At the beginning of December, the city of Xianyang was already very cold. The war in the distance seemed not to have affected the place. There were still singing and dancing in the palace.
But in the Prime Minister's office, two ministers personally appointed by the late emperor were sitting opposite each other, worried.
Feng Quji had just returned to Xianyang with the heads of the two puppet kings of Han and Wei, but was unable to see the second emperor in person. It is said that the emperor fed the two heads to the tigers and leopards he was raising, and asked his doctor Zhao Gao to pass on the message:
"When will the head of the traitor Black Fu be delivered?"
The Second Emperor was angry that Heifu had fought all the way to Hanzhong, but Wang and Feng had achieved no results, so he did not see Feng Quji. Feng Quji had no choice but to come to Li Si and ask him to forward the memorial on his behalf...
"Abandon the lands of Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qi and Chu, and only keep the old land of Qin during the reign of King Zhaoxiang?"
Right Prime Minister Li Si raised his head after reading the memorial: "Feng Jun, is this your suggestion?"
Feng Quji, the prime minister of the left, said: "Tonggu, I am the military governor in Wancheng, responsible for transporting grain and soldiers from the rear. Marquis Tongwu went to Jianghan to defeat Heifu, but Shandong took the opportunity to cause chaos, and the relics of the six countries rebelled against Qin.
, I don’t know how many people have set themselves up as marquises and kings. Most of the people east of Daliang have been killed, and Hebei is also in chaos. Hei Ni even took the opportunity to send troops to attack Yingchuan and burn our grain."
"But even so, because Tongwuhou was in charge of the army, the generals were full of confidence. They defeated Han Xin in Danshui and killed the two false queens of Han and Wei. Many people even believed that Tongwuhou would soon win.
We can quickly wipe out the Black Ni and destroy the other six kingdoms."
"But on the way back to Xianyang, I heard the opinions of many ignorant Guizhou leaders. Seeing that Guandong lost one county today and another tomorrow, they actually thought that the Qin Dynasty was about to be defeated."
Li Si sighed, it was true, because he had broken the promise he had made when he first took the throne, he had become richer and richer, and he had no end to the corvee. The government was now very unpopular, and the people were pessimistic about the war, so the second emperor strictly prohibited anyone from doing so.
Anyone who talks about the war will be punished with defamation, and the legal penalties are becoming more and more profound...
But the Guizhou leaders kept their mouths shut, but in their hearts they felt more and more that the front line was probably defeated again.
Feng Quji said: "But in my opinion, with the current situation, Qin can neither win quickly nor fall, but will enter a protracted war. In short, Qin has insufficient offensive power, but more than enough defense."
"The reason why the Qin army had been losing ground before was because the Qin army was scattered in various counties and had the responsibility to defend the territory. Instead, it was trapped in the prefectures. When faced with the bandits, it was difficult to save each other. Rather than letting the counties be surrounded by bandits and defeating them one by one, it would be difficult to give up.
In the garrison position, let the county soldiers retreat to Taihang, west of Chenggao."
"Use the soldiers from Hebei to guard Jingxing, and the soldiers from the Central Plains to guard Chenggao. The situation in Hebei and the Central Plains has eased a little. Marquis Tongwu can then concentrate his forces to block the black rebels in Nanyang and Hanzhong, and even restore Bashu, and then block the dangerous places.
Seize the land in the west and defend yourself. In this way, you can ensure the stability of the country."
Li Si pondered and then broke: "Is this your proposal or the proposal of Marquis Tongwu?"
Feng Quji said: "Although it is not signed by Marquis Tongwu and he has never revealed it, judging from his arrangement, he has already planned this."
"In my opinion, Bashu in Guanzhong are rich while the south is poor. There are many households in the north but the south is vast and sparsely populated. As long as it is delayed and the six kingdoms are separated and restored, the Qin Dynasty will be able to unify it again!"
Li Si nodded: "This is what you are saying to plan for the country. After the great war in autumn and the rebellion of Bashu, anyone with a discerning eye knows that it is impossible to put down the rebellion in a short time, but..."
He closed the memorial and said earnestly: "It's okay for us to talk about this in private, but we can never write it down and submit it to His Majesty. As a member of the imperial court, he openly advocates abandoning the land. I'm afraid he will be criticized by the censors."
Honoring the enemy to frighten the masses' is even considered to be collaboration with the enemy!"
"You see Wang Ben is smart. He only acts, not talks."
Feng Quji smiled and said, "But someone has to tell the truth."
"You don't know something."
Li Si began to tell Feng Quji about the situation in the capital in the past six months.
"When His Majesty took the throne, he arrested a group of gangsters, either Heifu's old troops in Beidi County, or his relatives and friends. Therefore, Beidi County Captain Zhang Han absconded, and Zhang Cang, the historian under the pillar, also did not know where he was.
Recently, there are rumors that the eldest son of Heifu is also hiding in Kansai. Someone must be secretly hiding and protecting him! His Majesty was very angry and thought that the ministers were not doing their best to supervise and punish him, so he dismissed the imperial lieutenant."
"After the rebellion in Shu County, His Majesty became even more suspicious. Last month, he was shocked to hear that gangsters had entered Hanzhong and attacked Xicheng. He felt that the county guards and magistrates in various places were unreliable and refused to accept their opinions, fearing that they might change.
, so he began to replace the senior officials and put his close associates in high positions."
"There is also a big move in Xianyang. First, brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi were imprisoned again, and the young masters were also put under house arrest. They were not allowed to move around at will. They encouraged the people to report each other in the hope of uncovering those who were secretly colluding with the gangsters. As for those who submitted a memorial to explain the unfavorable situation of the war.
Everyone was angered by His Majesty and imprisoned..."
"As a result, all the officials and people were in danger, and no one dared to remonstrate. Instead, several jailers took the opportunity to offer advice, saying that they had a way to wipe out the gangsters in a few months, and the six countries were appreciated. Now they are appointed as captains, and with them
The people who are good at shooting in Guanzhong and the prisoners in Lishan are trained, and in the spring they will go to Hanzhong and go to Bashu to regain the lost territory."
Feng Quji's son Feng Jie was trapped in Bajun, but he also knew that the recovery was not urgent. The most important thing now was to stabilize the front and calm the people inside. He was shocked when he heard this:
"The situation in the DPRK is now at this point. As the head of officials, Tonggu, why don't you dissuade His Majesty?"
Li Si was also helpless: "I have tried to ask for advice, but I have never seen your majesty."
"Since the funeral of the late emperor, Your Majesty has not sat in the court to meet with ministers. He has only stayed in the palace, or gone to Ganquan Palace to visit Youhai Temple. He has made Zhao Gao a doctor, who often serves as a minister, and is regarded as the prime minister.
If Doctor Shi has something to do, he must first see Zhao Gao to report it."
Feng Quji was shocked: "Zhao Gao, a bitch, actually holds such power? Doesn't he do this to isolate His Majesty from the ministers, so that he can gain power from it?"
He thought: "Throughout the ancient times, Zhao Gao has no sense of reason, is greedy, and seeks endless profits. He ranks second in power and has endless desires. If this continues, he may become a big disaster. We must guard against it."
Li Si shook his head and said: "Zhao Gao is your Majesty's mentor. Your Majesty trusts him far more than you and I. This matter can only be postponed."
He returned the memorial to Feng Quji:
"Now the black thieves have entered Hanzhong. They are only across the mountains from Xianyang. The beacon is approaching in the morning and evening. Your Majesty is frightened. Anyone who proposes to abandon the land at this time is a traitor in his eyes and is connected with the black husband."
"In this case, you should take this memorial back first. After some time, when the situation on the frontline is better, it won't be too late for me to go to the pilgrimage with you..."
After Feng Quji said goodbye, Li Si sent him out. Although it was a very cold day, he saw a long line of people queuing up to meet him outside Li Si's mansion. They rubbed their hands and stamped their feet. When Li Si came out, they all bowed down.
Back then, Li Si was demoted for a time because he paid his servants to inquire about Qin Shihuang's words. The situation of neglect in the family seems to be gone forever...
Li Si turned a blind eye and only said goodbye to Feng Quji and returned to the mansion. People who asked to see him outside the door still had to line up and come one by one.
After the door closed, Li Si murmured:
"Qu Ji, Qu Ji, no wonder the late emperor trusted you so much and once put you above me. Now it seems that the Feng family are all loyal people. Both Feng Wuze and you are seeking for the country."
And forget yourself."
But he, Li Si, is different. He always seeks his career before his country!
After finishing the extremely elaborate evening meal, Li Si's second son came and handed him a letter.
"Father, there is a tip from a retainer in Hanzhong about Feng Jie!"
…
At this time, Feng Quji returned to the mansion. As soon as he entered the door, he had to face questioning from his old wife.
He had no choice but to explain: "General Wang Ben has also sent people to Hanzhong to attack the thieves. Guanzhong will also send a hundred thousand troops into Hanzhong at the beginning of spring. They will surely be able to reopen the Mi Cang Road and relieve Jie'er!"
Mrs. Feng was still crying and worried about her son's fate: "If he doesn't know how to fight, don't fight. This was the case last time when we conquered the Huns. Why are we always surrounded by people?"
After finally comforting the old wife and letting her drink some porridge, the eldest daughter also came home crying.
Feng Quji's eldest daughter married Gongzi Gao. She came home and complained, saying that Gongzi Gao was being closely monitored and it was difficult to go out.
"Isn't he a real brother? Why is Your Majesty guarding him like a thief?"
"Because they are blood brothers, and because Prince Gao is the second son of the emperor and the most qualified person to succeed him after Fusu, the late emperor even wanted to make him the crown prince at one time, so we have to be on guard..."
Feng Quji said in his heart that he had no control over this matter and did not dare to control it. He only hoped that after the situation eased, the second emperor would let Young Master Gao go for the sake of family ties and Feng's achievements over the years.
He persuaded and sent his eldest daughter back. Seeing the moonlight rising, he asked someone to hold a lamp and wanted to stay up all night to revise the memorial, but there was a fierce knocking on the door again!
The family minister hurriedly came to report: "My lord, someone from the palace has come, please meet me..."
Feng Quji was surprised: "Could it be that His Majesty has changed his mind and wants to summon me overnight?"
He quickly put on his official uniform, put on his seal and ribbon, and hurried out, only to see that the door was full of bright torches, and Lang Wei warriors with black armor surrounded Feng's house.
Things don't seem that simple...
Zhao Gao's younger brother, Zhonglang General Zhao Cheng, stepped forward with his sword in hand and held his hand towards Feng Quji:
"Prime Minister Feng, I just learned the news that your son, General Feng Jie, surrendered to the gangsters with 20,000 soldiers, and issued a slanderous letter to His Majesty. Your Majesty was furious! Now that Feng is suspected of being a gangster, we also ask Prime Minister Feng to come with us.