Chapter 441: His Unrivalled Prestige!
Translator: Novel Saga Editor: Novel Saga
"You think that I didn't know how loyal the four Jun generals were? I know it better than anyone else! These kinds of generals are any rulers' dream, but they're also a nightmare. And, I'm no exception either! We had acquired huge advantages when we were fighting the Shen Ci and the Yu Tang empires! We could've stormed their capitals at any time as long as I or Jun Wu Hui wanted it! The war had already reached its final moments! But, I let the dream of a unified land under me go in-exchange of defeat, and paid with thousands of casualties! I gave up the lives of Jun Wu Hui and Jun Wu Meng in those battles to maintain the equilibrium… the equilibrium of the tripartite! Do you think that my heart doesn't feel pain inside?"
"I'm even more confused in that case! Why did you let go of the opportunity of a unified the land? Not only did you let that slip, but you were also content to be defeated?! Did you lose your mind or something?" the Empress was truly puzzled.
"It was my dream to unify the land under my rule! It was my greatest and most-cherished dream besides making you my wife! But, what would've happened after I had unified the entire land? What could I have rewarded the Jun Family with after they had used their power to unify the land? The only reward you can give to someone with such martial service… is to make them King! However, the Jun Family already had a frightening amount of fiefdom. And, they also had considerable military strength on top of that. This was in addition to their insanely powerful influence throughout the Empire… This was equal to creating the most powerful enemy one could have! This was equal to me getting stuck on a road with no exit! And, the Jun Family would've revolted if I wouldn't have rewarded them!"
"You didn't let them win because you couldn't reward them? These are extremely ridiculous arguments!" The Empress was stunned at first. However, she eventually smiled in mockery.
"Extremely ridiculous, right? Let me tell you that this wasn't ridiculous! There's nothing ridiculous about it! It isn't ridiculous at all! Do you know that generals need official authorization for sending troops? And, the generals have only half of the authorization on their hands! The other half stays with me! And, one can only mobilize troops after the two halves are joined together. But, did you know what happened at that time? The four Jun generals didn't need any authorization to mobilize the troops! They didn't need it to mobilize the troops! The army would plainly follow their orders. Do you know what that meant?"
"I had gone to see off Jun Wu Hui when he had led an army of eight-hundred-thousand men twelve years ago. They were as calm and quiet as evil spirits while I was addressing them at the grounds. But, they started to cheer at his signal after I finished. In fact, they did so in coordinated unison! Do you understand?" The Emperor's face had become twisted, and he looked ashamed.
"I don't understand!" The Empress shook her head.
"Their coordinated cheering was rehearsed in advance! And then, everything became quiet after they had stopped cheering! Eight-hundred-thousand men stood there, and yet there was pin-drop silence! Do you know what this means?!" the Emperor gnashed his teeth as he spoke.
"Doesn't that mean that the discipline of the troops was very strict under Jun Wu Hui? You should be happy! Are you saying that you were mad because hundreds of thousands of troops stayed in strict discipline?" The queen was even more confused.
"Do you still not understand what I mean? Do you know what happened when I gave Jun Wu Hui my half of the authorization?" The muscles on His Majesty's face pulsated. His expression was one of humiliation, "The army suddenly started to cheer for him — flags were waved in the air, and the warhorses neighed! It seemed that the world would turn on its head, and the mountains would be devoured by tsunamis, and heaven and earth would become pale! And, that continued for a long time! The golden tripod I stood in front of… vibrated and fell because of the vibrations from their cheering!
"I was standing on the podium, and I saw the eyes of those eight-hundred-thousand men as they turned towards Jun Wu Hui with a fanatical zeal. Each one of their cold weapons had been raised to fill the sky! And, Jun Wu Hui only made one action during their spell of enthusiasm…. and the entire army quietened down in an instant. In fact, there was pin-drop silence!
"Then, he took the pendant of authorization and held it above. He then turned to the army, and looked at them. His eyes swept over the troops, and not one soldier moved from their place. Do you know that this wasn't even intentional on their part? Then, he turned around to face me, raised the pendant, drew his sword, and started to take an oath…"
"But, the cheers of those eight-hundred-thousand men were seemingly been cut off by a sword the moment he turned towards them after the oath. In fact, there was complete silence. It was quiet… one could've clearly heard the sound of a water droplet falling to the ground! The dust was still covering the air, yet everything was still on the ground. He didn't need to draw his sword… he didn't need to make a gesture — he had only turned around! One careless look from him, and those eight-hundred-thousand men had become silent at once!"
"The great and awe inspiring Jun Wu Hui! The great awe and inspiring White General!" the hearts of the Empress and Princess Ling Meng shook as they listened to this. They could imagine that spectacular scene. The two could imagine the unrivalled greatness of Jun Wu Hui. And, they couldn't help their spirits from becoming excited and fascinated.
"I knew you'd think like that! You're a pair of idiots!" the Emperor furiously continued, "I was also there at that scene! Where did that place my position? Where does it place our prestige if the soldiers cheered a hundred times more for Jun Wu Hui than they cheered for me?! I felt that I would see eight-hundred-thousand dead bodies lying in an ordered formation if Jun Wu Hui were to order them to commit suicide! The Imperial Palace would've probably been reduced to rubbles if Jun Wu Hui had given them an order to lay siege to our palace! He needn't even have given the order… a tiny movement, a careless look, and it would have become our reality!"
The Empress drew a long breath. She had finally understood where the Emperor's misgivings were coming from. The extent of Jun Wu Hui's influence was astonishing. His strength was indeed awe-inspiring. However, it was a threat to the Emperor's life. And, things would've remained as such until he had died…
"Do you understand now?" The Emperor smiled bitterly, "The Jun Family had over 1.5 million men under them! And, the Dugu Family's Dugu Wu Di worshipped Jun Wu Hui. In fact, that Dugu would've followed him blindly. So, they would've combined to have around 1.8 million troops once Dugu Wudi's forces were added to the Jun Family's! Moreover, the Jun Family had people in high places within the City's defense… and, in even higher rankings in the guards! In fact, they were around two-hundred-thousand in total. And, the defensive forces also had around thirty-thousand Jun troops in their ranks. However, the remaining of the nation only had a combined strength of six-hundred-thousand! That means that the Jun Family's strength had surpassed two million in total! Moreover, most of them were elite troops who had experienced all kinds of battles. Those who remained behind were inferior! This means that we could only muster six-hundred-thousand amateur troops if we were to dispatch an army. And, that is also an optimistic estimate!
"How do you expect me to be at ease in such a situation? How could I have been at ease? Would you have been at ease if it were you? How could I not know that the Jun Family is a good and loyal family? How could I not know that they were so loyal that they could never even think about rebelling…? That they would never revolt…? But… I still had to do it… even if I knew that the Jun Family would never rebel! In fact, I had no choice but to do it!"
The Emperor frowned in pain, "Because, I am the Emperor! And, because I can't stand this kind of a threat! No! I don't think that any Emperor can ever stand such a thing!
Would any Emperor have stood and watched such a thing? He had lost the power to mobilize his own troops! However, the four Jun generals didn't need any approvals to mobilize the troops!
This means that there could've been a transition of power at any time… or any place!
"The Jun Family may not have wanted to rebel, and they may not have thought of a transition of power. But, it doesn't mean that others wouldn't have thought like that either! Do you know that my Great Ancestor's family was also thought to be loyal during his rise? They had supported the Tian You Dynasty, and had formed its strongest base. But, it's was too easy for someone to make him rebel! He only needed one mutiny to make the new Emperor! He was pushed on a road from which he couldn't turn back, and became the ruler! I've learnt that from my predecessors. So, do you still think that I'm under naïve delusions? Do you wish for me to sit and wait for death?"
His Majesty's voice was full of grief, "Don't you know about this matter as a Murong Family descendant? Don't you know about Murong Qian Qiu?"
The Tian You Dynasty was the incomparably splendid predecessor of the Tian Xiang Dynasty. The ancestor of the Yang Family had a brilliant military career in those days. In fact, it was similar to the frightening career of Jun Wu Hui's. The Yang Family's ancestor had been triumphant in every battle. And, he was equally loyal to his King as well. But, Murong Qian Qiu was one of the generals under him. And, the Murong Family's ancestor had persuaded him to commit the unbelievable rebellion. Consequently, they had led the troops in a night attack, and had executed the Tian You Dynasty's King… and the Crown Prince as well!
There was no way to retreat from that unstable massacre. And, the Tian Xiang Empire of present day had gradually emerged from a mountain of corpses and an ocean of blood.
In other words… a big mutiny had led to the rise of the current day Tian Xiang Empire! The assist was provided by the Murong Family of that time. And, this had led to the Murong Family's current position in the latter empire.
"There was only one Murong Qian Qiu in the days of the Great Ancestor. But, can you guess how many Murong Qian Qiu were present under the four Jun generals? Do you know how many men might've tried to facilitate something like that against us? More importantly, do you know how much more fanatical they were? I'll tell you! There were at least twenty of these men who could've made the Jun Family act recklessly! And, the Tian Xiang Empire would've been done for even if one of them would've stood up! Do you understand it now? Your questions were those of naïve clemency!"
The Emperor snarled in a low voice. However, his voice was filled with pain and helplessness.
"Jun Wu Hui was such a talented general! Any ruler would've wanted him to command his troops and fight wars to expand their boundaries! However, I had to exert the entirety of my strength in attempts to get him killed by any means! Do you know how much pain I felt? I am an Emperor! How can I not wish to conquer the lands? I'd be King of all the skies, all the land, and all the shores! One order and the whole world would've shuddered. One word… and the whole world would've shuddered!"
"But, have you ever thought that such power and influence was given to the Jun Family by your hands alone…?! How could it have reached such a level if you hadn't given them that authority back then?" Muroing Xiu Xiu stopped even though she had only spoken half of it.