Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 414: The Officials Are Like Dogs and Sheep (3)

The matter of sending troops to aid the Song Dynasty had been discussed by the school lieutenants for a long time, and the military situation was urgent this time, so there were not many disputes in the Huguo Mansion, so they agreed to make Wu Jie, the commander of the White Feather Army, the commander-in-chief of the army.The school lieutenants who sent troops immediately returned to the camp to prepare.The prime minister's mansion also ordered Xiao Bing, the envoy of the country, to quickly agree with the Song Dynasty on the matter of borrowing troops.After the discussion, Zhao Xingde was about to rush back to pack his luggage, when a guard from the prime minister's mansion came to invite him to come over.

It was getting late, the stars and the moon were dark, white paper lanterns were hung every twenty steps on the street, the road was faintly visible nearby, and it was pitch black in the distance.Zhao Xingde followed behind the guards of the Tiger Wing Army, he was very worried, he didn't know why Liu Yi summoned him, but he wanted to do everything as quickly as possible.The guards of the Tiger Wing Army were not in a hurry, the horse's iron hooves stepped on the hard ground, and the crisp clattering sound spread far away.Compared with the lively and lively city of Bianliang in Chang'an, the streets of Dunhuang appear empty and deserted.There are two medium-sized lanterns hanging at the entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion. The entrance is not very conspicuous, and even a little dark. If it weren't for the two stone lions at the entrance and the words "Great Prime Minister's Mansion" on the lantern, you might have missed it.As soon as he entered the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the hall was suddenly lit up in front of his eyes, and the hall was illuminated by the lanterns as bright as daytime. Cao scribes came and went, no different from the daytime.

Guard Tong Bing, Zhao Xingde strode in, said in a deep voice: "The humble Zhao De sees the prime minister."

Liu Yi looked at Zhao De, was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Yuan Zhi, you will meet many old friends this time with the army, right?" Like a small stone thrown into a quiet pool, Zhao Xingde's face turned slightly Changed, looked at Liu Yi in surprise.Liu Yi nodded and continued: "Although you were born in Kanto, you travel in Kansai. When you become an official in my court, you only need to go straight and don't need to worry about other things. The loyalty of the captain of the Huguo should be in my court. It's just that you meet the people in Kanto. Some old friends, are you afraid it will be inconvenient?" Liu Yi opened the lid of a brocade box that had been placed on the table, and pulled off the brocade wrapping cloth, revealing a golden mask.The mask was very ferocious, and although it lay quietly in the middle of the brocade box, it carried an awe-inspiring murderous aura, making it daunting.

"If you meet someone you don't want to see, wear this thing." Liu Yi sighed, "This is the belongings of my mentor Wu Xianggong. It has been left in Kansai for decades. It's time to go back. You put it on Take it back to Kanto, this is also my teacher's last wish. You can use it when you go to battle to kill enemies, or meet people you don't meet." Liu Yi took the mask out of the brocade box, revealing a book of pan- Huang's book was inscribed in four regular scripts of "Spring and Autumn Generals", and said in a low voice: "This is the hard work of my mentor for decades, and some tips for leading the army. My mentor asked me to choose someone to teach. If you are not worthy of someone, you would rather let it be reduced to rotten soil and disappear into oblivion. You have extraordinary talent, you were born in Kanto, and this time you are going to fight for the people of Kanto, so you can take it away with you." He paused , staring at Zhao Xingde, and said in a deep voice: "When the two countries are fighting each other, don't hold the benevolence of a 'woman' in your heart, kill more Hulu, don't lose face of your teacher!"

Zhao Xingde had fully understood, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your love."

Liu Yi sighed, waved his hand, and let Zhao Xingde back down.He handed over the bronze mask and the art of war to Zhao Xingde, he was already teaching the arts on behalf of his teacher, and in terms of speaking, he could be regarded as Zhao Xingde's senior brother.It's just that this relationship is still a bit far-fetched, and the seniority status and prestige of the two are very different. It's really inappropriate to call them that.Although Duke Di Wuxiang was skilled in military tactics, he was suppressed by civil servants in the Kwantung region and constrained by feudal towns.

When Zhao Xingde returned home, the child was already asleep, and Li Ruoxue asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Just pack up and pack up. Let's set off tomorrow morning and go to Chang'an first." A look of sadness flashed across Zhao Xingde's face. Three incense sticks are lit in front of the painting to commemorate the heroic spirits who died in battle.Zhao Xingde looked at the three pillars of green smoke curling up, Wang Yan's behavior and speech, as if yesterday, the robe Ze in the Hejian army, I don't know how many people died in battle, how many people are still alive, he is full of grief and indignation, according to the military report It is said that although the Hebei army was defeated, the Liao army only won miserably.The generals became furious and failed to capture Wang Yan, so they chopped his body into several pieces and trampled on them with cavalry horses.

Zhao Xingde was silent for a long time in front of the Buddha statue, and when he returned to the room, Li Ruoxue was tidying up. Seeing Xingde, she asked worriedly, "Is there any news about Ruoxu?" Political affairs Qin Hui went to Hebei to announce the decree, Zhao Xingde told Li Ruoxue the day before yesterday that the clinker news came today that Hebei was defeated and Qin Hui was captured.

Zhao Xingde shook his head and sighed.Li Ruoxu's official position is low, and Song Guo's mansion newspaper only wrote in passing that the situation in Henan and Hebei is so "chaotic", and Xia Guo's military newspaper will not mention the life and death of a small civil servant.Li Ruoxue was worried, and murmured: "Ruoxu has been quick-witted since he was a child, I hope he will be blessed." Zhao Xingde lightly moved his shoulders and comforted him in a low voice for a long time before he gradually let go.

"Any news about the third son?" Mrs. Wang asked anxiously.

"There is no news yet." The servant hesitated.Hebei was defeated, and Li Ruoxu's life and death were unknown. After the news came, Mrs. Wang felt like a mourning concubine, restless, and sent her servants to the Privy Council several times a day to look at it. At this time, Bianliang was in chaos. The scene, not only rich businessmen and tycoons fled south one after another, but even officials in the court also abandoned their posts and fled south, which could not be restrained.In order to save food in the city, Shao Wu, the privy envoy, simply let the people flee, and only strictly checked the people who entered the city to prevent spies from the Liao people.Li Ruobing, as the Shaoqing of Honghe Temple, had been to the Northern Kingdom, was highly valued by the privy envoy Shao Wu, and relied on him as his right-hand man.These days, besides urging all walks of life to serve the king's troops and arrange the defense of the capital, Shao Wu also had to brace himself to argue in front of the imperial court.

In front of the palace gate, Shao Wu exhorted in a low voice: "Qingqing, the current situation in the country is difficult, the most important thing is to stabilize the hearts of the people in the capital, and to stabilize the hearts of the people in the capital, you must first stabilize the heart of your majesty. When you ask about the reality of the Northern Kingdom, you must not be alarmist. Otherwise, not only will it not help the matter, but it will only 'disturb' people's hearts, and the overall situation will be even more difficult to recover."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister," Li Ruobing said in a deep voice, "I will definitely report the truth."

Shao Wu secretly sighed, hesitant to speak.Li Ruobing's temperament is at best a direct minister, at worst he is stubborn and doesn't know how to adapt.This time, he decided to fight and defend the grand plan, so His Majesty summoned Li Ruobing, the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple who had been envoy to the Northern Kingdom, to attend the court meeting.Shao Wu has hinted many times that His Majesty's mind is shaken now that the enemy is pressing down on the situation. He hopes that Li Ruobing will minimize the ability of the Liao army to attack the city, so as to strengthen His Majesty's determination to defend Bianliang. According to the word.

Half an hour later, in the Chuigong Hall of the White Jade Palace, the prime minister Zhao Zhifu and the privy envoy Shao Wu were again involved in a dispute.

"The Liao army swept across Hebei, and Wang Yan's reinforcements were completely annihilated. Your majesty is a man of gold, and the hearts of the world are tied to him. Don't be in danger." Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu bowed with a worried expression on his face. Please Your Majesty hunt Xiangyang in the south, and return to Bianliang after the Liao army retreats."

"Absurd," the privy envoy Shao Wu's face darkened, and retorted: "If your Majesty leaves, the morale of the capital will collapse. Furthermore, our dynasty adheres to the policy of keeping the internal and external, and Bianliang City has been managed for several generations. The city is high and the pool is deep. There are 20 forbidden troops in the city and millions of people. In terms of the strength of the city and the amount of reserves, it is second to none in the world. Dare to ask the prime minister, if Bianliang cannot be defended, which city in the world can still be defended live?"

Except for the members of Zhao Dang and Shao Dang, the other officials all looked at each other in blank dismay, not daring to join forces easily.Since Cai Jing and other "treacherous" sycophants were repelled, the court has become a three-legged situation in which the prime minister Zhao Zhifu, the privy envoy Shao Wu, and the prefect Qin Hui have many students and high popularity, while Chen Dong, Deng Su and other rising stars Can't match it yet.However, when Hebei was defeated and Qin Hui was captured, the dispute between Zhao Zhifu and Shao Wu in the court suddenly became fierce, and there were endless disputes over whether to defend the city or Nanshou.Emperor Zhao Ke looked at the two important ministers arguing with a pale face, only feeling upset for a while, he raised his eyes and looked at Taiwei Tong Guan who was standing in front of the palace, Tong Guan looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose. , with the appearance of a loyal old slave, Zhao Ke couldn't help sighing, and shifted his gaze to Li Ruoxu, the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple who was specially summoned.

Zhao Ke endured his temper and waited until the prime minister and the privy envoy had finished their fight, before he asked, "Li Aiqing, I heard that the huge cannons of the Liao army attacking the city are very powerful, and the cannons that can be fired weigh hundreds of Jin, those who were hit on the top of the city were all destroyed. Is this true?"

Li Ruobing held the toothbrush in his hand, stepped out and bowed, "Your Majesty, the Liao army indeed has heavy artillery that can fire hundreds of catties of cannon." When he said this, Shao Wu's expression changed slightly, However, Li Ruobing changed the subject and said, "However, it is alarmist to say that the city can be easily destroyed. As far as I know, the Liao Kingdom used this kind of heavy artillery to attack a city much smaller than Bianliang, with only [-] Han troops. The defended city has never been captured."

Although Li Ruobing reported the truth, Zhao Ke's face changed when he heard that the Liao army had artillery that fired hundreds of catties of stone bullets.In his opinion, the Liao army possessed this kind of giant artillery, and Bianliang was already in danger. He waved Li Ruobing back to the court, and asked, "Where are the reinforcements from the Xijing camp?" The official's tone was very complicated, with expectations , anxious, and somewhat resentful.After a while, Shao Wu, the privy envoy, replied: "The [-] reinforcements from the Xijing Camp are still stationed at Hulao Pass. Yao Zhengping reported that he was worried about ambush and repeat the mistakes of the Hebei camp, so... the trip was delayed."

Hulaoguan is only more than two hundred miles away from Bianliang, and the Xijing reinforcements have been refraining from entering.Privy envoy Shao Wu himself did not believe Yao Zhengping's claim of the Liao army's ambush.Veins appeared on Zhao Ke's forehead. He took a few deep breaths, and said in a deep voice, "I will pass on my order to call King Jing into the palace for an audience."