Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 141: Reunion of the Emperor and His Ministers

East Palace,

The Crown Princess has not received any news from the Crown Prince in recent days and is still unable to sleep or eat well in the palace.

The capital was saved, but if the prince had not returned, it would have been a major event that would have affected the foundation of Dachang's governance.

In the palace, the Crown Princess looked worried and confirmed with the people around her, "Eunuch Xia, there is no news from His Highness recently?"

Xia Shouzhong also sighed, "The last one was a report of the battle between the Crown Prince and the rebel general in Liaodong. It has been a long time now, and it is time for the report to come back."

The Crown Princess shook her head. "Something is wrong. We can't wait any longer. We should advise His Majesty to send troops to Shanhaiguan as soon as possible to support His Highness while the military power in the capital is at its peak. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, it will be too late to make up for it."

Xia Shouzhong nodded repeatedly, "Your Highness the Crown Princess is right. I will go and tell Chief Steward Dai right away."

Xia Shouzhong had just raised his foot when he heard the Crown Princess say, "There is one more thing. Send Yue Ling here. If he is the commander-in-chief, I will not be able to rest assured unless he goes."

Xia Shouzhong bowed again.

"Yes, slaves obey."

After an hour, Yue Ling, who was playing with many little girls at home, heard the call from the palace. He had to put on his official uniform and came to the East Palace.

He was originally an old official in the Prince of Qin's mansion and had saved the Prince of Qin's life many times. His relationship with the Eastern Palace was too close.

The King of Qin and his wife had long treated him as their own son or nephew, and he had been allowed to move freely throughout the palace, as if everyone thought he was suitable.

Entering the main hall of the East Palace, Yue Ling met the Crown Princess and bowed to her, "Your Majesty, I greet you, Crown Princess."

The Crown Princess raised her hand and said, "You don't have to be so polite. You have made such an extraordinary contribution, and the court hasn't had time to reward you yet, but I summoned you to work again, which makes me feel guilty."

"At this time, you should stay at home and recuperate."

Yue Ling asked in confusion: "Your Highness, could it be that something happened in Liaodong?"

The Crown Princess shook her head. "It's been a long time since we've had any news. I'm afraid something has really happened. But we can't just sit in the capital and wait. We have to be prepared first."

Yue Ling let out a breath, finally he didn't hear the news that frightened him.

Emperor Yuanqing is seriously ill now. If something happens to the crown prince again, how can the country continue to function?

He wanted to live a peaceful life, but didn't want to wander around with Lin Daiyu.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Your Highness has never been defeated in any of your campaigns, so how could you fail in Liaodong? If you need me to lead the troops, I will naturally have no reason to refuse."

The Crown Princess looked at Yue Ling with satisfaction and nodded, "I have never doubted your feelings, and I'm sure Your Highness feels the same way."

At that moment, Xia Shouzhong came running back from outside, bowed to the Crown Princess, and seeing Yue Ling beside him, he hesitated for a moment and said nothing.

The Crown Princess stood up immediately and asked anxiously, "What happened? Tell me quickly. Can Yue Ling be considered an outsider?"

Xia Shouzhong nodded and said, "It's not His Highness who is in trouble, it's His Majesty. He has been unconscious since noon today. Several imperial doctors have been treating him in turns, but he is still hanging on. The doctors said that he is probably going to die soon."

The Crown Princess sat back heavily in her chair, looking a little dazed.

"So Chief Steward Dai said that the matter of raising troops should be decided by the Crown Princess for the time being."

The Crown Princess nodded.

Once the old emperor dies and the prince is not in the capital, it will inevitably cause chaos.

What is important at the moment is not Liaodong, but the fact that the prince must return to the capital to preside over all important affairs before the old emperor dies.

Looking at Yue Ling again, the Crown Princess pleaded, "Yue Ling, I'll leave this matter to you."

Yue Ling nodded, "I will organize the troops for five days and raise 50,000 troops to go to Shanhaiguan first, and recruit 100,000 civilians to transport food and grass. I will also lead 5,000 cavalry to the border to inquire about the situation."

The Crown Princess nodded repeatedly, "Okay, let's do this. His Highness hasn't had time to reward you yet, if you have any wishes that I can fulfill, just tell me."

Yue Ling actually needed things from the palace.

The problem of Zijuan's identity was solved not long ago, and the promise to another girl, Ruizhu, can now be fulfilled under the conditions.

And it was just a small thing, just right, and would not make the Crown Princess think that she was arrogant because of her favor.

Yue Ling expressed his wish, which was soon fulfilled, and he left the palace.

Only the Crown Princess and Xia Shouzhong remained in the palace. After Yue Ling left, both of them laughed, which was a rare occurrence.

Xia Shouzhong said, "I don't know if General Yue is smart or stupid. He was able to get His Highness to ask for only a box of Yurong Powder and bluntly said that he would take it back to the mansion for the maid."

The Crown Princess covered her mouth and smiled, shaking her head, "Yue Ling, he really doesn't hide anything, and he acts uprightly. But he is a little philandering, and maybe he has already won the girl's heart when he wasn't paying attention. No wonder Lin Ruhai's girl is infatuated with him, but at the moment, I am a little worried about Miss Lin."

Standing up, the Crown Princess said again, "No, I have to write a letter to Miss Lin to warn her. Men become bad when they have power. Your Highness is the same. He just entered the East Palace and sent two Korean maids to test me."

The Crown Princess stared at Xia Shouzhong and said coldly, "Eunuch Xia, is that right?"

Xia Shouzhong bowed hurriedly, "Your Highness, I don't know anything about men's affairs..."

After much persuasion and promising the girls that I would return as soon as possible and that I would prepare gifts for them, they finally stopped crying.

After settling the reluctant girls, Yue Ling once again led the army to battle and left the capital.

After only a few days of peace, he was once again armed and armed. Astride his warhorse, Yue Ling was more open-minded.

This expedition was different from the previous ones. His prestige in the army was at its peak, and he could get a lot of support from everyone.

When the news spread in the capital that he was going to lead his troops to the north, the generals who recommended themselves blocked his barracks.

In the end, Yue Ling selected 40,000 elite infantrymen and ordered Prince Zhongshun to lead the charge and also be in charge of food and supplies. Xu Hui led a mixed battalion of 5,000 artillery vehicles, and he led 5,000 cavalry, with General Shenwu Feng Tang as his deputy general, and rushed to Shanhaiguan first.

After traveling for half a day and passing the border of Tongzhou, Feng Tang chased Yue Ling and asked, "General, where are we going to rest today?"

Yue Ling replied: "If we can reach Fengrun before dark, we will camp outside the city. If we can't, we will camp in Yutian."

Feng Tang nodded and said, "Okay."

After a moment, Feng Tang asked again: "Grand Commander, do you think His Highness will be in trouble?"

Yue Ling originally felt that the Crown Princess was too concerned and confused.

If there really was a decisive battle with the rebels and the Jurchens in Liaodong, it would be common for the siege to continue for several months. Robbery of grain roads, robbing messengers, killing spies, and sending false war reports were all common tricks used by both sides. As long as they were not sure that the King of Qin was defeated, most of the time, everything would be fine.

Moreover, Yue Ling really didn't think that the King of Qin would be unable to defeat the Jurchens. The Jianzhou Jurchens had not yet gained power, and the vast black land of Liaodong had been weakened by the greedy governor. How could they have any fighting power?

Only the temporary rebellion of Goryeo was a minor surprise.

However, Emperor Yuan Qing can no longer hold on in the capital, and the crown prince must return immediately to ascend the throne and take charge of the situation.

Shaking his head, Yue Ling said: "How could Your Highness lose to that kind of barbarian?"

at the same time,

A group of cavalrymen heading south from Shanhaiguan were galloping along the official road.

After the battle, the King of Qin did not dare to be negligent and immediately ordered the cavalry to return to the capital. The remaining infantry also began to rush to Shanhaiguan to rest and wait for military orders.

The King of Qin, who had been leading the siege for nearly half a month, was now dizzy from being tossed around on horseback. His mind was a mess and his body could no longer bear the exertion.

Liu and Yang, two captains of the Qin Palace, also survived the Liaodong War and continued to lead the black-armored soldiers and guard the Qin King.

Seeing the two rushing over, the King of Qin asked again: "Is it confirmed that the news that the capital was captured is true? Didn't Yue Ling defend it?"

Captain Liu said, "We are still unsure whether this is fake news from the Jurchens, deliberately trying to disrupt the morale of the army. We have not received the battle report from the capital yet, and the messenger who sent us back is not much faster than us, so he may still be on his way back."

The King of Qin gritted his teeth and said, "No, we have to be faster. Even if the capital is breached, Yue Ling will lead his troops to fight in the streets. The cavalry of the northern barbarians cannot play an advantage in street fighting. Yue Ling is good at using firearms and will not let the northern barbarians take control of the capital smoothly. We can definitely delay for several months."

Captain Liu hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, your body couldn't hold up during the war. You fainted several times on the battlefield, which really scared us. Now as long as you are healthy, even if the capital is lost, we have the confidence to take it back."

The King of Qin frowned and said, "I broke my promise. Three months became six months. But even if it was six months, Yue Ling would not let the city fall."

"Pass the military order, hurry up, don't worry about damaging the horses! Tongzhou can replenish the horses!"

At that moment, a soldier came forward and reported in a panic, "Your Highness, there is a group of elite cavalry ahead, numbering several thousand, and they are heading towards us!"

The King of Qin was startled, his mind was in a trance, and after taking a few deep breaths, he suppressed his thoughts and said, "Can you see who it is?"

The soldier shook his head. "The enemy is marching very fast and has strict discipline. There are sentinels outside the team. We dare not get close."

The King of Qin frowned and gave the order: "Order the whole army to stop, and divide 2,000 cavalry to set up an ambush in the woods on both sides of the official road! The black-armored soldiers will block the enemy in the middle of the road!"

"Yes!"

The King of Qin was in a state of confusion. He looked at the end of the official road in front of the battle line and couldn't help but clench his gun tightly in his hand.

"Northern Barbarians, I will kill you all today without leaving a single piece of armor behind!"

However, when a group of cavalry appeared on the horizon and were seen getting closer and closer.

The King of Qin suddenly discovered that there was a word "Yue" written on the big banner fluttering in the wind, and he was immediately overjoyed.

"I'll tell you, Yue Ling will definitely not let me down!"

The King of Qin rode his horse forward, waved his whip a few times, and dismounted to wait when the enemy came closer.

Yue Ling had also discovered the whereabouts of the King of Qin a long time ago, and he also dismounted and stepped forward to say to the King of Qin: "Your Highness, I am glad that I have fulfilled your mission!"

Before Yue Ling finished reporting the military situation, he was pulled up by the King of Qin. Then they hugged each other, and the chest armor made a sound of metal clashing...

　eighteen!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)