Chapter 25 General of the Cloud Cavalry Remaining in the Capital
The next day, the message requesting leave was delivered to the Empress. Upon hearing that the Crown Princess was not feeling well, the Empress was particularly concerned: "Is it serious? Where does it hurt?"
The young eunuch was someone who worked behind Zhu Yu. It was because of his cleverness that Zhu Yu sent him to deliver the message. Upon hearing this, he said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is only slightly unwell and will be fine in a few days. However, she seems to be feeling unwell these past two days. It is said that if she comes, it may interfere with Your Majesty's plans."
Hearing him say that, the Empress assumed that the Crown Princess had started her period, so she didn't ask any further questions.
When Shen Yujiao learned that she had been asked for leave, she didn't say anything. She really didn't feel like going to the palace to serve the Empress today. The fact that He Zhiju was not He Zhiju made her feel quite melancholy.
She wouldn't say she was particularly looking forward to He Zhiju's arrival, but subconsciously she felt that if He Zhiju had come to this Great Xia, they would have more strength, and she and Jiang Chen would have more support. But now it seems...
Shen Yujiao rested her chin on her hand in distress, pouring water into the teapot cup after cup. She had been sitting there agonizing over this all morning, but now she was gradually letting go: if it's not true, then it's not true.
Even if this person isn't Zhiju's brother, he is still Miss Shen's older brother whom she grew up with, so he's at least not an enemy. Besides, he's a general who has been stationed in the northern frontier for many years, and he'll probably be going back in a few days. So it seems that no one has come and no one has left, and everything is just as usual.
"Your Highness, Your Highness," Mu Jin strode in from outside, her face filled with barely concealed excitement, "His Majesty has just issued an imperial decree that our young master has been appointed General of the Cloud Cavalry and will remain in the capital to assist in commanding the camps in the suburbs!"
"Stay in Beijing?" Shen Yujiao paused in her movements, and the water began to pour down uncontrollably, soaking a large area of her dress in an instant.
Mu Jin thought she was overjoyed and quickly put the teapot aside, saying, "Oh dear, Your Highness, this..."
"I...I'll go change my clothes."
As Shen Yujiao walked behind the screen, she felt a little uneasy. Her previous desire for He Zhiju to stay had turned into resistance. He was someone who had grown up with Miss Shen since childhood. Originally, she was glad that Shen's parents had returned to Jiangnan, but now that General He was staying in the capital, it was undoubtedly another hidden danger for her.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chenren, standing at the palace gate, was also stunned. He couldn't hear the congratulations and flattery from the officials around him. His brother-in-law had been promoted and kept in the capital just like that? Surpassing all his superiors, he had jumped from a lowly frontier general to a general in charge of the main camp in the suburbs of the capital? Wasn't it said that the Great Xia Dynasty strictly guarded against relatives of the empress?
"Congratulations! General He is now a rising star in the court. With his lineage from the Shen family of Jiangnan and the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince, his future is limitless!"
He Zhiju stood among the officials, his expression indifferent, and said, "Thank you all, but I am humbled by the Emperor's grace. I am afraid I will have to rely on your guidance in the future."
He only referred to His Majesty and never His Highness. If it weren't for the fact that his identity as the Crown Princess's brother had already been known since his return to the capital, people would probably have thought he was a loyal subject because of his calm and composed demeanor. But even so, after he put on this attitude, people had no choice but to observe him more closely.
However, the most excited about his promotion in the capital were the generals from the Northern Frontier Camp who had returned to the capital to report on their duties. As soon as He Zhiju stepped onto the second floor of the inn, he heard a commotion in his room. He knew something was wrong and quickly quickened his pace.
"Why should we keep our young General He in the capital? If he stays, what will happen to his heavy cavalry battalion?"
"This is outrageous! How many years has it been since the He family's affair? And now they're turning their attention to General He. In this world, is there no way out for us?"
"No, I don't think General He should stay in the capital. We need to find a way to take him away."
With his finger resting on the doorknob, He Zhiju listened to the argument inside and felt a warm current flowing through his heart. With a slight effort, he opened the door, and the generals inside stopped arguing when they saw that he had returned.
As everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, the bearded general who had been the most agitated earlier walked to the chair and sat down with an air of authority: "I told you from the beginning, don't let him come back, don't let him come back, but General Qi didn't take it seriously. Now look what's happened, he went back to the capital to report on his duties, but he can't bring the man back with him."
"Tsk," Zhao Lao Er shoved his shoulder, "They're all back now, stop talking."
“What can’t be said? Our He family now only has General He as its sole heir. If he were to stay in the capital, wouldn’t that be like a lamb being led to the slaughter? Don’t even mention saying these few words; even if I were to risk my life, I would—”
“Brother Zhou,” He Zhiju bowed to him, then turned to the generals and said, “Brothers and uncles, over the years, I have been grateful for your care in the northern frontier. Now Ziwang is no longer a child. Although the matter of staying in the capital was sudden, it is all thanks to the Emperor’s grace.”
"How could you stay here!" The bearded general was about to say something when Old Zhao covered his mouth from behind.
He Zhiju gave him a reassuring smile: "Staying in the capital may not be a bad thing. My He family started out in this Xiajing in the past. Now we can just follow in the footsteps of our ancestors. However... the only thing Ziwang is worried about is the Northern Frontier Heavy Cavalry Camp."
He turned his head and bowed deeply to the General Zhenbei, who was leading the troops returning to the capital: "General Liu is the person that General Qi values most. He also has a lot of experience in training heavy cavalry. If the general is willing, He Zhiju would like to hand over the Northern Frontier Heavy Cavalry Battalion to you."
The General of Zhenbei stared at him for a long time before turning his face away. Seeing this, He Zhiju bowed even more deeply, but the General of Zhenbei, with his back turned, still didn't say anything. After a while, someone spoke up: "General, please agree quickly. Look how long General He has been bowing."
“Alas,” General Zhenbei turned around with a face full of pity. He stepped forward and helped He Zhiju up, his tone full of helplessness: “How could I have any choice? The Heavy Cavalry Battalion is the sharpest blade in the northern frontier. Over the years, the border people have been terrified at the mere mention of the Heavy Cavalry Battalion. Even General Qi would personally lead such a force, let alone me?”
Hearing this, He Zhiju was finally relieved. He respectfully saluted General Zhenbei and said, "This humble general thanks General Liu."
"Get up, get up," the General of the North reached out and tugged at him twice, but couldn't get him up. He sighed again, reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, just like when he first arrived in the Northern Frontier: "Silly child, I don't want you to have sacrificed so many years for the Heavy Cavalry in vain..."
Originally, there was no heavy cavalry battalion in the northern frontier. Although the Great Xia was skilled in iron smelting, its horses were not as fierce as those of the nomadic peoples. Even if the best horses were selected, they could only be used as light cavalry. It was the second year that He Zhiju joined the camp. During a raid, he led a small team deep into enemy territory for several days and eventually brought all of the enemy's warhorses back to the northern border of the Great Xia. Because he had been missing for many days, he was severely scolded by the General of the North when he returned to the camp and was also beaten with a military rod.
But after he had been bedridden for many days, he went to the main camp as soon as he was able to get out of bed. No one knew how General Qi, the main general of the northern frontier, was persuaded by him. The enemy's warhorses and the small squad were put under his command. Originally, everyone thought it was just the passion of a young man, but no one expected that He Zhiju would build a heavy cavalry force in three years.
This small but elite force was so effective that when the main camp was still unable to react to an attack, He Zhiju led his troops out of the city to meet the enemy. They not only repelled the enemy in one fell swoop, but He Zhiju also brought back the head of the enemy general. When General Qi saw it, he ordered the head to be hung on the city gate for several days.
From then on, this cavalry force in the northern frontier became famous throughout the northern border. In the following years, under He Zhiju's careful training, the heavy cavalry unit gradually transformed into a heavy cavalry battalion.
But now, this heavy cavalry battalion is to be handed over to General Zhenbei in this way. Not to mention others, even he himself would find it unbearable.
"The brothers of the Heavy Cavalry Battalion have always admired General Liu. I can rest assured that I have entrusted the troops to the general. With such good soldiers and strong generals, even if the Heavy Cavalry Battalion were to leave me... they would surely have a better future."
Thus ends; may our friendship endure forever. Until we meet again, everyone.
Standing outside the Shili Pavilion, watching the departing procession, dust and sand swirled all around. When the sky cleared, the surroundings quieted down.
"Do you regret it?" Hearing the question from behind, He Zhiju, unusually, didn't maintain his usual respectful demeanor. Gazing at the endless road, he retorted, "Regret what?"
Do you regret coming to Beijing?
The only response from those behind him was He Zhiju's silence.
"You joined the army when you were young and spent six years building up your own force in the northern frontier. Although it was not a large army, the heavy cavalry battalion was enough to make the northern border tremble with fear. Now, after only returning to the capital once, you have been stripped of your military power on the frontier. Such a promotion in name only is a demotion in reality, which is imprisonment. Don't you have any regrets at all?"
He Zhiju kept her eyes fixed ahead, "No regrets."
“It was only in these days that I learned in detail about the He family’s affairs back then,” Jiang Chen walked out from behind him, the wind from the outskirts of Beijing making his hood flutter. “General He and General He were true soldiers and heroes of the Great Xia.”
He Zhiju vaguely felt that he could hear admiration in his words, so he turned his head to look at Jiang Chen directly.
"Back then, the entire He family was brutally murdered, and the two Generals He also died unjustly in battle in the northern frontier. That's why you joined the army in the northern frontier, and that's why you acted as bait to return to the capital. Am I right?"
Jiang Chen's eyes were filled with inquiry and scrutiny, while He Zhiju said calmly, "As a subject, wherever I am, I serve Your Majesty."
“Brother, there’s no need to be so wary of me,” Jiang Chen said with a playful smile. “After all, if we’re talking about the crime of deceiving the emperor, the fact that so many of the Shen family’s daughters married off as the aunts of the He family would have already been enough for His Majesty to punish them.”
Upon hearing this, He Zhiju looked at Jiang Chen with wariness in his eyes again. Jiang Chen reassured him, "Brother, there's no need to worry. The Crown Princess and I are husband and wife, and naturally we would not do anything to make things difficult for the Shen family."
"Your Highness, what exactly do you want?"
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