131. Decision

The debate in Linghui Pavilion was suspended due to Rong Se's reprimand, and Cao Lun no longer mentioned the matter of Hou Peihu taking charge, but there was no conclusion as to whether the war should be fought.

Whether to send troops or negotiate first was enough to make the court officials argue for a while.

The quarrel lasted until Liang Shenyu entered the palace.

Liang Shenyu hurried back from the martial arts arena. Although he was not wearing a sword, he was still wearing armor. He was covered in a set of silver armor that shone with a cold light, which completely concealed his usual gentleness and gentleness. The young general just stood there, like a sword blade three inches out of its sheath, although it was restrained and steady, its sharpness could not be ignored.

"Marquis Dingbei." Rong Se looked at Liang Shenyu and said slowly, "The Xiongnu troops invaded the border of Dajin. I want to ask you, what do you think?"

Rong Se already knew what Liang Shenyu would choose.

As expected, Liang Shenyu had already made up his mind. Without any hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "I am willing to lead the troops to quell the rebellion and drive out the enemy!"

Rong Se smiled as if to say "as expected" and asked, "According to you, can we fight?"

"The enemy is already at the border. Seeking peace now will certainly be fruitless." Liang Shenyu's words were powerful. "In recent years, the Xiongnu seem to be stable, but in fact they have never submitted to the Jin Dynasty. Their wolfish ambitions are obvious. If we don't put down the rebellion thoroughly, it will be a disaster sooner or later."

"But..." an official hesitated, "The Huns invaded our border simply because they suffered from the winter. If we could give them some money and food, maybe..."

"On what grounds?"

Liang Shenyu interrupted coldly, his expression was more gloomy and cold than ever before, and his tone was also heavy.

"Do the people of the Jin Dynasty have a better life in winter? Now the victims in the city have to rely on the help of the regent's palace to survive. If the Xiongnu bowed down and became subjects of the Jin Dynasty, the court would naturally not turn a blind eye, but now the Xiongnu army We are all watching from the border, so why should we use money to feed a group of unfamiliar wolves?”

The man was choked so much that his face turned red and he dared not say anything.

Rong Sedu secretly praised and said that it was well said. He could not even feed his own people, so why should he use money to beg the Huns not to start a war?

When it comes to war, Rong Se is naturally extremely unwilling to do so.

But when the time came, no matter how he considered it, Rong Se could not think of a better solution than sending troops.

"Okay." Rong Se quietly clenched his knuckles in his sleeves to prevent his voice from trembling. He stared at Liang Shenyu quietly for a moment before finally making up his mind. He said slowly and solemnly: "Marquis Dingbei, listen to my order."

Liang Shenyu leaned forward, his armor reflecting a cold light, "I am here."

"I order you to gather your troops immediately and rest for a day. Tomorrow, lead the Jinbei cavalry stationed outside the city to the border of Qiangzhou. You must not give up an inch of the Great Jin territory!"

"I have received your order."

It was already dark when they returned home. Rongse and Liang Shenyu had not had dinner yet, so Rongse went to Jinshanxuan and ordered two bowls of thin noodles in clear soup and poached eggs. The two sat opposite each other and ate in silence.

Rong Se then said softly, "I dried a lot of meat a few days ago and gave it to you to take on the road. Swords and knives are blind on the battlefield, and we don't know what tricks the Huns will play. You...be careful."

As they were about to part, Rongse believed that Liang Shenyu was capable, but the dream always bothered him.

Liang Shenyu was much calmer, and nodded, saying, "The Xiongnu's expedition this time is indeed bizarre."

Rong Se's heart tightened, "What? What's wrong?"

"In the past, the Xiongnu were not honest either, but they mostly marched in secret, behaving like bandits." Liang Shenyu frowned thoughtfully, "Even if they really wanted to fight, the news that I was not in Qiangzhou would have spread long ago. They should have taken advantage of my absence to launch a surprise attack on Qiangzhou, but the army was silent at the border. It was so powerful, as if we were afraid that they were not aware of the declaration of war."

Liang Shenyu was a good chess player and was even more gifted in marching and fighting, even better than his father and brother.

In Liang Shenyu's eyes, the Huns' behavior this time was abnormal and there must be something fishy going on.

When he said that, Rong Se immediately realized something was wrong and murmured, "…It's like he's deliberately leading you there, wait!"

Rong Se immediately asked anxiously: "Then why are you still going?!"

Liang Shenyu nodded. "Since the Xiongnu have declared war, I have no choice but to go. Besides, if I don't go, how can I know what the Xiongnu are up to this time? I don't know who will lead the troops this time. In the past few years, most of the generals who could lead troops in the Xiongnu territory have been killed."

Rong Se choked.

He finally understood why the Huns had been quiet in recent years.

Although Liang Shenyu failed to kill all the Huns, he did kill most of their generals.

"But..." Rong Se stroked his forehead worriedly, "They knew it was a trap but still went in. Damn it... What on earth do these bastards want to do?"

His long-suppressed anxiety finally broke out.

Liang Shenyu smiled, a soothing smile that was particularly gentle under the dim, flickering candlelight.

"Okay, Your Majesty, don't worry about it." Liang Shenyu said softly, "I have fought the Xiongnu for so many years, and didn't their so-called wise counsellor die in my hands? I am not afraid of them in terms of playing chess on the sandbox or deploying troops. Marching and fighting are my business. Your Majesty should be careful in the capital."

Rong Se came back to his senses, carefully sorted out Liang Shenyu's words, and finally had some clues.

"You're right. The Jinbei Cavalry is not in the capital, and the Cao family has the Xuanji Camp in their hands, and they also have Zheng Fu as a hidden chess piece." Rong Se pursed his lips, "This is their chance."

"Not bad." Liang Shenyu stood up, walked to Rong Se, leaned over to look at Rong Se who was sitting on the chair, and said seriously: "Fighting with the Huns is nothing more than going to war. War is dangerous. At most, we will fight with swords and guns. But I am really worried about you staying in the capital."

Rong Se realized belatedly that Liang Shenyu's worry just now was not because he was worried about Qiangzhou, but because he was worried about Jinjing.

He is so arrogant and conceited that he is fearless even though he knows the other party has ulterior motives.

Seeing him like this, Rong Se also inexplicably calmed down.

"Let's kill Zheng Fu." Liang Shenyu said gently, "Before, we were afraid of alarming the snake, but now the snake is restless, so it's better to remove the fuel from the fire."

Rong Se was silent, but shook his head.

Liang Shenyu had to go to Qiangzhou because he was the Marquis of Dingbei, and what he saw in his dream was obviously not winter. The northwest was covered with ice and snow, and it was estimated that fire could not be started.

If Liang Shenyu was going to die on this trip, Rong Se would never let him go no matter what, but nothing was certain now.

After thinking for a while, Rong Se raised his eyes and said softly: "Be careful when you go to Qiangzhou. Don't worry about the things in the capital. I can handle it."

Liang Shenyu frowned, "Not killing Zheng Fu?"

"They have Zheng Fu, and I have the Queen Mother." Rong Se forced a smile, and then said seriously, "I am no longer the me who was walking on thin ice when I first arrived. After being entangled for so long, there must be an end. The grudge between them and me is just like the one between you and the Xiongnu. There is no way to settle it peacefully. Moreover, if you go to the front line, you can't be without someone behind you. Believe me, I will handle these things well, and I will not let you repeat the same mistakes with the Jinbei Cavalry."

Rong Se was referring to the shortage of food, fodder and weapons back then. Since he was in the capital, he could not become a source of anxiety for Liang Shenyu.

He wants to be the backup.

Liang Shenyu hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say something else, but in the end he just said, "Okay."

Rong Se put her hands around his neck, leaned over gently, closed her eyes and whispered, "Be careful, don't forget, you still owe me the word brother."

Liang Shenyu smiled and kissed him cheek to cheek. His tone did not sound like he was going to a battlefield where life and death were unpredictable. He said lightly, "Remember this. Wait for me to come back."

.

"Such a big thing, why didn't anyone tell me?"

Rong Jing's face looked extremely ugly, and his eyes were so gloomy that they looked like dark clouds covering the sun.

Cao Lun stood not far away and said, "The news first reached the Regent King, and he summoned all the ministers to discuss the matter. I originally wanted to let Hou Peihu go with him. If he can make military achievements, he may be able to seize the power of Dingbei Marquis."

Rong Jing gritted his teeth and said, "If that's the case, why did uncle give in again?"

"Your Majesty, I have told you to think twice before doing anything. The more impatient you are, the harder it will be to accomplish anything." Cao Lun looked at him calmly, his expression seemingly no different from usual. "With the Xiongnu pressing on us, it is a rare opportunity for Marquis Dingbei to lead the Jinbei cavalry out of the capital. As for Marquis Peihu... his military exploits are naturally indispensable."

He spoke so confidently, as if he had already won.

Rong Jing suddenly realized that his uncle seemed to have done a lot of things. He looked curious for a moment and said hesitantly: "Uncle, this time... are you..."

"Your Majesty." Cao Lun interrupted him, his tone calm, "The harem is without a master, which is not good for the country. We must appoint a queen as soon as possible, so that the Xuanji Camp can be completely stable."

Rong Jing became even more depressed when he mentioned this. After a moment of silence, he said, "Anyway, Liang Shenyu is going to lead his troops out now, so there will only be the imperial guards left in the capital. Uncle, you have said so many times before that we should wait. Isn't this the opportunity we have been waiting for? First, take down Rong Se, and the country will be in my pocket. Why do I need a woman to stabilize the Xuanji Camp?"

Rong Jing became more and more excited as he spoke. Even if the Xiongnu invaded, wouldn't we still have Dingbei Hou? As long as Dingbei Hou was there, the Xiongnu would not be able to enter the Central Plains. As for Rong Se...

Without Marquis Dingbei's protection, it's a good time to get rid of him!

Thinking of this, even if no one told him about the border situation, Rong Jing was no longer as angry as before, but became even more excited.

However, Cao Lun still shook his head, "Your Majesty, don't worry."

Rong Jingteng stood up suddenly, his expression finally changed completely, "Uncle! Such a good opportunity, do you still want me to wait?!"

"Yes, we have to wait." Cao Lun raised the corners of his lips in an ambiguous way, revealing an unpredictable smile, "You don't have to wait too long, Your Majesty. There will definitely be a result before New Year's Eve. As for the matter of establishing a queen, the Ministry of Rites is already preparing for it, Your Majesty does not need to say more."

Rong Jing clenched his fists, unwilling but not daring to disobey Cao Lun. His eyes were filled with coldness, but he replied in a low voice: "I understand."

Cao Lun nodded, "It's good that your Majesty knows the general idea."

Rong Jing smiled with the corners of his mouth pulled.

It's not just Rong Se. If he wants to be the true emperor above everyone else, then no one can step on his head.

Even without Rong Se, it's still not enough.