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Chapter 793: Extra: Conferring the title of Marquis (Part )
After the palace banquet, Jiang Shaohua deliberately kept General Zuo to talk.

General Zuo was rough on the outside but kind on the inside, and he had already prepared a lot of words of gratitude in his heart. Before he could open his mouth, Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "There are only the two of us here, so there is no need to say those useless polite words."

"General Zuo, I have always admired you since I was the Princess of Nanyang."

"I blamed you for the great defeat at the border that year. I blamed you for not being able to judge people and for employing the wrong people. I also blamed you for retreating and completely abandoning Pengcheng. Pengcheng was massacred, and I think you must have been feeling resentful about it."

General Zuo was touched in the sore spot, his eyes were red, "Yes, I had no choice at that time. The Rouran cavalry was really powerful. The border troops were okay at defending the city, but the chance of winning against the Rouran barbarians was too small. If I hadn't retreated at that time, I might have taken the border troops with me. By then, the border would have been completely lost, and more people would have died."

"So, if you choose to retreat, at least you can still save the border troops. You can also rely on the solidity of the city walls to barely defend the border." Jiang Shaohua sighed lightly and continued: "General Zuo has done everything a border army commander can do in adversity. He really doesn't deserve so much abuse and criticism."

General Zuo, a man of eight feet, was almost moved to tears: "Your Majesty is wise."

Jiang Shaohua said in a gentle voice: "All of this is in the past. I said this today to tell General Zuo that I remember your contributions in my heart. When leading troops to fight, victory and defeat are inevitable. There is no general who is victorious all the time on the battlefield."

"However, I have never forgotten the massacre of Pengcheng. One day, I will avenge the people of Pengcheng."

General Zuo was startled and looked up at Her Majesty the Empress.

Her Majesty's eyes flashed with a sharp cold light, and her voice was solemn: "Zuo Feng!"

"I am here!" General Zuo straightened his chest reflexively.

"I want you to train the soldiers carefully and turn the Yingwei Battalion into a real elite force." Jiang Shaohua said in a deep voice: "I have only been on the throne for a short time. Now is not the time to take the initiative to start a war. We can only use static to control dynamics and focus on defense. However, one day, I will destroy the Rouran barbarians. Maybe it will take two or three years, or maybe it will take five or eight years."

"By then, I will let you lead the troops to completely wipe out the Rouran barbarians."

"Starting tomorrow, you will recruit soldiers and train them strictly. No matter how many people are on the list, I will recognize them all. I will allocate all the annual military expenses and food to you without any reduction."

"I just want you to train a truly elite army."

"When he destroys the Rouran, I will make you a Duke!"

General Zuo's blood boiled, and he clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty has such great trust in me, I will do my best and will never let you down."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and nodded, and personally escorted General Zuo out of the Zhaohe Hall. He also ordered Song Yuan to escort General Zuo out of the palace.

Song Yuan and General Zuo became more familiar with each other during the battle in Yuzhou, and they also became quite close. Song Yuan saw how successful General Zuo was today, and he was happy for him: "General Zuo is favored by the emperor today, and he is so successful. I would like to congratulate you."

General Zuo was much more sober after being blown by the autumn wind. He smiled and sighed, "The emperor really treats me very well."

"The emperor wants to destroy the Rouran, so he asked me to recruit soldiers and train them. He will let me lead the troops to fight in the future. He also promised me that when the Rouran is destroyed in the future, he will make me a duke."

"For us military commanders, it is a blessing to meet such a wise ruler."

"My life will belong to the emperor from now on."

Eat the king's food and share his worries.

Not to mention, the emperor trusts you, uses you, and promotes you, gives you a title to promote your fame, and gives you as much money and grain as you want.

What reason does he have not to work hard for the emperor?
Song Yuan took in the changes in General Zuo's expression and smiled: "Not everyone is qualified to work for the emperor. After all, it is the general who has the ability to lead troops in battle, which no one can compare to. For example, my uncle, his eyes are red with envy today. Unfortunately, the emperor doesn't think highly of him." General Zuo laughed and patted Song Yuan on the shoulder: "Commander Song is really humorous. When you have free time in the future, come to the Zuo family more often."

Song Yuan readily agreed.

……

General Zuo returned to the Zuo Mansion under the watchful eyes of everyone.

There is no need to elaborate on how excited and happy the Zuo family was.

In the past few years, the Zuo family members were either dismissed or removed from their posts, and some were bold enough to participate in the palace coup. In short, many were lost. The family relied on General Zuo alone to support the family.

Now, General Zuo has won a great victory and was named Marquis Weiyuan, becoming the most important person in the army. The Zuo family is bound to be lively again.

General Zuo was impatient with so many people surrounding him, so he waved his hand and signaled his family members to leave.

He paced in the study, thought for a long time, changed into casual clothes, and ordered his personal guards to prepare a sedan chair.

The guards were quite surprised to hear such an order.

General Zuo always rode a horse wherever he went, so why did he suddenly take a sedan chair today? Being secretive is not the general's style.

General Zuo naturally would not explain to his guards. He got on the sedan chair and went to the Wang family.

In the past, he was Prime Minister Wang's man, so it was fair and square for him to go to Wang's house. Now that he has changed his allegiance and is a loyal minister of the emperor, he has to be more careful in his behavior. He can still go to Wang's house, but he has to go quietly, so as not to displease the emperor.

The plaque of the Wang family has been changed, and now it is the Ningguo Mansion.

When General Zuo entered the room, he looked up at the plaque and felt a little sad. Her Majesty's methods were really brilliant. In just over a year, she had stabilized the people's hearts in the court and abolished the Zheng family. Now, even Prime Minister Wang had to withdraw from the Daliang court.

The position of a duke was exchanged for a safe transfer of power, which was a great deal.

This is just the first step.

Next, the Wang family will be safe if they keep to themselves and rely on the blessing of Prime Minister Wang and the favor of Minister Wang. Otherwise, the Duke's Mansion will not be able to protect all the Wang family members. When Her Majesty raises her knife to kill people, she never shows mercy.

There was a turmoil in the palace, and more than a thousand eunuchs and palace maids died in the palace. Hundreds of others were expelled from the palace and sent to the mines.

Although General Zuo was not in the capital, he knew all these things clearly.

Prime Minister Wang, who had become a Duke, looked much kinder and fatter than before. He said cheerfully to General Zuo, "Congratulations, Marquis Weiyuan."

General Zuo hurriedly bowed and said with a smile: "I should congratulate the Duke."

Prime Minister Wang laughed heartily, not feeling lonely or sad at all: "This Prime Minister has been worrying about the court and Daliang for decades. Now that I have unloaded the heavy burden, I have enjoyed a few rare days of leisure."

General Zuo was still so straightforward: "The river bank has not been repaired yet, and the Duke still has to look after the Ministry of Works. How can he have some free time?"

Prime Minister Wang: "..."