Qi Ning revealed the other party's thoughts, but Chai Bozhong remained calm and composed, without any fluctuation on his face, and said with a smile: "The Marquis is right. The biggest obstacle for the third prince to inherit the throne is Zhong Li'ao. Beitang Zhao and Beitang Hao and his two are just clowns, and their strength has been almost exhausted by each other. Once the Northwest Army enters the border, these two people will be vulnerable to a single blow."
"Commander Chai is starting to tell the truth now."
Chai Bozhong sighed: "Actually, what I said from the beginning was not a lie. Lord Marquis, the third prince is afraid of Zhongli'ao. Don't you, the Chu State, be afraid of Zhongli'ao? I have to say something offensive. If there is sufficient food and grass and continuous logistical support, Even if Dong Qi and you Chu people join forces, it will be even more difficult for your Chu army to cross the Huaihe River. With Zhong Liao guarding the front line, it will be a natural chasm."
"It seems that Military Advisor Chai has a high opinion of Zhong Li'ao."
Chai Bozhong smiled calmly: "If your father is still alive, with the ability of General Qi, Zhongli Ao will naturally not be his opponent. It is a pity that no one in your country can have the demeanor of your father. Zhongli Ao cannot deal with your father, but he can deal with Yue Huanshan and his ilk are more than enough." After a pause, he said: "Actually, your country's sending troops to attack Xuzhou is beneficial to both you and me. Of course, it will give the third prince time to take Luoyang, and it will also allow your country to go smoothly. Take Xuzhou."
Qi Ning said: "What you said seems to be true."
"Does the Marquis mean that he is willing to reach an agreement with the third prince?" Chai Bozhong raised his eyebrows slightly.
Qi Ning smiled and said: "General Chai should know that I am just a minister of Da Chu, and I am not the one who can make the final decision on such military and state affairs. In fact, as you said, Zhong Li'ao is good at fighting. Although I, Da Chu, did want to take advantage of you The turmoil in the north led to the Northern Expedition, but soldiers are the great weapon of the country. Many ministers do not agree with sending troops at this time. If the war breaks out, just like the Qinhuai War, the two sides will reach a stalemate and then become a protracted war of attrition. This is not our big Chu is happy to see it."
Chai Bozhong frowned and said, "What the Marquis is saying is that your country doesn't want to send troops yet?"
"It's still under discussion." Qi Ning said with a smile: "If we really want to send troops, the civil strife in the Northern Han Dynasty is a good time. We can start the Northern Expedition immediately. Why there is no movement? It is because we are hesitating. "Looking left and right, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice and said: "Master Chai came all the way here this time with full sincerity. I might as well say a few words from the bottom of my heart to you. I, the great Chu, are not afraid of Zhong Li'ao. It's just...!" At this point, he stopped talking and gave an unpredictable smile.
Chai Bozhong seemed to understand and lowered his voice: "The Marquis is saying... the Marquis of Changling?"
Qi Ning smiled slightly and said: "The first thing that Commander Chai thought of was Marquis Changling. It seems that in Commander Chai's mind, Marquis Changling is indeed very important." He touched his chin and sighed: "Commander Chai, if I were If you convey your thoughts to the Emperor, can you guess what the Emperor will think?"
"The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, I really don't dare to make wild guesses." Chai Bozhong said: "Please give me some advice!"
"Your Majesty may think that this is a trap set by you Northern Han Dynasty." Qi Ning sighed: "Let Chu go north and enter the Northern Han Dynasty, but your Changling Marquis is making plans behind the scenes. The Northern Han Dynasty knows Chu best. The leader of the army is Marquis Changling, and when the time comes, our Chu army will naturally suffer considerable losses."
Chai Bozhong said with a smile: "It turns out that your country has not sent troops for a long time because of Marquis Changling."
"If it were anyone else, I shouldn't have said these words." Qi Ning said seriously: "But Military Advisor Chai is here to discuss important matters, so I will open the door and speak frankly. The emperor and several important officials in the court are indeed afraid of Changling. Hou, Military Advisor Chai also knows that our Lord has not been on the throne for a long time. According to common sense, it is the time to rest with the people and comply with the people's wishes. At this time, once the troops are sent, they must ensure victory, otherwise once they lose, the emperor's prestige will be shaken , and may even lead to internal turmoil in our Da Chu, and the situation will not be easy to deal with at that time."
Chai Bozhong nodded and said: "Your country has thought carefully." He lowered his voice and said: "Master Marquis, but I don't know how to persuade your king to send troops?"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Commander Chai is the military commander Shi. He is naturally very resourceful and should understand the key points."
"Presumably your Majesty will only send troops if you are sure about the life or death of Marquis Changling." Chai Bozhong sighed: "Master Marquis, you want to know whether Marquis Changling is still alive."
Qi Ning smiled and said, "I do have this intention. But I don't know if Military Master Chai knows the whereabouts of Marquis Changling?"
Chai Bozhong shook his head and said: "I really don't know. The Marquis should know that when the Qinhuai War happened, the Chu army was commander-in-chief by your father-in-law, and the Han Dynasty was led by Marquis Changling. Marquis Changling and your father-in-law had known each other on the battlefield for many years. They are hurting each other. It can be said that these two are about to meet good talents. Their talents are equally matched. If it weren't for these two, the world today would probably be in a different situation." He pondered for a moment before continuing: "I, the late Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Although Changlinghou has always been the commander-in-chief, Changlinghou holds military power and has made great contributions, so he will naturally be jealous of the former emperor."
"It has been known since ancient times for great achievements to shock the Lord." Qin Ning said: "The Marquis of Changling holds the Southern Army. This is also your strongest army in the Northern Han Dynasty. Naturally, it will be tabooed by others."
Chai Bozhong nodded and said: "The Marquis of Changling has a very high prestige in the army. Not to mention the Southern Army, it is the Northern Army that guards Beiguan. Many people also deeply admire the Marquis of Changling." He sighed and said: "The Marquis of Changling is a People with a good temperament, those he likes, they are sincere, and those he despises, they cannot even look at him with a straight eye. In the Han Dynasty, there are only a handful of people who can get into the eyes of the Marquis of Changling, so it is said Marquis Changling does not have many friends in the court, but he has many enemies."
Qi Ning thought that Changling Marquis Beitang Huan was a famous general in the world. He was not only a member of the Beitang royal family, but also had great achievements. It was not unusual for such a person to have a temper and even be arrogant towards others.
"At that time, I heard rumors that many generals of the Southern Army wanted to support Changlinghou as the emperor, so they went straight back to Luoyang and seized the throne." Chai Bozhong said with emotion: "But I know that although Changlinghou has a weird temperament, he is not interested in the imperial court. But he really didn’t have the heart to rebel. If he really coveted the throne, the throne must have been his back then. But as there were more rumors like this, many people took it seriously. If Marquis Changling really commanded the southern army to kill Luoyang, the entire Han Dynasty, no soldiers and horses can stop it."
Qi Ning frowned and said, "Master Chai is very familiar with the situation in the Northern Han Dynasty, but why doesn't he know the whereabouts of Marquis Changling?"
"As far as I know, on the eve of the end of the Qinhuai War, the late emperor issued a decree to urgently summon Changlinghou to return to Luoyang. Zhongli'ao was only Changlinghou's deputy general at the time. After Changlinghou left, Zhongli'ao temporarily took charge of the Southern Army. ." Chai Bozhong said solemnly: "When the emperor summoned him, many generals under the command of Changlinghou felt that the danger was in danger and discouraged Changlinghou from returning to the capital. However, Changlinghou did not listen to the generals' dissuasion and returned to the capital...!"
"How will it be after you return to Beijing?" Qi Ning asked immediately.
Chai Bozhong shook his head and said: "No one knows what happened next. When Marquis Changling returned to the capital, it was said that many people saw him, but since the day he entered the capital, Marquis Changling suddenly disappeared, and a few days later, he A decree was sent to the front line to promote Zhong Li'ao as the commander-in-chief of the southern army, which is equivalent to depriving Marquis Changling of his right to lead the army."
"There is no news about Marquis Changling. What about his family members...?"
Chai Bozhong asked curiously: "Does the Marquis not know that the Marquis of Changling did not marry a wife and have children?"
Qi Ning was a little surprised: "He doesn't have any family members?"
"The age of Marquis Changling is similar to that of your father." Chai Bozhong said: "Since he was young, Marquis Changling has been obsessed with military law and strategy, and is obsessed with martial arts, but he has no interest in beauty. At that time, several people The princes also fought openly and secretly for the throne, and Marquis Changling was the most favored by the late Emperor Chongming at that time and had the greatest chance of succeeding to the throne, but Marquis Changling had no interest in the throne. After the death of the late Emperor Chongming, the late Emperor inherited the throne."
When Qi Ning first went to the Eastern Qi Dynasty as an envoy, he had a general understanding of the Beitang clan. The founding emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty was Beitang Tianwu. After Beitang Tianwu passed away, the successor was Emperor Chongming, and Mu Yunhou Bei Tang Huanye was the brother of Emperor Chongming. After Emperor Chongming passed away, Beitang Huan inherited the throne. However, Marquis of Changling Beitang Qing and Prince Yu Beitang Yu were both brothers of Beitang Huan.
The Beitang clan was considered to be very prosperous, but because of this, internal strife within the royal family was also very serious.
"At the beginning, many people wanted to cling to Marquis Changling, and golden beauties were sent to Marquis Changling's mansion. However, in the eyes of the world, the most beautiful beauties in China are like dirt in Marquis Changling's eyes." Chai Bozhong He sighed: "Anytime a golden beauty is sent over, they are rejected. On the contrary, if there are some rare horses and weapons, Changling Marquis happily accepts them."
Qi Ning thought that the Marquis of Changling, a grown man, was so dismissive of a beauty, and wondered what was wrong with the Marquis of Changling? He couldn't help but think evilly in his heart, could it be that Marquis Changling was fond of masculine style? After all, Qi Ning also knew that there were many good men in ancient times.
"So, Marquis Changling is considered to be alone and free from worries?"
Chai Bozhong said: "This is the truth. The Han royal family is prosperous. The late emperor has many princes, and Prince Yu also has sons and daughters. Only the Marquis of Changling was not married, and when he disappeared, he still had no heirs."
"Commander Chai, there has been no news since Changlinghou entered the capital. Didn't the court give an explanation?" Qi Ning frowned and said: "Chanlinghou is your famous general in the Northern Han Dynasty. For such a figure, there is no trace suddenly. It should be Did someone ask?"
Chai Bozhong shook his head and said: "In fact, no one has asked about this matter. At that time, rumors about Changlinghou usurping the throne were spreading everywhere. Changlinghou suddenly returned to Beijing at that time and disappeared suddenly. It was a personal feeling. You can guess to a certain extent, but who dares to ask more questions about this kind of thing." He raised his hand to stroke his beard and sighed: "After all, everyone has only one head, and he will be wrong if he talks too much, and no one is so short-sighted."