Seeing Mr. Liu's dull expression, Zhou Baoyu took a long puff of dry cigarette and fell silent without wanting to speak.
Young Master Liu turned his head and glanced at Zhou Baoyu, then turned and walked towards the main seat under the pavilion.
"Baoyu."
When Zhou Baoyu heard Mr. Liu's greeting, he quickly bent down and knocked out the unburnt shreds of tobacco in the pot on the soles of his shoes, then stood up and followed him.
"Commander?"
"Baoyu, there are some things that you should understand even if I don't say them.
What if I had personally commanded hundreds of thousands of cavalry and marched thousands of miles to convert the barbarians?
Both you and Baotong must become one of my vanguard generals.
The commander personally leads the troops to go on an expedition. You two have no choice but to follow me on an expedition of thousands of miles.
It's a pity that the people who led the troops to the expedition were not the commander in chief, but generals such as Protector of the Country Arrogance, Zhen Wang Wanyan Chiezha, and Hu Yanyu.
You brothers have followed me for many years, and you have long been accustomed to my way of using troops.
After suddenly following a new commander, can you guarantee that you will still be able to obey every military order from the commander above without hesitation as you did when you were under my command?"
Zhou Baoyu's tiger body trembled, and he looked at Young Master Liu in silence for a moment, then lowered his head with a melancholy expression.
"Commander, I finally understand."
Young Master Liu looked at Zhou Baoyu silently for a long time, and sighed with a sigh.
"Alas! Baoyu, Cheng Kai, you, Ning Chao, Feng Bu'er, Duan Bueren, and Ye Baotong, all of you were once my handsome brothers in life and death.
Although we are not real brothers, we are no different from real brothers.
You brothers, Cheng Kai and you, you two are among the first generals to follow me.
Ning Chao and the others, although the time he has followed me is not as long as the two of you.
However, the affection between us brothers and others is not much different.
For more than ten years, the few of you have followed me in military expeditions in the north and south, and in the east and west for many years. You have long been accustomed to my methods of using troops, and even more so to my orders.
I know very well how to make you generals more brave and adept at fighting.
You brothers are all brave and capable soldiers, and I have never denied this.
I have never doubted your ability or your ability to use troops.
However, there is one thing you must understand.
That is, no matter how brave you and Baotong are and how well you command your troops, you two brothers have to consider your own situation.
Baoyu, I believe in the abilities of Baotong and you two.
However, it is a matter of concern to the lives and fortunes of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Western Expedition.
Even if I believe in your abilities, I still cannot force you to think carefully!
In other words.
It is related to the great cause of the Western Expedition of hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers of our Great Dragon Kingdom, an expedition of thousands of miles, and the expansion of territory. I, the commander, must ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Baoyu, the Six Guards of the Northern Territory, the Six Guards of the New Army, the Twelve Army of the Beifu, 400,000 elite soldiers drawn from the Xinfu ministries, and the 400,000 elite soldiers drawn from the Anxi Protectorate and the various countries in the Western Regions.
Together, the two groups of soldiers and horses amount to a total of 800,000 elite troops!
It's about the safety of the 800,000-strong army, I can't afford to gamble!
And behind the 800,000 elite troops, there are 800,000 families.
Each of them has his own wife, children and children.
In this case, I can no longer afford to gamble.
If it were in the past, I would only be responsible for commanding the elite soldiers and generals under my command to charge into battle and make achievements.
All subsequent matters can only be resolved by the imperial court.
However, now, I am no longer just a simple commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
He is still the king of a country who carries on his shoulders the mountains and rivers of a hundred thousand miles, and the mountains and rivers of my dragon.
For the sake of the overall situation, I have no choice but to endure the pain and cut off my flesh!"
Zhou Baoyu saw Mr. Liu's heavy expression, shook his robe violently, knelt down on one knee and saluted.
"Commander, Commander, you don't need to say anything anymore. The general knows that he was wrong."
Young Master Liu pursed his lips vigorously a few times, then bent down and reached out to help Zhou Baoyu up.
"Good brother, what are you doing? Get up quickly."
"Thank you very much, Commander-in-Chief."
Young Master Liu released his hands supporting Zhou Baoyu's arms, turned around and sat down on the stone bench behind him.
"You sit down too."
"Yes, I will obey your orders."
"Baoyu, the reason why I just said these words to you is not to reprimand or blame you.
I'm just saying this to let you understand one thing.
It’s not easy to govern a huge world!”
"Commander, the last general will paint the lake, and the last general will know that he is wrong."
Liu Mingzhi raised his hand and pointed around the surrounding courtyard, sighing with emotion.
"Oh, Baoyu."
"Commander?"
"You and your sister-in-law should have seen the scenes in the city this time when you came to Beijing.
Tell me, after seeing the scene in the capital, what do you think of the capital?"
Zhou Baoyu was silent for a moment and said solemnly: "Come back to the commander-in-chief, I can say with my own conscience that the capital city today is definitely a prosperous time rarely seen in a hundred years."
Liu Mingzhi picked up his tea cup, nodded and took a sip of tea, then looked up at Zhou Baoyu, with a depressed smile on his face.
"You are right. Today's capital city can definitely be said to be a prosperous time that is rare to see in a hundred years.
However, this was only true for the civil and military officials in the imperial court, the people inside and outside the capital, and the hundreds of thousands of people in several prefectures within the capital.
But to me, this is a capital city where the people live and work in peace and contentment and the country is prosperous.
But it's more like a prison.
A more comfortable and comfortable cage.”
Zhou Baoyu frowned and stood up suddenly.
"Commander!"
Liu Mingzhi put down the tea lid, looked up at Zhou Baoyu and waved.
"Why are you so excited? Sit down, sit down."
"Yes, I will obey your orders."
"Baoyu, do you know how long it has been since I left the capital happily?
It's not the kind of departure that never leaves the capital no matter what happens.
It’s the kind of thing where you can let go of everything and leave with peace of mind.”
"The last general, I don't know the last general."
"I'm telling you, it's been five and a half years. I haven't really left the capital for about five and a half years.
Every time I wanted to leave the capital, all the civil and military officials in the dynasty would give me advice for a long time.
No country can live without a king for a day, and no emperor can leave Beijing easily.
Wait, wait, wait, etc., I never tire of listening to you.
But, even if I don’t tire of it, what can I do?
To be continued...