Jiuxi

Chapter 391 Chapter 389 [Who can tell when you get older]

Imperial Palace, East Nuan Pavilion of Wende Palace.

This is the emperor's imperial study room, and it is also the place where he usually summons his closest officials.

Li Duan was sitting behind the Imperial Case, looking at the three martial artists standing in front of him, his expression looking very gentle.

The Nanya of the Beijing Army was reorganized into three Beijing camps. Starting from Li Jingda's transfer as the governor of Dingzhou, Li Duan spent several months gradually advancing, and finally broke the stagnant situation of Nanya.

Although it cannot be said that the current three capital camps will carry out the emperor's orders without compromise, the situation is much better than before. At least he has more room to make adjustments.

Li Duan looked at the faces of the three people one by one.

Standing on the far left is Lu Chen, the marching coach of Jinwu Camp, and standing on the right is Zhang Xu, the Yongding Hou of Wuwei Camp.

He was forty-nine years old at the time, with a calm temperament and the style of a Confucian general.

Zhang Xu is different from most other martial artists. He was originally a scholar and civil servant. Later, due to various opportunities, he joined the Beijing Army as a general and was awarded the title of Grand Governor of Taiping Prefecture. He was a rare person with both civil and military skills in the Qi Dynasty. All have a certain prestige.

If this young man relied on his military exploits and the emperor's favor to act arrogantly in front of them, how should they respond?

Facing the eyes of these two veteran warriors, Lu Chen greeted him first and said respectfully: "Both of the two marquises are veterans on the battlefield, and they are even more expert in leading troops in battles. The younger generation is young and has a lot of shortcomings. I hope they will." The future generations will be grateful to you for your generous guidance."

His attitude pleased Li Duan. After a few words of encouragement, he added: "I summoned you into the palace today. I hope you can get acquainted with each other and learn from each other's strengths to make progress together in the future."

Li Duan nodded. He could tell that Zhang Xu was cautious, so he would not rush to force the other party to express his position.

Seeing the emperor looking at him, Hu Hai took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, I promise to train those bastards in the Xiaoyong Camp to a point where they are worse than death. If your Majesty allows the veteran to lead the army in the future, he will never lose your majesty's face! Even if he cannot compare with Jing, The elites and veterans of the Zhou Army and Huaizhou Army will lead these four Beijing armies to sacrifice their lives for His Majesty!"

Before Lu Chen came to this world, Hu Hai had been defeated in the imperial war many years ago, and his position as Nanya General was also replaced by Li Jingda. At that time, the power of the Jiangnan clan was at its peak and Li Duan was still gathering strength, so he could not keep this upright old man.

The year before last, he had to return to the capital to recuperate due to poor health. By the time he recovered, there was no position suitable for him in the court, so he had been idle at home.

Zhang Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled and said: "The Shanyang Marquis is too modest. I have studied the Wanping, Leize and Heluo wars you planned. I can only say that the future is immeasurable for a rising star."

Hu Hai grinned and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, my bones are still strong, and I can still eat two big bowls of rice every meal. I have been a little bored in the house these years, and I just look forward to serving your Majesty again. Now I finally When you get this opportunity, how can I let you down?"

Zhang Xu bowed and said respectfully: "I will definitely remember your Majesty's instructions and will not slack off for a day."

Lu Chen lowered his head slightly and said, "Master Hou is so complimentary."

This kind of young and distinguished frontier army officer will inevitably have an arrogant temperament. Lu Chen's performance in coming to Beijing twice seems to illustrate this point. Therefore, whether he is as calm as Zhang Xu or as enthusiastic as Hu Hai, he will inevitably feel a little guilty in his heart. murmur.

Although they are idle at home, they will not miss the big news in the army, especially the deeds of people like Lu Chen who completed the feat of regaining the old capital at a young age. After hearing about it, they were filled with emotion and envy.

This person is Hu Hai, the Marquis of Chongshan. In today’s Qi army, he is second only to Han Lingfu, Duke of Jing, in seniority. Unlike Han Lingfu, who is very old, Hu Hai, who is fifty-eight years old, can still shoot a three-stone hard bow and kill people even more in armor. It's a piece of cake.

Li Duan said with emotion: "The days are long, there is no need to rush, Chongshan Marquis should also take care of his health."

The Wu Xun man standing in the middle is tall and tall. Although his hair is slightly white, there is no trace of age on his face. Instead, he exudes the heroism of a mature man.

Now that he has re-entered the court through Guo Congyi's recommendation, Wu Xun, who has learned his destiny in recent years, appears increasingly calm and calm.

Although Hu Hai was irritable, he was not stupid. Of course, he would not resent the emperor because of those things. On the contrary, he was very grateful that the emperor still remembered him and left this vacancy in his hands.

Li Duan smiled and said: "Marquis Yongding, I will hand over the Wuwei Camp to Aiqing. I hope that these three Beijing armies can become elite and fierce warriors, instead of becoming mere spectators in this prosperous place in the capital."

Hu Hai and Zhang Xu were old acquaintances, so they naturally did not need to get acquainted with each other again. The two instantly understood the emperor's intention and looked at the young prince next to them in unison.

For these two veteran martial artists, Lu Chen's name has been heard many times, and it has become even more popular in the past six months.

Hu Hai looked Lu Chen up and down and saw that he had no arrogance and was as calm and humble as a quiet lake. He couldn't help but admired him: "Shanyang Marquis, when it comes to your ability to lead troops in battle, you are no better than me." Lao Hu Cha, what you lack is just the accumulation of time. Given time, you will surely become as talented as the two great governors Xiao and Li!"

Lu Chen smiled and said: "According to the good advice of the old Marquis, I will definitely work harder."

Li Duan watched the three people's polite greetings with great interest. At this moment, Fang interrupted: "The three capital camps have just been established. You must do your best. In addition, starting from this month, you must send the troops of your respective camps every month." Tell me about the situation, there is no need for fancy words, as long as you report it truthfully."

The three princes responded at the same time: "I obey the decree."

Everyone bowed and left one after another, but Li Duan left Lu Chen behind. It was quite quiet in the Nuan Pavilion. Li Duan stood up and said, "Come for a walk with me."

Lu Chen lowered his head and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The monarch and his ministers were walking in the palace, followed far behind by a group of palace people.

"What do you think of Hu Hai and Zhang Xu?"

The emperor's voice sounded leisurely.

Lu Chen was walking behind him, so he couldn't see the expression on his face. He could only taste some special emotions from his gentle tone of voice.

Recalling the conversation just now, Lu Chen replied: "Your Majesty, it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false of Yongding Marquis Zhang Xu, and it is difficult to distinguish the loyal from the treacherous of Chongshan Marquis Hu Hai."

Li Duan's steps stagnated slightly, then returned to normal.

He looked at the continuous buildings and atmospheric scenery in the palace, and suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"It's hard to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. This is an interesting comment."

After the laughter stopped, Li Duan sighed meaningfully.

The monarch and his ministers walked onto the gravel road leading to Yuzao Pond in the southeast. Lu Chen said calmly: "Zhang Xu's reaction is within the normal category. After all, he is not like the minister who just entered the court. A martial artist like him who has experienced ups and downs has experienced many ups and downs." Xun, the proper attitude is not to be happy with things and not to be sad with oneself, I just can’t see through his inner thoughts, it’s like a fog.”

"continue."

"As for Hu Hai, the Marquis of Chongshan, this old man is too exposed, as if he wants to dig out his loyal heart for His Majesty to see. It is indeed touching at first glance, but when I think about it carefully, I feel that this is too much. I heard from Xiao Da before The governor told stories in the history books that people like Hu Hai were either brave and loyal people with no authority, or they were treacherous and evil people who deceived the world."

"Then what kind of person do you think Hu Hai is?"

"I am not familiar with the past experience of this old marquis, so I dare not make any judgments. I believe that your Majesty will make your own judgment."

Li Duan couldn't help but laugh again, shook his head and said, "You have been in Beijing for a while, and you have gradually learned the way of being an official that those people regard as the norm."

The monarch and his ministers came to the bank of Tamamo Pond, looking at the sparkling waves on the water, Lu Chen said leisurely: "Only by learning their methods can we defeat them."

Li Duan put his hands on the railing, nodded and said: "This is reasonable, but you and I have to accept it from now on."

Lu Chen understood the emperor's thoughts. He just wanted to gather power and prevent the court from being controlled by those powerful families, which would result in no one to use for the successor. However, he had not thought about killing all the Jiangnan families.

After the big stick has been struck, there must be some sweetness next.

He pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I actually think this is not enough."

Li Duan was slightly startled, slightly puzzled.

Lu Chen continued: "I know His Majesty's concerns, and I also understand that when dealing with those powerful families, we must use soft and hard tactics, both hitting and pulling, and we cannot just force them into a desperate situation. But there is a prerequisite for this. If the powerful families want to continue to stand in the court, The general power must be handed over to His Majesty, otherwise there will be hidden worries in the future."

Li Duan looked at this young and handsome face, and at this moment he suddenly resented God.

If he could be given another ten years, he would have Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun as well as a large group of brave and capable tiger generals at the frontier, and loyal ministers like Xue Nanting and Lu Chen in the center, plus Li Daoyan could maintain the overall situation, he would have enough confidence. It is no longer a dream to make Daqi prosperous and powerful and clean up the old mountains and rivers.

Unfortunately……

He smiled slightly bitterly, and then made a move that far exceeded the boundary between a monarch and his subjects.

He raised his hand and patted Lu Chen's shoulder, and said gently: "It's not just for this reason. You will understand some things in the future. Now that I have helped you clear away all the obstacles, you only need to do it boldly." , hold the Jinwu camp firmly in your hands, and I will give you all support. If the border war breaks out again in the future, and if the border army is in a crisis, these four Beijing armies will be your confidence to reverse the situation on the battlefield."

Although the emperor didn't mention it a word, Lu Chen could faintly hear the hint of entrustment.

Li Duan turned to look at the clear sky in the north, with a desolate look in his eyes, and said slowly: "Lu Chen, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to return to the old capital and visit the ancestors of the Li family. This is my unfilial duty. If one day you can lead an army to the north again, go to the imperial mausoleum north of Heluo, kowtow to the ancestors on my behalf, and beg them to forgive Li Duan, this unworthy descendant."

This is an expectation, but also a trust, and its profound meaning is self-evident.

Lu Chen said nothing and bowed to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)