Jiuxi

Chapter 417 Chapter 415 [Looking northwest]

Wende Hall, Dongnuan Pavilion.

This can probably be regarded as Li Duan's imperial study room. Occasionally, he would summon ministers here. Of course, only a few important ministers have this qualification.

Compared with those important ministers who are at least forty years old, Lu Chen is easily jealous of others at his age.

Although the eunuch Lu Shizhou who was leading the way was not jealous of Lu Chen, he could not help but feel a little emotional. When he was in his early twenties, he was just an errand boy in the palace, but Lu Chen could already enter Dongnuan Pavilion. A top martial artist who discussed state affairs with the emperor.

In Nuan Pavilion, Li Duan stood in front of the table and splashed ink. It could be seen from the flying handwriting on the paper that he was in a good mood.

Standing beside him was a young man, the second prince and Prime Minister Li Zongben.

"How about you come over and take a look at my handwriting?"

Li Duan looked up at Lu Chen, a gentle smile appearing on his slightly thin face.

Lu Chen saluted according to the rules, then walked into the royal cabinet and looked at the handwriting on the paper. After looking at it for a moment, he said: "Your Majesty, I don't have much ink in my stomach, and I know nothing about calligraphy. I am definitely no more eloquent than other adults. In this case, In my opinion, your majesty’s calligraphy is elegant and not lacking in domineering style, which is much better than my calligraphy.”

Li Duan put the Zihao pen on the shelf and joked: "But they don't know that you can also flatter me."

After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Majesty, it is early August and the weather is relatively hot."

Jingzhou and Dingzhou Dudufu have always maintained a high degree of vigilance, because Jingjun cannot be willing to swallow the bitter fruit of the loss of Heluo. Their revenge will inevitably come, it is just a matter of time.

"Calling you into the palace today is actually not a big deal."

The moment Lu Chen saw the second prince, he knew that the emperor had made up his mind and that the battle for the crown prince would soon be over, so he took advantage of the situation and said, "His Royal Highness, the Prime Minister, does understand my temperament very well."

In other words, as long as Emperor Jing is willing, most of Beiyan's territory can be directly included in the territory of Jing Dynasty at any time.

The cavalry of the Dingbei Army and the infantry of the Ningyuan Army have gradually grown in size. Li Chengen and Liu Jiangdong followed Lu Chen's instructions and meticulously polished these two armies.

Nowadays, Beiyan Henan Road, Weinan Road and the Gyeonggi area are basically under the control of Jingjun. Only Jiangbei Road and the remaining Moyang Road still maintain a certain degree of autonomy.

More than half a year has passed since the Battle of Heluo at the beginning of the year, and Jiangbei has always been in a relatively calm state.

Generally speaking, unless the situation forces it, military operations in this era will avoid the hottest period between June and early October. Because of the current logistical conditions, the soldiers put on stuffy and airtight armor and stood under the scorching sun for half an hour before feeling like they were soaked in water. They couldn't hold on for long, let alone marching to fight.

"Everyone says that Lu Chen is so decisive in his killings that he is so angry that a bunch of dandies in the capital are secretly calling you a frontier barbarian. Regardless of whether the evaluation is good or bad, they are all saying that you are upright and would rather bend than bend."

Li Duan turned back and sat on the dragon throne, and said warmly: "What do you think of the situation in the north?"

Listening to the two people singing together, Li Duan couldn't help but laugh heartily. It was obvious that he was in a good mood at the moment.

He is rarely this shameless, and showing off occasionally has great effects.

When it's cold, you can wear clothes to keep out the cold, but when it's hot, you can't go shirtless.

The second prince standing nearby, as the only bystander in the Nuan Pavilion, was not overly restrained and said sincerely: "Father, Marquis Lu has always been sincere and forthright in speaking his mind. Since he said this, he must have felt this way in his heart. think."

After the death of Emperor Yan Zhang Can, the Northern Yan court fell into a situation where it existed in name only.

Although Lu Chen is very busy in Beijing, he has not relaxed his attention to the north. Now he has information channels established by the military, the Weaving Department and the Lu family, and he can basically understand the situation in the north in a timely manner.

If the general insists on using troops in extremely hot weather, there will inevitably be large-scale non-combat attrition, and may even lead to mass mutiny.

Lu Chen smiled slightly.

Under the instruction of Jing Chao, Wang An and other important ministers found a five-year-old baby from the Zhang family in Jingshan to succeed him as emperor. They relied on the center of the imperial court to maintain the operation of the entire government system. Naturally, Jing Chao would not miss this opportunity and take advantage of it. The foundation laid over these years has enabled further control over various places.

Although Li Duan had never been to the battlefield in person, he was no stranger to these basic common sense. After all, he had often exchanged letters with Li Tianrun in the past, asking for some details about the war.

He nodded slightly and said, "That's true, but winter won't be too far away."

"I have also thought about the safety of the border. In my opinion, this time the Jing Dynasty will not use large-scale troops like the annexation of Zhao State. It is more likely that a small group of elites will make a roundabout raid." "Why?"

"In the previous two years of war, although most of the opponents of our frontier army were the Yan army, the Jing army did not always sit on the sidelines. In the battle of Leize, our army faced the Jing army's 20,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry, and finally won a victory. This hearty victory completely shattered the myth that Jingjun was invincible on the frontal battlefield. In the Battle of Heluo, the Jingjun who was responsible for defending the city did not suffer much losses, but they were protected by our army under the protection of the Heluo city wall. Directly destroying the city is an undisputed fact, and it can also dampen the arrogance of Jinglian people. "

When Lu Chen talked about these battles planned and led by him, his expression was still very calm and there was no hint of boasting.

The smile on Li Duan's face became more gentle.

The second prince standing nearby looked at Lu Chen who was talking eloquently, and couldn't help but feel yearning in his heart. However, he knew the responsibilities on his shoulders. If there were no accidents, he would have no choice but to stay in this magnificent imperial city in the future.

Lu Chen continued: "In the final analysis, Jingjun has already experienced the power of my frontier army, and the difference in strength is no longer as great as it was fifteen years ago. As the saying goes, one can do it once, but it can do two, but it cannot happen again. Jingjun cannot afford a third defeat. , That would shake the foundation of the Jinglian people's continuous expansion. Judging from the behavior of Emperor Jingguo, he advocated accumulating advantages and achieving them in one go, just as he had sufficient determination to embezzle Zhao State and the puppet Yan. He will not seek revenge in a rage, but will first harass our border with a small group of elite troops, one to test the strength of our border troops, and the other to find flaws in our defense line."

Li Duan nodded frequently and praised: "My beloved, these words made me suddenly enlightened."

The second prince also showed admiration on his face.

Lu Chen said humbly: "Your Majesty is flattering. For the frontier army, the most important thing at the moment is to tighten their pockets and not give the enemy an opportunity. When your majesty completes the internal adjustments and improvements, the frontier army will have a more powerful force. With the backing, we can then compete head-on with Jingjun. Regarding the defense of various places, there is no need to worry about Jingzhou having a powerful governor. Jingjun in his heyday more than ten years ago was unable to break through his defenses, let alone now. I am only worried about the land of Dingzhou. The recovery time there is very short, and the people's hearts have not yet returned to Daqi. Moreover, Governor Li..."

He didn't deliberately underestimate Li Jingda. The problem was that commanding the Beijing army and stationed in the frontier army were two different concepts.

Li Duan was silent for a moment and said slowly: "I understand your concerns. Judging from the reports in the past six months, Li Jingda has done quite well, but I also know that he has developed many bad habits in the capital, and this When I was sent to Dingzhou for the first time, I must have thought of making great achievements. Well, I immediately asked Xu Zuo to go to Dingzhou with the imperial edict, and strictly ordered him not to take the initiative to provoke Jingjun, and he must stick to it. "

Lu Chen immediately felt relieved.

There are two major gates in Dingzhou. Song Shifei's Feiyun Army is stationed at Dingfeng Road in the north, and Duan Zuozhang's Lai'an Army is stationed at Qingliu Pass in the west. As long as Li Jingda doesn't do anything wrong, it will not be difficult to block Jingjun's attack.

Xu Zuo was the imperial censor, so his rank was naturally much lower than the governor of Dingzhou. However, Lu Chen knew very well that the emperor valued this person, and he would basically be the next censor doctor in the future.

This kind of capable minister who was in the emperor's heart went to Dingzhou to supervise the army. Even if Li Jingda was given ten courages, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

After thinking clearly about the connection, Lu Chen smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Li Duan smiled and waved his hand, then changed the topic and said: "Now the DPRK and China are relatively stable, and various changes are gradually being implemented. Your most important thing right now is to train the Beijing army, but there is one more thing I want you to do. ”

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please tell me."

Li Duan pondered: "Two years ago, I asked you about your views on the general trend of the world. At that time, I mentioned the Seven Divisions of Shazhou. Do you still remember?"

Lu Chen replied keenly: "Your Majesty wants me to go to the Western Region?"

Li Duan stood up and walked to the wooden frame on the west side. He looked at the map of the territory of the world hanging on the frame. He raised his hand and pointed at the location of Shazhou. He said leisurely: "Although Shazhou has not many people, its strength is not high." Weak, I don't completely believe what the woman named Luo Jiujiu said. Although Hou Yu is detestable, Shazhou Qibu is not absolutely innocent. I have thought about it again and again over the years and want to solve this hidden danger, but unfortunately I have never found the right one. Opportunity."

He turned to look at Lu Chen and said warmly: "Luo Jiujiu is the daughter of the leader of the Yalong tribe. I can see that she trusts you quite a lot. This is a rare opportunity. If we can put aside the old grudges with the Shazhou Seventh Division, I will It’s one less thing to worry about. Furthermore, the Seven Divisions of Shazhou control the passage from the upper reaches of the Hengjiang River to the North. I’m not sure whether the Jinglian people can see this, but we must take precautions before it happens.”

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

Li Duan continued: "My third consideration is that your training in the capital will not be effective, but it will definitely not be as good as training in the frontier. Except for the Dingwei Army under Chen Lanyu, the other three armies in Jinwu Camp are not qualified enough to go there. Jiangbei is facing Jingjun, but it is not a big problem to go west. You can select more than 10,000 people from Jinwu's camp and take them to Shazhou for experience. Your task on this trip is to try your best to fight with the seven tribes of Shazhou. To make good friends, it is best to establish a friendly covenant. Shazhou people have always been trustworthy and will not go back on their word like Jing people do. "

The emperor's consideration was very comprehensive. Although this task was difficult, it did not involve too many dangers.

Lu Chen looked at the emperor's calm and calm expression, and suddenly asked repeatedly: "Your Majesty really wants me to go to Shazhou at this time?"

Li Duan looked directly into his eyes, smiled casually and said, "That's right."

The second prince stood aside and watched quietly, naturally feeling that this exchange was very meaningful. However, this was the first time he watched the conversation between the emperor and the important ministers in Dongnuan Pavilion, and it was obvious that he could not see through the minds of these people at a glance.

He just vaguely felt that Lu Chen's expression was a little solemn, as if it was very difficult to go to Shazhou to appease the Seventh Department.

Lu Chen did not continue to talk, and bowed his hands to the emperor and said, "I accept the decree."

Li Duan nodded, his eyes showing relief.

(End of this chapter)