"...What's wrong? Is there any new anomaly in Jinling?"
Wang Jun was sitting opposite Han Qian and was helping Han Qian organize documents. When he saw Han Qian opening an urgent letter marked with the logo of Nan Neishi Mansion, he looked stunned for a moment and couldn't help but curiously turned his head over and asked.
.
The situation on the northern front is temporarily suspended, but whether we can truly recuperate and make follow-up counterattack deployments in the shortest possible time depends on whether the Liang-Chu peace treaty can be negotiated before September.
At present, any abnormal news on the southern line affects everyone's sensitive nerves.
"Oh, it's nothing. The Empress Dowager Changxin no longer trusts Lei Cheng and Cai Chen. She suspects that they have distorted the message they sent in the middle. She ordered me to write a letter in person to explain the sending of troops to attack Aoshan Island." Han Qian handed the letter to the other side.
Wang Jun said, "She is not afraid of the personal letter I wrote to her. If something happens on the way and it falls into the hands of others..."
At present, a group of homing pigeons have been bred in Luoyang, but not to mention that messengers carrying letters back and forth thousands of miles may also be intercepted by the enemy's secret agents and assassins lurking in at any time. The uncertainty brought by flying pigeons to deliver letters is even greater.
At present, their top-secret letters are written in a specific code and then sent to the destination for translation. In this way, if the letter is robbed or lost midway, there is no need to worry about leaking the secret.
Han Qian wanted to write a handwritten letter to Qingyang, and he had to meet a limited time limit to ensure that it could be sent to Jinling via carrier pigeons. He would have to write multiple identical handwritten letters at the same time. It was almost inevitable that one or two handwritten letters would be lost along the way.
And if the handwritten letter was written in clear text, it would be a serious matter not to mention it falling into the hands of enemy spies, but also falling into the hands of ordinary farmers and spreading the news.
"Then just use a new set of passwords." Wang Jun said.
The establishment code currently used in the military involves the transmission of top-secret letters and must not be leaked. However, in order to avoid the risk of leakage of the correspondence between Han Qian and Qingyang, a new set of establishment codes can only be used.
"It would be too wasteful to just write a letter." Han Qian said distressedly.
The compilation of any set of codes is extremely labor-intensive. Currently, there are only two sets of compilation codes in the military.
"It seems that you should write more letters to the empress dowager who is deeply resentful in the palace. It is best to write more poems to comfort her lonely heart..." Wang Jun said with a smile.
"Then my sacrifice is too big. I never thought about conquering the world, and there will be a day when it is my turn to sacrifice my appearance," Han Qian patted his forehead and cried, "but today you worked so hard to help me organize the documents.
, I have no other merit to reward you, I can only sacrifice my appearance..."
Seeing Han Qian standing up and trying to step over the short bench to catch him, Wang Jun dodged with a smile.
In midsummer, the city of Luoyang is also getting hot. Wang Jun is sitting in a tulle skirt, dodging and revealing skin that is as clear as jade and as white as snow. After giving birth to Wen Cong, his figure became more plump and attractive as a girl, with a soft and charming appearance.
, Han Qian wanted to capture Wang Jun into the palace and sacrifice himself for a while before he could handle his official duties.
Wang Jun blushed and pushed Han Qian away and said: "I have a limit of five days to read your letter. You have to write it quickly. I will also help you convert it into encrypted text. I may not be able to sleep at night."
, don’t mess with me anymore, go ahead and mess with Zhao Ting’er - of course, if you think you have something to write to the person in the Chu Palace that I can’t read, and you want someone else to turn it into a secret letter, then I’ll do it.
It also saves trouble..."
In addition to reviewing the memorials of generals and historians, Han Qian also made formal edicts and orders drafted by Zuo Nei Shifu and then adjudicated by him. It was impossible for Han Qian to spend too much time writing secret letters in his own hand.
Now he wants to write a handwritten letter to Qingyang. He also writes the plain text first, and then has a special person turn it into a secret letter. He writes it again in his own handwriting, and it counts as a handwritten letter. After it reaches Jinling, Lei Chengcai brings the new compiled code to the letter.
Qingyang, Qingyang himself compares and translates word by word.
Thinking of suddenly having to use a new secret text, Wang Jun really couldn't rest at night. He also stopped playing, spread out paper and ink, and wrote down the necessity of peace between Liang and Chu and his intention to promote peace one by one.
Reduce Wang Jun's workload, delete some, and make it as concise and comprehensive as possible.
"This letter is too cold to write," Wang Jun snuggled into Han Qian's arms and said seriously, "Qingyang is a survivor of Shenlingsi. She and her brother Wang Yong are not favored by their father, and they have lived with their half-mother for many years.
Under the shadow of Wang Hongji, it was inevitable that she would be lonely and cold-hearted when she was young. After entering the palace, she has been with Yang Yuanpu, a heartless, changeable, suspicious and suspicious person for several years. She is only twenty-six years old this year, and she is a woman who has been in love with her for a long time.
In their prime, they occupy the most lonely and treacherous position. Perhaps there are few people who can't help but become sinister and ruthless. She depends on you at this time, but she may not be thinking about your old friendship where she was always supportive.
Let me see you write a letter explaining all this. If so, your letter is too cold, and it will probably make her feel even more disappointed."
Han Qian thought of his old contacts with Qingyang, which were not too much but not too little. He secretly felt that what Wang Jun said still made some sense, so he picked up the letter and revised it again...
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Da Chu followed the old system of the previous dynasty. Prisons were set up in Dali Temple and Yushitai to imprison officials who committed crimes in the central academies. They were the highest prisons in the central government. However, after the Chongwen Hall meeting in early March, anyone involved in colluding with Can Liang and lurking undercover.
All espionage convicts were arrested and interrogated by the House of Internal Affairs, which was equivalent to inheriting the precedent set by Emperor Yanyou since he established the Jinyun Division.
The Prison of the Chamber of Commerce was once used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to interrogate and imprison eunuchs and palace maids who committed crimes in the palace. It was also the place where Han Daoxun was imprisoned before his execution. It has always had a bloody and cold atmosphere.
Wang Wenqian and Yin Peng sat on the haystack, looking at the clear blue sky outside the narrow window, but they were leisurely and at ease, without any fear of impending disaster.
On the night when the Tangyi navy raided Aoshan Island, the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion broke into Lanting Alley and captured the two of them and sent them to the Inner Palace Prison.
In any case, Liang Chu has officially entered a state of war. As the biological father of the concubine of the Liang Kingdom, he naturally no longer has the leisure time of hiding in the city. However, there has been no trial for six days in a row. Wang Wenqian also feels a little bit in his heart.
Confused, I couldn't figure out what Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang and others were thinking, and I didn't know where Han Wenhuan, Han Daoming, Feng Yi and others who stayed behind were being detained.
The Chamberlain's Prison covers a large area and has hundreds of cells, large and small, divided into different courtyards.
"..."
Hearing the sound of footsteps walking around, there were quite a lot of people. Yin Peng stood up and walked to the iron fence, looked into the corridor of the cell, and said to Wang Wenqian,
"Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Zheng Chang, Yang En, they finally remembered us..."
Yang En obeyed the imperial edict to set up a prison in the Imperial Palace, but he insisted on borrowing jailers and criminal officials from Taiwan Prison and Temple Prison to serve. He even advocated for the trial of major cases to be conducted by Dali Temple Minister and Yu Shi Zhongcheng as the chief judges.
Yang En knew very well that before the new emperor grew up and gained sufficient power, the power of the central government would be most easily exploited by interested parties. Therefore, he would rather not control this power than destroy the imperial system, but sometimes he could not help it. .
Of course, this does not mean that Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Zhou Qinian, who represents Huang Hua, and others cannot intervene in the interrogation of the Chamberlain.
After Shen Yang and Yang Zhitang walked to the cell and asked someone to open the gate, Wang Wenqian straightened his clothes and stood up, cupping his hands and asking: "Prime Minister Shen, is Prince Shou so exhausted that he wants to embarrass an irrelevant person like me?"
"The Huaixi Navy's unauthorized attack on the Forbidden Army's water camp is a crime committed by the Yi Nine Tribes. How can I say it's embarrassing you?" Yang Zhitang's face was livid, thinking of the Aoshan Island water camp being burned down by a fire, and thousands of soldiers of the Youlong Military Army being killed. Besieged on the island, although they were close at hand, they were unable to rescue them. At this time, seeing Wang Wenqian looking so leisurely and content, no matter how good-tempered he was, he couldn't help but sarcastically say something tit-for-tat.
"Han Qianchan succeeded to the position of the leader of the Liang Kingdom, but the Chu court did not accept his title of vassal and tribute. Prince Shou thought of using Chu laws to govern the Liang leader. Isn't he just trying to make a fool of himself?" Wang Wenqian said with a smile, "You really want to retaliate against the Liang army for their surprise attack on Aoshan. For the island incident, just send Han Wenhuan's head to Luoyang. Wouldn't everything be solved? Of course, you must lend me the head above my neck. It's not a bad idea, but it's a pity that the head used cannot be trapped. Han Qian's unfilial and unjust behavior may not affect Han Qian in any way. It will only make the Tangyi navy's next attack on Dachu's water camp facilities along the river even sharper..."
Yang Zhitang's face twitched several times, and he finally suppressed the anger in his heart. He didn't want to chop off the heads of Han Wenhuan, Han Daoming and others, but this matter was not decided by him alone.
At this time, Zheng Chang stood up and asked in a deep voice: "Does Mr. Wang know Han Qian's next plan?"
Seeing Zheng Chang taking the initiative to talk to Wang Wenqian, Shen Yang and Yang En frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. Zhou Qinian, who followed everyone into the inner servant's prison, also frowned, secretly feeling that Han Qian was determined to attack Aoshan Island. It still touched the Zheng family very much.
"I have a slight guess, but even if I didn't say anything, wouldn't Prime Minister Shen, Marquis Yang, Lord Shou, and Master Zheng not be able to guess at all?" Wang Wenqian said this and looked back behind him.
Yang En signaled the jailer to bring a bench and asked Wang Wenqian to sit down and talk.
"As I expected, Han Qian sent someone to send peace documents after he defeated Aoshan Island, right?" Wang Wenqian sat down calmly and said, "Han Qian also fought for peace, and it must be negotiated before September. The peace talks. In their hearts, the princes probably also longed to wait until autumn and winter, and continue to see the Mongols and the Dongliang Army join forces to enter Heluo. After autumn and winter, they even hoped to see the Dongliang Army cross the Yingshui River to attack Chenxu Rucai and other places. Right? You all have made up your mind, what choice can Han Qian make? "
"If we insist on not negotiating peace, will Han Qian eventually send troops to attack Chuzhou and threaten the imperial court?" Zheng Chang, who is the censor Zhongcheng, asked at this time.
"Master Zheng, asking Wen Qian such a simple question, is he looking down on Wen Qian too much?"
Wang Wenqian still had enough respect for Zheng Chang, Yang En and others, but that didn't mean that Zheng Chang had to hold back from probing with such a simple question. He said with a smile,
"Mr. Zheng, you also know very well that after winter, the Ying River freezes. If the Dongliang Army cooperates with some Mongol cavalry to cross the Ying River to attack the Xuchen, Cai, Ru, and Ying states, it will be most uncomfortable for the Liang Army. Even if Han Qian can
Capturing Huaidong will only extend the contact defense line with the Dongliang Army, so why bother? If my prediction is correct, Han Qian's next step should be to add more troops to Deng Junguanghuo. If it really drags on until August, the peace talks are still being discussed.
If they don't agree, they should seize Suizhou, Yingzhou, Huangzhou and Xiangfuzhou to the east and north of the Han River at all costs. This is not Han Qian's betrayal, or treachery and greed, it is actually forced by the situation.
They had to do this - he had to seize the Jingdong and Jingbei areas, evacuate the soldiers and civilians of Cai Ruxu, Chenying and other states, and then make these areas a buffer area for the Liang Army and the Dongliang Army, so as not to weaken the flanks.
The threat is controlled by the enemy... It’s not surprising that Prince Shou can’t see this, but Master Zheng, can you really not see this?”
Hearing that Wang Wenqian openly praised Zheng Chang and was full of contempt for him, Yang Zhitang couldn't help but twitched twice on his face, and shouted sharply: "Zhou Bingwu, Zhang Wei, and Zhao Zhen have 90,000 troops in Jingxiang, and the Zheng family is in Huangzhou."
Is the foundation land really something that Han Qian can seize if he wants to? Mr. Wang, do you think too highly of Han Qian?"
Wang Wenqian smiled indifferently and said: "The Recruiting Army has 90,000 soldiers and horses in Xiangfan and Ying, but I dare to ask Lord Shou, how many months have you not imported grain to Jingxiang? Among the 90,000 soldiers and horses of the Recruiting Army
, You Wu Xiang Army, You Wu Wei Army is the elite of the Forbidden Army, but there will only be 30,000 troops, and they have to guard both sides of the Han River. Prince Shou really thought that once the Han River was blocked by the Tangyi Navy, the people on the east and north banks of the Han River would be blocked.
Can the rebel army really hold out for two months when they are short of clothes and food? At this time, Han Qian absolutely does not want to quarrel with Da Chu, but Prime Minister Shen, Lord Shou, you want to sit back and watch Liang Jun be wasted, but you cannot allow Liang Jun to be killed.
Isn't it a bit overwhelming for the army to struggle to the death? Furthermore, if King Xin requests an order to transfer Zhao Zhen from Suiyang and Fancheng back to Yangzhou, should the imperial court respond or not?"
"Why are you so sure that King Xin wants to transfer Zhao Zhen out of Jingxiang?" Zheng Chang asked with a slight frown.
"His Royal Highness King Xin requested to attack Huaixi in March, but you refused in every possible way. Aren't you just worried that King Xin would have other ideas?" Wang Wenqian said with a smile, "Do you really think that His Highness King Xin can't see Liang Liang at all?
Is it a dilemma that the army must send troops to capture Jingbei before the Yingshui River is sealed? Although I am not with His Highness King Xin to plan, Ruan Yan will definitely advise King Xin to sit back and watch the imperial army and the Liang army lose in Xiangbei.
And the reasons are ready: first, Yangtai and other states are currently under greater threat from the Liang army, and troops and horses need to be transferred to increase defense; second, grain and fodder from Hunan and Jiangxi cannot be transported to Xiangfan by water, and the supplies for recruiting the army are already in Xiangfan.
If it becomes a problem, the generals will be homesick, and they will be worried about mutiny at any time..."
"You have been assisting King Xin for half your life, how can you feel at ease now?" Yang Zhitang sneered.
"If King Xin really misses the past, I won't sit in this prison," Wang Wenqian sighed softly and said, "Besides, Prince Shou can't turn around the things I said.
Prime Minister, how can Mr. Yang not understand it? What difference does it make if I say it or not, and why can’t I feel at ease?"
"The Yangtze River waterway was blocked by the Tangyi Navy. Zhao Zhen wanted to withdraw to Yangzhou. How to withdraw?" Yang Zhitang asked.
"Even if Han Qian knew that King Xin wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight in order to gain the final advantage, King Xin must withdraw Zhao Zhen to Yangzhou. Should Han Qian choose to give up the passage, or must Zhao Zhen's troops stay behind? Suiyang and Fancheng, are you going to fight them to death first?" Wang Wenqian asked.
Seeing that Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Yang En, and Zheng Chang were all silent, Wang Wenqian stood up, motioned to the jailer to take the bench out of the cell, and sighed: "Yes, Han Qian has always chosen to take the deviant path since his rise. There will be no exception this time, but Mr. Shen, Mr. Yang, Mr. Shou, Mr. Zheng, think about it. Over the years, apart from taking the wrong approach, does Han Qian have any other choice? This time, we also have to see Mr. Shen, Mr. Yang, Mr. Shou, Mr. Zheng, will you give him another choice?"
Yang En glanced at Shen Yang and saw that he was silent and didn't speak, so he signaled the jailer to lock the cell door again.
After the identities of Zhou Qinian, Zhang Xian and Qin Wen were exposed, Xue Ruogu, who had to resign from the post of governor of Yangzhou and return to serve Shen Yang, remained silent.
They all vaguely speculated on some things, but no one thought that Wang Wenqian had thought it through. If they hadn't been convinced that Wang Wenqian had no connection with Liang Guo, and Wang Wenqian and Yin Peng were captured very easily by them, they would all suspect that Wang Wenqian was Didn't he collude with Han Qian a long time ago?
After much deliberation, Wang Wenqian's reputation as Huaidong's number one adviser was not false after all.
…………
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After leaving the prison where Wang Wenqian and Yin Peng were imprisoned, Shen Yang and the others walked into the prison next door.
The prison has long been cleared of other prisoners and is currently used exclusively to detain Han Wenhuan, Han Daoming, Feng Yi, Chen Jingzhou, Yun Puzi and their sons Chen Yuanchen, Chen Jixian and others.
Watching Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang and others walk in, Feng Yi stood behind the gate and said: "Prince Shou used Aoshan Island as a mortgage to borrow 1.2 million yuan of money and grain from the Xuzhou Official Money Bureau, and agreed to pay it every month. If you default on the interest on Aoshan Island, Tangyi will take it yourself. Lord Shou has defaulted on paying the interest for half a year. Tangyi's naval army attacked Aoshan Island this time to get back the interest money as agreed. Lord Shou, you are really doing something wrong now. Authentic?"
It was clearly Liang Jun's navy who was the master of provocations, but Feng Yi kept saying that he had breached the contract first. Yang Zhitang's temples jumped suddenly, and he wanted to kick him off.
Feng Yicai didn't care how ugly Yang Zhitang's face was, and said to himself: "Don't talk about you, Prince Shou. Prince Xin has been in arrears with the government interest bureau for half a year. Paying back debts is a matter of course. Next, my family Your Majesty sends troops into Chuzhou to collect debts, Prince Shou, you should be more patient!"
"Do you really want to use troops in Huaidong instead of sending troops to invade Xiangbei and capture Huangzhou?" Yang Zhitang laughed angrily and asked coldly.
"Master Zheng and my superior are in harmony. There is no reason for my superior to send troops to seize Huangzhou," Feng Yi shook his head like a rattle and said, "Prince Shou, you are too worried..."
Yang Zhitang ignored Feng Yi's rogue look, looked at Han Wenhuan and Han Daoming who were sitting on the floor in the next cell, and asked coldly: "Mr. Han, do you really want to use your head on your neck to make Han Qian's name of unfaithful and unfilial? ?”
"I'm already eighty-six this year, and Daoming is already sixty. Is it possible that he can't even tell the difference between life and death?" With Han Daoming's help, Han Wenhuan struggled to stand up, walked to the gate of the cell, and said , "Since you all have seen through Qian'er's plan, I have nothing to hide - over the years, whether Qian'er likes to take the wrong approach or not, has he ever owed you anything? You can all pat your chests. Say, you are selfless to Da Chu, and your sacrifices and contributions to Da Chu are comparable to Qian'er? If you are really willing to see the real traitor succeed and lose the advantage of the fishermen, I can lend you my head on my neck... "
"What kind of peace negotiation conditions does Han Qian need?" Zheng Chang asked in a deep voice.
"Master Zheng..." Seeing that Zheng Chang could not hold back his temper and showed weakness at this time, Yang Zhitang shouted in a long and frightened voice.
"Han Qianchan succeeded to the position of leader of the Liang Kingdom, not because of treason and surrender to the enemy, but because he had to stand up and turn the tide and resist the Hulu - and after Han Qianchan succeeded, he sent an envoy to express his vassalage. He is still loyal to Dachu, and we can't delay it.
It was because of this that the disaster on Aoshan Island occurred, and the blame cannot be placed on Han Qian." Zheng Chang said in a calm and deep voice.
Zheng Chang took the initiative to speak so much to Wang Wenqian just now. Zhang Xian and Xue Ruogu realized that the attitude of the Zheng family might have changed, but they did not expect that Zheng Chang would switch sides so simply and neatly at this time.
Zhou Qinian also slapped his forehead in pain.
Zheng Chang's words are really understandable. If Liang and Chu finally break up completely, in order to protect Huangzhou's foundation, even if the Zheng family will not directly surrender to Liang Jun, they will choose neutrality - obviously Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang have already resigned from Tang.
When the Yishui Army raided Aoshan Island, Han Qian decided to send troops to seize Jingxiang after seeing that peace could not be reached before September.
"What benefits did Han Qian give you to the Zheng family?" Yang Zhitang asked angrily.
"Prince Shou, my clan brother and Zheng Chang are loyal to Chu and are determined not to change. How can they change their minds for the mere benefits promised by Han Qian? However, the conflict between Liang and Chu has resulted in the fishermen benefiting, which is not what the clan brother and Zheng Chang want.
," Zheng Chang bowed indifferently and said, "Xiang Shen and Marquis Yang know best the aspirations of clan brother and Zheng Chang..."
Shen Yang and Yang En both sighed. In fact, in March, although Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang did not publicly express their opinions, when they exchanged opinions in private, they all agreed to directly send troops to Huaixi at that time.
At this time, the Youlongque Army was unable to obtain the supply of anti-miasma wine. Not to mention the spread of epidemics in Xijiang, Liang Chu was really going to break up. It was destined that Huangzhou, the foundation of the Zheng family, would be the first to be involved in the war, and the Zheng family could not help it.
The trend has changed.
However, in March, it was Yang Zhitang who was the most firmly opposed to directly sending troops to Huaixi and insisted on watching the development of the war in Heluo before making a decision.
The reason is also very simple. In March and April, troops will be sent directly to Huaixi. Youlong Wujun is destined to be the first batch to enter Huaixi. Yang Zhitang is reluctant to spend all his hard work accumulated over the years to compete with the elites of Tangyi.
Each family has its own plans, and as a result of today's situation, the Zheng family has become a grassroots first, but why?
Yang Zhitang was filled with anger and could not vent it no matter what. He said angrily: "Mr. Zheng really wants to help the tyrants, and I, Yang Zhitang, may not be able to stop him. I will go see the two empress dowagers right now and ask the two empress dowagers to settle everything..."
To put it bluntly, Yang Zhitang still wanted to force the Empress Dowager Chang Xin and Ming Cheng to express her position first. However, she used force to force the Zheng family to bow. Zheng Hui was leading the Youlongque Army on an expedition to Lingnan. He relied on Hunan for food and fodder. He did not believe that the Zheng family dared to pat their butts and directly invest in the army.
