His eyes turned to Bianjing.
Wang Qinruo is handling official business in the Privy Council. Sun Jin, a close confidant, rushed over and reported: "Sir, the food and army are ready!" Wang Qinruo was very surprised, "So fast? I thought it would take at least six or seven days!" Sun Jin bowed and flattered. Said: "That's because everyone knows that this is a major event assigned by the Prime Minister, so everyone works extra hard and does not dare to slack off at all!"
Wang Qinruo smiled and patted Sun Jin on the shoulder. Sun Jin immediately felt flattered, and all the bones in his body seemed to be brittle. Wang Qinruo asked: "Did it be done according to my instructions?" Sun Jin bowed and said: "Yes, everything was done according to the instructions of the Prime Minister." Then he took out a booklet from his sleeve and held it with both hands. Presented to Wang Qinruo.
Wang Qinruo took the brochure and opened it. Several big figures were listed at the head of the queue: "Total troops: 700,000; grain and grass: 3 million dan; coins: 120 million; cloth: 5 million pieces..." Wang Qinruo nodded with satisfaction and said to Sun Jin said: "Follow me into the palace to meet the saint!" "Yes!"
The two of them left the Privy Council, got into their cars, and rushed towards the palace. When they came to a stop in front of the palace, the two got out of the car. At this time, another official sedan came from one side. Sun Jin recognized it and said to Wang Qinruo: "This is the official sedan of Wang Xiaozhi, the Minister of Rites."
When Wang Qinruo heard this, he stopped and waited. A moment later, Wang Xiaozhi's official sedan also came to a stop outside the palace gate, and Wang Xiaozhi, who looked dignified in official robes, stepped out of the sedan. The two parties met and exchanged pleasantries. Wang Qinruo asked: "Does Your Majesty Wang also want to see His Majesty?" Wang Xiaozhi said excitedly: "There is a letter from Mr. Heng, a merchant from Bianliang, saying that they are fully prepared. They will launch a capture in Tianjing New City when Wang's army goes to the north. Tianjing New City!”
Wang Qinruo and Sun Jin were overjoyed. Sun Jin smiled and said: "The army and food have been prepared in advance. This is really a double happiness!" Wang Xiaozhi said excitedly: "Everything goes so smoothly. It seems that God's will is on the court. Fang, this Northern Expedition will definitely be a complete victory! Humph, the time of the rebellious King Yan is running out!" Wang Qinruo and Sun Jin nodded in agreement, and Wang Qinruo said: "Let us inform His Majesty of the good news as soon as possible!" Sun Jin and Wang Xiaozhi also thought so, and they couldn't wait.
The three of them came to the palace gate. When the captain of the guard guarding the arch saw the three adults coming hand in hand, he hurriedly bowed: "General, I have seen these three adults!" Wang Qinruo said: "No need to be polite. Please go and report to your majesty, general." He said that the three of us have something important to ask to see His Majesty!" The captain glanced at the three of them, clasped his fists and said, "The three adults will report to you later!" Then he turned around and ran into the palace. Wang Qinruo and three others were waiting at the palace gate.
Not long after, I saw the captain running back, clasping his fists and saying: "Your Majesty is working in the imperial study room, and I would like to invite three adults to see you!" After that, he stepped aside. Wang Qinruo and the other three quickly walked into the palace gate and walked straight towards the imperial study. After a while, I arrived at the Imperial Study Room and saw Master Pang there. The three of them saluted the emperor and said, "I pay homage to your majesty. Long live your majesty!"
Zhao Heng smiled and said: "Three beloved princes are equal." The three of them said: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then they stood up, glanced at Master Pang, and nodded slightly, and Master Pang also nodded in response.
Zhao Heng asked: "Three beloved ministers suddenly came together, must they have something important to do?" Wang Xiaozhi said impatiently: "Your Majesty, good news! A letter came from Mr. Heng, a businessman in Bianliang, saying that they have We are completely ready. We will immediately take over the new city of Tianjing as soon as we wait for the king's army to make the northern expedition!" Sun Jin quickly continued: "The 700,000 king's army, as well as food, grass and baggage, etc., have been prepared in advance!" Wang Qinruo said excitedly, clasping his fists. : "Your Majesty, everything is going well. As soon as your Majesty gives the order, the army will be able to cross the river and recover the Central Plains!"
Zhao Heng did not show any excitement, but looked embarrassed. When the three of them saw that the emperor's reaction was not at all what they expected, they couldn't help but be stunned and looked at each other. Zhao Heng glanced at the three of them and said: "I am very touched and appreciate the three beloved ministers who have dedicated their lives to the court and me. However, the situation is a little different now. I am a little undecided!"
The three of them were all surprised when they heard that the emperor's words seemed to be a sign of retreat. Wang Xiaozhi said anxiously: "Your Majesty, now is a great time to make the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains and eliminate the traitors. Your Majesty has always thought so! What, how...?"
Zhao Heng sighed and said in a helpless tone: "Time is also fate!"
Wang Qinruo and the other three looked at each other in confusion. Master Pang said to the three of them: "Not long ago, I received a report from a secret agent that the Khitan army of 600,000 was defeated at Yanjing City. More than half of them were lost and they have retreated to Tanzhou!..."
Wang Qinruo and the other three were shocked when they suddenly heard such news, as if they had seen a ghost. Wang Xiaozhi couldn't help shouting: "This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible!!" The other two people also didn't believe it. Wang Qinruo frowned and said: "This must be false news! The Khitan Protector King Yeqi Hucheng can make people This terrifying person has three times the strength of Yan Yun's army, how could he possibly fail?"
Taishi Pang said: "Yeqi Hucheng is a person who can make children stop crying, but King Yan is a person who can make ghosts cry and gods howl! King Yan is unparalleled in wisdom and courage, and Yan Yun's army is the most brave in the world. It is no good to defeat the Khitan army. Weird!" Zhao Heng's eyes couldn't help showing fear.
Wang Qinruo looked at Taishi Pang and sneered: "Master Shen, how come he speaks as if he is Yang Peng's subordinate?" Taishi Pang felt a chill in his heart, snorted and said, "I'm just seeking truth from facts, Mr. Wang, please don't change the subject!" Wang Qinruo said to him. Zhao Heng cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is really strange. I believe that the so-called news of the Khitan army's defeat must have been fabricated by some people with evil intentions!" Zhao Heng couldn't help but become suspicious and looked at Master Pang.
Seeing that the emperor was suspicious, Master Pang hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely true. How dare I risk the disapproval of the world and end my term? I would never dare to deceive the emperor even if I have the courage to do so. Why!" He turned to look at Wang Qinruo and said angrily: "This kind of thing will be confirmed soon. No matter how stupid I am, I will not falsely convey military information!"
Zhao Heng felt that what Taishi Pang said was very reasonable, and couldn't help but believe Taishi Pang. He couldn't help but sigh and murmured: "The Yanyun Army is officially a tiger and wolf army! Such fierce Khitan people, six hundred thousand can't defeat them Two hundred thousand!!"
Wang Qinruo and the others frowned, they still couldn't believe this was true. Wang Qinruo thought: "Even if the Khitans are defeated, the Yanyun army in the Yanjing area will not be able to go south in a short time! In addition, the Japanese are attacking Hebei and Huaibei. Maybe the Japanese can defeat the Yanyun army. As long as the Japanese can succeed, Yanyun The army is still doomed!" Sun Jin and Wang Xiaozhi nodded, feeling that what Wang Qinruo said made sense. Wang Xiaozhi said harshly: "These deviant guys will definitely have no choice but to die without a burial!" Wang Xiaozhi, a Taoist defender, seemed to hate Yang Peng more strongly than others.
Master Pang sighed and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid this is impossible to achieve!" Wang Qinruo and the other three were stunned, and Wang Xiaozhi asked anxiously, "What do you mean, Master Shen?"
Shen Yuqiu glanced at Zhao Heng and said, "While receiving news of the defeat of the Khitans, I also received news from the Japanese! Alas, the Japanese navy was ambushed by the Yanyun cruise fleet, suffered heavy losses, and fled. Back to Goryeo! The 200,000 Japanese army that invaded Hebei fought three battles with the 200,000 Yanyun army led by Yanyun general Xiang Danian. They were defeated in three battles. The losses were not small. The Yanyun army was trapped in a hill. . The Japanese army that originally attacked Chuzhou learned that the Japanese army in Xiaoshan was in a critical situation, so they gave up attacking Chuzhou and went north to support them. Now the Japanese army is in a very bad situation."
Wang Qinruo and the other three were so shocked that they were speechless for a long time. They could not help but feel a sense of fear in their hearts. They felt that the Yan Yun Army entrenched in the Central Plains was simply an invincible monster! Anyone who dares to challenge it will not end well! Wang Qinruo and Sun Jin couldn't help but become discouraged, and their previous eagerness for Yanyun's destruction couldn't help but fade a lot; but Wang Xiaozhi became even more angry, feeling that if Yanyun was not destroyed and Yang Peng was not killed, then the Han people would have no future. ! At this thought, he clasped his fists towards Zhao Heng and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that if Yanyun is not defeated, the Song Dynasty will face annihilation sooner or later! The previous plan should not be changed. Since the army's baggage is ready, it should be crossed immediately. Cross the Yangtze River and march north to the Central Plains!"
Zhao Heng frowned and said: "Both the Khitans and the Japanese have been defeated. How can our family be the opponent of the Yanyun Tiger and Wolf Army? If Yang Peng is angered and the army comes across the Yellow River, it will be very bad! "
Wang Xiaozhi said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, don't worry! The current situation is still not good for the Yanyun army! Although the Khitans and Japanese were defeated for a while, the armies of the two families were still fighting fiercely with the Yanyun army. The main force of Yanyun was contained, and in a short time It is impossible to escape in time. Our army can attack Shanxi and Jiangbei in two directions at the same time according to the original plan. With the assistance of loyal people loyal to the court, we will surely sweep the entire Central Plains in one fell swoop! In this way, Yanyun's army and people will inevitably be greatly affected. The Khitans and Japanese might be able to turn defeat into victory! Your Majesty, this is a critical moment that affects the future and destiny of the Song Dynasty. Please make up your mind!"
Zhao Heng felt that what Wang Xiaozhi said seemed reasonable, and couldn't help but hesitate.
His eyes turned to Tanzhou. Currently, the Khitan army is stationed in Tanzhou, waiting for backup before attacking Yanjing. Ye Qian Hucheng paced back and forth in the tent anxiously. He was waiting for the Queen Mother's reply. Suddenly there were rapid footsteps outside the big tent. Ye Qian Hucheng quickly stopped and looked outside the tent, only to see the captain of the personal soldiers rushing in. He knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty's messenger has arrived and is waiting outside the tent!" "Let him in quickly! "
The captain of the soldiers responded and ran out of the tent. After a while, he led a middle-aged officer in with a dusty life. As soon as the middle-aged officer saw Yeqihu City, he bowed and said, "I have seen the King Protecting the Country!"
Ye Qianhu said: "No need to be polite, where is your reply?" The messenger carefully took out a small wooden box wrapped in yellow silk from his arms and presented it with both hands. Ye Qian Hucheng quickly picked up the wooden box, opened it, and took out the letter inside. He handed the wooden box to the soldier captain on the side, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, unfolded it and read it.
His face suddenly changed, and he frowned and said: "What do you mean, my dear? You have sacrificed so many soldiers, and you want to give up halfway! In this way, these 400,000 soldiers and horses will be in vain!" He looked at the messenger suddenly, The look in his eyes was very sharp, and when the messenger saw this, his heart trembled.
Ye Qian Hucheng asked angrily: "Who are the people who are slandering the Queen?" The messenger didn't know how to answer for a moment. If he named several people, wouldn't it mean that these people were around the Queen? Are you making slanderous remarks in front of me? If those high-ranking adults knew about this matter, wouldn't it mean that they would suffer a lot because they were in a low-level position? Seeing the hesitant look on the messenger, Yeqi Hucheng became even more annoyed and shouted: "Speak!"
The messenger was startled and couldn't help but said: "This, the official was not present for this matter. I don't know who said it. I only know that the empress discussed it with the Minister of Rites, Mr. Zhang Chang and Mr. Xiao Tanjing, before summoning the official. a long time!"
Ye Qian Hucheng snorted angrily, and the messenger hurriedly lowered his head in fear. Yeqi Hucheng said angrily: "All national affairs are ruined in the hands of these scholars and useless nobles! I really want to kill them!" The messenger was so frightened that his heart was beating fast, and he did not dare to breathe, for fear that Yeqi Hucheng would In a rage, he first removed his own head.
Ye Qian Hucheng was pacing back and forth, looking very irritated and annoyed. Suddenly he stopped, picked up the letter on the desk and read it. An impulse suddenly surged in his heart, and he murmured: "From ancient times to the present, the general will not accept the fate of the foreign king! I, Ye Qi Hucheng, do not have to do it." Obey the imperial court's orders!" However, as soon as he thought about it, a problem came up. Although he had more than 500,000 troops in his hands, most of them had been defeated in previous battles. It would be very difficult for him to continue fighting. There is a satisfactory performance, which is not the most serious thing. The most serious problem is that since the empress has ordered a truce, she is afraid that there will be no backup and supplies. Without backup, it will be just a return. Without supplies, how can we continue to fight this war?
There is another problem. Xiao Salihe, West, Butler and the Mongolian generals are afraid that they will not obey my orders. As a result, I will only have about 200,000 troops at my disposal. This small number of troops can What to do? Thinking of this, Yeli Hucheng couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. With an involuntary movement in his heart, he suddenly realized that he, the generalissimo who commanded the entire army of the Liao Kingdom, seemed to have been largely ignored by Xiao Salihe and other generals!
Ye Qian Hucheng frowned, feeling shocked and confused. Then he felt that he must have been overly concerned. If the Empress Dowager really wanted to evade her, why would she appoint herself as the commander-in-chief of this southern expedition. He shook his head and threw these thoughts behind him.
He glanced at the messenger and said, "I want to discuss this matter with the generals first. You can go down and rest." Naturally, the messenger did not dare to have any objections, so he agreed and withdrew.
Ye Qian Hucheng said to the captain of the soldiers: "Gather all the generals!" The captain of the soldiers agreed and ran down.
Soon after, all the generals gathered in the big tent to pay homage to Yelihu City. Ye Qian Hucheng sat on top, glanced at the generals, and said: "Our army has paid a heavy price of 400,000 yuan for this battle! I am determined to fight Yan Yun to the end, and I will not give up until Yan Yun is destroyed! "After hearing this, the generals couldn't help but look at each other, worried. Mongolian General Lakshen snorted coldly and said: "The Yanyun Army is a fierce tiger and a vicious wolf. If you want to destroy them, it is not as easy as just talking!"
Yeqi Hucheng glanced at Lakshen and asked angrily: "Are you afraid of them?"
Lakshen said: "I'm just telling the truth! The Yanyun Army is so powerful, it's useless even if you say they are incompetent!" Then he glanced at Yeli Hucheng and said loudly: "Not long ago I took over The king should have received the order from the empress! The order from the empress is for the army to stick to the current area. The court wants to negotiate peace with Yanyun. No one is allowed to act rashly! What did Ye Qian Hucheng say just now? Did he want to disobey the empress? Order?" Most of the generals were still unaware of this matter, and after hearing Lakshen's words, they couldn't help but start talking.
Ye Qian Hucheng was greatly annoyed, and at the same time secretly frightened. He did not expect that the Queen Mother actually sent a letter to Lakshen. At this moment, Xiao Salihe, West, Butler and other Mongolian generals said one after another: "The last general has also received the order from the Queen Mother, and the content is the same as what General Lakshen said (the queen ordered our troops to rush to rescue) Xijing Road)."
Ye Qian Hucheng couldn't help the anger in his heart and shouted: "I am the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition, and my words are orders. Do you dare to disobey military orders?"
All the generals were impressed by his momentum and couldn't help but lower their heads. Only Lakshen looked directly at Yeqihu City without fear and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition was only appointed by your Majesty. Your Majesty's order is no bigger than that." Your Majesty! Since your Majesty has ordered a truce and peace, we must obey! If the king does not obey your Majesty’s orders, he is disobeying military orders. Disobeying military orders is treason, and everyone will be punished!"
Ye Qihu was furious, he pulled out his scimitar with a clang, slapped it on the table, and shouted: "I want to see how you kill me!!" Lakshen held the handle of the knife tightly and stared at Ye Qihu. The atmosphere at the scene was very tense and could be said to be on the verge of breaking out.
Han Chang rushed between the two sides and urged in a hurry: "Your Majesty, calm down, General Lakshen, calm down! We are all our own people, why should we be like this?" Lakshen sneered, "The Protector King does not regard us Mongolians as his own. People!" Yeqi Hucheng said coldly: "I think you Mongolians are not convinced and were defeated by me! Boy, if you have the guts, challenge me to a duel and see how I kill you!"
Lakshen drew his sword out of its sheath, stared at Yeqihu City like a wild beast, and said fiercely: "Yeqihu City, we Mongols are not afraid of you!" When the generals saw the two men, they were ready to take action. Some are gloating about others' misfortunes, and some are worried. Han Chang said hurriedly: "If you two start fighting, I'm afraid it won't be easy to explain in front of the Queen, and the Queen will definitely blame you! Both of you are great people. If you are punished, it will not look good!"
Thinking that his parents, wife and children were all in the hands of the Queen Mother, Lakshen couldn't help frowning, and his desire to fight was reduced a lot; Yeqihu City was worried that the king would really punish him. In that case, Yeqihu Cheng's prestige could not help but be stained, and his desire to take the opportunity to kill Lakshen could not help but diminish a lot.
Han often saw that the murderous aura of the two men had subsided, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly said to West and Butler, "General Lakshen is a little uncomfortable. Please help me, two generals, to take General Lakshen down to recuperate!" The two understood that Han Chang's intention, he immediately stepped forward and dragged Lakshen out of the tent.
Ye Qian Hucheng looked at Xiao Salihe and several other generals who had received the order from the king alone, and asked coldly: "What do you say?" The generals looked at each other, and Xiao Salihe bowed bravely and said: " Since your Majesty has given orders, we can only act according to her orders, but we cannot disobey her. Wouldn’t that be a treasonous traitor?”
Ye Qianhucheng banged the desk with a loud bang, Xiao Sali's heart trembled, and his head dropped even lower. Ye Qian Hucheng wanted to have a seizure, but found that he couldn't. Although he looked down upon Wang Jun's Taishuang Queen Mother, he was his master after all. If he did not obey his master's orders, he would indeed be a traitor!
Ye Qi Hucheng was depressed and silent for a long time. He turned to the captain of the personal soldiers and said: "Send someone to tell the empress that we, Ye Qi Hucheng, obey the empress's will!" When the generals heard this, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone was really worried about him. If you do something outrageous in anger, everyone will be implicated, and life, death, misfortune, and fortune are really unpredictable!
Among the army in Tanzhou, 150,000 soldiers and horses were divided to rush to Xijing Road, while the remaining soldiers and horses continued to garrison Tanzhou.
At about the same time, Yang Peng received the Liao envoy. The envoy from the Liao Kingdom cupped his fists and bowed in obeisance: "Your Majesty accepts King Yan's proposal and is willing to restore old friendship with King Yan. From now on, the two families will stop fighting and never invade each other again!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Your empress said the same thing before." The envoy was very embarrassed and said quickly: "This is all instigated by the Japanese, please ask King Yan Haihan!" Yang Peng said calmly: "Whose idea was it? It's not important now!" He glanced at the envoy and asked, "What does your empress dowager want to talk to me about?" The envoy said, "You are a humble person with a humble official position, how dare you negotiate with the King of Yan on behalf of your empress! I came here specifically to inform King Yan that I hope both sides will cease fighting immediately. As for the specific negotiators, they are on their way!" Then he took out a red lacquered wooden box, held it up with both hands, and said, "This is our country. Please ask King Yan to read the letter written by the Empress Dowager!"
Wang Kai stepped forward, took the wooden box, opened it, took out the letter, and forwarded it to Yang Peng. Yang Peng picked up the letter, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, unfolded it and read it. Putting down the letter, he smiled and said sarcastically: "Your wife is really good at business. If she becomes a businessman, she will definitely become a rich man!"
The envoy was secretly worried, swallowed uncontrollably, and asked cautiously: "Could it be that the King of Yan does not agree?" Yang Peng said: "You took advantage of the huge natural disaster in Yanyun to invade on a large scale, causing serious damage to the sixteen states of Yanyun. Huge destruction and heavy casualties, the Liao Kingdom must provide us with satisfactory compensation."
After all, what happened next will be explained later.
