Han Shizu

Chapter 684 Take Jiangling Lightly 1
Jiangling, a famous city for thousands of years, leans against the great river. Since the Gao family established the Nanping regime here, it has been Taiping for decades. It is in the heart of the world. It can be said that it is sitting on the "visited guest seat" and watching the rise and fall of the Central Plains dynasty for three generations. , the situation changes.

Speaking of which, compared with other separatist regimes, which either destroyed the country or continued to suffer civil strife, the Gao family has been passed down to three generations since Gao Jixing.

But since the spring of this year, the sunny Jiangling City has been in a state of turmoil from top to bottom. Even the people at the bottom of Jiangling can feel the tension in the air.Especially after the army of the Northern Han Dynasty completed its assembly in Xiangyang.

In the past few days since the beginning of summer, those in power in Jingnan have become even more uneasy.Gao Baorong, who has lived in the palace for many years, has recently discovered that the wine is no longer fragrant, and the singing and dancing are no longer beautiful, so he picks up his affairs again and asks about the military, politics and internal and external situations.

Chen Bian, the swordsman of the Han Dynasty, and Nanping, the biggest military preparation is to impose martial law on Jiangling City. All doors are closed during floods and droughts, and entry and exit are strictly prohibited.As a result, people in Jiangling City became even more panicked.Although there are rumors that the imperial court will attack Huxiang only through Nanping and has no intention of harming them, such rhetoric can only deceive those ignorant people.

As for the high-level people in Jingnan, they don't believe it at all.Even though King Nanping's Gao Baorong's cowardice was just a small fantasy, but after some explanations from his ministers, he suddenly became more frightened.

With a group of knights coming south, the long-closed Jiangling City was opened again.Across the moat, looking at the suspension bridge falling slowly, Cao Bin couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The master Wang is still far away, and Jiangling is already frightened. With such a closed door, can we stop the imperial army? It's just to expose his panic, which will only provoke people." People are laughing!"

Soon, an official of the palace walked quickly, leading the way respectfully, and ushered Cao Bin into the city.

In the lobby of the palace, there was a solemn scene. In order not to lose the etiquette, but also to show respect for the envoys of the imperial army, Nanping Wang Gao Baorong was the leader, with both civil and military skills, waiting for Cao Bin to come.

Perhaps because of years of hedonic life, lack of exercise, Gao Baorong's body is a little fat, his face is pale, his hair is yellow, and his complexion is not good enough. It is obvious that his body is weak.

"The last general, Cao Bin, pay homage to the king!" As he stepped into the room steadily, with his head held high, Cao Bin clasped his fists and said in a loud voice, his handsome face showed a rare look of flying.

"Excuse me, general!" Gao Baorong gestured with his sleeves, looking very lenient.Seeing Cao Bin's heroic appearance, he sighed secretly, thinking that a general sent by a big man at random has such a bearing, and he couldn't help thinking about it.

"Murong Dushuai sent the general to Jiangling to meet Gu, why?" He pretended to be ignorant and asked, but Gao Baorong's aura couldn't get up at all, his face was full of gloomy temperament.

With a calm and modest face, Cao Bin clasped his hands and said, "Zhou Xingfeng in Hunan Province is rampant with wolves. He is good at using swords and soldiers to attack Zhouzhen and kill Jiedu. He is a rebellious thief. Your Majesty has issued an edict to send a large army to fight against it. , To control the violence and suppress the thieves, to the Annan scholars and people.

Now the commander-in-chief Murong has led his army southwards, intending to cross Jiangling, he dispatched a special general to contact him about the matter.I also ask your Majesty to order that the gates of the Jingnan cities be opened, and the passages be opened to allow the army to pass through! "

The tone was very peaceful, but what he said was forceful, and Cao Bin's expression also showed that he could not refuse.However, upon hearing this, including Gao Baorong, they did not show any enthusiasm or indignation.

When Cao Bin explained what he came for, he kept silent and stood there sternly, waiting for Gao Baorong's response.

And Gao Baorong's face showed hesitation, hesitated for a while, and asked: "I don't know how many soldiers and horses the imperial court has sent to the south to attack Zhou Xingfeng?"

Meeting his eyes, Cao Bin said: "Forty thousand troops on foot and cavalry!"

It wasn't bluffing, but just such a mediocre number made Jingnan civil and military full of worry.According to the spying of the Han court, the subordinates of Jingnan Zhuzhou have a total of about [-] soldiers in the navy and army.

The most recent foreign war was when the Northern Han Dynasty crusade against Huainan. General Wei Lin led the army to the east to help in the war.In the end, he failed to formally confront the Tang army. After the peace talks between the Han and Tang Dynasties, he withdrew to Jiangling and made soy sauce. The fifty bolts of silk that Liu Chengyou rewarded at that time were not enough for military expenses.

The previous foreign war would have to go back to the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty. Gao Conghui was still in power at that time. .As a result, he was defeated by An Shenqi, the envoy of Shannan Dongdao Jiedu at that time, and returned home in embarrassment.

At that time, what An Shenqi used was only the local army.But now the ones coming from the south are the main force of the forbidden army of the Han Dynasty, and the leader of the army even banned the commander of Murong Yanzhao.And it's just a partial division of the big Han, but the military strength has surpassed the entire Jingnan. The disparity between the strong and the weak is really frustrating.

"I don't know if Murong Du is handsome, when do you plan to mobilize troops, and which route will you take?" Gao Baorong asked again.

Cao Bin said: "This involves the secrets of the military aircraft, which cannot be known by the general, and the king should not inquire about it, just order it to be released!"

When Cao Bin said this, his tone was already a bit impolite.Gao Baorong was a little embarrassed when he heard about it. At this time, his younger brother Gao Baoxu stared at Cao Bin and asked calmly: "If I am in Jingnan and don't let him go, what will the court want?"

Gao Baoxu's attitude was neither soft nor hard. Cao Bin turned his head to look at him, still calmly said: "The army has a vanguard force, and they will open the way when they meet the mountains, and build bridges when they meet the water. If Jingnan does not follow the road, you have to open it yourself!"

After this questioning, the atmosphere in the lobby became a little tense, and Sun Guangxian, the head of Jingnan civil servants, said to Cao Bin with a smile: "The imperial court wants to use the way to calm Hunan, and Nanping is a subject. It’s just that this matter is so important that our ministers need to discuss it. The general galloped here, and it’s been hard work. Please stay in the hotel temporarily. After a day or two, there will be an answer!”

"What Sun Gong said is true, I still need to discuss with all the civil and military personnel, and the general will rest for a while!" Gao Baorong also hurriedly said.

Hearing this, Cao Bin looked around the hall with cold eyes, and finally landed on Gao Baorong, a smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth: "In this case, please hurry up with your majesty and all the sages, after all, the military situation is urgent and we cannot afford to be neglected! "

"The last general will leave first!" After finishing speaking, Cao Bin left on his own initiative, leaving Gao Baorong room for civil and military discussions.

As soon as Cao Bin left, the atmosphere in the hall became more solemn.As an excuse, the imperial court had a special envoy to inform them before, but there was no clear answer, but this time, Cao Bin came as an envoy of the Southern Expedition Army, and it was time for them to express their views. This time, there were not many room for them.

Most of the bureaucrats were dismissed, leaving only Gao Baoxu, Sun Guangxian, Liang Tingsi, Li Jingwei, and Wei Lin, a few civil and military officials, all with solemn and serious expressions.

"Report to Your Majesty, the envoy from Hunan is asking to see you!" Before he could speak, he heard the announcement.

Most likely, it was the news of the arrival of the Han army, which made the Chu envoy who had stayed in Jiangling for a long time unable to sit still, and came to ask for an audience in a hurry.The reason for his visit was also clear to everyone present. Upon hearing it, Gao Baorong ordered impatiently: "Just say that I have something to do and I don't have time to meet you. Let the envoy of Chu return to the hotel. We can talk about it tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

Shutting the door and refusing the envoy from Chu, closing the door of the hall, Gao Baorong looked around the hall, these few people in power in Jingnan.After pondering for a while, he finally opened his mouth: "The soldiers of the Han army are about to go south, and our country is the way. The crisis is imminent. How should we deal with it? Please come up with a charter for Gu!"

After Gao Baorong said, all the people present were silent.Including Gao Baoxu, who just showed his edge in the classroom, did not express his opinion. In recent years, although Gao Baorong has entrusted his younger brother with affairs, Gao Baoxu occasionally talked about the threat of the Northern Han Dynasty.But when the threat really comes, they dare not speak of hostility.

(End of this chapter)