It was already nightfall when Madam You returned from the palace to the Central Protectorate.
Moreover, the Yulin Army guarding the palace personally escorted him back.
Because at this time, Chang'an City has entered curfew time.
No one can walk on the street without a night pass.
In a certain hall of the Zhongduhu Mansion, the lamps and candles were bright, illuminating the whole hall as if it were daytime.
As soon as Zhang Xiaosi came in, he saw General Guan sitting in his seat, his face as calm as a statue.
General Guan, who was motionless, raised his head slightly and looked over: "You're back?"
Zhang Xiaosi seemed not surprised that General Guan was waiting for him here.
She nodded, her face a little tired:
"Well, I'm back."
"how?"
"The palace has sent a fast horse to Shangdang."
"That's good."
After saying this, General Guan fell silent.
Zhang Xiaosi walked to the side, picked up the tea cup and was about to drink.
"Don't drink tea when you're thirsty, otherwise you won't be able to sleep at night. Just drink plain water."
General Guan suddenly said something again.
"Oh." The weather was too hot, and he was probably really thirsty. He didn't notice it for a moment, so Zhang Xiaosi changed to another drink.
Then he drank it all in a "dongdongdong" manner.
General Guan just looked at her quietly.
Zhang Xiaosi drank the water, pursed his lips, and said:
"If Guo Xun is really careful, then the Wu people are very likely to be involved this time."
"Um?!"
When General Guan heard this, his eyes flashed, and his already straight body became a little straighter, "How do you say that?"
"What a coincidence."
Zhang Xiaosi leaned back on the chair, not caring about his posture at all, looking a little tired:
"It all happened so coincidentally, as if it had been arranged a long time ago."
She leaned back on the chair and exhaled: "This is the conclusion that I came to after discussing with Sister A, um, and the Queen."
At this point, she added, "Well, of course, there is Your Majesty."
"If Guo Xun is really careful about his work, there is a high probability that it was carefully arranged by the Wei thieves, and his intentions are not small."
Weaving together an identity and experience that is 90% true and 100% false, it not only hides it from rough people like Wei Yan.
Even the Zhongdu Protectorate, who deliberately sent people to investigate, almost ignored it.
Guo Xun was a man who accurately captured the turbulent period of redistribution of power in the Han Dynasty after the death of the prime minister.
He took refuge in Wei Yan, who was unwilling to associate with others at the time, and became a close confidant of General Zuo Hussar of the Han Dynasty.
Zhang Xiaosi closed his eyes and said with a bitter tone:
"Now we can only hope that Guo Xun is not the work of a Wei thief."
"Don't hope!" General Guan interrupted her directly, "When you went to the palace, I thought about it carefully."
"What? Sister, has she made a new discovery?"
General Guan sneered:
"It's not a new discovery, but as you just said, everything is such a coincidence. Don't forget the strange movements of the Wei thieves in Zhiguan a few days ago."
"In the past, we thought they were restraining Hedong's forces so that Hedong could not go to support Wei Wenchang in attacking Gaodu."
"Now it seems that we thought of the thief too simply. The thief is simply preparing to attack the Shangdang!"
Logically speaking, knowing that the Confederate Army was stationed in Hedong, the thieves should stick to the pass.
In this way, we can make the most of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses.
After all, the power of the Han cavalry has spread throughout the world.
If the thieves really dare to enter the plains of Hedong, how can they resist the strong men's cavalry?
However, the bandits at Zhiguan made a move to leave Zhiguan.
This is totally unreasonable.
When Zhang Xiaosi heard this, his face instantly turned pale:
"So, isn't Guo Xun the second Yinfan?"
"Yinfan?" General Guan felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a while.
"The detailed work sent by Wei thieves to the state of Wu ten years ago finally caused turmoil in the court of the state of Wu."
Zhang Xiaosi explained, "At that time, Sister A and A Lang were at Xiao Pass, having a life-or-death showdown with Cao Zhen, so it's normal that they couldn't remember it for a while."
Yinfan, who was in Wu State at that time, hastily launched a rebellion after his identity was exposed.
Although the rebellion was quickly suppressed, many important officials of the Wu State were implicated, and some were even forced to commit suicide.
Even Sun Quan's son-in-law Zhu Ju could not escape the disaster.
He was dismissed from office and confined at home for four full years. It was not until the State of Wu sent people to come to the Han Dynasty to learn how to ride and fight that he was reinstated.
After listening to Zhang Xiaosi's explanation, General Guan finally remembered this matter.
Her expression finally changed, and she suddenly stood up:
"If Guo Xun is really a spy sent by Wei thieves, the harm this person will do may be much greater than that of Yinfan!"
Zhang Xiaosi smiled bitterly: "Who says it's not the case?"
Although Yinfan caused turmoil in the Wu court, they did not succeed.
At this time, Guo Xun was very different from Yinfan.
Wei Yan not only trusted Guo Xun, but also sent him to guard Huguan.
Once this person raises troops to cause chaos, the Shangdang will be in danger!
The harm caused to the Han Dynasty at that time will be simply unimaginable.
Wei Yan was an important minister in the court and a general in the army. He even led an army alone!
It's really getting out of hand, and it's inevitable that the DPRK, China and the military will go through a purge.
Because if you don't do that, it won't be enough to deter the newly surrendered people from Bingzhou and other places in Guanzhong.
Otherwise, the aristocratic family that has finally been put in order will definitely start to act on both ends again.
But cleaning is never a good thing and will only create a situation where everyone is in danger.
The peaceful and peaceful political situation of the Han Dynasty in recent years will be seriously damaged.
General Guan snorted, glared at Zhang Xiaosi angrily, and strode out the door without looking back.
Zhang Xiaosi had a bitter look on his face and did not dare to look directly at General Guan. He even looked away deliberately to feel a little guilty.
Because she knew that it was not herself that General Guan was angry with.
But her own sister, the queen's own sister.
It is true that the emperor of the Han Dynasty was named Liu, but the country of Han Dynasty was conquered by countless loyal men who sacrificed their lives.
I don’t know how many people’s lives and fortunes are tied to the great Han Dynasty.
So this country doesn't just belong to the Liu family.
If not, why did Emperor Gaozu make an alliance with many heroes by killing the white horse?
How did the Former Han Dynasty and the Later Han Dynasty perish?
It’s nothing more than four words: “People’s support is against you.”
That night, I don't know how many people stayed awake all night, and at the same time prayed in their hearts that nothing would happen to the party.
It's just a matter of the world, and nine out of ten people don't know it.
There are also some things, the more you are afraid of something coming, the more it will come.
However, in just a few days, the number of messengers traveling between Hedong and Chang'an suddenly increased dramatically.
The official road was filled with smoke and dust, and they were all carrying the flags on their backs and galloping on their horses.
"Report! Urgent report on the military situation in Hedong!"
Another Chuanqi went crazy and rushed to the gate of Zhongduhufu.
"Plop!"
Again, before the horse could stop, the man rolled off the horse's back.
Only this time, Chuanqi was much worse than the last one.
There were streaks of blood on the parched lips, and the blood vessels on the exposed hands and neck were purple and bulging.
Three people quickly ran out of the gate of the Central Protector's Mansion, one went to restrain him, and the other two went to help Chuanqi up.
"Urgent, quick..."
Chuanqi fainted before he could finish his words.
The guards groped around Chuanqi's body for a while, and soon found the urgent message and the military talisman to prove his identity.
The chicken feathers on the letter have stuck together, and somewhere on the envelope, which represents an emergency, is as red as blood, seeming to remind you of the urgency of the letter.
General Guan's heart sank when he heard that there was news from the Red Army in Hedong!
After reading the contents of the letter, General Guan, who had always been calm, became furious on the spot.
I saw her slap her hand on the table and cursed angrily:
"Wei Yan, the old man, deserves to be killed!"
"Wow!"
The eucalyptus table withstood General Guan's palm, but the utensils placed on the eucalyptus table were so shocked that they jumped up.
Some fell to the ground and broke.
I have never seen General Guan's servants lose their temper like this before, and they were immediately so frightened that they dared not speak out.
After receiving the news, Zhang Xiaosi hurried over and saw General Guan looking like this.
I don’t know whether he was frightened or had a premonition, but his legs were a little weak. He stopped on the threshold, held on to the door, and asked in a trembling voice:
"Sister?"
General Guan looked at Zhang Xiaosi, took a long breath, suppressed the anger that kept jumping in his eyes, and said word by word:
"Guo Xun led the thieves into Huguan. The Wei thieves had captured the eldest son and cut off Wei Yan's retreat."
"What?"
When Zhang Xiaosi heard this, her vision went dark, and her body swayed, as if she wanted to fall down.
But her eyes fell on the letter in General Guan's hand, and she suddenly stepped forward and snatched the letter.
The letter was sent by Zhang Bao from Hedong.
To be precise, Wei Yan borrowed Zhang Bao's hand to send it over.
Such major military matters usually don't have only one copy.
In order to prevent it from being lost on the road, several groups of people will be sent out to deliver it.
Moreover, these groups of people will eventually be divided into two groups.
One batch was sent directly to the palace, and the other batch was sent to the Central Protector's Mansion.
Wei Yan was not under the jurisdiction of the Zhongdu Protectorate, so the military reports he sent were naturally of the first type.
But there was no way he could hide such a big thing.
Therefore, after Zhang Bao learned the details about joining the party, he did not dare to delay for even a moment and immediately sent his cavalry to Chang'an.
The palace and the Central Protectorate received the news almost at the same time.
After Zhang Xiaosi finished reading, he could no longer stand steadily, his knees softened, and he sat directly on the ground:
"how so?"
"The situation is worse than we expected!" General Guan said through gritted teeth, "The thieves had planned this a long time ago!"
Everyone, please go and try it soon.】
If the thieves had not been prepared in advance, the situation in Shangdang would definitely not have deteriorated to this point in a short period of time.
Even Lu Xun's invitation to Alang to go to Wuguan to fight against the Wei thieves could be a part of the plot!
"what should we do?"
Zhang Xiaosi, who has always been as cunning as a little fox, was confused at this time: "Alang, Alang is not at home..."
General Guan's face was also extremely ugly:
"Yes, Alang is not at home at this time, how can he take charge of the overall situation?"
On weekdays, I feel that Alang has nothing to do all day long.
But now that the sky is falling, the first thing they think of is A Lang, who seems to be always hanging out in the house.
Without him at this time, the family seems to have lost its backbone.
General Guan took two steps back and forth, and then he remembered something:
"I'll go to the front office and summon the staff team!"
She had just stepped out of the threshold when suddenly another female guard trotted over:
"Madam, the prince in the front yard sent someone back, saying that he had an urgent message that he wanted to deliver to you personally."
The words of the female guard made General Guan feel like a man who was nearly dying of thirst suddenly met with rain falling from the sky.
"Junhou?"
"Exactly!"
"Quick, go!"
General Guan walked toward the front yard like the wind at his feet.
Secretary Zhang Da was sitting slumped in the room. When he heard the words outside the room, his originally dark eyes suddenly burst into light.
All the strength in her body seemed to come back all at once. She got up in one fell swoop and ran outside the house to take a look.
General Guan's figure has almost disappeared beyond the arch, and the guards behind him can't even keep up.
Secretary Zhang quickly picked up his skirt and followed him.
Of the personal guards sent by Feng Duhu from Caoqiao Pass, only three of them could reach Zhongduhu's residence at this time.
The remaining people all fell on the road.
They either exhausted their energy or gave up their horses to their comrades.
The three people who were able to return home were also in a miserable state. Not to mention their stinky bodies, they were covered in mud and dust and looked worse than refugees.
"Where is the letter from the prince?"
Mrs. Zuo just appeared at the door, and before several people could salute, she couldn't wait to ask.
The guard captain quickly took out the oilcloth from his arms, but before he could say anything, Mrs. Zuo hurried forward and snatched it away.
With a trembling hand, he pulled off the oilcloth and took a careful look at the sealing mud to make sure it was intact before tearing it open.
Feng Duhu's letter was not long, only a few sentences.
Mrs. Zuo finished scanning ten lines at a time, the expression on her face brightened slightly, and she said to the three of them:
"You will go down and rest first."
At the same time, he collected the letters in his hands, turned around and left in a hurry.
The right lady who was following behind was out of breath, and without even seeing a word, the left lady passed by her in another gust of wind.
The right lady patted her chest, trying to catch her breath, but as soon as she took a breath, she felt a stench rushing straight into her lungs, making her almost want to vomit.
Mrs. Right, who was already anxious, could not suppress her anger and became furious:
"Where did it come from..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw three people dressed as personal guards walking out of the house.
When the three of them saw Mrs. Right, they quickly saluted again:
"I've met Madam..."
The right lady subconsciously wanted to cover her mouth and nose, but realized something was wrong and quickly put down her hands, trying her best to look solemn:
"Get up. You have been tired from the journey. Go and rest quickly. Don't be too polite."
After saying that, he waved his hand to tell them to leave, then turned around and chased in the direction of Mrs. Zuo.
After finally returning to the inner courtyard, I found out the location of Madam Zuo from a servant, only to find out that Madam Zuo had gone to the Zhendong General's Mansion next door.
This is the first time that Mrs. You dislikes the fact that her mansion occupies too much space.
When she found Mrs. Zuo out of breath, General Guan had already tied up his hair in a man bun and wore a Wu Bian crown.
At this time, she is stretching out her arms to let the maid serve her and put on her formal clothes.
Seeing General Guan's appearance, Secretary Zhang was surprised: "Sister, what are you..."
General Guan glanced at Secretary Zhang, his eyes dark and his face calm: