Chapter 273 A Farce to Buy a Shop (2)_1
Indeed, prompted by the hidden manipulators, it was not long before thousands of soldiers at the border began to suffer from incessant diarrhea. Some, with severe symptoms, were already dehydrated to the point where they could not even walk. The doctors in the military were so busy they spun in circles, yet they could find no cause, and were at a complete loss.
The urgent report reached the Emperor’s presence, and Emperor Huian was enraged. The soldiers and doctors at the border might not have understood, but did he not understand after he had just ordered a reprimand of King Heng? He had originally thought that it was merely a temporary mistake of King Heng, who had been incited by subordinates to sell moldy grain privately, but who knew the moldy grain had already infiltrated the military and was harming tens of thousands of soldiers defending the border.
Once the soldiers guarding the border encountered problems, military morale would inevitably become unstable, and if the barbarians outside the Great Wall took advantage of the situation...
Thinking of the potential consequences, a cold sweat broke out on Emperor Huian’s back, and he cursed King Heng, the chief culprit who had triggered these events, until he was blue in the face.
Emperor Huian being a wise ruler, immediately dispatched the best imperial physicians from the Taiyi Hospital to the border to treat the poisoned soldiers.
Merely treating the soldiers and soothing their spirits was not enough; if severe punishment was not meted out to King Heng, the fifty thousand soldiers deeply poisoned at the border would never be appeased. Once resentment took root, who would risk their lives for the domain of Great Chu?
In order to appease the soldiers at the border and stabilize their morale, Emperor Huian, despite his fondness for King Heng, could no longer protect him. The following day, an Imperial Edict was issued, demoting King Heng’s title from Prince to Commandery Prince Heng.
It might seem like a mere one-rank demotion, yet for King Heng, who aspired to regain that rank, it was now a difficult task. Moreover, King Heng—or rather, Commandery Prince Heng—had been eyeing the Crown Prince’s position, which seemed within reach, but suddenly a chasm had appeared before him, certainly enough to leave him choking with frustration.