first minister

One sword or one sword, Jiang Yuhu didn't care anymore.

These two lines of poetry really scratched his itch.

He even made up a new line for himself.

Fighting for three thousand miles with one body, frost-freezing fourteen states with one sword!

Oh, it's so wonderful!

At this moment, Jiang Yuhu didn't look like a fierce tiger swallowing thousands of miles, but like a cat that had its belly scratched and purred, happily immersed in the happiness of the faint king.

So, naturally, that night, all five people got very drunk.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuhu's cronies were on duty throughout the Prefectural Mufu, and there were layers of elite guards from the Wudang Army on the outside, so nothing would go wrong.

After a happy and peaceful night, Xia Jingyun endured a headache early the next morning. While making a pot of tea, he began to write a secret letter to his sister according to yesterday's ideas. He wrote a few pieces of paper eloquently. , dried the ink and sealed it, then asked his trusted followers to escort him to Zhongjing City.

As soon as the person who delivered the letter left, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Chen Fugui to call the person back. After he wrote another letter, he gave it to the person to take back to Zhongjing.

After finishing his work, he walked to the pavilion outside, made another pot of tea, looked at the spring scenery around him, moistened it with small sips, and began to plan the rest of the things.

Not long after, Jiang Yuhu also came over. Looking at his neat makeup and red and sweaty face, he guessed that he had just practiced martial arts for a while to sober up. Xia Jingyun smiled and poured him a glass, "In the general's opinion, when will Yuyanzhou Are you completely settled?"

Jiang Yuhu picked up the tea cup and slowly moistened it, "As you said before, if you want to be beaten, take this opportunity to hit the pain and clean the house. Otherwise, you will be in trouble when everything settles down. These aristocratic families The big clans still need to be screened slowly, and some of them are indifferent dogs, but they just do it more secretly. Once all these miscellaneous things are sorted out, there will be no problem in Swift State."

Xia Jingyun said slowly: "I want to take advantage of the fact that the rebellion in Yuyan Prefecture has begun and the military is strong. I want to go to Yuyan Prefecture to clear out the land and check the household registration. What does the general think?"

Jiang Yuhu glanced at him and said directly: "Let your eldest brother go to Lieyang Pass to take charge. I will stay here for one more month."

Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "Thank you, General!"

Jiang Yuhu drank the tea in the cup in one gulp and waved his hand proudly.

Now that Jiang Yuhu had made a decision, he directly called Xia Yunfei, who had been given the power to control the border generals by the Queen Mother when he left Beijing for the north.

Xia Yunfei didn't feel displeased after hearing the arrangement. As a general, he had already prepared for battles in all directions, not to mention that this was just a change of defense.

He was also very happy to be able to return to the Wudang Army.

The only regret is that Erlang and I have to separate after just one night together, but, looking at the way he and the young master are talking and laughing, it seems that whether he is there or not is not that big of a problem.

After Xia Yunfei went to make arrangements for the guards and their departure, Xiao Fengshan also came over and told them about yesterday's unfinished business.

Although we talked a lot yesterday, we only talked about a general framework, and once we started drinking, we didn’t go into details anymore.

At this moment, everyone was awake and formally settled some issues.

Many unfinished matters and details have been arranged, deduced and determined one by one.

After the chat, Xiao Fengshan also made preparations for the trip.

This matter is so important that it cannot be decided directly by these two people. It must be reported to His Majesty and the Queen Mother. However, when the probability of approval is very high, preliminary preparations such as materials, ordnance, and personnel selection can be made first.

By the time this was finished, it was already noon.

Jiang Yuhu looked at the bright sun above his head and the high sun in front of him, "Right now, we just have to see whether Yelvshi can succeed."

Xia Jingyun smiled slightly, "I think he is okay."

He looked at the horizon and said, "At this time, the Dingxi King of Daliang should be returning to the capital of Liang, which is about to become loyal!"
-

In Liangdu, in the palace city, Liang Emperor Xue Rui was sitting in the imperial study. In front of him, sitting in front of him were Liang Zhongshu Ling Yuan Xiantao, Privy Councilor Pei Shisheng, and Huwei General Yu Wenyun.

Originally, it was reasonable to say that there should be some important officials in the court, including Wang Ruoshui, but today's words may not be enough for outsiders, so we simply kept these two people.

If it were Daxia, it would naturally arouse criticism, but since this is the backbone of the seven surnames governing the country, it is not strange.

Sitting high on the dragon chair, Emperor Liang looked calm, but he was quite nervous in his heart.

Although he urgently summoned Yelvshi and the Hekong Army to Beijing to stabilize the situation;

He also asked the King of Zhennan to ride south quickly and exchanged for the Snow Dragon Rider to stabilize the imperial power;

Then he reconciled the conflict between Yu Wenyun and Murong Chui, and personally inspected the defense of Kyoto Guard;

Finally, Qie Xuewei was added, generous rewards and encouragement were reserved as the final trump card;

But so many actions couldn't really calm him down.

Because that was a White Bear Army of 20,000 people. They had gone through the rain, snow, wind and frost in the northern border, and their combat strength was not comparable to that of these young soldiers nestled in the capital.

What's more, although King Pingbei, who has stood silently like a rock for more than ten years in the north, has the weakest reputation among the four kings of the southeast, northwest, and northwest, Emperor Liang heard that the late emperor mentioned that if they really wanted to fight, with the same force, he would probably be defeated. I'm afraid not many people can beat Daliang Chaozhong.

At least King Zhennan cannot be defeated.

When such troops and people come to the capital at such a juncture in the name of paying homage to the new emperor, let alone Xue Rui, who has just ascended the throne, or even the late Emperor of Beiliang who has been on the throne for thirty years. , I'm afraid there will be a bit of murmuring in my heart.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The city of Shangjing is strong and the troops and supplies are sufficient. Even if King Pingbei really wants to take action, there is no need to worry too much."

What King Pingbei is doing can be regarded as a military matter, so Pei Shisheng, the Privy Councilor who has the same function as the Minister of War in Great Xia, took the initiative to speak, "What's more, in my opinion, King Pingbei will not take risks and do things that anger God and people."

Emperor Liang only gave a faint hum without saying a word, because there was no need to respond to such nonsense.

"Report!"

A chamberlain hurried to the door and came to the crowd with eager steps, "Your Majesty! King Pingbei's army has reached twenty miles outside the city! Wen Zheng'an, the deputy envoy to the Privy Council, has come out to intercept them!"

Emperor Liang silently glanced at Pei Shisheng, the privy envoy who was supposed to greet and stop him, and sighed secretly. Even if he was the emperor, he would not be able to let a family head with the seven major surnames risk such a big risk.

Pei Shisheng also knew that there seemed to be something wrong with his behavior, so he immediately said: "Your Majesty, I have made it clear to Deputy Minister Wen. When Minister Wen turns around, no matter what King Pingbei has planned, we will deal with it calmly."

Emperor Liang nodded, "Wait over there."

Not long after, another chamberlain arrived in a hurry, "Your Majesty, Master Wen was detained by King Pingbei. King Pingbei led the White Bear Army to advance ten miles into the capital!"

Xue Rui's brows suddenly wrinkled, and his heart froze.

Although he had long thought that Wan Yanda's visitor was evil, he still held on to some unrealistic illusions. Now reality has completely shattered his illusions.

Pei Shisheng looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Yu Wenyun snorted coldly, stood up and said: "Your Majesty, Wan Yanda's disobedience is clearly revealed. In response to this, I directly rounded up all the Wanyan family members in the city, took them to the city wall, and ordered Wan Yanda to enter the capital alone. If they don’t obey, they will all be killed! To serve as a warning to others!”

"No!" Pei Shisheng ignored the embarrassment and spoke quickly, "Your Majesty, you absolutely must not! If you act like this, King Pingbei will be forced to rebel even if he doesn't want to! If King Pingbei rebels, the northern territory will rebel, and then the world will There is a huge chaos, and the already turbulent situation may be in danger of overturning!"

Unlike the founding of the country by Taizu of Daxia, who conquered all the parties and unified the world, Taizu of Liang was actually a leader of a powerful clan. He won the support of various powerful clans and formed an advantage. Finally, he led them to wipe out the rest. Those who are unwilling to stand on their side will dominate the world.

Therefore, Beiliang is actually an alliance of wealthy families, and the Wanyan family also holds a large share in the court. It is so easy to move.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the seven surnames have only been changed once or twice, and every time it was not a big deal, Pei Shisheng certainly did not want to see such a situation happen.

Yuwen Yun turned his head and snorted coldly, "This won't work, that won't work either? What do you say? Could it be that now that Wanyan Dawuzhao has led his troops to Beijing, it doesn't count as rebellion? Why should we care about people who have already rebelled? Those ones?"

"You" Pei Shisheng flicked his sleeves, "How can you be so arrogant about military and national affairs? It's like child's play!"

"When all of our heads are stepped on by Wan Yanda, it will be nothing more than trivial matters!"

Emperor Liang looked at the two quarreling people and couldn't help but frown.

"Your Majesty, may I allow this veteran to say a few words?"

At this time, Yuan Xiantao, who had been silent all this time, took the initiative to speak, and Emperor Liang nodded naturally, "You can do anything you want."

"Your Majesty, Wan Yanda actually came here to do two things."

"Now that His Majesty has ascended to the throne for the first time, he either wants to take advantage of the uncertainty of power in the court and the instability of His Majesty's footing to seek more benefits by using military power and take the opportunity to change the Wanyan family's position at the bottom among the seven surnames. Or, simply use military power to coerce and control the government."

Yuan Xiantao spoke slowly, and Yu Wenyun snorted coldly after hearing this, "Isn't this all nonsense!"

Emperor Liang glanced at him indifferently, but Yu Wenyun finally restrained himself and did not dare to say anything more.

Yuan Xiantao didn't take it seriously and chuckled, "King Pingbei is coming as fiercely as a wolf in the northern frontier, but doesn't Your Majesty know how to drive away tigers and devour wolves?"

Emperor Liang's heart moved, and Yuan Xiantao said with a smile: "Now, King Dingxi is still in Huaishuo City. If an edict is issued to command him to lead 20,000 crane-controlling troops to serve the king, how do you think the situation will develop?"

Emperor Liang, who had already secretly ordered King Dingxi to come to Beijing to protect him, was reminded of this, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "When King Dingxi comes to Beijing, King Pingbei's military advantage will be offset. If King Pingbei surrenders honestly, great things can be done. If he is stubborn, then two tigers will fight, and one of them will be injured, and I can act as a check and balance, thus taking the initiative." He looked a little excited and looked at Yuan Xiantao with admiration, "Yuan Aiqing is worthy of being an official of the court. First of all, this is a wonderful statement!”

Yuan Xiantao apologized and did not take any credit, "It's all because of your Majesty's wisdom."

Emperor Liang went over the idea just now in his mind, and indeed went one step further than his previous idea, provoking Yelvshi to suppress Wanyanda, thus eliminating even the possibility of Yelvshi being disloyal.

The most important thing is that by provoking a fight between the Yelu family and the Wanyan family, they can also weaken the two families. I can also calmly reward my Conglong ministers, the Murong family and the Yuwen family, and then reward the Yelu family. , even if it is just to restore it to the current situation, it will be more able to win Yelvshi's heart.

This plan counts as killing two birds with one stone.

When Yu Wenyun heard this, he also glanced at Yuan Xiantao and secretly thought that this old guy was indeed quite capable.

The idea came to light, and Emperor Liang straightened his waist a little, "Hu Quan!"

The great eunuch Hu Quan responded respectfully: "My servant is here!"

Emperor Liang said in a deep voice: "Go and pass on my instructions to King Pingbei and ask him what he wants!"

Hu Quanquan trembled and looked at Emperor Liang pleadingly. After Emperor Liang remained silent, he did not dare to make any resistance.

Your Majesty cannot let Pei Shangshu risk his life, how can you still control this dog?

Just when Hu Quan trembled and promised to set off, another messenger came quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the army of King Pingbei stopped five miles outside the city. He sent an envoy to ask him why the gates of the capital were closed when he returned to pay homage to the new king. , guard him like a thief, what does your majesty want to do?"

Hu Quandeng was overjoyed, but Emperor Liang's face suddenly became as gloomy as the dark clouds before a rainstorm.

Good guy, before I even opened my mouth, you accused me of being wronged!

But now, he has made more thorough preparations and is confident. When facing such a provocation, he can actually smile after calming down, "In this case, let me first express my condolences to our hard-working Pingbei." King, Pei Qing, you go and make arrangements for the labor force, send someone out of the city to express his condolences, and if he has anything to say, bring it back to me."

"Yuan Qing, you are responsible for the government affairs of the court! Yuwen Aiqing, let's go and accompany me to inspect the city defense. Let's wait for King Dingxi to arrive!"

After exiting the palace, Pei Shisheng couldn't help but move closer to Yuan Xiantao and whispered: "Brother Yuan, your skills are wonderful. The two remaining thorns of Yelvshi and Wanyanda fought with each other. Not only did Wanwan Yan Da's plan was shattered, and you were able to take advantage of the situation to weaken both families at the same time, and successfully completed the transition to the new dynasty, you are worthy of it!"

Yuan Xiantao chuckled, "Everything is undecided now, we have to take steps step by step. As a Privy Councilor, you have a very important position, so be careful!"

Pei Shisheng nodded, "With this direction, we are confident in our hearts. Even if Wan Yanda jumps over the wall in a hurry, the Kyoto Guard and the Qixue Guard can hold on for several days until the He Controlling Army arrives. Then we can sit back and watch the tigers calmly. fight."

Yuan Xiantao did not comment, looked at the horizon, and sighed softly: "The wind and rain are precarious, and in this troubled year, every step must be steady!"

"Brother Yuan is just too cautious. Don't worry, this matter will be resolved smoothly. Go ahead and take your leave!"

Looking at Pei Shisheng's hurried away figure, Yuan Xiantao was silent for a moment, rolled up his sleeves, and walked slowly to the workshop.

At this moment, two or three miles outside the city gate, a tall general with a full beard and a burly body was sitting on a tall horse, looking at the city not far ahead.

Behind him was a cavalry team of about two hundred people, all wearing armor and silent.

This tall general is the North Ping King of Daliang, the head of the Wanyan family, Wan Yanda, who has been stationed in the northern border for more than ten years and has shaken the stability of the northern border of Daliang for more than ten years.

"Your Majesty, the city gate is open."

The soldiers behind him watched the two city gates open, and then the suspension bridge was slowly lowered, and whispered a reminder.

Wan Yanda remained silent, turned the horse's head, and drove towards the camp.

The soldiers behind him also turned around and disappeared in an instant, just like a wind blowing from the north, passing by outside the city, leaving only some messy grass marks.

The deputy privy envoy had been detained in the army, and the privy envoy Pei Shisheng did not dare to come himself, so he had to transfer a tribesman who served in the privy council to lead the team to Laojun.

When the Pei family members arrived at the army, they were already fighting. When they entered the Chinese army's tent, they were even more unbearable when they saw the generals of the White Bear Army standing with swords on both sides and Wan Yanda with the golden sword on the horse above. , hunched over, and said in a trembling voice: "Come down to the official position, and the privy councilors have ordered Pei Deguang to pay homage to King Pingbei."

Wan Yanda looked at him with a cold and arrogant expression, "What do you say, Your Majesty? Are you going to chill the hearts of these soldiers who have come from thousands of miles to congratulate me?"

Pei Deguang's throat rolled and he swallowed, "Returning to King Pingbei, Your Majesty highly appreciates King Pingbei's loyalty and bravery, but the space in the city is limited and cannot accommodate tens of thousands of troops, so he specially sent his subordinates to bring wine and meat to come. My condolences, Your Majesty. If it is convenient for Your Majesty, you can bring three thousand soldiers as representatives to the capital to congratulate you."

Several cold snorts suddenly sounded in the tent, and Master Pei almost fell to his knees in fear.

Wan Yanda said: "Leave the things behind and go back and tell our young Majesty that I have so many warriors from the north coming all the way. Either he opens the city and lets us in, or he comes out and lets us pay our respects. Otherwise, We will march into the city ourselves!”

When he entered the city, Pei Deguang easily understood the meaning of his words, but he was also very happy that he could escape. He quickly said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely reply to you word for word." His Majesty!"

When he got out of the big tent, he almost lay on his horse and ran back to Zhongjing City as if he was running away.

And when he conveyed Wan Yanda's words to the ears of Emperor Liang who had just finished inspecting the city defenses and was looking at the White Bear Army camp on the city wall, even though he knew that he had to maintain his grace and deportment in front of his ministers, he couldn't help but give a sharp shout. Slap on the city wall!

This is provocation, this is humiliation, this is a clear-cut rebellion!

It's as if he is saying, if you don't kill me without your neck, I will take your head!

Not to mention being the supreme emperor in the world, even an ordinary nobleman cannot bear such insults!

"Murong Chui!"

"Chen is here!"

"Strengthen the army! Guard every city gate! If the White Bear Army dares to attack, they will be killed without mercy!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

"Yu Wenyun!"

"I'm here! Hold my gold medal, calm down Xue Wei, surround the Wanyan family, and don't let anyone go, but you can't hurt anyone without an edict!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

The furious Emperor Liang looked at the military camp in the distance with murderous intent.

But when he returned to the palace, he slowly calmed down from his rage, and felt a little worried in his heart. After all, the White Bear Army had 20,000 soldiers, and they were soldiers who had fought hundreds of battles. Although they were not good at attacking cities, they could attack if there was someone inside. What about the city?

The seven surnames all have their own hidden agendas, so what if one of them sees that the situation is bad and secretly turns to Wan Yanda?

Could it be that while he was asleep, Wan Yanda suddenly appeared in front of him with his soldiers?

With these terrible thoughts swirling in his mind, Emperor Liang could not sleep almost all night.

When dawn came again, he stood up in a daze with two huge dark circles under his eyes.

I was glad that I was still alive after the night, but at the same time I was irritated that I, a majestic emperor, had to worry about these things.

At this moment, a chamberlain ran over and said, "Your Majesty, the White Bear Army is attacking the city!"

"What?" Emperor Liang stood up quickly, and Pei Shisheng's voice came from outside.

Soon, Pei Shisheng stood in front of him with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, Wan Yanda has mobilized an army of 20,000 and is marching towards the capital. They have formed formations in the city and prepared."

Emperor Liang immediately stood up and asked, "How are the preparations for war going?"

"His Majesty came to supervise in person yesterday, and the Kyoto Guards are standing ready. As long as the White Bear Army really dares to take action, they will attack head-on!"

Emperor Liang looked solemn after hearing this. If the 20,000 White Bear Army really fought, regardless of the outcome, it would be a huge damage to the country's strength.

And will the remaining 10,000 White Bear troops in the north be honest? Will the entire northern border be in chaos by then?

Should I compromise and appease Wan Yanda with some concessions and benefits first?

Just when he was worrying about gains and losses, another chamberlain came excitedly and said, "Your Majesty, King Dingxi is here!"

Emperor Liang's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at each other with Pei Shisheng. Their eyes were full of surprise.

He immediately put on his clothes, hurried out of the palace city, and came to the wall of the West City.

I saw that the crane control troops who arrived overnight were already in formation three miles away from the west city.

However, the commander of the Crane Control Army, King Yelv Shi of Dingxi, did not use the power of his troops to show his self-respect like Wan Yanda. Instead, he only led a few guards and headed towards the city gate.

Emperor Liang quickly ordered the city to be opened. After King Dingxi successfully entered the city, he hurriedly climbed onto the tower.

As soon as they met, Yelvshi knelt down on one knee and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, I, Yelvshi, came late to save me. I hope you will forgive me!"

Emperor Liang looked at his white hair on the temples and his respectful look, and his heart was filled with deep emotion. He stretched out his hand to help him up, and said softly: "King Dingxi, I have been waiting for you so hard. Ah!" (End of chapter)