Now that the campaign has been launched ahead of schedule, the work report trip to Beijing has been cancelled. There is not enough time!

Therefore, the emperor brought out Teacher Yuan, whose qualifications and official position were enough to suppress Lao Xiong and Mao Wenlong. He also gave Teacher Yuan the title of Minister of War, the post of Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, and the Imperial Sword.

Moreover, Yuan Keli's tripartite arrangement was essentially the same as Xiong Tingbi's, and Yuan was Mao Wenlong's immediate superior. After all, there was no one more suitable.

Mao Wenlong received the secret decree and the letter from the Ministry of War not much later than Xiong Tingbi. However, unlike Xiong Tingbi, Mao Wenlong was treated differently because the emperor sent an imperial envoy.

"Your Majesty's oral order, let Marshal Mao take a look at these first, and then it will not be too late to receive the order." The imperial envoy was a Jinyiwei from the Pacification Division, and he was a centurion in charge of the palace. His surname was Chen and his name was Zhong.

Mao Wenlong didn't understand what he meant, but he still stood up following Chen Zhong's gesture, took the stack of documents and started to read them.

"Mao Wenlong, who commanded the Iron Cavalry Battalion and was given the title of Dusi, abandoned his scholarly studies to join the army, determined to annihilate the enemy. He established defenses in Kuan and Ai, and possessed a thorough understanding of the terrain, mountains, rivers, and obstacles of the barbarian lands. He was proficient in all the tactics of attack and defense, both unconventional and orthodox. How many of these men possess such cunning, insight, courage, and ability to accomplish something? He should be granted the title of Dusi to allow his talents to flourish."

After reading a memorial, Mao Wenlong was very surprised and suspicious. When he looked carefully at the name signed on it, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

This memorial was actually written and submitted by Xiong Tingbi several years ago, entitled "Memorial on the Extraordinary Hard Work of the Aid Generals". However, he was completely unaware of such a high evaluation of him.

According to historical records, the estrangement, or rather the enmity, between Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong was due to Xiong Tingbi's criticism of Mao Wenlong's surprise attack on Zhenjiang, which was launched too early, causing the Liao invaders to hate the Liao people and burn and kill almost all of them, disrupting the original plan of the three-pronged advance. They regarded it as a remarkable victory, but it turned out to be a disaster.

However, the negative comments circulating were not Xiong Tingbi’s original words, but summaries taken out of context.

Xiong Tingbi's real expression was not directed at Mao Wenlong, but rather a criticism of Wang Huazhen's rash and indecisiveness, which led to the inability to fully utilize the results of the surprise attack on Zhenjiang.

Moreover, after the Battle of Zhenjiang, Xiong Tingbi not only did not stop the rescue, but on the contrary suggested that the rescue should be done seriously and in a big way, but Wang Huazhen timidly refused.

"The Zhenjiang incident is like plotting a fight. Who will initiate the fight, who will rescue, and all the moves must be planned and predetermined before the fight begins. Now, they only plan to initiate the fight, not to rescue. Even if they succeed, they still don't plan why they rescued. This is obvious to everyone in the audience."

"I received a great report of victory, and on the sixth day of the first month I left the pass and reached Guangning. It was proposed to send 10,000 men to attack Hai and Chang, and another 5,000 to seize Gaizhou, cutting off their retreat. However, the emperor did not dare to act, as he knew it was his own fault. Furthermore, our troops blamed me for not advancing even a step into Guangning."

Since Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong had a feud over the surprise attack on Zhenjiang, the emperor naturally started there. He collected memorials and letters and laid them out before Mao Wenlong.

After reading these documents, Mao Wenlong's face had a complicated expression, turning red and white, and he was speechless for a long time.

"Marshal Mao," Chen Zhong asked from the side, "Your Majesty, do you understand the deeper meaning of this?"

Mao Wenlong quickly knelt down and kowtowed deeply, "Your Majesty, I understand. I am ashamed to have caused Your Majesty to worry about the discord among the generals and personal quarrels."

Chen Zhong said nothing and looked down at Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong knew that such an answer would not satisfy the Emperor, so he quickly added, "I have now realized that Lord Xiong is truly knowledgeable about military affairs, and that Wang Huazhen pretended to advocate advancement, but in reality he was timid. All the misunderstandings in the past were due to my narrow-mindedness. I believed rumors and misunderstood Lord Xiong. I must apologize to him in person."

Chen Zhong let out a long breath, took out the imperial edict and read it aloud.

When Mao Wenlong heard the imperial edict, he knew he had passed the test. If he had been even slightly disingenuous, the commander of Dongjiang Town would have been replaced, and he would have lost the great achievement of pacifying the Liao and destroying the slaves.

"Your humble servant accepts the order and thanks you. Long live the emperor!" Mao Wenlong kowtowed heavily, raised his hands, and took the imperial edict.

Granting rewards is a necessary measure, but encouragement and warning are also included. Suppressing the Liao and destroying the slaves is the most important task. Anyone who, due to selfish motives, interferes with the emperor's plan will have to bear the consequences.

"Marshal Mao, please stand up." Chen Zhong put on a smile, reached out and helped Mao Wenlong up, and said kindly, "Your Majesty thinks so highly of Marshal Mao, it is not surprising to reward him with a title of nobility. Marshal Mao has a bright future!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Imperial Envoy." Mao Wenlong bowed his hands in thanks and said, "Please bring my letter of thanks when you return. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will repay your grace with my unwavering loyalty and my life."

"I will accomplish the emperor's affairs and win a good reputation both before and after his death." Chen Zhong nodded repeatedly and said, "This is a gift from Your Majesty to Marshal Mao. Remember it."

Mao Wenlong knelt again in the direction of the capital, and said, "Your humble servant respectfully obeys the command of His Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

…………………….