Chang'an is good

There was no trace of impurity in the young man's handsome eyes at this moment, and the "request" he raised was of no weight at all.

He took on the responsibility of guarding the northern border without hesitation, and committed his life to the most difficult war in the world. What he chose to leave to Cui Lingan was "more good days to wait for each other."

To those who bear a burden as heavy as a mountain, what they seek is as light as a feather.

This piece of wild swan feather, accompanied by the gentle breeze, brushes across my peaceful heart.

She wanted to ask Cui Ling'an if he knew that the good things in this world that one does not ask for anything in return are the hardest to repay.

Seeing that she did not answer, the young man asked again under the pine tree: "Your Highness, can you agree?"

Chang Suining came back to his senses and said in a relaxed tone: "It's just a small matter, why not?"

"You've worked so hard in the North, and I've come all the way to see you, and this is all you ask for." Chang Suining's relaxed tone contained a bit of disdain and a bit of generosity: "Think of something more decent and ask me later."

Cui Jing had a faint smile of contentment in his eyes: "Having you here in person is more than enough."

This was the most "decent" and best thing he could think of.

When thinking about the word "decent", Cui Jing suddenly thought of something and the smile in his eyes faded.

After a moment, he said, "I just didn't know you were coming. I'm being rude again."

"Where is this rude? Let me see." Chang Suining put his hands behind his back, took a step closer to him, leaned forward to look at his face, and looked at it very seriously: "It's obviously very decent and good-looking."

Cui Jing had already stopped breathing, and the tips of his ears began to heat up uncontrollably.

When he lowered his eyes, he saw that she was still staring at him. He seemed calm and slowly turned his face to one side, trying his best to hide his confusion.

"I'm serious." Chang Suining curled his lips slightly and said to Cui Jing, "You are acting like this so that the Great Sheng Kingdom and its people don't have to be 'disrespectful'."

A country that has been brutally trampled by foreign cavalry will no longer have any dignity or decency.

"You are protecting the dignity of the country and its people. The mere dust and wind do not damage your manners." Chang Suining said, "To me, your presence here is the most important courtesy. There are few people as noble and clean as you, Cui Ling'an, in this world today."

His nobility was no longer due to the blood and cultivation of the Qinghe Cui family, but to his spirit of protecting the country that he adhered to from beginning to end.

When the two looked at each other, Cui Jing was a little stunned.

The next moment, he saw a hint of "protective" expression in those clear eyes: "If anyone dares to say you are rude, I will knock off his head."

Cui Jing: "Protector Qin——"

Chang Suining pretended to ask, "Did he really say that?"

"No." Cui Jing smiled, "Protector Qin is a good man, so let's keep his head."

As soon as Cui Jing finished speaking, he suddenly stretched out a hand and caught a pine needle that was falling from above and was about to land on Chang Suining's head.

The emerald green pine needles are slightly cool, and when they fall straight down, they lightly prick the palms of your hands, causing a fleeting sting. However, when this feeling is transmitted from the palms to your heart, it turns into a vivid and clear feeling of joy and pleasure.

With this in mind, Cui Jing withdrew half of his hand and showed the pine needle to Chang Suining.

Chang Suining looked at it, then naturally raised his hand and took it from his palm.

The slightly cool fingertips touched the palm of his hand, and a vivid feeling similar to but even stronger than that of falling pine needles spread through the young man's heart.

Chang Suining picked up the pine needle, looked at it in the sunlight, and suddenly said without thinking: "Cui Lingan, this pine needle looks a lot like you."

Cool, hard, sharp, and with a slightly bitter, crisp pine scent.

Tall, upright, noble, he does not follow the crowd and never argues to prove himself.

Chang Suining held the pine needle in his hand, looked up at Cui Jing, and said, "If you think it is impolite to rush for safety and survival without taking time to take care of your appearance, then I hope that one day, you and I, as well as the people of the world, will never be impolite again. In this world, our country can act like a great power, maintain eternal stability and uprightness, and not have to kowtow to anyone."

She said "I wish" one day, and the "wish" here is still a wish to herself.

Cui Jing listened to the still calm tone and looked at the two inches of sunlight falling on her. The sunlight, the shadows of the trees and her outline were intertwined, as if to paint a grand picture. On it was a man who wanted to use his mortal body, his determination to change the fate of millions of people in this world as a pen, and the blood and bones of two lifetimes as ink to paint a new world.

Cui Jing knew that this was what she had been seeking for a long time.

After a moment, he nodded and said with full confidence: "There will be such a day."

As long as she is here, there is hope that this grand vision will come into this world.

Chang Suining turned around and continued to walk forward, his steps light and his tone sounded casual: "Then let's discuss how to skin and bone this jackal Beidi, cut off its claws and fangs, uncover its ambitions, and chop it into the pot."

Cui Jing followed him, his tone not too serious: "With His Highness here, it's just a small matter."

Chang Suining turned to look at him: "Cui Lingan, you are also very proficient in the art of flattery."

Cui Jing's face showed that he was not surprised. "To boost one's own prestige is also a common tactic used by military strategists."

Chang Suining nodded: "That's great. If the Northern Di spies see us and see how arrogant and complacent our Dasheng commanders are, they will probably celebrate their success in advance."

Cui Jing: "That's good too. It will make them relax their guard."

The two of them talked casually, but they knew better than anyone that this battle with Beidi was unprecedentedly difficult. Even though Chang Suining had experience of defeating Beidi, he was not absolutely sure of winning at this time.

Dasheng is several times weaker than it was twenty years ago, while Beidi has been gathering strength and its combat capability cannot be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Chang Suining let out a long sigh in her heart. The more so, the more fortunate she was for the existence of Cui Jing. He saved Xuan Ce's army and dared to risk great disapproval and insisted on training cavalry in Bingzhou. This foresight, courage and determination were the key to prolonging the life of Dasheng.

For the next five or six days, Chang Suining, Cui Jing, and other generals discussed and deduced the next battle plan almost from morning to night, and Chang Suining and Cui Jing often sat opposite each other until late at night.

Qin Duhu and others saw this and knew that Chang Suining was determined to stay and fight together. They were surprised and felt even more respect for him.

In addition to the 10,000 Jiangdu cavalrymen he brought, Chang Suining has sent a message to Tang Xing to send another 20,000 cavalrymen here for training - these 20,000 cavalrymen come from the captured soldiers from Fan Yang and the scattered forces gathered during this period of time. This number, which was pieced together from all over, is all the sincerity that Chang Suining can offer at this time.

Besides, she also staked herself on this battle.

And she never said anything about it from beginning to end. She just stayed like that, as if it was supposed to be so, without any need to advertise it or even explain the reason for doing so.

Since the prophet Chang Suining came in person, Qin Duhu and others just thought that she came with the army, perhaps intending to take this opportunity to win over the forces in the Anbei Duhufu area... After all, she came all the way from Luoyang and never stopped expanding her power. Her ambition is an indisputable fact.

But such a person with such a huge advantage chose to take his 30,000 cavalry and stay in Yinshan, the most dangerous place with the least "reward".

Qin Duhu sighed in his heart more than once.

Although this envoy Chang Jie did not say anything to win over the people, his actions had already convinced everyone in the Anbei Protectorate, so why did he need to impress them with words?

After discussion, Protector Qin and his staff decided to spread the news that Chang Suining would stay in the northern border with a large force.

Firstly, they believed that Chang Jieshi's righteous act deserved such fame.

Secondly, they wanted to use the name of Chang Suining to stabilize the hearts of the people in the north, and even recruit more righteous people to join the war to defend the country against the Northern Di, mobilize morale, and gather the people's hearts that were like scattered sand.

As this matter progressed, Qin Duhu became increasingly aware of its extraordinary significance.

At this time when the mountains and rivers are devastated and the whole country is in confusion, the power of role models is so huge and important.

As the northern border was making intensive preparations to fight against the Northern Di, the news that Cui Jing had secretly trained 40,000 cavalry in Bingzhou had become known to the world, and the court in the capital was in an uproar and anger.

The number of cavalry reported by Bingzhou to the court had never exceeded 10,000, but at this moment, a full 40,000 people suddenly appeared!
Such a large number of cavalry could not be produced overnight, or even within one or two years...but the imperial court knew nothing about it!
People in the government and the country were both furious and scared.

The prince sat at the top, listening to the court officials rebuking Cui Jing for this action, and dared not respond at all - now that he was the regent, he had gained some experience, and even though these court officials were scolding him harshly at the moment, if he took over and wanted to punish Cui Jing, he was afraid that few would dare to respond directly.

Therefore, he should just shut up, to avoid embarrassment to both parties, and to avoid being stuck in a dilemma and ending up staring at each other.

After all, General Cui was still guarding the northern border, and it seemed that the 40,000 cavalrymen were not used for rebellion... To put it another way, was the court completely blameless? Not to mention whether it was an oversight or not, if the court had agreed to expand the number of Xuan Ce's cavalrymen, would General Cui have kept it secret?
Driven by the desire to survive, Crown Prince Li Zhi, who was always good at self-reflection, quickly rushed to Ganlu Palace after leaving the court.

Inside the hall, Li Zhi bowed respectfully to the empress who was wearing a loose robe.

The Emperor of Holy Ce looked much better than before, but Li Zhi sometimes inexplicably felt that he was holding on with only one breath, and this breath was the battle situation in Shannan West Road.

Li Zhi did not dare to think about the matter any further. After paying his respects, he reported the reactions of today's court officials truthfully.

It is impossible that the Holy Ce Emperor knew about the Bingzhou cavalry later than the court officials. At this moment, there was no emotion on her face, only a cold look in her eyes.

Forty thousand cavalrymen, such a number, no matter which dynasty or era, no matter which emperor it was, would inevitably be shocked and enraged, and she was no exception.

The emperor understood that this was the result of corruption and oversight on the part of the horse officials in Dasheng, but she was also convinced that it was impossible for all the people in Bingzhou’s horse administration to have failed to oversight!

Bingzhou has always been a horse ranch, with natural geographical advantages for raising horses in large numbers. As for the training of cavalry, of course, they can also be trained in rotation by a fixed number of cavalry, and usually only report as ordinary soldiers. As long as it is not like this time when 40,000 cavalry appear in front of people at the same time, it is possible to conceal it.

However, this method of concealment may be used to deal with the imperial court far away in the capital, but it is impossible to hide it from Bingzhou Ma Zheng without any loopholes!
Then there is only one truth: among the horse administration officials in Bingzhou, someone must have been helping Cui Jing conceal the truth from the court for a long time!
This is a capital crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of the clan, yet there are people willing to take the risk to help Cui Jing...Are those people not afraid of death?

She knew very well that the emperor's power had limited control over the border generals, so since she ascended the throne, she had never stopped suppressing and deterring the disloyal people. Most of the vassal generals who had ulterior motives died as a result. But why, no matter how hard she tried, she could not kill all these disloyal people who kept swarming like locusts?
The prince asked anxiously whether to punish the officials who failed to supervise the matter, as well as...General Cui.

"What can we use to punish you now?" The Emperor of the Holy Ce spoke calmly with a hint of suppressed coldness in his voice: "Wait until the army that conquered Shannan West Road returns victoriously, and then we can discuss Cui Jing's merits and demerits in this matter."

The imperial court has concentrated all its military forces in Shannan West Road. As for other places, as long as they have not posed a direct threat to the imperial court, they should try their best to appease, calm down, and delay the emergence of chaos.

The power struggles at critical moments are never just about bold moves and decisive killings, but more often about scheming and mediation, or even forbearance.

In the face of the situation, the empress never lost her mind. From her perspective, she was always sober and calm.

Since ascending the throne, she believed that she had never acted on impulse or impulsively. Every step she took was not based on emotion, but was based on repeated calculations and measurements. This was the unchanging requirement that the Holy Ce Emperor had for herself for ten years. This calmness was also her greatest advantage in terms of her self-esteem.

Recently, the Holy Ceremonial Emperor often thought of a rumor about the eagle.

According to legend, when the Eagle King grows old, he will fly to the top of a mountain and hit the rock with his beak to make it fall off. When the beak grows back, he will pull out all his blunt nails and feathers. He will then hide in a rocky cave, guarding his bloody body until he grows new feathers and regains the ability to fly.

The Emperor of the Holy Ceme often felt that he was such an eagle, whose feathers had been plucked and beak had been cut. Before the new life came, he must keep a close eye on the direction of the cave entrance and be on guard against being attacked by the enemy at any time.

The direction of the "cave entrance" she was staring at was the direction of Shannan West Road.

Therefore, she never thought that the real catastrophe would emerge from the "cave" where she was hiding.

There were no birds of prey of the same kind that she was so intent on guarding against, only insects and ants that she had never taken seriously. It was in the corners that she could not see that these "insects and ants" had gathered into a force, and were coming towards her like a tide, gnawing and swallowing her, and were about to cause the mountaintop platform where she lived to collapse.

This earth-shaking change caused by the "insect ants" started with a common cold. (End of this chapter)