If at the beginning of the war, Shen Yi could still achieve miraculous results with a little cleverness or boldness and some unexpected means, then now, all the small means have lost their effect.
because…
At this time, no one dared to underestimate Shen Qi, and no one would underestimate him.
Emperor Zhaowu of Yandu wished he could find a villain to write his date of birth and stab him alive.
In fact, this villain may have been stabbing him, but he did not harm Shen or kill him.
And the entire Qi army, when facing Shen Yi, became more and more stubborn, even to the point where they would turn around and run away when they saw Shen Ziqi. This resulted in a frontal battlefield, and it was unlikely to make a big breakthrough in a short period of time.
This battle became a stalemate.
Since the frontal battlefield was unable to break through quickly, and Chen Guo had already sold everything to support the war, Shen Yi inevitably wanted to end the war as soon as possible, or at least make some breakthroughs on the battlefield as soon as possible.
This is also the reason why he met Zhou Yuanlang.
According to Shen Yi's original estimate, he did not include the surrender of the Zhou family and his son, but planned to kill them all.
But now, if Zhou Yuanlang and his son surrender, the main process of the war can be ended at least two years in advance, and it may even end this year, the 18th year of Hongde!
With Li Zhun's draft, Shen Yi soon wrote the short composition addressed to the emperor. After checking it from beginning to end, he dried the ink, handed it to Jiang Sheng, and ordered: "Six hundred li plus Rush to the palace without any delay."
Hearing what he said, Jiang Sheng also knew that it was important and quickly lowered his head: "Yes, I will go for a run and hand it over directly to the inner guard."
Shen Yi nodded and walked back to his study. Looking at Li Zhun who was still writing with his head down, he asked, "Are there any documents from Henan?"
Li Zhun thought for a while and replied: "Yes, there are. The Henan governor's office and the chief envoy's office both sent letters yesterday. I have handed them to you for reading. They say that Henan has encountered thieves and will supply Shanxi this year." Money and food may have to be delayed for some time."
Shen Yi frowned slightly: "I'm not asking about this, I'm asking if there is any news about Henan Dusi Yamen."
"Has it been completed?"
Li Zhun shook his head slightly: "No."
He looked at Shen Yi and said: "Zhongcheng's Henan capital commander has been in Henan for less than a month. How can a capital commander's department be built so quickly? Don't worry."
"I am not in a hurry."
Shen Yi sat in his seat and said: "Give me a letter to the governor's yamen and the chief envoy's yamen of Henan, ordering them to cooperate as soon as possible to establish the capital yamen and quell the chaos in Henan."
Li Zhun blinked: "Zhongcheng, if you want to apply for a paper, we are the Shandong Governor's Yamen. Is it more appropriate to ask for a paper?"
Shen Yi glanced at him: "Use my marching commander's head to give them orders."
"Speak harshly and tell them that the Henan rebellion must be settled by the middle of this year and cannot hinder the Northern Expedition."
Shen Yi controls the three provinces. Although he is usually friendly and amiable, he can accurately judge the officials in the three provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan. And as long as he participates, he will not only lose his official position, but may even be imprisoned!
Previously, due to some old feelings, Shen Yi's writings to the Henan Yamen were too "gentle".
But now, Shen Yi couldn't help but be anxious. If there were no food from Shen Xu and the Shen family in Shanxi, the vanguard army would not have enough money and food. Shen Yi needed a stable Henan as his rear to support the battlefield in Shanxi.
Li Zhun swallowed, lowered his head and said: "Yes, Zhongcheng, I will write it now, I will write it now."
………………
Three days later.
Jiankang.
The Six Hundred Mile Express is the highest-level post road in Dachen. For letters of this level, people are killed by horses running on the road, all because the people blocking the road don't have eyes.
Therefore, although they were separated by a distance of 1,600 miles, Shen Yi's letter was still delivered to the emperor's desk on the evening of the third day.
It was already evening when the emperor received this letter, but His Majesty the Emperor was still very happy after seeing it. He put down the letter and shouted twice: "Gao Ming, Gao Ming!"
No one responded for a long time.
After a while, the eunuch Sun Jin walked in cautiously, knelt on the ground and said: "Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao has rested. If you have anything to do, just give your servants instructions."
The emperor was stunned for a moment before he reacted.
After the New Year, Gao Ming no longer works by his side.
Soon, the emperor's mood calmed down, and he said calmly: "I have been used to it for so many years, and I haven't changed it for a while, Sun Jin."
Eunuch Sun knelt on the ground and bowed his head respectfully: "My servant is here."
"Go and call Lu Sheng into the palace immediately. I have something to do with him."
"ah?"
Sun Jin turned to look at the sky outside, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, it is already very late. It will take at least an hour for Lu Weishuai to come again."
"What nonsense?"
The emperor frowned and said, "Go immediately."
Sun Jin hurriedly lowered his head, got up and trotted all the way down.
After Sun Jin left, the emperor couldn't help but raise his head and look around the Manna Hall.
I don't know why, but the Manna Hall, which is no different from before, seems a little empty now.
Emperor Hongde was lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head and sighed.
"Lonely..."
Gao Ming had been by his side when he was the crown prince, and he had been using him smoothly for so many years. However, Eunuch Gao had been in charge of the inner court for too long. In order to avoid hidden dangers in the inner court, the emperor had to replace him.
The same is true for the outer court.
No matter how easy the minister is, he will generally not be in charge of Zhongshu for too long, otherwise problems may arise.
Of course, except for the scapegoat.
At this moment, Emperor Hongde deeply felt the loneliness of sitting on the throne.
This feeling of loneliness is like walking outside on a snowy night in winter, wearing a single coat, and the cold wind blows, biting the bones.
And looking around, there is no one who can walk with him.
It's extremely cold at high places.
When his mind was wandering, Emperor Hongde was in a blur, as if he was really in a snowy night, and behind him, there was only one person of the same age as him, following closely.
Immediately, the emperor came back to his senses, and what he saw was the slightly empty Manna Hall. He picked up a memorial that he had not read, and picked up the ink pen to comment on the memorial. However, while picking up the pen, he silently
He shook his head and sighed.
"A lonely person, a lonely person."
…
An hour later, Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Guard, Lu Sheng, cautiously entered the Ganlu Hall. He half-knelt on the ground, bowed his head and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lu Sheng, would like to pay homage to your Majesty."
The emperor then put down his brush, looked at Lu Sheng, who was already a bit old, and said slowly: "Sun Jin, please give me a seat."
Lu Sheng was the commander of the bodyguards of the Prince's East Palace. When the late emperor passed away, in the second year after Emperor Hongde came to the throne, which was the first year of Hongde, the eleven-year-old Emperor Hongde sent him to the inner guard.
In the fifth year of Hongde, one year before His Majesty the Emperor took charge, Lu Sheng began to take charge of the internal defense. By this time, he had completely controlled the entire internal defense.
This was also the first yamen or institution that the little emperor had complete control over.
With the help of the internal guards, in the eighth to ninth year of Hongde, Emperor Hongde completely controlled the Jiankang Forbidden Army, and his throne was completely stable.
Now, it is Hongde's eighteenth year.
The guard commander Lu Sheng, who was in his early thirties back then, is now over fifty.
Lu Sheng lowered his head to thank him and sat down carefully.
The emperor looked at Sun Jin and said, "Everyone go out. I will have a few words with Lu Qing alone."
Sun Jin nodded and retreated with all the palace people.
The emperor took out Shen Yi's letter from his sleeve. The letter contained two pieces of paper. The first piece of paper was Shen Yi's personal letter, and the second piece of paper was the list provided by Zhou Yuanlang.
His Majesty the Emperor said silently: "I want to bring a few people out from Yandu. Can the inner guard do it?"
Lu Sheng lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty has ordered that even if the inner guard goes through fire and water, it will be done for your Majesty."
The emperor thought for a while and briefly explained the matter. After Lu Sheng listened, he said: "The Zhou family will definitely be watched by the Northern Qi court. I need to ask the person in charge of the Yandu internal guard before I can answer your majesty.
How certain is it that it can be done?"
Emperor Hong De nodded and said: "Okay, Yandu is closer to Shen Yi. Once you have the results, inform him directly."
"besides."
The emperor took out the list and handed it to Lu Sheng: "This is the list written by Zhou Yuanlang, saying that they are the spies buried in Jiankang by the Purity Department. You should check it carefully and be careful not to wrongly accuse a good person."
Lu Sheng took it with both hands, and after reading the spy positions noted on the list, he broke into a cold sweat and said, "Your Majesty, I have neglected my duty..."
"Let's find out first, and then talk about whether we have neglected our duties or not."
Lu Sheng lowered his head and said, "Yes."
His Majesty the Emperor reached out and patted Lu Sheng on the shoulder and said with emotion: "I just discovered today that Lu Qing already has a lot of gray hair."
Lu Sheng was startled, then lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, should I retire and return to my hometown..."
The emperor smiled hoarsely: "I only care about you for a moment, and you will think more. I still count on you to take care of my internal defense."
Lu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will definitely complete all the errands assigned by Your Majesty."
Seeing that he was still very cautious, Emperor Hong De shook his head slightly in his heart and said: "If these spies from Jiankang are confirmed, don't rush to arrest them first. Send people to keep an eye on them to prevent them from being alerted."
"The people on this list should only be a very small part. If it is confirmed that they are spies, we will follow these people and search the entire Jiankang. It is best to find all the people in the Purity Department."
Having said this, the emperor paused.
"Also, I have a letter that I want to send to the north soon. The inner guard should send it to Shen Yi for me as quickly as possible."
Lu Sheng took two steps back, lowered his head and clasped his fists.