Lin'an City is indeed not as lively as it used to be.
Those soldiers were soldiers when they followed Wang Xie. They had no other ability except running away on the battlefield.
But after getting off the battlefield... Although it's not killing people and setting fires, they are definitely doing things to annihilate their descendants.
Maybe it's because they have been suppressed in the prefectures and counties for a long time, maybe because after entering Lin'an this time, everyone has become a minister of Conglong, and they all have a lot of confidence, and it is inevitable to act arrogantly... Speaking of which, back then, Zhang Taiwei and him Those flower-legged soldiers of the Communist Party of China are actually similar to those of Wang Xie.
Without him, their backer is the emperor, the master of the Zhao and Song Dynasties.
Even if there is another emperor, so what?
What can a younger brother do to his elder brother?
It's just that they are happy, but it is the common people who suffer after all. These stupid geese are plucking their feathers, forcing the flower boats on the West Lake to not dare to open their boats... Even Xiang Guangshi's soldiers know that going to the brothel is to get them. For those who paid, Wang Xie's soldiers only knew how to swallow, not to spit out.
Speaking of Xiang Guangshi, once upon a time, there were many riches and honors in front of him, such as "the first general of the Song Dynasty", "the first man of the Western Army", "the first military officer", any one of these could guarantee his life. Although he was not able to grasp the title of Yu, he even lost the surname given to him by his ancestors later on.
Now, Emperor Xiaociyuan came over to wink at him again. Just as Zhao Shicheng thought, one Wang Xie could summon two to three thousand people, so Xiang Guangshi could summon twenty to thirty thousand people with a wave of his hand. Bar?
The purpose of everything Zhao Huan did was very clear, that is, to stay alive.
There is no one in the world who wants to live more than him. Living in a cattle pen with his father in the Kingdom of Jin cannot destroy his desire to live, nor can it destroy his desire to live if his queen and concubine are snatched away. Making fun of himself and trying to apologize for being the king of the country's subjugation could not destroy his strong heart.
I have survived so many hard days, and now I have finally made it to the south, and it is time to become a master. Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng of the Song Dynasty has no reason not to think about it.
So Xiang Guangshi was very embarrassed, extremely embarrassed. Even when the emperor was crossing south during the Jianyan period, and he was staying or leaving by the river, he was never so embarrassed.
If Qin Hui had not died, if Wu Biaochen had not died, if Emperor Roufu had not died, maybe he would have followed Zhao Huan. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the current emperor had lost patience with him. Although He didn't take his life, but there was nothing left of him, just a walking corpse.
He had no reason to refuse. In front of the two brothers, one with a red face and the other with a white face, ordinary people would definitely abandon the one with the red face.
But how about saying this person is lucky?
Sometimes I have to admit that a person's luck is indeed very important. Whenever Xiang Guangshi wants to agree, he will think of the face of His Majesty the Emperor... Others may not know it, but he does know it clearly.
That Your Majesty acted completely out of order.
Everyone thought he would not touch Qin Hui, everyone thought he would not make the Northern Expedition, and everyone thought he was still the cowardly and incompetent King Kang. But what is the reality?
So at the suggestion of his granddaughter, Xiang Guangshi decided to do the opposite.
It may not be right to do it the other way around, but at least it is more appropriate than making a choice in a disciplined manner... Counting yesterday, it was already the fifteenth day that he had been shut up. It was also the Emperor Xiaoci Yuansheng who asked someone to come. He was turned away for the fifteenth time.
But today, he could no longer refuse, because Zhao Huan came in person.
To be honest, if Liu Yanqing were still alive, he would probably be regarded as half of His Majesty's ministers; but as for Xiang Guangshi... Although he had worked under this man, he had always regarded himself as a direct descendant of Zhao Gou. From the beginning, there was already a lot of unfamiliarity.
"Your Majesty wants to see this villain. I just need to see you in person. Why would you bother to go there in person?"
He has no official status or title. Although few people regard him as a real commoner, he dare not trust him.
He opened the middle gate in person, ran out in person, and met Zhao Huan in person.
This emperor was indeed much gentler and more benevolent than that one. His first move was to take Xiang Guangshi's hand:
"What you said makes me angry... The Liu family has been loyal to the Song Dynasty for several generations. As a general, you are now like this. How can I bear it!"
As he said that, he recalled for Xiang Guangshi his father's feats back then. It was clear that he led people to escape, but was praised by Zhao Huan as a loyal and brave man who defended the country. It was clear that he was caught up by the Jin and had his head cut off. However, Emperor Hyo Ci Yuansheng said that he died in battle...
His words were full of regret, so much so that Xiang Guangshi almost burst into tears.
Damn it, why didn’t I know I was so powerful?
However, after thinking about it, he still had to work hard on his face. He tried his best to cooperate with Zhao Huan, making a sad expression while saying:
"The house is humble and simple, I'm afraid it will dirty Your Majesty's body."
I just don’t want to invite people in to sit there.
But Zhao Huan didn't care: "I won't go in either. I came today to ask you to follow me."
"Go...where?"
His ability to ask such a question actually exposed his thoughts; but Zhao Huan probably heard too many swear words, so he did not notice his disrespect at this time, and just replied:
"Several generals are away working for the country. The New Year has just passed, so I should pay them a visit."
Okay, from looking down on Zhao Shicheng to understanding Zhao Shicheng...
I don't know when this person will become Zhao Shicheng.
Having said that, although Lin'an is a big place, there are only a few capable people, which is actually normal. And as an emperor, he was more justified than Zhao Shicheng.
On the contrary, it was Zhao Huan who had been slow for so long before he started to act, and it seemed that he was moving too slowly.
Xiang Guangshi lowered his head and thought for a while. If he was not here, then everything would have nothing to do with him. No matter what those families did, it was beyond his control.
But if you go... maybe you can say something at the critical moment. Those families will still make money by accepting their favor.
So he cupped his hands and said: "As it should be, that villain will go away with His Majesty."
Zhao Huan was so relieved that he pulled Xiang Guangshi onto his carriage. He looked like a king and his subjects like fish in water.
The group of them rushed towards Yue Fei's house in a mighty manner, and all of this was seen by the person Zhong Feng called to stare at them.
Just following him, he saw several people entering the Yue Mansion with his own eyes, and that person quickly went around to the outside of the Beigong Gate... Entering through the Beigong Gate is the Xuande Hall and the Little West Lake, and then entering is the Inner Palace, where is the Imperial City Division. The only place still in control.
Zhongfeng received the news immediately. When he returned from Yingzhou, the emperor only gave him a total of 500 people.
If there were only these five hundred people, of course they wouldn't be able to do much, but he still had five hundred pieces of armor, which were heavy armor ripped off the Iron Buddha.
With this thing, as long as the armor-piercing person is strong enough, he will be truly invulnerable.
Zhong Feng thought for a while and then said to the eunuch beside him:
"Including Shuimen, there are twelve gates in Lin'an. If the officials only allow one to be taken away, it will really not be difficult."
"But if you take one door and don't let the others know about it, this..."
The eunuch was Huang Yanjie who had arrived first. The old eunuch smiled and replied:
"Many of Wang Xie's people have fled before. Now, one out of three soldiers and horses in the city are from the San Yamen and the Imperial City Division. The Imperial City Division is easy to handle, and the Sanyamen are also easy to handle."
Everyone knows this truth, Huang Yanjie knows it, Zhong Feng also knows it, but Wang Xie also knows it.
He had dispersed all the remaining people in the San Yamen, and it was impossible to let these people stay together.
Seeing that the commander didn't speak, Huang Yanjie continued:
"Actually, how Wang Xie and the others disarmed the three yamen, wouldn't you just follow the same example and disarm them?"
"So..." Zhongfeng thinks this is feasible. If he bites these smelly bones, it's not impossible.
But in this way, it would not comply with the emperor's request not to alarm other people.
"The inner palace still needs to be watched by someone. It won't be very beautiful if there are too many people there. I'll just call a hundred people and let them try it out."
As he said that, he looked at the Qingyan Palace not far away. All the emperor's women lived there, including his sister.
"Actually, officials can come in directly."
"Your Majesty means so deeply, how can you and I figure it out clearly?"
Zhongfeng nodded: "Then...just go to Yuhangmen."
Yuhang Gate is the farthest from the palace, but it is the largest city gate in Lin'an. However, it is also the place where Wang Xie has the fewest troops stationed.
After all, he only has a small number of people. Each door can only have a force of 300 people when spread out. It is impossible for him to send out all the people. Some key places still need manpower to watch...
There are hundreds of people at Yuhang Gate, which is indeed the easiest place to break through.
Huang Yanjie cupped his hands towards the person on the chair:
"Then the official will go... It's only half an hour's journey from the official's house to here. The commander should make arrangements earlier."
The old eunuch didn't move slowly. When he left the palace, Zhongfeng started to greet people.
Huang Yanjie did not tell lies. When he came before, the emperor was indeed still thirty miles outside Lin'an City.
But I don’t know who gave His Majesty the idea... Anyway, it wasn’t Lu Zai. Prince Yongjia was a king after all, so naturally his marriage couldn’t be simple.
There were more than 500 people in the wedding party alone, and they came from Shanyin. Counting those from the Tang Mansion, the team numbered almost 700 to 800 people.
Liu Bang knew that Lin'an was ahead of him. According to his temperament, he should have led his troops to fight in, and then called out the people of Lin'an and asked them to bear witness, so that he could make a good show of himself.
But no, he couldn't do that.
In everything, there must be a way out. While he used Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, he also left Xiang Guangshi behind; when he killed Qin Hui, he did not kill all the Qin Party members.
What he has to deal with now is the Zhao family. No matter how much he doesn't want to admit it, this Song State is the Zhao family's Song State. In the eyes of others, he is indeed Zhao Gou.
Comparatively speaking, when he was the emperor of the Han Dynasty, the talents of the old Liu family were his last trump card and his retreat.
They say that today is different from the past, but the truth will never change. Killing chickens to scare monkeys is just a word, but the degree of it is difficult to measure.
If you get through it, you will kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. If you can't get through it, you will kill the chicken and scare the monkeys.
If he were a ranger, he would kill if he wanted to, it didn't matter.
But he is the emperor.
The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system. Han Fei said that the only things that can harm a country are the five beetles (du) and the eight traitors, beetles and borers.
Confucianism disrupts the law with literature, chivalry disrupts the prohibition with martial arts, politicians stir up trouble, those who are sick of the emperor avoid military service and do not assume their responsibilities, profiteers profit from the people...
This is the five beetles.
The monarch's bedfellow, by his side, father and brother, supporter, cute to the people, popular, powerful, and all around - these are the eight traitors.
The power of power means that what the ministers and the people think is good will be considered good by the monarch; what the ministers and the people think is bad, the monarch will consider it bad.
This is the reason why he has always scoffed at rules.
But even if everyone knows about the Eight Traitors, how many people have been able to avoid their harm from ancient times to the present?
Is it because they are not smart enough?
Of course not, because rules are rules, you can look down on them, you can ignore them, you can even try to smash them.
But it is there, whether you see it or not, it is always there. You can go outside the rules and try to get rid of its control, but at the same time, you have to endure the backlash from it.
Liu Ji felt that he was quite clear about right and wrong.
A group of people changed into the clothes for welcoming the bride in the county prince's palace, and headed towards Lin'an City in a swagger. The rest of the people were waiting for news from Lin'an. As long as Zhong Feng got it, they would rush there immediately.
The bride still doesn't know what happened. She can't come out, lift her hijab, or even talk to anyone.
Even if she felt something was happening outside, she could only wonder in her heart.
After traveling thirty miles, we arrived in a short time. Everyone knew that the Prince of Yongjia County was welcoming his bride today, but the team had only been out for half a day, so why did they turn back?
Although the guards at Chongxin Gate were curious, they did not dare to neglect this person. However, when the group was halfway into the city, the leader still found trouble:
"Are you from the county prince's family?"
Wang Qi was wearing a red robe, holding a suona and playing randomly. This person happened to stand next to him, and he replied:
"Yes."
The man asked again: "What happened? Why didn't you see the prince?"
"Oh," Wang Qi came up with the excuse he had prepared a long time ago: "A lot of big rocks fell down on the way to Shanyin. It's impossible to get through now. The prince is behind and will arrive later."
The leader touched his chin and thought for a while, then suddenly pulled out his knife and pointed it at Wang Qi.
Everyone was startled by this man's actions, and then heard the man say:
"You are not from the Prince's Palace at all!"
I don’t know how he figured it out, but Liu Bang said haha:
"Brother, what are you talking about? If you are not from the county prince's palace, how can you have such a huge wedding team?"
The man naturally knew this truth, but at this time, he insisted and even called someone.
Seeing that the matter was getting serious, the man next to him asked in a low voice:
"Is there a mistake? I remember that sedan chair. It does belong to the county prince's palace."
This person was very determined: "Absolutely!"
As he spoke, he also lowered his voice: "Damn it, when I left the city today, I just said a few happy words, and I was slapped twice by the people from the prince's family."
"And now...haven't your kid stayed with that prince for a few days before? His family is full of people who rely on others' power, so he can talk to us so nicely?"
The man suddenly felt that it made sense, and he felt wary, but he was still a little worried:
"It's not easy to deal with if we make a mistake."
"Then give him a try!"
As he said that, the leader looked at Liu Bang and pulled him aside:
"The weather is getting cold, and everyone wants to drink some hot tea and warm wine, but they are suffering here. You..."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Bang knew what he meant, but he had no money on him, so he said a few words to the man next to him. The man paused, turned around, opened the front curtain of the sedan, and saw the bride. She really did have a lot of gold and silver on her hands, and she just grabbed a handful of them without even discussing them.
Poor Tang Wan has always been ignorant and did not dare to lift the curtain on his head. He did not expect that he would be bullied by the evil slave of the county prince's palace before he passed the door, and he started to cry again.
Liu Bang held a handful of rare items in front of the guard. The man accepted them all, but he was even more determined that these people were definitely not from the county prince's palace.
Do people from the county palace need to pay this money?
The people around him also reacted and shouted:
"There are thieves, there are thieves!"
Liu Bang was so angry that he didn't do anything after taking the money. The most important thing was that he was so quick that he attracted other people. Without thinking, he put two fingers in his mouth and blew a loud whistle. .
The two people didn't know what this person wanted to do, but they saw that the suona player just now was playing the suona unpleasantly, as if he had taken an aphrodisiac, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
The leading guard only heard a "click" and then saw the man next to him, whose hands had been twisted into twine.
"Stop it, damn, take this door!"
What a fool, I even said I would let you live longer.
"Don't let one go!"
Fortunately, half of the people have entered the city.
Fortunately, there were nearly a thousand of them, and there were only more than 200 people on the opposite side.
Fortunately, his soldiers had just come off the battlefield. Fortunately, these people were useless eggs. Fortunately, these people oppressed the people, which caused no movement here. No one went out to watch the excitement.
Liu Bang saw these people being captured one after another, and then looked at the Imperial City of the Song Dynasty in the distance, with only one roof exposed.
"The official family..."
Wang Qi interrupted his thoughts. Liu Bang took off his red robe, threw it directly to the ground, and walked towards the city without looking back.
"I leave it all to you."
Wang Qi was overjoyed, as if today was really his wedding day.
Looking at these Wang Xie's soldiers, they showed their big white teeth.
(End of chapter)
