Jiuxi

Chapter 779 [Please Enter the Capital]

October of the first year of Dingzheng was warmer than in previous years. Although it was cold in Dingzhou, it was not yet bone-chilling.

There was not even a trace of cold wind in the warm room at the back of the Governor's Mansion.

There were two cradles in the middle, one for each of Lu Chen's children. Young Master Lu was sleeping soundly at the moment, drooling from his lips from time to time. Song Pei was watching beside him, carefully wiping his saliva with a soft towel.

Miss Lu stared with her big round eyes, lying in the cradle with her hands supporting her body, looking curiously at her brother who was only ten days older than her, occasionally babbling.

"I can tell right now that the eldest brother will be very afraid of his sister in the future."

After a long period of observation, the bored Duke of Shanyang, Lu Chen, spoke seriously.

Lin Xi smiled and said, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing is a good thing."

Lu Chen curled his lips and said with a headache: "But the eldest brother only eats and sleeps all day, or he pees on me when I hold him. I'm afraid this is not good. Although the younger sister is ten days younger than him, look at how energetic she is. You can tell at a glance that she is a good candidate for martial arts."

Before Lin Xi could speak, Wang Chulong, who was sitting next to her, put down the book in her hand and said with a smile, "Husband, they are only one month old, aren't you too anxious?"

"He's not in a hurry at all. He's just free."

Lin Xi also laughed and glanced at Lu Chen: "If you are really bored, why don't you go to the training ground outside the city and lead the soldiers to practice."

"Don't mention it. Every time I go there, they are like chicken blood. They are eager to go to the border to kill the enemy immediately, but the effect is not good. Besides, the commanders of each army are very responsible and dedicated. They don't need me to teach them step by step."

Lu Chen rested his hands on the back of his head, leaning sideways on the couch.

In fact, Lin Xi was not wrong. He had indeed been too idle during this period.

The rest and reorganization of the Dingzhou armies has ended. Lu Chen redivided the defense zones. The four main forces of Zhenbei Army, Laian Army, Ningyuan Army and Feiyun Army were divided into two, guarding Yaoshan Pass, Qingliu Pass and Dingfeng Road respectively. The Seven Star Army was still responsible for guarding the Baotai Mountain area in the northeast of Dingzhou.

The Panlong Army and the Guangling Army were stationed in the southwest from Pingli City to Teng County, while the Dingbei Army and the Feiyu Army cavalry patrolled the border.

Perhaps it was because Lu Chen's contribution to saving Jingzhou from defeat was too great, and the strength of the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office was severely damaged, and in the future it could only rely on the Dingzhou Army to continue trying to recover Heluo, so the emperor specially asked the Military Academy to discuss and add two new armies in Dingzhou, namely the Fengfu Army and the Ruyin Army.

Lu Chen then petitioned the emperor to promote Xu Gui to the commander-in-chief of Fengfu Army and Huo Zhen to the commander-in-chief of Ruyin Army. The chief generals of other armies remained unchanged, but some outstanding young generals were promoted to serve as their deputies.

In this way, the troops under Lu Chen's command expanded to one battalion and eleven armies, with a total strength of 138,000 people.

The officials of the Governor's Office, such as Liu Yuan, Chen Xun and Huang Xianfeng, are loyal and capable. They can take care of all the details as long as Lu Chen finalizes the general framework.

The commanders and deputies of each army are all experienced warriors, so Lu Chen does not need to worry too much about them, let alone do everything himself.

The inside is in order and the outside is equally calm.

The spies planted by the Weaving Bureau in the territory of Jing State subsequently sent two more pieces of intelligence.

The martial arts skills of the Emperor of Jing State were unexpectedly high. Facing the fatal attack from the middle-aged scholar Du Weizhen, although he was seriously injured, he was not seriously injured. At least he was able to manage the affairs of state and was not bedridden.

However, judging from his subsequent arrangements, this injury has actually prevented him from moving forward.

The most obvious manifestation is that the Jing army, which had been arrogant and domineering for decades, has switched to full defense.

The army deployed by Emperor Jing on the northwest border initially took a forward-pressing posture, but the Dai Emperor Geshukui knew this powerful old rival too well. He knew at a glance that the other party was well prepared and wanted to use the Dai army as an attack to boost morale. So he decisively chose to retreat the front line, dig deep trenches and build high fortifications to hold his ground, and did not give the Jing army any chance at all.

The Jing army on the southern front hid in its shell just like the Dai army. The Dai governor Shanyang, who replaced Wuyan Shu, strictly followed the orders of Emperor Jing and guarded the Tongbai defense line and Shenze'an County area with heavy troops. Even when the Dingbei cavalry appeared in their sight, the Jing army cavalry, which once dominated the world, simply turned a blind eye.

In the court of Jing State, the third prince Wu Yan was made the crown prince. Perhaps this was an unavoidable choice for Emperor Jing, but it had a good effect in stabilizing people's hearts.

The military reform that Emperor Jingdi had previously planned to implement was temporarily suspended, and the military power in the hands of Qing Yugong, Sagai and others was retained. Because of this timely move, the undercurrents within Jingguo were temporarily calmed down.

As for the Jiagu clan that followed the fourth prince in rebellion, the leader Jiagu Yong had his property confiscated and his clan exterminated, and the Jiagu clan's foundation was divided up by the royal Alihe clan and the other four major clans.

The members of the Jiagu clan were naturally filled with hatred, but this time they were completely powerless to resist. This was not only the will of Emperor Jing, but the other four major clans were also happy about it.

"I thought my husband would take advantage of the instability in Jing State to raise an army to retake Heluo."

After feeding Miss Lu, Wang Chulong straightened her clothes, came out from the inner room, sat down, and spoke with a smile.

Lu Chen said calmly: "I did consider this, but the court rejected it with a very correct reason - the national treasury is scarce and it is difficult to sustain food and grass."

Lin Xi said bluntly: "Emperor Jing was injured and the country was in turmoil. Some people in the south might be overjoyed. How could they allow you to continue to make achievements?"

Wang Chulong sighed and said, "After all, the Central Government holds the lifeline of the border army's logistics. My husband is a skilled cook who can't cook without rice."

Lu Chen's eyes were calm, and it was impossible to tell what he was really thinking at the moment.

As his closest bedmates, Lin Xi and Wang Chulong, who are as sensitive as they are, have recently noticed changes in their husbands. He often likes to think alone, and although he had this habit before, both women can feel that he seems to be planning something very important, but he just won't reveal it to them.

Lin Xi looked at Lu Chen, who had fallen silent again, with some worry, and said softly, "There's something I can't figure out."

Lu Chen immediately came back to his senses and asked, "What's the matter?"

Lin Xi stared into his eyes and said slowly, "Since the emperor and the important officials in the court are as wary of you as they are of thieves, why did they allow the Dingzhou Governor's Office to set up Fengfu Army and Ruyin Army?"

"the reason is simple."

Lu Chen certainly would not pretend to be profound in front of them, and said calmly: "Whether it is the emperor's reward to the two little guys or letting Dingzhou Governor's Office add two armies, on the one hand, it is to tell the world that the court rewards and punishes clearly and will not treat meritorious officials unfairly, and on the other hand, it is to reassure me."

"Safe?"

Wang Chulong frowned slightly and whispered, "They want to paralyze my husband?"

Hearing this, Lin Xi's eyes suddenly became sharp. Miss Lu in the cradle not far away seemed to sense something and looked at her timidly.

Lin Xi immediately suppressed the slightly overflowing murderous aura.

Although she is now a wife and mother, she is still one of the top ten martial arts masters in the world.

Just as Lu Chen was about to answer, a maid's voice suddenly rang out from the corridor outside.

"Sir, the former housekeeper has informed us that the imperial envoy sent by the court has arrived."

Lin Xi and Wang Chulong looked at their husbands at the same time, their eyes full of concern.

Lu Chen slowly stood up, signaling them not to worry, and said with a smile: "I'll go see what those people are up to."

After a while, Lu Chen came to the main hall of the Governor's Mansion and was slightly startled when he saw the person coming.

He had received too many imperial edicts over the years and had seen many angels delivering imperial edicts. Although it was not as common as eating and drinking, it was difficult for him to feel any ripples in his heart.

He originally thought he would see his old acquaintance Yuan Yuji, but unexpectedly, the person who appeared in his sight was the current Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Li Liangyu.

It is impossible for Li Zongben not to know the relationship between Lu Chen and the Li family. This arrangement is really intriguing.

Li Liangyu looked exhausted, and had changed a lot compared to the past. He looked more solemn and serious, and had a bit of Li Tianrun's demeanor.

His eyes were somewhat complicated at this moment, but he still read the imperial edict to Lu Chen according to the rules.

This decree was actually very simple. Putting aside those high-sounding words, the core content was only one thing - asking Lu Chen to pack up and represent the border troops to go to the capital to accept rewards. At the same time, he was also asked to discuss the next plan of the Da Qi border army in person.

No matter from which angle you look at it, there is nothing wrong with this imperial edict.

Going to the capital to receive the title was a sign of the emperor and the court's attention to Lu Chen, and inviting him to discuss national policies was a sign of respect for his voice in military affairs.

After all, Dingzhou and the capital are far apart, and correspondence alone is too slow and troublesome.

Lu Chen took the imperial edict calmly, and Li Liangyu bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets you, sir."

"Brother Li, please don't be so formal."

Lu Chen immediately pulled his arm and said with a smile, "Please sit down."

The servant served fragrant tea and then respectfully left.

Lu Chen looked at Li Liangyu's face and said with interest: "Others say I'm too young, but Brother Li seems to be only three years older than me? A 27-year-old assistant minister of the Ministry of War, this should be the first in the history of Da Qi."

Li Liangyu smiled bitterly and said, "Don't tease me. Even Duke Rong is in a difficult situation in the court, let alone a small military minister like me? Although my colleagues still respect me for my father's sake, that's all."

Lu Chen could hear the distress in his heart, so he changed the subject and asked, "Is Uncle Li okay?"

"Thank you for your concern. It's nothing serious. Especially since Bingxue has been by my father's side since he returned to Beijing, his condition has improved."

After the greetings, Li Liangyu finally got to the point and said solemnly: "Sir, although I am an imperial envoy, I hope you can consider this matter carefully."

Hearing these heartfelt words, Lu Chen was touched, but he smiled faintly and said calmly: "Brother Li, His Majesty only summoned me back to the capital to discuss important matters. The capital is not a den of dragons and tigers, so there shouldn't be any danger, right?"

"It's not a dangerous place, but——"

Li Liangyu paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "Not long after I left Beijing, the Right Prime Minister submitted a petition to ask for his remains to be buried."

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and his right hand unconsciously clenched the teacup.

(End of this chapter)