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The border troops won a great victory!

The border troops won a great victory!

The border troops won a great victory!

Several riders came galloping from the city gate, shouting the good news that the border troops had won a great victory. People along the way stopped to watch, jumping for joy.

"After fighting for so long, we finally won a victory."

"General Fan is so awesome!"

"I think General Fan is much more powerful than the former General Zuo."

The common people were unaware of the inside story, and they were very enthusiastic about discussing the two successive commanders of the border army. It was as if they had witnessed with their own eyes the heroic appearance of General Fan leading his troops to a great victory. As for the merits of General Zuo who had guarded the border for more than ten years, no one cared about it. Instead, the tragedy of the border army being defeated and massacred in Pengcheng last year was repeatedly mentioned.

When the battle report was sent to the palace, Emperor Taihe was overjoyed and immediately summoned Prime Minister Wang, Duke Anguo and other ministers to the palace: "My dear ministers, the border troops won a beautiful victory. The Rouran had their food supplies burned and suffered heavy casualties. This is the battle report, you can all take a look."

All the ministers were overjoyed.

Prime Minister Wang was the first to read the battle report, his eyes sparkling with joy: "The border troops have won such a great victory, it is truly a great joy."

"In this battle, the Nanyang Army performed a remarkable feat. It was the Nanyang Army that successfully attacked the enemy camp at night and burned the food and grass of the Rouran camp, which gave the border army a great opportunity to leave the city and attack with all their strength. I ask the emperor to issue an order to reward General Fan and General Yu."

Emperor Taihe had been anxious about the border war recently and had not slept well for many days. At this moment, his brows relaxed and he laughed happily: "Prime Minister Wang is right."

Duke Anguo received the battle report with a smile on his face, and pouted in his heart as he read it.

The Zheng and Fan families arranged marriages for their children, formed an alliance, and were closely related in the court. Now that General Fan had made great contributions in Sizhou, Prime Minister Wang praised the Nanyang Army, but this was just to deliberately raise the reputation of the Nanyang Army to prevent General Fan from becoming too famous.

However, it is a fact that the Nanyang Army made great contributions in the surprise attack on the enemy camp, and its commander Yu Chong was seriously injured, so the court should indeed reward them.

Duke Anguo thought for a moment and said, "The Rouran have not withdrawn yet. It is still unknown when this battle will be over. I will record all the achievements today. When we discuss merits and rewards in the future, the first thing we will discuss is the general's military achievements."

Emperor Taihe nodded in approval.

Because of this good news, all the important officials in the court were smiling today. There was nothing to argue about, and the court affairs were discussed very smoothly.

After the court was dismissed, Duke Anguo went to Jingyang Palace to meet Empress Dowager Zheng.

In fact, it was a taboo for court officials to enter the harem. Empress Dowager Zheng had controlled the harem for several years, and Duke Anguo was the nephew of Empress Dowager Zheng, and he often went to the palace to pay respects. Over time, everyone got used to it.

Empress Dowager Zheng was very excited to hear the good news. She smiled and praised Jiang Shaohua: "Nanyang County donated military rations, and the Nanyang Army that escorted the rations also made great contributions in this battle. Good! Good! When Shaohua gets married, I will have someone send a generous gift."

Even though Jiang Shaohua was far away in Nanyang County and not in front of him, Duke Anguo still had a strong sense of crisis. The officials of the Empress Dowager's party were also very convinced of the Princess of Nanyang.

To tell you the harsh truth, if Jiang Shaohua is willing to give up his fiefdom and stay in the capital for a long time, the leader of the Empress Dowager's party will probably be replaced.

Duke Anguo coughed and smiled calmly, "Princess Nanyang has a righteous heart and donated a large amount of military rations to the court. The soldiers of the Nanyang Army under her command are also very brave."

"It's a pity that General Yu was seriously injured this time, and the Nanyang Army also lost a lot of troops. If they stay in Sizhou, I'm afraid there will be more losses in the future. When I think of this, I feel heartbroken for the princess." "The Empress Dowager should write a letter and ask the princess to call the Nanyang Army back as soon as possible! Don't lose all this wealth."

Empress Dowager Zheng was most impressed by this and actually started to think about it seriously.

Duke Anguo praised Jiang Shaohua openly, but actually tried to win his heart by beating around the bush: "Everyone knows that Nanyang County is rich and well-fed. Previously, the princess donated 200,000 shi of military rations, which solved the urgent need of the court. However, there are always some villains who make trouble out of nothing, gossiping secretly, saying that the princess donated grain to seek fame."

Empress Dowager Zheng snorted softly: "Whoever can give the court 200,000 dan of military rations, let alone the emperor, I am willing to give him a good reputation."

An Guogong: "..."

Duke Anguo coughed and agreed with a smile: "Your Majesty is right."

"You are the Minister of War, an important official of the court," Empress Dowager Zheng looked over, "and your words carry weight both inside and outside the court. If anyone dares to gossip about you again, don't be polite, just stand up straight and scold them. I want to see who dares to say anything bad about Shao Hua."

Yes, this heart is completely inclined towards Jiang Shaohua.

A shadow was cast over Duke Anguo's heart, and his fear became even stronger.

……

That night, Zheng Chen left the palace and returned home. The father and son conspired and talked in the study.

"The Nanyang Army has made great contributions, and the Princess of Nanyang has become famous again." Duke Anguo whispered, "Prime Minister Wang deliberately promoted the reputation of Nanyang County in order to weaken the prestige of General Fan."

Zheng Chen's eyes flashed, and he said calmly: "General Fan is the commander of the border army. The border army won a great victory, and the credit belongs to General Fan. No one can take it away!"

Duke Anguo rolled his eyes at his son and said, "There's no one else here, so don't say these useless words. General Fan had been defeated many times before. This time, he won a great victory because the Nanyang Army attacked the military camp and burned the food and horse stables. In this battle, the Nanyang Army made the first contribution. Princess Nanyang is the biggest winner!"

When talking about Jiang Shaohua, Zheng Chen's eyes were complicated and he said nothing.

Duke Anguo paced in the study room: "You sent someone to assassinate Cui Du, which completely angered the princess. Don't do such things again. In another month, the princess will get married, and you will also marry the daughter of the Fan family. Be well and don't have any more ties with each other. Otherwise, you will displease General Fan."

If you want to win over the Fan family, you have to treat your wife well in the future and not be greedy for more.

Speaking of marriage, Zheng Chen showed no joy on his face, and said indifferently: "Don't worry, father, I know what I'm doing." After a pause, he lowered his voice and said: "Zhao Wu may be useful in the future, so we have to keep him hidden."

Zhao Wu was the commander of Pengcheng that day. He abandoned the city and fled, causing the border army to be defeated.

Duke Anguo took a deep breath and whispered, "This person must not be seen in public. He must not be shown anywhere, and we must not let anyone know that he is from our Zheng family."

The collusion with military generals was not a big deal. What was important was that Zhao Wu escaped at the critical moment, the Tubian army was defeated in Pengcheng, and the Left General was held accountable by the court and dismissed from office. It can be said that all this was caused by Zhao Wu.

Once people knew that Zhao Wu did everything under the instructions of the Zheng family, the Zheng family would lose their reputation and be cursed by everyone.

Zheng Chen nodded in agreement. (End of this chapter)