first minister

Yi Cheng stepped on the ladder and stood on the wall. He glanced at the team in front of him with doubtful eyes. He saw that this group of "thieves" was indeed different from the kind of gangsters. They looked quite organized, so he handed over a man tied to a wooden pole. The basket was filled with documents, and he took it back and opened it.

"Open the door!"

The door of the post station opened, and the postmaster stepped out and said, "Greetings to your envoy. Nowadays, there are occasional military disasters. I am really protecting myself tonight. Please forgive me!"

A faint voice came from the carriage, "It doesn't matter. Bandits are everywhere along the way, and the stations are either defeated or destroyed. It's a very good thing for you to protect the safety of the stations. What's the crime?"

"Your Majesty, your words are serious. The same rice can support all kinds of people. Banditry occurs occasionally. It's the same in the world. We eat the emperor's salary and we should be loyal to the emperor."

"Eh?" A slightly surprised voice sounded from the carriage, and a young man opened the curtain and came out.

The postmen around could not help but feel their hearts skip a beat. They had seen many dignitaries in this officialdom, but they had never seen anyone who could display the word "luxury" so clearly. The perfect man.

She has a long body and a flying hairband. She wears extremely gorgeous clothes that sway gently in the wind with her steps. The jade pendant around her waist makes a crisp sound when the owner moves.

There aren't too many elaborate decorations on his body, but every piece is just right, adding dignity without being superfluous. A flag in hand also adds a bit of righteousness.

Yi Cheng was also surprised. He didn't expect that the visitor could still maintain such a demeanor despite the fatigue of traveling and traveling. The remaining doubts in his heart disappeared.

The young man looked at the postmaster in front of him. He really didn't expect that this remote little poststation could have such talents. He felt a bit of love for talents in his heart. However, there were too many people talking at the moment. There were more people talking when he went to the capital of the Southern Dynasties. After all, Zhongzhao didn't speak. He just nodded to the other party and walked in.

Although the things in the inn are ordinary and a bit old, they are all very clean. Even the group of people with high eyesight, after experiencing the previous several inns that were either dilapidated or abandoned, compared with He also admired Yi Cheng who was in charge of this place.

After the Yi Cheng came in person to inquire about the envoy's needs, he arranged for food, wine, hot water, etc. The young man, accompanied by a servant, came to stay in the best room in the station.

Without any instructions at the door, there were two sword-wielding warriors standing guard with solemn faces.

After the group of people freshened up and ate, the small post station gradually became quiet again. The young man stood by the window and silently looked at the post guards who were guarding the post station wall below against the cold wind of winter night. After being silent for a long time, he turned around. Entered the house.

Although everyone arrived at midnight, the discipline was very strict.

The next morning, we regrouped and embarked on our journey.

Before boarding the carriage, the young man turned his head and glanced at the Yi Cheng who was escorting him out. He smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your welcome, thank you very much. Have you asked for your name?"

"Shi Shangyu from Zezhou County, a small official."

"It's a good name for Shi Shangyu. Take care of yourself, sir."

The young man nodded, held the banner and entered the carriage, and the huge team slowly left.

"Sir, are they really envoys from Beiliang?"

Shi Shangyu nodded, "This cannot be done falsely, otherwise such a large group of people would not be able to come here unscathed."

"Oh, I know, they must have gone to express their condolences to the late emperor."

A postman suddenly realized what he said, making everyone nod.

Shi Shangyu frowned slightly and looked at the team. If it was really a condolence, shouldn't the leader usually be an old man who had some friendship with the court or had a distinguished status?Why let this young man take the lead?
Could it be that this young man is some kind of heir apparent or even a prince?

Even so, it is convenient for the team to be accompanied by some old men who are familiar with etiquette. But apart from soldiers, this team is all middle-aged scribes who are no more than 50 to [-] years old.

Could it be that there are other plans?
Although he was just a young postmaster, he had always been ambitious and liked to think more about everything. But his current knowledge was limited, so how could he think clearly? After a while, he could only frown and return to the postmaster.

On the other side, on the carriage driving slowly on the official road, the young man leaned lazily on the cushions in the carriage, looked at his entourage sitting upright beside him, and said softly: "Now I know that neither your Majesty nor the two prime ministers advocate taking the opportunity to annex the country. Is it the Southern Dynasty?"

The personal attendant nodded and said: "A mere inn can have such capable people. Although the Southern Dynasties suffered great changes, the centipede is still alive. There are many talented people in the country. If you want to swallow them all, you may hurt countless athletes in our beams." life."

"And now that the army is pressing down on the border, it will twist the Southern Dynasty into a rope. It is indeed not as good as your Majesty and the prince's clever plan, let them kill each other, and I, the leader, will reap the benefits."

The young man played with a delicate dagger in his hand, "The injured tiger in the forest can only be slowly bled out and consumed. If it wants to kill it with one blow, it must fight to the death, fearing that both sides will be injured."

The follower was happy at first, but then he frowned slightly, with worry appearing, "I'm afraid the people in the Southern Dynasties can understand this truth, right? If so, what will be the future of the prince's trip?"

"This idea seems simple, but they themselves are injured tigers. How can they think of this level when they are frightened. What's more, it is one thing to think of it, and another thing to dare to bet."

He lifted the curtain of the car and glanced outside the car, "Counting the time, the news about Swift State should have passed. There must be chaos in the court hall of Nanchao Capital!"
-
"Report!"

A fast horse carried the messenger covered in mud and rushed through the gate of Zhongjing City, went straight to the palace city, and then quickly rushed into the palace city. When he came to the front, he raised the letter in his hand high and shouted loudly Said: "Yuyan Prefecture is reporting urgently, Prince Yong Dongfangping is plotting a rebellion! Yuyan Prefecture is almost falling!"

The expected panic did not appear, and the little emperor's calm voice sounded, "Thank you for your hard work, let's go and rest. Jin Zhong, please give me a hundred taels of silver."

The messenger raised his head in confusion, wondering if his ears had been blown by the cold wind on the road. He then thought that his majesty was too young to understand the importance of this matter.
So he immediately kowtowed and shouted, "Your Majesty, Yuyan Prefecture has almost fallen into the hands of the bandit army. Please return."

"Bold!"

Jin Zhong scolded, "Your Majesty and the Central Committee have made their own decisions, so there is no need for you to say more!"

The messenger quickly shut up, holding back the anger in his heart, and retreated.

As soon as he walked out of the palace gate, a young official came up to him, "Are you the messenger from Yuyan Prefecture?"

Although the messenger couldn't quite understand the official rank, he was just a scout in the army. Everyone was older than him, so he just bowed to the official and that was it.

The other party smiled kindly and said, "Don't panic. Marquis Jianning and the central ministers want to see you, so come with me."

In the Central Courtyard and the meeting hall, in front of several important central ministers who were actually in charge of the empire's government affairs, the messenger stammered and finished explaining the situation.

Then, he looked at the important ministers and nodded slightly. The young man sitting farthest away, the youngest and the most handsome young man, smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Let's rest for a few days. The court will make its own decision."

Listening to this gentle tone and calm expression, the messenger couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He is worthy of being an important minister in the central government. This magnanimity and self-restraint are simply amazing!
Fortunately, no one heard these voices, otherwise if this completely different evaluation reached Dongfang Bai's ears, he would have ended up being wiped out in half.

After the messenger left, Xia Jingyun put away his smile and said with a serious expression: "Everyone, the situation is no different from what we knew last night. Without further ado, we should come to a conclusion on where to occupy the enemy and who to send to lead the troops."

Wan Wenbi said slowly: "Gao Yang, if you have any ideas, you might as well say so."

Xia Jingyun was not fooled and shook his head, "This matter is not something I can say. It should be decided by the center. I just feel that a decision should be made as soon as possible."

Wan Wenbi sighed, "What about you guys?"

Everyone looked at each other and didn't speak a word. They didn't know whether it was because they were worried about not being able to shoulder the responsibility or because they had other concerns.

Wan Wenbi's face turned cold, "Everyone, the Queen Mother and Your Majesty have great trust in us, and we should also work bravely in national affairs. How can we sacrifice our lives in the face of important events!"

Wei Yuanzhi suddenly said: "Then Wanxiang, please recommend one!"

Everyone bowed their heads in silence, Wei Yuanzhi was really a mad dog now, he was not afraid of offending anyone when he spoke.

Wan Wenbi was worthy of being an old fox in the court. He was unmoved and said slowly: "I should recommend it myself. Nowadays, most of the generals worthy of leading troops in the court are away fighting. The only people worthy of important posts are Yang Yinghui, the commander of the patrol camp, and the Forbidden Army." The real dilemma for Commander Shang Zhicheng now is not who to choose between these two people, but who will take over his position after choosing one of them."

Everyone present is a top-notch person. Even Li Tianfeng, who was once a little lacking, has made rapid progress after taking charge of such a large business in Sishui Prefecture.

They immediately noticed keenly that Wan Wenbi was talking about someone.

Bo Anding, General Xuanwei, General Yulin Zhonglang, and Xia Yunfei.

Although Xia Yunfei is slightly younger, he has been practicing in the Wudang Army for a long time, and was praised as a natural general even Jiang Yuhu did not refute. At the same time, he defeated Xiao Fengshan head-on, which shows his strength.

For such a person who cannot find too many faults regardless of his strength, status and trustworthiness, Wan Wenbi didn't mention it at all.

After a little thought, everyone understood the reason. Not only did they not want Xia Yunfei to take charge of the military, so that the two brothers, both internally and externally, were too loud, they might also have deliberately dug a hole to wait for someone from Xia Jingyun's family to come up with the name. If things fail in the future, it’s better to let go of the relationship.

Thinking of this, and pondering some of the previous misty things, everyone looked at the Prime Minister with his eyes slightly lowered like an old monk.

There are rumors in Beijing that the reason why the Prime Minister was able to decisively show up at the Ministry of Justice and openly support the Queen Mother and Her Majesty in the great changes that day was because of the private promise of Marquis Jianning.

Now that Marquis Jianning has fulfilled his promise, it seems that the prime minister no longer intends to be a yes man behind Marquis Jianning. He can't even wait for a year and a half.

Yes, now that we have reached this point, who would be willing to do it?

Many people suddenly remembered what Marquis Jianning said last night that Beiliang would not support Dongfang Ping and call me south. I guess it was because of his feelings.

Wei Yuanzhi and Li Tianfeng glanced at Xia Jingyun quietly, while the others also glanced at Xia Jingyun subconsciously.Xia Jingyun was silent, seeming to be calculating.

Deputy Prime Minister Yang Weiguang suddenly said: "This matter is very big. Although it is urgent, it does not need to be so urgent. In my opinion, it is better to prepare all the troops and horses, prepare food and grass immediately, and then go back and think about it tonight. Let's go together and make recommendations in front of the Queen Mother and Your Majesty?"

This method is a mixed bag, but it is also necessary.

If it is settled at this moment, everyone is not allowed to communicate, which is likely to intensify some conflicts. With a buffer and reconciliation time, everyone can prepare and plan, and I think it will be much more peaceful when it comes to the table.

Wan Wenbi opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a slumber, "I am being reckless. Zi Ming should be more cautious. In that case, at three o'clock tonight, I will wait to see you in the palace."

Xia Jingyun also smiled and said: "You two gentlemen have thought properly, and we will act accordingly."

As a result, the tone was set, and everyone began to talk about things like soldiers, horses, food, and military pay. These things were nothing to talk about. After the tasks were quickly assigned, everyone left.

Yang Weiguang walked behind, looking at Wan Wenbi, hesitating to speak, and finally remained silent.

After everyone left, Wan Wenbi slowly opened his eyes. There was a sharp light in his old, muddy eyes.

Dongfang Ping's actions stimulated this old turtle. A young man who had endured for more than [-] years, knowing that his bloodline had no hope of becoming a high-ranking official, finally rose up. Looking at the current situation, he actually had a great chance of winning. In such a situation, a piece of flesh has been bitten between the two countries.

Although he cannot escape the life of a puppet, and although the fate of the country may not last long, being able to be the leader of a country is enough to satisfy his lifelong ambition!

Come to think of it, he is already sixty-seven years old. How many years does he have left in his life where he will not grow old?
Compared to others, he is much more relaxed. After all, he is already in this position. It is justifiable. If he does not dare to fight, he is afraid that he will not be able to rest in peace, right?
He stood up and returned to the workshop. After working for a while, he left the courtyard, got on the sedan chair, and returned to his house.

At noon, after discussing with Wei Yuanzhi and Li Tianfeng, Xia Jingyun also returned to Jianninghou Mansion.

When he returned to his mansion, he went straight to Xia Yunfei and asked, "Cousin, there is a battle. Do you want to fight?"

Xia Yunfei looked at him doubtfully. When Xia Jingyun explained the situation, Xia Yunfei did not agree decisively. Instead, he thought calmly as he had for many years.

Under the nervous gazes of the four elders of the Xia family and Xia Ningzhen, and under the complicated gazes of Feng Xiuyun and Yan Zhi, Xia Yunfei said:

"So, what you are saying is that we are going to have a head-on battle with the Swift Army. If we win this battle, the situation will be settled. If we lose this battle, the situation may become extremely bad?"

Xia Jingyun nodded, "Yes."

Everyone in the Xia family suddenly looked ugly, and Mrs. Xia Zhang almost couldn't help but speak. Fortunately, Xia Mingxiong was also familiar with his wife's nature, so he turned around and yelled, "Shut up!"

Xia Yunfei didn't pay attention to the movements of his family, and thought solemnly, "There is no such natural danger in the direction from Sishui Pass to Yuyan Prefecture. We can only take a slight advantage in Gaocheng to fight against the Yuyan cavalry, and maybe even the Beiliang Army? "

"Yes."

As soon as these words came out, even Xia Mingxiong's face showed a bit of panic.

Yuyan Army and Beiliang Army, his son wants to lead troops to fight against them?

"The imperial court can no longer squeeze out many soldiers. It can only scrape together a team of 2 to [-] people, and only [-] elite soldiers among them?"

"Yes."

Only 1 million people?

Xia Li also held her husband's hand unconsciously, her palms full of sweat.

"If this battle is defeated, the imperial court will have no choice but to order the troops from various states to suppress bandits to return for reinforcements. It is very likely that all previous efforts will be wasted, and the world will be ignited again, and the people will be displaced again?"

"Yes!"

Yanzhi sighed silently, the court was settled, the four sides were not in peace, but others had this plan to kill you while you were sick.

Feng Xiuyun also pursed her lips. She actually wanted to persuade Xia Jingyun that even if Yang Yinghui was worried, Shang Zhicheng was not incompetent. Why would he cause a big trouble for himself?
Sure enough, Xia Yunfei said: "I was still young, and I didn't have the brilliant military exploits and unparalleled reputation of the young master. If you recommend me to be the leader of the army, if I fail, your reputation will be greatly damaged, even if the Queen Mother and the Your Majesty can't even protect you, maybe something will happen to the court again?"

Xia Jingyun was silent for a moment, then said with difficulty, "Yes."

"Okay, I will take the initiative to ask Ying to lead the troops in this battle!"

After explaining one difficulty after another and cutting a broad avenue into a thin rope above the abyss, Xia Yunfei decisively agreed.

No, not a promise, but a request.

Xia Jingyun's heart also felt warm, "Brother, please prepare, we will send out troops tomorrow morning!"

"it is good!"

Xia Yunfei nodded and stood up, walking out at a leisurely pace.

Xia Zhang quickly got up and chased after him. Xia Mingxiong and Xia Ningzhen hesitated for a moment, nodded towards Xia Jingyun, and followed.

"fly"

Xia Zhang ran around the corner of the corridor, and just when she opened her mouth, she found that Xia Yunfei was already standing in front, waiting, as if he knew she was coming after her.

She hurriedly stepped forward, "Fei'er, you just said it was so dangerous, why do you still want to go? Now that you have achieved success, why do you need to take this risk?"

Xia Yunfei turned to look at his mother, then glanced at his father who was following behind silently, and his sister Xia Ningzhen, "Father, mother, Erlang has a saying that goes well, only when the sea surges will the true character of a hero be revealed. Now that the situation has reached this point, Come on, this is the time when our generation is making great achievements, so why should we shrink from it?"

Xia Mingxiong said: "But, is there no one else in the court?"

Xia Yunfei shook his head gently, "Don't you know Erlang's temperament yet? If there was someone more suitable than me, how could he come to me? My brain is not as good as his, but I believe in him, and I believe he won't He wants to harm me, so since he found me, I will do my best to help him. What's more, my son has no other abilities, but it is about marching and fighting."

He paused and turned to look to the northeast. His nose seemed to have smelled the biting wind and frost in Swift State, and the eyebrows carved out on the grassland of Poliang Mountain were like knives. "Let them come!"

On the other side, Xia Jingyun was also explaining his thoughts to Feng Xiuyun, Yanzhi, and his worried parents.

"Now the court is far from truly stable. Shang Zhicheng is on duty at the palace and Yang Yinghui is in charge of the city defense. They are the keys to ensuring that we will not be overturned by others."

"Although you can let one of them go out to lead the troops, and then send the elder brother or other trustworthy people to guard the place, but such a rash substitution is likely to be taken advantage of by others. If the front line is defeated, if it is not the old man, can you If you can't restrain the soldiers under your command, they will be troublesome."

"Brother, I personally asked Jiang Yuhu. According to Jiang Yuhu, he is quickly leaving the category of waste. Don't look at me like that. There are not many people in his mouth who are not waste, so I can rest assured."

"What's more, if we can finally succeed, our Xia family's status will be more stable."

Feng Xiuyun looked at Xia Jingyun's endless talk and sighed in his heart. No matter how reasonable Xia Jingyun's words were, he still had no idea.

In the past, I had only seen him speaking a few words and possessing pearls of wisdom. Never had he ever used such endless words to comfort others and himself.

She looked out the window. The storm in Swift State was so shocking.
-
Swift State, border.

A group of scouts rode their horses and came to a large river. They looked at Changshan County on the opposite side, dispersed and took notes, then regrouped and returned.

And their destination was a large camp. In the central tent, Dongfang Ping was sitting in the center. He respectfully picked up his wine glass and smiled at the general on the left who was wearing Beiliang armor and said: "General Murong. , Xiao Wang proposes another toast to you. Without your power this time, how would Xiao Wang have achieved what he has today?"

The general also smiled and held the cup, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes that was not too hidden.

As a prince, for his own selfish reasons, he betrayed his family and country, and led foreign thieves into banditry. How could someone like him, a tough man on the battlefield, look down upon him?

However, both His Majesty and King Zhennan had explained that it would be a good thing for Daliang after all, so he agreed perfunctorily.

He took a sip of the wine and then put it down. Dongfang Ping was slightly startled when he looked at the other person's full wine bowl, then he immediately raised his head with a smile and finished his own wine bowl.

Then he poured another bowl and looked at the other Beiliang generals sitting among them with a smile.

The other Daxia officers who were also in the tent clenched their fists silently.

Dongfang Ping also greeted them, "What are you doing standing still? It's rare to have a banquet tonight, so you should enjoy yourself!"

The Daxia officers were extremely aggrieved, but they had no choice but to obey their commander's instructions and pick up the wine bowl.

Looking at the teeth that couldn't be loosened and the looming veins on the neck, it seemed that what they were seeing was not the result they wanted. (End of chapter)