So many brothers' lives were destroyed by a man who knew nothing about military tactics and was only interested in showing off. And this man happened to be the prince. Even if he was furious, he couldn't do anything about him.
In the past, he might not have dared to confront the other party so confidently, but now His Majesty has even given him the sword that he used to carry him into battle. What is there to be afraid of?
That sentence, including the prince, made him feel at ease.
"Your Highness, you no longer have any position or power in the army. In the future, you'd better not break into the military camp at will and bring in irrelevant people. Otherwise, your brothers will mistake you for a thief and try to spy on military secrets, and it would be bad if you get hurt." He said with narrowed eyes.
"You bastard!" The scholar-dressed man beside the Crown Prince pointed at Ding Shangbiao and shouted angrily, "How dare you humiliate His Highness like this!"
"You are such a vulgar person who doesn't know the difference between esteem and inferiority! I will definitely sue you to His Majesty!"
The prince's face was gloomy. Feeling the gazes of the surrounding soldiers, he felt that Ding Shangbiao had pulled his face to the ground and repeatedly crushed it.
When had he, who was favored by his father and was designated as the heir early on, ever suffered such a great humiliation?
His face was livid as he said, "General Ding, military law is ruthless. If you make a mistake, you must be punished. I will learn my lesson."
"But, military law doesn't allow them to be executed, right?"
Ding Shangbiao lazily stretched out his little finger, picked his ear, and intentionally or unintentionally blew the dirt off his finger in the direction where the prince was standing.
"As a soldier who leads troops to kill the enemy, yet he is so weak and ignorant of military affairs, yet he still rises to a high position. If he is defeated after a few blows, then we can only blame him for being unworthy of his position."
The prince felt a surge of anger rising from the soles of his feet to his heart, his face flushed red, and the anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
The other party's words hit him right in the face. Everyone said that his second brother was ambitious, talented in both civil and military affairs, and had the same style as his father.
When talking about him, they all shook their heads and sighed, thinking of the humiliation of the past. The resentment of not being recognized as the crown prince burst out, and they shouted harshly:
"Master Ding, are you making indirect accusations? If you have any dissatisfaction, you can just speak out!"
"Your Highness, you are worrying too much. I am just a rough man, so how can I make indirect accusations? I just say what I think." Ding Shangbiao thought of his brothers who died in vain. A total of 50,000 people were killed by this idiot!
He was also furious, and said with a forced smile: "Your Highness, the enemy is at the gates of the city. I am following the order of Your Majesty to defend the city with all my strength. Your Highness should return quickly."
"What do you mean? Are you saying that His Highness has delayed you from defending the city?" the person next to the prince asked angrily.
"I, Old Ding, didn't say that. I'm just too busy right now and don't have time to entertain Your Highness."
The prince glanced at his men, who were already barely breathing, and approached Ding Shangbiao step by step, "What if I must take them away today?"
Ding Shangbiao put away the playful smile on his face and looked at the other person with cold eyes. "Your Highness may not know yet, but before I came here, His Majesty gave me a sword to carry with me, saying that I should take over the defense of Lucheng with all my strength. Anyone who interferes will be killed without mercy."
He spoke word by word, "Including the Crown Prince."
The prince was so frightened by the murderous intent in his eyes that he took a half step back, his face pale. He could feel that if he really insisted on doing so, the other party would draw his sword and kill him without hesitation.
He swallowed, trying to regain his princely composure, but the embarrassed look of taking a half step back had already caught the eyes of the surrounding soldiers.
Ding Shangbiao sneered in his heart, "Come here, send the prince back to the palace."
Before His Majesty came, he did not say how to deal with the prince, but only asked him to take over the affairs of Lucheng, so he had no right to ask where the prince stayed.
But if the other party dares to interfere in military affairs, he will not be polite.
Back at the palace, a close confidant of Ding Shangbiao said with some concern, "General, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne after all, and he will ascend to that position in the future. If you offend him like this today, I'm afraid you will suffer in the future."
How could Ding Shangbiao not know this truth?
"Didn't you listen to what your soldiers said? 150,000 men! And you can't even hold a city that's easy to defend but hard to attack!"
"Those 50,000 men lost their lives in vain while trying to cover the retreat for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"What did our Crown Prince say in the end? He even blamed those brothers for not killing the enemy with all their heart!"
Ding Shangbiao kicked out fiercely, knocking over the table next to him: "Fuck him!"
"Those brothers helped him cover his retreat, but he ended up running off to Lucheng and hiding there. He even ordered the soldiers to close the gates, leaving those who had covered his retreat to be hacked to death at the city gate!"
Ding Shangbiao was furious: "Even a dog could guard the city better than him!"
Ding Shangbiao's confidants were speechless. It was obviously a dangerous city that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. No matter who came to defend it, it would be impossible to be defeated so quickly.
"General, the incident has already happened. We can only find a way to remedy the situation and defend Lucheng."
"But you'd better not provoke the Crown Prince again. Although His Majesty trusts you now, you also know His Majesty's temperament. He has always doted on the Crown Prince. I'm afraid you will suffer when you return."
They are father and son. Although their generals have obtained the sword of His Majesty and can execute first and report later, no one will actually use this sword to kill the prince.
Even Ding Shangbiao, who hated evil and the prince to the core, only dared to threaten him.
Ding Shangbiao knew what was going on, and he knew that no matter how he provoked, His Majesty would not punish him, not to mention that he was right!
…
He mobilized materials from all sides and sent civilians to transport food and grass to support Lucheng. Wei Wenhua had no time to persuade An Jingzhi to give up the construction of Linxiantai.
He was busy until midnight and then rushed back to the mansion with a tired body and mind.
"The master is back."
"You've been busy all day, so I guess you haven't eaten anything. I'll ask the kitchen to keep your food warm. Eat a few bites and then rest."
While serving him food, Wei Wenhua's old wife complained, "How can you be so foolish? Don't you realize how old you are? Do you still think you are as young as you were back then?"
Wei Wenhua took a sip of the soup, and when he felt the warmth in his stomach, he smiled and said, "The soldiers are fighting in the front. If they don't have food, how can they hold on?"
"With so many civil and military officials in the court, are you still so busy?"
Wei Wenhua’s wife complained a little: “You really scared me to death. You carried the coffin into the palace without even discussing it with me. If something happened to you, what would happen to our family?” She said while wiping away her tears.
Wei Wenhua quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and comforted him, "Okay, okay, it's my fault. Isn't it okay now?"
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Wei Wenhua's wife said, "Our Majesty is no longer the same Majesty he once was. Ever since he ascended the throne, he was on the verge of unifying the Central Plains, but his character has become increasingly capricious and self-willed. He has built palaces lavishly, wasting the people's money and resources. He has long forgotten why he rebelled in the first place!"
Wei Wenhua slammed the table and said, "Your Majesty, do you think you can criticize him so casually?"
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