At dusk, the carnival in the Crystal Palace came to an end for the time being, and the melodious sounds fell silent for the time being. The palaces are inlaid with pearls and agate everywhere. Under the illumination of lamps and candles, they emit brilliant light and are dazzling.
The beauties dispersed, and the maids and maids carefully cleaned up the mess. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol, not the aroma of the essence of grain, but instead the smell of decay and stench. In the bead curtain brocade tent, on the carved jade couch, Meng Chang, who was tired from playing, was lying on it in an indulgent posture, holding a finely crafted silver wine flask in his arms.
"Madam!" A slight greeting came from outside.
"Where are the officials?" A soft questioning voice sounded, and from that beautiful voice, it seemed that the beauty could feel a little dissatisfaction.
"The officials have gone to bed!"
Soon, the bead curtain was opened with a crashing sound. Xu Huifei came lightly stepping on the fine blanket. Her round breasts were slightly pouted. She sat on the edge of the couch and looked at Meng Chang.
Meng Chang tilted his head slightly, his cheeks showing a rich red color, and he was still drunk. Although he is slightly stout, Meng Chang is still a handsome uncle. His forehead, eyebrows, eyes and nose can all be described as handsome. However, from his facial expression, one can clearly feel a sense of desolation and exhaustion.
Feeling something in her heart, Xu Huifei's frowning eyebrows relaxed a little, and her beautiful face revealed a look of love and pity, which was a distressed expression. Stretching out her delicate jade hands, she gently caressed Meng Chang's face. She opened her red lips and sighed silently.
Wiping away the remaining wine drops from Meng Chang's slender beard, he noticed the wine bottle in his arms and took it out with some effort. As soon as the wine bottle was thrown away, Meng Chang woke up immediately, opened his hazy eyes, took a moment, noticed Concubine Xu Hui, and said softly, "You're here!"
The unpleasant smell of alcohol came out of his mouth, and Meng Chang looked like he had a headache. Xu Huifei hurriedly sat forward, hugged him in her arms, and gently massaged his forehead and temples with her hands.
Meng Chang showed an expression of enjoyment, and then smelled the jade fragrance of Mei Jiao Niang, showing an intoxicated expression, as if he was immersed in a comfortable harbor.
While massaging, Xu Huifei advised with a little hesitation, "Guardian, you can't go on like this, living in drunkenness, wasting your time, and neglecting government affairs."
If other palace concubines tried to persuade him, Meng Chang would definitely be furious, but this was his favorite concubine Hui. His eyes became clear for a while, then dimmed. He hugged the beauty's slender waist, and Meng Chang said with waning spirits, "The affairs of the court are left to the ministers to take care of. Don't worry, we just need to be in this Crystal Palace, playing the piano and the harp, and sharing the fun." That’s it!”
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Meng Chang's tone and demeanor showed a hint of dejection. Seeing this, Concubine Xu Hui couldn't help but feel depressed and said, "The country is in turmoil and the country is in turmoil. Although I am only a woman, how can I enjoy myself here in peace and charm the king?"
"Don't worry about the rumors outside!" Hearing this, Meng Chang reassured.
Concubine Xu Hui wanted to persuade her again, but a chamberlain hurriedly came in, stood outside the curtain and reported, "In the official house, the privy envoy Wang Zhaoyuan and the deputy envoy Han Bao are asking for an audience outside the palace!"
"Did you say something?" Meng Chang asked casually, somewhat reluctant to part with Concubine Xu Hui's jade body.
"It's a military emergency!"
"Military situation? The two of them can discuss the matter through discussion!" Meng Chang responded.
Seeing his reaction, Concubine Xu Hui took the initiative to stand up, saluted, and said, "The two envoys are here together. There must be urgent matters. The officials must not neglect them. I will retire first!"
After saying that, she left quickly without waiting for Meng Chang to stay, and left the Crystal Palace to go back to her Peony Garden.
In the hall, Meng Chang tidied up his appearance before receiving the two privy envoys. Wang Zhaoyuan hurriedly walked in. After seeing the ceremony, he ignored the displeasure on Meng Chang's face and said, "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation from the north!"
"Emergency military situation? Could it be that there is another problem with Zhao Jiwen?" Meng Chang obviously hadn't fully recovered from his drunkenness, his mind was a little confused, and he subconsciously said.
But he quickly reacted, opened his eyes wide, and stared at Wang Zhaoyuan nervously, "Northern military situation! Is there any unusual movement in the Han army?"
Taking a deep breath, Wang Zhaoyuan said with a serious face, "Lizhou reported that the Northern Han Dynasty had sent troops to march south on the 7th of this month. It sent thousands of troops in advance to sneak attack Sanquan under the leadership of Han general Wang Renfan!"
"How could it be!" After hearing this, Meng Chang's face became serious, as if he had suffered a serious blow, and he was still confused. "Is there a mistake in military conditions? How could the Northern Han Dynasty ignore the dignity of a big country and go to war without declaring it? Carrying out a sneak attack and stealing the tribute? The imperial court did not delay any discounts for the annual tribute in the first half of the year. How could the Northern Han Dynasty dare to tear up the peace treaty and invade brazenly? "
Seeing Meng Chang's reaction, Wang Zhaoyuan said loudly, as if he wanted to shake his soul back with the high pitched voice, "Your Majesty, I have long said that the Northern Han Dynasty will not die in defeating me. Sooner or later, it will send troops to devour the country of Shu. Han Dynasty. It is not surprising that the army is marching south. Now that the Han army has attacked, it is useless to talk more. The imperial court must quickly find ways to deal with it and support the armies in the north to resist the enemy!"
After hearing what Wang Zhaoyuan said, Meng Chang slowly calmed down, but still looked at a loss as to what to do, and murmured, "It's finally here."
"Your Majesty!" Next to Wang Zhaoyuan, Han Baozheng, the deputy privy envoy, shouted loudly. His tiger eyes were full of energy and his beard was flamboyant. He said, "The invaders from the north are invading from the south. Shu is in danger. You don't want to lead the way to defend against the enemy. Why do you do this meaningless thing?"
Han Baozheng is a veteran general in Sichuan. He followed Meng Zhixiang in his early years. He has always been known for his bravery, toughness, and outspokenness. After the peace talks between Han and Shu, he was appointed as deputy privy envoy to assist Wang Zhaoyuan. The current defense line set up by Shu in the north is largely due to his contribution. After all, the veteran general has rich combat experience.
In fact, the generals of Hou Shu are very young and old. They have been in the country for more than 20 years. Those who are active in the military, leading troops to fight, guarding the passes and guarding the borders are still some veterans from the founding period, and the young talents have not been discovered and promoted.
At this time, seeing the angry look of the veteran general Han Baozheng, Meng Chang regained some of his depressed mood. He stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "Instruct all civil and military officials to discuss matters in the main hall!"
It was only early autumn, but the wind blowing in the Shu Palace seemed particularly cold and desolate, making people's mood subconsciously feel depressed. Meng Chang had not been to the palace to discuss matters for a long time, but when he appeared in front of the ministers again, he was faced with the massive southward advance of the Han army.
For many Shu ministers, they actually expected it, but when this day actually arrived, they were still dissatisfied and confused. Dozens of civil and military officials from the Shu court gathered to discuss state affairs, but each had his own opinion and argued endlessly.
Opinions on the Han army's attack were mixed. Some suggested sending envoys to inquire and negotiate peace. Some suggested holding the pass and waiting for the enemy to retreat. Some suggested adding more troops and sending food to attack proactively. Of course, there were also the capitulation faction who suggested that Meng Chang surrender directly.
There was a lot of discussion among the group, but they couldn't come up with a set of practical and effective measures. It was a mess, even more chaotic than the market in Chengdu. Meng Chang's head felt swollen after hearing all kinds of suggestions.
Naturally, a loyal and upright veteran like Han Baozheng could not stand the poor performance of the officials of the Shu court, and directly accused them of being in a hurry like rats, which was disgusting. This triggered another wave of controversy and criticism.
In the end, Meng Chang couldn't stand it anymore and announced the disbandment of the dynasty, leaving only Li Hao, Wang Zhaoyuan, Han Baozheng and other civil and military officials.
Back in the study, Meng Chang couldn't help but got angry and launched a map-cannon-style attack: "The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty are all mediocre people. They talk high-minded talks on weekdays, but when the country is in crisis, they have no useful insights. It's simply abominable." !”
"Your Majesty, calm down!" Seeing Meng Chang's anger, Prime Minister Li Hao lowered his head slightly and tried to persuade him.
After venting his anger and feeling a little more comfortable, Meng Chang looked at Wang Zhaoyuan and Han Baozheng and said directly, "Now that the matter is over, how to deal with the Northern Han invasion from the south depends on the ministers here. Is there any regulation for the Privy Council?"
Upon hearing the question, Wang Zhaoyuan responded seriously, "Your Majesty, I have discussed with all the officials that our government has no retreat in this war. In the past three years, the Han army has been reorganizing its army and military operations in Qinfeng and Hanzhong, accumulating grain and accumulating weapons. The purpose is It is obvious. If you come south this time, you will definitely have the intention of destroying the country. If you want to protect our foundation of Shu, we can only resist with all our strength!"
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