When Wu Dalin came over, Qi Ning was waiting outside the tent. In the middle of the night, Qi Ning suddenly asked Wu Dalin to come over. Wu Dalin was a little strange, but on this mission, he and Qin Ning cooperated tacitly. During the battle at Mawangpo, Wu Dalin was even more surprised. Having witnessed Qi Ning's bravery and fearlessness with his own eyes, he was already in awe of Qi Ning.
"Master Hou!" Wu Dalin cupped his hands and said, "Li Tang said you were looking for me?"
Qi Ning looked at Wu Dalin and said with a smile: "Leader Wu, I may have to leave here tonight, so I want to say hello to you."
Wu Dalin was startled and asked curiously: "Master Hou is leaving?"
"The Emperor has another secret order." Qi Ning said softly: "Escort the princess to the Chu Kingdom. I have something to do, so I will set off tonight."
Wu Dalin's expression calmed down. Although he felt it was a bit unexpected, he thought that the emperor had great trust in Qing Ning. He was convinced of this and immediately said: "Does the Marquis need manpower to handle the matter? I am willing to accompany the Marquis there."
Qi Ning smiled slightly and said: "You still have responsibilities. Tomorrow you have to lead the mission to escort the princess back to the capital. Although I have entrusted King Huainan with it, but... you must protect the prince and princess, and never let anything happen. error."
Wu Dalin solemnly said: "Master Marquis, this marriage proposal is successful. The difficulty involved is very clear to my humble position. Even if I risk my life, I will escort the team to Jianye safely."
Qi Ning nodded and glanced around. The tent he was in was completely empty. This was just to allow him to sleep peacefully without being disturbed. When he saw that there was no one around, he whispered: "Leader Wu, you were transferred back then. He went to the Xichuan Army and was later transferred back to the capital. It is said that he was promoted by the Duke of Zhenguo?"
Wu Dalin was startled, then pondered for a moment, and then said: "When I was in the Xichuan Army, I made a few friends. Later I found out that they were from Zhen Guogong, and I didn't know who recommended them to Zhen Guogong. The court suddenly issued a notice A transfer order passed and the humble post was transferred to the Xuanwu Camp. Only later did the humble post know that it was the intention of the Duke of Zhen Guo."
"Dong Zhenguo also has people in the Xichuan Army?" Qining frowned.
He now has a fairly good understanding of the situation in the Chu State. The military of the Chu State has always been mainly composed of Jinyihou and Jindaohou. Even the Wuxiang Hou was quite powerful in the military back then, but Wuxiang After the old marquis passed away, Su Zhen inherited the title, and his strength had already plummeted. The two main pillars of the Chu State's military were the Golden Sword Marquis and the Jinyi Marquis.
Although the current situation in the Chu State has changed somewhat. After the death of Jin Yihou Qi Jing, the influence of the Jin Yi Qi family in the military seems to have begun to weaken, but the Qinhuai Army still retains the influence of the Jin Yi Qi family.
As for Ruo Jin Dao Hou, his strength is mainly in the navy. The Chu State's East China Sea Navy is all within Jin Dao Hou's sphere of influence.
The only direct force of Lord Zhen Guo is the Black Knife Battalion, an elite division stationed in the Gyeonggi region. However, its establishment is very small. Although it is said to have extremely strong combat effectiveness, it is not actually a powerful military force.
"Master Marquis, the situation of the Xichuan Army is quite complicated." Wu Dalin said softly: "Jin Daohou has two sons. The eldest son is now the commander-in-chief of the Donghai Navy. He has outstanding talents and is a powerful character. The younger son is in charge of the Xichuan Army. It's just that this young master is far from as talented as the eldest master. When the Golden Sword Master asked him to go to Xichuan, he originally wanted to train him in the poor mountains and rivers, but his nature has not changed. Whenever something happens, he will summon his subordinates. The generals discussed it and now the Xichuan Army is mainly controlled by three generals."
"Three generals?"
Wu Dalin nodded slightly and whispered: "One of them is a direct subordinate of Jin Daohou, and the other two were transferred later. One of them is said to be promoted by the Duke of Zhen, and the other was appointed by the emperor at that time, so The forces in the Xichuan Army are quite mixed. The Xichuan Army is stationed in the far western border area. There are not many people and horses, and it is not an elite division. Prisoners are often sent there to join the army. The young master from Tantai has always wanted to When he returned to the capital, it was Old Marquis Jin Dao who held him there. Without the permission of the old Marquis, the young master could only suffer there."
Qining raised his hand to support his chin and said softly: "That's it."
Wu Dalin said: "The late emperor had great respect and trust in Duke Zhen. When the late emperor was still alive, Duke Zhen was very dedicated to court affairs. If he recommended anyone, the late emperor would agree, otherwise it would be impossible to let Zhen Guo go." The Duke built a black knife camp and stationed it near the capital."
Qi Ning does not doubt this. When the former emperor died, the Sima family was left alone, and the Sima family supported Longtai on the throne. At that time, Qi Ning understood that the Sima family was indeed valued by the former emperor. This was certainly because of Sima Lan's outstanding talents. I am afraid that another reason for being able to assist the emperor in managing court affairs was related to the current situation in the court.
The Jinyi Qi family was promoted by Emperor Taizong. In order to cultivate direct lineage, Emperor Taizong promoted the Qi family, but suppressed the Tantai family, which was the first martial arts family in the Chu State. The Jinyi Qi family has been promoted all the way since then, coming from behind and suppressing the Jindao family. Tantai became the number one martial arts family in Chu State.
After Taizong passed away, the previous emperor succeeded to the throne, and once he was the emperor, he had ministers. However, the martial arts family in Chu State was deeply rooted, and the world was not yet unified. The former emperor naturally needed the martial arts family to charge into battle, so the Jinyi family was as stable as a mountain. And Jin Dao Tantai still has great strength in the military.
The first emperor was not Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Taizong had great trust in the Jinyi Qi family. This does not mean that the first emperor would completely trust the Jinyi Qi family.
Qi Ning could actually understand the state of mind of the late emperor. It was not the former emperor who directly showed kindness to the Jinyi Qi family, but Emperor Taizong, and it was Emperor Taizu who showed kindness to Jin Dao Tantai. In this way, in the heart of the former emperor, he only I'm afraid that the Jinyi Qi family is not regarded as a direct force.
What’s even more troublesome about the weight of the old minister is that there is also a King of Huainan hanging around. The mood of the former emperor when he inherited the throne should not be much better than the mood of the young emperor today. Among the four hereditary candidates, the former emperor chose Sima When the daughter of the family entered the palace and became the current empress dowager, Qining thought that the former emperor must have wanted to win over the Sima family to become a trusted force. After all, among the four hereditary princes, only the Sima family had not controlled the military before. It is easier for the Sima family to be kind to him and make the Sima family loyal to him wholeheartedly.
The Sima family has its current power, and of course it did not rise overnight.
Without the promotion of the former emperor, even if the Sima family had the merit of supporting it, it would not be as strong as it is today.
Qi Ning secretly sighed in his heart. It can be said that the Sima family is what it is today. It can be said that it was created by the first emperor. In fact, this does not mean that the first emperor was too stupid. The first emperor allowed the Sima family to increase in power. It was just to balance the Jinyi Qi family and the Jin Dao Tantai family, but what the former emperor did not expect was that not only did he not live long, but Jin Yihou Qi Jing passed away tonight in middle age. As long as either of these two people is still alive, the Sima family will never Today the power lies with both the government and the public.
"Transferring you to the Royal Yulin Camp seems to be the intention of Lord Zhenguo!" Qining put his hands behind his back and said softly.
Wu Dalin was not a fool, so he naturally understood the meaning of Qi Ning's words. He knelt down on one knee and said: "Master Hou, you are in a humble position...!"
Qi Ning had already reached out and grabbed his arm, pulled him up, shook his head and said: "Leader Wu, don't get me wrong, I have no other intentions." After a pause, he said sincerely: "When you were transferred from the Qinhuai Army, Let's go, and... you yourself said that your father gave you a dagger back then, so you still have some connection with my Jinyi Qi family."
"Master Hou...!"
Qi Ning interrupted before he could say more: "There are some things I shouldn't say, but you have a connection with the Qi family. This time we are on a mission to Dong Qi. I also see that you, Wu Dalin, are a loyal soldier who fulfills his duty." After pondering for a moment, he said: "I admire your temperament very much. You also know that now the King of Huainan and the Duke of Zhen are fighting openly and secretly. The court is also bloody. I just don't want to see you involved. In the end, he became someone else’s pawn.”
Wu Dalin frowned, not expecting Qin Ning to say these words to him. He knew that if Qin Ning was not very honest with him, he would never say these words to him. He felt grateful in his heart and whispered: "Master Hou, I am a soldier. Wherever the court tells me, I can only obey. But there is one thing I know in my heart. I am getting the salary from the court and it is the favor of the emperor. I am the emperor's life. Who cares about it?" The Emperor's loyal friends are humble friends. If anyone wants to offend the Emperor, he will fight to the death even if he is humble enough to do so."
Qi Ning raised his hand and patted Wu Dalin's arm gently. He looked young, but his demeanor was mature and steady. He said softly: "If you think like this, there won't be any trouble. Remember, there is only one cloud above your head, that is emperor."
Wu Dalin nodded and said, "Don't worry, Lord Marquis. If you say what you say tonight, your humble position will be engraved in my heart and I will never forget it." He paused and then said, "Master Marquis, you are alone outside, so be careful. Some people in the court regard you as a thorn in their side. , always trying to do you harm, so you have to be careful. Also... there must have been people in the Qinhuai Army who have been interposed by the Zhenguo Public Security Bureau, and not all of them can be completely trusted."
Qi Ning smiled slightly and nodded, knowing that since Wu Dalin said this, he had already leaned towards him and said: "After returning to Beijing, we won't be able to be together often, but I believe that one day we can have a good time over wine, no matter what I’m so drunk, okay, you go and have a rest first, let’s say goodbye here first.”
Wu Dalin knew the meaning of Qi Ning's words, so he cupped his hands and withdrew with gratitude in his eyes.
Qi Ning knew that Sima Lan's placement of Wu Dalin into the Yulin camp would never lead to anything good. He was getting along with Wu Dalin recently, but he also discovered through bit by bit that Wu Dalin was still an upright soldier at heart, but he was not good at it. Playing with power, but doing things with dedication.
Since this person has a connection with the Jinyi Qi family, Qi Ning does not want this person to really become a pawn controlled by Sima Lan. If possible, it would be best to win him over.
It's just that people's hearts are unpredictable, so he just touched on it and didn't go into too much depth.
After Wu Dalin left, Li Tang came closer and said softly: "Master Hou, you are going to Xiangyang this time. Do you also want to change your appearance?"
Qi Ning turned around, shook his head and said: "You don't have to come with me this time. This is a matter for the Beggar Clan. They asked me to go because they had no choice. After all, you are also a member of the imperial court, so you shouldn't get involved too much."
Li Tang frowned and said, "Master Hou, could it be that... you want to go alone?"
"Just have Mao Hu'er and a few of you following me." Qi Ning said with a smile: "Just follow the team back to Beijing. By the way, that one named Xiuniang, after you go back, remember to help me explain to the third lady...!" After thinking for a while, he whispered: "You just said it was a gift from Prime Minister Linghu. Then Prime Minister Linghu said that if I didn't accept it, the marriage between Qi and Chu would not be able to be negotiated."
Li Tang said with a bitter face: "Master Hou, will the third lady believe it?"
"Just say it like this first, and I will explain it when I get back." Qi Ning said: "How to place Xiu Niang is decided by the third lady, but you have to be careful. After all, she is the person sent by Linghu Xu, so it is better to be careful. .”
Li Tang nodded and said softly: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis. If the third lady really lets her live in the mansion, I will arrange for someone to keep an eye on her day and night to prevent her from leaving our eyes."
Qi Ning wondered if this was too much, but he still acted cautiously and waited until he returned to deal with it. He nodded and said: "You can arrange it." Then he said: "You can choose some of the gifts I accepted. For expensive things, let alone being given by others, just say that I bought them with my own money in Dongqi and brought them back to honor Sanniang."
Li Tang smiled and said: "Master Hou is so filial and considerate, the third lady will definitely be happy." Then he said: "Master Hou, Mr. Zhong is ready to disguise himself at any time."
Qi Ning then moved his hands and feet and turned around to go inside the tent.