Grand Master Huang Cong frowned and said: "Cao Yong has failed your Majesty and has been defeated again and again. We really shouldn't tolerate it. Otherwise, the soldiers will not understand the strict military laws and will not do their best to be loyal to His Majesty!" Everyone heard the Grand Master speak. , all closed their mouths and listened to the Grand Master's words. When they heard that the Grand Master also meant the same thing, they couldn't help but rejoiced, and they all agreed and shouted even louder.
The Taishi said: "The most worrisome thing is that Cao Yong is not in a good position in the battle. Recently, there have been rumors in the city that Cao Yong has been in secret contact with Yang Peng. The old minister wonders whether Cao Yong's repeated defeats are intentional! What if? If this is the case, I'm afraid the matter will be serious!" The ministers agreed one after another, and the emperor couldn't help but panic.
A minister named Yan Fan couldn't stand it anymore, so he stepped out and said loudly: "We think it is impossible for Commander Cao Yong to collude with Yan Yun!" Everyone looked at him, and a minister asked angrily: " Master Yan, what do you mean by that? Is it possible that Master Yan is colluding with Yan Yun?" When Zhao Heng heard this, his expression changed immediately.
Yan Fan frowned and said loudly: "I am an official of the Song Dynasty, and I am loyal to my emperor!" After hearing these words, Zhao Heng's expression softened. The minister snorted coldly and said, "Since you are loyal to His Majesty, why do you say such rebellious words?"
Yan Fan said angrily: "Why did my words become rebellious words? I was just stating my opinion! Besides, Commander Cao Yong is loyal to the Song Dynasty and His Majesty, and no one in the world knows it! It is said that Mr. Cao Yong is double-minded. , you have to come up with evidence, how can you incriminate someone just based on rumors in the market! How can you convince people by doing this!" The minister was speechless for a moment and could only stare angrily.
Grand Master Huang Cong snorted coldly and said: "If Cao Yong was not rebellious, how could he be defeated again and again?" Yan Fan felt funny in his heart and said: "Who is undefeated on the battlefield? Victory and defeat. This is a common thing for military strategists. Defeat is always rebellion! Moreover, Commander Cao Yong is facing the world-famous and invincible King Yan and his unparalleled Yan Yun Army. Although Commander Cao Yong is defeated, the Yan Yun Army remains intact. It’s already very rare that I haven’t been able to make a long drive so far!”
Huang Cong said angrily: "Let's put this matter aside for now! Then there are rumors that Cao Yong has secret contact with Yang Peng. How do you explain it? The secret contact with Yang Peng is not to rebel, so why are you here?"
Yan Fan frowned, "How can you believe the rumors in the market?" Huang Cong snorted: "As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire! Without this matter, how could there be such rumors?" Yan Fan said: "Foolish people in the market, see with their own eyes Commander Cao Yong cannot win, even if he talks nonsense out of fear!..."
Huang Cong scolded: "This is nonsense!" Then he clasped his fists towards Zhao Heng and said: "Your Majesty, it is obvious that Cao Yong is colluding with the rebels! If we don't deal with it in time, when he leads Yan Yun's army to march straight in, we will regret it. !" The emperor was shocked. Yan Fan said anxiously: "Your Majesty, you must not do it! What the Grand Master said is purely conjecture. If Commander Cao Yong really colluded with King Yan, how could he still be in a stalemate with Yan Yun's army? Yan Yun's army would have marched in long ago!"
Huang Cong said angrily: "What's so incomprehensible about this! After all, those hundreds of thousands of Song troops are His Majesty's royal divisions, and most of them are soldiers loyal to Your Majesty! Wu Caoyong is old and cunning, and it is inevitable that the soldiers loyal to Your Majesty will oppose him, causing his conspiracy to fail. , naturally we can’t act rashly!”
Yan Fan felt that what Huang Cong said was simply unbelievable, but for a moment he didn't know how to refute it.
Huang Cong turned to Zhao Heng and said: "Your Majesty, the situation now can be said to be extremely critical! Then Cao Yong must be planning to kill the generals who are loyal to Your Majesty in order to facilitate his actions. We should seize the opportunity before it is too late and quickly send the imperial envoy to capture Cao Yong. At the same time, a loyal, brave and reliable general will take over from Cao Yong and continue to command the battle!" Zhao Hengshen nodded in agreement. Yan Fan was so anxious that he cupped his fists and said, "No, Your Majesty! If you do this, you will definitely destroy the Great Wall!"
Zhao Heng was very displeased and shouted: "You talk like this, do you think I am a fool?" Yan Fan was stunned for a moment, and then he understood: "From ancient times to the present, those who destroy the Great Wall are fools. He said that your Majesty himself Destroying the Great Wall would naturally accuse His Majesty of being a coward! Yan Fan realized this and wanted to explain, but Huang Cong sneered: "Master Yan Fan calls the rebellious Yang Peng King of Yan, which shows his true thoughts in his heart!" Zhao Heng's expression became more severe, He shouted: "Yan Fan, please tell me honestly, have you already defected to Yan Yun?"
Yan Fan was shocked. He knelt down quickly, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I know that I am loyal to Your Majesty. How could I collude with you and rebel?" Huang Cong said, "If you hadn't defected to Yang Peng, why did you call him such a traitor?" As King of Yan? "This..." Yan Fan was speechless and didn't know how to answer. In fact, the reason why he called Yang Peng King of Yan was just out of respect. He respected Yang Peng's achievements in restoring the Central Plains from foreigners. However, after such a But words cannot be spoken. If spoken, it may cause the emperor to misunderstand even more.
Huang Cong sneered and said, "You have nothing to say. It shows that I have not wronged you!" Yan Fan was very angry and quickly said to Zhao Heng, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of rebellion. Please tell me clearly!" He glanced at Huang Cong. Cong said angrily: "It is really unfair for the Grand Master to convict Wei Chen of treason based on his unintentional address!"
Zhao Heng also felt that it was a bit too much to convict Yan Fan of treason based on just these few words he said, but he was still very dissatisfied with Yan Fan in his heart, so he said: "The crime of treason will only be done after the truth is found out." Decision! However, after all, Yan Fan has been suspected and is no longer suitable to be an official. I will deprive you of your official position and order you to reflect at home and wait for the decision. Without my order, you cannot leave home. Otherwise, I will severely punish you for the crime of resisting the decree. loan!"
Yan Fan was so angry that he remained silent. Huang Cong glared and shouted: "Yan Fan, your majesty is so kind, but you don't appreciate it at all!" Zhao Heng's face also became ugly.
Yan Fan looked up to the sky and sighed, and said dejectedly: "That's it! If you dismiss the official, just dismiss the official! Without an official, you are light." Then he clasped his fists towards the emperor and said: "I am a humble minister, no, the common people thank your majesty for not killing!" There was something in his tone. A taste of ridicule. After saying that, he turned around and walked outside. Staggering, swaying.
Everyone looked at his back and smiled coldly. Huang Cong cupped his fists towards Zhao Heng and said, "Your Majesty, the first priority is to deal with Cao Yong's matter, and changes will happen later!" Zhao Heng nodded and asked, "Who does the Grand Master think can replace Cao Yong?"
Huang Cong thought for a while, glanced at the eager minister opposite, and said to Zhao Heng: "Your Majesty, Deputy Privy Councilor Lu Jinzhong is well versed in the art of war, wise and brave, and most importantly, loyal to Your Majesty, so he can take on this important task!" Lu Jinzhong was so excited that he immediately came out of the queue and bowed to the emperor with clasped fists: "I, Lu Jinzhong, will live up to the emperor's favor. I swear to defeat the rebels and capture the rebel Yang Peng alive and offer it to the palace!" This Lu Jinzhong was tall and bearded. His skin is fair and his temperament is a bit flamboyant, but he looks like a general.
Zhao Heng glanced at Lu Jinzhong, nodded with a smile, and said, "I am relieved when Lu Aiqing said this! I will appoint you as the general marshal of Zhenbei. I will go to Xiangyang immediately, arrest Zhao Heng, and take over his command of all departments." The army will destroy the rebellion!" Lu Jinzhong promised loudly and then retreated to his position.
Zhao Heng looked at the letter sent by Cao Yong, frowned and hesitated, then asked Huang Cong: "Master, Cao Yong asked for reinforcements in the letter, what do you think?"
Huang Cong raised his eyebrows and said: "Cao Yong, a rebellious minister, how can you believe his words? The army in Jiangbei is no less numerous than Yanyun's army. Even if they can't advance north, can they still hold it? Cao Yong's letter asking for reinforcements is actually very sinister. We are evacuating Tanzhou's garrison. If he suddenly rebels in the north and cooperates with the rebels to move south, we will no longer have the ability to resist!" At present, almost all the imperial army has been dispatched, divided into There are three divisions, one is in Jiangbei to deal with Yang Peng's main force of Yanyun, and the other two are led by Cao Hu and Zhang Jun respectively. One is in the west to resist the Yanyun army coming east from Xichuan, and the other is to defend in Jiangxi in the east. The soldiers and horses of the Eighth Prince. In addition to these large armies, there was only a few hundred thousand soldiers and horses left to guard Jinling. Cao Yong and Zhang Jun originally intended to use this soldiers and horses as a strategic reserve to rescue all parties at any time.
Zhao Heng's expression changed and he said angrily: "What a sinister rebellious minister!" Huang Cong added: "Even if we don't consider this, once the garrison army is transferred, if the rebellious people are incited to cause trouble, it will not be a pity for the humble minister to die. , if Your Majesty is harmed by this, what should we do? It will be a great disaster for the country and the people!" Zhao Heng nodded and praised: "The Grand Master is loyal to the country. It is really a blessing for the court and the people. !" Huang Cong was happy in his heart, but he bowed in a pretentious manner: "Your Majesty, you are so complimentary, I am ashamed to deserve it!"
Zhao Heng smiled, with a worried look on his face, and said: "The Jiangbei army has been defeated again and again, and has suffered heavy losses. If we don't send reinforcements, I'm afraid that Xiangyang will not be able to defend it in the end!"
Huang Cong said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty! Our army's strength is enough to protect Xiangyang! In addition, I have just received news from the Khitan people that the Liao Kingdom has sent troops! The rebel offensive will never last. Soon, they will have to stop the attack and send troops north for reinforcements! Maybe we can take this opportunity to invade the Central Plains and recover Bianliang!" Lu Jinzhong immediately agreed: "What the old master said is true! The rebels Even though we are having fun now, we are bound to lose! Your Majesty, please relax!"
After hearing the words of the two people, Zhao Heng couldn't help but feel the fear and worry in his heart go away, and sighed: "I have two beloved ladies, so I can rest easy!" The two of them bowed together and said: "I died a bloody death for Your Majesty!"
Yan Fan returned home. Seeing his depressed look, Mrs. Yan asked puzzledly: "Master, are you worried about Yan Yun's military crimes in the south?"
Yan Fan sat down, sighed, and said disheartenedly: "Although I am not a great and famous minister, I am very loyal to the court and your majesty! I didn't expect that your majesty would be killed because of a few slanderous words. So I was dismissed pending trial!" Mrs. Yan was taken aback and asked hurriedly: "Master, what happened?"
Yan Fan sighed, told everything that happened in the court, and finally said angrily: "It is said that only a coward will lead to a traitor! I didn't believe it at first, but I have to believe it today! That emperor He is simply a cowardly and dim-witted king. No wonder the Khitans were able to march straight in and take over all the great rivers and mountains of our Han people! If a King of Yan hadn't come out of nowhere to turn the tide, I'm afraid that the Central Plains Lu Chen could only do this!"
Mrs. Yan hurriedly said: "Master, be careful what you say!" Yan Fan was furious and glared: "What are you afraid of what he will do! That fool can only kill stupid and loyal people like me!" Mrs. Yan looked outside nervously. , lowered his voice and said: "Master, even if you don't think about yourself, you still have to think about our children!"
Yan Fan felt his heart tremble and closed his mouth. At this moment, a young man and woman ran into the hall. The man is wearing a Confucian shirt, handsome in appearance and elegant in temperament, and the woman is delicate and gentle in temperament. This man and woman are none other than Yan Fan's children. The son is named Yan Zheng and the daughter is named Yan Yao. As soon as Yan Fan saw his children, his grievances disappeared immediately, and a smile couldn't help appearing on his face.
Yan Zheng and Yan Yao greeted their father and mother, and then Yan Zheng asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Father, why are there so many officers and soldiers outside our house?" Yan Fan frowned and said, "They are here to guard us! "The two young men were startled. Yan Yao frowned slightly and asked, "Father, what does the court mean?"
Yan Fan sighed and told what happened in the court today. There was anger on the faces of the two young men, and they said sternly: "There is no fallacy in what my father said! As a grand master, Huang Cong has no ability to speak out, but he framed Zhongliang like this. He is really a sycophant! What a shame! He is also a scholar giant in the south of the Yangtze River!" Yan Yao said angrily: "Treacherous officials are certainly hateful, but a cowardly emperor is even more despicable! If the emperor hadn't been so cowardly, how could Huang Cong and others have harmed his father!" Yan Zheng nodded with deep understanding. nod.
Mrs. Yan said angrily: "You two, don't talk nonsense, you must know that trouble comes from your mouth!" The two young men closed their mouths, but looking at their expressions, it was obvious that they did not think they were wrong.
Yan Fan sighed, "If you die for your father, you will die. I'm afraid it will affect you two!" Even the young man couldn't help but feel fear and anxiety. Yan Yao's expression changed, and she looked at her father and said, "Father, why do we have to sit back and wait for death? I heard Uncle Wang and others say that over there in Yanyun, the officialdom is clear and clean, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. It is very different from that in the Song Dynasty! When their businessmen do business, they only need to be honest and trustworthy, and there is no need to bribe officials at all. Officials only need to do their jobs conscientiously and do not need to be flattered. We might as well leave here and go to Yanyun! Our hometown is Taiyuan anyway!"
When everyone suddenly heard this, they were stunned, and then they all took action. Yan Fan said: "I have long heard that King Yan is an unparalleled hero. Yanyun's side must be really better than this side!" Then he frowned, "But King Yan deposed Confucianism and used Legalist military strategists and so on. One school of thought governs the world! This is really a bit deviant..."
Yan Zheng said: "Father, my son has been familiar with the classics since he was a child, but he found that there are many contradictions and inconsistencies in the classics! Confucianism emphasizes loyalty to the emperor. According to Confucianism, it seems that even if the king is as tyrannical as Xia Jie and Shang Zhou, You must also be loyal and loyal. This is the so-called king and his ministers must die. If you don't die, it is disloyal! These sons think it makes no sense! Is this world the world of the king and his family? Are the people raised by the king? Can livestock be killed and seized without any reason? And didn’t the emperors of all dynasties start with rebellion? According to Confucianism, the emperor was disloyal in the first place, so why should his subjects still be loyal? It is said to be destiny He returned, but he said that he was silent and had strange power and chaos! There are contradictory statements everywhere! With all due respect, Confucianism is not suitable for governing the country at all!"
Yan Fan had never discussed similar topics with his children. At this moment, he suddenly heard his son say such unconventional remarks. He was surprised at first, then angry, but then he felt that he had nothing to say. Because although the son's remarks are quite shocking, the truth behind them seems to be correct and there is no way to refute it!
I only heard my son continue: "I have been thinking about a question recently. Confucianism was born in the turbulent times of the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, the so-called 'sage teacher' Confucius ran around in various directions to implement his own ideas of governing the country, but he encountered obstacles everywhere and there was no monarch. Why are you willing to use his teachings? If this is really as good as it is now said, why are the monarchs unwilling to adopt it? Are those monarchs all fools? This probably doesn’t make sense! Erku After thinking about it for a long time, I finally came up with a truth. In the turbulent times of the Spring and Autumn Period, when all the heroes were vying for the throne, if a country wanted to survive, it had to enrich the country and strengthen the military. However, the Confucian approach was clearly self-castration. It was able to control the people, but it could not enrich the country and strengthen it at all. Soldiers, so once Confucianism is used, the result can only be rapid destruction!" Then he sneered twice and said sarcastically: "It's ridiculous that the doctrine that the monarchs of all countries abandoned like worn-out shoes has now become the true way! No wonder! The Song Dynasty suffered repeated defeats in the face of foreign races, and in the end even the Central Plains was completely lost! The root cause is actually the disaster of Confucianism, not a treacherous person in power, nor a foolish king who harmed the country! It was precisely when King Yan saw this that he Resolutely depose Confucianism, enrich the country and strengthen the army, otherwise even if King Yan is an unparalleled hero in the Tianzong period, he will not be able to rise to Yanyun in just a few years and then defeat the Jin people and restore the Central Plains!"
Yan Fan and his wife were shocked and looked at their son blankly. Yan Fan frowned and shouted: "Don't talk nonsense and be unconventional!" Yan Zheng clasped his fists and bowed: "Father, if you think what you said is wrong, please tell me." Yan Fan frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Then Many wise kings and saints follow Confucianism, which makes sense! Don’t be too arrogant at your young age!"
Yan Zheng said: "My son is not arrogant, he just doesn't agree with Confucianism! My father said that many wise kings and saints follow Confucianism. In fact, if his son were the emperor, he would most likely do the same!" Yan Fan looked at Yan Zheng in confusion and asked Said: "Didn't you say that Confucianism is worthless? Why..."
Yan Zhengdao: "As one of the hundreds of schools of thought, Confucianism has one role that is incomparable to other schools of thought! In fact, as I just mentioned, the only role of Confucianism is to control and fool the people! If an emperor wants to command the entire The world is for private use, so we must use Confucian methods to control the people! Any other method will not work!"
Yan Yao said: "Brother is right." Yan Fan glared at Yan Yao angrily, "You know it too!" Yan Yao stuck out her tongue and lowered her head. Mrs. Yan said angrily: "Where have you been talking about? Shouldn't we be thinking about how to escape this disaster now?" Yan Zheng glanced at his father, smiled and said to his mother: "Mom, according to Confucianism, we You shouldn’t run away! If you want your subjects to die, they have to die. If you don’t die, it’s disloyal!”
Yan Fan said angrily: "I guess you are right!" The two young men were very happy when they heard this. Yan Yao hurriedly asked: "Father, have you agreed to go to Yanyun?" Yan Fan sighed. He took a breath, nodded, and said: "Although I still don't know what is right, but in order for our family to continue to live happily, it is best to escape from here!" Yan Zheng clasped his fists and said: "Father Wise!" Yan Fan glared and said, "I want to think about it, but how can I do it?" Yan Yao smiled and said, "Father, don't worry, my daughter has a plan!"
His eyes turned to Xiangyang.
Ever since the main force of Yanyun crossed the Han River, Cao Yong was always ready to face the attack of Yanyun's army, and the nerves of the soldiers and civilians in the city were tense all the time. However, Yan Yun's army did not attack the city. They just garrisoned outside the city and sent powerful generals to challenge from time to time. When the soldiers and civilians of Xiangyang saw that Yan Yun's army was not attacking the city, their nervous hearts gradually calmed down, and the tense and fearful atmosphere that originally enveloped Xiangyang City became much lighter. However, Cao Yong's worries became more and more serious. He knew that King Yan was determined to win the big move south this time. Now that he has not attacked the city, it is obvious that he is not afraid of Xiangyang's fortified city Tangchi. He must be preparing a very powerful killing move. Once Yan If the Yun army attacks in large numbers, Xiangyang may be doomed! With this in mind, he dared not neglect it. Every day from morning to night, he would personally inspect the city defenses many times, while constantly thinking about his own weaknesses.
The days passed like this, and Yan Yun's army never attacked the city. Even many generals in the army couldn't help but feel slack. At noon that day, Cao Yong suddenly received news that the imperial envoys of the imperial court had entered the city. Cao Yong thought that reinforcements from the imperial court had arrived, and happily asked the officer who came to report: "How many soldiers and horses came with the imperial envoy?" The officer said: "I reported back to the commander, there are only three thousand soldiers and horses."
Cao Yong was greatly surprised and said in disbelief: "Only three thousand soldiers and horses? Why did the imperial court only send three thousand soldiers and horses?" The officer shook his head. Cao Yong thought for a while and felt that the reinforcements might still be behind him. After thinking about this, he felt relieved and said to the captain of the soldiers beside him: "Come with me to meet the imperial envoy!" The captain of the soldiers clasped his fists and promised.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
