novelSusiti Chapter 41 You want military power? I'll give you an empty shell without any grain!
Chapter 41 You want military power? I'll give you an empty shell without any grain!
In the late autumn of the third year of Jianxing, the renovation of Yuexi City was nearing completion.
The breaches in the city wall were filled with new stones, and the ruins of the armory were cleared away. Newly delivered grain filled the granaries, and Han and non-Han soldiers patrolled the city in mixed formations, without the previous estrangement and suspicion.
Sima Yi's army had already withdrawn north three days ago.
Scouts have determined that the Wei army retreated back to Guanzhong via the Ziwu Valley and is incapable of invading Nanzhong again in the short term.
On the city wall, Li Hui sealed the last military report and handed it to his personal guard.
"Send it to Chengdu by fast horse, and be sure to hand it over to His Majesty personally."
The guards took the military report, mounted their horses, and rode away in a cloud of dust.
Ma Zhong stepped forward, his hands still covered in mud and grime: "The city defenses have been repaired, and the south gate has been reinforced with three layers. Chief Meng has also sent word that the tribespeople have been properly settled according to the new policies."
Li Hui nodded, his gaze falling on the distant mountains outside the city.
The Yuexi region was pacified, but the masked man never reappeared.
The two jade pendant fragments, the snake-shaped totem, the palace incense—all the clues ended at the end of the dark alley.
This person seems to have vanished into thin air.
"Where is General Dong?"
"I took some people to investigate the alleys in the west of the city early this morning, and they said they found several more suspicious traces."
Li Hui didn't ask any more questions.
Everything that needs to be investigated is being investigated, and everything that needs to be prevented is being prevented. Right now, what he's more worried about is Chengdu.
In His Majesty's secret edict, besides the arrangements for the new policies in the South, there was also an inconspicuous sentence—
"Return immediately. There is trouble in the court."
Four words, no further explanation needed.
But it was precisely because there was no explanation that Li Hui felt a chill run down his spine.
Two weeks later, in Chengdu.
Liu Shan sat in the imperial study.
Three memorials were laid out on the table.
One of the reports was a military report from Yuexi sent by Li Hui, detailing various clues such as the masked man, the snake-shaped totem, the jade pendant fragments, and the incense in the palace.
One document was a tax ledger presented by Jiang Wan. The tax exemption documents for the three prefectures in the south had been prepared and were just waiting to be stamped.
There was another one, handed to me by Li Yan.
They requested that the military power of the Yijiang Protectorate be transferred to the Central Protectorate.
The reason given was presented in a grand and respectable manner: "With the southern region newly pacified, military affairs should be unified to avoid any obstacles."
Liu Shan flipped Li Yan's memorial over and over again.
I watched it three times.
Put it aside.
I picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold.
"Huangmen".
The eunuch on duty outside peeked in.
"Xuan Jiangwan."
The eunuch responded and left.
Before long, Jiang Wan quickly entered, bowed, and took her seat.
Liu Shan pushed Li Yan's memorial in front of him without saying a word.
Jiang Wan looked at it for a moment, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with Protector-General Li...?"
"What do you think?" Liu Shan asked casually, holding a glass of cool tea.
Jiang Wan carefully considered his words: "The southern region has just been pacified, and General Li is fighting valiantly to defend the city on the front lines. If we were to take back the military power of the Governor of Yijiang under the Central Protectorate at this time, I fear the soldiers on the front lines would lose heart."
To put it bluntly...
"To put it bluntly, Protector Li wants to use the military power in the south to expand his own influence."
Liu Shan chuckled.
That smile had no warmth to it.
"Minister Jiang, do you think Li Yan's memorial was his own idea, or was it instigated by the gentry of Yizhou?"
Jiang Wan remained silent for two breaths.
"I'm afraid it's a combination of both. The gentry of Yizhou are unhappy with the implementation of the new policies in Nanzhong, which include three years of tax exemption for tribal autonomy. They feel that His Majesty is treating the barbarians well while neglecting them. Protector Li is taking advantage of this resentment and going with the flow."
Liu Shan put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.
"Granted."
Jiang Wan was taken aback: "Your Majesty?"
"I say, his memorial is approved."
Jiang Wan opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't voice her objections.
Having followed Liu Shan for a long time, he vaguely grasped the young emperor's modus operandi—the more understated a decision seemed, the more complex and convoluted the underlying reasons were.
"However, there is one condition," Liu Shan added.
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"The military power of the Governor-General of Yijiang can be transferred to the Central Protectorate. However, the political affairs, taxation, and tribal affairs of the three southern prefectures are under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel. Li Hui will remain the Governor-General of Yijiang, in charge of military affairs and tribal pacification."
Jiang Wan's eyelids twitched.
I'll give you military power, but I'll take over the political affairs.
With this cut, Li Yan got nothing but an empty shell. There were soldiers but no food, generals but no pay; the troops in the south still had to be under the command of Chengdu.
"Brilliant." The word popped into Jiang Wan's mind, but she didn't say it aloud.
He rose and bowed: "Your subject will go and draft the edict immediately."
"Wait a minute," Liu Shan called out to him.
"Don't rush to issue this edict. Let's wait until Li Hui returns to Chengdu."
"I'd also like to hear about his experiences in Yuexi. That masked man is far more interesting than Li Yan."
Jiang Wan withdrew from the Imperial Study.
As he walked under the eaves, the autumn wind blew into his sleeves, and he realized that his back was a little damp.
Your Majesty is only seventeen years old this year.
But that setup just now, it doesn't seem like something a seventeen-year-old boy would do.
He recalled a remark that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had made in private: "The emperor's talent is unfathomable; let us observe it together."
At the time, I took it as just words of comfort from the Prime Minister.
Now it seems that the Prime Minister was indeed more clear-headed than anyone else.
Three days later, Li Hui arrived in Chengdu.
He was covered in dust from his journey, and the wound on his arm was still wrapped in cloth.
Liu Shan did not receive him in the main hall, but in a pavilion in the imperial garden.
A pot of hot tea and two plates of fruit were placed in the pavilion.
After Li Hui performed the grand ceremony, Liu Shan raised his hand to decline, then pointed to the stone bench opposite him.
"Sit down. Have some hot drinks first; there's no rush with Yuexi."
Li Hui sat down and picked up his teacup.
My fingers touched the warm cup, and suddenly my nose felt a little sore.
After defending Yuexi for so many days, amidst the clash of swords, the depletion of supplies and reinforcements, and the constant conspiracies of the masked men—sitting in this pavilion now, sipping a cup of hot tea, feels like the most luxurious thing in the world.
"How's the injury?"
"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."
"Don't be stubborn. I'll have the imperial physician examine you before you leave." Liu Shan's tone was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
But Li Hui could tell.
Beneath this calm exterior lies genuine concern.
"Tell me about the masked man."
Li Hui put down his teacup and recounted the entire story of Yuexi from beginning to end.
The serpentine totem, the gold-patterned Wei talisman, the Sima bronze talisman, the Liu-character jade pendant, and palace incense—everything was included.
Liu Shan listened quietly without interrupting.
After Li Hui finished speaking, he picked up a fruit and slowly peeled it.
"Did you bring the jade pendant fragment?"
Li Hui took out a brocade box from his bosom and handed it over with both hands.
Liu Shan opened it, picked up a fragment, and looked at it in the sunlight for a moment.
"It's from the palace."
He said this in a very soft tone.
It was so soft it sounded like talking to oneself.
Li Hui's heart tightened: "Does Your Majesty recognize this?"
Liu Shan did not answer directly, but put the fragments back into the brocade box and closed the lid.
"Li Hui".
"Your subject is here."
"I will arrange for someone to investigate the masked man. You don't need to worry about it anymore."
"After you return, take good care of your injuries. There are still many things to do in the south, and I cannot do without you."
Li Hui opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his question.
If His Majesty doesn't want to talk about something, you can't get it out of him no matter how hard you ask.
He got up and took his leave.
As I walked out of the pavilion, I glanced back.
Liu Shan sat alone in the pavilion, holding the brocade box in his hand, gazing at the distant horizon.
The autumn wind rustled the hem of his clothes. The seventeen-year-old emperor had thin shoulders, but his back was very straight.
[Li Hui's heart was churning]: Your Majesty recognizes that jade pendant.
But he wouldn't tell.
The masked man's identity likely involves old matters that His Majesty is unwilling to touch upon.
The weapons of Yuexi are open attacks, but the imperial court in Chengdu is a trap.
Only by recovering from my injuries as soon as possible can I share His Majesty's burdens.
The Imperial Garden is empty.
Liu Shan opened the brocade box and picked up the fragment again.
The fingertips traced the engraved marks on the character "Liu".
He knows those patterns all too well.
When the late emperor was alive, he personally carved a pair of jade pendants, leaving one to him and the other—
It was given to someone else.
A person who shouldn't even be alive.
"interesting."
Liu Shan put the fragments into his sleeve, got up and left the pavilion.
He walked back to the Imperial Study at a moderate pace.
Pushing open the door, a new memorial appeared on the desk.
This was Li Yan's second accusation regarding the military power of the Governor-General of Yijiang.
The wording was three times more urgent than the first one.
Liu Shan sat down, picked up a brush, and wrote four characters on the folded paper—
"We'll discuss this later."
He put down his pen, and his lips twitched slightly.
It's not a laugh.
It's the patience of a hunter who sets a trap and waits for the prey to walk in on its own.
[End of Chapter]