"General Shi is unwilling to send troops to me, and the people in the capital will definitely force him to act. Now, the Shi family has no one else except General Shi and Old Madam Shi. They will definitely use Old Madam Shi as a threat."
Although the person in charge now has changed from Emperor Xiaoming to Qi Yao.
But based on Qi Xu's understanding of the father and son, they would most likely do so.
There is no point in saying more at this time.
The more you explain some things, the more they seem to be full of ulterior motives.
It was impossible for Qi Xu to have no selfish motives in taking Madam Shi out of the capital, but he did not want to use this as a threat to make General Shi work for him. He did not want Madam Shi to become a "weapon" that could be used by those people in the capital. He wanted to eliminate all hidden dangers before they happened.
General Shi was loyal to Dayong and a man of integrity.
In this case, he must make General Shi recognize the true faces of those people in the capital and understand what is truly beneficial to Dayong and the people!
In fact, General Shi realized all this faster than Qi Xu expected.
Perhaps the people in the capital were too anxious to capture him and bring him back to Beijing.
In just three days, the news was delivered at full speed.
As the weather turned cold, Madam Shi's health deteriorated. After Concubine Ling visited the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, the news spread back to the palace. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager appreciated the Shi family's contributions over the years and took Madam Shi to the Royal Hot Spring Manor and sent the imperial physician to take care of her.
Considering that Madam Shi and General Shi had not seen each other for many years, the Second Prince showed mercy and allowed General Shi to return to Beijing to visit his mother under the pretext of escorting King You.
The imperial envoy who delivered the oral order was a deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, whose surname was Ma. One of the concubine sisters of Concubine Ling was the successor of this deputy commander Ma.
"The Second Prince has specially ordered me to stay in the North. During your absence, I will garrison the North on your behalf and assist in managing the army stationed in the North." Deputy Commander Ma said seriously.
General Shi almost sneered out loud.
The clacking of the second prince's abacus beads could probably be heard from two miles away.
I just don't know why the Queen Mother would get involved and help them control me...
Could it be that the Queen Mother also prefers the Second Prince rather than Prince You, who was once raised by the late Emperor?
At this point, General Shi realized that he had wronged King You.
It was not that King You used his mother to force him to stand on his side, but that King You had foresight and anticipated the actions of the second prince and the queen mother in the capital and made arrangements in advance.
"Madam Shi is old, and the imperial physician said that her condition is not good now. Even with the hot springs and the many medicinal herbs given by the Empress Dowager and Concubine Ling, she may not be able to survive until the beginning of spring."
Deputy Commander Ma acted considerate and advised, "General, please set off as soon as possible so that you can spend the New Year with the old lady. When the old lady is in a good mood, maybe her health will get better too!"
"The north cannot do without people." General Shi said with a stern face, still using the excuse he had used to fob off the previous imperial envoy.
"The northern barbarians have just withdrawn their troops. I am here to guard the place for you. There is also a large army stationed in the north. How can there be any trouble?"
Deputy Commander Ma then advised: "The Second Prince knows that you are devoted to Dayong. Dayong only has you, the Great General Shi, but Old Madam Shi also has only you, the blood relative."
Deputy Commander Ma had no idea how many times he had practiced this drill in private. The expression on his face at this moment was three parts admiration, seven parts sympathy, and a little bit of sigh hidden in his eyes.
At first glance, it does seem genuine and heartfelt.
If General Shi had not known that his mother was in good health and was already on her way north, he might have believed it!
"Deputy Commander Ma, please stop trying to persuade me."
General Shi said solemnly: "You and I are both soldiers of Dayong, and we should understand the principle of putting the country first and ourselves second. The country always comes before the family. As the commander-in-chief of the northern army, I have the responsibility to guard the northern part of Dayong. As long as the northern barbarians are not defeated, I should stay here."
"My mother is the Madam of Qing, who was personally appointed by His Majesty. She is very knowledgeable about justice and will definitely understand what I am doing."
"..." Deputy Commander Ma opened his mouth but couldn't find any words to refute.
I couldn't help cursing in my heart, this guy is such a stubborn person!
He is so foolishly loyal.
Even his mother's life and death came second to fulfilling his duties.
If General Shi knew what Deputy Commander Ma was thinking, he would definitely answer that what he thought was actually correct.
If he didn't know that his mother was fine, he wouldn't have left the front line and handed the safety of the North over to others.
But there will inevitably be pain and regret in my heart.
Just as he answered Deputy Commander Ma, the country always comes before the family, and he will not leave his post just to see his mother for the last time. But that is his mother, and also his last relative in this world.
How could he not care?
Thanks to King You.
Save him from this pain and regret.
Soon, he will be able to reunite with his mother...
General Shi is not the kind of person who cares too much about face.
After sternly rejecting Deputy Commander Ma, he changed into casual clothes, left the camp away from people, and returned to Beiguan City in person to meet King You.
"Two days ago, Shi wrongly accused Your Highness."
General Shi did not show any airs as an "elder" and "person in charge of military power" and apologized to Qi Xu immediately.
Then he folded his hands and bowed, "I thank Your Highness for taking good care of my mother."
"General, there is no need to do this." Qi Xu did not accept the greeting.
He held General Shi's arms with both hands and lifted him up. "You are an old man when our great grandfather was alive. You have made great contributions to Dayong over the years. You have given your all to Dayong. Dayong owes you."
"Your Highness..." General Shi was shocked.
As the saying goes, a gentleman will die for his friend.
When he joined the army, besides his desire to defend his country, he was also influenced by the late emperor.
Later, when the previous emperor passed away, he was still stationed at the northern border.
He devoted himself to the country and performed his duties conscientiously. Even though he was suspected by Emperor Xiaoming, he never had second thoughts.
Later, members of the Shi family died in battle one after another, and even the only remaining old mother was detained in Beijing, and they were unable to see each other for many years. It is impossible not to feel disheartened.
But even so, General Shi never thought of disobeying the emperor's order.
Until recently, the northern barbarians came with great force, and the troops stationed in the north were struggling to hold on. They asked for help from the capital several times, but received no response.
Even the food and fodder they were supposed to receive were withheld.
The barbarians were cunning. They used a feint to the east and attacked in the west, taking advantage of the war on the border to launch a surprise attack on Beiguan City.
If King You had not led his troops to arrive in time, Beiguan City would have been devastated by now.
He had to admit that neither Emperor Xiaoming nor the Second Prince, who was temporarily in charge of the government, cared about the lives of the people in the north.
They didn't even care about the casualties of the soldiers stationed in the North. As long as the troops stationed in the North could stop the barbarians and allow them to continue to hold power in the capital, they could rest assured.
Only King You, like the previous emperor, cares about the people.
Willing to take risks and go to the front lines to protect this land and its people.
After a moment's silence, General Shi finally made up his mind.
He knelt on one knee and said solemnly, "General Shi Zhiheng pays respect to His Highness!"
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