Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 598: Chapter 304: Feeding Merits

The emperor’s decree to send Prince Chu as the commander to recover the Shu region was like a bolt from the blue to the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. This blow was heavy, leaving them dizzy and caught off guard.

Before this matter, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai thought that Prince Chu was nothing more than a pawn to balance them and wouldn’t pose a fatal threat. Besides, most of the ministers supporting Prince Chu in the court were civil servants. Although the emperor married General Lu’s daughter to Prince Chu, General Lu did not have much military power. Most importantly, Prince Chu had not yet achieved any significant military merit for the Great Zhou.

However, now things were different. If Prince Chu successfully recovered the Shu region, it would be a monumental achievement, comparable to when Prince Dai recovered Liangzhou, or even surpassing it.

Although Liangzhou is larger than the Shu region, in terms of geographical location and resources, Liangzhou cannot compete with Shu. Most importantly, the Shu region has been occupied by the rebel Han Zhong for decades. Recovering Shu would significantly enhance the national prestige of the Great Zhou and deter the unruly rebels.

Also, both the late emperor and the current emperor have always wanted to recover the Shu region, but due to various reasons, it was temporarily impossible to reclaim it. Now the opportunity has come, and finally, the Shu region can be recovered.

This time, the recovery of Shu must succeed, meaning the court has made ample preparations and won’t fail. Moreover, with Zhang Gong as the Deputy General assisting, it is impossible not to reclaim Shu. That is to say, no matter who is the commander, they can successfully recover Shu. In other words, by sending Prince Chu to recover Shu, the emperor is effectively feeding the military achievement directly to Prince Chu.

When the emperor is feeding military achievements, who wouldn’t be jealous? Who wouldn’t be envious? The anger and displeasure of the Crown Prince and Prince Dai is normal, especially for Prince Dai.

Prince Dai joined the army at twelve years old, fighting countless battles of all sizes and earning numerous military merits. Of course, when he first commanded troops, the deputy general assisting him was also experienced, helping him win some battles, but that deputy general couldn’t compare to Zhang Gong.

Who is Zhang Gong? One of the four Great Generals. He has been fighting alongside the emperor since childhood, with countless military achievements together with the emperor. It is no exaggeration to say that even the combined military achievements of ten Prince Dais wouldn’t match Zhang Gong’s.

Prince Dai has always believed that he earned his many military achievements through his direct efforts. In terms of commanding troops in battle, the emperor has never shown favoritism towards him. And now that Prince Chu is going to war, the emperor has sent Zhang Gong to assist; how could Prince Dai not be envious and discontent?

Through this matter, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai finally realized that Prince Chu was not a mere pawn but a formidable contender for the throne.

Because of this event, the court’s dynamics changed significantly.

In the court, although there were quite a few ministers supporting Prince Chu, they were still not as numerous as those supporting the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. But now, due to this matter, some ministers who were previously on the fence are now aligning with Prince Chu, gradually forming a tripod stance.

Officials in court are all shrewd individuals, especially those who can attend morning court sessions, each more astute than the last. Seeing the emperor’s arrangement, they understood that the emperor valued Prince Chu more than they had imagined. Some ministers speculated that the emperor’s true favored candidate was not Prince Dai, but Prince Chu.

Although Prince Chu has a cold temperament, giving off a "keep your distance" vibe, many ministers have a positive impression of him. Furthermore, before leaving the capital, Prince Chu never formed cliques, nor did he curry favor with ministers, conducting himself very discreetly and never ostentatiously, which left a good impression on the ministers.

After becoming a titled king, Prince Chu did not choose to remain in the capital to develop his forces but went without hesitation to his fief in Liangzhou. After arriving in Liangzhou, he focused all his efforts on developing and improving it, ensuring the local people live well. As for the ministers in the capital, he maintained his previous stance, never trying to win them over, and was indifferent to those supporting him.

For Prince Chu, it didn’t matter whether the ministers in the capital supported him or not; he didn’t care at all. Ordinarily, with this attitude, the ministers supporting him would be disappointed and stop supporting him. But the opposite is true: these ministers are devoted to him, remaining loyal even if he doesn’t pay attention to them. They originally were students of the Imperial College. Regardless of their motives, it cannot be denied that they are loyal to Prince Chu.