"Are you serious?" Hearing what the other party said, Situ Yutang suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in his heart, and his face turned back. After capturing Longdong, Shui will have no worries that day. If he can join forces with his third brother, he might be able to retake Heshuo.
"Aren't you serious, Yutang, you don't know yet?" Wu Feng replied with a smile, "It's just that your third brother still has to do a good job. I don't think he may be willing to do so."
After a moment of silence, Situ Yutang also knew the difficulty of this. At present, his brothers all supported their own troops. From their perspective, these troops had become weights in their fight for the throne. How could they easily use them? As for the city guard regiment led by Yusuf, Situ Yutang was sure that he was ordered by a certain brother to act so boldly. Otherwise, even with his courage, he would not dare to directly disobey his father's order.
"In this regard, I will find a way to convince Third Brother that the safety of the empire depends on him. Even if they want to fight for that position, they should wait until they eliminate the rebellious parties and eliminate the enemies." Situ Yutang lowered his head and whispered. He said, "By doing this, they will only benefit the Taiping Rebellion and the tigers and wolves around the empire. Can't they see the situation clearly?"
"Haha, Yutang, I think your highnesses may be too obsessed with certain aspects. If you stand in such a stalemate and monitor each other, I'm afraid it will really lead to a disaster." Wu Feng also stood up and slowly walked around in place with his hands behind his hands. step.
"Hmph, they are so powerful and stupid. They are all looking at the position of the Nine-Five Great Treasures. I think they will reap the consequences in the end, but if this happens, the empire will fall into the abyss." Situ Yutang, who has always been reclusive, also rarely showed up at all. Feng commented to his brothers in front of him, "We can't let this situation continue, so we must find a way to retake Heshuo. This is related to the life and death of the empire!"
"Yu Tang is right." Wu Feng smiled and nodded, "I hope Yu Tang can convince His Highness the Third Highness that the Northwest Army is willing to follow Ji Wei."
The autumn wind was rustling, and everything was depressing. There were suddenly fewer pedestrians on the once bustling streets, and all the people coming and going were in a hurry. Many shops had their doors ajar, and some had even been closed and had signs for sale. He Zhiqiu sat expressionlessly in the sedan chair, looking at everything in front of him coldly. Could it be that the cold winter of the empire has finally arrived
Recalling the scene of meeting His Majesty just now, He Zhiqiu felt even more uncomfortable. His Majesty, who was in a daze, was as thin as a skin and bones. He needed to rest for a while every time he said a few words. The continuous blows had made His Majesty's nerves numb. My own report on Lin Guoxiong and Lang Yongquan's request to be crowned king failed to attract too much attention from His Majesty. It seems that even His Majesty has lost confidence in the current mess. All affairs have been entrusted to himself and His Highness Ninth, as if he and His Highness Ninth can turn the tide. Normally, but in this current situation, can His Highness Ninth Prince really be able to sustain this crisis
Looking out of the sedan window with some confusion, a gust of autumn wind passed through the thick sedan curtain. He Zhiqiu couldn't help but shuddered. He Zhiqiu was also shocked by this guy Yusuf's blatant disobedience. He didn't know who Yusuf dared to do this for. , but I am afraid that His Majesty the Emperor knows as well as himself that this is another guy who wants to compete for the throne who dares to do such an outrageous thing. The current situation is that even His Majesty the Emperor dare not easily decide on the reserve position. If not, it will stir up a storm and tear this huge empire into pieces. The plan I made for His Majesty the Emperor seems to have failed. I didn't expect that the princes could join forces with the Taiping Religion for their own interests. This is indeed a bit unexpected. Contrary to his expectations, failure is a matter of course.
"My lord, His Highness the Ninth Prince has arrived." The guard's words interrupted the Minister of Military Affairs' contemplation, "Yes, I understand."
Passing through the courtyard, an elegant study room appeared in front of me, "Your Highness, Mr. He is here."
As soon as the guard finished speaking, a handsome man in brocade robes with a golden crown and hair tied up came out, followed by a tall girl. After taking a closer look, He Zhiqiu was stunned for a moment, but he still bowed respectfully and said: "I have met His Highness the Ninth Prince, and I have met His Highness the Thirteenth Princess."
The tall woman was naturally Situ Yushuang, the thirteenth princess of the empire who had the same mother as Situ Lang. With a cold face, she followed behind Brother Nai without saying a word. When she saw He Zhiqiu's arrival, she just nodded silently. , He Zhiqiu could see that the woman in front of him had lost weight a lot compared to the past few months, and she was obviously worried about the crisis in front of the empire.
"Come in and sit down, Mr. He. I invited Thirteenth Sister. The current situation is like this. One more person will be more caring. Besides, Thirteenth Sister is also a famous and talented woman in our royal family. I believe Mr. He won't mind? "Although Situ Lang was carefully groomed, it was still difficult to conceal the deep worry behind his eyebrows.
"Your Highness is serious. Since Your Majesty has entrusted important matters to His Highness, everything will naturally be subject to His Highness's opinion. The Thirteenth Princess is quick-thinking, well-known in the capital, and is a sibling of His Highness. She is naturally the best person to assist His Highness in his plans." He Zhiqiu naturally knew the blood relationship between the two, and the Thirteenth Princess's resourcefulness was known to everyone in the court. At this time, His Majesty's body was like a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any time. He had vaguely decided to take the throne for this handsome man in front of him. Of course, he was the only one. I have done my best to assist you and fulfilled my duty as a minister.
"Lord He, you are exaggerating. Yushuang is just an ordinary woman. How can she deserve such praise from Lord He? However, the country is in a critical situation right now. My father is in poor health. The civil and military forces in the dynasty are helpless in the face of rampant thieves. Although Yu Shuang is She is a daughter, but she doesn’t want to be a slave to the country’s subjugation. Since Ninth Brother is in charge of national affairs, Yushuang will naturally share the worries of Ninth Brother.” Situ Yushuang’s tone was very indifferent, but the worries in her heart could not be hidden from the mature He Zhiqiu. .
"Okay, Mr. He and Thirteenth Sister should stop being modest. The situation is critical right now. The rebel army has reached the border of eastern Shanxi. However, the eldest brother and the third brother are pretending to be deaf and mute and stand still. The seventh brother is pretending to be sick in Jiangnan. But they are holding the Seventh Army tightly. There is only one Guards Army in the Imperial City right now. He Lao, what do you think we should do now?" Situ Lang was not an impatient person at first, but the bad news coming every day really made him Heartbroken, the three brothers all stopped and watched. Do they really want to defend the imperial capital city and wait for the Taiping rebel army to attack
Seeing that although the other party was quite indignant at the actions of his brothers, he did not mention the city guard regiment that was close at hand. Why did Qiu vaguely feel that something was wrong, and his heart tightened. Could there be something weird in this? His Majesty the Emperor already hated Yusuf for disobeying his orders, but because he was afraid of forcing the opposition at this time, he never issued an order to investigate and deal with it. Now there is no better way to solve this problem. Thinking of this, He Zhiqiu felt even colder in his heart. It seemed that the battle for the throne was enough to make people abandon everything, even the relationship between father and son.
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry too much. Based on observations from experienced ministers, although the Taiping rebels captured the Heshuo area, they are at the end of their efforts. The tug-of-war between the rivers also caused them considerable losses, and the Heshuo area has always been the heartland of the empire. , the Taiping Sect’s foundation in this area is not strong. If they want to gain a foothold in this area, I’m afraid they still need to spend some time and energy. The imperial capital should still be an unattainable luxury for them. They currently I don't have the strength to consider the imperial capital." He Zhiqiu calmed down, put aside the random thoughts in his mind, and analyzed the current situation step by step.
"Then what do you think, should we just wait here and do nothing?" Situ Lang asked anxiously. Sitting and waiting like this, I'm afraid that both the courtiers and the people and gentry of the empire will be dissatisfied with him as a prisoner. His Highness has lost confidence. His father may change his attention and let his already promising opportunity fail. This is something he cannot accept under any circumstances.
"Your Highness, there are currently only 100,000 troops of the Imperial Guard in the Imperial City, while the Taiping Army gathered in the Heshuo area has reached as many as 200,000. Moreover, they have just won a great victory and their morale is high. Now is really not the time to confront them head-on. , instead of relying on the fortified city of the imperial capital, relying on the unparalleled defenses of the imperial capital, and waiting for work in leisure, it is enough to make the Taiping Army who want to attack the imperial capital suffer a lot. The veteran is worried that the Taiping Army may not easily attack the imperial capital." Although He Zhiqiu noticed that He understood what the other party was thinking, but at this moment it was really not the time to act based on personal feelings, so he had to patiently persuade the other party.
"But Mr. He, if we blindly give in and indulge the thieves like this, I'm afraid they will gain a foothold in the Heshuo area, and we will have to pay a higher price if we still want to regain the lost territory. Have you thought about this?" Situ Yushuang asked. There was no emotion in the words, and they were as cold as squeezed out of the cracks in the iceberg.
"But, according to Her Highness the Princess' wishes, how should we respond now? Do we really want the Guards to go into battle?" He Zhiqiu knew that the other party must have something to say. He didn't want to argue with the other party anymore, so he asked calmly.
"Of course it is impossible for the Imperial Guards to go to war, but doesn't the empire still have three great military envoys? Didn't Lin Guoxiong and Lang Yongquan write a letter asking their father to make them kings? They have to come up with something to prove to the empire that they respect the empire. Loyalty is the key. The reward of this throne is so good. Of course, you have to set an example. Mr. He, don't you think so?" Situ Yushuang said this question in an understated manner with a calm demeanor.
Some hesitantly, the image master asked himself or the two of them. Situ Lang pondered: "Do you really want to make them kings? I'm afraid it won't be in line with the ancestral customs. I'm afraid my father will also find it difficult to agree."
"Customization of ancestral customs? Now that even the empire is at a critical moment of survival, who will pay attention to customs of ancestral customs? As long as the empire's hanging situation can be solved, let alone two kings, so what if ten kings are made?" Situ Yu Shuang retorted coldly.
Seeing that Situ Yushuang was so tough and determined, He Zhiqiu couldn't help but admonished: "It's easy to make a king but difficult to withdraw the vassal. Your Highness, once you start this, I'm afraid it will never be closed again. Your Highnesses should consider it." It’s clear.”