Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 246 Crisis
When the news of the great victory reached Daliang, it was another crisp autumn day.

It seems that every time the good news comes to Beijing, it is mostly in autumn.

Many urgent messengers with red flags on their backs shouted the news of the great victory one after another and passed through the settlements outside Daliang City. Onlookers.

The milky white autumn mist has not yet cleared, and the steamer white air is drifting away. In the clear autumn morning on the street, the people rushed to tell each other, and the news spread quickly.

As far as the common people are concerned, they have a deep hatred for the Khitan people.

The previous victories against Shu, Jiangnan, Tang, Nanping, and Wuping, for ordinary people, were more about boosting morale, increasing their sense of security, or caring about wars because of missing their families, as for being proud of their sense of belonging to the country. Not many.

The Zhou Dynasty is a new regime. Since the change of dynasty, there have been two generations of emperors, but only eight years. The previous dynasties are shorter than the other.

Every dynasty change is followed by cleansing, military disasters, and people’s suffering. When the Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty entered Daliang seven years ago, he also plundered Daliang for three days. After looting Daliang, it is difficult for the people to feel a sense of belonging.

But towards the Khitan, the common people have real hatred, years of disturbing the frontier, going south to plunder, 13 years ago, the Khitan people plundered Daliang, this generation still remembers it clearly. The humiliation of Daliang's accession to the throne is still fresh in everyone's memory; the strength of the Liao Kingdom is well known to many people and they have personally experienced it.

So this big victory is far more inspiring than all the previous victories, and it can arouse the sympathy of ordinary people. When they heard that the Khitan army had killed nearly 5 people, most people applauded and laughed heartily.

People spontaneously rushed to tell each other and congratulate each other, and people talked about it everywhere in the streets and alleys, and in Goulan restaurants.

The news of Hebei's great victory made the people extremely excited. The atmosphere in Daliang City was warm and convincing, and it seemed that there was an atmosphere that had never been seen before.

Regarding Shi Congyun's prestige, needless to say, after several years of accumulation, it has reached a height that others can hardly match.People put it side by side with Han Xin and Bai Qi, and there are endless stories to talk about. In the era of lack of entertainment means, Shi Congyun has become a topic of conversation for many people in this era.

The excitement in the court was more than that among the people.

The civil and military officials of the Zhou Dynasty were vested interests and beneficiaries of the Zhou Dynasty. Maybe they haven't realized it in their hearts, or they don't look at the problem from the perspective of interests, but think about it from the perspective of loyalty to the monarch and the country.

But there is no doubt that Shi Congyun's victory this time has greatly consolidated the political situation of Zhou State, and also made the newborn court more stable and more popular.

The court was stable, and all the officials were naturally excited. At least they didn't have to worry about changing the dynasty in a few years and even letting the Khitan occupy Daliang as before.

In this way, more talents dare to serve the court with confidence and choose better ones to contribute to the court.

Since the Five Dynasties, corruption among officials has become common practice, and it has even become a rule. The monarch has repeatedly banned it, because the source problem cannot be solved, and it is useless to treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

The fundamental source of this kind of corruption is that people in such troubled times do not have any sense of security. They all feel that the dynasty will change in a few years anyway, and who will be the emperor is still uncertain, so it is better to take the opportunity to make a fortune and leave, or wait. Has the regime change been liquidated?

So naturally there is a distorted atmosphere.

Now that Shi Congyun is advancing all the way, even the Liao Kingdom can win such a beautiful victory, so what else can shake the current court?

For a while, the officials felt full of security and had hope for the future of the country. If they wanted to continue working for a long time, they would naturally have to restrain themselves. The talented people killed also dared to serve the court because of their sense of security, and there were many new faces from all corners of the country in Daliang City.

The court was full of beautiful words, and all kinds of praises for the victory of this battle were endless and varied.

Most of these are from the heart. In troubled times, the lack of security is the most. Shi Congyun has been fighting north and south over the years, and he has always used troops in an orderly manner. , It gave civil and military officials a sense of security.

In this way, there are naturally many people who sincerely pursue and convince people. A general trend of people's hearts has gradually formed among the people and even the court. I am afraid that without Shi Congyun, the Zhou Dynasty will not repeat the mistakes of the Jin Dynasty. In troubled times, only reliable Force can make people feel at ease.

Compared with the excitement and excitement in the vestibule, the atmosphere in the back hall of the palace is somewhat different.

The official family has not been in court for the past few days. Some people say that they seem to be ill, but there is no definite news.

Hall of Long Lives, night;
Li Gu, Wei Renpu, Wang Pu, Wang Pu, and Fan Zhi were wearing sable fur. Except for Wang Pu, they were all old and couldn't stand the cold autumn night. The maids, including the queen, stood aside, pulling the six-year-old prince Chai Zongxun in plain clothes.

The little prince was still a child, his eyes were full of anxiety, and he looked at the silent adults around him in panic from time to time. He didn't understand the seriousness of the matter, and was more affected by the atmosphere in the hall.

Guo Rong, who used to be the imperial conscript, was lying on the bed at this time, weak and weak, with some edema in his limbs and face. When he was coughing, the maid went up to serve him with a silk handkerchief, but found bloodshot sputum in the coughed up phlegm.

The imperial doctor next to him was cautious, and his expression became even worse seeing this situation, and he dared not say a word.

After a while, after the older lady in the palace sat down and rested for a while, the officials seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Empress Fushi wept silently, her eyes flushed.

The official looked at her weakly, then looked at her son Guo Zongxun beside her, and several trusted ministers standing outside, his eyes signaled for the eunuch to use a pillow to prop up the back of his head.

He said weakly: "I have worked so hard all my life, it is not surprising that today's catastrophe happened." As soon as the official opened his mouth, the hall was completely quiet, his voice was very low, otherwise he would not be able to hear clearly.

"Officials."

Everyone grieves for Min, but there are many things that must be dealt with as best they can, which are much more important than mourning, such as the innocent six-year-old prince in front of him.

"Officials, please let the army from the north come back as soon as possible, it is not appropriate for the army to be outside at this time." Li Gu said first, "At such a sensitive time, the army should be in the capital to defend the crown prince of the official family, so as to reassure everyone.

In addition, the countries in the south, Tang, Shu, Southern Han, Wu and Yue are still there, and they need a large army to be difficult to deter. "

This is the reason for troubled times. Even if these countries except the Southern Han Dynasty have expressed their surrender to the Great Zhou, once there is trouble in the Zhou State, it is inevitable that they will have thoughts and actions, just like the Northern Han Dynasty when the official Guo Rongchu took the throne and joined the Khitan to go south. , let alone the young master, the army must be in the capital at this time, deterring the countries so that they dare not make any moves.

Wang Pu has always been upright, but this time he came out directly and said: "Officials, the problems abroad are the same at home, such as the Zhaoyi Army, Tianxiong Army, Jingnan Army, Fengxiang Town, etc. all need large troops to sit in the town.

At this time, let Shi Congyun bring the army back and guard the beams, so that the four directions can be stable, and it will not be too late to start the frontier and northward exile after the country is settled. If the actions are not right now, the world may be in chaos. , Because of the small loss, the major events in the future were delayed. "

The official looked at them with distracted eyes. He didn't know if he had heard them. It took him a long time to ask, "Where did Shi Congyun go?"

Privy envoy Wei Renpu, Prime Minister of Military Affairs, stood up and reported at this time: "Reporting to the officials, since the main force of the Liao army was encircled and wiped out, Shi Congyun has led an army northward to besiege Youzhou.

Shi Congyun sent a letter the day before yesterday, and he got the news that the reinforcements from the Liao Kingdom are approaching Youzhou on the road.

In the letter, he asked the officials to take the 2 people from Chanzhou to the north in person and join forces under the city of Youzhou. At that time, the morale will soar, and the combined forces will be very sure to take Youzhou." Having said this, Wei Renpu's voice gradually became quieter. , did not go any further.

Shi Congyun's words are good words. With the [-] reinforcements from the official family and the morale boosted by Yujia's personal conquest, it may not be difficult to take Youzhou in one go. The soldiers and horses are no longer on the north bank of the Yellow River.

This kind of unwillingness, not to mention the officials, filled the whole hall with such an atmosphere.

Wei Renpu felt sad in his heart, the official family is a hero, has shortcomings, but also has ambition, courage, and the ability and ability to know people and do things well, but unfortunately the luck is not good, the fate is not good, after all, they can't fight the destiny.

Thinking back to the rhetoric of the officials at the time, "I will use ten years to open up the world, ten years to support the people, and ten years to bring about peace is enough", I can't help but think that fate is playing tricks on people, and now the first ten years are only halfway through.

"." The official was silent for a long time, and slowly closed his eyes, as if he was closing his eyes and resting his mind. His breathing became more disordered, and the doctor was so frightened that his head was sweating. After a long time, the official slowly uttered two words: "Quite play."

Anyone can hear the helplessness in the silence of the hall.

After a while, the queen asked everyone to retreat and not to disturb the rest of the officials, but Zhongshu Shilang, Tong Zhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi, and Jixiandian University scholar Fan Zhi refused to leave, and they had to speak to the officials alone if they had something to do.

Li Gu immediately had a bad expression, and said: "I'm waiting for my colleagues, if you have anything to say, just say it."

Fan Zhi glanced at him, and snorted: "The old man has his own important matters. What does it matter to you if the minister and the king talk about it?"

"." Li Gu was at a loss for words for a moment, Fan Zhi's words were too terrific, making him dare not refute, especially at such a delicate time.

The official over there said: "You go, Fan Zhi stays."

Li Gu had no choice but to retreat with everyone.

After leaving the Long Live Hall, Wei Renpu, Wang Pu and others wanted to go with Li Gu. Li Gu's status in the court can be said to be respected, almost no one can compare.

Moreover, Li Gu is different from Wang Pu, Fan Zhi and others. He is mostly influenced by Huang Lao's learning, he treats people leniently and pays attention to contentment, so he is very popular, and everyone is willing to associate with him.

But this time he didn't go with the crowd, he hurriedly bid farewell to his colleagues, and immediately got into the sedan chair after coming out of the Xuande Gate in the south of the imperial city, urging: "Go home quickly, the sooner the better."

The attendants could also see his anxiety, presumably there must be some serious event, they didn't even dare to delay, and rushed all the way.

Li Gu was also extremely anxious in the sedan chair, he and Shi Congyun had worked together the longest, almost every battle was fought by Shi Congyun at the front, while he provided food and grass at the rear.

The two also had a lot of private contacts. After Zhao Ying, Prime Minister of the Jin Dynasty, Ge Yin was a favorite of Shi Congyun. He would often bring Zhao Shijian to visit his mansion with a thick skin on the grounds of visiting his elders.

After a long time, Li Gu acquiesced, and regarded Shi Congyun as a colleague and his proud younger generation in his heart.

Li Gu is very smart, he has gone through several dynasties and decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, and he understands people's hearts very well, so when the old man Fan Zhi said he wanted to stay, he knew what he was going to say.

So his face changed drastically immediately, and he tried to stop it, but it didn't work, so he had to think of another countermeasure.

Fan Zhi has a quick personality and likes to refute people face to face and make them submit.With honesty and honesty, he has never accepted gifts from people from all walks of life, and the generous salary rewards before and after are often given to the widows and widows.

Sometimes it is rare to eat together, he is unsmiling, does not talk to his colleagues, and follows the admonition of not talking when eating or sleeping. He is a very old-fashioned, stubborn but decent person.

So what he wanted to say, and he could only say it privately with the officials, must be that Shi Congyun had a high position and power, had a high prestige in the army, and was a threat to the prince.

Li Gu is so eager!

As soon as he got home, he immediately went to the study without touching his feet, and hurriedly asked the boy to study ink, and then he wrote down the affairs of today's court. Several nurses took off the jade hanging around their waists and handed it to him.

"You go north immediately, traveling in the starry night, with the old man's token, and handing over the letter to Shi Congyun." Li Gu said halfway, and said: "Forget it, the old man will go with you to Shi's mansion. Find someone faster!"

Then hurriedly changed into plain clothes, went out through the back door, and went to Shi Congyun's residence not far away to find Zhao Shijian, the head of the family, and only said that the matter was urgent.

Zhao Shijian didn't delay either, he even sent his own soldiers who sent letters home to escort the guards in Li Gu's mansion, and after hasty preparations, he left Daliang City and headed north.
In the Long Live Hall, the charcoal fire in the corner was red, and Empress Fu was dressed in plain clothes and was serving beside the bed. At this time, the originally warm hall gave chills down the spine, just because of the words of Fan Zhi who was standing not far below.

Prince Guo Zongxun was a six-year-old child who couldn't stand the sleepiness. At this time, he was taken back to sleep by the eunuch.

Fan Zhi's hair and beard are gray, but his words are still loud: "Officials, Shi Congyun has a high prestige in the army and has a good relationship with many generals. His father and son of the Shi family have a chief officer in front of the palace and a deputy commander in the guard department. They are very powerful and powerful.

The veteran heard that the civil and military officials in the court lined up to curry favor with Shi Congyun, and he also accepted a lot of bribes, he "

Fan Zhi wanted to say something else, but he met Empress Fu's eyes and didn't say any more. Empress Fu knew in her heart that this lifeless old man wanted to say that Shi Congyun was still her brother-in-law!
"Officials, forgive me for speaking bluntly. If the official family is unfortunate after long live, today's Shi Congyun will not be as good as the former Taizu Emperor (Guo Wei). If he has a wicked heart and courage, the prince will be in danger, and the country and society of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be in danger.
Therefore, I ask your Majesty to punish the father and son of the historians so as to secure the country. "

Fan Zhi's words were loud, and Empress Fu was startled. In all fairness, if Shi Congyun wasn't her brother-in-law, she would definitely want Shi Congyun to die.

But now she really doesn't want this young man to have an accident. There are probably three reasons.

First of all, Shi Congyun is her brother-in-law and one of her own.

Secondly, she needs Shi Congyun very much.

If there is an accident in the official family, the crown prince Guo Zongxun is young, and according to the usual practice, she, the queen mother, will be the regent. If there is no help from Shi Congyun's own family, those generals in the court, such as Li Chongjin, Shi Yanchao, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Zhong, Shao Ji, Wang Huan, Wang Shenqi, Si Chao, Murong Yanzhao, Li Jixun, Gao Huaide, Han Lingkun, Han Tong, etc.;

Those Jiedu envoys in the frontier, such as Li Yun, Fu Yanqing and others, she is a woman, she has no prestige in the army, how can she be restrained.

Three, she has an inexplicable affection for Shi Congyun, probably because he is a brother-in-law, a family member, and he is extremely capable.
In any case, Empress Fu didn't want anything to happen to Shi Congyun, so Fan Zhi's words were very harsh to her ears.

But Empress Fu is smart, she knows she can't interrupt Fan Zhi at this time, because the officials must be most worried about not only the arrangements of the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, but also her, the empress!
If the officials fail to predict, she will be the queen mother of the regent. At this time, the officials should care most about her attitude, so no matter what Fan Zhi says, she can only listen and cannot refute, let alone be inappropriate. Talk to Shi Congyun, in case the officials suspect her
(End of this chapter)