As one of the twins of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, Linghu Xu also had great ambitions. He hoped to take advantage of the conflict between Chu and Han to gradually develop and expand slowly if he had the opportunity.
The civil strife in the Northern Han Dynasty gave the Chu State an opportunity, and at the same time, it also made the people of Qi State think that it was a God-given opportunity.
The in-laws and allies hit it off immediately and joined forces for the Northern Expedition.
However, Linghu Xu did not expect that the Chu people would be so cunning. Not only did they sneak attack Qu Yuangu's lair while the Northwest Army entered the pass, they even secretly sent out surprise troops to kill Linzi directly.
Linghu Xu took advantage of the chaos and escaped from the Qi State, led the Qi army that invaded the Han State to capture Puyang, and used Puyang as a stronghold to wait for the opportunity.
However, the opportunity did not come, but bad news came one after another.
The Chu people took control of Qi, and Shentu Luo's naval army was completely defeated. The crown prince of Dong Qi was taken to the capital of Chu together with Shen Tuluo. Naturally, he saw the letter sent by Shen Tuluo, although he clearly saw it. On the surface, it was for Linghuxu to surrender to the Chu Kingdom, but the inner meaning was for Linghuxu to persist and wait for the opportunity to reverse the situation.
It was this letter that made Linghu Xu grit his teeth and persist, waiting for the situation to change.
But the bad news came one after another, making him realize that the situation was over. When he received the news that the Chu army had entered Luoyang, Linghu Xu was completely desperate, knowing that there was no chance to reverse the situation.
The country has been defeated, and after holding on in Puyang City for several months, there is not much food left, and the army is alone. The period of the officers and soldiers under them has reached an extremely low level.
The news that Luoyang fell into the hands of the Chu army had of course spread in Puyang City.
The Qi army no longer had the fighting spirit, and Linghu Xu knew in his heart that since Luoyang had fallen, the next step for the Chu people was to solve the last trouble in Puyang.
Once the Chu people came to the city, there would be no suspense about victory or defeat.
Linghu Xu was a smart man and knew that there was no point in continuing to fight. It would only increase unnecessary sacrifices. Moreover, with the current morale of the Qi army, there was no way he could be an opponent of the Chu people.
So deep down in his heart, he had long been prepared to surrender.
Of course he would not rush to Luoyang to submit a letter of surrender.
Surrendering is one thing, but when to surrender is another matter.
Surrendering too early will only make people look down on you, and it will also be bad for your reputation. When the army comes to the city, you will be in a desperate situation. If you leave the city and surrender at that time, it can be regarded as persisting until the last moment.
But he never expected that it would be Qu Yuangu who killed him in Puyang.
Who was Qu Yuangu
He was just a gangster who was banished to the northwest due to nepotism. This man was extremely mediocre and had a very bad reputation. He also committed regicide and treason, and committed something that would be remembered forever.
Do I, the dignified Linghu Xu, want to surrender to such a dirty and incompetent person
How unreasonable!
If I really surrender to Qu Yuangu, my Linghu Xu I's great reputation will be gone. People can die, but their reputation cannot be ruined.
Linghu Xu, who was originally prepared to leave the city and surrender when the Chu army approached the city, immediately changed his mind when the northwest army arrived. No matter what, he could not bow to Qu Yuangu, so he immediately ordered the whole city to prepare for war, even if In the end, he rebelled and had to fight Qu Yuangu.
However, the Northwest Army did not attack the city, but surrounded Puyang City.
Linghu Xu sneered in his heart, thinking to himself that the Northwest Army was going to trap him to death
There is not much food in the city, but there is no problem in persisting for a few months. If the rations are reduced, it may not be difficult to last for two or three months. It depends on whether the Northwest Army can wait until then. There is really no food. When the time comes, they will leave the city and meet the Northwest Army. It's a bloody battle.
Late at night, Linghu Xu stood at the window, looking at the snow in the courtyard, thoughtfully.
Suddenly he heard a soft sigh coming from behind him. Linghu Xu's heart trembled. He turned around and saw a figure standing a few steps behind him under the light. The first thought in his mind was... Assassin, after all, no one would dare to enter his house without his permission. When he saw who it was, Linghu Xu was even more surprised and said in a voiceless voice: "Is it you?"
Of course the person coming was Qi Ning.
Qi Ning went on a mission to Dong Qi and met Linghu Xu many times. Both of them knew each other's details.
"Where is Linghu Prime Minister worried about?" Qi Ning walked over with a smile. Linghu Xu confirmed that it was Qi Ning, but calmed down and said: "Fei Ge's letter, Duckweed's plan was successfully completed, those monsters who should not exist in the world , all passed away.”
Qi Ning nodded slightly and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that Linghu Xiang was also a duckweed."
Linghu Xu sighed and said: "When Senior Brother Zhuo invited me to join Duckweed, I thought about it again and again. What he said is not wrong. The existence of those few people is a great threat to the world. If one day they really When the madness spreads, the world will be a catastrophe." He pondered for a moment, then said: "Senior brother said that the duckweed plan was successfully completed in the end, all because of the prince. If the prince hadn't taken action, it would have ended differently. ”
Qi Ning and Linghu Xu stood side by side at the window, looking out the window. They were silent for a long time before saying: "The Grand Master will no longer exist. What Linghu Xiang has to worry about now is the future of the 20,000 Qi soldiers in Puyang City."
"In fact, there are already less than 20,000 people." Linghu Xu said with a bitter smile: "The country is ruined and the family is destroyed. Not everyone is willing to stick to it until the end. In the past few months, thousands of people have secretly sneaked out of the city. , to this point, I will not stand in the way of my personal choice, and if I am willing to leave, I will turn a blind eye."
"So Linghu Xiang has lost hope a long time ago?"
Linghu Xu shook his head and smiled: "I have indeed lost hope for the restoration of Dong Qi, but I have hope for the world. The Chu army has captured Luoyang, and it is time for the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment."
Qi Ning nodded and said: "Linghu Prime Minister Tao is outstanding. If he can submit to the Great Chu, he will definitely be put into great use by the Holy Emperor."
"If I submit to Chu, wouldn't I be disloyal to Qi?"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "If Prime Minister Linghu is a corrupt scholar, I will not say such things to you. Prime Minister Linghu's participation in Duckweed proves that you are not only concerned about the gains and losses of a country and a city, but also worry about it." The world." Putting one hand behind his back: "Little Dong Qi, Prime Minister Linghu can assist the king of Qi to govern in an orderly manner, which shows the talent of Prime Minister Linghu. It is naturally a good thing for a person to be talented, but if there is no stage to show off his skills , but it is a bad thing. Compared with Qi, Dachu will give Prime Minister Linghu a bigger stage, and Prime Minister Linghu can also use his talents to create benefits for more people."
Of course Linghu Xu understood what Qi Ning was talking about. Smart people can sometimes speak to the other person's heart in just a few words.
Linghuxu was prime minister in Qi State, so he naturally wanted to show off his talents, but Qi State was still a small country with few people. For Linghuxu, there was no way for him to truly demonstrate his talents.
Of course he is not a corrupt person. If Qi State still exists, he will certainly try his best to be loyal to Qi State. However, Qi State no longer exists. If he continues to persist, it can only be a meaningless act. Linghu Xubi Everyone knows it.
Although he and Zhuo Qingyang came from the same sect, they had different temperaments and different ambitions.
Zhuo Qingyang didn't like his official career, but he wanted to pass on his knowledge to future generations.
However, Linghu Xu hopes to show his ambition in the court. If he can compete with what he has learned in his life and leave a name in history, he will naturally dream of it.
"If Linghu Xiang thinks what I said makes sense, please write a memorial as soon as possible." Qining said: "The world is unified, the people are displaced, and the common people are suffering. Now that the world has been settled, it is also the time when all wastes are waiting to be revitalized. Prime Minister Linghu has extraordinary talents. If he can provide the emperor with advice on how to govern the country according to the current situation, the emperor will definitely be happy."
Linghu Xu knew in his heart that Qining wanted to help him enter the Chu court to assist Long Tai. He thought for a moment and then said, "Why did the prince let Qu Yuangu come to attack Puyang?"
Qi Ning turned his head slightly, looked at Linghu Xu, and said with a smile: "Everyone has their own ideas. Linghu Xiang is very human. I can't guess your thoughts. If Linghu Xiang is stubborn, you must stick to it. In the end, I can only let Qu Yuangu attack the city. They only want to make great achievements, so if they attack the city, they will get twice the result with half the effort."
When Linghu Xu heard this, he was startled for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Qu Yuangu wanted to capture Puyang City so that he could take the credit. Who knew that Qining entered the city alone, and the Battle of Puyang disappeared invisible. When the gate of Puyang City opened, Qining and Linghu Xu both left the city, leaving Qu Yuangu helpless.
Linghu Xu led the remnants of the Eastern Qi to surrender to Chu, but he surrendered to Qining instead of Qu Yuangu.
Qu Yuangu felt a little depressed and accompanied him back to Luoyang.
He returned to Luoyang, but not all the northwest cavalry returned to Luoyang. Instead, they received military orders. The remnants of the Eastern Qi and the northwest cavalry were reorganized and then transferred to various cities in the Han territory to garrison. Tens of thousands of people moved east and west. , the Northwest Army and the East Qi Army were completely dispersed and scattered in various cities.
Originally, there were some local officials in the Han Dynasty who were ready to take action when they saw the chaos in the world. However, after the Chu army entered Luoyang, their thoughts of seeking independence disappeared for a short time.
The Northwest Army and the Eastern Qi Army stationed themselves in various cities. Wherever they went, the gates of each city were immediately opened, and Chu-character flags were erected on the city walls.
In this way, not only will the Northwest Army and the Eastern Qi Army be completely disintegrated, but it will also deter the original local forces of the Han State from making rash actions, at least for the time being.
Qining knew that Chu State's complete digestion of the Northern Han Dynasty would not be completed overnight. There would still be many complicated matters after that, but this was not something he was willing to worry about. Presumably, from the moment the Chu army entered Luoyang, the Chu State's monarchs and ministers He had already begun to plan how to govern the land and population that originally belonged to the Northern Han Dynasty.
Both Luoyang and Puyang fell into the hands of Chu without a single blow, so Qining naturally took the greatest credit.
Qi Ning does not have any complacency, but he is thinking in his heart that he has not yet reached the level of a great master, but he can already influence the general trend of the world with his personal power. If those great masters who passed away were really involved in the world, The world may have been in chaos for a long time.
Xiang Baiying once said that the Grand Master has the strength to protect a country by one person. He was still doubtful about it, but now he feels that it is absolutely true. The Grand Master can not only protect the country, but also bring chaos to the world with one person's power.