Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 811 - 613: The Crown Prince’s Position—Who Will Inherit It!
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing this, not only Yu Wenquan was stunned, but even Yu Wenqian was greatly shocked and said in disbelief, "Second Brother, what do you mean by this?"
Yu Wenye looked at him calmly and said, "Tomorrow is the grand ceremony for Father to ascend the throne."
"So what?"
"Although Father has founded the Dasheng Dynasty to the acclaim of all, within Changa An City, the Guanzhong Region, and other counties and prefectures in the Central Plains, there must still be people loyal to the former ruler, or with their own thoughts, unwilling to submit to us. If at this moment, we allow our younger brother, who failed to defend Taiyuan, to return to Changa An City, it will not only alienate the ministers and people of Changa An, sway the people of Guanzhong, but also make us a laughingstock of the world."
"..."
"Furthermore, it will cast a shadow of defeat over the newly established Dasheng Dynasty from the very start."
"..."
"Therefore, our younger brother must not enter Tongguan. At the very least, before Taiyuan is recaptured, he must absolutely not set foot in Changa An City!"
"..."
After hearing his words, everyone fell silent.
When there was finally another sound, it was Yu Wenquan speaking, his voice so low it was almost hoarse: "Yu Mingli."
Eunuch Yu immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty."
Yu Wenquan said, "Issue an order to strictly seal the news of the defeat at Taiyuan, and forbid anyone in Changa An City from discussing it, under penalty of death; also, send my decree immediately, ordering someone to leave the city overnight, pass through Tongguan to greet King Qi, and have him—station on the spot and await my new orders."
Eunuch Yu said, "Yes!"
After speaking, he immediately turned and went out to deliver the message.
Once he left, Yu Wenquan turned to look at his two sons in the hall below. Yu Wenye still had his head lowered, his stern face expressionless; on the other side, Yu Wenqian, though frowning, said nothing—Yu Wenye’s words, although somewhat harsh, were very practical, and the best choice for this nascent Dasheng Dynasty, and even for the recently defeated Yu Wencheng.
Therefore, Yu Wenquan followed his words, and Yu Wenqian had no counterarguments.
But—
Yu Wenquan pondered for a long moment, then hesitated, "You, you all, really want to deploy the troops?"
"...?"
Hearing this, Yu Wenye suddenly looked up at his father, a trace of surprise on his face, unable to believe that his always brave and fearless father would hesitate about this battle.
But Shang Ruyi, observing the crease on Yu Wenquan’s brow, seemed to understand. By ordering a strict seal on the news and having Yu Wencheng temporarily stay out of Tongguan, he was certainly worried that losing the Dragon Raising Land and the news of Taiyuan’s defeat would affect the fate of the newly established dynasty, and more importantly, the morale of the people. However, regarding this battle, he was clearly more concerned.
After all, his identity now was no longer Duke Sheng, but Emperor.
In the past, Duke Sheng’s victories were his own achievements, while defeats were the court’s losses, and even though Chu Yang feared him, he wouldn’t easily kill him due to ancestral credit. But now it is different; he is already Emperor, and tomorrow is the founding Emperor’s inauguration ceremony. A defeat at this time—
It would indeed be the greatest blow to the fledgling Dasheng Dynasty!
What’s more, this time if we really want to deploy troops to Taiyuan, it’s not just any ordinary battle, because inside Taiyuan City now are both the Western Turks and Wang Shaoji’s forces, far more formidable than Xue Xian’s army, which previously pressured Fufeng; even if we win, Liang Shide in Luoyang is still watching like a tiger, waiting to reap the benefits of a struggle. Should he act, even if we win the battle of Taiyuan, we might suffer an even worse defeat afterwards.
Their chances of winning are really not great.
Thus, just as Yu Wenye mentioned, it would cause the Dasheng Dynasty to carry the shadow of defeat from its inception, making it appear weak to the world.
It should be understood that at this moment, with chaos and turmoil, factions are vying for power; even if we establish a state and proclaim an emperor, if we cannot win the people’s allegiance and the submission of all corners of the land, then having the title of Emperor is nothing but a fleeting meteor.
Therefore, the victory or loss of this battle holds immense weight for Yu Wenquan.
It’s no wonder he hesitates.
Yu Wenquan said heavily, "You should realize that Taiyuan is already lost now, and if after deploying troops we still cannot recover it, then—"
Hearing his words, the atmosphere inside Bai Fu Hall grew even more suffocating.
Can this battle be fought?
Can it be won?
If this battle is lost, it would indeed be the most fatal blow to the nascent Dasheng Dynasty, potentially even jeopardizing the current situation.
At this time, Yu Wenye slowly stood up, cupped his hands toward Yu Wenquan, and said, "Father, your son has something to say."
Yu Wenquan glanced at him, "Speak."
Yu Wenye said, "Father, we must deploy the troops, and furthermore, this battle must be won!"
"..."
"The necessity of deploying the troops lies in that Taiyuan is Father’s Dragon Raising Land. Even though Father has just ordered a blockade on the news, paper cannot wrap fire; the news of losing Taiyuan will soon spread throughout Guanzhong. If we cannot even defend the Dragon Raising Land, how can the people here believe that the Dasheng Dynasty can protect them and allow them to live and work in peace?"
"..."
"As for why we must win—"
His breath sank, but before he could continue, Yu Wenqian already spoke: "Because Taiyuan holds great significance for us!"
"...!"
Unexpectedly, he spoke at this moment, and Yu Wenye was momentarily stunned.
Yu Wenquan immediately turned to his eldest son: "Oh?"
Yu Wenqian calmly said, "With Father’s grand ambitions, it’s impossible to settle for a corner and confine our territory to the Guanzhong Region. Luoyang is prosperous and conveniently located; it holds great significance for the Dasheng Dynasty. Father has always kept an eye on Liang Shide’s movements, wanting to recapture the Eastern Capital someday."
Yu Wenquan nodded and said: "Indeed."
Yu Wenqian said, "To recapture the Eastern Capital, advancing eastward from Chang An is not enough. The best strategy is to attack from two fronts, which is why after taking Changa An City, Father left the third brother and tens of thousands of troops to guard Taiyuan; that’s the most important reason."
"..."
"Now, if Taiyuan is lost, our strength to advance eastward will be weakened by at least half."
Hearing this, Yu Wenquan sighed heavily, but he also understood that what he said was the truth.
Yu Wenye calmly listened to Yu Wenqian’s words. Although his expression was slightly grave, he was not too surprised. Although this elder brother had traveled far and wide all these years, his abilities were beyond doubt. Seeing through such matters hardly required much thought.
However—
Yu Wenye cleared his throat and continued: "Taiyuan is not only important to us but to the enemy as well."
Upon hearing this, Yu Wenquan’s eyes lit up again, turning to him: "Let’s hear it."
Yu Wenye continued: "Father, Liang Shide, who commands Luoyang, is also not someone content with a small corner; his eyes have always been on us,"
"..."
"And now, his power is almost gathered."
Yu Wenquan’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of sharpness flashed: "You mean—the Turks?"
"Indeed,"
Yu Wenye said: "Taiyuan is our strategic point for the pincer attack on Luoyang, but if it falls into the enemy’s hands, it serves the same function. Moreover, whether it is Wang Shaoji in Taiyuan or Liang Shide in Luoyang, they both have Turkic forces backing them. Once these forces fully align—"
Yu Wenquan’s heart sank suddenly.
Indeed, this was the reason he could not drink at the feast originally intended to honor those who managed the epidemic effectively, after receiving this emergency military report. Right in front of Shen Wuzheng, Pei Xingyuan, and even Su Qinglan, they started discussing military affairs because Taiyuan was too important to them!
Taiyuan must not be lost!
At this time, a sense of regret arose within him—he initially entrusted his youngest son, Yu Wencheng, to guard such an important Taiyuan. Clearly, Yu Wenye had reminded him before not to give Yu Wencheng too much responsibility. After all, he was young, lacked wartime experience, and was known to be obstinate and impulsive, prone to losing a great advantage over minor details—yet at the time, capturing Daxing City was of utmost importance to Yu Wenquan, and Yu Wenye was far away in Jiangdu. There was no one around he could trust more than Yu Wencheng to hold Taiyuan, thus he reluctantly handed Taiyuan to him.
Unexpectedly, it left this latent danger.
Thinking of this, he could not help but glance at Yu Wenye—this son indeed was irreplaceable in military affairs.
Yet, his military achievements were already monumental.
In matters as significant as ascending the throne and assuming position, he managed to outsmart, and if allowed to completely capture Taiyuan, it feared in the future at court, his voice would solely dominate.
After a long silence, Yu Wenquan finally made up his mind and slowly lifted his head. By this time, below, the pairs of eyes and several other gazes had long held their breath, focusing on him for an unknown amount of time.
"King Han, King Qin."
Upon hearing Yu Wenquan’s words, Yu Wenqian and Yu Wenye promptly stood and stepped forward, standing at the center of Bai Fu Hall. Though the remaining few had no instruction, they also rose swiftly, aligning their robes solemnly, intent on hearing the imperial command.
Yu Wenquan said, "You two each lead an army of a hundred thousand, departing at dawn tomorrow."
"...!"
The crowd gasped upon hearing this!
Unexpectedly, he wanted both sons to march simultaneously. The Dasheng Dynasty was indeed dispatching its best; moreover, tomorrow was his enthronement ceremony, and yet he commanded both sons to set off at dawn, which meant they couldn’t even attend the enthronement ceremony.
Evidently, his determination was resolute; since choosing to go to war, victory must be secured!
Thus, it also illustrated the paramount importance of the battle for Taiyuan at this moment!
Yu Wenqian and Yu Wenye immediately cupped their hands in salute: "We obey the order!"
Yu Wenquan nodded, examining these two sons capable of assuming major responsibilities, and in a deep tone said: "I send you both into battle concurrently; you should appreciate the gravity of this battle. Since it’s to be fought, it must be won!"
"Yes."
"This battle, whoever can capture Taiyuan—"
Yu Wenquan slightly raised his chin and said in a solemn voice: "To him, I shall confer the position of Crown Prince!"
