Xue Poye sat on the bedside at night, holding Yuezhu in his arms, and gently caressed her smooth shoulders. It was warm and sweet. Seeing that he was going to go on an expedition tomorrow, he wanted to comfort the two ladies before leaving.
of.
He now feels a little empty in his body. After all, he had sex with Xiao Suzhen twice in the afternoon, and had an intense love affair with Yue Zhu in the evening. The essence in his body has almost been drained out.
"Ms. Gong, Yue Zhu wants to accompany you." Yue Zhu curled up in Xue Poye's arms like a docile little sheep, with red eyes: "How can you go there without anyone to take care of you?
My husband, you agreed to let me go with you."
Xue Poye gently kissed Yue Zhu's forehead and said softly: "Silly girl, I'm going to fight, not touring the mountains and rivers. How can I take you with me? When my husband comes back after a great victory,
I will take you to all the famous mountains and rivers in the world, do you agree?"
"But...but I'm worried about you being alone outside. I heard that the climate in the northwest is bad, and you...you will get sick. Who will take care of you then? My husband, just let me go, and Yuezhu will be well."
I will take care of you and prepare delicious food for you every day. When my husband is bored, Yue Zhu will also talk to you...!" At this point, Yue Zhu's eyes had already overflowed with tears.
Xue Poye gently licked Yuezhu's tears, which were salty, and hugged her tightly, saying softly: "Don't worry, there are two royal chefs who are following you this time. They must be very skilled in cooking.
Not bad. As for my safety, you don’t have to worry about it. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of troops, Ximen Raizo will also bring thirty Habayashi guards with me. With their protection, even if there is danger, they will be able to deal with it easily.
." He paused and said softly: "After I leave, you and Suzhen will have a good rest in the mansion. The affairs at Ziyanfang will be left to others for the time being. Gongyang Yuehui will send people to closely guard the General Guard's mansion.
, there will be no problem.”
Yue Zhu knew in her heart that Xue Poye would not let her go with him, so she agreed softly and pressed her delicate body close to Lang Jun.
With all kinds of love and affection, Xue Poye had just gotten up early the next morning and cleaned up when he heard Manager Hu come to report: "Master Marquis, a Yu Linwei who calls himself Huang Ting has come to pay his respects!"
“Huang Ting?”
Who is it?
It was only when he saw the Yulin Guard named Huang Ting that he suddenly realized what he was doing.
This Huang Ting was actually the Yu Linwei who was sent to the southwest in Hangzhou to find out Yuan Buyi's true identity. He was so busy with business recently that he actually forgot about this incident.
Huang Ting looked very tired, but looking at the look on his face, he was full of confidence. It was obvious that he had found out important information.
"Brother Huang, sit down!"
Seeing that the Marquis was treating him so kindly, Huang Ting hurriedly said: "Don't you dare." He clasped his fists and said respectfully, "Master Marquis, my brothers and I have already found out the identity of Yuan Buyi."
Xue Poye said happily: "Oh, who is he?"
Huang Ting said: "Master Hou, this man is not from the southwest, but he did business in the southwest. His real name is not Yuan Buyi, but Yuan Tiangang."
"Yuan Tiangang?" Xue Poye frowned.
Huang Ting clasped his fists and said: "Master Hou, this Yuan Tiangang was the number one scholar in the third year of Deqing Dynasty. He was an arrogant man. He was favored by the late emperor and was granted the title of Minister of Rites. However, this man has an arrogant personality. For such an official position as Minister of Rites,
He actually ignored him and often told people that the late emperor treated him lightly. During a palace banquet, Yuan Tiangang became drunk and went crazy. In front of the late emperor and all the officials, he insulted them. This angered the emperor and was removed from his official position.
, reduced his status to the people. I thought that after he was deposed, he would be quieter, but who knew that he actually sold calligraphy on the street for a living, and often wrote words that were contemptuous of officials. The Holy Emperor ordered Mr. Wei of Kyoto Prefecture to deal with the matter. Mr. Wei will
Yuan Tiangang was sent to prison, and poisoned wine was prepared to make him commit suicide."
Xue Poye touched his nose and wondered: "Why is he still alive even if Mr. Wei ordered him to commit suicide?"
"Because of King Mingyue." Huang Ting said respectfully: "Master Hou, at that time, King Mingyue was in Kyoto. He heard that there was such a strange person, so he went to Kyoto to see who this arrogant guy was.
What kind of character. It was precisely the arrival of King Mingyue that Mr. Wei gave Yuan Tiangang the antidote and saved his life. If King Mingyue had been a moment later, Yuan Tiangang would have definitely died."
"I see."
"Although Yuan Tiangang saved one life, due to the deep poisoning, the skin on his face has become necrotic and turned black...!" Before Huang Ting finished speaking, Xue Poye said in surprise: "You mean, Yuan
Tiangang looks like a black charcoal bag, is it because of poisoning?"
"Packed with black charcoal?" Huang Ting was a little surprised.
Xue Poye laughed, waved his hand, and said, "Go on, what happened to him? Did King Mingyue save his life?"
Huang Ting said: "King Mingyue was very interested in Yuan Tiangang, and even asked the late emperor for this person. How could the late emperor care about such an arrogant person, so he gave him to King Mingyue and took possession of the northwest."
Xue Poye frowned: "You mean... Yuan Tiangang is from Mingyue King!"
"Exactly." Huang Ting said: "Not only that, after Yuan Tiangang went to Yongzhou in the northwest, he gained the favor of King Mingyue. At first, he was just an aide beside King Mingyue. Later, King Mingyue let him manage the affairs of Yongzhou, but he was
The governance is in an orderly manner, and a few years ago, he was officially appointed as the Right Minister by King Mingyue, and together with Zuo Zixuan, he is known as the two wise men around King Mingyue."
Xue Poye was even more surprised. He didn't expect that Yuan Tiangang had such a background. When he first met him in Hangzhou, although he could see that he was not an ordinary businessman, he didn't expect that his backstage was so strong.
He suddenly recalled that in Hangzhou, Yuan Tiangang secretly purchased horses. In addition, he also purchased a large amount of cowhide. Now that he thinks about it, Yuan Tiangang began to prepare for Yongzhou's armament from that time.
"Yuan Tiangang not only managed Yongzhou in an orderly manner, but also often pretended to be a big merchant and did private business across the country. Because of the huge power of Yongzhou as the backend, they built a secret transportation line and purchased large quantities of goods from all over the country.
Horses and military supplies, a year ago, they didn't know how to contact the Hu people. With Yuan Tiangang as the guide, Yongzhou colluded with the Beihu people. Yongzhou exchanged iron ore with Beihu for horses, and they worked together." Huang.
When Ting said this, his mouth was extremely dry. By chance, a servant had already served tea, so he didn't care about anything else. He picked up the teacup and took a big sip.
Xue Poye sat back on his chair, deep in thought.
Speaking of which, if Yongzhou can contact Beihu, he really has a great responsibility.
It was he who took Wu Lachi to deliver the horses that made Wu Lachi realize that Yuan Tiangang had rebellious intentions, so he secretly sent people to Longji Coffin Shop to contact Yuan Tiangang without telling Xue Poye.
The two parties hooked up successfully.
Xue Poye sighed, shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Master Hou, there is another matter that has something to do with Yuan Tiangang. I wonder if Master Hou wants to hear it." Huang Ting asked cautiously.
"But there's no harm in talking."
"Master Hou, do you still remember Wang Shizhen, the former governor of Hangzhou?"
Xue Poye was startled: "Wang Shizhen?" He naturally remembered that Wang Shizhen was forced out of the position of governor of Hangzhou by Tan Ziqing's forces, and was later escorted to the capital for trial. He also helped his wife and children, but later
I don’t know who picked him up, and there has been no news. As for Wang Shizhen himself, there has been no news about this person since Xue Poye came to Beijing, so he has forgotten about it. Unexpectedly, Huang Ting suddenly mentioned Wang Shizhen today, which made Xue Poye very upset.
Accident.
"After Wang Shizhen was escorted to Kyoto, he was not tried by the three divisions. The late emperor only allowed him to live in the Kyoto Post House and did not make any other arrangements. When Wang Shizhen was in Kyoto, he could only wait for the trial in the Post House every day." Huang Ting
Looking at Xue Poye, he said: "As for Hangzhou, according to our investigation, the Marquis had arranged for Wang Shizhen's family to live in Dongfeng Pavilion in Hangzhou. However, one day, Wang Shizhen's family was suddenly picked up, and the Marquis even
I can’t figure out who picked him up, but the Marquis must still remember it.”
Xue Poye nodded and said: "Yes, there is such a thing." He secretly admired in his heart that he sent Huang Ting out to investigate Yuan Tiangang. He really did not misjudge the person. Huang Ting got far more information than he imagined.
many.
"The Marquis may not know that Wang Shizhen's family was picked up by Yuan Tiangang. Later, Yuan Tiangang used Wang Shizhen's family as an excuse to coerce and induce him to secretly take Wang Shizhen to Yongzhou. Now Wang Shizhen is also
The staff of Mingyue King make suggestions for the governance of Yongzhou." Huang Ting finished speaking in one breath and took another sip of tea.
…
After breakfast, Ximen Lei Zang, who had come to report at Xue Po Night Order, packed his bags. Xiao Suzhen and Yue Zhu saw him out, one on the left and the other on the right. Ming Xu followed behind with his head lowered.
"Ms. sir, you... be careful, my sister and I are waiting for you to come back." Yuezhu's eyes were red.
"Xue Lang, you must take care of yourself... We are waiting for you...!" Xiao Suzhen's eyes were filled with tears.
Xue Poye comforted her carefully and told two jokes to make the two girls feel at ease, and then looked at Mingxu.
Mingxu murmured: "Cousin... you have to take care of yourself... Cousin will eat fast and recite Buddha's name for you at home, Amitabha!"
Xue Poye chuckled and said: "No, no, no, cousin, I forgot to tell you that I really need someone to take care of me when I go to Taizhou this time. After much thought, my cousin is the right candidate... Lord Ximen, look back.
I will take my cousin with me and take good care of him."
Xue Poye had Mingxu by his side because he had planned it for a long time. This guy has excellent medical skills. On the battlefield, if someone is really injured, his advice will come in handy.
Compared to the hundreds of military doctors who were finally recruited this time, Mingxu's medical skills are definitely not weaker than theirs, and he can be a personal military doctor.
Mingxu was startled, but when he saw Xue Poye's smiling face, he knew that he couldn't escape this time. He sighed and drooped his bald head.
After saying goodbye to the two ladies again, Xue Poye headed to the altar, escorted by Ximen Lei Zang and others.
The altar is also placed in the square in front of the palace. There was a fierce battle here not long ago. Although it has been rebuilt several times, if you are not careful, sometimes you can find bright red stains on the bluestone that have not been washed clean.
Bloodstains.
At this time, in front of the altar, in addition to hundreds of civil and military officials, there were a thousand cavalry and three thousand elite infantry.
The cavalry is the cavalry team secretly trained by the late emperor and has extremely strong combat effectiveness, while the three thousand infantry are elite soldiers drawn from the Jingtong Army. These four thousand sergeants will follow Xue Poye to Taizhou.
The altar was already filled with sacrifices.
Xue Poye was wearing armor, with his purple cloak fluttering in the wind, and he looked really heroic.
Right in front of the altar, another platform for worshiping generals was set up. It was not luxurious, and was even very simple and rough. This was the rule of Chu. The platform for worshiping generals was for worshiping generals, and the country wanted to worship generals, so it was obviously
In times of crisis, there is no room for luxury.
On the platform where generals are worshipped, a huge flag with the word "Chu" stands on it, and ministers in costumes are lined up on both sides of the platform.
On the left are civil servants, Lan Wuqing, Wang Dezhao, He Ruhui and others, naturally; on the right are military generals, with Xue Poye at the head, Song Fei behind him, and other generals behind him.
Xue Poye wore a gold helmet and Sein Fei wore a silver helmet. The two looked solemn. The sun shone on the two armors, one gold and one silver, refracting dazzling light, making each other look interesting.
There was a burst of drum music, and the little emperor, surrounded by the guards, walked to the platform to worship the general. The chief of ceremonies had already shouted: "The auspicious time has come, the emperor pays homage to the general!"
The little emperor walked to Xue Poye and Song Fei, and they followed the little emperor onto the altar.
You Shaoqing followed behind him, holding the Great Seal Soldier Talisman and the imperial edict wrapped in golden satin, and went to the general worship platform together.
Under the eyes of the officials and soldiers in the audience, the four people climbed to the top of the stage. Xue Poye and Song Fei followed the little emperor to the south to worship the sky, praying in their mouths.
After offering sacrifices to the sky, Xue Poye and Song Fei knelt in front of the little emperor and listened respectfully to the ceremony.
The little emperor took the Marshal's seal and military talisman from You Shaoqing, handed it to Xue Poye, and said warmly: "The Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army received the seal and set off for the expedition. I hope you two will serve the country with loyalty and return in triumph!"
"Long live long live long live!" the two shouted in unison.
"By the destiny of heaven, the emperor issued an edict: The universe is unified, and the order extends to all directions. Now there is trouble in the north, and we are waiting for an opportunity. I have ordered Xue Poye to be the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and Song Fei to be the deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, to lead the troops to the north.
In order to boost the power of the emperor and create peace for the people of Li, I hereby order all the people of the country to work together and hope for the success of the northern march! I hereby express my gratitude!" The eunuch took the edict from You Shaoqing and read it loudly.
All the ministers and soldiers all knelt down: "Long live my emperor!"
The sound resounded through the square and spread far and wide.
The little emperor approached Xue Poye and said softly: "Master, I wanted to go on the expedition with you, but there are always people guarding Kyoto, so the Northern Expedition depends entirely on the master... Master, you... you have to take care... apprentice
I'm waiting to greet you in triumph...!" After speaking, my voice was actually choked with sobs.
Xue Poye sighed in his heart and whispered: "Your Majesty, after I leave, you must pay attention to everything and don't trust anyone. The Prime Minister's loyalty is your arm, and everyone who is dear to you can trust it... I will definitely go on this expedition."
Give it your all and your Majesty won’t have to worry about it!”
On September 18th, the first year of Chengqing's reign in the Great Chu Dynasty, Emperor Chengqing worshiped Xue Poye as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army and marched northward.
Xue Poye rode up on his horse and raised his sword, led 3,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry, and marched to Taizhou in a mighty manner, where nearly 300,000 officers and soldiers were waiting for his command.
Taizhou is located in the north and south of Da Chu, only three hundred miles away from Qingzhou. It is a larger state capital of Da Chu.
Starting ten days ago, troops from various places rushed to Taizhou like a tide. They set up camp thirty miles outside Taizhou City. The camps were connected with each other with majestic momentum. Most of the soldiers looked proud.
color.
Almost every day, new troops joined the camp. By the time Xue Poye led four thousand soldiers into Taizhou City, the military strength outside Taizhou had exceeded 200,000, and the camps were connected for hundreds of miles.
When Xue Poye arrived at Taizhou City, Taizhou Prefect Xue Mulong complained with a sad face and red eyes: "Commander, those guys are so shameless. They fight and do nothing all day long, making Taizhou crazy and the people are helpless.
Ansheng, I humbly request the commander-in-chief to make the decision and punish those unruly guys."
Xue Poye sneered: "Mr.
.”
Song Fei also said in a rough voice: "Xue Mulong, how is the military situation in the northwest? Is there any change? Master Sima went to Yongzhou, is there any news back now?"
He asked continuously, Xue Mulong was startled for a moment.
"Back to the deputy commander, I just received news two days ago that the Yongzhou Army has gathered at the Yi River where it meets Yizhou. It seems that they will cross the river and attack Yizhou at any time."
any news."
This title of "Deputy Commander" made Sein Fei's expression change.
"Can Yizhou send people to garrison this side of the Yi River?" Xue Poye asked with a frown.
Xue Mulong reported: "Yizhou has 20,000 troops, and 10,000 troops have been deployed by the river. Most of them are archers to prevent the northwest army from crossing the river." After a pause, he said: "But based on my humble position, even in the Yihe River
The troops under his command defended the army, but once the Northwest Army crossed the Yi River, the Yizhou Army might not be able to withstand it. And if the Northwest Army really boarded the south bank, the strength of the troops in Yizhou City would be far from enough to compete with the Northwest Army.
The situation is probably quite critical. Therefore, the commander-in-chief needs to formulate a strategy early to nip problems in the bud."
"How many troops are there in the Northwest Army by the Yi River?" Song Fei asked in a deep voice.
"About 20,000 people." Xue Mulong smiled bitterly: "But the commander-in-chief and the deputy commander-in-chief should understand that the combat effectiveness of this northwest army is far superior to our army. Although there are 20,000 people, they must guard against his 20,000 people.
If our army does not have a strength of 40,000 to 50,000 troops, it will be difficult to resist them."
Xue Poye frowned. From Xue Mulong's tone, he could hear Xue Mulong's fear of the Northwest Army's combat effectiveness. In other words, the Northwest Army's combat effectiveness was extremely powerful. This was by no means an alarmist statement, but a reality.
What worried Xue Poye the most was the Chu army's psychology.
As the head of a state, Xue Mulong already expressed fear of the Northwest Army in his words, but what about the entire Chu Army?
Is it possible that you already feel timid before fighting?
Xue Poye glanced at Song Fei and said, "General Song, why don't we go to the camp to take a look first?"
Before Sein Fei agreed, he heard Xue Mulong said attentively: "Commander, the reception banquet set for you has been prepared. Taizhou officials, big and small, are waiting. Commander, do you want to have something to eat first? Everything is up to you.
.”
Song Fei patted his stomach and said in a rough voice: "It's okay, I'm hungry right now." He glanced at Xue Poye and said, "Commander, it's hard for brothers to do things if they don't have a full stomach."
Xue Poye smiled and said: "In that case, let's meet our colleagues in Taizhou first." dd