Hello Chang’an

 Some officials subconsciously said: "But Governor Cui is still in the north..."

Wei Shuyi said: "Luoyang is located in the Central Plains. Governor Cui left from the Anbei Protectorate and rushed directly to Luoyang. The distance from Xu Zhengye and others who sent troops from Yangzhou to Luoyang is not much different."

Yangzhou is in the south, Anbei Protectorate is in the north, and Luoyang is located in the middle of the two.

This also proves that Luoyang's location determines its extraordinary strategic significance. This is why the empress does not dare to take any chances in this battle.

At this moment, listening to Wei Shuyi's suggestion, the empress lowered her eyes and looked at the map unfolding in front of her: "And Xu Zhengye has already passed Xuzhou..."

"But Bianzhou can still stop it." Wei Shuyi said: "We should be able to make it in time."

"But the northern border still needs to be strictly guarded..." an official said: "If Xuance's army withdraws from the northern border, Beidi may take advantage of the situation and sneak in!"

"Why does Xuance's army need to evacuate?" Ma Xingzhou looked at Wei Shuyi: "I think it is the intention of Minister Wei to let Governor Cui rush to Luoyang alone, where he will join the 70,000 Xuance army sent by the capital -"

"That's right." Wei Shuyi said: "We can't relax at all in the northern border. 80,000 Xuance troops still stay in the northern border and continue to rectify and build border defenses."

What they need at this time is just a general who can lead Xuance's army.

"I second the proposal." A minister said: "There are 70,000 Xuance troops in the capital, and if we add Governor Cui, we can definitely keep Luoyang safe and sound!"

This is not blind trust and admiration, but the prestige accumulated from winning battles over the years.

From this, the ministers began to calculate the time when the army would be on its way and the route Cui Jing would take from the north to Luoyang.

Finally, he came to the conclusion: "If Governor Cui leads his light cavalry and goes south from Hedong Road... he will surely be able to meet up with the 70,000-strong army in time!"

In terms of distance, the capital is closer to Luoyang, but it takes more time to travel with a large army. If Cui Jing leads a light horse on the road, he can go faster all the way.

Therefore, Wei Shuyi's method is feasible in terms of time.

Seeing that Emperor Shengzhen still didn't let go, he seemed to be hesitating about something while thinking, Ma Xingzhou said: "Your Majesty, I think that if Governor Cui can command this battle, not only will Luoyang be safe -"

"At that time, Governor Cui will lead Xuance's army in Luoyang, while General Xiao and General Chang will attack from behind. If the two armies can cooperate, Xu Zhengye's way forward and retreat will be blocked, and Xu's rebel army may be able to be wiped out in one fell swoop. Destroy it once and for all, and it will deter everyone everywhere.”

The Holy Emperor's eyes moved slightly and slowly moved away from the map.

This once and for all method is indeed exciting.

It would be great if Xu Zhengye and his party could be eliminated.

Cui Jing is naturally not the only one who can lead the army, but as these ministers said, the only one who can really maximize the chance of winning this battle is Cui Jing.

The best army can exert its greatest power when paired with the best generals, and vice versa.

When Xu Zhengye started his army, although she was angry, she was far from panicked. Until Li Yi was defeated again and again, Jiangning fell...

Now, this rebellious official and traitor has such ambitions that he covets the land of Luoyang!

She couldn't be careless at all. To ensure nothing went wrong, she should let Cui Jing go.

But if Cui Jing leads Xuance's army to direct the battle of Luoyang, she cannot help but have other concerns.

One is the commander of the Xuance Army at this time.

One is the real old master of Xuance Army.

What's even more unfortunate is that the former publicly expressed his determination not to marry anyone other than Qing at the hibiscus flower banquet last year...

Then there are the Cui clan members who are ready to take action after the incident with the Changsun family...

Each and every one of these things, in the heart of the empress, is like a restless hidden danger, which may break out at any time and become a sharp sword that threatens the imperial power.

Faced with the suggestions of the ministers, the empress weighed them again and again, her eyes fell on Luoyang City in the center of the map again, and finally said: "My dear friends, what you said makes sense. Only Cui Qing is qualified to command this battle."

"However, since Cui Qing is rushing to Luoyang on a light horse, for the sake of his own safety, it is not appropriate to reveal his whereabouts in advance." The emperor said: "Therefore, Cui Qing can only go according to the secret order and cannot disturb other places."

Ma Xingzhou and others all echoed: "A saint thinks carefully, as it should be."

Emperor Shengce: "In this case, in order not to raise suspicions everywhere, it is clearly necessary to appoint another commander to lead 70,000 Xuance troops from the capital. I will explain the interests to him in advance. When we arrive in Luoyang, After seeing Cui Qing, he will hand over the military power to Cui Qing."

The ministers thought about it and talked for a while.

Obviously, although this person is just a "cover" to confuse people's attention, we still need to choose carefully.

At this juncture, every step must be taken with caution.

"...How about we select a general from Xuance's army who can temporarily serve as commander?" Wei Shuyi had a guess and tentatively made a suggestion.

After careful consideration, the Holy Emperor said: "The generals currently staying in the capital in the Xuance camp are all below the fourth rank, which is not enough to intimidate everyone, nor is it enough to express my ambition to protect Luoyang."

Wei Shuyi's heart moved slightly, so he said "yes" and said no more for the time being.

Other officials then made suggestions, but there was no need for the Holy Emperor to speak. Other officials would naturally speak out to refute them. Otherwise, these candidates would indeed be unsatisfactory.

Some officials sighed secretly.

In the huge court, there are now few generals who can serve the crowd. Previously, He Wei was only one, but...

If there were a few more generals who were worthy of appointment, there would be no need to go to great lengths to transfer Cui Jing back from the north this time.

Thinking of this, I can't help but talk about the "general star" who emerged from the sky, Jiang Xing. If Xu Zhengye is really allowed to go to Luoyang, the word "general star" will become a big joke!

"I suddenly thought of someone who might be able to take on this responsibility."

When the ministers were unable to reach an agreement, the Holy Emperor spoke slowly and mentioned one person.

"Li Xian, you can arrive in Beijing tomorrow."

The officials were slightly startled.

Has the Korean father returned to Beijing?

…

Li Xian's original surname was not Li, but He. The surname Li was a given surname.

But Li Xian himself was the direct nephew of the Holy Emperor.

In addition to her younger brother Ying Guogong, the empress also had an eldest sister. In her early years, she married a military general named He Fu, and He Wei was from the same clan as her.

After the empress ascended the throne, she was granted the title of Duke of Korea, and his wife Ming became the wife of the Duke of Korea.

The Duke of Korea passed away early. Three years ago, the Southern Barbarians provoked a war in the southern border. The Duke of Korea and his eldest son Li Xian were ordered to go on an expedition. However, the Duke of Korea was old and suffered from miasma. He died of illness in the army a year after the expedition.

The arrogance of the southern barbarians became even more arrogant, so the empress sent Cui Jing and Chang Kuo to lead Xuance's army to pacify the southern border.

Two years later, the Southern Barbarians were finally expelled from Beijing. Last spring, Cui Jing and Chang Kuo returned to the court, while Li Xian, who inherited the title of Duke of South Korea, was ordered to stay in the southern border to clean up the border defense. It was not until recently that he was ordered to A secret order was issued to recall him to Beijing.

…

When Wei Shuyi and others left the palace, it was already dark.

Outside the palace gate, Wei Shuyi bowed to his colleagues and said goodbye before getting into the official sedan.

There was warm and suitable tea in the sedan. Wei Shuyi held a cup in one hand and raised his sleeve to cover his face with the other, drinking half a cup of tea to quench his thirst.

The moment he put the tea cup down, he sighed vaguely.

It seems that now the saint is even on guard against Cui Ling'an. Back then, it was said that before His Royal Highness the Crown Prince passed away, he personally handed over the command seal of the Xuance Army to General Chang Da.

Under the command of General Chang Da, the Xuance Army, which had just experienced a hard battle and was in urgent need of rest and recuperation, defeated Beidi after three years of recuperation and sharpening their swords, with the sword's edge not diminishing.

However, after that battle, General Chang was seriously injured and was convicted of resisting the imperial decree. The military power of the Xuance Army fell away.

Facing the sharp sword of Xuance Army, everyone wanted to hold it in their hands. At that time, the empress had just ascended the throne, and the political power was still unstable. There were struggles for power, political power, and military power everywhere.

In the following years, Xuance's army was torn into pieces. Those who had the right to speak in the army began to become the princes of certain families and the nephews of certain adults, and they were about to be scattered.

The empress couldn't bear the elite army founded by the former prince to be scattered. She tried many times to put it under the control of her confidants, but the situation was not completely under her control. Her people did not have the prestige to control Xuance's army, nor did they have the ability to intimidate. The young men in the army and the abilities of all the forces behind them.

This chaotic situation lasted for a long time.

Until Cui Ling'an appeared in front of everyone.

Everyone knew at that time that the smoke was rising from the Cui family's ancestral grave, and a man who wanted to make contributions on the battlefield had actually appeared.

This Cui family man was already a well-known young general at that time. He visited the thatched cottage more than three times. After being beaten, he finally invited Chang Kuo, who had been depressed for a long time, to "come out of the mountain." Although the two were not masters and disciples, Although he has a good name, he is actually a master and a disciple.

More importantly, his surname is Cui.

Behind the young Cui Jing is the Cui family, the leader of the noble clan.

No one dares to compete with him in charge of the Xuance Army, and no one can compete with him.

Therefore, in order to protect Xuanzang's army, the empress had to choose him.

Of course... maybe there are other reasons, for example, related to the secrets in the Goddess Tower - Wei Shuyi thought at this time.

Therefore, Cui Jing was able to drive back the wolves based on Cui's reputation and Chang Kuo's help.

But later, Xuance Army regained its former glory in his hands. The process of Xuance Army's rebirth also gradually made Cui Ling'an become a well-deserved general of Xuance Army in the eyes of the world.

For example, today, when it comes to who can really use Xuance Army, if it is Cui Jing, there will be no objection.

The look between Wei Shuyi's brows was not optimistic.

He had also been vaguely aware of the empress' desire to get Mingluo close to Cui Jing.

Cui Ling'an is indeed too difficult to control... This person has almost no weaknesses.

He was born at a height that others could not reach in their lifetime. Others joined the army to make achievements and climb up, but he was not, he was going down.

For a person who is rebellious and walks in the opposite direction, wealth and power are destined to be unable to paralyze him. He always maintains a sobriety that is incompatible with his surroundings.

He has never formed a party, he doesn't need to, and he doesn't bother to do so.

Since none of them work, after thinking about it, it seems that the only one left is beauty. However, this person never accepts the reward of beauty.

Officials everywhere tried to block people, but there was no precedent for success.

If you don’t like looking for beauty, then you probably like to have some brains?

So there was Mingluo, a female official with the right to participate in politics.

However, it’s not easy to use…

Not to mention the empress, even he, Wei Shuyi, looked on and felt really sad.

All in all, this person is invulnerable to wealth, money and power, and even more invulnerable to beauty and love... Of course, the latter statement was overturned during the hibiscus flower banquet last year.

This person finally opened his peacock tail, and everyone suddenly realized that it was not that he didn't like beauty, but those beauties in the past were not beautiful enough to make Cui Ling'an bow.

It's a pity that things are unpredictable, and now this "beauty" and her father are not trusted by the emperor.

Faced with such a person, it is understandable that the emperor should have checks and balances.

But today's empress' attitude is not so much that she wants to check Cui Ling'an, but more like she has real suspicion and defensiveness...

Is it really just to "come in person on my behalf and intimidate all parties" by letting Li Xian be the commander and lead Xuance's army to Luoyang?

In other words, is it really a coincidence that Li Xian returned to Beijing at this time?

Wei Shuyi frowned.

Perhaps, regardless of whether Xu Zhengye attacked Luoyang or not, it was already within the emperor's arrangement for Li Xian to intervene in the military affairs of the Xuance Mansion...

At this turbulent moment, the emperor wanted to eradicate any possibility of restlessness and hold everything in his own hands.

But what will be the result?

Wei Shuyi couldn't predict it.

He is a close minister of the emperor, and he holds the high position today because he has the trust and promotion of the empress.

And Cui Ling'an is the person he truly admires and is an unrecognized friend.

There are some things that he doesn't want to see, but they are also things that he can't stop.

Wei Shuyi was thinking a lot and picked up a tea pot on the small table in the sedan.

The white jade teapot is exquisite and clear, with a light blue monogram on the bottom.

This was his favorite tea set. When he was a child, he begged his mother for a long time and tried many tricks before her mother was willing to lend it to him.

From then on, he used to take them with him wherever he went.

At this time, he picked it up. It was an unconscious move, but the moment he picked it up, Wei Shuyi's eyes suddenly gathered.

He thought of something he had always doubted...

When they first met in Hezhou, Chang Suining left Zhoujiacun's confession in his car. He never figured out how the other party confirmed his identity.

He went to Hezhou incognito without alerting anyone. The carriage he used for traveling was also very ordinary, but this tea set...

Could it be that...she recognizes this tea set?

But this tea set came from Princess Chongyue's mansion and had never been circulated to others. Why would she recognize it?

And upon further reflection, there seems to be an inextricable connection between her and Princess Chongyue's Mansion...

The reason why he always treated her with curiosity and probing was precisely because he had noticed something inexplicable and "special" about her a long time ago.

According to common sense, as people become familiar with each other, those special things that puzzle him will gradually get reasonable explanations, but... in her case, it is just the opposite.

The closer he got to her, the less clearly he could see her.

Looking at the tea pot in his hand, many images flashed through Wei Shuyi's mind, and the countless puzzlements he had encountered along the way were pushed to their peak at this moment.

It was already late, and the official sedan did not stop outside Zheng Guogong's mansion. Instead, it was carried directly into the inner gate of the mansion through the side door that allowed cars and sedans to pass.

When Wei Shuyi got off the sedan, a long-awaited servant came forward and saluted: "Madam, please tell me that after your husband returns to the house, you will invite him to Haofeng Courtyard."

Wei Shuyi nodded.

It just so happened that he also wanted to see his mother.

(This chapter is about the unrecognized friendship between Xiao Cui and Xiao Wei...)

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