In early November, heavy snow fell in Jiangning for several consecutive days. In the severe cold weather, in front of and behind the house, ice skates were hung like spear-like pestles under the eaves to prevent the ice skates from breaking and hitting people.
Children of three or five were running around with long bamboo poles, playing ice skates, having a great time, regardless of the heavy snow hitting their bodies and getting their coats wet.
A group of officers and soldiers, holding swords and guns in hand, escorted more than a dozen prison cars, braved the wind and snow, and drove into the city from Donghua Gate. There were men and women in the prison cars, and they must have been holding important prisoners. Behind the prison cars, they were also strung up with ropes
There was a long line of prisoners, and there were more than 200 officers and soldiers in custody alone.
Jiangning is now the new capital, and it is very eye-catching that so many prisoners are being escorted into the capital - the weather is extremely cold, and there is naturally a lot less excitement on ordinary days. The team escorting prisoners has just entered Donghua Gate, and the streets are full of excitement.
The side is crowded with people watching the excitement.
The current prison car is equipped with a notice board, which states the crimes committed by this group of prisoners. Those who are literate can read it with their heads shaking: "The former Xuzhou envoy Chen Hansan was confused by Gu Huangen. He had treason in his heart and wanted to sacrifice the city to the barbarians. He also fought with
The thieves colluded to lure the Huaidong Army into ambush, but they were defeated and fled. Chen Hansan openly raised his army to rebel in Xuzhou. The evidence was conclusive. Although it was a pity that the first thief was defeated and escaped, the youngster was captured and deported to Beijing for trial...
"
The news that Chen Hansan rebelled in Xuzhou and colluded with Yan Hu, and 50,000 soldiers and horses defeated 20,000 Huaidong Army elites under Xuzhou City, even losing their underwear, had already spread in Jiangning City.
The details of the incident were also spread miraculously in Jiangning. To set the record straight, Zhao Shuhan also deliberately demonstrated the techniques of spreading salt to melt snow and spreading charcoal to ice in Hekou Thatched Cottage to promote miscellaneous knowledge.
The scholar Qingliu suddenly understood and understood the truth, but the traffickers and lackeys knew how to teach these things and how to teach them.
In the battle of Xuzhou, although Lu Guogong Liang Xi was still trapped in Dongping, those who understood the situation were always relieved. The hidden danger of Chen Hansan was eliminated, and Huaidong elites were in front of them, so they could finally feel at ease.
Get through this winter.
When Chen Hansan rebelled, word spread, but today we see some criminals being escorted to Beijing for trial. There has always been a tradition in the world of "one person breaks the law, and the whole family is affected". Naturally, people in the streets will not be stingy with mud and snow.
, slobber, rotten cabbage and others took care of them, and some even rushed up and punched them, or smashed them with bricks and stones. It took a lot of effort for the escorting officers and soldiers to push away the crowd and go to the Penal Department Prison.
And go.
When passing Xiubai Building, the drinkers in the building were also joining in the fun. Someone with good intentions brought a basin of cold water and poured it on the head from the second floor, which also bothered the officers and soldiers nearby and soaked their bodies.
In this cold winter with a sharp north wind, it is no fun to get wet with cold water. The officers and soldiers stared angrily and wanted to rush in to find the troublemaker. The leading general also knew that the people in the city were angry about Han San's rebellion and ordered him to stop.
The subordinate left the team without permission.
At this time, a guest in Xiubai's upstairs said: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I have a few pots of wine here for the military masters to drink to keep out the cold. As an apology from Mr. Fu, I also ask the military masters from Huaidong to kill a few more mutts and traitors on the battlefield."
thief!"
Everyone praised it, and some even threw down their fur robes and said, "It's a big sin for the Huaidong Army Master to get wet. It's a big sin. Please wear a leather robe to keep out the cold..." There were even Kabuki and dancers between the windows and pavilions.
And the prostitutes who sold skin and flesh stretched out their heads, threw down their scented handkerchiefs, and looked at them flirtatiously. There were even bold people who claimed to entertain the Huaidong generals for free, which also attracted a lot of applause. No one paid attention to the people who poured ice water on the prison cars.
The female prisoner was shivering and almost froze to death.
In a small room in the Xiubai Building, two people stood in front of the window, looking coldly at everything on the street. When the team escorting the prisoners gradually faded away, they turned around and closed the window.
There is a foot stove burning in the wine pavilion for heating, using fine charcoal and sprinkled with sandalwood foam, which fills the room with sweet fragrance.
The two people drinking were both wearing green robes. One had a white face and no beard, while the other had a dark face and a long beard reaching his neck.
Looking at the excitement, a man with no beard held a pot and poured wine for another person, and said: "Now Huaidong has gathered 40,000 elites in Linzhou, and they have invited Dong Yuan and Tao Chun to lead their troops there, hoping to fight Shouzhang in Linzhou
What would Prime Minister Yue think of a showdown with Yan Hu?"
"What is the emperor thinking?" another person asked.
"The Qingzhou incident was defeated, and Liang Guogong was surrounded by Dongping again. There were no old grudges to talk about, and the sudden change in Hehuai was enough to make people's hearts rise in their throats. At that time, everyone was worried about Chen Hansan's instability. Now
We can't blame you, Prime Minister Yue, for the emperor knows it well; Chen Hansan's nail was pulled out smoothly beyond imagination, and it seems that there is no way to explain the siege of Dongping?" said the man without a need.
These two people were none other than Yue Lengqiu, who was executed and resigned as prime minister due to Liu Yefei's attack on the enemy, and Zhang Yan, the envoy of the branch and salt and iron envoy. After Chen Hansan's incident came out, Yue Lengqiu's return to the court became even more complicated.
It's a long way off.
Emperor Yongxing was inconvenient to summon Yue Lengqiu into the palace to ask for advice. He was afraid of being questioned by other ministers, so he asked Zhang Yan to meet Yue Lengqiu to inquire about state affairs.
Yue Lengqiu didn't know whether the new emperor really trusted him and valued him, or whether he was just trying to appease him. But listening to Zhang Yan's words, he knew that the emperor didn't really want to solve the siege of Dongping. He must be holding a grudge.
In order to support Liang Li, he did not want the Liang family to be united under Lu Guogong Liang Xi.
Compared with the Liang family uniting together under Lu Guogong Liang Cheng, and allowing the two brothers Liang Chengchong and Liang Chengyi to lead the army separately, the threat to Jiang Ning was much smaller.
I think so, but if the emperor exposes this idea, it will be unethical, he will be unkind to his ministers, and he will not be able to explain it to the government, the public, and the world. As far as Yue Lengqiu knows, Chen Xiyan and others are all
Supporting the solution of the siege of Dongping made the emperor even more unable to express his position. He only complained that Chen Xiyan and others would not figure out his intentions, but wanted Zhang Yan to come over and ask for advice.
Yue Lengqiu pondered for a moment and said to Zhang Yan: "Master Zhang went to find Prime Minister Chen and asked him who should lead the armies when they meet in Linzhou. We can't be in a mess, each fighting his own way..."
Zhang Yan said: "That's what I mean too. The reputation of Huaidong is now about to reach the sky. After the victory in Xuzhou, there was talk in the court that Lin Huaidong should be given the title of Duke and Duke. If he wins another great victory, he will also be
What kind of title is good? Lin Huaidong is young and would not be willing to go to court and work for the prime minister, so there is no reward. Since ancient times, it is not a good thing to have great achievements and shake the master. Why do you think Prime Minister Chen is so confused for a while?
?Besides, Xuzhou's victory was a fluke, but it can never happen again. In my opinion, it is appropriate to act according to the previous arrangement: Duke Lu broke out on his own, and the Changhuai army should take advantage of this favorable opportunity to retreat and conserve its strength, while
It’s not like we have to fight recklessly and risk all our wealth.”
Yue Lengqiu sighed softly in his heart. He knew that what he just said was in vain. Zhang Yan was also a strange person. He was not good at leading troops in battles, but he was very good at fighting. Huaidong was so powerful that if Zhang Yan
If you can't see it, you are simply blind; I'm afraid Chen Xiyan also understands this truth in his heart.
However, the great victory in Xuzhou has inspired people. If anyone in the court wants to say no to fighting, most of them will bear the reputation of being afraid of the enemy and fighting to the death. The emperor does not want to bear this, and Chen Xiyan naturally does not want to bear this either. I'm afraid it is
Dong Yuan didn't want to take the blame, but if the fight continued, no matter whether he won or lost, the outcome would not be what the emperor or Chen Xiyan and others wanted to see, so at this time someone needed to stand up and take the blame.
Yue Lengqiu has already taken too many scapegoats. He is not qualified to take the blame now, so who can he do?
As long as Tao Chun leads the Huai army to retreat from Daliang, there will be no way to continue fighting on the spot. Tao Chun will bear the charge of fear of the enemy and cowardice. But Tao Chun may not be willing to bear it. Tao Chun is a general who seeks military fame and fortune. Who can
Are you willing to bear the mark of fear of the enemy and cowardice?
Moreover, "the generals are outside, and the emperor has given orders." Even if the imperial court issued an order to withdraw the Huai army, Tao Chun might still be tempted by Lin Fu and encourage him to join forces to fight against Shouzhang's captives - so it is necessary to
Yue Lengqiu came to be the lobbyist.
"As a minister, one should relieve the emperor's worries and solve problems. General Tao is loyal to the court, and the emperor will not punish him for being timid. In addition, the She family is also showing signs of making moves on the Western Front. The emperor's intention is to
There is a minister who can rest assured to go to the Western Front to watch, and Huaidong cannot be left to shoulder everything." Seeing Yue Lengqiu fall into silence, Zhang Yan knew that Yue Lengqiu had revealed his purpose, so he simply said: The emperor does not want to
Liang Xi escaped from Dongping comfortably, and he didn't want Huaidong to make further achievements, and his achievements would shock his master.
Yue Lengqiu sighed slightly in his heart, thinking that if Lin Fu gathered troops in Linzhou, he might not be sure to drive away the enemy soldiers who gathered to help Shouzhang, but it was hard to say anything at this time. The battle of Xuzhou was all about Huaidong.
The army survived a narrow escape, but managed to win with a strange trick. Under the current situation, there was no possibility that he would appear again in the short term, but it was better to serve as a minister outside the country than to be idle in the house. He nodded and said: "To relieve the king's worries,
Nai Yue’s duty is that it’s snowing so hard in the city, so I guess the snow scene outside the city is more worth seeing, so I’ll take a trip out of the city!”
"Thank you, Prime Minister Yue." Zhang Yan said.
After talking here, Zhang Yan and Yue Lengqiu left Xiubai Tower with their retinues.
***********
In the wind and snow, dozens of riders gathered around an ordinary carriage out of Jiangning to cross the Yangtze River to the north, from Dongyang to Haozhou, then across the Huaihe River to the north of Woyang...
Although Yue Lengqiu said goodbye, his whereabouts always affected the minds of many people. Lin Xuwen soon learned that Yue Lengqiu had left Jiangning and headed north. He rushed Zhang Yubo back to Beijing to report on his work and went to a banquet at Lin Xuwen's house.
When he heard the news that Yue Lengqiu had left Beijing for the north, he threw his wine glass away in anger: "Great rivers and mountains, great rivers and mountains. If you don't take them back when you have the chance, you should hand them over to the barbarians. Where is the justice of heaven! Where is the justice of heaven!"
Ordinary officials, regardless of whether they are in office or have become official, must inform the official before leaving the capital; how could a person like Yue Lengqiu leave the capital casually? Without the emperor's acquiescence, Yue Lengqiu's private departure from the capital would inevitably stir up huge waves - everything
They were all silent, indicating that Yue Lengqiu's departure was the emperor's tacit approval.
If the imperial court wants to fight, it can just issue an imperial edict and order Dong Yuan, Tao Chun, and Liang Chengchong to be controlled by Huaidong. If they can gather an army of 140,000 in Linzhou, why do they need Yue Lengqiu, the old prime minister who is idle at home, to leave the capital to work?
?
In the past few days, several imperial edicts have been issued to reward the achievements of the northern armies, but they have been reluctant to authorize Lin Fu to take full charge of the northern front war. At this time, Yue Lengqiu left Beijing mysteriously - Zhang Yubo was not a fool, Lin Xuwen and
Huang Jinnian, who was present, was not a fool. They all guessed that the emperor did not want to continue fighting, but he wanted to save face and did not want him to personally issue an order to recall the armies on the northern front and ask Yue Lengqiu to go north to convince Dong Yuan or Tao Chuntian.
This scapegoat.
Zhang Yubo was really filled with anger. Lin Xuwen and Huang Jinnian looked at each other and agreed with Zhang Yubo, but there was really not much anger in their hearts - Lin Fu actually didn't want to fight, and Huaidong didn't bother to care about Liang Xi's life or death.