On December 26, 695 in the continental calendar, just as people across the continent were preparing to welcome the new year, the war situation in the northern part of the empire suddenly changed. Under the arrangement of the Imperial Minister of Affairs He Zhiqiu, the five divisions of the Imperial City Guard Corps changed their uniforms with the Imperial Guard Corps. The Imperial Guard Corps took out some troops to pretend to be City Guards, while the real City Guard Corps left the city overnight to attack Taiping. The bridgehead of the army's southern invasion - Niutou Town in the south of Qinghe Prefecture, where nearly 150,000 Taiping troops have gathered.
Caught off guard, the two armies met head-on on January 2, 696 Continental Calendar, and started a fierce battle. With their strong combat effectiveness, the four divisions of the Imperial City Guards that participated in the battle annihilated two Taiping Army infantry regiments of 10,000 people, and defeated the enemy's one cavalry regiment of 10,000 men, achieving the first battle victory since the Taiping Army uprising. It shocked the entire empire and was known as the "Great Victory at Niutou Town" in history.
Just as the Taiping Army adjusted its deployment and prepared for another decisive battle with the imperial army, the wily Imperial Minister of State He Zhiqiu did not seem to give them a chance.
On January 3, 696 in the Continental Calendar, before the Taiping Army could adjust its deployment, while the main force of the Taiping Army was attracted by the four divisions of the Imperial City Guard on the frontal battlefield, the long-planned third Imperial City Guard Corps The division suddenly took a detour from the east of Qinghe Prefecture and entered Qinghe territory, threatening the Taiping Army's rear and defeating the Taiping Army's partial divisions that came for reinforcements.
The Taiping Army was immediately disrupted. The more than 100,000 troops on the southern front were forced to shrink their defenses. The battle line was once in chaos and disjointed. The Imperial Army seized the opportunity to launch a general offensive from the southeastern front. The Taiping Army finally persisted for three days and three nights. The entire front was defeated, and only 30,000 of the more than 100,000 troops escaped and retreated to Qinghe Fucheng. In this battle, more than 80,000 Taiping soldiers were annihilated, and nearly 30,000 of them were captured. This is the most glorious and grand victory achieved by the Imperial Army since the Taiping Army's uprising, and is known in history as the "Battle of Qinghe".
This major victory not only greatly alleviated the military threat posed by the Taiping Army to the imperial capital in the north, but also greatly inspired the people's morale and military morale in other parts of the empire. There are only 40,000 Taiping troops left in Qinghe Prefecture, and they are all huddled in Qinghe Prefecture and dare not go out. The Imperial City Guards also paid a considerable price, especially the four divisions that fought head-on. The number of casualties, serious injuries and loss of combat effectiveness reached nearly 30,000 people. This is the number of losses suffered by the City Guards since the establishment of the Empire hundreds of years ago. the most significant loss.
When the news of the victory came back, the entire imperial capital was filled with joy. The gentry in the city decorated the city with lights, lit up smoke and fired cannons, and the atmosphere was full of joy both inside and outside. Several famous entertainment venues were overcrowded day and night. Maybe everyone wants to use this to relieve the mood that has been suffering for such a long time.
Looking at the bustling night scene outside the window, Situ Tai seemed absent-minded. This is the third floor of the famous Tianya Haijiao Building on Shuiyue Street in the Imperial Capital. It is also the best-located large box. From here, you can clearly see the main stage located in the middle of this prestigious venue. In terms of architectural style, Tianya Haijiao Tower is a typical Tanghe-style building complex. Its main body is a square building facing the street. It occupies a large area and has four floors in total. It is in a ring shape and leaves a space in the middle of the building. There is a large open space, but a large stage about two stories high was built on the open space as a venue for performances by various groups.
The first floor is mainly an ordinary consumption place. From the second floor onwards, there are various styles of private rooms with extremely high prices, where you can directly watch the performances in the middle. On the third floor, there are some large private rooms, where the prices are even more expensive, and It is often difficult to book a table a week or two in advance. Without a special and good relationship, I am afraid that no matter how much money you spend, you will not be able to get a seat here. The fourth floor is the boss's private place. No one can go up there, and those who can go up are definitely not ordinary people.
This square building is connected to a large group of courtyards, where there are places for the staff to live, and there are also luxurious courtyards for guests to stay. It has complete facilities and different styles. It is worthy of being the top of the imperial capital* ** place, no wonder it is always overcrowded, and I have never worried about the source of customers.
Seeing that his master was agitated, the thin old man standing next to him was indifferent, half-closing his eyes, and silently resting his mind. All kinds of snacks on the table have been prepared, the curtains are half-closed, and there is a table next to the window sill.
"Mr. Leng, do you think this guy will come?" Finally unable to bear it any longer, Situ Tai looked away from the window and couldn't help but ask.
"Your Highness, don't be too anxious. According to Lao Nu, even if Mr. Zhou comes that day, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find out the truth." Seeing that his master was like an ant on a hot pot, the old man had no choice but to open his eyes and replied.
"Oh?" Situ Tai was stunned and thought for a while before saying: "But right now, my father's body has not recovered yet and he has not been in charge of the government. Even us sons can't see him in person. But this guy Zhou Baozhong is almost They have to enter the palace every day according to the order, and even He Zhiqiu and Lu Wenfu, whom my father always valued, are far behind." Situ Tai did not hide in front of his confidants how clear he was about the information in the palace.
"Hmph, His Highness seems to think too highly of Mr. Zhou. Yes, Mr. Zhou may have been invited by His Majesty to spend more time in the palace during this period, but according to the old slave's estimation, it is because the situation in the north is tense and His Majesty needs to pay attention to the war situation at all times. The reason is that as the Minister of Intelligence, he naturally needs to report to His Majesty from time to time. This doesn't mean anything." The skinny old man shook his head disapprovingly.
Situ Tai's heart gradually calmed down. He also found that he had been a little too restless these days and did not consider many things. For example, inviting the intelligence minister Zhou Baozhong to Tianya Haijiaolou today seemed a bit abrupt. He was thinking about what to do. How to save this current situation.
As if he had seen through his master's hesitation, the skinny old man curled his lips slightly and said with a smile: "Your Highness, there is no need to worry too much. Although Your Majesty is ill in the palace and not taking care of political affairs, I am afraid that none of the big and small things inside and outside the imperial capital can be affected." Let's hide it from him. His Highness openly and openly asked Mr. Zhou, Minister of Intelligence, to come to Tianya Haijiao Tower for a banquet today. This is just human nature. What should we be afraid of? Those who do small tricks secretly will be noticed by His Majesty. In the eyes."
Hearing what his confidant said, Situ Tai felt much relieved. He knew that his confidant often looked at things differently, but it was accurate every time, so he respected the old man very much, almost to the point of The point where you obey what you say.
Sitting down slowly, Situ Tai's face became much calmer. Following the sound of footsteps outside the door, the two people in the room exchanged glances with each other. The old man stood up first, and Situ Tai also took two steps to the door.
"Your Highness, I am late, please forgive me." The Minister of Intelligence who stepped through the door swept away the submissive look in front of Situ Mingyue. His face was full of spring breeze, but he did not dare to lack any etiquette. He gave a big salute when he entered the door.
"Master Zhou is so polite. It's really hard for you to be busy during this time." The sincere smile on Situ Tai's face moved people from the bottom of his heart.
Zhou Baozhong was also a sophisticated man, and he bowed repeatedly to express his disdain.
The guests and hosts took their seats while complimenting each other. The beauties who had been waiting for a long time immediately poured out of the small room next door like butterflies and took their seats according to the pre-arranged arrangement. At this time, the performance on the opposite stage had just begun. .
The guests and hosts were having a good time while drinking and drinking. During this period, they inevitably talked about current political affairs. One asked questions implicitly, and the other answered cleverly. Of course, they were all done while avoiding others, but even if there were people present, it would be difficult to understand the two of them. Conversation like a riddle.
After watching the other party leave, the generous smile on Situ Tai's face slowly faded, but his eyebrows were filled with thoughts.
"Your Highness, what did Lord Zhou say?" Although the skinny old man had been sitting next to him, Situ Tai and Zhou Baozhong kept their heads down and whispered, so even he didn't hear anything substantial.
"Huh, this old fox, when asked about my father's affairs, he always talks about him, and can't find anything useful at all." Situ Tai's tone was not dissatisfied, maybe he had expected this.
"Oh, Zhou Baozhong is certainly not a mediocre person if he has managed to get this far. He has his own way of doing things. It would be difficult for ordinary people to take anything out of his mouth." The skinny old man was not surprised by this.
"Yeah, but he is quite sensible and leaked a lot of information about the third child to me. I didn't expect that the third child would start to get excited again after being secretive for so long. I thought he was really honest." Situ Tai added He turned his attention to the window, which was still full of traffic and a bustling scene.
"Your Highness, you underestimate the Third Highness. Although His Majesty did kill many of His Highness's people in the last purge, he represents a very deep force behind him. These people have shared weal and woe with him, so he will not Maybe if he keeps dormant like this, it is inevitable that he will take action." The old man saw this clearly, and he directly made an assertion without asking Situ Tai what the Third Highness did.
"Well, I know this too, but I didn't expect that Lao San would not only have close contacts with some people in the Fourth Legion, but also actually get in touch with Li Wufeng! This is beyond my expectation." At this point, Situ Tai's face had darkened a lot.
"What? What did you say?" Even the skinny old man was taken aback by this, and he asked again and again, his voice much louder, his eyes fixed on Situ Tai's face.
Situ Tai was stunned for a moment, then repeated what he had just said. The old man frowned, shook his head in confusion and muttered to himself: "It's impossible, it shouldn't be possible?"
The room was silent for a moment, and Situ Tai did not speak. He did not want to disturb his think tank.