There was a roaring fire in the old and simple study, but it could not drive away the chill in the heart of the Minister of Military Affairs. During this period, the situation in the empire had changed again and again, which was beyond his own judgment. He, who was always conceited, could not predict it at this time. What would become of this devastated empire? A feeling of powerlessness deeply troubled him. He Zhiqiu listened to the reports of his subordinates with a serious look. Although this information was somewhat outdated, it was still somewhat exciting under the current situation where the empire was retreating steadily, but it still sounded good to others. The news made He Zhiqiu full of bitterness.
"So, Longdong has been controlled by Li Wufeng? Hanzhong is still in chaos?" He Zhiqiu pondered for a long time before asking: "Is there any conflict between the armies of Lin Lang's family?"
"Sir, according to the current intelligence, the Lang family's army has arrived at Hanzhong Fucheng. The Lin family's army now controls the eastern part of Hanzhong Basin and is only a short distance away from Hanzhong Fucheng. But as of the time we received the news, The armies of the Lin family and the Lang family have not yet come into close contact, so there is no chance of conflict. In addition, the northwest army advancing south from Sishui Ridge and east from Jianmen Pass are advancing very quickly, although the progress is not as fast as that of Lin Lang Two families, but they attacked from both sides with great momentum, and they surrendered many small groups of Taiping troops. According to my subordinates, Li Wufeng did have ulterior motives." The man who answered the Minister of Military Affairs looked very confident, wearing a maroon robe. Very dazzling, his small eyes wandering around are shining brightly. Even in front of his direct boss reporting to work, he is quite relaxed and generous, without the slightest hint of nervousness, and his words are quite unrestrained. This person is from the Military Intelligence Agency. The person in charge is the newly promoted confidant of the Minister of Military Affairs, and he has won the trust of He Zhiqiu.
"The situation in Longdong has basically stabilized. Now Li Wufeng has two main divisions stationed there, echoing Lulong in the north, which has threatened the Taiping Sect's ruling area in the north. Li Wufeng took the opportunity to attack Lulong, Longdong, and Xikang wantonly bought people's hearts and proposed many new policy measures, many of which blatantly violated the empire's practices and laws, so it attracted a lot of people's attention. Please pay attention to this." After a pause, Hong The man in the robe seemed to be thinking about something for his superior, "Because these three palaces have all experienced the persecution of the Taiping Rebellion Party, the strength of the upper-class noble families has been more or less suppressed to a certain extent. On the one hand, Li Wufeng was appeasing those noble families. He also took this opportunity to win over the common people in the middle and lower classes who had not been affected too much, and vigorously purged those gentry and businessmen who had had contact with the Taiping Rebellion. This move was also quite powerful, not only winning many people in the imperial capital. The admiration from conservative forces has changed his previous image among those conservative forces, and he has also succeeded in attracting the mainstream gentry who had always kept a distance from the Taiping Rebellion Party into his arms. This Li Wufeng does have a skill at playing tricks."
He Zhiqiu didn't say anything, just nodded silently, indicating to the other party to continue talking.
"He has recently appointed an inspector to investigate the original treason and surrender of the Three Prefectures to the Taiping Rebellion during the rule of the Taiping Rebellion. That guy followed Li Wufeng's lead, and probably under Li Wufeng's instructions, he had already arrested those who had been involved with the Taiping Rebellion. All the people were arrested and imprisoned, and all their property was confiscated. The methods were quite ruthless." There was a hint of anger in the red-robed man's voice, "Many gentry who were just dealing with the Taiping Sect as a courtesy were also taken advantage of by them to eradicate them, and the scope was quite wide. "
"Oh?" He Zhiqiu was slightly moved, and raised his eyebrows and asked: "Then there is no reaction from the gentry in these areas?"
"There must be a reaction, but the guy who is handling this matter is quite sophisticated. He has collected a lot of evidence against these gentry, and his subordinates suspect that a lot of the evidence was forged by the northwest!" Anger flashed in the eyes of the man in red robe. The light is shining, and the breath is much tighter.
"Do you have any evidence for being so sure?" He Zhiqiu also had a cautious look on his face.
"Well, I have a family friend who belongs to a prominent family in Xikang. When the Taiping sect occupied Xikang, he did have some contact with the Taiping sect, but those were ordinary business dealings. But after Li Wufeng took control of Xikang, his whole family He was imprisoned for helping the Taiping Army organize the collection and sale of military horses. He himself has been sentenced to death. Only one nephew of his family escaped, and the others were exiled to Northern Luzon." The man in red robe took a deep breath and said slowly , "His nephew came to find his subordinates and reported to them that his uncle had never helped the Taiping Army in trafficking military horses. From this point on, his subordinates suspected that Li Wufeng was using this opportunity to eradicate the forces that opposed him in the three mansions. "
Still no one spoke, He Zhiqiu picked up the tea cup in front of him, as if he wanted to take a sip, but put it down again, and just listened quietly to the other party's introduction. The man in red robe was a little surprised by his boss's attitude. His boss had always been opposed and critical of Li Wufeng. This was not news in the DPRK, but he had reported so many situations today. If it had been in the past, , I am afraid that the boss's fierce words may have appeared a long time ago, but knowing that his boss still has not made a clear statement now makes him very strange.
"Well, this is nothing to make a fuss about. With Li Wufeng's character and personality, he will never tolerate the existence of forces that oppose him. As long as the opportunity comes, he will definitely use the power in his hands to uproot him. I can only say three things These people in the government were just sacrificed by him in the name of clearing out the Taiping Sect." He Zhiqiu was silent for a long time. When he realized that the man in red robe frequently asked for instructions with his eyes, he sighed: "Li Wufeng has long coveted Guanxi, Longdong and Xikang I am afraid that he has been infiltrated by Li Wufeng's forces for a long time. When the time is ripe, it will naturally fall into place. Neither the Taiping Army nor others will be able to stop his progress. As for Lu Long, let alone that, although the Taiping Army uses him to advance The sneak attack was successful during the Jie Locke War, but at that time I was not optimistic that the Taiping Sect would be able to pull out the tiger's teeth. No, it only took so long for the property to be returned to its original owner. Li Wufeng was extremely ambitious and had far-reaching plans, and his intentions were worthy of death."
After a pause, the Minister of Military Affairs seemed a little tired. He waved his hand to stop the man in red robe who was about to say something: "Okay, Li Wufeng is no longer the focus of our current consideration. The situation in the imperial capital is urgent now. I Have you arranged the things I asked you to do? Is there any progress?"
"Sir, the arrangements have been made. Everything in the imperial capital cannot be hidden from our eyes, so you can rest assured." The man in red robe felt a shiver in his heart and quickly replied: "It's just that they are very cautious in their activities now, probably. They have also received instructions from their master, and nothing has happened yet.”
"Well, step up the surveillance and send more manpower. Don't make any trouble. The calmer they are, the more unknown they may be hiding." He Zhiqiu calmed down and spoke as calmly as possible, "Sooner or later, what should come will come Come on, now we have entered the most critical period, whether His Majesty’s intention can be realized depends on this period of time.”
Thick clouds of war have been shrouding the Imperial City, and an atmosphere of panic has also spread in the Imperial City. His Majesty the Emperor has not gone to court for two months. If a group of important ministers want to meet the Emperor, they must make an appointment two days in advance. Okay, and most of them are blocked. Rumors about His Majesty the Emperor's physical condition were rampant. Many people even claimed that His Majesty the Emperor could no longer survive the Spring Festival in 697, which further stimulated the depressed and decadent atmosphere in the imperial capital. Many nobles simply played songs and feasted every night, disposed of all the real estate, and chose places to escape if they could. Those who had no choice had to live day by day. Fortunately, the Taiping people seemed to be tired, and finally conquered Shanxi. The back of Zhongfu City stopped, which allowed a group of anxious businessmen and gentry to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The entry of San Francisco into Guanxi has also become a focus of the imperial capital's news media. When Lin Lang and Li Sanjia entered Hanzhong, the Hanzhong Taiping Army immediately collapsed and surrendered. Li Wufeng's Northwest Army even defeated Xikang, Lulong and Longdong. His illustrious military exploits brought a touch of warmth to the imperial capital in the rainy and cold winter of 696. Wufeng's military exploits can only be described as rave reviews. Although His Majesty the Emperor has never been able to manage the government in person, the news media seem to want to As if taking medicine, they ignored the interference of the Press and Publication Administration and continued to detail the inside story and details of the battle between the three palaces on their respective front pages. This gave a boost to the hearts of the people of the imperial capital who were on the verge of collapse. The desire to worship Wu Feng once again arose in the hearts of the young people in the imperial capital.
In the warm spring-like living room, the blond young woman was lazily leaning on the spacious couch, her toned pink legs slightly curled up. The charcoal burning in the Western-style fireplace was emitting bursts of heat, driving away the coldness of winter. Clean and tidy. The thick black fox fur cloak was casually draped on a large red-gilt chair next to the couch. The emerald green tight-fitting embroidered jacket made the blonde young woman's unparalleled figure look alluring. Under the clear sky, her gem-like blue eyes seemed to be staring at the fireplace in a daze. The slightly sunken sofa held up a wonderfully fat buttocks. She could even clearly see the tight-fitting thin pants that were stuck in the flesh. Maybe you can even see the slightly raised beauty when looking from the side and back, but there is only the young woman in the room, and no one appreciates this beautiful scenery.
"Miss, the master of the house would like to invite you to have dinner at Bixuexuan." The maid reminded her master quietly outside the door.
"Oh? Are there any foreign guests?" The blond young woman raised her beautiful eyebrows in surprise. Bixuexuan is not a usual place for dining. With this arrangement, there must be important guests.
"Well, the master of the house asked the maid to ask you. Someone in the Miao family wants to invite you to have dinner with them. Is it convenient for you?" The maid asked her master for his opinion.
"Oh? The Miao family? Go and tell the head of the family that I'm not feeling well, so I won't participate." She frowned, then thought about it, and the blond young woman replied.