When the two returned, they found an envoy from the imperial court waiting for tea. When they saw Yue Pengju, the envoy took out Zhao Deji's edict. Yue Pengju saw that it was Zhao Deji who wanted to return to Xiangyang himself.
This part of the edict did not surprise him, and it was not too difficult. He just felt that the time in the edict was tight and he had to leave immediately. However, what surprised him was that the messenger said that the little prince died, and Zhao Deji was in pain, and, Qin Hui returned.
Hearing this news, it was like a bolt from the blue. He had already known that Zhao Deji had "passed away", but he felt strange, and had a vague and extremely ominous premonition and worry.
After he received the order, the messenger went down the mountain.
As soon as the envoy left, Hua Rong took over the edict and saw the sincere words on it: "I have always known Peng Ju to be loyal and brave. Now that the mountains and rivers have fallen and the captives are raging, you are the ally, and the monarch and his ministers are united and do their best to drive out the captives. , to rebuild the mountains and rivers.”
She was very curious, how could Zhao Deji be so brave in "war with words" this time? Moreover, according to usual practice, when Zong Han was there, he ordered the Song army not to cross Xiangyang, but according to Zhao Deji's edict, it not only allowed the army to cross Xiangyang, but also reached Lianghe. She was shocked, could it be that Zhao Deji Are you really determined to fight the prisoners? Only then did we understand the reason why her husband agreed to return the army to Xiangyang immediately - if he could take this opportunity to truly lead the Northern Expedition, he would not worry about not being able to recover the two rivers.
She put down the edict, still doubting the letter: "Although the emperor ordered us to fight hard, the young prince died young and Qin Hui entered the cabinet. I am afraid that the Song Dynasty will never be able to reorganize the country."
Yue Pengju couldn't excuse himself or retire from the imperial edict. He was in the same mood as his wife at this time. Although he was not afraid of going to the battlefield, how could his wife withstand the turmoil when she was pregnant with Liujia
He pondered for a moment: "Sister Seventeen, I have to leave for Xiangyang. There is war and displacement outside, but here in the mountains it is quiet and safe, and there are people taking care of it..."
Hua Rong glared at him: "Of course I will go with you."
He knew his wife's temperament, and he couldn't bear to leave his pregnant wife alone in the mountains. He thought that his wife's delivery date was still more than five months away, and it would be okay as long as she took proper care of her on the road, so he said: "I will make arrangements to go down and find a light car." carriage."
Hua Rong then laughed: "We always have to be together."
"Yeah. I also want to see the baby born as soon as possible, haha."
The two of them discussed it and went to Ruda to say goodbye.
After hearing this, Lu Da said angrily: "Every time the imperial court makes a grand statement, it's just that once Qin Hui enters the cabinet, the world will never be at peace again. Pengju, I'm afraid your ambition in this life will not be fulfilled."
Yue Pengju was silent. Why didn't he understand? He just said lightly: "Fortunately, there is still Mr. Zhang in the court who is leading the battle."
"Zhang Jun uses Qin Hui, which shows that he is a fool!"
Yue Pengju was speechless anymore. Originally, Yang Mo's power was wiped out in the Dongting battle and the domestic situation stabilized. He hoped to accumulate strength and launch the Northern Expedition. However, if the court does not have support to win, who can know
"Fortunately, Qin Hui has just entered. It seems that he can only act under Zhang Jun's orders. He does not have the real first power for the time being. If he can seize this time and make a difference on the battlefield, it will be a good thing."
Although the table was filled with wild cured delicacies, which was very rich, none of the three people had the intention to enjoy it, and even Hua Rong couldn't cheer up.
Ruda added: "Pengju, in the eyes of the Isa family, your Northern Expedition ambition is really difficult."
"Brother Lu, it's okay to say so."
"Pengju, you are launching a large-scale Northern Expedition, but now you have three difficulties. The first difficulty is that you only allow victory but not defeat. The second difficulty is that the generals in each theater do not cooperate in fighting, and they do not save each other in defeat and do not celebrate each other in victory. The third difficulty is that the generals are not in harmony with each other. , Zhang Jun is temporarily serving as Prime Minister, but he is not a candidate for great things. After Qin Hui comes in, he will even block it. How can we give it a try with such three difficulties? "
The first difficulty Ruda mentioned is that Zhao Deji is now a frightened bird and cannot withstand any major defeat. He can only overcome but not defeat; and the second difficulty is that generals such as Liu Guang and Zhang Jun often escape without fighting. , especially Zhang Jun, is a completely mediocre general, good at internal fighting, timid in external fighting. The only one he can count on is Han Zhongliang, and even the famous Sichuan and Shaanxi general Wu Jie is generally excluded from the Northern Expedition system , and we can’t count on it. If we can’t combine the strength of the entire army, how can we mobilize large-scale coordinated operations
Yue Pengju knew that the military generals of his dynasty were at odds with each other, so in order to repair the relationship with other generals, he distributed a large amount of loot captured in the Dongting Water Battle as gifts to others. He sent people to Han Zhongliang, Zhang Jun, and Liu Guang They each sent two large ships. Han Zhongliang and Liu Guang both responded to the letter, expressing their friendship and praising the tall and sophisticated Dongting water ships, but Zhang Jun did not reply. Zhang Jun was narrow-minded and thought that Yue Pengju was showing off his power, and he was even more jealous. Yue Pengju also knew this, but he was determined to establish a relationship with the brave Han Zhongliang and send Han Zhongliang a big ship, so he had to take care of the other two. Even though he knew that Zhang Jun could not make friends, he had to do this.
As for the issue of generals, the two of them knew that as soon as Qin Hui entered the cabinet, Yue Pengju's future military operations would encounter many obstacles.
"Zhang Jun is a man of great ambition and talent, but he is headstrong and self-willed. The Sa family met this man once when he was a minister in Souchong. He was born in Jinshi and was arrogant. But Qin Hui was cunning and good at changing the situation. As long as he tolerated it for a while, Zhang Jun was the best. Luring the wolf into the house.”
Yue Pengju pondered for a moment. During the Dongting Water Battle, Zhang Jun came to supervise the division. This was a good opportunity to get close to each other. However, he had no personal relationship with Zhang Jun. Besides, this dynasty did not allow military generals to interfere in politics. If he suggested to Zhang Jun, a civil servant Being on guard against Qin Hui was a huge taboo. Not only would Zhang Jun not listen, but he would also be deeply afraid of himself.
"Qin Hui is sinister and vicious, and with an envoy like the Fourth Prince of Jin behind him, I am afraid that one day he will cause endless troubles. Pengju, although you cannot disobey the imperial order for the time being, since the imperial court is determined to negotiate peace, it will not fight for a long time. You You need to know how to retreat bravely from the rapids and protect yourself wisely. You must not persevere in vain or sacrifice in vain."
Yue Pengju said solemnly: "Thank you, Brother Lu, for the tip. Pengju must be careful about what he does."
This meal was extremely heavy for the three of them. Early the next morning, they bid farewell to Luda and set out for Xiangyang.
Along the way, the carriages rattled, the horses rustled, and there was the faint sound of firecrackers. Only then did the two of them realize that another New Year was coming. Yue Pengju did not ride a horse, but sat in the carriage with his wife, accompanying her all the way.
The groom who drove the carriage was a skilled hired man, a well-known knight around the world. The horse walked smoothly and steadily, and the interior of the carriage was very comfortable and soft. Hua Rong could sit or lie down without feeling too uncomfortable.
For fear of any accident, Yue Pengju hired a middle-aged servant girl, Liu Ma, to accompany him. Liu Ma had experience in delivering babies in her early years. During the war, her husband and children died tragically. She was lonely and helpless, so she was naturally happy to be employed.
The atmosphere of the approaching New Year and the joy of the baby in her belly completely suppressed the bad news of Qin Hui's entry into the cabinet. Hua Rong took a nap in her husband's arms, sat up, opened the curtain and looked out at the chilling midwinter. The further north you go, the worse the climate becomes. It's cold, and gradually, it's getting windy and snowy.
Feixue slipped in through the curtain. She hurriedly put down the curtain and raised her head: "Pengju, we have to hurry up. It would be great if we could go to Xiangyang to celebrate the New Year."
"Sister Seventeen, we are already on our way. We can't go any faster."
"But this year, we did not see the Fourth Prince using a large number of troops. This year's autumn defense was just a layout and was not used. Pengju, what do you think Jin Wushu had in mind?"
Yue Pengju said calmly: "I once heard from King Qin that the Kingdom of Jin experienced a great massacre and purge at the beginning of the year. Zong Han and others were all secretly executed, and nine out of ten generals who were good at conquering and fighting withered away. In a hurry, , how can they easily go to war? If not, they would not accept the peace talks. The Jin Kingdom is bragging about the attack now, but it is probably because of its fierceness and lack of movement. Therefore, we don’t have to rush too hastily... "
Hua Rong took out Jin Wushu's death-free iron coupon and looked at it carefully, and sighed: "It would be great if He Ci decides to execute Jin Wushu one day. In this way, we can use this to threaten him..."
Yue Pengju shook his head: "Although Jin Wushu is not as good as Zong Han and others in combat, his scheming and strategy are far superior to those of the heroes. He has been safe and sound after several major purges. He is by no means an ordinary person. He is the most powerful person in the Jin Kingdom. A fanatical war fighter, he has led the large-scale wars against the Song Dynasty in recent years. This year's autumn defense actually did not move. He must be wise to protect himself and keep a low profile for the time being... "
Hua Rong nodded and suddenly said: "Jin Wushu likes surprises the most. Since he didn't take precautions in autumn, will he go on an expedition in early spring or summer?"
"possible!"
The Jin army was afraid of the heat and always fought in autumn and winter, but it was not ruled out that Jin Wushu changed his tactics and used troops in spring and summer.
"Then shouldn't we strengthen spring defense?"
"I'm afraid that the imperial court will relax its vigilance once winter passes. If the Jin soldiers attack aggressively, it will be difficult to prepare."
… …
The couple here had just set off on their journey, and Zhao Deji also received a quick response from the envoy in the middle of the court.
Zhao Deji was very happy to hear that Yue Pengju had recovered from his eye disease and rushed to Xiangyang. However, the next news made his heart swell and he didn't know how to feel. The messenger reported that Yue Pengju's wife was pregnant with Liujia. He had no intention of listening to what the messenger said next. What was it? I just felt a buzzing in my head. After a long while, I strangely said to myself: "How could Rong'er be pregnant? How could it be?"
The messenger thought he was blaming himself, so he was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "I am telling you what I said, Mrs. Yue is indeed pregnant..."
He waved his hand and ordered the envoy to retreat. A surge of anger welled up in his heart. I don't know whether it was jealousy or anger, and he said loudly: "Summon Wang Jixian quickly, this servant dares to deceive me!"
Wang Jixian had already received a tip from the young eunuch along the way, and learned that Emperor Long Yan was furious because Yue Pengju's wife was pregnant! He secretly thought something was wrong, but for a moment he couldn't think of any way to deal with it, so he had to rush into the palace and kneel down.
Zhao Deji sat on the dragon chair, his voice stern: "Wang Jixian, how dare you deceive me? Why is Hua Rong pregnant?"
Beads of sweat rolled down Wang Jixian's forehead. He had been ordered to diagnose and treat Hua Rong several times. Every time, he categorically said that Hua Rong would never have a child in this life. He was puzzled by the explanation, but the facts were before his eyes. , he could only kneel down and kowtow: "You are incompetent, you are not good at medical skills, you deserve death for your crimes..."
Wang Jixian naturally did not dare to bear the serious crime of "criminal bullying the emperor", so he had to say that his medical skills were not good. Zhao Deji was still angry and shouted: "Since you are an incompetent quack doctor, what is the use of staying in the palace? Get out..."
Wang Jixian still kowtowed: "Thank you so much for your great kindness!"
He expelled Wang Jixian from the palace, and was so angry that he grabbed a large Jun kiln vase on the table and smashed it on the ground. Amidst the smashing sound, he sat on the dragon chair and gasped heavily, feeling sad, angry and Jealousy, why did Yue Pengju give birth to a son when he lost his son? How could he be so favored by fate