Chapter 382 Xie Family Private Army
study--
Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde, their faces bruised and swollen, sat below the King of Chu, while Qi Rong sat on the other side, quietly waiting for the King of Chu to give his instructions.
They recently received news that members of the Xie family who had defected were heading towards Taiyuan with several hundred private soldiers, and the latest news is that the Xie family is being pursued by the imperial army.
They were stopped by the imperial court near Pingding Prefecture, but they didn't know the specifics of what happened to the Xie family.
"The Xie family has already arrived in the prefectural city, but the checkpoints are strictly guarded and they are being pursued, so they will not be able to reach Taiyuan for the time being."
The King of Chu frowned: "Since the Xie family has betrayed us, we should also show our sincerity. Pingding Prefecture is not far from Taiyuan, and our troops are stationed in the surrounding towns. I suppose the court will not dare to act rashly. I guess a small number of the court's troops will search for the Xie family's whereabouts along the official road, and the checks at the passes will be very strict. Who among you will take Pingding Prefecture and bring the Xie family to Taiyuan?"
Qi Rong was about to clasp his hands in greeting when he saw the King of Chu shaking his head at him: "Second brother, you can't move. These are turbulent times, and I still need you to guard Taiyuan and help me handle things."
Qi Rong responded and sat back down in his chair: "Yes, Your Highness."
Li Mingxiu glanced at Li Mingde, and the two clasped their hands in unison: "Son, (nephew) is willing to lead troops to support the Xie family!"
The King of Chu nodded to the two men, then, after a moment's thought, looked at Qi Rong again: "Chang Ning, are you free?"
Qi Rong hesitated for a moment, then nodded. There were indeed a lot of official duties these days, and Lao Qin and the others were not in Taiyuan. It was indeed not easy to find experienced and capable military officers.
It's just that Changning has only been back for a short time and is already going out again, which must be quite tiring for him.
However, of the four commanders, one is stationed on the frontier, one is raising troops and supplies, another is transporting minerals, and he is also stationed in Taiyuan. At present, there is no particularly suitable candidate.
Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde are decent in military strategy, but they lack martial prowess. If they were to encounter a veteran general, they would likely be unable to withstand him.
Thinking of this, Qi Rong turned his head and called out to the outside, "Go and call Lin Qian Shi over!"
The guards stationed outside responded and quickly headed towards the commander's office.
Lin Changning, who was reviewing official documents, rubbed his aching temples. The backlog of documents was piling up, and Lao Ma and his team were often working on them until the wee hours of the morning before they could go home.
The next day when I came to work, I was walking unsteadily.
Old Ma slammed his head on the desk and wailed, "Heavens! We can't possibly finish reviewing all these documents! This is killing us! Can't we just go back to Daxing to fight? Killing Tartars is harder than reviewing official documents!"
Old Zhou couldn't help but laugh as he watched Old Ma banging his head against the desk: "Alright, Old Ma, you're such a dawdler. The clerk has already covered so much of your workload, and you're still complaining? You're just dragging our feet. Hurry up and approve it, we're not waiting for you today!"
Lin Changning sighed. There were just too many official documents lately; he was too busy to finish them all.
She had just put down her brush when she heard someone calling her from outside the tent.
"Minister, His Highness requests your presence."
The sound outside the tent made the person inside immediately look up at Lin Changning.
Lin Changning responded and got up to leave. Old Ma and Old Zhou looked at each other. Recently, Changning had been going to the Prince's Mansion very frequently. Thinking of this, a hint of joy flashed in Old Ma's eyes.
Seeing Lin Changning's somewhat troubled expression, he patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, clerk. The briefcase on your desk is for Lao Zhou and me. You don't need to worry about today's documents."
Old Zhou nodded at Lin Changning: "Go ahead and don't worry, I'll keep Old Ma company until he finishes approving the documents before I leave."
Lin Changning thanked him and went straight out the door.
After riding his horse to the Prince's residence, Lin Changning dismounted. The eunuch beside the Prince of Chu was quietly waiting in front of the residence. When he saw Lin Changning, he smiled and his face wrinkled: "Minister, I've kept this old servant waiting. The Prince and the Crown Prince are waiting for you in the study."
Lin Changning clasped his hands in a gesture of apology and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go quickly, lest the prince be impatient."
As they spoke, the two of them walked towards the King of Chu's study under the guidance of the eunuch. When they arrived at the door, Lin Changning stood obediently at the door waiting for an announcement.
The eunuch standing outside the door said, "Your Highness, the Assistant Commissioner has arrived."
Upon hearing the King of Chu's call to enter, Lin Changning bowed to the eunuch, pushed open the door, and stepped into the study.
Upon seeing Qi Rong and Li Mingxiu inside the door, Lin Changning bowed and greeted them: "Greetings, Your Highness, Heir Apparent, Commander, and Eighth Young Master."
The King of Chu waved his hand: "Changning, there's no need for formalities. I've come to you with something."
Lin Changning bowed respectfully: "I will obey Your Highness's orders."
The King of Chu nodded: "You should know about the Xie family's affairs. The Xie family sent a letter saying that their clansmen are stuck in Pingding. So this time, the Crown Prince and his men will lead three thousand soldiers to Pingding Prefecture to meet them. Why don't you go with them?"
Lin Changning cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, Your Highness."
Lin Changning thought for a moment. It wasn't difficult to find a person to provide support, but judging from the troop strength, it wouldn't take more than three thousand.
Upon realizing this, Lin Changning instantly understood that the prince meant for her to lead the two princes to take over Pingding Prefecture.
Presumably, this means they are about to officially go to war with the imperial court. However, they only mentioned picking up people and did not mention attacking the city, which means they want them to keep a low profile and take the opportunity to win the first victory in the name of the crown prince!
Having figured it out, Lin Changning glanced at Qi Rong discreetly. Seeing Qi Rong nod slightly at her, she knew she was right. No wonder they didn't send anyone else to attack this time, but instead sent him, a mere assistant commander.
The original intention was to use her, who was completely unknown, to establish the young master's reputation for his first victory. If it were anyone else, even someone with a little bit of fame, the effect would probably not be very good.
Now that the emperor has a bad reputation and his sons are still young, the fact that the King of Chu's first battle was won by a strong successor will likely cause more neutrals to switch sides.
Having thought it through, Lin Changning once again clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Prince of Chu: "Changning will definitely help the Crown Prince take Pingding Prefecture and live up to Your Highness's expectations."
The King of Chu's expression softened instantly, and he glanced at Lin Changning with considerable appreciation. It was so much easier to talk to a smart person.
"Let's go back and reorganize the troops today. We'll set off tomorrow. The Xie family must not be lost!"
Lin Changning and Li Mingxiu clasped their hands in agreement and then left the study, leaving only Qi Rong and the King of Chu inside.
Li Mingxiu now feels a dull ache all over his body whenever he sees Lin Changning; it's become a conditioned reflex.
"Let's go back to the headquarters, we'll be busy soon~" Li Mingxiu said, and the three of them walked outside side by side.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard the voices of the palace maids coaxing a child.
"Young master, this is the prince's courtyard. You can't just wander around here. Be good, let's go back. How about Xiao Cui gets you some snacks?"
As Lin Changning walked out of the courtyard, his long legs bumped into a small person.
Xie Yongzhou stumbled back a few steps, almost falling to the ground, but was lifted up by a hand.
"That little kid from the Xie family?"
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