"At present, Yanyun is short of food and grass. It is difficult to mobilize heavy troops to the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture in a short period of time! Our army only needs 200,000 war cavalry to sweep across the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture!" Zhang Chang said with bright eyes.
Wang Jun was a little moved. The ministers and generals also expressed their opinions, believing that now is a good time to seize the sixteen states of Yanyun in one fell swoop.
Wang Yue said anxiously: "Our main enemy now is the Japanese, how can we cause trouble? Besides, Yan Yun is not a weakling. Even if we take advantage at this time, Yan Yun will definitely not give up. When there is enough food and grass, he will definitely launch a massive counterattack , the armies of both sides are fighting fiercely, and the outcome is really unpredictable. And when the Daliao army and the Yanyun army are at a stalemate, I am afraid that the Japanese will not just sit back and watch the success or failure, and will definitely attack the Daliao Kingdom from the southeast! Then! At that time, there were Yanyun in front of the Liao Kingdom and Japanese in the rear, which was a great danger!"
What Wang Yue said made sense. All the civil and military officials stopped talking. For a moment, the sound of needles dropping could be heard in the hall.
Seeing that his words had an effect, Wang Yue quickly struck while the iron was hot: "The reason why I think we should deal with the Japanese first is of course selfish, but dealing with the Japanese first is also the right choice for the Liao Kingdom! Otherwise, we will fight a powerful enemy. , these worries will only hold back the Liao Kingdom at the critical moment!"
Many Liao ministers and generals frowned and wanted to refute Wang Yue's words, but what Wang Yue said was indeed reasonable. Everyone could not find the words to refute for a while, while Zhang Chang looked like he was hesitant to speak but hesitated. appearance.
The king glanced at everyone and said: "This matter is of great importance, and I still need to consider it!" Then he stood up, left the phoenix throne and walked towards the side door. Seeing this, the concubine quickly picked up her emperor's child. , followed. All the ministers bowed together and said: "Farewell to the Empress Dowager, and congratulations to His Majesty the Emperor!" It was not until the king and the others had disappeared from the side door that the ministers straightened up, turned around and walked towards the outside of the hall. The ministers walked together and chatted, and the buzzing sound echoed in the hall.
At this moment, the voice of a female guard came from behind: "The decree of the Empress Dowager, the Minister of Rites, Zhang Chang, the Protector of the Country, Ye Qi Hucheng, the General Xiao Loushi, the General West, the General Bart Let's go to the imperial study room to meet him!" The five people whose names were called immediately stopped, turned around, and bowed: "I obey the order." The female guard raised her voice and said: "Follow me. "After that, he turned around and walked towards the side door, and the five people quickly followed him.
Soon after, Zhang Chang and other five people came to the imperial study. They saw the Empress Dowager sitting behind the desk and looking at something. The five people immediately worshiped together: "I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager!"
The king raised his head and said with a smile: "My dear friends, there is no need to be polite!" The five people straightened up, but still stood respectfully with their heads bowed. Wang Jun looked at Zhang Chang and asked: "Just now in the main hall, did Mr. Zhang have something he wanted to say but didn't say it?"
Zhang Chang bowed and said: "Your Majesty is wise, I have something to say, but I don't know whether to say it or not?" Wang Jun smiled and said: "Of course, one should know everything about national affairs and express everything. No matter what you say, it doesn't matter." , Mr. Zhang, if you have anything to say, just say it!"
Zhang Chang responded and said: "I dare to speak out. If I offend the empress unintentionally, I will be punished by death! Previously in the main hall, although what the King of Goryeo said was reasonable, in fact, under the current situation, it should be Raid Yanyun!" Wang Jun remained silent. When he continued, Zhang Chang continued: "Although what the King of Goryeo said is reasonable, he did not consider another issue, which is why we must guard against the Japanese. Why? Why can't we unite with the Japanese?" Wang Jun frowned, but the eyes of the others lit up. Wanyan Gao said excitedly: "This is a good idea! If we unite with the Japanese, we will be more confident in dealing with Yan Yun!" Then he said to the court Wang Jun said: "Your Majesty, Master Zhang's method is like what the Han people say, 'killing two birds with one stone'. It can't be better! Please just follow this!"
The king was angry and cursed secretly: "How dare you talk to me so much? It's so unreasonable!" Although he was very dissatisfied in his heart, he did not show it on his face. He thought for a moment, looked at Zhang Chang and said, "Is this idea just wishful thinking? It is good to unite with the Japanese, but I am afraid that is not what the Japanese think! From before Judging from the situation and the current situation, I'm afraid the Japanese's idea is just like what the King of Goryeo said! If we play Yan Yun's idea and collude with the Japanese, we will definitely not be able to hide this matter from Yan Yun. , Yanyun will definitely change his attitude towards us immediately, and if the Japanese are not willing to unite with us, wouldn’t we end up self-defeating and losing more than we gain?”
Ye Qian Hucheng frowned, Zhang Chang bowed and said: "The Queen Mother is wise, this worry is very likely to arise!" He smiled, "In fact, the reason why Wei Chen dared to make this suggestion was because of the Japanese That's why the secret envoy has come." Everyone was very surprised when they heard this. Yeqi Hucheng said displeasedly: "The Japanese secret envoy came to our country. Why didn't he come to see you in accordance with the rules, but went to see you in private? Between you two Is there some shady thing going on?"
Zhang Chang said quickly: "The Japanese secret envoy said to the minister: I have to keep my coming to your country a secret, otherwise it will be very bad if Yan Yun knows about it! The crown prince of Japan wants to keep secret with us. The Liao Kingdom formed an alliance in order to achieve a surprise effect, so the Japanese secret envoy did not come to meet the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor as usual!"
Wang Jun nodded and said: "In this case, it is understandable." Zhang Chang took out a letter from his arms, presented it with both hands, and said: "For the Queen Mother, this is a letter written by the crown prince of Japan. Please read it to the Queen Mother." A female guard immediately stepped forward to receive the letter and forwarded it to the king. Wang Jun picked up the letter, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, and unfolded it. He saw that the letter paper was densely covered with Chinese characters written in both facial and body styles. He couldn't help but smile and admired: "This Japanese prince is actually a person who is proficient in Sinology!" The battlefield smiled. Said: "That prince is not only proficient in Chinese studies, but also has unique insights into Buddhism and Taoism. He is very extraordinary!"
Wang Jun nodded, and when he read the letter, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and he murmured: "How dare he do this!" He continued to read the letter, put it down, frowned slightly, and looked thoughtful. There seems to be something difficult to decide.
Ye Qian Hucheng couldn't help but ask: "Queen Mother, what did the crown prince of Japan say?" Wang Jun came back to his senses, glanced at the letter in his hand, and said: "The crown prince of Japan said that he hopes to join us to carve up the Central Plains." Qian Hucheng said: "This is a good thing, but how can the Japanese country make us believe their words?" Wang Jun said: "The Japanese prince has thought of this a long time ago, so he said that as long as we agree to join forces, he will come to our Liao Dynasty immediately. The country is held hostage."
Ye Qian Hucheng laughed loudly and said, "Okay! This Japanese crown prince is also a sensible person. If the Japanese crown prince comes as a hostage, it will naturally be a sign of sincerity!" Then he said to the king: "Queen Mother, I see this matter. No problem, I can agree!" Wang Jun still looked hesitant.
Ye Qian Hucheng said angrily: "Could it be that the Queen Mother has selfish motives in her heart and only thinks about how to help Korea regain its kingdom?"
The king's expression changed and he shouted: "How did your Majesty speak to me?" Yeli Hucheng said without fear: "If the Queen Mother is wholeheartedly serving the Liao Kingdom, I will naturally not dare to disrespect the Queen Mother, but if the Queen Mother pretends to be a public servant, she will serve her own interests. Always thinking about the interests of Goryeo, huh..."
The king was furious, and even though he was about to explode, he endured it at the last moment and asked coldly: "Excuse me, your Majesty, have I done anything to disgrace Daliao?" Yeli Hucheng thought for a while and shook his head. Shaking his head, he said: "No! The Queen Mother has made great contributions to the Liao Dynasty and has no fault at all!"
The king nodded and said: "I am very pleased that the king can say this!" He glanced at Yeli Hucheng and said categorically: "I can solemnly tell the king that I will never do anything that is detrimental to the general public." Regarding the affairs of the Liao Kingdom, all decisions made by this palace are for the great cause and long-term peace of our Liao Kingdom!" Ye Qi Hucheng nodded.
Wang Jun said: "Although I hate the Japanese very much, since the Japanese sincerely want to join forces with us to deal with Yanyun, it is very beneficial to the Liao Kingdom. I have no reason to disagree!" Yeqi Hucheng was very happy and said loudly "This is the good queen mother of our Liao Kingdom!" Wang Jun sneered in his heart, turned to Zhang Chang and said: "Zhang Chang, please immediately order the secret envoy to come to the palace. I want to have a detailed discussion with him." Zhang Chang responded, Ran down.
Wang Jun said to Xiao Loushi: "General Xiao Loushi will return to Fengsheng Prefecture immediately to prevent possible raids by the Yanyun Army. I will send follow-up troops to support you!" Xiao Loushi bowed his promise and retreated.
The king's eyes fell on Ye Qi Hucheng. Ye Qi Hucheng's chest puffed up and his face showed pride. Unexpectedly, the king's eyes only stayed on him for a moment and then moved to West and Bart. Le, ordered: "West, Butler, you two lead 200,000 warriors as the vanguard, and sweep across the entire Yanyun Sixteen States as quickly as possible!" The two generals bowed and agreed. .
Ye Qian Hucheng was very dissatisfied and asked displeasedly: "Queen Mother, what should I do?"
The king smiled and said: "The king is the commander-in-chief and must follow the army's actions. How can we let the general do this as the forward?" When Yeli Hucheng heard this, he turned his anger into joy and laughed. Wang Junli said: "King Yeqi Hucheng, the protector of the country, listen to the order!" Yeqi Hucheng immediately responded loudly: "Here!" Wang Jun said: "I ordered the protector of the country to be the Marshal of Pingnan, and immediately assembled the army to prepare for the southern expedition. !" Yeqi Hucheng promised loudly. The king warned: "Your Majesty, please remember that the use of troops against Yan Yun is the highest secret, and must not be leaked in advance!" Ye Qi Hucheng nodded.
Turning their attention back to Tianjing New City, Yang Peng and others stopped talking when they heard that Du Nan's letter had arrived. Jiang Li walked quickly to Yang Peng and presented the letter. Yang Peng received the letter, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, read it again, and said to the girls: "Du Nan said in the letter that the grain and grass that had just been put into the warehouse have been shipped."
Yelu Hanyu thought: "This food and grass is still far from enough!" Yelu Guanyin laughed and said: "You are so stupid! Why do you only think of solutions on our own territory?"
Everyone was stunned, and then their hearts moved, and they all showed expressions of sudden realization. Yelu Hanyu said: "We actually forgot about the court in Bianjing!" Looking at Yang Peng, he said: "Brother, we can definitely ask The imperial court needs money and food. We have such a big disaster here, so the imperial court can't spare any money!" Yang Peng nodded with a smile and said: "You can do this, but the imperial court even defaults on the military expenses it promised to us. , I’m afraid it’s hard to get the money and food for disaster relief!”
Han Bing said: "We can also send people to Jiangnan to buy food. I heard that the food in Jiangnan is very rich. Of course, the official warehouses can no longer hold it. Even the private warehouses of noble and landlords are full."
Han Bing tapped his fingers heavily and said excitedly: "Yes, we can definitely buy food from Jiangnan! I didn't think of this simple method. I'm so stupid!" The girls pursed their lips and smiled.
Han Bing said to Jiang Li: "Send someone to call me Huang Guang and Huang Qiaoyun immediately!" Jiang Li responded and ran down. Soon after, Huang Guang and Huang Qiaoyun followed Jiang Li into the study room in a hurry, met Yang Peng and several princesses, and paid their respects. Yang Peng said: "I plan to send people to Jiangnan to buy grain. I need to take 10 million taels of silver directly from the warehouse and transport it to Yangzhou." The two were startled, and Huang Guang
He said in confusion: "King Yan, even if all the people in the sixteen states of Yanyun are affected by the disaster, they will not be able to consume the food purchased with 10 million taels of silver in one year!"
Yang Peng said: "I have my own uses." Huang Guang agreed when he saw what Yang Peng said. Yang Peng turned to Huang Qiaoyun and said: "Old rules, your Supervisory Yuan people must supervise the withdrawal and escort of money throughout the entire process." Huang Qiaoyun nodded, cupped his fists and said: "No problem, don't worry, brother."
Yang Peng said: "Okay, you go down and do things." The two of them bowed and agreed and left in a hurry.
Yang Peng thought for a while and said to the girls around him: "Such a big disaster has happened in the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. I really can't worry about it. I have to go and see for myself!" The three girls looked at each other. He said angrily: "I expected you to be unable to sit still!" The other two women nodded in agreement. Yang Peng smiled and looked at the three women with a gentle look in his eyes. Ye Qi Guanyin smiled and said: "As per the old rules, Han Bing and Mei'er will stay in Tianjing New City, and I will accompany you on the expedition!" Han Bing said angrily: "I will not stay in Tianjing New City this time, but you two will stay in Tianjing New City." You'll be fine in Tianjing New City!" Yelu Hanyu glanced at Yeqian Guanyin and said with a smile: "Guanyin, I'm afraid you are not suitable to follow big brother this time!" There was a hint in his words.
Yeqi Guanyin is so smart that he naturally heard the meaning of Yelu Hanyu's words. If other people heard this, they would feel unhappy, but they would not say anything more to avoid suspicion, but Yeqi Guanyin is Yeqi after all. Guanyin, she snorted and said to Yang Peng: "Tell me, if you fall to the ground, do you want me to follow you? If you want me to go, I will go. If you don't, I will stay in Tianjing New City!" Staring at Yang Peng, with a complicated expression.
Yang Peng smiled slightly and said, "If you are willing to accompany my elder brother, I will naturally ask for it!" Ye Qi Guanyin was overjoyed and looked at Yang Peng excitedly. The meaning of Yang Peng's statement just now was absolutely extraordinary.
Yelu Hanyu said angrily: "Brother, I'm jealous, you are too partial!" Han Bing also said: "Yes, brother is too partial! I'm jealous too!"
Yang Peng quickly walked between the two women, put his hands around their slender waists, and said softly: "Brother can't wait to take you all with him, but Tianjing New City must have trusted confidants. ! Apart from you two, I can't trust anyone else!" The two women smiled and looked at Yang Peng with gentle expressions. However, Ye Qi Guanyin quit and said angrily: "If you say that, the eldest brother can't be trusted to stay. Let me guard Tianjing New City! Brother, you are so partial!"
Yang Peng was as big as the other, and he felt like he couldn't cope with it.
At this moment, Jiang Li ran in again, presented a letter to Yang Peng, and said, "Master, it's an urgent report from Yanjing again!" Yang Peng said, "It should be a detailed report of the losses!" He reached out to take it. reported. He opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, unfolded it and read it again, frowning slightly. Yelu Hanyu asked: "Brother, are the losses very serious?"
Yang Peng glanced at Yelu Hanyu, nodded, and said: "The loss is indeed very serious. This is not the final report. The actual loss should be much more serious than the current statistics! In addition to the loss report, there is another Take a look at the matter." Yang Peng handed the letter to Yelu Hanyu. Yelu Hanyu felt slightly strange when he saw Yang Peng's expression was different. He reached out to take the letter and read it. His expression suddenly changed. He looked at Yang Peng and said at a loss: "This, this..."
Yang Peng stretched out his hand, gently hugged Yelu Hanyu's shoulder, and said softly: "I believe in Mei'er, no matter what happens, I believe in Mei'er! Although there are Khitans who rebel, you don't need Any bad feelings because of it!”
Han Bing and Ye Qi Guanyin were both shocked when they heard the word 'rebellion'; Yelu Hanyu was moved, "Thank you, brother! I, I," and then he showed an extremely annoyed look and cursed: "Xiao Yu, this bastard, actually did such a thing! I, I..."
Ye Qi Guanyin asked: "What is going on?"
Yang Peng briefly talked about Xiao Yu's rebellion and how Yang Jiumei put down the rebellion. Ye Qi Guanyin and Han Bing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they heard that the rebellion had been completely eliminated and Ni Kui had been captured. Han Bing glanced at Yelu Hanyu and comforted: "Sister, don't blame yourself. Although the rebel Xiao Yu is a Khitan, Lord Yelu and General Xiao who made great achievements in suppressing the rebellion are also Khitan! Besides, they are not Khitan. People are rebelling, and the main force in the rebellion are Han people!" Yelu Hanyu felt a little better when she heard what Han Bing said.
Ye Qi Guanyin said: "There was a big earthquake just now, and now there is a rebellion. The situation in the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun is not optimistic, so we should deal with it carefully!" Yang Peng nodded, frowned and said: "I originally planned to go back in two days. Going to the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, now it seems that I must leave immediately!" Han Bing and Yelu Hanyu couldn't help showing their reluctance, but now that the situation was urgent, they couldn't say any reluctant words of love.
Yang Peng said to Han Bing and Yelu Hanyu: "Han Bing, Mei'er, you two are here to guard Tianjing New City for me. Just like before, you can make decisions on the fly before deciding anything!" The two women nodded. nodded. Yang Peng stood up, walked to the sword stand, picked up a black sheath sword on the sword stand, and turned it around. The three women stood up quickly, and Han Bing and Yelu Hanyu stood in front of Yang Peng with respectful expressions.
Yang Peng handed the horizontal sword to Han Bing, and Han Bing stretched out his hands to take it. This black-sheathed horizontal sword was originally a sword that Yang Peng carried with him, but later it became a symbol. Before each personal expedition, Yang Peng would use this black-sheathed horizontal sword as a token to temporarily transfer military and political power to Han. Ice and cold rain.
Yang Peng thought for a while and warned: "Leave the specific implementation of the food procurement to Zuo and his wife and Meng Yulou, and let Dunan assist. In addition, we must also pay attention to the situation in Xiliao and Tubo." The two women nodded in agreement.
Yang Peng said: "I won't waste any more time. I'm going to Yanjing today!" Then Yang Peng went to the backyard and said goodbye to the girls and children. Then he packed his simple luggage and counted the numbers with Ye Qi Guanyin. Escorted by a hundred secret guards and more than a hundred Feifeng female guards, they left Tianjing New City and rushed to Yanjing.
Han Bing and Yelu Hanyu sent Yang Peng away, and then returned to the hall of Prince Yan's Mansion. They summoned all the civil servants and generals to rush Yang Peng to Yanjing and told them to sit in Tianjing New City. They then awarded Yang Peng to them. The horizontal sword was displayed in front of everyone. Everyone has long been accustomed to such a situation, and seeing Yang Peng's sword again, they no longer had any doubts, and they all worshiped together: "Follow your orders!"
Han Bing put away his horizontal sword and raised his voice: "The most important thing now is food!" He looked at Zuo Mou and ordered: "Send an order to Dunan, asking him to immediately send people south to Bianjing to ask the imperial court for food! Just say that we in Yanyun have suffered a catastrophe that has never happened in a century, and we hope that the imperial court will rescue us! If this matter is done well, it will be a great achievement for him, Dunan!" Zuo Mou bowed and agreed.
Han Bing's eyes fell on Chen Jialing and his wife, Meng Yulou, and called out: "Chen Jialing and his wife, Meng Yulou!" The four people immediately responded and asked in unison, "What are your orders, madam?" Han Bing said: "You are all doing business. ’s birth, no one is more suitable than you for purchasing grain. The eldest brother has ordered the warehouse to allocate ten million taels of silver. You can take these silver taels to Jiangnan to purchase grain. The more the better!" The four of them agreed in unison! , Qin Yuefang said in confusion: "Madam, even if all the more than two million people in Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures are affected by the disaster, so much food will not be used! Isn't this too wasteful?" Many people whispered. During the discussion, it was obvious that 10 million taels of silver to buy grain was too much.
Han Bing said: "This is the order of King Yan. The more food, the better. It is better to accumulate enough food to be prepared for emergencies than to have no food available and be tied up. Just like when we used troops against Xixia not long ago, if we have enough food The food war has ended long ago, and there is no need to delay it until today!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
