The room in the Military Aircraft Department is small and low. It was originally a small house used by local state officials to take a break when they went to Beijing to report on their duties. If you looked at it from the outside, I guarantee that no one would have thought that the Northern Han Dynasty was sitting in this shabby house.
They are considered the five most powerful people in the world.
Of course, there is no need to mention Emperor Xiao and Liu Ling. One emperor and one king, they are the top two figures in the Northern Han Dynasty. The old prime minister Lu Sen, the leader and civil servants, are far from others in terms of ability and prestige. Hou Shen, the Minister of Rites, and Pei Hao, the Minister of Punishments
They are all newly promoted ministers of the Military Aircraft Department. Although they are not as good as the old scholar Su Xiu, in terms of holy family members, Su Xiu, who has lost power, is definitely not as good as the two juniors who are being favored.
Because of Liu Ling's recommendation, Hou Shen was gradually put into use by Emperor Xiao. Especially when he went north to meet Xiao Luan, the imperial envoy of the Liao Dynasty, he handled the job well. Although Emperor Xiao couldn't give him any reward explicitly, what else could he do?
Are rewards comparable to the emperor's attention and trust?
As for Pei Hao, this young man has completely changed since he came back from Yuzhou. His youthfulness and recklessness have been washed away by the flames of war, and he has become more stable. Even his eyes are brighter, and he can shine with wisdom from time to time.
The brilliance comes.
Emperor Xiao smiled and glanced at the four people sitting in front of him. These four people were his confidants, the pillars of the Han Dynasty, and people who could be trusted by the Liu family. Except for the old prime minister Lu Sen, the oldest of the others
Hou Shen is only thirty-two years old, so as long as he doesn't make a big mistake and persists until the crown prince ascends the throne, there is obviously no problem. Pei Hao is twenty-six years old, and Liu Ling is just over twenty. These three people will be the crown prince's right-hand assistants.
Emperor Xiao was very happy. Even if he passed away in the future, he would leave these ministers to his son who could shoulder important responsibilities.
He pointed at Pei Hao and said, "Pei Hao, please repeat to Prince Zhong what I just told you."
Just as Pei Hao was about to salute, Emperor Xiao got down from the Kang, moved a horse and sat beside the stove, and said to everyone: "Don't be so formal. There are only a few of us in this room today. Don't keep bowing and saluting. Come here."
, come and talk by the stove, it’s warm here.”
He turned around and said to the two little eunuchs who were coming to help: "You all go out, go to the imperial kitchen to see if there is anything else to eat, and pick up some food for the hungry, preferably snacks. I will be on the military plane today.
I had a late night talk with some adults and told the queen that I won’t be coming tonight.”
The two young eunuchs bowed and left, leaving only five monarchs and ministers in the room. Liu Ling knew that this easy-going temperament was actually his second brother's true temperament, and he had to act like one for the sake of the majesty of the royal family.
He came with a cold look. He was the first to move the maza and sit down next to Emperor Xiao, and then used chopsticks to stir up the fire even more.
The three Lu Sens couldn't refuse, so they moved the mats and sat around the stove, but no one dared to sit down, and the way they crouched was a bit funny.
Emperor Xiao said with a smile: "Just pretend. In front of me, everyone is well-educated, humble and respectful. When you return home, who is not a master with clothes on his back, food on his hands, mouth to open his mouth, and someone to serve him? Sit down and sit down.
If you really feel uncomfortable sitting, you can just squat in front of me all night."
Several people's faces were very red, and I don't know whether they were roasted by the flames rising in the stove, or whether they were warmed by Emperor Xiao's words. Anyway, some people had red eyes, and they used the excuse of being blinded by the smoke from the fire.
Keep wiping.
After sitting down, Pei Hao did not forget his mission and repeated exactly what Emperor Xiao said just now. It is no secret that Emperor Xiao has a personal guard, the Qilin Organization, and the Qilin Guard's ability to collect information is far better than that of the Minister of Justice.
The officers under Pei Hao are much stronger. Except for the shadow guards under Liu Ling, I guess there will never be a spy organization in the Northern Han Dynasty that can compare with them.
Pei Hao said: "His Majesty just said that according to the intelligence collected by the Qilin Guards, the unusual behavior of the people in Taiyuan City these days is indeed caused by someone behind the scenes. However, it is not yet possible to find out who has such great ability.
It takes just a few days to mobilize so many lobbyists to work for you."
He thought for a while and said: "The minister also sent his trusted personnel to secretly investigate. As your Majesty said, wherever people gather, there will be a few people who spread rumors and stir up trouble and incite the people. These people seem to be very well-organized, and some people make speeches.
Someone was on guard, someone was arranging an escape route, the division of labor was clear and everything was well organized."
"Now the people in Taiyuan City have been incited by them. Every day, a large number of people gather around the yamen and the palaces of the imperial officials to protest, demanding that the imperial court send troops to conquer the Liao Kingdom. It's okay to say that the people have been fooled.
But it is said that many soldiers in the military camp are also affected by them. Although the low-level generals have restrained their subordinates, it is just a matter of thought, but they cannot control it. Now the emotions of the people and soldiers are like a pile of hay.
If a few more sparks burst out, it might really start to burn.
He sighed and said: "It can be seen from this..."
Emperor Xiao snorted, but he didn't mind being dirty. He picked up a piece of charcoal and threw it into the stove. Sparks immediately flew up from the stove.
"It can be seen that there are people who are always thinking about my country! These people have obviously planned it in advance and are waiting for an opportunity for them to jump out and cause chaos!"
Emperor Xiao said coldly.
Hou Shen saw that Emperor Xiao's face was not good-looking, and then smiled and said: "From the perspective of a humble minister, the matter is not that serious. In the past, those who rebelled and finally achieved big things have made careful preparations for a long time, and acted immediately once they found an opportunity.
, which does not give the people in power any chance to breathe. If they are exposed in advance, no one can achieve anything. It has been five or six days, and those who agitate the people have spared no effort to run to the streets to shout. I really think that His Majesty and the Manchu Dynasty
Can civil and military officials be bullied?"
Emperor Xiao didn't care about the disrespect in Hou Shen's words but nodded, looked at Liu Ling and asked: "Old Jiu, what do you think?"
Liu Ling stared at the flames in the stove, and there seemed to be a flame burning in his eyes, but his face was calm and did not show any anger.
"Your Majesty, on the surface, it seems that those people are indeed well prepared, with clear division of labor and good timing. But if you analyze it, you will find that they are not actually ready, and can even be said to be in a hurry. As Mr. Hou said
It must be said that the thieves must have made a temporary decision to incite the people to cause chaos, and they stood up so blatantly, obviously not afraid of the court knowing, or... they just did it for the court to see!"
Emperor Xiao's eyes lit up and he asked: "You mean, they are doing this just to deceive others?"
Liu Ling nodded and said: "Based on my brother's speculation, I'm afraid it's like this. Since ancient times, if you don't have military power, it's difficult to plan big things. Even if they can incite the entire people of Taiyuan Prefecture to rebel, as long as the people of Taiyuan Prefecture can
When the garrison troops march out, the common people who have no fighting ability will be controlled in an instant. And they are sparing no effort to encourage the common people to cause chaos, just to attract the attention of the court, but the real killing move is here
elsewhere."
Pei Hao asked: "As the prince said, doesn't it mean that the real crisis comes from the army?"
Lu Sen said: "Not necessarily. Most of the garrison troops in Taiyuan Mansion are brought back by the prince from the Yuzhou battlefield. It is difficult to encourage them to rebel. Even if some of the lower-level generals are bewitched, the senior officers of each battalion will
As long as the generals are still here, they will not be able to make waves."
"On the contrary..."
Lu Sen looked at Emperor Xiao and hesitated to speak.
Emperor Xiao said: "Old Prime Minister, you don't have to worry. Today we, the monarch and his ministers, can talk freely."
Lu Sen bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
He thought for a while and said: "The purpose of the rebels' rebellion is naturally to overthrow my great Han Dynasty and establish themselves on their own. If they want to overthrow my great Han Dynasty's foundation, the most important thing is not to incite the people, but... to kill His Majesty."
Emperor Xiao's expression changed and then he calmed down. He added charcoal to the stove and asked: "What the old prime minister means is to incite the people to rebel and create chaos. Taking advantage of the opportunity for the defenders in Taiyuan City to quell the rebellion, those thieves will come."
Assassinate me?"
Lu Sen bowed and said: "According to your Majesty's analysis, this is indeed a clever plan."
Emperor Xiao nodded and asked Liu Ling: "Lao Jiu, what do you think?"
Liu Ling nodded and said: "Sixty-seven out of ten this should be the case."
He added: "The soldiers and horses of the imperial army guarding the imperial city have never been to Yuzhou. Maybe there is someone among the thieves mixed in. This person does not need to be in a high position, as long as he can open the door when the thieves attack the imperial city.
The palace gate is enough. If the thieves know how to use soldiers, they will first send people to set fire to all parts of the palace to disperse the guards, and then concentrate their elite troops to attack His Majesty's palace. They are afraid that the guards inside the palace will most likely not be able to resist them.
live."
Pei Hao frowned and said, "Even so, even if the thieves break through the city gate, as long as the soldiers and horses in the capital rush to support them quickly, they may not be able to succeed."
Liu Ling smiled and said: "At this time, it is natural for someone with high moral character to stand up and shout out, and then list His Majesty's crimes, take advantage of the chaos to support a puppet as the emperor, or..."
He glanced at Emperor Xiao, and there was a deep sadness in his eyes. Although it was fleeting, Emperor Xiao could see it clearly.
"Or... the rebels are originally members of the Liu family. As long as they overthrow His Majesty's rule and stand on their own, and have the blood of the Liu family to shock the civil and military officials below, it will not be difficult to achieve great things. As long as they ascend the throne and become the emperor.
His surname is Liu, so it shouldn’t be difficult for the adults below to accept him."
Emperor Xiao only felt extremely cold, as cold as the inside and the outside. He was so cold that his face turned pale, and his broad shoulders could not stop trembling from the cold. The flames flickered, and the room was steaming, but it seemed that the stove was jumping.
Even the burning flame could not warm his heart.
Yes, as long as the emperor is still surnamed Liu, I am afraid that few of the adults below will dare to stand up and object.
