The seventh day of July is the Qiao Qiao Festival.
This day was one of the most important festivals for the prosperous country of the Wu Dynasty. Girls' families held needlework banquets and prayed to Vega for wisdom and skill, and for future marriage.
Rich families and royal courts often have all kinds of luxurious banquets and lively programs of one kind or another, all night long.
On this morning alone, various festive atmospheres were already permeating the city of Bianjing. In the evening, the lights gradually lit up, and brothel carriages paraded along the main street amidst the noise of gongs and drums, which symbolized this
The evening celebrations officially began. Men and women dressed in gorgeous clothes, gentlemen, scholars, maids, and ladies decorated this subtle but mellow ancient festival with the aroma of books and literature.
In the palace, lanterns and colors were decorated as usual, but the festive atmosphere did not spread outside the palace. In the harem, the princesses, concubines, and maids had also prepared a begging wedding banquet. Such banquets and gatherings usually
The Queen presides over it, and the Emperor will come every time. But today, after nightfall, the emperor's merchants have not come yet. Several little princesses and princesses from the royal family or the prince's family are already competing in the needle-threading competition in the center of the banquet. The festive atmosphere is as festive as ever.
It was as intoxicating as before. Only occasionally, some well-informed people would subconsciously look in the direction of the silent main hall of the palace, then look back, look at the activities in the center of the banquet, and laugh.
Clap your hands and say a few auspicious words.
In fact, the main hall of the palace was not as silent as they imagined. A little to the west, in the Zichen Hall where important matters were handled, the noise, noise and killings had been going on for a whole day. By this time, the noise had gradually dispersed, and the officials involved should have also
He has left the palace and returned home, but the emperor has not come, which is enough to show the seriousness of the situation.
The fall of Hangzhou, in the eyes of many people, may also mean that half of the south of the Yangtze River has collapsed.
Qin Siyuan was the last group of people to walk out of the palace, and he was accompanied by Li Gang. Not long ago, the imperial court made a decision. Three days later, Tong Guan would lead the 150,000 elite Imperial Guards to go south to the town.
〗To suppress the troubles of La, Wang Zhen and Yang Keshi led an army of 100,000 to the north to attack the Liao Dynasty. Tong Guan had already returned, but Qin Siyuan, who always knew how to advance and retreat, stubbornly wanted to persuade the emperor again, and Li Gang stayed with him
, Emperor Jinghan's Aunt Zhou also respected these two ministers and allowed them to have a meal, but after the meal, there was still no result.
Let’s not talk about Zhou Pin’s own views. Under such circumstances, even if the emperor regrets the decision that has been made, there is no way to reverse it.
In the past few days, all kinds of news from the south have been flying in like pieces of paper, all of which are bad news. Hangzhou was besieged, and Wu Xujun's army trying to go south for rescue was blocked on the way. Suzhou Shisheng, Huzhou Gui'an Lu Xing'er, Wuzhou Lanxi Zhu Yan, Wu
Bang, Chen Shisi from Fangyanshan in Yongkang, Huo Chengfu from Jinyun in Chuzhou, Chen Houtong, Lu Shinang from Xianju in Taizhou, Qiu Daoren from Yanxian County in Yuezhou, and Demon King Zheng from Quzhou successively rebelled... Some of these people have already been on the government list.
Some of the famous rebel bandits were unknown before, but judging from the situation these days, Fang La may have been secretly communicating with everyone before the official attack on Hangzhou, planning for this day's situation to come.
Reports of these rebellions kept coming one after another in the southeast. Even though they were large and small, they effectively prevented the troops near Hangzhou from being sent to Hangzhou for rescue. In the past few days when Hangzhou was left alone, the situation in the court was as follows:
It was changing every day. The anti-foreign faction, the internal peace faction, the main war faction, and the peace faction each took out their trump cards and continued to launch offensives against each other and the emperor.
Now in the court, Tang Ke, Li Bangyan, Wu Min and others are considered representatives of the Annei faction. They don't care about conquering the Liao Dynasty, but the interests of most people around them are in Jiangnan. What they care about is the order of the war. Now the south has changed.
In this case, the rear is unstable. How to attack, it is natural to put down the rebellion as soon as possible. These words are very reasonable.
Among these Annei faction, there are certain peace factions who were originally unwilling to start a quarrel with the Liao Kingdom. They also stood with the Annei faction and fully supported the suppression of Fang La. At this time, those who were not in Bianjing
The old commander from the northwest was a teacher, and at this time he issued an urgent message to suppress Fang La, which also aroused the support of many officials.
As the left prime minister, Li Gang adhered to the right path and was originally an extremely tough fighter. But this time when the disaster in Hangzhou came, he was actually slightly shaken. He probably felt that if Jiangnan was unstable, even if the Wu Dynasty succeeded in conquering Liao, it would inevitably be damaged.
Having lost his vitality, his actions in the past few days have been somewhat conservative. In the past few days, the big figures in the court who insisted on conquering the Liao Dynasty first were not necessarily led by Qin Siyuan. After all, he had been away from politics for too many years. Even if he had power at this time, he could not
It can't be said that it was the biggest. At this time, the most resolute attitude in demanding the conquest of the Liao Dynasty and the greatest force used were Tong Guantong Daofu, who was known as the "first general of the Wu Dynasty" and was the Privy Councilor in charge of the military power at this time.
However, due to Tong Guan's toughness, when the news of the fall of Hangzhou came today, he finally knew that nothing could be done. In the end, he could not withstand the huge pressure and accepted the order to lead his army south. Only Qin Siyuan, even at the last moment, could
He always insisted on the strategy of going north. When Tong Guan recommended Wang Zhen and Yang Keshi led the army to attack the Liao Dynasty, several of Qin Siyuan's cronies also expressed some opposition. In the end, several generals were installed in the army.
After that, the meeting dispersed. Tong Guan and others went home immediately to prepare the next strategy. Qin Siyuan and Li Gang stayed behind for a while, and only then left the imperial city.
The evening wind blew, and on the imperial street outside the city, there were burning trees and silver flowers. Two old men with the highest power in the court at this time were walking on the road.
"A night of fish and dragon dancing" Qin Siyuan sighed slightly, "Shuai Zhong is a sensible person..." "Uncle Zhong Yi?" Li Gang frowned. Throughout the whole day, although some people used the idea of cultivating Shi Dao as a bargaining chip.
, but among Bian Zong at this time,
The influence of Zhongshi Dao is still not great. "Why did Siyuan suddenly talk about him?"
"If we can't conquer the Liao, we can simply negotiate a peace. In this way, the Liao will be easier to get along with than the Jin." "The south of the Yangtze River is too important. To be fair, I think we should go south first.
Siyuan also said a few days ago that if Hangzhou is lost, the vitality of our Wu Dynasty will be greatly damaged."
Qin Siyuan smiled: "Did Ji Weng also think that I was trying to grab credit today and got distracted?" In the past few days, people often used this to attack him. The most important thing for Qin Siyuan's comeback this time was that he thought
Regarding the situation in the north, others said that he was doing it for his own sake, regardless of the overall situation. Of course, after saying this, Li Gang also smiled bitterly and shook his head: "We have known Siyuan for many years, and I know that Siyuan has always been upright. When it comes to doing things, I am not as good as Yuan Yuan."
, But what happened today is really forced by the overall situation, and there is nothing you and I can do..."
The two of them walked on the street, followed by carriages and servants. Qin Siyuan was silent for a moment.
Sighing: "I don't know that the south of the Yangtze River is important, but now the north is more dangerous. If we really want to divide our troops and go south, I would rather Tong Daofu lead the army north. As for who leads the army south, that's fine..."
"Nowadays, apart from the northwest commander, the only one who can really fight in the army is Tong Daofu..."
"It's not about being able to fight, it's about whether you dare to fight or not. Ji Weng. Today, I am a comrade and want to oppose Wang Zhen, and Yang Keshi is the commander. You know the reason for this, right?" Li Gang smiled: "After all...it's because
Be a Tong Daofu."
"Yes." Qin Siyuan nodded and lowered his voice, "Doctor is the one who takes the lead in the battle. You and I both understand the reason. To put it mildly, he is an eunuch. He has taken enough money and wants to be remembered in history. He is greedy for ink. This
It's nothing. Once he wants to be famous in history, he must fight bravely. The attack on Liao is the best opportunity for him to achieve great fame. But once this opportunity is given to others, huh... Wang Zhen and Yang Keshi are all members of his Tong Family Army.
, submitted a post." Li Gang nodded: "In this way, one hundred thousand troops will go northward, and the expedition to Liao will be in vain for the time being." "It's just a waste of money and food."
Qin Siyuan answered, and the two old men walked for a while. Fireworks and firecrackers were being set off in front of a mansion in front of them. It was very beautiful. It was the mansion of Tang Ke, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Apparently, a lively banquet was also going on inside, and Tang Ke
Their victory in the court today should be considered an even greater joy.
"Qinsou's second granddaughter is getting married." Li Gang said.
"It must have been promised to Wu Min's nephew. The Wu family is highly regarded."
"
…”
After saying a few words, the two of them walked through the mansion. A young official who came over recognized them and came over to say hello. Li Gang returned the greeting and then waved with a smile. After the man left, Qin Siyuan said:
"Ji Weng also thinks that I am too determined to conquer the Liao Dynasty. What does Ji Weng think of my singing and dancing in the Wu Dynasty?"
"It's great. You and I are like this, don't we just want to keep this singing and dancing career in peace?" Qin Siyuan sighed: "But if you want to sing and dance in peace, you will lose your claws. When I was in Jiangning, there was a young man
Discuss with me. There is no difference between people. Whether they are warriors, Liao people, or Jin people, they are all the same. I have been in peace for many years in the Wu Dynasty, and there are very few people who dare to fight for their lives. Liao people
When they first started, Yelu Abaoji was so talented and strategizing. By this time, they had actually gradually lost their vigor in the trend of peace. It’s just that we lost more, and the Jurchens, they fought out from the white mountains and black water in the ice and snow, with vigor and uprightness.
Sheng, like hungry tigers and wolves. The Jurchens are invincible, and it will be the same if they let us go."
Li Gang didn't speak, and Qin Siyuan continued: "What do these people value most? It's not negotiations or conspiracy. Only the simplest power can make them treat you as an equal. Ji Weng, everyone in the court said
The Jurchens are small and it is difficult to attack our Wu Dynasty, but if they occupy a large area of land like the Liao people, wouldn't it be easy to get an army? We can't even defeat the Khitans, so why use the Jurchens?"
So I say that Zhong Shidao is a sensible man. He was afraid early in the morning and drove away the Liao people, leaving the Jurchens to take root beside the bed. This was extremely unwise. Qinsou and others did not think so. They used too much power and tactics.
I just thought that by letting the Jurchens and the Khitans kill both sides, we, the Wu Dynasty, could sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and get a big advantage. Stratagems, stratagems, what use are they used on the battlefield?"
"Ji Weng, that young man is right. What we can get by inciting the two countries to war is not a bargain, but an opportunity. You still have to reach out to pick up the bargain. In this opportunity, if our Wu Dynasty can take advantage of the Liao people
After being tired and winning several battles, the Jurchens will naturally be in awe of our Wu Dynasty. If our warriors are incompetent and just fight the autumn wind on the side and are defeated, once the Jurchens replace the Khitan, what we will face is just an old warrior.
The wolf turned into a young tiger...
Ji Weng, I'm afraid when the time comes, we will really become sinners for the ages. You guys, it's time to think of countermeasures..." Fireworks were rising, and silver flowers and fire trees were rising.
Li Gang was silent for a moment: "Who is that young man?" "A chess friend I met accidentally." Qin Siyuan smiled, "But he is now stuck in Hangzhou..."