Brutal touch

Chapter 23: Nan Yichang secretly plots for power

After receiving the king's order, Chaosheng said goodbye to King Chu and went to the room where the ministers were meeting. Since Chaosheng had not come back yet, the three people in the room couldn't leave first, so they stayed there and waited for Chaosheng to report that the king was back. Seeing Chaosheng When the student came back, he saw that the student Huan Chaosheng had returned. The student Pian stood up first and went to greet him and asked, "Sir, what does the king mean by this?"

Three little guards helped Chaosheng take off his hat and cloak. Chaosheng sighed and said, "We have passed this level, but tomorrow the king will summon people from both sides for questioning. If they pass this level, No, if you violate the country, you will still suffer losses."

The sect leader stood up, poured a cup of hot tea, handed it to Chaosheng and said, "The people outside have always disliked each other. If we don't get into trouble this time, there will be another time. If you worry about this group of people, I'm afraid you won't be able to think about it all year round." Peaceful."

Huan Chaosheng took the hot tea, took a sip and said, "Even so, we still have to fulfill our duties. I thought that if the Army Temple came tomorrow, they would inevitably bring the army over. Lisheng, Gong Needless to say, there are three battalions in the palace. You can also transfer the two battalions stationed on the outskirts of the city to the palace. If something happens, it will be more careful."

Most of the troops that touch the country are deployed by the Military Temple, but the royal capital is of great importance. The troops deployed by the Military Temple are not allowed to enter the royal capital without special royal orders. The army in the royal capital is unified and deployed by the internal minister Huan Chaosheng, and Lisheng is responsible for the specifics. Usually, three battalions are stationed in the palace to defend the palace, while two battalions are stationed on the outskirts of the royal capital for maneuvering in case of emergencies. The Military Temple only has a few guards in the royal capital to protect Tongma and several other important figures in the Military Temple, so the Fifth Young Master thinks he has the confidence to compete with Tongma in the royal capital.

Chaosheng arranged this because he was afraid that if both sides acted irrationally in the capital, the five battalions in the capital would be their greatest support.

The Fifth Young Master here withdrew from the Military Temple and went straight to Gong Zhao alone. Gong Zhao was overjoyed when he saw that it was the Fifth Young Master who had arrived. He asked him to go to the back garden of the mansion, and the Fifth Young Master told Gong Zhao in detail what had happened today.

Gongzhao sighed: "Tongma, who dared to face the leader of the ten philosophers at a young age, is indeed courageous. Of course, he is young and has little experience, and there are also some shortcomings. Tongma is the leader of the Military Temple. If today Let you take him away, or lose face in front of you, how to lead the troops in the future, how to handle yourself, so you want to use your power to overwhelm others, but Tongma will not give you a chance."

The Fifth Young Master sighed: "It's just a pity that the Fourth Young Master sent the thing to the Military Temple in advance. If it could have been discovered early and intercepted halfway, these things would not have happened. Now that Tongma saw the thing, he insisted on using it. It’s already difficult to deal with the savages on the front line.”

Gong Zhao said: "Having said that, this matter has indeed caused you too much trouble. I'm afraid the king already knows it. If you are called to ask questions, have you thought about how to respond?"

The Fifth Young Master said, "You can do whatever you want to do. There is nothing to be afraid of."

In less than half a day, the news about the Protector Hall and the Military God Hall spread throughout the capital. Naturally, more people would know about it without much time. Naturally, the Fourth Young Master also knew about it. The Fourth Young Master hurriedly ordered Jane to Yi said: "You secretly organized some craftsmen to secretly make more bed crossbows for us. I'm afraid we have to hide in the mountains to be safe this time."

Jian Yi asked: "Now? Tongma has summoned craftsmen to imitate a large number of copies. If we need to go to them then, why don't we go to them directly? I'm sure they won't give up even a little face."

The Fourth Young Master said helplessly: "This is not a face-saving thing. Now the Fifth Young Master's energy is probably going to be put on the Military Temple. Naturally, there will be less energy for us. If we don't take this opportunity to do more, , in the future they will keep an eye on us and there will be no chance. If we ask Tongma directly, wouldn’t it transfer the suspicion to ourselves again." Jian Yi took the order.

The next day, at the teahouse by the lake in the palace courtyard, Chaosheng had sent someone to prepare some items, and four or five young servants were waiting on him. The Fifth Young Master and Tong Ma sat on one side each, and the king closed his eyes and said nothing. , waiting for one of them to speak first, finally the Fifth Young Master could not hold back and said: "Your Majesty, Master Tongma needs to explain what the Fourth Young Master gave to the Military Temple. This matter is of great importance and cannot be left vague like this!"

King Chu opened his eyes and said to Tongma: "Since the Fifth Young Master wants to know what the Military Temple has collected, it is not an important matter. Since ancient times, the country has forgotten home and public affairs, and private life, Tongma, just tell him It’s whatever the Military Temple collects.”

Tongma stood up and said: "Even if yesterday's incident had not happened, I should have reported to the king that what the Fourth Young Master sent to the Military Temple was the bed crossbow he designed. It can be used as a weapon to effectively kill the savages on the border. I have organized craftsmen I will imitate it overnight and plan to make hundreds of crossbows first to strengthen the defense in the Baiyun Peak area."

The Fifth Young Master stood up and said: "This must not be done. This thing may have a temporary effect in strengthening border defense, but Mr. Tongma, don't forget that operating this thing does not require any skills or means of Qi training. Anyone can You can use it at will, but the power of this thing is beyond the power of ordinary Qi practitioners. If this thing spreads, who will care about the level of Qi training in the future, and the country's fundamental plan will be shaken." Tongma said slowly: "What the Fifth Young Master said is a great truth, but great truth cannot be eaten as food. The border is tight now. In the next few days, the barbarians will make big moves against the border. However, the national treasury is still tight. In the past two years, The soldiers at the border can still get enough food and clothing. Now that expenditures are being cut everywhere, I am afraid that they will not even be able to get enough food and clothing this year. Take Baiyun Peak as an example. The soldiers are hungry and bear knee-deep snow. Can they fight? Even if If you can fight, how many battles can you win? If the bed crossbows are deployed in the Baiyun Peak area to strengthen the defense line, the original 4,000 garrison at Baiyun Peak can be reduced by at least 1,000 people. The supplies for these 1,000 people would not require more than 10,000 people to be prepared? What if? If this thing is indeed useful, if it is promoted to various places, the cost that can be reduced will be more than tens of millions. Is it because you are afraid that one day those who cannot practice Qi will use this thing to rebel, so you want to destroy this thing now? "

Fifth Young Master: "When the national treasury is empty, we should increase revenue and reduce expenditures. If the soldiers cannot have enough food and clothing, we should investigate and deal with those who are corrupt. How can we ignore long-term threats again and again just because a few people who are greedy for military expenditures can deprive the border soldiers of food and clothing?"

King Chu smiled and said: "I understand what you were arguing about just now. We are all loyal ministers, and the Fourth Young Master is also a good man. There is nothing to argue about. Tongma, you said that the layout of this bed of crossbows in Baiyun Peak can be reduced by one." Thousands of troops?"

Tongma said: "Exactly, I personally tested the power of the bed crossbow yesterday. In a place like Baiyun Peak that relies on geographical location for defense, a bed crossbow is set up at a key position with four or five soldiers on top. Although it has not yet been It has been tested, but according to my preliminary judgment, reducing the number by one thousand people is not a problem."

King Chu added: "Then how big a threat do you think that thing would pose to people who can't practice Qi if it is given to people who can't practice Qi?"

Tongma thought carefully for a while and said: "If ordinary people follow the rules step by step, if they have practiced Qi for less than ten years, or if they don't have any decent body protection skills, they will definitely die if they are hit by a crossbow arrow. But that thing needs to be done in advance. Loading, aiming, and the work beforehand are complicated. If one person is operating a bed crossbow to duel with a Qi practitioner, how can the opponent wait obediently for someone to hit him with the bed crossbow. I think this thing is more than enough for defense but not enough for offense. If it is said to be useful This rebellion is probably just a dream."

King Chu nodded and said: "In that case, let's try the effect on Baiyun Peak. If there is such an effect, it will naturally be a great achievement. If the effect is not satisfactory, it is not too late to make other plans. After all, we have it." You should try the method and don’t be afraid of it.”

The Fifth Young Master stood up and said: "Even if this thing doesn't pose a big threat now, it may not be what it will be in the future. A few years ago, the Fourth Young Master could only make a small hand crossbow, but that thing would be useless in front of Qi practitioners." Just like a toy, in just a few years, you can make something that kills people. If you don't care about it and build something more powerful in a few years, I'm afraid it won't be a fool's dream."

Tongma was surprised and said: "There is murderous intent hidden in every word of the Fifth Young Master. This is a decision to let the Fourth Young Master die and let the king kill the Fourth Young Master. Although what the Fifth Young Master said is not unreasonable, his heart is too vicious." A little more."

King Chu said: "There is some truth in what the Fifth Young Master said. Then you can pass on an oral message and order the bed crossbow to be very well done this time. It should be rewarded, but it will not be repeated in the future. You are not allowed to secretly tinker with these weird things in the future." ."

When the Fifth Young Master saw that King Chu was determined to use the bed crossbow, he had no choice but to take the order. The two of them said some words of reconciliation under King Chu's intervention, and that was all.

A few days later, hundreds of crossbows were completed, and the Fourth Young Master led five hundred guards, plus military supplies, and rushed to the front line of Baiyun Peak.

Let’s talk about Baiyunfeng Station. The soldiers can only eat eight cents full every day. After the big meeting, expenses have been reduced everywhere. It is no longer possible to guarantee the food and clothing of the soldiers. Whenever new people come to Baiyunfeng Station, veterans will remind them that they must not eat in the middle of the night. Taking the initiative to use Qi to keep warm, although this can make you feel comfortable for a while, Baiyunfeng does not have enough food and clothing. If you consume too much Qi, it will be difficult to recover in a short time. After the Qi in the body becomes thin, the body's ability to resist cold will become even weaker. Under the vicious cycle, every year in the cold winter, people use Qi to keep warm at night and freeze to death overnight.

Food was served in the military camp at night, but it was too small to be eaten. Although the soldiers were resentful, in this cold winter, it became a luxury to curse. After the soldiers of the first battalion ate in silence, they all took their positions with a lot of resentment.

Several nobles who had just arrived at Baiyun Peak at night could not stand the bitter cold in the camp. Thinking that they usually had good food and clothing at home, they could not endure such a cold winter and were hungry. Thinking of this, I felt sad, so I cried loudly and complained that I was hungry. Under this cry, the officers and soldiers in the camp thought of the days when they were pampered and well-off at home. In addition, there were many hungry and cold people in the whole camp. They were just trying to hold back their breath and not get angry. Seeing someone crying first, a few wavers followed and started crying loudly. The cries became louder and louder, and more and more people were attracted. Some cry cold, some cry hungry, and some cry both cold and hungry. The commander of the camp, the Sima, and the governor heard the sound that filled the sky and the mountains, and they all came out to dissuade them. But there were so many people in front of them, who was willing to listen?

Seeing the chaos in the army, suddenly drums sounded outside the camp, and the sentry shouted: "The savages have attacked the camp!"

(End of this chapter)