Tianliangyuan

Chapter 278 Why would they send a young upstart to guard the border?

Xu Han was displeased upon hearing this.

He was not particularly driven by human rights, and having grown up in the aristocratic circle since childhood, he had come into contact with key figures in the imperial power from a young age, so he naturally knew the cruelty of the power struggle.

Therefore, no matter what the emperor said over the years, he was unwilling to take up a post in the Ministry of War, preferring to remain as a general.

“There’s no need! Your eldest brother is steady and reliable, your second brother is brave and resourceful on the battlefield, and your third brother has been highly regarded by the Emperor lately. Our family is already doing very well. Zhaozhao, you are now a Princess of Anle with a real title, which is more powerful than many princesses who are related to the imperial family. There’s no need to always think about seizing power.”

Xu Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow: "Father, I am not power-hungry and have no such thoughts. I just think that our Emperor of the Great Xing Dynasty is wise and sagacious, and now that His Majesty is in the prime of his life, if you can make more contributions, our family will have more confidence!"

Xu Han was amused by her words.

"You little rascal, you're just thinking that if you get into trouble in the future, your dad can use his position to get you out of trouble, right?"

"Hehe, it's not that exaggerated. Besides, I know what kind of person Father is. This northern expedition was a great victory, but there are still many unstable factors on the border of Daxing. In the future, the Emperor will definitely not send Uncle Lu Jin to the frontier again. Who do you think will replace him next?"

Xu Han choked, realizing that it did indeed make sense.

Lu Jin has already reached the limit of his promotion. He is the Minister of War, a Duke, and a Pillar of State with twelve merits. If he rises any higher, he will become a prince of a different surname, which is too dangerous.

Moreover, His Majesty probably won't give him that opportunity again.

As long as the Lu family doesn't do anything reckless, they can at least maintain their prosperity for several more decades.

"Our Great Xing Dynasty is full of talented people, and every year there are outstanding military generals. It's not my turn."

"You mean Uncle Xie?"

"That won't work!"

Xu Han shook his head. He knew why Xie Xiaolin had been guarding the border all this time. Besides his own abilities, he also wanted to put His Majesty at ease.

For so many years, the area outside Jizhou City has remained peaceful. Moreover, when Xie Zheng was alive, he even forcibly pushed the territory outward by nearly a hundred miles, expanding Daxing's territory by such a large margin. It is evident that both father and son are born military generals.

"Xie Zheng has made a significant contribution this time, but since he is now the heir apparent, the Emperor has only awarded him a medal and some wealth. I reckon your future father-in-law will have to submit a memorial begging for retirement by the end of this year."

A family can prosper, but it cannot prosper too much.

It's good for a lot of talented people to emerge, but not too frequently or too densely.

Fortunately, apart from Xie Xiaolin and his son Xie Zheng, the rest of the Xie family members performed only moderately well in their military careers.

Otherwise, that would be truly terrible.

"Is it that serious?" Xu Zhaozhao felt that the Emperor was not the kind of person who would hold a grudge. If Xie Xiaolin returned to the capital, who would defend Jizhou City?

"You think too much."

Xu Han gently tapped his daughter's forehead.

This girl is good in every way—she's intelligent and considerate—but she's just too intelligent, which sometimes leads her to make mistakes.

"His Majesty will not suspect these military generals; he simply wants to cultivate some young military generals. The reason why our Great Xing is so prosperous today, with people from all directions paying tribute, is naturally because civil and military officials work together for Great Xing. The military generals cannot be cut off. If Great Xing only has two or three military generals who can shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future, then it will be terrible."

Xu Zhaozhao then realized what was going on.

It wasn't that the Emperor was wary of the Xie family; it was simply that he needed to cultivate some young people.

It just so happens that Xie Zheng is getting married, and Xie Xiaolin has been in Jizhou for quite some time, so it's time for him to be rotated according to the rules.

Xie Xiaolin had made numerous contributions, and given his old injuries, it was quite normal for him to want to be transferred back to the capital to serve as a sinecure.

Xu Zhaozhao was quite clever; after thinking about it for a moment, she understood.

Xie Xiaolin will beg to retire, but the Emperor will certainly not allow it. He will probably keep him in the capital and give him a sinecure, which will provide him with a salary, a respectable position, and allow him to reunite with his family. At the same time, the Emperor can arrange for someone to take good care of Xie Xiaolin's health, demonstrating his benevolence and appreciation for talent. Meanwhile, the Emperor can also start cultivating Xie Zheng, thus showing his magnanimity. This is killing several birds with one stone.

No wonder he was the emperor.

Xu Zhaozhao pouted, feeling that she was several levels below in terms of political maneuvering this time.

Indeed, one should not underestimate anyone, especially people from ancient times. Even a random civil official like him would have to be quite shrewd.

As for the emperor who rose to power, Emperor Yong'an, needless to say.

Sigh, I guess I'm still better at a more direct approach.

I used to be a little proud, thinking I had handled several things quite well, but now it seems like child's play.

"Father, now that Uncle Xie is returning to the capital, who do you think will be sent to Jizhou?"

"It's hard to say. I think if Lu Jin also retreats, then it's very likely that Lu Jin's eldest son will be sent over."

Lu Jin's eldest son is not yet thirty years old, but he is already a father.

Military generals with families tend to be more composed and have more to worry about, making them easier for superiors to control.

Ultimately, His Majesty will still use the Lu family, just with a different person.

That's not bad either.

This at least shows that the Emperor is not the type to abandon those who have served their purpose.

"And what about Father? Are you just going to stay idle like this?"

"How can you talk like that! I'm busy every day!"

Xu Zhaozhao couldn't help but purse her lips: "What are you so busy with? I think it's all Mother who's busy with things inside and outside the house. You just attend this banquet and that banquet at most. Humph, I'll go to Mother and complain about you later."

Xu Han glared at him: "You little brat! I've treated you well, haven't I? Why are you trying to trip me up?"

"What do you mean? It's because you're not ambitious enough!"

Xu Han was so angry that he pointed at her twice from a distance, but he couldn't think of any way to threaten the girl, so he had to give up.

"Father, I don't want Xie Zheng to be stationed on the border. Do you think the imperial court will arrange for him to go?"

"Don't worry, not for now."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Who do you think His Majesty is? Who do you think all the civil and military officials are? Even if Xie Zheng marries you, His Majesty won't transfer him to the border until you give birth to a son. Besides, our Daxing isn't short of military officers, why would we suddenly appoint a greenhorn to guard the border!"

After hearing what he said, Xu Zhaozhao seemed to understand.

Therefore, not just anyone could go to the battlefield as a military general in ancient times.

That's true, after all, this is a prosperous dynasty, not one of those incompetent dynasties that emphasized civil affairs over military affairs, as she had imagined.

Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor of Daxing was still very benevolent and knew how to cultivate, protect, and utilize talented generals.

"That's fine then. I just don't want him to leave Beijing."