"The people on both sides of the north and south are really living in hell on one side, while on the other side they can be said to be living in paradise! Brother, when King Wu attacked Zhou, it was because King Zhou had no way to abuse the people, so King Wu's rise in the army was not rebellion. , but the act of obeying the people and punishing the people! The same was true for the later Tang Dynasty and Sui Dynasty! The current situation can be said to be the same as that of the Shang, Zhou, and Sui Dynasties. The old court and royal family are no longer the world. The protector of all the people turned into a perpetrator. The King of Yan rose up from Yan Yun and then unified the world. It can be said that he complied with the destiny and the people's actions! Brother, when the world is undergoing drastic changes, you must not be stubborn and unable to see the general trend. , Finally, it will be infamy for thousands of years!"
Zhang Jun was shocked and frowned. Zhang Defang continued: "I know my brother's persistence in loyalty! But Zhao Song harmed the people, but my brother was loyal to Zhao Song. Isn't it like helping Zhou to do evil? Loyalty has great loyalty, and righteousness has great righteousness. Loyalty to the king is small loyalty and small righteousness. To all the people in the world Loyalty is the greatest loyalty and righteousness!"
Zhang Jun felt enlightened, his mind brightened, and he couldn't help but nodded: "What my second brother said is so right!" Then he looked at Zhang Defang and asked angrily: "Are you here to be a lobbyist for Yan Yun? "
Zhang Defang smiled and said: "My younger brother really wants to persuade my elder brother to abandon the dark side and join the bright side. But this is my younger brother's own idea, and King Yan is completely unaware of it." Zhang Jun snorted, and then thought about it: "What the second brother said Brother Yu is suddenly enlightened! Brother Yu really shouldn’t work for Zhao Song anymore! This will not only disgrace the people of the world, but also bring harm to family and friends. What’s the reason?”
Zhang Defang praised: "Brother, what you said couldn't be more correct!" Zhang Jun glanced at Zhang Defang, frowned and said: "However, Yan Yun doesn't know about this, so I can't defect rashly. I have to talk to Yan Yun first." The government has to get on the line and build a bridge!" Zhang Defang said quickly: "Brother, this matter is easy to handle! My younger brother has been running industries in the north all year round and has contacts with big merchants in various fields in Yanyun. Among them, the Luo family belongs to my younger brother. A big customer, and the eldest daughter of the Luo family, Luo Yanran, is now Princess Yan, and my younger brother has met her recently! My brother can directly connect with Prince Yan through this Princess Yanran!"
Zhang Jun nodded thoughtfully and said to Zhang Defang: "Well, you first get on the line with Princess Yanran and explain my intentions, and then see what they mean." Zhang Defang clasped his fists and said: "Don't worry, brother, this matter is foolproof! "Immediately he said: "Without further ado, I'm leaving now!" Although Zhang Jun wanted to keep his brother for a few more days, after all, the two brothers hadn't seen each other for a long time, but thinking of the important matter at hand, he said: "It's a matter of business. It's so important, my brother won't keep you!" Zhang Defang said with a smile: "In the future, we brothers will gather in Bianliang. We have plenty of time to get together, so we don't have to worry about it now!" He bowed his hand to Zhang Jun and hurried off.
At this time, neither Zhang Jun brother noticed that the guard standing at the door had a strange look on his face.
Soon after, the guard found an excuse to leave the camp. He felt that the residence of the imperial minister had informed him that the Zhang Jun brothers were plotting a rebellion and preparing to defect to Yanyun. The imperial minister was understandably shocked when he suddenly heard this. Immediately, on the advice of the advisors around him, he secretly sent his escort sergeants to the outside of the city to capture Zhang Defang and several others who had just left the city. They were secretly escorted to a secret location outside the city and tortured to extract confessions. At this time, Zhang Jun was completely kept in the dark.
Yang Peng was sitting in the lobby, listening to the daily reports of the cabinet members. This was a daily routine. The cabinet members reported the general status of the military and political affairs to Yang Peng, the King of Yan, at the daily morning meeting. Zhang Xiang said: "The development momentum of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia is very gratifying. It is better than expected. It is estimated that this year's economy will increase by 30% compared with last year. In addition, under the auspices of Princess Yanran, Princess Anqian and Miss Fang, the return of refugees The resettlement work in the countryside has also gone very smoothly without any problems. Reports came from Yanjing that the restoration and reconstruction work in the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun is progressing smoothly. It is expected that by the end of next year, all the restoration and reconstruction work should be completed. Most of the people who previously migrated from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have returned to their homes."
Yang Peng looked thoughtful, raised his head, and asked: "Do you have the latest information on the Khitan war against the Japanese?" Han Bing clasped his fists and said, "I received relevant information last night, saying that the Khitan and Korean coalition forces have already Two Japanese fortresses have been captured, and now there is only one Japanese fortress left that is still resisting. The Khitan and Goryeo coalition forces are mobilizing their troops and preparing to launch an attack on the last Japanese fortress left in Goryeo!"
Yang Peng sighed and said: "I really had too much expectations for the Japanese! I originally thought they could resist for at least a year or two, but I didn't expect that they would be defeated in such a short period of time!"
Huang Qiaoyun said worriedly: "Once the Khitans completely defeat the Japanese, they will have their hands free. I am afraid that it will hinder us from destroying Zhao and Song and unifying the south!"
Han Bing said: "This is indeed something to consider. However, even if the Khitans defeated the Japanese immediately, they would not be able to mobilize their forces immediately. First of all, the Goryeo and Liao Kingdoms were in ruins due to continuous wars, so the king had to clean up the mess. Ah, secondly, the Khitan people's grain and grass reserves are insufficient. Although this campaign went smoothly, they may have exhausted the stocks. This is not counting the cost of Goryeo's restoration and construction. At the same time, the Khitan people want to move the main army It is not an easy task to transfer from Goryeo. I estimate that it will take at least next year, and there will be no problem with money and food before the Khitan army can be transferred!"
Everyone started talking in low voices, and Huang Guang said: "What the empress said is absolutely true! In fact, the Khitan people are in very difficult financial situation now. If I were them, I would never break up with us at this time. At least, we must maintain relations temporarily to restore the economy!"
Huang Qiaoyun said: "Having said that, we must be on guard. Hmm, I'm afraid the Khitans don't have such a long-term vision. I'm afraid that defeating the Japanese and regaining Goryeo has made them forget about it. Maybe the Khitans will turn their troops around immediately. Let’s fight with us!”
Everyone felt that what Huang Qiaoyun said was reasonable, but no one agreed. The remarks against the Khitans were sarcastic. Although they were reasonable, everyone naturally couldn't say anything because they took Princess Yeqi into consideration.
Yang Peng said: "Although Huang Qiaoyun's words are a bit extreme, they are not unreasonable. For the Khitan people, it is not a good thing for us to successfully unify the south. They also know very well that once we unify the south, it will be difficult for them to fight against us. Well, if a war breaks out with our army in the future, there may not be any good results! Therefore, for them, if they can prevent us from unifying the south, they will definitely do it, even at the cost of a fight! Of course, given the current situation, , the Khitans will definitely not dare to start a war with us easily, but no matter how low the possibility is, they must make the necessary preparations!" Everyone nodded.
Seeing that everyone was meaningless, Yang Peng said: "Without further delay, let Cao Jun immediately fully mobilize the army of Datongfu Road and Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture to prepare for war. Yang Jiumei does not need to distract him, and still concentrate on For disaster relief matters, logistical preparations will be left to Shanxi Governor Du Cheng, and the supervision department will dispatch supervisory officials as usual." All cabinet members clasped their fists in agreement.
Zhang Xiang said: "King Yan, my subordinates believe that in terms of military preparations, diplomatic means should also be used."
Huang Qiaoyun said: "What's the use of this! If we show too much desire for peace, I'm afraid it will encourage their aggression. But if we show too strong, we may make them fearful and mobilize a large number of troops. Come here. No matter what the situation is, it is not good for us. I don’t think diplomacy is necessary.”
Zhang Xiang smiled and said: "Master Huang has misunderstood. What I mean is to use diplomatic means to test the attitude of his senior officials and at the same time look for opportunities." When Zhang Xiang said this, he paused and then revealed his intentions.
Yang Peng smiled and nodded. Huang Qiaoyun smiled and said: "Master Zhang, you are too treacherous! You can think of such a sinister plan! But this should be very useful!"
Zhang Xiang said with a smile: "This is not a slander. In fact, even if we don't fan the flames, problems will probably arise between them at this time. We are just adding fuel to the fire. If this fire burns out, Get up, hehe, it will save us a lot of things."
Yang Peng said: "This is a good strategy. Let your cabinet order Fan Yong to implement it." All cabinet members agreed together.
After the meeting, everyone was busy. Yang Peng supported Han Bing, whose belly was already showing its shape, and walked towards the backyard, chatting about daily life while strolling. After Yang Peng settled Han Bing, he returned to the study and looked at the map, thinking about the worst possible situation. The so-called worst-case scenario is that all means are ineffective, and the Khitans finally mobilize the main force. If this happens, can the army on the northern front alone be able to deal with it? Yang Peng frowned and thought for a long time, feeling that the situation might be very difficult, but it should be possible to withstand the Khitan attack. But once this happens, it is impossible to say that there is a definite chance of winning. On the battlefield, the enemy is outnumbered and the situation changes rapidly. Many situations can determine the outcome of the war. Once the northern front loses, the consequences will be very serious!
Yang Peng frowned tightly and suddenly laughed, secretly saying: 'The more powerful I am, the less courageous I become! With a direct army of 300,000 troops, plus 200,000 military government troops, a total of 500,000 troops, and with the full support of the people, what are you afraid of! At worst, I will destroy Datongfu Road and Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures. After I solve the problem in the south, I will concentrate my efforts to defeat them! When the time comes, ask them to return their money to me with interest! 'Thinking of this, the haze that was weighing on my heart suddenly disappeared. He had too many worries when thinking about the problem before. He was always worried that there would be problems with the northern defense line and the Khitans would invade Datongfu Road and Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures. Now that he has thought about it, he doesn't take those things seriously. Yang Peng had made up his mind at this moment, and the original plan remained unchanged. At worst, he would let the Khitans take advantage first, and then settle the accounts with the Khitans after the southern issue was resolved.
There were footsteps at the door, and then Jiang Li's voice came: "Master!" Yang Peng turned around and saw Jiang Li in military uniform. Thinking of what he had told her this morning, he quickly asked: "How is the situation? "
Jiang Li frowned and said, "The princess still refuses to come back!" The princess in Jiang Li's mouth was Zhao Lihua. Since Yang Peng led the Yanyun Army on a large-scale southern expedition, she moved out of the palace and lived in the princess's palace. Only when Yang Peng returned to Bianliang, he left the princess's mansion to greet everyone, and then returned to the princess's mansion. These days, Yang Peng sent people many times to persuade her to come back, but she refused. Yang Peng had actually wanted to visit her for a long time, but he didn't know what to say or how to face her, so he had been back for so long but still hadn't gone.
Yang Peng was very dissatisfied, but then the dissatisfaction in his heart was replaced by a helpless emotion. He couldn't help but sigh and murmured: "It's not her fault! It's hard for her to let him endure such a thing. !”
Jiang Li said: "The princess is in a very low mood. I heard from the serving maid that the princess only eats very little every day and is much thinner than before!" Yang Peng was shocked and said angrily: "How can she not eat? What?" Jiang Li didn't know how to answer this question. Yang Peng sighed and said, "I'll go see her!" Then he walked outside, and Jiang Li quickly followed.
Yang Peng came to the princess's house. When the maids saw Yang Peng coming, they were all overjoyed. Someone had already run to notify Zhao Lihua. At this time, Zhao Lihua was sitting in front of the moon cave window with disheveled hair. Suddenly she heard the news that King Yan had arrived. She was stunned for a moment, and then shouted in panic: "Don't let him come in! How can I see him like this!" Then he asked the palace maids around him to dress up for him.
Accompanied by Jiang Li, Yang Peng arrived outside Zhao Lihua's embroidery building, but was blocked by two palace ladies guarding the door. I saw two palace maids kneeling down, and one of them said: "King Yan, please stay. Your Majesty, she is dressing up!" Yang Peng smiled and said, "They belong to an old couple, why do you still care about these things!" Even so, he still stopped and waited.
After waiting for a full two-quarters of an hour, the door creaked open. I saw Zhao Lihua, who was dressed in a moon palace dress, with her hair combed with fairy clouds, and wearing a gold walking stick, came out accompanied by two palace maids. Yingying bowed and said, "I pay my respects to King Yan!"
Yang Peng came to Zhao Lihua in three steps and then stretched out his hands to help her up. Yang Peng couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he saw that Zhao Lihua had really lost a lot of weight. Compared with before, she was a little less graceful and elegant, but a little more morbidly beautiful like Lin Daiyu! He reached out and stroked Zhao Lihua's hair at the temples, and said angrily: "You, you really don't cherish yourself!" Zhao Lihua looked miserable and said nothing.
Yang Peng took Zhao Lihua's hand and walked into the embroidery building. The others stayed outside the door knowingly. Yang Peng took Zhao Lihua's delicate hand and walked to the window and sat down. Yang Peng looked at Zhao Lihua's thin and delicate face, sighed, and said: "I know you are blaming Big Brother!..."
Zhao Lihua shook her head, turned to look out the window, tears overflowed in her eyes, and said quietly: "I don't blame Big Brother! I know everything Big Brother is doing now is right!" After a pause, memories were revealed in his eyes. Color, "Before, my father was still the emperor. Once I sneaked out of the palace to play. It was the first time I sneaked out of the palace. I originally thought that the people were living a very happy life, but what I saw and heard was completely different. That's not the case. Even the people in the capital are in great poverty, as you can imagine in other places! I originally thought that my father was a rare saint in history, but that time I heard many people secretly scolding him in the teahouse. Him! Hey!"
"But now, the people live and work in peace and contentment under the rule of my eldest brother. It is really different from when my father ruled! I know that my eldest brother is far more suitable to be an emperor than my father!" At this point, Zhao Lihua's face suddenly revealed With a look of pain, he shook his head and said: "But after all, I am the daughter of my father and the princess of the Song Dynasty! How can I sit back and watch the demise of the Song Dynasty and remain indifferent!"
Yang Peng held Zhao Lihua's delicate hand. Zhao Lihua turned her head and looked over, with tears in her beautiful eyes and a complicated expression. Yang Peng said softly: "Don't forget, you are not only the princess of the Song Dynasty, but also my wife, Yang Peng!" Zhao Lihua's heart was shocked, her face turned red, and she looked away.
Yang Peng said: "I know you feel uncomfortable when you see your man leading an army to destroy your father's country! But why don't you look at this problem from another angle?" Zhao Lihua looked at Yang Peng in confusion.
Yang Peng said: "With your father-in-law's ability, don't you think it's too dangerous to be the emperor? The Khitans had invaded before, and the Central Plains land was sinking. Even he himself was captured by the Khitans! If he is like this, being the emperor will only I'm afraid that sooner or later someone will take away my kingdom, and even I will be in trouble! Your man is marching his army south. That's not harming him, it's saving him! When the world is unified, he can live happily and happily. Isn't it great that the rich man no longer has to worry about being murdered? As for the country of the Song Dynasty, haha, I am the son-in-law of the Song Dynasty. It is natural that the country and the country should be passed to the son-in-law. What's wrong with that? Okay!"
Zhao Lihua was originally feeling depressed and miserable, but after hearing her elder brother's words, she couldn't help but feel enlightened. He nodded slightly. Yang Peng said happily: "You don't blame big brother now, do you?"
Zhao Lihua was so ashamed that she didn't dare to look at her elder brother and muttered: "I, I'm so confused!" Yang Peng gently pulled her into his arms, hugged her slender waist, and put his head on her shoulder. He went up to her, leaning against her slender neck, and said softly: "You, you are confused just by caring! That is human nature! If you don't feel anything about this matter, wouldn't you be an emotionless daughter?"
Zhao Lihua remembered something and said hurriedly: "Brother, I want to ask you something!" Yang Peng asked with a smile: "Do you want me to guarantee the safety of my father-in-law and the others?" Zhao Lihua nodded. Yang Peng smiled and said: "You can rest assured on this! All the soldiers in Yanyun know the relationship between you and me, so naturally they dare not disrespect my father-in-law and them. Besides, I will personally lead the army south, so it will be even more foolproof!" Zhao Lihua thought in her heart The big stone was completely put down, and when he found himself in his elder brother's arms, he couldn't help but feel shy and coy.
Yang Peng saw that Zhao Lihua looked very cute and couldn't help but move his index finger. However, he was concerned that she was weak now and did not dare to take any action. Thinking that she hadn't had a good meal for a long time, she couldn't help but frown and said: "I heard that you only eat very little every day these days. This is not good!" Zhao Lihua said apologetically: "I, I am worried. , can't eat." Yang Peng asked, "Are you not worried now?" Zhao Lihua nodded. Yang Peng said: "Today, eldest brother will be here to accompany you. Only when he sees you eating well can eldest brother feel at ease!" Zhao Lihua looked back at Chen Xiao, her face was slightly red, she hummed, and nodded gently.
…
In the afternoon of the next day, Yang Peng returned to the palace. I went to the courtyard of Yezhen Guanyin to see Yezhen Guanyin and her three children, who were recovering from the postpartum period, and then returned to the study to handle official duties.
At this moment, Zhang Xiang and Huang Guang came together and worshiped together: "Greetings to King Yan!" Yang Peng raised his head, glanced at the two of them, and said, "It's you, are you okay?"
The two looked at each other, Zhang Xiang stepped forward, held up an official document in both hands and said: "This is a joint petition from more than a hundred officials, including two of my subordinates."
Yang Peng was startled and glanced at Jiang Li who was standing beside him. The latter immediately stepped forward, took the letter and handed it to Yang Peng. Yang Peng picked up the letter, opened it, and saw what was written on it: "I think not long ago, the world was in chaos and the Central Plains was lost. His Highness King Yan came out of the sky to inherit the destiny, turned the tide, and reorganized the mountains and rivers. His achievements were as great as those of King Qin!" Moreover, the King of Yan cultivated civil affairs internally, had clear and clear politics, cared about the people, and was loved by the people! At this time, the world returns to its heart, and the ministers boldly ask the King of Yan to accept the fate of heaven, ascend the throne as emperor, and lay a foundation that will last forever! ' Below are the signatures of more than a hundred officials in Yanyun.
Yang Peng finished reading the letter, put it in front of him, raised his head, glanced at Zhang Xiang and Huang Guang, and asked: "You want me to ascend the throne and proclaim the emperor?" Zhang Xiang clasped his fists and said, "Now Yan Yun is stronger than the so-called empire. In the Liao Dynasty, other countries are completely insignificant compared to our Yanyun, and the people everywhere loyally support King Yan. The two Yellow Emperors in the south have also removed their titles and bowed their heads to King Yan! Now it is the right time and the right place. If people are harmonious, King Yan should be crowned emperor!"
Huang Guang clasped his fists and said: "King Yan, ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor can better gather people's hearts and make Yan Yun's action of unifying the world more justified!" Zhang Xiang nodded with deep approval.
Yang Peng frowned slightly, as if he was unwilling. Zhang Xiang and Huang Guang looked at each other, feeling a little confused. Zhang Xiang clasped his fists and asked, "Does King Yan have any concerns?" Yang Peng said, "This matter is not a trivial matter. We will wait until the annual meeting at the end of this year to discuss it."
The two of them were very puzzled by Yang Peng's caution. Suddenly his heart moved, and he thought to himself: 'I think that the founding emperors of all dynasties had to go through the three-qian process before ascending to the throne. King Yan must have had the same idea! Zhang Xiang thought further: "The King of Yan may have wanted Song Huang to give in to him, so that it would appear more legitimate!" ' At this point, he was relieved of King Yan's caution; but Huang Guang felt a little confused: ' King Yan has clearly deposed Confucianism a long time ago, but why does he still abide by the hypocritical etiquette of Confucianism? '
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
