CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 447: BORDER (PART 2)

Emperor Taihe didn’t sleep all night.

The next morning, with eyes bloodshot, Emperor Taihe entered the Jinluan Palace.

The border army’s disastrous defeat and the massacre at Peng City shocked all the civil and military officials. At the great court meeting, regardless of their rank, the ministers all angrily rebuked the Left General. Even those in the same party as the Prime Minister wouldn’t speak on behalf of the Left General at this time.

The focus of the ministers’ debate, just like yesterday, was that the Left General must be held accountable. It all depended on whether the Emperor was willing to give the Left General a chance to "atone for his crimes" through meritorious deeds.

The argument lasted all morning, still without conclusion.

Emperor Taihe was upset and had no appetite; by noon, he could only manage a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.

Eunuch Ge bowed as he entered, presenting a letter: "Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Nanyang County Princess."

Emperor Taihe nodded slightly and took the letter.

Zheng Chen observed, with a slight movement of his brow. Jiang Shaohua was in Nanyang, but her heart was with the court, constantly sending letters every month.

Unfortunately, distance meant that correspondence had its delays, and there were some matters Jiang Shaohua simply couldn’t respond to in time.

For example, the current uproar in the court over how to handle the Zuo Feng issue. Over in Nanyang County, they likely just received the news. Even if Jiang Shaohua wanted to write, it would take a few days. This particular letter was from seven or eight days ago. The content was likely about spring farming and seeds, completely unrelated to what was troubling Emperor Taihe now.

Thinking of this, Zheng Chen smirked a little.

The officialdom has always been a man’s world. No matter how clever and formidable Jiang Shaohua was, she was still limited by her identity and distance, and her influence on the court was not significant. Unless Jiang Shaohua was willing to leave Nanyang County and reside permanently in the Capital City...

But she just wouldn’t come. Since she made her choice, she remained in Nanyang County forever! Major court affairs had little to do with her.

After Zheng Chen and others withdrew, Emperor Taihe opened the letter. Familiar handwriting came into view.

This letter, as Zheng Chen expected, was mainly about spring plowing and planting. Only at the end did it mention a dream about her late grandfather, subtly reminding Emperor Taihe to be wary of those around him.

With his mind troubled, Emperor Taihe had no heart to consider these things and set the letter aside as he began to read the memorials.

...

At that moment, Jiang Shaohua, who was inspecting the Personal Guard Camp, received the disastrous news of the border army’s defeat and the massacre at Peng City, and her expression changed immediately, her voice suddenly somber: "Is this news reliable?"

The messenger, a personal aide of Chief Historian Chen, replied: "This is news from the border army, absolutely true and reliable."

Chief Historian Chen was well-connected, having many acquaintances in the court and among the border army, including one or two close friends.

With Chief Historian Chen’s principles, he would never arbitrarily deliver an unreliable message to her.

Jiang Shaohua took a deep breath, took Chief Historian Chen’s letter, and quickly opened it.

The contents of this letter were more detailed than the battle report sent to the court. The defeat of the border army was not entirely the Left General’s fault. When the Rouran Cavalry launched a large-scale attack, the military general defending Peng City abandoned the city gates and fled with a few dozen personal soldiers, causing the military morale to collapse and resulting in the fall of Peng City.

This General Zhao was now missing, unknown whether he died on the battlefield or was hiding somewhere. If anyone should be held accountable, it was General Zhao who deserved the most severe punishment.

However, in the military, the rule is that if you lose, the main general must take the primary responsibility. The fact that the Left General poorly managed his people is true, and after the loss of Peng City, he did not timely organize a counterattack but retreated to Si State, leaving Peng City entirely to the Rouran Cavalry, is also true.

In this regard, the Left General being questioned is not at all unjustified.

In her past life, there was neither the Pingzhou chaos nor the Peng City massacre. The Left General had always been in charge of the border army, until ten years later, when Zheng Chen became the Prime Minister, the Left General quietly withdrew from the scene.

What could have brought about such a shocking change now?

Whose man was General Zhao? Why did he abandon the city at such a critical moment? And where is he now?

How will the court handle the Left General?

Questions came rushing in.

Jiang Shaohua was overwhelmed with emotions, her face pale, clutching the letter in silence for a long time.

Song Yuan, Qin Zhan, and others all began cursing the Left General. Liu Hengchang, remaining calm, whispered to Jiang Shaohua, "I know you are very angry, but these major court matters are for the Emperor and Prime Minister Wang to decide. Our Nanyang County should not intervene."

Neither could they intervene.

The court’s affairs change rapidly, and with the distance from Nanyang County, sending a letter back and forth would take nearly half a month. It’s virtually impossible to be involved in these matters.

Jiang Shaohua snapped back to reality, glanced at Liu Hengchang: "You’re right, Nanyang County indeed shouldn’t interfere in major court affairs. I won’t submit a memorial to express my stance but will write a private letter to the Emperor."

Submitting a memorial would be a political statement. Writing to Emperor Taihe would be a sibling’s private communication, with fewer concerns.

Liu Hengchang noticed the Princess understanding his advice, secretly relieved, and said no more.

Jiang Shaohua immediately picked up the pen to write to Emperor Taihe.

"...I know my cousin is angry; the Left General’s defeat and loss of territory, and the innocent death of Peng City’s people, are debts that must eventually be settled. However, matters have priorities. The Left General has led the border army for over a decade, and the entire army follows his command. Hasty replacement of the main general is a major taboo in the military and will certainly destabilize the troops’ morale. If the Rouran seize the opportunity to attack, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"I urge my cousin to think calmly and carefully before acting."

...

After such a major event, Jiang Shaohua couldn’t remain calm. She hardly ate any dinner, putting down her chopsticks early.

Chen Jinyu noticed her agitation and was worried. He had never seen the Princess so restless.

"The massacre at Peng City, with tens of thousands slaughtered and young men and women abducted — such a horrifying tragedy is hard for anyone to hear. I know the Princess feels much more deeply than I do," Chen Jinyu whispered with a sigh. "However, this is different from the Pingzhou plague; it’s not something the Princess can manage or intervene in."

Indeed! During the plague in Pingzhou, she could send food and medicine and recommend her trusted confidant as Inspector.

What could she do with the border army’s defeat?

She couldn’t just send her Personal Guard Camp to support them!

This was the court’s responsibility. As a Commandery Princess of Nanyang, she shouldn’t get involved. It was also not the time to reveal her family background and strength.

Jiang Shaohua remained silent for a long time, murmuring, "I’ve always been worried that changes would arise in the Capital City. I didn’t expect the changes to come from the border army."

Chen Jinyu couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning behind her words, continuing softly to reassure her: "In any case, it’s far from us and won’t disturb our Nanyang County."

Jiang Shaohua responded with a soft sound, "You may leave first. I’d like some time alone."

Chen Jinyu could only retreat outside.

Jiang Shaohua stood at the window with hands behind her back, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, contemplating the tragic massacre at Peng City and sighed deeply.