An official subconsciously said: "But General Cui is still in the northern border..."
Wei Shuyi said: "Luoyang is located in the Central Plains. General Cui set out from Anbei Protectorate and went directly to Luoyang. The distance between him and Xu Zhengye and others who sent troops from Yangzhou to Luoyang was not much different."
Yangzhou is in the south, Anbei Protectorate is in the north, and Luoyang is located in the middle of the two.
This point also proves that Luoyang's location determines that it has extraordinary strategic significance, which is why the empress did not dare to have any luck in this battle.
At this moment, listening to Wei Shuyi's proposal, the empress lowered her eyes and looked at the map unfolded in front of her: "And Xu Zhengye has already passed Xuzhou..."
"But Bianzhou can still be stopped." Wei Shuyi said, "We should be able to catch up in time."
"But the northern border still needs to be strictly guarded..." An official said: "If the Xuan Ce army withdraws from the northern border, the Northern Di will probably take advantage of the opportunity to invade!"
"Why does the Xuan Ce army need to withdraw?" Ma Xingzhou looked at Wei Shuyi: "I think Minister Wei's intention is to let General Cui go to Luoyang alone and meet up with the 70,000 Xuan Ce troops sent from the capital in Luoyang--"
"That's right." Wei Shuyi said, "We can't let our guard down in the northern border at all. The 80,000 Xuan Ce troops will remain in the northern border to continue to rectify and build border defenses."
What they needed at this moment was a general who could lead the Xuan Ce Army.
"I second the motion." A minister said, "With the 70,000 Xuan Ce troops in the capital, if we add Grand Commander Cui, we can definitely keep Luoyang safe!"
This is not blind trust and admiration, but the prestige accumulated from victories over the years.
The ministers began to calculate the time it would take for the army to travel, as well as Cui Jing's route from the northern border to Luoyang.
Finally, the conclusion was drawn: "If General Cui leads the light cavalry and marches southward from Hedong Road... he will surely be able to meet up with the 70,000-strong army in time!"
In terms of distance, the capital is closer to Luoyang, but it takes more time for a large army to travel. If Cui Jing led light cavalry on the road, he could ride at full speed all the way.
Therefore, Wei Shuyi's method is feasible in terms of time.
Seeing that the Holy Ce Emperor still hadn't given in and seemed to be hesitating about something, Ma Xingzhou said, "Your Majesty, I think that if General Cui could lead this battle, not only would Luoyang be safe—"
"At that time, Grand Commander Cui will lead Xuan Ce's army in Luoyang, while General Xiao and General Chang will attack from behind. If the two armies can cooperate, Xu Zhengye's way forward and retreat will be blocked, and Xu's rebellious army may be wiped out in one fell swoop, and this will be a permanent solution, and it will also deter other places."
The Holy Cemeter Emperor's eyes moved slightly and slowly moved away from the map.
This permanent solution is indeed very appealing.
It would be great if we could eliminate Xu Zhengye and his gang at this point.
Of course, Cui Jing is not the only one who can lead the troops, but as these ministers said, the only one who can truly increase the chances of winning this battle is Cui Jing.
The best army can only exert its greatest power when it is equipped with the best generals, and vice versa.
When Xu Zhengye started his rebellion, she was furious, but far from panicking. It was not until Li Yi suffered a series of defeats and Jiangning fell...
Now, this traitor has such a wicked ambition that he is coveting Luoyang! She cannot be careless at all. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, she should let Cui Jing go.
But if Cui Jing led the Xuan Ce Army to command the battle of Luoyang, she would inevitably have other concerns.
One is the commander of Xuan Ce’s army at this time.
One is the real former master of Xuan Ce Army.
What's even more unfortunate is that the former had publicly stated his determination to marry no one but you at the Hibiscus Flower Banquet last year...
Furthermore, after the incident with the Changsun family, the Cui clan members were ready to make a move...
In the empress's heart, each of these things is like a restless hidden thorn, which may break out of the ground at any time and become a sharp sword that threatens the imperial power.
Facing the suggestions of the ministers, the empress weighed the pros and cons again, and her eyes fell on the Luoyang City in the center of the map again, and finally said: "My dear ministers, what you said makes sense. Only Mr. Cui can take on the command of this battle."
"However, since Mr. Cui is going to Luoyang on a light horse, for his safety, it is not appropriate to disclose the news and whereabouts in advance." The Holy Ce Emperor said: "Therefore, Mr. Cui can only go there in secret and must not alarm others."
Ma Xingzhou and others all echoed: "The saint has thought carefully, so it should be so."
Emperor Shengce: "In this case, in order to avoid suspicion, we need to appoint another commander to lead 70,000 Xuan Ce troops from the capital. I will explain the interests involved in advance, and after we meet Cui Qing in Luoyang, I will transfer the military power to Cui Qing."
The ministers thought about it and talked for a while.
Obviously, although this person is just a "cover" to confuse people, he still needs to be chosen carefully.
At this critical juncture, every step must be taken with extreme caution.
"...How about selecting a general from Xuan Ce's army who can temporarily serve as the commander?" Wei Shuyi had some guesses in his mind and tentatively made a suggestion.
After considering it, the Emperor of the Holy Ce said, "The military officers in the Xuan Ce Camp who are now staying in the capital are all below the fourth rank. They are not enough to intimidate other places, nor are they enough to show my determination to protect Luoyang."
Wei Shuyi's heart moved slightly, so he responded "yes" and said no more for the time being.
Other officials then gave their suggestions, but without the Holy Ce Emperor saying anything, other officials would speak up to refute them. The reason was that these candidates were indeed not satisfactory.
Some officials sighed secretly.
In such a huge court, there are now few generals who can command the support of the people. He Wei was one of them before, but...
If there were more capable generals, there would not be the need to go through the trouble of transferring Cui Jing back from the northern border.
Thinking of this, we can't help but talk about the "star general" who suddenly appeared. What about the star general? If Xu Zhengye really went to Luoyang, the word "star general" would become a huge joke!
"I suddenly thought of someone who might be able to take on this task."
When the ministers were unable to reach an agreement, the Emperor of the Holy Ce spoke slowly and mentioned a person.
"Li Xian, you will be able to arrive in Beijing tomorrow."
The officials were slightly stunned.
Has Mr. Han returned to Beijing?
…
Li Xian's original surname was not Li, but He. The surname Li was given to him.
But Li Xian himself is the nephew of Emperor Shengce.
In addition to her younger brother, Duke Ying, the empress also had an older sister who married a military general named He Fu in her early years. He Wei was from the same clan as He Fu.
After the empress ascended the throne, she conferred the title of Duke of Korea on He Fu, and his wife Ming was named Lady of the Duke of Korea.
The wife of Duke Hanguo died early. Three years ago, the barbarians in the south started a war in the southern border. Duke Hanguo and his eldest son Li Xian were ordered to go to the war. However, Duke Hanguo was old and had been infected with malaria, so he died of illness in the army one year after the war.
The Southern Barbarians became even more arrogant, so the empress sent Cui Jing and Chang Kuo to lead the Xuan Ce Army to pacify the southern border.
Two years later, the southern barbarians were finally driven out of the capital. Last spring, Cui Jing and Chang Kuo returned to the court, while Li Xian, who inherited the title of Duke of Korea, was ordered to stay in the southern border to strengthen the border defense. It was not until recently that he was recalled to the capital by a secret decree.
…
When Wei Shuyi and others left the palace, it was already dark.
Outside the palace gate, Wei Shuyi bowed and said goodbye to his colleagues, then got on the official sedan chair.
There was warm tea in the sedan chair. Wei Shuyi held the cup in one hand and raised his sleeve with the other hand to cover his face, then drank half a cup of tea to quench his thirst.
The moment he put down the teacup, he sighed faintly.
It seems that the saint is now on guard against even Cui Lingan.
Looking back to the past, it is said that before the death of the late Crown Prince, he personally handed over the seal of the Xuan Ce Army to General Chang.
Under the command of General Chang, the Xuan Ce army, which had just experienced a hard battle and was in urgent need of rest, defeated the Northern Di after three years of recuperation and sharpening their swords, and their swords were as sharp as ever.
But after that battle, General Chang was seriously injured and was charged with disobeying the imperial order, and the military power of Xuan Ce's army fell into the hands of others.
Faced with the sharp sword of Xuan Ce's army, everyone wanted to hold it in their hands. At that time, the empress had just ascended the throne and the regime was still unstable. Everyone was fighting for power, political power, and military power.
In the following few years, Xuan Ce's army was torn into pieces. The people who had a say in the army began to become the sons of certain families, the nephews of certain masters, and the army was about to be scattered.
The empress could not bear to see this elite army founded by the former crown prince scattered, and tried many times to hand it over to her confidants for control, but the situation was not completely under her control. Her people did not have the prestige to control the Xuan Ce Army, nor did they have the ability to intimidate the young men in the army and the various forces behind them.
This chaotic situation lasted for a long time.
Until Cui Lingan appeared in front of everyone.
Everyone knew at that time that the smoke from the Cui family's ancestral tomb was crooked, and a man who was determined to make achievements on the battlefield was born.
The young master of the Cui family was already a well-known young general at that time. He visited the thatched cottage more than three times. After being beaten up, he finally persuaded Chang Kuo, who had been depressed for a long time, to "come out of retirement". Although the two were not master and disciple in name, they were master and disciple in reality.
More importantly, his last name is Cui.
Behind the young Cui Jing is the Cui family, the head of the aristocratic families.
In charge of the Xuan Ce Army, no one dared to compete with him, and no one could defeat him.
Therefore, in order to protect Xuan Ce's army, the empress had to choose him.
Of course... maybe there are some other reasons, for example, it is related to the secret in the Heavenly Maiden Tower - Wei Shuyi thought at this time.
Therefore, Cui Jing was able to drive back those jackals in the beginning by relying on the reputation of the Cui family and the help of Chang Kuo.
But afterwards, the Xuan Ce Army regained its former glory in his hands. The process of the Xuan Ce Army's rebirth also made Cui Ling'an gradually become a well-deserved general of the Xuan Ce Army in the eyes of the world.
For example, today, when people talk about who can truly use the Xuan Ce Army, if they say Cui Jing, there will be no objection.
The look between Wei Shuyi's brows was not optimistic.
He also vaguely sensed that the empress wanted Ming Luo to get close to Cui Jing.
Cui Ling'an is indeed too difficult to control... This person has almost no weaknesses.
He was born at a height that others could never reach in their entire lives. Others joined the army to achieve success and climb up, but he did not. He was going down.
A person who is rebellious and goes against the grain, wealth and power are destined to be unable to make him dizzy and paralyzed. He always remains sober and incompatible with his surroundings.
He never formed a party; he had no need for it and was disdainful of doing so.
Since none of the other options worked, after much thought, it seemed that beauty was the only option left. However, even when offered a beauty as a reward, this man never accepted it.
Officials from various places tried to squeeze people in, but there was never any success.
If he doesn't like to look for beautiful women, then he probably likes women with brains? So there was Mingluo, a female official with the right to participate in politics.
However, it doesn’t work…
Not to mention the empress, even Wei Shuyi, watching from the side, felt really depressing.
In a word, this person is invulnerable to wealth, money and power, and is even more invulnerable to beauty and love... Of course, the latter statement was overturned at the Hibiscus Flower Banquet last year.
This man finally spread his wings like a peacock, and everyone suddenly realized that it was not that he did not like beautiful women, but that the beauties he had seen before were not beautiful enough to make Cui Ling'an bow down to him.
Unfortunately, the world is unpredictable. Now this "beauty" and her father are not trusted by the emperor.
Faced with such a person, it is understandable that the emperor would want to check and balance him.
But the attitude of the empress today was more like a genuine suspicion and precaution rather than an attempt to check Cui Ling'an...
Was it really just for the purpose of "personally appearing on my behalf and intimidating all directions" that Li Xian was appointed as the commander and led Xuan Ce's army to Luoyang?
In other words, was it really a coincidence that Li Xian returned to Beijing at this time?
Wei Shuyi's brows furrowed.
Perhaps, regardless of whether Xu Zhengye attacked Luoyang or not, letting Li Xian intervene in the military affairs of Xuan Ce Mansion was already part of the emperor's plan...
At this turbulent time, the emperor wanted to eliminate all possibilities of unrest and take everything into his own hands.
But what will be the outcome?
Wei Shuyi himself felt that he could not have predicted this.
He is a close minister of the emperor and holds the high position he holds today because he has the trust and promotion of the empress.
Cui Lingan is the person he truly admires and is an unrecognized friend.
There are some things he doesn't want to see, but he can't stop them.
Wei Shuyi's mind was turning over in a trance as he picked up a teacup on the small table in the sedan.
The white jade tea cup is exquisite and translucent, with a light blue monogram on the bottom.
This was his favorite tea set. When he was young, he begged his mother for a long time and used many tricks before his mother agreed to lend it to him.
From then on, he took them with him wherever he went.
He picked it up at this moment, it was an unconscious action, but the moment he picked it up, Wei Shuyi's eyes suddenly focused.
He thought of something he had always doubted...
When they first met in Hezhou, Chang Suining left Zhou Jiacun's testimony in his car. He couldn't figure out how the other party confirmed his identity. He went to Hezhou incognito and did not alarm anyone. The carriage he used was also ordinary, except for this tea set...
Could it be... that she recognized this tea set?
But this set of tea set came from Princess Chongyue's mansion and had never been circulated to the public. How could she recognize it?
Upon closer thought, there seemed to be a myriad of connections between her and Princess Chongyue's residence...
The reason why he had always been curious and tentative towards her was because he had sensed something inexplicably "special" about her a long time ago.
Normally, as people become familiar with each other, those peculiarities that puzzle him will slowly get reasonable explanations, but... with her, it's just the opposite.
The closer he got to her, the less he could see her.
Looking at the teacup in his hand, many images flashed through Wei Shuyi's mind. All the confusion he had along the way was pushed to the peak at this moment.
It was already late, and the official sedan chair did not stop outside Duke Zheng's mansion. Instead, it was carried directly into the inner gate of the mansion through the side door that could be used for sedan chairs.
When Wei Shuyi got off the sedan, a servant who had been waiting for a long time came forward and saluted: "Madam has asked that you go to Haofeng Courtyard after you return home."
Wei Shuyi nodded.
It just so happened that he also wanted to go see his mother.
(This chapter is about the unrecognized friendship between Xiao Cui and Xiao Wei...) Thank you all for your monthly tickets, and I will continue to sincerely ask for tickets! Thank you to book friend iwannacola for the 10,000 rewards! ! Thank you to book friends Yanzhihu1, miya2022, Xueding Bingwu, Yanqiu Jiaqi, Miweidiandian, Xixi's Winter Has Clouds and Willow Leaves for the rewards!
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