Jiuxi

Chapter 713 711 [High mountains stop]

Ruyin City, the Governor's Mansion.

Lu Chen looked at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him and joked, "Master Xu, you've been here too often recently. If word gets back to the capital, some people will wonder how they're going to frame our relationship."

Xu Zuo understood the hidden meaning of this joke.

He was ordered by the emperor to govern Dingzhou just to check and supervise Lu Chen, but now he comes to the Governor's Mansion every now and then. If the news gets out, it will inevitably make people imagine.

"Xu has behaved uprightly and has a clear conscience, so why should he be afraid of rumors?"

Xu Zuo's answer was not unexpected to Lu Chen. Using the description he knew from his previous life, this kind of upright civil official was probably someone who was righteous to the point of being evil.

His eyes fell on the teacup, and he said leisurely, "Master Xu, this is the Bitan Piaoxue that my father brought from Guangling. It only has seven taels in total. He said that I should use it to entertain the distinguished guests. Let's taste it first."

Xu Zuo was not flattered, he just smiled and said: "The county lord is so kind, I will obey him."

This detail also shows that the relationship between the two is getting closer.

After sipping tea, Xu Zuo got straight to the point and asked, "Excuse me, what do you think of the war on the western front?"

In fact, as a governor, he had no right to interfere in military affairs, but perhaps because he had held the same opinion about the Northern Expedition before, Lu Chen did not mind him mentioning it. The two of them had talked about it several times during this period, so Lu Chen laughed and said that Xu Zuo came frequently just now.

Lu Chen put down the teacup, sighed softly, and then said: "Lord Xu, I received a reply from Marquis Yongyi and Governor Liu the day before yesterday. They did not adopt my suggestion and are currently continuing to advance the battle line."

Xu Zuo couldn't help but frown.

He had already known about Lu Chen's advice to the commander of the Western Route Army, and he fully agreed with Lu Chen's opinion.

There must be some strange conspiracy hidden beneath Jing Jun's unusual appearance. It is undoubtedly an extremely wise approach to slow down the pace and wait until the situation becomes clearer.

But the final decision was in the hands of Han Zhongjie and Liu Shouguang, and their choice was just as Lu Chen predicted.

Xu Zuo found it difficult to describe his feelings in words.

He knew why the two were so anxious, because the emperor was eager to establish a new position in the army to compete with Lu Chen. The civil strife in Jing was the best opportunity, and it would be hard to get it again if it was missed. And whether it was Han Zhongjie or Liu Shouguang, they obviously lacked enough confidence to win under the premise that the Qi and Jing armies were facing each other head-on.

In one word, it is urgent.

Looking at the gloomy expression between Lu Chen's eyebrows, Xu Zuo asked somewhat embarrassedly: "What does the Duke plan to do next?"

Lu Chen shook his head and said with a sigh, "What else can I do? His Majesty just didn't accept my advice on the surface, but in fact he didn't allow me to lead the troops to fight. Moreover, the Western Route Army is progressing smoothly at the moment. If I act rashly, I will definitely be regarded as greedy. Moreover, I have always felt that the Emperor of Jing is targeting the Dingzhou Army this time, otherwise he would not be unable to take out a single soldier and watch Wu Yanshu alone to support the overall situation. Even if he wanted to suppress the Qing Yu clan, the Jing Army would not be so short of troops."

Xu Zuo said solemnly, "Does the Duke of the County mean that the Emperor of Jing is waiting for you to send troops to attack the eastern front?"

"It's not impossible."

Lu Chen adjusted his sitting posture slightly and said slowly: "Based on my understanding of the strength of the Jing Army, their current state is very abnormal. Although I don't have any real evidence, it's just a guess, but I don't think I'm wrong."

Xu Zuo’s expression became increasingly solemn.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he were Lu Chen, he probably wouldn't have a good solution when facing such a situation.

On the one hand, there may be a trap carefully set by the enemy ahead, and on the other hand, there is pressure from Jiangnan.

If Lu Chen had supported the Northern Expedition from the beginning, he could have legitimately taken control of the command. The problem was that knowing that this battle was a trap, how could Lu Chen make a decision against his will for the sake of military power?
Now it's a dilemma.

Lu Chen continued, "I sincerely hope that the Western Route Army can achieve its strategic goals. As for myself, I have been on the battlefield for the past few years. I finally have a chance to experience a peaceful life. I will certainly be a good governor of Dingzhou. In addition, Lord Xu already knows that my two wives are pregnant. They both hope that I can spend more time with them."

“That’s as it should be.”

Xu Zuo forced a smile, then calmed down and said sincerely: "I have only one request. If the Western Route Army falls into an unfavorable situation, please help me, Lord."

"Master Xu, you..."

Lu Chen's tone was meaningful and full of emotion.

He looked at the gaunt middle-aged civil servant and smiled, "Sometimes I can't help but wonder what Lord Xu thinks of those fake Yan officials who attached themselves to Jing State and served the enemy. They were almost all ministers of Da Qi, but faced with the situation of being killed, they eventually turned into enemies of Da Qi."

Xu Zuo said without hesitation: "Betraying one's country is an outrage to both humans and gods."

"If you don't betray, you will die."

"There are some things in this world that are more important than life."

"That is to say, in Lord Xu's heart, loyalty is more important than anything else?"

"Yes, loyalty is the foundation of a minister." Lu Chen heard this answer and smiled faintly, "I would like to ask one more question. If Lord Xu serves a tyrant, do you think loyalty is more important, or the survival of the people?"

Xu Zuo was silent.

Lu Chen's question was obviously not groundless.

The people of Jiangbei have complicated feelings about the Pseudo-Yan Dynasty, which has existed for more than ten years. Those lackeys of the Jing Kingdom are indeed not good to them, but if compared with the emperor who almost ruined the destiny of the Great Qi Dynasty, the Pseudo-Yan Dynasty is not unacceptable. At least they can still survive. Although it is a bit difficult, it is better than the scene of people living in poverty and grief twenty years ago.

After a long while, Xu Zuo said with great difficulty: "Of course, the lives of the common people are more important."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. He could feel Xu Zuo's inner entanglement and struggle. Fortunately, this answer made him very happy.

He raised his teacup and smiled, "Maybe Lord Xu and I have different views on many things, but at least we are on the same path in this matter. Let me use tea instead of wine to toast Lord Xu."

Xu Zuo took a sip, a look of confusion appeared on his face, he didn't know what the point of Lu Chen doing this was.

Lu Chen stood up and poured tea for the two of them, and said slowly: "Master Xu just asked me to help you, which shows that you don't know me well enough. When it comes to the art of war, I never wait until something has happened before thinking of a solution. That's not my style."

Xu Zuo was shocked. He certainly understood the meaning of this sentence and murmured, "But the Duke just said that the Emperor of Jing is probably trying to lure you into the game."

Lu Chen turned around and sat down, raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "It's just a plan. If he can do it, I can do it too. It's just a matter of who can think deeper. Emperor Jing's plan was probably planned after the death of his crown prince. The so-called civil strife was half true and half false, and it was nothing more than trying to lure our army to attack. Although my plan may not be as sophisticated as the other party's, I started planning it a long time ago. I originally wanted to use it at the critical moment of the Northern Expedition in the future, but now I have to close the net in advance."

Xu Zuo suppressed his excitement and did not try to find out Lu Chen's secret. He asked solemnly, "What does the Lord need me to do?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "If His Majesty blames me for acting on my own, please say a few good words for me, Lord Xu."

"What are you talking about, Lord? Everything you did was for the greater good. Who can blame you for this?"

Xu Zuo knew what Lu Chen was worried about, and said solemnly: "If the court asks about this matter in the future, Xu will take full responsibility and say that it was your humble servant who begged the Duke of the County to send troops, and the Duke of the County has only merits and no faults. Even if there are mistakes on the battlefield, it is your humble servant's responsibility."

Lu Chen looked at his serious expression and suddenly felt that this middle-aged civil official was somewhat cute.

He took a sip of tea and smiled, "Lord Xu, although your shoulders are not thin, they can't bear all the responsibilities. If you really say that, I'm afraid you will be accused of something soon. Don't you think that you, as a governor, can control me, the Grand Commander? How horrible it is in the eyes of the officials in the court? It's fine to say that we are in cahoots with each other, but I'm afraid someone will say that you have evil intentions."

Xu Zuo took a deep breath and said word by word: "Xu has a clear conscience."

"I know that Lord Xu is a responsible gentleman, but——"

Lu Chen paused for a moment and said frankly, "Some things have nothing to do with you. If you tell them to others, no one will believe it. The emperor and his ministers are now looking forward to the final victory of the Western Route Army. Maybe they will say that I am greedy for credit, or that I am self-willed. These are not important. All actions of the Dingzhou Army are decisions made by me, the Grand Commander, and have nothing to do with you. Lord Xu, it is a good thing to be responsible, but you don't have to attribute all the problems to yourself. You should remain useful and work hard for the people of Da Qi. I think this is better."

After hearing these words, Xu Zuo couldn't help but be deeply touched.

Lu Chen added: "Of course, I hope Lord Xu can do a good job in the logistics supply of the army and not let the soldiers on the front line fight on an empty stomach."

Xu Zuo said decisively: "Please rest assured, Lord. I promise that I will not make any mistakes. Otherwise, I am willing to accept military punishment."

"Your words are enough."

Lu Chen's eyes showed a bit of sharpness, and he said slowly: "I have already deployed troops and will head north the day after tomorrow."

After receiving this clear reply, Xu Zuo felt overwhelmed.

He looked at the handsome and calm face of the young man in front of him, and suddenly stood up and bowed.

Lu Chen stood up and helped him up, smiling and said, "Master Xu, why do you need to do this?"

Xu Zuo was silent for a while, and then said: "To be honest with you, when your majesty ordered me to take over as the governor of Dingzhou, I had doubts in my heart, because your majesty's fear is not without reason, maybe the county lord has changed compared to the past. Now I know that the county lord is still the hero who works tirelessly for the people of Daqi."

"Although the county lord is young, he has the ambition to help the country and the people. I have always claimed to be able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, but I have doubted the character of the county lord. What a foolish act I have made."

"An ancient sage once said, when you see a virtuous person, you should try to emulate him, and when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself. I feel ashamed, and I will definitely take the Duke of County as an example in the future."

"Please accept my greeting."

Xu Zuo bowed again, his expression extremely solemn.

Lu Chen did not refuse this time. He bowed his head and returned the greeting.

From this moment on, he knew that the two prefectures of Dingzhou would be merged into one.

No longer constrained.

(End of this chapter)