Cypress Boat Floating

The atmosphere was stagnant and the private room was eerily quiet.

Ye Jianqing stood behind him, ready at any time. Although he knew that Qian Hongzhen would not do anything, it was still better for him to be vigilant.

After a long while, Qian Hongzhen finally spoke: "Eighth Prince, you must be joking. I have not led troops to fight in a war for a long time. That was many years ago."

Lu Ci Qiu just looked at him. Although he still had an indifferent smile on his face, in his eyes, Lu Ci Qiu could see a hidden passion. It was not that he really didn't know how to lead troops to war, but that he couldn't. He was imprisoned in this prosperous capital city, being covered up and corrupted by money and prosperity, but he was not blinded by these false things.

"General Qian, I know your concerns, but you have to know that Da Mo has evil ambitions. On the surface, they seem to be living in peace and developing together over the years, but in private, they are ruthlessly harming the people. Now that General Ye has passed away and the Flame Army is without a marshal, if Da Mo takes this opportunity to take action, Beiguan City will be his first target. If Beiguan City is really captured, then the eleven border cities will be as easy as taking something out of his bag for him." Lu Ci Qiu suppressed his anxiety and tried hard to control his emotions, but he couldn't control himself and became more and more excited as he spoke.

"Eighth Prince, Da'an has so many outstanding generals. I am not necessarily the only one. As far as I know, Prince Qin also came down from the Beiguan battlefield. Wouldn't it be better if he went there in person?" Qian Hongzhen actually felt a little guilty when he said this. How could a general in this world let the prince go to fight without moving?

Lu Ci Qiu curled the corner of his mouth. He came to persuade Lu Zhixing because he didn't want him to go. He began to feel guilty when he heard Qian Hongzhen say that. However, both of them felt guilty and were only concerned with managing their own expressions, and did not notice each other for a while.

"General Qian wiped out three tribes in the Western Regions in one fell swoop, and even took back all the occupied cities. The general's power is unmatched. If there is anyone in the world who can lead the Flame Army, it is probably no one else but the general."

"Your Majesty," Qian Hongzhen said, "Who will be sent to the North Gate and who will lead the Flame Army are all arrangements made by His Majesty, and they are not something you and I can decide at will. Although Your Majesty has been in the limelight recently, I think you do not have the power to control His Majesty and let him decide who will go to the North Gate."

Qian Hongzhen's eyes were sharp and his face was serious. He was waiting for Lu Ci Qiu to give him an explanation.

However, Lu Ci Qiu was not frightened by him at all. Although Qian Hongzhen had the sharpness of a soldier, Lu Ci Qiu had seen and felt a lot from Lu Zhixing over the years, so he would not be frightened easily. He did not directly answer Qian Hongzhen's words, but raised another question: "Who do you think is qualified for this position in the court?"

Qian Hongzhen went through the generals in his mind who could match him, or who he thought could lead the Flame Army, and found that there were really not many.

"Although there are many generals and capable people in the court, most of them have already chosen a certain prince. Father hopes to control the Flame Army in his own hands, so he must choose those who have no side and have nothing to do with the prince or the fight for the throne.

And now in the court, you are the only one who is capable, not on the same side, and unfamiliar with the princes. Your father has seen that you are a clean person, so you must be his first choice. "These words were said by Lu Zhixing when he knew that Lu Ci Qiu was going to find Qian Hongzhen, so that he could use this reason to convince Qian Hongzhen. Before coming, Lu Ci Qiu was still uncertain, not knowing whether these words would make Qian Hongzhen even more unhappy.

But unexpectedly, the effect seemed to be quite good. As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Hongzhen began to think along the lines of what he said.

The fact that he was willing to listen to what I said was a good sign. At least it showed that he still had room to continue the negotiations.

"Your Highness, what does your humble servant want me to do?" Qian Hongzhen asked.

Seeing Qian Hongzhen's attitude softened, Lu Ci Qiu breathed a sigh of relief: "General, don't worry about this matter. I will arrange it. This meeting with the general is nothing more than to see what the general thinks. If the general is still passionate and wants to continue to protect the country, then the king will arrange it. If the general has no intention of fighting and wants to continue to indulge in this prosperous scene, the king will not force it."

"No matter what I feel, whether I am interested in reviving the battlefield, I'm afraid Your Highness will keep talking until I agree." Qian Hongzhen didn't believe the polite words Lu Ci Qiu said. From his tough attitude when he came and every word he said, weren't they all trying to arouse his empathy, making him imagine how the people suffered, so that he would soften his heart and agree to this matter.

"Your Highness, this is a good plan." Qian Hongzhen raised his teacup to toast him. "But I don't know what Your Highness will do if I disagree or refuse to see Your Highness at all."

Lu Ci Qiu smiled and raised his teacup: "Then I'll climb over the wall into the general's mansion in the middle of the night to meet the general."

Qian Hongzhen was stunned for a long while, and when he came back to his senses, he couldn't help laughing. The teacup in his hand touched the other person's teacup. A cup of tea went down his throat, which was considered to be the end of Qian Hongzhen's disguise over the years. He was not the kind of person who enjoyed life. Fortunately, Da'an has been peaceful and prosperous over the years. Both the Western Regions and the desert have lived in peace without any war. Otherwise, he would never be at peace.

Now Lu Ci Qiu's choice has allowed him to return to the life he wanted. A martial artist should defend his country with his martial arts skills and protect the country and the people on the border. If he is forced to stay in the mansion because of the emperor's fear, he will not be happy. Even if he dies, he will not be happy.

"Now that it has been decided, I hope Your Highness will settle the matter as soon as possible. There must be something fishy about General Ye's death, and I'm afraid it is related to the Great Desert. The Great Desert treats General Ye just like the Western Regions treated me a few years ago. They all want to kill us and make Da'an have no talents to deal with them, so that they can fight and survive, and then use these to tear a layer of skin off Da'an. We must not let the Great Desert's conspiracy succeed." Qian Hongzhen had a sad face. Ever since he learned of Ye Honghai's death, he had been heartbroken and sad, but he had to pretend to be indifferent to numb others. But who knew that he burned paper and chanted sutras for General Ye every night in his mansion.

"That's for sure. It doesn't have to be fast, but as soon as possible. The Great Desert is ready to make a move, and I'm afraid it will stir up trouble in a few days. Without a commander, the Flame Army can only resist for more than a month, and it may not be able to resist any longer. And I heard that Nar of the Great Desert is a capable man and a genius in military affairs, so General Qian should be careful when going to the North Gate this time." Lu Ci Qiu roughly calculated the time when the Great Desert broke the city in his previous life, and roughly told Qian Hongzhen about it. He didn't dare to say it too clearly, otherwise he would be suspicious.

Qian Hongzhen nodded in agreement: "Dulbert Nar means eagle in the desert. I have studied this man quite well. The battles he fought with General Ye in the past few years were very exciting. This man is very scheming and is a real rival."

"By the way, General Qian, if my father allows us to go to Beiguan this time, I will go with you."

"Why?" Qian Hongzhen frowned: "Your Majesty doesn't believe me?"

"No, if I didn't trust the general, I wouldn't have come to find the general." Lu Ci Qiu hurriedly denied it, and repeated to Qian Hongzhen what he had said to Lu Zhixing that day, and roughly explained why he must go to Beiguan together.

"Your Highness is right. The Flame Army must be in chaos right now. They may suspect that the court does not trust them. If Your Highness goes there, he will be able to appease them." Qian Hongzhen did not expect that Lu Ci Qiu would actually think of this. The look in his eyes as he looked at him slowly became admiring.

"It's just that the prince is still young, and the situation in Beiguan is complicated..."

Qian Hongzhen was interrupted by Lu Ciqiu before he finished speaking: "General, don't worry. Since I am going, I must take all responsibilities."

"Since Your Majesty has made up his mind, I will not try to persuade you any further. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will protect you within my ability."

"Thank you, General."

After convincing Qian Hongzhen, Lu Ci Qiu was in a good mood. He wanted to invite Qian Hongzhen to have lunch with him and try the dishes of the famous Four Seasons Restaurant, but Qian Hongzhen refused.

After reluctantly seeing Qian Hongzhen off, in order to avoid being seen by others and arousing suspicion as they were going in and out together, Lu Ci Qiu ordered a table of dishes in the restaurant. After he and Ye Jianqing finished their lunch, they slowly walked towards the palace.