Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 265 Endgame
The crisp sound of horseshoes resounded through the street.

Yang Fugong took the lead and rushed out of Kaiyuan Gate.Behind him, there was a large group of knights fleeing in embarrassment, there were still hundreds of them.

The trend is over!
Yang Fugong looked up to the sky and sighed, he thought that Ximen Sigong was old, his energy was low, and he lost his holy family, so he must not be his opponent.

But who would have imagined that this person is sophisticated and well-connected. Taking advantage of the favorable opportunity when the Dingnan Army approached Chang'an, he persuaded a group of middle officials to unite against him, such as Han Quanhui, Liu Jishu, Wu Kefan, Qiu Chengtan, etc. people.

Han Quanhui, Zhongguan Han Wenyue's adopted son.Liu Jishu, adopted son of Zhongguan Liu Xingshen.

After the death of Emperor Yi, Han Wenyue, Liu Xingshen, and Tian Lingzi stood in front of him.

Later, Tian Lingzi overshadowed the sky with one hand, and Han Wenyue and Liu Xingshen were marginalized, lost power, and retired one after another.However, their adopted sons still "become servants with good men and fill their bodies with internal support" and entered the eunuch system-in fact, not every eunuch adopted son is willing to be a servant, but their adoptive fathers are unwilling to give up their positions in the palace. Someone has to inherit the power.

The fifth Kefan, the fifth Shouliang of the ancestors (the fifth Shoujin at that time) Huo Xianming was the lieutenant of the Shence Army in the Zhenyuan period, and the fifth Guozhen was the lieutenant of the Shence Army in the Yuanhe period (later renamed the Fifth Cong straight).

Needless to say, Qiu Chengtan, the ancestor Qiu Shiliang was really awesome.

These four people are currently serving non-core Beisi positions such as Jifang Envoy, Imperial Food Envoy, Xuanhui Southern Court Envoy, and Fifteen House Envoys, but their potential power is huge. Can do a lot.

"My lord, Ximen Wentong and his troops have chased him out, let's go." Yang Shouxin hurriedly rushed up.

"Trash! They are all soldiers from the Shence Battalion, and there are so many people, and they can't take down Ximen Wentong for a long time. What's the use of supporting you?" Yang Fugong scolded.

Yang Shouxin, Yang Shouli and others didn't answer, they just surrounded Yang Fugong and fled forward.

There were screams coming from behind, fakers were constantly falling off their horses, and some soldiers also took the opportunity to escape, obviously not planning to go all the way to the dark with Yang Fugong.

"Go to Yangzhou!" Yang Fugong gritted his teeth.

In the capital, Ximen Zhongsui, surrounded by soldiers, came to Zhaoyang Hall.Han Quanhui followed behind him step by step, with a smile on his face.

Ridiculous, beating and scolding, and even imprisoning and killing the emperor are nothing to the eunuchs.What has been done for more than a hundred years, which emperor was not supported by them?It is useless for Emperor Daxing to issue a will. They can write one themselves. How dare the officials object?Don't even look at whose hands the Shence Army is in!
"Is the saint alright?" Ximen Zhong sat down in the hall and asked.

"It seems to be terrified. I don't say a word. Meng Cairen is taking care of me inside." Han Quanhui replied.

"What's going on in Nan Ya?"

"Several prime ministers kept wanting to see the saint, but they were all blocked."

"And then? Let it go?"

"..." Han Quanhui froze for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

"Ah!" Ximen Zhongsui stomped his feet heavily, and said, "The tens of thousands of Dingnan troops are still outside the city, and since the Nanya officials can't see the saint, they will definitely go to the town's soldiers and horses. That Shao Shude has always cherished Feather, maybe let them talk, send a large army into the city, can the Shence Army protect you and me?"

"This..." Han Quanhui was also a little panicked.

Ximen Zhong then stood up, looked at the hall where the saint was locked, and said, "Let the saint out. Since Yang Fugong has been ordered to take all his duties, he is already a dead dog and cannot stand up. Now we have to do it." Yes, it’s the aftermath.”

The so-called "edict" is of course a coquettish edict, and it's not the first time the eunuchs have done it without any psychological pressure.

Han Quanhui imprisoning saints, or "protecting" saints is also a routine operation of eunuchs.Both Shunzong and Wenzong were imprisoned, and Xianzong and Jingzong were directly killed by eunuchs. Wuzong's death may also be inseparable from them.

As for who to pass on the throne to, the emperor is even more difficult to decide. It is basically handled by the eunuch group. Some people even mocked the emperor before he died, pretending to pass on the throne to others.

Eunuchs are so "brave", naturally because they hold military power.But the situation is different now, the Dingnan Army is still outside the city, so they have to be stabilized.

"Let's go, go see the King of Lingwu County." Ximen Chong then made up his mind and said.

In Weinan Daying, Shao Shude met the prime ministers Wei Zhaodu and Zhang Jun who had gone and returned.

He was also very surprised by the fight in Chang'an.These eunuchs didn't even look at the occasion, they didn't have any clues in their minds.

"I also ask the king of Lingwu County to send troops quickly. Ximen Sigong and Yang Fugong's generation mobilized soldiers to attack and kill each other, and robbed the saint as a rare commodity. Now that Yang Fugong has escaped, Ximen Sigong's uncle and nephew are still alive." Beisi, if you send a large army into the city and encircle and kill them, you will be able to save the country from a great harm." Wei Zhaodu was impassioned, with a ruddy complexion, and kept persuading him: "After the matter is completed, the king of Lingwu County will not refuse to accept any request. .”

Shao Shude ordered his soldiers to serve tea to the two prime ministers.

I was surprised when I first heard about it, but now that I think about it, it doesn't seem like a big deal.

The emperor was not dead, nor was he deposed, but was snatched by Ximen Sigong and his family.Its purpose is also very simple, to isolate China and foreign countries, to kill Yang Fugong, and by the way, to find out if there are any Nanya court officials who don't like it, and to relegate and give death together.

After figuring out this section, what to do next is very simple: calm down the situation quickly, minimize the impact, and then kill Yang Fugong's party members - the Ximen family will naturally handle the affairs in Chang'an City, and Marshal Shao hurriedly led the army Going west to Yangzhou, the farther away from Chang'an the better, lest if something happens to the saint, he will be labeled as a regicide.

But before leaving, the benefits that should be reaped still have to be reaped.

"Commander, Ximen Gongjian, Lieutenant of the Left Army of Shence Battalion, is here." Ten personal soldiers Li Renfu suddenly came in to report.

Wei Zhaodu and Zhang Jun's expressions changed.

Shao Shude secretly sneered.Since the change of Ganlu, the eunuch Qiu Shiliang killed the eunuch, and broke the backbone of the Nanya officials.Since then, the power of the country has been increasingly tilted towards Beisi, and the officials of the Southern Yamen both hated and feared the eunuchs of Beisi.

Eunuchs, like warriors, can overturn tables and kill people. Civil servants are most afraid of encountering such people.

After ordering his own soldiers to take the two prime ministers to another camp, Shao Shude asked Li Renfu to invite Ximen Zhongsui in.

"The Ximen palace supervisor has done a great job. Arrows flew across the front of the Daming Palace, killing Yingye, and the officials of the Beisi are more courageous." Shao Shude picked up the tea bowl and said with a smile.

"This is here to make amends to the King of Lingwu County." Ximen Zhong smiled wryly and said, "Yang Fugong is very powerful, if he wants to overthrow him, he must let the sage make a decree, so he can only do this."

Shao Shude snorted coldly.

He knew that Ximen Zhongsui was telling the truth.Why did Yang Fugong rise so quickly and become so powerful?Isn't the sage encouraging, supporting, and conniving?
The sage didn't want to see the Ximen family dominate, and he didn't trust the Ximen family either.So he helped Yang Fugong stand up and fight against Ximen's.If I were in that position, I would do the same.

"The matter has come to this point, and I don't want to say more. The aftermath needs to be dealt with. First, the saint cannot be deposed; second, take Yang Fugong and his party members and hold various positions, and Wu Dingjun's three states, so that the governors and generals of the town will attack Yang Shouzhong and redeem himself ; [-]. The matter of recruiting private households in Guanzhong to reclaim wasteland, rivers and Weihai shall continue without delay; [-]. Retaliation against the officials of the Nanyamen is not allowed."

"The four things the king of Lingwu County said are reasonable, and I should obey them."

"One more thing..." At this point, Shao Shude hesitated, lowered his voice slightly, and asked, "Fengxiang Zhumei, is there a good place to go?"

Ximen Zhongsui's face turned serious, and after thinking for a while, he said: "After Tian Lingzi was executed in the first year of Guangqi, his brother Chen Jingxuan has been in office in Xichuan, without imperial edicts, he has been appointed as a Jiedu envoy, and the imperial court has always wanted to punish him. How about ordering Zhu Mei to lead an army into Shu to conquer Chen Jingxuan?"

In history, it was Prime Minister Wei Zhaodu who went to Shu to quell the chaos, and Wang Jian was taken advantage of in the end.Now the thief king eight has been killed in Weishui, and he will never appear again.

If it was Zhu Mei who entered Shu, he should be willing. After all, Shu is rich and prosperous, isn't it better than Fengxiang Town?But Shao Shude is not willing to give Zhu Mei the commander-in-chief of Xichuan.

Perhaps, the imperial court can appoint Zhu Mei as Jiannan Dongchuan Jiedu envoy to replace Gao Renhou.Dongchuan Town has five prefectures, and Fengxiang Town has one prefecture and three prefectures. It seems similar, but the level of wealth is not at the same level.

As for Xichuan Town, the imperial court should hold it in their hands, but I don’t know if it can be held securely.

As for sending the Dingnan army into Shu to quell the chaos, Shao Shude vetoed it without even thinking about it.The land of Shu is naturally easy to centrifuge, and when it is impossible for him to conquer the land of Shu in person, he is not at ease in sending any general there.

If someone conquers more than [-] states in Xichuan and Dongchuan, will they still be obedient?Not to mention family members, there are many people who abandon their wives in pursuit of wealth these days.After becoming the king of Shu, the big deal is to get married again and have children. What's the big deal?

"Is there a better place?" After thinking for a while, Shao Shude felt that it would be too cheap for Zhu Mei to go to Dongchuan, so he asked again.

Ximen Zhong then pondered hard, shook his head after a long while, and said: "Even if there is, Zhu Mei may not be willing. Jingnan was just captured by Qin Zongquan's men and horses. I heard that there are only more than 100 households in the city. In the hands of yīn), Shannan West Road belongs to Zhuge Shizhong, and it can be compared to Fengxiang's one prefecture and three prefectures. I am afraid that there are only Huainan, Zhenhai and other towns, but Zhu Mei is willing to go?"

This is indeed a real problem.

If you want Zhu Mei to go, the place you give should at least not be worse than Fengxiang Town, and people must be willing to go.

Go to Shannan Dongdao to fight with Qin Zongquan?Go to Huainan to fight with Yang Xingmi, Sun Ru, and Zhu Quanzhong?Go to Zhenhai to fight with Sun Ru and Qian Liu?It's unlikely, not to mention it's a little far away.

Only by entering Sichuan can Zhu Mei's interest be aroused.

"Let's clean up the mess in the capital first." Shao Shude said, "I'll check Zhu Mei's tone. Maybe he doesn't want to leave at all."

(End of this chapter)