Jiuxi

Chapter 965 963【Look at the present day】

"Then what are your plans next?"

Lu Tong knew that Xiao Wangzhi didn't want to ask more questions, so he took the initiative to start the conversation.

"To keep the army in good order is the foundation of my life."

Lu Chen did not shy away from saying it, and said bluntly: "The army only needs one voice, which is enough to deter all those who have evil intentions."

"This is not difficult. With your current prestige in the army, even if a few people have other plans, they dare not openly go against your decision."

Lu Tong frowned slightly and said earnestly: "But Qi and Jing will enter a period of peace. The army alone cannot govern the country. In the end, we still have to rely on those civil officials to establish a complete government system. In other words, you have to form a team of civil officials as soon as possible. I know you recognize the abilities of Liu Bingyuan and Chen Dezun, but it is really difficult for these two Huaiyou celebrities to compete with Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo."

Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "The positions of the two prime ministers will not change. First, they are the leaders of all officials and have a very high status in the hearts of scholars in the world. Second, they have worked hard in the past two years. It is really not easy to provide timely and appropriate logistical supplies for the army. I will not ignore their contributions. However, after the court moved the capital, the adjustment of officials in various departments is imperative. In addition, there are countless official hats in Jiangbei. I believe this is enough to change the inherent pattern of the Jiangnan court."

"or……"

Lu Tong hesitated a little, and said slowly: "The Wang family actually has quite a few talented people."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Father, let me think about this matter again."

He had no prejudice against the Wang family of Zhailin, but in his subsequent plans, it was very important to take action against the aristocratic families. If a large number of members of the Wang family took up official positions, how could he convince the people?

Furthermore, it is easier to invite a god than to send him away. Once the Wang family members enter the court to serve as officials, it will be difficult for Lu Chen to get rid of them unless they commit crimes and provide evidence. After all, he has to consider Wang Chulong's dignity.

Lu Tong naturally understood this truth, so he didn't try to persuade him any further.

Xiao Wangzhi finally asked, "How confident are you about the court's relocation of the capital?"

“It’s hard to say how sure I am, but I will definitely make it happen because it’s related to all my future plans.”

Lu Chen's face showed determination, and he said, "It can be roughly divided into three steps. Someone in the court will gradually spread the word, after all, it is the national policy set by Emperor Gaozong in the old capital. I estimate that the court will definitely waffle for a while, and I will use this time to complete the preliminary structure of various places in Jiangbei, taking care of both military and political affairs. If the court still cannot reach a decision, I will personally submit a memorial to invite the Queen Mother, the Emperor and all officials to come to the Heluo Imperial Mausoleum to pay tribute to the emperors of all dynasties."

Xiao Wang was startled, then laughed and said, "Okay, the righteousness is in your hands. If you don't use it, you'd be a fool."

Although a royal ancestral temple was established in Yongjia in Jiangnan, the tombs of the emperors of the Qi Dynasty before Li Duan were all in the western suburbs of Heluo. After Lu Chen recovered the lost territory in Jiangbei, the royal family and all officials had to offer sacrifices to their ancestors to comfort the spirits of the emperors in heaven.

The situation was not like this in the past twenty years, but it is not the case now.

Lu Tong asked with interest: "If Queen Mother Ning sends two prime ministers to the north to offer sacrifices to the heaven on the grounds that the emperor is young, what will you do then?"

"If it really comes to that..."

Lu Chen said calmly: "I have no choice but to ask Li Zongjian, the Lieutenant of Fengguo, to come forward, and add the Empress Dowager, and let them compete with the South."

Lu Tong was slightly surprised and asked, "Are you going to depose and enthrone the emperor?"

Lu Chen smiled but did not answer.

"Hahaha."

Xiao Wangzhi laughed loudly, then raised his hand and nodded at Lu Tong and said, "I told you not to worry about him, but you are still worried. Your son is not only good at leading troops in battle, but also good at manipulating people's hearts. Those people in the south are no match for him. Well, let's toast the Marshal and go back. Lu Chen still has a lot of work to do."

The three of them stood up one after another.

When Xiao Wangzhi finished reading a personally written eulogy, they poured wine on the ground and bowed towards the battlefield in the west where Yang Guangyuan led his troops to repel Jing's army for the last time.

The wind is whistling, but the heroic spirit is immortal.

……

The next day, noon.

The most majestic city in Qingzhou, Jinyang.

This city is more than 80 miles away from the Jing River in the north. It is located on the only way for the Jing army to move south, and it was also the residence of Yang Guangyuan, the commander of the Jing River at that time.

In the commander's hall in the city, all the generals of the Great Qi were present, except Liu Shouguang who stayed behind to guard Heluo. The rest came from all directions to participate in this military meeting which was destined to have far-reaching consequences.

"I have called you all here today because I have three things to tell you."

Lu Chen got straight to the point and continued under the respectful gaze of the generals: "First of all, with the entire territory of Qing, Wei and Lingzhou returning to the rule of Da Qi, I declare that this stage of the Northern Expedition has been successfully completed!"

Everyone cheered and applauded. Of course, some generals were not satisfied, but they also knew that the court's strength had reached its limit. Now was a period of recuperation and rest. Using military force blindly would be an unwise act of war.

"This second thing..."

Lu Chen's face was gentle, and he said slowly: "We started preparing for war in the autumn of the year before last, and the war broke out in the early spring of last year. You followed me and fought through all the difficulties. Everyone has made great contributions. In the past year or so, many of our comrades have left us. The court has already paid out pensions, but we cannot forget them. Whether they died for their country or are still alive, now is the time to reward them according to their merits. I will not leave anyone out. Therefore, I will draft a memorial to request merit as soon as possible, and ask for titles for more than 300,000 brave soldiers of the Great Qi!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The generals were delighted and couldn't wait to try.

They risked their lives and fought bravely against the enemy, not only to serve the country, but also to achieve great achievements and to honor their wives and children. This is human nature and there is nothing wrong with it.

After the hall gradually calmed down, Lu Chen continued, "The third thing is that I, under the order of the Queen Mother, have full authority to supervise the military affairs in Jiangbei, so I naturally need to be responsible for the vast territory I have conquered. Now that the Jing army has all retreated to the north of the Jing River, I have decided to set up a large camp in Qingzhou and at the junction of Weizhou and Lingzhou, each with 40,000 soldiers and horses, to prevent the northern enemies from attacking from the south."

"Report to the prince!"

Xu Gui said without hesitation: "I am willing to garrison the border!"

"I am willing to do so!"

The rest expressed their opinions one after another.

Lu Chen raised his hand and pressed it lightly, then looked at Xu Gui and smiled, "Are you really willing to stay at the border? I originally reserved a good position for you, and it's not too late to regret it now." Xu Gui shook his head like a rattle, and didn't even ask what the good position was. He said loyally, "Your Majesty, I am a rough man, I don't understand the twists and turns in the officialdom, and I'm too lazy to socialize with others. It's better for me to guard the border for Your Majesty. Besides, in the future, when Your Majesty leads his army north to destroy Jingguo, I, Xu, will be the vanguard general!"

"You are such a big head, you actually have such thoughts. No, the position of pioneer must be mine!"

Song Shifei, commander-in-chief of the Feiyun Army, was the first to stand up and disagree.

Everyone laughed.

Naturally, these two powerful generals would not act recklessly in front of Lu Chen, and they did not have the courage to do so.

Seeing this, Lu Chen nodded and said, "Xu Gui volunteered, how can I not give him this honor? Very well, you will be the marching commander of the Qingzhou camp."

Xu Gui had no objection and asked curiously, "My Lord, who is the commander-in-chief of the Qingzhou Army?"

Lu Chen looked at the first person on the left and said gently, "Will Lord Linjiang be willing to submit?"

Chen Lanyu sighed inwardly. In the past few months, although he still held the military position of commander-in-chief, the military power had actually been cleverly taken away by Lu Chen. The Jinwu Camp was unknowingly torn into pieces by Lu Chen and dispersed among the various armies.

Although he can still serve as the commander-in-chief of the Qingzhou camp, just look at Xu Gui, the general manager of the march, and the general who must be Lu Chen’s confidant, and you will know that the 40,000 troops in this camp are still in Lu Chen’s hands.

Moreover, this move has another purpose. Letting Chen Lanyu take charge of the frontier camp is to exclude him from the future military center.

Under the meaningful gazes of the generals, Chen Lanyu stood up and saluted, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. I am willing to take the position of commander-in-chief of the Qingzhou camp."

Lu Chen knew that Chen Lanyu was a smart man, and he would not treat such a smart man unfairly, so he encouraged him a few words and said, "As for the commander of the Weiling Camp... General Fan."

These three words surprised many people, including Zhang Xu, who was sitting in the first seat on the right.

With the precedent of Chen Lanyu, Zhang Xu instinctively thought that he would also be sent to the border by Lu Chen to eat sand, but he did not expect such a sudden turn of events.

Then Zhang Xu felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that he, the Minister of Military Affairs and Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp, did not even have the qualifications to be in charge of a region and would be thrown to the bench by Lu Chen?

On the other side, Fan Wendi had already stood up and was waiting for orders.

Lu Chen said calmly, "You have always been calm and steady. You were the deputy governor of Jingzhou before, so it is no problem for you to lead a large army now. But you have to remember one thing. The terrain of Weizhou and Lingzhou is complicated, especially there are many ferry crossings along the Jing River. You must be extra careful and not give the Jing army any chance to take advantage of you."

Fan Wending cupped his hands and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to your trust."

"Okay, I have also arranged a capable helper for you."

Lu Chen looked at the general who had served him a long time ago and said with a smile: "General Liu, you will take over the post of the marching commander of the Weiling Camp."

Liu Jiangdong, the commander of the Ningyuan Army, was filled with excitement. He stood up and saluted, saying, "I obey your orders!"

"Okay, this is the general arrangement of the two border camps. Of course, this is only a preliminary decision. Your general seals and military tokens will be issued after I submit them to the court and the Queen Mother and the Emperor approve them."

In response to Lu Chen's self-deprecating words, all the generals in the hall just smiled knowingly, even Chen Lanyu and Zhang Xu were no exception.

To this day, with Lu Chen's unparalleled achievements and his prestige and status in the Great Qi Army, who in the court dares to openly express opposition?

Even the two saints in the palace would not interfere.

"Everyone has been very hard-working over the past year. In addition, alcohol is strictly prohibited during the war. I'm sure you've been holding it in for a long time."

Lu Chen looked around at everyone and said leisurely: "Tonight, I will accompany you to have a good drink. We won't leave until we are drunk!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"You won't come home until you're drunk!"

"Don't compete with me, I want to drink three bowls of wine with you tonight!"

Song Shifei's voice is obviously louder than others.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I have figured it out. Song Shifei is taking this opportunity to get angry with me because he didn't get the position of Vanguard General. Xu Gui, he will be in your hands tonight."

"Haha, don't worry, Your Majesty. I, Old Xu, promise to get him drunk!"

"Just you? I can make you slide down the table with only 30% of my strength!"

There was laughter and joy all the time.

……

The first day of April, the second year of Yongning in the Great Qi Dynasty.

Huai'an Prince Lu Chen left Chen Lanyu, Fan Wendi, Xu Gui, Liu Jiangdong, more than ten generals and 80,000 troops to guard the border, and personally led more than 20 generals with outstanding military achievements and 100,000 brave soldiers to leave Jinyang City and head south.

On the eighth day of April, the army returned triumphantly to Heluo.

The spring breeze is gentle and warms people's hearts.

Looking at this majestic and magnificent city, Lu Chen's heart was filled with ripples.

The war has come to a temporary end, but he will not stop moving forward.

"Three years. It only takes three years."

"Qing Yu Huaijin, I hope you can make good use of these three years."

"The day we meet again will not only be the end of our relationship, but will also be the final end of Qi Jing's sixty years of grudges."

(End of this chapter)