Did the eldest daughter ascend the throne today?

Brigadier General Chen has been gone for a long time and has not returned yet.

Ning Zhiwei looked at the sky and gave the order, "Set up camp on the spot and cook."

"Yes."

At her command, the army began to set up camp. They were well-trained, skillful and quick, and soon smoke from cooking fires rose up.

In the main tent, Ning Zhiwei looked at the map hanging on the wall, thoughtfully.

Qincheng is the closest city to Mingzhou. Before this, the large army of General Zhengxi was stationed nearby.

This is also the only way to get to Beijing. It takes ten days to get to the capital from here by riding at full speed day and night.

Not close, nor far.

At this time, Zhou Hongye, Xiao Linfeng and Shaoyao were sitting in front of her.

Xiao Linfeng took the initiative to say, "Commander, the chief official of Qincheng is the prefect Li Ji. He is a corrupt official who is obsessed with making money and flattering others. His mentor was the former vice-minister, and his wife is the vice-minister's concubine daughter. She is extremely jealous."

Ning Zhiwei raised his eyebrows. This guy made his fortune with the help of his father-in-law, so it was normal for him to be henpecked.

Xiao Linfeng has a group of Jinyiwei under his command. They usually lurk in various places and are inconspicuous, but any disturbance in the world can quickly reach his ears.

"He doesn't really have any say in matters. All you have to do is pay tribute to him. All power is held by the local clans."

Ning Zhiwei nodded slightly, "Government orders don't reach the countryside. This is the current situation in Da Qi. The court's control over the local areas is very weak. The more remote the area, the weaker it is."

Mr. Zhou said, "My lord, the geographical location of this city is very important. It is a barrier in the north and a central area for communication between the north and the south. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times."

Anyone with a bit of military talent will understand this.

Ning Zhiwei naturally had his eyes on this stronghold. "I am determined to take it. Let's study how to take it down."

"It would be best if we could take it without bloodshed, but that is quite difficult, and we have to use force if necessary..."

From the beginning to the end, Ning Zhiwei had no intention of going to Beijing to support the king, and did not want to get involved in that mess.

Moreover, she knew very well that neither the new emperor nor the Ming Emperor had a good impression of her.

No matter who wins, the first thing they will do is to attack her, then abandon her after she has done her work and destroy the river after crossing it.

As for marching into the capital and becoming emperor in one fell swoop, she thought about it, but ultimately rejected it.

It's not the right time. The royal family of Da Qi is killing each other. That is their internal affair. She, an outsider, cannot rebel and cannot be labeled a traitor.

At all times, we must occupy the high ground of public opinion and have a legitimate reason.

She can fight with various rebel kings, but she cannot take the initiative to declare war on the orthodox imperial court, so passive fighting does not count.

So, she sent the letter to Emperor Ming to kill someone with a borrowed knife.

The fate of Da Qi is almost over, but it is not completely over yet.

As soon as she received the order to go to Beijing to support the king, she immediately realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They can expand and encroach on territory under the slogan of serving the king without making any noise.

Before any party could react, they captured several cities in one fell swoop.

Qincheng is the first stop.

"Coach, the food is here."

"Bring it in."

Ning Zhiwei rushed all the way from Licheng and replaced Ning Ran back to the border to guard the border in case the Kingdom of Jin took advantage of the chaos to send troops.

Rong Jing stayed at the base camp and was in charge of civil affairs.

Ning Xiaolong and Dongsheng were transferred to Mingzhou to garrison just in case.

And she personally led the troops to the battle.

There are four dishes and one soup, and the portions are large enough for four people to share.

Mr. Zhou took a look at the food and suddenly said, "My Lord, please send some to the soldiers guarding Qincheng."

"Row."

The two looked at each other and the corners of their mouths curled up.

At the city gate, a soldier shouted, "My commander ordered us to bring food to you brothers."

The soldiers guarding the city were surprised and delighted. They sent us food? Is there such a good thing?

"Hurry, open the city gate."

The captain frowned slightly, "Wait a minute, be careful of fraud."

The soldier was impatient and rolled his eyes. "What a lie! Commander Ning is upright and loves his soldiers like his own sons. He is not like some people..."

The captain is a relative from the same village. He spoke without restraint, which made the captain so angry that he slapped him and said, "There is an outsider here. What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Shut up! No orders from above to open the gates. Put the basket down."

"Row."

When the basket was pulled up, there were more than a dozen eggs and a dozen steamed buns. It was very simple, but for the soldiers defending Qincheng, it was a rare feast.

There are eggs! Everyone's eyes lit up and they immediately grabbed them.

The steamed buns made of two-grain flour are mixed with coarse grains and have a rough texture, but they are not so choking.

Theirs is half white flour and half coarse grains, but ours is black flour and coarse grain steamed buns, which are particularly hard to swallow.

Brother Jun was chewing the eggs happily, his heart was filled with joy.

Turning around, he saw his companion carefully putting the egg into his arms, and couldn't help asking, "Ergou, why don't you eat it?"

Ergou smiled innocently, "I'll take this back to my blind mother. She hasn't eaten this egg for a long time. I'll give it to her to nourish her body."

Brother Jun was silent. Ergou's family was too poor. He had a sick mother and younger siblings. The family had no food to eat, and the military pay had been owed for so long that it was really driving them crazy.

"It would be great if she were our commander." Ergou muttered softly. The Northwest Army hadn't received their salaries for three years, but they still had good food, drink and clothing.

Because they are supported by Princess Jingning.

Everyone paused, then continued eating as if they hadn't heard anything.

But some things have already entered my heart and I have ideas about them.

"Why hasn't Admiral Chen come back yet? You're not going to let Commander Ning sleep in the wild for a night, are you?"

The captain sneered, "I'm afraid Admiral Chen can't even get into the prefectural government's gate."

"No way? He is a lieutenant general after all."

"Don't mention it. It's his fault for not being able to flatter people."

"That also requires money to pay tribute. Commander Chen's background... is very ordinary, right?"

At this time, Lieutenant General Chen was standing at the gate of the prefecture, and the gatekeeper was pointing at his nose and scolding him.

The plague that disturbs people's sweet dreams is so blind that he doesn't even look at the time.

There is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door. If an official wants to see the prime minister, he has to give gifts to the gatekeeper.

The servants in the prefect's house are just as capable and powerful.

Brigadier General Chen's face turned red with anger. These guys are just taking advantage of the power of others.

He held back his anger and repeated, "Please pass on the message that the commander of the Northwest Army is at the gate of the city."

The gatekeeper said arrogantly, "Let her wait. Even if the emperor comes, he has to wait until my master wakes up."

Brigadier General Chen turned around and left in anger. How could such a court and such officials be good?

It's so dark that there's no hope.

Ning Zhiwei didn't even wait and fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, there was still no news from the prefect.

Outside the barracks, countless civilians entering and leaving the city looked at the densely packed tents in horror. Who was this team? Was it going to be another war?

"It's the Ning family army."

When they heard it was the Ning Family Army, everyone relaxed and thought it was okay. The Ning Family Army was famous for its strict military discipline and would not harm the people.

At noon, the news came, "Commander Ning, the prefect sent someone to ask you to enter the city alone and not bring a large army."

Ning Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, "Did you know that we are going to Beijing to defend the king?"

"Yes, but he wants to see you first."

Ning Zhiwei raised the corner of his mouth slightly. He had been looking for an opportunity to cause trouble, and now a ready-made reason had been presented to him.

Of course, she couldn't take the risk herself, so the two sides negotiated back and forth, and finally, Ning Zhiwei was allowed to go with her personal guards.

Ning Zhiwei brought the youth camp with him. After more than three years of training, these young men had grown into elite soldiers who were good at fighting.

Before leaving, she warned, "If I'm not back before three o'clock, act according to the plan and start right away."

Xiao Linfeng nodded slightly, unable to hide his concern, "Okay, be careful about everything."