Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1187 Emperor Qing's Wrath, Where is the Enemy?

In just seven days, 60,000 soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield. When this number reached the capital of the Qing Kingdom, it shocked the court and the public.

Emperor Qing's anger and suspicion

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Qing Kingdom's imperial palace, candlelight blazed. The battle report in Emperor Qing's hand was crumpled into a ball, and his usually impassive face was now clouded with gloom. The temperature in the hall seemed to plummet; Hong Sixiang, standing to the side, unconsciously lowered his head, unable to meet the chilling glint in the emperor's eyes.

"Sixty thousand troops in just seven days!" Emperor Qing's voice was low and suppressed, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "Is Northern Qi really going to tear off the mask and start a full-scale war?"

He rose to his feet, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming with an imposing luster in the candlelight, but now that imposing presence carried an unprecedented heaviness. Emperor Qing strolled to the massive map hanging beside the hall, his gaze sweeping across the sprawling battlefront in the north. His slender fingers finally settled on a canyon marker—the very heart of the seven-day bloody battle.

“Your Majesty,” Hong Sixiang spoke cautiously, his voice sounding particularly cautious in the empty hall, “The Northern Qi’s actions this time are truly unusual. Normally, having just acquired a Grandmaster, they should be consolidating their internal strength and digesting this power, rather than rushing to wage war against external forces.”

Emperor Qing did not turn around, but continued to stare at the map: "This is precisely what I am puzzled about. Emperor Tuoba Hong of Northern Qi is not a reckless person, and his prime minister Yuwen Hu is even more shrewd and calculating. It is unreasonable for him to take the initiative to provoke a large-scale conflict at such a sensitive time."

Hong Sixiang pondered for a moment, then tentatively suggested a possibility: "Could it be... that Northern Qi has already noticed the unrest in the western border?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

The rebellion in the western border is the greatest hidden worry for the Qing Kingdom. Three months ago, a massive peasant uprising broke out in three western prefectures due to years of heavy taxes and oppression by the governors. The rebels elected local strongmen as their leaders and captured seven cities in just over a month, establishing a separatist regime. Although the imperial court has dispatched troops to suppress the rebellion, the complex terrain and fierce nature of the people in the western border have resulted in a stalemate. This was originally a top secret of the Qing Kingdom, known only to a few high-ranking officials and the emperor himself.

"You mean, Northern Qi may have learned about the situation in the western border through some channel and wants to take advantage of the chaos?" Emperor Qing turned around and stared intently at Hong Sixiang.

“This old servant dares not make a rash judgment,” Hong Sixiang said, bowing. “However, the Northern Qi spies are known for their omnipresence. If they are truly aware of the turmoil in the western border, their actions at this time to create trouble on the border may be intended to exert pressure and force us to make concessions in future negotiations, thereby gaining more benefits in terms of territory or trade.”

Emperor Qing sat back on the dragon throne, tapping his fingertips lightly on the armrest, and fell into a long silence.

The candlelight flickered in the breeze, casting an intermittent glow on his somber face. This emperor, who had ruled the Qing Kingdom for twenty years, had experienced the bloody struggle for the throne, quelled the rebellions of vassal kings, and promoted reforms, but he had rarely encountered such a predicament, beset by internal and external troubles.

With the rebellion in the west still unresolved, war has broken out in the north. The Nanzhao Kingdom in the south, though outwardly submissive, frequently engages in underhanded tactics; the Dongyi City in the east, though a city-state, possesses strength comparable to a small nation due to its prosperous commerce, and its attitude remains ambiguous and unpredictable. Not to mention the foreign tribes eyeing the northern grasslands, who will pounce like hungry wolves to devour the Qing Kingdom should it show signs of weakness.

"Beset by internal and external troubles..." Emperor Qing sighed softly, a rare hint of weariness showing in his sigh.

Hong Sixiang waited quietly to the side. He had served this emperor for nearly thirty years and knew Emperor Qing's temperament well. The more critical the moment, the calmer Emperor Qing became; his unfathomable shrewdness had brought down countless adversaries. But this time, Hong Sixiang also felt an unusual pressure.

"Hong Sixiang," Emperor Qing suddenly spoke, "in your opinion, should we negotiate peace with Northern Qi?"

This question sent a chill down Hong Sixiang's spine. As a palace attendant, he was rarely asked such important national policy questions. Emperor Qing's question was both a sign of his trust and a test.

He remained silent for a long time before carefully organizing his thoughts: "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it is not the right time to negotiate peace."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing raised an eyebrow. "Tell me your reasons."

Hong Sixiang took a deep breath: "Although this conflict has already caused 60,000 casualties, the fact that we took the initiative to negotiate peace without Northern Qi making any clear demands may be interpreted as a sign of weakness. At that time, not only might Northern Qi take advantage of the situation, but Dongyi City, Nanzhao, and even the northern tribes might also become restless. The current game is like a wolf pack hunting; once they realize that their prey is injured, the pack will swarm in."

Emperor Qing nodded slightly; he had naturally considered all of this. But he thought a step further than Hong Sixiang: not negotiating peace meant continuing to reinforce the northern border, and every additional soldier sent could affect the entire country's strategic layout.

The Qing Kingdom's military system is divided into five border armies and seven provincial armies. The border armies are stationed year-round on the borders, serving as the nation's first line of defense; the provincial armies are dispersed throughout the provinces, maintaining local security and serving as strategic reserves. Currently, the rebellion in the western border has already mobilized two border armies and three provincial armies. If the war in the northern border escalates further, even more troops will need to be deployed.

Emperor Qing rose and walked to his desk, unfolding a map of troop deployments. The map was covered with dense red markings, indicating the movements of various armies.

“Look,” Emperor Qing pointed to the map, “the third and fifth border armies and the sixth, seventh and ninth state armies have already been deployed to the western border. If the northern border is to send more troops, at least the first border army and the second and fourth state armies will need to be deployed. At that time, nearly half of Qing Kingdom’s forces will be tied up on two battlefields.”

Hong Sixiang had served Emperor Qing for many years and was well aware of the intricacies of troop movements: "Is Your Majesty worried about... the emptiness of the rear?"

“It’s not just that our rear is vulnerable,” Emperor Qing’s eyes sharpened, “we also lack sufficient strategic reserves to deal with unforeseen circumstances. If something changes in Nanzhao at this time, or if Dongyi City makes a move, we will be trapped in a desperate situation of fighting on multiple fronts.”

This was Emperor Qing's true concern. As an emperor who had weathered countless storms, he knew that the cruelty of war lay not only in the battles on the battlefield, but also in the test of the entire national system. Logistics, troop replenishment, financial support, and public morale... any one of these could be the final straw that broke the camel's back.

What made Emperor Qing even more uneasy was the feeling of being manipulated by an invisible hand. The timing of these events, from the rebellion in the western border to the conflict in the northern border, was too coincidental, as if a pair of eyes were observing the Qing Kingdom's every move in the shadows and delivering a precise blow at its most vulnerable moment.

“Northern Qi…” Emperor Qing murmured, then shook his head. “No, not entirely Northern Qi. Tuoba Hong doesn’t have the guts or wisdom to make trouble in both the western and northern borders at the same time. So… who is it?”

The hall fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of the candlelight.