Jiuxi

Chapter 146 Chapter 145 [A gentleman has no power]

It's not surprising that Lu Chen had such abrupt thoughts, because he always remembered his current identity.

Regardless of whether he is a man from Jianguo County or a captain of the border army, he is indeed not worth mentioning in the court. At least for now, he is not qualified to enter the court to inquire about national affairs.

The emperor did not continue to lie, mainly because Lu Chen's answer satisfied him. Although this strategy was immature and a little naive, Lu Chen was very honest in front of him.

This is particularly important.

As soon as he thought of this, Li Duan raised his finger and pointed to the northwest side of the map, and said slowly: "I will not condone the seven Shazhou tribes without any bottom line. If they go too far, the Chengzhou Governor's Office will send troops to fight back. Appease. It needs to be carried out simultaneously with the crackdown, otherwise the situation will become uncontrollable.”

Lu Chen nodded.

Li Duan added: "You may be worried about how you will respond if the Seven Tribes of Shazhou are ruthless enough to open Feiniao Pass and allow the Puppet Yan and Jing Dynasty armies to go south, using the territory occupied by the Seven Tribes to invade Chengzhou. ?”

Lu Chen said: "I am indeed worried about this."

For Da Qi, the Seven Divisions of Shazhou are different from the enemies north of Hengjiang River. They must be cautious when dealing with this worry on the western border.

Li Duan shook his head and said: "I'm not very worried. Puppet Yan and Jing Chao want to use Yunling, and it's not enough to have the consent of the Seventh Division of Shazhou. You see, the southern part of Yunling, including Feiniao Pass, belongs to the Seventh Division of Shazhou. But the northern line is not owned by Puppet Yan, but belongs to Dai State."

Lu Chen suddenly understood.

With the help of this very detailed giant map, Lu Chen could clearly see the pattern of today's war-torn world.

To the west of the Qi State is the Qibu of Shazhou. Going north from the territory controlled by the Qibu, passing through the vast mountains and ridges, the area you arrive at is not Beiyan, but the Dai State located in the northwest of Beiyan.

In other words, in the west of this continent, to the south of Yunling are the seven Shazhou tribes, and to the north is the Dai Kingdom established by the Gaoyang people.

Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Majesty, Dai Guo will never obey the orders of the puppet Yan or even the Jing Dynasty."

At this time, he suddenly remembered a past incident. The dagger that killed the assassin in Xiliu Lane that day was given by Lin Xi. She once said that the dagger was a thank-you gift given to Lin Jie by a wealthy businessman in Daiguo.

The Dai Kingdom is located in the far northwest border, and seems to be shrouded in a mysterious veil. Lu Chen's understanding of it is very limited.

Li Duan nodded and said: "In the seventh year of the late emperor's reign in Yuankang, the Allied Forces of the Three Kingdoms in the North broke through the Jinghe defense line and approached Heluo City. In that battle, eight thousand native soldiers from the Seven Divisions of Shazhou died at Yanziling, leaving Daqi and Shazhou The relationship between the seven tribes that had been maintained for hundreds of years was destroyed in one fell swoop. The late emperor... ceded several important towns in the north before allowing the Allied Forces of the Three Kingdoms to retreat. However, on their way back, the Jing Dynasty's cavalry raided Zhao and Dai, severely damaging the armored troops led by the Zhao clan's descendants. The army defeated Zhao’s military power in one battle, and from then on Zhao became a vassal of Jing Dynasty.”

Lu Chen once heard Lu Tong talk about this past incident, and his eyes couldn't help but look at the map.

To the north of Beiyan, Daiguo, Zhaoguo and Jingchao were lined up from west to east.

He gradually realized the emperor's intention and said slowly: "Because of that past incident, Dai Guo will no longer trust Jing Dynasty, so it is impossible to give up the northern section of Yunling to Yan Jing's army."

"Causes bring results. The grudges back then created the current situation. This is what I hope you can understand."

Li Duan stood next to the map and said calmly: "For Da Qi, the Puppet Yan and the Jing Dynasty are the biggest enemies, and after the victory in the northern Xinjiang war, the Jing Dynasty has begun to intervene in the Puppet Yan's court structure. The fake old ministers of Yan like Chen Jingtang were dismissed from office, and the new ministers who were replaced were basically supporters of the Jing Dynasty."

Lu Chen frowned slightly.

Li Duan continued: "I have no doubt that the Jing Dynasty's control and penetration of the puppet Yan court has reached a shocking level. Perhaps in the not too distant future, the puppet Yan will directly abolish the imperial court and completely incorporate it into the territory of the Jing Dynasty. , I have long been mentally prepared to receive this report."

Heluo fell 13 years ago. Although the Jing Dynasty was unparalleled in military strength, it had great flaws in governance. The key was that there were not enough officials. Therefore, the new emperor adjusted his strategy in a timely manner after he ascended the throne.On the one hand, he supported the powerful families in the north to establish the Yan Dynasty and weakened the will of the people everywhere to resist as much as possible. On the other hand, he cultivated officials and supporters in the past 13 years and gradually pushed them to the top of the Northern Yan Dynasty.

This subtle change requires enough patience and determination. Although it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it has better results, because the Jing Dynasty did not support a puppet court and ignore it, but used the shell of the Yan Dynasty to continue to strengthen its own strength.

Lu Chen felt a chill in his heart. He had heard Xiao Wangzhi talk about the great talents and strategies of Emperor Jing Dynasty, and he was assisted by famous generals such as Qing Yugong. His ambition was not to conquer the land north of the Yangtze River, but to unify the world and command the submission of all the seas.

Judging from the current situation, the other party's goal is being achieved step by step, leaving less and less time for the Qi Dynasty.

When the Jing Dynasty completely digests the land of Jiangbei and cultivates enough capable ministers, coupled with the powerful warriors of the Jinglian tribe, can the Hengjiang Heavenly Moat be able to withstand the opponent's thunderous blow?
By that time, Jingzhou and Huaizhou will definitely bear the brunt.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen raised his eyes and looked at the emperor with a solemn expression, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I don't think we can wait passively like this."

Li Duan nodded and said: "I have received Governor Xiao's strategy for recovering Dongyang Road in Puppet Yan. The Right Prime Minister has also known about it. The court will carry out pre-war preparations as soon as possible. However, Da Qi is surrounded by enemies on three sides, and every strategic decision must be made carefully. Taking into account the influence of all aspects. The enemies on the north bank of the Hengjiang River are very familiar to me. The Seven Divisions of Shazhou have just mentioned that the Nanzhao Kingdom in the southwest also gives me a headache."

"Nanzhao Kingdom?" Lu Chen looked at the map and saw that to the southwest of Qi State was Taiping Prefecture, and adjacent to this place was Nanzhao Kingdom.

Li Duan returned to the Imperial Case and sat down, and asked the eunuch to bring a round stool. Naturally, he was taking care that Lu Chen was weak and should not sit for a long time. Then he smiled helplessly and said: "The military equipment of Nanzhao is weak, but the monarch and some The ministers have been coveting our Taiping Prefecture for a long time. When I came to the throne 12 years ago, they even sent envoys to Beijing to demand the entire Taiping Prefecture from me."

Lu Chen couldn't help but widen his eyes and said in disbelief: "This is a bit ridiculous."

Although Qi is not the opponent of Jing Dynasty, among the countries in the world today, it is second only to Jing Dynasty in terms of size and military strength.

In Lu Chen's understanding, if Qi's strength can be rated as ten points, Nanzhao can only be rated as three points at best.

Even though Qi State now only has half of the country, its size far exceeds that of Nanzhao State.

Li Duan sighed and said: "I and the Manchu ministers also think it is ridiculous, but the other party did it because they know very well that Da Qi will not use troops in the southwest unless it is absolutely necessary. By the way, Xiao Wangzhi's eldest son Xiao Lin Bian serves as the commander of the first army in the Taiping Prefecture Governor's Mansion, you should have heard what he said."

Lu Chen responded: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Duan continued: "The land in Nanzhao is barren, and Da Qi has never thought of occupying this land. In addition, the situation in our country is difficult now, which gives Nanzhao monarchs and ministers reasons to have their own whims. For Da Qi, Nanzhao is like a The disease of mustard moss is not fatal but is very annoying. If not treated properly, it may also become a hidden danger on the border."

At this point in the conversation, Lu Chen had a clearer understanding of the emperor's difficulties.

The forces of all parties in North Korea and China are complex, and there are thorny troubles everywhere outside. There are problems left over from history and worries caused by changes in the current situation.

He sighed sincerely: "Your Majesty, please take good care of your dragon body."

Li Duan smiled happily and changed the topic: "Although my situation is very bad and there are many constraints like a mess, Emperor Jing Chao is not so relaxed. I just told you that the existence of Dai Kingdom is like Jing Chao There is a sharp sword beside the bed, and Puppet Yan and Zhao are not willing to be just vassal puppets. These are all conditions that can be exploited. Furthermore, according to the information obtained by the Sutra Weaving Department, it can be seen that the Jing Dynasty's rear area is now , that is, north of their home base, there is a tribe of Cang people in the far north, which can cause some trouble to Emperor Jingchao from time to time."

Lu Chen suddenly understood the reason why the emperor summoned him today.

In addition to checking his injuries in person, the more important point is that through these conversations, he can understand the overall situation of the world, so that he can think about problems from a certain height, rather than being limited to one city or one place.

After thinking about this, he couldn't help but said with complicated emotions: "I thank your Majesty for your advice."

Seeing that he understood what he was thinking, Li Duan couldn't help but said with a gentle face: "Before you entered the capital, I had considered another arrangement. Your titles and official positions will remain unchanged, and the word "improvised" will be added in front of the military position, such as The Feiyu Camp and the Ruishi Camp are given to you. Others will know at a glance that these are the emperor's personal troops. At the same time, you can also add the word Yuqian in front of your official positions, and you can also be given a waist badge in the palace. From now on, your promotion will be It will be more convenient.”

Lu Chen understood the profound meaning of this arrangement.

If Li Duan really does this, these twelve frontier generals will be the emperor's close ministers, and the mark of the Tian family on them will never be washed away. This is also a method used by kings from ancient times to the present to win over people's hearts.

Li Duan looked at his pensive face and said calmly: "But after much thought, I finally gave up this idea because I don't want Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun to be disappointed."

There is only one word difference between hope and disappointment, but it clearly reveals the emperor's mood.

Lu Chen said softly: "I understand."

"I am telling you these things today. One is to ask you to tell Xiao Wangzhi that I will be his most solid backing, and he can do whatever he wants in Huaizhou. I will not let the storm in Beijing affect the border, and all those who are against him will Criticism will have no effect, I will always believe that he will care about the people of the world like Marshal Yang."

Li Duan spoke calmly and in a very firm tone.

Lu Chen was shocked because he heard the words "General Yang" from the emperor's mouth.

Li Duan said again: "Tell Xiao Wangzhi that when the old capital is recovered, I will vindicate Marshal Yang."

Lu Chen stood up, lowered his head and said, "I obey your order."

Li Duan did not explain in detail, but Lu Chen knew in his heart that Xiao Wangzhi never trusted the court as completely as Li Tianrun did, so the emperor made such a straightforward promise.

Li Duan raised his eyes slightly and looked at him, and said with hope: "Another point, I hope you can grow up as soon as possible. The two governors, Xiao and Li, have generous praise for you. I believe in their vision. I have seen it with my own eyes during this period. Your conduct as a person also acknowledges their judgment.”

He paused for a moment and said seriously: "Therefore, I want to see you shine on the border and become their most effective help. I am not as good as the two governors in matters such as leading troops to fight. They can teach you more. I can teach you Yours is your vision. Only if you stand high enough can you see farther than others."

Lu Chen bowed and said slowly but resolutely: "I will never let your Majesty down."

(End of this chapter)