Jinxiang Hall in the Imperial Palace of Tokyo was the main hall where the Zhou emperors received congratulations from all officials. But when Chai Rong came out of Jinxiang Hall that day, he was furious.
He walked into the back hall to the north of Jinxiang Hall, and suddenly saw Empress Fu and the palace maids welcoming the emperor at the door, so he calmed down a little and walked into the palace with the empress. After the emperor sat down, Fu came up with a golden cup in her hand and said softly: The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the emperor is still so angry.
The emperor saw that the golden cup was bright in color and the soup inside was crystal clear, so he reached out to take it. Fu Shi remained calm, and his jade-white fingers held most of the golden cup, but unexpectedly, he was very careful when taking it, and even his fingers did not touch himself. A man in a yellow dragon robe sat on the couch, and a queen who looked like a fairy handed him a golden cup. The scene in the palace was very beautiful, not like a scene in the mortal world.
The emperor spoke politely and respected Fu very much. The two of them treated each other with respect, and the palace people had hardly seen them quarrel over such a long period of time.
Even if the emperor was unhappy now, it was not because of Fu. He quickly began to explain why he was unhappy: the envoy sent by the King of Wuyue arrived in Tokyo today and reported that the King of Southern Tang agreed to the request for help from Shu and sent ships to Khitan and Northern Han by sea. This is to form an alliance to deal with our dynasty.
Fu advised: Because apart from those who paid tribute, the remaining few also regarded the Great Zhou as a great power and superior state, so they had to contact so many countries to dare to compete with China. Just like the Qin State in the Warring States Period, the six countries were hostile to the Qin State because the Qin State was the most powerful; the current Great Zhou Dynasty of the official is the Qin State in the Warring States Period.
Chai Rong seemed to feel much better after hearing this, but he said: So many countries have been under the jurisdiction of China since ancient times.
Fu said: The country has been falling apart since the end of the Tang Dynasty, with divided territories for decades. Now is the time for the government to unify the countries and achieve unprecedented achievements.
After hearing this, Chai Rong gradually calmed down and said, "The Southern Tang has never taken China seriously. According to what the Wuyue Kingdom's spies in the Southern Tang have seen and heard, the Southern Tang King Li Jing often talks about marching north to the Central Plains and regards it as his mission to conquer China from the north. I think he really has this intention. In the previous dynasty, Li Shouzhen rebelled. In this dynasty, Murong Yanchao rebelled. Li Jing wanted to contact the Northern Han and other countries to take the opportunity to start a rebellion. Last year, I led my troops to personally attack the Northern Han, and he was also ready to make a move. This man is like a wolf beside the bed.
Unexpectedly, Fu couldn't help laughing. Chai Rong frowned and asked: "Why is the queen laughing?"
Fu gently touched the ends of her hair, as if she was afraid that her image would be damaged, and then she covered her mouth and smiled: "I am not laughing at the emperor, but at Li Jing. During the Spring and Autumn Period, when the Yue Kingdom wanted to work hard to govern, it did so without saying a word. How could it be so unprepared and start making noises for years? Do you see that the Southern Tang has come to attack us?"
From my perspective, Li Jing's only chance was when the Later Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Khitans. At that time, the Khitans retreated and the Central Plains was without a master. If Li Jing could lead his troops northward, how could the military governors in various places not surrender to the Northern Han Emperor Gaozu? Seeing the Southern Tang Kingdom marching northward, it is still unclear whether he dared to proclaim himself emperor in Hedong; even if he dared, the Southern Tang was so large and had so many people. If he went to the Central Plains and won over various military governors, he would have a great chance of winning against the Han Emperor Gaozu.
He couldn't even seize such a good opportunity as the Central Plains had no ruler. How could the rebellion of those behind him achieve great things? What kind of opportunity was that? Now that the Great Zhou is under the rule of the emperor, the monarch is wise and the ministers are virtuous, the Southern Tang is not a threat.
Chai Rong nodded repeatedly, sighed, and said in a deep voice: "When my late father passed away, he first instructed me not to let Wei Renpu leave the Privy Council." He kept silent here.
Fu Shi was surprised to hear this, because there was clearly a second half to this sentence, and then she could continue the previous topic, such as praising herself or saying that she was knowledgeable. But the emperor stopped there, and she couldn't ask any more questions. She sighed inwardly and thought: Could the second half of the sentence be the will of the late emperor, asking the emperor to make her the empress and then assist the emperor
She whispered: "After the end of the Tang Dynasty, it was often difficult for the successor to succeed the founding emperor after his death; the late emperor was worried about the emperor. But the emperor was a wise ruler. After the battle of Gaoping, you have been as stable as a mountain. Now, only a year and a half has passed, and you can comfort the spirit of the late emperor."
Chai Rong said sadly: My father’s earnest teachings are still ringing in my ears.
After a while, he brought the topic back to the previous one, which was all about official business. Fu Shi felt a little disappointed. She always felt that the relationship between her and the emperor was like that of a monarch and a minister, not a husband and wife. There was always something missing. Fu Shi thought to herself: Being a woman is really not easy. You have to be appreciated by the late emperor with your knowledge and fearlessness in the face of danger, and you have to spend meticulous efforts to win the emperor's favor.
She still maintained her noble and elegant temperament, and did not want to learn from some lowly women in the harem who acted coquettishly and unreasonably to win favor in front of men. She really couldn't do it, but in front of the emperor, she had tried her best to appear gentle and amiable.
Chai Rong said: Although the ruler of Southern Tang is not a king who can accomplish great things, he has a vast territory, a large population, many soldiers and generals, and is still a great threat to us. We must first eliminate his minions.
After hearing this, Fu asked hurriedly: Is the emperor going to lead the army in person again
Chai Rong nodded without hesitation. A country like Southern Tang, which was close to Huainan, could not be compared with Shu. Chai Rong did not think that he could settle the war by sending 18,000 troops and joining forces with nearby military governors like he did when he took Qin, Feng, Cheng and Jie. Attacking Southern Tang would inevitably turn into a larger-scale battle, with elite troops deployed, and the military power must be in his own hands.
Fu took the opportunity to say: Let me accompany the emperor.
Chai Rong said: I am going to fight, why should the Queen go
Fu finally lost all sense of dignity and said in a tender and resentful voice: "Last year, when the emperor went to attack the Eastern Han and Northern Han, I lived in fear every day in the palace. I could only eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures to pray for the emperor. It was really exhausting."
She didn't lie, she was really worried at the time. As she said before, it was not easy to be the second emperor in the Five Dynasties; if Chai Rong unfortunately didn't win the Battle of Gaoping, I don't know what would happen in Tokyo. Fu had married Li Shouzhen's son before, but was killed not long after. If she married Chai Rong again, would she have to rely on luck to survive in the chaos of soldiers
She continued: "The emperor is going to the war this time, and I want to go with him. I can take care of his daily life, and maybe I can give you some advice. When the emperor is bored, I can also chat with him, so just let me go."
We'll talk about it later. Chai Rong saw that Fu was begging him wholeheartedly. He seldom refused her requests, so he couldn't bear to refuse her.
Fu asked hurriedly: When will the emperor go to war
Chai Rong said: I am discussing this with the ministers. Originally, we planned to send troops at the end of this year when the water level of the Huai River was low, but we did not expect the attack on Shu to be so rapid. Now it seems that we can go to war. There are some different opinions in the court. Some people say that we should take advantage of the shallow water to cross the river; but some people say that the Southern Tang Kingdom routinely shallows the Huai River every year. When winter comes, it will be difficult to send heavy troops to guard the Huai River. Sending troops in summer can catch the enemy by surprise and quickly break through the Huai River line.
Winter is so cold. Since the government has already decided, it is better to do it sooner rather than later. The Shu army has just suffered heavy losses after the defeat. Now they are terrified and will not dare to act rashly. The Southern Tang sent out ships, but the Northern Han and Khitan probably have neither the energy nor the energy to do so. Fu Shi seemed very anxious.
The people of Shu were indeed very scared. Meng Chang had already sent heavy troops to Jianmen Pass and other places to set up defenses.
Meng Chang seemed a little uneasy in the palace. Today was supposed to be a very interesting day, but he was absent-minded. It was the beginning of May, the day to give money to the beauties in the harem. In the past, Meng Chang would open his eyes wide and carefully look at the advantages of various beauties. But today he was not interested.
The eunuch was reading out the names. With each name, a beautiful lady wearing the most beautiful clothes would walk past Meng Chang's bed and receive money to express her gratitude. Every beauty had the opportunity to be appreciated by the emperor.
The recitation started in the morning and lasted until noon. Countless beauties passed by, but Meng Chang didn't see any of them clearly. At this time, the palace maids asked him to go to lunch, so he asked the eunuchs to continue to give money, and he was no longer in the mood to look.
Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Lady Huarui prepared a light vegetarian dish herself. With her back to Meng Chang, she was still preparing the last dish with her clothes light and her figure graceful.
At this time, she heard her soft voice saying kindly: The world is in chaos, China has been raising troops year after year, although our Great Shu has mountains and ridges to protect it, it cannot be immune. Those women have spent a lot of money, but they can't help the emperor solve the problem. Qinfeng and other states have lost, why doesn't the emperor take this opportunity to select talented people to reorganize the imperial army and work hard to govern the country
Meng Chang said: There is no chance now, Qin Feng has also been lost. We have to wait for the right opportunity, and then we can advance into the Central Plains when China is in chaos.
Madam Huarui said without looking back: "If we cannot achieve hegemony, we must at least be able to protect ourselves." Qin Fengcheng had lost four states in less than a month. If China really wanted to attack, it would not know how to do it.
Meng Chang became more and more frightened and anxious after hearing this. After a moment, he said angrily: "The Zhou Dynasty is full of thieves and rebels. It is impossible for me to submit to them. I will recruit soldiers and prepare the whole country for war. Let's see what they can do to me."