The next day, early in the morning, Zhao Tong received a battle report from the other side of the Yangtze River.
Huzhou fell, and Fang La's two armies attacked Suzhou one after another.
The Western Army led by Tong Guan had already rushed to western Zhejiang, but it was too late to recapture Huzhou and could only follow Fang La's army to support Suzhou.
Zhao Tong was puzzled that Fang La did not attack several important towns along the river, but instead headed east to Suzhou!
Then he checked the news from Jiangning, and couldn't help but feel even more confused. It was calm near Jiangning, there was no military situation, and there was no news about Zhao Kai.
Could it be that Zhao Kai is walking so slowly and has not reached Jiangning yet?
Zhao Tong was puzzled and hurriedly sent Suiyulou Lu, Han, Xu, and Jiang across the river to continue investigating.
The next day, he and Zhao Yuannu went to the Houtu Temple in Yangzhou to see if the flowers were blooming. The Queen of Houtu was enshrined in the Houtu Temple, also known as the Houtu Empress.
Our Lady of Houtu is the oldest ancestor of China and the most respected god of the land. Houtu Temple has always been called the crown of temples in the sea.
In the sixth year of Zhenghe, Emperor Daojun consecrated the Holy Mother of Houtu as the "Emperor of the Empress of Houtu to imitate the virtues of heaven" and enjoy the same ceremonial standards as the "Supreme Jade Emperor of Haotian, the Supreme God of Xuanqiong and the High God".
When Yi Fu arrived at the temple, he saw people coming and going, it was bustling and very lively.
The two went to the main hall to burn incense first, and then the Queen Mother Earth controlled the yin and yang and nurtured all things. She was called the mother of the earth. She not only controlled the changes in the mountains and land, as well as the gods of the mountains, the earth, the emperors of the three mountains and five mountains, but also controlled the disasters.
After offering incense, the two of them walked to the back of the main hall. The Qionghua tree was in the Qionghua Temple deep inside the temple.
Along the way, there are many buildings and pavilions, and the scenery is full of scenery. Many people are looking up at the Qionghua Temple outside the door. It turns out that they cannot watch at will and need to pay respect to the incense.
Zhao Yuannu whispered: "I came here when I was young and never asked for money."
Zhao Tong smiled and said: "One moment, another moment, there are no famous flowers and plants in the Jianghuai area, so this place becomes more and more precious."
Hua Gang picked up almost all the famous flowers and rare trees in the Jianghuai area. This Qionghua was not dug out by Zhu Meng and transported to Tokyo. He was probably afraid of having a bad meaning. After all, it is said that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty saw the Qionghua perished.
I spent some money and entered the temple. As soon as I entered the temple, I saw a large flower bed, which was three feet square. There was a flower tree inside, with strange branches and a quiet shape. The tree was full of gold and silver, and I looked at it. It feels like being in the Snow Palace of Qiong Palace.
In fact, this Qionghua has not yet bloomed at the moment, and there are clusters of buds on the branches, but it is so stunning just in buds, Zhao Tong couldn't help but nodded.
"It's a bit early now. It will probably take another ten days to open." Zhao Yuannu said with some regret.
Zhao Tong smiled slightly, which actually surprised him. Even if it was just a bud, it looked so crystal clear, even a little illusory, a little ethereal. After looking at it, he wanted to see it again, making people not want to leave for a long time.
The viburnum is actually a strange variant of the hydrangea. It is different from other flowers and cannot be described by "flower". A cluster of viburnum is composed of eight large five-petal flowers in a circle, surrounded by a pearl-like white in the middle. Small flowers, when they bloom, they are as big as a plate and as clear as crystal.
Although it is not in full bloom yet, you can imagine the scene of a tree covered with snow.
Zhao Tong thought for a while, then suddenly chanted:
Don't compare Qionghua to plain makeup, who looks like white neon clothes. It's uniquely quiet and natural, don't go near the east wall.
The talent of ice, muscle, and jade bones is given together with desolation. Poor distant night, cold smoke and moon, sparse shadows across the window.
He made a charming statement, and many people immediately gathered around him. Yangzhou has been full of literati and poets since ancient times, and there is no shortage of Qionghua poets. But at this moment, the eyes looking at Zhao Tong showed shock.
A young man dressed as a scholar came forward and bowed deeply: "This brother invites you."
Zhao Tong returned the Confucian courtesy, and the scholar was not surprised. He only said eagerly: "Did you write the poem "Unknown Brother" by yourself?"
Zhao Tong touched his chin and said with a smile: "I did not write this word, and I dare not risk others' beauty."
The scholar became even more anxious: "Excuse me, brother, whose hand is this filled in by?"
Zhao Yu glanced at Zhao Yuannu, who covered his mouth and chuckled. He also smiled and said: "This was filled in by the King of Qin at that time. I remember it when I was beside it."
The scholar immediately suddenly said: "That's it. I knew it was coming from everyone, but I didn't expect that it was His Highness the King of Qin."
Zhao Tong said: "His Highness writes three or five little poems like this every day. It's not a big deal."
The scholar nodded repeatedly: "That's natural, that's natural. The King of Qin is so amazing and talented. Such a small order should come easily... But I heard that the King of Qin is now advocating music, why do you write lyrics again? Since Xiong is a person close to the King of Qin, Do you know the reason?"
Zhao Tong glanced at him and said, "Not all of King Qin's songs are Sanqu, but a full set of stage songs. Have you ever heard of The Story of White Hair?"
The scholar said: "I have heard about it, but it is easy to travel in the north, but it has never been performed in Yangzhou."
Zhao Tong smiled and said: "You can buy the book and read it first. Although the book was written by Zhang Dongxiang, most of the suites in it were written by King Qin. They are easy to understand and popular among the people."
The scholar thought: "I see, brother, I don't know that the music of the play was written by King Qin, but there are no bookstores in the city selling this book... This is strange, brother, I wouldn't have thought of it. It’s fine that the play has nowhere to be performed, but how come there’s no place to sell the book?”
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
The scholar said to himself: "It seems that I want to send a letter to my classmate in Tokyo and ask him to send a few copies over there, so that I can feast my eyes on it."
As he spoke, he saluted Zhao Tong again: "Thank you for your advice, brother."
Zhao Tong returned the courtesy and said, "Your Excellency, you are too polite."
Then he and Zhao Yuannu walked out, with a hint of sarcasm in their expressions. Although "White Hair Notes" was in full swing in the north, in the land of Jianghuai, there was no one to even read the book.
When he was in Beijing, he once asked the booksellers three times to print in the south, and several booksellers followed the orders. He even replied that the supply in Jiangnan, Zhejiang, Huaihe and other places exceeds the demand, and the sales are even better than in Tokyo. But now, it seems that It's not for sale at all. People here have never read the storybook of Bai Fa Ji.
But the bookseller said at that time that they had all been sold, and the scholar here said that they had not been sold. So where did the books go?
Zhao Tong understood at this moment that it must be the noble family of Jianghuai who would not allow Baifaji to be put on the market.
It is estimated that as soon as the books arrived here, the local gentry would first take a look at them. If they saw that they were inappropriate, they would buy them all, pile them up, or find a place to burn them to prevent them from appearing in the market.
The booksellers thought they were all sold, but they didn't know that not a single copy was in circulation.
Zhao Tong felt that what he had thought before was too simple. The local gentry actually controlled such folk pastimes as storybooks, which showed how powerful they were and how deep their mistakes were.
But he's not in a hurry. Isn't there someone helping him solve it now?
Fang La killed corrupt officials and gentry and gentry. When the time came, the Jiang, Huai, and Zhejiang provinces were completely clean, and then everything stopped.
Naturally, Fang La wanted to be defeated, but he had to wait until he was done killing him. Zhao Tong never thought of taking the initiative to assist Tong Guan Fang La. He only had to guard the Yangtze River, and it was not too late to take action when he was finally picking the fruits.
The Jiangnan gentry were so powerful that if they didn't use violent means to overthrow them, other methods would be useless. Fang La's uprising had left them with severe injuries and vitality, and they couldn't recover at all in a few years.
These gentry usually did not even pay attention to the court, and several reforms of Yanchatie ultimately failed. How many officials in the court were from Jiangnan's wealthy families, and were tied to the interests of the Jiangnan gentry. They joined forces to create some obstacles, and the court's decrees Either it cannot be implemented, or it may be changed beyond recognition.
It seems that the methods used against booksellers are all this kind of subterfuge and tampering, which often makes people unable to notice it for a long time, and it is difficult to deal with it once they are aware of it.
If possible, Zhao Tong even wanted to secretly add fuel to the flames and borrow Fang La's knife to kill more people!
After thinking all the way back to Qionghualiyuan, in the evening, Bai Ao, the boss of the Bai family, suddenly returned.
Zhao Tong hurriedly called him to the secret room to inquire. It turned out that after arriving in Jiangning, Bai Ao saw that the place was peaceful and unmilitary, so he left his two brothers behind to continue exploring. He went south alone, and fell into a pile within a few days. Big news, so he hurried back to report it.
"You mean... King Yun went to Hongzhou, the capital of Jiangnan West Road, to station himself?"
"Your Majesty, that's exactly what happened. The army led by King Yun did not take the Jiangdong Road at all. Instead, they went directly from Huaixi to Jiangxi and plunged into Hongzhou and never came out."
Zhao Tong was speechless. Zhao Kai and Fang La, a pair of sleeping dragons and phoenixes, one did not go north to take the natural danger of Jiangning Mansion, the other did not garrison the military important place of Jiangning Mansion, and neither of them actually went to Jiangning!
Zhao Kai gave up the entire Jiangnan East Road and seemed to intend to defend Jiangxi. However, Jiangxi has Poyang Lake blocking Hongzhou. Fang La probably will not attack there. After all, Jiangxi's strategic significance is not as good as that of Zhejiang and Huaihe. .
But how could Zhao Tong let go of such a great opportunity?
If Zhao Kai doesn't go to Jiangning Mansion, he will!
As long as he occupies Jiangning Mansion, he can attack Jiangsu and Zhejiang when advancing, and guard the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and the north bank of Huaihe River when retreating. As long as he manages here carefully, Fang La will be almost invincible.
Although he has proclaimed and pacified Lianghuai, it does not mean that he will always stay in Lianghuai. He was ordered to go south to fight against thieves. Even if he does not have power over the military and political affairs of Liangjiang according to the rules of xuanfu, he still has the right to rush to the two rivers once the war starts. It is said that troops and horses can also be mobilized at special times.
He occupied Jiangning, and if Fang La didn't come, he would manage carefully and wait for the last time to pick peaches. If Fang La came, he would attack him head-on and drive him back, just like raising dolphins in a pen, and let him run rampant in the south of the Yangtze River. After the gentry clan has caused great harm, they will be annihilated again!
Zhao Tong thought about it for a long time, and then summoned Yao Pingzhong, Zhe Kecun, Wang Zhen, Lu Junyi, and Zhang Xian.
Afterwards, they discussed until midnight, and finally decided that General Lu Junyi would lead the two Huai armies to stay in the rear to contain the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, while Zhao Tong and a few others would lead 30,000 troops from the capital to cross the Yangtze River and head for Jiangning Mansion!
Early the next morning, on the bank of the Yangtze River, Zhao Tao cupped his hands at Lu Junyi and said with a smile: "The two Huai rivers will be handed over to my senior brother!"
Lu Junyi bowed to the ground and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Junyi is here, and we will never let the bandit army set foot on the north bank. Righteousness lies in Huaihe, and Huaihe will perish if it loses its righteousness!"
Zhao Tong nodded, and without further words, went directly to the Changkong Haozhi Ningyuan Shenzhou.
The Shenzhou broke through the waves and led several large warships to the other side first. Then dozens of warships belonging to the Lianghuai River began to transport soldiers. It took more than half a day to transport all the 30,000 forbidden troops to the other side.
The Jiangning Mansion had already received news of such a big movement. Wang Hanzhi, the Jiangnan East Road pacifier and acquaintance of Jiangning, was a little confused. He had received the imperial edict before and knew that King Qin, King Yun and Privy Councilor Tong Guan each led two military and political groups. , went to the south of the Yangtze River to fight against thieves, but King Yun of the Liangjiang River did not come, but King Qin of the Huaihe River crossed the Yangtze River. What on earth is going on?
Although he couldn't figure out the reason, he still took someone to pick him up. After all, he was originally worried about how to deal with Fang La if he really attacked. Now it's fine. With King Qin's 30,000 forbidden troops and Jiangning's high city and thick walls, even if Fang La's army and horses are no longer If there are too many, I'm afraid it will be difficult to conquer the city.
As soon as Zhao Tao entered Jiangning, he began to prepare his army and horses. He directly selected 20,000 to 30,000 mixed soldiers that Wang Hanzhi had transferred from several states to defend the city and organized them into the central army. From then on, he had a total of 50,000 soldiers under his command. horse.
Later, he ignored Wang Hanzhi's thoughts and directly operated Jiangnan East Road. Anyway, the military here was already under control, and Zhao Kai could not come here while hiding in Jiangxi.
However, Wang Hanzhi was not young, not much younger than Hong Zhongfu, and he had a hidden illness. He submitted several applications for becoming an official, but they were all rejected. According to later records, he was allowed to apply for an official position due to illness in the year after the Fang La Rebellion. , died of illness in another year, and did not live as long as Hong Zhongfu.
His family knew about the illness, so he was happy to ignore it and only focused on recuperating in the palace. Not only military affairs, but also political affairs were handed over.
Zhao Tong took over Jiangning as a whole, even more thoroughly than Yangzhou. He then reorganized the two towns of Runzhou Zhenjiang Prefecture and Taiping Prefecture, and firmly controlled the areas along the river.
In the following days, urgent military intelligence reports from the front continued. There had been fierce fighting in Suzhou for many days, but Tong Guan never completely drove away Fang La's army. For a while, the war became stalemate between Su and Xiu...
But it is said that Fang Qifu's Southern Route Army, after falling into Yuezhou, fought all the way down, even taking over Mingzhou and Taizhou. In this way, the Zhejiang East Road has reached five states, and only Chuzhou in the south has been conquered. , Wenzhou was still in the hands of the Song Dynasty court. Just as Fang Qifu was preparing to take over the entire eastern Zhejiang and build the first success of the Holy Dynasty, reports of the Fang La battle in the north suddenly came one after another.
In Taizhou City, Fang Qifu looked at the stack of battle reports on the handsome case, frowned, and let out a long sigh.
Lin Chong looked at him with a worried look on his face and couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong with Marshal?"
Fang Qifu glanced at him and said: "After the Holy Duke's army arrived in Hangzhou, they did not attack Jiangning directly. Instead, they went east to attack Huzhou and Suzhou. Now they are facing the Western Army led by Tong Guan in Suzhou. The situation is not good. "
Lin Chong was wearing a mask, and his expression could not be seen: "Marshal, can't you win Suzhou?"
Fang Qifu shook his head and said: "It's not that we can't take Suzhou, but that we should first go to Jiangning and other important towns along the river. I don't know what Shenggong's plan is, but he went to attack Suzhou first."
Lin Chong was silent, and after a while Fang Qifu said again: "There is no depth in Suzhou. Prolonging the war will be detrimental to the Holy Army. It seems... it is time to return to the army!"
Lin Chong said hurriedly: "Marshal, there are only two places left before the entire eastern Zhejiang falls."
Fang Qifu shook his head: "We can't wait any longer. Tomorrow I will lead the army back north, and this Taizhou will be handed over to Brother Lin for guarding!"
Lin Chong stood up in a hurry: "Marshal, how can Chong dare to control a state?"
Fang Qifu looked at him and said slowly: "I believe in Brother Lin. With Brother Lin's intelligence and martial arts, there is no danger of guarding Taizhou!"
Seeing Fang Qifu's firm tone, Lin Chong said politely: "Lin Chong is ashamed, how dare you not die in service to the Holy Dynasty!"
Fang Qifu nodded: "Tomorrow morning I will lead the army north to meet the reinforcements from Zhao and Song."
Lin Chong said: "Marshal is going to Suzhou to support the Holy Duke?"
Fang Qifu was silent for a moment, shook his head and said: "I won't go to Suzhou for the time being. I want to go north to eastern Zhejiang, to the important town on the Yangtze River... Jiangning Mansion!"
(End of chapter)
