The Shuhu and Jiagu tribes were secretly supported by Chen and Chu two years ago in order to contain the Wanyan tribe.
If Chen and Chu hadn't secretly funded them, Shuhu and Jiagu tribe would have been annexed by Wanyan tribe two years ago.
Chen Chu originally thought that this clever plan could curb the expansion of the Wanyan tribe and keep the border stable for at least more than ten years. However, the Wanyan tribe was so powerful that it only took two years to complete the unification of the tribe.
With their internal worries gone, their energy can naturally be focused on the two countries Chen and Chu.
A Wanyan tribe is strong enough. If coupled with the imminent invasion of the Western Region, even if Chen Guo has made sufficient preparations in the northwest, the officials of the Ministry of War who heard the news were still uneasy.
Tang Ning was well aware of the situation in the grassland and knew that the Wanyan tribe would be unified sooner or later. However, the time for their unification was earlier than he expected.
He is not worried about Chen Guo. Chen Huang intends to make the northwest land into an iron barrel and throw out a lot of money. Now that he is rich and wealthy, and he is not stingy with money at all, the poor ghosts on the grassland will be unable to beat him for a while.
came in.
Tang Ning is worried about Xiao Jue. The north is much more dangerous than the west. After Wanyan's unification, the soldiers in the north will face the Sushen people who are twisted into a rope, and the danger will be doubled.
In order to build a heavy cavalry, Emperor Chen has selected all the elites of the Sixteenth Guards and is now training them in weight-bearing and riding skills. In addition, he has also summoned all the blacksmiths in the Gyeonggi region to work day and night to build a heavy cavalry.
Equipped with armor, even so, it will take at least half a year for this team to enter the battlefield.
Without this heavy cavalry team, it would be even more difficult for them to face the prairie people's cavalry.
From the moment this piece of information was sent to the capital, the war began officially.
After Zhou Shilang finished sighing, he looked at Tang Ning and said, "Master Tang, His Royal Highness Prince Duan and several other adults have been waiting for a long time. Let's go there quickly."
Today, she came to the Ministry of War to discuss matters related to the military examination. Tang Ning followed Zhou Shilang to a certain government office. King Duan Huai and others had already arrived.
In addition, there were several generals from the Sixteenth Guards, Sun Qian, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and other faces that were familiar to Tang Ning.
Tang Ning and Zhou Shilang sat down in the middle, and Prince Duan sat at the front. He looked at everyone and said, "Now that Mr. Tang and Mr. Zhou have arrived, I will begin."
He stood up and said, "I believe everyone already knows the latest news from the front line."
"The Wanyan tribe has annexed the Jiagu tribe and the Shuhu tribe half a month ago, unifying the Sushen tribes. The north has been our enemy in the Central Plains since ancient times. After they stabilize their internal affairs, it will be a matter of time before they attack the Chen Kingdom." King Duan
With a stern face, he said: "The battle between Chen State and the grassland is inevitable. The purpose of this military exercise is to send enough generals to the front. My father has given this important task to me. I hope to cooperate with you all."
, finish this errand..."
Tang Ning has never had a head-to-head confrontation with King Duan, but from his previous performance in the court and his words today, it can be seen that King Duan is indeed somewhat more capable than the previous King Kang.
It's no wonder that Emperor Chen likes him more. If King Duan ascends the throne, he may not do much, but he won't make any big mistakes either.
King Duan made an impassioned speech, then looked at everyone and said: "There are still a few days until the martial arts competition begins. If you have any suggestions, you might as well speak up..."
Sun Qian, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, thought for a while and said: "Back to Your Highness, although His Highness King Huai once suggested that Your Majesty should be lenient on the origins of those who participate in military exercises, the time for this rule to be implemented is limited, and preparations near the capital are still tense, and there are many more
The state capital has not received the news, so I believe that supplementary registration should be made for state capitals outside the capital. This way, it will be fair..."
Speaking of this matter, King Duan felt a little depressed.
It was clearly him who proposed the expansion of the martial arts examinations. King Huai just suggested relaxing the origins of those who participated in the martial arts examinations. However, as the news spread, people did not mention his contribution. Instead, they all praised King Huai for his poor family background, which made him feel very sad.
feel bad.
Sun Qian's suggestion made sense. He thought about it, nodded and said, "The younger brother of King Huai is responsible for this matter. Please arrange for someone to inform you."
King Huai nodded, indicating that he understood.
Tang Ning sat lazily on the chair, quietly listening to everyone's speeches.
King Duan proposed the expansion of martial arts, but it was King Huai who really played a role in promoting this matter.
Compared with the civil examination, the reason why the military examination has not been taken seriously over the years is because the military examination is originally a supplementary election.
The good positions in the army have long been taken by the generals and nobles, leaving not many for the poor.
Only when there are vacancies in the army will it be the turn of these martial arts scholars, and the number of people selected in each military election ranges from dozens to only a dozen or so...
King Huai's move gave most of Chen Guo's poor children more opportunities for promotion.
The so-called poor are rich in literature and martial arts. Ordinary poor people cannot even afford to read, let alone practice martial arts. But children from poor families are different. These people's families have rich conditions. They can learn riding and archery, and they can also afford tutors. What they lack is just a person.
Chance.
Now that King Huai has given them this opportunity, these people will naturally be grateful to King Huai.
Although they are not powerful people, they represent a large part of the gentry and landlords in Chen State, and the energy of these people cannot be underestimated.
Everyone spoke one after another and added a lot of details about the martial arts. After a certain general of the Sixteenth Guards sat down, King Duan looked at Zhou Shilang. Zhou Shilang stood up and said: "What the adults said is right. They
What I want to say is what I want to say."
King Huai raised his head and glanced at Zhou Shilang, then lowered his head.
Prince Duan looked away from him, suddenly looked at Tang Ning, and asked with a smile: "Master Tang is very resourceful, what do you think about this?"
Tangning was startled when she heard this. She didn't expect that Prince Duan would take the initiative to make fun of him.
Everyone in the room had slightly different expressions on their faces. They had long known about the relationship between Duan Wang, the Tang family, and Tang Ning. Duan Wang relied on the Tang family, and Tang Ning and the Tang family were incompatible. Duan Wang took the initiative to ask for help.
They couldn't understand Tangning's good behavior.
Tangning was just stunned for a moment and then said, "Shilang Zhou is right. What you all said is very good. I have nothing to add."
King Huai, who had his head down and was distracted, raised his head and glanced at Tang Ning with a stunned look on his face.
Tang Ning didn't say anything. King Duan nodded, but he didn't force it. Instead, he looked at King Huai and asked, "Where is the emperor's brother?"
King Huai thought for a while and said: "I think what Zhou Shilang and Lord Tang said is right..."
King Duan's reaction to King Huai was not surprising, but rather something he was used to.
He has always been like this, only agreeing with others, and the same is true in front of his father. Because of this, he has never regarded him as a real opponent.
It is impossible for a prince without his own opinion to become an emperor.
He smiled, looked at everyone, and said: "Since no one has anything to say, that's it for today. It's fate that I can work with you all. I am hosting a banquet in my mansion tonight, and you all will appreciate it...
…”
"sure."
"This is my honor."
…
King Duan had already entered the East Palace. No one dared not to give him this honor. Everyone agreed. King Duan looked at Tang Ning, who was the only one who remained silent, and asked with a smile: "Where is Mr. Tang?"
Everyone looked at Tang Ning and then at Prince Duan. It was almost certain that Prince Duan was interested in wooing Tang Ning.
Thinking about it, although the two of them had a grudge in the past, Prince Duan will be crowned Prince and will become the emperor in the future, so Tang Ning will become his minister. How can there be a minister who has enmity with the emperor?
With this move by King Duan, he took the initiative to take a step back. As long as Tang Ning takes a step forward, she can resolve this grudge and eliminate future disasters.
If he doesn't give face to Prince Duan now, wouldn't he be denying face to the future emperor? How can Prince Duan tolerate him when the time comes?
Tang Ning looked at Prince Duan, smiled, and said, "No, I made an appointment with my wife to practice kung fu tonight."
The smile on Prince Duan's face froze. Seeing that something was not going well, Zhou Shilang tugged on Tang Ning's sleeves and whispered: "Practice is so tiring. Lord Tang, why don't you come with me to His Highness's residence to drink fine wine and enjoy the feast?"
Wouldn’t it be fun to sing and dance?”
"I'm just a little tired..." Tang Ning looked at Zhou Shilang, shook her head and said, "But, I still like to practice."
Tangning walked out of the room, waved to everyone, and said, "My wife will blame you if you go back late. See you later, everyone."
Prince Duan stood there, his expression darkening completely as he watched Tangning disappear.
