Zhongzhou in October should have been a good season with crisp autumn air and extremely pleasant weather. However, in the late autumn of 695 in the mainland calendar, the imperial capital was shrouded in a gloomy and panicful atmosphere. People were rushing on the streets, and from time to time, heavily armed soldiers could be seen walking in the streets and lanes. Patrolling the alleys, which is very rare in the imperial capital.
"Have you heard that there is a rebellion in Kansai?" A timid and thin businessman lowered his voice and pretended to be mysterious, and said to the two tea friends sitting next to him.
"Hmph! When did you get the news? I just heard from people in the palace this morning that the north has also started to rebel, and there is a lot of turmoil. Several palaces are in turmoil." He said contemptuously through his nose. Squeezing out a sound, the middle-aged businessman in a brocade robe said nonchalantly.
"Hey, what will happen to our goods after all this trouble?" Another businessman with a yellow face and a rat beard complained endlessly.
"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?" The brocade-robed merchant glanced at his partner next to him and said dissatisfied.
"Well, that is risky. Although the trade route to the west has not been cut off yet, the rebel forces have begun to spread everywhere. I think it would be a bit mysterious for the army to defeat the rebel gang and control the road." The yellow-faced businessman retorted unconvincingly, "If the goods are blocked by rebels, wouldn't it be a sheep in a tiger's mouth for nothing?"
"Then what should we do? Just leave it there and wait for it to get moldy and rot?" The Jinpao merchant's tone was also full of anger, "Mom, sooner or later you won't rebel. It's just when my goods are about to pass. Isn't this right? An Xin wants me to lose my money?!"
"It's better for us to deal with it here than to be robbed by rebels and lose everything!" The yellow-faced businessman looked downcast.
"Look at your bearish look. Not to mention that the road is still under the control of the empire. Even if it is controlled by those people, I still dare to try it!" the brocade-robed merchant roared, "I don't believe it. Luck is so bad, you will encounter it as soon as you go."
"Brother, it's better to be careful. News of the rebellion in Kansai has been coming for a few days. During this time, look at any newspaper that has reported on the empire. They are all silent. If there is good news that the army defeated the rebels, wouldn't those reporters with a sense of smell more sensitive than hunting dogs start making a fuss long ago?" Although the thin businessman is as timid as a mouse, what he said is very reasonable, and you can listen to it. The yellow-faced businessman nodded in agreement.
"Even the dragon's pool and the tiger's den have to go through it. Who told us to do it?" The brocade-robed businessman's determination has not changed, but there is a sad look in his eyes. "Now there is also a commotion in the north. I think we If we don't leave, I'm afraid the Heshuo area will be in chaos sooner or later. By then, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave even if I really want to." The Jinpao merchant obviously didn't have much hope in the imperial army.
The once splendid and majestic Qinzheng Hall was now filled with the desolate smell of cold rain and cold wind. The civil and military officials in the dynasty consciously or unconsciously suppressed their breathing and listened with their heads down to the reports of the intelligence department.
"Except for Lujiang Prefecture, the situation in the six prefectures of Guanxi County is slightly stable. All the other prefectures have lost control. Hanzhong Prefecture has been controlled by a mob of nearly 100,000 people led by Taiping cultist Bo Jinchen. It has been found that the Hanzhong Guard Division has collectively participated After the rebellion, Bao Guowei, the city guard of Hanzhong Prefecture, died for his country. The entire Hanzhong Prefecture has been completely lost. The First Division of the Fourth Army Corps stationed in Hanzhong Prefecture has protected the county guard and evacuated Hanzhong Prefecture and moved to Lujiang Prefecture for office; Xikang Prefecture The situation was also precarious. On the evening of October 29, two regiments of the Xikang Guard Division were attacked by Taiping Sect armed bandits in the northern suburbs of Xikang City, and the entire army was wiped out. On the morning of October 30, the fifth regiment of the Xikang Guard Division The remaining two regiments rebelled, and the remaining two regiment soldiers were surrounded by the rebellious Fifth Regiment and Taiping Sect armed bandits, and later surrendered. Zhou Baozhong, the Minister of Intelligence, could not help but glance at His Majesty the Emperor, who had been silent.
Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had no expression, Zhou Baozhong had no choice but to bite the bullet and read on: "Most of the market towns in the north and west of Jincheng Prefecture are being led by mobs led by Taiping believers. According to the intelligence, there are about 80,000 rebel armed groups heading towards Fucheng. Tao Liangcai, the city guard of Chengfu, has disappeared, and the administrative director is temporarily acting as the agent for the whole government. The Second Division of the Fourth Army stationed there has reported many times to request emergency support; Bashan City Guard Xie Wuyong and the Director of Internal Affairs reported on October 27 On October 29, they were assassinated in the official residence at the same time. Jiang Yuanyi, the head of the administrative department, and Gao Delin, the head of the Bashan garrison division, collectively rebelled and surrendered to the enemy. Except for the far southern region, the entire territory of Bashan was controlled by the Taiping Religion; Longdong Fucheng was destroyed on October 29 There was a riot on the same day, and during the process of suppressing the riot, the soldiers of three regiments of the garrison division were disbanded. The soldiers of another regiment and the city guard Song Hua have retreated to Tianshui and are on standby. There is no news yet on the regiment stationed at Partridge Pass."
"Then let's talk about the north." Situ Mingyue's cold voice sounded like it was squeezed out of a crack in the ice, but it was still calm, but everyone knew that behind this calmness there was often a violent storm.
"Well, to the north, Qinghe Prefecture and Anyuan Prefecture among the five prefectures of Beiyuan County have experienced nationwide riots. The situation is very critical. According to the intelligence just obtained, Qinghe Prefecture has been surrounded by rebels, and a large-scale riot has also occurred in Lulong Prefecture. The current situation of the riots is unknown. There are signs of riots in Yanshan Prefecture, Laizhou Prefecture, and Yunzhou Prefecture in Yanyun County, and the situation is in danger of getting out of control. Security forces from various places are now stepping up their crackdowns, and there is no further information on the specific situation." Zhou Baozhong bravely reported the information one by one.
"Is there anything unusual in the Heshuo area?" Situ Mingyue was not overwhelmed by the disastrous news. Her voice was a little hoarse, but she still remained calm.
"Well, there are signs of instability in Tianshui, Heishan, and Longquan, but no clear news has come yet." Zhou Baozhong swallowed hard and replied.
"It's very good. In just a few days, it seems that everything has turned upside down. I don't know what you will think after hearing this? This great country has been destroyed by a bunch of ignorant farmers. It’s all such a mess, I really can’t understand how powerful the Taiping Sect is really? How many officials from our empire have surrendered to the enemy in just a few days, and how many of them have died loyally to serve the country?” Situ Mingyue’s words were filled with emotion. It's a bitter taste of irony.
"If you have any suggestions, please tell me." The voice became colder and colder, and all the ministers lowered their heads unconsciously, fearing that His Majesty the Emperor would call their names.
Taking a long breath, Situ Mingyue looked at His Highness's ministers for a moment, and suddenly felt that she was so exhausted. Since she ascended the throne, she had never been able to have a quiet time, even during the annual summer vacation. Stable. He even had the idea of leaving all government affairs to others and just wanted to go to a paradise far away from the world to rest quietly. However, he only had such an idea at that moment. The harsh reality forced him to have no choice but to go to a paradise far away from the world. It didn’t take long for my thoughts to come back to my eyes.
Before the fall of Kansai had time to react, Beiyuan was ignited again. As an emperor, it was really hard for me to be the emperor. Why did these things always happen to me? Thinking of this, Situ Mingyue felt a little envious of her ancestors. It seemed that except for the two founding ancestors, none of the other ancestors had ever fallen into the situation she was in now.
Gently rubbing his forehead, Situ Mingyue tried his best to stabilize his mind. He knew that this was not the time to get angry, but that he needed to calm down and discuss with his ministers how to deal with the current severe situation at this stage, but he kept it in his heart. The resentment and anger are always difficult to suppress.
There was silence in the hall, and the ministers who occasionally wanted to cough had to cover their mouths tightly with their hands to avoid irritating the Emperor, who looked calm but could tell from the ups and downs of his chest that he was in a very bad mood.
After a while, Situ Mingyue's voice sounded in the hall again: "Apart from these three places, are there any abnormal situations in other areas?"
"Your Majesty, although there are signs of instability in other counties, there has been no backlash so far. Alerts and investigations have been stepped up in various places to prevent those who are colluding with the response." Interior Minister Lu Wenfu responded after going out to salute.
"Oh? Lu Aiqing, I don't want to hear about similar phenomena happening anywhere else except these three counties. Is it okay?" At this time, His Majesty the Emperor's tone was weak but full of cruelty and coldness. Only the ministers present Only then can we understand the meaning.
With his face as usual, Lu Wenfu bowed deeply and said, "I will die to repay your kindness."
Even though Situ Mingyue has been a king for a long time, emotions such as love, pity and sympathy seem to have nothing to do with him, but at this moment, he can't help but feel sour in his heart. Looking at the Minister of the Interior in front of him, he was in his prime years, but now he looks like... He has aged ten years, and it is obvious that the work pressure during this period has made him exhausted and unable to continue.
"Lu Aiqing, thank you for your hard work. This is a critical moment for the empire. I hope you can..." He considered his words, but His Majesty the Emperor did not say any more.
"Weak ministers must work hard to live up to the emperor's will." As if he could understand His Majesty the Emperor's thoughts, Lu Wenfu's originally unusually calm face also turned red.
After trying her best to cheer up, Situ Mingyue took a long breath and turned her attention to the Minister of Military Affairs, the second person from the left, "He Aiqing, what do you think now?"
Knowing that this question would fall on him sooner or later, although he had made a lot of preparations before the court meeting, at this time, He Zhiqiu's heart was still full of bitterness. It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. At present, war is raging in the country, but the empire can The mobile forces mobilized are extremely limited, but there are still packs of wolves watching all around. How should he deal with this
But how dare you confess this to His Majesty? Now His Majesty cannot and does not want to hear any unfavorable news. If he continues to be ignorant of the current affairs and speaks out, degrading official affairs and allowing the rebels to take advantage of the situation, that is a situation that He Zhiqiu will never want to see. What His Majesty the Emperor needs most right now is support and encouragement. Only by arousing His Majesty's confidence and allowing him to muster up the courage can he deal with this critical situation of chaos everywhere.