Chapter 182 Speculation
The King of Chu nodded: "Rong'er's words make sense. Why don't you tell me your guess?"
Qi Rong glanced at Lin Changning, whose eyes seemed to understand, and said, "Your Highness, Changning seems to have guessed something..."
Lin Changning was stunned for a moment, looking at Qi Erge in disbelief. The King of Chu was asking him why he had sold her out of the blue.
Qi Rong smiled and said, "Feel free to speak your mind."
Lin Changning gave Qi Erge a reproachful look, and under the curious gazes of everyone present, he forced himself to walk to the center.
"Your Highness, I do have some guesses."
The King of Chu looked at the young general below him and said encouragingly, "Speak up if you have any ideas."
Lin Changning cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I believe that the court's actions must be due to some change in the past. After all, the court is not stupid. It would be unreasonable and illogical for them to rashly transfer troops from the personal guards of the princes in various regions."
The King of Chu nodded: "Continue."
Lin Changning frowned slightly: "I've thought about it a lot, but there's one guess: things have changed in the border city. Most of the imperial army is tied up by the rebels. When we returned from Daxing, the Tartars had gathered 10,000 troops and were burning, killing, and looting in the border city."
Lin Changning paused, looked at the bigwigs around him who were deep in thought, and continued: "Although the Sheng King's forces have won many battles, most of them are due to the fact that their territories are easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is reasonable for the court to lose, but it is only a matter of time. The food in their territory is far from enough to support a long war with the court, so the court will definitely win this war in the end."
"But now, the court has suddenly become anxious and is preparing to transfer troops from the vassal states. There is only one possibility: Prince Sheng has lost the border city and it has been occupied by the Tartars. The court's forces are only a matter of time before they can take down Prince Sheng. Naturally, they cannot move their forces recklessly. However, if the border city is lost, our emperor, well, will most likely be accused of being a tyrant."
"After all, to quell internal strife, one must first secure external peace. Now, with internal and external troubles, the Emperor does not want to lose this piece of meat that is right in front of him. Therefore, he can only try other methods to drive out the Tartars. Under such circumstances, the several princes of the court are the best choice."
After Lin Changning finished speaking, he found the surroundings completely silent. Everyone was deep in thought, and the King of Chu's expression was unclear, as if he was also considering this possibility.
Lin Changning added, "However, these are all just guesses based on the bids. We still need to investigate the specifics before we can say anything more."
Qi Rong thought about it for a while and then understood. He nodded slightly at Lin Changning as he spoke eloquently.
The more the King of Chu thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He couldn't help but look up at Lin Changning. After scrutinizing him from head to toe, he thought to himself, "Rong'er was right after all. This boy has great potential."
"Good. I will send someone to investigate the situation in the border town later. If the situation is true, you will be credited for this!"
Qin Zhong's eyes flashed with admiration. He had been hearing recently that Old Master Qi had produced a capable person under his command, and this must be the one.
After glancing at Lin Changning, who had bowed respectfully to the King of Chu and returned to Qi Lao Er's side, Qin Zhong looked at the two burly men behind him, whom he still couldn't figure out, and clicked his tongue.
Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.
How wonderful it would be if this kid were under his command.
Old Zhou glanced at Lin Changning: "Can't you lend me half of your brain? You're unbelievably smart."
Lin Changning chuckled: "Stop teasing me."
The King of Chu, seated at the head of the table, tapped his fingers on the table: "If there really is a change in the border cities, then we really should send troops. But how should I put it? I feel uneasy about this matter."
Li Mingxiu nodded: "That's true. We fought the war, but the credit will probably go to the imperial court. The imperial court has always been stingy with the princes, so I doubt they will give any real rewards."
Lin Changning gently nudged Qi Rong and whispered, "Second brother, reputation, population, land, merit are secondary, reputation, land, and population are the most important."
Qi Rong understood what Lin Changning was talking about almost immediately and practically rushed to speak.
“Brother, this war must be fought. The rewards and merits from the court are secondary. The land and population on the frontier, as well as the reputation of our Chu Prince’s Mansion, are the key things.”
Li Mingxiu's eyes lit up, and he almost subconsciously looked at his father, the second son, who was giving him a hint.
The King of Chu also looked at Qi Rong, who had spoken these words, but his expression remained unchanged, and he did not agree with what Qi Rong said.
The King of Chu was a cautious man; he would not do anything lightly without being absolutely certain.
He knew what the second brother was talking about, but it was too early and the time was not right.
After roughly formulating the strategy and personnel for this military expedition, the King of Chu dismissed the troops.
Lin Changning was lucky and managed to snag a position, making Lao Ma and the others extremely jealous. But there was nothing they could do about it, since they hadn't recruited enough soldiers yet. And to make matters worse, they weren't as quick-witted as Lin Changning.
Sigh~
Back at the command post, Lin Changning sat in Qi Rong's tent: "Second brother, I only have eight hundred new recruits, and they're not trained enough. Taking them to the battlefield might be a big problem."
Qi Rong smiled and said, "It's alright. Everyone goes through this. These people have been living comfortably for too long. It's time to take them out and train them, to let them see real weapons."
After speaking with Qi Rong, Lin Changning left the tent, looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky, and felt a bit overwhelmed.
They have now received the news, and it is certain that they will send troops. Of the eight hundred men he has here, more and better ones will survive.
Lin Changning rubbed his temples and slowly walked towards the training ground. Since the troops would be deployed soon, he would give them extra training.
The current training is not enough.
His personal guards aren't doing so well these days. In a few days, once the Daxing Guard is officially incorporated, he'll find a few from Daxing to follow him.
When she arrived at the training ground, a group of people were practicing sword fighting. Their postures were quite standard, much better than when she first arrived.
Lu Shan told them to continue training while he ran over and clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Commander!"
Lin Changning nodded and led Lu Shan to the center, sitting down in a chair and gesturing for Lu Shan to sit down: "We just went to the Chu Prince's residence. The imperial court will probably issue an edict in a few days, requiring each prince to send 3,000 soldiers to the battlefield. Our 800 men happen to be among them, so we'll have to intensify our training recently."
Lu Shan suddenly looked up: "The imperial court wants to draw people from the personal guards of the vassal kings?"
Lin Changning nodded: "Let's get these 800 people into the ranks and train hard. You can tell the people below that once we're on the battlefield, whether we live or die, whether we get promoted and make a fortune or are buried far from home, it's up to each of us."
Lu Shan was clearly eager to try his skills; he was truly skilled and desperate to make a name for himself.
When he was assigned to this lousy military post, he thought he would be stuck at the level of a centurion for the rest of his life.
War is great! He can get promoted and make a fortune by fighting wars.
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