Chapter 63.2 â I Have My Own Discretion
Nowadays, the war in the northern border involved nearly one million soldiers, with Liang and Rong each accounting for half of them. The leader of Liangâs army was undoubtedly the Great General Ji, who had been guarding the northern border for decades. As the commander-in-chief, he was in charge of the war situation, with the nearly 500,000 Liang troops at his disposal.
Now that the commander was dead, even before mentioning the blow to morale, more importantly â who was going to take over and command the 500,000 troops?
Itâs not that the Ji family had no successors. If Great General Ji died in ordinary times, his successors could smoothly take over his army. But the situation right now was different.
On top of the original 200,000 soldiers in the northern border, the Emperor had dispatched nearly 300,000 additional troops, who originally had their own commanders.
Great General Ji had a high prestige in the army. Even though the reinforcements who came were scattered, he was able to arrange them properly and dispatch them like fingers on his own hand. But it would be different if it was someone else. The younger generations of the Ji family did not have the same prestige.
In addition, since Great General Ji died suddenly, and there was no decree from the central government appointing a new commander, the situation in the northern border turned chaotic.
The Crown Princeâs faced turned dark after reading the war report, and his sharp eyebrows frowned even tighter. âThird Brother is at the northern border right now; he is a prince and also the supervisor of the army. If he stood up to take control of the situation, he should be able to suppress those peopleâ¦â
It wasnât that the Crown Prince intended to speak ill of Third Prince behind his back, but what he said was the truth. If it was him that had gone to supervise the army in the northern border instead of the Third Prince, he would have definitely stood up at once, even if he knew nothing about military affairs. Sitting as the commander-in-chief would calm down the army â then he could just listen to advices and wait for the court to appoint a new commander.
Of course the Emperor knew this fact even better, so his face had turned even darker than the Crown Prince. Before the latter could finish speaking, he already waved his hand and said, âEnough, enough. What else could I have expected from that coward!?â
The Crown Prince turned silent for a while when he heard those words, but in the end he still bowed towards the Emperor to request his command, âRoyal Father, please sent This Child to the northern border.â
The latest war report from the northern border had not arrived, but things really wasnât going well based on the situation last time. The generals did their own thing, and the soldiers could not be controlled. In just a few days, they lost two more cities, ruining the situation that Great General Ji had managed to stabilize before.
Right now, it was not enough to send a general to the northern border. More importantly, they needed a person with sufficient identity to calm the armyâs heart. The so-called royal expedition would be the most useful means at this time.
But the Emperor probably would not go to the north personally, so taking a step back, the best choice would be to have the Crown Prince go north to stabilize the militaryâs morale.
However, the Emperor hesitated when he heard the Crown Princeâs request. After a long time, he said, âLetâs not rush. Letâs discuss it with the Supreme General first.â
The Emperor obviously valued the Crown Prince much more than the Third Prince, so even in this kind of situation, he still didnât want to risk his life. But no matter how the leaders in the royal palace made their decision, news of Great General Jiâs death caused panic to spread in the capital.
Late autumn, at the end of September. The weather had already turned cold, and the autumn rain falling for several days made the sky dark, just like the mood of the people in the capital. It really made people feel depressed at a glance.
Lu Qipei stood on the porch with her hands behind her back, looking up at the rain drizzling outside. Finally, she couldnât help but mutter in a low voice, âEven Great General Ji was killed in the war. Does he really want to bring Rong Stateâs troops to the capitalâ¦â
The autumn rain fell, drowning her mutters within the wind and rain, so no one else heard it other than herself.
On the other side of the palace, Qi Yang braved the autumn rain and hurried to the Eastern Palace. As soon as eh entered the front hallâs gate, she hurried towards the Crown Prince without caring about her wet skirt. âRoyal Brother, I heard that you asked Royal Father to go to the north?â
The Crown Prince raised his head from the official documents and faced Qi Yang with a rarely seen solemn frown. âYou donât need to concern yourself with this matter.â
When Qi Yang saw him acting like this, she knew that there was no changing this trip to the northern border. But when she looked at the Crown Prince who was still full of spirit despite his anxiety in front of her, and thinking about that crippled man with broken spirit in her memory, how could she remain unconcerned?
She raised her hand and pulled on the Crown Princeâs sleeve, in a rare moment where she let her emotions leak out. âRoyal Brother, the battlefield is dangerous. Can you not go?â
The Crown Prince met her gaze, and his stern and hardened faced softened a little. But the decision he had made could not be changed. âNo.â He continued, âThe northern border needs someone to stabilize the armyâs morale. Royal Father canât go, so only I can go.â
Qi Yang fell silent when she heard that, and she suddenly felt powerless.
But soon, this feeling of powerlessness turned into resentment towards Xie Yuan, the main culprit behind the current situation.
The Crown Prince saw her biting her lips and saying nothing, and the final shred of his coldness was finally gone. He raised his hand and rubbed Qi Yangâs head as if she were a child, and comforted her with a soft voice, âIâm just going to stay at the back to stabilize the armyâs morale. It wonât be dangerous, donât worry.â
Qi Yang wanted to say that in his previous life, he just went to the northern border as a formality, and ended up coming back with a limp leg. The current situation in the northern border could not be compared to the one in the previous life â wouldnât he have to leave behind his life in the northern border!?
But Qi Yang couldnât say these words, and couldnât even accuse the Crown Prince of going to a dangerous place disregarding his own safety. Finally, she just bit her lips and told him, âRoyal Brother, go and bring more guards. Swords have no eyes, especially on the battlefield. Hidden guards would not have enough time to rescue you, itâs better to have more personal guards.â
After listening to her advice, the Crown Prince finally couldnât help smiling. âI know, just relax.â
After smiling, he seemed to remember something and took out a wooden box from a hidden compartment by his side, and handed it to Qi Yang. âYour wedding is coming soon. Iâm afraid that I will not be able to come to your wedding, so Iâll give you your gift first.â
Author notes:
Lu Qipei (calm and relaxed): You donât have to persuade me, I have my own discretion.
Qi Bo (secretly relieved): Sheâs smart, she knows how to set boundaries.
Lu Qipei (matter-of-coursely): My boundaries are â as long as Her Highness is happy!!
Qi Bo is doomed to be coughing blood in this lifeâ¦