Pang Xiao chuckled softly, “Naturally we must wait. If this prince acts rashly, some people might be scared to death and who knows what they might do. Moreover, since we’ve come to the capital to serve the king loyally, we naturally must heed His Majesty’s intentions. With so many eyes watching us, our actions naturally must be more cautious than before.”
Huzi puffed out his cheeks and said glumly, “Seeing the Tatars right before our eyes, yet we can’t charge up and cut them down like melons—it’s simply too stifling! I haven’t had a good satisfying battle in ages!”
Pang Xiao laughed heartily and patted Huzi’s shoulder. “What’s the rush? The Tatars are right in front of us—are you afraid there won’t be battles to fight?”
Not just Huzi—even he, after living peacefully for so long, would get restless hands. The Tatars had killed their way from the northern frontier straight to the capital, occupying so many of Great Zhou’s major cities and slaughtering countless people. Having incurred such blood debts, any Great Zhou person with backbone could not tolerate it!
It was just that Li Qitian had issued no decree at present, and they were under the watchful eyes of all under heaven. He had brought two hundred and eighty thousand troops to serve the king loyally, which would naturally draw the attention of those with ulterior motives. Once they made even half a misstep, someone would surely seize upon it to make accusations, and then matters would be pushed toward an uncontrollable situation.
Therefore, even though he wanted to directly lead his troops straight through the city gates, cross the entire capital, and go north to help Ji Zeyu, he could not act rashly.
The Pingnan Army led by Pang Xiao was stationed in the south, where the mountains were high and the emperor far away. The former lax nature of only knowing how to draw pay had been completely changed under Pang Xiao’s leadership in years past. Now the Pingnan Army was strictly disciplined. When Pang Xiao ordered that they could not act without authorization and must camp outside the city gates awaiting His Majesty’s instructions, everyone had no second thoughts.
“Fortunately it’s already spring with warm weather and blooming flowers. Even if everyone lives in tents, they won’t freeze to death.” Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi led the strategists to Pang Xiao’s location daily to discuss countermeasures. Speaking of Li Qitian’s arrangements, everyone felt both surprised and helpless.
“His Majesty’s wariness of Your Highness has reached the point of disregarding the capital’s safety—it’s truly disheartening.”
“We haven’t even experienced the tense situation in the capital yet feel this way—the capital’s people, seeing wounded soldiers carried down daily and hearing the shouts of battle from outside the city, are probably already in a state of panic.”
The strategists all looked toward Pang Xiao, sharing the same thought in their hearts.
Xie Yue pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, then said fairly, “Your Highness, actually this is an excellent opportunity. The Son of Heaven and the court’s attention are all on the Tatars, and their silver and provisions are also limited. If we attack with full force now, we could certainly take the capital.”
Though the rest wasn’t spoken, everyone could understand his meaning. Right now was when Li Qitian was focused on the Tatars—if one wanted to seize the throne, this was the optimal moment. If Pang Xiao acted now, he would certainly succeed in one stroke.
Hearing this, Pang Xiao merely smiled. “I am a person of Great Zhou. No matter what, I cannot hand Great Zhou’s people over to be ruled by foreign tribes—that would certainly make the people slaves. Even if we could take the capital now, what about afterward? Would there be people who would resent me for this? Would there be people unwilling to follow me in continuing to resist the Tatars?
“Now is not the time to consider these matters. Joining forces against external enemies and driving the Tatars from Great Zhou’s soil is what’s urgent. As for other things, we’ll consider them later when everything is peaceful and the people are safe. I cannot build my grand enterprise upon the sacrifice of the people.”
Those strategists who had just supported Xie Yue’s view now nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. His Highness was a benevolent and righteous person, putting the people first in everything—this was already extremely commendable. Being able to follow such an enlightened master meant they would have good fortune in the future.
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi exchanged knowing smiles.
Others might not know, but Xu Weizhi understood Xie Yue too well. The reason for speaking this way in front of the strategists was to give His Highness an opportunity to express his feelings, letting them all understand His Highness’s painstaking efforts and know why His Highness chose not to directly attack the capital.
His Highness’s current choice might all be from consideration for the people’s perspective. But for them as observers, His Highness’s choice was also exactly what could bring him the greatest benefit.
As strategists, they naturally had to do their utmost to think for His Highness, offering appropriate suggestions when His Highness fell into confusion. But recently, Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi gradually discovered that all of Pang Xiao’s choices, though they sometimes seemed risky on the surface, the final results always seemed beneficial to him.
Sometimes even Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi felt His Highness was taking desperate risks, yet he always turned danger into safety in the end.
Could this be the mandate of heaven? Had Tianji Zi’s calculations from years ago been correct?
While everyone was deliberating, in the palace Li Qitian was also discussing with several confidants. “The Pingnan Army is still camped outside the city. Such a large number of troops—if we let them enter the city gates directly like other loyalist reinforcements, and if Prince Zhongshun harbors rebellious intentions, wouldn’t we have no hope at all?”
This was exactly Li Qitian’s thinking, which was why he was particularly conflicted.
“I have also considered that Prince Zhongshun has fought for Great Zhou for many years and has indeed rendered great service. I am also unwilling to suspect him.”
Those who could be called alone to the imperial study to discuss strategy were all Li Qitian’s confidants. The reason these people could be Li Qitian’s confidants was certainly because they were good at reading the situation and better understood what Li Qitian was thinking, always able to say things that could both solve problems and please Li Qitian.
Therefore, at this moment they all wore worried expressions, speaking righteously and in unison: “Your Majesty, please think thrice.”
Several people exchanged glances, then each spoke: “Your Majesty, you are magnanimous and naturally would not overthink, but we ministers cannot help but consider every possibility. Your Majesty trusts Prince Zhongshun, but that doesn’t mean Prince Zhongshun will definitely be loyal to you. Should any mishap occur, things would become uncontrollable. Please, Your Majesty, consider carefully.”
“Yes, Your Majesty should prioritize the grand enterprise. We ministers also know that Your Majesty’s heart is indeed pained and tormented by having to make such distrustful decisions regarding Prince Zhongshun, but for the sake of the entire Great Zhou dynasty, please think thrice, Your Majesty.”
Li Qitian’s expression remained unchanged as he listened, lowering his eyes to look at the back of his own hands.
After a long while, Li Qitian slowly said, “I understand your meaning. Allow me to think it over first.”
Pang Xiao thought that with Li Qitian’s nature, he would resolve matters within two days. He never expected that he would bring two hundred and eighty thousand people to wait at the city gates for a full three days.
Three days wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. With such an enormous camp of two hundred and eighty thousand people, the food they brought would inevitably run out sooner or later.
“His Majesty’s decree still hasn’t come down. It seems this prince needs to urge things along.” Pang Xiao frowned in thought.
“Who knows what His Majesty is thinking? When the war is urgent, he has reinforcements but won’t let them act, won’t issue us decrees, won’t give us military provisions—just has so many of us waiting here. What exactly does he mean!” Huzi was already thoroughly displeased.
The problem was that without His Majesty’s decree, His Highness ordered them all to remain camped in place—they couldn’t enter the city, nor could they privately contact Ji Zeyu.
Pang Xiao didn’t want to give people reason to suspect Ji Zeyu, lest those with ulterior motives see this and think they were secretly communicating to conspire against His Majesty.
But no one understood Ji Zeyu’s current difficulties better.
The various loyalist armies each had their own commanders and their own agendas. Not everyone who came to serve the king loyally under imperial decree was wholehearted for His Majesty—most had their own purposes. If only such complex human hearts were the issue, that would be manageable, but more critically, provisions were insufficient.
When soldiers fought wars without even enough to eat, their resentment would only accumulate deeper. Facing the pressure of the Tatar army at the city gates on the battlefield, if they retreated even once, the people in the capital would fall.
Under such pressure, how should Ji Zeyu handle things?
He needed reinforcements and provisions, but His Majesty agreed to neither.
These days, not only did the people who came with the Pingnan Army harbor doubts in their hearts, but even the Huben Army guarding the north gate felt the same way.
Wounded soldiers from the battlefield had to be carried back to the city for treatment. Their condition would somewhat affect the emotions of the people in the city. However, after prolonged suppression with His Majesty unwilling to act, even the people now had considerable complaints.
Pang Xiao smiled reassuringly, “The decision His Majesty must make, in his view, concerns his fate. Making such choices must be extremely difficult. We needn’t be too anxious—the decree will come in the next day or two.”
If this dragged on further, before Pang Xiao could bring his people into the city, the capital’s people would probably start rioting.
True to Pang Xiao’s words, the next day, the Son of Heaven’s decree was delivered to the Pingnan Army camp.
Xiong Jinshui wore a bitter expression, his iron-gray sunflower-patterned robe fluttering in a sudden sharp spring breeze. Having already broken out in cold sweat, he immediately shivered.
Soon, Pang Xiao was seen leading several generals, riding from the seemingly endless military camp.
Approaching closely, Pang Xiao gracefully dismounted with a leap and smiled, “Eunuch Xiong, does His Majesty have instructions?”
“Yes!” Commander Feng bellowed in his rough voice, “Is His Majesty ordering us to fight the Tatars?”
Xiong Jinshui swallowed hard and unrolled the imperial edict. “Prince Zhongshun, receive the decree!”
“Your subject is here.” Pang Xiao led everyone in kneeling.
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Prince Zhongshun is commanded to lead the Pingnan Army around the capital, taking the route through Jiazhao Valley, to encircle the Tatars from behind and join the Huben Army in a pincer attack to completely annihilate the Tatars. By this decree!”
Xiong Jinshui’s slightly shrill voice, characteristic of palace eunuchs, carried on the wind, stunning everyone who heard it.
Before Pang Xiao could speak, Commander Feng had already jumped three feet high: “What? The capital is right before our eyes—open the city gates and the brothers can charge straight through to fight the Tatars to the death. Why make us take a detour?”
“Exactly! We rushed back from far away just to break the siege of the capital. Now look—we’ve arrived, been left hanging for so many days, and now we’re not even allowed through the city gates but told to take a detour! What’s this about encircling from behind? By the time we go around Jiazhao Valley, what if the Tatars have already broken into the capital!” Huzi also roared angrily.
For a moment, the entire military camp was in an uproar. Hearing these people’s angry shouts, Xiong Jinshui almost felt he might be grabbed by these people at any moment to have his head twisted off and used as a ball.