"Someone come here!" Chen Qingwan called out loudly.
A guard in armor entered in response, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a salute.
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"General Li Mu of the Imperial Guards is here to see you!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Before long, a burly man with a resolute face strode into the imperial study.
He was dressed in golden armor, with a sword at his waist, and exuded a chilling aura.
“General Li,” Chen Qingwan said, getting straight to the point.
"I hereby order you to lead five thousand Imperial Guards to Shannan Prefecture immediately to support Lu Yan."
Li Mu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
With the war in Shannan Prefecture becoming increasingly intense, it was only natural to send troops to provide support.
only……
"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, why were only five thousand men dispatched?"
"If the entire army of Beixiang Kingdom were to come out, the five thousand Imperial Guards would probably be unable to withstand them!"
Chen Qingwan waved her hand, indicating that Li Mu didn't need to ask any more questions.
"I have my own arrangements. You only need to lead your troops to the territory of Shannan Prefecture, find a secluded place to set up camp, and do not reveal your whereabouts."
"When the war in Shannan Prefecture becomes critical, we will suddenly launch an attack and catch Beixiang Kingdom off guard."
Although Li Mu had doubts, he dared not disobey military orders.
He clasped his hands in acceptance of the order:
"Your subject obeys the decree!" After saying this, he turned and left to prepare to mobilize troops.
Just as Li Mu was about to leave the imperial study.
A shrill voice suddenly rang out:
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely forbidden!"
Then, Prime Minister Liu An, accompanied by a group of officials, hurriedly entered.
Their faces were solemn, as if something terrible had happened.
"Prime Minister, what urgent matter is it?"
Chen Qingwan frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.
Liu An walked up to Chen Qingwan and knelt down with a thud.
He said with great sorrow:
"Your Majesty, we have heard that Your Majesty intends to send troops to support Shannan Prefecture, and therefore we have risked our lives to come and remonstrate! This is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Oh? Why not?"
Chen Qingwan looked at Liu An with great interest, waiting for his explanation.
"Your Majesty, I believe this is a trick by the Northern Xiang Kingdom! They deliberately feigned an attack on Shannan Prefecture in order to lure our dynasty into sending troops."
"Once our army leaves the capital, the Northern Xiang Kingdom will seize the opportunity to invade and occupy the heartland of our Great Tong Dynasty!"
"At that time, our dynasty will be caught in a pincer movement, and we will be in grave danger!"
Liu An spoke with great emotion, as if he could already see the scene of the destruction of the Datong Dynasty.
Other officials echoed this sentiment, urging Chen Qingwan to retract her decision.
Chen Qingwan looked at the group of officials kneeling on the ground and sneered inwardly.
These old foxes, each of them has their own little schemes.
They weren't worried about national security at all.
They were clearly afraid that Lu Yan would achieve military merits and threaten their position!
"What the Prime Minister said is something I have considered."
Chen Qingwan said calmly.
"But Shannan Prefecture is the southern gateway of our Great Tong Dynasty. If it falls, the consequences will be unimaginable. My mind is made up, there is no need to persuade me further!"
Seeing Chen Qingwan's resolute attitude, Liu An secretly thought to himself that things were not going well.
He quickly said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has one more thing to say!"
"explain."
"Your Majesty, Lu Yan is a man of unknown origin and harbors ulterior motives."
"He may have already colluded with the Northern Xiang Kingdom, deliberately feigning weakness to lure our dynasty into sending troops."
"Your Majesty, you must not trust this man!"
Liu An spoke earnestly, as if he truly cared about the fate of the Great Tong Dynasty.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingwan was filled with rage.
This Liu An, in order to stop her from supporting Lu Yan, would say anything!
“Prime Minister,” Chen Qingwan said in an icy tone.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!"
"Lu Yan is the prefect of Shannan Prefecture, appointed by me personally. How dare you accuse him of treason? Are you questioning my judgment?"
Liu An was intimidated by Chen Qingwan's imposing presence.
He was speechless for a moment, stammering and unable to utter a word.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dares not."
Liu An was sweating profusely; he knew he had stepped on a tiger's tail this time.
"Dare not? I think you've got quite the nerve!"
Chen Qingwan rebuked angrily.
"Guards, drag Liu An out and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"
Two guards immediately stepped forward, lifted Liu An up, and dragged him out of the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Upon seeing this, the other officials all knelt down on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Get up, everyone."
Chen Qingwan took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger in her heart.
"I know what you're thinking. You're just worried that Lu Yan will gain merit and threaten your positions."
"But I tell you, Lu Yan's achievements are also Da Tong's achievements!"
"Anyone who dares to obstruct my support for Lu Yan will not be spared!"
The officials fell silent, too terrified to utter another word.
After instructing everyone to leave, Chen Qingwan dismissed her attendants, leaving only Li Mu, the general of the Imperial Guard.
Chen Qingwan rubbed her temples and said wearily:
“Li Mu, you heard what Prime Minister Liu said just now. Although I know he was deliberately obstructing us, his words are not without reason.”
"The war in Shannan Prefecture is related to the safety of Datong, so I have to be cautious."
Li Mu clasped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, I understand. I will do my utmost to protect the safety of Shannan Prefecture."
Chen Qingwan nodded and said:
"You will lead five thousand Imperial Guards and depart immediately for Shannan Prefecture."
"Remember, your only responsibility is to observe the battle situation. Without my decree, you are not allowed to act rashly, and you are not allowed to reveal your identity."
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