This assessment made many generals look at Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an with new respect.
The military is different from the officialdom; here, people value personal ability more than one's background.
No matter how good one's background is, if one cannot lead troops, it will be difficult to win the hearts and minds of the people.
Because no one wants to entrust their life to an incompetent person.
Of course, doing a good job in a sand table exercise only shows that you have a solid foundation, but it doesn't mean you can do it on the battlefield. Throughout history, there are many examples of armchair strategists who only talk about war on paper. The situation on the battlefield is constantly changing and is very different from sand table exercises.
Therefore, to gain the trust of these generals, we must look at their performance on the battlefield.
After the test was over, the generals all dispersed, but Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an stayed behind.
"Does Your Highness really intend to go to the battlefield?" Xie Shaoling asked.
When Ye Jingchen proposed to go to the battlefield, many generals opposed it, but Xie Shaoling and Xu Jingjing did not say anything.
"My father is counting on me to take command of the Divine Might Army and win the hearts of the soldiers. If I don't go to the battlefield, I'm afraid it will be difficult to do so," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
Ye Jingchen spoke frankly about taking command of the Shenwei Army in front of Xie Shaoling, the current commander of the Shenwei Army, and Xie Shaoling and Xu Jingjing listened indifferently.
They all knew very well that the emperor's suspicions had been brewing for a long time, and as long as the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion controlled the Divine Might Army, the emperor's distrust of them would not disappear.
The best option is to hand over the Divine Might Army to someone they both agree on.
"The battlefield is dangerous, and there is no way to be completely foolproof. Your Highness needs to be mentally prepared. Of course, we will do our best to protect Your Highness's safety," Xie Shaoling said.
"Don't worry, Uncle Xie, I know how important I am!"
Ye Jingchen's words amused Xie Shaoling and Xu Jingjing.
That's right. Once Ye Jingchen gets into trouble in the Northern Frontier, there will be no room for maneuver between the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Emperor. The Emperor will definitely exterminate the entire Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and many soldiers of the Divine Might Army will also be implicated.
At that time, Dayuan will be beset by internal and external troubles and will surely fall into a precarious situation.
"Neither of you has any real combat experience. Even if you were to go to the battlefield, for the sake of the soldiers' lives, I wouldn't give you too many men at first, nor would I let you fight the Northern Barbarians head-on. As for how much the prince can win over the hearts of the army, that depends on the prince's ability!" Xie Shaoling said to Ye Jingchen.
“That’s only right!” Ye Jingchen nodded in agreement.
Even if Xie Shaoling had asked him to bring a lot of people, he wouldn't have.
You can't do a job you're not qualified for.
Without knowing his true abilities, he would never do anything beyond his capabilities, as that would be irresponsible to both himself and his soldiers.
"Your Highness has always done a good job. As for Chang'an—" Xie Shaoling looked at Xie Chang'an, "Since His Majesty has appointed you as His Highness's bodyguard, your only duty in the Northern Frontier is to protect His Highness's safety. I will not give you any manpower. When you are with His Highness, you must never overstep your bounds and make any decisions for His Highness. Do you understand?"
"I don't need you to tell me!" Xie Chang'an said with a sour face.
He was still bothered by the way Ye Jingchen looked at his father; Ye Jingchen had never looked at him with such intense eyes!
Just thinking about it makes me unhappy!
"Little girl, is this how you treat your father whom you haven't seen for years?" Xie Shaoling showed no mercy to the child and slapped Xie Chang'an on the head.
Xie Chang'an nimbly dodged his slap, and to prevent Xie Shaoling from hitting him again, he hid behind Ye Jingchen.
Xie Shaoling was taken aback.
In the past, when Xie Chang'an was being chased and beaten by Ye Jingchen, he never hid behind Ye Jingchen.
"Mother, look how desperate Father is for a daughter! You should give him a daughter soon, so he won't keep hoping for his daughter to succeed!" Xie Chang'an retorted to the term 'little girl' from behind Ye Jingchen.
My second and third uncles are both expecting babies; their family can't be without one!
Xie Shaoling's expression changed. "You even dare to tease your mother! If you're so capable, don't hide behind His Highness. Come here and let your father test your skills and see if you've been slacking off these past few years!"
"It's getting late. Your Highness has trained all day and must be tired. You should rest!" Xie Chang'an said to Xie Shaoling, putting his hand on Ye Jingchen's shoulder in a friendly manner.
Ye Jingchen felt a chill run down his spine. He tried to brush Xie Chang'an's hand away, but Xie Chang'an was resisting him. He couldn't use his strength with just one hand and couldn't pry it off at all.
But if he uses both hands to pry it open—
What's the difference between that posture and him throwing himself into her arms?
"Uncle Xie, I'm really tired after a day of training, so I'll go back and rest first." Ye Jingchen could only cooperate with Xie Chang'an and take him away from Xie Shaoling.
If he didn't leave soon, he didn't know what even crazier things Xie Chang'an might do!
Xie Shaoling watched Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an leave together, looking like brothers, and could hardly believe his eyes.
"Jingjing, when did Chang'an become so close to His Highness?" he asked in confusion.
"Hasn't Chang'an and His Highness always had a good relationship?" Xu Jingjing asked in return, puzzled.
"Didn't he always ignore His Highness before?"
He had reprimanded Xie Chang'an many times for this, but Xie Chang'an never learned his lesson.
“You know how awkward Chang’an’s personality is. If he didn’t like His Highness the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t even give him a second glance. How could he have spent so many years with him?” Xu Jingjing said with a smile.
Xie Shaoling rested his chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"I know that, what I'm wondering is why he's not acting awkward anymore?"
"Have you grown up and become more sensible?" Xu Jingjing guessed. "Actually, before I came to the Northern Frontier, Chang'an and His Highness already had a very good relationship!"
"After all, it's a friendship forged since childhood, and Chang'an doesn't have any other friends. Although Chang'an has a bad temper, His Highness the Crown Prince has a good personality. As the saying goes, even a fierce woman can be won over by persistent pursuit. After all these years, even if Chang'an is an ice block, His Highness the Crown Prince should have melted him by now!"
Xie Shaoling was speechless. Although Xu Jingjing's words made sense, the analogy was not very good.
Although he always called Xie Chang'an "little girl", he and Xu Jingjing had a son, not a little girl.
After Xie Chang'an led Ye Jingchen out of the barracks, he took the initiative to let go of Ye Jingchen.
"I didn't mean to. I just didn't want to fight with my father right after he returned from his inspection. Even if I won, it would be an unfair victory, and people would think I was an unfilial son," Xie Chang'an explained to Ye Jingchen.
If it weren't inappropriate, Ye Jingchen would really like to pinch Xie Chang'an's face right now to see how thick his skin was.
He gave Xie Chang'an a cold glance. "Do you think I'd believe that?"
After saying that, he quickly walked towards his room.
"What about trust between people?" Xie Chang'an pressed Ye Jingchen for an answer.
"You have no trust in me anymore!"
Xie Chang'an wanted to court death, but he wasn't going to play along!
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