Jingshi Xinhua Palace, the front hall of the Empress Bedroom Yuehua Palace. A handsome man with the rank of brigadier general on his shoulders was kneeling on one knee, bowing his head to Empress Liu Qianhua, who was sitting sideways on the soft couch on the side of the hall, and said: "Weichen Li Ruishi, meet Her Majesty the Empress, long live my emperor, long live the empire......"

"Li Ruishi, you're finally back, get up quickly."

"Emperor Xie ......"

"Sit down—you stand down first."

After retiring from the female officer, seeing Li Ruishi sitting still, Liu Qianhua easily stunned the little rabbit that was once jumping in his heart, and nodded at him with a solemn smile: "I went to the front line this time, and I gained a lot, right?" ”

Li Ruishi was also calm, bowed his head and responded: "Yes, thanks to the blessing of His Majesty, there were no dangers along the way, I experienced many things that I couldn't see in books, and I also personally verified some new methods of using troops that have caused controversy......"

Liu Qianhua interrupted him unceremoniously: "Okay, you Li Ruishi, it's only been a long time since you left the palace, but you have also learned a lot of rules and clichés, what's the matter, you came to teach me a lesson?" ”

"Wechen didn't dare to ......"

"You've eaten the bear's heart and leopard gall, what else don't you dare?"

The ten years of unchanged light makeup and no makeup under the light smile and the country and the city. Li Ruishi seemed unmoved, but his hands were on his knees, and his face was like a stone statue.

"Your Majesty, Weichen has something to ask for."

Liu Qianhua suddenly realized something, and the ambiguous mood that she had inadvertently indulged in was suddenly shattered.

"You want to find an important officer?"

Li Ruishi was neither humble nor arrogant, and continued: "Weichen wants to fulfill the promise of the year and help Abyssinian restore the country, for which he has gathered a group of like-minded people, but he is weak and is subject to ...... everywhere."

"Who told you that the Empire must help Abyssinian recover?" Liu Qianhua didn't deliberately want to hit him, on the contrary, she felt that this man's vision was really sharp and advanced.

"Didn't we go to such great lengths to aid Abyssinia in preparation for laying a nail in the coffin in Africa? Now that our army has a considerable advantage in the Indian Ocean, if we do not take this opportunity to restore our country and defeat the Entente in the future, Africa will be dominated by Germany, and the seeds planted by the empire back then will inevitably be harvested! ”

Li Ruishi paused, and seemed to realize that his tone was too rigid, and while bowing his head slightly apologetically, he softened his tone and continued: "When the Abyssinian heir was exiled to our country, although the number of elite dignitaries who fled with him was small, he never stopped the connection with his homeland. With the help of such a group, our army sent troops to Abyssinia both with full righteousness. It can also gain the support of the local people, and can add an important bargaining chip to the international game after victory. ”

"Not to mention that after the victory, that is, during the war, control of Abyssinia, then the north can attack the Suez Canal through the Red Sea, which can not only prevent the enemy from using the canal to enter and exit the Indian Ocean and attack our lines of communication, but also have the opportunity to control the canal, so that our army can freely enter and exit the Mediterranean Sea and turn the situation in the European war more quickly and effectively. To the south, it can attack British East Africa, relieve German East Africa, deter and harass South Africa, and, if necessary, seize Madagascar, so as to effectively prevent enemy forces based in South Africa from breaking China's Indian Ocean lines of communication. ”

Liu Qianhua nodded approvingly: "The idea is good, but we must do what we can, move randomly, the most important thing at present is to open up the communication with Germany, for which we must gather the maximum available troops, and achieve the goal in one fell swoop with an overwhelming advantage, and there must be no possibility of any sideways in the middle, and only after this can the troops be divided as appropriate." Consolidate elsewhere. ”

Li Ruishi straightened his chest and said categorically: "In any case, please let me participate in the organization and planning of the Abyssinian Raiders, a manly man, it is difficult to chase after me, if I don't return to Abyssinian with them, I will have a disturbed conscience for the rest of my life, and I ask the emperor to fulfill ......"

"It seems that you have made a partner who can be entrusted with life and death, but I want you to remember that you are first and foremost my courtier, then the emperor, then the citizen of the empire, and the last is the life and death brother of your African friends—can I expect anything from you?"

"As long as it is what His Majesty wants, I, Li Ruishi, will go to the soup and fight the fire, and I will never give up! As long as it is beneficial to the empire, I, Li Ruishi, am willing to give up everything except His Majesty! ”

"What if what I want conflicts with what you think is the interests of the Empire?"

After listening to so many heroic clichés, Liu Qianhua couldn't help but want to play a little trick in front of this man.

"If this is the case, it must be that the minister is no longer worthy of His Majesty's trust, and the minister will judge himself in front of His Majesty to prove his loyalty."

Liu Qianhua felt a faint thorn in her heart, and she still smiled faintly on her face: "Fool...... Do you think I'll be happy? ”

"The minister is not born to be happy for His Majesty, the minister is to live for His Majesty to serve and die!"

Seeing the unfamiliar, too dazzling light in Li Ruishi's eyes, Liu Qianhua understood that from now on, she had no reason to continue to use the man in front of her as a substitute for another person, obviously he had found himself, but he was far from solving the mystery that had enveloped him for a long time.

"If you live for me. So what am I here for? Until now, I can't be sure that I am really Liu Qianhua, the daughter of your Kaihong Emperor who abandoned her in another dimension, no, even if I am really a human being, it is still uncertain, such a pain, the person in my memory cannot share it for me, and you, this substitute who approached me in order to realize the ambitions that men often have, is ......actually the same."

On the face of the empress in contemplation, the loss and melancholy that could not be concealed disappeared like ripples, Li Ruishi saw it in his eyes, and tried to comfort: "Is Your Majesty holding a grudge against Wei Chen?" Weichen Zhilu said......"

"You don't know anything." Liu Qianhua interrupted him lightly, "Your request, I will consider it, those like-minded people you mentioned, you will make a list later, and hand it over to Lady Ye-I'm tired, you can go down first." ”

Li Ruishi blinked inexplicably, stopped talking, and finally got up to thank him, and retreated in a messy manner.

After a while, Ye Jingying, a female official in a beige dress, stepped in. Seeing Liu Qianhua's frosty and terrifying appearance, he had to cautiously probe: "Your Majesty? Just now, Li Ruishi handed me a list, saying that it was given by the emperor...... I'm afraid that the emperor will be in a hurry, so I'll take it. ”

Liu Qianhua absentmindedly stroked the fluffy kitten pillow under him: "It's okay, you can keep it for me first, and I'll ask you when it's useful." ”

"That...... Li Ruishi came back this time, so he won't leave, right? It's also a trip to the front line, and the battle exploits are ...... or something."

"Don't mention him yet, is Gu Yingyang here?"

"Yes, I'm already waiting outside."

"Pass him in."

Ye Jingying replied "yes", turned around and took two steps. He turned back uncomfortably and said: "I see that the emperor's face is not very good, probably because he was tired during the funeral, and he hasn't recuperated yet, isn't it ......?"

Liu Qianhua glanced at her impatiently: "You don't care about this, go and spread the word." ”

Ye Jingying retreated with half aggrieved and half worried, two puffs of cigarettes, the new Chief of General Staff General Gu Yingyang strode in, and when there were still five steps from the throne, he knelt down neatly to greet him, Liu Qianhua asked him to sit in Li Ruishi's seat just now, and said with concern: "I didn't ask for your own opinion in advance, and I pushed you to this position on the cusp, you must have suffered a lot of pressure. ”

Gu Yingyang leaned back in his chair and said with a smile: "Don't dare, don't dare, the old minister has a sincere heart for the country and the people, and I am fortunate to be appreciated by the emperor and the emperor like this, and it is enough in this life, I don't care about those rumors and slanderous gossip at all." ”

Liu Qianhua turned sideways with satisfaction, nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, if you come, you will be safe, and the base camp will be entrusted to you." ”

Gu Yingyang sat up straight and raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, as long as I, Gu Yingyang, still have a tone, the base camp is still the emperor's base camp, and the imperial army and navy are still the emperor's army and navy." ”

"Actually...... It is none other than Premier Yang who proposed that you be formally appointed chief of the General Staff. ”

Hearing the empress suddenly say this, Gu Yingyang couldn't help but be taken aback: "Yang Zhengjin? How could he ......"

Premier Yang said that as the head of the government and the head of the military command organ, he did not conform to the spirit of the Constitution, which was likely to cause misunderstanding by public opinion and affect political unity, so he asked for his resignation. By the way, it is more appropriate for you, the chief of staff of the army, to take over. ”

Gu Yingyang's eyes stared at the floor, and he muttered, "I really didn't expect ......"

Liu Qianhua smiled and sighed lightly: "Premier Yang is such a person, don't think too much - you have been in office for several days, I have been concentrating on recuperation since I returned to the palace, and I have not sent a military attache to the base camp, I really don't hear anything outside the window, this time you are here, if you don't mind, talk to me." ”

Gu Yingyang got up and stretched out his hand and said: "The emperor has an order, how dare the old minister disobey, in fact, I have already prepared——"

After that, he turned around and shouted, "Lady Officer, please hang up the map." ”

"All the maps? Wu Linghou is really a caring person. ”

Gu Yingyang smiled: "The emperor is affectionate and righteous, but the old minister can't do it if he doesn't have a heart." ”

"Here comes the map......

I saw Ye Jingying holding a bundle of maps in both hands, followed by a few female officials who stumbled and carried the map frame, everyone set up the map frame in the center of the hall, rolled up the map and hung it, and buckled the pull spring one by one.