country

The wind and sand at Yanmen Pass is still the same, with yellow sand all over the sky, it seems to be more serious than when Xue Poye left.

After trekking hard and crossing the Qilin Mountains and the ancient Hanshui River, Xue Poye finally returned to Yanmen Pass with the remaining three spies. The remaining three spies were all lost in the hands of the pursuers.

The thick and ancient city walls and tall Guanlou have not changed because of the return of Xue Poye and his party.

This time, the one who came out to meet Xue Poye and his party was still Xu Decai, the governor of Yanmen. When he saw the three spies following him back, Xu Decai's smiling face finally changed color.

"Master Xue has worked hard all the way, a great achievement, a great achievement!" Xu Decai forced a smile with all his strength.

Xue Poye sighed. On the way, the spies made it clear that apart from Ouyang Dexiu who knew their whereabouts, only Xu De could know their whereabouts.

Xu Decai manages Yanmen's logistics and military supplies, allocates food and clothing, and he has an account in his heart. Naturally, there are some confidantes in the barracks below. There are ten or twenty people missing out of thin air, and they are all Yanmenguan How could he not be aware of the elite soldiers.

"Master Xu, you seem a little uneasy!" Xue Poye said calmly.

Xu Decai was startled, and hurriedly said: "Where is that?" Changing the subject, he said: "By the way, Mr. Xue, someone from the capital has something to report to Mr. He has been waiting for two days, and he is about to leave today to look for you on the grassland."

Xue Poye let out an "oh", and couldn't help being surprised, what's the rush to find Yanmen Pass?

Xue Poye took Xu Decai's hand, walked to the closed door, and said softly, "Master Xu, can you tell me why you did this? Gold? Or a beauty?"

Xu Decai's face was already pale at this time, he stared blankly at Xue Poye, and after a long time, he said lightly: "I hate the court's injustice to me!"

"unfair?"

"That's right." Xu Decai stared at Xue Poye, and slowly said: "In the capital, I had a very good future, but because I offended Prince Fu, I was sent to the border by the Holy One... This place is more terrifying than a prison... ...!"

"You mean to say that the Holy Majesty assigned you to Yanmen Pass, leaving you useless as a hero. You felt that the Holy Majesty treated you unfairly, so you took refuge in the barbarians and became the internal support of the barbarians?" Xue Poye said in a somewhat tone cold.

Xu Decai's hands and feet were cold. He knew that there were some things that could not be concealed. He thought that Xue Poye would die on the grassland with the spies if he went to the grassland at night. Bring back several spies.

"I don't like gold, let alone women." Xu Decai murmured, "I just want people to value me and know that I'm still useful."

Xue Poye sighed, shook his head and said: "If the Holy One knows that Xu Decai, whom he intends to protect, has become a running dog of the barbarians, I'm afraid he will be very sad."

"What?" Xu Decai was startled: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty protects me?"

Xue Poye said indifferently: "You offended Prince Fu and stayed in the capital. I am afraid that one day you will suddenly disappear. I can guarantee that after you disappear, no one will sincerely track down the murderer behind the scenes. You always understand that Your Majesty deserves you to go to the border. It seems to be worthy, but don’t you think that your life is preserved? In this world, the only place where you can save your life is the Beizhen Army under the command of the old general. ……Understood?"

With a "plop", Xu Decai knelt down on the ground, bowed to the sky, and howled loudly, "My lord...my minister...my minister is wrong...!"

Xue Poye bent down, leaned close to Xu Decai's ear, pointed to the direction of Hanshui Ancient Ferry, and said, "Master Xu, go there, you can go to Beihu. If you want to try it, you can ride my horse right now." Go to Beihu, I guarantee that no one will stop you, but I can also guarantee that even if you go to Beihu, the Hu people will treat you like a dog wagging its tail, and your fate will be ten times more miserable now. "Paused, then said coldly: "If you don't dare... get lost in front of General Longmeng now, and ask General Longmeng to surrender!"

Xu Decai glanced in the direction of Hanshui Ancient Ferry, his face was full of horror, he gritted his teeth, and bowed to Xue Poye: "Master Xue, I thank you for your guidance." Standing up, he straightened his clothes slightly , into the pass.

Xue Poye met the messenger from Kyoto at Ouyang Dexiu's Wafang Camp. This is Xue Poye's old subordinate, Ximen Leizang from Fenghuo Camp.

Although Ximen Leizang had rested in Yanmen Pass for two days, he still had a dusty look, and his expression was extremely solemn. He was slightly relieved when he saw Xue Poye.

Ouyang Dexiu sensiblely let the two of them be alone in the secret room. The traditional style of the Beizhen Army is to take part in the court affairs as little as possible, so General Longmeng has no interest in what Ximen Leizang came to report this time. , in his view, is nothing more than a factional dispute in the Kyoto court.

"What's going on?" Xue Poye got straight to the point at the beginning without too many pleasantries and unnecessary nonsense.

Ximen Leizang is a person who is efficient in handling affairs, so he admires the straight-forwardness of Vice President Wei, who is not too polite but more intimate, and said in a low voice: "My lord, my lord... my lord's dragon body Sorry...!"

Xue Poye frowned. The so-called "poor health" was of course not a minor ailment like a cough or a cold. It must be of great importance for Ximen Leizang, the captain of Habayashi, to report the news non-stop.

"Don't worry, no one around will hear our conversation." Xue Poye used ordinary people's sense of hearing and smell to make sure that there would be no eavesdropping around, and immediately asked, "What's wrong with the Holy Majesty?"

"My lord, do you still remember Zhang Wuming's assassination?" Ximen Leizang asked.

Xue Poye nodded: "Remember, what is the relationship between that incident and His Majesty's illness?"

"My Majesty was probably stabbed by Zhang Wuming that time, and Zhang Wuming's sword was poisoned, the Majesty was poisoned." Ximen Leizang looked serious.

Xue Poye was taken aback, opened his mouth, and said after a long time: "The news...is it reliable?"

"Nine points credible!"

"Is there still a little unbelievable?"

Ximen Leizang said: "One court meeting, the Holy Majesty suddenly vomited blood for several liters, and the officials were terrified. The Holy Majesty was immediately taken down for medical treatment, and all the officials were frightened. After four days, the Holy Majesty improved slightly, and went to the court again. During the meeting, he vomited blood again, and he never went to court again. Later, according to the imperial doctor, the Holy Majesty was poisoned, and the people from the Kyoto Prefecture checked the Xuanyuan Sword, and the sword was indeed poisonous, so it was confirmed that the Holy Majesty was killed that day. Wounded by Zhang Wuming's poisonous sword, let's do it now."

Xue Poye's face was very ugly: "Is the news released by the imperial doctor?"

"Yes!" Ximen Leizang said: "The imperial doctor accidentally leaked the news, and there are already rumors in the palace, but after the imperial doctor released the news, he suddenly disappeared. There is no dead body, and even his relatives and children have disappeared out of thin air."

Xue Poye closed his eyes, and lightly looked at the chair handle with his fingers. After a long time, he opened his eyes and asked, "How is your majesty doing?"

"My lord...!" Ximen Leizang hesitated to speak, and became silent.

Xue Poye said seriously: "It's okay for you to say."

"Yes." Ximen Leizang said slowly: "When the humble official left the capital, I heard the news from the palace that the holy majesty was coughing up blood every night, and he was exhausted and couldn't last for a few days. Now I have been out of the capital for ten days. Your Majesty...the Majesty may have...already passed away...!"

Xue Poye's head hummed, and it was extremely painful.

Emperor Deqing is dead?

Xue Poye is unwilling to accept this fact from the bottom of his heart. From an emotional point of view, no matter what the purpose of Emperor Deqing is, he takes good care of him and Xue, and loves him very much. Very grateful, of course I don't want this emperor to have an accident.From the actual situation, the fact that I was able to settle down in the temple was naturally because of the support of Emperor Deqing. Without Emperor Deqing, there would be no future for Xue Poye.

Just think about the successors of Emperor Deqing, no matter whether it is the crown prince, prince Fu, or even the political princes at the border, none of them is Xue Poye's backer. Xue Poye always has deep hatred and hatred. No matter who comes to power, it will be a fatal blow to the fledgling Xue Poye.

Xue Poye even felt his palms sweating. He knew a truth very well. Once he collapsed, he would definitely not be the one who was unlucky. A large number of people behind him would be in great danger. It is the relatives and friends in Hangzhou.

The secret room seemed very quiet for a while.

Ximen Leizang also knew that this matter was too important, and Vice President Wei must have a certain amount of time to accept it, so he sat quietly by the side, not daring to speak.

I don't know how long it took, Xue Poye calmed down his faintly panicked state of mind, and asked in a low voice: "Master General Wei sent you here?"

Ximen Leizang shook his head and said: "My lord, Mr. Zong Wei...he is also seriously ill!"

"What?" Xue Poye almost jumped up.

Ximen Leizang explained: "After the saint vomited blood in the Golden Luan Hall last time, Lord Zongwei fell seriously ill that day and spent all day recuperating in the mansion. He never went to the Yulin Camp again. Now the three camps are doing their own thing, which can be said to be chaos. It's a mess."

"How did this happen?" Xue Poye rubbed his nose and smiled wryly, "It's just a coincidence, Mr. General Wei."

Ximen Leizang sighed: "Your Excellency is not in the camp, Li Wu, the deputy general of the Taiji Camp, repeatedly excused that the Fenghuo Camp was out of control and wanted to take over the military power temporarily. In desperation, I went to find Mr. Zongwei, but Mr. Zongwei claimed that he was sick. I discussed with Captain Gongyang and Captain Zhao again and again, and let me go out of Beijing and invite you to sit in Fenghuoying. Now... Hey, my lord, I will To put it bluntly, the Holy Majesty is critically ill, and all forces in the capital are beginning to surface. If we want to take advantage of the chaos and do something, our Habayashi Ying has the duty to protect the imperial palace, and we must not make chaos!"

Xue Poye stretched out his hand and patted Ximen Lei Zang's shoulder gently, and said warmly: "Captain Ximen is dedicated to serving the country and loyal to the Holy One, Xue Poye understands this heart." After a pause, he whispered: "Ximen The captain said that all the big and small forces in the capital surfaced, but he didn't know what he was referring to?"

"My lord, this...!" Ximen Lei Zang hesitated to speak, and frowned, as if he had some scruples.

Xue Poye shook his head and said: "Captain Ximen, don't be shy, you and I are my own family, and the situation is complicated now, you and I have to be loyal to the Holy Majesty, we must always find out who is the enemy and who is the friend, we can't be blind He, don’t you think so?”

Ximen Leizang gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice: "The humble officer has always admired the character of the lord, since the lord asked, and the humble officer risked committing the crime, he had to tell the lord clearly." Wei Wei pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Say Speaking of which, the most important thing is the prince, party and Prince Fu's troops. The prince's mother, Empress Xiaoduan, is the empress dowager's niece. The Shenwu Battalion is the biggest military force supporting the prince, and the queen mother is also the prince's biggest backer."

Xue Poye nodded and said: "No wonder...hehe...the prince's ability is not strong, but he can sit firmly on the prince's seat." He asked again: "Empress Xiaoduan? Is she still in the palace?"

Ximen Leizang shook his head and said, "Empress Xiaoduan died of illness many years ago, and the current empress is named Empress Xuanmin!"

Xue Poye let out an "oh" and stared at Ximen Leizang, waiting for him to continue.

"Prince Fu's backstage is Ye Guogong's Ye family. Although many rights have been withdrawn from the Nanlin Camp in name, the Nanlin Camp has been controlled by the Ye family for nearly a hundred years, and the connections are all from the Ye family. The family still has a very strong control over the Nanlin camp." Ximen Leizang's voice was very low, and these words obviously could not be easily said behind his back: "Once the emperor dies, the two factions will definitely fight If you fight to the death, Kyoto will surely be a miasma."

Xue Poye rubbed his nose, squinted his eyes and asked, "Where are the three major garrison troops in Kyoto, and the Beilin Camp?"

"The Liu family of Liu Guogong controls the Beilin Daying, but the Liu family has been very low-key in recent years, with unclear positions and very few actions. Few people can see who they are supporting." Ximen Leizang said softly: "But the recent After a while, the Liu family suddenly started to move, presumably they wanted to get involved, as for whom, no one knows until the end."

As soon as Liu's family was mentioned, Xue Poye immediately thought of Liu Tuo, the capital was really going to be in chaos, and this kid might take the opportunity to kill himself.

"Besides that, there are also the faction of the Qianwang Shizi, the eldest princess, the various aristocratic families in the capital, and even some forces hiding in the dark. No one can figure out where they are headed." Ximen said. Lei Zang sighed: "Including the two yamen of the Kyoto Prefecture and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, they have a group of elite troops on hand. They are usually loyal to the Holy One. Who knows what will happen to them when things come to an end? Hey... Your Excellency , Talking nonsense from a lowly position, if you say these words, you have committed a serious crime, and please forgive me."

"I ordered you to say what you said, what is your crime?" Xue Poye smiled, frowned, and asked: "Captain Ximen, I am still a little confused about something, um, you just pretend that I am unconscious." Now, I want to ask you alone... Hehe, you're just confused as an official."

Ximen Leizang noticed the awkward expression on Xue Poye's face, he didn't understand why, and asked curiously, "Who do you want to ask?"

Xue Poye groaned for a long time, before saying word by word: "Emperor Yangwu!"

"Emperor Yangwu!" Ximen Lei Zang frowned.

Xue Poye said awkwardly: "What kind of person is Emperor Yangwu? Captain Ximen... Hehe, can you tell me?" He knew little about the history of Great Chu, but this Emperor Yangwu was of great interest to him A person who has been mentioned several times, but is very unfamiliar.

Ximen Leizang was a little puzzled, and asked tentatively, "My lord...what do you want to ask?"

"Well, I want to know how many generations of Emperor Yangwu are the emperors of our Great Chu Dynasty... Oh, no, I want to ask what is the relationship between Emperor Yangwu and the current emperor?" Xue Poye rubbed his nose, very embarrassed, dignified It is naturally extremely embarrassing that the officials of Great Chu do not know the heroic Lord Mingjun in the history of Great Chu.

This embarrassment obviously also affected Ximen Leizang. Ximen Leizang naturally didn't know that Xue Poye didn't know the history of Great Chu. Hearing his question, he didn't know what his purpose was. After hesitating for a long time, he said: "Emperor Yangwu is the previous emperor, Before the current Holy Majesty, there was Emperor Guangyu, and before Emperor Guangyu, it was... Emperor Yangwu..., do you understand, my lord?"

Xue Poye rubbed his nose, thinking about the strange words of monkeys in the rocky cave in the grassland, and said: "Then...the Emperor Yangwu is the uncle of the current emperor?"

"Yes." Ximen Leizang said cautiously.

"Then Emperor Guangyu... is the current Holy One...?" Xue Poye looked at Ximen Lei Zang with a questioning look.

Ximen Leizang gritted his teeth, and said, "Emperor Guangyu is the father of the current emperor, and Emperor Yangwu is the eldest brother of Emperor Guangyu...!" After speaking, he looked at Xue Poye strangely.

Xue Poye was shocked. Emperor Yangwu is the eldest brother of Emperor Guangyu, so... Emperor Yangwu passed the throne to Emperor Guangyu?Or did Emperor Guangyu snatch the throne from Emperor Yangwu?

He was full of doubts, and wanted to ask again, but Ximen Leizang got up from his seat, knelt down on one knee, and said with some fear: "My lord, ministers don't judge kings, and the humble officials have said a lot of stupid things today, this... This former emperor... dare not say anything about his lowly position!"

A courtier has a role to be a courtier. In this era, it is a crime for a courtier to say something good or bad about the monarch behind his back. Xue Poye understood this, smiled awkwardly, and stopped asking questions, but the suspicion in his heart deepened.

"In that case...!" Xue Poye rubbed his nose and pondered slightly: "Tomorrow we will get up and return to Beijing!"

Ximen Leizang respectfully agreed.

After finishing the matter here, Xue Poye left the secret room and went to meet Ouyang Dexiu in the hall, but Ouyang Dexiu was practicing marksmanship in the backyard, so he turned to the backyard.

I saw that Ouyang Dexiu's marksmanship is simple and sharp, it is the authentic battlefield marksmanship, killing the enemy without any pretensions.

After practicing a set of marksmanship, Ouyang Dexiu put away his long spear, put it on the weapon rack, washed his hands, and then came forward with cupped fists and said, "Master Xue, this time you personally broke into the wolf's lair and rescued the spies, and you are helping us even more." Ouyang Dexiu is very grateful to the Beizhen army for finding out the traitor." After speaking, he gave a very formal military salute.

"Everyone is serving the Great Chu and doing things for the Holy One, regardless of each other, how can we be grateful?" Xue Poye said with a smile.

He didn't ask Ouyang Dexiu how to deal with Xu Decai, this is the military affairs of Beizhen Army, they naturally have their own set of rules, he is not qualified to ask.

"The general went to the Khitan border, and when he comes back, the general will report Master Xue's merits, and the general will write a letter to ask for credit for Master Xue!"

Xue Poye waved his hands with a smile and said: "It's not about merit, it's not about merit. It's just that I failed to assassinate Commander Ying Tu, and I hope General Longmeng will not blame him!"

Ouyang Dexiu smiled and said: "Shuai Yingtu is Beihu Yiyingjie. It is not easy to assassinate him. Master Xue was able to rescue my spy from Yanmenguan from the wolf's den, which is already a great achievement."

After a slight silence, Xue Poye suddenly asked: "General Ouyang, do you know Mr. Ghost?"

"Mr. Ghost?" Ouyang Dexiu was very puzzled, but replied in a very direct way as a soldier: "I don't know."

Xue Poye nodded, and said: "A few days ago, there was a man named Mr. Ghost who led a caravan to Beihu. There were a lot of goods, and they were all transported by tin wagons. Does General Ouyang know?"

Ouyang Dexiu thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "I really don't know. The caravan passing through Yanmen Pass must be reported to me, and I will give orders to let them go. As for the iron carts of the brigade, they are large caravans. You will be allowed to pass the customs only after you check it yourself.”

Xue Poye saw that his expression was calm and his eyes were confident. He was obviously not lying. He was very surprised. He wondered in his heart: "Could it be possible that that caravan flew over Yanmen Pass? Or...didn't leave Yanmen Pass at all?" Bai Si Puzzled, he pondered for a while, and finally asked: "General Ouyang, do you know Yuan Buyi?"