Qi people!
Or maybe it was the Northern Qi Dynasty, the shadow that had loomed over the entire Southern Dynasty for more than sixty years!
This shadow makes people like Zhao Changping who are "hardliners" extremely unsure of the Northern Expedition.
Even in the eyes of some people who have experienced the defeat of the Shizong Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty is invincible, especially the Xiandi Dynasty. Hundreds of thousands of troops in Lianghuai died at the hands of the Northern Qi general Zhou Jinan. This defeat , the little confidence Emperor Xianzong had accumulated was wiped out again.
Ling Su was a hereditary member of the Qian household. Although he was not a general, he could be considered an "expert" in military matters. In his early years, he heard some stories about the Qi people from the adults in his family.
He knew much more about Qi people than a low-level person like Xue Wei, so at this moment, the current commander of the Fuzhou Guard was not very excited, but a little dull.
After being stunned for a moment, Ling Su took a deep breath and looked up at Shen Yi. He swallowed and asked, "Mr. Shen..."
Ling Su said slowly: "Is there... going to be a war?"
"maybe."
Shen Yi looked calm and said: "And the possibility is not small. Once a fight breaks out, your soldiers will face the Northern Qi army directly."
He looked at Ling Su and asked, "General Ling is afraid?"
Ling Su smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Shen, if an outsider asks about the general, even if the general is frightened, he will not say a soft word in front of outsiders to damage the face of our coastal capital, but Shen Sir, you are one of our own."
He lowered his head slightly and sighed: "To be honest, when I heard the word Beiqi, I felt a little guilty."
Having said this, he raised his head cautiously and took a look at Shen Yi's expression. Seeing that Shen Yi showed no signs of getting angry, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "Mr. Shen, I dare to ask which position our Coastal Capital Division should guard this time. Cut the river section?"
"I still do not know yet."
Shen Yi shook his head slightly and said: "The Ministry of War and the Governor's Office have been discussing this matter for the past two days, but what is certain is that we should be able to defend the Huaihe Navy for as long as the 20,000 people of the Huaihe Navy Division can defend it."
"It's estimated to be close to a two-hundred-mile stretch of river."
As he said that, he looked at Ling Su and said: "General Ling, you are a general. I can understand your worries. If you are not willing to lead troops to guard the Huaihe River, tomorrow I will take you to the palace to see the emperor and ask for Your Majesty, I will transfer you back to Fuzhou, and you will still serve as the commander of Fuzhou, and you will not be punished for this."
Ling Su stood up directly, half-knelt in front of Shen Yi, bowed his head slightly and said: "Mr. Shen said this just to shame the general into death. Although the general is not confident in his heart, he still works for the court and contributes to Gong Shen. This is the duty that the general should fulfill, even if he dies on the bank of the Huaihe River, he will be willing to do so!"
At this time, no matter how scared Ling Su was, there was no way he could back down.
It's not because he really values love and righteousness, it's mainly because he climbed up through the ranks of Mr. Shen. If he were greedy for life and feared death at this time and returned to Fuzhou, he would not only lose his backer, but also be raped by the emperor. Your Majesty is disgusted.
By then, not to mention his official career, even the commander of the Fuzhou Guard in him may not be able to sit still.
Besides, when leading troops in a war, it is always the pawns who die the most. This time the Coast Guardsmen went to guard the Huaihe River. As expected, Ling Su must be the highest commander. Even if they were defeated, it would be difficult for him to die.
Shen Yi stretched out his hand to help him up and motioned for him to sit down. Then Mr. Shen turned his head and looked at Xue Wei aside, with a smile on his face and asked: "General Xue, what about you?"
Xue Wei chuckled, stood up directly, patted his chest and said, "Mr. Shen, I have been waiting for this day for a long time!"
"This subordinate has been just a pawn in his life until he dies. Now that he has followed you, Mr. Shen, he is also an official in the eyes of others. Not to mention guarding the Huaihe River, even if he is killed here, he will make a lot of money!"
Xue Wei is an upright person, and this person is an absolute direct descendant of Shen Yi. There is nothing to ask. Mr. Shen patted him on the shoulder and asked: "Before I left Southeast last year, I asked you to find a daughter-in-law in Guangzhou to get married. Give birth to a child…”
At this point, Mr. Shen frowned slightly and said, "Did you not take my words seriously, or did you get married secretly without telling me?"
Xue Wei was so frightened that he shook his head repeatedly and said, "Mr. Shen, how dare this subordinate..."
He stretched out his hand and scratched his head, lowered his head in embarrassment and said, "It's just that my mother told me before she left that you have to marry someone who is sincere to you, otherwise you will be unhappy for the rest of your life, so my subordinates haven't married yet, but …”
Having said this, the commander of the Guangzhou Guard smiled and said: "But I have taken two concubines in Guangzhou Mansion. According to Shen Gong's wishes, I will leave some incense in the family. Now I have two concubines." All have bodies."
"Because it's not a big deal."
Xue Wei lowered his head slightly and said, "I didn't write a letter to inform Mr. Shen."
Hearing his words, Shen Yi shook his head and smiled hoarsely: "I can't tell, you have quite high standards."
Xue Wei chuckled, then looked up at Shen Yi, and asked excitedly: "Mr. Shen, when are we going to guard the Huaihe River? I can't wait to meet those stupid Qi people!"
After being suppressed by the Qi people for more than sixty years, every Chen Guoren felt that it was impossible to say that he was not angry.
Everyone has a natural hatred towards the Northern Qi Dynasty. A warrior like Xue Wei, who is not well-literate, naturally does not understand what it means that the king's industry is not in harmony, and what it means that the Han and the traitors are not in harmony.
However, for more than sixty years, the two countries have experienced frequent wars and almost constant small battles. The accumulated hatred is very real.
Not to mention anything else, during the late emperor's dynasty, when the late emperor launched his army in the Northern Expedition, many of the hundreds of thousands of troops who died in Lianghuai were people from Taizhou Prefecture. Some of Xue Wei's uncles died in that battle. among.
Hearing his words, Mr. Shen glanced at him and said in a low voice: "You are too impatient."
"No matter how many times I tell you, I still won't change my mind."
Shen Yi reprimanded: "You can just pay it off by yourself. You have thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers under your command now. If you hurry up, their lives may be lost!"
"Beware of arrogance and impetuosity."
Xue Wei was as honest as a primary school student, lowering his head and cautiously replying: "I know..."
Ling Su on the side, his eyelids twitched involuntarily when he heard Shen Yi mention the words "thousands or even tens of thousands".
Especially the two words "tens of thousands" made his heart thump.
Because the current Huaihe Navy in Songjiang Prefecture only has a total of 20,000 people!
If Xue Wei manages more than 10,000 people, will Ling Su be under the control of Xue Wei?
Thinking of this, General Ling coughed and said with a smile: "General Xue, don't be anxious. Fighting against the Qi people is no better than fighting against the Japanese pirates. Our coastal capital's equipment is not sophisticated enough, and there are still many things to prepare for."
"We just follow the adults' arrangements."
Shen Yi nodded silently and said: "I have shamelessly asked for something from the Ministry of War. There should be news in the next two days. I estimate that we should be able to give us about 8,000 pieces of armor, as well as some weapons and crossbows. .”
"Waiting for the note to be approved..."
Shen Yi looked at the two of them and said, "When the time comes, the two of you will go to the Treasury Department to pick out the items with your slips. You will pick them out in person."
"After you have finished selecting, you two will take this batch of ordnance and go back to Songjiang Mansion to wait for me."
Ling Su's eyes lit up when he heard Shen Yi said that he could go to the Ministry of War to choose armor. Later, when he heard that Shen Yi was also going to Songjiang Mansion, his eyes widened immediately.
Xue Wei on the side was surprised and happy: "Mr. Shen, do you want to follow me to guard the Huaihe River?"
Shen Yi nodded silently and said slowly: "If nothing happens, I will supervise the army as an imperial envoy."
He looked at the two generals in front of him and said slowly.
"You two, this time, it's not just about the future of you and me."
"It is more related to the future and destiny of the entire Dachen, as well as the future and destiny of all the brothers in the coastal areas."
"Well done..."
Shen Yi looked calm and glanced at the two of them.
"Let's get promoted and make a fortune together."
"If you don't play well, you may even lose badly."
"I will go back to Jiangdu to teach, and you will go back to Taizhou to farm."
Mr. Shen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
"understand?"
The two generals looked at each other, stood up, clasped their fists, and said "understand" in unison.
A smile appeared on Ling Su's face and he said, "Originally, I didn't have much confidence, but Mr. Shen went there in person, and I felt much more at ease."
And Xue Wei was even more bold and said directly with a smile.
"With Duke Shen leading me, my subordinates even want to switch from defense to offense!"
(End of chapter)