Zhu Youxiao celebrated the New Year happily in the capital, but for some people, this New Year was not so quiet and peaceful.
When Zhu Youxiao's order was sent to Nanjing, Li Zhicai was so excited after reading it that he immediately went to find Zhang Shize who was drinking and bragging with the sergeants.
After Zhang Shize learned about the emperor's plan and order, he was also very excited. His Majesty finally made a big move.
So on the evening of the fourth day of the first lunar month, the two of them left the military camp and went to the Huaiyuan Marquis' Mansion and the Duke of Wei's Mansion respectively.
Huaiyuan Hou Chang Yinxu, who was having a great time playing with his concubine at home, was suddenly disturbed and naturally became furious.
But after learning that the person coming was Li Zhicai, most of the anger that had just arisen was vented. No one really dared to offend this killer.
Even he has to be afraid of giving in, because the person standing behind him is the emperor, and he is also in charge of the army.
For them, face is important, but compared to the glory, wealth and fairy life, face is not so valuable.
Therefore, as long as their actual interests are not harmed, they can't do anything with a powerful general whom the emperor currently trusts.
As the saying goes, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. Once he loses trust and loses the background of the emperor, trying to deal with him is like stepping on an ant.
But in order to maintain his image in front of his concubine, he pretended to smash the tea cup to the ground and shouted to the butler:
"Go with me to meet him!"
As soon as Chang Yinxu walked up to Li Zhicai, Li Zhicai handed him the emperor's decree and said:
"I have disturbed Marquis Huaiyuan. I am here to convey His Majesty's orders. I hope you will forgive me!"
Chang Yinxu snorted coldly, with a ruthless look on his face. It was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied with Li Zhicai calling himself a general.
But he still took the oracle and read it carefully. When he closed the oracle, he couldn't help but swallowed secretly.
"After seeing this handwriting, as if I were here in person, Nanjing City will strictly abide by the orders of Li Zhicai and Zhang Shize regarding city defense matters and all armament management matters!"
"I hope you will live up to my expectations, be loyal to the country, have a clear stand, and don't bring shame to King Kaiping!"
Although the content of the handwriting was only a few sentences, it was enough to arouse his attention and inner concern.
His Majesty even mentioned it to his ancestors, so it must be an extremely important event.
"Don't worry, General Li. I will strictly abide by His Majesty's orders. If you need help with anything, General, just ask."
"Then please ask Huaiyuan Marquis to temporarily hand over the military symbols of the garrison to me for safekeeping. In addition, draft a military order and send his confidants to follow my men to the garrison camp to explain to the soldiers to avoid causing commotion!"
Chang Yinxu secretly cursed in his heart that the villain had succeeded, but he had no choice but to hand over the military talisman and seal.
"Before the matter is settled, I would like to ask the Marquis of Huaiyuan to remain calm and do not participate in anything and do not meet anyone!"
"If there's nothing wrong, it's best to stay at home and not go out. If anything happens, you can send your housekeeper to the military camp to inform me or General Zhang!"
When Li Zhicai left, he did not forget his kind reminder, but Chang Yin was so angry that his eyes were on fire.
At the same time, Zhang Shize also led dozens of personal guards to the Wei Guogong Mansion to meet Xu Hongji.
He also gave him a manuscript from the emperor, the content of which was similar to Chang Yinxu's.
He temporarily handed over the power in his hands to Zhang Shize, and also handed over all the command of the troops and horses, and fully supported and cooperated with all actions of Li Sancai and Zhang Shize.
He was clearly ordered not to get involved no matter what happened, and just to keep the nobles in the city from causing trouble and commotion.
He knew that the wealthy gentry did not pay taxes.
Many big business owners and some officials also came to him in advance and used various excuses to trick him, hoping to stand on their side and help them.
Xu Hongji is a mature man. He immediately realized that something was wrong and did not reply to those who came to ask for help.
As expected, within a few days he found out about the gentry's rebellion against the imperial court, and was secretly glad that he had been more cautious.
In this confusing confrontation, Xu Hongji did not see which side had the advantage and could win.
If it was a year ago, when the old emperor was here, he would not hesitate to join the camp of the nobles to reap benefits.
But now the young emperor has succeeded to the throne, his personality is completely different, and he is extremely decisive in dealing with things.
He is usually a quiet person, but when he gets things done, he is vigorous and resolute, which is called efficiency. Until now, he still can't figure out this person's temperament.
And he didn't seem to care about his reputation. He looked completely indifferent and allowed scholars to label him a tyrant and a coward.
Therefore, he was cautious in everything during this period. He rarely even went out of his house, and he did not see any people he was not familiar with.
Today's emperor is hard-hearted and cruel, and he doesn't dare to provoke him. Just when he is thinking about how to stay out of the matter, the emperor's handwriting arrives, and he secretly says in his heart, God help me.
He decisively agreed, so he must be on good terms with the nobles in the city and not interfere with the emperor's planned actions.
Zhang Shize didn't expect him to be so easy to talk to. Seeing that he agreed, he said goodbye with satisfaction.
After winning over the head of honor and the Nanjing garrison minister, the two met in the capital government office and went to the residence of the Minister of War.
This is a tough guy. He not only has military power but also political power in his hands. His influence in Nanjing is very large.
The most important thing is that he is on the same side as he is the enemy of the emperor. Therefore, if you want to deal with the gentry clan, you must first capture this key figure.
When Li Zhicai and Zhang Shize entered the lobby, Liu Yilong, then the Minister of War in Nanjing, came out angrily from behind.
When he saw the room full of armored sergeants, he was frightened, and then angrily shouted:
"Who are you? How dare you break into my official residence without permission, and how dare you carry a knife and armor? You know it's a capital crime!"
"Da Sima, please calm down. They are not trespassing, but following my general's orders!"
"General? Li Zhicai, it's enough for you to call yourself this way in front of your subordinates. How dare you be so humble in front of me?"
After Liu Yilong turned around and saw Li Zhicai, he felt at ease. At least these people were not rebels, and his life safety was guaranteed.
But just because he saw Li Zhicai, his sense of superiority became overwhelming again, and he obviously cared very much about this general's self-proclaimed title.
In their eyes, military generals are nothing more than dogs that can be used at any time. They can come and go at a moment's notice, and they cannot catch their noble eyes at all.