While they were chatting, the guards who were scouting the road ran back as if they were walking on flat ground and reported something to Li Jixun. Liu Chengyou noticed it and immediately asked: "What happened?"
Li Jixun immediately came over and reported: "Your Majesty, there is something going on at the front! There is an army that blocked the road and there were some conflicts. They should be soldiers from Qingliu Pass!"
"Oh?" Liu Chengyou and Wang Pu looked at each other, smiled slightly and said: "I never thought that there are guards in this wild path!"
"Who is the guard general of Qingliu Pass? He can be said to have done his job repeatedly by doing this!" Wang Pu said.
At Qingliu Pass, below the Beiguan City Tower, An Shouzhong and his men stood respectfully in front of the pass. Not long after, Fengchen Camp Guards appeared, and among the crowd's hearts, they were Liu Chengyou and others.
Seeing the majestic young man in a black robe, with a kurta on his head and a jade belt around his waist, An Shouzhong hurriedly came up to greet him and said, "General An Shouzhong, please welcome your Majesty!"
"No need!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand, glanced at An Shouzhong, and said, "You did a good job guarding Qingliu Pass!"
"Isn't your Majesty in the county seat? Why did you come around to Beiguan? The general is really surprised to hear the news for the first time!" An Shouzhong asked respectfully.
"I just have some free time and go hiking cross-country to explore the trails when I am interested!" Under the guidance of An Shouzhong, Liu Chengyou walked slowly towards the pass and said: "I never thought that I would almost be killed by the officers and soldiers you deployed in the mountain. prisoner!"
Hearing this, An Shouzhong was startled and hurriedly said: "My subordinates charged at the imperial chariot and deserved death. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
"Not only are you not guilty, you should also be rewarded!" Seeing that he had understood the wrong meaning, Liu Chengyou waved his hands and said with a smile: "It's because of their loyalty. Now Huainan has fallen, the puppet Tang Dynasty has surrendered, and Qingliu Pass is in the rear. You can still defend it. It’s thorough and not taken lightly, which is rare! I’m very happy!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty, I am just doing my job!" An Shouzhong said.
"Let's go! Show me the defenses at Qingliu Pass!" Liu Chengyou said.
"Your Majesty, please!"
...
When the Northern Han Dynasty took over Jiangbei in an orderly manner and calmly withdrew its troops, the turmoil and noise in Jinling, instead of being suppressed, became more and more violent.
Both inside and outside the court, everyone expressed their indignation and dissatisfaction with the treaty between the Han and Tang Dynasties, and there were many discussions and criticisms. What was different from the past was that the government did not control or stop the arbitrary talk about state affairs.
In the Han Mansion, Han Xizai was really ill this time. He had a heart attack. Since the peace agreement, he had been staying in the mansion for more than ten days without leaving the house. He had not heard anything about the affairs of the mansion. He followed the king's orders and devoted himself to his well-being.
In the palace, there was the sound of silk and bamboo, and two concubines, gorgeously dressed, danced gracefully. Han Xizai was lying on his side on the couch, picking up a spoon and scooping up wine and drinking it. His face was drunk, his eyes were blurred, and his fingers were still on his knees. , seems to be accompanied by the rhythm of dance music, looking slutty.
Not long after, a middle-aged official in purple clothes came up to the hall under the guidance of the servants in the palace. Seeing the scene in the hall, the middle-aged official showed a hint of hesitation on his dull face, and walked towards Han Xizai. In front of him, he coughed slightly, "Mr. Han!"
Han Xizai glanced at him and immediately smiled: "It's Dingchen! Come, sit down, and you and I will have a drink together!"
The visitor's name is Xu Xian, who is the official censor Zhongcheng. He is one of the few scholars from the south of the Yangtze River who is friendly with Han Xizai and other officials from the north. He wrote essays at the age of ten and is known as a talented person. He is as famous as Han Xizai and is known as "Han Xu".
Also known as "Jiangdong Erxu".
Seeing the drunken look on Han Xizai's face, Xu Xian directly expressed his dissatisfaction: "The country is unfortunate. Territory is ceded to the vassals, defeated troops lose power. All the wise men in the government and the public are indignant. They are officials of the Tang Dynasty and do not want to serve the country."
, On the contrary, in the house, the will is depressed, drinking and having fun..."
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Saying that, Xu Xian immediately turned around and left. Seeing this, Han Xizai suddenly woke up from drinking. While calling him, he also ordered people to leave the singing and dancing.
Personally guiding him to sit down, Han Xizai smiled bitterly and said: "How can I not know that the country is suffering, and as a minister, it is heartbreaking? However, what is the use of whining now that the matter has come to this? Besides, I am still at home, why?
Even if I can't leave the palace, I still have to wait for the palace to send orders!"
After listening to Han Xizai's words, Xu Xian couldn't help but sigh heavily. Thinking of the turmoil in state affairs during this period, Han Xizai and other ministers' strong speeches also felt powerless.
"And what's going on in the current court?" Han Xizai asked.
After hearing this, Xu Xian cheered up and said in a bitter tone: "The north of the Yangtze River has been completely surrendered and ruled by crossing the river. The Jiang defense troops have gradually withdrawn to the south bank. At the moment, the imperial court is busy raising annual tribute and recruiting people.
Exchange prisoners with the Han army..."
"We have not yet had time to compensate our dead and wounded generals and soldiers, but we have to raise money and goods to repay the annual tribute, haha..." Han Xizai's tone was unavoidable with sadness.
What is more "sympathetic and reasonable" is that the war has ended and the national funds are empty. The Han emperor agreed that half of this year's tribute can be paid in advance. Before the Han army in the north of the Yangtze River retreated north on a large scale, it was time for the south to
The most important thing for the Tang court.
Xu Xian said: "After paying such a heavy price, I just asked for a strike. What I want now is to make no mistakes."
"I heard there's a lot of criticism from outside?" Han Xizai said.
Xu Xian nodded: "Everyone in the government and the public in Jinling, from the high officials to the common people, are ashamed of this. More than half of the officials in the government are uniting to risk their lives to remonstrate and ask for your Majesty's order to kill that traitorous traitor Li Deming!"
"Why don't you remonstrate when the peace agreement is still pending?" Han Xizai was quite disdainful: "In the current situation, if you ask to kill a mere Li Deming, isn't it embarrassing for Your Majesty?"
"Hey!" Xu Xian told the truth: "Signing such a treaty to defeat the country has offended the public, and the people's resentment is boiling. There is always a target to vent."
"At this time, stabilizing people's hearts is the most important thing. To appease the people and the army, restore tranquility to the country, and restore the people to farming! This dispute is just an act to abolish the government and disturb people's hearts!" Han Xizai said, thinking from the head
Get up, still awake.
After hearing what he said, Xu Xian immediately said: "What Mr. Han has said is that he understands the general situation and takes into account the overall situation. He should advise His Majesty to issue an edict and eliminate the chaos!"
Han Xizai spread his hands and said, "Han is so in love with His Majesty that he cannot leave the house!"
Seemingly understanding what Han Xizai meant, Xu Xian resigned. After he left, Han Xizai sat behind the case, pondered for a while, sighed silently, ordered, and continued singing and dancing...
Within the Jinling Palace, Chengxintang. During this period of time, Li Jing has been resting here, ignoring the government affairs, and barely seeing anyone. He is really sick, and also mentally ill. Thinking of the loss of his country and humiliation during this period, he is begging for mercy.
, I feel depressed in my chest, and my heart is filled with sadness that is hard to express.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Feng has returned from crossing the river and asks for an audience!" the chamberlain reported.
Li Jingqiang cheered up and asked Xuan Feng Yansi to step inside. He was dressed in a dusty clothes. Without waiting for him to be greeted, Li Jing asked urgently: "What is the situation in Jiangbei? Has the Northern Han Dynasty withdrew its troops?"
During this period, Feng Yansi basically stayed in Jiangbei, coordinating with some Tang officials on the handover of Jiangbei prefectures, counties and towns. Upon hearing this, Feng Yansi immediately spoke to reassure him: "Returning to your majesty, the Han army has withdrawn more than half of its troops to the north.
Most of the civilians have returned north!"
"Is there still half the Han army?" Li Jing said.
Feng Yansi said: "When I returned to the south, the Han Emperor had already visited Yangzhou. He heard that he was ready to return the capital. He only waited for the annual tribute from the south of the Yangtze River to be lost to the north..."
"Give it to him, give it to this robber!" Li Jing was a little excited, but also a little scared, and finally sighed.
The couch slowed down, and Li Jing looked at Feng Yansi and said: "Feng Qing, these days, the officials in the court have repeatedly asked me for orders, saying that Li Deming has committed a heinous crime and betrayed the emperor and the country, and asked me to kill him! What do you think of this?
thing?"
Hearing this, Feng Yansi frowned slightly and paid attention to Li Jing's expression. He clearly noticed that although Li Jing's tone was hesitant and his face was serious, his eyes flickered, clearly showing some resentment.
After thinking about it for a while, Feng Yansi said cautiously: "I have also heard about it when I returned to Jinling. Nowadays, there is a surge of public sentiment between the government and the public, and the people's anger is overwhelming. There is everyone who hates Li Deming. Your Majesty, it is better to kill him in order to calm the anger of the people and make the people more angry."
The country’s political affairs are back on track!”
After listening to Feng Yansi's suggestion, Li Jing slowly lay down and said nothing for a while, as if he was still thinking about it. At this time, a minister came to report that King Yan Li Hongji had led someone to arrest Li Deming.
During this period, Li Deming was like a rat on the street in Jinling. Everyone shouted at him to beat him. He did not dare to go to the official office and did not dare to welcome guests, so he hid at home.
After hearing this news, Li Jing seemed to wave his hand feebly and ordered: "Pass an edict to behead Li Deming and abandon the city, and the king of Yan will supervise his execution!"
In fact, after the peace agreement was reached, it would be impossible for Li Jing to feel no regrets. She felt humiliated. Thinking about Li Deming's behavior before and after, she couldn't help but feel resentful. She felt that she was bewitched by this person to be so humiliated.
In the end, he already had murderous intentions.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Feng Yansi said.
"If I were so wise, how could I have caused the country to decline like this?" Li Jing laughed at himself.
