Qiu Yue was speaking up for the border army generals, clearly intending to mold them into a unified force.

Lu Xingjian scratched his head and asked Xiao Jing, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, "I remember that Xiao Bin was impeached again for killing innocent people and claiming credit for them?"

Xiao Jing replied, "Yes."

"The censors impeached Xiao Bin, saying that when defending Sutian Village in Xinhe County, he dared not enter the village. He waited until the bandits left before entering the village and killing 41 residents, including Kang Qiang. He also called back nine people working in the fields and killed them. Later, he killed 28 farmers, including Zhao Wuhan, in Hanjiazhai, Julu County. In Longping, he killed six more people to claim credit for the first merit."

Lu Xingjian's forehead twitched.

The impeachment was so detailed and specific, even including the exact names.

Whether true or false, those behind the impeachment have grand ambitions.

Is it to curry favor with superiors?

He ordered Pan Xun, an upright official, to investigate the matter and suspended Xiao Bin's salary for a year as punishment.

Compared to the heinous crime of killing innocent people and claiming credit for them, suspending their salary for only one year is practically a case of much ado about nothing.

Pan Xun was no fool; he immediately realized the emperor's attitude and diligently went to investigate.

The fourth rule is that those who have made meritorious contributions now need to have their past experiences thoroughly investigated over the years, and only those who can withstand the scrutiny can be promoted.

The long duration of the event led to a decline in morale.

It is suggested that from now on, those who fight bravely in battle should be commended and rewarded by the merit officer at the front line, while those who do not fight bravely should be punished according to military law.

That's actually quite a euphemism.

For many years, the prevailing attitude in the Beijing army was that soldiers who bravely fought the enemy would have their credit stolen by others, and they would not dare to complain.

In this way, no one will be foolish enough to risk their life to kill the enemy.

Anyway, I won't get any credit in the end.

The key to Qiu Yue's invincible campaign in Henan was the timely and effective encouragement he provided to the government troops.

The readily available and tangible opportunities for promotion and wealth boosted morale, and the soldiers worked with renewed vigor, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Lu Xingjian immediately understood Qiu Yue's meaning.

In reality, the Beijing army's efforts over the past six months have been in vain, and instead, Liu Qi and others have become too powerful. The problem lies in the fact that the rewards were not timely or adequate.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Minister Qiu is truly a pillar of the state!"

Qiu Yue's last point was that the problem with the casualties of the government troops lay with the officers.

When the commander is critically injured, the subordinate generals and officers sit idly by and do nothing, showing no intention of protecting each other.

He was referring to the death of Feng Zhen at the gates of Luoyang.

If other troops had come to his aid, Feng Zhen would not have been isolated and helpless, and would not have died from exhaustion.

No matter how much the imperial court rewarded Feng Zhen, the dead cannot be brought back to life.

Other generals would also feel threatened and insecure, and no one would take the initiative to attack, lest they become the next Feng Zhen.

Qiu Yue suggested that in the future, if a commander is injured, all the officers and soldiers under his command should be severely punished, and their merits should not be recorded. This would help them work together to achieve success.

These suggestions are all practical and fully integrated with reality.

Lu Xingjian convened a meeting with the Ministry of War and other government departments to discuss the possibility of implementation.

Minister of War He Jian spoke from the perspective of the Beijing army.

It is said that the Beijing army has established three major camps since its ancestors, and later selected 120,000 elite troops to be divided into twelve regiments, and they have won many victories when mobilized from all directions.

The border troops have been divided and many are in short supply, and the capital troops have become arrogant and complacent and are not being used. This is not a good strategy.

The selected Beijing Army should not be discontinued. Please select one other adjutant general and one guerrilla general to lead the Beijing Army.

Qiu Yue found the capital army unusable, so he decided to lead only the border troops he had originally transferred to the capital.

Besides, the situation with the enemy is urgent now, so it would be best to send all these border troops back to their respective border towns.

As for the horses that Qiu Yue demanded, there was no need for that.

Over the years, the silver allocated to Xuanfu and Datong could buy 14,000 horses. Now, the capital army has 6,000 riding horses and 2,000 pack horses, and an additional 6,000 horses have been allocated from the Imperial Stud.

In total, there are 28,000 horses, which is enough.

Lu Xingjian did not adopt all of He Jian's suggestions. In the end, he appointed several deputy generals and guerrilla generals, and transferred border troops to the capital but did not send them back.

He rubbed his throbbing head and returned to Qingning Palace the next morning.

Su Wanwan was not there, nor was Yan Ge'er.

Lu Xingjian was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Su Wanwan and Yan Ge'er went to the Tiger House in Xiyuan together.

The eunuch in charge of the Tiger Chamber recounted the thrilling scene from that day with a worried expression.

Su Wanwan rubbed her head.

He was stunned for a long time.

His eyes were fixed on the enormous iron cage.

The head eunuch, of course, said the best things about the emperor, praising his bravery and martial prowess, calling him a great hero who slew a tiger and possessed unparalleled divine skills.

They're practically bluffing to the heavens.

But Yan Ge'er's frightened expression reminded Su Wanwan that things were not like that.

How could someone as lazy as him possibly be thinking about killing tigers for no reason?

Leaving the tiger enclosure, Yan Ge'er looked on longingly, "Mother, you can't leave us again. I'm afraid Father will do something foolish again."

Su Wanwan patted his head without saying anything.

But in the end, he couldn't escape Yan Ge'er's dark, piercing gaze, and nodded as if possessed.

Yan Ge'er's eyes filled with tears, and he hugged Su Wanwan's waist and cried his heart out.

He needs his mother.

However, he felt that his father seemed to need his mother more than he did.

So every night he wanted to sleep alone, while his father insisted on sleeping with his mother.

On her way back, Su Wanwan visited Yong'an Palace.

Xia Xueyi looked at her with the child, her fat face filled with shock: "Weren't you dead?!"

"Weren't you crippled?"

"Why are you still here?!"

Xia Xueyi was imprisoned in Yong'an Palace for many years, so the news was delayed and incomplete.

When the news of the Empress's deposition spread, Xia Xueyi both cried and laughed.

Lu Xingjian deposed the empress twice, which shows that he is a heartless and ungrateful person, not that Xia Xueyi is any bad.

If she could do it all over again, she would definitely drug Lu Xingjian to make herself pregnant, so that she could rise to power like Empress Zhang through her son and sit on the dragon throne!

She was so foolish back then, faking a pregnancy, she was incredibly stupid!

Su Wanwan was somewhat uncertain: "Empress Xia?"

Xia Xueyi was taken aback.

She doesn't even recognize me?

Have I gotten this fat?!

Xia Xueyi smashed everything within reach like a madwoman.

She was sent to the cold palace during the prime of her life, and lived without favor or love.

Living like a shadow.

"Why?!"

"On what grounds?"

Why are you all bullying me?! You're all bullying me?!

Su Wanwan no longer remembers the grudges and entanglements between her and Xia Xueyi.

I just felt sorry for this woman.

Will I become like her someday?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder.

When they returned to Qingning Palace, Lu Xingjian was still asleep.

Even in his sleep, his face remained handsome, though he had dark circles under his eyes.

His hand rested on Wanwan's pillow as if he were holding a precious treasure.

Su Wanwan sat quietly on the edge of the bed, fanning him and tucking his stray hairs behind his ears with her fingers.