General, your wife has gone to deliver another calf for your horse.

Chapter 595 Li Rong is absolutely unusable!

Li Rong's voice was indifferent and distant: "If Your Majesty has nothing else to say, this humble subject and A Nuan will take our leave together."

The emperor's expression flickered, then he suddenly laughed: "What's the rush? Today, you and your husband will join me in attending to state affairs."

Li Rong frowned and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor, however, put down the bronze mirror, turned to the side, and looked at Li Rong: "What? Does A Rong also intend to defy the imperial decree today?"

Li Rong took a deep breath, his handsome chest rising and falling slightly: "Your Majesty, I fear that it will draw criticism from the officials if I, a sinner, were to rule."

"Ha? You're afraid of criticism from the officials? Not to mention today, even in the past, have you, Li Rong, ever been afraid of this?"

Li Rong frowned and glanced at him, then lowered his head: "Your subject dares not."

The Emperor's gaze fell on Li Rong's face. Mao Zizhong's emotions surged for a while, then he suddenly smiled and said gently, "However, what you said makes sense. Then you don't need to come to the front hall with me and A Nuan. Just listen from the back hall."

Upon hearing the Emperor call out "Anuan," Li Rong narrowed his eyes and looked up.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The emperor then began to cough violently, as if he were coughing up his lungs and heart.

Even so, he still smiled when he saw that Li Rong seemed to have anger in her eyes.

This emperor sent chills down Jiang Nuanzhi's spine. It was too eerie.

The two men spoke with barbs and veiled barbs. If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor didn't have long to live, Jiang Nuanzhi would have been genuinely worried about Li Rong.

But now, she looked at this and then at that, and still didn't say anything. She stepped forward and used silver needles to stop the emperor's cough.

After a long pause, the Emperor said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go, follow me to the front hall. The court officials have been waiting for a long time."

Just a quarter of an hour later, Jiang Nuanzhi stood beside the Emperor in the Imperial Study, at the foot of the enormous dragon throne.

In the past, when watching TV, this seat was always for eunuchs. Jiang Nuanzhi silently touched his nose and glanced at Eunuch Li, who was standing to his left.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd risen to become the emperor and entered Chen.

She subconsciously glanced to the side. Behind that screen was A-Rong's seat. It seemed she could hear everything that was happening in the Imperial Study.

I wonder what this emperor is planning?
At this moment, the emperor was playing with a string of Buddhist prayer beads and looked down at his subordinate.

The voice was calm and unhurried as it spoke: "Yelü Qi's 200,000 iron cavalry have besieged the pass. You have all discussed this all night. Do you have a plan to repel the enemy?"

It was still dark, and candlelight was lit inside the main hall.

As the candlelight flickered, the shadows of the officials were stretched and distorted on the gold-brick floor.

"There are no capable generals at the border, Your Majesty. In my humble opinion, we should quickly dispatch generals from the capital to Yanmen Pass," the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices spoke first.

"My dear minister, who do you think is suitable to go to Yanmen?"

Your Majesty, look over here. "In my humble opinion, General Wan Yu, the Grand General of the Army, Huo Chengye, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Wu'an, and Lu Zhong, the General of Dingyuan, are all capable of leading troops."

“No.” Grand Tutor Li stepped forward, his white hair and beard trembling. “Yelü Qi is the most talented general in the Northern Tartars in recent years. His military prowess is comparable to that of the Li Rong of the past. General Wan has fought for many years, but he has never commanded the three armies.”

Huo Chengye has achieved some success in the military in recent years, but he lacks actual combat experience. General Lu is valiant, but how can he lead troops against Yelü Qi?

As he spoke, his voice carried a hint of grief and desolation.

"Our Great Jing has been prosperous in recent years, but countless military generals have fallen. Many generals have been stationed at fortresses for many years. Now that the war is critical, we must guard the fortresses. We must not let one move affect the whole situation."

The court's policy of prioritizing civil officials over military ones has been in place for quite some time. Ever since the fall of Le Rong, the emperors have naturally feared nurturing a future threat. Consequently, they have increasingly neglected military generals. In recent years, military officers have been suppressed in the court.

But which of the military generals in the court had not served under Li Rong?
While eliminating the old forces of Le Rong, the court also wore down all the available military officers.

The ministers were well aware of these matters.

Therefore, after Li Taifu finished speaking, the ministers were somewhat bewildered.

Chi Heng exchanged a glance with General Wan, and the next second, Chi Heng stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I think that both General Wan's son and General Lu are capable, but we still need a commander. I think there is someone suitable."

As soon as Chi Heng said this, everyone looked at him.

Chi Heng has been a playboy in Kyoto all these years. Although the gold mine incident was unexpected, most of the important officials in the court still look down on him.

Everyone knew the situation was urgent. The Emperor summoned his ministers to the palace that night, and they hadn't come up with a solution yet. Unless a true war god reappeared, how could anyone possibly turn the tide? It wasn't so bad that a good-for-nothing like Chi Heng was chosen to be the scapegoat.

The Emperor slowly shifted his gaze to Chi Heng, nodding earnestly at him: "What does Duke Chi think?"

"Your Majesty, I recommend the war god Li Rong, who was once demoted, to be the commander."

As Chi Heng spoke, he knelt down, his voice trembling slightly, whether from suppressed emotions or long-awaited excitement, it was hard to tell: "Now that the court is without a commander, Li Rong is obviously the most suitable. Back then, Yelü Wuji died at the hands of the God of War Li Rong. As long as Li Rong takes command again, Yelü Qi is nothing but a child and is not worth fearing."

Chi Heng's words caused a great stir.

The courtiers were in an uproar.

Almost instinctively, everyone looked towards Xiao Yuanshan, who was sitting at the head of the table, only to see him still resting with his eyes closed. A murmur of discussion arose among the crowd, clearly indicating their heightened emotions.

General Wan stepped forward, clasped his hands, and knelt down, saying, "Your humble servant is willing to assist General Li in this expedition. Your humble servant will surely defend the territory of Great Jing to the death. The Northern Tartars are nothing but defeated enemies of Great Jing. If General Li takes command, I am sure we can soon take the head of the traitor Yelü Qi and reclaim the city."

"Your Majesty! Li Rong must not be used!" Finally, someone in the court could no longer hold back. Grand Secretary Zhang spoke with resounding conviction: "He was exiled and his family property confiscated back then, clearly for the heinous crime of treason. The irrefutable evidence of his secret dealings with the northern border is undeniable. Confiscating his property and exiling him was already an act of leniency. To grant him the Tiger Tally again would be tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house!" His cloudy eyes swept over the ranks of military officers. "We must not allow certain individuals to prioritize personal gain over public duty and ruin the country!"

"Lord Zhang, you are mistaken!" Chi Heng frowned. "General Li once defeated 100,000 elite Northern Tartar troops with only a few thousand cavalry. His achievements are still etched on the walls of Yuguan Pass. Looking across the entire court, who else possesses such courage and strategy? The border war is critical, and we are in dire need of capable men. How can we let past events ruin our chances? Besides, the accusation of treason in the past was merely a matter of a few people implicating each other, and there are still doubts about the outcome."

"Chiheng! I think you're blinded by past friendships!" The Minister of Rites stepped forward, his words sharp: "Although Li Rong has military achievements, his followers are spread throughout the land. If he were to retain military power, I fear the soldiers would turn against him, creating a situation that would be difficult to control. How could this mere warrior understand the higher matters of the court? If he were to harbor other intentions, what would become of His Majesty's safety and the ancestral laws?"

After saying that, he changed the subject: "Besides, who knows if General Li still has contact with the Northern Tartar nobles during his exile? He already betrayed the country back then, so we can't trust him anymore!"

　Goodnight, my darlings
　　
　
(End of this chapter)