Early the next morning, inside the Imperial Study.
Zhu Youjian sat behind his desk reading one military report after another while his brows slowly knotted tighter and tighter.
The Qing army's vanguard force had already reached Shunyi.
Their advance now threatened the area around his Imperial Estates.
Those estates had recently received a large investment from his Imperial Privy Treasury. He had purchased a huge amount of chemical fertilizer, planted vast fields of crops, and was already daydreaming about a rich harvest this year.
If everything went well, the harvest might even replenish his pitiful private treasury.
Maybe, just maybe, he could finally afford to replace the patched undershirt he had been wearing.
Unfortunately the hateful Jianzhou forces had chosen this exact moment to invade.
If their cavalry reached the Imperial Estates before harvest, then all his hopes for a bumper crop would be completely ruined.
Absolutely ruined.
Zhu Youjian's mood felt like sitting on a drop tower ride.
One moment he was lifted high with hope.
The next moment he plunged straight down into despair.
At that moment a young eunuch entered quietly.
"Your Majesty, the newly appointed Minister of War Lu Xiangsheng requests an audience."
Zhu Youjian immediately brightened.
"Good timing. I was just about to summon him."
"Let him enter."
A moment later Lu Xiangsheng walked in.
His expression looked rather tired.
Of course it would.
Anyone whose father had just died recently would not look particularly energetic.
Unfortunately Zhu Youjian had no time to worry about a minister's family affairs.
The moment Lu Xiangsheng stepped in, the emperor spoke first.
"You came at the right moment. I have something for you to handle."
Lu Xiangsheng had barely opened his mouth when the words got stuck.
"Please give your command, Your Majesty."
Zhu Youjian said,
"The Jianzhou vanguard has already reached Shunyi. My Imperial Estates in Shuntian Prefecture could be looted at any moment. Harvest season is approaching, and I cannot allow this to happen."
"You must immediately think of a way to protect those estates."
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent.
Inside his mind he nearly exploded.
This man is thinking about protecting his private farms?
At a moment like this?
If the person speaking had been an ordinary official, Lu Xiangsheng might already have punched him.
Unfortunately the person speaking was the emperor.
Punching the emperor was generally considered bad career planning.
So he forced himself to swallow his anger.
"Your Majesty, should you not be considering the defense of the entire Ming Empire?"
Zhu Youjian replied calmly,
"My Imperial Estates are also part of the Ming Empire."
Lu Xiangsheng stood there speechless.
Fine.
Very well.
He sighed quietly.
"In that case, I will send a unit to station there."
Zhu Youjian immediately brightened.
"Excellent. Let me think."
"When you came to the capital this time, you brought Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, and Hu Dawei, correct?"
"Yes," Lu Xiangsheng answered.
Zhu Youjian continued.
"I have never heard much about Yang Guozhu or Hu Dawei, but Wang Pu I know well."
"A few years ago when the Jianzhou forces invaded, Wang Pu rushed to defend the capital and defeated them. I personally rewarded him."
"He is a very capable general."
"Let him guard the Imperial Estates."
Lu Xiangsheng nearly choked.
Originally he had planned to send Yang Guozhu, who had the weakest combat ability.
Instead the emperor immediately chose Wang Pu, the strongest commander in Lu Xiangsheng's force.
Sending his best fighter to guard a bunch of farmland was practically sabotage of his counteroffensive plan.
But what could he do?
"Your command will be obeyed."
Zhu Youjian nodded happily.
"Oh right. You came to see me. What did you wish to report?"
So now you remember.
Lu Xiangsheng felt extremely frustrated but quickly began explaining the analysis that Sun Chuanting had previously shared with him.
"Your Majesty, this Jianzhou invasion is different from previous ones."
He spoke for quite some time.
He explained the pressure Mongolia was placing on the Qing.
He described the threat posed by Cao Wenzhao on Pi Island.
He also mentioned the pressure coming from Joseon.
After laying out all these factors, he finally reached his conclusion.
"Your Majesty, our problem right now is not how to defend against the Jianzhou."
"Our best option is to launch a decisive counterattack."
"If we act now, we can recover Liaodong and drive those Tungusic savages back into the forests of the Changbai Mountains, where they belong hunting animals and digging wild roots."
Zhu Youjian listened carefully.
The reasoning sounded convincing.
Yet something inside him still felt uncomfortable.
How could one describe his state of mind?
Deep in his heart he truly wanted the Ming Empire to defeat the Jianzhou.
However, ever since he ascended the throne, the Jianzhou had repeatedly beaten Ming armies into the ground.
After experiencing that for so many years, fear had taken root inside him.
He both hated the Jianzhou and feared them.
This contradictory emotion prevented him from confidently declaring,
"Good. Launch the counterattack."
Instead he hesitated.
"Lord Lu... do you truly believe this is the right moment?"
"What if our counterattack fails and instead gives the Jianzhou an opportunity?"
Lu Xiangsheng answered firmly.
"I have analyzed the situation carefully. This is absolutely the best opportunity."
"If Your Majesty agrees, we can order the King of Joseon to cooperate."
"We can also send envoys to Mongolia, promising border trade."
"The Mongols will certainly support us."
"Three armies attacking together will permanently eliminate the Jianzhou threat."
Zhu Youjian scratched his head awkwardly.
"Many years ago there was a man named Yuan Chonghuan."
"He once made a similar promise to me."
"He said Liaodong would be pacified within five years."
"I believed him at the time."
"You saw how that ended."
"I have been afraid of such promises ever since."
Lu Xiangsheng had no answer.
That was... awkward.
Zhu Youjian thought and thought.
He wanted to destroy the Jianzhou.
Yet he also feared provoking them.
He wanted to eliminate the threat forever.
Yet he also feared that Ming might instead be destroyed.
Inside his mind two little figures appeared.
One white.
One black.
They fought fiercely for quite some time, sweating and struggling, yet neither side could win.
Finally Zhu Youjian sighed.
"I cannot decide."
"Let us do this."
"I will summon the court officials."
"We will hold a meeting at Anding Gate."
"Everyone will listen to your proposal."
"Then we will decide whether to launch a counterattack."
Lu Xiangsheng nodded.
"Very well. I will make sure the ministers understand that this is our best opportunity."
---
Early the next morning.
Inside the inner city of Beijing.
At Anding Gate.
The court ministers had been summoned before sunrise.
They sat in neat rows outside the gate like children sitting together waiting for fruit to be distributed.
Emperor Zhu Youjian sat high on the city wall above the gate.
Below him the ministers stood in several rows across the square.
They whispered among themselves, having no idea why the emperor had summoned them.
Only a few eunuchs close to the emperor knew the topic of the meeting.
Gao Qiqian was one of them.
He sat among several senior eunuchs while watching Lu Xiangsheng prepare his speech.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
So.
This fellow Lu had refused to show him proper respect on his first day in the capital.
Very well.
Today he would return the favor.
Soon Lu Xiangsheng stepped forward.
He had already memorized everything he intended to say.
The moment he began speaking, he launched into an impassioned speech that lasted nearly half an hour.
He explained every reason for launching a counterattack.
He laid out the strategic advantages.
He even pointed out that the roving rebels inside the empire had already been suppressed, meaning domestic affairs were stable and the empire could now focus entirely on external enemies.
He believed that after hearing such a speech, many officials would support him.
Unfortunately he had misjudged the situation.
Ever since the Tianqi era, the Qing had repeatedly beaten Ming forces in battle.
For more than ten years the capital officials had lived under that shadow.
Their courage had long since been broken.
Just like the emperor, they both hated the Qing and feared them.
They wanted to destroy them.
But they were also afraid of provoking them.
After Lu Xiangsheng finished speaking, the entire square fell silent.
Not a single person said anything for quite some time.
Lu Xiangsheng blinked in confusion.
This reaction was completely different from what he had expected.
At that moment Gao Qiqian finally spoke.
"Your Majesty, esteemed ministers, please allow me to say a few words."
"My view of the situation beyond the Great Wall is completely different from Lord Lu's."