The capital.
The imperial palace was covered in thick snow. Palace staff had risen before dawn to clear the paths, ensuring the way from the palace gates to the Hall of Supreme Harmony remained accessible. The white snow blurred the four divine beasts carved on the eaves of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, diminishing their imposing majesty.
Yet, the atmosphere of the morning court remained fervent.
A soldier, holding an urgent dispatch, dismounted before the hall and charged in, breaking the court's order: "Your Majesty, Yangzhou's Yancheng has been attacked and occupied by foreign pirates from overseas. The county magistrate is dead, and the casualties among the populace are unknown. The Prefect of Yangzhou, Feng Yunxian, requests imperial aid."
For a long moment, the vast hall fell into absolute silence.
After a considerable pause, Emperor Changwu finally found his voice: "Repeat yourself, where was attacked?"
"Yangzhou. Yancheng."
"Jiangnan? Overseas pirates, the same sea bandits who previously raided villages?" Emperor Changwu suspected he was hallucinating. He wouldn't be surprised if the Khitan, the Southern barbarians, or the Northern border tribes attacked, but a group of sea bandits who preyed on travelers, attacking defenseless villagers was one thing, yet now they had infiltrated the heavily guarded Yancheng. Surely, this was a jest?
If the Emperor was this astonished, the officials were even more so.
This morning's court was destined to be chaotic. The court erupted into arguments, with everyone questioning the authenticity of this urgent dispatch.
The messenger soldier stomped his feet anxiously, but his lowly status meant no one listened. Finally, Duke Zhenguo, Ouyang Wen, stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I believe the pressing matter is to dispatch troops immediately and drive these audacious sea bandits out of Yancheng, lest the consequences be dire."
Are these people insane? Who would dare to joke about an urgent dispatch? Did they have too many family members?
Jiangnan was the heartland of the Great Yin and its granary.
If those sea bandits used Yancheng as a gateway and fought their way inland, they might one day reach the capital.
While he believed a mere band of pirates couldn't achieve this, what if remnants of the previous dynasty seized the opportunity to cause trouble? Moreover, Gu Yanchen's letter stated... these Japanese must be guarded against.
Ouyang Wen's body stiffened. Gu Yanchen was currently the commander of the Xiao Shan Guard in Yangzhou, and with Yancheng's fall, he would be the first to face consequences. A charge of dereliction of duty would surely be laid at his doorstep. Could this fellow be so unlucky? Having just gotten back on his feet, would he be beheaded?
One should not dwell on bad thoughts, for they tend to materialize.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, an imperial censor stepped forward: "Your Majesty, with Yancheng fallen, such a grave incident, what were the garrisons doing? I request an imperial decree to have them escorted to the capital for severe punishment."
The Minister of War said, "What use are these useless chiliarchs? Escort them to the capital? In my opinion, immediate execution is sufficient."
"They should be torn apart by five horses."
"Beheading a general on the battlefield might not be appropriate; it would be better to let him atone for his crimes through meritorious service."
...
The court descended into chaos once more. Seeing a throng of people eager to shift the blame onto Gu Yanchen, Ouyang Wen was so anxious he nearly paced in circles in the court. He pressed his throbbing temples, and a flash of inspiration struck him: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Emperor Changwu, his head aching from the noise, waved his hand to permit it.
"Your Majesty, Gu Yanchen, the chiliarch of Yangzhou, is a dear friend of mine. He has written to me numerous times, detailing the threat of the Japanese and advising the court to make early arrangements. However, his humble words were unheeded, and his multiple memorials were lost in oblivion..."
"What? He submitted memorials? Grand Chancellor." Emperor Changwu vaguely recalled Ouyang Wen mentioning it a few times, but he believed that although the Duke Zhenguo's family had produced many heroes, Ouyang Wen had been tutored in literature by the Old Madam since childhood and knew nothing of warfare.
Besides, he didn't believe a band of pirates could truly amount to anything, which was why he had always dismissed such matters.
However, this was not something that could be discussed publicly. He immediately thought of the Grand Secretariat. The officials of the Grand Secretariat managed memorials, filtering out trivial matters and only presenting significant ones to the imperial desk. Grand Chancellor Zhao Zong was the administrator of the Grand Secretariat.
In an instant, the Grand Chancellor broke out in a cold sweat. Clutching his jade tablet, he respectfully said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this old servant has not seen Commander Gu's memorial. Perhaps, perhaps the subordinates below deemed it unimportant and... and simply filtered it out."
Before Yancheng fell, even the Emperor himself hadn't considered this matter important, let alone anyone else.
The Great Yin habitually defined its battlegrounds on the borders. To have trouble in the most peaceful and prosperous Jiangnan would be purely to upset the Emperor.
The officials of the Grand Secretariat would naturally not do such a foolish thing.
Emperor Changwu easily grasped the logic of the situation and ordered the Grand Chancellor to investigate thoroughly and retrieve the chiliarch's memorial.
Of course, the pressing issue was still who to send to Yangzhou for support.
Ouyang Wen knew that even with the urgency, the court would inevitably bicker for days over troop deployment. Yet, he felt a sense of relief. Regardless, he had managed to shift the blame of dereliction of duty away from Gu Yanchen.
As for which unfortunate soul the Grand Chancellor would push forward, that was none of his concern.