Veins popped out on Situ Jun's forehead. He pressed the desk tightly with both hands. Even the thick oak desk seemed unable to withstand the pressure exerted on it. It shattered into several pieces with a crash and the door was slammed. There was a crash, and several guards flashed in, silver light flashed, and their sharp blades were unsheathed, "Your Highness!"
"Get out!" Situ Jun's face was ashen and he shouted without looking back.
"Yes, Your Highness!" There was nothing wrong with the shoulders, only the unfortunate desk was shattered on the ground. Several guards looked around, bowed respectfully and stepped back.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry. I also think that the second possibility is more likely. Of course, your Majesty may also want to find a more suitable candidate through this overseas training, but this possibility is too small." The face of the old man surnamed Qiu. Calm, as if saying one more thing that has nothing to do with me.
"You mean Lao Jiu?!" Situ Jun's distorted face looked particularly ferocious, and his cold eyes were like a snake's letter, spitting out the light of choosing and devouring people.
"I'm afraid there won't be anyone else except His Highness Ninth Prince, right? His Highness has been sent to Yanyun, His Highness Seventh has gone to East China Sea, and His Highness Six is staying in the imperial capital to take charge of military affairs, but according to the old man's observation, that is just a foil, only His Highness Ninth Prince stayed in the Imperial Capital and was given the power to suppress the hidden forces of the Taiping Sect in the Imperial Capital." The old man surnamed Qiu analyzed slowly.
"Why did Mr. Qiu say that the sixth one was a foil? I think he has been very active in the past two years." Although Situ Jun was not optimistic about Situ Biao in his heart, it was just intuition and no basis.
"Hey, you are in charge of military affairs. What military affairs are in the imperial capital? Who can command the two armies of City Guard and Imperial Guard except His Majesty himself? Besides, how can Zhiqiu's prestige and experience be replaced by His Highness the Sixth Prince? Being in charge of military affairs is nothing more than trapping His Highness Sixth Prince there. Although the name is high, I'm afraid His Highness Sixth Prince is aware of his own suffering." Qiuyuan shook his head, with a look of indifference on his thin face.
"What about Lao Jiu?" Situ Jun asked urgently. This was the question he was most concerned about.
"The Ninth Highness is naturally different. Although he is nominally responsible for wiping out the remnants of the Taiping Sect, it is very different when placed in the imperial capital. The imperial capital's security force is divided into four parts. One is the most powerful military. As long as the two legions support whichever side, then Whoever ascends to the position of Dabao will be determined, and there will be no turning around. The attitudes of the two legions are particularly important, but in fact, most of the officers and soldiers in the two legions are from the imperial capital, especially the group of mid-level officers who serve as a link between the past and the following. , their families and relatives are all in the imperial capital, no matter who ascends to the position of Dabao, it will not have much impact on their interests, and all your highnesses, including us, have influence in these two legions and restrain each other. Containment, so they are actually the most stable force, that is, they support whoever is strong and in power."
"The second part is the Imperial Habayashi Army and His Majesty's imperial bodyguards. Most of the Habayashi Army personnel are served by the children of the imperial nobles. The senior officers within them have always been held by children of the royal family or people related to the royal bloodline. Although in recent years, there have been many The civilian children have entered, but they cannot change the overall situation. The current commander of the Yulin Army is His Highness's fifth uncle, Antai Company Tu Mingtong. He has always kept a low profile and impartial. To him, Your Highnesses have flesh on their palms and backs. Whoever ascends the throne His position has no influence on him, and it is estimated that his position will not change. His Majesty's personal security force in the Royal Guards Room belongs directly to His Majesty, and is not considered a security force and can be ignored."
"The Imperial Military Police can barely be regarded as the third part. However, although this part of the personnel is nominally affiliated with the Imperial Legal Affairs Department, since most of its personnel are from the Imperial side, and their number is not large, they are not affected by changes in the political situation. It’s hard to have much impact.”
"The fourth part, which is the most important force, is the force under the control of the Imperial City Police Department. In addition to the eight police stations under the jurisdiction of thousands of police officers, what is more important is that they have close contact with them or can be said to be able to The civil forces in the imperial capital that control and dominate, such as martial arts sects and civil society groups with violent and religious overtones, are a mixed and quite large force. While other forces in the imperial capital are constraining each other and the situation is in a balanced state, this force A force is the real decider of the situation in the imperial capital!" The last sentence echoed in the room like a shocking blow.
Situ Jun listened silently to Qiu Yuan's introduction and analysis, without saying anything. He seemed to be carefully analyzing the comparison of the strengths of the various parties. He tapped his fingers gently on the armrest of the big chair, and the room suddenly became silent.
"It seems that apart from Lao Jiu, the elder brother's strength in the imperial capital cannot be underestimated. He is obviously behind the five factions alliance. It seems that I was a little careless in this step. Lao Jiu now controls the security force of the imperial capital. , of course all those Jianghu sects and societies will swarm to ask for credit and flattery to him, hehe, I'm afraid I'm not the only one who is restless, right?" Situ Jun sneered, "Since Father An Anxin wants Lao Jiu to sit in this position, then Why am I still busy here? Why don't I just stay here and watch the fight between the tigers and see who can come out on top first?"
"This is not appropriate, Your Highness. Although Your Majesty has this intention, Your Majesty has not expressed it clearly, and He Xue is still hesitant. The opinions of the ministers in the DPRK may not be the same. Since Your Majesty has given His Highness the opportunity, we will We must make good use of it, firstly to firmly grasp the military power, and secondly, to fight two good battles, so that the ministers of the DPRK and His Majesty can see who is more suitable for that position?!" Akihara categorically rejected his master's angry opinion. .
"Having the upper hand in the imperial capital does not mean that you have the upper hand in the empire. Needless to say, His Highness, the Seventh Highness is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and the Sixth Highness may also have hidden back-ups. No one dares to do so until the last moment. Bragging! In short, who will win will not be determined until the last moment. I am thinking that since His Highness Ninth Prince sits in that position, I am afraid that all Your Highnesses will not give up. The final outcome will still be decided by a competition of strength. It's just that he had the upper hand!" Qiuyuan's deep-set eyes glowed faintly, and the expression on his face looked even more mysterious.
"Well said! Hehe, the throne of the emperor is not something anyone can sit on, and it's not something anyone can sit on if they want it, not even the father!" The cold words seemed to come from Situ Junya. There were fierce splashes from the seam, and the knuckles between the fingers kept making clicking sounds. An evil aura filled the entire room, and even the sophisticated Qiuyuan shivered at the sudden murderous intention of his master.
After a long time, Situ Jun slowly regained his composure and asked in a deep voice: "According to your opinion, we still need to capture Jincheng Mansion first?"
"Well, in my opinion, after taking Jincheng, we can pretend that the local situation is still unstable and needs troops to be stationed and suppressed. This can give us an excuse to delay the time. The Fifth Army can be stationed in Jincheng Mansion to firmly control In your hands, the Third Army is still allowed to return to Heshuo and control the passage to the imperial capital. As long as the situation changes, we can return to the capital at any time." Qiuyuan calmed down and then revealed the plan.
The sky was clear, and under the blazing sun, it seemed that the woods on the hillside that used to sing with birds had died under its power. There were far fewer passing caravans than usual, and the three-legged bluebird flag on the fortress checkpoint hung listlessly under the flagpole. In order to avoid the scorching sun, the soldiers sneaked into nearby houses to rest. At noon, even bronze figures could be roasted, and there was not even a ghost on the road. Who would have the heart to brave the sun? The head stood on an observation post like a steamer.
A caravan that entered the city at noon was resting at the gate. A dozen large carts were lying on the roadside just after entering the city gate. The watermelons they carried were piled on the ground. One was cut into pieces, with green skin and red flesh, and sweet sand. The delicious, slurry-filled melon pulp turns to dregs when chewed, and the melon juice overflowing from the corner of the mouth makes even the thin clothes soaked through. The pleasure makes everyone feel itchy.
"Master Jun, come down and try it. This is the authentic Lujiang sand sweet potato. It's sweet and juicy, and melts in your mouth. Hey, even the current emperor regards it as a tribute." A few strong men with open chests said while Fanning the cattail leaf fan, he raised his hand to cover his eyes and greeted upwards.
"Eh? Why are you resting here? This is an important area of the city gate. You are not allowed to stay. Leave quickly and go over there." The officer who led the patrol was originally furious, but when he saw the other party greeting him warmly, and after careful inspection After looking around, he found that all of the dozen or so men were wearing thin clothes. Apart from a dozen or so carloads of watermelons, there were no other suspicious items, and their expressions softened a lot.
"Master Jun, I'm really sorry. No, the axle of the lead car is broken, and the wheel of the car is also crushed. It needs to be repaired. It's quick. It will be fine in a while. I won't delay your business. "With a smile on his face, a man who looked like a leader hurriedly came up to him. While handing over his identity certificate, he held up two large, round and shiny watermelons.
After casually checking the certificate handed over by the other party, the leading officer did not pay much attention to it. Instead, he focused on the sturdy men themselves. Although there was nothing suspicious about the goods and their origins, the leading officer With my excellent intuition, I always felt that something was not quite right about these rough-looking melon sellers.
The man in front seemed to be a little too sensitive, and his hands did not look like those of a melon seller who ran around all year round, but rather looked like a pair of military hands; while the other few of his companions could not see anything on the surface, but they always It made people feel a little nervous, and their eyes wandered around, especially after the arrival of their patrol team. The location of the carriage was really coincidental, it happened to be in the restricted area of the city gate, and looking at it, it was probably not obvious for a while. It was difficult to repair. The combination of these factors had to make the leading officer in charge of the patrol a little suspicious.