sjar Chapter 859 Emperor Wenchu’s Baldness Crisis
Chapter 859 Emperor Wenchu’s Baldness Crisis
Du Fuchen sighed, suppressed his gratitude, and asked:
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to hear that Your Majesty has already conquered Chang'an. I wonder if my family..."
Li Che immediately replied: "Don't worry, Prime Minister Du, the Du family in Chang'an is safe and sound, and everything is fine."
"Mr. Du Fuji is a man of great righteousness. He is currently managing all the government affairs of Chang'an for me. He works diligently and conscientiously, and is a capable minister whom I rely on."
Du Fuchen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Fuji is not able to take on such a heavy responsibility, right?"
He knew very well what Li Che thought of aristocratic families, so he didn't want the Du family to be involved in politics again.
Du Fuchen had made up his mind that after helping His Majesty unify the world, he would retire and return home.
At the same time, the Du family must also retreat bravely, hand over some of their power, and become a wealthy and virtuous family.
In this case, with Your Majesty's broad mind, you will certainly not make things difficult for the Du family again.
Li Che laughed and said, "Prime Minister Du is wrong. Lord Du is a talent who can assist the king. I rely on him greatly."
"As for the Du family... they haven't taken many actions to annex land. As long as they actively accept reforms in the future, I will definitely not treat them unfairly."
Du Fuchen was relieved when he saw Li Che's sincere tone.
It seems that His Majesty does not intend to wipe out the aristocratic families. At least those who sincerely surrender to His Majesty can still have a place in the court.
Upon learning that his family was safe and his brother was being valued, Du Fuchen finally felt relieved.
His expression became serious, and when he spoke again, he already had the air of a minister who was planning to serve the country:
"Your Majesty, the imperial capital's aristocratic families are perverse, and Prince Zhou Li Ming is a cowardly and confused ruler."
"In my opinion, they are beyond redemption. You don't need to hesitate any longer. The sooner you capture the imperial capital, the better. If you delay... something unexpected may happen!"
Li Che nodded and sighed, "I think so too, but the Jiangnan soldiers are also my Daqing people. I really can't bear to see them fighting against each other and causing more casualties..."
Du Fuchen shook his head and said firmly, "Your Majesty, you understand better than me that kindness is not the key to success in military affairs. There are always casualties in war."
"I have heard about your majesty's actions in Luoyang City while on the way. That strategy of conquering the hearts and minds of the people is truly brilliant and can be called a stroke of genius."
"But please forgive me for being blunt, but this kind of brilliant strategy is a one-time thing, not a one-time thing. It won't always work, and the risks are enormous."
"Does this mean, Your Majesty, that every time you attack a city, you must lead the troops and be the first to enter?"
Li Che was unable to refute what he heard.
Of course he knew that Chang'an City's record could not be replicated.
Not to mention himself, even the famous generals in future history would probably find it difficult to replicate his achievement.
That was a unique case that could only be achieved by combining the right time, place and people.
Du Fuchen looked at Li Che with stern eyes and said in a deep voice, "If you don't make a decision when you should, you will suffer the consequences!"
"If Your Majesty truly cherishes the lives of those soldiers, you should consolidate your forces and end this civil war as quickly as possible."
"Only in this way can the world be reunited sooner, the people can recuperate, and casualties can be minimized. As the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long one. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
These words woke Li Che up. He realized that he had been too obsessed with a perfect victory and always hoped to win with the least bloodshed.
But the nature of war is cruel, and sometimes speeding up the process is the greatest mercy.
Li Che pondered for a moment, then stood up and bowed deeply to Du Fuchen.
"Prime Minister Du's wise words are truly enlightening. I am sometimes too persistent... I appreciate your advice!"
Du Fuchen was even more pleased to see that Li Che was so willing to accept advice and even bowed to him, an old minister.
He is decisive, resourceful, and able to listen to advice.
The late emperor had a very good eye. He was truly a model of a wise ruler.
"It is a blessing for all the people in the world that Your Majesty can think this way." Du Fuchen stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of approval.
Li Che stood up straight, his expression regained its composure.
He pulled Du Fuchen to sit down again and said, "Since Prime Minister Du has arrived in Luoyang, you can stay here peacefully and don't have to worry about trivial matters in the imperial capital."
"Right now, Luoyang City is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt. It needs someone experienced and prudent to take care of it. So, I ask Prime Minister Du to help me sort out civil affairs, appease the people, and restore production."
"When the autumn weather is clear and crisp, Prime Minister Du will accompany me across the Yangtze River and directly into the imperial capital. We will then discuss Prime Minister Du's achievements!"
Du Fuchen knew that Li Che relied on him, so he immediately accepted the order and said, "I will do my best to live up to your majesty's trust!"
. . . . . .
Li Che's side was a harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subjects.
But in the imperial capital thousands of miles away, the scene was completely different.
Qin Huizhi had already concluded in his heart that Du Fuchen's trip was like throwing a meat bun at a dog - he would never come back, and he must have surrendered to Li Che.
But since he was the one who came up with this bad idea, how could he dare to speak out?
He could only secretly pray that Du Fuchen would remember their old friendship, or that Li Che would act slower to give him some buffer time.
Therefore, when Emperor Wenchu asked him about Du Fuchen in the court, he could only answer vaguely.
He said, "The road to the north is long and it is inconvenient to transmit news," and "Perhaps Prime Minister Du is arguing with Prince Feng," and so on, trying his best to delay.
Emperor Wenchu and a group of officials waited anxiously for news from Du Fuchen, but there was no response at all.
All we know is that Du Fuchen and his group entered Luoyang City and never came out again.
As time went by, various speculations began to spread.
Some people still harbored a glimmer of hope, wondering if Du Fuchen had been detained by Prince Feng or was even suffering.
Some people heard rumors from somewhere that Wang Feng liked to eat human flesh, especially the flesh of people in high positions of power.
Du Xiang never left Luoyang City and was eaten alive by King Feng!
This rumor spread quickly, but few people believed it, and few dared to spread it.
They don’t know whether Prince Feng likes human flesh or not. If Prince Feng really comes to the imperial capital, they might really eat the guy who spread the rumor alive!
On the other hand, the less news Emperor Wenchu had, the more uncertain he felt.
He was a coward by nature, and now he had the title of emperor but no real power or troops. The only hope of peace talks had not yet been responded to, and the enormous pressure made him unable to sleep or eat.
Every day, looking in the bronze mirror and seeing my hair falling out in clumps at such a young age, I feel even more worried.
On this day, Emperor Wenchu sighed in the mirror at his increasingly thinning hair. His fingers unconsciously scratched and a small tuft of hair fell off.
Seeing this, the corners of his mouth twitched and he felt heartbroken.
He could only do as the imperial physician said, grab his hair, pick up the ginger slices beside him and rub them on the roots of his hair.
At this moment, a eunuch rushed in from outside the hall with a panicked look on his face, his voice shrill and piercing:
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something bad has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
Emperor Wenchu was feeling sorry for his hair, and was frightened by the scream and trembled all over.
His hand shook and he pulled off another handful!
Seeing this scene, the eunuch's frightened expression became even more frightened.