Qi Ning finally understood the value of Beitang Yu, and even more understood why the little emperor was so excited about capturing Beitang Yu.
If you have a map of the world, you can have a clear overview of the Central Plains, and the benefits to the Chu State are self-evident.
"Beitang Yu has no right to mobilize any soldiers, but the Map of the Universe that he is responsible for is a priceless treasure." Longtai slowly returned to the study hall and solemnly said: "To repair the Map of the Universe, you must be familiar with many dangerous fortresses, and Beitang Yu must be very aware of these, and I even suspect that Beitang Yu also knows the distribution of troops of the Northern Han people."
Qi Ning followed and nodded: "Your Majesty, if Beitang Yu can be used by us, he will be even more powerful." After a slight pause, he said softly: "It's just that Beitang Yu is a member of the Northern Han Dynasty royal family, how could he Easily help us deal with our own country?”
"It depends on whether we have this ability." Longtai said: "Beitang Yu is full of talents and has the ability to govern the country. When he was young, his talent and reputation were already famous all over the world. I believe Beitang Yu at that time, He must also be ambitious and want to flex his muscles and do something big."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "He was born into a royal family and is full of talent and ambition. That's natural."
"But he has been suppressed in the Northern Han Dynasty for many years." Long Tai smiled half-heartedly: "If he didn't have any complaints against Beitang Huan and his son, no one would believe it." Looking into Qining's eyes, he said, "As long as there is A crack can make it easy to tear open. Qining, when you were in Dongqi, you had a relationship with him, and you can be considered an acquaintance. Go back and test it out to see if there is a way for him to help me, Da Chu. If so, If he is really willing to seek refuge with me, Dachu, I will definitely not treat him badly."
Qi Ning knew that this matter was extremely difficult, but nothing was absolutely impossible in the world. Although it was difficult, he had to give it a try before he would know the result. He nodded and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will go back and test his tone." He asked again. Said: "Where is he now?"
"I asked the people from the Shenhou Mansion to guard him." Longtai said: "If you take my oracle and go to the people from the Shenhou Mansion, you will always be able to see Beitang Yu."
Qi Ning handed over his hand and said yes. At this time, he thought about the case of Black Scale Camp. Seeing that the little emperor never mentioned it, he didn't know whether he didn't mention it on purpose or if he didn't know about it yet. He was about to ask when he suddenly heard a voice from outside. Reported: "I am reporting to the Holy One, the Duke of Zhenguo is asking for an audience!"
Qi Ning's heart shuddered when he saw Longtai looking at him and pointing behind the screen with his hand. This was a signal for him to go behind the screen for a while. He nodded and walked around behind the screen. Then he heard the little emperor's voice saying: "The Duke of Xuanzhen has an audience!"
Qi Ning stood behind the screen and looked forward through the gap. He soon saw Sima Lan entering the imperial study. The little emperor was sitting behind the case. When he saw Sima Lan come in, the little emperor stood up. Sima Lan After entering the house, he only bowed his hands in salute without kneeling down. The little emperor had already asked: "Mr. Zhen Guo, why did you see me?"
"Your Majesty, I have summoned Mr. Yuan from the Ministry of Etiquette before. There are still a few days before all the wedding matters can be fully prepared." Sima Lan said in a slow and steady voice: "The Crown Prince of Dong Qi personally saw off the bride. I am a guest, so I am going to hold a banquet in the mansion tonight. Please invite the Crown Prince of Dong Qi. I wonder if the emperor thinks it is appropriate?"
"My lord thinks it is okay, and I will naturally not object." The little emperor said, "My lord, do you already know the intention of the Crown Prince of Dong Qi to send his relatives personally?"
"I know something about it," Sima Lan said, "I heard that Dong Qi wants to join forces with Chu in the Northern Expedition."
"That's what they really mean. How do you think we should respond?"
Sima Lan said: "Your Majesty, whether to fight or not to fight is not a fixed matter, it needs to be considered again and again. And if it is an alliance between the two countries, we must be more careful. The people of the Eastern Qi have always been cunning, and the Duan family is also very cunning. They are two-faced, so we should not trust them too much. The Qinhuai War that lasted for three years between Da Chu and the Northern Han Dynasty has just ended. In the past few years, Dong Qi has been sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight. At that time, the people of Dong Qi never thought of fighting with them. We are united forces of Chu and Dachu."
"One moment, another moment." The little emperor was calm and composed: "Beitang Huan is dead and the Northern Han Dynasty is in civil strife. This can be considered a great opportunity."
Sima Lan said: "Although Beitang Huan is dead, we still don't know for sure what kind of chaos the Northern Han Dynasty is now, and whether people are distracted. In the opinion of an experienced official, the more important the matter is, the more important it is to proceed slowly and not to rush." After a pause, he said: "I am still worried about whether the Qinhuai Army is ready for the Northern Expedition."
"Oh?" the little emperor asked curiously: "What does the Duke mean by this?"
"Your Majesty doesn't know something. As far as I know, in fact, during the Qinhuai War, the Qinhuai Army often suffered from deterioration in military discipline." Sima Lan sighed: "Every time there is a war, some chaos is inevitable. Qi Jingqi Although the general has commanded the troops well, it is impossible for an army of 100,000 to interfere with everything, and many generals of the Qinhuai Army even went behind Qi Jing's back and allowed their subordinates to plunder the people during the war, which is unbecoming...!"
"Wait a minute." The little emperor stopped and said, "Old Duke, you said that the soldiers of the Qinhuai Army robbed the people? This... is this true?"
Sima Lan said: "Reporting to the emperor, since the old minister said this, there is absolutely no lie. If the emperor does not believe it, the old minister can provide personal and material evidence." He sighed and said: "The old minister does not agree with the key to the Northern Expedition to join forces with Eastern Qi immediately. , It’s not about how strong the Northern Han people are, but whether our Da Chu can fight this battle again at this time.”
The little emperor frowned slightly and asked, "Does the old prince think we are unable to do the Northern Expedition?"
"The three-year Qinhuai War almost emptied the national treasury." Sima Lan said solemnly: "The emperor also knows that there is not much money in the Ministry of Household Affairs. Once the Northern Expedition requires a large amount of money, food and equipment, it will not be possible to complete it in three to five months. Let's raise money. It's just money and food. If we use the whole country's efforts and tighten our belts together, we may be able to sustain it, but whether the Qinhuai Army can still serve the three armies, I can't say."
The little emperor sneered: "A hundred thousand troops, eating military rations and receiving military pay, if they go to the battlefield, why can't they use their lives?"
Qin Ning did not hear Sima Lan answer immediately. Through the gap, he could only see Sima Lan hesitating. After a moment, he heard Sima Lan sigh and say: "The emperor did not go to the front line, so he doesn't know anything. Qin Huai The army of one hundred thousand soldiers was a mixed bag, and because of their different origins, many generals were divided into factions. When Qi Jing was alive, they could barely maintain a balance. Those generals did not dare to cause any trouble, but after Qi Jing passed away, Yue Huanshan temporarily Although he serves as the general on the front line, he can no longer suppress the situation of the Qinhuai Army." He took two steps forward and said in a slightly softer voice: "Your Majesty, the Qinhuai Army is in chaos, and I have been worried that something will happen. .”
"You mean there are people who are dissatisfied with Yue Huanshan?"
Sima Lan said: "Your Majesty, General Qi is indeed selfless. The largest force in the Qinhuai Army is actually a group of township party children who were the first to follow Lord Jinyi. They were all born in the Jiangling area of Jingzhou. The Jinyi family followed He defeated Emperor Taizong and fought in the south and north. He was the number one general under Emperor Taizong, conquered cities and territories, and recruited many surrendered troops and generals. It was not too late for these people to follow the Jinyi Laohou, and their status in the Qinhuai Army was second only to the Jiangling Party. "
The little emperor frowned slightly and said nothing.
"After that, the old Marquis of Jinyi led an army to attack Xichuan and promoted a group of people from among the surrendered generals of Xichuan. These people were the last to follow the old Marquis of Jinyi." Sima Lan said slowly: "After the death of the old Marquis, Qi Jing Continuing to command the Qinhuai Army, he promoted a group of generals from the army. When Lord Jinyi was alive, this group of people accompanied Qi Jing in the battle. They were Qi Jing's direct generals. They were not of high origin, but they were very outstanding to Qi Jing. Loyal, Yue Huanshan is one of them, he is deeply trusted by Qi Jing and has always been reused by Qi Jing."
The little emperor finally said: "What does the Duke mean to say that there are conflicts among these people?"
"Most of the young generals promoted by Qi Jing were those who were most valued by Qi Jing and made great contributions in the Qinhuai War." Sima Lan said: "The Jiangling faction, which was most valued by the Jinyi old marquis, was replaced by Qi Jing when he commanded the army. He was not used as highly as before, so he had some complaints in his heart. When Qi Jing was alive, those veteran generals could barely be suppressed, but after Qi Jing died, Yue Huanshan temporarily took over as the general, and there were many veteran generals in the army. If you are not convinced, there will inevitably be intrigues.”
The little emperor sneered and said, "Could it be that they dare to break the military discipline of our army for their own selfish reasons?"
Sima Lan sighed: "Your Majesty, the factional disputes in the Qinhuai Army did not appear overnight, but were conflicts accumulated over many years. The veteran is worried that these groups of people will fight each other and sooner or later the Qinhuai Army will be destroyed. If there is a war with the Northern Han Dynasty, Once a fire breaks out in the backyard, the consequences will be disastrous, so the veteran believes that the Northern Expedition seems inevitable, but before the Northern Expedition, the Qinhuai Army must be reorganized, otherwise it will be a mess."
Qi Ning heard clearly from behind the screen and sneered in his heart.
There are factional fights in the Qinhuai Army. This may not be false. After all, since Sima Lan has taken the initiative to go online, such a situation naturally exists.
It's just that this old guy brought this matter out, not just to rectify the Qinhuai Army. This person wants to extend his hand into the frontline army, and his intention is already obvious.
"How do you think the Duke should rectify it?" Long Tai pondered for a moment before asking solemnly.
Sima Lan said: "The veteran is also thinking about ways to rectify the Qinhuai Army, but after all, the veteran is not from the army, and he is not good at talking about major issues in the army."
"The Qinhuai Army has been led by the Jinyi Qi family from the very beginning." The little emperor thought for a moment and then said: "As far as I know, the Qinhuai Army is still in awe of the Jinyi Qi family, but the Jinyi Old Marquis and Qi Jing They have all passed away, and if we want to send someone to rectify the Qinhuai Army, we can only send Qining."
As soon as the little emperor finished speaking, Sima Lan had already sighed: "Your Majesty, the old minister thought so too at first. Although Qi Ning is young, during this trip to the Eastern Qi Dynasty, he was considerate and showed his talents. The old minister still thought that Qin Ning was worthy of his reputation. He is young and promising. If he really wants to send the Qinhuai Army, he might be able to stabilize the situation of the Qinhuai Army, but...!" He shook his head and said: "The old minister just learned something, and found out that Qining may not be good at running an army at all. Soldiers."
A sneer immediately appeared on Qi Ning's lips, already guessing what Sima Lan was going to say.