At night, the pouring rain still continued, and the temple community south of Fanchuan was shrouded in the autumn rain. The military camp next to the temple to the north was endlessly shadowed in the rainy night. Countless lanterns and torches swayed and flickered in the rain, making it a melancholy scene. …
The central tent was lit with candles. Cheng Yaojin got a jar of fine wine from somewhere and asked Huotoujun to prepare two side dishes. He was sitting in the tent pouring and drinking when he was knocked over by Niu Jinda who came in a hurry.
Seeing his general drinking in the military camp, Niu Jinda was speechless, turned around and walked out without saying a word.
Cheng Yaojin quickly stopped: "What are you going to do? Come back!"
Niu Jinda stopped and said with an expressionless face: "The commander of the first army not only failed to lead by example, but took the lead in violating military disciplines, and his crime was increased. I will go to the general Zhong Sima to find him, and follow the military order to inform the entire army about the commander's drinking, and then Punished in accordance with military law."
Cheng Yaojin was afraid of this stubborn bull, knowing that he could do what he said and do. He always regarded the military regulations of military aircraft as supreme, and would show no mercy even if he, the commander, violated military regulations.
He quickly stood up, pulled Niu Jinda back, pressed his shoulders to sit down, and then poured the wine himself. He restrained his usual domineering attitude and carefully apologized: "I didn't mean to violate military regulations, but the situation is tense right now, and I'm faced with a choice. I am really at a loss, as if no matter what I choose, I am wrong, and I am really depressed and worried, so I drink to relax and clear my mind so that I can make the best choice... Please spare me this time."
If the commander of a dignified army is escorted by his deputies and punished in front of the entire army, how can he lose face?
It is much better to lose face in front of Niu Jinda alone than to lose face in front of tens of thousands of people. This account will still be settled...
Niu Jinda glanced at Cheng Yaojin who was smiling apologetically beside him, shook his head helplessly, and sighed: "With your temper, you will suffer a big loss sooner or later, so why not take advantage of this opportunity to completely remove your armor and return to the fields to enjoy your family life?" With your meritorious deeds, as long as you do not interfere with the government affairs, whoever sits on the throne will be blessed with good graces and become a good king and minister."
"You are a stubborn person. In my current position, it is like sailing against the current. How can I retreat if I want to?"
Cheng Yaojin also shook his head, sat down and sighed: "Power is like a double-edged sword. When you have it, you will be full of energy and honor, but when you lose it, you will fall into the dust. Anyone can step on us." One kick, how can I bear this?"
He drained a glass of wine in one gulp, took a bite of food, and asked, "Why are you here in such a hurry?"
Niu Jinda looked at the wine glass in front of him, thought about it, drank it, put down the wine glass, wiped the wine stains from his mouth, and said: "Just now news came from Chang'an that Li Jing killed Liu Yanjing, and his head was displayed to the public, and his head was circulated throughout the army. , Liu Dewei went to intercede but was driven away by Li Jing. Now the whole Guanzhong is in an uproar because of the news of Liu Yanjing's death. Not only the forces from all over the place who were close to the "Yuancong Hero" are complaining, but even the clan is in commotion. , I’m afraid it won’t be able to end soon.”
"As expected of Duke Wei, he is as decisive in killing as before!"
Cheng Yaojin praised it, took a sip from Niu Jinda's filled wine glass, squinted his eyes and stroked his beard, and said in deep thought: "I'm afraid this matter was planned by Duke Wei in advance. Liu Yanjing's death is not a pity, but it can This completely stirred up the atmosphere in Chang'an, making those who were not subordinate to His Majesty feel the danger and couldn't wait to jump out."
This is similar to their original guess, and Li Jing's move must have been authorized by His Majesty, and his intention was to lure the snake out of its hole.
Rather than letting those disobedient people hide and hinder them at every step in the future, it is better to let those people jump out one by one and put labels on their foreheads and cut them off one by one...
Niu Jinda frowned, still puzzled: "These seem reasonable, but the premise is that His Majesty can rely on the power loyal to him to completely defeat the King of Jin and quell the rebellion... Now that Yuchi Gong is attacking Chang'an City, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction of the entire Guanzhong garrison.
, To be honest, Your Majesty is already at a disadvantage and the situation is extremely unfavorable, so why are you still in the mood to reject dissidents?"
To put it bluntly, you have to secure your position as emperor before you consider whether your ministers are loyal or traitorous. If you can't even secure the throne and be taken away, what's the point of who is loyal and who is traitorous?
Judging from the current situation, it is clear that the King of Jin has the upper hand. Once someone from the garrison in Guanzhong openly responds, or even sends troops to attack Chang'an, the emperor will be in a desperate situation...
"Do you think everyone is as clueless as you? We can see this, and others can naturally see it, too, and will have the same questions. So let me ask you, before you fully understand
Do you dare to respond to King Jin before knowing the emperor's true identity?"
"Uh... probably not? Since I didn't attach myself to King Jin at the beginning, then naturally it won't be too late. Anyway, the power of following the dragon has been greatly reduced, it is better to wait until the situation is basically clear before making any decisions.
Choice, while the benefits are certainly small, the risks are almost none.”
In the final analysis, it is all about interests.
In the early days, relying on the King of Jin could indeed gain the greatest political benefits. However, at that time, the King of Jin was just a "rebel" with a bleak future. Anyone who relied on the past would have to bear great risks. Now that the situation is gradually becoming clearer, the advantages of the King of Jin are gradually increasing.
Increased, the risk of taking refuge in the past has been reduced, but since we have waited until today and let the profits shrink, why not just wait a little longer and wait until the risk is infinitely small before taking action?
Cheng Yaojin nodded and analyzed: "This is exactly the reason, so when we have questions about His Majesty's actions, everyone will try to figure out why His Majesty is so confident. No one will rush into it without understanding this.
Responding to King Jin, after all, no matter how small the risk is, it is still a risk. Since you have waited until today, why not continue to wait? So you watch, before His Majesty’s real killing move appears, no one will jump out to respond to King Jin, even if Yuchi Gong fights
When he reaches Chang'an City, or even enters Chang'an City, the King of Jin will still fight alone."
At this moment, he even wondered whether the reason why His Majesty caused so many twists and turns inexplicably was because he was deliberately singing an "empty city strategy", so as to create suspicion and make others suspicious, so as not to unscrupulously raise troops to respond to the King of Jin...
The soldiers came in from outside and reported: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin sent someone here to say that he had a letter to deliver to the commander-in-chief."
Cheng Yaojin said: "Let people come in."
Niu Jinda: "King Jin sent someone here at this time. It's obvious that he can't sit still."
Cheng Yaojin snorted: "Li Jing's execution of Liu Yanjing caused a sudden upsurge in Guanzhong. The King of Jin naturally believed that the time had come and should concentrate all his efforts to attack Chang'an and deliver the final fatal blow to His Majesty... But things will not be that simple.
"
Niu Jinda wanted to ask again, but the soldiers had already led the people in.
The visitor was dressed in the uniform of a school captain and covered with leather armor. He was handsome and young. He knelt on one knee in front of Cheng Yaojin and performed a military salute: "The last general Wei Zhenzai, by order of His Royal Highness the King of Jin, has a letter to deliver to Duke Lu.
"
Cheng Yaojin looked Wei Zhenzai up and down and nodded slightly. Niu Jinda stood up and took the letter from Wei Zhenzai's hands and handed it to Cheng Yaojin.
Cheng Yaojin took it, first checked the seal, and after confirming that it was correct, he took out a dagger from his waist and opened the sealing seal, took out the letter, read it at a glance, then put the letter on the table and was silent.
Wei Zhenzai raised his head, glanced at Cheng Yaojin, and said respectfully: "Your Highness is still waiting for Duke Lu's reply."
Cheng Yaojin thought for a while and said calmly: "Go and reply to His Highness. The veteran will immediately reorganize the army. After all the troops are assembled, they will go north to Fengqiyuan to join His Highness."
"Well! Then I will leave for now."
Wei Zhenzai saluted again, then stood up, exited the tent, and returned to the King of Jin to report.
Inside the tent, Niu Jinda had finished reading the letter and frowned: "The King of Jin has rushed to Fengqiyuan overnight and will arrive at midnight. We should also quickly gather the soldiers to break camp and set off, otherwise it will be difficult to arrive at the agreed time."
On the letter, the King of Jin implored Cheng Yaojin to lead his army to Fengqiyuan to join forces, and then an army of more than 100,000 people launched a fierce attack on Mingdemen.
Cheng Yaojin picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. He glanced at Niu Jinda and said disapprovingly: "Tens of thousands of troops gathered to break camp on a rainy night. All the food and supplies must be carried, weapons and weapons must be distributed in place, all departments must coordinate and communicate, and the marching route must be
Re-draft... How can we leave as soon as we want? It will take three or two days to prepare, so we can't rush it."
Niu Jinda's eyes widened, what kind of trick is this old guy playing?
Now that you have agreed to rely on the King of Jin, you should go all out to help the King of Jin enter Chang'an to usurp the throne. It is now a critical moment. After joining forces with the King of Jin, it is natural to concentrate all your forces to attack Chang'an and capture it in one fell swoop to avoid long nights and dreams.
.
Let the King of Jin write an invitation but ignore it, or even deliberately delay it. What do you want to do?
It's so slippery and has no credibility...
Seeing his confused look, Cheng Yaojin looked disgusted: "I used to think you were just stubborn and stubborn, but now I realize you are a fool! For us, the most important thing right now is not who we stand for.
Instead of maintaining our strength, without these tens of thousands of soldiers, even if we rush into Chang'an City and enter the Tai Chi Palace, do you think we will get what we want in the future?"
Niu Jinda opened his mouth but stopped talking.
Cheng Yaojin patted him on the shoulder and sighed: "Besides, these tens of thousands of men under my command have been with me for many years. They have conquered the east and west and conquered the south and the north. How can I have the heart to use their lives to exchange for the establishment of a feudal country for myself?"
Is the country prosperous and wealthy? If we can survive this crisis peacefully, we will be satisfied."
Niu Jinda was a little moved. He had always thought that Cheng Yaojin was a person who put interests first and would do anything to achieve his goals. Although he was very kind to him, he was not a soldier-loving person. Although he understood the reason why Cheng Yaojin said this
It is because it is no longer possible to seek more benefits, otherwise even if the whole army is involved, he will not hesitate... But no matter what, he can put the lives of the soldiers, generals and commanders first even though he knows that he cannot obtain more benefits.
, is already benevolent and righteous enough.
Looking around the world, there are very few people who can do this.
The entire Zuowuwei is Cheng Yaojin's army. They are all Cheng Yaojin's people from top to bottom. They charge into battle and die for the sake of his personal honor and disgrace. This is a matter of course...
The tent was quiet for a moment, with raindrops pattering outside the tent. After a long time, Niu Jinda asked: "I am afraid that the commander-in-chief's move has completely offended His Highness the King of Jin. I don't know how to turn things around?"