Chapter 44: The War is Waiting for You, My General
Gu Linyuan still didn't dare to look up. Song Mingjiao was very dazzling at this moment. Different from the seriousness of the emperor in the court, she had a beauty that belonged only to Song Mingjiao.
He didn't dare look up at Song Mingjiao, fearing that the emotions in his eyes that could not be hidden would be known by the little emperor.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty dare not."
Song Mingjiao bent over, waiting for Gu Linyuan's response, but she didn't expect to hear this sentence. The boring and perfunctory response made Song Mingjiao feel bored.
He had thought that Gu Linyuan had specially invited him to the military camp today to give him a surprise, but he didn't expect him to still look so boring.
"Then you can continue to be so timid. I need to go and rest now."
Song Mingjiao covered his mouth and yawned, waving his sleeves. The voice that was as bewitching as a siren just now suddenly turned cold again. He walked past Gu Linyuan without any reluctance, leaving only a slight breeze blowing in his wake.
Gu Linyuan wanted to speak to keep her and reached out to hold Song Mingjiao's hand, but in the end his hand dropped down and still did not touch Song Mingjiao's clothes.
*
After returning to the palace, neither Song Mingjiao nor Gu Linyuan mentioned the ambiguous atmosphere in the military camp that night. Only the soldiers talked about the emperor having fun with the people that day.
Gu Linyuan's thoughts were in turmoil. He had belatedly realized that Song Mingjiao's visit to the military camp that day was giving him an opportunity. But then Gu Linyuan thought about his position as a general. Even though he was a skilled warrior, extremely skilled in marching and fighting, and rarely lost a battle.
But how many military commanders throughout history have not died on the merciless battlefields of swords and spears? Gu Linyuan was attracted to Song Mingjiao, but he was even more worried that he wouldn't be able to provide her with a long-term future. He might as well let Prime Minister He Wen and Song Mingjiao have a romantic relationship. At least the Prime Minister wouldn't be in danger and could always take care of Song Mingjiao.
This is what Gu Linyuan thought when he saw Song Mingjiao and He Wen flirting with each other in the court or during meetings.
Unlike Gu Linyuan who was struggling day and night and tossing and turning, Song Mingjiao was cultivating his affection and love with his "new favorite" Prime Minister these days.
Sometimes, Song Mingjiao would take the time to write back to his younger brother Song Chengnian, who was far away in Lingbei. From the letter, it can be seen that Song Chengnian had indeed built a new type of building there that could reduce the damage caused by snowstorms and collapses.
The results were good, and Song Mingjiao did not hesitate to praise Song Chengnian in the letter. According to the calculations, Song Chengnian should return to Beijing after this winter.
Besides He Wen and Song Chengnian, Song Mingjiao had also been exploring other potential talents. While the top scholar selected in the imperial examination at the beginning of the small world wasn't particularly useful, the second and third place winners were both considered truly talented and capable.
Song Mingjiao generously gave the two men the opportunity to gain experience. Although the second and third place winners were not as experienced as the old hands in officialdom, they still did their job well. They had their names registered with the Ministry of Personnel, and after waiting for some time, promotion would be a piece of cake.
The emperor treated his ministers equally, but he ignored and omitted General Gu Linyuan who was about to leave the capital.
Gu Linyuan had basically packed up all the valuables for this trip at home. He planned to resign to Song Mingjiao soon, but when he thought of Song Mingjiao's attitude towards him these days, he couldn't help feeling complicated and bitter. But it was all his own fault, and he seemed to have no reason to complain.
However, before the day of Gu Linyuan's official departure, some people were already impatient and wanted to speed up Gu Linyuan's journey.
——It’s the iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians, knocking on the gate of the border.
At the morning court session that day, the ministers all looked serious, shocked by the bad news brought by the messenger.
Song Mingjiao felt a little nostalgic at this moment. He had previously despised the morning court as a vegetable market. Compared with the current national crisis, the trivial matters became more interesting.
"It has indeed developed to this point. We have no choice but to fight. If I were one of those northern barbarians, I'd be fed up with invading every year and seeing so many people die."
Song Mingjiao couldn't say such words based on his current status as emperor, but he did think so.
[Host, if you're willing to seriously complete the main quest and conquer the hero, this so-called crisis won't be a problem at all. The hero has connections, and a divine force will descend from the sky! He can solve all of the host's obstacles! Host, why don't you turn back?]
After waiting for so long, the system finally saw Song Mingjiao being humiliated. It no longer had the ability to stop Song Mingjiao, so it could only mock him at this time and pretend to be heartbroken, hoping that Song Mingjiao would turn back.
"Are you still thinking about your hero? I didn't kill him. He was the one who trapped himself in this remote area, unable to get out. Back then, as the ruler of a country, I condescended to help him out once, but I have no obligation to do it a second time."
"As for the crisis you mentioned, Tong, do you really think the hero alone can manipulate the world? Without him, the once wealthy Liang Dynasty couldn't even defeat the tiny Northern Yi barbarians?"
Song Mingjiao sneered:
"Do you really think that the people I raise in the court are all good-for-nothings? If they were, would I need to wake up early every day without fail and listen to them arguing in my ears?"
Song Mingjiao wasn't a very patient person, nor was he someone who sought nothing in return. He could endure the morning court sessions that were like a vegetable market, and the ministers' nonsense and literary memorials, naturally because—
At this critical moment, all these officials had to work for him! All of them, all of them had to work for him!
Song Mingjiao sat on the dragon throne, silent. The ministers below, unable to fathom the emperor's thoughts, gradually began to spontaneously discuss the matter after hearing the envoy's report, having initially been solemn and embarrassed.
"At this time of year, the people are still facing natural disasters. I heard that the new king of the Northern Barbarians has unified several tribes, and their army is now strong and powerful. If we confront them head-on now, I'm afraid there will be great losses. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages."
"What's there to be afraid of? This isn't the first time the Northern Barbarians have invaded us, and every time they've been beaten to a pulp, they've been sent packing. I just don't understand what you, these poor, clueless scholars, are so afraid of all the time!"
"If it were you, I'd say we should fight. Daliang has a victorious general, and all the other generals are also brave and skilled in battle. We can take this opportunity to subdue those foreign brats and stop them from harassing our borders."
"Ah, avoiding battle and keeping a low profile is also a good strategy. It helps us conserve our energy and strength. It's not that we are afraid of the barbarians."
As expected, the court was divided into pro-war and pro-peace factions, who argued endlessly over the matter.
Finally, the emperor, who was sitting on the high platform, finally opened his eyes, which had been closed for a long time, and said, "Okay, stop arguing."
The pro-war and pro-peace factions, who were almost spitting at each other, glared at each other fiercely, and then reluctantly returned to their positions.
"As you have all said, the northern barbarians have repeatedly invaded Daliang, harassing the people and causing them unbearable suffering. We must not retreat easily and encourage the barbarians' evil ambitions! Moreover, I have long been prepared for this barbarian attack. Our dynasty is not completely defenseless."
Song Mingjiao raised his voice and called the name of the figure standing in the front right: "General."
"I am here, Your Majesty."
Gu Linyuan stepped out from among the court officials and bowed solemnly to Song Mingjiao.
"Please briefly explain to all of you the preparations you have made in recent days."
"yes."
Then, Gu Linyuan explained the defenses that had been carried out on the northern border in recent days, as well as the Sixth Prince's appeasement measures among the people. The court officials nodded as they listened.
It turns out that His Majesty had already made a prediction!
"In that case, Gu Linyuan, I appoint you as the General of the Northern Frontier today. You will lead the war against the northern barbarians. There must be no mistakes."
"I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"
*
With the war imminent, both the soldiers who were about to go to the battlefield and the seemingly irrelevant officials in the court were busy during this period.
The efficiency of the entire court reached its peak, and those ministers who were always concerned about Song Mingjiao's private affairs of selecting concubines had no time to submit memorials to bother the little emperor.
"Your Majesty has handed over all military power to Gu Linyuan. I am worried that this move may have hidden dangers."
The next day, when Song Mingjiao and He Wen were together in private, He Wen gently rubbed Song Mingjiao's waist and expressed his concerns with some worry.
"Did the Prime Minister or He Wen tell me this? I thought your bickering was only about private matters. Are your concerns truly selfless?"
Song Mingjiao found it funny and did not respond to He Wen without opening her eyes. She just pulled the man's hand and asked him to move his hand to another place on her waist and abdomen. He continued to rub her and hummed softly in comfort.
The things used by the emperor were precious, but they were too precious and therefore very hard, which often made the spoiled little emperor ask the prime minister to rub various parts of his body for him.
He Wen didn't expect that although he usually didn't show much aggression towards Gu Linyuan, Song Mingjiao still saw through him. He felt a little embarrassed and coughed and said:
"I'm not targeting him, I just have reasonable suspicions. After all, throughout history, how many people who have reached the position of Grand General have earned as much trust as Your Majesty? Your Majesty has been so kind to him."
"When a general is away from home, he may not obey the king's orders. Even if we don't give Gu Linyuan that much power, if he really wants to, we can't stop him. It's better to let him go."
Song Mingjiao took away He Wen's hand from his waist, moved a few times and sat on He Wen's legs, looking straight at He Wen, his eyes calm and said:
"Besides, if I put you in Gu Linyuan's position, would you betray me?"
"Absolutely not! Mingjiao, whether it's a subject's love for the emperor, or my pure love for Song Mingjiao, I will never betray you."
He Wen almost swore to the heavens as he rubbed Song Mingjiao's nose affectionately.
"Then I believe that Gu Linyuan is the same."
Looking at Song Mingjiao's smiling eyes, He Wen should have been happy about this relationship between the monarch and his subject, but he couldn't be happy and just sighed softly.
How many people are there in Mingjiao's heart?
Finally the day of departure arrived.
Outside the city walls, the army was lined up, flags flying. Every soldier was in high spirits, ready to rush to the battlefield and drive the invading foreign enemies out of Daliang.
As the emperor, Song Mingjiao was standing on the city wall, watching the army belonging to Daliang. In front of him was General Gu Linyuan, who had already changed into military uniform.
According to convention, Gu Linyuan should have stood in front of the army and under the city wall, accepted the emperor's review, and then waved the flag to go to war.
But out of selfishness, he still wanted to go up to the city wall to take another look at Song Mingjiao. He knew that no matter how thorough the preparations were, the outcome of the war was not known and no one knew who would win or lose.
But who would have thought that after the emperor finished speaking encouraging words to the army, he turned around and looked at Gu Linyuan again.
Song Mingjiao smiled lightly, raised her feet slightly, and touched Gu Linyuan's cold armor with her fingertips, and separated from him at the corner of Gu Linyuan's lips.
It was a kiss, avoiding the sight of all the ministers and soldiers, like an unspoken secret between the two people.
"Return victoriously! I await you, my general."
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