Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 548 Division of Military Power

Suzong also heard from Li Tan that Li Chu was still in a coma. Li Chu was assigned an important position and had military power, so naturally someone had to take over temporarily.

Just as Dugu Jingyao had thought, the main topic of discussion at today's morning court was who would temporarily take over Li Chu's position and military power.

This morning's court session went on as usual. Emperor Suzong first asked Li Xi to report on the relief efforts for the refugees and gave him a token compliment. He then asked Li Mi to report on the disaster relief efforts and commended Li Chu, Li Mi, and Guo Ziyi for their contributions.

Because Emperor Suzong had not yet dealt with the matter of embezzlement of disaster relief grain and silver by Prefect Du, and Li Mi and Guo Ziyi were both old foxes who had been in the officialdom for many years, they did not mention a word about the matter.

After both sides finished their reports, Emperor Suzong sighed and said, "The King of Chu is seriously injured and still in a coma. I don't know when he will wake up. Although I am worried, the King of Chu's position and military power still need someone to help manage and take over. I wonder if any of you, my dear ministers, have any recommendations for a temporary replacement?"

Li Xi naturally couldn't speak first, so some generals spoke first, led by Lord Xing, who had given Tinglan to Li Xi. Lord Xing said, "Your Majesty, I believe that His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhao has become more steady and capable of great responsibilities after some trials and tribulations."

Some of the Xiao family's disciples also said, "I second the motion."

On the other side were officials like Guo Ziyi who supported Li Chu. Guo Ziyi stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, while the King of Zhao may have been tempered, the King of Chu has many years of military experience. If we rashly let the King of Zhao take over at this time, I'm afraid he'll struggle to win over the people. Furthermore, the situation is complex, and even the slightest misstep could lead to chaos. In my opinion, we should temporarily appoint a seasoned and prudent official to take over, returning his position once the King of Chu regains consciousness."

Besides Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, who had previously received assistance from Li Chu, also said, "Your Majesty, I also think what Lord Guo said makes sense. Leading a large army requires someone with experience. The Prince of Zhao is too young and has no experience leading troops. I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the people if he takes on the position of general right away."

Although Li Xi was unhappy, he did not dare to show it too obviously under Suzong's nose. Fortunately, he still had his mother's family to support him.

Li Xi's uncle then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that no one is born with the ability to lead an army in battle. If Your Majesty is truly unsure about the Prince of Zhao leading the army alone, you can send an experienced veteran to assist him."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Suzong asked, "Minister Xiao's words are reasonable, but I would also like to ask Ministers Li and Guo, since you feel that the Prince of Zhao is not capable of taking on this important task, who is more suitable?"

Li Guangbi spoke first, "Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Guo is the right person. Lord Guo has extensive experience leading troops in battle, and he had contact with the army during the An Lushan Rebellion. I believe that he will be able to take over the army more smoothly."

Although Li Guangbi's words were indeed reasonable, Xiao still refuted: "I am afraid that over time they will develop feelings for each other, and then it is unknown whether this army can be withdrawn."

Guo Ziyi was not to be outdone and said, "Master Xiao, you are overthinking. I know my position. I am your Majesty's subject and I am loyal only to you. Naturally, I will not have other thoughts just because I am leading the troops."

Lord Xiao was about to retort, but Emperor Suzong spoke up, "Alright! This is a court meeting, not a market. If you want to argue, go outside!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, calm down."

Emperor Suzong did not ask them to stand up immediately. Instead, he looked at Li Mi and asked, "Li Mi, you have always been neutral. I want to hear your opinion."

Upon hearing this, Li Mi, who had been silent the entire time, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Lord Li and Lord Xiao say has some truth. Although the Prince of Zhao has achieved great success, he is only a scholar and lacks experience in leading troops. If all military power is handed over to Lord Guo, he may eventually develop disloyalty, just like An Lushan and his followers."

Seeing that he still hadn't come up with a solution, Emperor Suzong asked, "Does Li Aiqing have any recommendations?"

Li Mi continued, "Since we don't know when His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu will wake up, we need a royal relative to stabilize the army. Since Prince Zhao has no experience, why not have him lead the troops, assisted by Lord Guo Ziyi? Alternatively, I suggest that military power should not be concentrated in one person's hands, and that His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhao and Lord Guo each lead a portion of the soldiers."

After hearing this, Emperor Suzong fell into deep thought: "What Li Mi said is true. Guo Ziyi and Chu'er are familiar with each other. In this way, if the two forces each occupy half, they can check and balance each other, so that one side will not become too powerful.

After a long pause, Emperor Suzong slowly spoke, "Minister Li is right. In that case, Prince Zhao and Guo Ziyi will each lead the army, with Li Guangbi assisting Prince Zhao. Once Prince Chu regains consciousness, the military power will be returned to him."

At this point in the morning court session, the issue of the interim replacement has been decided.

Although Li Xi and others were unwilling to accept this, they at least got some military power. They thought that they should not be hasty and should work on the remaining half slowly.