"What are you thinking about? Are you injured?" Wei Qing blinked.
"No." Shen Yunfan came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, prepare to summon all the civil and military officials to attend the morning court in an hour."
"Okay." Wei Qing nodded.
Shen Yunfan is now the backbone of the emperor. She may not have noticed at this time, but she has become more dependent on Shen Yunfan.
After this night, the entire capital city was in a state of ruin.
An hour later, the sun rose high.
At Chenshi, all the civil and military officials were summoned. They were all timid, obviously frightened by what happened last night.
Outside the city, Cao Zhi, Li Cheng, and several commanders of the Imperial Guard and Royal Forest Army also entered the palace.
"Where to start?" Wei Qing asked softly.
Shen Yunfan beside him whispered: "First ask about the battle situation."
Wei Qing nodded and then asked: "Prince Cao, how was the battle going when we defeated the He bandits last night?"
Cao Zhi pursed his lips and knelt on the ground with a plop.
"I am guilty!"
This scene shocked everyone.
"His Majesty Cao had meritorious service in suppressing the rebels, how could he be guilty?"
Cao Zhi knelt on the ground with a bitter look on his face.
"Twenty thousand Imperial Guards fought a decisive battle against ten thousand enemy troops. In the end, they killed seven thousand enemies and suffered twelve thousand losses. These casualties are a first-class crime, and I beg your Majesty to punish you!" Cao Zhi sighed.
The Cao family and the Royal Forest Army are inextricably linked, so Cao Zhi knew many of the dead last night.
Some are even his cousins, uncles and uncles.
So he was the one who blamed himself the most for causing so many casualties.
Shen Yunfan sighed, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the combat effectiveness of the Royal Forest Army is mediocre, and Crown Prince Cao is serving as the temporary commander. In my opinion, the fault is not his. I hope your Majesty will make rewards and punishments clear."
"I understand." Wei Qing thought for a moment and then said: "I cherish the memory of the Minister of War, and in addition to the fact that Crown Prince Cao has meritorious service, I will reward him with a thousand taels of silver. From now on, Cao Zhi will succeed to the position of Minister of the Ministry of War. As for the casualties, it is still I hope that Prince Cao will be more diligent and learn more about the art of war in the future."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Cao Zhi kowtowed, "However, I have one more request."
"explain."
"I know that I am not capable enough, so I would like to ask your Majesty to elect a Minister of War to take charge of military affairs. I will definitely assist you." Cao Zhi said seriously.
When all the civil and military officials heard this, they all looked startled.
"This fool, isn't it good for him to hold the military power himself? Do you still want to give the power away?" Xu Kailin muttered in his heart.
Of course, there are also many veterans who admire Cao Zhi very much.
"It seems that Mr. Cao is different from his father."
"Master Cao really has Southern Wei in his heart!"
Wei Qing pondered and said: "Then, among all the beloved ladies, is there anyone you can choose?"
After saying this, Cao Zhi and all the guards generals all looked at Shen Yunfan.
What happened last night was all due to Shen Yunfan's efforts to turn the tide.
Li Cheng told the story of sending disaster relief materials to Chuzhou and said seriously: "Shizi Shen is loyal to the country and the emperor. He even personally relieved the siege of the Royal Forest Army last night. He will definitely be qualified for the post of Minister of the Ministry of War."
"However, the Minister of War should be good at military tactics." Xu Kailin said coldly.
Obviously, he didn't want Shen Yunfan to have too much power.
But then Niu Yi stood up again and said seriously: "A few days ago, Shen Shizi personally led the imperial guards to fight against the remnants of the Zheng Kingdom. Of course he has military skills!"
"Is this serious?" Wei Qing raised his eyebrows.
"Of course, all the officers and soldiers in the army can testify!"
At this time, Wei Qing was filled with surprise and thought: It turns out that I have misunderstood him all this time!
After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said: "Shen Shizi has performed a great service and has been appointed as Minister of the Ministry of War, and has resumed his duties as Acting Prime Minister."
"Hiss..." All the officials took a deep breath.
Now, the Southern Wei Dynasty had another super powerful minister!
"The emperor doesn't have a long memory. If he is given such great power, isn't this the second He Chengyun?" someone thought in their mind.
Several generals of the Royal Forest Army looked a little dissatisfied. They didn't want a young boy to appear among their superiors out of thin air.
But now Shen Yunfan is in the limelight, so no one dares to persuade him.
Shen Yunfan and Cao Zhi have both been promoted. Xu Yan looked expectant at this time, also waiting for rewards.
Seeing this, Shen Yunfan asked: "Prince Xu, how did the task assigned to you last night go?"
"Oh, I accidentally escaped Liu Cheng, but then I led the men to rush out and killed many of He Chengyun's people, so I deserve a lot of credit..." Halfway through Xu Yan's words, he felt someone poking at him next to him.
Turning around, Xu Kailin poked him and said seriously: "Stop talking and admit your mistake quickly!"
"I have done a great job, why should I admit my mistake?" Xu Yan was puzzled.
At this time, he had not noticed that Shen Yunfan's face was as gloomy as water.
"You can't even complete such a simple task?" Shen Yunfan clenched his fists in anger.
"Then Liu Cheng can just run away. Is it necessary to go into such a big fight?" Xu Yan looked unconcerned.
"Come here, take him to the capital prison and let him sober up for a few days!" Shen Yunfan got up angrily.
The imperial guards rushed in immediately, and Xu Yan said in a panic: "Chen Yunfan, you are just avenging a private vendetta, why do you arrest me!?"
"Shut up!" Xu Kailin slapped him, then fell to his knees and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have failed to teach you well, please give me a light punishment!"
"Father, what did I do wrong?" Xu Yan stared.
"Silly! Do you really think Liu Cheng is a lost dog? Don't forget, his biggest supporter is the King of Beishan. Once he escapes to Chuzhou, there will be endless troubles!" Xu Kailin scolded.
All the civil and military officials sighed after hearing this, and Shen Yunfan said helplessly: "The traitor Liu Cheng has been eliminated. If he escapes to the King of Beishan, he will only be more unscrupulous. This will lay a big disaster for the Southern Wei Dynasty!" "
The King of Beishan is brave but without any strategy, but once he has the help of Liu Cheng, an old fox, he becomes even more powerful.
Xu Yan was dumbfounded now. Last night, he didn't take the mission given by Shen Yunfan seriously. Instead, he took people out to kill people, so he let Liu Cheng go.
I didn't expect that he would make such a big mistake!
For a time, he could no longer defend himself and could only let others take him away. Xu Kailin also knew that his son deserved what he deserved, so he did not dare to speak out in defense.
Shen Yunfan was a little worried. Originally, things went smoothly last night and should have ended perfectly.
But unexpectedly, the simplest step went wrong, and Liu Cheng took advantage of the chaos and escaped. Now that one night has passed, Liu Cheng may have disappeared long ago. There is no way to pursue the defeated soldiers in the capital. .
Moreover, Liu Cheng's biggest threat is that he knows the details of Shen Yunfan, a fugitive.
If he sends someone to Zhao to spread the news, I'm afraid there will be constant trouble!
"Alas, this guy just ran away." Shen Yunfan sighed helplessly. Now, he can only take one step at a time.