenient with fickle people.
Li Che sat high above, listening attentively to the statements of each minister, without immediately offering his opinion.
The debate lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, with neither side able to convince the other.
Seeing that it was difficult to reach a consensus in the short term, Li Che raised his hand and pressed it down, stopping the commotion in the court.
"Alright, let's discuss this later."
Li Che abruptly changed the subject, his tone turning cold:
"The false emperor wants to hide in Qiongzhou and become an island guerrilla, but I will not allow it. Qiongzhou Island is also Daqing's land, and not an inch of Daqing's land is superfluous."
Although the officials didn't know what the 'Island Raiders' were, they could still tell Li Che's attitude and all fell silent.
"My lords, the decisive battle is imminent. The Ministry of War has discussed this for several days and has given me two plans."
"First, we will intercept the Southern army at sea during their crossing and fight a naval battle; second, we will allow their remaining troops to land on the island, and then our army will surround the island and fight a battle of annihilation."
Li Che continued, "Naval battles are risky, and the winds and waves are unpredictable. If we cannot annihilate them all, the remaining enemy forces will roam the seas, making them even more difficult to wipe out."
“Besieging the island is a more secure option, allowing for a step-by-step approach, but it takes a long time and consumes a huge amount of money and supplies.”
"What do you all think we should do?"
This time, however, the opinions in the court were surprisingly unanimous.
Huo Duanxiao and Zhuge Zhe, who had just been arguing heatedly about the issue of surrender, stepped forward almost simultaneously.
Huo Duanxiao said, "Your Majesty, I advocate naval warfare!"
"If the remnants of the puppet emperor land on the island, they will inevitably drag the island's people into a stubborn resistance. When our army attacks, it will be inevitable that innocent people will be injured."
"Although Qiongzhou is sparsely populated, it is still a citizen of Daqing, and we cannot be complacent about it."
Zhuge Zhe put it succinctly: "We have already won the land battle, why go to the island and increase casualties? It's better to annihilate the enemy at sea and end it all!"
"Our Daqing Navy is invincible and can wipe out the enemy with a flick of the wrist. This is a golden opportunity."
The other ministers also seconded the motion, and most of them supported resolving the battle at sea.
Li Che looked at the assembled ministers below, who held a unified opinion, and nodded slightly, having already made his decision.
"Good! Just as you all said, order Li Sheng and Jie An to move the First and Second Fleets toward the Qiongzhou Strait and make sure to occupy the sea area before the enemy escapes."
Throughout the entire court assembly, Luo Yueniang remained at the end of the military officers' ranks without uttering a single word.
She silently observed the situation in the court, feeling quite surprised.
These ministers were completely different from the Daqing court she had imagined.
There were no obvious factions, only debates that focused on the specific issues at hand.
The two people who were arguing fiercely about the previous issue can suddenly find themselves agreeing on the next one.
The political landscape in Shu was quite different. Various powerful families in Shu also had different factions, and their views during discussions were often closely related to the interests of their own faction.
However, Luo Yueniang knew very well that the atmosphere of the Daqing court was the proper way to get things done.
She was beginning to understand why His Majesty was so determined to completely eliminate the aristocratic families...
The bell rang to signal the end of the court session, and the officials filed out.
Just as Luo Yueniang was about to leave the main hall with the crowd, a shrill voice suddenly came from behind her: "General Guide, please wait a moment."