The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 568
Not long after returning to Kaifeng, Chai Rong fell ill.

The imperial doctor diagnosed that it was due to long-term fatigue, poor mood, and blockage of Qi and pulse, resulting in blockage of the lungs and organs, severe cough, and often blood in the sputum.

Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin, together with Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, Wang Pu, Wang Zhu, Tao Gu and other important ministers, presented a memorial, urging Chai Rong to put down his government affairs and rest in peace for a period of time.

Chai Rong agreed to temporarily suspend the court meeting, and move government affairs to the Zhongshu Provincial Government Office, where the four prime ministers would jointly handle. Military affairs would be handled by the prime ministers together with Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin, the Minister of War Zhang Zhao, the Privy Councilor Wei Renpu, and the Third Secretary Zhang Mei. Others discussed and made a decision, but required that military and political affairs be reported to him every three days.

In the east pavilion of Qingshou Hall, Zhu Xiu came to report military affairs as usual.

“The dredging of the sections from Kaifeng to Suzhou and Suzhou to Xuyi of the Bianhe River has been basically completed, and the Prime Minister is supervising the officials to strengthen the embankments. It is expected to be completed before February next year.

Most of the canals from Chuzhou to Yangzhou were dug. His Majesty previously considered that digging the canals would not increase the labor burden on the local people and delay the farming time, so Li Chongjin only recruited [-] to [-] people to dig in sections, and the progress of the work was a little slow. . "

Zhu Xiu sat on the embroidered pier and reported while reading the newspaper.

Chai Rong was half lying on the ground and smiled: "If you reply to Li Chongjin, just let him maintain the current speed and ensure that the canal can be opened before next autumn.

Ahem~~ If the Chuyang Canal is dug too fast, there will definitely be rumors flying in Jiangning, saying that the Zhou army will cross the river to attack again. Ahem~~"

Zhu Xiu pulled out a memorandum and said with a smile: "Your Majesty expected it well. Li Jing wrote to ask about it a few days ago. Li Chongjin replied that he was just clearing water transportation normally, so don't be suspicious."

Chai Rong took the memorial, glanced at it, and sneered: "Li Jing has become a frightened bird. If it weren't for the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, I could have wiped him out in one go with the help of the three expeditions to Huainan! Ahem~~"

Zhu Xiu put down the memorial, got up, brought the cold medicine bowl, and brought it to Ruantan.

Chai Rong drank the dark soup in one breath, his face wrinkled tightly in pain.

"Huh~ If there's anything else, let's talk about it together." Chai Rong said.

Zhu Xiu sat down again and said, "According to His Majesty's order, Gao Baorong personally wrote a letter to the Lord of Shu, Meng Chang, urging him to surrender. Meng Chang tore up the letter and cut off one of the messenger's ears, vowing to fight against me, the Great Zhou, to the end."

Chai Rong sneered angrily: "Meng Chang is overestimating his capabilities. On the day that Chengdu is defeated, I will ask him to enter the capital in a prison car!"

Perhaps it was Meng Chang's tough attitude that annoyed Chai Rong. Chai Rong covered his mouth with the brocade handkerchief and coughed violently again.

"The imperial doctor advised that Your Majesty should not get angry." Zhu Xiu hurriedly stepped forward and patted Chai Rong's back gently.

The moment she touched his body, Zhu Xiu felt a chill in her heart.

Chai Rong's body was thinner than it looked.

Wherever the back was touched, it was full of bones, and it even felt a bit harsh to the touch.

In Zhu Xiu's memory, Chai Rong's previous figure was not as tall as Shi Yanchao, Zhao Kuangyin and others, but he was still strong and strong.

In just a few years, he had become so thin and thin.

The coughing subsided slightly, and Chai Rong lay on the soft bed panting weakly.

Zhu Xiu stared closely at the brocade handkerchief in his hand, her expression extremely heavy.

Chai Rong opened it up and saw that the snow-white brocade handkerchief was smeared with bright blood.

"It doesn't matter. I know my own body well. I can recover after a good rest for a while." Chai Rong forced a smile and clutched the blood-stained brocade handkerchief tightly.

Zhu Xiuchang sighed: "Your Majesty must not work any longer."

Chai Rong's voice was a little hoarse, and he pretended to be relaxed and said: "Give me another two years, and when I get back to Youyun Sixteenth Prefecture, I can take a good rest for a few years. Wang Pu said that I can reign for 30 years, but I don't want that much , as long as ten years, I have the confidence to rule the world! By then, Xun'er will grow up."

"But Your Majesty." Zhu Xiu wanted to persuade again, but Chai Rong waved his hand:

"Your inference is correct. The Southern Tang Dynasty was weak but not destroyed. It took me three years to completely conquer the fourteen states of Huainan. This shows that Jiangnan's strength is not exhausted yet.

The subjects in Jiangnan may not have the heart to defend Huainan, but they must have the heart to defend the Yangtze River.Once our army crosses the river, we must establish a foothold in the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible, otherwise the long delay will arouse the resistance of the people in the south of the Yangtze River, waste national power, and give the Khitan people an opportunity to move south. "

After taking a breath, Chai Rong said in a low voice: "I have thought a lot about it during this period. The strategic plan of going south to north must be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation. Now, Huainan is becoming more and more stable, and it is time to send troops north!"

Zhu Xiu was startled and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty wants to expedition to the north of Khitan? But now is not the time."

Chai Rong coughed twice, and said with a low smile: "Of course not now, we will talk about it after the spring of next year. However, I will let Wang Yanchao, Yang Tingzhang, and Li Yun continue to harass the Northern Han Dynasty in the east direction, and test the Northern Han Dynasty and Khitan's defenses.

Yelujing, the Lord of Liao, is not a Ming emperor. I think that if you want to recover Youyan, it is better to be quick rather than slow. You must take advantage of the instability of the imperial power in Liao Kingdom and the tribal nobles vying for power. Otherwise, it will be difficult for Youyan to return to the rule of the Han people. Down. "

Zhu Xiu nodded silently, feeling full of admiration in his heart.

Chai Rong, who was lying on the hospital bed, still saw the general trend of the world clearly.

He made a good judgment. From now on, the best time to regain Youyan may only be ten to fifteen years.

In fact, there is not much time left for the Central Plains Dynasty.

After resting for a while, Chai Rong sighed worriedly: "It is impossible for the Khitan internal chaos to continue forever. In five, ten, or twenty years, the Khitan emperor's rule will be stable, and the Liao Kingdom will rely on the strength of the horse army and Youyan. The barrier in hand will eventually become a big mountain that weighs on us Han people.

At that time, the country will fall into a state where heavy troops are stationed on the northern border all year round, and the Khitans, Dangxiang people, Tubo people, and Uighurs will become major border enemies that threaten our country at all times.

If we want to break this situation, we must first recapture Youyan as soon as possible, reshape the northern frontier defense line from Daizhou to Yanyun, and force the Khitans to retreat to the north of Yanshan Mountain."

Chai Rong coughed and wheezed for a while, and sighed: "Every time I think about this, I feel a sense of urgency that time and time will not wait for me."

Zhu Xiu was silent for a while and said softly: "Your Majesty's foresight and foresight are actually a blessing to the country. However, the top priority is to take good care of yourself. The grand plans and great achievements of the Great Zhou Dynasty still depend on your Majesty's planning."

Chai Rong nodded and smiled reluctantly, then gradually closed his eyes and prepared to rest.

"Your Majesty!~"

A shrill howl suddenly came from outside the pavilion.

An Shouzhong, the commander of the guards and infantry, burst into tears and burst into the pavilion door. None of the eunuchs outside the door could stop him.

Chai Rong woke up instantly and reluctantly sat up with Zhu Xiu's help.

"What happened?" Chai Rong asked in surprise.

An Shouzhong stumbled to his knees and cried sadly: "Your Majesty! A few days ago, my father was assassinated by his servant An Youjin while he was sleeping in the middle of the night! Now, An Youjin has escaped from Xiangyang and his whereabouts are unknown. Please tell me. Your Majesty will make the decision for you and arrest the culprit!"

"What?!" Chai Rong was shocked and angry. The dignified King Chen An Shenqi was assassinated by his servant?

Zhu Xiu was also shocked, and quickly recalled in his mind that this incident did happen in history.

The old prince An Shenqi had a favored concubine who hooked up with his servant An Youjin. An Shenqi probably discovered their affair. An Youjin went on to assassinate An Shenqi and took him with him. The concubine fled.

Zhu Xiu couldn't remember when this incident happened, so she didn't take it too seriously.

Chai Rong was so angry that he coughed violently, and Zhu Xiu quickly patted his back gently.

"It is rumored that Cao Han entered the palace immediately, issued a sea arrest document, attached a picture and picture, and ordered all prefectures and counties to arrest An Youjin!" Chai Rong said angrily.

An Shouzhong cried bitterly: "I thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Xiu was thinking anxiously and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the most important thing for Ambassador An at the moment is to rush back to Xiangyang to take care of Queen Chen's affairs and arrest An Youjin. I'm afraid I have no time to worry about it.

I used to serve as the military envoy, and I have always cooperated with Cao Shisi. This time I am willing to come forward for Anjun Envoy and cooperate with Cao Shisi to arrest An Youjin! "

Chai Rong thought for a while and said: "That's fine, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to comfort King Chen's spirit in heaven!"

Zhu Xiu nodded knowingly: "Your Majesty, don't worry."

Chai Rong's implication was that the assassination of King Chen An Shenqi was due to the scandal of his concubine colluding with his servant. If it was delayed for too long, the court would be disgraced.An Shouzhong was extremely grateful: "Thank you so much, Mr. Zhao Guo, for your generous help!"

Immediately, Chai Rong summoned Cao Han, and after a brief discussion, it was decided that An Shouzhong rushed back to Xiangyang to handle the funeral of his old father, and Zhu Xiu and Cao Han were responsible for arresting An Youjin.

An Shouzhong was previously appointed as Firearms Supervisor because of Zhu Xiu's recommendation. Over the past few years, An Shouzhong has become the second largest firearms development expert after Zhu Xiu in Dazhou, and is even more proficient in actual operations than Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu was responsible for proposing ideas and directions for firearm innovation, while An Shouzhong led the craftsmen to complete the actual development process.

An Shouzhong took the post of commander of the infantry division of the guards and also served as the firearms supervisor. However, in fact, this guy spent all day in the firearms workshop and basically did not go to the Guards and Military Department.

As one of the few royal families with different surnames in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the decline of the An family was inevitable during the era of centralization of power by the Central Forbidden Army.

Fortunately, both An Shenqi and Gao Xingzhou accepted the outcome of the weakening of military power, and the court also accorded them supreme honor.

An Shenqi's only hobby in his later years was taking in beautiful concubines.

The old prince has been fighting for half his life, and now he has returned home. Logically speaking, no matter how many beauties he accepts, the court and local officials will not say anything. At most, the people will give the old prince a romantic evaluation.

The only strange thing is that An Shenqi is too careless. There are still a few restless young servants around the old man and his wife, and something will happen sooner or later.

An Shouzhong was not only a firearms expert that Zhu Xiu was optimistic about, but he could also win over people's hearts by borrowing An's remaining prestige in the military, so Zhu Xiu felt that he had to help.

Back at the mansion, Zhu Xiu immediately asked Ma Qing to investigate.

Half a month later, news came back.

"Reporting to the Lord, there is a report from Xiangyang that An Youjin has fled back to Kaifeng and seems to want to escape to Youzhou through Kaifeng." Ma Qing said.

Zhu Xiu stood by the window of the study, watching Zhu Yuanyuan and Zhu Yuanjian running wildly throughout the courtyard. The two little guys were at their peak of energy, making trouble in the back house every day.

Zhu Xiu thought for a while: "The fact that An Youjin has the courage to return to Kaifeng means that he thinks there is someone here who can help him escape. Go check and find out who An Youjin is friends with. He wants to escape to Youzhou, and there is a high probability that he will do so." To leave the customs in Cangzhou, you must have a customs defense document signed by the Kaifeng Prefecture before the Cangzhou Military Prefecture will let you go.

I will edit a letter later. You go to Kaifeng Prefecture Yin Wangzhu personally and ask him to secretly help you to find out who has been issued the recent customs and defense documents. "

A few days later, Ma Qing found out the clues from Kaifeng Mansion.

"Sir, I have checked. Among the people who have recently exchanged documents for customs defense, only Zhang Qiong, the commander of the Gongsheng Army, is the most suspicious. Zhang Qiong used the name of the Military Supervisory Office in front of the palace to say that he wanted to send someone to A group of prisoners were sent to Cangzhou to guard the border. There were more than a dozen prisoners in total, but An Youjin's name was not among them.

The villain also found out that An Youjin was originally from Daming Prefecture and was from the same hometown as Zhang Qiong. The two did have a relationship when he followed An Shenqi to Beijing.

Zhang Qiong is a heavy drinker, and An Youjin is also a prodigious drinker. The two met at a banquet. "

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "In this case, An Youjin is most likely hiding in Zhang Qiong's house. You will send people to keep an eye on him and make sure as soon as possible. In addition, I will go see Wang Zhu in person and let him find an excuse to The matter of handling the customs defense ultimatum will be postponed.”

Ma Qing responded and said with a smile: "Zhang Qiong is a loyal person, but a bit stupid. An Youjin is just a drinking buddy, and he is willing to take risks to help."

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly and sent Ma Qing to do some work.

Zhu Xiu doesn't want to know how deep the friendship between Zhang Qiong and An Youjin is, and it doesn't matter.

As long as it can be confirmed that An You went to Kaifeng to defect to Zhang Qiong, then this matter will be interesting.

Zhang Qiong was a close confidant of Zhao Kuangyin. He was first promoted when the Dianqian Division was established and the Forbidden Army was reformed. He also made countless contributions in the three expeditions to Huainan. Even Chai Rong praised his bravery.

Zhang Qiong, Yang Xin, and Ma Renyu can be called the three heroes of Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhu Xiu rubbed his short, stiff black beard on his chin. If he could use this matter to completely break up An Shouzhong and the Zhao family, it would be extremely beneficial to him, so he should plan carefully.

In the inner study room, a scary and sinister laughter could be heard.
Two days later, Brother Ji Si pretended to be a wine delivery boy at a restaurant and sneaked into Zhang Qiong's house. As expected, he found An Youjin hiding inside.

At the end of October, An Shouzhong returned to Beijing from Xiangyang. He planned to resign his official position and return to Xiangyang to mourn his father for a year.

Zhu Xiu visited An Shouzhong on the night of his second day back in Beijing and informed him of the news that An Youjin was hiding in Zhang Qiong's mansion.

"Brother An, I and Wude Si worked hard to find out about this matter. You must not leak the news and let An Youjin escape.

In addition, Zhang Qiong is a general in front of the palace and a trusted general under Song Guogong. You also know my relationship with Song Guogong. I have to interfere in this matter. Please forgive me! "

Zhu Xiu apologetically handed over his hand.

An Shouzhong's eyes were red, and he clenched his fists and said in a hateful voice: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, this matter has nothing to do with you, and I won't let others know. You learned about An Youjin's whereabouts.

An Youjin assassinated my father, I swear to cut him into pieces!

No matter who blocked it, An Youjin walked out of Kaifeng alive! "

Zhu Xiuwei said, "Brother An, after all, Zhang Qiong is a general in front of the palace. I'm afraid it wouldn't be good to break into the mansion directly to take someone. If someone is killed, it will be difficult to explain in front of His Majesty.

Besides, Zhang Qiong is full of banditry and is supported by a group of fraternal soldiers in the Palace Department. He is also a member of Song Guogong, so Brother An should think twice before acting."

An Shouzhong stood up with anger on his face: "If Zhang Qiong knew what was wrong, he should hand An Youjin over!

Otherwise, I will never let it go with him!

So what if Song Guogong intervenes?It is true that I, An, am not what I used to be, but there are always a few friends in the military who want to bully An?Humph~ Absolutely impossible! "

"Alas~ It's true that Zhang Qiong is so confused and dares to harbor the murderer of the old prince. Alas~ Brother An, don't worry, I will definitely support you in this matter! If the lawsuit is brought before His Majesty, the murderer must also be brought to justice. Bring it to justice!"

Zhu Xiu's chest banged loudly.

"Zhao Guogong is very righteous, please accept An Shouzhong's bow!" An Shouzhong was greatly moved, and regardless of the obstruction, he solemnly saluted.

Before dawn the next day, An Shouzhong led hundreds of servants and guards at home and went straight to Zhang Qiong's house.

Zhang Qiong is a muddled person. If you take your time and reason with him, it might work.

But An Shouzhong was so angry that he led people to surround his mansion. Of course, he refused to give in. He immediately put on his sword and shouted that anyone who dared to step into the door of the mansion would be chopped into two pieces.

An Shouzhong was furious, and both sides insisted on their own opinions and cursed each other.

Soon, the Kaifeng government office and the street patrol envoys of the six cities were alarmed, and soldiers and guards rushed over.

On one side was the general of the front office of the palace, and on the other was the prestigious Yameni. Seeing that a large-scale armed fight was about to break out, no one dared to step forward to stop them.

At the invitation of An Shouzhong, Gao Huaide, Cao Bin and others who came to support An's family took their servants with them to protect him. Zhao Kuangyin, who heard the news, also rushed over and stood between the two sides with a hoarse voice.

In the chaos, it was not known who took the lead. He picked up a big stone and smashed the plaque on the door of Zhang Qiong's house, and a melee broke out immediately.

The two sides started fighting around the streets of Zhang Qiong's Mansion. It was not until the inner palace was alerted that Fan Zhi and Shi Shouxin hurriedly came with the emperor's decree. The inner palace forbidden troops separated the two sides and the melee ended.

Shi Shouxin personally led people to search out An Youjin from Zhang Qiong's mansion and handed him over to An Shouzhong.

An Shouzhong beheaded him alive on the spot, dug out his heart and liver, cut off his head and took him home to pay homage to his late father.

The farce ended hastily, but An Shouzhong and a considerable number of noble disciples completely broke up with the military merit rise faction represented by Zhang Qiong.

The leader of this emerging group of military warriors based on Dianqian Division, who made great achievements in the Battle of Gaoping and the Battle of Huainan, is Zhao Kuangyin.

Therefore, the relationship between Zhao Kuangyin and An Shouzhong and Gao Huaide in the Yamen were inevitably affected.

For this reason, Zhao Da felt extremely distressed.

(End of this chapter)