The emperor read the military newspaper in his hand several times before he was convinced that all this was true, and his chest heaved with anger.
Is the Zhennan Palace crazy? !
The Southern Border Army only had 10,000 troops in the West Border. Taking into account the loss, it is not bad to have 8,000 troops left. How could it be possible to be an enemy of Xiye's 100,000 troops in Feixia Mountain and Yunzhong County? !
If things go on like this, it will be a matter of time before the Southern Border Army is wiped out by the Xiye people, but Dayu will bear the anger of the Xiye people. It is conceivable that after the Tahai army wipes out the Southern Border Army, the next step may be to directly Attack Dayu Central Plains!
Southern Xinjiang! Southern Xinjiang is indeed Dayu's confidant's serious trouble!
The emperor almost vomited a mouthful of old blood, the more he thought about it, the more worried he became, and he stayed up all night for several days, his body became thinner and haggard
On March 15th, another three-thousand-mile route from Western Xinjiang was rushed to the capital, and this time the military situation has undergone earth-shaking changes!
The Xiye Army has surrendered to the Southern Border Army!
This is simply unbelievable!
The emperor stared at the military newspaper in a daze, almost suspecting that it had been swapped. The 100,000 Xiye army surrendered to the less than 10,000 Southern Border army? !
Doesn't that mean that all the southern border troops are capable of one against ten? !
Unless it is a heavenly soldier, how is this possible? !
On the same day, the emperor immediately sent his cronies to the western border to investigate the military situation.
However, the aftermath of the Xiye army's surrender has not yet subsided. On March 17th, Hussar General Li Duzhong returned to the capital with a few of his own soldiers in a state of embarrassment like a bereaved dog. emperor.
"Your Majesty, the 10,000 Dayu Army is completely wiped out!"
Li Duzhong prostrated himself on the white marble floor in the imperial study, and complained with tears.
"Xiao Yi, the son of Zhennan Prince, led an army of tens of thousands to intercept the last general in the Hufeng Valley on the border of Jingzhou. The southern border army was strong and strong, with a large number of people. The last general tried his best to fight, but he was outnumbered. , the other eight thousand were all captured by the Southern Border Army!"
In the imperial study room, Li Duzhong's ashamed and tragic voice echoed, every word and sentence pierced the emperor's heart like thousands of needles
The emperor was trembling with anger, his lips trembled slightly, and his complexion was so pale that there was no blood at all.
Elder Liu referendum on the side looked worried, and hurriedly ordered the servant to prepare calming tea.
Now Han Lingfu, who is in charge of the court, is also at the side, with an expression of disbelief on Junyi's face, he can't believe his ears.
The next moment, the emperor suddenly swung his arms and swept all the memorials on the imperial case on the ground, leaving his eyes in a mess.
The reason why the emperor agreed to Han Ling's proposal to cut down the vassal was because of careful consideration and repeated calculations. He was convinced that the southern border should be short of troops, so he resolutely made the order. He was sure that the successor of the southern border would be weak, but he did not expect that the Zhennan palace would dare to rebel!
Li Duzhong lay down on the ground in fear, not daring to move. He went to southern Xinjiang to make meritorious service, and now not only does he have no credit, but if he fails, he will be punished by the emperor, causing disasters to the whole family!
"Impossible" Han Lingfu murmured, lost his mind, he didn't want to believe this fact at all.
Southern Xinjiang reported a total of 200,000 troops to the imperial court. In the past few years, Baiyue and Nanliang have fought like wolves and tigers. He hastily set out to conquer Xiye and took tens of thousands of troops away, so there must be very few troops left behind in the southern border!
However, if there were no tens of thousands of troops in southern Xinjiang, how could it be so easy to kill or capture the 10,000 troops brought by Li Duzhong.
Could it be that
With a thought in his mind, Han Lingfu clenched his fists, looked up at the emperor behind the case, and said, "Father, could it be that the Zhennan Palace has secretly expanded its military strength without telling the court?"
That's why Nanjiang dared to conquer Xiye, so Nanjiang dared to rebel!
Hearing this, the emperor's pupils shrank sharply, his heart beat wildly, and his mood was restless.
It must be so!
So, what is the current strength of the southern border, 300,000, 400,000 or more, what is the intention of Zhennan King to conceal his strength and raise private soldiers
The more the emperor thought about it, the more frightened he became, the veins on his forehead floated, and the description was a little hideous.
For decades, Zhennan Palace has always been a thorn in the emperor's heart.
He was already eighteen years old when the first emperor established the country. He didn't learn the way of governing the country and the emperor's mind from an early age like those princes in the previous dynasty, but even so, he knew how to learn from history.
As the saying goes, if a scholar rebels, he will fail in ten years.
To put it bluntly, if you want to stabilize the imperial power, the most important thing is military power.
Throughout history, several dynasties have changed because of this military power. For example, Zhang Kuangyin, a military general who held a heavy army five hundred years ago, launched the Yanmen Pass Mutiny, and the yellow robe was added; This kind of mutiny emerges endlessly, and the closest thing is that the Han family, or the late emperor, used this as the foundation to be able to sit on this great mountain and river!
The emperor's eyes were heavy. When he was still the crown prince, he felt that Dayu had three major worries. The first was King Yu, the second was the official army in Xijiang, and the third was King Zhennan in Southern Xinjiang.
When the first emperor was in power, he eliminated King Yu in the "Rebellion of King Yu", but left the two hidden dangers of Zhennan King and the official army.
Although Guan Ruyan is not a vassal king, he has the power of one hundred thousand soldiers and dominates one side. Moreover, the official army under his command is not only a famous and elite army, but also loyal to Guan Ruyan, like "private soldiers". different.
In contrast, the Zhennan Palace, which holds 200,000 Southern Border troops and has Southern Border as its vassal, is even more of a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh. Every time he thinks of the Guan and Xiao families, it makes him restless.
At that time, he also wanted to advise the late emperor to take precautions against the officials and the Zhennan Palace, but he was also afraid that the late emperor had other plans in his mind, or would be dissatisfied with him because he thought he was narrow-minded and had no room for others. On the contrary, haste makes waste, giving other brothers an opportunity to take advantage of it!
In the end, he chose to hold back until the first emperor passed away and he ascended to the Great Treasure.
Outsiders watched him ascend the throne as the new emperor with boundless glory, but they didn't know that he couldn't sleep peacefully every day.
On the side of the couch, how can you allow others to sleep soundly!
The official family and the Zhennan Palace rely on the sky high and the emperor is far away, and support the soldiers to respect themselves. Sooner or later, it will be a disaster for the great wealth!
More than nine years ago, when King Yan presented the evidence that the officials were indebted to the Air Force and colluded with foreigners to his court case, although he faintly felt that there was something wrong with the testimony, he would rather believe that the officials and the army had committed heinous crimes. In this way, he can take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of the official family, and even use this to pull out a thorn in his heart, leaving only the hidden danger of the Zhennan Palace.
Sure enough, as he expected, the Zhennan Palace couldn't stand it any longer. After all, it was restless. It had repeatedly disobeyed the holy will and refused to obey the edict, and now it dared to start a war with the imperial army.
Zhennan Wang's ambition is clearly revealed!
"boom!"
The emperor's right fist hammered heavily on the imperial case, he gritted his teeth, and his face was even more cloudy.
"Father, don't spoil the dragon's body because of the anger of those disobedient ministers." Han Lingfu hurriedly served the herbal tea prepared by Eunuch Liu, and waited on the emperor to drink half a cup of calming tea.
Seeing that the emperor's breath was a little smoother, Han Lingfu said again worriedly: "Father, the Zhennan Palace is clearly 'Sima Zhao's heart, which everyone knows' and has the intention of treason. Father, you must not tolerate and raise traitors anymore!"
"Of course I know that southern borders are insecure." The emperor said distraughtly, "But now that Xiao Yi dares to defy the edict openly, he is clearly relying on something, and maybe he is waiting for the opportunity to start a war with the imperial court."
Han Lingfu was shocked when he heard the words, and blurted out: "Father, what do you mean to say that the king of Zhennan will lead his army to the north?"
How can this be? !
In today's peaceful and prosperous age, if the Zhennan Prince's Mansion dares to rebel, isn't it afraid of being accused by thousands of people and leaving a bad reputation for thousands of years
The emperor remained silent, but it was tantamount to acquiescing to Han Lingfu's words.
If the Southern Border Army really took advantage of this opportunity to launch an army into the Northern Expedition, at that time, there would be Xiye in the west and Southern Xinjiang in the south, and Dayu would be in a situation where there were wolves before and tigers behind!
At that time, will Changdi in the north also take advantage of the opportunity to loot
The more the emperor thought about it, the more distraught he became.
Han Lingfu also became more and more worried as he thought about it, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he was afraid that the Zhennan Prince's Mansion would really lead the army to the north, so he hurriedly said: "Father, the southern border is only an inch, so it won't be possible for all the people to be soldiers. The strength of the army must be limited. As long as the father To mobilize Dayu's available troops, it is difficult to become a big weapon in southern Xinjiang!"
He didn't believe that the majestic Dayu would not be able to deal with a mere southern Xinjiang!
The emperor didn't speak for a while, the imperial study was quiet, only the scent of the herbal tea permeated the imperial study.
Half an hour later, the emperor ordered the servants to summon all the cabinet ministers to the imperial study for an audience.
That day, the lights in the imperial study room stayed up all night, until the palace gate was opened again in the morning, and several cabinet ministers walked out tiredly.
After the early dynasty, the news that the Zhennan Palace had murdered imperial envoys and intended to rebel spread in the capital like crazy weeds. For a moment, a stone stirred up thousands of waves, and the whole capital was boiling.
Although Han Lingfan did not attend the morning court, he also heard about it. At noon that day, Duke En Guo hurried to the King's Mansion of Jingjun.
"My lord, the Prince of Zhennan was able to defeat the 10,000 troops led by Li Duzhong. Presumably, Prince Pei passed on the news in time. If he is a man like Prince Xiao, he will definitely accept the favor of the lord." En Guogong seemed delighted. And worry, "It's just that I'm worried" that the Zhennan Palace will take the opportunity to make a northern expedition! Even though Princess Yongyang said that Xiao Yi could not do it, Duke En Guo didn't have full confidence in his heart.
"Grandfather, the Zhennan Palace will not initiate the Northern Expedition." Han Lingfan interrupted before En Guogong finished speaking. He took out an envelope from the box beside him and handed it to En Guogong, "Grandfather, I just received a letter sent by Prince Pei from southern Xinjiang early this morning."
En Guogong's eyes lit up, and he quickly took out the tissue paper from the envelope, looked at it at a glance, his expression became more and more shocked, he didn't recover for a while, and murmured to himself: "How is it possible? !” His tone was full of disbelief.
Everything that Pei Yuanchen wrote in this letter shocked En Guogong.
It turned out that even if Pei Yuanchen didn't go to Luoyue City, Xiao Yi had already learned about the emperor's order to cut down the feudal clan in advance.
It turned out that Xiao Yi took only 3,000 soldiers and horses, and took down Li Duzhong's 10,000 troops without any injuries.
This battle was played beautifully!
Thinking of the rumors going around in the capital that Li Duzhong was defeated by the 30,000 troops from southern Xinjiang, En Guogong's expression became more complicated.
Han Lingfan's complexion was extremely solemn, and his deep eyes fell on the tissue paper in Duke En Guo's hand.
According to what Pei Yuanchen said in the letter, Xiao Yi had accepted his love this time, and he also bluntly stated that he had no covetous heart for Dayu.
But Han Lingfan couldn't relax because of this, and said: "Grandfather, although Xiao Shizi clearly stated that he has no intention of the Northern Expedition, but if the father is aggressive again, it will be hard to say."
The more Han Lingfan said, the heavier he became, and his heart was heavy.
Today's royal father, he can no longer persuade, let alone speculate
He looked through En Guogong to the sky outside the window. The southern sky was transparent and cloudless.
En Guogong smiled bitterly, his expression became more and more complicated, and he said slowly but surely: "My lord, based on my understanding of the emperor, this battle may scare the emperor!"
Saying that, En Guogong sighed deeply, and his heart became more and more heavy.
Dayu's emperor has bullied the weak and feared the strong so far. Is this a sign of the decline of the dynasty? Did Dayu come to this point in just a few decades? !
In the study room, the grandfather and grandson exchanged a heavy look.
As En Guogong said, the emperor was indeed afraid. He deeply regretted that he had underestimated the strength of the Zhennan Palace. He did not expect that the Southern Border Army would easily defeat the 10,000 troops he sent.
For several days in a row, the emperor couldn't get a good night's sleep, and almost woke up from nightmares every night, dreaming again and again that the Southern Border Army was approaching the capital and approaching the city.
On March 19th, another "bad news" came, that the Zhennan Prince's Mansion actually captured Xiye!
The news shocked Manchu, who could hardly believe it.
How can this be? !
How can this be? !
This sentence echoed repeatedly in the emperor's mind.
That was Xiye, with strong soldiers and horses, brave and good at fighting, how could it be possible to be defeated by the Southern Border Army, how could it be possible to subjugate the country in just a few months? !
In the imperial study room, there was silence, and the emperor's expression changed again and again, startled, suspicious and fearful!
He underestimated the Southern Border Army!
He thought that the continuous wars in southern Xinjiang had restricted southern Xinjiang to a certain extent, but he didn't know that the situation was actually the opposite. Southern Xinjiang used war to raise soldiers, but instead used it to grow stronger and raise private soldiers.
For Dayu, Xiye's defeat seemed to be a good thing, so the crisis in Xijiang was solved!
But the problem is, the relationship between Dayu and Nanjiang is at stake now. Before Li Duzhong went south, he angered the Zhennan Palace. Now that Xiye has been defeated, what will be the next step for the Zhennan Palace? !
Northern Expedition? !
Thinking about it, the emperor couldn't help being startled, and sighed faintly.
A gust of cool wind blew in through the window, blowing the candles in the octagonal palace lanterns to dance endlessly, the restless appearance was like the emperor's heart at the moment, with ups and downs
For several days in a row, the morning court was delayed until noon. The situation in the court and China was grim, and everyone's face changed when they heard the word "South".
The morning court of this day was completely silent again. No one spoke for a long time. The emperor on the throne became more and more angry. Don't his officials talk a lot on weekdays? Wasn't everyone impassioned when they condemned the Zhennan Palace? Why now that Dayu is in trouble, they are all dumb.
The emperor's anger grew higher and higher, and just as he was about to make a case, he saw a minister stepping half a step out of the queue on the left, bowing and saying respectfully: "I know that the emperor has worked hard, and the withdrawal of the feudal clan is due to the fact that the king of Zhennan is old. , stay in the wilderness for a long time, hard work and great achievements!"
Immediately afterwards, another minister echoed him: "Master Li said that King Zhennan has guarded the border for decades, which made the barbarians frightened. He should be rewarded!"
As soon as the two ministers sang a peace, they found an excuse for the emperor to withdraw the feudal domain, and the emperor's face turned pale. ..
At this time, the first assistant Cheng Dongyang stepped forward and suggested: "Your Majesty, King Jingjun is not yet married. I heard that King Zhennan has an eldest daughter who is well-educated and in the prime of her youth. She is a good match!"
After the words fell, the entire court was in an uproar, and all the civil and military officials looked at each other in blank dismay. If the emperor really accepted the proposal of the chief assistant, then the situation in the court would be reversed!
The emperor on the throne had a thought, this plan is very good, if Xiao Fei marries into the royal family and becomes the concubine, then the Han and Xiao families can eliminate their grievances and make Qin and Jin a good friend!
Even if the concubine is not enough to impress King Zhennan, what about the concubine? !
The Crown Princess is the queen in the future, which means that the grandson of the Xiao family will be the emperor in the future. He believes that this condition is enough to tempt the king of Zhennan and temporarily appease Nanjiang!
The emperor felt moved, and stroked the golden dragon head on the armrest with his fingers.
Seeing the emperor's subconscious actions, all civil and military officials could not help but secretly exchanged glances, knowing that the emperor must be moved.