Prince Han Sien

Chapter 145

Conflicts between Xirong and the Great Zhou were common occurrences, and the emperor and civil and military officials of the Great Zhou had long been accustomed to the news of these conflicts coming from the border from time to time.

But whether it is the people sitting high in the hall or the people standing in the main hall, they don't really care much about these small fights in their hearts.Because they never thought that Xirong would really go to war with Da Zhou one day.

The emperor felt a little frightened and uneasy for a moment, he felt that his throat was a little dry and he couldn't speak.

But Ji Luo was the most shocked in the court, his ears started buzzing after hearing the news.

A few years had passed since Bai Wenhan had an accident at the border in his previous life, and Xi Rong hadn't started a war with Da Zhou at all.Ji Luo didn't know what went wrong, Xi Rong actually went to war ahead of time, and Bai Wenhan disappeared again.

The relationship between Ji Luo and Bai Wenhan in this life has been fixed as ordinary friends.In his previous life, he never helped collect Bai Wenhan's body when he was dying. In this life, no matter what caused the discovery of the situation, he would not allow Bai Wenhan to live without seeing people or dead bodies.

So Ji Luo bit the tip of his tongue and tried to keep his head awake. He looked a little fierce, and then took a step forward and said seriously: "Father, Xirong's invasion this time has caused damage to our western territory. , the people are injured, if my Great Zhou ignores it, not to mention the loss of my Great Zhou's face, the western border will definitely be scorched, and I am willing to personally lead troops to the western border, to boost the morale of the army, and to restore the stability of the people on the border."

As soon as Ji Luo's words fell, he was opposed by the ministers headed by Hubu Shangshu.

Hubu Shangshu has been very quiet in the court these days since he was told by Han Sien last time, trying to reduce his sense of existence.

But in today's situation, he still stood up with his old face.

Hubu Shangshu bowed his waist and said to the emperor with fear and sincerity: "Your Majesty, I understand that His Highness the Crown Prince has a mentality of war in the west, and I am also resentful in my heart. But the situation at the border is unknown, and the prince's expedition is a major event, let alone food and grass. People and horses must think long-term, and I ask the emperor to think twice."

After Hubu Shangshu finished speaking, all the civil servants in the court asked the emperor to think twice.Wuchen wanted to fight Xirong, and the prince's trip to the border would definitely inspire people's hearts, and they naturally agreed in their hearts.

But after all, the border gates have no eyes, and they can't guarantee that the prince will not be injured on the battlefield.So even if they were happy in their hearts, they had to oppose the prince's personal conquest.

Hearing everyone's objections, Ji Luo's face turned livid, and she felt that she was being restrained again.It's just that as soon as he spoke, those people had countless reasons to oppose his words.

Ji Luo had no way to refute one by one.

During the quarrel of a group of people, the emperor's ears hurt, and he was a little anxious, so he inadvertently glanced at Han Si'en who looked a little careless.

Han Si'en frowned slightly, his rarely quiet appearance was more conspicuous than those noisy officials.

The emperor coughed dryly, and the hall was immediately silent. Everyone looked at the emperor, and the emperor said, "Han Si'en, you just came back from Western Xinjiang and you know the situation there better. What do you think about this?"

Han Si'en frowned, pondered and said: "Your Majesty, when I returned to Beijing from Xijiang, Xirong didn't show any intention of going to war with Zhou. I learned that King Xirong was not in good health in Xijiang. Well, the third prince of Xirong, Hu Yanlu, doesn't want people to know that he is at the border. I feel that it is possible that Huyanlu's whereabouts at the border has been exposed, which has aroused the fear of other princes of Xirong. The war with Da Zhou should be their internal disturbance. , someone wants to use the hands of Da Zhou to kill Hu Yanlu, or to prevent him from becoming the king of Xirong. This is just a guess, and the specific situation can only be known by visiting Xijiang."

Hearing Han Sien's words, the emperor felt a little relieved. He knocked on the wide and edgeless dragon chair and muttered thoughtfully: "If your guess is correct, then this war is the civil strife in Xirong. Da Zhou's side is just a shadow of their civil strife. However, even so, we have to guard against it."

Seeing that the emperor agreed with Han Sien's words, Ji Luo took this opportunity and said loudly: "Father, if it's just a civil strife in Xirong, I should go to the border of the western border. First, it can boost the morale of the army. Second, You can also teach Xirong and other young people a lesson, let them know that if they dare to offend our Dazhou border, no matter what the reason is, they will not be forgiven."

Hubu Shangshu and other civil servants were very anxious when they heard this. They saw that Ji Luo was determined to go to the frontier, but from their standpoint as a courtier, especially the emperor's health is not very good these days They didn't want Ji Luo to stay away from the capital at all. If something happened to the emperor, the situation would be difficult to control.

Hubu Shangshu didn't want to offend Han Sien, so he could only bite the bullet and said at this moment: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Han Shi... What you said to Marquis Wan An makes sense, but no one knows if this is Xirong's trick or not. The crown prince is the heir apparent of my Great Zhou, if something happens and Xi Rong threatens us with this, then the situation will not be up to us. It is better to send someone from the Ministry of War to make a decision after confirming the news..."

Speaking of this, the Minister of the Household Department endured and endured, but in the end he couldn't hold back and said what he wanted to say most: "Furthermore, Marquis Wan'an was inspecting the border defenses in the western borders as an inspector, but he didn't notice that Xi Rong With such wolfish ambitions, in the final analysis, Marquis Wan An also has the responsibility of negligence that cannot be shirked."

As soon as the emperor heard that the Secretary of the Household Department wanted to find fault with Han Sien, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. The emperor didn't understand. He knew that Han Sien was not easy to mess with, and he was not forgiving. Thinking about messing with him.

As expected, Han Sien looked straight at the Minister of the Household Department as the emperor expected, with a strange and innocent look in his eyes: "What does Lord Shangshu mean by this? Could it be that the Lord thinks that I am a roundworm in the hearts of the Xirong people? I can know what I think? Well, even according to what Lord Shangshu said, I should know what they are thinking. But it has been a while since I returned to Beijing from Xijiang, and the thoughts in Xirong and the others have changed. Could this be my fault? If so, then I think that the candidate for the trip to Xijiang this time must be Master Shangshu, and only you, a high-ranking, sophisticated person who can see through the thoughts of everyone in Xirong at a glance, And it can predict the development of the future situation, and effectively contain all the plans of Xirong. Master Shangshu must work hard, the future of the Great Zhou will depend on you in the future."

When Han Sien said this, his tone was flat, but his speech was fast and clear, pointing at him with the elimination of Hubu Shangshu, he only said one word you, and he couldn't say anything else.

In the end, the Minister of the Household Department also broke the jar, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Marquis Wan'an's words are obviously preposterous, and these crooked ministers can't speak against him. If Marquis Wan'an feels that he is not at fault at all, the minister will also Nothing to say."

Han Si'en said bitterly at the side: "The emperor's humble minister is at fault. The biggest mistake of this humble minister is that he has not been reincarnated in this life to be a clairvoyant or something like Lord Shangshu thought. I feel that the Minister of the Household Department can do that. work hard."

Hubu Shangshu's eyes turned white, and he was about to faint. The emperor suddenly patted the dragon chair, and said angrily: "The people in Xijiang are suffering, and you are still playing tricks on this court, do you think Xirong didn't invade the capital, so they didn't feel threatened?"

Seeing that the emperor was angry, Han Si'en and Hubu Shangshu both said that they had absolutely no intention of doing so.

The emperor gave them a cold look, then turned his gaze to the Ministry of War, who had been silent all this time, and said, "What do you think of the Ministry of War?"

Since Minister of the Ministry of War heard the news about Xijiang, he knew that the emperor would ask him sooner or later, but due to the quarrel between Shangshu and Han Sien, he made some preparations in his heart. Hearing this, he said: "The emperor , I feel that what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Hubu Shangshu and Wan Anhou said are all reasonable."

As soon as the words came out, the emperor snorted in his heart, thinking that he was worthy of being an idiot, and no one could be offended by what he said.But Ji Luo and Hubu Shangshu all looked at the Ministry of War because of these words, and Han Sien also slowly turned his eyes to his face.

Under the pressure of these six gazes, the Minister of the Ministry of War was bitter, and he hurriedly told the emperor: "Your Majesty, I feel that since Xirong has violated our Great Zhou, and they are in civil strife at this time, we can take this opportunity Teach them a lesson. As for the prince's personal conquest, I feel that the prince should not be in danger as the crown prince, but the eldest prince has always been brave, so he can go."

After the Shangshu of the Ministry of War said this, Ji Luo said: "Father, it is not appropriate for the emperor to go there. The emperor is not familiar with the western border. After all, I have been there..."

"If anyone is familiar with the western border, Han Shizi must be the most familiar one not long ago. Han Shizi is highly valued by the emperor, and he has always been unselfish in his work. I feel that I should send Han Shizi to accompany him. It's just that the border is dangerous, but I don't know. Is Han Shizi willing to go again for the sky?" Zhao Kuan, the servant of the household department, seized the opportunity to ask.

"Lord Zhao is wrong. First of all, Shizi Han is already a Marquis. He was conferred by the emperor himself. Master Zhao didn't remember it. That is disrespectful to the emperor. Secondly, there are so many civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty. Master Zhao actually mentioned letting Marquis Wan An go to the western border, so in the eyes of Master Zhao, these military officials are not as good as a literati like Marquis Wan An?" Zhao Kuan's words were immediately refuted by Ji Luo with reason.

Zhao Kuan was already prepared to be refuted by Han Sien, but he did not expect that Ji Luo would stand up for Han Sien.So under the eyes of all the military officials, he hurriedly said: "This is not what I mean, I am..."

"It's fine if it doesn't mean that, otherwise, as Master Zhao said, all the civil servants above the court can go to the western border to fight." Ji Luo interrupted Zhao Kuan impatiently.

Zhao Kuan glanced at the emperor's inexplicable expression, shrank his head, and dared not say any more.

The emperor looked at the chaotic court, and waited for the civil servants and military officials to start arguing.The emperor sat on the dragon chair, staring at these people coldly, until the first minister who noticed that the emperor's face was not good-looking did not dare to say anything, then the second, and the third...

After the court hall became quiet, the emperor looked at Ji Luo and said, "The prince is going to the western border, are you sure?"

Ji Luo hurriedly expressed her feelings and said, "My son has it."

The emperor stood up and said, "Xi Rong is a small country on the western frontier of my Great Zhou Dynasty. Today, they dared to invade our border. I really want to teach them a lesson. Since the crown prince intends to conquer it himself, I will allow it."

Then the emperor didn't wait for the courtiers to object, and said: "Don't worry about this matter. The Ministry of Households prepares the food and grass needed for the front line, and the Ministry of War assists the prince in mobilizing the army. I want people in this barbaric place of Xirong to know that my Great Zhou is not what they want to do. guilty."

After saying this, the emperor glanced at Yuan Bao, Yuan Bao shrieked and retreated.Civil and military officials looked at each other, it was the first time they saw the emperor so decisive.

When encountering this kind of thing in the past, which time did they not need them to quarrel for a while, and waited for the parties to balance their forces and they compromised on the surface before the emperor gave a result.

Han Si'en didn't leave directly this time, he thought about it and went to the Imperial Army training ground.When he went, Bai Shu was enthusiastically competing with others.

When he saw Han Sien, he was slightly taken aback, and after punching him to the ground, he walked up to Han Sien and asked in surprise, "Han Sien, are you here to find me?"

The imperial guards on the training ground all turned their gazes from Bai Shu to Han Si'en, with ambiguous eyes.Bai Shu glanced at them coldly, and the guards all lowered their heads.

Bai Shu and Han Sien found a quiet place to stand still, Han Sien looked at him, did not hide the news that he learned today, told the situation in Xijiang, and finally said: "Your brother Bai Wenhan is also missing among the personnel."

Hearing this, Bai Shu's expression suddenly changed. He looked at Han Si'en with a questioning disbelief in his eyes.Han Sien nodded and said, "It's true."

Bai Shu pursed his lips, and then suddenly ran out of the training ground. Han Sien looked at his back, and he knew that the direction Bai Shu was walking was out of the palace.

Han Si'en lowered his eyes slightly, raised his eyebrows and smiled lightly, his heart was very calm, as if he had let go of a stone in his heart.

Han Sien slowly left the training ground, ready to go back to Hou Mansion, when he saw Ji Luo at the corner.

Ji Luo also came to tell Bai Shu about this, but he only saw Bai Shu's figure disappearing in the palace.He looked at Han Si'en and frowned and said, "As the instructor of the Imperial Army, Bai Shu's status is different from before. If he left the capital without even talking to his father, it would be a serious crime in his father's eyes. If someone has a heart to provoke dissension, no one at Father's side will know how angry they will be, and maybe they will scold you a few times because of it, why didn't you stop him just now?"

"What are you stopping him for?" Han Sien asked calmly?Ji Luo felt that Han Sien's words were a bit weird, and he always felt that Han Sien was doing it on purpose, so he didn't understand.

Han Si'en understood what he was thinking very well, he kept thinking about Bai Shu's liking for him, and whether he would consider for himself in an emergency.He wasn't confirming the position of himself and Bai Wenhan in Bai Shu's heart, there was nothing to compare.

He was just thinking about how much Bai Shu's so-called liking really means.He is the instructor of the Imperial Army, and now he tells him that something happened to Bai Wenhan, and if Bai Shu leaves the capital without saying a word, no matter whether the emperor finds something about him, Han Sien feels that it is better not to like him like this.

He tried Bai Shu out of the blue on a whim, but he was neither disappointed nor surprised by the result.

Han Sien thought in his heart that he would not explain anything to Ji Luo, so he saluted Ji Luo and left the palace.

As soon as he walked out of the palace gate and was about to get in the carriage to go back to Wan'anhou's mansion, he saw Bai Shu jumping over someone else's eaves under the blue sky and broad daylight.Bai Shu stopped beside Han Si'en, grabbed his arm, some beads of sweat dripped down on his forehead.

He is strong in martial arts, his body is warm all year round, and he doesn't sweat easily. The sweat this time is purely from anxiety.

Looking at Han Si'en, Bai Shu panted slightly, "I'm going to apologize to the emperor, you wait for me to go back together." After saying this, Bai Shu hurriedly ran towards the palace.

Han Sien stood at the gate of the palace and looked at his back with inexplicable eyes. He felt that the stone that had just been removed from his heart had not only returned, but had become much heavier.