Chapter 117 Captain, you hit me again!
After the 100-day memorial service, under the leadership of Xiao Ning, the family moved the old marquis's spirit tablet to the ancestral hall.
As the grandson's wife, the princess naturally followed by his side.
After the complicated ceremony, Furong walked to Shang Xi and whispered a few words in his ear. Shang Xi frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Xiao Ning asked, "What's wrong?"
Shang Xi said, "The Xiongnu want to negotiate peace, and Your Majesty has agreed. The Xiongnu delegation will arrive in Shengjing soon."
Ever since Yingzhou fell, he guessed that peace talks would be held soon. After all, the money was in the hands of the aristocratic families, and the treasury was empty. The emperor did not have the ability to ask them to pay out money. How much could be saved by relying on the frugality of the harem?
Moreover, the extravagant life had lasted too long. Not to mention the concubines in the harem, even the emperor himself probably couldn't stand the long-term frugality.
Xiao Ning: "...I guess the Xiongnu don't want to fight anymore."
Shang Xi nodded and said, "After all, war is costly and arduous. We have suffered heavy losses, and the Xiongnu are probably not doing well either. They have been dormant for eighteen years, only to train a group of elite soldiers. If we launch a fierce attack, I'm afraid both sides will suffer."
Xiao Ning frowned: "It's called peace talks, but the Xiongnu will definitely ask for a lot of things."
Shang Xi nodded, threw the yellow paper at hand into the brazier, and watched the flames sweep it into ashes, which swayed in the air and fell down.
The corners of his lips curled up into a cold smile: "It depends on how the court responds..."
How will the court respond?
Xiao Ning had no confidence in this court.
Although he had now inherited the title of Marquis of Jingyuan, the emperor didn't take him seriously at all. Last time, after asking for battle and saying so much, he was dismissed by the emperor with a simple sentence. He said, "Xiao Qing is still in mourning, so he should not participate in state affairs."
The tone was relatively gentle, but the attitude was firm and could not be refused.
Even though she said she just wanted to go and be a vanguard soldier, the emperor still refused.
She had clearly demonstrated her skills during the previous autumn hunt.
The emperor knew her strength, but still refused to allow her, saying that during the mourning period, there were so many cases in history books where people were reinstated due to personal reasons. He simply refused to allow her to go to the battlefield.
I don’t know why…
It can't be that they are worried that she will die on the battlefield and Princess Duanhui will lose her husband, right?
Xiao Ning couldn't believe that he would do this for a princess born to the previous emperor.
The imperial court was making intensive preparations, waiting for the arrival of the Hun envoys, and Xiao Ning also packed up and headed for the capital camp.
When we returned to the camp, we saw that the morale of the entire camp was low, and the rehearsal time was lazy and unproductive.
It seems that this defeat not only affected the situation in the court, but also broke the backbone of the people of Dayong.
Their troops were several times larger than those of the Xiongnu, yet they were still no match for them in the battle to defend the city.
Xiao Ning went to find Zhou Jiang first. Zhou Jiang was in his twenties and full of energy, but he was also depressed by the defeat.
He hunched over his desk, handling military affairs, no longer looking as high-spirited as he once was.
Xiao Ning knocked on the door frame. Zhou Jiang looked up and saw her. He put down what he was doing, stood up and walked towards the door.
"Has the old marquis' hundred-day memorial ceremony ended?"
Xiao Ning nodded.
Zhou Jiang patted her shoulder and said, "My condolences!"
Xiao Ning smiled and nudged him, "I think you're the one who should be more concerned. How come you've become so haggard after not seeing you for over three months?"
Zhou Jiang sighed upon hearing this, his mood instantly darkening. He put his arm around Xiao Ning's shoulders and pulled him into the room: "You should know more about the border defeat than I do..."
Xiao Ning said: "Hasn't this spread? Besides, even if we know clearly, what can we do? We are still powerless."
"I heard that you were rejected when you applied to fight?"
Xiao Ning nodded, "His Majesty did not allow it, saying that I was in mourning and could not participate in state affairs."
When Zhou Jiang heard this, he sneered, "Putting country first and family second, at this time, you still care about these things, it's really not up to standard!"
Xiao Ning was shocked when he heard this. This guy is too bold!
I looked around and fortunately there was no one else around.
Zhou Jiang saw her action and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's just you and me here."
After that, he patted Xiao Ning on the shoulder and sighed, "I have seen your abilities. If you and I were to lead the troops, we might be able to drive out the Tartars and enhance our country's prestige!"
Xiao Ning: "...Then should I thank you for your affirmation, General?"
Zhou Jiang smiled and said, "It's a pity that mine is definitely useless. I can't even leave this Jingji camp..."
"I heard that the imperial court is going to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu. I wonder what gifts they will send then..."
"Da Yong once feared the Xiongnu's cavalry, harassing them every winter. Every few years, they would send a beautiful princess to the Xiongnu for marriage, only to be abused by those beasts. Until the arrival of General Zhenbei, he led the men of Dayong into Xiongnu territory and nearly destroyed their royal court..."
"That was the most glorious page in the history of Dayong. It's a pity that the general died young due to his talent being envied by heaven."
Zhou Jiang said, looking at Xiao Ning, "When you first came to the camp, I was prejudiced against you. I thought you were just a playboy, not worthy of being the son of the General Zhenbei. Now it seems that I was influenced by rumors and misjudged you..."
Xiao Ning: “…”
Why did you suddenly open up to her about this?
Xiao Ning patted Zhou Jiang on the shoulder and said, "It's all in the past. We still have to look forward!"
Zhou Jiang quickly calmed down and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to see General Du. You've been promoted to Lang Jiang this time. The seals and other things have been prepared and are waiting for you to claim them. When the time comes, you can choose which camps you like and I'll assign them to you."
Xiao Ning: "...any camp is fine, I'm not picky."
Zhou Jiang said, "Then I'll assign you a few difficult ones. Seeing how you've subdued Xu Chong, I believe you'll be able to subdue a few more troublemakers. Those guys all have some status and background, plus they're pretty good at fighting, so they like to show off to their comrades."
Xiao Ning smiled, "This kind of thing... I really like it."
While the two were talking, they came to General Du. General Du was still the same. When he saw Xiao Ning, he said a few words of concern and then gave the thing to her. Since she was under Zhou Jiang's command, this time she would still be under Zhou Jiang's command.
After Zhou Jiang received the order, he took Xiao Ning away.
Zhou Jiang had already decided which camps to assign to Xiao Ning.
As they walked and talked, Zhou Jiang asked in confusion, "Logically speaking, since you've inherited the title of Marquis and have some abilities, you should at least be given the rank of General of the Central Army. I wonder what His Majesty was thinking to only give you a promotion one level."
Xiao Ning didn't understand either.
She had no idea what the military rank system was in Dayong.
"Captain!"
Suddenly there was a loud shout, and then something rushed over and hugged Xiao Ning.
He slapped Xiao Ning's back vigorously, his voice excited: "Why didn't you tell us you were back? You just stayed with Zhou!"
Zhou Jiang: “…”
Xiao Ning: “…”
She punched the man on the shoulder. He stepped back in pain, his eyes full of resentment: "Captain, you hit me again!"
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