novelaction Chapter 112 Force him to hand over his military power!
Chapter 112 Force him to hand over his military power!
"The power over the million-strong army of the Great Yan State is in the hands of Prince Zhengguan, right?"
Fang Qingqing suddenly asked.
When Lu Pei'an heard this, he immediately straightened his back.
To express his gratitude to Lü Pei'an for his meritorious service in rescuing the emperor, the late emperor bestowed upon him the Red Crescent Blade, named him the King of Zhengguan, and gave him the tiger talisman that allowed him to command a million troops.
With military power in hand, he owns the world! Apart from the dragon robe worn by the old man Jiajing, he, Lü Pei'an, is almost second to none!
He really didn't take the Princess Yu seriously!
"Humph, that was the order of the late emperor!"
Lu Pei'an answered with a proud look on his face.
"The late emperor specially bestowed upon you the title of King Zhengguan, which is indeed resounding! But the late emperor didn't bestow this title simply to sound nice! What does Zhengguan mean? It means, of course, driving out the Tartars, securing the borders, and protecting the people! May I ask everyone present, who in the Great Yan State drove out the Tartars? Who secured the borders? And who protected the people?"
"I don't need to tell you, everyone knows it! These past few years, it's been Prince Yu who's led his soldiers to guard the border. It's been three years in a row now, right? If Prince Yu hadn't been poisoned, he definitely wouldn't have returned to the capital! It was during this time that the border war started again! May I ask, Prince Zhengguan, what have your million-strong army been doing all these years?"
Fang Qingqing's words left Lu Peian speechless.
Ever since he obtained the Imperial Guards' Tiger Tally, he had been raising this million-strong army. To date, they had never actively participated in a major battle. Even in critical situations at the border, it was Prince Yu's elite troops who would be deployed.
Now in the court of the Great Yan Kingdom, only the Thunder Army can compete with it.
Lu Pei'an naturally had his own reasons for holding back. He was waiting for the Thunder Army to be depleted, which would be the moment when his Imperial Guards would emerge victorious. By then, no one would dare to object to his words!
"Haha, the Imperial Guards naturally have their own mission. It's not for a woman like you to interfere!"
"Princess Yu, you have disregarded the law and etiquette, and injured the envoy in public. You are a sinner of the Great Yan Kingdom!"
Lu Pei'an's face turned ashen and he roared with gritted teeth.
"Prince Zhenguan is joking again. Prince Jun nearly injured my reception officer, so why didn't you say a word? I injured him to protect the reception officer! Does Prince Zhenguan believe that it's only natural to boost others' morale and destroy one's own prestige?"
"you……"
"Besides, the Great Yan Kingdom is clearly a powerful nation and has provided all kinds of support to the Great Desert Kingdom. Why is the Great Desert so greedy and provoking us in various ways? I'm afraid there must be a reason. I wonder if Prince Zhengguan can explain it a little?"
Fang Qingqing said this with a smile, and Lu Peian was already embarrassed.
Every time tribute was paid to the Desert Kingdom, he was the one who brought a large amount of supplies to deliver it to the Desert Kingdom.
The goods were delivered, but the other party would send troops at the slightest provocation. Prime Minister Cao and others in the court had already complained about this and repeatedly advised to send troops to attack the desert, but Lü Pei'an refused to do so, and the matter was left unresolved.
"To be slapped in the face and still greet it with a smile is not the right way to interact with others! Prince Zhengguan, please state your position in front of the Emperor: if war breaks out, will the Imperial Guards be dispatched?"
Fang Qingqing's words suddenly made the entire hall fall silent, and even the sound of a pin drop could be heard.
Everyone turned their eyes to Lu Pei'an, and Prince Jiajing couldn't help but clench his fists secretly.
Because Lü Pei'an refused to send troops, the border was in flames of war, so they had to send Prince Yu's Thunder Army. However, the Thunder Army had limited manpower after all, and after a long time, it would definitely be insufficient!
Once the Thunder Army is defeated, Lu Pei'an will become even more rampant!
"Lord Zhengguan, you are just expressing your attitude. When you send out troops, you always send the Thunder Army. If you dare not even say a word, I really doubt your intentions. What is the purpose of the Lord Zhengguan, who receives a salary from the court, to have a million-strong imperial guard?"
"I, your Majesty, pledge my life to you. Please, Prince Zhengguan, hand over your military power!"
Prime Minister Cao lost no time in stepping forward and kneeling to offer his advice. Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Pang and other ministers knelt down one after another, either demanding that the Imperial Guards send out troops or that the Prince of Zhenguan hand over his military power.
Seeing that the situation was not developing in the right direction and that things were no longer the same as before, and without the support of Empress Dowager Lu and Empress Lu, Lu Pei'an felt inexplicably panicked.
"Humph! What do you think of the late emperor? The tiger talisman was a special gift from the late emperor. Forcing you to give up military power is a great disrespect to the late emperor..."
Lu Pei'an shouted with a red face.
"Haha, Prince Zhengguan is getting a little confused. Great Yan was won by the late emperor with all his heart and blood. Protecting our Great Yan Kingdom is the late emperor's last wish.
Even if the envoy from the Great Desert Kingdom hadn't been injured by me, he would have come to demand double the tribute this time. Could it be that the King of Zhenguan could watch the people of Great Yan suffer while still paying tribute to the Great Desert Kingdom?
"I dare to ask Prince Zhenguan to personally lead the army into the desert!"
Fang Qingqing's words made Lu Pei'an jump up and down.
He hasn't been to the battlefield for many years, and he's so fat and strong that he can't even jump onto a warhorse. They actually let him lead the troops to fight. Isn't that deliberately trying to trick him?
"You are so good, Fang Qingqing. The harem is not allowed to discuss the affairs of the previous dynasty. Don't speak nonsense!"
Lu Pei'an said loudly with a snort.
"Prince Zhenguan is truly wrong! Today, my Queen Fang is not only the Princess of Yu, but also the head of the Great Yan Kingdom's reception team! As the ancients said, every man is responsible for the fate of his country. Even ordinary people care about the country, let alone me!"
"Of course, the Prince of Zhenguan has already grown gray hair and has a big belly. He is old! It seems that the Prince of Zhenguan has the will but not the ability. I know that the Prince of Zhenguan is not the kind of person who would sit idly by and ignore the future and fate of the country!"
Fang Qingqing's words made Lu Pei'an so angry that he was gasping for breath like a cow.
Damn it, this little woman actually mocked Lu Pei'an for being old in front of so many people! If Li Zhenting hadn't been standing next to her at that moment, he would have punched her foxy face!
Li Zhenting stood to one side, listening attentively with a cold expression. He really couldn't understand what this eccentric woman was up to, and why she suddenly said something that seemed to defend Lu Pei'an.
Fang Qingqing smiled cunningly and spoke for Lu Peian?
That naturally doesn't exist.
"I beg Your Majesty to consider that Prince Zhengguan's strength is waning and he is unable to lead his troops into battle. Please grant your permission to recruit 500,000 Imperial Guards to expand the Thunder Army! Now that Prince Yu has recovered, if war breaks out, Prince Yu will be able to lead his loyal troops and fight bravely!"
"Please ask the King of Zhenguan to lead the army to repel the enemy!"
"Please, Lord Zhengguan, put the overall situation first! Hand over the 500,000 troops!"
Prime Minister Cao and others immediately realized that if they didn't take the opportunity to force Lu Pei'an to hand over his military power now, when would they?
A group of loyal old ministers who had just crawled up from the ground knelt on the ground, kowtowed and shouted repeatedly.
"When the late emperor passed away, he also told me that in an emergency, as long as I agree, I can mobilize half of the military power even without the tiger talisman."
"Besides, the Queen is weak and Prince Qi is ill. I am helping them find a doctor and medicine. Prince Zhenguan, why don't you take this opportunity to spend more time with the Queen and Prince Qi..."
Prince Jiajing sat upright on the dragon couch, clenching his fists, and finally uttered a low voice.