Chapter 221: Emergency at Yumen Pass
The Queen Mother's sudden interest left the Empress, who had already told all she knew, at a loss for what to continue.
“As for the details, I’m afraid only the two children themselves know.
“But given the Fourth Brother’s personality, he won’t let anyone mistakenly think that the girl is intolerant.
"Just wait and see. This matter will not end so easily."
The Queen Mother sighed with regret, "Shui'er is a child who loves to join in the fun, how come she doesn't know anything this time?"
How come the guy who is most concerned about eating melons only knows half of the story?
Hearing the Queen Mother's sigh, the Empress hurriedly explained for her niece: "Shui'er said that Xinran doesn't express her feelings anymore. Except when she sees others having fun, other things, such as things related to herself, cannot be heard by others."
After she discovered this, she secretly confirmed it with Lu Xinlan in private.
After confirming that Lu Xinlan couldn't hear it either, I went home and was depressed for a long time.
To them, nothing in the capital city could compare to the lively and exciting scene between her and the fourth brother.
The fourth one seemed to be the most respectful and polite one, who would have thought that he would have a private relationship with her.
In order to ensure a smooth marriage, a letter of commitment was written that was said to be no different from paying compensation for ceding land.
The queen also felt regretful when she thought of this.
What a pity, there are not many interesting things in this deep palace, and now the last bit of fun is gone.
"Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Her Majesty the Queen Mother."
A palace servant ran in hurriedly, knelt down with a plop, and said breathlessly: "The Dana tribe outside the pass attacked Yucheng Pass overnight. General Qi was defeated and seriously injured. He led his troops to retreat to Hanyu Pass. Your Majesty was furious during the morning court session."
The queen stood up suddenly and took a step forward in disbelief.
"What did you say? Yuchengguan was lost?"
They, Zhangjiazhen, have been guarding Yucheng Pass for a hundred years. This is the first time that they have failed to guard the city gate tightly against foreign invasion.
The palace maid nodded in panic: "Yes, that's the news we got from the front."
The queen's mind raced as she turned and bowed to the empress dowager.
"Mother, I want to go to Fengtian Palace to ask Your Majesty to let me lead the troops. There are very few good generals in Da Chu these years. My brother was seriously injured outside the Great Wall in his early years and can no longer ride a horse to fight. The Duke's Mansion no longer has any good generals available. I am willing to lead the troops in place of my brother and father."
"Hey, you kid!"
The Queen Mother quickly stood up and grabbed her wrist, "You can't go! Do you know what you are saying?"
The emperor has been jealous of the Duke's Mansion for a long time. Unless the worst case scenario occurs and the Dana tribe fails to attack Yanmen Pass, he will not allow the Zhang family to have the opportunity to command the army again.
This girl clearly understands this truth, so why can't she let it go?
The queen was anxious, but the queen mother held her arm tightly so that she could not break free.
She looked at the Queen Mother pleadingly. This was her last chance.
As long as she can leave this suffocating palace, even for a few days.
She wanted to leave the sky, go outside for a walk and a look, and go to Yumen Pass again to see the stars and the crescent moon under the night sky.
"You can't go!"
The Queen Mother still insisted, but her eyes were too sad. She added helplessly in a low voice: "At least you can't go now."
The emperor had to see for himself that there were no more military generals available in the court, and he had to realize that he had a female general who had fought in hundreds of battles by his side.
"Go back to Changchun Palace. Don't be impulsive. Remember what mother said. This is a matter of the previous dynasty. Don't interfere."
The queen left in dismay.
The Queen Mother also felt heavy in her heart as she looked at her back.
In the Wenhua Palace, the emperor looked at the ministers standing in front of him and threw the military report in his hand directly in front of Zhang Yongping.
"How should we deal with this?"
Zhang Yongping bent down, picked up the battle report that was thrown at his feet, and saluted respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I think we should quickly dispatch troops to Hanyuguan for support."
"Mobilize troops! Where should we mobilize them?"
The emperor became increasingly angry when he thought about the problems found by military stations and soldiers in various places.
How long has it been since the Ministry of War was handed over to Zhang Yongping!
Such major cases of corruption and abuse of power broke out one after another in various places, and many military depots did not even have the quota of soldiers.
All the food and military pay sent to various places in recent years were embezzled by the centurions and thousand-man commanders.
Now we need to use troops urgently, but there are no soldiers available.
It was ridiculous that such a great and powerful Chu State could be in such a predicament.
Thinking about how he had given Sun Linyuan the most trust in the past, he was so angry that he wanted to have someone whip his corpse.
Facing the emperor's wrath, Zhang Yongping spoke out the countermeasures he had thought of: "Your Majesty, the 20,000 men that the Sun family had previously privately trained outside Yanmen Pass are still there and can be urgently deployed."
"Those people?"
The emperor was startled, thinking about why those 20,000 people were trained privately, and the urge to whip the corpse became stronger.
“Will it be too little?”
"If we can find a general who is good at leading troops and has the talent of a commander, 20,000 people can help us out."
His words were like a sedative that gradually calmed the emperor from his rage. After confiscating many families' property, the national treasury was not empty and food and grass could be urgently requisitioned. The only trouble was the generals mentioned by Zhang Yongping.
A general with the talent of a commander-in-chief... If there is such a person in the court, would he still grit his teeth and be willing to make every effort to send Qi Yu back to Yucheng Pass?
"Does the Duke have any suitable person to recommend?"
He had already accepted Zhang Yongping's suggestion in his heart, and his tone softened.
Zhang Yongping sighed inwardly, lifted his clothes, knelt down and apologized.
"I am incompetent. None of my children and grandchildren are able to fight in battle."
His several sons were killed or injured, and they no longer had the fierce spirit they had when they fought on the bloody battlefield in the past.
As for Zhang Xinji's generation, although they still learned martial arts, they had never been to the battlefield.
Under the emperor's jealousy, the Zhang family has completely lost their former inviolable, iron-blooded and murderous spirit.
The emperor looked across the table and saw Zhang Yongping kneeling on the ground, feeling inexplicably complicated.
He knew that he could not blame anyone for the current situation. It was he who broke the wings of the Zhang family and imprisoned them in Beijing.
He did not regret his previous decision, but was angry that there was no other Zhang family in the entire Chu.
He had suppressed the Zhang family for so many years, and even forced Zhang Yongping to hand over the Zhang family army. As a result, he could not find another suitable candidate except Zhang Yongping's adopted son Qi Yu.
Now that Qi Yu is seriously injured and unable to lead the troops, who can take charge of these 20,000 people?