After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

Although he had guessed who it was, Lu Yanchen was still taken aback when he actually saw the face under the hood.

He looked at Ye Qinghuai, his expression becoming complex and profound, and for a moment it seemed as if even his breath had frozen.

Ye Qinghuai saw in his eyes a mixture of joy and sorrow, like "after the clouds have parted, the moon will shine again," as well as a longing and fear of returning home.

This surprised Ye Qinghuai. Although she had expected Lu Yanchen to be surprised, she never expected him to give her such a richly emotional look.

The way he looked at her made it seem as if they hadn't seen each other for two months, but for two hundred years.

Fortunately, Lu Yanchen quickly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, knelt on one knee, gave a military salute, and said, "This humble general greets Your Majesty. Why...did Your Majesty come in person?"

Lu Yanchen's words brought Ye Qinghuai back to her senses. She regained her serious expression and said, "I must discuss the war with you in person. Sir, there is no need for such formalities. Please rise."

She reached out and gently helped Lu Yanchen up, then walked straight to the table in the hall, took out the folded map of northern Xinjiang from her pocket, and spread it out on the table.

"Time is of the essence, so I will not waste any more pleasantries with you, sir. The situation in Qing County is far from optimistic. The Yingzhou army is acting on orders from the Cabinet, which intends to quell the rebellion in Qing County quickly. Firstly, it is to prevent any leniency from fostering evil and causing other places to follow suit and rebel everywhere. Secondly, the continuous warfare over the past two years has strained our finances and supplies. Grand Secretary Chen and I have done some calculations, and given the current situation, if the war continues, Yingzhou's land cannot support its current population."

Lu Yanchen frowned upon hearing this and retorted, "The food shortage is due to problems with distribution, not a lack of total quantity. If there were no grain taxes and individuals only cared about their own well-being, there probably wouldn't be so many disaster victims."

"But then there would be no money or food to support the army and defend against foreign enemies. The distribution is problematic, but changing the rules is not something that can be done overnight. Right now, we can only try to find a solution within the existing rules. I know that the people of Qing County were forced to rebel, and from my heart, I do not want to punish them. But this matter must be resolved, otherwise even if they do not die under the swords of the Yingzhou army, they will starve to death sooner or later."

Ye Qinghuai paused for a moment, then said, "I have an idea, but whether it will work out depends on you, sir."

Lu Yanchen looked up at Ye Qinghuai, and he seemed to have a vague idea of ​​the emperor's intentions.

“Since the land of Dajing cannot support so many people, then we can only seize other people’s land.” Ye Qinghuai’s eyes turned cold as he continued, “The Western Rong cavalry have been harassing our border people for many years, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil deeds. Now that Dajing is strong and well-equipped, it is time for them to pay the price.”

Before Lu Yanchen could speak, Ye Qinghuai walked straight to the map hanging on the wall and began to sketch the strategy she had previously agreed upon with Lin Yuxiu.

Lu Yanchen followed Ye Qinghuai closely, listening attentively to every word she said, without raising a single objection throughout.

After Ye Qinghuai finished speaking, she turned to look at him and asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Lu Yanchen then spoke up: "Your Majesty said earlier that the court's food supplies are tight. Under such circumstances, can the food supplies sustain the reinforcement of troops in the west?"

Ye Qinghuai was taken aback. She had thought that Lu Yanchen would question her strategy based on just a few words from the classics, just like Lin Yuxiu. However, Lu Yanchen seemed to accept her rash idea very quickly and started discussing with her how to implement it.

"I have come to see you today for this very reason. If I want you to take Shuimogou within three months and defeat the Western Rong within five months, how many men and how much money do you need? Just tell me, and I will raise the funds for you."

Lu Yanchen looked at Ye Qinghuai, a look of worry flashing in his eyes, but ultimately did not ask any further questions. Instead, he replied, "If we only want to win this battle, my five thousand cavalrymen are enough. But if Your Majesty wants to hold onto the conquered territory, I'm afraid even fifty thousand men won't be enough." He then explained, "The Western Rong are mainly composed of light cavalry, and they have always followed the tactic of running away when they can't win, only to return when you retreat. The Western Rong's territory is vast, spanning from east to west like the Great Jing Dynasty, and it has no natural defenses. It's easy to conquer, but very difficult to hold onto."

"I am not greedy. I only want Shuimogou. It is only two hundred miles away from the border of my Great Jing. Is it really so difficult to defend two hundred miles?"

Lu Yanchen pondered for a moment and replied, "If Your Majesty only wants Shuimogou, I can take it for you in two months. I have only one request: I beg Your Majesty to pardon the soldiers and civilians of Qing County. Qi Liyi and others are brave and resourceful. I implore Your Majesty to include them in the Western Army and let them redeem themselves through meritorious service. They will become an important fighting force in the Western Expedition."

After saying this, he took a step back and knelt down in front of Ye Qinghuai at the desk.

Ye Qinghuai frowned slightly. She paused for a moment and said, "Sir, this time the Yingzhou army has deployed its main force, using the pretext of suppressing a rebellion to set up camp and besiege the city for half a month. In the end, they announced to the world that there were no rebels here. Have you considered how the Yingzhou army feels about this? You are leading your troops on a westward expedition, with Yingzhou as your backing. All your supplies and provisions must pass through Yingzhou. If the Yingzhou army harbors any resentment towards you, there are many ways they can trip you up."

"I am not afraid of the Yingzhou army holding a grudge, but I am afraid that the people of Yingzhou will harbor resentment towards my Western Army." Lu Yanchen remained stubbornly kneeling on the ground.

After saying that, he lowered his head and didn't say another word.

Ye Qinghuai did not argue with him further.

She understood Lu Yanchen; in his heart, the common people were more important than her, the emperor, let alone a state army.

But Lu Yanchen didn't care, and she couldn't help but care.

Ye Qinghuai took out the imperial edict from his bosom.

Seeing the imperial edict embroidered with dragon patterns spread out on the table, Lu Yanchen's face showed surprise.

On the bright yellow silk cloth was a sheet of snow-white Xuan paper, which was completely blank.

"Sir, may I borrow some paper and pen?"

After speaking, Ye Qinghuai picked up the brush from the inkstone beside him and wrote a few lines on the blank imperial edict—

I have heard of your reputation and will reward your exceptional talent. Now, the Western Rong have repeatedly caused trouble on the border, which worries me greatly. Lu Yanchen, the commander of the Western Expedition, is loyal and upright in his guards, brave and skilled in battle. I hereby bestow upon him the title of General Who Guards the West, and he shall be tasked with suppressing the rebels. During the campaign, he may draw troops from various prefectures.

After finishing writing, Ye Qinghuai took out the jade seal from his bosom and stamped it at the end.

Then, she stood up, put the imperial seal aside, and carefully examined the imperial edict word by word before raising her head in satisfaction to look at Lu Yanchen.

Her eyes gleamed with unwavering resolve: "I grant your request, sir. The court will not pursue the rebellion in Qing County. I will also clear away any obstacles from the court for you. You may fight with all your might; I will ensure the Western Army's supplies of provisions and weaponry are plentiful." (End of Chapter)