The night is deep, the clouds are dark, there are no stars or moon, and the air has the smell before it rains.
In the bright lights of the main hall of the palace, Yuan Shu sat on the couch and urged people several times to report on the battle situation. This time, he seemed to be late for reporting, which made him suddenly feel heart palpitations...
Ji Ling is a general, so he should be fine.
There was no one in the huge palace, only the gauze curtains were floating.
Chang'an in the west is opposite Luoyang in Tokyo. Because Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was born here, Wancheng was the capital, also known as the southern capital. It had its own emperor's palace. Every few years the emperor would come and stay for a few days. Rumor has it that the late emperor lived there for 20 years.
When he came to Nanyang, he met the current Queen Mother, who was so shocked that she was chosen by others.
The content of this gossip is a bit unreliable. At that time, the Queen Mother was only ten years old and her hair had not grown yet. How could she be so amazing?
Unless Han Ling Emperor likes this kind of loli...
But the Queen Mother is indeed from Wancheng. No wonder the Queen and the Empress gossiped together. It seems that the local people are not as afraid of talking about the Emperor as outsiders. The elders in Wancheng still tell the story of their grandparents and Liu Xiu working together as cowherd boys.
, I have to say that Liu Xiu is a charismatic guy, and he misses old friendships and never forgets his hometown. Even young people have the opportunity to see the Holy Face in person almost every few years, and he has a natural closeness to the emperor.
——Aren’t we all fellow countrymen?
Since the emperor often comes here, this palace is not in a state of disrepair compared to other places, but is glorious and solemn, and truly has the atmosphere of a Han palace.
There is usually a team of palace guards on duty. In normal years, unless the royal family is on patrol, no one dares to come in, let alone sleep in the main hall of the Han Palace - do you think your life is long?
But at this time, the world was in chaos. Officials everywhere were killing thieves, thieves were killing officials, thieves were killing thieves, and officials were killing officials. They all blamed each other. When order was broken, it was not surprising that anything happened.
After Zhang Zi, the prefect of Nanyang, was killed, Yuan Shu sent troops to surround the Han palace, killed the captain of the palace guard who refused to surrender, dismissed the palace guards, and moved into the Han palace safely, occupying the palace maids, and living like the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
The people all over the city looked sideways, but did not dare to say a word. They secretly mocked Yuan Shu for being a monkey, and discussed when Liu Shijun from the north could come over. These undercurrents were just undercurrents, without enough power, and everything was isolated in the palace.
outside the door.
Yuan Shu, the fourth and third generation, had the noblest family background. Even among the current family members, he was the most isolated from the bottom. He would not pay attention to the sounds of the weeds below.
"Brother, please see me"
"Come in." The door opened, and clan brother Yuan Yin came in. He bowed silently, handed over a secret letter, and said in a low voice: "Brother, I just received a letter from Brother Shao in Jizhou, proposing to appoint Liu Yu as the shepherd of Youzhou.
Emperor in order to compete with the pseudo-emperor of Luoyang and the Empress Dowager of Xuchang in the name of righteousness."
"Liu Yu is the emperor?" Yuan Shu woke up and laughed hoarsely: "With the union of Youzhou and Jizhou, and the empty Bingzhou at this time, it is not a difficult task to convince Tian Kai of Qingzhou. The four states of Hebei are established, who can resist now?
After all? Isn’t he Yuan Shao the only one in the world?”
Yuan Yin broke into a cold sweat: "Brother, be careful what you say, be careful what you say, Liu Yu is the emperor, and the Han family still rules the world..."
"Humph, the Han family is in the world..." Yuan Shu did not comment and looked up at him: "What do you think of Yuan Shao's plan?"
"Brother, I dare not speak nonsense." Yuan Yin dared to call Yuan Shao by his name and whispered: "That's true. I'm afraid that not only the four states are established, but also our Jingzhou will have five states. This is a great opportunity for my Yuan family. Five generations of people
It was only through hard work that we got this great fortune... Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian all have to die, the world is our Yuan... Ahem, I mean our Yuan family is the hero of the ZTE, and will enjoy glory for generations..."
My Yuan family is in the world...
Yuan Shu understood what he meant, and when he thought that this was indeed a great opportunity, his face turned red and blue, but he couldn't help but caress the jade seal in his arms, his eyes turned cold: "Is this something you can consider?
"
"Yes, my brother, please retire." Yuan Yin knew the opportunity and retreated. When he came out, he couldn't help but whisper: "If you don't take the gift from God, you will be blamed for it. Brother, please think twice."
"Okay, let me think about it again..."
Yuan Shu rebuked Yuan Yin and wandered alone in the palace, stroking the jade seal in his arms. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became: "How can I allow the son of this servant to be so proud... God has given me the precious jade seal to inherit the country. I, Yuan Shu, am the one who has obtained the imperial title."
man of"
The bright yellow light reflected his distorted face, and he roared in a low voice: "I am the real destiny..."
"Report——Liu Beijun came in"
A lieutenant general rushed into the palace in panic, followed by several trusted and veteran ministers, disheveled and shouting: "Lord, let's leave quickly."
"Wha...what?" Yuan Shu was still in a trance and could not react. He turned his head stiffly and looked at the open and closed mouth of a close confidant: "You mean, Liu Bei came in?"
Unbelievable, even incomprehensible.
A cry of death rang out in the night sky at some point, which made Yuan Shu shudder. When he woke up, his face turned red: "Where is Ji Ling?"
"General Ji died in the battle, Lei Bo and Chen Lan also died in the battle."
"Where are my soldiers?"
"The army was defeated and all ran away... The city gate was falsely opened, Liu Bei has already attacked, and the soldiers left behind in the camp are about to run away. My lord, don't ask, just run away."
Several old ministers called their own soldiers and dragged Yuan Shu out of the palace with all their strength, ignoring his struggle: "How is it possible? This is Nanyang, the imperial hometown, the place of fortune, the source of dragon veins. I have a jade seal gifted by heaven. I am
My true destiny, how could I lose..."
"Stop yelling nonsense, my lord, take advantage and run to Yangzhou..."
In the darkness and chaos, something dropped without anyone noticing.
As soon as the sound of horse hooves faded away, Yuan Yin also ran over: "Brother, wait for me...Brother? Brother?"
While shouting anxiously, he tripped over something and fell to the ground. When he looked up again, he found that he was facing an empty hall: "Damn it, they're all gone..."
Yuan Yin sat up with his legs crossed, and suddenly his eyes were fixed on the white marble steps at his feet. A jade seal inlaid with gold horns shone mysteriously in the darkness, reflecting eight ancient seal characters: "Ordered by heaven, you will live forever."
"Ah, it's..." Yuan Yin is a pure man, how could he not know this thing? His face suddenly turned red and white, and he was stunned for a long time before he woke up. He suddenly turned his head to the north, and the letter appeared in front of him.
In front of him: "No wonder my brother has changed so much recently. It turns out that he has this thing - but now there is definitely no future in chasing him to Yangzhou... Fortunately, I have more than one brother."
Yuan Yin was very realistic. He didn't believe that Sun Jian was sincerely seeking refuge with Yuan Shu. He didn't have the strength to run away empty-handed. Why should he command others?
At this time, he gritted his teeth, took the jade seal, went to find a horse outside the palace, patted the horse and rushed out of the city, avoiding the front of the soldiers, and went to Jizhou to surrender to Yuan Shao.
And in Jingshui outside the city to the east, a group of people were packing their bags and preparing to cross the river. Soon they heard a cry: "My jade seal, who touched my jade seal?"
Distorted sounds pierced the night sky, crows woke up from the woods and flew out, cawing in the air, adding to an ominous atmosphere.
But compared to these embarrassed deserters, because the imbalance of victory and defeat was too quick, the situation was controlled quickly, and the local area was not affected too much by the war.
Liu Bei's army quickly occupied Wancheng, rectified the order inside and outside the city, searched for rebels, and protected the residents. Everything was as orderly as it was done in eastern Henan. It can even be said that Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun found that the aftermath was better than in eastern Henan.
Still relaxed, perhaps because Yuan Shu's recent rule has been so unpopular?
All the people could not sleep that night. Regardless of whether they were from high-ranking or small families, many men hid behind the door with weapons to observe. They saw that the group of officers and soldiers were in good order, and saw that it was Liu Shijun's flag.
They all felt relieved: "Go back to sleep, go back to sleep..."
"We can continue to open tomorrow."
"Has Ambassador Liu come here?"
"See you tomorrow..."
There was no ceremony for entering the city late at night. They just confirmed the safety of the palace. When the Queen Mother was about to enter the city in her car, Zhao Yun stationed his horse on the side of the street and was dealing with several village elders' complaints against Yuan Shu's army for occupying people's fields. He had not yet become the governor later.
From experience, I am quite worried about such civil affairs.
A few village elders were not entangled. Seeing that it was getting very late, they decided to discuss it tomorrow. Suddenly they saw the figure of a woman in Jin Chiluan's car, and they were shocked: "But the daughter of the He family?"
The voice was familiar yet unfamiliar, with the flavor of a local accent. The Queen Mother was startled for a moment, and when she looked back, several villagers came to their senses and bowed: "Greetings to the Queen Mother..."
The Queen Mother had no impression of these old people, so she asked about the situation and dealt with it briefly.
Several village elders left with gratitude, praising "the Queen Mother and Liu Shijun for their kindness", "teachers of benevolence and righteousness", and "the Han Dynasty is expected to flourish again"...
The Queen Mother pressed her heart and looked around, seeing the mountains and rivers in the night outside the city, the familiar yet unfamiliar streets and alleys after entering the city, the ancient Han Palace...
Many impressions that I thought I had forgotten came back little by little, and after I was a little confused, I couldn't tell what kind of sourness and melancholy I felt.
Cao Baijing noticed it and asked, "What's wrong with the Queen Mother?"
"No, Aijia... Aijia just feels that this war is going so smoothly, it's like a dream."
"It went smoothly, but my husband has prepared a lot of work. If the scam just now doesn't work, there will be some insiders.
The Queen Mother heard this: "It seems that Liu Shijun has penetrated Jingbei well in the past two years."
Cao Baijing noticed that she had no objection when talking about this penetration, and thought to herself: "Well, my husband said that the situation in Nanyang County may be the best. This can't but be said to be an anomaly."
The remaining strength of the Han Dynasty in the Imperial City... The Queen Mother lowered her eyes and sighed slightly: "No wonder Liu Shijun is not afraid of Yuan Shu's resistance at all. This traitor has raised an army in Nanyang without any popular base. Liu Shijun has not even set foot in Jingzhou, but he has already been defeated."
This thief is even more popular."
Cao Baijing smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed, confirming her guess, and thinking to herself: "No wonder my husband said that people in Nanyang generally believe that the Han Dynasty can be revived. Isn't this the Queen Mother the best example? My husband said that Zhuge Liang later avoided chaos and worked in Nanyang.
, and finally chose Liu Bei, perhaps due to this influence..."
The Queen Mother didn't know that she was being studied by this girl, so she just joked casually: "In fact, accompanying the capital like this is a channel for the emperor to directly contact the local areas. County officials dare not neglect their duties, let alone treat the people harshly, and powerful people do not dare to force the people."
Too much, otherwise one day when the emperor comes and his fellow villagers complain angrily, a large number of people will be unlucky regardless of whether the complaint is successful or not..."
"Hey, isn't it just someone who is unlucky? It's a pity that Yuan Shu escaped... My husband said that he was going to behead him."
"Yuan Shu?" The Queen Mother laughed after hearing this: "Where can this thief sneak away? He is still in charge of Yangzhou Mu. I heard that Sun Jian has still obeyed him in the past two years? I'm afraid there is something good going on in Jiangdong..."
"...It's just about passing on the country." After the words came into her mouth, the Queen Mother shrank back again. She was most concerned about this.
The golden and red Luan drove stopped in front of the palace. The interior was cleaned and arrangements were made to bring the palace maids with him. The Queen Mother went inside to rest accompanied by Mrs. Gan.
It wasn't until dawn that she suddenly woke up from her dream, hugged her thin quilt and sat up, dazed for a long time in the darkness.
"Queen Mother?"
A questioning voice came from behind. I looked back and saw Mrs. Gan coming over. In the darkness, only the lamp in her hand illuminated her, like a snow-white jade woman.
The Queen Mother secretly praised her and shook her head: "Nothing, Aijia just had a dream."
Cao Baijing sat down next to the Queen Mother, her dark eyes were a little curious under the light: "Can you tell me? As a Taoist priest, I am familiar with the changes in spiritual consciousness, and I may be able to interpret dreams for the Queen Mother..."
"The Ai family dreamed that Liu Shijun rode an ox to the battlefield..." The Queen Mother said, seeing Mrs. Gan puzzled: "When I was a child, I heard the old people telling stories that Emperor Guangwu went to the battlefield for the first time, because he had no horses, and the soldiers
Riding the family's buffalo into battle..."
Cao Baijing covered her mouth and laughed, and listened to the Queen Mother continue to talk about her dream.
After hearing that it was all about Emperor Guangwu, it turned out that it was all about her husband, which made Cao Baijing look at her with a strange look: "When the Queen Mother was a child, didn't she love to hear the legendary story of Guangwu Zhongxing?"
The Queen Mother was a little uncomfortable having her privacy violated, but she still responded: "Yes."
There are more unsaid. Like many people of the same age in Nanyang, the little girl grew up bathed in the legendary stories of Guangwu Zhongxing - this may be the reason why she subconsciously accepted Ye Qing quickly.
"The Han Dynasty can be revived." She would always think this way, and she would inevitably fall into a dream when she returned to her hometown after a long absence.
Cao Baijing could guess a little bit. Although she knew that it had nothing to do with Feng Yue, her husband was dreamed by another woman and he was still the real one, which made her feel a little sour. She didn't say anything, she just chatted and asked with a wink: "What does the Queen Mother think?"
Can he do it?"
"Of course..." the Queen Mother responded. She suddenly noticed something and glanced at her: "It can rejuvenate the Han Dynasty."
Cao Baijing also smiled, but she heard it was raining outside and there were hurried footsteps. They were distributing raincoats and bamboo hats to the guards on duty and patrol...
When my husband was in the army, he always attached great importance to the supply of military supplies.
There was an atmosphere of peace amidst the patter of rain, and the room gradually calmed down.
"My husband's army is coming to Xuzhou, is it raining over there as well?" Cao Bai looked out the window quietly for a while, seeing the night filling the air, he suddenly said softly.
Nanyang County has been solved, but Xuzhou is full of dangers. Cao Cao has a large number of ground troops joining him. In fact, the army is very powerful.
And after the Dong Dong appeal is released, how many people will respond?
After Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian were destroyed one after another, the prestige of the Han Dynasty was no longer mentioned. At least few princes really believed in it. The rest were just asking for the benefits gained by Dong and invading the righteousness...
At this level, the husband is standing on the opposite side of all the princes. What will he do to lead the situation of challenging Dong?
For a moment, Cao Baijing was a little crazy.
Seeing Mrs. Xiao Gan's expression, the Queen Mother's heart moved. She was a woman, so she understood the meaning of Mrs. Xiao Gan's expression... She couldn't help but feel warm in her heart, and in the blink of an eye, her eyes dimmed again.
At this time, the west wind swept the rain and made a tinkling sound on the tiles, as if someone was singing in a low voice.