The distant sky was a transparent blue, with soft, flowing clouds. Upon Baojin Tower, the glazed green tiles scattered glittering light.

The equestrian ceremony had just concluded. The Imperial Guards stood imposingly in formation, and the war horses and flying arrows had not yet been withdrawn. However, the Emperor and the officials of the Two Departments had already ridden back to the palace, while the remaining officials wore gloomy expressions. The Northern Garden lacked the festive atmosphere that typically followed the annual equestrian and archery ceremony.

Although the bandit rebellion in Jiankang Route was not widely known among court officials, today’s urgent report from the northern border, arriving during the equestrian ceremony, left everyone present in disbelief.

It had been barely three months since Northern Jian had sent envoys to court. The troop reductions at the border between the two countries were still underway, and the border markets had not been ordered to close. How could Northern Jian suddenly mobilize troops to invade at this time?

And the person commanding Northern Jian’s great army was none other than Zhao Hui, the Commissioner of the Northern Court.

In Ruisi Hall, candles burned brightly.

Though the palace personnel had not gone to the Northern Garden, they had heard about the news that arrived from the north today. Knowing the Emperor was in a foul mood, they withdrew after setting out stools for the officials of the Two Departments.

Northern Jian’s invasion seemed sudden, yet it was truly thought-provoking.

On the eighth day of the fourth month, Northern Jian had mobilized troops southward, with their forces directly pointing at Tingzhou, west of Mount Min on the Northern Chao’an Route.

Though Northern Jian’s large army pressed against the border, they merely surrounded Tingzhou without attacking. Mao Zun, the commander of Tingzhou, closed the city to resist the enemy and quickly sent someone to report to Chongzhou. Dong Yicheng, the Pacification Commissioner of Northern Chao’an Route, received the report and urgently dispatched twenty thousand elite troops from the newly built Mount Min garrison to the west, intending to break the siege of Tingzhou.

By the time the Military Department in the capital received the report today, Tingzhou had been surrounded for twelve days.

As late spring approached, small birds chirped excitedly outside the hall, fluttering past the eaves with lively chatter.

Though stools had been set out for the officials of the Two Departments in the hall, no one was willing to sit.

Internal troubles had not yet been resolved, and now external chaos had erupted.

Of the three routes along the northern border, two were consecutively embroiled in military affairs. If war with Northern Jian broke out, the northern military defenses and garrison arrangements would have to be completely reorganized. Moreover, mobilizing troops, horses, and provisions on such a large scale could not be accomplished in a day or two. Once major battles erupted in the north, it would be even harder to quickly suppress the bandits in Jiankang Route. These bandits roaming throughout the Jiankang Route would certainly disrupt the supply lines for troops and provisions in the Northern Chao’an and Linhuai Routes, making it extremely difficult for the three northern routes to coordinate their strategies.

Furthermore, once these three routes were engulfed in the flames of war, there was no guarantee that the formerly surrendered southern territories wouldn’t take the opportunity to rebel. Even cross-border banditry was not impossible.

Therefore, to resist external threats, one must first secure internal stability. Yet without peace at the borders, how could there be peace within the country?

It seemed that Northern Jian’s sudden military mobilization was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent envoys to court just as Di Nian arrived at the northern border, nor would they have proposed troop reductions and tribute cuts this year. Most importantly, they wouldn’t have disregarded the joint border troop reductions and suddenly mobilized tens of thousands of troops southward to invade.

Each person in the hall had different thoughts about these matters, but no one dared to speak before the Emperor opened his mouth.

Meng Tinghui still stood at the back, not having had time to change out of her ceremonial equestrian attire. By now, her emotions had calmed somewhat compared to when she first heard this report.

Everyone was extremely angry, but what use was anger now that things had come to this point?

Ying Gua had not taken his seat either. He stood at the front of the hall with his hands behind his back, his face darker than ever before, his gaze fixed on the table as he said in a low, rebuking tone: “This Dong Yicheng is truly the height of stupidity!”

He typically did not use such words to rebuke his officials. Even when filled with towering rage, he had never vented his anger in public.

Though usually cold-faced and reticent, when had he ever made arbitrary decisions in court politics or military affairs based on personal resentment or anger?

She knew he was truly angered this time.

With his unyielding character, how could he fear Northern Jian’s invasion? Even with external threats and internal troubles arising simultaneously, it shouldn’t cause him to lose control of his emotions like this.

What angered him was that Dong Yicheng had hastily dispatched twenty thousand elite troops from the newly built Mount Min garrison to lift the siege of Tingzhou.

The garrisons at Mount Min in Northern Chao’an Route and Lijiang in Linhuai Route were ones he had specially ordered Di Nian to establish when reorganizing the imperial army, precisely to prepare several key strongholds on the northern border, in case Northern Jian took advantage of the troop reductions to invade our strategically important military positions.

Tingzhou was small and not of major importance; there was no reason for Northern Jian’s army of tens of thousands to give it much attention. Even if Tingzhou were captured by Northern Jian, there were the two heavily garrisoned cities of Qingzhou and Qingzhou to the south to block them. Northern Jian wouldn’t be foolish enough to try to crack this hard nut. The purpose of surrounding Tingzhou couldn’t be to directly invade from this point.

Yet Dong Yicheng had panicked so much that he dispatched troops from the new Mount Min garrison to rescue Tingzhou from the siege!

With the forces at Mount Min reduced, who knew if Northern Jian wouldn’t send other troops to directly press upon Mount Min? If Mount Min fell, Northern Jian would gain another strategically important position that could be used for both offense and defense, and their troops and supplies would have a quick route.

Stupid, truly the height of stupidity.

The veteran generals of the Military Department were thinking the same thing, but with imperial anger before them, none of the officials dared to pour oil on the fire. They were all silently contemplating how this war, which had flared up like wildfire on the northern border, would unfold.

The officials from the Imperial Secretariat looked even worse.

The officials of the Pacification and Transportation Commissioners in Northern Chao’an Route had frequently been replaced over the past year. The Emperor hadn’t removed Dong Yicheng before, merely as a face-saving gesture for the senior officials of the Eastern Faction after the flag mutiny, to promote Meng Tinghui.

Since the conclusion of the matters with Xu Ting and Gu Qin, the influence of the senior court officials had greatly diminished. With the Meng Faction on the side, the rift between the senior officials of the Eastern and Western Factions had gradually lessened. They all knew that if they continued to make things difficult for each other, it would only benefit the group of ambitious young people in court.

But Dong Yicheng’s actions had made the situation of the senior officials in the Imperial Secretariat even more awkward.

The Imperial Secretariat had always been against war. The country had only enjoyed peace for just over twenty years. Who would have the heart to place the border civilians back amidst arrows and spears? Moreover, once war broke out, tens of thousands of civilians would inevitably be conscripted for transporting provisions and building fortifications. The Three Departments of the court would also have to allocate funds to the front lines. Such expenses were not something that the glory-covered old generals of the Military Department could consider.

Dong Yicheng had been the Pacification Commissioner of the border route for nearly twenty years, yet he made such a major mistake this time. The reason was simple: he feared that if he lost even a county or prefecture on the northern border, he would incur the Emperor’s punishment. That’s why he dispatched troops from Mount Min, considering only the proximity and speed.

However, if his reckless troop dispatch made a mistake and gave Northern Jian a military advantage, this major battle on the northern border might become unavoidable.

Moreover, given the Emperor’s disposition, although he had always refrained from mobilizing troops for the sake of the people’s livelihood, how could he possibly tolerate Northern Jian taking even an inch of our territory once they invaded?

Therefore, not an inch of land in the realm could be given to others. Northern Jian had broken the treaty first, and their act of sending troops to invade could not be forgiven.

Hence, no one from the Imperial Secretariat spoke up either. In their hearts, they had already begun calculating the military supplies and provisions needed for the northern border.

“Issue an edict,” Ying Gua finally spoke again, anger still evident in his eyes, “Immediately issue an edict. Dismiss Dong Yicheng from his position as Pacification Commissioner of Chao’an.”

She stood quietly at the back, watching his angry expression, her heart also uneasy.

Rather than saying he was angry at Dong Yicheng’s stupidity, it might be more accurate to say he was angry at himself for not having appointed someone else earlier, leading to such a passive situation.

And she deeply understood the struggle beneath his anger.

His heart was set on nurturing the people and achieving peace. He had even granted Northern Jian’s request for reduced annual tribute, all for the sake of reducing troops at the northern border and maintaining peace between the two countries. Who would have thought that his concession would be met with Northern Jian’s greedy betrayal?

He truly did not want to mobilize troops, but he had been provoked to the point where he could no longer suppress the desire to do so.

Especially with the added rebellion of the Zhongwan bandits in Jiankang Route.

How could he not be angry?

But if Dong Yicheng were dismissed, who would be entrusted with the military affairs in the Chao’an area?

Ying Gua paced two steps forward and spoke coldly: “Appoint Di Nian as Pacification Commissioner of the Three Routes of Chao’an, Jiankang, and Linhuai, to plan the military affairs of the northern border. Whether external chaos or internal trouble, let him formulate a unified strategy. The Military Department’s documents will leave the capital tonight for the northern border.”

Entrusting such heavy responsibilities to Di Nian, who had never experienced major battles, indeed surprised several people present.

Fang Kai frowned and was about to step forward to speak, but Ying Gua’s gaze had already swept over, and he continued: “Ensure that Di Nian repels Northern Jian’s army beyond our borders and forces them back within Jinjia Pass. If he can capture one or two of their prefectures, he will be appointed as Great General of the Crowned Army, rank three uppers. If he fails to repel Northern Jian’s army, then he need not return to the capital to see me.”

Meng Tinghui was startled as she listened.

How chaotic was the northern situation now? They needed to continue suppressing the bandits in Jiankang Route while also resisting the enemy forces in the north. The position of Pacification Commissioner of the Three Routes was not an easy burden to bear. And how harsh was this military order? Not only did Di Nian have to repel Northern Jian’s army beyond the borders, but he also had to force them back within Jinjia Pass! If he failed, even if Di Nian didn’t lose an inch of territory, it would still be a result of failing without achieving merit.

She frowned as she thought about this, feeling for the first time a sense of disagreement with his actions.

This seemed a bit too harsh and severe!