Jiuxi

Chapter 649: 647 [A Gentleman's Promise]

As the sun set, the military meeting in the hall came to an end.

In addition to Kang Yanxiao, former Xunyang Army Commander Su Zhang and Panlong Army Commander Wei Lianggong both expressed their willingness to lead the Huaizhou Wing Army, while Hou Dayong and Zheng Xiuqi wanted to return to the capital to wait for vacancies.

Lu Chen's attitude was very calm and he agreed to everything.

The generals bowed and took their leave one by one. As soon as they walked out of the Governor's Mansion, they immediately arranged for their trusted subordinates to deliver the letter to the garrison and complete the task assigned by Lu Chen as soon as possible.

Due to the continuous wars before, each army was actually not fully staffed. In addition, Lu Chen decided to select the best from the best, which obviously needed to be taken seriously. There were also fights in the army. Whose subordinates were more brave has always been the most common topic among military generals. Who wouldn't want to take this opportunity to grab as many elite troops as possible under his command?

Only the Seven Star Army, Feiyu Army and Dingbei Army are relatively independent, and they will definitely be the priority targets for elite reinforcement.

The hall was very quiet; Qin Zilong and his followers had already left.

Li Jingda held the teacup and said, "Kang Yanxiao still doesn't understand the master's intentions."

Lu Chen looked at the former Grand Admiral who seemed to have become a different person, and asked with interest: "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know what happened between you, but from his expression, I can tell that he thought you excluded him as a pretext."

Li Jingda seemed to have some feeling at this moment, and sighed softly, "The reason why the Lord did not use him is because he is old and no longer has the determination he had in the past. If Kang Yanxiao could take the initiative to stand up when the Lord had someone announce the appointment just now, and show that he can still shoot the bow and kill the enemy, I think the Lord would give him a chance."

Lu was silent.

Li Jingda continued, "Among the nine commanders of Dingzhou, Pei Sui is the oldest at 42, followed by Duan Zuozhang at 39. Song Shifei, Liu Jiangdong and He Zhu are only 35 or 36 years old. Li Chengen, Liu Yin and Ye Jitang are just in their thirties, full of ambitions and have great potential. With such a group of young, strong and capable subordinates, you will surely make great contributions to the Great Qi in the future."

Lu Chen said: "Master Li's words seem a little depressed."

Li Jingda couldn't help but laugh at himself when he heard this, and said frankly: "Could it be that in the eyes of the Lord, I still have a chance to compete and boast?"

Lu Chen looked up and finally found some clues.

Li Jingda shook his head and said, "My Lord, do you know that I am fifty years old this year?"

Lu Chen couldn't help but recall the first time he met this person.

That was when he first came to Beijing. He saw Li Jingda from afar when he attended a grand court meeting. Li Jingda, then the Grand General of the Southern Court, was so full of vigor and vitality that it was easy to overlook his age.

After a closer look today, Lu Chen discovered that the former Grand Admiral had deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his old age was clearly revealed.

"When you get old, you have to accept your age, otherwise you will only be asking for trouble."

Li Jingda smiled seemingly open-mindedly, but there was still a hint of melancholy in his smile.

Lu Chen asked, "Is this the root of Lord Li's series of decisions last year?"

This is actually a question that he is very interested in.

The late emperor appointed Li Jingda as the Grand Commander of Dingzhou, partly because of the struggles in the imperial court, and partly because he hoped that he could take on the responsibility of transition. In order to prevent Li Jingda from acting on his own, the late emperor made two preparations, appointing Xu Zuo as the first military supervisor of the frontier army, and at the same time ordering Xiao Wangzhi to take charge of the military power at a critical moment.

However, the world is unpredictable, especially on the battlefield. When Yongqiu became the final battle site, Xiao Wangzhi could only hand over the military power of Dingzhou to Li Jingda.

No one expected Li Jingda to be so steady, and no one could have guessed that when the Seven Star Army Cavalry was in dire straits, it was Li Jingda, who had always been despised, who made the decision to rescue them.

The impact of this incident was extremely far-reaching. If Li Jingda had not acted in time, the Seven Star Army would have suffered heavy casualties, Wang An and his party would not have been able to get support, and it might even have affected the outcome of the Battle of Yongqiu.

Lu Chen always remembered this incident, so when Li Zongben asked him how to place Li Jingda, he supported him without hesitation to return to Beijing to serve as Minister of Military Affairs.

Li Jingda smiled slightly, shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, sir, when I first came to Dingzhou, I was quite depressed because the soldiers in Dingzhou only recognized the word Lu. Especially a brave general like Song Shifei, even though he called me the Grand Commander, he actually didn't take me seriously. Naturally, I was indignant and thought, are you the only ones who can achieve great things? At that time, I wished I could lead the troops into battle myself, kill the Jing army and make them lose their armor and weapons, and become a dignified Grand Commander of Dingzhou."

Lu Chen said gently: "This is human nature."

"After the war broke out, the northern and western fronts of Dingzhou were in a state of tension. The elite troops under Qing Yugong launched an offensive. As the Grand Commander of Dingzhou, I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. We managed to resist the initial offensive of the enemy, but soon a military report came from Jingzhou. It turned out that Qing Yugong's real target was the border of Jingzhou, and the offensive he launched in Dingzhou was just a feint."

Li Jingda paused and said with a sigh: "It was just a feint, but I was so scared that I couldn't sleep at night." Lu Chen didn't know how to take over the conversation at this moment. After all, he had never had a similar feeling. Perhaps it was the tough nerves developed from two lifetimes of military service. He really couldn't understand Li Jingda's uneasy state of mind.

Fortunately, Li Jingda did not expect his comfort. Today, he just wanted to talk a little, so he continued: "I finally settled down, and the general of the Jing army named Mou Lianghu led his troops into the Lei Ze Plain and headed straight for the side and rear of Ruyin City. Although I realized that something was wrong, I underestimated Qing Yugong's methods again. Although I defeated that army in the end, Qing Yugong personally led his troops to break through Dingfeng Road. After that, the northern part of Dingzhou fell, and countless people of Daqi fell to the ravages of the Jing army's cavalry."

A deep sense of guilt appeared on his face and he lowered his head slightly.

Seeing this, Lu Chen said, "The outcome of a battle is unpredictable. Why should Lord Li blame himself so much?"

"Because as soon as I open my eyes, I can see countless men dying."

Li Jingda spoke in a sad tone, whispering: "Your Excellency may not know that after the Jing army occupied the northern part of Dingzhou, the enemy and our army fought repeatedly in the Jishantun area for several months. A dilapidated village, with our army's flag erected today, fell into the hands of the Jing army tomorrow, and it went on and on, it was tragic beyond words. At that time, Duke Rong had already taken over the command, and I watched from the side. I thought more than once that if I had done a better job in the early stage, why would those soldiers have to use their flesh and blood to resist the Jing army?"

Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh softly. Now he had roughly figured out Li Jingda's mental journey.

A general who only leads troops in the peaceful area of ​​Jiangnan, relying on his family background and connections to rise step by step, would undoubtedly have high aspirations.

When he arrived at the real battlefield and witnessed the outbreak of iron and blood with his own eyes, all he saw was corpses everywhere and blood flowing everywhere. The abilities and skills that he used to be proud of were now vulnerable in front of the powerful enemy. That kind of gap was enough to completely change a person's temperament.

Some people will fall into the abyss because of this, while others will stop at the brink. Fortunately, Li Jingda is the latter.

"When I was an official in the court, everyone greeted me with a smile, but I didn't know what dirty thoughts were hidden in their hearts. I was like a fish in water in that environment. Even people like Hu Hai, the Marquis of Chongshan, were no match for me and snatched the position of the general of the Southern Court from him. At that time, I thought I was omnipotent and could see through people's hearts, but after arriving at the border, I knew that the opponent was a mortal enemy, but I couldn't even see through his strategic intentions and was played by him, just like a clown on the stage."

Li Jingda looked into Lu Chen's eyes and said frankly: "At this point, if I still don't wake up, wouldn't it be the biggest joke in the world?"

Lu Chen did not try to comfort her, but simply said sincerely: "It's not too late."

Li Jingda nodded and said, "Even if I cannot be reborn in front of Duke Rong and Lord Gongye, at least... at least I can learn from the good and emulate them. This way, my trip to the border is not in vain."

It must be said that what Li Jingda said today changed Lu Chen's mind greatly, and he put away the contempt in his heart.

It is not easy for a nobleman like him to recognize his own shortcomings and mistakes, and it is even more valuable to correct them in time.

Lu Chen was quite touched and said, "Master Li's words should be made clear."

Li Jingda waved his hand and smiled, "Your Excellency has just arrived and has many things to do, so there is no need for a banquet. In fact, Your Excellency is willing to sit down and listen to my chatter, which is a great honor for me. Since the handover has been completed and Your Excellency is busy organizing the army, I will take my leave and return to Beijing the day after tomorrow."

Lu Chen looked at the man's calm expression and nodded, "Okay, I will see you off in person then."

Li Jingda did not refuse. After a short silence, he asked, "I have some connections in Jiangnan. If you have any instructions, please let me know."

Lu Chen knew that he was being modest. Li Jingda had considerable influence both in the Beijing army and among the Jiangnan clans, which was completely different from his situation in the border army.

It’s just…even though they had a heart-to-heart talk today, Lu Chen and his relationship is still not deep, and many things really cannot be said explicitly.

After thinking for a while, Lu Chen said, "There is indeed something I would like to ask for your help, Lord Li."

Li Jingda responded: "Please give me your instructions, sir."

Lu Chen said earnestly, "Uncle Xiao has returned to Beijing to take over the Military Academy. He has many obstacles and it is difficult for him to be happy. In addition, the situation in the court is complicated and there are many forces. I am worried that he will be calculated in the intrigue. Lord Li is well versed in the rules of the court and has a wide network of contacts. Please help Uncle Xiao. If there is a critical moment, I hope Lord Li can protect Uncle Xiao."

Hearing the polite title of "Uncle Xiao", Li Jingda smiled, then stood up and saluted, saying, "Don't worry, sir. As long as I am still alive, no one in the capital can hurt Duke Rong. If you break your promise, I am willing to pay with my life."

Lu Chen also stood up and returned the greeting, "Thank you."

"Farewell."

Li Jingda stood up and walked out.

Lu Chen escorted the man to the gate and watched the thin and steady figure get on the carriage, feeling emotional for a moment.

There are many people in the world, and they are all different.

(End of this chapter)