Li Xiang quickly prepared the two pieces of paper and placed them directly in a wine jar. Everyone below held their breath, wondering who would win, as this would determine their future destiny.
Being in the General's Mansion of Tiance is indeed very good, and there will be a good future in the future. For those who have been on the battlefield, of course they can continue to stay here. After all, if you have made contributions on the battlefield and have been an official in the General's Mansion of Tiance for a few years, you can be sent out to become a senior official at any time.
But it is different for some people, such as these young people. They have never been to the battlefield, or they have just strolled around the battlefield, which is not a merit at all. If they are left like this, I am afraid these people will not be willing, so in this case, they will definitely choose to follow His Highness to the battle.
But there was no chance at all before, so these people could only hope for it in their hearts. Now it is finally different. Even if only half of the people go out, there is still a 50% chance for themselves. When they come back from the battlefield in the future, they will have peace of mind.
"Old Cow comes first."
Niu Jinda was older, so Li Xiang asked him to come down. The last card was naturally Su Dingfang's. Niu Jinda held it in his hand for a long time and finally chose the one below. However, when he opened it, there was nothing on it, so he could only stay in Chang'an.
"I won, I won."
Su Dingfang opened his piece of paper, and there was indeed a black dot on it, which meant that he could go to the battlefield in the Western Regions. This guy had returned from the battlefield in the Western Regions, so this trip was quite familiar to him.
"Send an urgent message to the Western Regions, ordering Cheng Chumo to return to the capital and take over Su Dingfang's position. Su Dingfang will leave the capital early tomorrow."
Su Dingfang had not yet finished celebrating when Li Xiang's order had already been issued. After hearing Li Xiang's order, Su Dingfang did not bother to say anything else. He immediately called out more than 30 of his subordinates from among the people drinking present. Now everyone had no time to drink here, and they had to go home as quickly as possible to prepare, as they would be on the road at sunrise tomorrow.
Niu Jinda's face was dark at the moment. Why was his hand so clumsy? There was clearly a 50% chance of winning, but he had grabbed a piece of paper with nothing on it. If he had to do it again, he would definitely grab the bottom piece of paper and definitely not the top one.
But there's no such thing as regret these days. As the saying goes, if you're willing to accept defeat, you've all been in the army for so many years. Are you still allowed to regret it? Moreover, this matter is so important that Li Xiang's mindset is leaning towards Su Dingfang. However, if Niu Jinda was the one smoking, Li Xiang would never have any other ideas.
Su Dingfang was already very familiar with the wars in the Western Regions. If he were to lead the troops there now, he would be able to provide great help to Li Xiang. Therefore, in this situation, Su Dingfang would be the best choice.
"Don't be discouraged, Lao Niu. It will only take one to two years at most. I will re-select generals to go to the front. We must establish a good rotation system. No one can enjoy a leisurely life in the rear, and no one can enjoy the excitement of the front line all the time."
Li Xiang's words made Niu Jinda's eyes light up. After following Li Xiang for one to two years, he knew that Li Xiang's words were trustworthy. As long as he said so, it meant that everyone had hope.
Many people below heard this. Those who followed Su Dingfang to the battle had expressions of joy and sadness on their faces. Not all of them were willing to go to the battlefield, but most of them were willing to go and earn merit, so that they could have a foothold in Chang'an City.
If you stay in the rear all the time and lack the qualifications from the front line, they may not be able to find certain merits for you when they want to promote you. Then you will not be able to seize the opportunity when it comes, and you can only stay honestly in the yamen in the rear. It's like there is a missing piece of land in your growth process, and no one can fill it for you.
"Your Highness is right. I am not old yet. I will stay in Chang'an City to watch over your Highness. When they are tired of fighting, I will naturally take my weapons and go up to them. As your Highness said, the world is so big, can they really conquer everything?"
Niu Jinda said this very proudly, then grabbed the wine jar on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Li Xiang also gave him a thumbs up. If it really came to drinking, Su Dingfang was definitely not Niu Jinda's opponent.
If the two of them were to fight with equal weapons, they would both be injured in the end, and no one could tell who would win or lose. But if they were to drink, Niu Jinda could get Su Dingfang drunk several times over.
The Western Region General’s Camp.
Five days after Li Xiang issued the order, the Western Region General's Camp received a carrier pigeon letter from Chang'an, stating that Cheng Chumo would replace Su Dingfang after returning this time. You must know that Cheng Chumo does not have that qualification at all. Although he has also commanded several wars in the Western Region, there is still a big gap compared to Su Dingfang.
However, this letter was written by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself, and it also had the seals of several other people on it, so it was definitely not fake. When the imperial court issued such orders, they generally used two methods: Brother Fei's transmission was the fastest, and there were also postmen on horseback.
However, their speed was relatively slow. It would take at least a month to reach the Northwest Camp, and that was because the road had been repaired. If they continued at the original speed, the letter might take three to four months on the road, assuming they did not get lost. If they did get lost, it might not be delivered in half a year.
When Li Xiang first started building roads in the Western Regions, many people thought it was a waste of money. Didn't the imperial court have so much money it couldn't be spent? With all that money, why not build roads inland? Building roads across such a vast area like the Western Regions would cost at least several million strings of cash. Do those people still say that now? They're all convinced.
"Congratulations, General, on your promotion to the General's Mansion."
After hearing the news, the people present also held a banquet. When Cheng Chumo came in, everyone raised their glasses, but the expression on Cheng Chumo's face was not so happy. He had just seen off General Moren and didn't expect that it would be his turn so soon.
