Sheng Hong and Xie Mingxi were both shocked and stood up in unison.
Any urgent battle report, no matter when it is delivered to the capital, even in the middle of the night, must be presented to the emperor as soon as possible.
Sheng Hong walked over quickly and opened the door himself: "Where is the sergeant who sent the battle report?"
Under the bright palace lanterns, Eunuch Wei, who was running all the way, with beads of sweat on his forehead, quickly reported: "My servant has led people outside the Yiqing Palace."
"When Xuan enters the main hall, I will go immediately. The Secretary of the Ministry of War of Xuan and several cabinet elders will enter the palace immediately to discuss important matters."
Sheng Hong ordered in a deep voice, turned to Xie Mingxi and said apologetically: "You should rest first! Don't wait for me."
Since it can be called an emergency, something important must have happened. I don't know how long I will stay up tonight.
Xie Mingxi nodded slightly: "The military situation is important, don't worry about me, go quickly!"
After Sheng Hong left, Xie Mingxi was completely sleepless, frowning slightly, and her heartbeat was strangely erratic.
She had a not-so-good premonition.
Since the army set off, everything has been smooth sailing. General Lian took the lead in pacifying Zhangde City, and the good news came one after another, which was inspiring. General Chu fought steadily, and although he did not achieve full success for a while, according to the current situation, it was only a matter of time before Yingchuan was defeated.
Only for the Divine Guards, the fighting was the most intense and difficult.
Hejing City was the richest, but the city was not as strong as Yingchuan City, and its military strength was not as good as that of King Zhangde. However, King Hejing was cunning and scheming, and was very difficult to deal with.
Zhou Yong was Zhou Quan's cousin. He was a serious general and a confidant of the emperor. When King Linjiang was appointed as the commander of the Divine Guards, Sheng Hong sent Zhou Yong to serve as the deputy commander of the Divine Guards.
After King Linjiang was executed for treason, Zhou Yong naturally took over the Divine Guards.
However, Zhou Yong is a little younger after all, and he has only taken over the Divine Guards for a few years. He is far less popular than General Chu in the army, and is not as brave as General Lian. Among the three generals, Zhou Yong is also the youngest and most senior.
shallow.
On that day, Sheng Hong appointed three generals, and the one with the most fierce opposition was General Lian. So much so that the opposition to Zhou Yong was not so obvious.
Zhou Yong was deeply favored by Heaven and was determined to repay the emperor with military exploits. Unfortunately, King Hejing was a difficult bone to chew. After several months of chewing, he could not bite off a few pieces of meat, but his teeth were almost knocked out after eating it several times.
defeat.
Zhou Yong felt ashamed, and in addition to the battle report, he wrote several letters to the emperor one after another. The letters contained a sense of shame. Sheng Hong wrote a reply in person, and most of the letters contained comfort and encouragement.
This urgent military report was sent by the Divine Guards. Could it be that the Divine Guards were defeated again?
…
"Mother!"
A clear and melodious girl's voice sounded at the door.
Xie Mingxi frowned and looked over: "Aluo, why are you here?"
"I heard that my father went to Yiqing Hall again. Did something happen?" A Luo walked in, her eyebrows full of concern.
In the past six months, Ah Luo's height has grown rapidly, and she has reached Xie Mingxi's eyebrows. Her figure has also stretched quietly like a bud, and she has the graceful curves of a girl. Her face has become more beautiful, and her bright eyes are firm and calm.
When a girl of the same age stands next to A Luo, she will immediately look childish and shallow.
After A Luo turned ten years old, Xie Mingxi no longer regarded her as a child. She would tell A Luo about everything: "The Divine Guards sent an urgent battle report. I also felt a little uneasy, maybe the Divine Guards had eaten her.
The battle was defeated."
Ping Fan is a major event for the country. In the past six months, A Luo has also been very concerned about Ping Fan's war. Hearing this, he also frowned delicately: "There is no guarantee of victory in a war, so losing once is nothing!"
"
Xie Mingxi sighed softly: "I have some bad premonitions."
Her premonitions have always been very effective.
It is an intuition condensed from having experienced several life-and-death dangers and countless ups and downs.
Xie Mingxi has always been calm and composed, and rarely gets upset.
Seeing Xie Mingxi frowning slightly, A'luo felt a little heavy in her heart, but comforted her: "The premonition may not be effective. If we wait a little longer, maybe my father will come back soon."
It seems that in just the blink of an eye, the child grows up.
In the past, he would only act coquettishly and fuss around her, but now he can also comfort her in a decent way.
Xie Mingxi felt a little warmth in her heart, mixed with the pride and joy of having a daughter in our family. She reached out and stroked A Luo's hair: "Okay, let's wait for your father."
…
This wait lasts for an hour.
Until Zishi, Sheng Hong still didn't come back, and he didn't send a message from Eunuch Wei.
It can be seen that something big happened!
Xie Mingxi's heart sank again and again, and urged A Luo to go to bed first. She went to Yiqing Hall herself.
The Yiqing Hall is where the emperor summons his ministers to handle political affairs. Xie Mingxi rarely comes here on weekdays. It was rare to show up today, so the servants guarding outside did not dare to neglect and immediately went to pass the news.
Eunuch Wei came out soon, bowed his hands and saluted: "I have seen the Queen."
Xie Mingxi's eyes glanced at Eunuch Wei's slightly gloomy face, and asked in a low voice: "Is the emperor still discussing matters with the ministers?"
Eunuch Wei nodded and said in a low voice: "I dare not hide it from the Queen. The six ministers and all the ministers were summoned into the palace to discuss matters. The Divine Guards suffered a huge defeat, with more than ten thousand soldiers killed or injured..."
Xie Mingxi's expression changed slightly.
A defeat on the battlefield is nothing. But such heavy casualties are truly shocking.
"I don't know much about the specific military situation." Eunuch Wei lowered his voice: "Your Majesty and others are discussing countermeasures."
The implication is that it may not be appropriate for the Queen to go in now.
Xie Mingxi took a deep breath: "I understand, I will go back to Jiaofang Palace first. If there is any change, you can send someone to Jiaofang Palace to deliver a message."
Eunuch Wei nodded in agreement.
…
That night, Sheng Hong did not return to Jiaofang Hall.
The meeting ended at the fourth watch, and he slept for two hours in the Yiqing Palace. A group of veteran ministers left the palace and returned to their homes, but only slept for one or two hours before attacking again.
By daybreak, word had spread about the defeat of the Divine Guards.
Zhou Yong left half of his soldiers stationed in the military camp and led the other half to attack the city. Halfway through the city attack, flames burst into the sky from the military camp in the rear, and bursts of fighting could be heard.
Soon after, 30,000 elite soldiers appeared from nowhere, marched quickly, and attacked the camp of the Divine Guards.
Most of the soldiers stationed in the military camp were garrison soldiers with mediocre combat capabilities. These 30,000 elite soldiers were unusually brave. Moreover, these elite soldiers came well prepared. During the battle, the imperial army suffered heavy losses.
These 30,000 elite soldiers quickly divided into two groups. One group fought fiercely with the soldiers in the barracks, while the other half aggressively charged toward the rear of the attacking God Guards.
Being attacked from both sides, the Divine Guards were defeated in panic and suffered heavy casualties.
