At dusk, the carnival in the Crystal Palace came to an end, and the majestic sounds fell silent for the time being. The palace, inlaid with pearls and agates everywhere, glowed brilliantly under the light of candles, making it dazzling.
The beauties dispersed, and the servants and maids carefully cleaned up the mess. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol, not the fragrance of the essence of grain, but instead the smell of decay and stench. In the bead curtain brocade tent, between the carved jade couches, I was tired of playing.
Meng Chang was lying on it in an indulgent posture, holding a finely crafted silver wine flask in his arms.
"Madam!" A slight greeting voice came from outside.
"Where are the officials?" A soft voice asked, and from that beautiful voice, it seemed that a little bit of dissatisfaction from the beauty could be felt.
"The officials have gone to bed!"
Soon, the bead curtain was opened with a crashing sound, and Concubine Xu Huifei came lightly stepping on the fine blanket, her round jade buttocks slightly pouted, sitting on the edge of the couch, looking at Meng Chang.
Meng Chang tilted his head slightly, with a rich rosiness on his cheeks, and he was still drunk. Although he was slightly stout, Meng Chang was still a handsome uncle. His forehead, eyebrows, eyes and nose could all be described as handsome. However, judging from his appearance
, one can clearly feel a sense of desolation and exhaustion.
Feeling something in her heart, Concubine Xu Hui's frowning eyebrows relaxed a little, and her beautiful face showed a look of love and affection. It was a distressed expression. She stretched out her delicate jade hand and gently caressed Meng Chang's face, and opened her red lips lightly.
, sighing silently.
Wiping away the remaining wine drops from Meng Chang's beard, he noticed the wine bottle in his arms and took it out with some effort. As soon as the wine bottle was thrown away, Meng Chang woke up immediately, opened his hazy eyes, and calmed down.
Xu, noticed Concubine Xu Hui, and said softly: "You are here!"
The unpleasant smell of alcohol came out of his mouth, and Meng Chang looked like he had a headache. Xu Huifei hurriedly sat forward, hugged him in her arms, and gently massaged his forehead and temples with her hands.
Meng Chang showed an expression of enjoyment, and then sniffed the jade fragrance of Mei Jiao Niang, showing an intoxicated expression, as if he was immersed in a comfortable harbor.
While massaging, Xu Huifei persuaded with a little hesitation: "Guan, you can't go on like this, living in drunkenness, wasting your time, neglecting government affairs..."
If other palace concubines tried to persuade him, Meng Chang would definitely be furious, but this was his favorite concubine Hui. His eyes became clear for a while, then dimmed. He hugged the beauty's slender waist, and Meng Chang said with waning interest: "The affairs of the imperial court,
The ministers will take care of it, so don’t worry, we just need to share the fun in this Crystal Palace, playing the piano and the harp!"
Meng Chang's tone and demeanor showed a hint of dejection. Seeing this, Concubine Xu Hui couldn't help but feel depressed and said: "The country is in turmoil and the country is in turmoil. Although I am only a woman, how can I enjoy myself here in peace and charm the king..."
..”
"Don't worry about the rumors outside!" Hearing this, Meng Chang comforted him.
Concubine Xu Hui wanted to persuade her again, but a chamberlain hurriedly came in and stood outside the curtain and said: "In the official house, the privy envoy Wang Zhaoyuan and the deputy envoy Han Bao are asking for an audience outside the palace!"
"Did you say something?" Meng Chang asked casually, somewhat reluctant to part with Concubine Xu Hui's jade body.
"Said there is an emergency military situation!"
"Military situation? The two of them can discuss the matter through discussion!" Meng Chang responded.
Seeing his reaction, Concubine Xu Hui took the initiative to stand up, saluted, and said: "The two envoys came hand in hand. There must be urgent matters. The officials must not neglect them. I will retire first!"
After saying that, she left quickly without waiting for Meng Chang to persuade her to stay. She also left the Crystal Palace and returned to her Peony Garden.
In the hall, Meng Chang tidied up his appearance before receiving the two privy envoys. Wang Zhaoyuan, who hurriedly walked in, ignored the displeasure on Meng Chang's face after seeing the ceremony, and said: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation from the north.
!”
"Emergency military situation? Could it be that there is another problem with Zhao Jiwen?" Meng Chang obviously hadn't fully recovered from his drunkenness, his mind was a little confused, and he subconsciously said.
But he quickly reacted, opened his eyes wide, and stared at Wang Zhaoyuan nervously: "Northern military situation! Is there any unusual movement in the Han army?"
Taking a deep breath, Wang Zhaoyuan said with a serious face: "Lizhou reported that the Northern Han Dynasty had sent troops to march south on the 7th of this month. It sent thousands of troops in advance to sneak attack Sanquan under the leadership of Han general Wang Renfan!"
"How could it be!" After hearing this, Meng Chang's face became serious, as if he had suffered a serious blow. He was still confused: "Is the military situation wrong? How could the Northern Han Dynasty ignore the dignity of a big country and go to war without declaring it?
, conducted a sneak attack and stole the tribute? In the first half of the year, the imperial court did not delay any discounts. How could the Northern Han Dynasty dare to tear up the peace treaty and invade brazenly? "
Seeing Meng Chang's reaction, Wang Zhaoyuan said loudly, as if he wanted to shake his soul back with a high-pitched voice: "Your Majesty, I have long said that the Northern Han Dynasty will not die in defeating me, and sooner or later it will send troops to devour the country of Shu.
It is not surprising that the Han army is marching south. Now that the Han army has advanced, it is useless to talk about it. The imperial court must quickly find ways to deal with it and support the armies in the north to resist the enemy!"
Hearing what Wang Zhaoyuan said, Meng Chang slowly calmed down, but still looked at a loss as to what to do, and murmured: "It's finally here..."
"Your Majesty!" Next to Wang Zhaoyuan, Han Baozheng, the deputy privy envoy, shouted loudly, his tiger eyes were full of energy and he had to be bold, and said: "The invaders from the north are invading from the south, Shu is in danger, and you don't want to lead the way to defend against the enemy. Why do you do this meaningless thing?
"
Han Baozheng is a veteran general in Shu. He followed Meng Zhixiang in his early years. He has always been known for his bravery, toughness, and outspokenness. After the peace between Han and Shu, he was appointed as the deputy privy envoy to assist Wang Zhaoyuan. Currently, Hou Shu is in the north.
The defense line established is due to its merits. After all, the veteran has rich combat experience...
In fact, the generals of Hou Shu are very young and old. They have been a country for more than 20 years. Those who are active in the military, leading troops to fight, guarding the passes and guarding the borders are still some veterans from the founding period, and the young talents have not been discovered and promoted.
At this time, seeing the angry look of the veteran general Han Baozheng, Meng Chang regained some of his depressed mood. He stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "Instruct all civil and military officials to discuss matters in the main hall!"
It was only early autumn, but the wind blowing in the Shu Palace seemed particularly cold and desolate, making people's mood subconsciously depressed. Meng Chang had not been to the palace for a long time to discuss matters, but when he appeared in front of the ministers again, he faced
The Han army marched southward.
For many Shu ministers, they had actually expected it, but when this day actually arrived, they were still in a panic. Dozens of civil and military officials from the Shu court gathered to discuss state affairs, but each ended up holding their own opinions and arguing endlessly.
.
Regarding the Han army's attack, there were many opinions. Some suggested sending envoys to inquire and negotiate peace, some suggested holding the pass and waiting for the enemy to retreat, some suggested adding more troops and sending food to attack proactively. Of course, there was also the surrender faction that suggested Meng Chang surrender directly.
.....
There was a lot of discussion among the group, but they couldn't come up with a set of practical and effective measures. It was a mess, even more chaotic than the market in Chengdu. Meng Chang's head felt swollen when he heard all kinds of suggestions.
Naturally, a loyal and upright veteran like Han Baozheng could not stand the poor performance of the officials of the Shu court, and criticized them for being in a hurry like a rat, which was disgraceful. This triggered another wave of disputes and criticism.
In the end, Meng Chang couldn't stand it anymore and announced the disbandment of the dynasty, leaving only Li Hao, Wang Zhaoyuan, Han Baozheng and other civil and military officials.
Back in the study, Meng Chang couldn't help but get angry and launched a map-cannon-style attack: "The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty are all mediocre people. They talk about high things on weekdays, but when the country is in crisis, they have no useful insights. It's simply
hateful!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!" Seeing Meng Chang getting angry, Prime Minister Li Hao lowered his head slightly and tried to persuade him.
After venting his anger and feeling a little more comfortable, Meng Chang looked at Wang Zhaoyuan and Han Baozheng and said directly: "Now that the matter is over, how to deal with the Northern Han Dynasty's invasion from the south depends on the ministers here. Is there any regulation on the Privy Council?"
Upon hearing the question, Wang Zhaoyuan responded seriously: "Your Majesty, I have discussed with all the officials that our government has no way out from this war. In the past three years, the Han army has been reorganizing the army in Qinfeng and Hanzhong, accumulating grain and accumulating weapons.
The purpose is obvious. If you come south this time, you will definitely have the intention of destroying the country. If you want to protect our foundation of Shu, we can only resist with all our strength!"
