LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5 - Before Dealing with External Threats, One Must First Settle Internal Affairs
“Oh, Han Marquis, my dear Han Marquis, how did I end up with a teammate like you?!”
Lu Ping almost lost his composure as he read the message on the screen.
[Year 527 of the Jing Calendar, the Han Empress, citing a desire to avoid disrupting the court, ordered you to enter the court to assist in governance and seize the opportunity to gather evidence of Li Wenfu’s treachery.]
[In the same year, Li Wenfu sent an envoy to propose cooperation, which you sternly rejected.]
[The following January, Right Minister Li Wenfu, in collaboration with Prime Minister Kuang Qi, set up a banquet with ill intentions. After attending the banquet at the palace under the King’s invitation, you were ambushed. Despite several attempts to break through the encirclement with your personal guards, you were ultimately overwhelmed and died in battle.]
Lu Ping was exasperated. Due to the high favorability in the simulation, he couldn’t refuse the Han Empress’s orders. Additionally, the simulated character’s low political attributes caused him to miss many critical opportunities. All these factors combined led to his downfall after just three rounds.
Well, he had expected to lose eventually—after all, a perfect victory in one life is quite difficult.
But he hadn’t anticipated such an ending; it wasn’t even a battle-related loss!
It was just too frustrating.
[Game Over.]
[Your life was legendary, born a descendant of royalty yet always harboring a strong sense of patriotism. At a young age, you joined the frontier, achieved victories at Mount Xi and against the Quanrong, and guarded the border for ten years. Your prestige and military power reached their peak, just one step away from pacifying the Quanrong and restoring the old capital.]
[Year 527 of the Jing Calendar, under the emperor’s secret edict, you sought to eliminate traitors and save the nation. You led three thousand troops back to the capital, leaving the remaining army to guard the frontier, with plans to conquer the Quanrong once the court was stabilized.]
[The wind is bleak, and the water of Yi River is cold; the brave warrior sets out, never to return.]
[Invited to court by imperial decree, you found yourself entangled in political schemes, eventually meeting your demise. Do you now long for the days of your military campaigns?]
[Year 528 of the Jing Calendar, you were ambushed and killed after attending a banquet.]
[This military campaign’s rating: 79 points.]
[Historical Image: Positive.]
[Historical Evaluation: You served your lord with unwavering loyalty, defeated your enemies as a champion, and were regarded as a righteous hero by the world.]
Lu Ping sighed for a few moments.
He had expected a verdict of victory or defeat, but the historical evaluation seemed quite positive?
However, as he scrolled down, he discovered a related historical event.
[The New City Uprising: Refers to the military coup led by Military General Lin upon learning of Lu Ping’s death. Leading three thousand cavalrymen, he stormed the capital, Luoyang. After breaking through the city, he purged Li Wenfu’s faction, resulting in the death of over 1,300 ministers and officials. This led to the largest political upheaval in the history of the Great Jing Dynasty. Subsequently, the royal family’s prestige declined, the emperor’s authority weakened, and the various vassal states gradually ceased paying tribute, marking the beginning of an era of feudal lords vying for power.]
Lu Ping was slightly moved. Although he hadn’t expected to gain any memory or specific achievements from the simulation, the game was impressively realistic, especially in its attention to detail.
It even simulated the fate of someone like Military General Lin.
However, looking back, Lu Ping was dissatisfied with this simulation.
What had he been fighting for during those ten grueling years on the western frontier?
To leave his name in history?
No!
From start to finish, Lu Ping’s goal had always been Luo Jinxuan.
In the end, not only did he fail to even hold her hand, but even with the Lü Bu template, he ended up with such a frustrating death…
Fortunately, this didn’t affect Lu Ping too much.
Failure is the mother of success. Instead of lamenting, he decided it was better to think about how to improve his success rate in the next simulation.
In summary, the root cause of his failure in the first playthrough was that Lu Ping had spent too many years focused solely on eradicating external threats, neglecting the changes within the court.
This gave an ambitious figure like Li Wenfu the opportunity to seize control after the emperor’s death.
Something seems off!
According to the background information, Emperor Zheng was a wise ruler, so he should have been aware of Li Wenfu’s ambitions.
Moreover, the Great Jing Dynasty had already experienced the dangers of external relatives seizing power when it was first established.
So why would Emperor Zheng allow Li Wenfu to grow so powerful?
Lu Ping frowned as he reviewed the background information and finally found the reason.
It turned out that Emperor Zheng was well aware of the dangers of powerful ministers, so on his deathbed, he appointed three regents. Ostensibly, this was to assist the new emperor, but in reality, it was to balance Li Wenfu’s influence.
However, fate had other plans. Just after Emperor Zheng passed away, one of the three regents, Xiong Shang, fell ill and retired from court.
This caused the military faction led by Chu Marquis to lose its backbone, and the remaining two factions of civil officials quickly expanded their power.
Li Wenfu, leveraging his status as a royal relative and Luo Jinxuan’s trust, easily eliminated the other regent.
Lu Ping sighed, “The ancients were right—before dealing with external threats, one must first settle internal affairs!”
So this time, he would change his strategy and start by dealing with the court!
[Begin Simulation…]
…
As Lu Ping was killed, Luo Jinxuan’s hopes of regaining imperial power were also dashed.
Li Wenfu, now without opposition, used the emperor as a puppet to command the vassal states. Luo Jinxuan spent twenty years in confinement before dying in despair.
[Simulation Over. Do you wish to retain the memory of this simulation?]
[Retain.]
Luo Jinxuan, somewhat dazed, subconsciously responded.
As the memories flashed before her eyes, she saw images of the past.
[Emperor Zheng, diligent and tireless, ruled with vigor, creating an unprecedented era of prosperity.]
[Li Wenfu, ever respectful and kind, patiently taught the young Luo Jinxuan, his cunning barely noticeable.]
[Luo Jinxuan, crowned and poised, ascended the throne, her calm gaze concealing the grand blueprint for the dynasty in her heart.]
Scenes from the past floated by, leaving Luo Jinxuan sighing with a mix of emotions in her heart.
Finally, the image of a familiar yet distant figure came into view.
[Lu Ping, in his youth, a brave and unparalleled warrior, charged alone into enemy formations, unstoppable like a god of war.]
[Behind Lu Ping, flags waved, and countless resolute faces clenched their fists and shouted: “The General is invincible!”]
Unknowingly, Luo Jinxuan’s gaze softened, feeling as if Lu Ping’s imposing figure possessed a power that could melt anything.
But then, the scene shifted, and she saw Lu Ping’s ambush and tragic death.
“Lord Lu, it was I who failed you!”
Luo Jinxuan’s face showed shame as she bit her lip in regret.
Back when Li Wenfu controlled the court, there was no one in the entire court she could rely on, except for Lu Ping, who had been unwaveringly loyal. And yet, she had once doubted him.
If Lu Ping had harbored even a trace of selfishness, he wouldn’t have met such an end.
After all, when he first returned to court, even Li Wenfu had admired Lu Ping.
But Lu Ping, with his unshakeable loyalty and righteousness, stood firmly by Luo Jinxuan’s side, ultimately causing Li Wenfu to give up any thoughts of recruiting him and instead decide to kill him.
[Would you like to start the game?]
Luo Jinxuan, both anxious and hopeful, chose to start once again.
…
[Initializing, please prepare…]
The screen before Lu Ping flickered once more.