Martial Arts: Start with 100,000 Xiliang Cavalry

Chapter 108 The capital shakes
Two days later.

After the defeat of the Northern Army, the news that the main general Li Shengtian was dead or alive spread to the capital, which immediately caused a shock.

The news arrived at night. That night, after learning about the incident, many court officials stayed up all night, thinking about how Emperor Qingxiang would be furious in the morning.

These officials all told themselves that they must be more careful in the morning, as long as Emperor Qingxiang did not call their names, they would resolutely keep silent and not say a word, so as not to get angry.

Some people want to be wise and protect their lives, but other high-ranking officials pay more attention to the consequences of this big defeat.

Li Shengtian is defeated, what will happen to Qingzhou?Could it be that he really gave up to Su Yuan?

Let him Su Yuan sit in the two states of Mo and Qing, what's the deal?
Don't give it to him...they will take it by themselves.

And it doesn't matter if Li Shengtian's own life or death is unknown, what matters is that the 20 troops surrendered to Su Yuan... This is the most terrifying.

Fu Chengyang, who was in the palace, couldn't believe it when he received the news.

"How could it be defeated?!"

"Nine thousand years old, calm down..."

Standing in front of Fu Chengyang was Yu Hu, the head of the inner bodyguards, who was responsible for the safety of the emperor, but Yu Hu, the head of the bodyguards, had already been Fu Chengyang's loyal confidant.

At this moment, Fu Chengyang's old face was full of doubts and anger.

He couldn't believe that he would lose this battle, so how did Li Shengtian fight?

Not to mention the overwhelming numbers of the Northern Army, dozens of martial arts masters sent by the Beggar Gang, and Jiasan, who is very good at using poison among the spiders, also went.

This can be called a "luxury" lineup, but it was defeated after not even a month!

This made Fu Chengyang completely unacceptable.

You must know that he has put in a lot of effort to form this army!

Whether it's money, or communication and coordination with other ministers... It can be said that if Fu Chengyang hadn't helped him, this army would never have formed so smoothly.

He originally wanted to completely wipe out Su Yuan this time, stabilize the situation in northern Xinjiang, and at the same time pave the way for his son Zhou Chong.

In the end, the road was not paved...but Su Yuan was asked to make the road wider and wider?

This really made Fu Chengyang a little unbearable.

"Nine thousand years old." Yu Hu said cautiously, "Right now Qingzhou is in chaos. The defeated soldiers are looting everywhere, the officials are overwhelmed, and the wealthy families are all running to the capital... Can Qingzhou survive?"

"If you can't keep it, you have to keep it!" Fu Chengyang said angrily, "Do you understand what will happen to the capital when Qingzhou is handed over to Su Yuan!"

"...The subordinate understands."

The capital is within the scope of Qingzhou, but it is independent on the western edge. With this geographical location, it can be said that Qingzhou is the "moat" of the capital.

Once Qingzhou is lost, the capital will be directly exposed to Su Yuan.

Until then……

Not to mention whether Su Yuan could break through the capital, even if he fought at the gate of the capital, it would have a huge impact on Da Zhou!

It should be noted that there are many contradictions in Dazhou.

The Great Zhou was founded several hundred years ago, more than 100 years ago, it can be said that it was still in its heyday, and several generations of emperors worked hard to govern, and the people of the Great Zhou lived a good life.

But after the heyday, it began to decline, and the speed was getting faster and faster.

Up to now, hundreds of years later, the Great Zhou has come to a low point.

Corruption is rampant, the ruling and opposition parties are chaotic, and most people everywhere are miserable.The situation across the country is like a mass of dry wood. If one spark falls, it will be completely ignited.

The capital was attacked, and there was no doubt that it was Mars.

As the capital of a country, its symbolic significance is greater than its actual significance.

The capital city was attacked, indicating that the national power has been extremely weakened. At that time, other states may also have many rebels from bottom to top.

At that time, it may be very difficult for Da Zhou to survive.

Fu Chengyang would never allow this to happen.

He still wants to see his son sit on the throne with his own eyes. If the Great Zhou Dynasty is gone, where will the throne sit?

But after getting angry, he gradually calmed down again.

"Why does it keep failing?"

Fu Chengyang was thinking about this question, so what exactly does Su Yuan have?Why?
From the beginning of his rise, it has been full of mysteries.

The mutiny killed Zhou Yanran, defeated Gongsun Kuo, defeated Beirong, captured Taiyuan... Each of these victories will make people wonder "why".

Up to now, Fu Chengyang has not figured out where Su Yuan's troops come from.

And, until today, he has sent dozens of spider members to sneak into Mozhou... As a result, none of them successfully entered the Bei'an army.

This made Fu Chengyang, who had been cautious for decades, couldn't help but curse.

It can be said that his self-cultivation skills were completely destroyed after facing Su Yuan's series of actions.

But it's pointless to pursue these things now.

The most important thing is how to defend Qingzhou and how to defend the capital.

Fu Chengyang thought of this and left the palace overnight.

He asked the spider members to give him detailed military information. Among them, he learned from the defeated soldiers who had retreated to Qingzhou that the reason why Su Yuan was able to win a big victory was because he had a "magic general" named Zhao Yun under his command.

God General is the name given to him by the soldiers, but after Fu Chengyang studied the information deeply, he learned that Zhao Yun was probably a half-step master-level master.

This surprised him greatly.

Congenital Dzogchen, half-step master, and even above master, there are not many masters at these levels, which one is not prestigious?He has never heard of this Zhao Yun.

Even if some masters like Qingxiu and don't join the world... Then such masters have no reason to be loyal to Su Yuan, right?

Fu Chengyang didn't quite understand it, but he knew that a half-step master-level master who fought against the army alone would definitely die.

But if this master is allowed to lead a team of elite soldiers, then its explosive power will be multiplied several times!
A half-step grandmaster rushed to the front to open the way, how could ordinary soldiers be opponents?And the soldiers under the command of the half-step master, seeing the general so brave, must have been greatly boosted in confidence, and they were even more courageous in killing the enemy.

In this way, the two sides complement each other, and the combat effectiveness of the troops must be doubled.

but……

"Half-step master, it's not difficult to kill. It's just that I have to serve Qingxiang by my side on weekdays, and I can't leave for a day..."

Fu Chengyang frowned.

If it wasn't for him going to court every day, I'm afraid he couldn't help himself to go to Mozhou to kill Su Yuan.

Now that he knew that Su Yuan was protected by a half-step grandmaster, it would be meaningless to send innate masters there.

Among the A-brand names, only A-Yi can be used.

But the problem is that Jiayi doesn't completely follow his orders...

Fu Chengyang felt angry when he thought of Jia Yi's smiling face.

This guy has always had other calculations since he started working with him, and he has always been at odds with him.

"If it wasn't for its mysterious origin..." Fu Chengyang thought, if he wasn't afraid of Jia Yi's mysterious background, he would have wanted to get rid of this guy a long time ago.

After figuring out the detailed military situation, it was almost dawn, and Fu Chengyang rushed back to the palace to prepare for the morning affairs.

At five watch, the morning morning starts on time.

The ministers walked into the hall silently, and one of them glanced up when they entered the door, and found that Emperor Qingxiang had arrived and was sitting on the dragon chair at this moment.

This made the ministers clear in their hearts that they must be careful later.

You must know that in the past, Emperor Qingxiang waited for all the ministers to arrive before arriving late.It's so early today, maybe...

"I haven't slept all night!"

As soon as Emperor Qingxiang spoke, many ministers said "Sure enough" in their hearts.

They just knew that Qingxiang didn't sleep all night.

But why not?
Everyone stays up late, but everyone is very energetic. No one dares not to be energetic at this time.Otherwise, if you doze off, it's easy to knock your head off.

On the dragon chair, Emperor Qingxiang's face was gloomy as if it was about to drip, and the already many wrinkles became deeper, making his face look particularly terrifying.

"The defeat of the Northern Army, Li Shengtian's life and death are unknown, and more than 20 troops surrendered to the traitor Su Yuan... How wonderful!"

"Your Majesty calm down..."

When the officials heard Emperor Qingxiang's irony, they immediately knelt down.

"Calm your anger?" Emperor Qingxiang sneered, "I don't think it's necessary. When that Su Yuan breaks through Qingzhou and comes to the capital, you should kneel down to him and let him calm your anger!"

This kind of heartbreaking words frightened the ministers so much that no one dared to answer a word.

Emperor Qingxiang was panting heavily, and it took a while to dislike him: "Okay, get up! Kneeling, kneeling, can you kneel Su Yuan to death!"

"Thank you Your Majesty..."

All the officials heard that Emperor Qingxiang's anger was a little lower, they were secretly relieved, and stood up.

"Now that the northern army has been defeated, Qingzhou is in a hurry. What do you think should be done!"

All the officials looked at each other, Prime Minister He Zhongping said: "Your Majesty, the most urgent thing is to raise troops."

"Where do you raise money from? The capital?"

"Naturally, the capital needs to raise some funds. In addition, although the northern army was defeated, there are more than [-] soldiers who have returned to Qingzhou. These soldiers can still be used." He Zhongping paused, and then said, "Just to be on the safe side, your majesty can issue an edict Announce to the whole country, let all the states and state pastors raise troops to defend the capital!"

Everyone knows that Su Yuan sent more than 20 soldiers.

It itself has more than 20 soldiers and horses, and if the more than 40 surrendered troops are used, there will be nearly [-] troops, which is comparable to the previous northern army.

There are currently more than [-] defeated soldiers left in Qingzhou. Although they can be used, their combat effectiveness is undoubtedly questionable.After such a disastrous defeat, whether these defeated soldiers have the courage to face the Bei'an army again is a question.

If there are no soldiers in Qingzhou, how many are there in the capital?

Although the population of the capital is large, there are only 15 Beijing troops guarding the capital. They were previously transferred to beg for part of the Northern Army, and now there are tens of thousands left.

Temporary conscription, more than 20 yuan is not a problem, plus various families, ministers' servants, nursing homes, regiment training, etc., can also make up [-] yuan.

20 plus Qingzhou's 30 is [-], which is not as many as Su Yuanbing.

There is absolutely no sense of security in this way. After all, the city wall of the capital is beautifully built, but its defense is not high.In addition, the city was surrounded by flat land, so there was no danger, Su Yuan's cavalry could plunder directly to the city.

These practical factors must be taken into consideration.

For this reason, He Zhongping proposed to call the governors of the states and ask them to bring troops to guard and besiege Su Yuan at the same time.

This can be said to mobilize the whole country, and the effect is definitely there, but the premise is to pray that Su Yuan will not move too fast!
The closest to the capital, besides Qingzhou, is Xuzhou.

But the city of Xuzhou is to the south, so it will take several days to recruit a large army and bring them over.

If Su Yuan captures Qingzhou before then...it will be very unfavorable to Da Zhou.

At this time, Lu Guang, Minister of the Ministry of War, stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it is better to mobilize the people of Qingzhou, everyone as a soldier, and all fight against the invasion of the traitor Su Yuan!"

"...how to activate it?"

Emperor Qingxiang doubted.

Although he is aloof, he also knows that the common people are not very willing to fight. If he wants all the people in the whole state to join the army, the premise is that there are enough soldiers to enforce and supervise.

Lu Guangdao: "You can send [-] Beijing troops to enforce it. Those who don't join the army will be punished by military law!"

"Um……"

Emperor Qingxiang thought about it.

At this moment, He Zhongping said: "Your Majesty, no!"

"My lord, what do you mean?" Lu Guang asked.

"Lu Shangshu, if you do this, have you ever thought about what to do if the people of Qingzhou collectively riot and rebel? Once they decide to take refuge in Su Yuan, then Qingzhou will only fall faster!"

"You! Nonsense!" Lu Guang heard anxiously, "They are the citizens of the Great Zhou! When the Great Zhou is in danger, they must come forward, so why talk about rebellion! Besides, with the supervision of the Beijing Army, who dares to rebel?!"

"Lu Shangshu, this matter..."

He Zhongping was about to say something, but Emperor Qingxiang interrupted.

"Lu Guang makes some sense. As a citizen of Dazhou, we should not only enjoy the benefits of Dazhou. When the country is in crisis, we should also stand up. So, Lu Guang, I will leave this matter to you Do it, do it well."

Lu Guang showed joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After thanking him, he cast a provocative look at He Zhongping, who was ashen-faced and said nothing.

"However, what the prime minister said is not unreasonable. Lu Guang, you have to tell the sent Beijing army not to threaten the people too much. If you really don't want to, forget it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lu Guang agreed, but He Zhongping's expression did not soften.

He knew in his heart that if he really wanted to send troops there, how could there be "not overly threatening"?Unless the knife rest is not a threat, otherwise...

"Prime Minister, it's also a good idea to order the shepherds of the states to lead troops to defend the capital. I will leave it to you to draft the edict."

He Zhongping immediately agreed.

As soon as the two ideas came out, the crisis seemed to ease, and Emperor Qingxiang was no longer so anxious.

He continued to ask: "Which Aiqing has something to say?"

At this time, an old man with white beard slowly came out.

When the officials saw it, they were surprised.

What does this old thing want to say when it comes out?
Not only the officials, but Emperor Qingxiang were all surprised: "Old Shangshu Wei, what suggestion do you have?"

This white-bearded old man is Minister of Rites, Wei Chang'an, who is already seventy-six this year, absolutely old.

Previously, Emperor Qingxiang wanted him to go home for the elderly, but Wei Changan insisted on continuing to be an official.Emperor Qingxiang saw that his body was indeed quite strong, so he agreed.

At this time of crisis, what idea can Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites have?
The officials thought about it, and only heard Wei Chang'an say: "Your Majesty, Su Yuan's strength is at its peak, and his soldiers are sharp. Instead of fighting him head-on, why not pretend to be friendly and stabilize him... Wait for the troops from all states to come Come, let’s deal with him.”

Emperor Qingxiang heard the words and asked: "Old Shangshu Wei, what you said makes sense. But how can we stabilize him? That rebel has openly plotted against him, so he must not be allowed to be a high-ranking marquis!"

Wei Chang'an said: "Your Majesty, the old minister's proposal is to get married."

"Marriage?!"

After Wei Chang'an's words fell, all the officials were in an uproar.

(End of this chapter)