After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 799 - 789: Transfer Order

Due to the urgent military situation, local governors and generals who have arrived at Yun City entered the palace together to participate in political affairs.

After a night of revelry, the inspectors and officials from various regions who only slept at dawn were woken up and groggily joined Gou Xi in entering the palace.

Except for Gou Xi, who took an emergency bath and dressed himself up, the rest were still in their clothes from last night, their entire beings exuding the smell of alcohol, filling the already small main hall with a strong odor of wine.

Zhao Zhongyu frowned in displeasure because Zhao Hanzhang was present. He unceremoniously questioned Gou Xi, "Great General, the Xiongnu have moved south, capturing five cities. Did you receive no information about this?"

Due to a hangover, Gou Xi felt a throbbing at his temples. He pursed his lips and replied, "They acted with great secrecy, launching a sudden attack. I had received no information. However..."

He lifted his head and stared straight at Zhao Hanzhang, "The Xiongnu must pass through Jizhou on their way south, and currently, the southern part of Jizhou is under Zu Ti’s control. Is Governor Zhao not on good terms with Zu Ti? How could you also have no knowledge of this?"

Zhao Hanzhang maintained a bland expression, "Great General, Zu Ti controls only ten counties such as Quzhou. Jizhou is vast, and avoiding his sphere of influence is easy. Moreover, this is Yan State; if my courier could move unimpeded in Yan State, wouldn’t that be the time for you to be nervous?"

Zhao Zhongyu, "Great General, stop changing the topic. Not knowing about the Xiongnu moving south, but are you also unaware of your subordinate generals defecting to Liu Cong?"

He was furious to the point of his face turning red, shouting, "They could silently approach Yun City because your subordinate generals opened the gates to the enemy, capturing five cities without a single battle!"

Soon, even worse news arrived. The Xiongnu had captured eight cities and were less than a hundred miles from Yun City. If they took two more counties, they would be at the city’s doorstep.

Gou Xi’s expression was grim, and the hall was filled with buzzing discussions, most questioning Gou Xi, while a few were asking what to do.

Zhao Hanzhang finally spoke up, "Your Majesty, this isn’t the time to assign blame; we should make decisions soon."

The Emperor immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, the priority is to resist the enemy; other matters can be addressed after driving them away."

Zhao Hanzhang then looked at Gou Xi, "Great General, how many troops can you deploy now?"

Gou Xi’s face was pale as he said, "One hundred fifty thousand!"

"But the Xiongnu army numbers two hundred thousand!"

"Shi Le has also divided his troops to Yu State and Si Province, the number of soldiers is unknown."

"Are the Xiongnu using the nation’s strength to attack south just to prevent Your Majesty from offering sacrifices to heaven at the summer solstice?"

Otherwise, the timing is too coincidental?

So an official suggested, "Your Majesty should continue the sacrifice; helping heaven’s way could eliminate the Xiongnu in one strike!"

"That cannot be! Your Majesty, the Xiongnu moving south shows that offering sacrifices goes against heaven’s way; it should be canceled immediately with a decree of self-criticism instead."

"Nonsense, we have been preparing for the sacrificial ceremony for half a year with great expense, and now with the Xiongnu attacking, we should not proceed? Your Majesty, we have come all the way to the Capital City, neglecting state affairs for the sake of the sacrificial ceremony; you cannot go back on your word!"

The Emperor had stated that post-sacrifice, meritorious officials would be granted titles, and positions and ranks would be reassigned; otherwise, why would officials risk bandits to come all the way to Yun City?

"At this time, we should first discuss the arrangements to resist the Xiongnu; the matter of the sacrificial ceremony can be discussed later."

The council hall was in an uproar, with all sorts of discussions, even more chaotic than a morning market, and Zhao Hanzhang was getting a headache from it.

She looked over at Gou Xi and saw him with lowered eyes, lost in thought and not saying a word.

Zhao Hanzhang, unable to suppress it any longer, slammed her hand heavily on the table, cracking the low table in front of her, and the tea cups on it clattered to the ground, finally bringing the ministers to a gradual silence.

Zhao Hanzhang’s sharp gaze swept around, and she pursed her lips, "At the current speed of the Xiongnu’s siege, they could reach the Capital City by tomorrow. Are we to hold a sacrificial ceremony and welcome them in?"

Not asking them what to do, she directly looked at Gou Xi across from her, "Great General, how do you plan to fight this battle?"

Gou Xi already had some calculations in mind, saying, "Let Gou Chun lead twenty thousand troops from Yun City to Dunqiu to block the Xiongnu. I will review the army and apprehend any traitors; I can dispatch one hundred thousand troops from various places in Yan State, arriving in Yun City within three days."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "I have eighty thousand troops on the border; as long as the Great General orders the road to be cleared, they too can reach Yun City in three days to provide support."

Gou Xi pursed his lips, looked up with fierce eyes at Zhao Hanzhang, "Who is leading the troops?"

Zhao Hanzhang, "Zhao Ju!"

Gou Xi didn’t hesitate much and nodded immediately, "Fine, I’ll clear the road, but once the troops arrive, they must follow my command."

Zhao Hanzhang, "Naturally, the Great General is the Grand Marshal, the orders will certainly be yours."

The Emperor, seeing them willing to compromise, exhaled a sigh of relief, and the ministers watched them back and forth until they resolved the matter.

Not giving the others a chance to interject.

The issue was far from over as Zhao Hanzhang raised another point, "What about the provisions?"

Gou Xi, "I can supply ten days’ worth of provisions for one hundred thousand men within three days, and within half a month, I can supply provisions for twenty days; beyond that, I have no extra."

This implied collecting directly from the populace.

Zhao Hanzhang pursed her lips without opposing his decision, instead, said, "I can guarantee fifteen days’ provisions for my eighty thousand troops."

"That’s not enough," Gou Xi said, "Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and the Shu region must provide provisions."

The other ministers looked towards the inspectors or officials from these states.

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyebrow twitched as she said, "Jingzhou is not feasible as it just concluded a rebellion, so forcefully collecting provisions now would cause further issues."

"Our Shu region is also unstable, with many refugees, so forced collection is not an option."

"Yangzhou even more so, not to mention that a significant amount of grain has already been given to Yun City this year."

"Xuzhou is even more difficult." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Gou Xi wasn’t negotiating; he directly said, "Set a fixed amount of provisions for them; each state must complete it."

Zhao Hanzhang also addressed them, "Everyone, our fortunes are united; if Yan State falls, none of the states under it, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, nor any others can evade the resulting calamity."

The officials from Huainan and Jiangnan were indifferent as they were separated by the Yangtze River, figuring they could remain unaffected as long as they secured the gates.

Zhao Hanzhang seemed to know what they were thinking and sneered, "If we lose the Northern Land, the Great General and I will escort His Majesty south, and at that time, you will surely need to clear some space for us."

The officials from the two regions felt a chill at her words, exchanged glances with Gou Xi’s stern demeanor, then lowered their heads in agreement.

Wasn’t it said that Zhao Hanzhang and Gou Xi were antagonistic to each other; how have they suddenly become so cooperative?

Apart from provisions, Gou Xi also wanted them to send troops for support. Guangzhou Governor Wang Dun agreed readily, and after some hesitation, the other governors and officials also consented.

Gou Xi then turned to Zhao Hanzhang, "Governor Zhao, regarding Si Province and Yu State..."

"I will defend them," Zhao Hanzhang’s expression was grave as she said, "Your Majesty and Great General can rest assured, I will do my utmost to defend Si Province and Yu State, ensuring Yan State’s rear is not threatened."

Gou Xi grunted in acknowledgment, trusting her promise greatly.

The Emperor was even more touched, stepping down from the dragon throne to grasp her hand, pulling her up, then taking Gou Xi’s hand, tearfully saying, "With the two beloved ministers joining forces to resist the enemy, what have I to fear?"