In the blink of an eye, the leaves turned yellow and the sound of cicadas became much quieter.
The Qin army made all preparations for the expedition. Cheng Jiao and Fan Yuqi led the army to advance towards Zhao. Lao Ai had already bribed some people in the army to inform him.
Zhao had expected Qin's retaliation since the surprise attack on Meng Ao's army, so Zhao had long been prepared to fight against Qin's army. Li Mu strengthened the fortifications in Tunliu and stationed heavy troops, intending to resist the Qin army here.
After the Qin army arrived at Tunliu, they began to attack fiercely. However, the Zhao army's barriers were strong and Li Mu was very good at fighting offensive and defensive battles. The Qin army did not gain any advantage over the next few days.
Fan Yuqi believed that the Zhao army was just holding on and did not dare to fight for the time being, so he ordered the Qin army to suspend the attack and start a confrontation with the Zhao army. At the same time, he continued to send small groups of Qin troops to harass the Zhao army. This prevented the Zhao army from resting and reorganizing, and waited until the Zhao army was exhausted before attacking.
A few days later, Li Mu saw through the Qin army's plan and ordered that once a small force of the Qin army was discovered, he would immediately send troops several times the size of the Qin army to annihilate the enemy. Once the Qin army came to rescue, he would quickly retreat to the barrier. Several times, the small harassment troops sent by Zhao Jun did not dare to approach Zhao Jun's camp. Fan Yuqi had no choice but to withdraw all the harassing troops.
The two armies entered a long-term confrontation. Two months had passed and the weather began to turn cold. The Qin army not only made no progress, but also suffered heavy losses. Fan Yuqi was worried and said to Cheng Jiao: "Now that our army cannot fight for a long time and winter is coming again, you must make a decision early!"
Cheng Jiao was also quite troubled by the situation at hand, and planned to withdraw his troops. He said: "Now the cold winter is coming, and the soldiers are still wearing summer clothes. It will be useless to stay for a long time. I plan to withdraw first and rest, and then make plans next spring."
"That's all we can do now. I hope the young master will make a decision as soon as possible. I'm afraid that staying here for a long time will be detrimental to our army!"
So Cheng Jiao sent a messenger to quickly send the letter back to Xianyang, hoping to be allowed to withdraw. Cheng Jiao's letter fell into the hands of the Queen Mother Zhao. After discussing with Lao Ai, she replied with a stern letter in the name of King Qin. The letter reprimanded Cheng Jiao and Fan Yuqi for their unfavorable advance and ordered them to capture the enemy before winter came. Stay in the camp and make up for your mistakes.
A few days later, the messenger arrived. After seeing it, Fan Yuqi became furious and said: "To attack now is to let the soldiers die. This is forcing us to rebel!"
After hearing this, Cheng Jiao quickly stopped him: "General, don't talk nonsense. There is no reason for our Qin army to rebel! Your Majesty is just eager to win. We have to find a way to defeat the enemy!" At this time, Cheng Jiao did not realize the seriousness of the problem. sex.
Fan Yuqi also realized that he had made a mistake and apologized quickly. All this was heard by the guard next to him, and he secretly passed the news to Lao Ai. Lao Ai knew that Fan Yuqi was now in a desperate situation, and he could force Fan Yuqi to rebel with just a little more fire. So while secretly telling Lingqi not to supply winter clothing to the front line and to withhold food and grass as much as possible, he continued to report to the court that Cheng Jiao had the ambition to rebel.
There were many veterans in the court who spoke for Cheng Jiao, thinking that Lao Ai was jealous of Cheng Jiao's military exploits, so they did not take it seriously and the rumors were not trustworthy. However, Lao Ai refused to give up and insisted that the Qin army be prepared for Fan Yuqi's troops to rebel.
Regarding Lao Ai's repeated warnings about Cheng Jiao's rebellion, Lu Buwei felt that things might not be that simple. At this time, Lu Buwei began to worry that if a rebellion really broke out, Lao Ai would undoubtedly become the biggest contributor.
In order to prevent accidents, Lu Buwei secretly ordered the Qin army to be prepared so that if Fan Yuqi's troops rebelled, they could quickly send troops to quell the rebellion.
Fan Yuqi and Cheng Jiao supported for another month, and the Zhao army began to take the initiative to harass. However, the Qin army's winter supplies had not yet arrived, and food was insufficient. Fan Yuqi reluctantly used the terrain to temporarily stabilize the position.
Fan Yuqi said to Cheng Jiao: "Sir, we have no choice now. If we continue like this, Zhao Jun will definitely break through our defense line in less than ten days, and we must withdraw now."
Cheng Jiao said: "If you return to the court like this, you will definitely be punished. You and I will not be able to escape the criticism of the officials with swords and pens. I am the son of the late king, how can I endure such an insult!" Seeing that the Qin army could no longer persist, Cheng Jiao was already very angry. Pessimistic, he has been pampered since he was a child, how can he bear the humiliation of prison! At this moment he thought of death.
Fan Yuqi said indignantly: "Now it is clear that someone in the court wants to frame us. If we go back like this, we will definitely be blamed! We all the senior officials of the Qin Dynasty clan think that the young master is the real king of Qin, but God does not help, the court is a villain Manipulation, today I want to advance and retreat together with the young master! Fight back to Xianyang and regain the throne!"
Cheng Jiao still didn't want to rebel, and said: "We are all Qin people, how can we target Qin!"
Fan Yuqi asked anxiously: "Is this what we want? Master, haven't you seen that all this was arranged by Lu Buwei and others? This expedition is a trap! The purpose is just to get rid of us!" "
Cheng Jiao actually thought so in his heart, but he never wanted to admit it. At this point, he had no other choice. He sighed and said, "I completely rely on the general! Even if I die as a dragon, I will die with dignity!"
Therefore, Fan Yuqi sent people to make peace with Zhao Jun. Li Mu also knew that Zhao Jun was in a situation where it could no longer withstand heavy losses and could only barely protect itself and was unable to expand, so he agreed to Qin Jun's request and wanted to sit down. Watching tigers fight from the mountains, waiting for the opportunity to attack.
The next day, Fan Yuqi announced to the entire army that King Qin Yingzheng was not the biological son of King Zhuang Xiang, and that Cheng Jiao was the legitimate King of Qin. He called on the Qin army to return to attack Xianyang and rectify Cheng Jiao's throne! Most of the Qin army was led by Fan Yuqi, who also had a high reputation in the army. Moreover, the Qin army was short of food and grass during this expedition, and the military supply was in a mess. The army was already filled with dissatisfaction, so Fan Yuqi raised his arms and most of the army expressed support. Several generals who were unwilling to follow the rebellion were quickly eradicated, so the entire army turned its spearhead and prepared to counterattack Xianyang.
As soon as Fan issued a notice, a spy reported to Lao Ai. Lao Ai ordered the spies he had installed in the army to look for opportunities to kill Fan Yuqi and Cheng Jiao. At the same time, he reported to the King of Qin and suggested that troops be sent out quickly to quell the rebellion.
Lu Buwei was already riding a tiger and couldn't get off. He originally wanted to use this expedition to reprimand Cheng Jiao and keep him away from the court. Unexpectedly, Lao Ai interfered and provoked a mutiny. This was very rare in the history of Qin. The heavy responsibility of the rebellion naturally fell on him, but the credit had been taken away by Lao Ai. Lu Buwei was extremely angry, but at this time he had to calm down and think about how to quickly put down the rebellion.
Most of Fan Yuqi's troops were from Guanzhong. They had lived and died for the Qin State for many years, and their families were all in Guanzhong. This rebellion was entirely due to insufficient logistical supplies and Fan Yuqi's instigation. It was not true. Therefore, the counter-rebellion must be based on attacking the heart. superior. So Lu Buwei quickly ordered to recruit the family members of Fan Yuqi's Qin army officers to accompany him on the expedition. At the same time, he completely cut off the supply of food and grass to Fan Yuqi's army. After getting ready, Lu Buwei personally led the army to the expedition.
Fan Yuqi's troops were short of food and grass, and their marching speed was very slow. As soon as Wang Bi, the vanguard, left Tunliu, he encountered the Qin army led by Lu Buwei, and the two armies started a confrontation.
Lu Buwei was not in a hurry to attack, but asked the accompanying family members of Fan Jun to keep shouting in front of the formation. When the soldiers led by Fan Yuqi heard the shouts of their family members, they had no intention of fighting. People kept running away at night, and countless people surrendered to Lu Buwei. .
Fan's army began to appear in chaos. At this time, the spies planted by Lao Ai believed that the time had come, so they sneaked into Fan's army's tent at night under the leadership of Lao Ai's guest Pu He. In the chaos, Cheng Jiao was shot to death by random arrows.
When Fan Yuqi heard that Chengjiao was dead, he looked up to the sky and roared! Knowing that the situation was over, he led his cronies to flee overnight.
When Lu Buwei heard that Cheng Jiao was dead and Fan Yuqi was fleeing, he took advantage of the situation and surrounded Fan Yuqi's troops. All Fan troops surrendered.
Ever since Lu Buwei led his army to the expedition, King Qin's heart had been hanging on him. From the bottom of his heart, he did not want Cheng Jiao to die. In his opinion, Cheng Jiao was his biological brother after all. He also hoped that Cheng Jiao could become a strong pillar supporting Qin in the future, so he decided to send him to serve Zhao. At that time, he did not object, thinking that this was an opportunity to exercise. Regardless of success or failure, he did not want to add guilt and become a dragon. But he will never tolerate anyone rebelling against him, and those who dare to rebel must be severely punished!
After all, Cheng Jiao has the support of many old Qin people, and his rebellion is very likely to be supported by many people. Therefore, King Qin has been on tenterhooks these days, always paying attention to the battle reports. His only comfort at this moment was that Mi Hong was already more than nine months pregnant and was about to give birth, and he was about to be a father.
During this period of marriage, Ying Zheng felt that he had truly transformed from a child into a man! He desires to have all power in his own hands. The complicated struggles in the court often made him physically and mentally exhausted. At this time, Mi Hong became the bright color of his life. Although it was just a daily greeting, it really made Ying Zheng feel a touch of warmth. Every time he came to the Queen's Palace, he could always be temporarily relieved and get a moment of relief.
Soon, Mi Hong gave birth to a baby boy. Ying Zheng was so excited as he held the newborn baby, temporarily forgetting his worries about Cheng Jiao. Out of his deep love for Mi Hong and the child, Ying Zheng named the little prince Fusu, hoping that the child would grow up healthily like a mulberry tree!
On the third day after Fusu was born, the battle report came. Cheng Jiao was killed and Fan Yuqi fled! King Qin's hanging heart finally fell to the ground.
Both the Empress Dowager Zhao and Lao Ai knew the inside story of the rebellion, so under the instruction of the Empress Dowager Zhao, Lao Ai executed all the military officials who knew the inside story without trial. Fan Yuqi had all three tribes killed because of their escape, and they were all beheaded and hung in the cemetery. Xianyang City Gate. In addition, the people in Chengjiao's territory and the families of the military officials who participated in the rebellion were all moved to Lintao, a barren land, as punishment.
After punishing the rebels, the Queen Mother Zhao asked the King of Qin to grant Lao Ai a title in the name of Lao Ai's meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion. Lu Buwei raised objections to this: "Lao Ai was born as a eunuch and has a humble status. He should not be awarded a title."
Lao Ai said: "I heard that Xiangbang was once a businessman! He also had a humble status. How could he get a title?"
Lu Buwei was at a loss for words. King Yingzheng of Qin wanted to check and balance Lu Buwei at this time, so he said: "In my country, rewards and punishments in Qin are not measured by status. Those who have done meritorious service must be rewarded, and those who have committed crimes must be punished! If meritorious service is not rewarded, who will pay for it?" I will be loyal to the Qin Dynasty!" So Lao Ai was conferred the title of Marquis of Changxin. One hundred thousand households in Shanyang were designated as his food towns.
Lao Ai knew that Lu Buwei not only didn't want to help him, but was trying to get rid of him, she was very angry and wanted to kill Lu Buwei immediately.
After Pu He killed Cheng Jiao, he thought he had made a great contribution, but what he killed was a prince after all. Lu Buwei believed that this trend would not last long, so he did not reward him. Pu He was very angry and led people to assassinate Lu Buwei. Lu Buwei was well prepared and captured him instead. Lu Buwei was furious and had him cut in half on charges of treason.
Lu Buwei thought that Lao Ai sent someone to assassinate him, so he became even more angry with Lao Ai!
At this time, Li Si paid homage to King Qin and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that I once told your Majesty that a four-legged stool is the most stable?"
"Of course I remember!"
"Now that Empress Dowager Xia and Cheng Jiao are dead, Fan Yuqi has fled, and Han Qi is on his own. It can be said that one of his legs has been broken! And with the support of Empress Dowager Zhao, Lao Ai has risen rapidly and become a new political force. This This is something that the Queen Mother Huayang and the Prime Minister cannot tolerate! Your Majesty, you must prepare early!"
"The Queen Mother Huayang is old and has ignored the government affairs for many days. She is wise and wise in protecting herself. Now the two families of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai are the dominant ones!"
"The coexistence of two powerful forces will not last long. If nothing goes wrong, Lu Xiangguo and Lao Ai will soon cause trouble again!"
"I can see this, but after thinking about it, I think it's very strange that Cheng Jiao rebelled. If he wanted to rebel while he was sending troops to Zhao, he shouldn't have rebelled after fighting Zhao for half a year. You should return to the army as soon as you leave Xianyang, and you will be more certain of winning! I'm afraid there is something hidden at this time." King Qin Yingzheng is still worried about Cheng Jiao's rebellion!
"Wei Chen also feels strange. Judging from the outcome of the matter, Lao Ai has the greatest benefit!"
"Could it be Lao Ai and the Queen Mother Zhao who planned this matter?" King Qin's eyes lit up, as if he thought of something!
"I have no evidence, so I dare not make false claims! Please ask your Majesty to judge!"
"The widow ordered: Li Si is ordered to secretly re-investigate the case of Cheng Jiao's rebellion, and any secrets discovered must not be concealed!"
"Wei Chen accepts the order!"
Through the conversation with Li Si, Ying Zheng became more suspicious of the truth of Cheng Jiao's rebellion. He knew his younger brother well. He had grown up in the palace, and the Queen Mother Xia had the final say in everything. He himself didn't have much of an opinion. He must have been bewitched to do such a confused thing!
After Lao Ai was granted the title of Marquis of Changxin, he was very satisfied. In order to show off his reputation, he opened his doors widely to attract diners. More and more people came to him, and there were as many as a thousand diners. Many of them could compete with Lu Buwei. momentum.
The ostentation of Lao Ai is getting bigger and bigger, and the ceremony of entering and leaving exceeds the requirements of etiquette. However, the Empress Dowager Zhao was extremely fond of him, and there were no restrictions on the palaces, carriages, horses, clothes, gardens, and safari that Lao Ai could use. All matters in the fief, big or small, were decided by Lao Ai.
Soon, the Queen Mother Zhao changed Hexi and Taiyuan counties to Lao Ai's feudal state, and the rewards for Lao Ai were extremely high. Many officials from the court came to visit, and there was an endless stream of people in front of the Changxin Hou Mansion.
Compared with Lao Ai's publicity, Prime Minister Lu Buwei behaved extremely low-key. Ever since he offered a thousand gold reward for revising the "Spring and Autumn", the Lu Mansion suddenly became quiet. Although Lu Buwei still had three thousand guests, the people who came to visit him were not. not much.
Of course, Lu Buwei cannot tolerate Lao Ai's increasing arrogance. His retainers also reminded him that if Lao Ai is not removed as soon as possible, his status will inevitably be affected. Of course, Lu Buwei knows this, but he is in trouble now.
The Empress Dowager Zhao had completely turned to Lao Ai, and she was no longer secretive about Lao Ai's rewards, which made Lu Buwei regret it. The most thorny problem facing him now is that if he wants to get rid of Lao Ai, he must first get rid of Empress Dowager Zhao. But now that the Empress Dowager Xia is dead and the Empress Dowager Huayang is older, the power of the harem is actually in the hands of the Empress Dowager Zhao. The seal of the King of Qin, which has the power to mobilize troops, is also managed by the Empress Dowager Zhao. Lu Buwei is like a needle on his back. If he is not careful, He might risk his life, so he didn't dare to act rashly without being absolutely sure. Lu Buwei could only spread his informants in the Changxin Hou Mansion and the Empress Dowager Zhao's Palace, waiting for the opportunity.
Ying Zheng saw all this and knew every move of both parties. He remained silent, like a lion watching its prey.
