Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 833 Each Has Their Own Plans
Under Wuzhou City,

The setting sun was as red as blood, and its afterglow sprinkled on the tattered battle flag. The dragon pattern on the flag had been covered with dried blood and mud.

Many soldiers were weakly hammering wooden stakes and setting up camp. Their blackened and dusty armor had long lost its former glory. Most of the infantrymen were leaning against broken chariots or sitting or lying on the wet grass, their eyes empty, as if they had not yet come to their senses.
The camp tents were like scattered skeletons, making rustling sounds when the wind blew slightly. It was obvious that the army had lost all morale.

The atmosphere was somewhat solemn, Qin Yunjiang advised with trembling lips;

"General, what Magistrate Lu said is absolutely right. Let's rest for a few days and wait for the brothers to recover their morale before making plans. From here to the capital, it is 600 miles and it will take about six days to go back and forth. The court will make the final decision on how to arrange it."

Qin Yunjiang was no longer afraid at this time. Losing Lin Yue Mansion was a serious crime in itself, and fleeing after the defeat was an even greater crime. As for how to send him to exile, he had to wait for the imperial court's order.

Gu Ping was silent for a long time, looking at everything around him, his eyes were a little depressed, and he sighed;
"Well, the prefect should report the truth to the court. I am guilty, so I am not afraid of these things. I just hope that Prefect Lu will take care of me during these days."

With a heavy tone, he clasped his fists and bowed. What was rare was that the prefect of Wuzhou, Lord Lu, and the co-prefect, Lord Xing, suddenly smiled and returned the greeting together.
"General, don't be disappointed. Victory and defeat are common in the military. It was a blessing from heaven that you were able to lead your troops to escape from the place south of the capital. Although Wuzhou doesn't have much money, it has enough food. This place is all plains and close to the mountains. Merchants don't like to go here, but there is a small lake in the south and there are also good farmland."

Governor Lu felt relieved. With these soldiers and horses left behind, if there were pursuers, they would be too hungry to walk such a long distance without supplies.
Lord Xing, who was standing nearby, also had a big smile on his face and echoed;

"General, Wuzhou only collects grain as tax, not silver, which is used to supply Tongzhou. Therefore, there is no silver in the treasury, but there is plenty of grain, which is enough for the army. General, take a rest for a few days. Tonight, we will report to the court."

Lord Xing understood the prefect's considerations. Food was not valuable here, so even if they didn't give them silver, they would be given enough food. The soldiers needed to stay. It was ok for the prefectural troops in the city to oppress the people, but if they really encountered the Taiping Rebellion rebels who were as fierce as wolves and tigers and famous all over the world, they might not be able to stop them.

After all, the court's official newspaper had already mentioned the civil unrest in the south of Beijing, which was spreading all around and the court's troops were in a stalemate. I thought it was an exaggeration, but seeing that tens of thousands of troops from the south of Beijing had all fled in disgrace, wouldn't the entire Linshan County be left for the rebel army to roam freely? The court was completely unable to suppress it. The thought of treason flashed through my mind and I quickly suppressed it.

Gu Ping nodded. Going to Anyang at this time would certainly cause a stir in the court. He led the army to break through, although it was full of hardships, but in the eyes of those court officials and civil servants, they might not be afraid of fighting and fleeing. Although he had the Prime Minister's kindness, the Prime Minister had already ignored the affairs of state for many years. He had made a big mistake, which also made the Prime Minister embarrassed. It would be better for him to stay here, stabilize his position, and take the opportunity to fight back, perhaps catching the enemy by surprise.

"Okay, since the prefect has asked me to stay, I will not refuse. I will rest here and wait for the imperial court's order."

"Haha, good, since the general has agreed, then it can't be too good. General Ji, we can't lose our manners. You ask the brothers to work harder, bury the stoves and make fires for the general and his subordinates, and cook more hot meals. The nearby farmers still have some poultry and other things, buy them as well, as a welcome for the general."

Prefect Lu's words were tactful. It seemed that General Gu was not interested in this matter, so it would be better to show him some favors as a sign of respect.

really,

Gu Ping and Qin Yunjiang were not ungrateful people, so they bowed and thanked him.

"Thank you both for your trouble."

"Okay, General Gu, please take a rest for now. If you need anything, just tell General Ji. We will go back to the government office to write a memorial."

This matter has been discussed.

Both parties didn't waste any more time and said goodbye and left.

After the prefect got on the carriage, he first entered the city gate.

Magistrate Lu stroked his beard, looked at Lord Xing beside him, and gave the order;
"Xing Si, you must be careful these days. Not only should you pay attention to what's going on outside, but you should also be careful about whether there are pursuers on the mountain road. This incident is so strange that I am a little panicked."

Perhaps because he was used to a peaceful life, he was inevitably a little uneasy when he encountered such a big event. Lord Xing empathized with him, clasped his fists, and nodded.
"Yes, sir, I will remember it, but I don't know how to write your memorial."

"Well! We can only write truthfully. Even if the imperial court issues an order, it is the business of these generals and has nothing to do with us. However, looking at the Taiping Sect's approach, it is a bit like the White Lotus Sect back then. After sweeping across southern Beijing, where will it go next?"

There was inquiry in Prefect Lu's eyes, and he looked at Co-Prefect Xing with some fear in his eyes. When they invaded the Central Plains that year, they were defeated at the gates of Daliang. Will they learn from their lessons this time and fight in another place? At that time, the Central Plains would be in chaos, and this official would not be safe. However, as long as the court sent troops, the rioters would have to fight back, otherwise they would scatter and be wiped out sooner or later.

"Sir, don't let your imagination run wild. Even if the Taiping Sect has a different strategy, they still need to deal with the imperial army first. The court report says that while the Beijing army has not yet moved, there are already more than 100,000 troops heading south. It will be easy to capture those scoundrels."

"That's true. I lost my composure."

The two men calmed themselves down, regained their former spirits, returned home, and arranged to submit memorials.

Outside the city gate,
Seeing that the Wuzhou prefect and several other officials had left, several generals were still standing there,

After the car has gone away,

Qin Yunjiang moved his mouth and asked;
"General, don't worry for now. With food supplies and a few days of rest, the morale of the brothers will be restored. What I am worried about is the county city. If it is lost, we will be blamed, but there is still time to make amends. If the imperial court reinforcements are defeated, we will be in a dilemma."

Hearing this, Gu Ping's eyes turned cold. It was hard to say how strong the old soldiers in the Beijing camp were. If they met that group of lunatics, who knows what would happen.
"Set up camp quickly and rest. Then, send a group of troops with enough food and grass to return along the original route and keep an eye on the situation in the south of the capital. We will not sit and wait for death. Even if the capital camp is defeated, it is only a temporary setback. Marquis Luo Yun is in the capital. If the court is defeated again, the next time, Marquis Luo Yun will definitely lead the troops. At that time, our chance will come, and we can only atone for our sins with military merits."

"What if the imperial decree arrives?"

Qin Yunjiang's face tensed up. He knew what General Gu was thinking, but how could they dare to disobey the imperial order?

"When a general is away from home, he is not subject to the orders of his sovereign. If we miss the opportunity to fight, you and I will be held responsible. We have no chance at all."

Gu Ping's face was grim. How could they have lost this battle if they had not been attacked from all sides and had no supplies or food?

And there are so many people following behind me, it's really a burden.

Not far behind him, many wealthy families and officials from the Lin Yue Mansion had set up camp in a distant place. The prefect Li Cheng, the co-prefect Lu Ren, and the magistrate Yang Luo, who had escaped together, also spread out tables and chairs on the ground, ground ink, and began to write memorials. Prefect Li's face was pale, and his hand holding the brush was shaking. He wrote down the facts of the past half month one by one. After all, he could not escape the blame, so he wrote down everything he could and could not write.

"Sir, if you write this, doesn't it prove that we are guilty of losing the city and the land?"

"Hmph, Lord Yang, this matter has already spread to Wuzhou. If we don't submit a petition to apologize, once they submit it, we will really have no way out. We can only report the truth and hope that the court will give us a lighter sentence. You know, those who didn't escape are almost dead."

Tongzhi Lu Ren sighed. Now that he had arrived in Wuzhou, he had hope of survival, but he didn't know whether he could still be an official. Seeing that Lord Li had written the memorial and signed his name, he also took the brush and signed his own name.

Seeing this, the judge Yang Luo had no choice but to take the brush and write down his name.
"You two adults are right. But what should we do next? Should we stay here and wait for news, or go directly to Beijing?"

Yang Luo didn't know if he was frightened or not, and didn't know what to do.
After writing the memorial, Lord Li took it in his hand and checked it again. After confirming that it was correct, he ordered his trusted confidants to take a few people on horseback and head straight to the capital.

"Of course we will stay and wait. The imperial court has its own ideas. How dare we leave? Those villains in Linshan County actually dared to surrender to the enemy. Didn't General Gu fall into their hands? Now we want to drag them down with us. I have written everything in the memorial."

Li Cheng's face was gloomy. He thought about the time when General Qin and General Gu led their troops westward. He had asked about this matter. Who would have thought that the scouts came back and said that Lord Yu, the governor of Linshan County, had actually surrendered to the enemy. Although he didn't believe it in his heart, he could not be wrong about the Taiping Sect flag on the city of Chenzhou. That old thief talked about benevolence, righteousness, and morality every day, but he didn't expect that he was also a traitor.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get,

"Everyone, since the memorial has been sent, just wait for the decision. It is a blessing to be alive." "Ah, sir, it is just as you said. It is a blessing to be alive. But I don't understand. The governor is a high-ranking official. How could he defect to the enemy, and a member of the Taiping Sect? I don't understand."

Yang Luo never believed that Lord Yu would surrender to the enemy. A veteran of two dynasties, would he give up his good reputation in one day?

Only Lu Ren frowned and thought carefully. Suddenly he felt that there must be something fishy going on here. The Taiping Cult was just a bunch of rioters. How could they convince the adults? Maybe there was another reason.
"Sir, Brother Yang, I wonder if Lord Yu is trying to escape. On the surface, he joined the Taiping Sect, but in fact, he has someone else under him. According to General Gu, Linshan County still has 30,000 troops and 40,000 young and strong men. These troops are enough to defend the city, but Lord Yu turned around and joined the Taiping Sect. It doesn't make sense."

The words were a little drawn out, which made the two of them think deeply. If there was someone else, who could it be? Could it be the vassal king of Guannei?

Thinking about it this way, I originally wanted to see if I could persuade General Gu to fight back, but now it seems that there is no hope. If the vassal kings really intervene, it will cause chaos.

Thinking of this, several people looked at each other in silence!

And the west city of Beijing,
Zhang Jinyu did not return home. He went to Anhu Camp and took a walk around, wasting a lot of time. He was even more confused about what the princes were thinking. If there was a banquet tonight, it meant that someone had organized a welcoming banquet for them. The welcoming banquet at the Honglu Temple was arranged by Prince Zhongshun. He thought that they had no good intentions, but it would be okay to go. After all, they still had to meet for a while.

He thought that since he was invited, others must have been invited as well, so the Marquis of Xiangyang would definitely come. As for the others, he couldn't think of them. After all, although he knew many of the nobles, he was not familiar with them, let alone a close relationship with them. So he really didn't know what these people were doing. He was more curious about who these princes could invite.

It was at this time that the location of West City, at the foot of Yunshan Mountain, arrived, and Ning Bian behind him asked;
"My Lord, we are almost there. The Honglu Temple is located on the western hilltop."

Zhang Jinyu looked up after hearing this. As expected, on the second peak to the west, there was a gentle slope with many magnificently built temples.
It must have cost a huge amount of money. Since it was built there, there must be a reason. Think about it, for the princes who left the capital to settle down, their houses in the capital had long been taken over by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, leaving them with no place to stay. Presumably, the retired emperor had already thought of this and left some room for it.

Honglu Temple, what a nice place. I seem to remember who the Honglu Temple Minister was?

"Ningbian, who was that Minister of the Ministry of Rites? Do you remember?"

"My Lord, I remember that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites is Sun Boyan, a student of Prime Minister Li, and can be considered the eldest son's senior brother."

Ning Bian followed behind him, answering carefully, mostly giving reminders, because the Marquis had a bad relationship with the Yang family, and they were both the eldest son's people. Now the Marquis and the eldest son also had interests in it, so the Marquis needed to be careful when he went there.
Zhang Jinyu could also understand what Ning Bian meant by this, which was to pay more attention and give face to the Prime Minister and the eldest son. As the saying goes, you need to look at the owner before beating a dog. Seeing that he also has disciples, he needs to be more careful when wearing shoes. However, something seems to be wrong.
"I know this man, Sun Boyan, the Minister of the Honglu Temple. His son is one of the young masters who fought with Xue Pan."

Enemies often meet on a narrow road. If you ruin someone else's son's chance to pass the imperial examination, no one would not be anxious.

"My Lord, it's the son of the Sun family. During the imperial examination, wasn't he sent back home by you, my Lord?"

Ning Bian was also a little speechless. How could it be such a coincidence that they could encounter all of these?

Now that we are at the foot of Yunshan Mountain, there is no way we can turn back.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, let's go over there. I wonder what delicious dishes Prince Zhongshun has prepared to entertain those princes and sons of the royal family."

After sighing for a while, he got on his horse and led his men over. After all, even the Minister of the Ministry of Rites might not be there!

In Beicheng Jufang,

At the Xiangyang Marquis's Mansion,

At this time, Xiangyang Hou was still resting in the inner hall. He had been up all night and was exhausted. His body was in much worse condition. After returning to the mansion, he had a meal, took a bath, and then went back to his room. He slept for most of the night. Even now, he was still half lying on the bed.

That is when
Tian Xianglan, the wife of Xiangyang Marquis, came in with her maid, carrying the best ginseng soup.
Seeing her husband half lying on the bed with his eyes open, she didn't know what he was thinking about. He smiled, and his beautiful face flashed with joy. The gold hairpin on his head also swayed.
I don't know why, ever since my husband came back from the palace, he seems absent-minded. Could it be that he has something on his mind? He waved his hand and called the maid behind him in, took the food box, and
"Go down."

: "Yes, madam!"

After sending the maid away, she casually placed the food box on the table, opened the lid, took out a small bowl of ginseng soup, held it in her hand, approached the bed, and said softly;

"My dear, I have made some ginseng soup for you. Drink some to replenish your body. You haven't gone out for a breath of fresh air all day."

Bai Guangju, the Marquis of Xiangyang, propped his hands on the bed, stood up, put on his clothes, leaned against the shadow of the bedside wall, and sighed;

"Thank you, ma'am."

"My dear, what are you saying? Husband and wife are one body, so there is no need to bother. But my dear, you look a little depressed and tired now. If you have any difficulties, why don't you tell me and let me hear it."

Tian Xianglan, the wife of Xiangyang Marquis, picked up the bowl, stirred it with a spoon, and passed it to Bai Guangju. Bai Guangju took it, put it to his lips, tasted it, and swallowed it in one gulp. It was mellow and the ginseng soup was warm. It was obviously the best mountain ginseng.
asked in surprise;

"This ginseng melts in your mouth and has a mellow taste."

Tian Xianglan's expression changed, and she replied quietly;

"Where else could it have come from? Of course, it was sent privately by Marquis Luo Yun, that is, outside the Great Wall. There are a lot of these good things sent here, and I will also be extravagant for once and stew half of it for my husband."

"They are all rare items, and you even used half of them. There is no shortage of them outside the Great Wall, and they are worth a lot of silver."

now,

Bai Guangju complained a little. He didn't need to make up for these. He was just overworked and felt a little tired. He just needed to rest for a few days.

Seeing her husband still showing off, Mrs. Tian had no choice but to nod her head, but she didn't slow down either, and served him another bowl of ginseng soup.

While the couple was talking,
Outside the curtain,

The voice of the concierge came,
"Master, Madam, someone delivered an invitation to the door, saying that the master is invited to a banquet."

Going to a banquet, what banquet!

Bai Guangju had just finished drinking the ginseng soup in his bowl, and he still felt a little disappointed in his heart. The results of the special examination were announced, and the Lu Ming Banquet was also attended by the chief examiner, but he did not join in the fun. Now someone else is inviting him, who could it be?

"Did you say who invited you?"

"My Lord, the messenger said that it was a welcoming banquet for the princes of various vassal states, held at the Honglu Temple, and the prince of Zheng Palace invited them. When I heard that, I felt a little uncomfortable, so I asked who else was invited. The messenger said that in addition to you, there were Marquis Luoyun, Marquis Jinxiang, and Marquis Chuanning, but no one else was invited."

The manager quickly replied, fearing that he might say a wrong word.

But it was this scene that made Bai Guangju's eyes freeze. They only invited a few people from the marquis's mansion. No one from the four kings and eight dukes was invited. Who hosted the welcoming banquet?
(End of this chapter)