Ding Zhiru accompanied Yu Xinyuan, Sun Jingxuan, and Chen Huawen into the Xiashishan camp. Dong Yuan also hosted a banquet for them. After the banquet, in the name of the late weather, Yu Xinyuan, Sun Jingxuan, and Chen Huawen were arranged to rest in the camp.
In this arranged residence, Yu Xinyuan is in the east, and Sun Jingxuan and Chen Huawen are in the west. They are separated and not in the same place.
Sun Jingxuan and Chen Huawen naturally felt at ease. As long as Dong Yuan didn't refuse to see him, there would be no big problem in delaying the discussion for three to five days. Yu Xinyuan's mind was hard to settle down. Yue Lengqiu had already expressed his position in Chizhou, and Huaixi was within their reach.
The last straw.
Compared with Yue Lengqiu, Huaixi has more strength to compete with Huaidong.
There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in Huaixi, and they have been operating in Haosi, Shouzhou, Woyang, Xinyang and other places for many years. Tao Chun guarded Woyang, which was also the most important military stronghold of Huaixi on the north bank of the Huaihe River. In order to prevent Yanlu soldiers and horses
During the long-term siege of the city, Woyang City's food reserves have been maintained for more than half a year.
Even if Huaidong cuts off Huaixi's supply of food and crops, Huaixi's soldiers and horses can hold on for three to five months without causing any serious trouble.
But can the people in Huaixi fall out with Huaidong and force their own families into a situation where they will risk their lives and survive?
There was originally a mountain temple on Kip Shek Mountain, and the military camp was rebuilt according to the mountain temple. At this time, it looked like a mountain city.
The military camp was not that spacious, nor was it that comfortable. The walls of the single house where Yu Xinyuan stayed were empty, and the roof was covered with thatch. Listening to the strong wind swirling on the river and between the mountain walls, people worried about when the roof would be lifted off——
There was a brazier in the house, and the charcoal was burning sizzlingly hot in the copper basin. Yu Xinyuan felt the slightest warmth. There was a small window on the north side. When he opened it, he could see the Huaihe River under the mountain wall. The Huaihe River seemed black at night.
, the sparkling ribbon, and the sound of waves mixed with the sound of wind.
Someone was moving outside the door. The guard who was traveling north pushed the door open first and came in, announcing: "Prince Chu is here..."
Yu Xinyuan, who was almost desperate, heard that King Yuan Hancheng of Chu was visiting at this time. It was like fishing for a straw when he was drowning. He thought that there was still a chance of improvement. He immediately went out and saw King Yuan Han of Chu standing in the atrium.
, bowed repeatedly and said: "Prince Chu is so polite. If you need anything, just call me and Xinyuan will come over..."
Yuan Hancheng smiled and said: "Master Yu, you're welcome." He bowed his hands and took Yu Xinyuan's arm as he walked into the house.
"Xinyuan also stayed in Shouzhou for several days, and the emperor sent people to Juchao twice to ask for news." Yu Xinyuan ignored his manners and temptations and went straight to the topic when he entered the room and said, "Sun and Chen, although
Coming here with food and fodder, but seeking Huaidong is like seeking skin from a tiger. Prince Chu, you have always been in Xuzhou and have not suffered from Huaidong. You must be able to handle it this time!"
Yuan Hancheng asked Yu Xinyuan to sit down in front of the brazier and motioned to Yu's entourage to go out so that they could talk.
"Master Yu, I would like to ask you, if Huaidong, along with the Queen Mother's decree, establishes a new emperor in Jiangning, how should Luzhou handle it? How should Huaixi handle it?" Yuan Hancheng asked.
Yu Xinyuan was slightly startled, and then said: "As long as Huaixi supports the emperor, Huaidong will not dare to risk the world's great power!"
Yuan Hancheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "There is nothing I dare to follow. If the emperor refuses to return to Jiangning, it is almost certain that the Empress Dowager of Huaidong will establish a new emperor in Jiangning. If Mr. Yu has any other options, I will
The king can invite Mr. Dong to come and talk together. If Mr. Yu can only say these words, the king can only drink a few more glasses of wine with Mr. Yu."
Yu Xinyuan said in panic: "Prince Chu, you are always the leader of the clan, can you bear to see powerful officials bullying the imperial family?"
"It's not because of the patience, but because the situation is like this," Yuan Hancheng said, "I feel uncomfortable saying these words. When it comes to loyalty, Mr. Liu and Mr. Dong, which one is not loyal to the emperor, but Jiangnan and Jiangbei
Falling into a rupture, Huaixi is attacked from both sides and may not be able to survive even three months. The emperor has issued an edict to return to Jiangning. Although it is not so honorable, it is better than being a subjugated king..."
"Prince Chu, do you dare to say that Lin Fu has no unusual ambitions?" Yu Xinyuan asked.
"Master Yu, please listen to my honest words," Yu Xinyuan said, "The situation is like this. Drinking poison to quench thirst is a last resort. What's more, there are ministers both inside and outside who are loyal to the emperor. Duke Pengcheng will be more restrained. What is missing now
Yes, it's just time. Yue Du has no foundation in Chizhou. Huaixi has to rely on the south for food and fodder. Jinghu and Xiangtan are also subject to Changle bandits and extravagant rebellions for a while, and it is difficult to achieve great results. Given time, Yue Du has no foundation at all.
The governor has established a firm foothold in Chizhou, the soldiers and horses of Huaixi can be well clothed and fed in Shouhao and other places, and the bandits and extravagant rebellions in Changle have been eliminated. Will Huaidong still be able to carry out its ambitions? If the emperor cannot bend his ambition at this time, even if Governor Yue and we are
If the loyalty does not change, what will happen? Chizhou's food supply is still dependent on the supply of Dongyang Mansion for the time being. Without food, Yue Du will not be able to maintain 30,000 troops in Chizhou. In the end, even if Yue Du crosses the border in extravagant rebellion, it will be at this time
Increase the emperor’s bargaining chip! It’s not like Mr. Yu doesn’t know the situation Huaixi is facing..."
Yu Xinyuanku sat there, feeling confused. He originally wanted to persuade the people in Huaixi to fight against Huaidong, but he didn't expect that the people in Huaixi would persuade him in turn...
Seeing Yu Xinyuan sitting there in despair, Yuan Hancheng also felt pity for him. Everyone in Huaixi was forced to choose to compromise. Naturally, there was no sense of pride at all. They were all lost dogs.
Seeing that Yu Xinyuan was sitting speechless, Yuan Hancheng continued: "If Huaidong wants to control the government, it cannot be done overnight. Even if the Queen Mother and King Lu are willing to use Huaidong at this time, they will ultimately protect the clan. The key is that the emperor can go back
…”
Although Yu Xinyuan's heart was as cold as ashes, his mind was still spinning. What Yuan Hancheng said was indeed true.
Yuan Hancheng said painstakingly: "Master Yu may not be angry with the Queen Mother and King Lu for using it for Huaidong, but the root of this has been laid since the Ninglu dispute. The Queen Mother is used by Huaidong. In the final analysis, it is to fight for righteousness.
The struggle was for imperial power, a division between clans, which had to be exploited by Huaidong... This fight inevitably split the government and the opposition into the imperial party and the queen party. Shen Rong followed the Queen Mother into Jiangning, and the governor also submitted an apology to the Longevity Palace.
Zhezi, Liang Chengchong of Nanyang, the former Yongchang Houyuan returned to power, and Liang Chengyi of Hezhong Mansion. They have no intention of submitting to Huaidong, but their hearts are towards the Queen Mother. If the emperor is unwilling to return in Juchao, the north and the south will be divided, each supporting an emperor.
This forced Weiyang Mansion, Nanyang and Yue Du's Jiangzhou Army to stand on the same front as Huaidong, and attack Luzhou and Huaixi together... But as long as the emperor went to Jiangning, although he would surrender, the clan's
The division will no longer exist, and the situation will not be such that Governor Yue, Shen Rong, the Liang brothers and I and other Huaixi people will have to make a difficult choice between the emperor and the queen mother. The imperial party and the rear party can only be twisted into one
Only with a strand of rope can we fight against Huaidong!"
Yu Xinyuan's thoughts gradually became more active for Yuan Hancheng, and his eyes became more angry. He raised his head and looked at Yuan Hancheng, wondering how much of Yuan Hancheng's eyes were true and how false.
"Master Yu, do you think what I said is true?" Yuan Hancheng asked.
"Then someone from the Liang family is also in Shouzhou?" Yu Xinyuan asked.
"Dong Yuan went to Guoyang to inspect the camp, and before returning to Huaihe River, he met with the Marquis of Yuan in Xinyang." Yuan Hancheng also told the truth about Dong Yuan's meeting with Yuan Guizheng.
The situation is really changing. When Liang Chengchong led the remnants of the Liang family to Nanyang, Huaidong supported Liang Chengchong to establish a foothold in Nanyang, with the intention of containing Huaixi. Now, Nanyang went with Huaixi again.
The intrigues and intrigues in the court are worse than those of the handsome ministers from outside the vassal!
Indeed, once Emperor Yongxing returns to Jiangning, he will inevitably be controlled by the Queen Mother, and the divisions between clans will no longer exist. Compared with Huaidong, Nanyang will inevitably choose to stand on the same front as Huaixi.
It turned out that Dong Yuan and the others had already made plans, and now they were going to work with Huaidong to force the emperor to return the court! Yue Lengqiu was just taking the first step.
Indeed, Yue Lengqiu, the Liang brothers and everyone in Huaixi still had options and the ability to bargain with Huaidong, but he only had room for a desperate struggle.
Yuan Hancheng glanced at Yu Xinyuan's face, tried to figure out what he was thinking, and said: "Master Dong and Master Liu have also said that for the defeat of Huizhou, Xie Chaozhong, as the commander of the army, is naturally responsible for the crime, but the emperor also has to bear most of the blame.
The responsibility lies with Mr. Yu who is dedicated to serving the court. Even if he makes mistakes in his words, it is not a big mistake. Mr. Dong and Mr. Liu are willing to intercede for Mr. Yu and ask the Queen Mother to be lenient..."
Yu Xinyuan's eyes lit up. Yuan Hancheng was offering him conditions, but he also understood that the prerequisite for Huaixi to protect him was that he should obey Huaixi's arrangements and seek the greatest benefits for Huaixi when persuading the emperor to return to the capital.
Yu Xinyuan didn't have too many extravagant aspirations at this time. It was impossible for him to return to the capital with the emperor and maintain his previous power and position. Even if his official position was different, he would be sidelined, but when he was captured by the She family, he at least still
I want to save the Yu family from being confiscated and exterminated.
Speaking of which, even if he had to bear responsibility for Huizhou's defeat, it was not the crime of confiscating his family and exterminating his clan. But Yu Xinyuan really didn't dare to go back to Jiangning before reaching an agreement with Huaidong!
Who knows how many people Huaidong and the Queen Mother are going to use the defeat of Huizhou and the abandonment of the capital to purge them?
"Thank you for your love, Your Majesty." It was a matter of life and fortune, so Yu Xinyuan didn't care about his manners. He stood up and saluted, "But if there is something difficult for Xinyuan, please give me your Majesty's instructions!"
Yuan Hancheng felt a little relieved. It seemed that Yu Xinyuan cared about his own life, so everything would be easy to handle.
Jiangning has sent Liu Zhi to Luzhou to welcome him. If he really wants to successfully welcome the emperor back to Jiangning from Luzhou, Liu Zhi will inevitably divide the emperor and win over the officials who fled westward with the emperor.
Huaidong will carry out a major purge, but judging from the current situation, it is impossible for Huaidong to be bloody. In fact, it is not a condition to save Yu Xinyuan's life.
But things were chaotic when they concerned him, and when his own life was involved, it was difficult for Yu Xinyuan to think rationally about the problem. With the guarantee of Huaixi, even when Sun Jingxuan and Chen Huawen were in Shouzhou, they negotiated this condition, and Yu Xinyuan could return with peace of mind.
Go to the emperor.
With this layer of protection, Yu Xinyuan's mind became more active, and he could gradually understand the intention of Chu King Yuan Hancheng to come here on behalf of the Huaixi people: at this time, the fierce confrontation with Huaidong would only lead to a fight, and Huaixi would die first if he wanted to die;
It is in the interests of Huaixi to retreat to the next best thing and take advantage of Huaidong's urgent opportunity to welcome the emperor back to the court, strive for more favorable conditions, and establish closer alliances with Chizhou, Nanyang, even Jinghu, and Xiangtan - at this time
Huaixi has regarded the emperor as a pawn to be used instead of protecting the emperor. However, Huaixi cannot directly control the emperor. If he wants to use the emperor to gain more and more direct benefits for Huaixi, there is no one more suitable than Yu Xinyuan at the moment.
chosen.
Thinking of this, Yu Xinyuan no longer just wanted to save his family and life. Huaidong certainly didn't want to cause any further complications in the emperor's return to court. Thinking of this, Yu Xinyuan secretly thought: Maybe he should talk to Sun Jingxuan and Chen Huawen tomorrow?g!