Chapter 24: War

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The battle for the throne ended after Wu Ning had assassinated the ruler and captured the palace.

On the second day after Wu Ning seized the throne, he brought the imperial concubines and the others back to the palace.

He dismissed all the concubines in the harem, cut the number of palace maids and eunuchs in half, and replaced all the guards with people he trusted.

The eunuch who had been with them all those years ago was given the title of chief steward and was in charge of all matters in the harem. The palace maid became the personal palace maid of the imperial consort and was the woman in charge of the imperial consort’s palace.

The guard was given the title of Imperial Commander and tasked with protecting the emperor. Even though Wu Ning’s martial arts were very powerful and did not need anyone to protect him, he needed imperial guards still.

The corpse of the previous emperor was hung on the city wall for all to see for three whole days.

A month later, Wu Ning had his coronation. The ceremony was not extravagant as it was merely symbolic.

Wu Ning conferred the title of Empress Dowager to the imperial consort and buried his father in a solemn yet grand ceremony. After doing all this, Wu Ning issued an imperial edict, granting amnesty to the people and exempted taxes for three years.

Wu Ning sat in the imperial study and took a breath. Being the emperor was too tiring. He really did not have a moment to rest; he had things to do all the time.

Wu Ning planned to go on a personal expedition to recover lost territory.

The national treasury was empty now. Previously, the former emperor had squeezed his people dry. Now, they could not afford to pay taxes. Wu Ning could not force them to pay taxes as the former emperor did.

Therefore, he could only use war to transfer the economic pressure of the country to other countries.

Half a year after Wu Ning ascended the throne, Wu Ning led his army to the border and prepared to attack the Turks. During the war, the empress dowager would supervise the country.

In the beginning, many people were against it. It was a tradition that women were not allowed to interfere in politics. However, the objections were suppressed by Wu Ning. As soon as opposition arose, Wu Ning would quickly suppress them.

It didn’t matter if they called him a tyrant or a ruler. In any case, the task of governing the country could only be handed over to the empress dowager. 

Inside the ruler of the Turks’ tents.

“Hahahaha, a child who has just ascended the throne actually dares to dream of attacking us Turks. He really overestimates himself.”

“That emperor probably wants to use us to establish his authority.”

“Hmph, with just him, he still wants to attack us. What a fool’s dream. Great Khan, I am willing to lead troops into battle.”

“Good, good, good, Zhiming Sili, you are indeed a good son of the Turks. I will confer you the title of Sunil and lead a hundred thousand troops to go to war against the emperor!”

“I, Zhiming Sili, will accept the order. I will not disappoint the Great Khan. From now on, he will never dare to invade the Turks again!”

After saying that, he left the tent to lead the troops.

The other people in the tent were roasting meat and laughing as they talked about other things in the imperial court. It was as if the incoming attack was merely a slight inconvenience.

Wu Ning and the army were resting at the border. Wu Ning sat in the middle of the soldiers and warmed up to the fire with them.

“I say, our emperor is wonderful. Not only did he exempt us from taxes, he even ate roasted meat along with us. Which emperor could do this?”

“That’s right. Exempting us from taxes for three years, now we can only attack the Turks to ease the emptiness of the national treasury.”

“I don’t know if we can succeed this time. What if we fail? My parents told me to fight courageously with the emperor. His Majesty treats us well, we can’t disappoint him. We must fight bravely on the battlefield.”

“You’re right, it is the only thing we can do.”

At this moment, the general walked over and knelt, “Your Majesty, there’s an update. The Turks have sent Zhiming Sili to lead an army of 100,000 to stop us.”

Wu Ning thought for a moment. No matter who it was, they could not stop him. He would definitely win this war. His troops, on the other hand, were a different matter.

Hence, it was best to think of a way to minimize the casualties. After all, they were his soldiers and were fighting for him.

Wu Ning gestured for the general to continue.

“Zhiming Sili is one of the four best generals among the Turks. He is ranked third among the four great generals. Although his ability is not as good as the first two, he is the most battle-hungry. Moreover, he is brave and is good at fighting, a brave and resourceful man.” The general continued after receiving Wu Ning’s permission.

Wu Ning thought for a moment, “One of the four great generals among the Turks, and he is also the most battle-hungry and good at fighting. It seems that this person has not only fought many battles but also achieved good results.”

The general nodded, “Yes. Before the current Khan became the ruler, back when he was still the crown prince, Zhiming had been by his side. Not only did he strategize for the Khan, but he also helped him kill off all oppositions. When the Khan ascended to the throne, he would run errands for the Khan. It can be said that if not for Zhiming, the Khan would not have been able to secure the throne so quickly.”

“Oh? Then it seems that Zhiming is quite a brave and resourceful guy. It seems that I have to think of a good way.”Wu Ning curled his lips upward. The light of the fire reflected on Wu Ning’s face, making Wu Ning’s already handsome face look slightly sneaky.

At this moment, Wu Ning already had a plan in his heart. Actually, there was no need for a plan. Wu Ning only needed to go directly to the Turkish capital and kill them all. However, doing so would only anger the master of this world.

Moreover, Wu Ning also liked this kind of plan. After all, in his previous life, Wu Ning was a wealthy merchant on Planet Blue. Every day, he lived in the midst of schemes and plots. Now that he had started planning again, it brought out nostalgia from the past.

When Wu Ning was studying Planet Blue in the past, he had learned the saying of strategies without victories.

This idiom was about a great general surnamed Lian in the state of Zhao. He was very brave and good at fighting. One day, the state of Qin came to attack the state of Zhao. Because the state of Qin’s military strength was far greater than that of the state of Zhao, if the state of Zhao also sent troops to attack, there was a high probability of failure. Therefore, General Lian used the method of defending the state of Zhao. After defending the state of Zhao for three years, the state of Qin couldn’t do anything. At this time, a strategist surnamed Fan from the state of Qin came up with an idea to use rumors to bewitch the king of the state of Zhao.

The king of the state of Zhao fell for it. He had thought that since General Lian couldn’t fight, he would change the general. At this time, they wantonly advertised that a general surnamed Zhao in the state of Zhao was very brave and good at fighting. If he made a move, the state of Qin would definitely lose, the king of the state of Zhao listened to the rumors and chose General Zhao.

However, General Zhao loved to learn the art of war when he was young and had many opinions on fighting and war in general. It was just that he didn’t have any actual combat experience, so his theoretical knowledge was definitely not a problem. Therefore, before his father died, he said that General Zhao must not be allowed to lead troops into battle as he didn’t have any actual combat experience.

However, the current king of the state of Zhao hadn’t listened to them. He resolutely sent General Zhao to the frontlines to replace General Lian. As soon as General Zhao took command, he used 450,000 troops to attack the 600,000 troops of the state of Qin. The general of the state of Qin was an experienced general, so he feigned defeat and retreated. General Zhao, who was eager for victory, chased after him. In the end, he was ambushed by the general of the state of Qin. The Zhao army was cut off by the Qin army and surrounded.

At this moment, General Zhao knew how strong the general of the state of Qin was. He built a fortress and used a defensive strategy. The Qin army also cut off food and reinforcements supply of the Zhao army. Just like that, the Zhao army was surrounded for 40 days without any food or reinforcements. The morale of the soldiers of the state of Zhao also decreased. General Zhao had no choice but to attack and break out of the encirclement. In the end, General Zhao was shot to death by the Qin army. When the Zhao army heard that their general had died, they threw down their weapons, and the remaining 400 thousand surrendered..