The rain hits the pear blossoms and closes the door
On the other side, the army supporting Linjiang City made a detour, but still arrived at Linjiang City on time. Gongyanghuai thought that the new marshal must have an edict to punish the crime, but Gongyanghuai was unexpected. Yes: Her Majesty the Empress did not intend to punish, nor did she deprive him of his qualifications as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Gongyanghuai was full of doubts, and asked Han Yun to come to the tent to talk. Qi Yan was also slightly relieved. After all, she and Gongyanghuai were familiar with each other. She was very worried that Gongyanghuai would recognize her body shape. Yep.
Qi Yan plans to wait for the two to find an opportunity to meet Gongyanghuai after the conversation, to show his identity, and to let the other party know, so as not to reveal his faults.
Gongyanghuai heard from Han Yun that she had lost the battle, but Her Majesty the Empress did not blame her, but sent Han Yun over to teach her the art of war, and was so moved that she bowed to the south three times.
Han Yun lifted Gongyanghuai from the ground and said sincerely: "Your Majesty has a benevolent heart and a good governance, which is my great blessing. Your Majesty has no doubts about her use of people, so there is no need to worry about Your Majesty."
Gongyanghuai nodded and said yes, and Han Yun continued, "I wonder how the military is doing now?"
Gongyanghuai looked a little ugly, sighed and said: "To tell the truth, the current Linjiang City has become an isolated city. After the enemy occupied Luoshui County and Jiao County, they directly cut off all connections between Linjiang City and the outside world. , I don't know much about what's going on outside."
Han Yun: "Dare to ask the captain, how much is left in Linjiang City?"
Gongyanghuai asked unexpectedly: "Why, didn't you bring grain and grass?"
Han Yun: "Ashamed, Your Majesty ordered an urgent march. It was snowing everywhere along the way, and it was really difficult to keep up with the rations and supplies, so the subordinate officials took the courage to only bring enough rations for the soldiers to march, and grabbed a few days along the way. Now, the army of 100,000 people brought by Xiaguan should still have about three days of rations, but before leaving, the Secretary of the Ministry of Households once said that there are many soldiers in Linjiang City, and there is enough food and grass to survive the winter for the army of 200,000 people."
Gongyanghuai: "That said, but at present all the surplus grain in the city can only support the 200,000 army for three months at most. Luobei is not as warm as the capital, even in March, Luochuan may not be civilized. It is conservatively estimated that no matter what our army is. It has to wait until April or May, unless we win in advance. But this time the enemy is aggressive, and I am very ashamed... I still don't know how many troops the enemy has, and they have already occupied two cities, and they are in close proximity. The situation of the horns seems to want to fight a protracted war with our army. I don't know if this war can be ended in three months. If the court's food and grass supply is not enough, we will have to fight the beasts."
Han Yun frowned: "Why did the Minister of Household say that there is plenty of food and grass?"
Gongyanghuai sighed: "Not counting the previous mob incident in Huainan, the court has not fought a war for more than ten years, and many people in the court have forgotten what a war looks like, even I have experienced it. I didn't understand until I lost the second battle. But three months of food and grass is enough, what you call abundant, this official thinks that it needs to be enough for at least a year."
After Gongyanghuai finished speaking, Han Yun was also silent for a long time: "I am dissatisfied with the captain, Xiaguan issued a military order in court before sending troops this time. If the battle is defeated this time, in addition to the captain, the officers and soldiers of the three armies, including Xiaguan. They will all be convicted.” According to Wei State’s military law, military orders issued by lower-level officials will not implicate the higher-level officials, but they will tire the lower-level officials. Gongyanghuai is nominally the commander-in-chief of the three armies, and although Han Yun has the right to act arbitrarily, Nominally, he is the deputy general of Gongyanghuai.
Gongyanghuai was even more ashamed after hearing this: "Don't worry... I'm still young and I don't know much about the war. All military affairs in this battle will fully respect your decision."
Han Yun bowed his hands towards Gongyanghuai: "I would like to thank Mr. Taiwei for that."
Afterwards, Han Yun left the tent in the name of ordering soldiers, and Qi Yan lived in a tent not far from Gongyanghuai. Gu Ruolan saw Han Yun coming out of the tent while drying clothes, and told Qi Yan the news. .
Qi Yan came alone outside the tent, and bowed her hands towards the guards at the door: "This official is accompanying the imperial envoy, and I ask to see the captain."
Gongyanghuai was thinking hard in the big tent. When he heard that the imperial envoy asked to see him, he felt a big head. He didn't want to see him, but this title made Gongyanghuai have to see him, so he had to invite Qi Yan into the tent.
As soon as Qi Yan came in, Gongyanghuai immediately felt that the person in front of him was very familiar, and when Qi Yan bowed to Gongyanghuai: "I have seen the captain."
Gongyanghuai recognized her, took a few steps forward excitedly, and stopped two steps away from Qi Yan: "You... who are you?"
Qi Yan smiled slightly and took off the mask on her face: "Baishi, stay safe."
Gongyanghuai was very pleasantly surprised to see his old friend. After the two exchanged greetings, Qi Yan put on the mask again, Gongyanghuai also became more awake, and ordered everyone to withdraw from the camp for thirty steps: "Yuanjun... Bei'an Hou, how come It's you, I thought you had..."
Before Qi Yan could speak, Gongyanghuai had already figured out the mystery, and suddenly realized that he murmured, "Sure enough... Your Majesty is still reluctant to part with you."
Thinking of Nangong Jingnu, Qi Yan's heart filled with deep thoughts.
Seeing that Qi Yan didn't speak, Gongyanghuai hesitated and asked again and again, "Why are you here... Don't you feel embarrassed?" After all, it was the friendship of the young classmates. Gongyanghuai was not afraid if others dared not ask.
Qi Yan: "You are afraid that I will be embarrassed, and I am also worried that you still trust me as you did before?"
Gongyanghuai: "What are you talking about? Although you are the Marquis of Bei'an now, if you say something disrespectful, you are still the 'Iron Pillar' in my heart. I just don't understand it."
Qi Yan: "Don't understand what?"
Gongyanghuai: "Of course...why did you come. As you are...how do you deal with yourself? Since you are standing in front of me, you must have been hidden by His Majesty before, so why come to this muddy water now? "
Qi Yan: "If I don't come... I'm afraid the grassland will be wiped out."
Gongyanghuai gave a wry smile: "This time the enemy... They are aggressive, and we were caught off guard in the first battle, and they have occupied two cities and cut off the connection with the outside world of Linjiang City. I sent dozens of scouts to all be captured Zhan, I really don’t know if the imperial court can defeat them this time.”
Qi Yan: "Don't be discouraged, just listen to me..."
Afterwards, Qi Yan shared with Gongyanghuai the speculation that the princess of the previous dynasty might be involved in this war, and also told Gongyanghuai that the reason why His Majesty sent himself was in the hope that the war could be resolved peacefully.
Qi Yan: "The imperial court has just slowed down, and it will not be easy to fight again in three to five years. In the long run... the existence of grasslands is not without benefits to the imperial court."
Gongyanghuai: "How do you say this?"
Qi Yan: "These words, I only tell you, you can know what you have in mind. In the future... if I am gone, you as a captain at least have enough right to speak in the court, and you must guard the bottom line for me. Baishi, think about it... This place is only a hundred miles away from Youzhou. The existence of grasslands can contain Youzhou to a certain extent, and the reason why Youzhou can become a town with heavy troops is also due to this. Princess Qionghua passed away, and the imperial court The relationship between Youzhou and Youzhou has become delicate. Fortunately, there is a Luobei in the middle to keep things safe. If Luobei is completely wiped out after this battle, is it necessary for Youzhou to station so many troops? Will someone in the DPRK take this to write a letter to abolish the military power of Youzhou, or even invite the general Wang to return to Beijing? From ancient times to the present, I think this kind of example has been seen frequently in all dynasties, although His Majesty is not the kind of bird who can hide his bows and bows. Emperor, but what would the general king think? It would be easier to say if His Royal Highness Qionghua is still there. Princess Qionghua is not there, Youzhou has a large number of soldiers and generals, and the throne of the general is high. The time is no longer able to resist the Youzhou army. Your Majesty ascends the throne... The world has reduced and exempted taxes for three years. Now the imperial court is the weakest and most in need of recuperation. The government has to be re-divided. Will Luobei govern Youzhou at that time? Or will Youzhou govern Luobei, whether it is the former or the latter... It is a problem. It is true that I am selfish, and half of the grassland flows through me. blood, but also half of the blood of the Wei Kingdom, so in my opinion the best ending is to compress this war into a range acceptable to the imperial court and the people of the world, before Luochuan thaws... Force it back to Luobei and buy some time for the court."
Gongyanghuai listened and thought for a long time, suddenly got up and bowed to Qiyan, and said sincerely: "Yuanjun's words are like enlightenment, and Baishi has been taught."
Qi Yan held Gongyanghuai's arm and continued: "You are the commander and the generals in the world are all looking at your horse, Baishi... You must remember what I said today, you must maintain the three-way situation in your lifetime, even if..." Said At this point, Qi Yan sighed deeply: "Even if the three parties really cannot coexist after a few decades, then you must first take back the military power of Youzhou, and then protect Luobei's peace.... The level of injustice, please Baishi look at my old thin face, and don't kill all the people from the grasslands."
Gongyanghuai sighed deeply: "Thank you for your hard work, Yuan-jun."
Qi Yan: "You and Your Majesty are both young, the one from Youzhou is absolutely impossible to survive you, freezing three feet is not a day's cold, back then Lu Quan was a powerful man, but when he is old... , This is the best ending. There is no need to rush things in Youzhou. When Fu'er becomes the title of the general king, it may be the real opportunity for the court. After all, Fu'er is half of the royal bloodline, and perhaps he is not interested in the reduction of power. Not too scared."
Gongyanghuai: "I see."
Gongyanghuai always felt that although Qi Yan's words were reasonable, there was a trace of disobedience, and he couldn't say exactly what it was...
Gongyanghuai: "The top priority, what should our army do first?"
Qi Yan: "To rectify military affairs, find a way to notify the neighboring prefectures to be on guard. Luochuan used to be a frontier land, and after the Linjiang City was built, most of the other cities did not have the conditions to recruit troops. When spring begins in Luochuan, the war will be resolved."
Gongyanghuai: "But the grain and grass in the city can only last for three months at most. What should I do? Do you want to find a way to ask the court for some?"
Qi Yan thought for a moment, and then answered decisively: "No, the snowy road is difficult, and I am afraid it will take three months. If the food and grass are robbed again, everything will be forfeited. I have seen the map, although the The southern side of Jiangcheng is blocked, but you can borrow Luochuan Zhili to send a messenger eastward, send a letter of divorce to Youzhou, and borrow food from Youzhou!"
Gongyanghuai's eyes lit up: "This plan is very second! It's just... You just said that the relationship between the imperial court and Youzhou is delicate, will they lend it to us?"
Qi Yan smiled slightly and replied confidently: "It is precisely because of this that I think that the one from Youzhou is also restless when he hears about the war. It's more difficult for us, you just need to fix a book, and the food and grass will arrive soon."
…
On the other hand, what Qi Yan and the others didn't know was that the prairie people once again launched a siege against several neighboring state capitals under the advice of the princess of the previous dynasty. As Han Yun said, these border towns are easy to attack and difficult to defend, and they fundamentally resist. There is no grassland army equipped with engineering equipment, but after more than ten days of hard work, with Jiao County and Luoshui County as the center, many surrounding cities have been destroyed one after another...
However, the princess of the previous dynasty was not a good match. For all the conquered cities, the strategy of the princess of the previous dynasty was to only plunder and not occupy it. The first thing that the army would do when they invaded a city was to rob all the surplus grain, livestock, and other items in the city. Iron pans and other things that can be used to build weapons, and then the opportunity to retreat at the speed of the wind, one after another battle reports flew to the capital like snowflakes, and there was an uproar in the court and the opposition...
There are nearly ten cities that have fallen before and after. Those civil officials who have never experienced war heard it, and they came out to impeach Han Yun, and one or two dared to impeach Gongyanghuai.
Nangong Jingnu sat in a high position for a long time without saying a word, she ordered someone to move the Kyushu world map...
Nangong Jingnu glanced at the battle report again and stepped down the imperial steps. She has the ability to remember since she was a child. She can remember all the occupied cities just by looking at it once. She came to the Kyushu Universe Map to find all the The occupied city quickly straightened out his thoughts, returned to a high position, and said: "Every Qing family, look at this picture, all the occupied cities in the report are in the south of Linjiang City, except for Jiaojun and Luo The nearest place in Shui County is also a hundred miles away, as it is said that far water cannot save near fire, so the fall of these cities cannot be entirely blamed on Gongyanghuai and Han Yun.”
Officials from the Ministry of Officials: "That said, but the fact that Han Yun issued a military order is true, and after losing so many cities in a row, the people will surely panic, and the imperial court's power will also be damaged. Your Majesty should punish Han Yun to appease the hearts of the people."
Nangong Jingnu snorted coldly: "Does the official minister know about the Battle of Changping? Although Han Yun is not an honest person, I have no doubts about hiring people. How could it be that I would be easy to be handsome? The Ministry of Household..."
The Minister of the Household: "The minister is here."
Nangong Jingnu: "How many people are there in these occupied cities?"
The minister of the household looked at the map of the world of Kyushu, thought for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, these cities used to be border towns, and the Luonan River has always been a wild place. Going to the two lost cities before, the number of people in all the cities combined is less than 300,000."
Nangong Jingnv nodded with satisfaction: "Everyone heard it? On average, there are less than 30,000 people in each city. How can we resist the enemy? The loss of the city is expected, and it is very clear in the report. The prairie people behind the city only looted, not occupying the city, which means... the number of troops on the prairie is not large, and this is the case when food and grass are scarce. Although the enemy is now benefiting, it also exposes their strength, what is there to fear Woolen cloth?"
Everyone: "Your Majesty Shengming!"
Nangong Jingnv: "The decree is sent to order all the people who moved north to return to their homeland and temporarily avoid the war. The prefectures in various places actively accept those who have returned to their homeland, and they should be properly settled until the war is settled before making arrangements."
Servant: "Yes."
Nangong Jingnu: "In addition... How many silver taels do you have in the household?"
The Minister of the Household: "Taxes from various places have been put into the treasury one after another, plus the operating income of the imperial merchants, the current treasury has more than eight million taels of silver."
Nangong Jingnu: "I took out 800,000 taels and used it to resettle these victims. It was the middle of winter, and it was freezing cold outside, and the people were suffering."
Minister of the Household: "Yes... But Your Majesty, although the treasury is currently full, the front line is burning silver every day... Is 800,000 taels too much?"
Nangong Jingnu clenched her embroidered fist and asked back, "Didn't you just say that it is conservatively estimated that there will be about 300,000 people affected by the disaster? According to the estimate of a family of three, there will be about 100,000 households, and the average amount of money allocated to each household is still high. Less than 10 taels, there are still a few months before the beginning of spring, these silver taels are already very harsh."
The Minister of the Household: "Yes. The old minister understands."
Zuo Pushe Lu Boyan of Zhongshu Province asked: "Your Majesty ordered these suffering people to move back to the local area, isn't Luonan all empty cities? If the enemy forces come again, wouldn't they be able to occupy the city without a single soldier or a single soldier? ?"
Nangong Jingnu: "That's right, I just want to leave some empty cities for them. Only in this way can Linjiang City be free from worries. I want to provide all the conveniences to the soldiers of Linjiang City, and this battle will definitely be won!"
Everyone: "Your Majesty Shengming!"
Nangong Jingnu let out a shallow breath. In fact, in her heart, what she trusts is not Han Yun, nor Gongyanghuai, but Qi Yan...
Since he promised Qi Yan and sent her to the front line, then he will give her everything Qi Yan wants!
Didn't Qi Yan hope that the war could be compressed to a level that would not offend the public anger? Well, let's move all the neighboring people back to reduce the casualties of victory, right
Didn't Qi Yan want the prairie people to return to the north of Luochuan? Well, I will try my best to get rid of the food and grass of the grassland people. As long as the cities and towns in a radius of hundreds of miles or even hundreds of miles are empty, I don’t need to tell the people to leave. Can't grab food and grass!
The biggest advantage of doing this is... With no people around, Linjiang City doesn't need to send troops to help, Qi Yan can stay in Linjiang City at ease and wait for work, and there is no danger if you don't need to go to the battlefield!
Everyone thought that the Empress was kind-hearted and caring about the people, but they did not know that Her Majesty the Empress had her own selfishness.
Just like what Nangong Jingnv had imagined before: the current self can also hold up a sky for Qi Yan.
Even though the imperial court issued money, and this decision was indeed beneficial to the people. But it may not be everyone's satisfaction. I don't know how many people scold me as an empress in my heart.
But what about this? Nangong Jingnv doesn't care, just like what she said to Qi Yan before: the merits and demerits are all borne by the empress...
Although she sent Qi Yan to the battlefield, it was only out of love...
I love so much that I can't bear to be wronged by the other party, and I love so much that I can't bear to let Qi Yan have a knot in her heart, which will affect her health.
Since Qi Yan's departure, Nangong Jingnu often thinks: If she is a man, what's the problem with the imperial expedition? I can take Qi Yan back to Luobei and untie her knot with my own hands.
It is difficult for a woman to walk in the world, even if she is an empress, she will not be spared, so Nangong Jingnu feels more and more distressed for Qi Yan, for everything she has experienced over the years, for everything she has done for herself, and for her. Body... I feel sorry for her, a life manipulated by fate.
Nangong Jingnv also sincerely hopes that this tragedy of Jingwei, which has lasted for more than ten years, can come to an end in the hands of herself and Qi Yan.
Even Nangong Jingnv herself was actually a victim of this tragedy. Hatred took too much away from Nangong Jingnv's life... but it was not as good as what Qi Yan had endured.
The more heartache Nangong Jingnu has, the more she cherishes Qi Yan, the time has changed, and her anger is no longer... This feeling of pity for the same disease becomes more and more clear.
In this world, no one knows himself better than Qi Yan, and there is no one who can empathize with Qi Yan's thoughts, even the sorrows in his heart, than Nangong Jingnu.
The voice of the Minister of the Ministry of Finance pulled Nangong Jingnv back from her thoughts. Nangong Jingnv didn't expect that she would have a day of ecstasy. She felt a little ashamed, but she missed Qi Yan even more.
Nangong Jingnu: "What's the matter?"
The head of the Minister of the Ministry of Housing grimaced, cleared his throat and asked again, "Your Majesty... Do you know why this battle started?"
Nangong Jingnu frowned slightly: "What? But is there any rumors from the outside world?"
The Minister of the Household: "Of course, Your Majesty remembers the stone carvings that Gongyang Taiwei brought back to Beijing that day? The stone carvings were covered with red silk and went all the way to Beijing, and many people in the prefectures along the way saw it. There is speculation about the content of the stone carvings."
Nangong Jingnu pursed her lips and did not speak, but anger was already welling up in her eyes.
Minister of the Ministry of Housing: "Speaking of the poem on the stone carving was originally an auspicious omen, but the war suddenly came, which turned the original good omen into a 'bad omen'. , thinks this is God's punishment from God... As the saying goes, the mouth of defending the people is better than defending the river. If you allow rumors to spread freely, in the long run, the people of the world will mistakenly think that it is His Majesty's wickedness, and disaster will come from heaven. There are disadvantages to both the society and the grain, so the old minister suggested that the content on the stone carvings should be made public, and in order to reassure the people and respect the sky, His Majesty should get married as soon as possible and marry the new emperor’s husband.”