Zhao Hu personally led two battalions of elite soldiers on a galley and speedboat, followed by Gao Zongting and Sun Wenbing first, secretly rushed to Jiangning, and landed on Prison Island in the early morning of the 25th.
Gao Zongting's premonition was correct. As soon as he landed on Prison Island, Lin Xulu, who stayed on Prison Island, told him about the latest developments in Jiangning City: "As soon as Prime Minister Lin and Master Huang left Jiangning, rumors spread that Prime Minister Lin and Master Huang
Abandon Jiangning first, Huaidong will sit back and watch the destruction of Jiangning City... Yesterday alone, rumors spread in Jiangning City like wind and rain."
"Before She Feihu, Du Rong had been running the She family in Jiangning for many years, and it was not easy to dig them out..." Gao Zongting was not surprised. He served as Li Zhuo's staff in his early years and had been in Jiangning for a long time. He was very familiar with Jiangning City.
The various situations here are also quite clear. Behind the rise of rumors and the matter of admonishing Emperor Yongxing to go out to Jiangning to patrol Huaixi, there must be shadows of the She family's secret stakes causing trouble, but Emperor Yongxing, Chen Xiyan and others
Everyone was on guard against Huaidong, even Lin Xuwen and Huang Jinnian's power was greatly restricted. No matter how hard Huaidong tried, it was impossible to eradicate all the hidden thorns of the She family for Jiangning. At this time, Sun Wenbing, Lin Xulu and others were restricted from entering and leaving Jiangning.
, let alone use Huaidong's power to stop the spread of rumors in Jiangning City.
Gao Zongting said helplessly: "...Rumors are spreading widely, which will shake the morale of the Imperial Army and the people in the city. It depends on whether the court has the means to stop it in time, otherwise the situation will be very unhappy. However, even if it has a negative impact on Huaidong
, and easy to eliminate.”
Sun Wenbing thought about it, Huaidong's goal this time was ambitious, and many things could not be blocked from the world. If he was worried about this and that, nothing would be accomplished.
Although there are some rumors that are unfavorable to Huaidong, if Jiang Ning really can't keep it, the responsibility cannot be put on Huaidong. Instead of worrying about Huaidong's reputation being affected, it is better to worry about whether Jiang Ning has the means to contain the rumors in time.
.
If the rumors continue to spread wildly, how much morale will the already vulnerable imperial army have left to defend the city?
If only Sun Wenbing was here, Lin Xulu could still rely on his identity as the Lin family to make decisions on many matters. At this time, Gao Zongting and Zhao Hu came in person, and Lin Xulu knew how to advance and retreat, and asked: "What should we do now?"
, or stay on the prison island and watch?"
Gao Zongting told Lin Xulu the speculation that Emperor Yongxing might abandon Jiangning and flee, and asked: "Have you contacted Zhao Shuhan and Zhang Yubo?"
"We have sent people to the gate," Lin Xulu said. "Zhao Shuhan and Zhang Yubo are not willing to leave the city, and the old Duke Zeng is also unwilling to leave the city. No matter how hard he tries to persuade him, it is of no use. What, did Old Seventeen specifically give the order? Did he send some people?
Go into the city for safety?"
"Well," Gao Zongting nodded. Before leaving, Lin Fuyou mentioned the safety of Zhao Shuhan, Zhang Yubo, Mu Guogong and others, but they were unwilling to leave the city and could not be kidnapped. He said, "If the emperor really wants to leave the city, they
He may also follow him out of the city; even if he fails to come out, the She family cannot kill indiscriminately..." It is a pity that there are only a few officials who are willing to live and die with Jiangning City.
Sun Wenbing had nothing to say. Jiangning was really about to fall. Tens of thousands of soldiers from the She family entered. Their most important thing was to defend the prison island. Even if they sent three to five hundred people into Jiangning, they could not defeat Zhao Shuhan under the noses of the She family.
Zhang Yubo rescued them. Now the She family is massacring and plundering in Xuanzhou, Mingjiang, and Lishui, mainly targeting civilians, prestigious gentry, and noble relatives, but they dare not kill them arbitrarily.
Zhao Shuhan, Zhang Yubo, and Zeng Laogong were very prestigious in their own right. If the She family caught them, they would be imprisoned, and the possibility of directly killing them was not high.
Perhaps Gao Zongting, who frowned, should consider how much impact the increasingly crazier rumors would have on the officials in Jiangning City.
The She family is now launching troops to massacre and plunder in Xuanzhou, Mingjiang, Lishui and other places. This can only have two consequences: one is to make Jiangning's soldiers and civilians more determined to defend the city, and the other is to do the opposite and make Jiangning's soldiers and civilians more fearful.
, the intention to escape.
Because even if they surrender, they may not be able to escape the fate of massacre. Maybe more people want to escape from the life of right and wrong, but few people have the courage to live and die with Jiangning City.
The She family made it clear that they were not determined to occupy Jiangning for a long time. Even when Huizhou received sufficient supplies, they launched troops to massacre and loot. Basically, they wanted to destroy the foundation of Jiangning's periphery so that the She family could get sufficient rest and recuperation after occupying Jiangxi.
opportunity - after the fall of Jiangning City, it will definitely be a disaster for the millions of people in the city.
The She family expressed its position through massacre and plunder. How many officials in Jiangning are willing to live and die with Jiangning City?
A few days ago, the officials of the Procuratorate invited Emperor Yongxing to patrol Huaixi, which was just an introduction. Although Emperor Yongxing was reprimanded and punished with a court staff, once a hole is made in the human heart, it is difficult to close it.
.
Lin Xuwen and Huang Jinnian, to put it nicely, were going out of the city to urge the governor, but to put it badly, weren't they just fleeing Jiangning, a place of right and wrong, to protect their own safety first, as the rumors said?
If officials kept urging Emperor Yongxing to go out of the city to patrol Huaixi for the sake of his own safety, would Emperor Yongxing still persist? In fact, as long as this situation occurs, people's hearts will be shaken and morale will fluctuate, Jiangning will no longer be able to defend it.
.
Perhaps the most important thing at hand is to consider what they should do when Emperor Yongxing abandons Jiangning and flees. Do they really need to send troops to intercept him?
Gao Zongting had to consider the possibility that Emperor Yongxing would abandon the city and flee to Huaixi. Zhao Hu's immediate priority was to secure the defense of Prison Island.
After Lin Fu left Jiangning, Lin Xulu purchased all the land on Prison Island on behalf of the Lin family and the Dongyang Township Party. Prison Island is close to Jiangning City, so it is impossible to build a strong defense wall directly on Prison Island, but there are protections built along the island.
wall.
The protective walls are all made of huge stones and plastered with mortar mixed with glutinous rice. Although the chest-high stone walls are not thick, they are extremely strong.
The stone wall was built on the water level in summer, when the river water is low, and a large swath of river beach is exposed outside the stone wall. However, a temporary wooden pile wall was built around the beach where it is easy to land, and the roundabout is also covered with iron thorns and pits.
A large number of people have been evacuated from the river mouth. Even if they can be evacuated to the north bank, unless they go back to their hometown in Dongyang, they can only sleep in the open air on the north bank. More people prefer to stay on Prison Island to wait and see the situation.
Fortunately, the previous prison cell was very large, but it was later converted into a warehouse and many more warehouses were built. Before Zhao Hu and the others came over, the prison island was not crowded.
After Zhao Hu saw it, he said resolutely: "Except for the Xiangyong family, everyone else will use boats to evacuate the north bank. The She family does not have the ability to survive the Chaotian Dang, and the north bank is safe; on the contrary, after the fall of Jiangning, the She family
They will definitely send troops to pull out the prison island as a nail..."
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The sunlight at noon cannot penetrate into the deep and spacious Wenhua Hall, and the light inside the hall is dim.
The sun finally came out, but the weather became more and more gloomy and cold. As time went by, Yuan Jianwu gradually lost his patience and became more and more irritable. The maids and eunuchs were cautious, fearing that they would be beaten if they made the slightest mistake.
Punished with a cane and given half of his life.
"Have Huaidong's soldiers and horses left Xiaoshan? Why is there any news from Chizhou?" Yuan Jianwu paced back and forth in the hall and asked sharply, "Lin Fu is a slippery man.
Will Yue Lengqiu also betray my trust?"
Zhang Yan was speechless. He couldn't provoke the emperor at this time. Even if he guessed that Yue Lengqiu might be trying to preserve his strength, he could only say a few words of kindness to him first: "Jiangzhou is under attack, and the generals are clamoring to go back."
First, the siege of Jiangzhou was relieved. Prime Minister Yue finally suppressed it, but Chizhou was short of food and it was not easy for the army to move. Counting the time, Prime Minister Lin should be able to reach Chizhou today. As long as the Jiangzhou army moves, it will be quick, and they will enter Nanling from Qingyang.
As long as the Jiangzhou Army enters Yijiang, it will prevent the rebels' right wing from extending, and then all they have to do is wait for the Huaidong Army to come over..."
"What about Huaidong?" Yuan Jianwu asked impatiently. "The snow has stopped and the sun has risen. Huaidong soldiers and horses should also be heading north from Xiaoshan. Why can't they see any movement?"
"Snow melts and the road becomes slippery. The weather here in Jiangning is cold and the wind blows all night, so the wet soil can freeze solid. The climate in Hangzhou and Huzhou is warmer than Jiangning, so the road will be even more difficult to travel after snow." Zhang Yan
said.
"It's hard to do this, it's hard to do that," Yuan Jianwu said sternly, "We can't wait until Jiangning is captured by the She family and everything becomes easy, right?"
"Your Majesty, calm down..." Zhang Yan said.
The Huangmen eunuch trotted in and reported: "Wang Xueshan, the Minister of Household Affairs, is asking for an audience outside the palace..."
"What is he here for?" Yuan Jianwu snorted coldly. After the defeat of Yuling Pass, although he captured Xie Chaozhong and Liu Zhi and imprisoned him, he still resented Wang Xueshan in his heart. He thought to himself: If Wang Xueshan hadn't stood up and interfered, he would have been killed.
Chen Xiyan might have stopped Xie Chaozhong from sending troops, and the following series of events would not have happened.
"It is said that there is something secret to tell." Huangmen eunuch replied.
"Let him come in!" Yuan Jianwu said impatiently.
"Wei Chen, please retire first." Zhang Yan said.
"If Wang Xueshan has any secrets, please stay and listen." Yuan Jianwu said.
After a while, Wang Xueshan came in with the Huangmen eunuch and saw Zhang Yan in the palace. He kowtowed and said, "I have something urgent to tell you..."
"If you have anything to say, tell me quickly. Zhang Yan doesn't need to avoid it," Yuan Jianwu said.
Wang Xueshan rolled his eyes twice. Zhang Yan here was beyond his expectation. He was worried that he would find a flaw, but after they left the Wenhua Hall, he could only continue speaking, "I have received a secret report.
King Hailing and the Queen Mother had secretly received the Huaidong Army’s military camp in Chongzhou three days ago..."
"What, Huaidong is so brave!" Yuan Jianwu suddenly stood up and glared at Wang Xueshan, as if Wang Xueshan had taken over King Lu.
Zhang Yan knew that this matter was not a trivial matter, and regardless of the lack of etiquette, he asked Wang Xueshan sternly: "Master Wang, what is the basis for saying this?"
"What basis do you need? Huaidong's soldiers and horses have not moved yet. Isn't this the idea!" Yuan Jianwu lost his mind and asked Zhang Yan sternly, "Even now, are you still trying to defend Huaidong?"
Zhang Yan repeatedly confessed, and Wang Xueshan was sweating. Although he had prepared witnesses, he was afraid that Zhang Yan, Chen Xiyan and others would find flaws. Unexpectedly, the emperor was the first to believe him.
Although he said this, Wang Xueshan still said cautiously: "I have always been at odds with Duke Pengcheng, and everyone in Jiangning City knows it. Duke Pengcheng has risen in Jiangning, and he is good at using ruthless means, so I have to be on guard. Therefore, I sent
The informant was recruited to work in the Pengcheng County Duke's Mansion, thinking that it was a spy. It was secretly passed down in the Pengcheng County Duke's Mansion that King Hailing entered the Huaidong Military Camp. When my informant learned that this matter was not trivial, he immediately sneaked out of Chongzhou and returned to Jiangning to report to the minister.
; In addition, both inside and outside the Hailing Palace are also soldiers of the Huaidong Army, making it difficult for outsiders to approach..."