Just then, Jian Yang walked in carrying a plate of freshly fried French fries.
"Kun'er, come and try your mother's favorite fries. It's a pity there's no ketchup."
The fact that there is no tomato plant in this world is the greatest pain in Jian Yang's heart.
For her, who loves tomatoes, this pain is no less than not having a cell phone.
Those are tomatoes, you know, versatile and delicious tomatoes.
Fortunately, there are potatoes, so at least we can fry some fries to satisfy our cravings.
Upon seeing the emperor, Jian Yang casually invited, "Please come and have a taste; everyone who sees this gets a share."
Zhou Kun was naturally very fond of these novel gadgets.
However, the emperor ate with a completely absent-minded expression.
Jian Yang could no longer tolerate it.
His behavior was an insult to her hard work.
So she asked in an annoyed tone, "Your Majesty, it's almost the New Year, why do you still look so gloomy?"
She should have asked, because the emperor sighed and told her everything that had happened in court that day.
Jian Yang listened attentively for a while and finally accepted the fact that war was about to break out.
"Empress, what do you think I should do?"
Jian Yang: "?"
This is war, not cooking; how would she know?
The emperor, however, kept staring at her, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until she gave a proper explanation.
Jian Yang had no choice but to think for a moment before voicing her doubts.
"Your Majesty, we cannot yet ascertain the scale of the unrest in the Western Frontier. What if those barbarians really just want to plunder some supplies for the New Year? Would it be making a mountain out of a molehill to send out an army of 100,000?"
The emperor gave her an approving look.
Jian Yang continued, "Right now, the most urgent task for His Majesty is to find out the true cause and scale of the unrest in the Western Regions, so that he can make a decision. As the art of war says, the best way to use troops is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
Although she didn't understand military strategy, it was extremely unwise of her to be led by the nose and mobilize 100,000 soldiers when she knew nothing about warfare.
“However,” the emperor said helplessly, though he agreed with Jian Yang’s idea, “I cannot refuse the King of Dingbian’s request to send troops.”
Putting everything else aside, just the label of disregarding the lives of ordinary people can make him despised by the whole world.
Jian Yang naturally understood his predicament.
Although he was a high-ranking emperor, he had little real power.
Currently, most of the country's military force is controlled by the Prince of Dingbian and his cronies, and few of the military generals in the court are willing to obey the emperor's orders.
Of course, the emperor couldn't find out the truth either.
etc!
Jian Yang's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we could send my elder brother to the Western Frontier to investigate the situation?"
Although Jian Hong's forces were not as numerous as those of the Prince of Dingbian, he was a loyal and patriotic young man who would never stoop to associating with the likes of the Prince of Dingbian.
At present, he seems to be the most suitable person.
"Then I will trouble the Empress to persuade General Jian." The Emperor revealed a smile of triumph.
Jian Yang then realized that she had been tricked!
After all, the year is drawing to a close, and it would seem rather inhumane for the emperor to send Jian Hong to the western border.
But it's different when her younger sister takes charge.
Jian Hong dotes on her so much that he will naturally do his best to fulfill any requests she makes.
Jian Yang glared angrily at the emperor.
A scheming man.
The following day, Jian Yang summoned Jian Hong to the palace in the name of the emperor and informed him of the matter.
Jian Hong accepted the task without hesitation.
Jian Yang said with some guilt, "The New Year is just around the corner, and I feel really bad that I have made my brother work so hard. If my brother needs me in the future, I will do my best to help him."
Jian Hong said affectionately, "You are my only sister. If I don't help you, who will? Besides, only when the world is at peace can you and the people live a stable life."
Jian Yang's eyes welled up with tears, and she almost cried.
On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jian Hong led his army north.
He headed towards the northern border to avoid arousing suspicion from the King of Dingbian.
Sure enough, after the spies sent by the King of Dingbian followed Jian Hong for over a hundred miles, they confirmed that he had indeed returned to the northern border and was not there to sabotage their plans. Thus, the King of Dingbian completely dispelled his doubts.
Upon seeing the return of the King of Dingbian's scouts, Jian Hong immediately changed the direction of his troops and headed straight for the western border.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, before Jian Hong's news had arrived, Pang Hu, the deputy general left by the King of Dingbian to guard the western border, came to the capital with news of victory.
Although the emperor was puzzled, he still prepared to reward Pang Hu according to procedure.
Pang Hu did not claim any credit for himself, but instead handed over all the credit to the King of Dingbian.
Although the emperor was displeased, he smiled and said, "Since that's the case, and with the Spring Festival approaching and our army having won another great victory, I will prepare a celebratory banquet to entertain our two meritorious officials."
From then on, the Prince of Dingbian became even more arrogant in the court.
Some shrewd officials returned to his side, while some upright and loyal officials were quite annoyed.
I thought these treacherous officials would finally give up, but who would have thought they would rise again?
By this time, the emperor had come to understand Dingbian Wang's intentions to some extent—to consolidate his power and position.
He had put in so much effort before, how could he let it all go to waste?
So on the night of the victory celebration banquet on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, in front of all the civil and military officials, the emperor took the initiative to offer a cup of wine to the Prince of Dingbian.
"Your Excellency has devoted yourself to the royal family all these years, and I am deeply grateful. However, you are now getting on in years, and I really cannot bear to let you continue to fight on the battlefield and risk your life. So, from this day forward, you shall retire and enjoy your old age."
Jian Yang secretly gave the emperor a thumbs up.
Wow, that's impressive! He used a cup of wine to relieve his generals of their military power.
In front of all the civil and military officials, the Prince of Dingbian certainly couldn't directly refuse the emperor.
However, she also knew that someone as power-hungry as the Prince of Dingbian would not easily give up his power.
As expected, upon hearing this, the Prince of Dingbian immediately lifted his robe and knelt directly before the emperor, declaring righteously and solemnly, "An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles. Although I am old, my heart for serving the country remains undiminished. I would rather die on the battlefield than waste my life and die in vain."
The emperor quickly helped him up and said with a smile, "My dear minister, you flatter me. How could I bear to let you retire? You must pass on your military skills to my young generals, otherwise they will never be able to grow."
If it weren't for the fact that it was indecent to do this in front of all the officials, Jian Yang would have liked to grab a handful of melon seeds, eat them, and watch the show.
The emperor's move was truly vicious.
Although most of the generals present were Dingbian Wang's men, each person had their own position, and anyone with ambition would not want to be overshadowed by someone else for a long time.
Therefore, their attitude towards the Prince of Dingbian was quite subtle.
It's like a young tiger temporarily submitting to the king of beasts; though it appears submissive, it is actually waiting for its chance.
Once they grow stronger, they will surely replace them.
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