Ma Mengqi has been summoned to the palace and stands in front of Li Letian with his hands lowered.
Li Letian sat behind the long book desk and carefully looked at the flame flag handed over by Ma Mengqi. He slowly brushed it with his fingers and felt the silk threads on the flag with his fingertips.
Ma Mengqi did not raise his head, but he could still feel Li Letian's unhappiness at this moment. The hall was empty, and a depressing atmosphere was spreading.
Although Ma Mengqi didn't know where Li Letian's unhappiness came from.
After a long time, Li Letian put down the flaming flag and asked, "What do you think should be done with this flag?"
Ma Mengqi said: "It is a shameful thing to tell the world that the flag has been stolen. Now is a critical time. It can also destroy the majesty of the Rong clan."
Li Letian was noncommittal and said: "Who did this crucial thing?"
Ma Mengqi paused, suddenly realized something, and said: "Your Majesty, do you mean that someone from Liangzhou is coming?"
Li Letian nodded. The news coming from the northwest did not say that a large army was mobilized in Liangzhou. But it was not impossible for them to have a small group of troops infiltrate.
How many people the other party sent and what their purpose was... Li Letian knew nothing about these. When he noticed the other party's appearance, a big flag was already in front of his eyes.
Li Letian cursed in his heart: He should have known that Cheng Dalei was not a fuel-efficient lamp.
Ma Mengqi said: "Since the other party has presented this flag, they must support His Majesty."
Li Letian shook his head: "How can we guess the thief's thoughts? If this matter spreads, it is Cheng Dalei's name that is afraid of being publicized, not mine."
"Then... hold this thing down, or it could be said that it was the Fish Dragon Guard who did it."
Li Letian smiled bitterly: "You want to hide it, you want to deceive it? Can you hide it? If word spread, people say that I am too small to tolerate a hero."
"This..." Ma Mengqi was a little embarrassed: "I am stupid, why would you please give me some advice?"
Li Letian waved his hand: "If you pass it on, let's say that the King of Liangzhou has made great contributions to the country and is the pillar of the country. After this incident, I will be richly rewarded."
At the end of the sentence, Li Letian gritted his teeth and sounded a little vicious.
Of course he didn't want to use his own words to help Cheng Dalei become famous, but he couldn't hide this matter. If he wasn't careful, he could easily end up with a reputation of being narrow-minded.
Just giving this reputation to Cheng Dalei made Li Letian feel a little uncomfortable.
…
In today's empire, rumors are probably the fastest spreading news channel. Soon, this matter spread around Chang'an City, causing a stir in the thirteen states of the empire.
The Rong army is pressing down on the territory, and Chang'an seems to be incapable of wrestling with the Rong. Although the princes say they have strong troops and horses, they all sit back and watch. They seem to be afraid of the Rong's momentum, and they also seem to be looking forward to the day when Chang'an City is breached.
At this time, Cheng Dalei happened to appear. A master stole the flag in the middle of the night, went deep into the Rong camp, and retreated, playing with the Rong master like a child.
This incident is enough to make many people straighten their backs and feel proud for once.
The most direct manifestation of the chaos in the world is that the people are in dire straits. Because of the war, people had to abandon their family properties and flee with their families. With Chang'an City as the center, everyone fled in all directions. But the empire is so big, where can they stand?
place?
As this incident spread, everyone suddenly remembered that there was another King of Liangzhou in the northwest. Of course, the reputation of King Liangzhou was not very good, but it was said that people within the Rong clan were frightened when they mentioned this King of Liangzhou.
Being feared may not necessarily be a good thing, but at least it shows that he is not a weakling.
Among the refugees who originally planned to seek refuge in various places, some people have quietly changed their direction and plan to try their luck in Liangzhou.
It’s not just Chang’an.
Liangzhou sent more than a thousand people. Bai Yuanfei was only in charge of Chang'an, and the rest were assigned to various parts of the empire. There were one hundred and eight cities in the empire's thirteen states, and now there were people from Toad Village everywhere.
These people may not work as smoothly as Bai Yuanfei, but along the way, Cheng Dalei's reputation has been spread.
Some people, like Bai Yuanfei, performed all kinds of miracles, others showed small favors to the suffering refugees, and some people resorted to robbing the rich and giving to the poor... In short, the Eight Immortals crossed the sea and showed their magical powers.
For a time, the word "Cheng Dalei" spread like wildfire, and the whole empire was rumored to be in chaos, and the words "Toad" appeared.
It has to be said that in terms of pure propaganda, few people are Cheng Dalei's opponents. This group of people came from the world and had a lot of experience traveling in the world. After receiving special training from Cheng Dalei, each of them became incomparable thieves.
This incident slowly spread, and various princes in the empire also noticed the turmoil. But most of their energy was focused on the war in Chang'an City, and for a while they couldn't figure out what Cheng Dalei's purpose was.
The large-scale invasion of the Rong tribe shocked the whole country. Danger also meant opportunities, and Cheng Dalei was not the only one to understand this. The princes from all walks of life were ready to make a move, staring at Chang'an with eager eyes, all waiting for the opportunity to take action in order to seize the maximum benefit.
East China Sea, Luofeng City, a letter came from afar.
At this moment, the letter was spread out in front of Li Xingzai. The person discussing this matter with him was Chu Yunsheng, the number one counselor in Luofeng City.
Li Xingzai took a sip of tea and said, "What does the Chu military commander think of this matter?"
Chu Yunsheng frowned and pondered for a moment, then said: "Li Xing is sending a letter at this time. I'm afraid his intentions are not small."
Li Xingzai nodded.
This letter did not come from Chang'an, but from Li Xingzai's neighbor, Li Xing from Yangzhou.
After the incident of the Righteous Cult, the empire formed a structure of two emperors and eighteen kings. Li Letian was in Chang'an, and Li Xing was in Yangzhou. The two were in the south and the other in the north. Originally, Li Xing was not strong enough to compete with Li Letian. But judging from the current situation,
Everyone knew that Chang'an City might not be able to be defended. On the contrary, Li Xing was sitting in the south of the Yangtze River, beyond the reach of the Rong army, and his status also rose accordingly.
At this moment, a letter was delivered to Li Xingzai, saying that the world is in danger, and everyone should give up their past grudges and work together to fight the enemy. After all, we are a family, and everything can be discussed. Li Xing is willing to summon the southern princes to form a coalition of princes.
, let’s work together to support Chang’an.
"The letter is very grand. Now he invites me to Yangzhou for a gathering. According to the military advisor's opinion, should I go?" Li Xingzai asked.
Chu Yunsheng said: "Li Xing wants to summon all the princes to support Chang'an, but the problem is, what if Chang'an cannot be defended? Once Chang'an is conquered by the Rong tribe, wouldn't he, the leader of the princes, become the lord of the world?"
"I'm afraid that what Li Xing wants is a justifiable man." Li Xingzai said, "It seems I shouldn't go?"
Chu Yunsheng shook his head: "But if you don't go, I'm afraid it will be false. Li Xing will use this to launch his army, and the first one to attack is Luofeng City."
"Ha, you call a deer a horse." Li Xingzai sneered.