Chu Rui ordered Li Mao to go out this time, and he had no choice but to do it.

At that time, Wang Taihe, the general who surrendered to the King of Qiyang, was ordered to the Dingbei Army to guard the border pass because of his meritorious work in destroying the King of Qiyang, holding tens of thousands of troops in his hands. Yuan Xi is an old commander and a confidant of the former emperor, although he can sit in the whole army in the Dingbei Army, but in fact, specific affairs such as training and ordering generals are all done by Wang Taihe.

Li Mao found out that Wang Taihe had a problem through the number on the crossbow of the divine machine, and then Wang Taihe reversed, and all the 10,000 elite cavalry of his subordinates escaped from the pass, becoming the most feared force of Great Chu.

It is important to know that the cavalry of the road is rare, and the cavalry of the border pass is usually one person and three horses, and is equipped with crossbows, bows and arrows and a number of various weapons, and the defection of these 10,000 people is equivalent to running 30,000 horses, 10,000 good bows, Mo knives, etc.

Yuan Xi has not been punished too much in this situation, all because he is the confidant of the former emperor, and after the investigation of the imperial history, it was confirmed that the old marshal was not involved in the cause of the rebellion.

But Chu Rui will not use him with peace of mind because of the results found out by the imperial history. So there was Li Mao's trip to Youzhou.

First, what the situation at the front is, you can't fully understand it just by reading the battle report, Li Mao, as the secretary of the military department, should go to the front line to find out; Second, Yuan Xi was available, but he didn't dare to use it, Li Mao went to investigate the death of the old general Qin, but in fact, he was also the supervisor of the army, and the emperor even gave him 30,000 Chinese troops and equipped with a thousand divine crossbows, no matter what happened, it was enough to retreat peacefully.

Fan Yang's situation is complicated now, nominally there are all kinds of clans to help, in fact, these families are also divided into factions, most of Youzhou was captured by the Hu people, and the foundation of many families was ruined, and the hatred for these aliens is extremely high, and they want to fight back all day long.

But now the strategy of the imperial court is to defend to the death, Fan Yang has the assistance of the entire Great Chu behind him, if he holds on for a while, those thieves will not be able to consume them.

It's just that in doing so, the most bitter thing is the people of Youzhou, the people north of Fanyang have already experienced the slaughter of the city, looting, and the destruction of their families, and now Dachu only guards the border and does not recover the north, and these people who fled south have no hope of returning to the old land.

Gu Qing listened to Li Mao's explanation, and he was infinitely embarrassed in his heart.

In terms of the overall situation, the imperial court's approach is indeed correct. To deal with foreigners, it has always been the best way to deal with foreign people. Gather all the food and men in the big city, and then fortify the fortifications, so that the enemy can run as much food as possible, and collapse without a fight.

But for those people who were forced to abandon their homes and flee with their families, this unwarranted disaster was a catastrophe from heaven, leaving people with nowhere to support.

The most important thing is that even the assassins in Fan Yang City have appeared, indicating that Fan Yang is no longer safe. Li Mao went to Fanyang at this time, will it be dangerous?

"My son went to Youzhou this time, and he was going to bring a few guards trained by Mr. Yuzhou. These people are good at protectiveness, and their son won't let them leave. The family also raised a lot of veterans who had been in the army with their father for many years, and their sons would bring them. In addition, Mr. Chen Yi also has to go with him, he is good at medicine, can distinguish drugs, and is resourceful, with his help, I think my son will not be in too much danger. ”

Li Mao was also very moved when he heard his mother's comfort that he was worried about him.

Now the situation is very serious, as an important minister of the court, he eats the court's money, so he naturally wants to share the worries and difficulties of the emperor and the people. It's just that he himself knows that he is not good at military affairs, and he doesn't know martial arts, and he can only be used as an ornament when he goes to the front line, so it is more appropriate to bring professional talents.

Chen Yi has followed his father for so many years, he is a staff member and proficient in warfare, he is willing to help, so he is naturally like a tiger.

Gu Qing's heart was blank, she always felt that as soon as Li Mao left, she would never see him again.

She didn't know where her anxiety came from, but the anxiety was so heavy that she had to ask out loud:

"Do you have to go? Can't you change someone? ”

Li Mao smiled dumbly.

"Mother, this is a holy order, and if you don't obey it, you will resist it. I know that you are worried about me, but the country is in trouble, how can I, as a prince of a country, retreat at this time? ”

Gu Qing nodded in disappointment, "Then you go out and be more careful." When to go? ”

"In waiting for the auspicious day of divination in Qin Tianjian and Taichang Temple, it must be a sunny day. Now that there is a lot of rain, the 30,000 army has marched to Youzhou for at least a month, and it would be too bad if it rained when it started. ”

Gu Qing nodded clearly, there was no weather forecast in ancient times, and the weather was all tested by Qin Tianjian. Taichang Temple is in charge of the sacrifice, Honglu Temple is in charge of the honor guard, and Li Mao wants to come out of Beijing to boost the morale of Beijing, so he is naturally cautious.

It's just that the old general Qin is dead, and Li Mao has been in Youzhou for a month, so long in the middle, is Fan Yang okay?

She asked the question in her heart, but Li Rui answered.

"General Qin's lieutenant Hua Peng is still here, and this person is worthy of the overall situation."

"Huh......" Li Mao looked at his nephew squarely, "You actually know about the front line of Lu Dao?" ”

"Qin Bin and I often deduce in the palace, Hua Peng has followed the old general Qin for more than 20 years, and he is a family friend of the Qin family, so I know Hua Peng."

Li Rui talked about Hua Peng, his eyes sparkled. Gu Qing doesn't know if his enlightenment in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is too good, or Li Rui's nature likes war, and when it comes to war, the whole person will exude a different brilliance.

Since the traitors went south last year, Li Mao began to study the pros and cons of various battles with his subordinate officers. His father established a perfect "war report" system back then, so although the news from Beijing came late, he was not deaf or blind. Li Mao knew that he was not smart, but he was willing to let go of the □ and humbly ask for advice everywhere, after all, his father's old friendship was still there, and most people were willing to teach him and let him see the battle situation clearly. There are even veterans who volunteer to go on the expedition,

At this time, he heard that his nephew actually deduced it often, and he couldn't help but be interested, wanting to see how far he had learned.

"In that case, Rui'er, you and I will go down to the study."

Li Rui followed Li Mao out of the house, Li Ming and Gu Qing both had heavy faces, and they completely lost the good mood when they talked about Tongshan just now.

Fighting a war is not a child's play, the last time Li Mao went to the horse farm to check on a horse matter, he was dead, he really wanted to fight, and he didn't know how dangerous Lu Dao was. The alien race is different from the remnants of the Yin Dynasty, and the people are clearly here to burn and loot, and there is no reason for you. The remnants of the Yin Dynasty may be reasonable, but if they don't feed the aliens, they will be the first to eat them.

Li Ming's whole body felt wilted, and Gu Qing saw that he was depressed, so he asked him to take his sister out to play. As for whether Xiao Li Mei can make his brother's mood better, no one knows.

The next day, a more serious problem was placed in front of Chu Rui.

The ministers began to urge the prince again, and this time it was the Xungui faction and the Shizu faction who forced it together.

Now the country is in the midst of conquest, there are foreign invasions outside, there are anti-thieves inside, and assassins from all over the country are emerging in an endless stream, and even Old Taijun Zhou was poisoned last year, which is simply chilling.

The emperor did not set up a prince at this time, not only was the people's hearts unstable,

To tell the truth, the matter of Chu Rui Lichu has dragged on for more than ten years, the eldest prince Chu Chengxuan is now fourteen, the second prince Chu Chengwei is also thirteen years old, and the third prince is the youngest, also ten years old.

But if the emperor and the prince are so old, they are almost in the school. What's more, since ancient times, the prince has either established a grandson or a long, and the eldest is not good to be virtuous, and now the eldest prince is both a grandson and a long, if you talk about virtue, the bachelors and doctors who teach in the East Palace are all praised, saying that this prince is generous and intelligent, and there is no loss of morality.

In fact, even Chu Rui is the one who likes this eldest son as the prince the most. It's just that the strength of the relatives behind the second prince is not small, in order to protect his son, Chu Rui is not in a hurry to establish a prince and turn the eldest prince into a live target.

Chu Rui originally wanted to use the power of the Jin State Mansion to cut off the power behind the second prince, and then use it to make both lose, so that Chu Chengxuan could stand on his own feet smoothly.

For this reason, he even arranged for him to be accompanied by the sons of the Xinguo Mansion, the generals of the Chinese army, the clan and the neutral faction, all of which have a characteristic, that is, they are extremely loyal to him, and if the eldest prince is wrong, he will never turn a deaf ear for the sake of the future. In this way, his eldest son would be helpful and overseen, and would not rely too much on his relatives in the later struggles.

He knows the queen's temperament best, the two of them have the same mind about centralization, and she has been restricting the power of her mother's family, so that her son can not be coerced in the future, she will not be biased.

All this was planned in advance, but who expected that the Jin State Mansion was worried when he was preparing for the layout, Li Mao, as a lonely minister, could not stand in line on the matter of establishing the prince, unless the final word was finalized and represented the holy will, otherwise he would lose his position.

This is also why Chu Rui wants Li Mao to form an alliance with the Duke of Jin in secret, because if the Duke of Jin wants his nephew to ascend to the throne, even in the filial piety period, he has to do everything to help his nephew. And they can't come forward on their own, so they have to find someone with enough weight to come forward.

At this time, let the Duke of Jin think that Li Mao was helping him, but in fact Li Mao acted according to his own ideas, he could reduce a lot of disputes, and it could also make the Duke of Jin Mansion a good move in his hands.

The so-called time and place are favorable, and the time seems to be deliberately teased by God, and he will never be on his side. Now that Li Mao is going to the front line again, the matter of establishing a reserve can no longer be delayed, and he is really worried.

"I will consider this matter after I retreat from the court, and the court will discuss it again in three days."

Chu Rui did not push away the matter of the establishment of the prince as usual, nor did he get angry, but just said that he would discuss it in three days, which shocked all the ministers.

Great, the emperor is shaken!

As soon as Chu Rui saw the ecstatic appearance of the ministers, he felt a little bored for no reason.

Now he is only more than forty years old, it is the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, the prime of life, the youngest son was born less than a year, and there will be more heirs in the future, but these ministers seem to die at any time, and they shout all day long.

If Lichu is such a simple matter, does he still need to plan for so many years!

It's really upset to think about it, so it's better to go to the queen to see her son and relax.

Thinking of his little prince with pink makeup, Chu Rui's heart was relaxed.

His youngest son was born on the twentieth day of July, and Xiao Hu was a good omen. It's just that "the tiger comes out of the mountains and forests", the life character is too strong, although it is a good omen, there is not much such a good omen in the palace that the little prince is transmitted.

Interestingly, Li Mao's youngest daughter was also born on July 20, but she was born in the afternoon, just one year older than the little prince.

When the little prince was born, Youzhou fell halfway, and when Chu Rui named him, he named him the word "Ping" and named him Chu Chengping. It stands to reason that in the royal family, boys don't have a big name until they are three years old, and they are on the genealogy, because it is not easy for children to stand on their feet, and they are called by a milk name when they are young.

But Chu Rui really looked forward to this child too much, and the little prince was born very healthy and really cute, so he ignored the criticism of others and gave his name on the day of the hundred days.

Chu Chengping is now eight months old, he is beautiful and cute, especially a pair of dark almond eyes, when he looks at you, he is very serious, it seems that he attaches great importance to you in the whole world, which makes people indescribably happy.

And Chu Chengping is very well-behaved, he rarely cries since he was a child, he can sit up by himself in less than seven months, and play with rattles or small leather balls on the bed covered with thick felt for an afternoon, and he never needs to worry about it.

Zhang Shaoguang sometimes feels that he is a blessing from his previous life, so that he can give birth to such a well-behaved, cute, and very smart little son. In terms of temper alone, he is much better than his eldest brother.

When Chu Chengxuan was so big, if there was no one around for a moment, he could cry and overturn the roof.

"This kid is good at everything, but he doesn't have the fierceness of a boy." Chu Rui took the ball in his hand, Chu Chengping just looked at it, and found that it was his father who took it, so he found something else to continue playing, and he didn't even pout his mouth.

Chu Rui clearly remembered that when he took away Shengping's doll, his daughter cried all of a sudden, took Chu Chengxuan's knife, and Chu Chengxuan directly picked up another toy at hand and smashed him.

This kid doesn't have a temper, isn't he too weak?

It's okay, he's a young son, and it's a good thing not to fight. His personality has been so tranquil since he was a child, this is the blessing of Da Chu.

As soon as he thought of this, he saw that this little son loved it from the bottom of his heart.

Zhang Shaoguang saw that although Chu Rui complained in his mouth, there was no displeasure on his face, so he knew that his husband was actually too gentle on this child and did not like it.

Their eldest son is gentle on the outside, but he is actually quite angular on the inside, but it is better to cover it up. Their husband and wife are used to seeing all kinds of people, and the eldest son's temper is suitable for being a prince, but as his own son, he always looks like a teenager and an old man in front of his parents, which inevitably makes people feel some regrets.

"He's very smart, and if we take away his toys, he won't say anything, just change it. But if other palace people take it, look at him. Zhang Shaoguang motioned for his female officer to go up and take the pony in his hand.

The female official stepped forward and prepared to take the pony from the little prince's hand, but Chu Chengping held the pony in his hand tightly, with the intention of never letting go. The female official dragged a little harder, and the little prince immediately frowned, looked at his mother, and babbled.

"Ping'er, my mother can't help you." Zhang Shaoguang leaned on Chu Rui and smiled as his son snatched the pony.

Chu Chengping snatched for a while, and found that the female official did not intend to rob his horse, but wanted to tease him, so he immediately let go of his hand and let her take it, and then continued to play with others as if he didn't care.

"This kid...... I don't know who my temper is like. Chu Rui observed for a while and couldn't help but laugh, "How do I look at it, it looks like Li Aiqing's character?" ”

The Li Aiqing he said was Li Mao.

Li Mao does the same thing on weekdays, it is not a very important matter, if he can not fight, he will not fight; Very important things, we must not let go; But if this important thing is too much to sacrifice or has other internal circumstances, if you say that you will give up, you will give up, and you will never regret it.

Sometimes, even Chu Rui admired Li Mao's character, because he found that Li Mao really didn't take it to heart, rather than deliberately compromised. What he can compromise must be what he thinks is unimportant, and what he thinks is important has been done in the end.

When Zhang Shaoguang heard this, he said a little unhappily: "Your Majesty's words are wrong, Li Guogong is an adult, but we are children, and the child's personality will change, how can you say who he is like." ”

What is there to do about Li Mao's good old man's character? There is no position at all, and whatever others say is good.

Her son has a gentle personality, but he is not cowardly!

Chu Rui knew that Empress Dao had misunderstood what he meant, but he thought about it, his wife had been in the harem for a long time, and he had little contact with Li Mao, so naturally he didn't know Li Mao's character as well. He came here to relax, and naturally he would not quarrel with his wife more.

"Stand down, all of you."

"Yes."

Chu Rui saw that all the palace people withdrew from the hall, sat beside the eldest prince, and said to Zhang Shaoguang in front of him:

"Today, in the Great Dynasty, many ministers have mentioned the matter of establishing a prince."

Here it comes!

Zhang Shaoguang had his own channels to know what was going on in front of him, and when he saw that the emperor really mentioned it, his heart immediately rose to his throat, and the momentum of the whole person also changed.

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

She knew that she didn't need to hide it in front of her husband, and it was useless to cover it up, so she simply showed her concern generously.

This place can only belong to her son, and it can only be her son's.

Sure enough, Chu Rui said without hesitation:

"I belong to the Great Emperor."

Zhang Shaoguang was overjoyed.

After all, the emperor still trusted her.

"However, I want to see the people who stood in line in the Qing Dynasty through the matter of Lichu. I still have a plan for this matter, there may be an order from the Duke of Jin to enter the palace in the past three days, and you have received it generously. ”

"Also, the promotion of this storage position will fall on Li Mao."

"Li Guogong? Isn't he going to Youzhou soon? ”

"That's why I want him to be promoted. So, when someone from the Jin State Mansion comes, you'd better ......"

Chu Rui said to the queen, and Zhang Shaoguang also nodded again and again.

When the little prince saw that the adults were talking, and no one paid attention to him, he quickly stretched out his arm, and retrieved the pony that the female official had thrown on the side of the collapse, and grabbed it in his hand.

Adults are so stupid, they don't cherish it when they grab it, and it's not him after the worst!

What the hell is it to grab?

The author has something to say: Little Theater:

If it was Li Mei's toys that were robbed.

Li Mei: (glaring) I broke your fingers, believe it or not!