The two stopped arguing and felt relieved.
Li Qingxia said: "Although I have the confidence to fight against Yanyun, what Li Qing said is also reasonable. I think it is really not easy for us as a country in Daxia to fight against Yanyun. Even if we win, we will pay an unimaginable heavy price. This This is what I don’t want to see! Therefore, we should not just rely on our own strength, but also rely on the strength of others!”
All the ministers are wise and resourceful people, and they know the elegant meaning after listening to Xiange. As soon as they heard Li Qingxia's words, they understood what she meant. He bowed and said: "Your Majesty is wise, if you can persuade the Song Dynasty and Tubo to attack Yanyun, Then our pressure will be greatly reduced, and our chances of winning will increase by several percent!"
Li Tongren frowned and said: "Your Majesty is very worried, but now that Yanyun is strong, does the cowardly Song Dynasty court dare to take action? Does Tubo, which has already suffered heavy losses, dare to take action?"
Li Qingxia said: "The Tubo people are just a group of greedy wolves. As long as they have a chance, they will not move. What's more, they understand the truth of death and coldness. If Yanyun is allowed to grow bigger, Tubo will never be able to survive alone! Therefore, as long as We resisted Yan Yun's offensive, and the Song Kingdom raised troops in the south, so it is very possible to persuade Tubo to send troops! Once Tubo sends troops, the situation will be in our favor!"
Li Tongren said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true, so the most critical issue is to persuade Song Ting to send troops! But with Zhao Song's cowardly behavior, it may be difficult for them to send troops!"
Li Qingxia smiled and said: "The literati of the Han family have a very interesting characteristic. Have you ever noticed it? They are extremely cowardly towards foreign enemies, but they care very much about whether there is anyone internally who challenges their authority! Once they find out that someone is openly conspiring to rebel, their reaction is often It’s very intense!”
The ministers did not understand and looked at each other. Li Tongren said: "Your Majesty, are you saying that Yan Yun is treason? Although Yan Yun's current situation is no different from treason, they still regard Zhao Song as their leader on the surface and claim to be the leader. Your Majesty. Just now, Your Majesty talked about the characteristics of the Han literati. I also want to say one of the characteristics of the Han literati, that is, as long as they have a fig leaf, they can live in peace and contentment. Furthermore, what about Chen Xiao’s role in the Zhao and Song Dynasties? There are people inside, so we want to use this to persuade the Zhao and Song court to take action against Yan Yun. This possibility..." Although Ao Daochong has always been against Li Tongren, at this moment, he feels that what he said is reasonable.
Li Qingxia smiled slightly, "If Zhao Heng finds out that Yan Yun colluded with some princes and queens in his palace to replace him, how do you think Zhao Heng will react?"
All the ministers looked at each other and said, "If this is the case, the Zhao and Song Dynasties will definitely not respond. However, Wei Chen feels that their response should be limited to cleaning up the interior, and for Yan Yun, I'm afraid they don't have the ability to do so." If you dare to send troops, at most, you can deploy heavy troops on the border between the two sides to prepare for possible raids by the opponent." Li Tongren nodded, "What Prime Minister You said is absolutely true, and I think so too!"
Li Qingxia glanced at the two prime ministers and said with a smile: "I didn't expect you two to have the same opinion sometimes!" Only then did Li Tongren and Ao Daochong react, and couldn't help but look at each other. Li Tongren said: "Wei Chen and You Prime Minister just have different political opinions from time to time, but it's not like they have any disputes." Odaochong nodded.
Li Qingxia smiled and said: "That's good. This is the blessing of our Great Xia!" The two prime ministers couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. Li Tongren said: "If it really happens that Zhao and Song deploy heavy troops to defend Yanyun, then it will definitely happen. Containing a considerable number of Yanyun's troops can also persuade Tubo to send troops! We already understand what your majesty means. But how to make Zhao Heng believe that someone in his palace is colluding with Yanyun?" Odao rushed. He nodded and looked at Li Qingxia. He was also wondering about this matter. He felt that even if there were some ministers who helped make the case for an envoy, he would not be able to convince people even if he made extravagant claims!
Li Qingxia smiled and said: "I have sent capable people to handle this matter. I believe there will be a reply soon." With a thoughtful look on her face, she said, "If nothing else happens, it should be successful!" Odao Chonghe Li Tongren couldn't help but be very curious when he saw how confident Li Qingxia was.
Li Qingxia saw the expressions of the two ministers and said with a smile: "My dear friends, don't be anxious, we will find out soon! Let's put this matter aside for now. I have called you here, mainly because I want to discuss a few other matters with you. Let’s discuss and discuss.” Everyone bowed and listened.
Li Qingxia turned around, looked at the sky in the distance, was stunned for a while, and said: "According to the current situation, it will take at least a year for Yanyun to launch an attack on us. But I really don't dare to be careless about this opponent. , I'm just afraid that they will do something unexpected, so I have to keep abreast of Yan Yun's developments at all times." Turning around, he looked at the two prime ministers, "You two, from your respective subordinates and cronies, Select a hundred people and go to Yanyun's main cities, traffic arteries, and military camps to ambush them to monitor their every move. If there is any situation, they will report it immediately!" The two prime ministers bowed and promised.
Li Qingxia said: "This alone is not enough. You have to send people to spread rumors inside Yanyun so that Yang Peng cannot concentrate on dealing with us Daxia!" The two prime ministers bowed and agreed.
"The last thing is our internal policy. Now that the situation is urgent, I want to implement a comprehensive militarized system. With each major military department as a unit, all the people within the jurisdiction, including civilians and nobles, will be included in the military status of the military department. Those who have money and food will provide money and food, and those who have no money and food will provide people! I will add 500,000 troops to my country in Daxia within a year!"
All the ministers looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Odaochong said: "Wei Chen understands His Majesty's intention very well, and he agrees with it in his heart! But as a result, our traditions and habits of Daxia have completely changed, and Wei Chen is a little worried!"
Li Qingxia said categorically: "The royal family will be the first to set an example. I have decided to allocate all the royal family's funds for military expenses! The country is in a difficult situation, and we in Daxia should unite to fight the national crisis. I, Li Qingxia, and the entire royal family can do this." Give everything, I hope other nobles can do the same, otherwise don't blame me for being unkind!" The ministers felt shuddering and obeyed.
Seeing that there were no objections from the ministers, Li Qingxia said: "I hope the two prime ministers will carry out this policy for me! Don't be afraid of resistance. If someone dares to resist the emperor's order, he will be persuaded if he can. If he can't be persuaded, he will use strong measures to solve it. !!" All the ministers bowed and agreed.
Li Qingxia said: "That's all I have to say. Time is running out, so get busy! I hope to see obvious results within three months!" The ministers responded and retreated. Li Qingxia frowned slightly as she looked at the retreating figures of the ministers. She couldn't help but feel that she had done everything she had to do, and the outcome depended on God's will!
When the ministers came out of the palace, Odaochong said worriedly: "I'm really worried about whether this will cause civil strife!" Li Tongren sighed helplessly, "There is no other way! As His Majesty said, the power of the country It's difficult. We, the people of Great Xia, regardless of high or low, can only turn the crisis around by working together to overcome the national crisis!" Ao Daochong nodded, glanced at Li Tongren, and asked: "Prime Minister, what do we think about your majesty's policy? How to implement it?" Li Tongren said: "You and I have always divided and cooperated, and now we naturally also divide and cooperate. The Prime Minister is quite popular in the northwest, so the northwest will be handed over to the Prime Minister, and I will be responsible for other regions!"
Odaochong shook his head and said: "My opinion is opposite to that of the Prime Minister! Many things are difficult to do between acquaintances. We have to give face to these acquaintances and relatives. It is really difficult to lose face! I mean, the Prime Minister is responsible for the northwest , I'm responsible for other directions, so I'm afraid the work will go better this way!" Li Tongren nodded thoughtfully, glanced at Ao Daochong, "Just do as the Prime Minister wants!" Then he nodded slightly, "Prime Minister, you and I will do this. Farewell, I hope that when we meet again in the future, the situation will have been greatly improved!!" Odaochong sighed, "I hope so!" Then he performed a chest-pressing salute: "Prime Minister, take care!" Li Tongren replied. : "Prime Minister, take care, too!" Then the two of them boarded the carriage and went their separate ways.
Bianjing.
Recently, a rumor has been circulating in the streets and alleys of Bianjing that Concubine Mu and her son secretly colluded with Yan Yun in order to change the dynasty. The rumors spread so well that the people in the market and the ministers in the DPRK were worried about it.
Emperor Hengziran also heard about this rumor, and was very frightened and uneasy. He had been tossing and turning for the past few days and could not sleep. He was often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night. The content of the nightmares was related to the rumor that had been spreading recently.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Heng was awakened by a nightmare again. Recalling the scene in the dream, he couldn't help but feel frightened. Seeing this scene, Ya'er, a famous prostitute from Lin'an who was sleeping with him, asked with concern: "Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare?" Zhao Heng frowned, nodded, and murmured: "That scene was as if it were a real thing, it was frightening! "Then he got off the bed. Seeing this, Ya'er quickly came down to help Zhao Heng dress and trousers, regardless of her nakedness. Zhao Heng had something on his mind, but he turned a blind eye to the extremely fragrant woman in front of him.
After hurriedly putting on his clothes, Zhao Heng left Ya'er's room, and was immediately greeted by the old eunuch waiting at the door. The emperor ordered the old eunuch: "Call Master Pang and Wang Qinruo to me immediately!" The old eunuch responded and went down to deliver the order.
After a while, Taishi Pang and Wang Qinruo came to Ya'er's Hualou living room. When they saw the emperor, they worshiped together: "I pay my respects to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
The emperor waved his hands anxiously, "That's all! No need to be polite!" The two of them straightened up. Wang Qinruo clasped his fists and asked, "Your Majesty summoned you late at night for something important?" Zhao Heng frowned and said, "I just had another nightmare. I woke up with a start! I am even more frightened than what I dreamed before!!" Master Pang clasped his fists and asked, "I wonder what your Majesty was dreaming about?"
Zhao Heng frowned and glanced at the two of them, "Didn't you two dear friends hear any rumors among the people recently?" The two looked at each other, Wang Qinruo frowned and said, "I did hear some rumors, which is very disturbing. Worried!" Master Pang nodded. Zhao Heng frowned and said: "I have been having nightmares these past few days. I always dream about Yanyun's army rolling south, and the traitor in Bianjing is working with them inside and outside! In my dream tonight, I have even more dreams." At this point, Zhao Heng's There was no blood on his face, his eyes were full of fear, and beads of sweat overflowed on his forehead, "I dreamed that my head was taken away by a traitor in Bianjing City!"
Master Pang and Wang Qinruo were startled. Wang Qinruo clasped his fists and said, "I dare not lie to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, as soon as I heard this rumor, I immediately sent someone to investigate. After a few days, I did find something..."
When Zhao Heng heard this, he immediately became nervous, "What did Aiqing find?"
Wang Qinruo said: "Wei Chen discovered that Concubine Mu and the others did often interact with people of unknown origin, and they did not know what they were up to. In addition, Wei Chen's people recently caught a suspicious person. After interrogation, they found that he turned out to be the same person as Concubine Mu and others. The emissary between Yang Peng secretly delivers messages to the two of them!" Zhao Heng became even more nervous and asked anxiously: "Has anyone found anything from the interrogation?"
"The ministers tortured him severely, and the man finally revealed the truth. It turned out that Concubine Mu really colluded with King Yan. The two parties conspired. Concubine Mu used Yan Yun's troops to overthrow His Majesty and then helped Zhao You ascend the throne. Concubine Mu then The people behind the curtain actually hold the power, and Concubine Mu promised to Yang Peng that after the event is completed, Yang Peng will be canonized as the King of Side by Side, and all the land in the north of the Yangtze River will be handed over to Yang Peng for management, and the imperial court will not interfere!"
Zhao Heng was furious, "Since you already knew about this situation, why didn't you report it to me? Do you also have different intentions?" Wang Qinruo was startled, knelt down in a hurry, and said urgently: "We are grateful to your majesty for knowing this." Well, I can't repay you even if I'm a mess, how dare I have any different intentions! If a minister has the opposite sex, he will be punished by heaven and earth and he will not be able to die!" Zhao Heng's expression softened, and he felt that he was worrying too much, if Wang Qinruo had any different intentions If so, how could he inform himself of these situations?
Wang Qinruo explained: "Wei Chen did not intend to deceive Your Majesty. It is actually because Wei Chen only learned about these situations tonight. Wei Chen originally planned to report to Your Majesty early tomorrow morning!"
After hearing what he said, Zhao Heng's doubts disappeared and he said harmoniously: "My dear, don't be nervous. I have always known that my dear, you are loyal to me! Get up!" Wang Qinruo thanked him and stood up. Zhao Heng frowned and said worriedly: "Concubine Mu actually colluded with King Yan. This matter is not trivial!!"
Wang Qinruo immediately clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, we must not take this matter lightly and tolerate it. We should take immediate countermeasures, otherwise we will be caught off guard when a disaster strikes!" Zhao Hengshen nodded in agreement, "That's right. Yes, what Ai Qing said is absolutely true!" Shen Yuqiu, who had never had a chance to speak, said at this time: "Your Majesty, for this plan, heavy troops should be sent immediately to capture Concubine Mu and others!" Wang Qinruo nodded in agreement.
Zhao Heng looked a little hesitant, "Concubine Mu has the merit of ruling the country and rescuing the country, so I arrested her rashly. I'm worried that the people will not accept it!" Wang Qinruo said anxiously: "Concubine Mu has made great contributions, but now her treacherous conspiracy has been Everyone knows, and the ministers have already mastered sufficient evidence. The arrest of the Queen Mother is a natural move. There will be no problems. Your Majesty does not have to worry at all!" Taishi Pang said: "Nowadays, people's hearts are floating, and this can be used to stabilize them. The hearts of the people, Your Majesty must not hesitate!"
After hearing what the two said, Zhao Heng couldn't help but make up his mind and immediately said to the old eunuch beside him: "Immediately send an order to General Yulin to surround Shuiyun Nunnery and capture Concubine Mu and others. If anyone is missed, ask him to bring his head to see you!" "The old eunuch responded and ran down.
Wang Qinruo clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, Concubine Mu and others are turtles in the urn, so there is nothing to be afraid of! But we must beware of Yan Yun's invasion!" Zhao Heng's heart froze, and he couldn't help but think of the terrible scene in his dream, and his face turned pale. He said with fear on his face: "What will happen if Yan Yun really goes south?"
Wang Qinruo said: "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Our Song Dynasty's army of more than one million is not inferior to Yan Yun! As long as we are prepared, even if Yan Yun's army comes, nothing will happen?" Zhao Heng's eyes lit up, "Yes Yes, what Aiqing said is true! You, immediately send the order, appoint Ding Wei as the commander-in-chief, and take charge of Bianjing, and at the same time mobilize all the armies to gather in Luoyang to guard against Yanyun's invasion!" Wang Qinruo cupped his fists and said: "Your Majesty is wise, The minister will do it immediately!" Then he said: "Your Majesty, now that Yan Yun's conspiracy has been completely exposed, I'm afraid he won't let it go. Even if he fails this time, he won't let it go!" The emperor was worried.
Wang Qinruo continued: "There is a saying in the art of war: strike first to gain the upper hand. Your Majesty, we might as well attack Yanyun first and catch him off guard!" Zhao Heng was startled and waved his hands quickly: "No, no! Where is Yanyun in our army?" Opponents of Tiger and Wolf must not attack rashly, for fear of seeing the disaster before they see the success. If Yan Yun didn't want to attack across the Yangtze River in the first place, this approach will attract them instead, no, no, absolutely no!"
When Wang Qinruo saw this, he secretly cursed a waste, and then said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true! Then we can only retreat and do the next best thing. If Xixia and Tubo use troops against Yanyun, we will send troops again!" Zhao Heng still shook his head. , "Let's not talk about sending troops for now, let's just guard the Yangtze River!" Taishi Pang agreed: "Your Majesty's decision is the safest!" Wang Qinruo knew that it was impossible to change the emperor's mind, so he stopped persuading.
Zhao Heng was worried about state affairs and drove back to the palace. Wang Qinruo and Taishi Pang were accompanying him, and all the imperial guards were guarding him at the front and back. . Halfway through, I saw a few knights coming towards me, and the sound of rapid horse hooves was very clear in this silent night. The group of people immediately became nervous, and the guarding guards set up a defensive formation.
After a while, the knights came closer and saw clearly by the light of the torches. They turned out to be General Yulin and several of his accompanying officers. I saw those people dismounting from their horses and kneeling in the middle of the street in front. General Yulin shouted loudly, "The general has been ordered to capture the thief. I have come here to return the order!"
Zhao Heng poked his head out of the carriage and asked urgently: "Have everyone been caught?" General Yulin said: "Reporting to your majesty, when the general led his people to Shuiyun Nunnery, Shuiyun Nunnery was already occupied. The building is empty!" Zhao Heng was shocked, "You didn't arrest anyone?" Wang Qinruo on the side was secretly relieved. He was still thinking about how to prove the crime, but he was worried that the emperor would interrogate him personally and then find out the problem. I changed my mind again. After all, what is fake is fake. After all parties have verified it, I am afraid that this major treason case will be overturned. But now there is no need to worry. Concubine Mu and others have run away. This is called absconding in fear of crime. , the crime of conspiracy can be said to be irrefutable. Thinking of this, Wang Qinruo's face showed a smile unconsciously.
General Yulin said: "When the general arrived, the empress, His Highness, the maids and the female guards were all missing, and the guards responsible for protecting the empress were tied up and stuffed in a room. The general saved him. We caught them and found out after asking. Last night, many masked men in black suddenly came and subdued them by surprise, and then took the empress and others away!"
Wang Qinruo asked: "You mean, those people in black are all the empress's people?" General Yulin was stunned and said: "The general dare not say whether they are the empress's people, but according to what the guards said, those black people are The man in the clothes obviously respects the empress and His Highness very much!" Wang Qinruo turned to the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, the matter has become very clear. The empress saw that the conspiracy was exposed, so she secretly ordered her companions to come and help her escape from the city!" Taishi Pang frowned and said: " There is something very strange. If you want to leave the city, you must pass through the city gate. Your Majesty and the others left last night, but why has no news been reported from any city gate until now?" Zhao Heng frowned. Wang Qinruo clasped his fists and said, "Teacher Pang's words have reminded me. It seems that someone in the city defense army is afraid of colluding with the Queen Mother!" Zhao Heng was very angry and said to Wang Qinruo: "This matter must be investigated as soon as possible!" Wang Qinruo bowed and promised.
Master Pang said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, they have only been gone for a day. I think they haven't gone far yet. Do you want to send someone to pursue them?" Wang Qinruo cursed secretly and hurriedly said to Zhao Heng who was still hesitating: "Your Majesty, I don't think it's necessary. Chase! Wei Chen judged that they must have taken the water route, and now they must have entered the sea controlled by Yan Yun's army. I'm afraid it will cause misunderstandings if they chase rashly!" Zhao Hengshen nodded in agreement, "What Ai Qing said is absolutely true! Hey, Just leave, if you are really caught, I really don’t know how to deal with it!"
At the same time, several large ships were sailing north on the sea east of Huainan. The bright moon reflected the sails, the waves were sparkling on the sea, and the gentle sea breeze rang the bells on the ships from time to time, and the jingling sound was heard far away. .
In the cabin of the big ship in the middle, Zhang Daniu came to report: "Madam, the fleet has just entered the Huainan Sea. This is the sphere of influence of our Yanyun Army. There is nothing to worry about anymore!" Concubine Mu sighed and said to Zhang Daniu said: "Thank you, General Zhang!" Zhang Daniu smiled honestly: "I am just a guard captain beside King Yan, I don't dare to be called a general!"
Concubine Mu smiled slightly, "Then I will call you Brother Daniel!" Zhang Daniu was stunned, and quickly waved his hand: "How dare I be your brother?" Concubine Mu said gratefully: "If Brother Daniel hadn't taken us The mother and son are rescued, I really don’t know what the outcome will be?”
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
