readytorunbook Chapter 287 Emperor Wu’s Thoughts
Chapter 287 Emperor Wu’s Thoughts
Ning Yi understood better than anyone that with the old man's suspicious character, he would never allow himself to sit on the throne of the prince before he was enfeoffed.
And he is the King of War, such a terrifying title, which is equivalent to recognizing Ning Yi's battle record.
To a certain extent, it helped Ning Yi increase the prestige of his military power.
But this touched the old emperor's sore spot. The old emperor allowed them to fight for power in the court, and the sons could make trouble and win over officials as they pleased.
But anyone who dares to touch the military power will be dealt with.
For example, the second prince had tens of thousands of elite soldiers he had trained sent to the border by the old emperor under various pretexts.
Just look at the captured troops now, there are thousands of them who were once the second prince's soldiers, but it can be seen that they are not taken seriously by Han Dingtian even when they arrived at the border.
So Ning Yi decided to let the Intelligence Department take action against the Imperial Guards.
Moreover, he needs to act secretly. After controlling most of the officers of the Imperial Guard, Ning Yi can face the old emperor's criticism when he returns to the capital after defeating the barbarians and directly hold the emperor hostage.
There was no other way around it, otherwise the old emperor would be forced to crown Ning Yi, who had made great military achievements, as a king.
Or send Ning Yi to a remote area to become a vassal.
No matter what the outcome, Ning Yi could not accept it.
There were a lot of things going on at Hushan Pass, and the three guards from the capital that he had just gathered were reduced to two guards and two reserve armies.
This requires careful training and polishing.
As for the military chief, some of the veterans of the Tiger Guards with good performance were directly selected to take up the post.
The Huben Guards are much more reliable than other military officers. Their families are all in the base, and the court dares not use them, but Ning Yi dares, so naturally they will follow Ning Yi.
Originally, Ning Yi was worried that the Northwest Army would suffer heavy losses this time.
Thousands of the 30,000 cavalry were lost. I wonder if Yu Shengfei is unhappy about this.
Who would have thought that when Ning Yi sent them supplies and money, Yu Shengfei actually patted his chest and promised that His Highness could rest assured.
Because there are many people in the northwest who want to join the army.
Whether it is infantry or cavalry, there are plenty of good soldiers.
Ning Yi was quite speechless. He tried every possible way to gather cavalry, spent countless money, and even annexed the Fang family army and the troops of King Huai.
They barely managed to gather three armies of cavalry, totaling less than 20,000 people.
But the Northwest Cavalry doesn't care at all. As long as Your Highness is willing to give them money, food and horses, there will be plenty of people joining the army.
Ning Yi had nothing more to say, and he went to the northwest to recruit cavalry in the name of the court.
Just let the Intelligence Department spend more money to recruit people.
As for the thousands of injured cavalrymen, Ning Yi often went to ask about their well-being, which moved them deeply.
After his injuries healed, he did not return them to the Northwest Army.
Why go back? Yu Shengfei has already sent people to the northwest to recruit a few thousand cavalry talents to supplement the troops.
The reason why the Northwest Army was loyal to the emperor was because the senior officers were loyal to the emperor.
They have followed successive emperors for generations, and their previous generation had fought wars with the old emperors.
Of course I was happy to be appointed as an official by the old emperor.
But these soldiers are not so conscious. They are just ordinary rough guys in the northwest. As long as you give them money and food, they will follow you.
Moreover, if you work with the prince, you will be in the official army, with better treatment and the best weapons and equipment.
It is no wonder that the old emperor often sent troops from the northwest to supplement the Beijing camp and the imperial guards. Naturally, the officers were very loyal to him.
Ning Yi even asked the Intelligence Department to go to the northwest to recruit more servants.
The kids over there have been brave and aggressive since childhood. How could they be weak in such a harsh environment?
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the cavalry to fight the barbarian cavalry so hard.
Ning Yi felt that it would take at least two months to train the several reorganized troops at Hushan Pass.
The reason for pulling them all to the rear was that the troops had just been reorganized and needed to be trained quickly in preparation for the upcoming decisive battle with the barbarians.
The war caused great damage to the Dawu Kingdom, with disasters everywhere and many cities being captured.
It will take at least several years to recover.
However, the war was a godsend opportunity for Ning Yi, enough to expand his strength.
Similarly, Emperor Wu received a report from the old eunuch and personally read Ning Yi's letter.
I felt a little relieved. It seems that Lao Liu is still very self-aware.
If Lao Liu dares to accept the title of War King, then the commander of Hushan Pass must be replaced.
It was impossible for him to allow a prince with such a high title to have enough military merits in succession at Hushan Pass. To do so would be like roasting him on the fire.
He could seize the position of emperor at any time.
The old emperor thought that after the war was over, he should send the sixth son to another place to be a vassal.
When it comes to where to be enfeoffed, choose the south. Then give him 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses, and let him become a prince.
It also took the opportunity to deal with some disobedient princes in the south, and the effect was quite good.
Of course, the old emperor also began to support Hushan Pass.
Send two guards from the Beijing camp to provide support. Even if it's only a supplement of 10,000 soldiers, they are still combat soldiers. As for the Imperial Guards, don't even think about it.
Similarly, the governors of various places in the south, together with the eunuchs who went to the south to guard the city, made full use of the summer and autumn grains to recruit large numbers of soldiers and horses.
Make adequate preparations for the emperor's upcoming southern tour.
Even if the governor of a province trains 10,000 or 20,000 elite soldiers for him, wouldn't that still be 100,000 elite soldiers?
In the northwest direction, the emperor also ordered the troops to be replenished as soon as possible.
As an old man of the world, the old emperor certainly understood that only those with soldiers could be kings. He would naturally not let Ning Yi go and help him resist the barbarians and buy time.
As for the money and food supplies for the Northwest Army, the emperor only sent part of the silver.
As for the rest, let the local military officers’ families figure it out on their own.
I'll give you an official position, and you can go and recruit people. If you can recruit a few thousand, you will be appointed as the commander of the guards.
Of course, the emperor has ordered the Ministry of Works to stop sending weapons, armor and the like to Hushan Pass.
He himself ordered the troops in the south and northwest to reorganize their forces, so he had no time to send them to Hushan Pass.
Now the entire court is based on expanding the army, and the rest can be handed over to the various departments first.
In the capital, the emperor was worried that Ning Yi's military achievements were too outstanding and would pose a threat to him.
Several others who were concerned about this matter were all worried.
For example, the second prince was even more worried. He wished that the sixth prince would die directly at Hushan Pass.
However, Hushan Pass cannot be easily breached, otherwise if the barbarian army marches south, he, the prince, will definitely have no chance of survival.
It would be best if Lao Liu died and the court sent a general to guard the pass, so that Hushan Pass would be unbreakable.
He could then return to his high and mighty position as the crown prince, instead of being the puppet of the sixth prince as he is now.
But Lao Liu actually won, and won twice. How could he be willing to accept this?
That’s not all, the old emperor actually wanted to confer the title of War King on him, what a powerful title.
As a result, the Sixth Prince refused to accept the offer, but was instead praised by countless people. It was commendable that the Sixth Prince fought for the Great Wu Kingdom without asking for any reward.
The second prince sulked in the East Palace all day long, but there was nothing he could do.