At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

"Don't worry. Xia Yun has made it clear in the letter that although Your Majesty is leading the army in person this time, he is still in Xia Yun's army."

"Currently, Xia Yun has a total of 160,000 soldiers under his command. Coupled with Xia Yun's strong ability to mobilize troops and generals, he will definitely be able to keep your majesty safe."

"More importantly, once Your Majesty leads the army in person, it will surely greatly boost the morale of our frontline troops!"

Zhao Gongming spoke one after another, alleviating Lei Zhenning's worries on the spot.

In his opinion, with Xia Yun around, the empress's safety would not be a problem at all.

You know, it was during this period of time.

However, Xia Yun relied on the 80,000 soldiers under his command and wiped out a whole army of 100,000 Japanese pirates at a minimal cost to his own casualties!

This kind of record can be regarded as outstanding even in the history of the Liang Dynasty!

"You are right. I am overthinking."

When Lei Zhenning figured out the connection, he laughed out loud, without any worry on his face anymore.

And the subsequent development of events was indeed just as Zhao Gongming had expected.

In just one or two days.

When hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses of the imperial court in Zhejiang learned the news that the empress was about to lead the army in person, they all showed extremely fanatical desire to fight.

For the lowest-level soldiers, besides national hatred and family feuds, they also have fanatical loyalty to the empress!

……

Seven or eight days passed in a flash, and the entire Jiangnan region was actively preparing for war.

The empress's order to lead the army in person finally reached the capital!

On this day in the imperial court of the capital.

The chief minister of the cabinet, Xu Jinsong, read out the imperial edict sent back by the empress from Fujian in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.

Among them, there was not only an order to promote Xia Yun as the commander-in-chief of the Jiangnan Road, but also the matter of the empress personally leading the army to fight.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all the civil and military officials heard the words and showed shock on their faces!

"What's going on? Your Majesty has caught a cold and is recuperating in the palace. How could he suddenly appear in Fujian?"

"Lord Xu, what on earth is going on? Why would His Majesty suddenly leave the capital?"

"If something unexpected happens to your majesty, who can take the responsibility?!"

"..."

It was not until this time that the civil and military officials in the capital learned that the empress had gone to Jiangnan.

Everyone looked shocked and extremely anxious inside.

In their view, the Japanese pirates were invading the Jiangnan region, and the empress's appearance in Fujian at this time was tantamount to putting herself in danger.

"Your Majesty decided to go on a private visit to the front line to appease the troops some time ago. Your Majesty has discussed this matter with me, so you don't have to worry too much."

Xu Jinsong was standing under the dragon throne at this time, and his leisurely gaze swept over the civil and military officials in the court.

Of course the empress didn't discuss this with him.

But the decree in his hand was sent to him directly by the empress from Fujian.

When the empress claimed that she had caught a cold that day, he had already guessed her plan to go on a secret visit.

Now is the time for him to fulfill his responsibility as the chief minister of the cabinet and stabilize the political situation.

After Xu Jinsong's explanation, the doubts in the hearts of the civil and military officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony were finally suppressed.

But instead, there was an enthusiastic look on everyone's face.

"The battlefield in Zhejiang is so complicated. How can Your Majesty take the risk and lead the army in person? I think this is absolutely impossible! I also ask Lord Xu to quickly submit a joint petition to persuade Your Majesty to return to the capital immediately."

"That's right. Your Majesty is the Emperor of Daliang. You cannot take any risks! We must submit a joint petition immediately!"

"..."

The ministers, who had just been silent for a moment, became passionate on the spot.

They were all so excited that they even wanted to go to Jiangnan in person to bring the empress back to the capital.

"Your Majesty has already issued an order. Do you colleagues intend to disobey it?"

Xu Jinsong's voice became completely gloomy at this moment.

As the most loyal official to the empress in the court, he would never allow anyone to openly disobey the empress's will.

As expected, once the accusation of disobeying the imperial order was put forward, the civil and military officials who had just been outraged instantly became speechless.

They dared neither to openly confront the Cabinet Chief Minister Xu Jinsong nor to defy the Empress's will.

But soon, the few people in the Hall of Supreme Harmony discovered something wrong in the empress's decree.

"Lord Xu, what merits and abilities did Xia Yun have to deserve to be promoted to the position of the Chief Military Commander of Jiangnan Road?"

"Even if Your Majesty wants to lead the army in person this time, Xia Yun must not be the one to escort you. I recommend Pei Xingyuan, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, to serve as the chief military commander of Jiangnan Road to protect Your Majesty in person!"

The person who spoke at this time was not someone else, but the young cabinet minister Xu Miao.

By observing Xu Jinsong's attitude, he knew that the empress's personal leadership was a foregone conclusion and no one could disobey.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to make some changes in the position of the commander-in-chief of the Jiangnan Road Army.

"Young Lord is right. The Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Pei Xingyuan, has been in charge of the army for many years. He is loyal and diligent, and is known as the ever-victorious general. It is most appropriate for him to serve as the chief military commander of the Jiangnan Road!"

Seeing Xu Miao speak, Wei Zili, who had been silent before, had to stand up and speak.

The more people speak, the more weight they carry. This has always been the survival rule for Jiangnan Party officials in the court.

But when Xu Jinsong heard these words, he shook his head on the spot, with an unconcealable disappointment in his eyes.

Of course he knew what his son was thinking.

He just wanted to compete for power and profit with Xia Yun.

But as the chief minister of the imperial cabinet, he had access to far more information than anyone else.

He not only knew that the empress was about to lead the army in person.

We also know that just a dozen days ago, the empress went on a secret visit to Nanzhili and was chased and hunted down by 50,000 Japanese pirates.

At the critical moment, it was Xia Yun who protected the safety of the empress and her entourage!

Not only that, Xia Yun also wiped out an entire army of 100,000 Japanese pirates in Fujian!

In this case, the position of the chief commander of the Jiangnan Road Army can only be assigned to Xia Yun!

"The post of Jiangnan Road's Chief Military Commander was appointed by His Majesty. The decree has been issued and must not be changed overnight."

In front of all the civil and military officials in the court, Xu Jinsong directly refuted his son's suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao instantly realized that something was wrong and gave up the idea of ​​continuing to speak.

After the morning session.

The news that the empress was about to lead the army in person spread quickly throughout the capital like a gust of wind.

The military and civilians in the capital were extremely shocked and excited.

After all, since the empress ascended the throne, she has never participated in any battle.

At this time, the empress led the army in person, and the image of the empress unconsciously became taller in the hearts of the people!

……