We traveled three thousand miles from Fujian to Bianjing, and it was already midnight on the third day when we arrived in Bianjing. Bianjing city has high walls and thick walls. Although there is no curfew at night, the city gates are locked at all times and it is an iron law to behead people. No matter whether you are the prince or Zhao It is impossible for your clan members to open the door to convenience for you.
When the urgent news from the army reached the city, he was already exhausted, but the situation was urgent, so he still shouted at the top of his lungs: Bianjing is in danger!
The imperial guards on the city wall were happy when they heard this. Is there an emergency in the southeast? Is this the work of a Khitan or a Dangxiang? Just make up any reason to say that the southwest is better than the southeast. Your mother's southeast is now a gentle town. Refugees flee to the southeast. Where is the emergency?
"How many of you are there?" The imperial guards on the city wall looked at the city below with the faint light of the stars and moon. There were no trees or houses under the city, so any ambush could be clearly seen.
Xun Bing was not in the mood to chat with him. He spoke with a strong southeastern accent and yelled at the city gate: "Open the gate quickly, I can't bear to miss you and miss the military situation!"
The city gates of the Song Dynasty were not so easy to open. The imperial guards who guarded the city held the left half of the bronze talisman. They had to take the left half of the talisman to the key bank in Da Nei to find the holder in exchange for the right talisman. At the same time, they also had to leave The left talisman is a pledge certificate. Use the right talisman to open the city gate and then return it. Finally, you can redeem your left talisman. The city gate can be opened only after a whole set of procedures are completed. Otherwise, if it is a light one, it will have to be beaten with nearly a hundred army sticks, and if it is a heavy one, it can be beheaded on the spot.
Calculating the straight-line distance from the city gate to the inner city of the palace, the distance is about four kilometers, which is 3 miles. It takes two turns back and forth, and it takes half a day to ride a horse. All the military affairs will be delayed!
The imperial guards ordered the people around him: "Damn it, let me hang him up in a hanging basket. I'll beat him to death for no reason. If anyone asks, they'll say it's the work of a party member! If you dare to go wild in my territory, you can't do it without taking a piss." Act like your own monkey!"
A hanging basket was lowered from the city wall. Xunbing also knew that the city gate could not be opened except by imperial order, so he could only sigh and squat down in the hanging basket to be hoisted up. A few soldiers pulled the hanging basket on the city wall, and in a few seconds it was pulled to the top of the city wall. Only then did he dare to open his mouth to state the military situation. As a result, he got a slap on the head, and then fell unconscious.
"How did you master this guy?"
"Let's search first. It's best to find some weapons secret messages or something, so that we can have a good deal! Bring water and pour him water to wake me up. I want to interrogate him!"
The soldiers skillfully searched the information soldier up and down. Sure enough, they found an urgent message from him and immediately presented it to the prison envoy. Although the prison envoy was humble, his status was extraordinary and he could get this position. They are all confidants in the eyes of the officials. Those who help guard the gates of their homes are not their own. If they turn around and open the city gates by collaborating with the enemy, then their world will be gone!
People with status naturally have extraordinary knowledge. As soon as the prison envoy saw the urgent report, he knew that this messenger was a genuine emergency messenger. On the emergency report, there were exquisite and dense patterns of fire paint secretly made by the Privy Council. Only the government in the Song Dynasty had this kind of technology. The Dangxiang and Khitan people had coveted this method for many years, but they were still unable to master it.
The soldier took a basin of water and poured it on his face to wake the interrogator, and he was about to be tortured. The prison envoy was so absorbed in reading the urgent report that he almost forgot to report it to the soldiers. He turned around and delayed the military plane. He also had to finish the game. He quickly shouted loudly and stopped: "Stop."
Then his fleshy old face squeezed out a smile, helped the interrogator up and said: "Brother, I'm offended, none of my subordinates have the eyesight and rudeness, but it's just the rules of the Forbidden Army. Anyone who comes will be tested first, regardless of the reason. , Duo Haihan, Duo Haihan!”
Xunbing was tortured inexplicably and became very angry. However, he heard what they said about the forbidden army's methods. This was his first time in the capital, and he didn't want to be looked down upon. Suffering a loss was a blessing, so he didn't care about it. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly said to the commander: "Sir, can you send a fast horse to lead me to the West Mansion? The military order is urgent!"
Seeing that they had already lost a lot of time at the city gate, the commander of the imperial army immediately mobilized a fast horse and ordered a few of his subordinates to escort the messenger. The city of Bianjing was too big, so he was afraid that he would get lost.
The Privy Council is staffed around the clock. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty has been fighting for many years, and wars have been tight. Although the new emperor ascended the throne and inherited the alliance between Zhenzong and the Khitan for many years, he suffered too much information and was not able to send and receive it in time. Several emperors were particularly Paying attention to the sending and receiving of frontline military information, it has been passed down that this Qingshui Yamen has to have someone on duty every day.
The Xifu mentioned by Xunbing is also another name for the Privy Council. The founding of the Song Dynasty deeply hated the domineering warriors and tried every means to weaken the power of the warriors, but at the same time, they had to guard against the dominance of each other. The way to decentralize power was to divide it into two parts. Interference, under this national policy, the Privy Council and Zhongshu's family are collectively called the Second Palace, with the East as the most respected, and the Privy Council is also the Western Palace.
There are twelve rooms in the West Mansion, and there are ways to inform soldiers. You can't just go in and report at any door. The officers and soldiers on Fujian Road were under the jurisdiction of the Zaijingfang, so Xunbing naturally shared Xinghua's military intelligence with the Zaijingfang. A small soldier who is close to him is not qualified to enter the room, so he is waiting outside the door.
It was already midnight and there had been no war for many years. In the capital room, there was only one chief officer and one regent on duty. Only after the communication was passed, the soldiers could enter. The chief was not very old, but he was cautious. When he saw a document from Fujian late at night, he felt a little bit suspicious at first. However, he only asked the interrogator a few words. His strong southeastern accent proved that he The identity was indeed true. After checking again that the fire seal of the emergency report was correct, he asked the informant to stand outside the room and asked Ling Shi to convey the order to the Deputy Cheng of the house. He reported it level by level. He made a small The principal also has no right to initiate an emergency report.
Finally, this urgent report, which was rushed from 800 miles southeast to Bianjing, was finally delivered to the hands of His Majesty, the most powerful person in the Song Dynasty. The handsome boy-like emperor was only twenty years old this year. Born in an emperor's family, his face was earlier than others of the same age. One needs to be precocious and perseverant. When the late emperor was in power, many border residents in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou rebelled. When the power was handed over to him, he determined to be a benevolent and compassionate monarch. Unexpectedly, in the first year after he took the throne, someone would rebel. The place where the rebellion took place was Fujian Road in Fujian, which had never seen any anti-people. It was like a loud slap in the face, which made the young man's face feel hot and painful.
The meeting place was the Wende Hall on the west side of the palace. Zhao Zhen was a sleepy boy at this time. He had to go to class before dawn every day, so he went to bed very early. Today, the starry night was dug up and passed through most of the palace before the royal chariot arrived at Wende Hall. By the time Zhao Zhen arrived, the civil and military ministers had already arrived from outside the palace.
Zhao Zhen was sweating profusely when he saw the big guys walking. He had also walked a lot of time in the middle of the night. Such walking would delay the business sooner or later. So when he arrived at the Wende Hall, the first thing he said when he saw all the officials was: "It is inconvenient to rush to the Wende Hall in the middle of the night if there is an urgent report. If there are urgent business matters in the future, my beloved ministers can wear casual clothes and no longer have to stick to the ritual staff to discuss matters." The location was changed from Wende Hall to Gongchen Hall to avoid delaying the secret!"
Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief. It was okay to get up from bed in the middle of the night and go to the entrance of the palace. You could also ride a horse and sit in a sedan. Once you entered the palace, you could only ride in a sedan if the emperor showed mercy. Otherwise, no matter how high your merits or position, you could ride in a sedan. You can only get off your horse and walk obediently. If you can't walk, you have to crawl. Young people are okay. Old ministers like Feng Zheng and Xiang Minzhong are getting old and it is difficult to breathe, let alone walk.
"Thank you Lord for your kindness!" The crowd shouted and wandered around the Wende Hall.
Zhao Zhen glanced around the civil and military officials, and finally his eyes fell on Qian Weiyin, the Privy Council envoy, and said: "Qian Qing, the Privy Council received an urgent report tonight and reported it carefully."
Qian Weiyin held the fluorene board and bowed and said: "Back to Your Majesty, Deputy Envoy Yang is on duty in the Privy Council today. The ministers who received the report rushed to the court and did not have time to examine it carefully. Your Majesty should ask Mr. Yang for the details."
Yang Chongxun was a martial artist, and being able to get into the position of deputy commander of the Privy Council can be said to be a military official. He has been in the battlefield and officialdom for decades, and has been polished to be as smooth and shiny as a veteran. He came out of the team and responded to Zhao Zhen: "Your Majesty, today on the Fujian Road, the Quanzhou Prefecture urgently reports that bandits have appeared in Xinghua County. They refused to pay taxes, robbed the countryside, and killed court officials. Quanzhou is short of major generals. Please ask the court to send troops for reinforcements!"
Is there anyone rebelling on Fujian Road? Hearing this, the civil and military officials all started whispering regardless of their decency. There were many military generals in the founding of the Song Dynasty, and everyone was used to it. Taizu ordered people to design two long-winged hats with long wings. People only need to whisper to each other. The two wings are particularly obvious like the ruler.
The reason why everyone only dared to discuss in private but not loudly was because it was the first time that someone in Fujian rebelled. During the turbulent times of Wei, Jin, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, Fujian people had never resisted. How could they rebel in today's peaceful and prosperous times? The chief official of this place is no ordinary person, it is Zhao Weixian, the uncle of the current emperor. Whether it is a real rebellion or a fake rebellion, this matter is a difficult matter, and those who offend by talking nonsense are not ordinary people. .
Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and whispered: "Hey, Lian remembers... The newly appointed magistrate of Quanzhou seems to be the emperor's uncle!"
As soon as the word "uncle" came out, everyone immediately fell silent. It happened that this happened on the territory of a relative of the emperor. This royal relative was still very prestigious in the court. Even the emperor always treated the junior politely every time they met. present. Maybe this matter is the Zhao family's own family matter. Could it be that the storm between Taizu and Taizong is about to start again.
Zhao Zhen continued: "Is the principal of the Secret Pavilion here?"
At this time, at the end of the hundred officials, a petty official walked out from the right with his head held high. He was standing close to the door and shouted: "The minister is here!"
The school manager of the secret pavilion is in charge of the collation and arrangement of classics. Generally, he is not qualified to participate in such court gatherings. However, the sage Kaien specially summoned this small official from Kaifeng Mansion to attend the court. Such a small official can be regarded as a low-ranking official. I have never heard of "Huang En Sheng Jian" since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Even if it is a Lu Yijian, Xianggong Lu was only recorded on the screen by Emperor Zhenzong in the previous dynasty. At that time, everyone said that Xianggong Lu would definitely be named a marquis and prime minister in the future. Now he looks young. The principal of the Secret Pavilion is very high-spirited. It is a very obvious signal that a high-level emperor will ask him a small official in public at such a high-level court meeting. Since ancient times, watching the wind direction and learning to take sides has been a very important skill.
"Fan Qing is in charge of the classic history collection. Have you ever seen any precedent of rebellion in Fujian Road?" Everyone looked at this rising star named Fan, and their eyes were full of excitement. When this young man was listed on the list, it was said that his surname was Zhu Ming. I changed my surname to Fan, but it doesn’t matter what my surname is, I will definitely be a phoenix on a high branch in the future.
"Your Majesty, I have read through history and have never heard of it."
"Then tell me your opinion on this matter?"
"The humble minister countered that we have never heard of rebellion among the people before the Song Dynasty in Fujian Road. If there are historical records of the dynasty, it should be recorded. But it has never happened before, which does not mean that it will not happen in the current dynasty!" The voice of the school director surnamed Fan was impassioned and made a righteous speech. These If it had been said that if other emperors were in power, the emperor would have been dragged out and beheaded long ago. But he was unmoved. The other officials looked at him with a bit of admiration. This kid was just starting out and didn't understand the rules of officialdom. He couldn't dare to talk like this just because he was favored by the Holy Emperor.
"It doesn't matter if you say so."
The man surnamed Fan continued: "In the past dynasties, Fujian and Yue were a barbaric land with a vast territory and sparsely populated areas. The special products were relatively plentiful, so the people lived in peace. However, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, Fujian has experienced hundreds of years of peace and prosperity, and the population has already increased. With rapid growth, when there are more people, there will naturally be more miscreants, so it’s not surprising that there are traitors!”
Zhao Zhen nodded frequently when he heard this. He didn't take it seriously when the principal of the school offended Tian Yan just now. After hearing what he said, he clearly agreed with it.
"Prime Minister Ding usually has the most ideas, why is he silent today?"
One of the old men standing at the front of the crowd suddenly coughed dryly and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "I have been suffering from cold recently and am not in good health. My thoughts are unclear. However, since the Holy One has asked a question, I boldly speak out. The Governor of Quanzhou Zhao Weixian, Prince Zhao, has a reputation as a virtuous man who cares about the people, and is widely known for his kindness. But how could he cause so many troubles as soon as he arrived in Quanzhou, and urged the court to increase troops to suppress the bandits? According to what I saw, I am afraid that this is the case... "Before he finished speaking, he started coughing loudly, making his face turn white.
"Come here! Help Ding Xiang go to the Taiyuan Hospital for consultation. There is no room for loss of humerus in the imperial court!"
Yang Chongxun next to him almost rolled his eyes. This old fox was so good at acting. Everyone knew as soon as he heard what he said that he was insinuating that Zhao Weixian had evil intentions. However, he did not say it directly and let the emperor guess by himself. He is an old fritter, he is an old goblin.
The speaker is thoughtful, and the listener is even more thoughtful. Zhao Zhen's body was inadvertently touched when Ding Wei said it! What Ding Wei said was heartbreaking, but it was true, right? .
"The old minister also agrees with Deputy Prime Minister Ding. I'm afraid the motives behind this matter are impure." The speaker was an old man. Wang Qinruo, the former Tongping Zhangshi who had retired from the post, now had the false title of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment.
Wang Qinruo will retire and return to his hometown in a few days. He and Ding Wei have equally poor official reputations, but they have a vicious political vision and must listen to their opinions.
"Wei ministers disagree with Ding Prime Minister Wang Shangshu's views!" The school manager surnamed Fan stood up and shouted loudly. Everyone was surprised by his courage. Ding said that he was now the deputy prime minister, equivalent to the deputy prime minister. Even a low-ranking official dares to confront Ding Wei. What does this mean if he doesn't have the support of the Holy One?
The Wende Hall was obviously divided into two factions. The Young Masters faction and the Privy Council faction formed one group and advocated rushing to support Quanzhou. They said so, but in fact, these people took advantage of the situation and were already speculating on taking sides. The other faction, led by the Laohe faction led by Ding Wei and Wang Qinruo, believed that the matter should be investigated carefully first, since a few thieves and bandits in Xinghua could not cause any trouble, so there was no need to act too hastily. Neither of the two groups was convinced by the other, and they were furious. The only one who remained silent was the most respected member of Tongzhongshu's family, Ping Zhangshi, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, Lu Yijian.
The most troublesome thing for the emperor in the court is the endless quarrels between the ministers and spies. The monarch who is not determined enough and has no moral character is completely unable to make a decision, because every decision made by the ministers has a certain reason, and they can still make it clear and convincing. It all depends on the level of the emperor.
Zhao Zhen waved his hand, and the ministers did not dare to make a mistake. The voices in the Wende Hall finally quieted down, "Prime Minister Lu?"
Lu Yijian did not hesitate and said: "Prince Zhao is loyal to his ancestors, and he must be loyal to his ancestors." Lu Yijian's final word is equivalent to defining the matter. It has nothing to do with Zhao Weixian, it is just a rebellion of ordinary people. Looking at the entire court, no one except Zhao Zhen himself dared to speak like this.
"Fujian and Bianjing are far apart, and most of the Central Forbidden Army is in the northwest. It will take a lot of time to send troops at this time. Central Fujian is sparsely populated. I believe that the number of rebels will not be large. Quanzhou is also a strategic point in the southeast, so there must be no loss. But Order the provincial capitals in Fujian to guard against the enemy and deploy Tibetan soldiers to relieve the enemy. The soldiers in Quanzhou must not move lightly, otherwise Quanzhou will be lost, and even a single spark can start a prairie fire. There must be a reason for rebelling against the people. Do not use military force lightly in everything. For the best."
After hearing this, Zhao Zhen respectfully asked the person behind the beaded curtain behind the dragon chair. He only heard a female voice coming from behind the beaded curtain: "Just act according to Prime Minister Lu's words!"
