Empress He Ning, the crown prince Zhao Hongqing and the five Shangshu discussed things in the Xuanzheng Palace.

Cao Cao, the secretary of the military department, followed the emperor on the expedition, and the entire military department is currently assisted by Yan Song.

Regarding the matter of rebellion, the meaning of the five books is to hope that it can be told to the emperor who is thousands of miles away.

After all, once the rebellion is strong, it is a great thing.

No one dares to bear this burden.

However, her husband is on an expedition, and He Ning doesn't want him to have worries, and he can't tell him about the affairs of the family until he has to.

"Your Majesty has encountered a big war in the Tang Kingdom, and there is no time to care about it, if you inform Your Majesty of this matter at this time, it will inevitably distract Your Majesty, in case, it will affect the war ahead, but it will be much more serious than this rebellious force. ”

Shi Chong was pondering, and after Yan Song and the others spoke one after another, he spoke: "If you don't tell Your Majesty, who will be able to go out to quell the rebellion? Who has a certain degree of certainty? Your Majesty went out on the expedition and took away all the warriors who could fight well, and the military attaches who remain in the country now have hardly been on the battlefield, and those generals during the period of Emperor Renzong are all too old to look, so it is not reassuring to let them go on the expedition." ”

The last sentence is somewhat intriguing.

After all, this rebellion is the long-missing Sixth Emperor and the Seventh Emperor, as contemporaries of His Majesty, and even for a period of time, both of them can suppress His Majesty, and they must have an inextricable relationship with the old ministers in the court, so no matter what, those old ministers cannot be used.

Qin Hui suddenly remembered, Ma Hong, who was still kneeling in the main hall, said: "Otherwise, let General Ma Hong go?" At present, above the court, it seems that it is difficult to have anyone else who can take on the task of countering the rebellion except General Ma Hong. ”

After hearing this, Queen He Ning shook her head and said: "The old general has an old illness and can't go on the expedition, this matter, let's leave it like this first, let the envoys of all provinces and festivals quickly enter Beijing to discuss the counterinsurgency, within seven days, we must finalize the candidates for the expedition, the soldiers are fast, and we must not delay in time." ”

The five books of Shangshu were retired.

They have a lot of things to deal with.

After everyone left, He Ning sat on the chair, touched his forehead, and felt a headache.

Zhao Hongqing stood beside the queen and asked, "Queen Mother, otherwise, how about the child's personal expedition?"

He Ning vetoed: "No, let's not say it first, they are all your uncles, even if they are not, regardless of the people of the world, you have to think about it, they can live unharmed for so many years under the nose of your father, and even pull up a rebel force, it is certainly not simple, how can you take it lightly? If you go here, what danger you will encounter will be more serious than the appearance of ten or eight rebel forces, do you know?"

Zhao Hongqing said: "The queen mother is right, it is the sons who owe it to consideration, but how powerful are the six and seventh uncles?

He Ning sighed: "Don't blame them, even the current Five Tiger Generals will be surprised when they talk about your father's brothers." Back then, your father and the emperor and their people were all dragons and phoenixes among the upright people, in order to fight for your grandfather's chair, they beat their heads and bloodshed, even if they were people like your father, at the very beginning, in the face of this kind of thing, they didn't dare to be too involved, so they had to compromise and hide themselves, so as to save their lives and wait for the time to move. ”

The queen's words made Zhao Hongqing feel a little terrible.

Are the sixth and seventh uncles really so powerful?

Even if it was the original father, in the face of them, he would retreat?

It's just horrible.

He Ning continued: "Back then, the matter of your father's struggle for power with several other emperors was praised by the people in the rivers and lakes as the Nine Dragons to seize the heir, and the outstanding people who could be ranked with your father and emperor have been dormant for many years, and it is not something you can deal with. ”

Zhao Hongqing frowned and said, "Queen Mother, what should I do? In this way, I'm afraid that except for my father, no one will be able to balance the sixth and seventh uncles, right?"

He Ning shook his head and said: "No, although they are scheming, they are far inferior to your father and emperor when they march and fight, so in the end, they were all defeated." Their ability to march and fight must have your father's case, when the Chu army attacked the city of Chang'an, it was not your father's turn to be in the limelight to resist the country. ”

At this time, Gao Lishi came to report, saying that it was the old general Ma Hong, who was still kneeling in the hall, no matter how he persuaded him, he would not leave, and the eunuchs and guards in the palace did not dare to use roughness, so they could only let him kneel like that.

When Zhao Hongqing heard the news, he wanted to persuade the old general to go back in person.

Seeing this, He Ning said: "Forget it, let the old general go, their generation is very stubborn, and no one will listen to anyone except Your Majesty." ”

Zhao Hongqing said: "The old general suffers from a leg disease, if he keeps kneeling, I'm afraid it's not good for the injury?"

He Ning said: "It's useless, the old general has a very good personal relationship with His Majesty, and he has sprinkled blood for His Majesty, and he won't take the pain of his leg disease to heart." ”

Hearing this, Zhao Hongqing nodded and had to go with him.

It's late afternoon.

When He Ning heard that the old general was still kneeling, he frowned.

The will of this veteran general has far exceeded his imagination.

In desperation, he had to persuade him personally, and the prince followed him.

After He Ning came to the Chengde Palace, he said: "Old general, you haven't eaten for a day, right? It's better to stay in the palace and have a full meal first, and then talk about the expedition?"

Ma Hong shook his voice when he heard this, and kowtowed to the queen and said: "Queen Mother, when I followed Your Majesty to the south and the north, I didn't eat for a few days, it didn't count as a problem, and now it's just a day without food, it doesn't matter, and I will thank you for your compassion." ”

He Ning said with a sad face: "Old general, why are you suffering? There are many people in the court, how can you let you go on the expedition? You have a leg disease, if you go out on the expedition and encounter any accidents, how should this palace explain to your majesty when you return triumphantly one day?"

Ma Hong said: "Queen Mother, the last will write a letter and give it to Your Majesty, if this expedition really dies outside, it can be regarded as a well-deserved death, Your Majesty will only be happy for the last general, and will never blame anyone else." ”

He Ning said: "The old general insists on this?"

Ma Hong said firmly: "If it is the central government, there are really people who can compete with the Sixth Emperor and the Seventh Emperor at present, and the last general will never take the initiative to ask for help." But at present, the situation is urgent, the Manchu Dynasty is civil and military, and no one can lead the troops to the battle, so the veteran general feels that while he can still walk, it is better to do the last thing for my Great Wei. ”

He Ning couldn't bear to say: "This matter, the imperial court has its own decision, why should the old general worry about this? ”

Ma Hong said with a smile: "Queen Mother, those two rebels, the last general has seen before, they are all dragons and phoenixes for a while, the last general will not go, I am afraid that the Manchu Dynasty is civil and military, no one can be the opponent of the two of them, please let the last general go!"

At the end of his words, he fell to his knees.

He Ning said: "The old general is going, how sure are you?"

Ma Hong said: "Sixty percent." ”

Hearing this, He Ning took a deep breath and solemnly bowed to Ma Hong: "Thank you for the old general for coming forward, please accept the bows of this palace." ”

Ma Hong was stunned.

He immediately kowtowed again and said, "Queen, the last general can't afford it!"

He Ning said solemnly: "Old general, you deserve it!"

Ma Hong choked up and said: "The end will be here, and there will be no regrets in death!"

(End of chapter)