Different from the tense and tense atmosphere in King Yan's palace, the Shenwu Army camp stationed in the south of Xiapi City is still slack and lazy.
At this time, Chen Jue was playing chess with Feng Yanlu enthusiastically in the commander's tent. A dozen soldiers played the role of spectators, holding wine bottles and sometimes complimenting and sometimes laughing. Such a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere made people feel... It doesn't feel like you're in a frontline military camp, it feels like you're already in a wine shop on the banks of the Qinhuai River.
But this doesn't seem to be like Chen Jue's past style.
It was well known to everyone in the civil and military circles of the dynasty that this Privy Councilor, who often spoke boldly in front of the emperor, had a reputation for being warlike and greedy for merit, even though his military ability was at a loss.
Although the battle of Xuzhou was a disastrous defeat, fortunately the reinforcements arrived in time. After the army was gathered together, there were still no less than 50,000 troops. The food, grass and baggage were still sufficient, and the situation was far from uncontrollable. In addition, he had vowed to the emperor more than once to regain the Central Plains. According to Chen Jue's past practices, how could he give up after being slapped in the face this time?
You must know that this is a master who can even do the treacherous act of marching against the imperial edict. He will definitely marshal his army and fight again regardless of it, in order to avenge his crime and meritorious service.
But this time, after the army retreated to Xiapi City, Chen Jue's thoughts completely changed.
Although they had a slight disagreement with the supervisor Feng Yanlu, the two of them were surprisingly consistent in their approach to this matter - avoiding war and asking for peace. Because in addition to the Zhou army who was watching covetously outside the city, they were even more worried about Yan King Li Hongji who came to the front line this time.
Although the eldest son of the emperor, who is eighteen or nineteen years old, has always been shrewd and sophisticated, he has always been shrewd and sophisticated. Over the years, the emperor has not only become more and more favored by the emperor, but also won the support of Sun Cheng and Han Xizai's faction, and has gradually become more and more powerful. The momentum of the emperor's younger brother Li Jingsui. If people like this come to power in the future, how can Chen Jue and others reap the benefits?
This was King Yan's first time to lead an army on an expedition, and with the sudden rise of King Zheng in the capital, he must have come with the determination to make achievements on the battlefield. Of course, Chen Jue would not let him get what he wanted. As for his situation after returning to the court, he was not at all panicked. In addition to the fact that Emperor Li Jing had always been soft-hearted towards him, this time there was also a result from the Western Expedition, which was enough to balance the merits and demerits.
So from the moment he met Li Hongji, Chen Jue had already thought of various countermeasures in his mind. In addition to trying every means to hinder his achievements, he even made a draft in his mind to sue the King of Yan for not being able to rescue him in time.
Sure enough, from the day the armies gathered together, Li Hongji reached out to Chen Jue to ask for the military power of the Northern Expedition army.
Naturally, Chen Jue declined politely on the grounds that his army was exhausted and could not bear to fight any more. Li Hongji also acted like the King of Yan and ordered not to make peace with the Zhou army. The two sides were at a stalemate, so they tacitly agreed to submit memorials to the imperial court far away in the south of the Yangtze River, and simply spent their time in Xiapi City. Later, Chen Jue also turned a blind eye to Li Hongji's summons on the grounds of illness and recuperation.
However, life in Xiapi City was difficult after all, and the imperial decree was delayed. Feng Yanlu, who had long missed the prosperity of Jinling, could not hold back. He repeatedly asked Chen Jue to simply make peace with Zhou Jun in the name of the Northern Expedition Army Commander. .
As for the military orders of King Yan, they should not be ignored at all. With the emperor's orders and most of the troops in hand, no matter how arrogant King Yan was, would he still dare to take risks and use force to seize power?
Then Feng Yanlu started to curse without restraint...
Whenever he heard such remarks, Chen Jue just smiled knowingly, but did not accept it. He would not follow Feng Yanlu in making disrespectful remarks and would often remain silent.
It is true that Li Hongji's fundamental purpose is to fight for the throne. Raising troops to seize power is an act that offends the power of Heaven. Moreover, Chen Jue does not believe that this prince has the courage to kill decisively. Otherwise, he would have taken advantage of the chaos that day when the army was defeated and retreated. Yes, how could it be delayed for so many days?
Having said that, as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, Chen Jue had the power to make emergency decisions granted by the emperor. He could indeed bypass Li Hongji and directly send envoys to make peace with the Zhou army. This did not violate the laws of the imperial court.
If Feng Yanlu was the coach, he might have done this long ago, but Chen Jue would never do this.
Because Chen Jue knew in his heart that although he was in the same party, he couldn't compare with the Feng brothers.
The two brothers had become officials of the East Palace since the first day Li Jing became the crown prince. After Li Jing ascended the throne, he was deeply favored and his power was unimaginable. Feng Yanji was even more rampant in his behavior, because even if he committed For big mistakes, Li Jing can often be coaxed to change his mind with just a few poems and songs.
But Chen Jue couldn't do this. Not to mention his grassroots background, he was tricked by his mentor Song Qiqiu in his early years. Others went to Li Jing's East Palace to serve as an official, but he had the misfortune to follow the second prince Li Jingqian. Following Song Qiqiu's advice, he helped Li Jingqian fight for the throne.
Thanks to Li Jingqian's untimely death and Chen Jue's timely turn of events, it would have been doubtful whether he would have survived until now.
Therefore, the right minister, who was also a powerful minister, dared to slap Qi King Li Jingda on the back and speak nonsense. Even Feng Yanlu dared to protect Qi, but Chen Jue absolutely did not dare.
The beginning was a disaster, but he was still able to make a comeback, and finally climbed to the official position of Privy Councilor. Chen Jue's experience can be compared to an inspirational story. Nowadays, he is in power, and he is becoming more and more unscrupulous and arrogant in his struggle for power. But after all, he has been in the officialdom for many years. He also knows very well that no matter how great the power is, it ultimately comes from the emperor. This is the foundation of his life. .
Therefore, he still has a minimum of respect for people in the royal family. Even though the emperor's younger brother is now openly fighting against King Yan, he still chooses to avoid direct conflicts as much as possible.
Just like now, in the name of waiting for the emperor's order, Li Hongji is justifiably delaying time in the city. Isn't it okay that Li Hongji is so anxious in the city that he can't think about food and food and can't sleep, while Chen Jue leisurely plays chess and drinks? Chen Jueke is the best at this kind of secret game.
Holding the sunspot in his hand, Chen Jue was about to focus his gaze when he heard a sudden commotion outside the tent.
When he was disappointed, he said to the soldiers with great dissatisfaction: "Go outside and see who dares to make noise in the military camp, and who dares to disturb the original peace and quiet again, all of them will be dealt with according to military law!"
Seeing the soldiers leaving the commander's tent, Feng Yanlu seemed to have lost interest and sighed inexplicably: "Alas! The imperial decree has not come for a long time. I don't know how long I will stay here in Picheng..."
Hearing this, Chen Jue just smiled calmly, and then drank by himself.
Feng Yanlu continued: "The King of Yan has sent light cavalry out of the city to harass the Zhou army from time to time. If he is allowed to continue like this, how can the Zhou army negotiate peace with our army? I'm afraid it will be difficult! Minister Chen, why are you not in a hurry?"
Chen Jue responded dully: "What's the use of being anxious? Can't you still stop His Highness?"
Putting down the wine cup with a "bang", Feng Yanlu didn't even have time to wipe the wine stains around his mouth before he shouted: "I'm just a supervisor, so of course I can't stop you! But why are you turning a blind eye? You are the commander of the Northern Expedition under His Majesty's personal orders. When the opportunity arises, With arbitrary power in hand, there is no need to pay attention to that little baby..."
This "little baby" burping with wine shocked Chen Jue to the point where he almost couldn't sit still. He immediately interrupted in a deep voice: "The Prime Minister has already issued a military order. The Northern Expeditionary Army is resting in place to wait for the emperor's order. They are not allowed to leave the city without permission. Otherwise, it will be violated." The order is beheaded! Going out of the city to attack the Zhou army is an order from King Yan, and those are the soldiers and horses under King Yan. What does it have to do with me, Chen Jue?!"
Feng Yanlu snatched the jug from the soldier's hand, drank a gulp, and said disapprovingly: "I know what you mean! But for the Zhou army outside the city, how can your soldiers and horses like King Yan's soldiers and horses be there? They are my soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty! Don’t forget, Zhou Ben of Xuzhou City loudly insulted the Zhou Emperor Guo Wei, but it was your order from Ambassador Chen, and if a war finally broke out, could the Zhou army let you go?
whispering sound! How could you, a stupid, ignorant, hesitant coward, become a Privy Councilor? I am such a handsome soldier. I regret that I should not have gone out with you, but I have ended up in this hellish place, unable to advance or retreat..."
This man's face was flushed, as if he was already drunk, and his words became more and more casual and rampant. Seeing Chen Jue's face gradually darkening, the surrounding soldiers couldn't help but swallow their saliva, but they did not dare to step forward to stop him.
After all, Feng Yanlu, the vice-president of Dongdu who stayed behind, was notoriously arrogant. Even his own brother couldn't persuade him. How could anyone else do so?
Chen Jue took out a deep breath, suppressed his anger and said with a smile: "Feng Liushou probably drank too much! The two armies are fighting each other for their own masters. The truth is that he is the privy envoy of the Tang Dynasty. He was ordered to lead the king's army to insult Guo Wei. What's the problem? Besides, Zhou Tong's army has already died for the country, and most of our army has been destroyed! Now King Yan only has 20,000 available troops, so don't worry about small fights. In short, this big battle will definitely not be fought!"
"You said you can't fight, so you can't fight? Our army now occupies the city of Zhou..."
Chen Jue patiently explained: "This is not the time to fight. Now Guo Wei is personally conquering Yanzhou. Murong Yanchao is a ruthless character. He has been holding on for several months. The main force of the Zhou army has no time to go south. What can the partial troops outside the city do to me?" ? We just need to be patient for a few more days and wait for the court's decree. The truth is that the prime minister has already asked His Majesty to withdraw the troops and return to the south——"
Feng Yanlu interrupted directly: "The King of Yan also submitted a memorial requesting to continue the Northern Expedition. What if His Majesty agrees? What if Chen Jue, your commander-in-chief, is removed and replaced by the King of Yan? What will you do if this delay continues? If you don't keep it all, something will happen, you, ugh——"
Suddenly, Feng Yanlu's mouth began to twitch uncontrollably, and then he put his hands on his lower abdomen and vomited violently. When he was done, he lay down on the eucalyptus with confused eyes, and soon fell asleep.
Seeing that the ground was covered with Feng Yanlu's dirty and despicable remains, Chen Jue felt his stomach churning. After calling "Feng Liushou" several times but receiving no response, his expression suddenly changed. He endured his nausea and summoned his own soldiers and said: "The supervisor is drunk, hurry up and get out..."
Not long after, Chen Jue, who was in a messy mood, had just stood up and moved when he heard his soldiers rushing to report: "Messenger! Zhou Tongjun, who controls the crane army, suddenly broke into the camp with three thousand soldiers and horses. At this time, he was moving away food and grass. .....”
