Zhou Jin's eyes widened in disbelief. What did he hear just now?
Could He Tian be joking?
The war in the northwest is no child's play.
In the court, there was almost a huge quarrel over the selection of the coach.
Zhou Jin is no longer the transparent prince in the past. He has experienced in the Ministry of War and knows far more than ordinary courtiers!
Dayuan is not only a general named He Jing, but also has other veterans and powerful generals.
In the past He Jing, the northwest was the territory of the He family.
Now that He Jing and his son have fallen, the generals want to seize power.
There are also several older princes who have also fallen in love with this big piece of meat in the Northwest Army.
Zhou Jin had also considered that he had an advantage over the Crown Prince, the Third Prince and others.
He is the son-in-law of the He family, half of the He family.
If the imperial court needs a "mascot" to appease and recruit the Northwest Army, Zhou Jin is also a good choice.
However, Zhou Jin had never been on the battlefield and had no reliable seniors to teach and guide him, so he did not dare to make a decision easily.
Furthermore, the conversation in the Zhaixing Tower a few days ago disturbed Zhou Jin's mind.
On the one hand, he was pleasantly surprised by "He Tan's" virtuousness and generosity.
On the other hand, Shu'er's evasion and grievance also made Zhou Jin unable to help but think wildly.
After that day, Zhou Jin quietly visited He Shu again.
Seeing He Shu's unwillingness to speak and her aggrieved and forbearing look, Zhou Jin temporarily suppressed his suspicion of He Shu, but instead felt more pity for her as an orphan in the Hou Mansion.
Alas, that's right. With the Ma family in charge of seeing the fourth prince, Shu'er has to be obedient no matter whether she likes it or not!
It is so pitiful to live without a father and brother and depend on your uncle!
Zhou Jin was so busy cherishing the beautiful woman and talking about love that he couldn't care about the affairs in the court.
But, what is the situation now?
His princess, a woman, actually asked to go to the battlefield?!
Zhou Jin only felt ridiculous.
The emperor didn't think it was ridiculous, he was a little novel.
A pair of old and deep eyes looked at He Tiantian intently, and the emperor spoke: "Princess Qi, the battlefield is not a child's play -"
Before the emperor could finish speaking, He Tiantian straightened her back and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I am not kidding. I have practiced martial arts with my father since I was a child and listened to his explanations about battlefield matters."
He Tiantian talks eloquently, and his confident look is really dazzling.
The emperor's eyes flashed slightly.
To be fair, He Dandao is also a good choice.
Dayuan has no shortage of capable generals, but it lacks people who can be recognized by the Northwest Army.
Just like what He Tiantian said to Ma before, "My surname is He", these three words are worth countless generals who are good at conquering and fighting.
Six or seven generations of the He family have been running the Northwest, and one hundred thousand Northwest troops have already been given the surname "He".
If it were not for the fact that Nan and Ninghou were loyal and patriotic throughout the generations and never had any ambitions, the royal family would have been unable to tolerate the He family.
The army belongs to the imperial court. What does the x army look like?
Fortunately, the He family had good sense. Although they had a heavy army, they were very loyal to the court and the emperor.
And He Jiajun is also a barrier to the northwest.
The current emperor may not be a wise king, but he is not stupid either.
He won't make any conspiracy in advance because he is afraid of the general who has a large number of troops.
Using traitors to frame the general, colluding with foreign tribes to massacre one's own troops, destroying the Great Wall, cutting off one's own arms... Wow, how stupid a fool can be to do this?!
The emperor prided himself on being a broad-minded man, and he upheld the will of the late emperor: as long as the He family did not rebel, the royal family would allow the existence of the He family's army.
The royal family gave enough trust to the He family, and the He family was able to do their best to train the army and garrison the border.
Sometimes, the court's food and salary supply was not timely, and the He family had to pay out of their own pockets.
The Marquis Mansion of Nan/Ning has led troops for generations, and the family is not very prosperous, but the Marquis Mansion is not very wealthy.
Here's the reason: 100,000 Northwest troops, even if it's just an occasional subsidy, is still a big expense.
Let people spend their own money to raise troops and horses for the court. If you don't give them some benefits, isn't this forcing them to rebel?
The emperor said that he refused to do such a stupid thing.
Therefore, the Northwest Army bears the obvious brand of the He family.
However, when the inheritance of the He family is in danger of being cut off, an army with such a deep family imprint will be in trouble.
If the imperial court rashly sends someone who has nothing to do with the He family to take charge, not to mention the lieutenants and generals who were single-handedly promoted and carefully trained by the He family, even ordinary soldiers may not agree.
Under the circumstances at this moment, if you want to smoothly bring the Northwest Army back into the hands of the imperial court, you must have someone closely related to the He family to make the "transition".
The emperor was thinking before that if it didn't work out, he would let He Han, the second son of the He family, go.
But He Han's body was too weak and he couldn't even ride a horse.
The capital is thousands of miles away from the northwest, and He Han might fall on the road!
The eldest son of the He family has disappeared. The emperor really didn't want the He family to be extinct due to the conflict between He Jing and his ministers.
Just when the emperor was in trouble, He Tiantian stood up.
The emperor looked at the young, lively girl in front of him, who was full of energy and had clear eyes.
Although she has a bad reputation for being arrogant, from another perspective, it is another proof of the girl's "toughness".
Such a woman should be able to withstand the hard work of traveling thousands of miles and be able to reach the Nishimoto camp without any problems.
Yes, the emperor did not have high requirements for He Tiantian, as long as she appeared in front of He Jiajun alive and kicking.
As a mascot, who really expects her to lead troops in war?
The emperor already had a plan in mind: Let "He Tan" serve as the head coach, and then pair her with two veteran generals who are good at fighting.
This can not only appease the He family's army, but also repel the Hulu!
"...Your Majesty, I know that as a woman, I have many inconveniences, but please see that my family has been loyal for generations and that I want to avenge my father and brother, please let me go to the northwest!"
He Tiantian solemnly requested a discount.
"Okay! The tiger father has no dog daughter!"
The emperor had an idea, so he didn't hesitate anymore. He slapped the case hard and said hello repeatedly.
Zhou Jin:...Do you agree?
Women in command?
Or is she a savage and delicate girl who has never been on the battlefield?
Father, are you sure you are not telling a story?
Even if there is a record of a woman being the commander-in-chief in Dayuan, Princess Zhaoyang is different from "He Tan".
The eldest princess Zhaoyang has practiced martial arts since she was a child. After getting married, she and her consort, who was a general, were stationed in the southwest.
She has led soldiers and fought in battles, so she has absolute experience.
What about "What?"
Zhou Jin has known her for more than ten years, and has only seen her act like a monster and do all kinds of mischief, but she has never done anything serious.
How can such a naughty kid take on the great responsibility of the Northwest Army?
The emperor saw Zhou Jin's unbelievable look and shook his head secretly: "Lao Qi is still a lot worse. He doesn't have the brains and vision of the superiors at all."
What happened today, if it were the prince or several other older princes, after a brief period of shock and confusion, he would be able to understand the joints very quickly——
The most valuable thing about "He Tan" is not her ability, but her identity.
She was sent to the northwest not to let her fight, but to appease and win up the morale of the army.
A proper mascot, you know?!
Of course He Tiantian knew what the emperor and even the courtiers were thinking, but she refused to be a mascot.
Of course, this kind of thing cannot be solved by just arguing.
If you want to gain recognition and respect from others, you must produce tangible results.
He Tiantian has enough ability, what she lacks is the opportunity to show off.
When an opportunity comes, no matter how it comes, He Tiantian just needs to make good use of it!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor agreed, and He Tiantian was overjoyed.
Of course, re-selecting the head coach still requires the approval of the political hall.
When several powerful officials heard that He Jing's daughter was going to the northwest, they were shocked at first and said it was "ridiculous".
The emperor remained calm and did not help to explain, but sat there and waited quietly.
The political hall was noisy for a while and then gradually became quiet.
But the Pavilion Elder, the six ministers, and other important ministers who had calmed down also reacted one after another.
"It's not impossible for He's daughter to go to the northwest, but she has to select two more experienced warriors!"
Elder Ge's ideas almost coincided with those of the emperor.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
So, this seemingly absurd, but very appropriate proposal was passed.
"...What? Why are you going to the northwest?"
Before He Shu could be happy that she could successfully marry into Prince Qi's palace, she heard such "horrifying" news.
How can it be?
No matter how empty the Dayuan Dynasty was, it was still a feudal dynasty.
Women take charge?
It really feels like a performance of the Yang family general.
And Mu Guiying and so on are all fabricated.
Throughout the thousands of years of Chinese history, there is only one female general who has truly been recorded in the annals of history - Qin Liangyu.
And the reason why she was able to leave her name in the official history is also because of the special historical period, the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, when the world was in chaos.
Although the Dayuan Dynasty encountered war, it had not yet reached the point where the country was destroyed and the family was destroyed.
In the prosperous feudal age, it was simply unbelievable for a woman to want to go to war.
After He Shu was stunned, she thought about why the emperor and the courtiers made such a decision.
He Jiajun!
It must be for the nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses in the northwest.
In the south, Ninghou Mansion has been rich and noble for generations, but its population is not prosperous.
The He family now has two families. The eldest son He Jing died young, leaving only his daughter He Shu.
The second wife, He Jing, is slightly better, with two sons and one daughter.
But now He Jing and the eldest son He Tao are dead, and the second son He Han is a weakling. Only He Dan is still alive and kicking.
"Your Majesty wants He Dan to be the mascot!"
He Shu realized this and couldn't help curling her lips.
But she is not just a jealous lady.
After thinking for a moment, He Shu thought of something: "Since it is a decoration, it doesn't have to be He Dan!"
Of course, He Shu said this not because she wanted to replace He Tan.
She is self-aware. She cannot bear the pain of marching and fighting, let alone the cruel killings of the Cold War era.
He Shu can't do it, but Zhou Jin can.
He is a grown man, capable of civility and military prowess, and he is the son-in-law and son-in-law of the He family. The He family's army should buy into his account.
The most important thing is that Zhou Jin is a prince, and even the emperor would probably prefer his own family to have military power.
Once Zhou Jin takes control of the Northwest Army, he can still become a high-ranking prince even if he does not ascend to that position.
Instead of being like this now, he is a soft-boiled man who is looked down upon by others.
He Shu thought very far.
And those wonderful prospects made her blood boil uncontrollably.
right!
Zhou Jin must be allowed to gain military power!
He Shu had forgotten that her own surname was He, and He Jiajun was the foundation of the He family.
She is not an indigenous person, and she does not have much sense of clan.
She had never thought about taking the overall situation into consideration.
Big picture?
Whose overall situation?
She has no father, no brother, and only a widowed mother. When she was bullied by He Tan in the inner courtyard of the Hou Mansion, why did no one say anything about the overall situation? We share weal and woe?!
He Shu just wanted to become the most noble person so that no one would dare to bully her anymore.
He Shu had an idea and was happy with the eldest lady that she could marry into the palace, and actively prepared the dowry.
He Shu directly ordered someone to deliver the news to Zhou Jin.
The two continued to have a private meeting at Zhaixing Tower.
As soon as they met, He Shu had no intention of talking about marriage or thinking about the future with Zhou Jin, who was full of tenderness and sweetness.
She went straight to the point: "Your Majesty, I heard that the third sister is going to the northwest?"
Zhou Jin's joy was immediately doused by a basin of cold water.
He felt awkward and responded dully, "Yes!"
"This is not good! Third sister is already married, she, she is Princess Qi!"
He Shu said eagerly, "The male takes charge outside and the female takes charge inside. Even if the He family is needed in Northwest China to take charge of the overall situation, the man should take the lead!"
Zhou Jin: ...of course I know this, but the problem is, my surname is not He.
He Shu seemed to hear Zhou Jin's inner complaints and hurriedly said: "My lord, although you are not the young master of the He family, you are the son-in-law of the He family."
Zhou Jin curled his lips, so what about son-in-law, so what about son-in-law, after all there is a layer between them.
But He Shu said seriously: "Leave aside these things. You and the third sister are husband and wife."
Zhou Jin seemed to have listened and looked at He Shu intently.
He Shu said: "Husband and wife are one body, and you are also responsible for sharing the burden on the shoulders of the third sister!"
Therefore, Zhou Jin did not fight for power, but felt sorry for his wife and helped her!
Zhou Jin's eyes lit up, hey, that's a good idea!
Zhou Jin also wanted to hold military power.
Only by awakening to the power of the world can one lie drunk on the lap of a beautiful woman.
As a man and a prince, he also has ambitions.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to the marriage despite clearly hating He Tan.
"Yes, Shu'er, you are indeed a kind and beautiful woman!"
It's better for Shu'er to consider everything for him.
Unlike He Tan, who only cared about being in the limelight but never thought of taking care of him as her husband!
He Tiantian: ...A scumbag is a scumbag, and you can’t even use bleach to clean him.
He Tiantian really doesn't like Zhou Jin. In the past, she had to act with Zhou Jin just to plot against him.
Now that the goal has been achieved, she successfully brought He Shu and Zhou Jin together, and He Tiantian is no longer bothered to continue pretending.
So, when Zhou Jin approached He Tiantian with a disgusting look on her face, "I'm good for you, I'm so great," and said that she would go to the northwest in her place to share her worries.
He Tiantian gently stretched out a foot and kicked Zhou Jin away.
"My lord, your health is too weak. How can you go to the northwest in such a condition?!"
