"The last time the Grand Commander wrote to me was nearly a month ago." Dai Cong told the truth: "I received news a few days ago that the Grand Commander is now leading his troops in the Yinshan area to resist the Northern Di army. The battle situation..."
Dai Cong considered his words for a moment, and continued, "The Northern Di have led more than 100,000 troops to Yinshan this time, and the battle situation is quite severe."
"Yinshan..." Chang Suining frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, and then said with certainty: "The Northern Di chose to attack from the top of Guannei Road at this time. They must have learned of the death of the Shuofang Jiedushi of Guannei Road and regarded this as an opportunity to take advantage of."
The murder of the Shuofang Jiedushi in the capital inevitably affected the war situation in the northern border.
"Yes." Dai Cong nodded, his expression a little heavy. "When the Northern Di cavalry attacked for the first time, they were stopped and killed outside Yumen Pass by the Grand Commander-in-Chief. Tens of thousands of cavalry were almost wiped out. Since then, they have been peaceful for a while. However, the frequent civil unrest in our dynasty has made the Northern Di tribes ambitious and they have repeatedly taken advantage of the situation to invade..."
During the past six months since the Northern Di invaded again, they mostly resorted to guerrilla warfare, often using thousands or more than a thousand cavalry to carry out surprise attacks in various places. Cui Jing deployed his troops to resist properly and never allowed the Northern Di cavalry to break through the defense line.
It was not until the news of the death of the Shuofang Jiedushi, who had been stationed in Guannei Road for many years, spread that the several major tribes to the east of Beidi conspired and united, jointly mobilized more than 100,000 troops, and marched into Yinshan in a massive manner.
Dai Cong spoke of the Yinshan defense line with a hint of relief in his tone: "Fortunately, the defense of the Yinshan area is the border area that the Grand Commander has paid the most attention to in the past few years..."
"If not for this, the Northern Di cavalry would have already broken into our borders." Chang Suining always felt a little relieved, even grateful, whenever he thought of Cui Jing's previous move to the northern border to rebuild the border defenses.
Before the chaos in Da Sheng, Cui Jing had always attached great importance to the northern border defense. It was because of his unremitting efforts over the years that Da Sheng was able to fight against the invasion of Beidi at this time.
This far-sighted spirit of protecting the country is so great that it is not an exaggeration to express it with the word "grateful".
"At this critical moment, there must be no more turmoil in Guannei Road. Otherwise, once the internal and external troubles are connected, people's hearts will be unsettled and the front line will surely fail." Chang Suining looked at Dai Cong and asked, "May I ask, Chief Secretary, what is the specific situation in Guannei Road now?"
The Taiyuan Prefecture of Bingzhou belongs to Hedong Road, and to the west of Hedong Road is Guannei Road. Dai Cong lives in Taiyuan and is a smart man with a meticulous mind. Therefore, Chang Suining is sure that he must know more about the military and internal affairs of Guannei Road than anyone else.
Dai told Chang Suining everything he knew without hiding anything.
There were already signs of unrest in Guannei Road after the Shuofang Jiedushi entered the capital. When the news of his death was reported back, public anger was completely ignited.
Cui Jing tried to get people to suppress the chaos, but he was in the army, fighting against the Northern Di, and could not get timely information changes. The Xuan Ce Army had no position to interfere in the affairs of the Shuofang Army. The Xuan Ce Army generals who came forward instead aroused the dissatisfaction of the Shuofang Army who were in grief and anger.
Under such circumstances, Xuan Ce's army was destined to fail to suppress the riot by force. The death of Shuofang Jiedushi was the court's mistake. The reaction of the Shuofang army was within human nature. Forcible suppression would only backfire and cause greater riots.
In order to prevent the situation from deteriorating quickly, Cui Jing had no choice but to let his generals try to balance the different forces that were gradually splitting within the Shuofang Army, allowing them to temporarily form a restraining situation while waiting for the court to make a statement to calm the anger of the Shuofang Army.
This is not a long-term solution, it is just a way to delay the situation. At this time, more and more Xuan Ce troops are rushing to the Yinshan front line, and it is inevitable that they will lose the deterrent effect on the Shuofang army.
The situation is constantly changing, and so are people's hearts. The Shuofang army is no longer filled with pure grief and indignation. Some have developed ambitions to be independent, and the balance of mutual restraint may be broken at any time.
When Chang Suining heard this, he suddenly asked, "...Are the imperial envoys from the court, Wei Xiang and his entourage, about to arrive?"
Wei Shuyi had been on the journey for more than two months, and it would not have taken him that long under normal circumstances. However, he was escorting the coffin of the governor of Shuofang, and encountered many wars and chaos along the way, so his progress was inevitably slow - to put it bluntly, it was already a great achievement for him to be able to reach the Guannei Road alive.
Dai Cong nodded: "They have entered the inner pass and should be on their way to Lingzhou."
Speaking of this imperial envoy, Dai Cong said: "Now the Shuofang army is waiting for the imperial envoy to arrive and express his position..."
But this waiting is not kind and peaceful.
Dai Cong: "If the imperial envoy's words and actions are not careful, once the conflict is intensified, it will surely cause chaos."
"Wei Shuyi doesn't know how to do that." Chang Suining said, "He is a smart man."
Moreover, as the prime minister of Menxia Province, he dared to come in person, which showed the utmost sincerity.
Perhaps it was for this reason that most of the talented people in the Shuofang Army were willing to leave the imperial court with a little leeway.
However, this does not mean that Wei Shuyi will be able to pacify the Shuofang Army successfully. On the contrary, Chang Suining believes that "even if he does not intensify the conflict, there will definitely be people in the Shuofang Army who will use him to stir up conflict in order to achieve their own calculations—"
When things developed to this point, the conflicts in the army could no longer be resolved by the attitude of the court alone.
Wei Shuyi, you're a sitting duck on this trip.
No matter how smart the target is, no matter how good at reasoning and scheming he is, it is not easy to reason with others when the war breaks out in the military.
Chang Suining sighed in his heart. Duan Zhenyi's courageous son was in a situation just like dry food on a rainy day - it would be moldy if it was not.
Thinking of the letter from Duan Zhenyi, Chang Suining felt genuinely worried.
Then, she asked Dai Cong, "Does your Grand Commander have any candidates in mind for the great task in the Shuofang Army?"
The cause of chaos is nothing more than the struggle for military power. Similarly, once the ownership of military power is clear, people's hearts can be calmed down as quickly as possible.
"The Grand Commander originally had two people in his favor. One of them had more than enough qualifications and prestige, but now it seems that he has changed his mind..." Dai Cong said: "The remaining one has better character and personality, but he lacks prestige and is difficult to convince others."
Chang Suining asked the latter: "What is this person's name?"
"Xuefu."
"Xue Fu——" Chang Suining repeated the name and said, "If he lacks prestige, then give him a chance to establish his authority."
Dai Cong's heart trembled, and Chang Suining looked at him and said, "I have just arrived in the northern border, and it is not easy to do things. I hope that Dai Changshi can help me to stabilize the situation inside the pass."
Dai Cong immediately bowed and saluted: "Dai Cong, just follow the orders of the imperial envoy!"
The discussion lasted until almost midnight, when Dai Cong finally stood up and said goodbye.
Chang Suining personally escorted him out of the courtyard, and Dai Cong bowed repeatedly before leaving.
The stars and the moon were bright. Dai Cong walked with his hands behind his back, sighing and muttering to himself, "This is not a fish in the pond, but a great one..."
After this long conversation, he finally understood why the commander-in-chief, who was always so decisive in killing people, had to think so carefully even before writing a letter to the other party.
Although there is no logic in love, it is no coincidence that the Grand Commander is attracted to and conquered by such a person.
"...The 'great one' that the Chief Clerk mentioned is referring to the General?" Dai Cong's trusted guard asked.
This guard was from Xuan Ce's army and had been protecting Dai Cong's safety for two years under Cui Jing's orders.
"Yes." Dai Cong looked at the quiet night and said, "Before this, I was thinking that since this envoy Chang Jie is ambitious, why not take advantage of the opportunity to capture Luoyang and directly attack the capital——"
The answer in his mind was: This is an intelligent and patient ambitious person. She knows that she started too late and her reputation and prestige still need to be accumulated and expanded. She is unwilling to take risks and let everything she has go to waste, leaving only a short-lived paragraph in the history books.
Now it seems that this answer is still correct, but the reason is not just that...
"She is playing a bigger game..." Dai Cong's voice was very low, but the sigh was clearly audible: "In this game, there is actually the word righteousness."
She is not blinded by immediate gains, but focuses on the hearts of people around the world.
Countless pairs of ambitious eyes were staring at the dragon throne in the capital, and she was heading north alone, going against the flow, just to quell the uncontrollable chaos.
In what they talked about tonight, she never said a word about generosity, nor did she feel that she was generous, but in the eyes of him, a bystander, she was giving the world a gift of great generosity.
Before leaving, Dai Cong even went against his usual practice and asked a question that he shouldn't have asked: [The envoy abandoned the capital and went to Anbei... Have you ever worried that you will be late for others? ]
The woman in green robe, sitting cross-legged behind a desk, said to him calmly under the light: [The capital can be taken by anyone, but I am the only one who can take over the northern land.]
Her voice was very casual and free: [As for the capital, when I am qualified, I will take it if I want.]
The woman's voice was very soft, but at that moment, Dai Cong was almost shocked.
After leaving, Dai Cong recalled these two short sentences again and again, and felt that they contained a lot.
Therefore, he said it was the greatest.
Courage, vision, breadth of mind, compassion... are all great.
After suppressing all his emotions, Dai Cong finally sighed and said, "Before today, I never thought that the Grand Commander had such a person in his heart..."
Previously, he thought that the Grand Commander was only happy about the iron tree blooming, but now he realized that what the Grand Commander saw was such a magnificent scenery.
Dai Changshi suddenly felt a little worried: "The Grand Commander has a keen eye, fortunately he saw it early, but now it has become a fact that 'everyone in the world doesn't know you'..."
There will probably be no shortage of bees and butterflies attracted by the scenery.
There must be no shortage of vines and branches that cling to power.
The guard was also frightened by what he said, and his expression was extremely solemn - he was a very traditional person, and in the past, whenever he heard people jokingly mention the term "the Grand Commander-in-law marrying into the wife's family", he always felt dissatisfied.
But now, seeing that this joke is about to become reality, he has to worry about whether his own commander-in-chief can get a decent status... Who understands this feeling?
The guard, filled with worry, gradually walked away, accompanied by Dai Cong's sigh.
Chang Suining had just washed up and gone to bed.
There was only one lamp on in the room. Chang Suining sat on the bed with her hair loose, half wrapped in a brand new and soft quilt. She yawned tiredly and glanced casually at the furnishings in the room with her blurred vision.
The guesthouse in the Bingzhou Grand Commandery was already occupied by members of the Cui family. The courtyard where she was now was said to be Cui Jing's residence.
Cui Jing seldom came to Taiyuan Prefecture, but this place was very much in his style, as simple, cool, and clean as he was, with almost no bright warm colors.
Chang Suining looked at it quietly for a while, and saw the clear moonlight outside the window. All his emotions inexplicably slowly faded away, leaving only a faint sense of security.
After a while, she lay down peacefully and closed her eyes sleepily. When she was about to fall asleep, she mumbled in a dreamlike voice, "Cui Ling'an, do you still have time to look at the moon now?"
The rest of the words were lost in sound, as if they had fallen into a dream.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have time to look at the moon, as long as you are safe.
To wait for her in peace, and she would come to see him.
The bright moon outside the window carries quiet prayers and emits a hazy and clear light.
Mrs. Lu's residence was not quiet at this time.
After being reunited with his mother and sister, Cui Lang had already cried three times, once for his clan, once for his grandfather, and once for his eldest brother. Now he was about to cry for the fourth time - for his father who was in prison.
However, his mother interrupted him: "Why are you crying? Don't worry. You know the situation in the capital. Nothing will happen for a while, unless he hurts himself. But if he wants to hurt himself at this critical moment, why should you cry?"
Cui Lang was strangely convinced, and his tears just disappeared.
"Besides, the clansmen in the capital have joined the Rong Wang camp. This is a fact that cannot be changed, just like my mother's clan, the Lu clan... Under the current situation, everyone has their own destiny, which cannot be changed by emotions. We can only take care of ourselves first, and then we can talk about whether we can help in the future." Lu clan said: "Now that you are the head of the Taiyuan Cui clan, you should focus on the present... Remember, Chang Jieshi, your elder brother, is the one we can rely on."
"Especially your elder brother, he is still fighting on the battlefield..." Mrs. Lu taught earnestly: "As a younger brother, you should plan more for your elder brother."
Cui Lang, with red and swollen eyes, subconsciously asked: "What can I plan for my brother?"
Mrs. Lu was sewing, and when she heard this, she looked up and said, "Of course it's a status."
Cui Lang reacted and said, "Hey!" "This one!"
He patted his chest, grinned and assured: "Don't worry, my son is still capable of this!"
At this time, the curtain was opened, and Cui Tang came in with her maid, carrying two cups of tonic soup on a tray.
Cui Lang, who was tired of crying, took the initiative to come forward and handed over a cup. He scooped it with a spoon and put it into his mouth. He drank it all in seven or eight gulps. He then turned to praise his sister: "Cui Tang, you still have a conscience. You finally feel sorry for your brother, who has a busy mind now!"
"I stewed it for my mother. Who told you to drink it?"
The brother and sister had a few words as usual. Cui Lang saw his mother put down the soup bowl. He didn't know what she was thinking about. His expression changed. He tried to ask: "Mother, it suddenly occurred to me that now that I am the head of the family, can I decide to change the family rules?"
Mrs. Lu looked at her son and asked suspiciously, "Which clan rule do you want to change?" (End of this chapter)
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