first minister

"Cooking cakes! Fresh and delicious cooking cakes!"

"Baozi! Big meaty buns just out of the cage!"

"Mutton soup, hot mutton soup. Drink more mutton soup to stay strong!"

Early in the morning, the streets of Zhongjing City rang out with hawking sounds again.

From eating in the morning, drinking at noon, and having fun at night, the sound of hawking never stops in this bustling city, but only shifts between time, place, gender, and content.

At dawn, a carriage slowly drove out from Duke Wei's mansion. Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, was sitting in the carriage, his eyes slightly closed, and he was humming a tune softly.

Before Xia Jingyun's wedding, he moved out of Jianninghou's mansion and lived in the house awarded to him by the imperial court.

He owns Baiyi Villa, Liuyun Tianxiang Pavilion and other secret properties. It doesn't take much to decorate a mansion.

The carriage moved forward leisurely and reached an alleyway, where it parked side by side with another carriage that had just arrived.

Mr. Zhao opened the curtain and looked at Mr. Su who also opened the curtain and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"Eat?"

"it is good."

The two of them came down, walked into a breakfast shop, ordered a few plates of porridge and side dishes, ate in silence, and then boarded Old Xianggong Su's carriage together.

After Xia Jingyun left, these two elders would take the initiative to go to court whenever the court meeting changed, so they could keep an eye on the situation for Xia Jingyun.

The old village owner Zhao said: "Counting the days, Gao Yang and the others should be arriving in Zezhou soon, right?"

Mr. Su shook his head and said, "Nearly 3000 people are leaving, so it shouldn't be that fast."

After speaking, he said softly: "I don't care when the time comes, I will worry about the peace talks."

The old village owner Zhao smiled and said, "What's there to worry about with his abilities? Now that we have Lieyang Pass and Phoenix City in our hands, with such a huge advantage, are we afraid that he won't be able to achieve it?"

Old Xianggong Su turned his head and looked at him speechlessly, his eyes seemed to say: How could your brain say such stupid things?
He whispered: "But after all, he is only 21 years old, and the person he has to face is Yelv Shi!"

Thinking of his peer in Beiliang, Mr. Zhao fell silent when he heard this.

"Yelushi, King of Dingxi in Northern Liang, co-head of the eight tribes of Yelu. Before him, the Yelv family suffered a great loss in strength due to disputes among the eight tribes. It was the weakest among the seven major surnames in Northern Liang, and was even squeezed out of the seven major surnames. Trend. But Yelv Shi suddenly emerged, unified the eight Yelv tribes, reorganized the Crane Control Army representing the glory of the eight Yelv tribes, and became the co-leader of the eight Yelv tribes."

In the central courtyard, Wan Wenbi looked at Yan Songwen beside him and said with a smile: "That year, Yelv Shi."

Yan Songwen looked shocked, "?"

"Yes!" Wan Wenbi sighed with emotion, "This is the old almanac that only our generation knows. You young people can't remember it! More than 30 years ago, I was a junior official in the Ministry of Rites. Because something happened I made a trip to Beiliang, but I didn't expect to encounter the change of imperial power in Beiliang."

Yan Songwen's mind was immediately distracted by the uncontrollable gossip. He was both curious and excited, "What was the situation like at that time?"

"At that time, our mission was in the capital, and it was a dark and windy night."

Wan Wenbi's face showed a look of reminiscence, "At that time, in the court in charge of the old Emperor Liang, the prince and Prince Rui were fighting against each other. Prince Rui suddenly launched an attack in the city and led his guards to attack the imperial city. Yelvshi led the crane army, Stopping the cowardly Xue Wei army, which looked like wolves and tigers. Murong Jindao, the head of the Murong family at the time, led a thousand falcons and eagles from the Murong family and rushed into the East Palace. After a bloody night of fighting, in the end, King Rui successfully killed his father and then cut off Shi himself. Prince Ren’s head controls the overall situation in the city.”

"It is said that when King Rui succeeded, there were only seven personal guards left, and Yelv Shi, who was blocking the Qixue Guards, and the three thousand crane-controlling army only had more than 100 elites left. The situation was extremely dangerous. . Fortunately, the subsequent [-] crane-controlling troops arrived in time and successfully helped King Rui control the situation in the city. King Rui ascended the throne and became the current Emperor Liang."

After listening to Wan Wenbi's story, Yan Songwen looked puzzled, "Wan Xiang, acted like this, openly and openly. Didn't the other forces in the Northern Liang Dynasty unite to attack him?"

"Haha! You just don't understand."

Wan Wenbi said with a smile: "The politics of Beiliang are very different from ours. Ours governs the world with etiquette, law, filial piety and righteousness. Those who kill kings and fathers will be punished by everyone. But Beiliang is originally a grassland tribe. Bloody fights in power struggles are commonplace. It doesn't matter if a son kills his father or an uncle kills his nephew. They only recognize the strong and the interests. Therefore, Emperor Liang's rise to power not only did not cause any chaos, but also made people see his tiger and wolf behavior. Sex, after giving them enough benefits, they are willing to follow."

"That's a long way off. Talking about Yelvshi, from then on, Yelvshi became an absolutely important minister of Beiliang. Later, he was awarded the title of King of the West. He stood for decades without falling and lived in the west of Beiliang. With the support of the Yelu Eight Tribes, they captured many lands in the Western Regions for Emperor Liang, and the Yelu Eight Tribes also became the most powerful family among the four surnames in the Lower Liang Dynasty."

He looked at Yan Songwen with a worried look on his face, "For such an outstanding person, and now with half a lifetime of experience, Marquis Jianning may be facing difficulties!"

Yan Songwen felt happy, but also looked worried, "Yes, what should we do! How about we send a message to Marquis Jianning immediately to let him prepare?"

"There is no need to do anything more." Wan Wenbi waved his hand, "Don't forget, we have the founder of Black Ice Platform like Wei Guogong, and a scheming person like An Guogong to help us, so he must have already made a plan. Bar!"

He looked at the buds on the branches, and underneath his worried face was the joy of winning.

If Xia Jingyun succeeds, he can take the opportunity to support Bai Yunbian. If Xia Jingyun blocks it, the gap between Baiyunbian and him will become deeper. If Xia Jingyun does not stop him, a situation of one mountain and two tigers will be formed, and his purpose of splitting Xia Jingyun's camp will be successful. If you are looking forward to it, then let them fight, and you can profit from it;
If Xia Jingyun fails, in such a good situation, it will be easy for him to incite some opposition sentiments that are helpless and silent at the moment, and it can also give him a rare victory.

Thinking of this, he sighed softly, "The world is so difficult, I hope Marquis Jianning can go smoothly."

Yan Songwen's heart was filled with the joy of rejuvenation for all things, and he said softly: "One more thing, Wanxiang, the Ministry of Household Affairs has submitted a trial plan to measure acres in Yunmeng Prefecture. What do you think?"

Wan Wenbi nodded, "It's a good thing! It's a great thing for the country and the people. If Marquis Jianning is not around, we can't just refute his reputation."

Yan Songwen hummed, "This is exactly the reason why we should strongly support it."
-
Beiliang, Miyagi.

A court meeting ended, and the court officials walked out one after another.

"Brother Yuan! Wait a minute!"

Beiliang Zhongshu Ling Yuan Xiantao turned his head when he heard the sound, looked at Privy Councilor Pei Shisheng who was coming in a hurry, stopped with a smile, and when he came to his side, he smiled and said: "Privy Councilor Pei Shisheng has lost weight."

Pei Shisheng sighed, "After several battles, the Privy Council has been so busy that it's rare that we have some free time today. I got a new sword yesterday. Brother Yuan, are you going to appreciate it?"

Yuan Xiantao rolled up his sleeves and looked at Pei Shisheng. He paused for a moment and nodded, "Okay!"

They rode on their horses together and arrived at Pei's house. They went straight into the study and sat down.

Pei Shisheng personally brewed a pot of tea, divided out the tea soup, pushed one to Yuan Xiantao, and said softly: "Brother Yuan, King Mu has returned to the court."

Yuan Xiantao took a sip of the steaming tea and said with a smile: "This tea is really good!" Pei Shisheng seemed a little dissatisfied, "Brother Yuan. If King Mu wants to follow the path of the late emperor, will the prince just sit back and wait for death? This court situation"

"Haha. Brother Pei, you are confused!" Yuan Xiantao put the tea cup in his hand and felt the warmth, "Whether King Mu or the prince, what do you have to do with me? What happened 30 years ago even if it happened [-] years ago?" Do it again, will my seven surnames change? That’s how your majesty got up, didn’t he have any plans? "

He looked at Pei Shisheng who was thoughtful and said, "We don't have to guess what His Majesty is thinking. For our part, there is no need to get involved. We just need to manage our own self-protection and do our own things well. What's more, now that King Dingxi is willing to take action, the Lieyang Pass peace talks will definitely achieve something, and then the situation in the court will be stable and there will be no chaos."

Pei Shisheng nodded slowly, "That's right. With King Dingxi taking action, the mess on the border will be cleared up soon. The border will not be in chaos, and those small countries that are now jumping around can be wiped out with a wave of their hands. The situation in the court will naturally be stable. The situation in the court will be stable. Once it is stable, all changes will be foreseeable.”

Yuan Xiantao smiled, "So, what's the use of a sword?"

Pei Shisheng laughed, picked up the teapot and gave him another cup of tea.

Compared to the relaxed laughter in Pei's mansion, the main hall in the palace city was solemn.

The doors and windows of the main hall were closed tightly, adding a bit of heat to the warmth in the hall.

Emperor Liang was wearing a fox fur coat and sitting on a large chair. He Zhong stood aside with a low eyebrow.

In the hall below, stood two men of about the same age.

Xue Rui, the crown prince of Northern Liang, stood with his hands hanging down and a very respectful expression, and Xue Zhang, the king of Mu, stood tall and proud, with a cold and arrogant expression.

Emperor Liang threw the folded book in his hand on the table and looked at the prince with an indifferent expression, "There was a great epidemic in Chun Nabo for two years, causing countless casualties. So far, the number of livestock and humans is only [-]% of what it was before the epidemic. This is what you are helping me with." result?"

"Xia Nabo summer palace purchased 10 taels of supplies, but the discounted price of the goods was only 4 taels!"

"Many of the hunters in Qiunabo have fled under the rule of the officials you recommended, and all the hunting grounds in Qiuyu have been abandoned."

"Even the charcoal and brocade clothes from Dong Na Bo have been used to enrich one's own pockets. I have not inspected Sina Bo in these years. If King Mu hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known you were doing such nonsense! I trust you so much, and this is how you repay me? !”

Emperor Liang's voice was not loud, but the anger in his words was obvious.

The prince hurriedly said: "Father, please calm down. I neglected to discipline my subordinates, which resulted in a big mistake. I will go back and deal with it now, convict all the people, and let Sinabo regain its vitality!"

"Hmph!" A sneer sounded from the side, and King Mu said: "Father, my sons and ministers also feel that it must be the prince's subordinates who are doing random things. The prince has always been gentle and thrifty, how could he do such a thing that betrays the grace of the saint and hurts the people?" What's the matter? I think it's just that the prince doesn't know people well and employs people inappropriately. He just needs to make amends again."

King Mu's words were traps on both sides, but the prince had to jump. The two cups of poisonous wine were just a matter of choosing the one he thought was less toxic. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "My son, I must do my best to get the four poisonous wines out of the way as soon as possible." Things were done properly.”

Emperor Liang glanced at him impatiently, and then slowly calmed down, "Okay, the prince will take care of this. King Mu has worked hard, so please go down."

"Thank you, father, I will take my leave!"

We walked out of the hall together, and the biting cold wind suddenly hit us. King Mu smiled and said: "Your Highness, please hurry up. Do you need me to provide you with some information?"

The prince fluttered his sleeves and walked away. King Mu looked at the figure from behind with a sneer on his face.

After returning to the East Palace, the prince learned that King Mu had been crowned Prince Qizhu and was allowed to participate in political affairs. He couldn't help but sigh with sadness.

The only advantage that he, the prince, has over the other party is his name and the East Palace.

However, King Dingxi went to Lieyang Pass for peace talks. With his ability, he would definitely achieve good results and help his father stabilize the domestic situation.

By then, even if he wanted to do something, the government would have no room to do it.

However, could it be that he was pressed hard by King Mu and then replaced and left to die?

The shadow of more than 30 years ago quietly shrouded the East Palace at this moment, and a tangled silence fell into the main hall.
-
On the outskirts of Zezhou city, the sergeants camped near the post station. Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian sat in the room of the post station, listening to Lang Yukun, the minister of Honglu Temple, explain to them the situation of the Beiliang mission.

Naturally, they have understood these things in advance, but if they listen to it again, they may have different understandings from different people, and there may be more details hidden.

"The seven major surnames in Beiliang, Xue, Yuan, and Pei are the upper three surnames, which are mainly in charge of imperial power and central government affairs. Yelu, Murong, Yuwen, and Wanyan are the lower four surnames, and they are mainly stationed on the border and in charge of the military. Therefore, there are also three surnames in Beiliang As the saying goes: "Elegant at the top, reckless at the bottom."

"The envoy of the Northern Liang mission, Yelv Shi, is the co-leader of the eight tribes of Yelu. This man is scheming and a loyal confidant of Emperor Liang. He has stood firm in the Northern Liang court for decades. Marquis Jianning, please be careful. "

Xia Jingyun had carefully read the information about Yelvshi sent from the Black Ice Platform in advance. In summary, it had only been an hour, and he was a better ruthless person.

At the same time, he was also the absolute confidant of Emperor Liang. When the Northern Liang Dynasty came, the ones who assisted King Zhennan were the crane-controlling troops of the eight tribes of Yelu. When the news of King Zhennan's defeat reached Liangdu, Emperor Liang became the first The first person to win over and appease was also King Yelvshi of Dingxi.

He had no intention of taking such a person lightly. On the contrary, since the fight, he had been seriously considering what might happen.

According to everyone's understanding, when the two sides meet, Daxia will return Lieyang Pass and Phoenix City, and the other party will return Swift State.

But in practice, there are still many issues that need to be considered.

Daxia definitely only wants to give one to Lieyang Pass or Phoenix City, but Beiliang definitely wants both;

As for Yuyan Prefecture, Daxia definitely wants to take over it directly, but Beiliang will definitely not send troops to help kill Dongfang Ping and then withdraw troops honestly;
What's more, if Beiliang soldiers and horses are allowed to sweep Yuyanzhou, Daxia will also feel guilty in his heart.

The more important thing is that in Xia Jingyun's heart, he has always felt that with the abilities of the Northern Liang emperor and Yelv Shi, they might have some other thoughts behind the peace talks. If he was blinded by the peace talks, If your eyes are led by the other party and cannot see the overall situation, you may have other problems.

He returned to the room, thinking about the huge map in his mind, and suddenly opened his eyes.

I’m afraid the opponent’s plan will still fall on Yuyanzhou! ——
Yuyanzhou, Fanyang County.

During the reign of Emperor Chongning, thieves were everywhere in the world. With the turmoil in Yuyan Prefecture, the rebellion had not been subsided at all, and bandit villages of various sizes stood on the land of Yuyan Prefecture.

Towards these people, Dongfang Ping, who is in a critical situation at the moment, has an attitude: if you are obedient and honest, you will be allowed to live, if you are not obedient, you will be killed directly.

These thieves and rebels don't resist much. We are rebels and you are rebels, so we are all in the same group. We just listen to your orders.

Therefore, many people in Yuyan Prefecture are obviously bandits and rebels, but they all fly the banner of the Yuyan Army. At the same time, they are inextricably linked to the Yuyan Army, which is a great spectacle.

Outside Gu'an County, Fanyang County, in a small cottage, a group of men who had just arrived detained all the people in the cottage. A man with a mask sat in the position of the boss, looking down. The original leader of the cottage, who was kneeling, chuckled.

"How's it going? Boss, are you convinced?" (End of Chapter)