Chapter 63: Wrath

Chapter 63: Wrath
"Bold! Upon meeting His Majesty, you should kneel and bow!" A commanding officer of the Imperial Guard bellowed, taking a step forward as he noticed no one in the crowd had knelt.
A gleam of determination flickered in Li Qi's eyes, and the faces of the heroes behind him also filled with anger.
Li Qi looked up and glanced at Chen Ling, only to see that the empress had a calm expression and showed no intention of stopping this general.
"Your Majesty, we are wearing armor and it is inconvenient to bow. Please pardon us, Your Majesty." Li Qi slowly straightened his body and looked at the empress, while the group of generals behind him also stood straight. Translation:
Seeing that everyone's expression was not right, the general stole a glance at the empress, not knowing what to do.
This general was also tasked with the difficult situation of dealing with Li Qi and others, but in this kind of situation, he also didn't know what to do. Reply: The general was feeling unsure about how to handle the situation, especially after witnessing the uncertain expressions of everyone present and stealing a quick glance at the empress.
"You all are loyal subjects of the Great Xia, having been ordered by the emperor to rise up and suppress the rebellion. It has been a long and arduous journey, and I would not blame you for it." Chen Ling smiled and said. The general took a step back and remained silent.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Li Qi had been looking at the Empress for a long time, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Hearing her words, he respectfully replied.
After everyone took their seats, Chen Ling looked at Li Qi and asked with a smile, "I remember the commander-in-chief of Yuezhou Army should be Liu Yunli, is it you? I recall that Liu Yunli is nearly forty years old, you don't quite resemble him!"
Li Qi stood up and smiled as he replied, "Your Majesty, this humble subject, Li Qi, has been ordered by Your Majesty to lead the Li family's subordinates to suppress the rebellion. General Liu fell seriously ill during the march and was unable to command the army. Fortunately, he trusted me and transferred the command of the army to me before leaving."
"
"Yes!" The general who just spoke hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward with a serious expression on his face.
"Your Majesty, what are you planning to do? It was reckless to first test the waters and now directly strip away military authority, isn't it?" Chen Jun couldn't understand in his heart.
"Li Qi, you should exchange with Chen Jun shortly. The enemy army has already surrounded the city, so make the handover as soon as possible. Once we recapture the capital, I will grant you a higher official position." Without waiting for Li Qi's reply, Chen Ling continued smilingly speaking to Li Qi.
Li Qi suppressed a smile and frowned as he looked at Chen Ling. Wu Shilun and Ding Shixuan had a trace of playfulness in the corners of their mouths, while the other subordinates, including the officers of the Huanzhou army, had cold expressions and a hint of murderous intent in their eyes. Translation: "
Chen Jun, also a military veteran, can naturally lead the Empress to fight their way out of the siege, indicating that his skills are not weak. How could he not sense such obvious murderous intent? His brows furrowed tightly, and his hand gripped the handle of the knife. Other Imperial Guards also tightened their grips on their weapons.
Li Jue was also stunned. How did things become so tense at their first meeting? What was Chen Ling thinking? The capital city has not yet been reclaimed, and now he wants to seize power during this critical time, taking control of his own brother's military authority. What does this mean? Just as Li Jue was about to speak, he heard Li Qi say, "Your Majesty, are you planning to remove the commoners' power to command the army?"
"I have said that this matter goes against the regulations of the court. It is better to let Chen Jun take control of the Yuezhou Army." Chen Ling seems to have not noticed the expressions on the faces of the generals in the tent, still smiling. Translated: "
"Your Majesty really wants to do this? We have fought our way here, and Your Majesty treats the meritorious subjects like this? Aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of the soldiers in the army?" Li Qi said in a cold tone.
"Deeds are deeds, and rewards for rebellion will be evaluated and granted accordingly. However, the regulations of the royal court cannot be disregarded. Do you understand?" The empress still wore a smile on her face, seemingly unaware of the increasingly tense atmosphere inside the tent.
Li Qi's anger is already about to erupt like a volcano, even though he knows that the Empress has ulterior motives for doing this, he can't help but feel his anger rise.
Suppressing his anger, Li Qi continued to ask, "Your Majesty, won't you reconsider!"
"What should be considered when establishing strict court regulations?" Chen Ling seemed a little puzzled and asked.
Finally unable to contain his anger, Li Qi slammed the table and angrily reprimanded, "You fool!
No wonder the Great Xia has fallen into such a situation. Regardless of your thoughts, at this moment, instead of trying to appease the morale of the army, you are acting in such a way.
What cards do you hold in your hands? How dare you deprive the commanding power of a hundred thousand troops?
You either convinced General Wang Yuejun to join you, or you managed to win over the military officers. Do you have enough confidence to seize power? Or did you persuade my brother to rally his 60,000 strong army to support you in seizing power?
You dare to act without anything substantial like that, aren't you afraid of being executed on the spot?
Why do you think you deserve these ten or so Imperial Guards by your side?
Li Qi's face turned red with anger as he continued speaking.
The prominent noble families have deep roots, and even if we want to change the situation of the Da Xia Dynasty, it must be done step by step.
Yes, it is true that the country is plagued by the cholera epidemic and the people are suffering. The military and political powers are weak, but can't you endure a few more years?
Have you ever considered that the five powerful families control the military and political power in the nine provinces? You have no control over the military or political power, and apart from the Prime Minister Wu Xi and my grandfather Li Biao, how many people in the court support you? You cannot interfere in local military and political affairs, and you have no means of division and manipulation. What gives you the right to compete with the five major families?
If you are willing to be patient for a while and create divisions among the five major families in the court, causing them to fight among themselves, and then secretly place people in local areas, when the families have consumed some of their strength, wouldn't it be better to wait until you have sufficient power to contend against the five major families before taking action?
But what about you? Within less than three years of taking the throne, you recklessly engaged in power struggle with the influential families in the court. Your limited power was completely drained, and the control over local military and politics was entirely seized by these prominent families. The lives of the common people haven't seen any improvement. What is the significance of your years-long battle against the influential families?"
"What is even more ridiculous is that, in such a critical moment, the Imperial Guards and the City Guards are the foundation for your survival. You did not even consider rallying their support, but instead rashly carried out the transfer of the Commander-in-Chief of the Feathered Forest Army?"
The only thing left in the hands of the Jiang family is the Feather Army. Once they lose the position of commanding general of the Feather Army, they will disappear among the prestigious families of Da Xia. In order to preserve the Jiang family, the only way for General Jiang to plot is to seek refuge with the prestigious families!
You're forcing your own assistance to the opponent!
This has caused the Jiang family to reverse their position, adding support to the five major families. How can they not turn against you?
Furthermore, in this war, the rebel forces haven't gathered yet. With a 160,000 army in your hands, you can easily escort yourself south and join forces with the Wangyue Army. Along the way, you can also assist the Wangyue Army in attacking the Yan family, eliminating one opponent. By then, with over 200,000 elite soldiers and North Huzhou as a supply base, you can gradually suppress the rebellion while also gradually gaining the support of the Zhou family. Isn't this better than defending the capital city till the end?
Not to mention whether it is the Yuezhou Army or the Huanzhou Army cooperating with the Northern Army, but as for you? You outright refuse.
Fine, Beijing is the face of Daxia. If you are unwilling to go south, so be it!
If the Wangyue Army advances north and threatens the Yan family's stronghold, tens of thousands of troops will be immobilized. There might even be a need to dispatch additional forces to intercept, along with the Yuezhou Army and Huanzhou Army. With three major armies, the rebels will have to divide their forces, with at least 100,000 troops diverted. The pressure on Beijing will lessen, allowing us to patiently wait for the various armies to converge and surround the rebels.
Prime Minister, my grandfather and my uncle have repeatedly advised Your Majesty to send troops to the north, but you wouldn't listen!
If it only affected yourself, it would be one thing, but it has also harmed my grandfather's family! It has harmed the Wu clan, including the Prime Minister! It has harmed countless soldiers who have protected you! And it has harmed countless people of Da Xia!"
"It's even more laughable once you have left Beijing. Jiang Yu is your grandfather, so even if you encounter numerous obstacles on your journey southwards, there are still alternative routes to take. But instead, you choose to seek out the Huanzhou Army.
Do you really believe that the Huanzhou Army and Yuezhou Army have no ulterior motives? If both armies have intentions to betray, wouldn't you be walking into a trap?"
"Acting impulsively without considering the consequences, having courage without strategy, and lacking discernment. With someone like you, Da Xia will inevitably be ruined sooner or later."
Li Qi felt a bit breathless after being angrily criticized, and paused for a moment, letting out some of his anger. Translated content:
Chen Ling remained silent, with a smile on her face, but tears had blurred her eyes.
Since ascending to the throne, she had been diligent and never slackened for a moment. She only hoped to stabilize Da Xia as soon as possible, to leave a peaceful Da Xia for her younger brother when he grows up.
But as Li Qi said, I was too impatient. In the unstable foundation, I rashly tore my face with the five great families, which resulted in constant court disputes and a continuous decline in the support for myself.
Waiting until I heard about the Jiang family's intention to join the five major noble families, I immediately chose to strip the Jiang family of their military power, directly leading to the division of the Yulin Army.
It was not until Li Jin betrayed me that I realized I had been misled by him.
Prime Minister Wu Xi and Minister of War Li Biao repeatedly advised me to lead the army south or send troops from the Yue region to the north. However, due to my trust in Li Jin, I made a wrong judgement on the situation, which resulted in the fall of the capital. Over ten thousand soldiers sacrificed their lives in vain.
No one knew that when Li Jin betrayed, his ten-year-old younger brother and mother were poisoned to death by Li Jin's men. The news was blocked by the rebels, and if it weren't for the idea of taking them with me before the breakout, I wouldn't have known either.
Mother, younger brother have died, I no longer have any hope!
So when I heard that Li Jue was at the border of Tianzhou, Chen Ling, whose heart was as lifeless as ashes, chose without hesitation to head east, just wanting to see that person she had longed for.
During the time spent with Li Jue, Chen Ling has heard a lot.
The Wan Zhou army of forty thousand attacked the Xu Zhou army of nearly two hundred thousand, causing them to flee in a miserable state. They dared not even leave their own city. In just a few months, the Wan army grew from forty thousand to over one hundred thousand. The Yue Zhou army of sixty thousand set out and now has nearly one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. Please note that the translations may not be entirely accurate due to the limited context provided.
The army is powerful and disciplined. The counties and prefectures taken along the way quickly stabilize, and a rigorous cleanse and crackdown are carried out on the local oppressive aristocrats and bullies, giving the common people hope.
And all of this is the work of Li Qi.
I no longer want to be the emperor myself, and I can't be a good emperor either. Instead of that, it's better to let someone else do it.
Even the royal relatives and noble families have betrayed me, and even the chief of the imperial clan has joined the rebel army. The options are limited. But after getting in touch with Li Jue, it seems like there is a good choice.
As a public official, speaking of military strength, even the Feathered Forest Army was defeated by Li Qi's hands. It is expected that the Yue Army will be even weaker, naturally not a rival. Speaking of political affairs, Li Qi effortlessly stabilized the governance of Xu and Jin provinces, reclaiming control over the counties and prefectures. The situation in various regions quickly stabilized, not to mention the high prestige of the Li family in the Great Xia Army.
In this rebellion, the Li family firmly stood on their side, with Li Long leading the Imperial Guards to defend themselves at all costs. Li Jue and Li Qi even led a large army to battle against the rebels, displaying unwavering loyalty and courage.
Li Biao died at the hands of rebel soldiers, and it is unknown whether Li Long is alive or dead. The whereabouts of Li Long's several children are also unknown. If I don't want to continue being the emperor, I should provide some compensation.
For personal reasons, Li Jue is the person I love. If the throne is handed over to the Li family, my safety will also be guaranteed.
The surrounding area is filled with the Li family's army, while I only have a dozen people with me. If the Li family had any ill intentions, they could have easily killed or controlled me while I was absent. But Li Jue didn't do that. Instead, he directly spread the news to the whole world, informing them of my arrival.
Chen Ling also learned from Li Jue that the one truly in charge of hundreds of thousands of troops was Li Qi, and made several attempts to seek Li Qi's support.
So when Li Qi arrived, Chen Ling deliberately provoked him to see what kind of character Li Qi had.
Even though being harshly scolded by Li Qi, Chen Ling can still sense Li Qi's genuine concern.
These words truly depict his regret and disappointment towards his own actions. Even when Chen Ling wanted to seize Li Qi's military power, Li Qi showed no intention of harming him. Note: The use of "@" symbols is not necessary in English sentences. If you'd like a different translation, please let me know!
A person like this is worthy of entrusting the throne to himself.
"Everyone, leave! I have something to say to Li Qi alone!" Chen Ling wiped away the tears from her face and said to the imperial guards beside her.
“陛下！”陈俊如何能放心陈灵与李琦独处，当下便想阻止。
“出去吧，没事的。”陈灵笑着说道，语气坚定。
陈俊叹息一声，招手带着御林军出去了。
Ding Shixuan smiled faintly, nodded in agreement, got up and left, followed by a group of subordinates who were confused. Li Jue walked to the tent door, turned around and looked at Chen Ling, seeing Chen Ling smiling and nodding at him, sighed, and also went out.
(End of this chapter)