Which general could it possibly be?
The strongest, Zhou Qichen, had already rebelled! Even the several deputy generals sent last time had turned traitor! The Prime Minister was worried sick, yet he dared not utter a word of complaint.
He was about to open his mouth to make a recommendation.
But a minister spoke up more quickly: "Your Majesty, I recommend the son of the Vice Minister of War. He is this year's top martial arts graduate. Defeating the rebel Zhou Qichen would be no challenge for him."
Seeing someone take the lead, other ministers also hastily recommended people they had long had their eyes on.
They also wanted to take this opportunity to form factions and alliances.
The Prime Minister cast a disdainful glance at those ministers who usually pretended to be deaf and mute when nothing was happening, but became extremely enthusiastic about recommending people as soon as there was a position available in the court.
That martial arts graduate had strength but no strategy. If he were to be made a general, it would be a disaster.
The Prime Minister's dissatisfaction was quite evident on his face!
The rebels were almost at the capital's doorstep, yet these ministers were still racking their brains over positions, trying to place their own people in power.
The Prime Minister stepped forward, feeling compelled to speak:
"Your Majesty, I recommend my disciple Tang Liangcai. Though his martial arts skills are not high, he is good at strategy and especially adept at defense—"
However.
Before he could finish, another minister interrupted him.
"Prime Minister, your recommendation seems biased. This is about defending a city, it's about warfare, not an opportunity for your disciple to gain undeserved merit."
"Although Tang Liangcai knows some martial arts, it's all just for show. How can a civil official lead troops and fight battles? It's laughable!"
Seeing a minister object, other ministers also stood up to voice their disagreements.
The final decision, however, lay in Pei Changying's hands.
Pei Changying pondered for a long time. In the past, all these matters were handled by Gu Sang. Now, he didn't understand the intricacies involved. A good general didn't necessarily need to be the strongest in martial arts, but must understand strategy and know how to lead troops.
Thus.
Pei Changying turned his gaze to the Vice Minister of War.
"Then let your son take the position of commander-in-chief. He must keep the rebel army outside the Mountain City at all costs!"
The Vice Minister of War was overjoyed and hurriedly came forward to kowtow in gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. I hereby swear that my unworthy son will certainly keep the rebel army outside the Mountain City and absolutely not allow the rebels to set foot in the capital!"
The Prime Minister's face changed, and he urgently said: "Your Majesty, please reconsider. The son of the Vice Minister of War is not skilled in defensive warfare, and he is too straightforward. He absolutely cannot be allowed to lead troops."
Was he implying that his son was simple-minded?
Hearing this, the Vice Minister of War angrily questioned the Prime Minister: "What do you mean by that, Prime Minister? If my son is not suitable, is your disciple more suitable?"
Another minister chimed in with a sarcastic tone: "Indeed, Prime Minister. If you can make recommendations, why can't others? Since His Majesty has already made his decision, what more do you have to be dissatisfied about?"
Hearing these words, Pei Changying turned his gaze to the Prime Minister, his cold eyes revealing the suspicion and anger of an emperor.
The Prime Minister, being astute and diplomatic, immediately sensed the emperor's mood. His heart skipped a beat, and he no longer argued with the other ministers, silently retreating.
How disheartening!
The Prime Minister felt utterly discouraged.
Seeing that the Prime Minister had stopped speaking, the anger in the emperor's eyes dissipated somewhat.
"If there are no other matters, you may all withdraw."
Since the commander-in-chief had been decided, the ministers had nothing else to report.
After Pei Changying left, the ministers departed in small groups.
"Congratulations, Vice Minister. Your son's future prospects are limitless..."
Naturally, the Vice Minister of War was surrounded by well-wishers, with congratulations pouring in continuously.
The Prime Minister left the palace with an expressionless face. He cast a deep look at the palace behind him, and only after entering his carriage did he let out a soft sigh.
"What doesn't belong to you, you truly cannot hold onto."
"Power is like fine sand. The former Miss Gu was the bag, while the current emperor is the funnel. What isn't yours will eventually slip away."
"Never mind, never mind. I'm old. Perhaps it's time to retire and return to my hometown."
He merely sighed softly, but then thought about how the rebels had not yet been quelled, and the court was in dire need of capable people. If he were to resign at this moment, he would likely be subject to criticism.
But he had grown weary of the factions and alliances in the official circles.
Usually, he could remain indifferent and unaffected.
But now, with rebels about to storm the capital, yet these officials still prioritizing their careers over the country's safety, today, it had broken through the usually composed Prime Minister's defenses.
Mountain City.
The terrain of Mountain City gradually rose in elevation, allowing the soldiers guarding the city to easily observe enemy movements and prepare various traps such as rolling stone formations to greet the enemy before they could climb the mountain.
The entire terrain was sloped, making it impossible for cannons to be pushed within effective attacking range, and hand grenades couldn't be thrown that far either.
The Elder Princess was aware of this, so she didn't rashly attack the city. Instead, she set up camp nearby to discuss strategies.
As the Elder Princess's army had not engaged in battle for ten days, the soldiers in Mountain City had let their guard down.
Early in the morning, women and commoners from the foot of the mountain loaded chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and fresh vegetables onto carts.
A few scattered soldiers stood at the city gate, merely glancing at the group of nearly forty-year-old female commoners before letting them enter.
"It's been ten days already. Why haven't the rebels attacked? Could it be that they're afraid?" One soldier said while yawning.
"Of course they are. We're not far from the capital, and this Mountain City is easy to defend but hard to attack. They must be scared," another soldier said dismissively.
"I heard there's some kind of women's army among the rebel forces. They say these female soldiers are incredibly brave," a third soldier joined the conversation.
"Hahaha, you really believe women can fight? I think those soldiers in the previous cities were just useless. They couldn't even beat women, and they were afraid of being laughed at, so they exaggerated about how brave the women's army was."
"Except for those things like cannons and hand grenades, which I'm a bit scared of, if it were just the women's army, I could take on ten women by myself."
The other soldiers all laughed, belittling the women's army.
However, they didn't know that the women's army they looked down upon had already infiltrated among the commoners who had just delivered vegetables.
"Come on! You lost, drink up!"
"Drink! Drink!"
As they delivered the vegetables, all they saw along the way were lazy, scattered troops, and even leaders drinking in broad daylight.
Seeing their relaxed state, the few soldiers disguised as commoners felt their tense nerves relax. The original plan was to pretend to be vegetable delivery people to sneak into Mountain City and check the guard situation.
But seeing the lax behavior of the soldiers in the city, the group exchanged glances and decided to stay a bit longer to gather more intelligence on the enemy.
After delivering the vegetables to the kitchen, they split up, agreeing to return to this spot within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Otherwise, staying too long would inevitably attract attention.
Ge Qing successfully gathered information and was about to return to the kitchen.
On the way, however, she was stopped by a military officer.
"You, come here."
Ge Qing's heart skipped a beat.
Had she been discovered?
"What are you dawdling for!"
