Chapter 99: Stupid
A copy of the battle report from the North was sent to Shengjing that evening via an express delivery of 800 miles.
"...In the past three days, the Northern Turks have broken through two of our cities and beheaded Chen Jiang for public display. The general who guards the country led his troops to set out last night."
Rong Baolin knelt beside the dragon couch and banged his head heavily on the ground. Under the bed curtains, the girl's two slender white legs twisted and struggled, but she was pinned down. The old emperor did not shy away from his trusted eunuchs. Although he was powerless to favor a woman at his age, he could still use other methods.
"Yeah." The old emperor on the dragon bed replied lazily after a long while, and asked: "What is the identity of the new leader of that group of barbarians? Why is he so arrogant?"
The Northern Barbarians had been conquered by Chen Ting a long time ago, and they hadn't made such a large-scale move for a long time. They only dared to make some small secret moves. Not only did they make a comeback so quickly, but they even directly killed Chen Jiangdu, the second deputy general under Chen Ting?
He knew that although Chen Jiang was not as good at commanding troops as Chen Ting, he was also a veteran with rich combat experience. He often led tens of thousands of soldiers to guard the other side of the city alone. Even if he couldn't win a complete victory against the Northern Barbarian commander, he could at least fight a few rounds, right? How could he be defeated so quickly and have his head chopped off directly?
Rong Baolin said: "The new commander of the Northern Turks is said to be the youngest son of their Great Khan, only seventeen years old. This is his first time on the battlefield, replacing his brother, the third prince. Judging from this battle, this boy does have some talent for fighting. I wonder how he will fare against the general who guards the country..."
"If Chen Ting can't even beat a little kid, I don't think he can even hope for the position of a general." The old emperor narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold voice.
The chief eunuch knelt below and wiped the sweat from his head, complaining in his heart that if even Chen Ting could not be used, then there would be no more capable generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Northern Turks all know how to cultivate their own killing weapons. What about them? Apart from the generals who can be used as bricks to move around, who else can they rely on? Are these generals who are fat and strong and raised in the capital city unable to even pull a bow?
Of course, Rong Baolin only dared to think about these words in his heart, and he dared not say them out loud: "The general who guards the country has always been invincible, and he will definitely win beautifully this time."
"Humph, I heard that he is so happy with his new wife that he has become much more approachable and is completely different from before."
Rong Baolin considered flattering the emperor: "That is all thanks to your grace. The general who guards the country also knows this and will definitely work harder to guard the border."
"By the way, I also heard from the Jinwu Guards that the Crown Prince seems to have made some small moves recently?"
"Recently, the Shangguan family has a rising young master who is this year's top martial arts champion. Does Your Majesty have any impression of him?"
"That kid... I remember that he can shoot an arrow blindfolded after a hundred steps. Prince wants to recommend him?" The emperor smiled hoarsely and said, "It's good to send him out for training, but you can't send him to the general who guards the country now."
"The prince is still too impatient. I'm afraid Chen Ting is saving this matter for him." A gleam of light flashed in the emperor's cloudy eyes: "Why is he in such a hurry? Is he a little uneasy because I've taken a liking to the fifth brother recently?"
"I have allowed him to sit firmly on the throne of Crown Prince for so many years. Recently, he just glanced at Old Five a few more times, and he started to get anxious?"
The emperor was furious. Rong Baolin never dared to speculate on such matters. He waited quietly until the emperor had finished venting his anger before asking, "Your Majesty, what if the general who guards the country has a grudge against you because of this?"
"Of course I have to warn the prince not to provoke Chen Ting during this period. He still needs to protect the kingdom of my Feng family."
......
The news from the north also made the Ning Wang Mansion brightly lit.
Prince Ning Feng Jiuzhao was discussing matters with his trusted aides. Beside him sat a beautiful woman wearing a mask with a golden butterfly and sun pattern. Everyone was used to it and still reported the latest intercepted secret reports to the man in the lead.
"Your Highness, the people you asked to keep an eye on the Cheng family did find something recently. When the Crown Princess stayed at the Cheng family, she seemed to have a conflict with Madam Cheng because she heard that Cheng Ziyuan was plotting something with the Crown Prince but didn't tell her." A middle-aged strategist with a goatee said, stroking his chin, "Later, the secret guards spent a few more days to find out. It turned out that Cheng Ziyuan had a lover from a poor family. She was a girl from the Yan family of General Chen Tingwai."
"That woman called Chen Ting her cousin. Now that the Yan family is in decline, she entered the Duke's Mansion under the pretext of seeking refuge. Perhaps she wanted to get some information from the close quarters, but she never came back."
"Cheng Ziyuan probably really liked the young lady, but he couldn't resist the order of the Crown Prince, so he reluctantly gave her away. Now that he can't get her back, he has a quarrel with his sister and asks her to help him get her back."
"......"
Prince Ning's mansion has recruited a well-known secret guard organization to work for him. Now there is nothing he doesn't know about in the capital, only things he doesn't want to know. Hearing this, he was a little confused: "Why did the prince suddenly want to take action against the general?"
Including the emperor, everyone knew that this man could only be won over, not forced or threatened. He had 500,000 soldiers on hand and was no pushover.
Even if the emperor regarded it as a thorn in his flesh that threatened him, he would have to find a way to soften it little by little. But the prince was different. He just pulled it out directly.
Isn't he afraid of angering others? Chen Ting directly rushed to the East Palace with a heavy sword and cut off his head and kicked it like a ball?
In a sense, as long as the military power in the north is not taken back, after the old emperor dies, whoever the general who commands the army will take the throne will be the next in line. So what if the prince has been the crown prince for more than 40 years?
The masked beauty poured tea for everyone in the room and said calmly, "Because the prince feels threatened, the general guarding the country and the Duke of Rong are difficult to win over, so he wants to change the leadership of the 500,000 troops in the northern border."
The goateed counselor was named Gong Yang Leng. Hearing this, he clapped his hands in agreement and said, "Madam is right. The Fifth Prince is getting more and more popular now, which makes the Crown Prince's achievements seem mediocre. As long as the Emperor does not abdicate, the Crown Prince may be replaced."
With the help of Prince Ning, the Fifth Prince has already built up a lot of connections in a high-profile manner. Even Concubine Jia, who was disliked by the Emperor some time ago, has regained the Emperor's favor, making many women in the harem jealous.
Prince Ning played with the beauty's tender hands under the table, with a relaxed smile on his lips: "I thought my eldest brother, the crown prince, was a very patient person, but I didn't expect him to do such a stupid thing."
"The prince is already forty years old this year, how can he not be anxious?"
"It's a pity that Mo Yun is too far away, otherwise I really want to know how Chen Ting dealt with this beauty trap." King Ning had just finished speaking when he suddenly remembered that Chen Ting's wife seemed to be the sister of someone close to him.
I turned around to take a look at the beauty's face... I couldn't see it because of the mask, but from the way she pulled her hand away without hesitation, I could tell that she was indeed angry.
"Aman, I didn't mean to watch the fun." Prince Ning quickly admitted his mistake: "Now it seems that the general's wife should have dealt with that woman and didn't let her stir up any trouble."
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