Jia Jing didn't speak for a while, but lowered his eyes as if thinking about something.
Zhen Yingyu and Zhen Yingjia exchanged glances, and then said thoughtfully: "Zijing, my brother and I have had some feelings in the past few months. As the amount of taxes imposed by the imperial court on our Jiangnan region this year has been clarified, there has been an increase of nearly half. Jiangnan The people are agitated, but the imperial court uses the excuse of supporting Jingxiang Town and establishing Huaiyang Town. The six departments of Nanjing are about to be controlled by the northerners, and it is difficult for us to compete... This does not mean that Guyuan Town, Ningxia, and Gansu will be abolished. A town? The military expenses saved from the abolition of the three towns will be more than enough to form a Huaiyang town, right?"
Jia Jing pursed his lips and chuckled, his eyes wandering in his slender eyes, "This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you push and squeeze, some people will understand a lot of truth."
"That's what I said, but when Huaiyang Town is established, can we control it?" Zhen Yingjia couldn't help but said: "Ziteng is holding Denglai Town now. I'm afraid the court has some regrets, and the Denglai army is over there. performance, once the imperial court wants to be replaced,..."
Jia Jing shook his head, "If Zi Teng wins the battle, it is possible, but with Zi Teng's current performance, they dare not move..."
Once Wang Ziteng is cornered and he strikes back, the situation in Southwest China will suddenly deteriorate and Huguang will be affected. If Jiangnan takes the opportunity to raise its arms and shout, it will really become an uncontrollable situation.
The current situation is that all parties are waiting, waiting and watching, and accumulating strength. The north wants to seize the time to quell the southwest rebellion. The Jingxiang Army formed by taking advantage of the opportunity can control Huguang, and the Huaiyang Town can If you can't delay, you can also arrange for people to intervene and control Huaiyang Town, at least to prevent Huaiyang Town from being controlled by Nanbianer.
In this way, as long as Huguang is stable, a group of gentry and merchants alone in Jiangnan will not cause much trouble.
Similarly, I am also waiting and saving.
It has been almost ten years since Emperor Yonglong ascended the throne. It is undeniable that orthodoxy is still very powerful and influential for ordinary people. Even in Jiangnan, there are still scholars who maintain orthodox views and respect the court's orthodoxy.
Even though Prince Yoshitaka had no great title, even though he had the support of some gentry, there were still quite a few gentry who had a favorable impression of Prince Yoshitaka, but this did not mean that Prince Yoshitaka had an overwhelming advantage in Jiangnan.
So this requires people like myself, Tang Binyin, and the Zhen brothers to go all out but quietly to win over, bribe, and win over anyone and any force that can be used and supported by their side.
This is the most difficult thing. You have to spare no effort, but you have to be silent or subtle, and you have to take pains to identify which ones are sincere support, which ones are duplicitous, which ones are just facilitators, and which ones may even be undercovers...
Even for those who sit on the fence, how to strengthen their confidence, slowly bring them in, and become our own support? Each of these needs to be carefully considered and carefully explored, and finally come up with one person, one strategy, one faction, one strategy.
Fortunately, the popularity and connections accumulated by the Supreme Emperor and Prince Yi Zhong in Jiangnan over the years were deep enough. Although Prince Yi Zhong failed to take over the throne, which disappointed the Jiangnan gentry, the various measures taken by Emperor Yonglong after taking office were still It is difficult for the Jiangnan gentry to recognize that this advantage still exists.
But Jia Jing knew very well that if things continued like this, the popularity and resources originally accumulated by Emperor Yuanxi and Prince Yizhong would eventually be slowly eroded and consumed by Emperor Yonglong, and eventually they would be swept away like water flowing into channels or water rolling into sand.
From the bottom of his heart, Jia Jing also knew very well that unless something major happened to Emperor Yonglong or his sons or made a big mistake, it would be difficult for Prince Yizhong and even the Supreme Emperor to turn things around in this situation. , but I have been greatly favored by Prince Yitada, and I have been firmly bound to Prince Yitada. I can only go on this way.
"Zijing, is it appropriate to place your hopes on the imperial court?" Zhen Yingyu couldn't help but interjected: "Ziteng's Denglai army has been in Huguang Panhuan for so long. On the surface, it seems to have quite a record, but every time it wins, So they delayed the fighter plane due to insufficient logistics supplies and delayed the southwest occupation. It could be done once or twice, but what about three or four times? The first or two times the court felt that Zi Teng wanted to preserve his strength. Military generals had this kind of virtue. It’s understandable, but what about three or four times? Sun Chengzong and Yang He are not good people, especially Sun Chengzong, who is proficient in military affairs, how can he not see Zi Teng’s thoughts? "
Zhen Yingyu's words also reflected Jia Jing's worries.
Wang Ziteng's Denglai Army is currently the most combat-effective army in Nanbian'er, and it is also the only organized army firmly controlled by Nanbian'er. However, before the banner of rebellion is openly raised, the prince can be ordered by the imperial court to Teng is the governor of Denglai and the commander-in-chief of Denglai town. It is still difficult to say whether these troops will no longer be able to command, whether they will fall into chaos, and whether they will accept the orders of the new commander-in-chief.
People's hearts are separated from each other. On the surface, they are obedient to you and obey your orders and prohibitions. They may turn against you at the next moment. No one can say for sure about such important matters related to wealth and life.
After hesitating for a while, Jia Jingcai said: "Ying Yu, I understand your worries, but our current situation can only wait a little longer. Although there are risks on Zi Teng's side, we can't act rashly now. Although I think The time is gradually maturing, but I think the next six months to a year may be the best time."
"We still have to wait half a year to a year?" Zhen Yingyu asked calmly: "What's the reason? What's the basis?"
"News came from the capital that the emperor is in poor health and has not been in court for a long time recently. Most of the court affairs are handled in the East Study. Several noble concubines in the palace and Prince Shou, Prince Fu, Prince Li and Prince Lu all started to take action. This couple It's a good thing for us, the more chaotic the better,..."
Jia Jing did not hide it from the two of them.
Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Yingyu both nodded, they also understood the situation.
"In addition, Niu Jizong is still thinking of a way. Although the emperor's purge of the Beijing camp has given him a firmer grip on the capital, it has also made many people sad. This is a good thing for Niu Jizong. Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi There are also many of our martial arts disciples in the town. It turns out that these people are still a little half-hearted, but after seeing the emperor’s treatment of these martial arts disciples in the Beijing camp, they should understand a lot..."
Zhen Yingyu thought for a moment and nodded: "However, the emperor is firmly in charge of the capital camp. In the future..."
"Ying Yu, we had no chance in the capital city to begin with. Chen Jixian was unwilling to take risks before. Now that Chen Jixian is willing to put all his efforts into action, our chances are not good..." Jia Jing smiled bitterly, "Qiu Shiben controls the Shenshu Camp. The Shenji Battalion is being formed now, and almost all of them are personally appointed by the Emperor. Although the Fifth Army Battalion is the strongest and largest, I think Chen Jixian may have lost his courage long ago..."
"Of course there is no chance in the city, but what about outside the city?" Zhen Yingyu asked.
Jia Jing asked doubtfully: "Outside the city?"
"Yes, outside the city." Zhen Yingyu said solemnly.
"Ying Yu, you mean the Autumn Hunting? The Autumn Hunting of Tiewang Mountain?" Jia Jing suddenly realized, and then shook his head, "Although the Autumn Hunting is a rule of the Zhou Dynasty etiquette, the Emperor has been absent for several years due to poor health. ,..."
"Not necessarily, Zijing, have you forgotten that this year is the 80th birthday of the Supreme Emperor?" A sneer flashed across the corner of Zhen Yingyu's eyes, "According to the custom of the Supreme Emperor, every time he celebrates his birthday, he must go to Tienwang Mountain for autumn hunting, and the Emperor He is known for his loyalty and filial piety. If the Emperor goes there, as long as the Emperor is not sick and cannot afford to go to bed, he will definitely accompany him, even if it is only for a day or two..."
Jia Jing pondered deeply. Indeed, in the past, all the adult princes had to follow the Supreme Emperor during his autumn hunting. The last time it was the Supreme Emperor, it was the 70th birthday of Emperor Yuan Xi. All the princes followed him without exception, even those who were more than eight years old. All the grandchildren also came together, which was also the rule of the Zhang family in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Seeing that Jia Jing was a little moved, Zhen Yingyu did not push him: "Zijing, I just mentioned it like this. As for whether it is suitable and whether the conditions are mature, you have to make the decision. As for Chen Jixian, I don't know what is going on. , but I think that even if Chen Jixian is unstable, what about Niu Jizong? The Xuanfu army is close at hand, doesn't he claim that the Xuanfu army is under his control? An elite team may be able to decide everything..."
Jia Jing shook his head: "The Xuanfu Army is now closely watched by the Jizhen Army. As long as Niu Jizong moves, You Shigong will follow suit..."
"Opportunities are created. He has a good plan. We have a ladder. As far as I know, everyone in Chahar..." Zhen Yingyu frowned, but then he relaxed and sighed. In one breath, "I know this,..."
Zhen Yingyu nodded slightly, "Brother Zijing, it's good that you know what you're doing. As Brother Zijing said, maybe our conditions are not mature yet, but if it continues, the conditions on our side will become more mature, but others will do the same on their side." Consolidate, just like the Beijing Camp. If His Highness the Crown Prince had been bolder seven years ago, or if we on the Supreme Emperor's side had dared to take a gamble, wouldn't everything be done? Why is there any need to look forward and backward now and be in a dilemma? "
Seven years ago, the enemies of the Shenshu camp had not yet been brought under control. At that time, Wang Ziteng was still the governor of the Beijing camp, and the military power in the capital was concentrated in one hand. It can be said that that was the best time to take action, but it was delayed because of the opposition of the Supreme Emperor. , now it looks like this.
"Well, the other reason why I hope to wait a little longer is that according to what I know, the drought in the North this year will be very serious, beyond everyone's expectations. This is what Xing Yunlu, the former superintendent of Qintian Prison, told me... "Jia Jingrong looked serious, "If what Xing Yunlu said is true, then most provinces in the North will rely on our food supply from Jiangnan and Huguang this year, especially this winter and next spring, when..."
