Now Su Qi'an also understood the seriousness of the situation. The army in Ningzhou on the front line was restrained by the large army of honorable soldiers.
And Yamulei's 50,000 troops have gathered, and their troops are pointing directly at Kyoto behind Tongguan.
Nowadays, Kyoto can only stand firm and wait for reinforcements, but the passive level is always not the best strategy. If nothing else, Yamulei's attack momentum is at the moment.
He is not stupid. He must take advantage of the reinforcements from various states to conquer Tongguan in one fell swoop.
It is very difficult for the Tongguan defenders to defend for seven to ten days. Once Tongguan is lost, the consequences will be disastrous.
Su Qian raised his head, looked at Duke Chu and asked, "I think this is why Mr. Chu found me."
The Duke of Chu nodded solemnly, "Yes, because you have experience in dealing with honorable soldiers, and His Majesty is aware of your performance in the last battle of Ningzhou. Therefore, His Majesty hopes that you can postpone leaving Kyoto and be able to Lead the troops in battle."
This was not what Su Qi'an expected, but he didn't speak, didn't agree, didn't refuse, and remained silent.
The Duke of Chu sighed and said, "Uncle Dongshan, I know that asking you to lead the army at this time is embarrassing for you, but for the sake of the people of Kyoto, please help me. If Kyoto loses, the consequences will be disastrous. "
After a brief silence, Su Qian looked at the Duke of Chu and said, "Since the Duke of Chu has said so, Su is not a person who is afraid of death. I will lead the troops this time, but I have requirements."
"Brother Dongshan, feel free to mention it. As long as I can do it, I will be satisfied."
"First, I want to know all the military reports on the current war. Second, I want to select my own troops when I lead the troops on this expedition. Third, I have to be absolutely self-sufficient during the period of leading the troops."
Duke Chu's eyes flashed at Su Qian's three conditions, and then he nodded and said, "Okay, I will definitely satisfy you with these three conditions, and I will never put any burden on you."
How could the Duke of Chu become Prime Minister and not know Su Qi'an's inner worries.
After all, Su Qi'an was not the only one to lead the army this time. In addition to him, there were also Zheng Liang, Chen Dao and other powerful princes who had previously dealt with the Rong soldiers.
Although these people seem to be playboys, they still have some fighting ability. Unlike the three young men sent out before, they were just full of merit in fighting.
Su Xuanyong also had his own considerations as to why he sent them there this time.
After all, Tongguan is in danger now. Once Tongguan is broken, Kyoto will be completely exposed to Yamulei's attack.
The current Kyoto can be said to be heavily guarded. Everyone, as long as they can move, is divided into their respective jurisdictions and is ready at any time.
Common people are actively preparing for war, not to mention powerful people like Zheng Guogong. They send their juniors to the battlefield, which can more or less keep these powerful people in check at critical moments.
Everyone can see this, but no one can refute it. At present, the war is fierce and dangerous. At this time, anyone who dares to leave Kyoto will definitely be criticized, and may even be captured and charged with defection.
So this time, even if the Duke of Chu did not find Su Qi'an, it would be a bit difficult for Su Qi'an to leave.
This time Su Qi'an was willing to lead the army on an expedition. The Duke of Chu would agree to any of the three conditions he proposed.
After all, with absolute independence and not being restrained by others, Su Qi'an can better play a greater role in the defense of Kyoto.
It can also better reduce casualties.
After a detailed conversation with the Duke of Chu, it took about an hour for the Duke of Chu to leave.
Wen Xuan looked at Su Qi'an with a somewhat apologetic face. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Su Qi'an, but at this time, he was involved, and Wen Xuan felt somewhat sorry.
Wen Xuan opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Su Qi'an, who shook his head and said.
"Master, there is no need to apologize. Just as the Duke of Chu said, I am a citizen of Daliang. Now the capital is in danger, and the honorable soldiers are going south. For no other reason than for the people of Kyoto, I have to Stay and have a good fight with these wolf cubs."
"Well, I am very relieved to have you as my student.
What are you going to do next? If you need my help, just ask. "
"Master's kindness is appreciated by the student. Next, I plan to go to the mines and prisons. It's time to organize my troops."
"When the troops gather together, I will start the battlefield tomorrow."
Wenxuan nodded, probably guessing Su Qi'an's intention, and said, "Well, it's good to leave as early as possible and arrive there as soon as possible, which can be a little more help to Tongguan."
"But the people you want are probably a bit difficult. It doesn't matter. I'll handle this matter. I think Duke Chu and I will be here to control them and we won't dare to say anything nonsense."
In this case, the student would like to thank the Master here. "
Wenxuan waved his hand and left immediately to go about his business.
Su Qi'an, who was standing there, looked at the clear sky above his head and said softly, "I hope this time, we can turn the crisis around."
The fall of Juyong and Hangu Pass quickly spread throughout Kyoto.
The 50,000-strong army led by Yamulei is already heading towards Tongguan, with its troops pointing directly at Kyoto. It is impossible to hide this matter.
For a time, Kyoto directly declared martial law, and civilians had already divided their respective areas to serve as logistics and actively prepare for war.
The security forces, which were rarely seen in the past, patrolled Kyoto much more frequently.
You can see it at any time, almost every quarter of an hour, you can see the security forces patrolling back and forth.
This is only the outskirts of Kyoto, and in the Imperial City, the remaining five thousand Imperial Guards have long been on the walls of the Imperial City, holding the swords tightly in their hands. If there is any trouble, the guys in their hands will definitely not Be soft-handed.
The people in Kyoto are okay. Their activities are strictly limited to designated areas. Their daily lives can still be guaranteed. They are not needed yet.
On the contrary, in the past few days, several palaces in the imperial city had stayed up all night, and the powerful families living in the central location had not returned home in the past few days.
Basically, they stayed in the imperial city to discuss important matters with His Majesty. Senior ministers like the Duke of Chu who held great power basically stayed with Su Xuanyong.
The atmosphere in the imperial city became tense.
The war in Tongguan was getting closer. Zheng Liang, Chen Dao and others who had been recruited had already led their troops to the front line of Tongguan.
In a large meeting hall, Su Xuanyong did not sit on the dragon chair above, but stood in the middle of the hall.
In front of him was a huge sand table. On the sand table, all the fortresses and city gates within a radius of 500 miles of Kyoto were clearly marked, as well as the attack routes of the invading soldiers from the south.
Su Xuanyong had a serious expression and his eyes were fixed on the sand table. Around him, countless powerful ministers and princes were busy analyzing the military reports in their hands.
Outside the main hall, from time to time, some eunuchs holding military reports would send news back and forth.
The atmosphere in the hall was very depressing, and no one said anything. Suddenly, at this time, a sharp voice sounded in the hall.
"Back to Your Majesty, Uncle Dongshan gathered five thousand soldiers and horses half a day ago, and led his troops to leave Kyoto and go to the front line an hour ago."
Su Xuanyong hummed slightly, his eyes never moving away from the sand table from beginning to end. Suddenly, he seemed to notice something, raised his head, and glanced at the supervisor who had not left.
Frowning, he asked, "Why, what else is going on? Is anyone dissatisfied with this matter?"
The eunuch's eyes flickered, and then he spoke, "Your Majesty, I don't have many complaints about Uncle Dongshan leading the troops to go on the expedition. However, some of the adults are a little worried about the 5,000 men and horses that Uncle Dongshan recruited."
Su Xuanyong looked indifferent and said softly, "Worried? What are you worried about? Don't hide it and hide it from them. Let's talk about it together."
"yes!"
"The adults are worried that the people under Uncle Dongshan will be difficult to manage. After all, these people have violated the laws of Great Liang and have lives in their hands."
"If they seize the opportunity to mutiny, ***, it is likely to be harmful to Kyoto. They hope to send a supervisory army, which will be easier to manage. If there are any changes, they can report as soon as possible..."
"Okay, stop talking, he
We are people who know our thoughts clearly. If we are dissatisfied with Dongshan Bo, we can lead our troops to the front line. "
"If you can't do that, it's best to put away these small thoughts. The war situation is critical now, and everything has been united. If anyone dares to say these disturbing words again, don't blame me for turning their backs."
Su Xuanyong's voice was very soft, but when it reached the ears of everyone present, their expressions instantly changed slightly.
The eunuch nodded after receiving the instructions and then respectfully left the hall.
Chu Xiong and Wenxuan raised their heads, looked at the back of the departing eunuch, and then looked at each other, and they had a guess in their minds.
At the same time, when the eunuch who left the main hall passed by a chamberlain delivering a military report, he waved his broad sleeves and inadvertently handed a certain letter to the chamberlain.
The chamberlain went back and forth to the meeting hall. As time passed and it got darker, no one knew that under a palace wall, two black shadows were flashing.
One of them opened the letter in his hand, glanced at it, then handed the letter to the person opposite and said coldly.
"Let me tell you, I'm going to test His Majesty at this time. With His Majesty's temperament, he will naturally attack us. It's very difficult to use His Majesty's hand to kill Su Qi'an."
"Old Zhao, do you think I don't know His Majesty's temperament? I'm going to test it now. I really don't know what the result will be?" the person opposite said with a smile.
"Is that what you mean?"
"Yes, if we knowingly file a complaint, we will naturally be beaten, but don't forget that our Majesty is suspicious and the war situation is critical at the moment, so he naturally attaches great importance to Su Qi'an."
"But what kind of people are the troops in Su Qian's hands? They can be said to be desperadoes. Such people form an army and can be used in wartime, but once the situation becomes clear, this army is a time bomb. Our Majesty, You won’t be so trusting.”
"And we have planted a seed in His Majesty's heart. Besides, Liang'er is also on the Tongguan front line this time. With him here, Su Qian is not so lucky this time."
"We just have to wait and see. Now hurry up and return to the hall. If you stay out for a long time, your Majesty will inevitably notice."
Duke Zhao nodded and disappeared into the darkness with Zheng Yuan.
