It's okay not to mention those three people, but when he mentioned them, Zhou Xing couldn't help but curse.
"Let's talk about Wei Zixuan, the Taifu's young minister first. This guy is in charge of the treasury money. He is not a big official, but he is very courageous. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation caused by the move of the imperial court to the south, he directly reached into the military expenses and salaries to enrich his own pockets. Wei Zixuan also knew that he was in the beheading business, so when he was in Yizhou, he used the stolen money to pay filial piety everywhere, and won over many noble ministers. Everyone praised him for being sensible, and soon weaved a We have built a strong network of relationships, and corruption has been wiped clean.”
Li Jiangyao asked curiously: "Since we knew that he was embezzling military pay, why didn't Nilin Division kill him? Don't talk to me about rules and regulations. I know your style of doing things well."
Zhou Xing smiled bitterly and said: "During that time, we were busy rescuing the prince, protecting the prince, and mobilizing troops to fight the enemy. How could we have time to pay attention to him? Now that we are free, Wei Zixuan has already used his connections to get in touch with the emperor and wants to move. I can’t move for the time being.”
Li Jiangyao nodded in understanding and continued to ask: "Where are the other two people? What is their situation?"
"Tian Mu is a sinister villain, and Gong Chengze is a lustful ghost." Zhou Xing snorted coldly: "Tian Mu is thirty-six this year. He was a Jinshi who ranked among the top 24 in the imperial examination. He has been in the Yushitai since he became an official. Serve. Because my external identity is also in Yushitai, I am considered a colleague with him."
"The biggest characteristic of this guy is that he is vicious and vicious. After serving as an official for eleven years, the souls of the dead who died unjustly in his hands can be arranged from the Suzaku Gate to Dali Temple. No matter whether he is really guilty or not, if he is targeted by Tian Mu, he will not escape. I will never give up until I shed a layer of my skin. I only have a false name in Yushitai, and I don’t usually participate in the specific investigation of cases. But even so, I am still deeply impressed by this person’s methods and very disgusted.”
"As for Gong Chengze, to put it simply, he is a dandy who is greedy for sex. He has military merits in his ancestors and has inherited the rank of General Ningyuan from the fifth generation. In his lifetime, he happens to be the fifth generation. This guy's martial arts skills are pretty decent. , so later on, the virtual title of General Ningyuan was transferred to the real power of the Central Governor, and he led the troops to put down some bandits and bandits, and achieved some military merits."
"The three of them had known each other when they were in the imperial capital. When they arrived in Yizhou, they hung out together all day long. They even called themselves the Three Saints of the Tang Dynasty. Seeing that Jing Xiang was leaning towards the emperor, Wei Zixuan immediately suggested that he should show his loyalty before the imperial court. , so the three of them set off together and ran all the way to Dongdu."
Li Jiangyao asked with interest: "The emperor accepted them so easily?"
Zhou Xing nodded, and then sighed: "Hey, can you not accept it? Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has been troubled by the sway of the court and Jing Xiang. Now there are young talents coming from Yizhou to pledge their allegiance. Naturally, he is very I'm happy. In addition, these three people are eloquent and good at greetings. They were soon regarded as loyal ministers by the emperor and were gradually entrusted with important tasks. Before I came to Xijiang, I heard that they were about to be promoted, and I don't know what the situation is now. "
Li Jiangyao was not very interested in court struggles. After having a general understanding of the personnel situation in Luoyi, the eastern capital, he stopped worrying too much. Zhou Xing also put aside those troubles and asked seriously: "Defender, the emperor has ordered the soldiers and horses to march eastward to fight. What are you going to do?"
"Do you want to know? Or do you, the chief minister, want to know?" Li Jiangyao smiled leisurely.
"Of course everyone wants to know," Zhou Xing said: "It goes without saying that Mr. Chang Shi has a life-long friendship with you. I have also followed Dadu to protect me from birth to death, and I have been responsible for liaison with Western Xinjiang. I can be regarded as half of the town. He is a member of the Xinjiang Army. It is related to the future and destiny of the army. What do you think about it?"
Li Jiangyao glanced at the yellow silk on the table and said calmly: "What else can I consider? It's just a matter of disobedience."
After hearing this, Zhou Xing immediately clapped his hands and said happily: "Hey, you are still the Protector! Master Chang Shi said that it is impossible for you to accept such an order."
Li Jiangyao was dumbfounded by his reaction: "Speaking of Zhou Xing, you seem to have forgotten the name of your yamen. Ni Lin Division! I offended Emperor Ni Lin, and not only are you not angry, but you are cheering for joy. You are so incompetent." Alright?"
Zhou Xing laughed for a while, then seemed a little more helpless and miserable. He lowered his head and sighed: "Oh, Nilin Division, we are almost becoming people who offend Nilin."
Li Jiangyao raised his eyebrows: "What? Brother Shen..."
"To be fair to the Protector, Chang Shi's situation is not too good." Zhou Xing hesitated and continued: "The world is in chaos. The Beiya Nilin Division sacrificed many brothers to protect the emperor and save the country. Compared with before, the strength is Withering away day by day. In addition, there is an unwritten rule in the royal family. It is difficult for the long history appointed by the former emperor to gain the trust of the new emperor. Therefore, the long history master is being squeezed out of the decision-making level. The emperor no longer allows him to interfere with many matters. .”
"When all the birds are gone, a good bow is hidden." Li Jiangyao said with emotion: "Brother Shen holds too many secrets, some of which are taboos in the heart of the emperor, so suspicion and fear have long existed. In the past, when no one was available, he could only Relying on Brother Shen, now that there are more subordinates, it is natural to gradually become alienated. Zhou Xing, go back and tell Brother Shen for me. If you feel unhappy or the situation is not safe, don’t hesitate and come to Xijiang quickly. I, do you understand?"
Zhou Xing is the intelligence chief of Nilin Division. How could he not understand the meaning of Li Jiangyao's words? He quickly and solemnly agreed: "I understand, I understand. Please rest assured, Protector, we must be optimistic about Chang Shi. As long as the situation is not right, we will protect him immediately." Come to Xijiang!"
After sending Zhou Xing off, Li Jiangyao called Xu Youchang and others to briefly introduce the imperial edict to everyone.
After hearing what he said, Xu Youchang was the first to slap the table: "Isn't this nonsense!"
The word "Hu Lai" is used to describe the imperial edict, and it comes from Xu Youchang, which is absolutely rare.
Du Jian also angrily said: "Dadu protector, this is a disorderly order, and you will not obey the order!"
Several other Western Xinjiang generals were too embarrassed to say anything out of respect for the Holy Tang Emperor. But judging from their expressions, they should have similar thoughts to Xu Youchang and Du Jian.
Xie Tanzhi pondered for a moment and asked Li Jiangyao: "Sir, what do Shen Changshi and General Murong think?"
"I don't know about Murong Xue. Shen Lie said this stuff is too nonsense." Li Jiangyao sounded very relaxed.
Xie Tanzhi nodded: "It seems that the emperor, as well as Yizhou and Jingxiang, have not listened to our ideas."
Li Jiangyao glanced at everyone: "What should you do if you express your opinions?"
Xu Youchang saw that everyone was silent for the time being, so he spoke first: "Didn't Du Jian just say that? You will not obey orders."
"That's right, I will never obey." Du Jian continued: "Why do you follow him when you know that you will die in vain, right?"
Holia also said: "Sir, your previous strategic concept has made the problem very clear. Attacking the imperial capital now will not only not help, but will also cause unnecessary losses. I think there is a problem with this imperial edict. of."
When Princess Nanhua said this, the local generals in Western Xinjiang all agreed and felt that the imperial edict could not be implemented.
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly and looked at Xie Tanzhi: "What do you mean?"
"In view of my humble position, I must disobey the order." Xie Tanzhi said solemnly: "We will write a letter immediately to explain our views to Luoyi and ask the emperor to take back the order!"
Ten days later, Zhou Xing hurried back to the Eastern Capital with a reply from the Zhenjiang Army.
He ignored rest and went straight to Shen Lie's residence to report on the situation in Western Xinjiang. Unexpectedly, Dong Tianxing happened to be there at this time.
Because the official letter had a wax seal, Shen Lie and Dong Tianxing could not see the contents inside, and could only listen to Zhou Xing's comments about Li Jiangyao and the others.
When he heard that the Zhenjiang Army had decided to resist the order and asked Li Bing to take back his order, Lao Dong immediately frowned.
Shen Lie looked at him and asked curiously: "What? Do you think we should obey the order?"
"No, no, no, that decree is indeed inappropriate," Dong Tianxing waved his hand: "I have also read the strategic vision of the Great Protector before, and what he said makes sense."
"Then why are you frowning?"
Dong Tianxing pondered for a moment, chewed his teeth and said: "I just think that if you directly disobey orders like this, it will be very troublesome later."
Shen Lie nodded slightly: "It is indeed as you said, disobeying the emperor's will, even if it can be overcome now, it will not be possible in the future. But the current question is, what can we do if we don't disobey the order? Should we let the Zhenjiang Army die obediently?"
Dong Tianxing shook his head in embarrassment and asked: "Master Shen, where did the original intention to march into the imperial capital come from? Who did this unlucky idea come from?"
Zhou Xing said from the side: "I heard that Gong Chengze proposed it first."
"What Gong Chengze," Shen Lie said coldly: "He is just following the emperor's wishes. The one who really wants to take back the imperial capital immediately is His Majesty himself."
Dong Tianxing agreed: "Well, that's the right answer. His Majesty is undoubtedly the one who most hopes to capture the imperial capital. By the way, didn't General Murong persuade the emperor?"
Shen Lie said: "Murong Xue is inextricably involved in the fight with the Huaiyang Army, so she probably won't even bother to consider this matter."
"Then it's up to the two of us to think of a solution." Dong Tianxing pondered: "The Zhenjiang Army will definitely not march eastward and fight according to the order, so we must come up with an excuse to allow the emperor to get off the ground."
Shen Lie nodded slightly when he heard the words: "You are right. In order to prevent the Zhenjiang Army from being sacrificed in vain, and to prevent the emperor from suspecting that Li Jiangyao's support of the army is self-respecting, we have to think of a comprehensive explanation. Hey, old Dong, you are doing something right recently. To gain His Majesty’s trust, it’s up to you to come forward.”
"For the sake of our brothers who protect the capital and the Suppressing Army, I have no choice but to do so." Dong Tianxing responded without hesitation.
