Zhang Yu led his remnant troops to flee southward from Shuilingshan Island in panic. All the boats and ships were destroyed. Small boats such as Panchong and Zouge did not dare to sail far on the sea and headed southwest to find land to land. After six small boats were capsized by wind and waves, the remnant division finally saw land and docked at the seaside of Ju County (near today's Zhao City).
Many soldiers cried with joy when they saw the land, which meant they had saved their lives. They went on a mighty expedition, but came back miserably. Half of them were buried at the bottom of the sea, as if they were a lifetime ago.
Zhang Yu's face was ashen, and he staggered off the ship. He knew that he had committed a serious crime, and the Duke of Song would never spare him. It was hard to say whether he could save his life.
After finding the fishing village on the shore and asking for its location, Chang Yu sent someone to Ju County to deliver the letter, and he began to write a letter to Liu Yu to apologize.
After pleading guilty, Chang Yu described the battle in detail in his letter, pointing out that the Yong Army Navy had developed a new ship that was fast and hard and could directly ram and sink its own ships. He blindly wanted to defeat the enemy with more people and fell into the trap. The Yong army set fire to the ship and suffered a disastrous defeat.
After writing the letter to Liu Yu, Chang Yu wrote to his brother Zhang Shao, the governor of Xiangzhou, and his old friends in Beijing, hoping that they would mediate and try their best to save his life.
After doing this, Chang Yu called Sima Sundeng and handed over the command of the six thousand remaining soldiers to him. He got into the prison car and prepared to go to Beijing to await his punishment.
When the news of the defeat of the navy that went to Beiqingzhou reached Jiankang City, there was an uproar in the capital, and then there was silence. The nobles in the capital were watching under the surface silence, waiting for Song Gong's move.
This battle once again refreshed everyone's impression of Yong's army. Some people murmured in their hearts that something was going to change.
Liu Muzhi was lying ill on the bed. Medical officer Lu said that he was worried too much and was exhausted mentally and physically. If he did not rest and rest, his life might be in danger. After delivering the last batch of luggage, Liu Muzhi moved to a separate courtyard in Fuzhou Mountain to recuperate, and even spent New Year's Eve in the mountains.
After careful recuperation and no worries, Liu Muzhi's condition improved a lot. He could walk for a while in the mountains every afternoon, and his pale face became rosy.
There is a thatched cottage on the mountainside, with a brocade tent to block the wind. Silver charcoal is burning inside the cottage, which is as warm as spring. The servant boys are burning mountain springs and cooking tea outside the cottage. Listening to the bursts of pine waves, Liu Muzhi feels like a god in the mountain.
With his status, even if he lived in a remote mountain, he would still have constant visitors. In order to allow Liu Muzhi to rest in peace and recuperate, the eldest son Liu Luzhi asked for leave to attend to his illness. To see Liu Muzhi, he first had to obtain his permission.
Except for a few important court officials such as Xu Xianzhi and Zhao Lunzhi who came to visit, Liu Luzhi blocked them all. The prosperity and decline of the family depended on his father. If anything happened to Liu Muzhi, the Liu family would immediately be reduced to a second-class family.
Scattered footsteps came from the stone path, and Liu Muzhi frowned slightly. The eldest son must have led the way if he found this place. Hearing the sound, there were many people coming, and it seemed that something big happened in the court.
When he saw Yuan Zhan, Xu Xianzhi, Zhao Lunzhi, Wang Hong, and Kong Jing, Liu Yu's confidants who had stayed in the court, all coming, Liu Muzhi stood up in surprise to greet the guests and asked, "Why do all the nobles come together?"
Wang Hong raised his hands with a solemn expression and said, "Liu Pushe, I dare not disturb you unless something serious happens. The navy heading north has been defeated."
Liu Muzhi's face turned pale. The naval division led by Chang Yu was Song Gong's last resort to win. If the naval division were defeated, the entire battle would be passive and he might have to switch from offense to defense.
After asking everyone to sit down, Liu Muzhi inquired about the incident in detail and learned that Changyu was defeated by more than a hundred warships of Yong's army. The boats were burned to pieces, and he only brought back more than a hundred ships, boats and six thousand soldiers. The others were not To be buried under the sea is to be captured by Yong's army.
There were 28,000 soldiers, 8,000 soldiers, and 10,000 servants. Of the nearly 40,000 men, only 6,000 were turned back. Liu Muzhi felt his blood surge and coughed violently.
Liu Luzhi stood behind him and hurriedly stepped forward to pat his father's back. It took a while for Liu Muzhi to stop coughing with his face flushed. XiuShu.com
Xu Xianzhi said with a worried look on his face: "Mr. Liu, the people in the capital are unstable and all the ministers are worried. The matter is critical and we must respond as soon as possible. Please come back to the court and take charge."
Liu Muzhi gasped and said, "After such a big event, how could you recuperate in the mountains and set off back to the capital immediately?"
The oxcart was driving slowly. Liu Muzhi put his hand on his forehead in the cart, thinking about how to calm people's hearts. When he returned to the official residence at Shangshutai, he already had a plan in mind.
After discussing with Yuan Zhan, Wang Hong and others, Fan Yuanzhi, the new governor of Xuzhou, led his army across the river to Guangling to take charge.
, Reinforce fortifications along the coast to guard against Yong Jun's navy taking advantage of the victory to pursue them.
Years ago, Tan Daoji asked for merit for Yongzhou's surrendered general Li Qiang. Liu Yu appointed Li Qiang as the governor of Ningzhou as promised, and transferred Fan Yuanzhi to the governor of Xuzhou.
As Danyang Yin, Liu Muzhi ordered the government officials and court officials to strengthen inspections to prevent the spread of rumors; he asked Yuan Zhan, Wang Hong and others to come forward to summon the family members and reveal the news that Song Gong defeated Yong's army in Pei County...
Everyone took the order and acted on their own. After discussion, Liu Muzhi and Xu Xianzhi jointly wrote a letter to Liu Yu, asking him to return to Beijing as soon as possible.
Xu Xianzhi sighed: "If Song Gong can return to the capital, these noble families will be as silent as cicadas, and the prefectures and counties will be stable."
Liu Muzhi smiled bitterly and said nothing. Even if Song Gong could stabilize the situation, the power of Yong's army was already deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. I am afraid that those aristocratic families would make other plans, and Song Gong's foundation would have been shaken.
In Langya Prince's Mansion, Sima Dewen and Sima Zhenzhi were sitting and drinking, with Chu Xiuzhi accompanying them. After hearing the news of the naval division's defeat, Chu Xiuzhi felt his heart swaying, and his original belief that Song Gong would win had been shaken.
Chu Xiuzhi and Yang Anxuan were both ministers of the East Palace, and they looked down upon Yang Anxuan, who was born as a general. Later, Yang Anxuan rose to the top and became Lord Yong, with half of the country in his hands.
But things backfired, and even Song Gong could do nothing to him. Thinking that Yang Anxuan might lead his army to seize Jiankang, Cui Xiuzhi felt terrified in his heart, and regretted that he had slandered Yang Anxuan many times in front of everyone.
While Chu Xiuzhi was at the banquet, Sima Dewen couldn't say anything, so he only discussed the wedding with Sima Zhenzhi. It was Sima Zhenzhi who came forward to get married to Yang Anxuan, and he did not bother the two masters. Sima Dewen planned to let Sima Zhen go to the wedding party beforehand. .Ь.
Sima Zhenzhi stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty has already set a date for the wedding on June 18th. Duke Yong will send someone to welcome the bride in May. I will send Maoying there at that time. Don't worry, Your Majesty."
Sima Dewen raised his glass and sighed: "Thank you, Uncle Wang. I would like to thank Uncle Wang for a glass of Maoying."
Sima Zhenzhi drank it happily. He knew that this trip to see off his relatives was a good job, and Duke Yong would definitely thank him for the gift. His second grandson, Sima Mingguang, studied in Xiangyang and became a disciple of the great Confucian Guo Gao. Duke Yong took great care of him, and he was a brother-in-law with his eldest son, Yang Min.
Judging from the current situation, Duke Yong is no weaker than Duke Song. Even if the dynasty changes in the future, he should treat the Sima clan well. Mingguang is smart and has a good relationship with Prince Yonggong, so he will have no worries about his future.
It was uncomfortable for Chu Xiuzhi to be on the sidelines. Song Gong declared Yang Anxuan a traitor in the name of the court, but King Langya wanted to marry his eldest daughter to his eldest son. This was clearly a slap in Song Gong's face.
The situation was stronger than the others, so Chu Xiuzhi drank a glass of boring wine. Sima Dewen and Sima Zhenzhi smiled at each other and raised their glasses to drink with each other.
The next day, Liu Mu went to court and met with Sima Dewen, the king of Langya, and asked a lot of things in the name of Song Gong. What Sima Dewen could say was just the word "sharp".
After leaving the court, the court ministers came forward to chat with Liu Muzhi one after another. Liu Muzhi was full of joy and took the initiative to mention the defeat of the naval division. He claimed that Changyu had only suffered a temporary setback and had led the division to rest in Juxian area and would lead the army to fight again.
When Liu Muzhi returned to the capital, the restlessness in the court subsided. Wang Hong, Yuan Zhan and others hosted a banquet for the nobles in the name of a cocktail party, conveying the news that Duke Song had gained the upper hand on the battlefield, and then quickly spread the news in the capital and the capital through the voices of the nobles. Jingkou, Xuyang, Jiangyu and other places stabilized.
However, the aristocratic family has its own news channels, and the surface calm cannot hide the turbulent undercurrents. News that is unfavorable to Duke Song is still being discussed and circulated in private and cannot be stopped.
During this period, the busiest department was the Military Intelligence Department. After the death of Shen Tianzi, the chief of the Military Intelligence Department, Liu Yu quickly appointed Huangmen Shilang Wang Shaozhi to succeed him as chief.
Wang Shaozhi was also born in the Langya Wang family. His grandfather Wang Xian and Wang Xizhi's father Wang Kuang were both born to Wang Zheng. Wang Zheng and Wang Dao's father Wang Cai were both born to Wang Lan. Wang Shaozhi and Wang Hong were of the same generation. The Wang family has many branches. Wang Dao's branch became the main branch of Langya Wang family, and Wang Shaozhi's branch became the branch.
Xizhou City, Song Gongfu (Yangzhou Governor's Mansion), the courtyard on the west side is the official residence of the Military Intelligence Department. It is said that the main job of Wang Shaozhi, the Huangmen Shilang, is to communicate official affairs between the Emperor and the Chancellor, and he can enter and exit the forbidden area freely.
However, the emperor was stupid, and Liu Yu took away the government affairs. The position of Huangmen Shilang was just a decoration, so that Wang Shaozhi could monitor the emperor and King Langya who entered the palace nearby. Wang Shaozhi spent most of his time in the official mansion of the Military Intelligence Department handling official affairs.
Yesterday, Chang Yu imprisoned himself in Tingwei Prison, which once again aroused a wave of discussion in Beijing. Detective reports from the Military Intelligence Department came like a snowflake: Xi Hui's eldest son Xi Zi had a drink with the Xie family's children, and when he got drunk, he said that Song Gong was difficult to defeat Yong. Duke; Tao Ping, a doctor in the driving department, had a close relationship with Zeng An, the internal history of Langya. They called friends on the Qinhuai River to discuss government affairs; Yinyou, the minister of the ancestral hall, had a lively gate in Qi's mansion with many visitors, many of whom had unfavorable remarks about Song Gong...
Wang Shaozhi tapped his fingers on the intelligence report, thinking to himself that most of the people mentioned in the intelligence report were people close to Yang Anxuan. These people would inevitably cheer for Yang Anxuan for the naval division's defeat.
However, according to the intelligence reports, these people's words were slightly excessive. If the Military Intelligence Department questioned them, it would easily cause dissatisfaction. It seemed that they could only send more people to keep an eye on them. When it was found that these people were opposed to Song Gong's actions, it would not be too late to kill the chickens to scare the monkeys. …
Xu Shi, the underworld.
Yin Zang saw off the guests for his father. When the bullock cart drove away from the alley, he ordered his servants to close the door, and he happily came to the study to see his father Yin Youqi.
After Liu Muzhi was stopped from adding nine tins to Song Gong, Dong Huai, the Minister of the Fifth Army, soon returned to his hometown as an official. Yin Youqi, the Minister of the Ancestral Hall, was assigned by Liu Yu to prepare for the imperial examination. The preparations for the imperial examination were nominally led by Yin Youqi, but in fact Liu Muzhi handed over the matter to the newly appointed minister of the temple, Yan Song.
After Yan Song came to Jiankang, he was highly valued. He was first appointed to Shizhong, and half a year later he was transferred to the position of Minister of the Temple Department. Everyone with a discerning eye knew that Song Gong used it to contain Yin Shangshu.
Having experienced the imperial examination in Xiangyang, Yan Song had some understanding of the process and asked Liu Muzhi to call together those who came to Beijing with him after passing the examination to make plans and manage the imperial examination.
After arriving in Jiankang, Yan Song discovered that Liu Muzhi, Xu Xianzhi and others who were highly valued by Song Gong were all from the Han clan. This made him full of hope that in the future he could become a high official in the court and a confidant of Song Gong like Liu Pushe.
In order to successfully handle the imperial examination, Yan Song worked hard and was determined to do it perfectly and gracefully. He not only selected useful talents for Song Gong, but also wanted to gain a foothold in the capital.
Smart people are everywhere. Yin Youqi has offended Song Gong and lost power. I am afraid that he will be in trouble soon, so they stay away to avoid being involved. But even the in-laws, the Wen family, have nothing to do and no longer come to visit.
Zhang Yu's naval forces suffered a disastrous defeat, and the offensive and defensive momentum between Yong Gong and Song Gong was reversed. Yin Youqi, as Yong Gong's spokesperson in the court, immediately became very popular, and smart people naturally came to close the relationship.
Overnight, the underworld changed from a deserted place to a bustling one, with nobles and officials from all over the capital coming to pay their respects.
This gloomy period has ushered in. Although I feel tired, I feel elated, and the depression of the previous days has been washed away.
Humming a little tune in his mouth, he came to the study to meet his father with gloomy heart and full of joy.
