Chapter 216
"No need to be polite. Northwest Army reports that the Huns are making moves again."
As soon as Lin Shuge and Xie Chen entered Yunfu Palace, Emperor Yongyuan said.
It turned out to be the Huns. Lin Shuge's heart skipped a beat. Weren't the Huns badly injured by Zhongxuan? Why is there movement again?
"Marquis Jingyuan's letter mentioned that since the death of Chanyu Muye and most of Zuoxian King's forces were defeated by Lord Xie, the Xiongnu tribes have been in disarray and have not had the energy to fight against our Great Yan. They only come to invade occasionally, but are repeatedly repelled by the border troops. But today, Marquis Jingyuan received news that Huerke, the second son of Chanyu Muye, killed his brother and Zuoxian King in a coup, proclaimed himself Chanyu, and joined forces with Youxian King to force the Zuo and Zuo Guli Kings to surrender and unify the tribes." Emperor Yongyuan said.
If the various organizational levels of the Xiongnu were independent of each other, they could be defeated one by one, but now they are forced to unify their various tribes, and the next step is probably to sharpen their knives.
As expected, Emperor Yongyuan continued, "According to the spies, Hulk is reorganizing his military and dispatching troops to avenge his father. This shows that he does not take our Great Yan seriously."
"Your Majesty, don't worry. This guy seems to be coming with great force, but most of the Huns are unproductive. It is not easy for them to recover in such a short time. Besides, Marquis Jingyuan is guarding the northwest, so he will definitely make sure the Huns never return." Lin Shuge said after listening.
If Lin Shuge was a Hun, he should take advantage of the present to recuperate and wait for the future, instead of taking risks when the Great Yan army is strong and powerful. Not to mention that there is the capable and warlike Marquis Jingyuan in the northwest, and Xie Chen is still there. With the current strength of the Xiongnu, why bother to confront Dayan head-on? This is undoubtedly like hitting a rock with an egg.
"According to Marquis Dingyuan's intelligence, the Huns seem to be preparing to take advantage of the situation. They have learned that Lord Xie has been imprisoned by me. There are frequent struggles in the court, and the Northwest Border Army has been urgently summoned to the capital. If they attack at this time, Dayan will be unable to cope with the situation and can only rely on the remaining Northwest Border Army. In this way, the Huns have a great chance of winning. Moreover, even if they cannot break through the city, robbing the people and money and food will also be considered a gain." Emperor Yongyuan said with a smile.
Lin Shuge was secretly delighted, thinking that God was helping Dayan. "According to your majesty, do you want to eliminate the trouble forever?" Otherwise, he would not have summoned him and Xie Chen into the palace in a hurry.
Emperor Yongyuan stood with his hands behind his back. "The Xiongnu have always been the number one enemy of our Great Yan. The people of the Great Yan border have suffered greatly from them. Several generations of emperors have wanted to destroy the Xiongnu but failed. Now that it has come to me, I must destroy all those who have offended our Great Yan. This is also a way to comfort the spirits of our ancestors. I asked you two to enter the palace to discuss with you how to fight the Xiongnu this time."
Seeing that Emperor Yongyuan was confident of victory, Lin Shuge knew that the expedition was a foregone conclusion, so he said, "Your Majesty must have all the troops prepare all the food and military supplies as soon as possible. I wonder which generals Your Majesty wants to send out?"
"Of course. I asked Ayun to do it before you entered the palace. Food and armaments are not a problem. Lord Lin, you should assist Ayun in doing this during this period. As for the commander-in-chief, it will naturally be Lord Xie. The governor of Dingyuan County and the Marquis of Dingyuan will each lead a large army to attack the Huns. In this battle, we must drive the Huns out of Jiwei Mountain, so that our Great Yan will no longer have the problem of the Huns disturbing the border." Emperor Yongyuan said to the two.
"I will select skilled fighters from the imperial court to accompany you as generals. Thank you, my dear minister. I am waiting for your triumphant return." Emperor Yongyuan said to Xie Chen with trust in his eyes.
"I will definitely live up to your majesty's high expectations." Xie Chen leaned forward and said.
"With my two beloved ministers here, I can rest assured. But my beloved minister Lin, I don't know what A Yu talked with you about. Why did you suddenly come to me and say that you want to go to the southern border county?" Emperor Yongyuan suddenly changed the subject and said with a sullen look in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I am wronged. Your Highness likes farming and only asked me questions about whether potatoes and cotton can be grown in the south and how to prevent and control diseases in Nanjun. I tried my best to persuade Your Highness that Nanjun is very dangerous and you must not take risks lightly." Lin Shuge's tone was full of grievance.
Xie Chen also said, "My brother heard at home that His Royal Highness Prince Liang was making a fuss about going to the south, and he was very worried. He was afraid that His Majesty would think that he was the one who instigated it and would punish him."
Emperor Yongyuan smiled cheerfully, "Of course I won't blame you, my dear, but this child Ayu still doesn't believe me."
Neither of them dared to respond casually. After thinking for a moment, Lin Shuge said, "Your Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Liang have a deep brotherly love. I know that Your Majesty loves His Royal Highness and does not want His Royal Highness to go to such a dangerous place. Your Royal Highness is also expanding the border and benefiting the people through agriculture. This is also Your Royal Highness's way of sharing His Majesty's worries."
Emperor Yongyuan looked at him for a long while. Lin Shuge clenched his palms and dared not say anything more. Emperor Yongyuan then said, "My dear minister, you are absolutely right. I only have this one brother, so I must treat him better. But the child has grown up, and I have no say in that. That's all."
When Lin Shuge came out of Yunfu Palace, he was still thinking about what Emperor Yongyuan said. Seeing his stunned expression, Xie Chen said, "Brother, your answer just now was perfect, why do you look like this?"
Lin Shuge smiled and thought that there was no need to think so much. He should just worry about the man in front of him going to the battle.
When the army goes out to war, there are many things to prepare, and I don’t want to be involved in things that have nothing to do with me.
"Let's go back. I wonder if Ayuan and Axuan have come back. These two have been missing all day and are even busier than us." Lin Shuge said to Xie Chen with a smile.
Xie Chen then pulled his hand with his wide sleeves and whispered, "It's okay if you don't come back. Let's continue when we get back."
Lin Shuge didn't react to what he was saying at first, but when he looked up and saw his ambiguous expression, he realized that this man was simply unreasonable. "We are still in the palace, can you please have some shame?"
"Oh, when have I ever saved my face in front of my brother?" Xie Chen said shamelessly.
Lin Shuge was not so shameless. There were people coming and going here, so he hurriedly pulled the shameless person back.
Inside Yunfu Palace, Emperor Yongyuan said to an official, "Tell me, is what Lin Huaiting said true?"
The man said respectfully, "Doctor Lin is not someone who would tell such a lie. With their personalities, they would naturally not want to get involved in the royal family dispute."
Emperor Yongyuan sneered, "How dare you say that."
Another official said, "Your Majesty, if this expedition to the Xiongnu is a great victory, Captain Xie will definitely be promoted a few levels when he returns. I wonder what official position Your Majesty will give him?"
Emperor Yongyuan's face was filled with coldness. "My dear minister, what do you mean by that? Am I the kind of person who does not tolerate my subjects? Thank you for your contributions to the country and the people, and you should be rewarded. How can I allow you to say anything?"
"But your majesty, if it was just Captain Xie, it would be fine. But if there is also Doctor Lin, this man is very popular among the people in the northwest. Even the gunpowder in the army comes from this man. He played a good trick when he lured the Ding party into the water. He used public opinion and the influence of the officials. You can see that this man is scheming and cunning. The key is that the relationship between these two is very close. As far as I know, the two of them get along like a common couple, and they are indistinguishable from each other."
Emperor Yongyuan was immediately furious, "I cannot tolerate people like you who slander virtuous people around me, come here."
The soldiers outside the palace immediately rushed in, but the official said: "Every word I said is true. If Lin and Xie are loyal to Your Majesty, it is not a bad thing. But if one of them has two hearts, Ding's party is a lesson for us."
"Hurry up and drag this villain away for me." Emperor Yongyuan said sternly.
"Yes." Several soldiers dragged him away, but the official kept shouting, "Your Majesty, I speak from the bottom of my heart. What I said today is all for Your Majesty and for the country of Great Yan."
"Shut his mouth for me."
The sound in the hall gradually died down, leaving only Emperor Yongyuan and the official who had just spoken. Emperor Yongyuan was furious and was trying hard to control his anger. The officials naturally felt his anger and waited in silence for him to calm down.
"Do you have anything to say?" Emperor Yongyuan asked.
"Lord Du's words are suspected of exaggeration. We all know what kind of people Doctor Lin and Captain Xie are. Judging from their words and deeds, everything they do is for the people. It's just..."
"Just what?" Emperor Yongyuan looked at him with sharp eyes, like a sharp sword.
"The man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." He said no more, just lowered his head silently, not daring to look at the emperor again.
Emperor Yongyuan stood with his hands behind his back. The sunlight of the day was swallowed up by the darkness, and the hall was pitch black. The eunuchs carefully lit the candles and retreated quietly. Under the dim candlelight, Emperor Yongyuan had a mysterious expression.
After Lin Shuge and Xie Chen returned home, they found the twins were actually at home. When they saw them coming back, they said, "Brother, Erlang, I heard at Lord Yang's house today that something happened at the border. Was it because of the Huns?"
"You have all heard about it?" Lin Shuge said, "It is that the Xiongnu have made unusual moves again. Your Majesty is going to send Zhongxuan to fight against the Xiongnu again. I'm afraid he will set off soon."
The two looked worried, and Lin Shuge smiled and said, "What are you worried about? With Zhongxuan here, why would you be afraid of the Huns?"
"No, I just feel that it's a bit pitiful that Erlang has to go to the northwest to fight alone since we are all in Yandu." Lin Qingyuan said.
"Did you hear that? A Yuan is worried about you." Lin Shuge patted Xie Chen, who grabbed his right hand. Considering the innocent eyes of the twins, Xie Chen coughed lightly and said, "What's the big deal? I'll make a quick decision and come back quickly."
"Stop talking about this. You two have been very busy lately." Lin Shuge shook off Xie Chen's relentless hand and said angrily.
"Sister Yang has invited me several times, and I would be a bit ungrateful if I refuse again," Lin Xuan said with a red face, "But at the banquet today, all the sisters talked about my elder brother and Erlang, saying that you are so young and have won the trust of His Majesty. In the future, the Lin family and the Xie family will definitely take another step forward. You will definitely have greater fortunes in the future, and maybe His Majesty will grant you a marriage."
Lin Qingyuan quickly stopped her and said, "Ah Xuan, why are you saying these things? Big brother, I'm starving after waiting for you. Please serve the food."
Lin Xuan didn't say anything else, just like a girl going home to complain to her family about the troubles in interacting with her good friends, but Lin Shuge knew that she was reminding them tactfully, and coupled with Emperor Yongyuan's test today, he felt a little annoyed for a moment.
When Xie Chen heard the word "arranged marriage", his face turned pale. The few of them ate together with heavy hearts, and then went back to their rooms.
Lin Shuge took a quick bath and was walking out while drying his hair when he bumped into Xie Chen, who had been staring at him behind the screen.
"What's wrong? Are you still thinking about what Axuan said? Are you worried about you or me?" Lin Shuge walked over and handed him the towel, then sat in front of him naturally.
Xie Chen took it and wiped his hair while saying, "Brother, what is the difference between Han Xin and Zhang Liang?"
Lin Shuge knew what he meant, so he moved his body, found a comfortable position on his thigh, and replied: "The difference is that Zhang Liang will retreat bravely and see the situation clearly."
Xie Chen's men paused for a moment and asked with a smile, "So, brother, do you want to be Zhang Liang or Han Xin?"
"Of course it's Zhang Liang who can not only survive, but also protect his family."
Xie Chen threw the cloth aside and stroked Lin Shuge's smooth hair. "Me too, but brother, what if His Majesty wants to grant you a marriage?"
Lin Shuge stood up and sat up, smiling and saying, "What if I grant you a marriage?"
Xie Chen seemed to have finally had the opportunity to show himself, "That must be to tell him that I already have someone I love, and I will never be separated from him. I love him more than my life. Without him, my life..."
"Stop, don't say anymore." He is using this as an excuse to confess his feelings to himself, Lin Shuge thought, but he is older than Zhongxuan, how come he lags behind him.
So, he said, "I have told His Majesty that I already have a fiancée, and I will marry him when he returns."
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