Lou Shiyong learned his lesson this time. Last time, his father was the leader. As a result, Shangrao failed to defeat him and the team almost collapsed. This time, he refused to let his father take the lead no matter what. He looked like a loyal minister and a filial son. Lou Zishi took charge in the scenic Huaxi Valley and placed 3,000 people around him for protection. The three brothers led troops to surround Shangrao.
Lou Shifan led 6,000 men and stationed himself at the lake outside the north gate. Lou Shi led 15,000 men to surround the east gate and stationed himself at Yanchan Temple;
Lou Shiming led 4,000 people to protect the food and baggage and stationed them on Jiyang Mountain;
In addition, Lou Shi used his general Zhuang Yu to guard Yunbi Peak with 2,000 men. He also had a thousand naval troops stationed at Longtan Temple. Traffic outside the south gate was cut off.
After arriving at Shangban Fort, Li Dan exchanged greetings with Liu Shengju and ordered him to assemble his team quickly, hand over the defense to the fourth company, and then rush to Wujiatang to ambush, where he would coordinate the retreat of Dayuan and Fengshan garrison and retreat with them. Go to the north gate of Shuying and protect the transport convoy entering the city.
After all the supplies entered the city, he and other government troops entered Shangrao to join the garrison. Li Dan asked his staff to find a map of Shangrao and surrounding areas, and marked the location of the enemy camp and the situation between the enemy and ourselves on it.
Then we sent someone to summon Ju Wu and asked him to go into the city with this map to tell his brother about the enemy situation we had obtained and Li Dan's next plan.
At this time in Shangrao City, everyone was making a mess.
The focus of the dispute turned out to be the prince. I thought that officials might not understand that Guangxin had seized and then abandoned it.
Unexpectedly, they didn't have much objection to this issue. Anyway, everyone knew that 90% of the city could not be defended. However, no one objected to Li Dan's proposal to concentrate all efforts on guarding Shangrao.
Everyone was happy when they heard that Li Dan promised to send as much grain and soldiers as possible into the city. But when it came to the evacuation of the county king, everyone fell silent.
Li Ting was very embarrassed. Shen Jie was let into the city in his name. He didn't know there was such a thing, so he made up his mind not to speak.
Yu Heli frowned and bit his beard, showing reluctance. Magistrate Han secretly glanced at the face of the prince above without hesitation. The prince of Fengning County, Zhao Qi, was also very embarrassed. The matter involved him, and he said it was okay or not.
Seeing Magistrate Han looking at him, he swallowed and turned to his right side: "What do you think, please tell me in detail?"
The "members of the family" he refers to are several core officials from the county prince's palace (the prince of Fengning County is at the county prince level. Compared with the palace, the officials have no deputy positions and the number is reduced by half), including the long history (from the sixth grade) Zhou Ning This group of people was headed by Wei Zian, Ji Shan's accompanying student (from the ninth rank), Ge Xiang, the professor of Ji Shan's institute (from the ninth rank), Liu Yunan, Yi Zheng (from the fifth rank), and Liao Jizhou, the director of etiquette and hygiene.
Hearing his question, Ge Xiang stood up excitedly, his gray beard trembling and said angrily: "The enemy is in front of us, and Your Highness is the backbone of this city. How can it be that the general will flee before the enemy retreats!"
Hearing the word "escape first", Zhao Zhen's hands trembled and she almost overturned the cup. Liao Jizhou looked at Ge Xiang dissatisfied:
"Professor Ge, please be careful! How can His Highness' withdrawal be equated with 'escape'? This is too much! Besides, Mr. Shen also said that this is the emperor's wish. How can you disobey the emperor's order?"
"I don't know Mr. Shen, and I can't be sure whether what he said is truly His Majesty's word. I only know that Taizu has taught that the king has the responsibility to defend the land and resist the enemy, to continue the bloodline, and to protect and love the people. But there is no responsibility for abandoning the people and fleeing first!" Ge Xiang said in a loud voice, and his words echoed in the hall.
"Then sir, you are opposed to this matter. What do you think of the other gentlemen?" Facing this old antique, even though he was the king of the county, there was nothing he could do about it. Zhao Zhen turned his attention to the others.
"I don't think it's appropriate either!" Wei Zian stood up and answered: "Your Highness is the backbone of the whole city. If I learn that His Highness has left, I am worried that the morale in the city will collapse, and the situation will get out of hand.
Please pay attention, Your Highness. "After Wei Zian finished speaking, he turned to Shen Jie and said, "Mr. Shen is famous in the world, and I have heard about it, but I'm afraid it's hard to convince everyone just by saying that he wants a thousand-year-old to move the golden body. Please be considerate and considerate, sir. .”
What he said was very polite. Why should you ask the prince to move to Beijing to face the saint just because of your words? This doesn't make sense,
What's more, the county prince is the core figure that the whole city is watching? Shenjie bowed and crossed his arms in return:
"It is not the words of the commoner, but this is the emperor's word. Of course, you may not be able to trust this person, so please let my companion come to the palace. When he comes, you will know the truth at a glance."
The prince and Chang Shi looked at each other, and Zhou Changshi made a move. The guard at the door went out, and after a while Lu Rui was brought in, bowed his hands to everyone, and said in a loud voice: "Pterodactyl Guard Zuoying No. 3, Captain Lu Rui has met you all!"
As soon as they heard that it was someone from the Winged Dragon Guard, all the officials present knew that it was true. Lu Rui took out his waistband and presented it to Zhou Zhang for inspection. Then he took out a leather bag from his arms and opened it to reveal a yellow satin.
All the officials hurriedly stood up and stood in awe, listening to Lu Rui's words: "As a tribute to Chitose, before leaving, His Majesty said that people might not be able to trust you in the war zone, so he gave you this silk book and asked Prince Chitose to read it in person!"
Zhao Zhen looked at Zhou Changshi, got up and got down from his seat to receive the order. Opening it respectfully, Lu Rui took two steps back and stood quietly. After reading it, Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and handed the silk book to Zhou Changshi:
"This is not only for the orphans, but also for all the ministers and ministers of Shangrao. Please read this to everyone, Qing Zhou."
The emperor's will was not simple. He first expressed condolences to the prince for his hard work in Shangrao all year round, and then said that the queen mother missed the prince very much. On this golden occasion (the queen mother's birthday), she hoped that the prince could be by her side. In addition, she also wanted to see his children. them.
Then the conversation changed and the emperor said that I know that Shangrao is currently facing harassment and threats from bandits. It is the time for the army and the people to work together, but the prince cannot disappoint the queen mother.
The imperial court is currently sending several lines of reinforcements into Jiangxi. Your Highness will just return with the army when the army reaches Shangrao.
At the same time, he also encouraged military and political officials at all levels in Shangrao to work together to keep their posts during the period when the prince came to Beijing to pay his birthday, and not to give opportunities to the rebels and rebels.
At the same time, he was also awarded the rank of deputy general of the Fifth Army Dudufu Former Army (responsible for Jiangxi), giving him the power to command the entire city's armed forces during wartime, including the Imperial Guards and Shuiying of the Yiwei Department.
After Zhou Changshi read the decree, Lu Rui handed over the deputy general's seal to the excited Yu Heli on the spot.
"Have all the ministers heard His Majesty's decree?" Zhao Zhen was silent for a moment and raised her head, looking at Shen Jie and Lu Rui: "Then if you want to leave, when will you leave?"
The two looked at each other and saluted the prince and said, "If everything goes well, Guangxin City has been destroyed by now, and the first batch of grain will enter the city before noon. Please ask the prefect to immediately arrange for the young men in the city to go to Beishuimen to transfer grain."
Mr. Li suggested that Chitose should leave the city this evening while the carriages and horses are handing over. "
"Okay, I understand." Zhao Zhen nodded, turned to Magistrate Han and Vice General Yu and said, "Then Master Han and General Yu, please go back and make arrangements quickly. Thirty thousand shi of food is too important for Shangrao, so be sure to do it properly and carefully!"
After the two men stood up and agreed, they turned around and were about to leave. Suddenly Ge Xiang burst into tears and patted the coffee table with tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, why are you doing this? Why do you have to do this? How can you have such no confidence in Shangrao and ignore the people?" ?」
"Mr. Ge, you don't have to be like this." Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and the North and South Korean magistrates bowed their hands: "But the old gentleman is right, Shangrao's military spirit and morale are worthy of our confidence!
Even if they doubled the number of people, Gu Kan still couldn't get the things they failed to get last time! How to do it, Gu has not yet made up his mind. Don't worry, old man, I will be cautious. After saying that, he turned to Wei Zian:
"Sir, he is old. Please take Brother Wei for me to send him back to rest." Then he ordered Liu Yunan and General Yu to discuss the defense of the city between the palace and the palace.
After everyone had exited, only Zhou Changshi, Shen Jie, and Lu Rui were left in the Xi'an Hall (the county king was not allowed to use "Yin'an Hall" to refer to the main hall of the palace). The prince thought for a moment at the door of the palace with his hands behind his back, and then turned around. Said to Chen Bing, the personal eunuch:
"Ah Bing, go and bring the prince to the side hall to talk." After saying that, he led the three people into the side hall.
As mentioned before, the Prince of Fengning County is very unique. His jurisdiction is in Guangfeng, but his palace is in Shangrao.
Moreover, Shangrao Mansion also opened a Fengning Gate for him in the northwest corner, along the series of ponds on the west side.
A clamped city was built. The wall on the other side of the clamped city is on a hill. The highest point is the four-legged pavilion. This kind of palace is the only one in the entire empire!
However, its royal palace layout is also very unique. Unlike other palaces, the Fengning County Palace is divided into three, with two main roads forming a T shape.
On the west side is the main building complex, which consists of three courtyards: Xinyuan Gate, Huichao Gate and Xi'an Hall. The second half is composed of Yuansitang, Tongxi Hall and Shenshou Hall.
To the west of them are the offices of the three departments and one envoy of the county prince's palace: the Yiwei Department and the Changshi Department (including the eight names of Dianbo, Judi, Dianle, Baozheng, Sizheng, Yizheng, Gongzheng, and Jishan, and Jishanjiu). grade, the rest are all eight grades), Dianshan Division, and Warehouse Envoy. The east side is the garden. The main buildings are the Xiuxin Hall in the south and the Leshou Hall in the north.
The southern part is dominated by the water system, surrounded by the moon lake, and there are various pavilions and towers, while the northern half is famous for its mountain system. This is not over yet, there is still a large area behind that is equivalent to one-third of the area.
This area includes the school grounds, the shooting range of the Department of Ceremony, the Gongzheng Institute, and a large area of the prince's own vegetable garden (or orchard, rice field, depending on the preference of the previous prince) and livestock farm. From a distance, it looks like a pastoral joy. Finally, under the north wall are various warehouses that are almost a mile long.
In short, the actual living area of this large-scale palace is not large. It mainly shows the emperor that he does not think about luxury and power, and is willing to be a rich man.
Therefore, the only one named after a palace in the entire palace is the Xian Palace. Although Xi'an Hall is called a palace, it is actually only five rooms wide, which is not much larger than the main room of an average wealthy family. However, it is deep enough to have five corridors, which is enough to accommodate many bureaucrats during the imperial congratulations.
So if you look at it from the air, the main hall is almost a square with four high corners. It is located on a two-story high platform. On the west side is the dining platform, and on the east side is a side hall with a corridor in front of the seat.
The side hall is actually a cover for people's ears and eyes. It is used by the king to discuss affairs. One side of it is connected to the main hall. It looks like an ordinary hall from the front and back, but it actually contains a corridor, so people outside can't hear it at all. Conversation inside.
The prince walked into the side hall and sat down without saying a word. Zhou Changshi looked at Shenjie and then at Lu Rui, both of whom were also confused. Zhou Changshi walked up to the prince, saluted, and asked softly: "Your Highness, are you still hesitating?"
Zhao Zhen shook her head: "I am not hesitating, but I have decided." At this time, a young eunuch outside whispered that Chen Bing and the Crown Prince were coming, and Zhao Zhen waved them in.
The prince, Zhao Yuanli, is only four years old this year. He is fat and white, with small arms like lotus roots. Zhao Zhen held her son in her arms, then asked Shen Jie and Lu Rui to come forward and said to them, "You take the prince away, I will stay."
"What? You're not leaving?" Everyone was shocked.
"Father, where do you want me to go to play?" the young prince asked with his face raised.
Zhao Zhen pointed at Shen Jie and the others: "These loyal ministers are here to take you to the capital. The Queen Mother misses you, so she sent them to pick you up. The Queen Mother's birthday is coming soon. You go to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday on behalf of your father. You have to kowtow. Say auspicious words and bring some gifts to her."
"But, why don't your father come with you?"
"My father is going to fight! Now that the thief is outside the city, my father must lead the soldiers to kill the thief!"
"Father, I want to kill thieves with you!"
"Xiao Tan (Zhao Principle's nickname), we, father and son, have to divide the work." Zhao Zhen touched his head and said, "I will catch the thief, and you can go to the capital to kowtow to the Queen Mother. This way we won't miss each other, right?"
Zhao Yuan thought about it and nodded his fat head. Zhao Zhen smiled: "Go and tell your mother to prepare. We will leave tonight and come back early!"
"Yes, Father! I take my leave!" The little guy slid off his knees, saluted decently, and followed his mother out.
"Let grandma accompany him, so that he can be taken care of on the way." Zhao Zhen said sadly.
"Your Highness, it would be better to change one or two eunuchs." Lu Rui said softly. He had discussed this matter with Li Dan before coming here: "We have prepared a special carriage, and the road will not be too bumpy. But there are many mountain roads. Women are just afraid that they won’t be able to bear it.”
Zhao Zhen looked at Chen Bing: "You make the arrangements." Chen Bing bowed and exited.
"Why did Your Highness change your mind? That's the Holy
Purpose! Zhou Changshi said worriedly.
"You don't have to say anything more, sir." Zhao Zhen said with a long voice, seeming to feel much more relaxed: "Gu Ye once wavered and believed that Mr. Shen and Lieutenant Lu were both loyal ministers.
But Gu is also a bloodline of Taizu. If he is safe now, but is regarded as an abandoned prince by the world, how can he go to see his ancestors?
Your Majesty has good intentions and wants to preserve this bloodline, and having a heir apparent is enough. But the eyes of the people in the whole city were fixed on the royal flag at the top of the city. How could I fail them?
If you leave now, how will you come back in the future? So you don't need to give any more advice, this is your own decision. I will write an apology letter to Your Majesty now. Please step aside first. "
After saluting the prince, Shenjie turned and walked to the platform of the main hall. Shenjie sighed and said, "I didn't expect that His Highness would be so bloody and admirable!"
"Yes. However, our mission has not been fulfilled. We must inform Mr. Li immediately about this situation!" Lu Rui smiled bitterly. The county king actually rejected the order, which was really unexpected.
"You two adults don't know that our prince is not soft-tempered. Once he decides to stay, it will be difficult to persuade him. Mr. Lu is right. You'd better report the news to the outside of the city as soon as possible." Zhou Changshi reminder said.
"I'll go, I'm familiar with the roads in this area." Shenjie said proactively.
After sending Shen Jie away, Lu Rui suddenly turned around, pulled Zhou Changshi for a few steps, and then said, "Master Zhou has the duty to assist His Highness, and naturally he also has the duty to safeguard His Highness's honor and integrity."
"Of course." Zhou Changshi was surprised.
Lu Rui calmly took out an oil paper bag from the bag and put it in his hand: "Since His Highness has decided not to leave, please bring this with you, Brother Zhou.
If there is that last moment, His Majesty has a decree: the king of the country must not be captured. Presumably Mr. Zhou should know how to use it? "
"This...does it have to be like this?" Zhou Changshi's hands were trembling.
"I don't care about the specific means, as long as His Majesty's secret decree can be carried out. Is it possible for Mr. Zhou to guarantee the lives of his whole family to complete this matter?" Lu Rui asked in a low voice.
"Please tell Your Majesty that I will guarantee with the lives of my whole family that Your Highness will not be taken prisoner. No matter what means or method, I will definitely do it!"
Zhou Changshi knew the emperor's intentions and would never tolerate the king of the country falling into the hands of his enemies and being insulted or tortured. He put away the oiled paper bag, bowed deeply again and said, "Angels, don't worry, I will do my best!"
"The thousand-year-old prince refuses to leave?" Li Dan frowned after hearing Shen Jie's report: "But someone doesn't want him to leave?"
"There is indeed such a sound." Shen Jie nodded: "Several Ji Shan were crying loudly. Although the prefect and deputy general didn't say anything, it was obvious that they were not active, or at least not in a high mood. .”
"The emperor already has his decree. What does it matter whether they are in high spirits or not? The main thing is that it depends on Chitose's own wishes." Gao Hanzi said beside him.
The evacuation of the county prince was a secret, so the whole army only knew that they were here to deliver supplies to Shangrao. Only a few high-ranking people knew the emperor's secret order. Gao Hanzi was one of them because he was in command of the entire battalion.
"If Chitose has made up his mind not to leave, I'm afraid no one can kidnap him and leave!" After finishing speaking, Gao Hanzi reported to Li Dan:
"The first batch of food has begun to enter the city, and the reconnaissance platoon reported that the enemy troops in Jiyang Mountain have not moved yet. It is already noon, and I think it will be two hours before they are dispatched.
You can't send a bunch of hungry soldiers to fight! After they finish eating, Fengshan and Dayuan have also withdrawn, and we will be able to fight them! "
Li Dan nodded: "Now that we know that there are no other enemy troops around, let the officers and soldiers in Guangxin City also start to withdraw. The officers and soldiers alone can gather three thousand people outside the north gate, so this battle will be easy to fight.
Let the projection platoon pay close attention to the movements of the river in the south. If the enemy navy is discovered, immediately block it and sink them as much as possible to avoid premature leakage of the news.
According to the original plan, the fourth company still guarded Sakaba Fort, and the first and third companies immediately crossed the river and reached the designated position to launch defense. He paused and said, "Tell the prince that I will go to the city personally in the evening to pick up the prince."
"Sir, will you go in person?"
"Yes!" Li Dan nodded: "I still want to confirm the prince's intentions in person. There are you and Lei Jisheng outside the city, and there are Sanqing (Liao Sanqing) and Jiuyi (Song Jiuyi) over in Guangxin. In about an hour, I'll take the carriage and come back."
Li Dan sighed: "Your Majesty has entrusted you with something. If I didn't talk to His Majesty in person and just leave him in the city like this, it would be a bit perfunctory. I'm sorry to the person who entrusted me with it!"
At this time, Lin Baotong and his apprentice Xiao Wan'er appeared at the door. Li Dan smiled and said, "Now, I'll go out and meet our regular customer first."
"Oh, I'm really afraid that something will happen to you." Gao Hanzi frowned when he heard this and said, "You are the backbone of everyone!"
"Don't worry, look at the few of us, including Master Lin, Fourth Brother Pei, and even Lu Jiu, which one is free? And they are both on horseback. How can the bandit army catch up?"
