It's freezing outside and the dripping water turns into ice, but inside the house is as warm as spring.
Wu Xin, who returned from Prince Sheng's Mansion, did not rest. He walked to the simulated clay figurine placed in the hall and blindfolded his eyes with a piece of cloth.
After putting down his things, Guo Man looked back and said in surprise: "Sir, you've been working hard all day, why don't you take a break?"
She didn't look very good either. She had witnessed the treatment with her own eyes and was still feeling nauseated.
"No, let's start." The blindfolded Wuxin shook his head, holding a silver needle in his hand, blindly acupuncture on the clay figurine. Wherever the needle touched, the layer of wax on the clay figurine broke, and water came out of the hole where it hit. .
Guo Man had no choice but to tell the news from the sidelines.
This was already a common practice. When he was unintentionally blindly getting an acupuncture, he deliberately let her talk about something on the side to distract him, which was called doing two things at once.
Guo Man talked about the war between the Yan State and the imperial court in Nanzhou, which is now attracting the attention of all parties. Inexplicably, she was a little excited when she talked about it.
After telling this eloquently, Guo Man paid attention to Wu Xin's expression and said slowly and tentatively: "Recently, there is a happy event in Qi Jing. It is from the royal family. It is said that the princess whom King Haozhen of England married is pregnant. Qi Jing The emperor was very happy and gave the Princess of England many rewards, and many ministers and family members went to the Prince of England's residence to congratulate her."
As soon as these words came out, Wu Xin's body trembled obviously, his cheeks tensed, and the silver needle in his hand became even more chaotic. He tried hard to hold it steady, but even after several needles, he couldn't accurately find the hole position of the wax seal.
…
Niu Youdao, who had been hiding for two days, returned to the Maolu Villa. Not long after he came back, he was joking with Shang Shuqing when Yuan Gang sent a secret letter, "Master Dao, a letter from the prince."
Shang Shu's clear eyes flashed. She had been paying attention to Nanzhou's attack on Dingzhou. Uncle Meng personally took action and the battle went smoothly. Dingzhou was unable to fight back. At this time, the news came and she didn't know whether it was good or bad.
Niu Youdao took a look at the letter and saw that it was from Shang Chaozong, but what he conveyed was Meng Shanming's message.
The war has now ceased. After the liquidation, the Nanzhou people have occupied more than three counties. A quarter of the territory of the twelve counties in Dingzhou has fallen into the hands of the Nanzhou people. The result of this battle really makes Niu Youdao click his tongue. , it took only a few days to capture such a large territory. Is this a land grab? It was simply a race to enclose the territory, a little too fast, far beyond Niu Youdao's original plan to occupy the territory of the previous county.
Even he himself couldn't believe this result at first, but he realized it was right after repeated confirmation. He admired both Meng Shanming and Xue Xiao.
I admire Meng Shanming's age and toughness in fighting, and I admire Xue Xiao's idiotic ability to lose.
In writing this letter, Meng Shanming means that there is no need to occupy all the territory that has been conquered. The places that should be retreated should still be let out. Some places that are not dangerous can be retreated to occupy strategic and tactical important areas. , advance can be provided, and retreat can be defended. This is more cost-effective and can save and avoid containing a large number of troops in Nanzhou.
Calculating this way, some territory will be lost, but the territory of the three counties will still be preserved.
However, Niu Youdao had made it known from the beginning that he could not give up the territory he occupied. The letter was for discussion. If he really refused to give in, Meng Shanming had nothing to do.
Niu Youdao handed the letter back to Yuan Gang and said: "Reply to the letter, Meng Shuai is unparalleled in the world. I can trust his vision, so I will do what Meng Shuai wants."
He is not stubborn, because he knows that he doesn't understand things like war, and he doesn't understand anything about military strategists and the need for land. Meng Shanming is an expert in this area. People know the pros and cons, and there will be no consequences if he listens to their opinions appropriately. wrong.
Yuan Gang nodded and turned around.
…
In the imperial study room of Yanjing Palace, Shang Jianxiong was talking with several ministers, and the atmosphere was pretty good.
There was a letter from Dingzhou, saying that the Nanzhou troops had stopped attacking. It was obvious that the three major factions had played a role, so that the people here could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, I would like to see you, Master Situ." A eunuch came in and announced.
After a while, Gao Jiancheng came in.
Seeing his haggard face and red and swollen eyes, several people present looked at each other.
Shang Jianxiong asked: "Why is Great Situ so haggard?"
Gao Jiancheng bowed and said sadly: "I heard the news that my son Gao Shaoming was involved in the attack on the Thatched Cottage. He fell into the hands of Niu Youdao and was killed by Niu Youdao. The old minister failed to discipline him well, so that I am here to apologize to Your Majesty for letting your rebellious son act recklessly!"
When it comes to this matter, it is embarrassing. Several ministers immediately looked at their noses and minds. Everyone knew that the attack on thatched cottage was an open secret. His Majesty must have asked Gao Shaoming to go there, but no one Dare to expose it, otherwise His Majesty will be embarrassed and angry.
As for the news, several people had heard about it. Gao Shaoming did not want to implicate the family, so he knocked himself beyond recognition and committed suicide, which is sad.
The room was quiet for a while, and Shang Jianxiong said slowly: "There is such a thing, could it be a rumor?"
Gao Jiancheng cried and said: "The old minister couldn't believe it when he heard the news, so he turned to favoritism and went to find Prince Long. He borrowed the family's large bird and asked the steward to rush to Qingshan County in person. He searched quietly and found the body. Confirmed, it is indeed the rebellious son. The old minister did not teach his son well, which has brought trouble to Your Majesty, and he also used the family property for personal gain. Your Majesty, please punish the old minister for his sins!"
Several ministers were still silent and did not respond. They were doing other things, fearing that someone might have started to take the opportunity to criticize.
The position of Grand Situ is one of the three princes. Many people present wanted it. They thought it was a good idea. This can be seen from the fact that His Majesty did not call this Grand Situ, one of the three princes, recently when discussing military and state affairs. Everyone thought that Niu Youdao was determined to make a fuss about Gao Shaoming. Who would have thought that Gao Shaoming actually committed suicide.
This time, I'm afraid all the blame will be laid on the dead man. Your Majesty owes the Gao family a great debt.
Those who are interested have to sigh, Gao Jiancheng gave birth to a good son!
Tian Yu quietly glanced at Shang Jianxiong's reaction.
Naturally, they also learned about Gao Shaoming's suicide. For this reason, they specially invited the person in charge of the Intelligence Department to come over and ask whether Gao Shaoming could have committed suicide. After all, Gao Shaoming had been in the Intelligence Department for many years, and the Intelligence Department knew Gao Shaoming to some extent. .
What the Intelligence Department means is that it is better to die than to live. It is difficult for ordinary people to make the determination to commit suicide. However, the personnel dispatched by the Intelligence Department have received special training and basically put poison in their teeth. Gao Shaoming also No exception, in case of emergencies, you have to commit suicide in order not to reveal your identity or other things.
The intelligence department's judgment is that Gao Shaoming is capable of being so cruel and it is entirely possible for him to do so.
Shang Jianxiong was silent for a while, and then said slowly: "Master Situ's words are serious. As far as I know, Young Master Gao joined the Intelligence Department and lurked in the Kingdom of Zhao when he was young next year. According to the rules of the Intelligence Department, he cannot contact his family without permission. Return to the court. Later, he was sent as an envoy to the State of Zhao. He rarely stayed with Da Situ for decades, and it was unavoidable that Da Situ neglected his discipline. Therefore, it cannot be generalized. What Gao Shaoming committed is Gao Shaoming's fault. This matter has nothing to do with the Great Situ. As for tampering with the clan’s belongings rashly, no one can be ruthless. After all, he is the eldest son of the Great Situ. It is also for the sake of the court that the Great Situ is borrowing the opportunity to find out the situation. Please remember not to do it again in the future."
Seeing that he was really going to let his son take the blame and not clear his name, Gao Jiancheng sneered in his heart, but on the outside he cried and handed over his hands: "Old minister, please remember, I thank your majesty for your kindness!"
"However!" Shang Jianxiong's tone was solemn, "In recent years, the clan has indeed become more and more outrageous. You must be responsible for supervising this area. Supervision with words is useless. Actual actions must be taken to deter. I have ordered you to establish a separate 'Zong Xing Department', and from now on, you will be responsible for handling the clan's legal affairs!"
have to! Several ministers looked at each other quietly. His Majesty not only cleared Gao Jiancheng of his guilt, but also gave Gao Jiancheng the power to punish the clan. In the future, the royal family and nobles will not be able to get close to and respect him. This is obviously harmful. Gao Jiancheng's death is compensation for his son!
To some extent, someone was deprived of their power. Some people were ready to object, but Tong Mo gave him a cold look and immediately retracted.
Thinking about it, His Majesty was about to blame Gao Shaoming for the sneak attack on the Thatched Cottage, and was trying to calm the matter internally and externally. To object at this time was to poke His Majesty's sore feet and bring trouble.
I had to lament in my heart, for quite some time, no one would be able to shake Gao Jiancheng's position.
The reason is very simple. Gao Shaoming is not a child of ordinary people. He is the son of Da Situ, one of the three princes of the imperial court. Everyone is not a fool. Afterwards, no one knew that Gao Shaoming had taken the blame for His Majesty. His son had lost his life for His Majesty, and it was difficult to avenge his injustice. If Gao Jicheng's words were used, Your Majesty would also have to consider the opinions of other people.
"Yes, I obey the order!" Gao Jiancheng bowed to accept the order again.
At this moment, a cry of "Report!" came from outside.
An eunuch sent a report. After reading it, Shang Jianxiong became furious and roared, "Xue Xiao, bastard, how did this battle happen? I can lose three counties in just a few days. I deserve ten thousand crimes." die!"
Shang Jianxiong was so angry that he was pacing back and forth, his face ugly.
The ministers were surprised. They knew the situation of the war a long time ago. Why were they angry about this matter
After the report was forwarded to the ministers for review, Gao Jincheng understood what was going on. Xue Xiao reported that the Nanzhou troops had stopped attacking, but after a slight retreat, they stopped retreating and began to hold on to important areas, occupying the three counties. It doesn't look like the territory is going to be returned to the court.
So Xue Xiao was embarrassed. Nanzhou stopped attacking, and Xue Xiao also received the imperial court's order to cease the war. Now that the situation was like this, Xue Xiao had to use force if he wanted to regain the lost territory, which was tantamount to provoking another war. If we don't take it back, can we give up the territory of the three counties to Nanzhou
Xue Xiao had no choice but to ask the court to make a decision.
What should the court do about this matter? It’s strange that people listen to orders!
To take it back by force? After the key point is to start a war, you may not be able to win. If you can win, why be so embarrassed
It is not difficult to understand that His Majesty is furious. I am afraid that this matter will make His Majesty shameless enough to beg the three major factions to come forward again.