"I know Liu Zhao. He will be restless after the war with Beirong."
Emperor Wende was very sure that Liu Zhao was eager to go to the battlefield to achieve merit and make some small moves.
Gu Jiu blinked, looking innocent and confused.
"Daughter-in-law, don't you know what Your Majesty is talking about?"
Emperor Wende was so angry that one Buddha ascended to heaven and two Buddhas were born.
"Stop playing dumb in front of me. I don't believe you don't know what Liu Zhao is thinking."
"My daughter-in-law really doesn't know. Liu Zhao never mentioned it to me."
Gu Jiu pretended to be naive and innocent very realistically, but the emperor didn't believe it.
Bang!
Emperor Wende slammed the table.
Still pretending!
Addicted to pretending, huh?
"Either tell me the truth. Or go back and tell Liu Zhao to get as far away as possible. He has nothing to do with this war, so don't worry about it."
Gu Jiu hesitated.
Emperor Wende sneered.
Gu Jiu said weakly, "My daughter-in-law has a few truths to tell, but she's afraid that speaking them out will displease His Majesty."
Emperor Wende said magnanimously, "Go ahead, I forgive you."
Believe in your ghost!
Gu Jiu is not really a naive person.
She continued weakly, "Although Liu Zhao never expressed his desire to fight in front of my daughter-in-law, I know he wants to go to the prairie and fight on the battlefield. If anyone in the court is familiar with Beirong, it must be Liu Zhao.
He stayed in Beirong for nearly a year, and he knew almost everyone in the Beirong royal court, and was familiar with everyone's temperament and preferences. Furthermore, he was indeed a military commander, and the right person should be in the right place. For the sake of the overall situation, your daughter-in-law believes that Your Majesty could consider sending Liu Zhao to the battlefield.
Emperor Wende stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked around the hall.
At the same time, he said in a cold voice: "Do you want me to remind you, according to the ancestral rules, the prince is not allowed to hold military power."
"My daughter-in-law knows the ancestral rules. But special circumstances require special treatment."
Emperor Wende sneered, "You really want to send Liu Zhao to the battlefield, aren't you afraid that something bad might happen to him?"
Gu Jiu calmed down and said, "My daughter-in-law only wants to support Liu Zhao's ideas and doesn't want him to have any regrets. As for the rest, life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God. What is coming cannot be avoided."
Emperor Wende sneered, "I didn't even know you were so cold and ruthless towards Liu Zhao."
Gu Jiu retorted softly, "I don't think that keeping him in the capital is virtuous. I don't think it's wise to turn a man who is determined to kill the enemy and make merit into a useless person just to let him live a few more years. When people are alive, they must have some dreams and some pursuits."
Emperor Wende frowned, "Are you expressing dissatisfaction with my actions?"
Gu Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. I was just stating some of my own opinions and ideas. They may go against most people's cognition, but I promised to tell the truth, so I naturally cannot hide anything."
Emperor Wende was choked.
It turns out she was waiting for him here.
Emperor Wende said firmly, "The rules of our ancestors cannot be broken. You should understand this, and Liu Zhao should understand it even more. From the very beginning, he shouldn't have harbored such inappropriate thoughts."
"My daughter-in-law understands why our ancestors established this rule. They were afraid that once the prince gained control of the military, he would become self-reliant and even rebel."
"Since you know that, why are you still talking nonsense here?" Emperor Wende was very disgusted.
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched. It was clearly the other party who asked him to stay, but now it became her fault. As if she had deliberately wanted to stay.
It's really fucked up.
Gu Jiu said, "Your Majesty, I am not talking nonsense. I have said that special circumstances require special treatment. In the northwest, the Marquis of Lu has almost the final say. The Northwest Grand Commander alone may not be able to control the Marquis of Lu in a short period of time. After all, Lord Li is a civil servant, not a military commander.
Without achievements on the battlefield, Lord Li will not truly gain the support of the army, nor will he be able to exert strong pressure on the Marquis of Lu. Your Majesty, the war has already begun. Now is the time to consider sending someone to the northwest to help Lord Li seize military power. Ideally, a victory can be achieved to wash away the shame of the Northeastern border defense. Let the world know that the army that can fight is not only the Northwest Army, but also the other border armies.
Emperor Wende asked directly, "Is Liu Zhao the best candidate in your mind?"
Gu Jiu was frank, without hiding anything, "Except Liu Zhao, I can't think of a more suitable candidate than him. The Marquis of Zhenguo is old, and the Duke of Zhuguo is also old. As for the sons of nobles from various prefectures, Pei Meng alone is enough to beat all the sons of nobles in the capital." The daughter-in-law did not deliberately boost Pei Meng's ambition, she was just telling the truth.
Compared to the sons of nobles in the capital who only knew how to talk about war on paper, Pei Meng, who had been training on the battlefield for years, was far superior to them. It could even be said that even Liu Zhao had more experience on the battlefield than the sons of nobles in the capital.
Moreover, Liu Zhao possessed advantages over other sons of noble families. He was a prince, and his status was higher than Pei Meng's. Even though Pei Meng was reluctant, he had to dismount and salute Liu Zhao. This was a form of psychological repression. When people are angry, they are often impulsive and prone to making wrong decisions. Even a general who always wins may suffer a crushing defeat one day.
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "Are you really counting on the court's ever-victorious general to inflict a defeat?"
Gu Jiu whispered, "I believe that His Majesty is also looking forward to this."
"presumptuous!"
"The daughter-in-law knows her crime!"
Emperor Wende was furious. "What good would it do to the court if Pei Meng lost the battle? What good would it do to you? I forgot that if Pei Meng lost, Liu Zhao would have taken advantage of the situation and risen to power. How shameless is it to sell out the interests of the court for your own selfish gains?"
"Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law cannot agree with what you said."
"You still dare to quibble. Aren't you the one who hopes for Pei Meng's defeat?"
"I was just making an analogy. No matter how shameless I am, I would never sell out the interests of the court. I know better than anyone that the war between the Great Zhou and Beirong is a national war that determines the fate of both countries. I am indeed a selfish person, but I would never sell out the interests of the country, nor would I hope that Pei Meng would lose to Beirong on the battlefield. If I have to lose, it will be at the hands of our own people."
Emperor Wende's expression softened a little.
It is always better to lose to your own people than to the enemy.
He waved his hand. "You may withdraw. Take good care of the refugees. You don't need to worry about the rest."
Gu Jiu understood the principle of knowing when to stop, so she bowed and took her leave from Xingqing Palace.
…
Emperor Wende was in a bad mood.
After Gu Jiu left, he sat in the chair, deep in thought, without moving for a long time.
Chang En was a little worried, but didn't dare to disturb him.
They had to change the tea again and again to ensure that the temperature of the tea was just right whenever Emperor Wende wanted to drink it.
A long sigh!
Emperor Wende finally changed his posture and made a little movement.
Thank God.
Chang En cried with joy.
Emperor Wende frowned slightly, obviously worried.
In the main hall, Chang En was the only one serving.
Emperor Wende can speak with confidence.
"I know Liu Zhao's abilities better than anyone else. But he is the eldest prince. I cannot trust him, let alone give him military power."
"Your Majesty can select military officers from the Beijing Camp and send them to the northwest to assist Lord Li."
Emperor Wende shook his head and said, "Even if all the people in the Beijing camp were combined, no matter their military achievements, qualifications, or prestige within the army, they would not be able to surpass the Marquis of Lu."
If Pei Meng was the one who beat all the sons of nobles, then the Duke of Lu was the one who beat all the noble generals of the Zhou.
The title of Marquis of Lu was earned by him himself.
The Pei family was originally a first-class earl.
After the Marquis of Lu inherited the title, he went into battle to kill the enemies, made great achievements, and forged his merits and marquisate with his blood.
The Pei family was promoted from earl to marquis, all thanks to the efforts of Marquis Lu.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for more than a hundred years and had entered the middle period of the dynasty.
Being a military commander at this time was not as good as the old men who founded the country. It was very difficult for military commanders to be awarded titles based on military merit.
For several decades, only the Duke of Lu was promoted from earl to marquis based on his military merits.
The Duke of Lu was truly awesome, and he wasn't just exaggerating.
Emperor Wende was well aware of this, so he was always cautious in dealing with the Marquis of Lu and the Northwest Army.
The war is coming.
What to do?
He watched helplessly as the Northwest Army once again achieved extraordinary feats. From now on, no one, from the emperor to the court, could suppress the Marquis of Lu.
It is better to send capable generals to share the military merits of the Northwest Army and suppress the edge of Lu Hou and Pei Meng.
Everyone in the court knew that if they wanted to drive Beirong away, or even defeat the Beirong army and attack the Beirong royal court, they could only rely on the Northwest Army for this arduous task.
The other border troops are okay at defense, but their offense is terrible.
Facing the Beirong cavalry, it is not known whether the cavalry can withstand three charges.
When it comes to cavalry against cavalry, we still have to rely on the Northwest Army, especially the Sirius Army.
Emperor Wende was very depressed.
He screened all the military generals in the court, picked out a dozen or so, and prepared to send them to the battlefield for training.
But if we have to choose someone to suppress the Duke of Lu, who should we choose?
"The Marquis of Zhenguo cannot be used, the Duke of Zhuguo has already arrived..."
Emperor Wende was very disappointed.
Chang En shared Emperor Wende's concerns, "Your Highness the Crown Prince cannot command the army, but can he serve as a military supervisor? A military supervisor does not hold military power, but he has the right to control the generals and, when necessary, can make decisions for them."
Emperor Wende frowned and glanced at Chang En, "How much benefit did Gu Jiu give you?"
Chang En was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I have received no favors from Madam Zhao. If I were to lie to you, I would be struck by lightning and torn into pieces by five horses."
"Confiscate his benefits, why are you speaking for Liu Zhao?"
"I see Your Majesty is in distress and want to share your worries. I am stupid and deserve to die!"
Chang En raised his palm and slapped himself in the face again and again, making a loud slapping sound.
Soon, both cheeks swelled up like purple-red steamed buns made with leavened dough.
“That’s enough!”
Chang En stopped and kowtowed repeatedly to thank the emperor for his grace.
Emperor Wende said, "You must remember that you are my servant and must serve me faithfully. If you dare betray me, I will execute the entire Li clan."
"I obey your command! Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me."
"Get up!"
"This old servant thanks your Majesty."
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