Chapter 597: Trust (1)
Qi Haoran took a step forward and his eyes lit up when he saw the defense layout. “Big Brother, are you going to change the defense layout?”
Qi Xiuyuan nodded. “I came up with this idea in the early years. Now that I have the chance, I naturally have to implement it. In the early days, I really didn’t understand why Emperor Gaozong arranged his troops inside, causing a situation of lax defense on the outside and strict defense on the inside. Later on, the Jin Kingdom and West Xia only made a slight move and they managed to successfully occupy a large portion of my territory. Dali even dared to break away and declare independence without a word. This time, when the Second Prince rebelled, flames of war rose everywhere in the Great Zhou. Not only did the garrison left in the Great Zhou fail to contain the rebellion, but it also made many generals rebel. On the other hand, very few soldiers guarding the borders rebelled. Therefore, I decided to set up most of my soldiers at the borders, leaving only a small number in the prefectures to support them. I’m also assigning enough soldiers to guard the important passes. What do you think?”
Qi Haoran nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his eyes sparkling. “Big Brother, let’s do that.”
Qi Xiuyuan patted his shoulder and said, “That’s why I want you to train those bandits who have been recruited. Although those bandit leaders are unruly, they more or less have the ability to survive in this chaotic world. The reform of the military system requires many generals to be stationed at the border. The soldiers you led previously are already capable of taking charge.”
Hence, Qi Xiuyuan wanted to transfer those people to the border to either be assistants or lead an army alone. However, the reform of the military system posed a greater difficulty. Even if the brothers now controlled most of the military power, they still had to plan slowly.
Qi Xiuyuan’s goal was not only the army in his hands, but also the Yuan family’s army, the Zhu family’s army, and so on. In the future, he wanted these armies to belong to Great Qi and not just one family.
Qi Xiuyuan did not dare to reveal his ambition at this time and could let such thoughts be known to his younger brother.
This was exactly what Qi Haoran wanted. Qi Xiuyuan was the Emperor now, so it was impossible for him to personally manage all the troops and nurture generals. Hence, he could only place the heavy burden on Qi Haoran’s shoulders.
Qi Haoran promised, “Big Brother, don’t worry. In the future, our army will definitely only fight for Great Qi and the commoners of Great Qi. They will no longer fight for one person or one clan alone.”
Qi Xiuyuan’s eyes lit up. He patted Qi Haoran’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Good brother!”
Of course, it was impossible for only the two brothers to carry out such a massive plan. However, there were too few people who could be completely trusted now. Qi Xiuyuan discussed it with Qi Haoran and said, “We can mention this to Rong Xuan and Zijin first.”
Qi Xiuyuan would talk to Rong Xuan while Qi Haoran would talk to Fan Zijin.
When Rong Xuan heard Qi Xiuyuan’s plan, he said, “No, Your Majesty. This way, nearly half of the generals in Great Qi will be under Prince Rong’s wing. In the future, when military power falls, I’m afraid it will be chaos again.”
Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, “I know what you’re worried about, but it’s unnecessary since it’s Haoran. The allegiance of the people he nurtured lies with Haoran, I, and most importantly, Great Qi. They will listen to my orders.”
Rong Xuan frowned. “Prince Rong is indeed pure-hearted now, but can Your Majesty guarantee that he will still be the same ten or 20 years later?”
Qi Xiuyuan sighed. “I can’t guarantee it. But since he’s my younger brother, I’m willing to trust him and take a gamble. Why don’t you wait and see, Jinyu?”
Rong Xuan was silent for a long time, struggling internally. Only until his calves went numb did he say with a sigh, “Since Your Majesty has made a decision, I won’t say anything else. It’s just that I have another question.”
Rong Xuan looked up at Qi Xiuyuan and asked, “What should Prince Rong do after the new Emperor ascends the throne upon your passing?”
Should Prince Rong step down having served his purpose? Or would he stay around and make the new master uneasy with his meritorious service?
Qi Xiuyuan clenched his fists and said, “When the time comes, Haoran will make a choice without me saying anything. Why don’t you have more confidence in him?”
“Power changes people. I’m afraid that no one will be able to remind Prince Rong when the time comes.” Rong Xuan said vaguely, “The Duke of Peaceful State is smart and cunning, and he has deep brotherhood ties with Prince Rong. When the time comes, the new Emperor will take into account the brotherhood between the Emperor and Prince Rong…”
Qi Xiuyuan chuckled and said, “Jinyu, are you so sure that I’ll definitely pass away before Haoran does?”
With a drastic change in expression, Rong Xuan knelt down and apologized. “I deserve to die ten thousand times.”
“Don’t. I was just joking with you.” Qi Xiuyuan quickly walked down and pulled him up. He shook his head and said, “You’ve become more and more reserved recently. In the past, when I said these things to you, you would even roll your eyes at me…”
But now that their statuses were so different, how could he still dare to be so presumptuous?
Rong Xuan lowered his head and the corners of his mouth twitched. He opened his mouth but did not retort.
Qi Xiuyuan said, “I know you’re worried about Zijin gaining power. If Haoran loses his conscience, they will definitely fight with Little Treasure for the throne. This is something I don’t want to see.” Qi Xiuyuan paused and said, “That’s why I didn’t force Haoran to take in a concubine.”
Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows and Qi Xiuyuan said with a smile, “You’ve seen Ah Ling before. What do you think of her?”
Rong Xuan said with a smile, “She looks bold and reckless, but she’s also careful enough and values relationships.”
Qi Xiuyuan nodded. “I’m very assured with her watching Haoran.” He already had 90% confidence in his younger brother. With Mu Yangling supervising him, that 90% became 99%. He felt that the remaining tiny danger was worth taking the risk.
Qi Xiuyuan thought that he was a good judge of character. Other than him and Haoran, Mu Yangling was definitely the person who most didn’t want the two brothers to fight.
Aside from being a righteous person, the key was that she could subdue Qi Haoran.
As for Fan Zijin, it wasn’t that he didn’t have confidence in his cousin. But if Qi Xiuyuan fought with Qi Haoran, although Fan Zijin would feel conflicted and sad, he would definitely stand on Haoran’s side and help him scheme.
That kid looked smart, but he always followed Haoran when it came to important matters. Usually, Haoran would set a direction and goal, and then this kid would come up with a plan to instruct Haoran to charge forward.
For example, the rebellion.
Back then, when he said that he wanted to rebel, Fan Zijin did not even hesitate to help out after a simple mention from Qi Haoran.
Hence, Qi Xiuyuan felt that if Haoran really wanted to fight for power one day, Zijin would definitely stand on his side and help him come up with a plan. After all, this kid did not have many bottom lines. Only Mu Yangling could subdue Qi Haoran.
Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan had already made up his mind, Rong Xuan could not persuade him anymore. Otherwise, it would seem like he was trying to sow discord between the two brothers.
Qi Haoran went to look for Fan Zijin and told him about their goals and plan in the study behind closed doors. Fan Zijin’s first reaction was to frown and ask, “Eldest Cousin handed such an important matter to you. What if he suspects you in the future? You have to know that this means that half of the generals in Great Qi will be born under your hands. It’s equivalent to you controlling half of Great Qi. Can Eldest Cousin tolerate it? In the future, can Little Treasure be at ease with you, an uncle wielding such great power?”
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