Shandong and Zhongdu are politically isolated and even antagonistic, but economically they have always maintained close ties. As a result, the core figures of Shandong Dinghai Navy had a very good understanding of the Zhongdu court and the people of Zhongdu Daxing Mansion. Not long after the Mongolian army moved south, Guo Ning felt that Zhongdu City was likely to waver in the face of the Mongolian threat.
However, whether it is for trade needs around the Bohai Sea or for geographical security needs, the Dinghai Navy must not allow China to waver. The more difficult the situation is, the more important it is to stabilize Zhongdu.
This is a difficult situation right now, and those who are wavering are already connecting with each other. In addition to the group in front of them, there are countless people who are still behind and are ready to move. Once they create momentum, the Zhongdu Daxing Mansion will collapse immediately.
Du Shisheng has no doubt about this.
So, how to deal with it? How can we suppress this trend and stabilize Zhongdu until Ding Haijun, who supports Zhongdu, reverses the situation in Zhongdu?
With the power of Du Shisheng alone, it is simply a daydream to achieve this goal. What's more, Du Shisheng's business in Zhongdu has not been so smooth recently.
Guo Ning kept Du Shisheng in Zhongdu in the hope that he would encourage officials in Zhongdu, such as Xu Ding and others, to use their power in the court as allies or cover for Ding Haijun. But as Ding Haijun's power expands, such a behemoth who looks like a rebel will always make people more and more wary. Du Shisheng's influence in Zhongdu has been continuously suppressed to a certain extent. It has become increasingly difficult for him to influence high-level figures.
But Du Shisheng still had a way.
If you can’t take the high-level route, you’ll take the low-level route. He has been familiar with the intricate forces at the bottom of Daxing Mansion decades ago, and he is best at pulling out a thread that is beneficial to himself in such complicated relationships. As long as you hold the thread in your hand, you will gain the ability to influence the overall situation.
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"Is there really such a thread?" Miao Daorun was dumbfounded.
"Where is the thread?" Zhang Rou asked.
"Just at Huichengmen."
"I don't understand. Please explain it carefully, Mr. Shinzhi."
"These people I just met have been adhering to the intentions of certain nobles for decades and profiting from others. They are the most cunning and unscrupulous people in Zhongdu. So at the critical moment, they They are the first ones to be afraid and waver. But they are also the most useful ones."
"How is it useful?"
"Killing a few leaders will frighten the many nobles behind them. Controlling the rest means bypassing layers of official obstacles and simultaneously controlling six grain depots, two armories, and three warehouses in Zhongdu. A camp where refugees gather and a military camp near the palace."
"Is He Shi Lie He Shou one of yours? Is this plan to escape from Kaicheng just a trap arranged by you?" Zhang Rou reacted quickly and was immediately taken aback.
"As I said before, He Shilie and I have some friendship."
Du Shisheng explained: "This Lieutenant Commander of Heshi served as the deputy inspector of Baoxin County in Caizhou during the Taihe period. When Caizhou was besieged by the Song army, he fought effectively against the Song people and rose to prominence. The leader of the army at that time was The benefactor who rescued Caizhou from the siege and vigorously promoted him was none other than He Shi Liehuanduan, who is now the Xuanfu Envoy of Liaodong and an effective ally of our Guo Xuan Envoy. Therefore, although we cannot entrust you with big things, there is no problem in asking him for a small favor."
"That's it." Zhang Rou nodded.
Miao Daorun narrowed his eyes and asked: "The military camp near the palace? Which one is it?"
"To the south of Tongyuan Garden, there is the military camp of the Imperial Guard."
During the Zhongdu coup that year, Zhang Rou led people to kill several clan kings on behalf of the emperor. Later, he was rewarded for his merits and was once appointed as the direct commander of the Gongwei. Until now, many of the soldiers in this military camp were his old subordinates brought from Yizhou.
The place where the action was launched was Huichengmen, the territory of the Wuwei Army, which was filled with Miao Daorun's old troops. The most critical place to control after the launch was the Gongweizhishisi military camp spread throughout Zhang Rou's old army.
Du Shisheng, this old fox, is so insidious. He said that he would respectfully send the two of them off from Zhongdu, but in fact, he had already made clear arrangements for their tasks and everything!
Miao Daorun looked at Zhang Rou and then at Du Shisheng, who was alone: "That military camp is not an ordinary place. Old Du, what do you do, is it any different from rebellion? Isn't this the second Zhongdu coup? ?”
Du Shisheng laughed: "With the heroic spirit of my family's ambassador, he has long been unwilling to submit to others, and he has always hoped that the power in Zhongdu City can be in the hands of capable and reliable friends."
"Your Guo Xuanshi's soldiers and horses were attacked head-on by the Mongolian Tier Xue army. They retreated all the way south. Genghis Khan personally led the army to pursue them. If you ask me, this is really a near-death situation. Mr. Jinzhi, but you are still planning Controlling Zhongdu? Are all of you who set up the navy so arrogant?"
Miao Daorun asked sarcastically, and Du Shisheng immediately raised his voice:
"There are some things I told you very clearly when I was in Tanglu, Hebei. Have you forgotten? The battle between our envoy and Genghis Khan will soon be decided, and we just have to The major task in front of us is accomplished! If the Xuan Envoy returns victorious, they will no longer be limited to Shandong. The two of them will be the heroes who controlled the central capital for the Xuan Envoy! If the Mongols come, it will be nothing more than fighting. A manly man, in What is there to hesitate about? You have stayed in Zhongdu for a long time and are too full with your imperial salary. Do you really think of yourself as the Jurchens' dogs?"
Du Shisheng was thin in stature but had a loud voice. When he was young, he dared to publicly predict the death of Dajin in front of countless people on the streets of Zhongdu, and he was even more courageous.
Outside the courtyard, a sudden wind blew, slamming into the empty courtyard, spinning around a few times, rolling the doors and windows with a roar, like an angry warrior raising his sword and swinging it with all his strength, about to kill the enemy in front of him. destroy.
"Mr. Jinzhi, the possibility of Ambassador Guo Xuan defeating Genghis Khan is too low. In fact, what you really want is for the two of us to control and stabilize the central capital before Genghis Khan leads his army back, and even hold on to the city. , find a way to repel the Mongolian attack." Zhang Rou said slowly.
Du Shisheng hesitated for a moment, nodded, and then shook his head. "Evangelists always win," he said.
Zhang Rou opened her mouth, a little impressed and a little helpless.
But he finally made up his mind.
"I did it!"
"We've already talked about this, can I still be allowed to withdraw?" Miao Daorun smiled bitterly.
Now that they had made a decision, the two of them did not delay. Zhang Rou immediately asked: "How far can He Shi Lie He Shou do for us? Since you tricked those people into leaving the city at an early hour, they must secretly summon their trusted subordinates, We won’t go into details about the capable guards, but there must be three to five hundred people armed with them. Can Heshi Lieheshou suppress the situation for us?"
"He was only responsible for breaking the news. He didn't know or participate in the subsequent events."
"Then we have to use our people!" Miao Daorun couldn't help but stamp his feet: "Time is too tight. In this hour, I can only summon forty or fifty subordinates at most. I'm afraid..."
At this point, he found Zhang Rou staring at him.
"Hmm? Degang, what do you have in mind?"
Zhang Rou smiled bitterly and turned to Du Shisheng: "Mr. Jinzhi must have made arrangements. Master Huifeng will take action. He also has a group of elite subordinates in the city, right?"
Since Zhongdu was besieged, the number of troops garrisoned at various city walls and gates has never been less. These soldiers consumed astronomical amounts of food and supplies every day. Not only food, but also firewood for lighting and heating at night.
Grain is shipped from the grain depot every five days. The supply of firewood is relatively tight, because the city gates have been closed for half a month, and there is no way to go out to collect firewood. The only way is to demolish the houses in the city and transport the wood to the top of the city to burn fires.
Not far from the courtyard where Du Shisheng lived, there was a lumber yard. It was originally used to stock the market on Shirenmen Street, but now it has been temporarily requisitioned by Daxing Prefecture. At this time, the sun was turning westward, and many people were carrying wood from the yard and delivering it to several nearby city gates.
To the south of the yard is diagonally opposite the Huitong Pavilion used by the Kingdom of Jin to house envoys from various countries. In the Huitong Hall, two envoys from the Southern Song Dynasty, Ding Yan and Hou Zhongxin, were separated by a dilapidated high wall and saw that the civil servants they had recruited when they went north were busy in the yard, and they were a little ashamed.
"Oh, I didn't expect that the supply in Zhongdu would be so difficult. All the people accompanying the mission had to work hard in exchange for food!"
"These men would rather work hard than complain to us. They are all kind people!"
