Empire Conquest

Chapter 608 - 604 Royal Authority and Ministerial Authority

Back at home, Bai Zhizhan learned from Zhang Xiaoqing that the storm that had swept over the Imperial Capital recently had been a hundred times fiercer than described by Zheng Jiangming.

On that dark and windy night, it wasn’t only the hundreds of traitorous defectors who met their end.

For safety’s sake, the Empress Dowager had even sent someone to escort the Little Eldest Princess and her family into the Imperial Palace.

Although the entire operation was within Xue Yuanzheng’s control, the gunfire that night had already made the internal conflicts within the Empire public knowledge.

Subsequently, a curfew and martial law were implemented across the Imperial Capital for half a month.

Though it had already returned to normal, the turbulence’s impact had not disappeared, and the conflicts within the Imperial High Command were unresolved.

The matter involved the Imperial Family.

According to Zhang Xiaoqing, Xue Yuanzheng had not reported to the Holy Emperor before taking action, but had waited until the dust settled before heading to the Privy Council.

By then, Song Jiaowen had already resigned, admitting fault.

Moreover, most of the core members of the Conciliation Faction were executed for treason, many of whom refused to obey summons and were executed on the spot by Imperial Guards according to wartime laws.

When Xue Yuanzheng entered the palace, the only option laid before the Holy Emperor was to accept the Grand Secretary’s proposal to have the Cabinet Chief temporarily govern foreign affairs.

Though Zhang Xiaoqing did not say it outright, the implication was clear.

In forcing Song Jiaowen to resign, there was a significant divergence, even conflict, from the Holy Emperor, not merely an affront.

Legally speaking, the Minister of Foreign Affairs ranked among the Five Ministers, far above other ministerial-level officials.

According to regulations set by Emperor Shiwu, the Grand Secretary did not have the authority to dismiss the Minister of Foreign Affairs; they had to first appeal to the Privy Council. Even after the Constitutional Amendment, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was still one of the nine key ministers by law, nominated by the Grand Secretary with appointment and dismissal authority resting in the bicameral discussions.

However, it was wartime.

The Grand Secretary held absolute authority during wartime, managing all military and political affairs of the Empire, and after entering a state of war, the bicameral discussions were entirely suspended, maintaining only a few highly respected yet powerless committees that could offer suggestions and oversight.

Simply put, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was directly accountable to the Emperor.

The problem now was that Xue Yuanzheng had not reported the matter to the Emperor.

Such disregard for imperial authority was clearly a major taboo.

However, the most significant point lay in the strategic divergence.

Although the Emperor was not a Conservative, and had even less to do with the Conciliation Faction, from the Emperor’s standpoint, there certainly was no desire to allow the war to develop limitlessly.

From the ruler’s perspective, both negotiation and warfare were means to maintain rule.

To put it plainly, since victory was attainable, and ample war dividends could be secured after winning — maximizing benefits...

Why continue fighting?

Eliminate the war all at once?

Clearly, only a naïve child would think so.

In the unenlightened classical era, countless robust empires in the annals of history inevitably declined after reaching their peak, ultimately disintegrating amidst strife. Even in modern times, this cycle of fate wouldn’t change significantly.

Moreover, wasn’t the Liangxia Empire born from the flames of war?

Before the last great war, the Western Powers all referred to the Liangxia Empire as the "Warfire Empire."

The difference was that, following the industrial era, those fluctuating through history weren’t isolated empires surrounded by mountains and oceans but the entire world.

In the words of the Empire’s most revered Prime Minister and one of the Eight Pillars, Sage Tang: In the imperial era, peace is like the ephemeral morning dew, while war is the blazing sun and bright moon.

Any period of peace could be seen as preparation for the next war.

Even if the Empire achieved a comprehensive victory, what then?

Could it, having achieved a total victory, bring the whole world under its rule?

This was an utterly impossible task!

And not just for the current empire, even in several decades, it would lack the capability to rule the world, let alone unify all the nations.

From a developmental perspective, no country possesses such strength.

Hence, war was still inevitable in the end.

Even if the empire stepped back and managed to complete its unification, what then?

From the cycle of history, a unified condition could only be maintained for a little over 200 years before leading to massive global chaos.

In the current Holy Emperor’s view, he obviously did not care about the matters of the distant future.

Strategically, the Holy Emperor actually preferred to stop while he was ahead, rather than exhaust all efforts to achieve a complete victory.

To put it bluntly, even Emperor Shiwu had to turn back his horse at Leaf Castle. Did the current empire have a commander wiser than Emperor Shiwu?

Even if there were, who would dare to admit it?

Moreover, after "the Night of Turmoil," Xue Yuanzheng hadn’t visited the Privy Council again.

As Zhang Xiaoqing said, he was fighting with the Holy Emperor.

Given the imperial structure, the Holy Emperor indeed had no way to control him.

The next morning, Bai Zhizhan went to the Navy headquarter.

Learning the situation from Liu Changxun confirmed Zhang Xiaoqing’s words; the rift between the Grand Secretary and the Holy Emperor had semi-publicly escalated.

Fortunately, the situation remained under the Grand Secretary’s control.

What surprised Bai Zhizhan was that Liu Changxun didn’t have him use his status as Prince Consort to mediate, but rather instructed him to focus on his essential duties.

To swiftly initiate a strategic attack at East Ocean.

According to Liu Changxun, no matter whether it’s the Holy Emperor, who advocated for stopping while ahead and gaining initiative, or continuing the battle under the Grand Secretary, maintaining the empire’s interest required victory on the battlefield, and preferably a decisive triumph securing the final outcome.

The only one capable of that was Bai Zhizhan.

Of course, Bai Zhizhan was no fool and immediately understood Liu Changxun’s intentions.

The conflict between the Grand Secretary and the Holy Emperor was like gods battling. Even though Bai Zhizhan held the identity of a Prince Consort and was dearly loved by the Empress Dowager, without his own familial backing, he had no voice in this high-level conflict. If he carelessly got involved, he might even be unable to save himself!

There was another critically important point here.

Xue Yuanzheng was backed by the Tang Family, long the empire’s top political family.

For the past few decades, the Imperial Chief Minister had almost always been from the Tang family or their spokesperson.

Obviously, the conflict between Xue Yuanzheng and the Holy Emperor was one of power struggle between authority and royalty.

In such a battle, Bai Zhizhan, possessing both the identities of a member of the Imperial Family and an Imperial Navy General, was like a mouse in a bellows, vulnerable from all sides.

If handled poorly, he would definitely displease both sides.

According to Liu Changxun, the Imperial Capital was a place of disputes and it was best to keep a respectful distance.

Before seeing Liu Changxun, Bai Zhizhan had wanted to discuss with the Grand Secretary, possibly offering some help. But after meeting Liu Changxun, he discarded that idea.

It was not a matter of effort or lack thereof, but rather, visiting Xue Yuanzheng now could turn out counterproductive.

In Xue Yuanzheng’s eyes, he was the empire’s Prince Consort, a quintessential member of the royal family. Conversely, in the eyes of Holy Emperor, he was an undeniable Navy General, commanded by the Grand Secretary.

Zhang Xiaoqing did not let Bai Zhizhan attack and pay respects to the Empress Dowager first but had him meet with Liu Changxun, related to this very issue.

Bai Zhizhan’s direct superior was the Navy Commander-in-chief.

However, given the current situation in the Imperial Capital, it was indeed wise to leave.