eurekapd Chapter 970 Sending Letters
Chapter 970 Sending Letters
Luo Yueniang turned around in confusion and looked at Huai En, who was smiling at her.
She had been in court for some time and knew that the young eunuch before her was a confidant of the Emperor, so she dared not be presumptuous: "Does Your Excellency have something to say?"
"We're fine; His Majesty has invited us."
Luo Yueniang was slightly taken aback, then nodded: "Please lead the way, sir."
Follow Huai En through the palace corridors to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Li Che had changed out of his court robes and was now wearing a casual robe, standing by the window looking outside.
There was also a pure white eagle by the window. It glanced at Luo Yueniang, flapped its wings, and flew away.
Seeing her enter, Li Che turned around and smiled, "General Luo, no need for formalities, please sit down."
Luo Yueniang sat down at the lower seat as instructed, her demeanor more composed than during her first audience with the emperor.
Having spent time with him over the years, she knew that His Majesty was a very peaceful person in private, without any airs, and he didn't like the formalities between ruler and subject.
In fact, this is a trait possessed only by founding monarchs.
Only the prestige of the founding monarch is enough to disregard those rules, ensuring that the subjects below still dare not act recklessly.
Ordinary emperors cannot have too many personality traits; the more weaknesses they expose, the more easily they can be exploited by their ministers.
Of course, Luo Yueniang had not yet seen the other side of Li Che at this moment.
Li Che asked gently, "Have you gotten used to your time in the capital?"
Luo Yueniang said, "Your Majesty, everything is fine. Marquis Jingning has treated me very well, and my colleagues in the army have not made things difficult for me."
Yang Xuan and Luo Yueniang get along well, perhaps because they are both female generals. Their relationship has transcended that of ordinary colleagues and is developing into that of close friends.
Luo Yueniang already knew that Yang Xuan was the future imperial concubine.
Although Luo Yueniang was quite surprised that His Majesty was willing to marry a military woman as his imperial concubine, she admired His Majesty's courage to do what ordinary people would not.
This is no less resistance than if one's own husband married the daughter of a bandit.
She paused, then her tone became serious: "The use of artillery and muskets that I learned in the army has broadened my horizons and I have benefited greatly."
"I am now convinced that such powerful weapons will dominate the battlefield in the future."
Seeing that she was not opposed to firearms, Li Che nodded with satisfaction: "I am very pleased that you think this way."
"Old tactics will be eliminated sooner or later, and new tactics must be learned. Unfortunately, few generals in the court can see this point."
He changed the subject, seemingly casually asking, "There's been a heated debate in the court today. General, you've been in the military for a long time and are familiar with the morale of the troops. What are your thoughts on this?"
Luo Yueniang did not answer immediately; she remained silent for a moment, as if she were thinking.
He then looked up at Li Che and said, "Your Majesty should know that I come from humble origins and my father was a bandit."
Li Che was somewhat surprised, but he did not interrupt her; he simply gestured for her to continue.
"The bandits usually rob and plunder, seemingly living a carefree life, but what they really long for is the imperial court's offer of amnesty."
Luo Yueniang continued calmly, "Because being granted amnesty is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. Not only can it clear your name, but you can also receive a reward and live a few years of peaceful life."
“Once the silver flowers are all gone, many people will revert to their old ways and return to the mountains as bandits, and the cycle will continue.”
She looked at Li Che, her eyes sharpening: "As for the imperial court, offering amnesty is like drinking poison to quench thirst, something that must be done. I believe the same principle applies to dealing with the rebel generals of the Southern Army."
"Your Majesty, it was easy to win them over, but how should we settle them? Should we let them continue to command troops?"
"Regardless of how many of them are feigning surrender, simply incorporating such two-faced individuals into our army will inevitably impact our combat strength and morale."
"Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
As Li Che listened, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.
After a moment, he stopped tapping his fingers, smiled, and said, "General's words are like a wake-up call; I know what to do now."
He then looked at Luo Yueniang curiously and asked, "The general seems to be quite averse to his background?"
Luo Yueniang smiled bitterly: "The daughter of a bandit, born with sin, I am grateful for His Majesty's mercy..."
Li Che raised his hand to stop them and said, "Do you know how many commanders in the Qing army today are former bandits?"
"Hmm?" Luo Yueniang was slightly taken aback. "This... I don't know."
She had heard that when His Majesty rose to power, he took with him the convict camp in the capital, and it seemed that the Duke of Dingguo was a convict himself.
But how many people were still active in the Qing Army was something she didn't know.
Li Che replied, “Duke Dingguo Wang Sanchun is a major bandit, Duke Xiangguo He Conglong is a salt merchant, Duke Xuanguo Li Sheng is a river pirate, Marquis Chengen Qiu Bai is a criminal, and Marquis Zhangwu Wang Hu are all bandits!”
"Not to mention that more than half of the marquises, viscounts, and barons come from criminal camps and have criminal records to some extent."
Seeing Luo Yueniang's wide-eyed surprise, Li Che's smile became even more genuine.
“Look at them in the imperial court, they all act all high and mighty, but in reality, a few years ago, they were all vicious and ruthless people.”
Li Che changed his tone and said softly, "Shun rose from the fields, Fu Yue was raised from among the builders, Jiao Ge was raised from among the fish and salt merchants, Guan Zhong was raised from among the scholars, Sun Shu'ao was raised from the sea, and Baili Xi was raised from the marketplace. Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust a great task to someone, it will first test his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body, leave him destitute, and thwart his actions, so as to strengthen his resolve and increase his abilities."
Li Che wanted to recite a passage from the textbook to show off, but he forgot that this passage was from the original text of Mencius, which he already knew very well.
But Luo Yueniang understood Li Che's thoughts; he was comforting her and telling her not to care about her background.
The new dynasty does not consider background; it promotes people based solely on their talent!
Luo Yueniang, being a woman, was more sentimental, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty. I understand."
Li Che laughed heartily and said nothing more: "I still need to review memorials, so I won't keep you any longer."
"I will retire at the end."
. . . . . .
The next day, an unexpected imperial decree was issued.
The secret letters of surrender sent by the Southern Army generals were all sorted out and packaged intact before being sent to the false emperor by Li Che's orders.
Before the puppet emperor's army, in front of numerous soldiers and officers, the messenger held up a thick stack of secret letters high and announced loudly, "By order of His Majesty the Emperor of Daqing, this item is to be returned! You may handle your own internal affairs!"
Subsequently, the letter was delivered to Emperor Wenchu's camp.
The messenger was still not satisfied and prepared to read the letters aloud one by one in front of the officials of the puppet dynasty.
Fortunately, Qin Hui reacted quickly and had his men hold him down.
The messenger beat his chest and stamped his feet, angrily cursing Qin Hui for being an unworthy son.
The good thing that would have been possible—a separate page for the family genealogy and even a tombstone erected for him by His Majesty—was ruined by this fellow.
Emperor Wenchu was furious, pounding his chest and stamping his feet as he looked at the letters.
What a group of loyal and capable ministers and generals!