Anyi, the imperial capital of Xia Kingdom.
Today's Anyi City is still prosperous and bustling with people coming and going. But compared to before, he was a little more impatient and panicked.
The reason is that Da Qin invaded with troops.
It's just that the whole court, the dignitaries of the Xia Kingdom, and even the local wealthy families will continue to enjoy what they should enjoy. For them, they don't care about Da Qin coming to attack. Even in the eyes of many people, the Great Qin they know and understand is still a barbarian, ferocious but weak in succession.
When Da Qin comes to kill him, he will kill them for a while and then be done with it.
It is impossible for Da Qin's army to really reach Anyi.
This is the view of Xia's powerful people.
It's just that compared to the powerful people who are still singing and dancing, and compared to the powerful people who are still living extravagantly, Cao Ji, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of Household Affairs, feels even more pressure. Cao Ji was promoted too quickly and could not bear the pressure.
Once upon a time, he was just a disciple of Xu Changjie and served as a small minister in the court. After Yan Wuji was killed, Cao Ji was promoted by Xu Changjie to serve as Shangshu of the Household Department because he understood the operation of the Household Department.
With Xu Changjie around, Cao Ji could advance things smoothly. After all, many decisions, although arranged by his Ministry of Revenue, are actually orders from Xu Changjie, and no one will object. However, Xu Changjie died in an instant. He, who had been in charge of the household department for a short time, was suddenly promoted by the emperor to concurrently serve as the official secretary and take charge of the government.
Cao Ji was responsible for all matters in the court, big and small. Even if the emperor wants to practice Taoism and refine elixirs, which requires a lot of money, Cao Ji will have a headache.
Cao Ji became very tired in a short period of time and already had bags under his eyes.
The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of the office.
Cao Ji is looking at the personnel adjustments that have been submitted. As the saying goes, once the emperor, once the ministers, Cao Ji came to power. In addition to winning over the power of Xu Changjie in the past, he also had to further arrange personnel arrangements. If he wanted to promote his own people, he would not be able to deal with them. Those who cooperate will be squeezed out.
The problem is that many officials in the court have their own backgrounds, and these people are not convinced by Cao Ji.
This resulted in Cao Ji's orders being unable to be fully implemented.
Cao Ji can arrange some minor problems. When it comes to important personnel matters, Cao Ji cannot take the lead when discussing and making decisions together.
Do you, Cao Ji, disagree?
If you want to make trouble, you can just make it in front of the emperor.
However, once he got into trouble in front of the emperor, it meant that Cao Ji would be embarrassed. Whether it was Yan Wuji or Xu Changjie, they were able to monopolize power and arrange orders directly.
When it's your turn, Cao Ji, you can't arrange it. Doesn't it look incompetent?
Cao Ji has been patient with this.
However, Cao Ji could not arrange many things in the court, so he felt very tired and exhausted. What Cao Ji read was that his arrangement had been blocked again. He was so angry that he threw the memorial aside.
So infuriating.
He alone supports the government.
He had to think about the emperor, he had to think about Qi Feixiong on the front line, he had to stabilize the local people, he had to arrange for the raids on bandits in various places, and he even had to fight wits and courage with the officials of the imperial court. After many things, Cao Ji had the idea of giving up.
When Cao Ji was sulking, there was a burst of rapid footsteps, and an attendant entered and said: "Cao Shangshu, Zhao Tong wants to see you."
Zhao Tong was responsible for the affairs of the Chijia Cavalry. Now that Cao Ji was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhao Tong directly dealt with Cao Ji on many matters.
Cao Ji rubbed his face. He couldn't offend the Red Armor Cavalry. With a smile on his face, he ordered: "Please!"
The attendant went to inform him. After a while, Zhao Tong entered and bowed.
Cao Ji had a smile on his face and said, "Commander Zhao, what do you want to do today?"
Zhao Tong looked cold and solemn and said seriously: "Cao Shangshu, something big happened on the front line."
Cao Ji's heart skipped a beat.
Something big happened on the front line.
Has Qi Feixiong been defeated?
Cao Ji suddenly became nervous in his heart, and his breathing was a little rapid, and he quickly said: "What's going on? Could it be that Lieutenant Qi was defeated and retreated on the front line, unable to stop Qin's army?"
Zhao Tong sighed: "If that were the case, that would be fine. The fact is that it is not the case, but it is more difficult."
Cao Ji said: "What's going on?"
Zhao Tong said solemnly: "There are four pieces of news sent back by the Red Armor Cavalry. The first piece of news is that Xu Shangshu died and the food and grass were lost. Therefore, when Qi Taiwei and the Qin army were fighting, the Qin army used the news to attack him. , so that the morale of the army was damaged. Qi Taiwei was defeated for a while and lost almost 30,000 elite soldiers."
"The second news is that the imperial court arranged for the great master Tie Yifan to assassinate the Qin army commander Bai Cejun. Who knew that after Tie Yifan went to the Qin army camp, he rebelled directly and returned to the Xia army to kill Qi Qi. Lieutenant."
"The specific reason why Tie Yifan took action has not been found out yet. We only know that Tie Yifan killed Qi Taiwei. When the army continued to retreat, it was further suppressed by the Qin army and lost almost 30,000 elite soldiers."
"The third news is that Gong Lang, Murong Ba and Mu Lingyun withdrew the remaining troops and did not defend Yangcheng, but returned directly to Anyi. The latest news from Yangcheng is that the army Sima Zeng who guarded Yangcheng Dazhao directly surrendered to Qin."
"The barrier to the west of Anyi has been lost."
"The fourth news is that the Qin army has begun to move towards Anyi. It is estimated that it will take at most four or five days for the Qin army to arrive at the imperial capital of Anyi."
"These news have spread in Anyi City. The public opinion is boiling and people are panicking. I have arranged for the people of the Red Armor Cavalry to suppress the news in the city. Otherwise, if the news continues to spread, I am afraid that many people will be shaken and even betray the Xia Kingdom. .”
Zhao Tong's eyes were also a little erratic. When he got the news, he was immediately stunned.
The news is so bad.
Zhao Tong continued: "The current situation is quite unfavorable to us. Please make arrangements as soon as possible and respond as soon as possible. Otherwise, I really don't know what to do."
"I know."
Cao Ji's voice trembled slightly when he spoke.
The two fortified cities on the western border of Xia Kingdom, the first is Jinshan City and the second is Yangcheng, are now lost.
The Qin army came directly to kill.
Cao Ji watched Zhao Tong leave, and arranged for someone to quickly notify Zhang Gong, the Minister of War, to discuss the matter. After all, Zhang Gong was in charge of the army. Now that Qi Feixiong was killed and a series of changes occurred, he had to discuss it with Zhang Gong.
After a short time, Zhang Gong entered and said: "Cao Shangshu."
Cao Ji waved his hand and said: "Brother Zhang, you and I have been friends for many years, so don't be so restrained. Something big has happened in the Xia Kingdom, and we need to quickly discuss strategies."
Zhang Gong asked: "Is it true that Captain Qi was defeated?"
Cao Ji smiled bitterly and said, "It would be fine if Taiwei Qi was defeated."
At that moment, Cao Ji directly told the four pieces of news reported by Zhao Tong and explained the situation on the front line. Then, Cao Ji continued: "The current situation is extremely bad. What do you think we should do?"
Gudong!
Zhang Gong swallowed his saliva.
He was also extremely panicked in his heart. Qi Feixiong was actually killed, and the frontline army was completely defeated.
How to resist?
Even if Anyi is a strong city as the imperial capital, and even if there is a moat outside, it will be very difficult to resist the Qin army's attack if people's hearts are distracted.
In the fighting of war, people's hearts are very important.
If the hearts of the people are not united, no matter how strong the city is, it will eventually be difficult to hold it.
After Zhang Gong panicked for a while, he finally calmed down. After a long while, he said in a deep voice: "Cao Shangshu, the only thing we can do is to immediately issue an edict from King Qin with the order of the court, calling on all the people in the Xia Kingdom to come King Qin of Anyi resisted Qin's attack."
"As long as a large number of troops gather and we defend Anyi until Da Qin can no longer support the war, we will win. As for the future, we will make little changes and adjust Xia's governance policy."
"Get through the current predicament first."
Zhang Gong said: "If you can't survive the current predicament, don't mention anything else."
"Yes, that's what it means."
Cao Ji nodded eagerly after hearing this.
He has good insights and methods in managing property, but when it comes to arrangements for leading troops to fight, he is far behind.
Cao Ji said sternly, "However, this situation must be reported to Your Majesty. Please know and agree with His Majesty. Let's go, let's go to see Your Majesty and report the news. Such a big thing has happened, we can't hide it, and we must report it."
Zhang Gong nodded and followed Cao Ji to the imperial city.
The two of them went to the imperial city to meet him, but Li Chongfu was still practicing Taoism. For a while, Cao Ji and Zhang Gong were unable to meet him and could only wait.
This made Cao Ji even more angry and about to explode.
The situation was critical and it was a matter of life and death. It was disappointing that the emperor was still addicted to Taoism.
Cao Ji looked at Zhao Yuan, the general manager in charge of reporting the news, and said solemnly: "General Manager Zhao, you know the news about the Red Armor Cavalry. The current situation must be reported immediately. I implore General Manager Zhao to inform His Majesty immediately. We can't afford to delay. Now, we can’t waste any more time.”
Zhao Yuan shook his head and said: "If you want to see His Majesty, you must follow the rules. If you offend His Majesty, nothing will be done. Just wait a little longer."
"What a fucking trouble."
Cao Ji couldn't help but swear. He was very angry, clenched his hands into fists, waved them in the air, and said angrily: "General Manager Zhao, the army of Da Qin has broken through Yangcheng and is heading towards Anyi. In four or five days, The Qin army is about to approach the city. If the Qin army advances at full speed, it will not take four or five days before they reach Anyi. The situation is very critical."
Zhao Yuan looked calm and said dullly: "Cao Shangshu, I am doing this for your own good. His Majesty is meditating and practicing Taoism. If your Majesty becomes angry, the lightest punishment is that you will be demoted. It is also possible for you to be killed by your Majesty. You, You should know your Majesty’s nature.”
Cao Ji felt even more helpless after hearing this.
He clenched his fists and stamped his feet fiercely. He said no more and could only wait quietly. After almost two quarters of an hour, a chamberlain finally came to Zhao Yuan's side and said that Li Chongfu's cultivation was over, and Zhao Yuan went to inform him.
Li Chongfu's face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were even some age spots on his face. He was wearing very thin silk. When he heard that Cao Ji and Zhang Gong were coming to see him, he ordered someone to summon them. After a while, Cao Ji and Zhang Gong entered.
When the two of them saw the emperor's appearance, they felt sad in their hearts.
Emperor, this is ridiculous.
However, the two of them dared not speak out in anger. When the emperor practices Taoism, no one dares to say anything, otherwise he will be punished directly.
Li Chongfu said: "You two came together, what's the matter?"
Cao Ji quickly told the news reported by Zhao Tong. As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chongfu's eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face.
Tie Yifan killed Qi Feixiong.
How can this be?
Tie Yifan is worshiped by the Xia Kingdom's royal family, especially Tie Yifan's ability to become a great master and to be able to go smoothly cannot do without the support of the royal family. Without the royal family, Tie Yifan would have been reduced to an ordinary person in his early years. How would he have a chance to fly to the sky?
In particular, the front line was directly defeated, and Yangcheng was actually lost.
The Qin army rushed directly to Anyi.
Li Chongfu had taken the elixir before, so his energy and blood were already a little restless. Now that I have heard the bad news, I feel sad and even more angry.
waste!
What a bunch of rubbish!
Li Chongfu was so angry that his throat felt sweet and a mouthful of blood welled up.
puff!
Li Chongfu spat out a mouthful of blood.
As soon as he rolled his eyes, he fainted.
Zhao Yuan quickly stepped forward and helped Li Chongfu to prevent him from falling to the ground. Zhao Yuan stretched out his hand to pinch Ren Zhong. After a while of tossing, Li Chongfu recovered. His eyes were a little wandering, his breathing was a little rapid, and he said: "Damn it, damn Tie Yifan. This Qi Feixiong is even more useless."
Cao Ji stood silently below.
He even felt that the emperor's methods were just adding to the chaos. It was all good. What did you send the royal ministers to do? It only made the situation worse. If it was just a defeat, Qi Feixiong could retreat to Yangcheng and continue to resist.
But Qi Feixiong is dead, and no one can control the situation.
Cao Ji didn't dare to say either.
Who dares to blame the emperor for his fault?
Li Chongfu was weak and weak, so he asked, "Cao Ji, what should I do now?"
Cao Ji said: "Now that things have come to an end, we can only issue an edict to King Qin and summon all troops to gather in Anyi. As long as Qin's attack is blocked, Xia will still have a chance. Qin's national strength is not strong and its logistics is weak. It will not last long. , cannot last forever. We will go all out and we will be able to defend Anyi."
Li Chongfu's voice was a little unstable when he spoke, and he said slowly: "In that case, go ahead and make arrangements as soon as possible."
"Here!"
Cao Ji bowed and accepted.
Li Chongfu waved his hand, and Cao Ji and Zhang Gong walked out of the hall hand in hand.
The two of them stood outside the main hall. Cao Ji glanced at the gloomy sky and suddenly sighed: "Zhang Shangshu, do you think we can stop Qin's attack? The imperial court has no backbone, and my prestige and ability are not enough. It is difficult for us to do so." Let’s do our best to help defend.”
Zhang Gong looked at Cao Ji and felt a little disappointed knowing that Cao Ji saw the emperor's appearance.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be so decadent.
Zhang Gong comforted him and said: "Cao Shangshu, we have to do our best and leave the rest to God. We can do our best and obey the destiny."
Cao Ji said: "This is the only way."
He shook his head and quickly arranged the next thing. In fact, Zhang Gong was also busy. He had to arrange defense and arrange various arrangements for dispatching soldiers. Zhang Gong was also under great pressure. Especially in Anyi City today, the public opinion is in an uproar and countless people are panic-stricken.
Under this premise, it is even more difficult to deal with Cao Ji and Zhang Gong. In a short period of time, the Xia court's edict from King Qin was promulgated, and Li Chongfu called on soldiers and horses from all over the world to come to Anyi to come to King Qin to prepare to resist the Qin army.
Some soldiers and horses in the Xia Kingdom moved upon hearing the wind.
Some people began to gather in Anyi.
However, the territory of Xia Kingdom was even more chaotic. Originally, due to Xu Changjie and Qi Feixiong's rectification, many local bandits were suppressed. Although there are still many bandits today, the largest ones have been suppressed and the situation is somewhat under control.
As the Qin army came and Qi Feixiong mobilized his troops to leave, the local chaos reignited.
Countless thieves and bandits caused further chaos.
Now Li Chong's Mansion has issued an edict to the King of Qin, and the situation is even more like this in the local area, with thieves and bandits aplenty.
Such a Xia Kingdom is already in a state of chaos and chaos.
