(The chapter is nearly seven thousand words long. This is the only chapter I'm uploading today. The next chapter will be the last chapter of the third volume, "He Xinliang." The title of the fourth volume is still the established "Together Vying for the Throne.")
There was no public declaration of war that stirred up the world, and no mobilization of troops by the monarch himself. The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, Lu Shengxiang's departure from the capital was strangely quiet. As he passed through the entire south of the capital, not a single local official saw Assistant Minister Lu's face. However, everyone was well aware that this did not mean that Lu Shengxiang's departure from the capital was a defeat in the court. Lu Shengxiang had first lost to Lu Baijie, who had also been an Assistant Minister, and lost the fight for the position of Minister of War. However, immediately after, he received an imperial edict to control the three provinces and sixteen military towns south of the capital. Even An Guo's Great General Yang Shenxing, a group of veteran generals with meritorious service, had to be controlled by him. Lu Shengxiang's cavalry was no more than 300 riders. In this half-open, half-hidden expedition to the south, the court had temporarily not mobilized a single soldier of the capital's military strength. As for West Chu's eagerness to make a move, it seemed that they were still observing from the sidelines. Lu Shengxiang, dressed in civilian clothes, led his personal guards to rest at You Lu Pass, but did not enter the city. Instead, he temporarily set up a large military camp outside the pass. When the captains of You Lu Pass heard the news and hurried over, if nothing unexpected happened, the Assistant Minister, who was about to temporarily receive the rank of Great General according to Liyang's laws, received them in the rough and crude camp. There was no fine wine or fine food, no singing or dancing. Minister Lu used simple tea and plain food to send them off. However, this gave the captains a reassurance. Who didn't know that Lu Shengxiang, who came from the Guangling Spring Snow Building, was a smiling tiger? When he didn't smile, he was fine, but when he did, he would eat people. You Lu Pass was located at the intersection of Pingfan, Guangling and Huainan Roads in Jingji. Although the captains of You Lu Pass had a higher rank and salary than ordinary Liyang military officials, they used to be directly under the jurisdiction of Gu Lu of the Ministry of War. However, now that Gu Lu was in a precarious situation and only existed in name, You Lu Pass was like a guy who had lost his mother's milk. On the other hand, Lu Shengxiang had Guangling Roads, his maternal family, to rely on. Secondly, he was a popular nobleman in the imperial court who no one dared to touch. Moreover, Lu Shengxiang did not rely on his family's meritorious service to enter the central government of the Empire. More than that, he relied on his own outstanding military achievements during the Spring and Autumn Period. Therefore, no matter how much courage You Lu Pass had, they would not dare to put on airs in front of Assistant Minister Lu. Lu Shengxiang personally saw the captains out of the military camp. Together with a young military general, whom he regarded as his trusted aide, he stood in the empty space outside the camp. Together, they watched the dust stirred up by the horse's hooves being blown away by the wind. Lu Shengxiang crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil, which had the smell of soil mixed with the smell of spring grass. He sniffed it and looked toward the south, not making a sound. Many people did not know that the dignified Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War was once a lousy scout. One time, he was convicted of making a mistake in reporting military intelligence and was almost beheaded by his superiors.
Lu Sheng Xiang pinched the dirt in his palm and said softly, "Being a scout is like learning how to swim. Once you learn how to swim, no matter how long you stay in the water, it will be very difficult for you to drown again. Guo Donghan, you should be very clear about the strength of the Guangling Dao. All day long, they claim that they want to compete with the Northern Liang and Yan Imperial Paths for the title of number one in the world. In reality, other than the tens of thousands of soldiers under the Prince of Guangling, the rest are all useless. You can't blame the Prince for embroidering a flowery pillow. It's just that the young ones haven't fought in twenty years. The old ones have retired from the army to enjoy life, while the young ones have squeezed into the army to enjoy life. How can they compete with the Northern Liang cavalry and Yan Imperial infantry who are on standby every day? The Spring Snow House racked their brains to get the latest weapons and the best armor from the Imperial Court. They even dared to snatch the horses that Gu Jiantang wanted. What I'm worried about now is not what the so-called knowledgeable people in the Imperial Court think. They all think that the biggest hidden danger is that the old generals like Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun are not willing to listen to orders and fight on their own. I'm afraid that the Western Chu that doesn't have enough soldiers at the beginning of the war will be able to fight with momentum as soon as they start fighting. Like a rolling snowball, they will be able to wipe out the elite soldiers of the Guangling Dao. They will have weapons, armor, and even the morale of the army. In a place like the Guangling Dao, the remnants of Western Chu have occupied all the land and resources. From the end of last year to the spring of this year, the Ministry of War and the Imperial Court kept sending news of the sudden deaths of military officers and lieutenants. Without exception, these people were the thorns that the Imperial Court planted in the Guangling Dao. In the end, they all died mysteriously. Some were strangled to death by their concubines in bed, some were poisoned to death by their maidservants when they were drinking, some were stabbed to death by their aides when they were discussing matters, some were hacked to death while patrolling the camp. Even Grandfather Huan, who had always been kind to Gu Lu, was furious. He came to the Ministry of War and scolded me and Lu Baijie. In the end, he even scolded Great General Gu. He scolded the entire Ministry of War as a bunch of good-for-nothings. He said that the management of the Guangling Dao's northern border was a mess. The military officers that were sent there had only been scraping the land for twenty years and not a single one of them had won the hearts of the people. He also said that the heads of the spy agencies set up by the Imperial Court should be executed. Our Minister Lu can still be considered unyielding. He talked back to Grandfather Huan on the spot and was almost kicked by him. What can I say? I can only watch. But I really didn't expect that Grandfather Huan, who is already so old, would almost kick Minister Lu in the chest. It seems that he still has a few more years to live. This is a great thing. "
Lu Sheng Xiang put the soil in his hand back on the ground. After laughing, his expression became serious again. "They haven't even fought a single battle, yet they are already thinking about how to celebrate and receive rewards, and how to divide the military merits. I don't know where their arrogance comes from."
The honest and honest young general stood beside Assistant Minister Lu. He laughed and said, "Ren Tu is dead, but the imperial court still has one of the four great generals of the Spring and Autumn Period, Gu Jiantang. There is also Chen Zhibao and you, a genius in the art of war. How can they not be confident? In addition, several of the vassals are on their way to quell the difficulties. Guangling Dao already has Zhao Yi, who has a powerful army in his hands, to suppress the situation. If I wasn't familiar with the foundation of Guangling's elites, I would also think so. "
Lu Sheng Xiang dismissed it with a laugh. He reached out and patted the ground. He sighed and said, "The waves are formed between the waves, and the wind rises at the end of the green duckweed. After the Awakening of the Hibernation, a hundred insects swarm out and move at the sound of the wind. "
Guo Donghan smelled the cool breeze on his face. He chuckled and said, "This general smells the scent of blood."
Lu Sheng Xiang stood up, as if he wanted to vent the pent-up anger in his heart. He forced a smile and said, "Yang Shenxing and the others all think that it will take at least three months and at most half a year. With a light kick, they will be able to crush West Chu, this dead but not yet dead spring insect, between summer and autumn. No matter what I say now, they won't listen. It would be better to let them rush up and give Cao Changqing a slap. Only when they feel the pain will they understand who is the one who can truly give orders in this protracted war. However, this also has its drawbacks. In half a year, I will be mediocre and unaccomplished. I am destined to be barked at by hundreds of dogs in the capital. Who knows, there might even be dead officials who will splash dog blood all over me. Back then, I saw with my own eyes what kind of situation Xu Xiao was in. Therefore, this time, I have some confidence. The key is whether or not His Majesty the Emperor has enough patience. If you are unlucky, you can pack up your things and prepare to go with me to the Two Liao to make up for your mistakes. But if you are lucky, when the time comes, as long as my Lu family's light cavalry can display their skills to the fullest, you will be able to become a third-rank general with real power. "
Guo Donghan grinned and said, "Alright. In any case, this general only believes in one thing in this life. If I follow the general, I will definitely have meat to eat! "
Lu Sheng Xiang did not comment.
Guo Donghan suddenly asked carefully, "I heard that during this trip to the South, His Highness the Crown Prince leisurely went to Dragon Tiger Mountain and Earth Lung Mountain, and many other places. In Guangling Dao and Gangnam-do, he made friends with many people. Everyone in the court praised him endlessly. Tsk tsk, he has the style of a crown prince. Moreover, there are rumors that His Highness does not agree with the heavy taxation of Guangling Dao. He also has some slight objections to the destruction of Buddhism. In private, the Imperial College says that His Highness already has the air of a benevolent ruler. That Right Chancellor with the surname Jin seems to be quite close to His Highness the Crown Prince. This guy originally had a bad relationship with Yao Baifeng and was kicked out of the house by the Grand Secretary and Grandfather Huan. He was very miserable. Many scholars were so scared that they did not dare to go to the Jin mansion to drink. Who would have thought that he would make a comeback. "
Lu Sheng Xiang frowned and said, "You are a martial artist who has not yet achieved success. Don't talk about interfering in the court, you can't even interrupt. In the future, if I hear this kind of nonsense again, you can go be a coachman."
Guo Donghan said with a bitter face, "I will remember."
Lu Sheng Xiang suddenly laughed coldly and said in a low voice, "Soft-hearted and not practical. Compared to his old man, he is thousands of miles away. If the court succeeds in removing the feudal vassals, he can still make do. Otherwise, if they hand over the country to him in a hurry, I think it will be difficult. "
The impatient Guo Donghan hurriedly nodded and said, "Like I said, His Highness the Crown Prince's shrewdness is not shallow, but he used it in the wrong place."
Lu Sheng Xiang was indeed a smiling tiger. He put on a fake smile and said, "In any case, there are no big battles to fight in half a year. You can go be a coachman for half a year."
Guo Donghan was stunned. Just as he was about to make a scene, Lu Sheng Xiang had already turned and walked towards the barracks.
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