The fifth prince smiled and coped, and only after three rounds of wine did he speak slowly.

"Uncle, this time Commander Chen has been demoted, and the commander of the Imperial Forest Army is vacant, do you have a suitable candidate for this position?"

Ishihara said with a clear smile on his face.

"That's why you're here late at night, and if you're recommending the right person, I can consider it. ”

This time, the fifth prince did not speak, but Chu Tianming replied calmly.

"General, Chu has two suitable candidates in his heart, one is General Yan Feiyan stationed in the north, you know his personality best, and he was also your subordinate back then.

The second is Duan Changfeng, the lord of West Wind City, although his combat exploits are not outstanding enough, but he is honest and sleek, and he is deeply loved by the people of West Wind City, and has been commended by His Majesty the Emperor several times, and His Majesty also intends to transfer him to the Imperial City.

I don't know if these two people are still satisfied?"

Ishihara looked pensive and shook his head slowly.

"Yan Fei is indeed my old department, but this person is only good at killing on the battlefield, and he is not good at intrigue in the officialdom, so he is not in line with his temperament to be the commander of the Imperial Forest Army.

As for Duan Changfeng, his reputation has indeed spread all over the world, but people in the army don't believe in this, and it is difficult to convince the public if he is the commander. ”

The two candidates were both vetoed, and this matter had already been expected by Chu Tianfang.

In fact, he threw out these two people to pave the way for a third person.

At this time, the fifth prince spoke.

"Uncle, I have a candidate, not only General Yan's military exploits, able to serve the public, but also the sleekness, integrity, and reputation of the city lord Duan, I don't know if my uncle can consider it?"

Ishihara asked with a soft sigh.

"Who is this person?"

"This person is Ma Zhong, the captain of the city defense. ”

Hearing this name, Ishihara's expression was in a trance, and he couldn't help but think of the years when he fought on the battlefield.

At that time, there was a centurion under his command, who was brave and resolute in killing the enemy, and his military achievements were impressive, and he was deeply respected and loved by his soldiers, and Ishihara was very optimistic about him.

It's just that this centurion has a bad point, that is, his heart is too soft-hearted, and every time he breaks through the city, he tries his best to dissuade the general from killing.

And Chen Yufan, who is also a centurion with him, is the opposite, Chen Yufan has a brutal and murderous personality, and he is deeply used by the generals, and he climbs quickly step by step.

In this way, this soft-hearted centurion who made many meritorious contributions did not earn much official after the war.

But his prestige in the army is extremely high, even surpassing Chen Yufan, so that now there are some veterans complaining that the general is unfair.

After so many years, Ishihara almost forgot the centurion who had knelt down several times to seek a way out for the people of the enemy country, and he couldn't help but feel guilty in his heart.

After all, in terms of real credit, Chen Yufan is not as good as that person.

Ishihara let out a long sigh and muttered.

"It's me who treated him badly, okay, let Ma Zhong be the commander of the Imperial Forest Army, and it can be regarded as some compensation for me. ”

Before dawn the next day, Ishihara got up and changed into the general's court clothes, which he had not worn for more than a year, straightened his clothes, got into the carriage, and went straight to the imperial city.

The general who had already retired outside the city suddenly went to court, which naturally alarmed the full hall of civil and military.

Early in the morning of this day, all the officials waited at the gate of the palace, consciously waiting for the general's car to arrive and slowly drive into the palace gate, and then they followed.

Civil and military officials discussed a lot.

Some people say that the general came to intercede for Chen Yufan's demotion.

Some people also say that the general is to participate in the five princes.

Some people even speculate that this is the last time the general will go to court, and from today, he will unload his armor and return to the field.

It's just that when the general stood in the court and said that he wanted to recommend Ma Zhong as the commander of the Imperial Forest Army, everyone was stunned for a moment.

Immediately, they reacted again, this Ma Zhong seemed to be a subordinate of the general back then, but he was disliked by the general, so for decades, he was only a city defense captain.

His Majesty the Emperor had great trust in the general, and immediately ordered that Ma Zhong be promoted to the commander of the Imperial Forest Army.

And just when the hundred officials thought that the court meeting was about to end, the general suddenly said something earth-shattering.

"Your Majesty has been prosperous for thousands of generations, and the country is prosperous, but Your Majesty is working on state affairs alone, and the dragon body is injured. ”

The matter of establishing a prince has always been a major event of the state, and it was mentioned many years ago, but the emperor did not think about it at that time, so he rejected the proposal.

After many years, the matter of Lichu was mentioned again, but I didn't expect it to be the general who spoke.

What this represents, how can the hundred officials not understand in their hearts.

The general already has a candidate for the prince in his heart.

The Emperor's expression was always calm, and he asked.

"Aiqing has a suitable candidate in mind?"

Ishihara pondered for a moment and replied.

"There is no candidate for the time being, but the matter of establishing a reserve should be put on the agenda. ”

These words made the officials a little blind, no one chose what did you mention?

Could it be that the general wants to take the initiative to join the battle for the heir, say this, and let all the princes beg him?

At this moment, an elegant middle-aged man standing at the head of the civil official walked out, and he proposed.

"Your Majesty, the establishment of the reserve is a major event, it requires many assessments, Your Majesty is in good health, and he is in the prime of life, so there is no need to rush this matter. ”

This middle-aged man with gray temples is the national teacher of the dynasty and the mentor of the three princes, Li Mi.

The emperor looked at the two men, one was the head of the military attaché, the general in charge of the three armies, and the other was the head of the civil officials, who held great power in the state of the dynasty.

He said with a wave of his hand.

"That's all for today, I will think about it for a while. ”

Hundreds of officials retreated from the court, and the general walked out of the court first, and the national teacher Li Mi was the last to walk out.

As we all know, the relationship between the two has never been very harmonious, and they have been officials in the same dynasty for decades, and they have never crossed paths.

But today, after the general walked out of the court, he stretched out at the door and sat on the steps in front of the door at will, like an old man sitting on the ridge.

All the officials walked around, and it wasn't until the National Teacher came out that he stood up and asked.

"Let's go together?"

"Let's go. ”

The national teacher replied.

The two of them, who had already grown gray-haired pillars of the country, walked side by side under the high city walls, and no one spoke.

It wasn't until he was about to approach the gate of the palace that the National Teacher asked.

"The general is going to help the five princes?"

Ishihara smiled faintly.

"Aren't you also helping the Third Prince?"

National Teacher Li Mi shook his head.

"I'm not helping him, I'm destined to do it. ”

For this nonsense destiny, Ishihara smiled and said nothing, got into the carriage, and gradually walked away.

Li Mi looked at the empty palace gate from afar, muttering words that were difficult for others to hear.

"The Nine Dragons Stone Tablet is the Mandate of Heaven, and those who get the Nine Dragons Stone Tablet win the world. ”