Good things don't go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.
The bad news of Dengzhou's mutiny spread instantly across both sides of the Han River like a plague. The people, soldiers and civilians in Xiangzhou and Dengzhou, separated by only a river, felt like they heard thunder on the ground, and there was an uproar and panic on both sides of the river!
In a peaceful and prosperous world, the land of Jingxiang and Jingxiang is not a military frontier, but there is a war. How can people not be frightened? Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Jingxiang, located on Shannan Road, has been enjoying peace and prosperity, immersed in the blessings of the prosperous age, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, unaware of the war.
Today, it has been nearly twenty years.
Now, suddenly, a mutiny broke out overnight, and a war was about to begin. The people who had stayed open at night were almost at a loss, and the whole city of Xiangyang was in chaos. The merchants in the port desperately grabbed the goods on the ship and took refuge in the city; the people in the city went home and closed their doors and windows, showing a fearful scene of the impending doomsday in troubled times. The family was relocated and fled, and they were as anxious as mosquitoes on a hot pot all day long.
In fact, all this happened in just one day. Within a few hours after Li Ke and Qin Mubai received the news, the entire Xiangyang was shaken.
Qin Mubai no longer dared to doubt that in this era without telecommunications and the Internet, people's ability to convey messages was very strong. Dengzhou and Xiangzhou are hundreds of miles apart. I just learned that the horse was flying to report, and the people also learned the news quickly.
If it were at the border with frequent wars, such things would not have much impact; but for the hinterland of Xiangzhou, which had been peaceful for a long time, the consequences of this sudden chaos were indeed very serious.
When Li Ke and Qin Mubai returned to the Governor's Mansion, they had no time to sit down and talk or negotiate for a while, and immediately fell into a series of intense work.
The first priority is, of course, to appease the people and strengthen their vigilance.
Li Ke quickly summoned the county magistrates and county magistrates under Xiangzhou's rule, and together with the state officials solemnly clarified the rumors and stated his position, he would rather die than join in the rebellion of Dengzhou's rebels. He also issued many political orders, ordering his officials to appease the people and strengthen public security, implement the Xiao ban, Jiang ban and land ban, strictly check the population, arrest the Dengzhou rebel spies who were against the river, and put an end to rumors and rumors. From now on, the governor's office will issue explicit orders every day to show King Wu's determination, and promulgate a series of decrees to calm the people and impose strict restrictions on the people during the special period to stabilize the current situation in Xiangzhou. We will implement a "severe crackdown" and severely punish the villains who take advantage of the opportunity to commit violent crimes...
In political affairs, he has the power to assist Li Ke in his work, but Qin Mubai doesn't have to worry about it. In fact, his burden is no lighter than Li Ke's.
Dengzhou and Xiangzhou are separated by only one river and share the Han River. Li You raised his troops to rebel, and framed Li Ke and Qin Mubai as co-conspirators. His intentions were vicious. Qin Mubai knew that his intentions were two-fold. One was to force him and Li Ke to rebel, and he was forced to rebel against them; the other was to confuse the public and create chaos, causing panic in nearby counties and counties, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Now it seems that his second goal is about to be achieved. Thunder broke out in Deng and Xiangzhou, and the people fell into unprecedented panic. These remote prefectures and counties in the interior usually do not make sufficient defense preparations for war. Their city walls are often not strong, their military forces are sparse, and they have little combat experience. It would not be difficult for Li You and the others to take advantage of this chaos to capture some prefectures and counties. Moreover, there is no guarantee whether they will suddenly send their troops across the river to Xiangzhou. If the Han River fails, then Xiangyang, a port city without a strong city or a thick pond, will be exposed to the rebels' spears and will be in danger!
As a result, Qin Mubai and Li Ke divided their respective affairs. Li Ke commanded and dispatched the governor's office to appease the people and force the people to rule, while Qin Mubai returned to the military office and asked Pang Fei to lead the 800 Bailang navy as quickly as possible. Arriving on the Han River, more than twenty divine fish spaceships were lined up on the river between Bakidu and the military port, ready with strong bows and crossbows. In addition, more than ten teams of cavalry were dispatched to patrol along the river, keeping vigilance around the clock, strictly checking people and businesses traveling in and out, and alerting Dengzhou spies.
The remaining soldiers and horses of the government army, without taking off their armor or saddles, are on guard day and night, ready to fight at any time!
Xiangyang has not smelled the scent of war for twenty years. Dou Ran was in a tense situation overnight, with people shouting and shouting. It really gave off the atmosphere of a chaotic world and made everyone's nerves tense.
The air on this sunny autumn day seemed to freeze.
After spending several hours arranging the troops and horses, Qin Mubai did not bother to rest, so he took several guards with him and rushed to the Governor's Mansion to discuss the next step with Li Ke.
When he first received the news, Li Ke decided without hesitation or thought that he must make his position clear immediately and draw a clear line with Li You. This decision coincided with Qin Mubai's, so the two immediately separated. Now, the first step of easing people's livelihood and military deployment has been completed.
Next, the two finally have to make a detailed plan on how to deal with the big trouble across the river.
All the four gates of Xiangyang City were under martial law, and interrogations were very strict. Countless people fled from the port into the city, huddled together. Looking around, we can see that there is a queue directly from the city gate to the riverside, and there is a huge sea of people, cars and horses. These are all merchants who come to the port to do business and travelers passing through. The sudden change caught them off guard, like a natural disaster. The Governor's Mansion dispatched all the government officials, and also recruited hundreds of soldiers from Prince Wu's Mansion to take charge of the martial law at various city defense gates. They struggled to maintain order, and finally no major chaos occurred.
When it was getting dark, the four gates of Xiangyang were finally closed, finally not blocking the people out, and all the people were brought into the city. However, as a result, the security pressure in the city increased, and the governor's office had to send many government officials and soldiers to patrol day and night.
It was dark when Qin Mubai entered the city. After the ban, apart from the watchmen, there were only soldiers patrolling the streets. Beigang Flower Street, which used to be bustling with music every night, has also fallen into silence without any lights.
The hooves of the Huoyun Horse stepped on the hard bluestone road, making a sound that could be heard far away. Today's desolation and solemnity formed such a sharp contrast with the prosperity and tranquility of the past that Qin Mubai felt as if he had lived in another world, not to mention the fear in the hearts of ordinary people.
Qin Mubai deliberately walked around to Wu Meiniang's door and knocked on the door.
"Who?" came the alert and panicked voice from inside.
"Don't be afraid, it's me, Qin Mubai."
"Ah, General Guye is here!" Menzi shouted in surprise and quickly opened the door.
As soon as Qin Mubai walked in, he saw Wu Meiniang and a large group of women approaching, and asked directly: "Mubai, what's going on?"
Qin Mubai glanced at these people. They were all women who came to Xiangzhou from Chang'an to open a wine shop and do business with Wu Meiniang. At this time, they all looked at Qin Mubai with a look of fear and expectation, eager to protect them, and looked at Qin Mubai eagerly. Only Su Lianqing was still scratching the ends of her hair indifferently, looking around with her charming eyes as if she didn't care about anything.
"Li You raised an army to rebel and framed me and King Wu as co-conspirators. Now the whole city is under martial law. You can hide at home, but there is nothing to be afraid of." Qin Mubai said concisely and concisely. Then he waved his hand, and several hundred-horse guards came behind him. Qin Mubai ordered: "You guys, stay here for protection. Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to trespass and plunder will be killed!"
"Yes!" The guards responded quickly without saying a word.
These words and actions were like a shot in the arm for the women present, and many of them immediately smiled and clapped their hands in celebration.
In times of war, nothing can make people feel more secure than soldiers. Especially, a group of women.
"With me here, what are you afraid of?" Su Lianqing said with a smile, "General Qin, you are using your power for personal gain. You sent soldiers to protect your wife."
"So what? If you can't even protect your own woman, how can you protect others?" Qin Mubai sneered and didn't bother to pay her any attention. He only said to Wu Meiniang, "Meiniang, don't worry, nothing will happen. The pure will be pure by themselves. It’s your own fault, Li You just wants to fish in troubled waters, this kind of despicable trick can’t deceive others.”
Wu Meiniang nodded, still with a worried look on her face. She dismissed the women and said to Qin Mubai privately: "Mubai, although rumors are limited to the wise, but... rumors are often the most hurtful. Especially when they reach the ears of suspicious people, it is quite detrimental. You have to take precautions early.”
Qin Mubai nodded, he understood what Wu Meiniang meant. These rumors must have spread to the capital and reached the emperor's ears sooner or later. The emperor is the most special kind of person in the world. Whether he is a wise man or a fool, whether it is a rumor or a fact about "treason", whether he believes it or not - the doubts in his heart They are all difficult to shake off.
In short, the emperor's attitude towards rebellion was that he would rather believe that it existed than that it did not exist. To put it nicely, it is to prevent the slightest change; to put it harshly, it is to be suspicious without a king!
It is still unclear how the emperor would react to this news. It is also difficult to say how those political opponents in the court who were hostile to King Wu and Qin Mubai would fan the flames and add to their jealousy. In short, the most troublesome people in the world now are not the bastard Li You who is determined to gamble and seek death, but Li Ke and Qin Mubai as rumored.
"Hey, Li You has rebelled. I wonder what Gao Yang will think!" Wu Meiniang seemed to say this casually, but it suddenly hit a nerve in Qin Mubai's heart.
He couldn't help but trembled in his heart and thought: At first, Ling'er went to Beijing with Li You; now that Li You "escaped" and went to Dengzhou to raise troops to rebel, where would Ling'er be
Although he was very reluctant to have that happen, Qin Mubai estimated that there was a high probability that Li You had already kidnapped Ling'er to Dengzhou. Otherwise, how could he involve King Wu of Xiangzhou and Qin Mubai for no reason? Obviously he has a trump card in his hand!
"Mei Niang, take care, I'm leaving first." Thinking about this, Qin Mubai was filled with worry and hurriedly said goodbye and left.
"Wait a minute—" Wu Meiniang suddenly stopped him.
"What else is there?" Qin Mubaixuan asked.
Wu Meiniang stepped forward, looked up at him, and shook her head: "It's okay. I know you must be very anxious and worried now. I have never seen you with such a solemn expression and hurried steps. This I may not be able to help you much, but please remember that no matter what you do, Mei Niang understands you and will always be with you."
"Well..." Qin Mubai looked at her intently and nodded gently. Suddenly he held her face, kissed her red lips several times deeply, turned around and strode away without looking back.
Wu Meiniang gently twisted her eyebrows and looked at Qin Mubai's background, and murmured: This is a torment between the fathers and brothers of the Li family, and it is also a test for Gao Yang and Mubai. Mu Bai is the most complex character among them. He is not only the emperor's favorite and confidant, but also as close as a brother to Li Ke. He also loves each other deeply with Gao Yang, and has a complicated relationship with Li You. Among these people, the most difficult person to choose is Mu Bai... How can loyalty and love be perfect
When I arrived at the Governor's Mansion, I saw the place was brightly lit, with soldiers, horses and officials passing in and out constantly. In the main hall of the Governor's Mansion, Li Kezheng was anxious, his mouth was dry, and he was discussing and arranging various government affairs with a group of officials.
"General Qin is here! General Qin is here!"
Seeing Qin Mubai's arrival, someone shouted in surprise.
Li Ke also raised his eyebrows excitedly: "Please come quickly!"
Qin Mubai, dressed in military uniform, strode into the main hall with flowing strides. Kong Wu forcefully cupped his fists and bowed: "General Qin Mubai, I have met His Highness King Wu!"
There were more than twenty officials present, and they all let out a sigh of relief, as if they had taken reassurance.
"Mubai, you're here just in time. There are many things we can't decide on, and you have to make the decision." Li Ke waved to Qin Mubai hurriedly, called him to the governor's desk, and gave him several folded books. .
Qin Mubai unfolded it, and found that it was all about how to collect and mobilize grain and grass, open the government treasury to call for weapons and talismans, arrange armed defense from the prefecture and county, and urgently recruit government soldiers to prepare for war.
Qin Mubai expressed his opinions on some grain and grass defense proposals, decided on how to deal with it, and then said: "Does your Highness want to raise troops at this time?"
Li Ke blinked a few times in surprise: "It's already the time, when can we wait until we don't have troops?"
"Raise an army to attack the King of Qi?" Qin Mubai asked with a serious face.
"Of course..." Li Ke looked at Qin Mubai suspiciously with a matter-of-fact expression, "Don't you agree with me doing this?"
Qin Mubai did not answer directly, but said: "Take a step to speak."
"Okay..." Li Ke entrusted the matter at hand to Quan Wanji, and went to the secret room of the study with Qin Mubai.
"What's wrong, Mu Bai? Shouldn't I raise the flag now to show my innocence?" Li Ke asked anxiously as soon as he sat down.
"Raising the flag to fight against rebellion must be done, but not now." Qin Mubai said firmly.
"Why?" Li Ke asked in surprise, "I have not failed Li You, and Li You has failed me. He did not care about family ties, raised his troops to rebel, and even framed me for being accomplices. Shouldn't I fight back and use the facts? To crush the rumors and prove my innocence?"
"Your Highness, you are too impatient and not calm enough. Once you calm down, you will understand that any state or county can now raise troops to fight against rebellion, but Xiangzhou cannot be the first to take the lead." Qin Mubai said.
Li Ke raised his eyebrows in surprise, took a deep breath, and fell into deep thought for a long time.
Qin Mubai didn't bother him and let him think. He knew that Li Ke's wisdom, especially his political sensitivity and intelligence, was not inferior to his own. It was just because what Li You did this time was so irritating to him that he became so angry that he lost some of his calmness.
After a long time, Li Ke finally spoke and said: "So, I should first write a letter to my father to clarify the facts, and secondly ask for orders to go on an expedition?"
"Yes." Qin Mubai nodded decisively, "Your Highness is wise. Li You is obsessed with seeking his own death. He does not know what he can do by shaking the tree. His defeat will be sooner or later. Whoever takes care of him will do it easily. But what is the reason behind it? It is important to know who will deal with it and how. First of all, we must take the initiative to dispel the emperor's suspicion; secondly, no matter how unbearable Li You is, he is your brother after all. Even if you succeed in killing Li You, you still won't be able to escape the reputation of "brothers fighting against each other." Especially the emperor will definitely think that you are eager to criticize your brother in order to distance yourself. What does this make him think? , No matter how wrong Li You is, you, the elder brother, can beat him to death and cripple him with a stick, and then tell your father?"
"It makes sense!" Li Ke nodded heavily, but was a little worried and said, "What if my father doesn't want to listen to me and still doesn't let me raise an army to rebel?"
"As expected, His Majesty the Emperor will definitely not let you send troops. Li You's rebellion is a misfortune for the family. As a father, His Majesty the Emperor, how could he let another son deal with this unscrupulous son? Even if he wants to clean up the family , he will definitely act under the guise of others," Qin Mubai said.
"You're right. According to my father's character, he really won't let me raise the flag to attack Li You and watch our brothers kill each other. This is what he least wants to see, so how can he take the initiative to arrange it? "Li Ke frowned deeply, sighed deeply, and said, "Actually, why would I want my brother to turn against Li You and fight to the death? But this time, he really chilled me and disappointed me so much. . And if I don't do this, I will be wronged and implicated by him. In addition, there is no guarantee that there will be people in the court who will take this opportunity to spread rumors that I, Li Ke, have other intentions. Even if I am innocent, I will not be able to escape. ”
"No. In the end, the facts will prove everything." Qin Mubai said with a calm expression.
"How to prove it?" Li Ke said worriedly, "I want to raise an army. This is not appropriate; I write a letter to ask for orders, but my father will definitely not agree! Do you want me to sit in Xiangzhou and wait for the gods and Buddhas to come down to earth to replace me? Li Ke Clear the grievances?"
"There is no need for all the gods and Buddhas to descend to earth. I, Qin Mubai, can do that." Qin Mubai said calmly.
"You?" Li Ke's eyes widened in shock, "You... what can you do?"
"Resist the decree and raise troops!" Qin Mubai said firmly.
"What?!" Li Ke was shocked, "You are crazy! You know that my father will not allow me to raise an army to rebel, but you want to rebel against the order. Isn't this asking for death?"
"The general will be outside, and you will not accept your orders. You are in charge of literature, I am in charge of military affairs, and I have the final say on the battle." Qin Mubai said, "The emperor doesn't want to see your brothers fighting against each other, but he will definitely be willing to see you prove your innocence. . But there is no use in explaining this matter. We can only use the facts to speak for ourselves. Therefore, I had no choice but to raise an army against Li You and defeat him. "
"Then..." After listening to Qin Mubai's words, Li Ke's mouth opened wide and his eyes widened. He didn't return to his original position for a long time. He murmured, "Then if you disobey the order, isn't it also a death penalty?" One piece?”
"Then we'll talk about it then." Qin Mubai said calmly with a smile on his face.
At this time, he was thinking in his heart: I openly resist the imperial edict, but I secretly agree with the emperor's will. By then the merits and demerits will be equalized and nothing will happen. Li Shimin will definitely not issue an order and really let Li Ke and I go to attack Li You. Doing this shows that he is suspicious of the emperor and shows his shortcomings. As for me, I might as well act "stingy and impatient", resist this imperial edict, and raise my own troops to destroy Li You. On the contrary, it will flatter Li Shimin's heart and save his appearance. Of course, these words cannot be said to Li Ke, otherwise it will not be a good thing for him to know that I am so presumptuous about the emperor's heart.
"Have you really decided?" Li Ke asked worriedly.
"Yes. I have never been more determined." Qin Mubai said decisively, "As expected, Ling'er must also be in Li You's hands. That's why he was so unscrupulous and blatantly slandered and framed us. The most urgent thing we need to do is not how to kill Li You or how to clear his name, but to stabilize the current situation in Xiangzhou, and then, like other neighboring state and county magistrates, submit a letter to ask for orders, and don't show too much anxiety or specialness. . Now, no one is saying that we are rebels and rebel against the party. Our duty is still to protect the country and the people."
"Okay, that's so good. It really enlightened me!" Li You slapped his forehead several times and said happily, "That's right. We are not rebels. Rumors are just rumors and will not become facts. We just need to Just do your duty—protect the country and the people! My father emphasized these two words to us princes more than once. Unexpectedly, when the critical moment came, I somewhat forgot about it. You understand it more thoroughly than I do, and you are more calm and wise. Qin Mubai, Uncle Wang Huang of Jiangxia is right, you are indeed a rare talent as a general."
"That's an exaggeration." Qin Mubai smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness, Li Jing passed me a military book that said that a good general leads an army, as quiet as Mount Tai, as firm as Mount Tai, and as moving as strong winds and fire. Only when one hits the target is it difficult to hit, is it the best? Now, there must be many people who are eager for us to raise troops as soon as possible to fight to the death with Li You. They may want to watch the fun, or they may spread rumors that we are going to rebel. Or are you rebelling? There are government soldiers stationed in the counties at the junction of Deng and Xiangzhou. Who among these military commanders would not want to make a fortune by performing meritorious deeds? If Dengzhou sees us moving, someone might be ready to target us. At that time, he will not ask whether we are here to put out the fire or to rob, but will first attack us to put out the fire and rob. For merit. What should we do? Should we just use our words to explain to them, or should we fight back with force? Since they are taking advantage of others, they will definitely not listen; if we fight back... well, we will really become traitors!"
Hearing this, Li Ke almost broke into a cold sweat and murmured: "That's right! Not to mention the distance, there are troops, land and water, and horse troops stationed in places like Jingzhou and Anzhou. There is chaos in the nearby states, so they go there Peace is barely justified. If we also raise troops, they may take advantage of the situation as a traitor based on the rumors, and this may be what Li You wants to achieve. To create chaos and force us to take action. Then he adds fuel to the chaos so that he can make ends meet.”
"Yes. The rumor itself is ridiculous, and few people will actually believe it. But if it reaches the ears of people with ulterior motives, it will become a very threatening weapon to us." Qin Mubai said, "So, everyone in the world Now we can raise our troops to fight against the rebellion, but Xiangzhou must remain motionless! Your Highness, without further ado, we will immediately send you a letter of resignation and send you to Chang'an in a 600-mile gallop!"
"Okay, please help me grind the ink!"
Without saying a word, Li Ke personally took out the Four Treasures of the Study and wrote a list of the above. The pen and ink were still fresh, so I handed it to Qin Mubai to read.
"Is this appropriate to write?" Li Ke asked.
"Okay." Qin Mubai nodded and said, "If nothing else happens, His Majesty the Emperor of Chang'an will know the news of the Dengzhou rebellion tomorrow. His Highness's memorial will not arrive in Chang'an until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. That's right. In other words, there was a gap of one day. During this time, His Majesty's wise and decisive character must have already responded and sent the generals to raise troops to fight against the rebellion. When the imperial edict returned to Xiangzhou, Dengzhou should have already called for it. A fight has begun. Therefore, although we are not recruiting troops or preparing for war, we must prepare for battle secretly! As soon as the imperial decree arrives, I will immediately lead my troops to fight against the rebellion! "
"Mubai, I'm going to make things difficult for you again." Li Ke frowned, patted Qin Mubai's shoulder, stared at him and said, "I didn't expect that Li You would be so stubborn and make such an extreme move; Unexpectedly, Yin Yang is so incompetent, I have dismissed him as a soldier to see the consequences. "
Qin Mubai smiled and nodded: "Things are quite tricky, but I believe it will calm down one day. Don't blame too much for Yin Yang's matter. As expected, Li You was intercepted by Yin Hongzhi Yin Yang escorted them all the way to the Xuanwu Gate of the Daming Palace without incident. Who would have expected that Yin Hongzhi would deliberately intercept Li You and Gao Yang in front of the Xuanwu Gate and spread rumors to frame us? Yes, it must be Yin Hongzhi's plan. Although Li You is unbearable, he is not so vicious and insidious, nor is he so smart. "
"Yes, it's just as I thought." Li Ke snorted depressedly and said, "This old thief is a hundred-footed insect but not stiff, and he is the only one who can bewitch Li You like this. Back in Xiangzhou We have been busy with the ceremony, it is too noisy and chaotic, and we can only act in secret, and the result is that he will slip through the net next time... No, there will be no next time! This time, Mu Bai, you must kill this old man. thief!"
"Hmm..." Qin Mubai nodded slightly and said to himself: Is the hand blade Yin Hongzhi? I really wanted to cut him into pieces. Now, only by killing this old thief can Li Ke and I be cleared of suspicion.
But the question is, should I kill in front of Ling'er, or behind Ling'er's back? Should he chop off his head with his own hands, or order someone else to do it
…
How should I face Ling'er afterwards