Zhou Xu recalled how many of the He clan members in the hall had slightly changed their faces and showed fear after seeing him coming. There seemed to be quite a few of them.
"Ahem." Old Jingzhou showed a weird smile: "They must be blaming me for bringing a wolf into the house."
He Jinzhao's eyes turned red when he saw his old father like this. He held his father's hand tightly. Not long ago, someone from a branch of the family instigated the general to kill his father in order to gain power. Although that person was executed in the end, Because it was a family scandal, the matter was hidden, but since my father was assassinated, his health has been getting worse day by day.
"Now." Old Jingzhou swallowed the tea, his voice was light, and he looked at his youngest son: "Pass my order to those He clan members attending the banquet tonight, who have any changes in their minds and collude with the Ya soldiers..."
"Kill without mercy..." Old Jingzhou's voice became softer: "Those tooth soldiers who participated in the rebellion, their family members in their hometown in Jingzhou..."
"All..." Old Jingzhou held his youngest son's hand tightly: "Kill them all."
He Jinchao trembled all over after hearing this order.
"Tomorrow by the Han River." Old Jingzhou looked at Zhou Xu and showed a weak smile: "Zhou Youzhou and I are sworn brothers and will advertise to the world."
Zhou Xu bowed and said, "I am lucky to be a brother of the opposite sex with Brother He."
Old Jingzhou could finally close his eyes and rest for a while this time. He pushed his younger son: "Go and meet your second uncle."
He Jinchao saluted Zhou Youzhou: "Second uncle."
Zhou Xu personally helped him up: "My dear nephew, please get up."
Wait for He Jinchao to exit.
"Jingzhou can't be defended now." Old Jingzhou opened his cloudy eyes: "From now on, I'll ask Zhou Youzhou to take care of him."
"Just keep him alive."
Zhou Xu looked at him and smelled the smell of approaching death: "I will do it."
"Thank you, thank you." Old Jingzhou said weakly.
"Brother He, aren't you afraid that I will go back on my word?" Zhou Xu looked at the seriously ill old Jingzhou. From what he had just done, he knew that old Jingzhou was actually extremely ruthless and cunning. Such a person would actually believe what he said.
Old Jingzhou smiled again this time.
He was looking at Zhou Youzhou, and he seemed to be looking at the previous Zhou Youzhou through the current Zhou Youzhou.
He coughed and recalled a young man from the North who he met in Chang'an when he was delivering protons to Chang'an.
That winter of heavy snowfall, the young people from the North who had just arrived in Chang'an stood in the snow all night. When people from the Ministry of War arrived, they discovered that the young man had almost turned into a snowman.
At that time, he was standing together with the princes from the Ministry of War. The young man at the foot of the steps brushed off the heavy snow on his body and walked up to the people from the Ministry of Household. He was driven away before he could get close. The ordinary-looking young man had to stand on the steps. Introduce yourself.
"My name is Zhou Xu, General Longwei of Youzhou."
None of the princes present paid attention to him. He was a soldier from the north, whose name he had never heard of. He was probably some general. In their eyes, even looking at him was a waste of time. The princes walked into the yamen. , Lao Jingzhou heard the young man’s loud questioning.
"I came here to ask for soldiers and horses for Youzhou. The day before yesterday I went to the Ministry of Household Affairs, but no one saw me. Yesterday I went to the Ministry of Works and was kicked out. Don't you think the gentlemen in the Ministry of War want to see me either? ?"
Who would care about a general who is a miscellaneous general?
His voice was blocked outside the door.
The snow kept falling, and the young man from the North soon turned into a snowman again. At that time, Old Jingzhou thought it was funny: "You are empty-handed and have nothing. Even the beggar on the roadside will not look at you. Why do you do that?" Do you think those people from the Ministry of War will meet you? Since you are from Youzhou?"
The young man is really young and doesn't understand the customs of Chang'an at all.
"Then what do they want?" There was a thin layer of snow on the young man's eyebrows. He patted the snow on his waist knife. He didn't have anything valuable on him.
"If nothing else, you must have gold and silver and other common things." Old Jingzhou said.
The young man seemed to smile, and the fine snow on his eyebrows shook off one after another. When he smiled, an invisible violent breath of blood hit his face, and there was the coldness of heavy snow between his teeth: "I won't give it away. No matter how much you give, I can't fill it." If you don’t want to fill those adults’ bellies, I might as well give those gold and silver to my colleagues in the North to have a good New Year.”
"Then you're still coming?" Old Jingzhou said.
The young man's smile was like that of a beast: "I'm still young, so I always have to cut off some unrealistic thoughts. This is the first and last time that I will be blocked by the Ministry of War."
"One day, I want these doors to open for me."
At that time, Old Jingzhou only thought that this young man from the north was joking, and he did laugh, laughing at the young man's arrogance and lack of appreciation.
"Are you so confident in yourself?" Old Jingzhou said.
"Of course, General Long Wei is not only invincible, but he also talks about what he says." The young man got on his horse and was extremely conceited. It was obviously a boast, but this young man said it as if it was natural.
The candle flickered.
Old Jingzhou came back to his senses and continued to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief: "General Long Wei, you keep your word, don't you?"
Zhou Xu was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes."
General Longwei is invincible in every battle, and he keeps his promise.
Chapter 312
In less than half a month, the news that the rebel Zhou Youzhou had formed a sworn alliance with Jing Xiang had spread all over the country. As long as there was water flowing, the news spread. Jiangnan had completely learned about Jingnan's rebellion. This unexpected betrayal made the court It was as if I had been hit by a sap and was stunned on the spot.
Even if he wanted to save Jing Xiang, it was too late.
Because the rebels Zhou Youzhou and He Jingzhou formed a bloody alliance on the banks of the Han River and formed a sworn alliance, and on the afternoon of the day they became sworn brothers, old Jingzhou passed away suddenly, and the newly appointed Jingzhou Jiedushi was He Jinchao, the youngest son of the He family. Unexpectedly, completely ignoring the Jingzhou hostage in Chang'an, the youngest son, who was not yet twenty years old, took the position of Dazhou Jiedushi at a young age under the witness of Zhou Youzhou, and formally formed an alliance with him.
It is said that on the eve of the death of old Jingzhou, a tragic massacre occurred in Jingzhou. On that night, the population of the He family was reduced by dozens for no reason. Many other aristocratic families in Jingzhou who were implicated were wiped out, and those who belonged to Jingzhou Jiedu At least five thousand of the envoy's tooth soldiers and their families were slaughtered.
These deaths gave everyone in Jingxiang a shock and fear. They came so quickly, as if they had already known the targets and were just waiting for a suitable opportunity to catch them all.
No one dared to raise any objections anymore. The newly appointed Jingzhou Jiedushi and the rebels quickly took control of Xiangyang. Then the nine counties of Jingzhou were assigned. Even Yizhou on the side did not dare to raise any objections. It was quiet as if nothing happened next door. anything.
There was no acceptance from the imperial court, no line of succession for the legitimate children, and no absolute support from Jingnan Yabing.
If the He family's soldiers could completely support the He family, then the old Jingzhou would not have left Jiangling to take up residence in Xiangyang, and He would not have to quietly go down the river to Jinling now.
The arrogant Jingnan tooth soldiers have been wooed by some members of the He family, and they have been rewarded and developed their appetites. However, before they can bite their masters, some of the tooth soldiers are taken away, along with their families.
The cruel thunderous tactics made the remaining Jingnan Ya soldiers indignant, but when the news of the sworn friendship between Lao Jingzhou and Zhou Youzhou came, they quickly calmed down as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on them on a hot day, and waited until Zhou Youzhou recommended He Xiaolang. When the king came to power, all the Jingnan Ya soldiers who were usually arrogant and arrogant actually bowed their heads docilely and respectfully to the young military commander.
Even though some people secretly speculated that the newly appointed Jingnan Jiedu Envoy was sitting under the same bloodline, members of aristocratic families who were on the wrong team, and the lives of many soldiers, no one could deny that he was now the Jingzhou Jiedushi Envoy.
The huge shadow of Zhou Youzhou enveloped the entire Jingxiang, and incidentally radiated to Jiangzhou, Yizhou and other places.
It is reported that the new He Jingzhou is extremely respectful to the rebel Zhou Youzhou, and the two of them often refer to each other as uncle and nephew.
When this news reached Luoyang and Chang'an, Chang'an was extremely frightened. Then he severely reprimanded the rebels for their actions. Seeing that the dead pigs in Jianghuai were not afraid of boiling water and did not make any reaction to the court, they immediately took the original Jingzhou hostage He was granted the title of Jingzhou Jiedu Envoy to prove that he was the real one, and those supported by the rebels were just his puppets, and they were fake!
Now the court has become a quarrel over who will lead the troops to attack the rebellious minister He Jinzhao.
Luoyang.
When Qi Nanhua got the news, his hands and feet were trembling with excitement. He wanted to invite friends and sing a song. In fact, he could only drink tea silently in Dutingyi with the windows wide open. He observed Luoyang these days Officials from the surrounding Zhengzhou, Ruzhou, Suiyang, Yingchuan and other important places went to Luoyang one after another.
Once Jing Xiang was controlled by the rebels, a knife was really inserted into the middle of Zhongyuan's waist.
Qi Nanhua took a sip of cold tea to calm down. In order to prevent Wei Guogong from noticing the clues, he had not been close to the Tang family in Luoyang for a long time. Not long ago, Duan Dang from the imperial court came to Qingjun's side and took him The new royalist party promoted and formed last year has almost killed them. Now, he doesn't know how far the Duan Party members have been traced. If they are traced to him...
This time there is really no place to die.
Jingxiang's rebellion not only made the people of Chang'an furious, but also made the princes of Luoyang anxious. They all asked to see the Duke of Wei who stayed in the east capital to discuss countermeasures.
Inside Luoyang Palace.
In May, all the peonies in Xiyuan are in bloom. The entire Xiyuan is wandering in the sea of peonies, and the Luhua Palace is looming among the flowers.
The windows are wide open, the cicadas are chirping noisily, and the summer heat is steaming the earth.
Dongxue knelt behind the princess and combed her hair. The gold hairpin picked up the clouds and tied the hair into a simple hairstyle. The makeup package was full of jewelry, but the princess only asked her to use the gold hairpin with sharp ends. Dongxue listened. Know what the princess is thinking.
"Madam." Dongxue inserted another golden hairpin into the princess's temples.
Seeing that Dong Xue spoke in a low voice, Xiao Luolan first looked around and saw all the maids outside the door, then she whispered: "What's wrong?" Dong Xue's body is much better now, even when she walks and raises her hands, there is still some Unfortunately, she originally wanted to tie her hair up herself, but Dongxue insisted on combing her hair.
Unable to defeat her, Xiao Luolan pulled Dongxue to sit next to her as soon as she finished, and picked up a round fan to fan herself and Dongxue.
Dongxue said seriously: "The old housekeeper hasn't been here for seven or eight days. The ice basin in the house has been gone for two or three days. There are also fewer maids in Luhua Palace than usual."
Xiao Luolan looked around: "Do you think something is happening outside?"
"It's possible." Dongxue said: "Maybe it's very busy outside and the old housekeeper can't take care of it for the time being, so he forgot about the ice basin in Luhua Palace to cool down and other things."
Xiao Luolan thought about it and felt that it was very possible. Since Wei Guogong left in a hurry more than half a month ago, she had never seen him again. Something must have happened outside that he had no time to care about.
Dongxue kept looking out the window.
Xiao Luolan quickly held down her hand: "There are always patrols outside Xiyuan, and there must be crossbowmen in the palace. Don't do anything stupid."
Seeing that the princess was very nervous, Dongxue's originally anxious heart calmed down. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, princess, I won't be impulsive."
"I just want to talk to the maids over there and ask them to bring some ice." Dongxue looked at the side of the princess's sweaty and hot red face, thinking that the princess had never suffered like this in Langge. Living in Luoyang, I suffered all kinds of sins.
"Forget it, don't go." Xiao Luolan wiped the sweat from his forehead: "We will go to enjoy the cool under the banana leaves later. There may be wind there."
It is now noon, and the house is like a steamer, without a breath of wind, and it is indeed uninhabitable.
Xiao Luolan rolled up a bamboo mat, a round fan, and a cloth mat, and took Dongxue to a banana leaf to the west of Luhua Palace, where the shade was thick. She spread the bamboo mat on the grass, put down the cloth mat, and Xiao Luolan Luo Lan asked the maid to bring some tea sets and cakes.
The weather is too hot and she has no appetite recently.
Dongxue had injuries on her shoulders and calves, so she asked her to sit down on the bamboo mat.
The gentle breeze blew, and Xiao Luolan finally felt cooler.
Dongxue poured tea for the princess and offered mung bean cake: "The weather is so hot and there is no ice basin or waterwheel here to cool off. My wife is suffering."
"Let's eat together." Xiao Luolan fed Dongxue a piece of mung bean cake and said with a smile: "Actually, it's not too hot. Just wait until the evening."
Since the winter snow came, Xiao Luolan's mood became less depressed.
By the evening, the weather had indeed cooled down a bit. Xiao Luolan checked Dongxue's injuries again and saw that they were recovering well, which made her feel a little happier.
But before it was night, the old housekeeper came and invited her to Lotus Pier. Xiao Luolan was not too surprised. Something must have happened outside, which made Wei Yanshan think of her again. If she could get it from Wei Yanshan's mouth, It would be nice to get some information, but that person is very cunning and cannot believe everything he says...
Dongxue stood up: "I will go with the princess."
The old housekeeper emphasized: "The Duke only invited the princess."
Dong Xue's face was cold, and Xiao Luolan comforted her: "I'll be back as soon as I go." The golden hairpin on her temples shone in the dusk. Dong Xue was still a little worried. After the princess left, she looked at herself angrily and couldn't help herself. Moving calves.
When Xiao Luolan saw Linyi Pavilion in Lotus Pier, she couldn't help but think of the Yu family and Yu Dalang.
Now Lotus Pier is completely different from the previous two months. In the ten thousand acres of lotus pond, there are lotus leaves all over the sky. It is not the season of blooming lotus yet. There are only a few lotus flowers in bud, swaying in the wind, all kinds of dark green and a little reddish.
The water corridor was ventilated everywhere. Wei Yanshan was sitting on the bow of the small boat with a black awning. Looking at Princess Youzhou standing in the pavilion, he said: "Mrs. Xiao, please get on the boat and talk."
