NOVEL NEXT Chapter 255: The Cracks of the Heavenly Order
< 255. The Cracks of the Heavenly Order >
On the surface, Han had suffered no losses in this war against the Huns.
Although the Western Protectorate had been reduced to ashes, the Huns army that occupied it had only taken what they could and left for Rome.
When the unified Huns first appeared, Han had recalled the nightmare they had experienced in the past and hastily gathered their troops.
But it was a sensitive time when Emperor Xiaoxuan had died and his eldest son Liu Shi had ascended to the throne, so they could not make a proper response.
Fortunately, the Huns army had gone elsewhere, which was a relief. If they had attacked Han, they would have inflicted irreparable damage.
But it was not all good news.
In fact, Han had already shown signs of financial collapse before.
Emperor Xiaoxuan of the previous generation was a competent emperor, so it was not so obvious, but his use of eunuchs was also a factor that had a negative impact on the future.
Liu Shi, who was a follower of Confucianism, tried to appoint young scholars after he took the throne, but it was too difficult to overcome the influence of the entrenched eunuchs.
Naturally, he was pushed back by the eunuchs and the scholars fell from power, and the political system became firmly centered on the eunuchs.
Liu Shi tried to secure some finances by reducing excessive taxes and banning lavish banquets and luxury goods, but nothing improved.
The fundamental problem was that too much money was leaking out in all directions, and he failed to properly address it.
On the contrary, he abolished the monopoly system and caused more adverse effects on the financial situation.
In this situation, he hastily formed a defense force to prepare for the invasion of the Huns, so it was inevitable that the country would falter.
The problem was that the Huns left for Rome as if mocking Han’s defense.
As a result, they wasted a lot of money, but at least they did not get attacked by the Huns, so they could breathe a sigh of relief.
“What will happen if the Huns fight Rome?”
Liu Shi was not an incompetent person, even though he was overly sentimental and Confucian.
He was trying to face the current situation properly.
“We need to consider three scenarios: if the Huns lose to Rome, if Rome loses to the Huns, or if neither happens. We need to prepare countermeasures accordingly.”
“Your judgment is wise, Your Majesty.”
Hong Gong, who had been serving as the emperor’s closest aide since the previous reign, bowed his head and spoke.
“I have already ordered all our resources to monitor the movements of the Huns.”
“Then what do our generals expect from the outcome of the war?”
“Well… there are more arguments that the Huns will win, but opinions are not easily unified.”
Liu Shi frowned at Hong Gong’s high-pitched voice and turned his gaze to the officials standing in front of him.
“Those who have plausible opinions should speak up. I will listen and decide on our future policy.”
Shi Xian, another eunuch who dominated the power of the palace with Hong Gong, stepped forward and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty. According to General Yi Qing’s words, the power of the Huns cavalry is beyond imagination. Their strength was barely stopped by Emperor Gao and Emperor Xiaowu had to mobilize all his national power to defeat them. They are barbarians, but they are always hungry for slaughter and struggle. Their momentum is truly terrifying. This is a common opinion among generals who command cavalry.”
Emperor Gao’s humiliating treaty with the Huns was an inconvenient truth that Han tried to ignore.
But no matter how much they tried to justify themselves, everyone knew that Han could not stop them when they were at their peak in the past.
“So General Yi Qing thinks that the Huns can easily crush Rome?”
The general who was pointed out by Liu Shi politely bowed his head and nodded.
“My opinion is as Seokdaegong said. Even when the Huns were weaker than before, we did not underestimate them.
But now that they have united again, they must have regained their old power that was notorious in the past. They also integrated many barbarian tribes as they advanced westward and formed a powerful force beyond imagination. Objectively speaking, no country can resist their attack.”
“Does that mean we are also in danger if they turn their direction and come this way?”
“I’m sorry to say so. But even if they do come, we will not fight them head-on. We will use our excellent fortification skills and face them from behind our walls. Please don’t worry too much.”
Liu Shi asked again with a cautious expression.
“But isn’t that a strategy that Rome can also take?”
“Yes. Of course it is. But that’s because we have fought a lot with the Huns and we know how strong their cavalry is. We can immediately take the best strategy. Rome has little information about the Huns. They have never lost in the west and built a great empire, so they will not be afraid and fight even if the Huns invade.”
“That’s a convincing opinion.”
Liu Shi nodded his head and turned to the other side.
“What do you think, General Guo Do?”
The opinion of General Guo Do, who was considered second only to the commander-in-chief in rank, would be the general perception of the army.
A middle-aged man with a stern face stepped forward with a respectful attitude and bowed his head.
“I, General Guo Do, will say one thing. As Yi Qing said, if they fight head-on, the Huns will have an advantage. That’s the general view. But Rome is a great country that has more land than us and can conscript hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Even if they lose, they won’t collapse without a fight.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. That’s based on the words of merchants and envoys. They have never lost in the west and built a great empire, so they will not be afraid and fight even if the Huns invade.”
“The war could drag on… that’s what they say.”
“Yes. And our conclusion is that no matter who wins, there will be no small amount of damage.”
No matter whose opinion they listened to, most of them thought that the Huns would win.
And reports that supported this opinion had been coming up for months.
“The Hunnic cavalry has broken through the northern border of Rome.”
“The Huns retreated temporarily after the Roman counterattack, but they soon launched a flanking maneuver and annihilated a whopping 200,000 Roman troops.”
“200,000 annihilated?”
“It’s over. There’s no way to beat those barbarians in a head-on clash.”
The Han officials wanted to establish a policy based on the premise of Rome’s defeat.
But as if to mock their movements, completely reversed reports came in as the season changed.
“The Huns have withdrawn massively under the pressure of the Roman army.”
“There are rumors that the Huns suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Romans in a large-scale battle on the plain. The news came through the merchants.”
Liu Shi widened his eyes at the report that was completely different from his expectations.
Just a few months ago, he had heard that Rome’s 200,000-strong army had been wiped out.
What was this nonsense?
Hong Gong and Shi Xian also looked noticeably flustered.
“The Huns lost to the Romans on the plain? That can’t be. How could they lose to a side that had already lost 200,000 troops?”
“Well, that’s still just a rumor. We haven’t confirmed it yet. Because the distance is too far away, it will take at least half a year before we can grasp the situation here.”
“Half a year is too long. Finish it within three months!”
They had already made plans based on the Huns’ victory, but they might have to scrap them all and start over.
Hong Gong heard Liu Shi muttering to himself as he buried his back in the throne.
“Everyone said that there was no chance of winning a frontal war with the Huns. But if Rome repels them… does that mean Rome has much more military power than us? Is that how I should see it?”
The wrinkles on Hong Gong’s old face deepened.
He was an eunuch who loved power, but he was not incompetent.
If Rome crushed the Huns head-on, he understood what that meant.
‘This is not a good sign. If we’re not careful, we might get the impression that the Han Empire is inferior to Rome.’
Hong Gong immediately received an imperial order to mobilize all his resources and find out the exact course of the war with Yi Qing.
Hong Gong was too old, so Yi Qing mostly took charge of this matter.
From Han’s point of view, it was best for the Huns and Rome to fight each other and ruin each other, but the reports they heard were incomprehensible.
“The war ended with Rome’s victory for sure. The ruler of the Huns, Mukdol (Bayatur), was executed by Marcus, the Eastern Emperor of Rome himself. According to the information we barely collected, Rome’s cavalry completely overwhelmed and smashed the Hunnic cavalry.”
When this final report came up at a meeting where all the key officials were gathered, there was only silence in Imperial Palace.
Liu Shi looked around at his officials with disbelief and asked.
“Didn’t you say that the Hunnic cavalry was stronger than we imagined?”
“…”
“General Guo Do, General Yi Qing. Speak up. Your predictions were completely off.”
“···We apologize.”
They had no choice but to discard all the policies and strategies they had established based on their previous predictions.
Liu Shi began to doubt the abilities of his generals who had confidently assured him.
“Didn’t you say that there was no answer but to fight inside the walls if the Hunnic cavalry invaded? But Rome completely crushed them in a frontal battle on the plain. Is there such a difference in strength between us and Rome?”
“···In the past, Emperor Wu also sent an expeditionary force and expelled the Huns.”
“Weren’t you guys saying that the Huns now are much stronger than they were then?”
“···We heard that Marcus, the Eastern Emperor of Rome, has been waging wars of conquest and expanding his territory until recently. Maybe he made a lot of progress in combat because he kept fighting until recently.”
Liu Shi frowned at his officials’ groveling voices.
So basically they were saying that Rome’s current strength was far superior to Han’s.
No matter how powerful they were, Rome was still fundamentally barbarians from the west.
He didn’t want to admit that they had more power than Han Empire, which was the center of heaven and earth.
Moreover, recently Han’s power elite had been completely addicted to sugar and wine imported from Rome.
Not only that, but recently a mysterious black liquid called coffee had also come in, and even Liu Shi couldn’t let go of this black liquid.
The mere fact that there were people who could keep making these new things was damaging to the dignity of the emperor.
Shi Xian, sensing that Liu Shi was not in a good mood, quickly stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, no matter how excellent Rome in the west is, it cannot be compared to the Han Empire, which has a long history. The upper class of Rome are nothing but barbarians who can’t even wear decent clothes without the silk we give them.”
Hong Gong also agreed with Shi Xian and came forward.
“That’s right. As much as we import goods from Rome, they also take our superior culture. It is certain that the trade balance will tilt to our side over time.”
It was a rosy prediction without any basis, but Liu Shi’s mind was slightly relieved.
But just then, an official rushed into Imperial Palace and knelt down, hitting his forehead on the floor and shouted.
“Your Majesty! The envoy from Rome has notified us that they will reduce the amount of silk they take by one-tenth.”
A moment of silence enveloped Imperial Palace.
Shi Xian, who had just been trying to soothe Liu Shi’s mind with the profits from silk exports, shouted with his eyes wide open.
“They said they would reduce the silk imports by one-tenth, not increase them by one-tenth? How can that be?”
“Well, that’s… maybe they decided to produce silk themselves in Rome.”
The people who were gathered in the place couldn’t understand what they had heard for a moment.
Hong Gong’s mouth opened wide and his lips trembled as he realized the situation belatedly.
“Ho, how… did the silkworms leak out? When did that happen?”
< 255. Cracks in the Heavenly Order > End