Chapter 152 Hidden worries
Emergency documents from the front line were continuously sent to Luoyang. Wu Zetian had no time to hesitate and quickly decided on the candidates for the northern expedition, a total of 28 people.

Among them were candidates favored by Wu Zetian herself, as well as those recommended by Di Renjie, Zhang Jianzhi and others.

These twenty-eight generals, led by General Zhang Xuanyu of the Right Jinwu Guard, General Li Duozuo of the Left Baotao Guard, General Cao Renshi of the Left Yingyang Guard, and Ma Renjie, Junior Minister of Agriculture, have mobilized troops from all over the country and will soon march north to quell the rebellion.

Fortunately, with the efforts of Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi, Wu Zetian did not let Wu Sansi take charge. She only ordered him to serve as the ambassador of appeasement of Yuguan Road, and Yao Yan as his deputy, to do civil defense work. She did not even give him the nominal title of commander-in-chief, which was a blessing in disguise.

It’s just that these twenty-eight people cosplay as the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, and the momentum is huge, but there is no absolute commander.

Zhang Xuanyu and Li Duozuo have the highest official ranks, so their words may carry more weight, but they are still two people. Wu Zetian's purpose of restraint and balance should not be too obvious.

Issuing orders to multiple departments is a taboo in military strategy. Di Renjie was pessimistic about suppressing the rebellion.

However, due to the fact that the rebellion was too sensitive and Wu Zetian could not tolerate any flaws, he could not give any advice. He just recommended several useful generals in the hope of remedying the situation.

Fortunately, twenty-eight places were enough, and Wu Zetian approved all the recommended people.

Shangguan Wan'er's information was correct. Zhao Ji was appointed as the deputy envoy of the Pinglu Army and the commander-in-chief of the Qingbian Road Army, which was considered a reward from Wu Zetian for his previous merits.

In the eyes of the empress, this time the 28 generals will march north with great momentum and strong soldiers and horses, and they will surely succeed quickly and defeat the Khitan, and Zhao will be able to gain military merit along the way.

Di Renjie personally arranged Zhao Ji's specific duties. He had his own reasons and invited Zhao Ji to his house for a talk and to give him detailed instructions.

In the Di residence’s study, the candlelight flickered.

Di Renjie got straight to the point and asked, "Chengyuan, what do you think about the Khitan rebellion in Yingzhou?"

Zhao understood Di Renjie's doubts, and after a moment's silence, he replied, "Your Excellency has made it very clear in the court that day. Zhao Wenhui's troops were defeated too quickly. There must be something fishy going on. There may be Khitan spies in Yingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie nodded solemnly, "Yes, if there were no internal support, the Khitans would not have broken through the city so quickly. What is more worrying is the so-called 'anti-Zhou and restoration of Tang'."

"I suspect there is another conspiracy. Chengyuan happens to be on the expedition this time, so I would like to ask Chengyuan to investigate secretly."

Zhao Ji heard this and smiled bitterly with a bit of helplessness: "My Lord, you are still talking. I can command a thousand men to fight against the mob. But if we really want to march and fight, I am not sure if I can lead 5,000 men. I am afraid that I will fail the trust of the court."

Five thousand men was exactly the number of men under the command of a marching commander according to the Tang army system. This time, Zhao Ji really had five thousand men.

Di Renjie smiled and stroked his beard, comforting him: "Chengyuan, don't be too modest. I think you are not an ordinary person and you will definitely be able to take on this important task. Moreover, I have specially found an old general to work with you."

Zhao Ji was moved when he heard this, and asked, "Are you talking about the ambassador of the Pinglu Army, General Yang Xuanji?"

Di Renjie nodded and said, "Yes, it is him. Don't think that General Yang is useless just because he is over 70 years old. He is from the famous Yang family of Youbeiping. He has served in the Yingguoguan and conquered Goguryeo. He is very familiar with the geography of Liaodong and Liaoxi."

"He fought in many battles throughout his life and made great contributions. He was exiled to Lingnan because of political disputes. But he also suppressed the Liaodilong rebellion in Lingnan. He worked hard and made great contributions. He is experienced in the military."

"I specifically suggested to Your Majesty to transfer him back to Liaoxi to quell the rebellion. You will definitely benefit by following him and will not suffer any loss." When Zhao heard this, a warm current surged in his heart and his gratitude was beyond words. Di Pangpang is Di Pangpang, so trustworthy.

He bowed his hands and thanked him, "Thank you for your cultivation, sir. I will definitely learn the art of war from General Yang."

Di Renjie was very satisfied with Zhao Ji's attitude and reminded him, "Zhang Ge Lao has told General Li Duozuo that he will take care of you in the army. You just need to go out boldly. I hope you can defeat the Khitan as soon as possible and return to the court."

Zhao Ji heard this and smiled helplessly: "My Lord, please thank Lord Zhang for me, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat the Khitan and return to the court as soon as possible."

Di Renjie couldn't help but ask: "Why does Chengyuan say that?"

Zhao Ji sighed and said, "Who knows how His Majesty could send 28 generals without an absolute commander? Since ancient times, wars have never been fought like this."

"These twenty-eight generals are truly eye-opening. They are from the imperial guards, the frontier troops, the old, the young, the central government, the local government, the front line, the rear, the Hu people, the Han people, all kinds of civil officials and military generals..."

In terms of age, Zhao Ji is the youngest, at twenty-three years old, while Yang Xuanji is over seventy, which is a huge gap.

In terms of ethnicity, Li Duozuo was a Mohe. Gao Zhi was a Goguryeo man, who was also over 70 years old. There were also Turkic generals who surrendered, and who knows, there might be Khitan generals who surrendered in the future.

This phenomenon only existed in the Tang Dynasty. It was not easy for other Han dynasties to gather so many generals of different ethnic groups to participate in the same war.

Di Renjie laughed when he heard Zhao Ji's usual words: "Your Majesty's selection of generals is a bit mixed, but he still used a lot of veterans, which at least can stabilize the situation and prevent it from collapsing."

Zhao Ji shook his head and said pessimistically: "It's hard to say."

"This is not just a question of generals, but also about mobilizing troops. I heard that the court is not only mobilizing troops from Guanzhong and Hebei, but is also mobilizing troops from Shannan Road and Huainan Road to the north. I don't know how long it will take for these troops to arrive."

"The generals and soldiers are in disarray, with no one under their command, and it's a mess. Your Majesty has to mobilize a large army and attack at once, which means a hasty battle. It's inevitable that some people will advance rashly with their troops. In such a mess, we still have to fight a hasty battle, and the result will be..."

Zhao Ji didn't say anything else, but Di Renjie understood what he meant next.

Di Renjie said with some worry: "Chengyuan is right. Even if the general wants to proceed cautiously, His Majesty may not agree. Under the pressure of the imperial edict, he will inevitably be radical."

"It is safer to advance slowly, and perhaps we can put down the rebellion faster. But if the light army advances rashly, once it is defeated, it will take longer to put down the rebellion." Di Renjie muttered.

Di Renjie is worthy of being a famous prime minister and he indeed has extraordinary responsibilities.

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes became bright, he stood up resolutely, and said in a resolute voice: "I will work with Elder Zhang to strongly advise Your Majesty not to let her rush for quick success and force the generals on the front line."

"I will also tell Li Duozuo to use his troops prudently. Chengyuan, you are at the front line, so you must also act according to circumstances, be stable when you can, and persuade when you need to. With these three approaches, we may be able to stabilize the situation."

Zhao Ji bowed again and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, sir."

(End of this chapter)