Chapter 151 Choosing Generals
Faced with the Khitan rebellion, the political leaders at the core of the Wu Zhou Dynasty had different thoughts and attitudes.

After retiring from court, Di Renjie, with a worried and uneasy look on his face, walked towards Fengge, ready to deal with the government affairs at hand.

Zhang Jianzhi's voice came from behind: "Brother Huaiying, please slow down!"

Di Renjie turned around when he heard the voice. The two of them did not avoid each other and walked side by side, talking about the war in Yingzhou.

Zhang Jianzhi's tone was filled with anxiety: "Brother Huaiying, what is the emperor's intention in doing this? Since he said the military situation was urgent, he should have immediately selected a good general and led the troops north. Why did he suddenly withdraw from court?"

Di Renjie smiled and comforted him with a big belly, "Jianzhi doesn't need to be too anxious. The imperial army can't fly to Yingzhou to quell the rebellion, so it won't affect the overall situation. The Yingzhou incident is full of strangeness. What I said in the court before was not alarmist. It's a good thing for Your Majesty to be cautious."

Zhang Jianzhi sighed and said, "Even if the Khitans are a bit troublesome, they are not a serious threat to me. I am just worried that Your Majesty will vent his anger on the Crown Prince."

Di Renjie's expression froze when he heard this, and he said in a deep voice, "Yes, it's not just the prince. Once the bandits' slogan of overthrowing Zhou and restoring Tang came out, Your Majesty would definitely be on high alert, and the scope of the generals he appointed would inevitably be much smaller. Your Majesty might not be willing to use many veteran generals."

"If it was unintentional, it would be fine. But if it was intentional, such a slogan would hit the court right in the bud. There must be capable people among the Khitans!"

Zhang Jianzhi nodded and said, "Wu Sansi has been so active today. I think his request to go to war is not just empty talk to please the emperor, but rather he has some real intentions."

Di Renjie smiled disdainfully: "Wu Sansi was reprimanded by His Majesty a few days ago. He now feels that the Khitans are easy to deal with. Naturally, he wants to go to the battlefield to gain military merits and regain His Majesty's trust so that he can continue to plot for the position of crown prince."

Zhang Jianzhi's face darkened when he heard this. He stroked his beard with his fingers and said firmly, "If that's the case, we can't let him have his wish!"

Di Renjie shook his head slightly, his eyes deep as he said, "I'm afraid it won't be easy. The Khitan rebelled under the banner of restoring the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty will definitely use the Wu clan to stabilize the overall situation."

Zhang Jianzhi frowned even more. He knew that what Di Renjie said made sense and that Wu Zetian might really do this.

He said firmly: "We must argue for it. It's ok for Wu Sansi and his men to be put on the list and supervise the army in the rear and transport food and grass, but we must not let them lead the army in the face of the enemy."

Di Renjie agreed with what he said and nodded in approval, saying, "What Jian said is exactly what I want. In this case, the generals at the front should consider it more carefully."

"We need to use veterans from the battlefield, people who have prestige, qualifications, and are reliable." Zhang Jianzhi hinted that they should choose old ministers of the Li Tang Dynasty who are close to the prince.

Di Renjie added: "You must also be familiar with the Khitan territory and be well-versed in military intelligence. More importantly, you must gain the trust of His Majesty."

Zhang Jianzhi suggested without hesitation: "What do you think of Li Duozuo, the general of the Left Leopard Guard?"

Di Renjie thought for a moment, stroked his beard and agreed: "Well, General Li is a Mohe. He once led troops to quell the rebellions of the Black Water Mohe and Shiwei. He is familiar with the geography and military situation of the north."

"Moreover, he has been in charge of the Imperial Guard for many years and is deeply trusted by Your Majesty. He has both experience and prestige. He is indeed the best choice to lead the army to conquer the Khitan."

Zhang Jianzhi showed a satisfied look on his face and said with a smile: "Then it's settled. I will go to Li Duozuo to discuss it in detail and tell him what you and I are thinking. I will ask him to strive for the position of the chief general in the expedition against Khitan!"

After that, Zhang Jianzhi bowed and left. He and Li Duozuo had an unusual relationship. When Wu Zetian was seriously ill a few days ago, the two had contacted each other privately many times.

Di Renjie watched Zhang Jianzhi walk away, his heart full of doubts.

A lucky villain like Wu Sansi saw the Khitan rebellion as an opportunity to make merit, while Wu Zetian and Zhang Jianzhi focused more on the Khitan's slogan of "Restore Tang".

Everyone intentionally or unintentionally ignored the strength of the Khitan and the rebellion itself, as if they thought the Khitan could be defeated with an easy move. There was a sense of impetuousness among the people, which made people feel uneasy.
-
As night fell, inside Shangyang Palace, Zhao Ji sneaked into Shangguan Wan'er's bedroom again and sat on the couch where she often sat with ease.

Shangguan Wan'er hadn't returned for a long time. It seemed that Wu Zetian was very troubled by the Khitan war and wanted to keep her confidants to discuss it. It was not until three o'clock in the morning that Shangguan Wan'er returned to the bedroom, only to see Zhao Ji on his couch, drinking tea from his own cup.

Shangguan Wan'er was no longer surprised and was used to it. She just left the hall and told the palace servants not to disturb her.

Afterwards, Shangguan Wan'er closed the door again, walked to Zhao Ji and whispered, "I was just about to look for you. Are you here to ask about the selection of generals to pacify the Khitan?"

Zhao Ji put down the tea in his hand and said with a smile: "No one is smarter than Wan'er. What does Your Majesty think?"

Shangguan Wan'er took a deep breath and said, "I don't know what your Majesty is thinking. Your Majesty has mentioned dozens of names, but it seems that he doesn't have a particular favorite. Your name is among them!"

Zhao Ji was immediately shocked and said incredulously, "There is no way you can use me as a general. I can only lead a small army of several thousand people. Who else will be there besides me?"

Shangguan Wan'er recalled for a moment, and counted on her fingers: "There are the current governors and governors of Youyan, such as Zhang Jiujie. There are also generals of the Sixteen Guards of the imperial court, such as Li Duozuo, Zhang Xuanyu, and Cao Renshi."

"There are also some generals from the Anxi frontier army, and even some vice ministers and junior officials from the six ministries, temples, and academies. There are too many of them, and I really don't know who Your Majesty has chosen."

Zhao Ji stood up from the couch, paced around the room with his hands behind his back, and said with a sense of enlightenment: "No wonder, it seems that many people are going north this time, it will be lively."

Shangguan Wan'er chuckled and said, "You don't even need to tell me that. Your Majesty once used Xue Huaiyi as the commander and led 18 generals to attack the Turks. But I don't know how many people there are this time."

Zhao Ji frowned upon hearing this: "This Khitan rebellion is of great importance. Your Majesty will not treat it as a joke, will you?"

Xue Huaiyi, Wu Zetian's first male favorite, led his army to war several times but returned empty-handed. He never fought a war, so he didn't suffer any disastrous defeat. It was purely an armed parade.

The more Zhao Ji thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong: "Your Majesty will not create another group of eighteen generals and use Wu Sansi as the commander to conquer the Khitan, right?"

Shangguan Wan'er thought about it for a moment, and nodded seriously: "It's possible, yes, it's very likely!"

Zhao Ji couldn't help but take a deep breath, frowning and asking, "Your Majesty really mentioned my name?"

"Yes. Why? I remember that you were very eager to go to the battlefield and achieve great things. Now that the opportunity is right in front of you, why do you look so hesitant?" Shangguan Wan'er asked curiously.

Zhao Ji turned into a defeatist strategist and sighed, "I'm afraid the Khitans are not so easy to deal with. I'm afraid this expedition will not have a good result."

In addition to food, wages and logistics, intelligence is also very important in a war. The Snake Spirit must be involved in the affairs of Yingzhou, and it is inevitable that there will be a few traitors within the Zhou army.

By then, the Khitans will be well-rested and know both themselves and the enemy; the Zhou army will have come from afar, exhausted, unfamiliar with the land, and unstable internally, so traitors may appear at any time, and their intelligence may be mastered by others...

If Wu Sansi is used as the commander again, the debuffs will be fully stacked and it may be difficult to win this battle.

Shangguan Wan'er saw that Zhao Ji was a little depressed, so she encouraged him, "A real man should carry a three-foot sword and accomplish unparalleled feats. Why are you complaining like this?"

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "Sister, you are right. Everything depends on human effort. The general returned with his body wrapped in horse hide. Whether he can leave his name in history depends on this time."

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. Risks are also opportunities.

(End of this chapter)