I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 19: Harassment?

Qin Ji did not know anything about what was happening on Prince Chunshan’s side, or rather, even if he did know, he would not go looking for trouble with Prince Chunshan.

After all, the other party was also a prince, the emperor’s own brother. If he wanted to move against the emperor’s own brother, he would have to think twice.

At present, Qin Ji was dealing with military issues.

“The northern barbarians are harassing the border again…” Looking at the military report in front of him, Qin Ji felt a headache coming on. “When was this sent over?”

“Sir, it was just sent over the day before yesterday.”

The internal official responsible for delivering the information said. To speed up the central administration’s efficiency, each department in Tai’an City had its own internal officials. These so-called internal officials were not actually officials but rather played a role similar to messengers. Their duty was to connect various departments and relay messages between different departments that needed to cooperate with each other. Sometimes, internal officials would also be responsible for delivering the emperor’s decrees.

“It was sent over the day before yesterday?” Qin Ji frowned, his tone somewhat severe. “Why did it only reach my hands today?”

“Uh… Sir, according to the rules, military reports must first be delivered to the emperor as a memorial. If the emperor does not have time to handle it, it is then transferred to the responsible official…”

“The emperor has so many things to deal with every day, and it’s common for many memorials to be left aside for a few days. If it’s a matter of governance, a few days’ delay won’t affect the overall situation, but military intelligence is urgent. How can it be treated like this?”

As he spoke, Qin Ji read the military report in front of him. He was truly amused by the so-called “centralization” implemented by the new emperor.

Any major domestic issue must first be reported to the emperor. If it is not handled within three days, it is then transferred to the responsible official… Qin Ji could understand Xia Yuxiao’s intention. In essence, it meant that she had to be consulted on all major state affairs, keeping all power firmly in her hands.

But is there a problem with this approach? Is this how centralization is supposed to work?

If it were about national projects, financial allocations, and so on, a delay of three to five days wouldn’t be a big deal. After all, even following normal procedures, it would take three to five days. But military intelligence is entirely different.

Battlefront intelligence is as urgent as firefighting. If you delay military reports by a day or two, by the time you make the necessary decisions, you might already be preparing for the emperor to defend the borders…

Thinking of this, Qin Ji couldn’t help but sigh. In the end, it still fell to him to handle it. In that case, it would be better to simply discard those cumbersome formalities and let whoever is responsible take charge. That would be better.

“Next time there is military intelligence, send it to me first, and then I will forward it to the emperor for a decision, understood?”

Frowning, Qin Ji held the military report in one hand and compared it to the northern strategic map in front of him while speaking to the internal official.

“But, this…”

The internal official hesitated.

“What’s there to hesitate about? Is what I said difficult to understand?”

He waved his hand impatiently.

The northern barbarians, mostly cavalry, were highly mobile. Although their organization and individual combat skills were far inferior to the soldiers of Daxia, their strength lay in their speed. To deal with them, the military response had to be as fast as possible. If you were faster than them, you could seize the initiative. Therefore, Qin Ji was very opposed to this sluggish military handling system.

“Understood. Should we explain this to the emperor?”

The internal official asked cautiously.

Qin Ji thought for a moment.

Of course, it had to be explained. Regardless of whether Xia Yuxiao’s system had any issues, at least such major matters had to be reported to the emperor. Otherwise, if the message hadn’t reached the emperor’s hands and you intercepted it privately, what would that look like?

“Yes, I will explain it to the emperor when I have time. Just follow my instructions for now.”

Qin Ji was genuinely worried that if this nonsense continued, the enemy would invade the territory, and the court would still be unaware. Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. The emperor herself could only be considered a novice in military command. After all, the emperor was not meant for this. Only the previous emperor, who was keen on expanding territories and full of martial virtue, would personally command battles. Xia Yuxiao’s talents lay mainly in grand strategy, combining the situation. Detailed command should be left to professionals.

The internal official withdrew, and Qin Ji carefully examined the military intelligence in his hand, then found the corresponding location on the map.

In the north, Hanyin City is now occupied by the northern barbarians. This city is a strategic pass and also the gateway to the empire’s border. Therefore, the city walls are sturdy, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, Hanyin City has several large underground granaries and armories. Even if the city is completely surrounded, as long as there are a few thousand soldiers, they can hold out for a month or even a year or two without any problem.

This is the empire’s gateway, and the defense layout was personally set by Qin Ji’s father back in the day. How could it be occupied within a few days? And by a small-scale raid?

Moreover, although the northern barbarians are brave and good at fighting, during the reign of the previous emperor, he sent an army of 100,000 to sweep through the northern royal court. Almost all the royal family members, except for women and children, were executed. This scared the barbarians so much that they did not dare to raid the south again. Now, the empire’s military strength has hardly changed. How dare they attack and seize territory at the border?

At this moment, a voice came from behind him:

“This map is quite strange.”

Qin Ji was startled and quickly turned around. Qin Siyue was standing behind him, her delicate bare feet exposed to the air, her eyes fixed on the map in front of Qin Ji.

“When did you come out? You scared me.” Qin Ji patted his chest. No wonder this girl made no sound. The floor here was carpeted for comfort, and Qin Siyue was barefoot, so there was hardly any sound when she walked.

“I just came to bring you some food.”

Qin Siyue pointed her chin at a plate of crystal-clear shrimp dumplings on the table beside her.

“Alright, I’ll eat in a bit.” Qin Ji said, suddenly remembering what Qin Siyue had just said.

“You just said this map is strange?”

“Considering the enemy positions you just marked, it’s strange,” Qin Siyue added. “Look, Hanyin City is a protruding point of Daxia, like a wedge driven into Hanyin Gorge. This kind of terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the enemy actually chose to target it… Moreover, there are several cities near Hanyin City, built to support and serve as a second line of defense in case Hanyin City is breached.”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t attack Hanyin City. Instead, I would bypass it by taking the melted river route of Hanyin Mountain and launch an attack directly from the eastern riverbank.”

Qin Siyue pointed at the map in front of her.