Prince Yun entered the city.
The citizens of the capital, without exception, wept with joy and lined the streets to welco him.
The reason Prince Yun was so welcod by the people was naturally due to his unprecedented achievent in annihilating Xixia.
In the eyes of the people, Prince Yun was not only academically accomplished, having achieved the highest scholarly honor, but also militarily skilled, having pacified the nation by annihilating Xixia. Most notably, his leadership of the Western Army brought them repeated victories, solidifying his reputation as the pillar of the Qi Dynasty upon which the entire nation relied.
Frankly speaking, he was far superior to His Majesty, who only knew how to plunder the wealth of his subjects.
Since the annihilation of Xixia, Prince Yun had not returned to the capital. His return this ti to protect the king held the high hopes of the entire city’s people, who regarded him as a savior.
However, the Imperial Army responsible for guarding the city gate sensed sothing amiss.
After all, the number of soldiers Prince Yun brought with him was disproportionately large!
By now, the entire Western Army had encamped outside the capital, confronting the Jin soldiers who had retreated to Moutuo Ridge, and neither side had rashly initiated an attack.
After all, neither side had clear intelligence on the other.
Logically, Prince Yun needed only a few dozen personal guards to enter the city, yet when the gates opened, he brought thousands.
Lined up in long queues, the procession seed endless.
These soldiers were ticulously uniford and their faces bore a stern resolve, clearly the elite of the Western Army who had erged from fields of death.
Naturally, so high officials in the court expressed their concerns, and to this Prince Yun replied, "Bringing troops into the city will calm the people’s hearts!"
Indeed, that seed reasonable.
Prince Yun ant that the capital was in imminent danger, having just been seized by the Jin soldiers, looking precarious. Although the arrival of the Western Army caused the Jin troops to withdraw, the city walls they had destroyed were beyond imdiate repair.
In other words, the Jin could attack at any mont, and the capital was still at risk of being breached.
At this ti, the people were panicked, and both the physical and ntal states of the armies and citizens within the city had reached their limits.
Moreover, during this ti, the emperor, who was already in the Jin Camp, continued to comply with the Jin demands, incessantly plundering the city’s wealth and won, further destabilizing the citizens’ confidence.
Morale had plumted to unimaginable depths.
Thus, if Prince Yun could bring the elite of the Western Army into the city, demonstrating their formidable presence before all the citizens, it would significantly boost the morale of the military and civilians and stabilize the situation.
Consequently, Emperor Qihui, the Supre Emperor who was still in the city and not yet in the Jin Camp, permitted Prince Yun to bring his troops into the city.
Even though Emperor Yingzong’s close ministers found the situation dubious, Prince Yun’s rationale seed sound, and since the Supre Emperor had approved, they had no grounds for refusal and thus reluctantly agreed.
They also consoled themselves sowhat that the city’s capable Imperial Army still numbered in the tens of thousands, and Prince Yun’s few thousand n could hardly stir a great upheaval.
...
Outside the imperial city, Fan Cun glanced at Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan.
"I leave the matters here to you," he said.
Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan exchanged looks and nodded.
Thus, the elite Western Army stood in neat formation outside the imperial city, directly facing the Imperial Army inside.
The Imperial Army felt trendous pressure.
They were certain that if it ca to a fight, they were no match for these elite troops of the Western Army who had battled through carnage.
But... they were all on the sa side, so there should be no fighting, right?
They watched as Prince Yun entered the imperial palace.
...
In the Golden Throne Hall, all the ministers of the Jingping era were present.
Even Emperor Qihui was there, although he could only sit at a lower position off to the side; the central throne remained vacant.
Since Emperor Yingzong entered the Jin Camp, he had not returned, only continuously issuing decrees from the camp demanding various treasures.
The grand hall was solemn and spacious, with many ministers standing on either side, and at the very front was Tang Qin, the Left Minister.
Since Li Boxi had been ousted, Tang Qin, a proponent of peace, had virtually beco the emperor’s sole confidant, the most relied upon minister in the Qi Dynasty, whose words were law.
Whenever decrees ca from the Jin Camp, it was he who relentlessly urged the various departnts to execute them, whether it involved plundering treasures or abducting won; in short, he ensured that all imperial decrees were fulfilled.
Thus, this court eting was centered around Minister Tang.
After all, the emperor was no longer present, and the powers of the Supre Emperor Qihui had been firmly restricted by the emperor, so the court was naturally dictated by Minister Tang.
This was also a crucial reason why, after Emperor Yingzong went to the Jin Camp, the entire court still operated under his remote command.
"Prince Yun,"
Tang Qin’s expression seed sowhat indignant, "Did you not receive the royal decree? Our negotiations with the Jin have concluded, and there’s no need for your forces to co anymore! Why have you still brought the Western Army?"
He paused briefly, then added, "The king is currently in the Jin camp, and the Jin have retreated to Moutuo Ridge but have not yet released the king! If your actions endanger my elder brother’s safety, what would be your accountability?"
Prince Yun let out a dismissive laugh, "What does whether the Jin release soone have to do with ?
"Minister Tang, you couldn’t possibly believe that if I hadn’t co, the Jin would have released my elder brother, could you?"
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