NCCnovel Chapter 648 It’s hard to tell
Chapter 648 It’s hard to tell
On the other side, Rouxi Palace.
Concubine Rou and Xiao Heyu didn't have to wait too long before Eunuch Hai came back with a guard who delivered a message.
Lu Qing immediately dismissed everyone and asked anxiously, "Brother, do you have anything to say?"
The person who came was a young guard. Lu Qing had seen him several times by Lu Xiao's side, so he looked familiar.
"Your Majesty, the general said that his trip to Qingcheng this time is not going well. I hope Your Majesty can think of a way to escape as soon as possible and take care of yourself." The guard had a serious face.
Lu Qing fell back into the chair, looking dazed.
Xiao Heyu was also a little anxious: "Why do you say that, uncle?"
"Your Majesty just issued an order early this morning to send a general to Qingcheng to cooperate with General Zixiao to attack Xiling in order to disperse the forces of Luo State."
The guard spoke in a deep voice and explained the pros and cons to Lu Qing and Xiao Heyu.
Lu Qingqiao's eyes were filled with tears. "So, my brother can only win against Xiling... and he can only lose. He even has to be controlled by Zhao Qi?"
The guard nodded.
"Brother, did you tell me why he didn't want Zhao Qi to be the commander going to Yancheng?" Lu Qing asked again.
The guard recalled that when Lu Xiao received the order and led the army, he looked back at Zhao Qi, who was leading 10,000 Longxiang troops, with a complicated look.
The spring breeze was bleak, the flags were fluttering, and Emperor Qianwu saw off his soldiers on the city gate.
Zhao Qi is still strong despite his old age. He is wearing dark iron armor, riding a maroon warhorse, holding a spear, and looks very majestic.
Lu Xiao withdrew his gaze and led two thousand light cavalry to ride ahead.
He just laughed and said, "Since we have Yu, why do we have Liang?"
When he was young, he once played against Zhao Qi in a sandbox simulation. He lost three out of five games. Even in the two games he won, he didn't know whether Zhao Qi held back.
Therefore, for so many years, he has always been wary of Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi was a man with a hot temper, but he was also a meticulous person, loyal and brave, and had great martial arts skills, making him a perfect person to lead troops.
Although Lu Xiao admitted that he might not be as good as him in deploying troops, he had seen more than ten years ago that he would be a big rival in the future.
Fortunately, the former Second Prince and His Majesty had a grudge against each other, and the former Second Prince later joined forces with the Fourth Prince, so the Zhao family was also labeled as the Fourth Prince's party.
I thought the Qingyuan Marquis Mansion would fall into decline, but unexpectedly, it would be revived one day!
Of course, he had to admit that the emperor was very cunning.
He spent several days in prison, thinking for a long time, but he never imagined that His Majesty would send him to Qingcheng to attack Xiling.
Xiling and Jin State are adjacent to Luo State and Daqian. In recent years, he has led his troops to garrison Yancheng, and has also been on good terms with the commanders of the neighboring Qingcheng and Yucheng. However, since he has private exchanges with Luo State, his relationship with Xiling and Jin State is naturally not good.
After all, without war, how can there be military achievements? Without war, how can there be profits?
Therefore, although the national strength of Xiling and Jin was weak, due to years of war, their border guarding armies had become very strong in recent years.
Even he was not sure of winning.
Lu Xiao's eyes were cloudy, and he felt a kind of grief of a warrior's old age. His Majesty had exchanged 30,000 troops of Xuan Ce Army and Jin Ge Army, and withdrawn another 30,000 troops of Xuan Ce Army to exchange with Bi Shui Army.
In this way, although he and Lu Zhuo still had their trusted soldiers, the Xuan Ce Army was completely dispersed. When Zhao Qi came to power, after a few battles, the Xuan Ce Army would no longer be named Lu...
Thinking of this, Lu Xiao felt extremely distressed and really wanted to know who came up with this idea!
*
There was a hint of pain in Lu Qing's eyes: "No, my brother will definitely return safely."
Lu Qing had a very good relationship with Lu Xiao and Lu He since childhood. They had taken countless beatings for her when she was young.
However, she was powerless in the palace and could do nothing about the battlefield. At most, she could only make suggestions to His Majesty...
But at this moment, I am afraid that the more I say, the more mistakes I will make. After all, from this point of view, there is nothing wrong with your Majesty's arrangement.
The guard said, "Don't worry, madam. No matter how strong Xiling is, it cannot defeat Daqian. Besides, the general is experienced and highly respected. He will definitely return safely!"
Lu Qing nodded and said nothing.
Even if my brother is confident in the war, the overall dispatch of food and the three armies are controlled by Zhao Qi. If Zhao Qi uses this to control my brother, it will be hard to say.
Besides, she was not only worried about the war, but also worried that His Majesty would get rid of them after he had used them up.
After the guards left, Xiao Heyu whispered, "Mother, what should we do now?"
Lu Qing said quietly, "We are far away from the war, and all we can do is the present."
"Son, I understand." Xiao Heyu nodded: "I will ask Qiwen to go to the palace in a while to ask for an audience with the Queen Mother and ask for Buddhist teachings."
Lu Qing's eyes were filled with malice: "Go ahead, Shen Shuyi just won a game, the army has just set out, and Her Majesty has not returned to the palace yet. She would not expect us to take action at this time."
"Yes, mother." After Xiao Heyu turned around and left, Lu Qingyu supported her head with her hands, feeling upset.
She believed that His Majesty would not be unaware of the Lu family's actions over the years.
It’s a pity that some people don’t know the consequences and want to cause a big uproar in the city.
In this case, even Your Majesty has to take action. Otherwise, how can you explain to your subjects?
Lu Qing thought for a moment and called Long Dong: "Send someone to ask Lu He and Zhang Cheng how things are going?"
Prior to this, He Yu's advisers discussed and proposed to launder the embezzled government silver used for disaster relief and pretend that it was used for other people's livelihood, and then falsify the accounts to reduce the amount.
This way, if His Majesty investigates, at least the money will have a clear destination, and it won't all be spent on me...
"Yes."
*
The Lu family was busy planning and countering the attack. After Shen Shuyi sat with Old Madam Zhao for a while, he returned to the Shangshu Mansion first.
Sitting in the carriage, she kept thinking about one thing.
That is, how likely is it that Lu Xiao would surrender to the enemy and commit treason?
This time Emperor Qianwu sent him to the frontier. Although many descendants and relatives of the Lu family stayed in the capital, Lu Xiao's most trusted son Lu Zhuo was also sent to Yucheng, separated from him by Yancheng.
But even so, Lu Xiao still has elite troops in his hands. If he collaborates with the enemy and betrays his country and escapes, he still has a chance of survival.
If you fight to the death to kill the enemy... you are betting on the emperor's heart.
Unfortunately, Emperor Qianwu's attitude is now ambiguous. Under such circumstances, he still employs the Lu family, which shows his trust in them. But it is unknown whether it is just trust or he has other plans behind this.
Shen Shuyi had a headache and soon returned to the Shen Mansion.
But before he could rest for long, a eunuch from the palace came to report.
"Princess Changning, the Empress Dowager invites you." The visitor was Han Zhong, a eunuch in the Empress Dowager's palace. He had kind eyes and looked gentle.
Shen Shuyi had tea served and said respectfully, "Please excuse me, eunuch. I'll change my clothes and go to the palace to pay my respects to the queen."
"Please come in, Lady County." Han Zhong picked up the teacup and spoke politely.
Shen Shuyi went back to her room to change clothes, thinking in her heart, first of all, she had been investigating the matter of the Second Prince for a long time, and recently there had been frequent incidents in the former court and the harem, and the Empress Dowager might not be able to wait any longer.