first minister

Zhongjing City, Huangji Palace.

The joyous songs from last night seemed to be ringing in my ears, and the graceful and moving dances of the dancers seemed to be still in front of my eyes. The breath of the courtiers was still filled with the smell of alcohol, intertwined with the heat emanating from the charcoal stove.

It was obviously a court meeting, but it seemed as if we were at last night's banquet again.

In front of the envoy from Beiliang, celebrating Daxia's victory over Beiliang, the key point was that he could only eat Coptis chinensis while being mute. That kind of pleasure was a pleasure that many courtiers in the court have never experienced before.

The routine meeting ended in a cheerful atmosphere. With brisk steps, everyone walked out of the hall and went to their respective jobs.

In the central courtyard, the important ministers were also busy with their own affairs.

After the morning meeting, Xia Jingyun, Wei Yuanzhi and Li Tianfeng had lunch together and took a slow walk to eat.

Wei Yuanzhi asked: "Gao Yang, I see how worried you have been in your eyebrows these past two days, but what's on your mind?"

Xia Jingyun smiled, but did not answer directly, "Old Wei, Brother Yun Qi, if we want to send people to garrison Dragon City, who do you think can do it, and where should we dispatch the troops?"

Li Tianfeng thought for a while, "Yue Pingwu is currently leading troops to suppress bandits in Yanyuan Prefecture. He should."

Wei Yuanzhi suddenly lowered his voice and looked a little worried, "Are you worried that Beiliang has a back-up plan?"

Xia Jingyun said softly: "I have always heard that the Northern Liang Emperor has great talents and has unified the grassland for several years. Previously, our country was stable in the Xia Dynasty, and we were afraid of the reputation of the old military god, so we did not dare to take any action. Now that we have this opportunity, he will not do anything." What, it doesn’t seem worthy of his reputation!”

Li Tianfeng also reacted and was silent for a moment after hearing this, "But Prince Anguo is here!"

Wei Yuanzhi also had a bit of worry on his face. He had served in the Ministry of War in his early years, and later he was in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He was not unfamiliar with military affairs. "The Prince of Anguo County is not a god. After all, there are only 3 soldiers in the Wudang Army." . Including the infantry and civilians at Qingchuan Pass and Yanhui Pass, the total number of troops is less than 5. If Emperor Liang really had the courage, it would be difficult to gather an army of 20 to go south."

Li Tianfeng pursed his lips, "The key is that we don't have any people! Successful reports of suppressing rebellions in various states are coming frequently, and now is the critical moment. This Beiliang person really knows how to choose the right time."

"When we have enough soldiers, Beiliang won't dare to come!"

Wei Yuanzhi sighed and looked up to see Shen Shengwen, the Minister of War, running over in a hurry.

"Master Liu, why are you so panicked?"

"Three gentlemen, something big has happened!"

A moment later, in the central courtyard, the central ministers stood at the table with solemn expressions, listening to the report from the Minister of War.

"In Beiliang, 5 tiger and leopard cavalry guarding Lieyang Pass took the lead in attacking the Wudang Army's barracks at night. Although the Wudang Army set up an ambush in advance and won for a while, there were too many tiger and leopard cavalry, and the Wudang Army won a small victory. After that, they had no choice but to abandon the main camp and retreat to two passes. Then the Nanwang of Beiliang Town personally led more than [-] snow dragon riders to completely besiege Yanhui Pass."

Yan Songwen, the imperial censor, asked anxiously: "Where is Prince Anguo?"

"There is no news about Prince Anguo in the intelligence."

Vice Minister Yang Weiguang asked again: "Is there any other news?"

"It's gone for the time being, but I think when the war begins, news will come one after another."

Prime Minister Wan Wenbi said slowly: "Everyone, Beiliang has dispatched a hundred thousand troops, which is more powerful than the one in Yuyanzhou. Let's go into the palace and report to the Queen Mother and Her Majesty."

Yan Songwen suddenly said: "Shang Shu Shen, come with us, Hu Bu."

He glanced at Xia Jingyun and saw that the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance was here, so there was no need to call out.

Wan Wenbi nodded and walked out first.

Wei Yuanzhi and Li Tianfeng both glanced at Xia Jingyun. Xia Jingyun shook his head slightly to indicate that it was okay, and followed him out of the small courtyard.

In the Qianyuan Hall, after hearing the reports from their officials, the expressions of Concubine De and Dongfang Bai changed visibly.

To a certain extent, this can actually be regarded as a secret game between the courtiers and the imperial power.

They could have asked someone to report in advance, and then slowly see the emperor who had adjusted his mentality, but they needed to use this method and see His Majesty's emotions in flesh and blood to remind themselves that the person in front of them was also the same as themselves. vivid ordinary people, thereby alleviating the fear in his heart.

Xia Jingyun couldn't do anything about it, and at the same time, he didn't think it was a big deal.

After a brief moment of panic, Concubine De quickly adjusted her mentality and asked: "The Northern Liang army is pressing down on our territory and invading our territory. Do you have any good plans?"

They were all important ministers of the central government, and naturally no one said pedantic clichés. Li Tianfeng came out and said: "For the current plan, our court has insufficient soldiers and it is difficult to send reinforcements. We need to find ways to gather reinforcements to support the two passes. If the two passes are lost, , the impact on the situation will be too great.”

Yang Weiguang followed and said, "The Northern Liang people are ambitious. Taking advantage of the chaos in our court, they first caused trouble in Yuyan Prefecture, restrained all the remaining available troops of the court, and then sent troops out of Lieyang Pass to invade our territory. There is no army. Although they are strong and the king of Anguo is brave, if the Northern Liang Dynasty comes, they may be defeated. Emperor Liang's move can be said to have hit us seven inches above. If Qingchuan and Yanhui pass two If it is lost, Yanyuan Prefecture City and Longcheng will be shaken. If Longcheng is lost, both Zhongjing and Guanzhong will be shocked. The consequences will be even greater than the great changes in Yuyan Prefecture!"

Yan Songwen stood up with a straight face, "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, the humble minister is guilty."

Everyone was stunned, and Yan Songwen said: "Censor Zhongcheng Baiyunbian was ordered to accompany the envoys of Beiliang, but he was stuck in a verbal dispute. He only had a moment of enthusiasm and failed to find out the true purpose of Beiliang. As a result, the incident happened suddenly. I When there is no defense, I am in charge of the Yushitai and have the responsibility to ask the Queen Mother and Your Majesty to convict me."

Everyone was secretly stunned. Master Yan was so anxious that he was going to suppress Master Bai so openly.

Wei Yuanzhi glanced at Xia Jingyun. Xia Jingyun lowered his eyebrows as if he hadn't heard. He hesitated, and when he was about to speak, Wan Wenbi took the lead and said: "Master Yan, what you said is wrong. This matter is a policy decided by the Central Committee." , is it only one person's responsibility? What's more, according to what I see, for such a big event, I'm afraid that the Northern Liang Prince has no way of knowing the inside story, it's just a cover to distract our attention."

Yan Songwen looked steadily at Wan Wenbi, who had gradually formed an alliance with him in the past few days, as if asking, where are you from?

Only then did Wei Yuanzhi speak: "The urgent need now is to prevent the Beiliang offensive and quickly send troops to rescue Qingchuan and Yanhui Pass to stabilize the overall situation."

Li Tianfeng immediately agreed, "Yes, in accordance with my opinion, I immediately mobilized Yue Pingwu to lead his troops to assist in order to clear Qingchuan and Yanhui Pass."

"No!" The Minister of War, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, in accordance with your opinion, you should order General Yue to immediately station in Longcheng, Yanyuan Prefecture, take over the city defense, and build fortifications to resist the invasion of the Northern Liang army. As for the invasion of the Northern Liang army. Prince Anguo will make his own arrangements on the two front lines. If he wins, everything will be fine. If he loses, he will stick to Dragon City and not let Hu Ma go south!"

"Absurd!" Yan Songwen said sternly: "The war between the two passes is at a critical moment. If we have troops but do not send them, wouldn't it make the soldiers fighting bloody battles on the front line feel chilly? It is clear that the situation can be saved, but we sit back and watch the athletes of our country being cannibalized and slaughtered by the [-]-strong army of Beiliang. ! Is this how you run the Ministry of War!"

Faced with Shangguan's accusations, Shen Shengwen, Minister of War, did not back down, "Most of the counter-rebellion troops led by Yue Pingwu were infantry, and the cavalry's combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of Beiliang. If they were surrounded by Beiliang's army for reinforcements, they would be in trouble. What's more? What's more, since the incompetent troops on the front line can set up empty camps to ambush the attacking Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, it means that Prince Anguo has taken precautions against this, and the situation is not completely out of his control. If he rushes to send troops at this moment, he may hit the target. The idea of ​​encircling Beiliang to mobilize reinforcements will also disrupt the layout of Prince Anguo. More importantly, we don’t have many soldiers and horses who can withstand such squandering!"

Shen Shengwen talked about his excitement and looked at Concubine De, "The Queen Mother clearly knows that if we do not harm the overall situation of suppressing bandits and completely eliminate the rebellion, the number of troops available in the court now is only 3 to protect the capital. Yue Pingwu is leading the troops. Yanyuan Prefecture is quelling the rebellion, so we can temporarily recruit people, we must be very careful!"

"You are clearly cowardly! Your Majesty, Queen Mother, please order Shen Shengwen to be executed to calm the morale of the troops on the front line! Then immediately send reinforcements to support Prince Anguo!"

Listening to the quarrel between the two, Concubine De also frowned slightly. Military matters were too out of line for her. Shen Shengwen's words sounded reasonable, but Yan Songwen's words had to be considered. After hesitation, She glanced at Xia Jingyun without leaving any trace.Then, she noticed that Xia Jingyun was silently looking at Shen Shengwen's back, making a plan in his mind.

"Yan Qing has said this. There is no reason to be punished for words when discussing matters in court. Immediately ordered Yue Pingwu to gather the army and stationed at Longcheng. At the same time, he asked him to send out sentry riders to try to contact Wudang Army and wait for an opportunity to go north. The Ministry of War will handle it immediately, there must be no mistakes!"

Concubine De's words brought the debate to a temporary end. Although Yan Songwen was unwilling to do so, he couldn't say anything more at the moment, so he left the hall with everyone bitterly.

Wei Yuanzhi deliberately dragged himself behind, walked to Xia Jingyun, and whispered: "Gao Yang, why didn't you say a word before?"

Xia Jingyun did not answer him, but looked at Shen Shengwen who was hurried away, "Old Wei, our Minister of War is really a talented person!"

"Don't worry about him yet!" Wei Yuanzhi's expression was full of worry, "Once this incident comes out, there will probably be another evil storm in the court."

Xia Jingyun was relieved of his previous worries at this moment, "Mr. Wei, think about it, did you hear the whereabouts of Prince Anguo in the intelligence?"

Wei Yuanzhi was stunned, "I really didn't know this."

"The people of Beiliang thought that Jiang Yuhu had been transferred to Yuyan Prefecture by us, or had not arrived yet, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack. However, we knew that Jiang Yuhu had already arrived at the front line. As the head coach of the Wudang Army, how could there be no news about him?"

He looked at Wei Yuanzhi and whispered: "In fact, I wrote him a letter that day, asking him to pay attention to Beiliang's backhand. I think with his ability, Beiliang's movements will not completely surpass him. expectations.”

Wei Yuanzhi raised his eyebrows, "Then why didn't you just do it?"

Xia Jingyun sneered, "Otherwise, how could the demons and monsters between the government and the public jump out on their own initiative!"

But then he calmed down and sighed slightly, "But having said that, the war is unpredictable. Jiang Yuhu has to be prepared. Beiliang is coming. It's really hard to say who will win. If we win, we will take the opportunity to clean up. , if we lose, we should take a long-term approach, just wait for the news and prepare for the worst, so there is no need to say more."

Wei Yuanzhi nodded slowly, "That's very good."
-
With the departure of these important ministers, the imperial court was no longer able to keep secrets, and the news instantly swept the entire capital.

The people in Zhongjing, who had just woken up from the drunken euphoria and weak waist and legs after victory, were stunned as if they had been hit in the head.

Can the Beiliang people never finish fighting?Why are you here again?
But the slight difference between this time and the last time is that the Beiliang army, which was obviously more powerful, did not cause as much panic in Zhongjing City as the previous rebellion in Dongfangping in Yuyan Prefecture.

All this is because of one person.

Jiang Yuhu.

"With Mr. Yuhu here, Beiliang is nothing to worry about!"

"That's right, Poliang Mountain is the blessed land of the old Army God. The young Army God also defeated the Beiliang barbarians here. Now let's kill them one by one!"

"Are you too blind? Although the little military god is strong, the Beiliang people have come with an army of one hundred thousand! The little military god is also a clever woman who cannot make a meal without rice!"

"You don't understand this. Why are you called a military god and not a famous general? It's because gods can do things that humans can't do that they become gods. Don't judge the little military god with your mortal eyes!"

The discussion among the market generally still favors the supporters.

The senior officials who knew more about the inside story began to communicate with each other and think about more things after returning home.

Wan Wenbi was sitting in the house, and the eldest son of the family came back in a hurry, "Father, I heard that it's north."

Wan Wenbi glanced at him lightly, "Be calm when facing big events. Why be so panicked."

The eldest son took a deep breath, sat down slowly, and swallowed, "Father, how is the war going?"

Wan Wenbi took a sip of tea and said calmly, "One hundred thousand versus thirty thousand, what do you think?"

The eldest son was stunned, and his heart was full of confusion. The war is not going well, why are you so calm?
Wan Wenbi glanced at him and said, "Being a person and doing things depends on the trend. If you follow the trend, it will be effortless. If you go against the trend, it will be difficult even if you try your best."

"The previous trend was with Your Majesty, and with the Queen Mother, Marquis Jianning is unparalleled. If Beiliang really breaks through, then the trend may be with Beiliang."

The eldest son's expression suddenly changed and he stood up, "Father wants to rebel."

"Fuck your mother!" Wan Wenbi couldn't help but yelled, "Serving my father as my father's wife and being loyal to my emperor, I will never be a traitor to the country!"

"What about you just now?"

"My father said, it's the momentum! If the Northern Liang is broken, the offensive and defensive forces of the north and the south will be divided. Those who can reconcile the two sides and guard the peace are the ones that everyone hopes for. Those who are determined to lead the battle, such as the Marquis of Jianning, will become Against the trend. But whether it goes with the trend or against the trend, it is all for the good of the court. We are also fighting between gentlemen, do you understand?"

The prime minister's eldest son, who actually didn't understand much, nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand."

"The reason I'm telling you this is because there's something I want you to do."

"Father, please speak."

"Find a way to make friends with the Northern Liang Crown Prince. It may be of great use in the future."

"Ah? When he came to visit the house, you didn't see him. Now that the child wants to make friends, will he?"

"This time, that time. If he is resentful, it means that he is not worthy of his father's kindness, and you don't need to pay attention to him anymore."

"Yes."
-
In the post house of Honglu Temple, Xue Wenlu slowly got up from the bed. It was almost noon, and he was hungry, but he had no appetite. He sat up in disheveled clothes, leaned against the head of the bed, and looked at the ground with straight eyes. .

The humiliation from last night was still clear. Although the Southern Dynasty monarchs and ministers did not deliberately target it, it was like witnessing their beloved woman flirting with other men and having to clap along with them. This thing in itself was already humiliating and embarrassing enough, without words or anything else. , no longer seem so important.

Witnessing the people of the Southern Dynasties cheering for victory over their country, all the lofty ambitions that Xue Wenlu had before coming were crushed by this banquet.

Decadence and depression seem to be the only things they can do now.

Bang bang bang!
The door of the room was suddenly knocked hurriedly. Xue Wenlu didn't even care about being angry and lazily asked, "Who is it?"

"Sir! Good news, great news!"

Outside the door, the excited voice of the subordinates came. (End of chapter)