Chapter 77: Shi Zun discusses plans to eliminate Shi Min, Shi Jian joins forces with Shi Min
Inside the Kunhua Hall in Yecheng
The powerful people in the Zhao clan, such as Yiyang Wang Shijian, Ruyang Wang Shikun, Huainan Wang Shizhao, and Leping Wang Shibao who had rebelled before and were escorted back to Beijing, etc., gathered in Kunhua Hall.
Seeing his brothers with mixed emotions, Shi Zun stepped down from the throne and said, "Brothers are scattered in all directions. We haven't been together like this for a long time."
Shi Zhao on the side said sarcastically: "Yes, anyone who has some strength is ready to make a move. Shi Chong and Shi Xuan ended up like this, with their heads missing. Not long after leaving the town, Brother Bao also has this thought?"
Shi Bao couldn't help but feel ashamed and terrified. Seeing this, Shi Zun was speechless for a while, and said for a long time: "In the past, Emperor Wen of Cao Wei and Emperor Ming had few heirs, and King Sima Xuan took advantage of it. Tian Chang gave birth to seventy-year-old sons, who were scattered in the sealed cities. , Qi Zheng died and returned to the Tian family. Shi Min was originally a remnant of the Han nationality. The former king adopted him as his adopted grandson because of his bravery. His original surname was Ran. How can he be of the same mind as me? Now that my Shi family has been captured by him, all of them were slaughtered. In his generation, Shi's determination to stand up has become increasingly apparent."
Shi Zun gently touched Shi Bao's shoulder and said: "Although the late emperor had many heirs, he was able to achieve great things. Apart from Xiang Guo Shi, the only people in charge of the military were brothers from this palace. Brother Bao was instigated by others, and now he has woken up. I should let bygones be bygones. , as long as we brothers can work together to resist foreign humiliation."
Seeing this, Shi Kun came forward and said: "Brother Emperor, now Shi Min is in charge of the internal and external military power, subsidizes the imperial guards of the palace, and invites them to be appointed as generals in the palace, and can be given the title of marquis outside the pass. The original guards of Wang Longteng are also under his command. In the past, Yan Zi said: "The death of the Qi government returned to the Tian family. Although the Tian family did not have great virtues, they used public power for private purposes, but they were virtuous to the people and were loved by the people." Today, Shi Min uses public tools to seek personal favors, recruit party members, and even more Shentian clan. If things continue like this, there will no longer be a place for the Shi clan in our country of Zhao."
Shi Zun also agreed: "What brother Kun said is true. On that day in the court hall, Zhongshu ordered Meng Zhun, and the general of the left guard, Wang Luan, advised me not to allow his petition and to seize his military power. He looked very unhappy. He almost doesn't take me seriously. Now that he is becoming more and more domineering, the military and political affairs of our Zhao country are almost under his control. If things go on like this, our Zhao country will no longer belong to my Shi family."
Shi Zhao stepped forward and said, "Shi Min's disobedience is becoming more and more evident day by day. Your Majesty, please make a quick decision."
Shi Zun looked at Shi Jian, who was sitting at the end of the hall. He had not said a word since he entered the palace. Shi Zun asked him, "Brother Jian, what do you mean by this?"
Shi Jian didn't realize that Shi Zunwen was planning on him, so he had to agree: "Everything is in accordance with His Majesty's will."
Shi Kun just laughed at him, "It seems that Shi Jian only wants to be a happy prince."
Shi Jian laughed at himself and said: "I, the State of Zhao, rely on the strength of your brothers. How can I do anything? I am willing to sweep the country to treat you."
"That's all," Shi Zun looked around at all the brothers, "I want to get rid of him in the next few days, what do you think?"
Everyone said: "Yi Ran."
"How can this be such a ridiculous thing?" Suddenly a sharp voice came from the inner room.
"Empress Dowager Zheng, Empress Dowager Zheng, don't go in. Your Majesty is discussing important matters with everyone." The eunuch next to him tried his best to dissuade her.
"Pah!" Empress Dowager Zheng was furious and slapped Yang Huan, "You eunuchs, if you encourage His Majesty to do such a heinous and unethical thing, everyone can be punished."
When Shi Zun's brothers saw this, they were very embarrassed. They hurriedly greeted Shi Zun and walked out of the hall. Shi Jian walked to Yang Huan and only glanced at him, which meant a lot. Yang Huan was confused and couldn't escape the situation. , had no choice but to serve in the palace and wait for an opportunity to discuss again.
Now only Empress Dowager Zheng, Shi Zun and Yang Huan were left in the palace. Empress Dowager Zheng was heard to be very angry and said: "Licheng returned the troops, and there was no thorn slave. How could we be today? How could we kill him so quickly because of our petty arrogance?"
Shi Zun was scolded by his mother, and was speechless for a moment, unable to answer. Zheng Yingtao was scolded by the late emperor Shi Hu because of his eldest son Shi Sui's fault. If he had not endured the humiliation and made concessions, he would not be where he is today. Shi Zun also had many achievements because of his mother.
Bao Bao. In the past few years, Shi Zun has endured humiliation and heavy burdens, and Shi Zun felt ashamed of his mother.
"Your brother Shi Sui, back then I wanted to do what I wanted to do, but unfortunately there were no reinforcements from outside and no important officials at home, so I couldn't do it. Now Shi Min is devoted to helping you, how can you chill his heart?"
Upon hearing his mother's words, Shi Zun was immediately jealous and said: "My son won the throne because I had a plan in my mind and the soldiers surrendered wholeheartedly. How could it be achieved by Shi Min? What my mother said is a pity for Shi Min and you."
Let’s pity each other as Han people.”
"You!" Empress Dowager Zheng let out a long sigh, "You are so unaware that you are just adapting to the situation. Yes, your mother is a Han. However, although the Jie family in the Zhao Kingdom is now a royal family, seven out of ten people within the country have
As a Han Chinese, if you cannot appease Shi Min and the begging army does not listen to the orders of your Shi family, how can your throne be stable?"
Shi Zun's expression softened slightly, "Let's think about the Queen's wishes later," and then said, "Yang Huan will send the Queen back to the palace."
Yang Huan received the order and had to send Empress Dowager Zheng back. After the incident, Yang Huan wanted to return to Shi Zun's place to resume his life. Thinking of Shi Jian's meaningful eyes at that time, he felt unhappy for a long time and walked a little absent-mindedly. He was only on a corridor.
He bumped into someone and was about to yell, but he saw that the person coming was Shi Jian.
Yang Huan hurriedly stepped forward to chat, "King Yiyang is in such a good mood, why do you stay in the palace?"
"General Manager Yang, since you have your majesty's trust, we must all be on good terms with General Manager Yang." Shi Jian's face was filled with uncertainty.
"Where, where. The king is your majesty's brother and sister. How dare we let King Yiyang condescend to you before we can serve you?"
"Manager Yang, please look at what this is?"
I saw Shi Jian pick up a token, but it was the token of the man in black who had all the young and old of Shi Chong's house massacred that day. Foreign ministers could not get it, but the internal officials in the palace could easily get it due to their position.
Yang Huan was slightly panicked, but then calmed down, "King Yiyang is joking, what is this?"
"Sure enough, there is a city. I already know everything about you. Your brother Yang Chu should be able to rest in peace."
"You..." Yang Huan was horrified.
Youping is located in the far north of the Central Plains, where it has been severely cold since ancient times. It is almost early winter, and the snow fell very early this year.
The army of Yan State braved the wind and snow and walked through the rugged mountain roads of Yanshan Mountain.
"Master Ba, the newly recruited soldiers are afraid of the severe cold. Now that the snow has not stopped, can we take a break?" Gao Bi rode his horse and walked side by side with Murong Ba.
Murong Ba said seriously: "You can't control it if you're thick, you can't control it if you love it, you can't control it if you're arrogant. It's not that I don't care about the soldiers, but since ancient times, I have never been kind enough to lead the army. It's extremely cold now, but even though the soldiers are
We are so afraid of it, but if we can overcome difficulties, cut through passes and seize passes, compared with the difficulty of severe cold, what is the hardship?"
I saw Murong Ba raising his whip and pointing forward, "Gao Bi, the opportunity is fleeting and the soldiers are very fast. Now the defense of Jicheng in Zhao State is empty, and all the strong soldiers are lost to the Yuan family. If we advance at this time, the enemy will have no time to take care of themselves."
"
"The road is difficult and the mountains are high. If a group of men and horses are stopped here, we will die."
"Gao joined the army. Now there will be great changes in Yecheng. It is best to take advantage of the fact that Zhao State has too much time to take care of itself and quickly march into the army." After saying this, he handed a secret report to Gao Bi for reading.
Gao Bi read it and said with a smile: "Young Master Ba, you are really well hidden. The throne of Zhao is about to change its owner again. It seems that no one will care about the war in Youping."
"The Duan tribe in the Zhao Kingdom is also ready to move now. Duan Qin has arrived at Jiangmu and intends to raise the flag of righteousness to rebel against the Zhao Kingdom." Murong Ba was very proud at this time and asked: "Do you know who the defender of Anle is?"
Gao Bi asked in confusion: "Who?"
Murong Ba said passionately: "God is really helping me, Deng Heng."
Gao Bi said happily: "Haha, he is always afraid of generals. With this pig-headed general here, our Yan army can attack Jicheng on that day."
"That's right, march quickly. A large amount of grain and grass are stored in Anle City, and all the soldiers will go to Anle to have a banquet."
Yecheng is indeed going to undergo great changes as Murong Ba said.
Late that night, Yang Huan quietly went to a hidden corner of the city.
He only knocked on the door lightly, and the doorman looked around. Seeing no one around, he led Yang Huan to a secluded place in the mansion to rest.
When Yang Huan saw that the visitor was not coming, he became extremely anxious and paced indoors. After a while, the door creaked open.
There was a man with a burly figure, who was standing under the dim candlelight for a long time. Yang Huan slowly approached, and it turned out to be Shi Min.
Yang Huan said angrily: "General, you have done so much harm to me."
Shi Min walked directly to a coffee table nearby, sat down, took a sip of water, and said: "It's cold in the weather, and this tea will get cold quickly. Come on, bring me another pot."
Yang Huan said with resentment: "General, at that time I handed over the token to you according to my wishes. You only said that you would punish Shi Chong's family, but you poisoned me and put me everywhere."
Shi Min said leisurely: "Oh, it's just a token, nothing else, Mr. Yang, don't worry."
Yang Huan was a little angry, "Shi Jian has told me that Wang Zhuo escaped from Shi Chong's army that day, returned to Yecheng, defected to another place, and held evidence to explain the incident."
Shi Min just listened quietly.
"Shi Jian also said that Wang Zhuo also said that when he was trapped in Shi Chong's army, he sent a horse to Meng Zhun to deliver a message to Meng Zhun about Shi Chong's anger. But there was no reply for a long time. Now Ye
No one inside or outside the city knows that it is you, General Shi, who is in charge of the city defense, and it is easy to intercept letters."
As he spoke, a figure came out of the darkness, came to the two of them, and said, "Manager Yang, you are well. It turns out that among the people around His Majesty, you are the most disloyal."
Yang Huan was shocked: "King Yiyang, I didn't expect you."
Shi Min asked quietly: "Manager Yang, now you are serving on Shi Zun's side and you are as calm as ever. Who can help you?"
Yang Huan understood at this moment that he was now involved in the matter and could never escape from it. He only wondered: "King Yiyang, what about the king's promotion?"
"Don't worry, Gu Xiao has taken advantage of me. Wang Zhuo has surrendered to me. No one else has mentioned this matter. Even Meng Zhun doesn't know that he has returned to the capital safely." Shi Jian turned around and said, "What kind of virtue does Shi Zun have?"
How can you kill Shi Shi, slaughter your relatives, make use of the traitors around you, and steal the throne by chance?"
Speaking of this, Shi Jian's voice suddenly rose, "Our Shi family, Zhao State, is no longer something Shi Zun can control. It should be occupied by people with both moral integrity and talent. Shi Min has outstanding merits and has made great contributions to Zhao State, and the whole country should support him. And
He is also the grandson of the late king, and I have promised him the position of crown prince."
Yang Huan muttered silently, "Prince?" He couldn't help being shocked, "King Yiyang, aren't you?"
Shi Min said: "Yes, I should raise the righteous soldiers, eliminate the traitors, and clear the emperor. Shi Zun should abdicate and make way for others. Manager Yang, just open the door of the inner court at that time. It will be a great achievement."
Yang Huan said dejectedly: "Yes, I should have expected that among the late emperor's disciples, Shi Jian and Shi Min had always been friends. During the southern expedition to Mianyin, how could you have escaped without Shi Min's help?"
Yang Huan knew that he had boarded Shi Min and Shi Jian's pirate ship. He had no choice but to sit down on the table and said, "I will do what Shi Jian ordered."
On a starry night, Shi Min stood solemnly in the middle hall of the general's mansion. The generals stood solemnly on the left and right, just waiting for Shi Min to speak.
"Ta, Ta" the frightened deer in the courtyard broke the silence of the night.
Shi Min turned around and said to the generals: "Everyone, success or failure depends on this one move. Tomorrow Wang Tai will lead all the soldiers to the Taiwu Hall to read out Shi Zun's crime."
Wang Tai cupped his hands and said, "The last general will understand." Then he retreated to the ranks of generals.
Shi Min continued to give instructions: "Today, everything in Ye City is under my control, except for the inner court of the Imperial City, which is not under my control yet."
"Su Yan, Zhou Cheng."
"The end will be here."
"Tomorrow, you two will be armed with three thousand soldiers, change into dragon guard uniforms, and enter Ye Palace directly from Fengyang Gate."
"It's an order."
"Zhang Ai, Sun Wei."
"The end will be here."
"Each of you will lead your own troops and send an order to Meng Zhun. General Wang Luan of the left will surround him in his mansion and prevent anyone from his residence from leaving."
"As commanded."
"Zhang Wen, Dong Run."
"The end will be here."
"You two surround the harem and quickly take over the city's defense so that from now on, all connections within and outside Ye City will be cut off."
"As commanded."
"The rest of the people will stick to their camps and the whole city will be under martial law. Anyone who moves will be killed without mercy."
"Listen to the general's orders!"
The arrangements were generally in place, but the chief secretary, Jiang Qian, was still worried, and added: "The rise and fall of generals in ancient times often depended on Baimi Yishu. Li Nong, who was in charge of the beggar army, was also in the city. He was always friendly with the general.
However, I will regret it when the time comes."
Bright colors gradually appeared outside the window, and Shi Min walked down to the center of the lobby: "Everyone, I will go to Li Nong's mansion in person tomorrow."
Everyone in the hall heard that they were in great distress, and one of Shi Min's subordinates said: "The general went to the dangerous place in person, and the last general thought that he was not honest. If Li Nong wanted to replace him, and suddenly became murderous, and the general fell into the enemy's hands, everything would be over.
.”
Shi Min said calmly: "To cherish one's life when doing big things, to forget one's life when seeing small profits, it's just because you don't know. Now my begging army is just like me and Li Nong. The begging army cannot be in chaos. If he has the intention to replace him,
My fortune and life are all dedicated to him."
Dong Run was in a hurry, "General, I would like to exchange with the general."
"You have nothing to say, please step back." Shi Min shouted to stop Dong Run.
Wang Tai suddenly said: "General, there is something I don't know whether to say or not."
"Speaking."
"This plan for King Shijian of Yiyang has cost a lot of money. However, General you are not on the throne, so all the officers and soldiers feel aggrieved."
After Shi Min heard this, he looked around and asked, "Do you all have this intention?"
Everyone said: "We all have this intention."
"The present Shi family's Zhao Kingdom has been through three generations. The country is attached to the people and the people are strong. Although the Zhao Lord is tyrannical and takes over suddenly, I sincerely fear great changes in the country."
Wang Tai was unwilling to accept it, "However, our Han people are increasingly oppressed by the Jie people. At this time..."
Shi Min said resolutely: "I already know what you mean. When Shi Jian succeeds to the throne, we will take care of it slowly. All generals will not have to worry."
At this time, the chief secretary of the mansion, Jiang Qian, was whispering to everyone.
Seeing this, Shi Min said seriously: "Everyone thought it was all because of Shi Yun. However, now that the Shi family has declined, the destiny is still there, and there are many places in the Zhao Kingdom, and all the five barbarians are accustomed to listening to the orders of the Shi family. If we and the Han people
If you suddenly replace him, you may be afraid of chaos in the country, so you should be cautious."
The generals were still dissatisfied, and Shi Min laughed sarcastically, "I am just doing the work of King Sima Xuan, so what is the meaning of this false name?"
All the soldiers looked around and said, "Just listen to the general's orders."
