Chapter 448 Pre-Battle Mobilization

Lin Changning looked at the slightly reddish wine in the bowl and felt a little uneasy. So much blood from so many people, what if someone had a blood disease? The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

The more she wanted to drink, the less she wanted to. But looking up at the still loud King Chu, Lin Changning gritted her teeth. Wouldn't she be considered a spy if she didn't drink now?

After the King of Chu finished speaking, he smashed the bowl on the ground. The generals behind him followed suit and drank, the sound of the bowl clattering echoing in the room.

Lin Changning gritted his teeth, shut his mouth, and poured the wine down his neck. Then he smashed the bowl on the ground and shouted loudly with the crowd.

Li Mingxiu frowned slightly as he looked at the wine stains on Lin Changning's collar, feeling that Lin Changning was somewhat filthy.

A smile flashed in Qi Rong's eyes, and he followed suit, pouring the wine into his collar.

Li Mingde had finished his drink and was shouting along with the crowd.

After the group finished shouting, their faces were flushed with excitement. King Chu, seeing that the matter had been discussed enough, waved his hand.

"That's about all for today. We'll meet in the main tent tomorrow to discuss the route and strategy for our expedition. We'll set off early the day after tomorrow. Everyone must be tired today, so go back and say goodbye to your families!"

After saying this, he sent everyone away. The King of Chu still had some things to plan and prepare in the next few days, and the closer it got to the end, the more things there were to do.

Although the dozen or so people in the tent today are all trustworthy, there are too many of them, and too many opinions. There are naturally professionals for military matters, and he has his own generals for fighting battles.

Therefore, he still needs to think about the expedition route and the commanders of each army tomorrow. The general plan has been decided. He will give everyone some buffer time today. He will mobilize the army tomorrow and set off early the day after tomorrow. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The sooner he breaks through Luoyang, the sooner he can feel at ease.

And then there's the public opinion that Changning mentioned a few days ago; today we're going to close the net. Thinking of this, the King of Chu couldn't help but reveal a sly glint in his eyes. It's fortunate that Changning is in his own camp; if he were placed in the court, I don't know how much of a headache he would have.

Thinking of the news that Lin Changning had spread that the emperor was unrighteous and that heaven had sent down punishment, and that his elder brother's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, which had led to frequent disasters in Da Xuan and made the people suffer.

Interspersed with various details, the news spread throughout Da Xuan in just a few days. News came from the capital that the young emperor had been so angry these past few days that he had even fainted from being confronted by censors during a regular court meeting.

It's unclear whether he was genuinely angry enough to faint, or if he was using fainting as an excuse to escape.

It's a pity that the emperor's edict of self-reproach was not issued, and a censor was dismissed.

However, nowadays, rumors are circulating everywhere from Taiyuan: there was a major flood, which is blamed on the emperor's incompetence and Heaven's wrath; there was a severe drought this year, resulting in a poor harvest, which is also blamed on the emperor's incompetence and Heaven's wrath; and the Tartars came down to steal the grain, which is also blamed on the emperor's incompetence and Heaven's wrath for not providing supplies.

Even his own third brother's rebellion was blamed on the emperor, forcing him to rebel. He was also punished by heaven for harming his own blood relatives, which led to the flood that destroyed the outskirts of Beijing.

Besides this, Lin Changning also made various other predictions, such as torrential rain and the Yellow River bursting its banks.

He had previously asked Changning if it was true, and Changning looked at him strangely and said that it rains heavily every year, and the Yellow River breaches its banks in different places almost every year, so there is no need to care whether it is true or not.

All they had to do was pour buckets of black water and smear pots onto the emperor. The problem was, they couldn't catch anyone, and they couldn't stop it. There was no solution to this.

The King of Chu silently broke out in a cold sweat, thankfully Changning had married his daughter.

The ideas they came up with were really awful.

But thinking about how the emperor is scratching his head in frustration now, I can't help but laugh.

Seeing that fewer and fewer people were leaving the tent, Chu Wang waved to Lin Changning: "Come here, Xiao Liu."

Lin Changning was about to walk out with Li Mingxiu and the others when she saw the King of Chu calling her, so she stopped and turned around.

Li Mingxiu glanced at Lin Changning and waved to him, "Your father has something to ask you to do, go ahead."

Qi Rong nodded to the people. Everyone could see the current attitude of the King of Chu towards Lin Changning. Everyone could also see the relationship between Lin Changning and Li Mingshu. The young couple had a very good relationship. The King of Chu also valued Changning and treated them like brothers. So there was no need to worry that the King of Chu would be harsh on them.

At worst, the princess would be there for him, so the group wasn't worried at all about the two of them being alone. Even if Changning said something inappropriate or did something wrong, someone would take the blame for him.

Changning is only seventeen years old this year and has not yet come of age. Everyone treats him like a younger brother. In addition, Changning is sincere and quite humorous, which makes him even more popular with everyone. He is almost no different from their own brother.

Now that he and Mingshu are married, they are truly like brothers.

Several people, including the prince and princess, were satisfied.

The King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a smile, pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down, your father has something to tell you."

Lin Changning nodded to the King of Chu, sat down, and accepted the tea offered by Ye Banban. After placing the tea on the table beside him, he looked at the King of Chu with a serious expression and asked, "What is it, Father?"

After pondering for a moment, the King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a serious expression and said, "I intend to make you the vanguard for this expedition, but you are still relatively inexperienced, and I'm afraid some people in the army will be dissatisfied. However, I know your own abilities."

Old Qin had no objections, but Commander Qian Ming and Commander Zhao Xiong both have sons at home and have followed me for many years; they're both eyeing this position.

Tomorrow I want to warm things up and motivate everyone. We're holding a big competition, and Old Qian's son, Qian Yu, and Old Zhao's son, Zhao Yuling, are both skilled fighters. If I want you to be the vanguard this time, you can't escape them.

Therefore, tomorrow you will go up and fight those two. I believe that with your strength, defeating them will not be a problem, and you will be able to rightfully serve as the vanguard.

After speaking, the King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a serious expression: "What do you think, Xiao Liu?"

Lin Changning knelt down almost without thinking: "Thank you, Father. I will certainly not fail your expectations."

Although being a vanguard is dangerous, it also presents both risks and opportunities. If you become the vanguard and are the first to open up Luoyang, you will gain tremendous military merit. Being a vanguard also makes it very easy to earn military merit by fighting against other generals.

The King of Chu wanted to give him this position, which was obviously motivated by some selfish motives—to promote himself. However, if he really gave him this position, some other people in the army would inevitably be dissatisfied. The Right Guard was easy to deal with, since they were all his own people and knew her abilities.

It's hard to say about the other guards. The King of Chu didn't want him to be seen as someone who rose to power through nepotism, so he wanted him to prove himself with his abilities. He really put a lot of thought into it.

Lin Changning was not an ungrateful person. He knelt on the ground and raised his head again with a determined look in his eyes.

"Father! Let them both go together tomorrow. I will not disgrace your name!"

It will also let the others in the army see whether Lin Changning is a pushover or not!

Those who want to use her as a raft should think twice.