Liu Xiu pondered for a while and then asked: "If General Feng is transferred back, who can be the commander-in-chief of the Western Army?"
Wang Yuan replied: "This matter should be decided by Your Majesty!"
Liu Xiu took a deep breath and said: "No one in the current court can succeed General Feng!" As he spoke, he looked around. At present, the generals in the court who are good at fighting are all away at war. The only ones who can take on important tasks are the right generals Deng Yu and
Jia Fu, the general of the left.
Deng Yu used to be the commander-in-chief of the Western Expeditionary Army, but was replaced by Feng Yi due to unfavorable battles. Now it is impossible to transfer Deng Yu back to the Western Expeditionary Army. Jia Fu lacks the experience of leading a large army and is not suitable to be the commander of the Western Expeditionary Army.
’s commander-in-chief.
Wang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, since General Feng made a mistake, he should be transferred back to the capital to hold him accountable!" His duty is to supervise whether the emperor has done anything inappropriate. As for who can succeed Feng Yi, that is not what he needs to consider.
matter.
Liu Xiu looked at Wang Yuan and said, "Let's talk about this later! General Feng is a great talent!" The implication was that with Feng Yi's talent, although he made mistakes, he could be tolerated and forgiven.
When Wang Yuan heard this, he immediately frowned and said meaningfully: "The kings of subjugated countries are all talented! Xia Jie is talented, and Shang Zhou is also talented!"
As soon as he said these words, all the ministers present changed their faces. Some ministers opened their mouths without realizing it, with a look of horror on their faces.
Liu Xiu was furious. Wang Yuan took Xia Jie and Shang Zhou as an example. Did he compare himself to Xia Jie and Shang Zhou, or did he compare Feng Yi to Xia Jie and Shang Zhou? Liu Xiu was so angry that his liver hurt, and he said angrily: "It's simply
What nonsense!"
Wang Yuan didn't realize that what he said was wrong. He was an admonishing official. If the emperor made mistakes, he would have to find fault. If the emperor he offended was killed by the emperor, he would be able to leave his name in history.
Throughout the ages, officials have had this problem, that is, they are not afraid of death. If they are really executed by the emperor, it will seem to have accomplished the greatest achievement in their lives. By the Ming Dynasty, this trend reached its peak.
Of course Liu Xiu would not kill Wang Yuan because of his improper example, but he was really bored. He frowned and said, "I will consider this matter carefully."
Although Wang Yuan publicly pointed out that Liu Xiu was wrong for not punishing Feng Yi, Liu Xiu still did not listen to Wang Yuan.
The Sanfu area was not at peace. Gongsun Shu was ready to make a move in Shu and sent troops to harass Sanfu from time to time. Weixiao in the north ignored the court's orders and kept accumulating strength.
Both the south and the north were troubles for Sanfu and even Luoyang. At this time, it was impossible for Liu Xiu to transfer Feng Yi back to Luoyang from Chang'an.
Luoyang didn't have any feelings about Gongsun Shu. After all, they were too far apart. If they had any feelings, it was that some time ago, Gongsun Shu launched a public opinion war and spread prophecy books that were unfavorable to Liu Xiu. In the end, Liu Xiu successfully resolved it and
It didn't cause much of a stir.
But Chang'an is different. The Sanfu area is full of Gongsun Shu's secret agents and spies, and some local officials have long been secretly bribed by Gongsun Shu to work for Gongsun Shu.
Like the Chang'an Order who was executed, Feng Yi had long since discovered that he had frequent contacts with Gongsun Shu's people. Feng Yi had remained calm. However, the Chang'an Order's seizure of military rations touched Feng Yi's bottom line. There was no food in the army.
, then it’s still okay?
The soldiers do not need to receive military pay and have no money to spend, but they must not not have enough to eat. This is a major event that will cause the soldiers to mutiny. Chang'an ordered to step on this red line, how can Feng Yi tolerate him?
The people in Chang'an all addressed Feng Yi as King Xianyang. This was also the result of Gongsun Shu's people secretly bewitching him. In fact, for Gongsun Shu, the biggest threat was not Luoyang. Luoyang's soldiers and horses could not reach Shu for a while.
Wei Xiao is not a threat. Wei Xiao is not stupid enough to fight for Liu Xiu and himself. His biggest threat is Feng Yi. Feng Yi has a hundred thousand Western Expedition Army under his command. This Western Expedition Army has experienced successive campaigns against Liu Xuan,
After a series of wars such as the campaign against Chimei and the annihilation of Deng Feng, they were experienced, brave and adept at fighting. The Western Conquest Army was in Sanfu. It not only defended Sanfu impregnably, but also posed the most direct threat to Shu.
No matter how powerful the Western Expeditionary Army is, it will not be a problem if it does not have an excellent general.
The terrible thing is that the commander-in-chief of the Western Army is Feng Yi. This general of the Han army is not interested in money or women. He is indifferent to fame and wealth. He is very good at running the army and fighting. For Gongsun Shu, Feng Yi has become
A thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh.
In order to get rid of Feng Yi, or to get Feng Yi away, Gongsun Shu took a lot of pains.
However, Feng Yi's position in the Western Conquest Army has always been stable and difficult to shake. Even Feng Yi privately executed the Chang'an Order and was called the King of Xianyang by the people of Sanfu, but he failed to offend Liu Xiu and was not transferred by Liu Xiu.
Gongsun Shu was left at a loss.
Shu land, Chengdu, imperial palace.
Gongsun Shu came to Mo Yan to discuss the matter of the third assistant in private. He paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, frowning, and said with a frown: "I have done what you asked, let Chang'an order
He withheld military rations and instigated the people of Sanfu to call Feng Yi King of Xianyang, but as a result, there was still no movement at all in Luoyang."
Feng Yi, who is stationed in Sanfu, is a roadblock. As long as Feng Yi is there, it will be impossible for him to send troops to occupy Sanfu.
Mo Yan looked at Gongsun Shu, smiled slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, Liu Xiu and Feng Yi have a close friendship. In the early years, Feng Yi even saved Liu Xiu's life. Liu Xiu's trust in Feng Yi is far greater than that of others."
.Some time ago, Wang Yuan, the admonishing doctor in Luoyang, accused Liu Xiu of not acting against Feng Yi."
Gongsun Shu spread his hands and said, "But Liu Xiu still didn't transfer Feng Yi from Chang'an after all!"
Mo Yan nodded, this matter was indeed more difficult than he originally thought. Mo Yan rolled his eyes, smiled calmly, and said: "Your Majesty, do you think Liu Xiu can really trust Feng Yi without the slightest doubt?
?”
Gongsun Shu was startled, blinked, and thought about it carefully. If a general under his command commanded a hundred thousand soldiers and was stationed thousands of miles away, it would be difficult for even his closest confidants to be 100% trustworthy.
He shook his head slowly and said, "Probably not."
"Since it won't happen, and Liu Xiu hasn't transferred Feng Yi yet, this can only mean one thing."
"What's up?"
"We haven't done enough."
"Isn't it enough?" Gongsun Shu said in surprise: "Feng Yi privately executed the local county magistrate, and the people of the three auxiliaries called him the King of Xianyang. Isn't this enough?"
Mo Yan said quietly: "At least Liu Xiu was not directly injured."
"How can we directly hurt Liu Xiu?" Gongsun Shu asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Mo Yan lowered his eyes and said: "Liu Xiu is in Luoyang, but he knows the counties and even local officials under his rule. How does he rely on it?"
"Envoy."
"Yes!" Mo Yan nodded and said, "Now the imperial envoys travel frequently between Chang'an and Luoyang. If an imperial envoy suddenly dies in Chang'an, can Liu Xiu still trust Feng Yi that much?"
Gongsun Shu was secretly surprised. In Chang'an, Liu Xiu's envoy was assassinated?
Mo Yan smiled and continued: "Killing the Chang'an order and calling the people King Xianyang. Although these two things are not enough for Liu Xiu to transfer Feng Yi back to Luoyang, they are enough to cause a rift in the trust between the two. If Liu Xiu
If Xiu's imperial envoy dies in Chang'an, Feng Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, will be able to reach his end."
When Gongsun Shu heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he couldn't help but nod his head. The imperial envoy was not a high official, but he was Liu Xiu's confidant. He was personally appointed by Liu Xiu and was directly responsible to Liu Xiu's confidants.
If the imperial envoy died in Chang'an, especially under the current circumstances, Liu Xiu would definitely suspect Feng Yi.
The corner of his mouth curled up and he said, "Okay! I'll leave it to my husband's opinion on this matter!"
Mo Yan raised his hands to Gongsun Shu and said, "Your Majesty, let me leave this matter to my ministers."
"Very good."
When the imperial envoys inspect places, they usually wear casual clothes so as not to attract the attention of local officials.
Some time ago, an imperial envoy impeached Feng Yi, but Liu Xiu did not deal with it. Recently, the imperial envoy came to Chang'an frequently.
Whether Feng Yi is loyal or not is very important. After all, he is the commander-in-chief of the Western Conquest Army. He has 100,000 brave and capable soldiers under his command. Once Feng Yi changes his mind, it will pose a direct threat to Luoyang, and Lantai dare not be careless.
Li You, the censor Zhongcheng, specially sent his confidant Li Bing to stay in Sanfu to monitor Feng Yi's every move. Li Bing was ordered to come to Chang'an and settled in Chang'an as a businessman.
Even though Li Bing is Li You's confidant, he doesn't often visit the road. Not to mention that the officials in Luoyang don't know that a person like him exists, and the officials in Chang'an don't even know who Li Bing is.
But Li Bing, whose identity was so secretive, was found out by Gongsun Shu's informants, or more precisely, by Mo Yan's men. On the fifth day of his arrival in Chang'an, Li Bing and even more than ten of Li Bing's people were found out.
All his men died in the inn.
For Chang'an, this was a vicious murder. However, when inspecting the body, the officials discovered the censor's token on Li Bing. When the censor was involved, this was no ordinary murder.
.
The newly appointed Chang'an Ling realized that the matter was of great importance and hurriedly reported the matter to the garrison commander Feng Yi.
Feng Yi was shocked when he heard the news and hurried to Chang'an City to check the bodies of Li Bing and others.
At the prison office of the county government, Feng Yi saw the bodies of more than ten people including Li Bing. Without exception, the fatal injuries were all on the neck. Feng Yi looked solemn and said to the prisoner beside him: "Explain."
Wu Zuo cleared his throat and said cautiously: "There were no traces of a struggle at the scene, and there were no bruises or other wounds on the body. The fatal injuries were all on the neck. He was killed with one blow. His subordinates guessed that there was more than one murderer, and all of them were
A master with superb swordsmanship!"
Feng Yi frowned and asked, "Can their identities be confirmed?"
"It should be the imperial envoy!" Chang'an Ling replied from the side.
"What's his name?"
"Li Bing."
"Li Bing... I have never heard of this person." Feng Yi shook his head, turned around and walked out of the morgue. Outside, several generals under Feng Yi followed him quickly. Among them, Han Xin said: "General, if you don't
If there is an accident, it must be Gongsun Shu’s fault!"
Feng Yi glanced at Han Xin. Han Xin said quietly: "Gongsun Shu has done everything he can to bring down the general!"
In the past, Gongsun Shu sent assassins one after another to kill Feng Yi, but all failed. As the assassins were ineffective, Gongsun Shu used other methods, such as bribery with the Chang'an order, seizing military supplies, and bewitching the people of Sanfu, calling Feng Yi ""
King Xianyang' and so on.
Now, Gongsun Shu has intensified his efforts and put all his ideas on the imperial envoy's head.
Han Xin sighed and said: "Some time ago, the imperial envoy impeached the general, and now the imperial envoy died in Chang'an City. Gongsun Shu wanted to kill the general!"
It is foreseeable that once the news of Li Bing's murder is spread back to Luoyang, it will cause an uproar. There has never been a murder of an imperial envoy in this dynasty, and this time Chang'an is also the first of its kind in this dynasty.
