Chengxintang was originally the residence of Li Jing, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty. After Li Yu came to the throne, it became his residence. On weekdays, he mainly studied and painted here, recited poems and wrote poems, or invited friends from the same Taoism to sit and discuss Taoism. Talk about elegance. Influenced and infiltrated by two generations of talented emperors, Li Jing and Li Yu, this Chengxintang exudes a cultural atmosphere inside and outside, which is elegant and far-reaching and different from the commonplace.
Li Yu succeeded to the throne, and it only lasted two years with full plans. However, what his father left to him was not a stable and prosperous country, but a mess of internal and external troubles and a deteriorating state. Even if he is a man of great talent and strategy, faced with this situation of internal and external difficulties, it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw, but what about Li Yu?
He is just a romantic scholar who likes literature and classics. Being an emperor is really difficult for him. Of course, on the other hand, in this era, Li Yu's performance in succeeding to the throne has deteriorated more rapidly and thoroughly than in the original time and space. It may not be that the current situation has collapsed to the point of irreversibility. Indulging in one's own hobbies may also be a a means of escape.
However, even if he deliberately turned his back on what was going on outside the window, the pressure from the Central Plains court still made Li Yu feel deeply, especially the edicts and invitations one after another, which were like reminders, hitting his will.
Panic, fear, and at a loss what to do. In fact, Li Yu had already lost hope for the future after hearing that the court was preparing for the Pingnan War. At first, he had thought about accepting Emperor Liu's invitation and heading north to Tokyo, but he did not dare.
Of course, it is not entirely true to say that they completely gave up resistance and allowed the monstrous floods to destroy their country and overthrow their ancestral temples. For example, the personnel transfer for Yangtze River Defense is a manifestation of struggle. However, other than that, it seems that no more useful measures can be thought of. People are always complicated. Even if they are in deep despair, they may not be without a trace of hope in their hearts.
At this time, Li Yu still had a trace of fantasy.
In the Chengxin Hall, Li Yu is sitting on the main seat. The leader of Jiangnan Kingdom is very handsome, with a crown on his head, and his whole body exudes the aura of books. He looks like a scholar and a scholar. Perhaps due to excessive drinking, he looks a little weak, with a pale face and slightly melancholy eyes. This kind of temperament is not likely to arouse a woman's affection.
Also sitting in the hall were several important ministers of the dynasty, including Prime Minister Xu Xuan, Assistant to the Guangzheng Yuan Chen Qiao, Privy Councilor Feng Yanlu, and Minister of Civil Affairs Zhong Mo. These four people are the main figures holding the main power in the Jinling court today.
However, looking at its condition, it gives people a sense of decline and decay. Xu Xuan, as a famous figure in the south of the Yangtze River and a veteran of three dynasties, has always been close to Han Xizai. He was a reformist before. However, in terms of writing and talent, this is a great man, but in terms of the ability to govern the country, he is always lacking. , and has no impressive political achievements.
Chen Qiao is also an old minister, a loyal minister, and can be regarded as a truly loyal and upright person left by Li Jing to Li Yu. Since Li Yu succeeded to the throne, he has repeatedly advised and urged him to cheer up and prosper the country. He is also the most clear and fierce opponent of the imperial court in the court, hoping to strengthen military equipment and resist its annexation. However, after all, this is just a civil servant, who is passionate and can speak eloquently, but when it comes to military affairs and military affairs, he is actually powerless.
Feng Yanlu was born in a well-known family and inherited his brother's political capital. Personally speaking, he was also well-educated and much more virtuous than his brother Feng Yansi. Although Kuanglan was defeated, it was really difficult for him.
As for Zhong Mo, there is no need to mention it. Up to now, if there is anyone in the Jinling court who does not know about his connection with the court, he is blind. Zhong Mo has always been the leader of the "peace-seeking faction" and has been to Tokyo as an envoy more than once.
What is more helpless is that the only people Li Yu can rely on are these people. In the past two years, it is these people who can ensure stability and maintain the normal operation of the government.
It is obviously impossible to say that there are no talents in Jiangnan. Jiangdong has been full of talents since ancient times. It's just that as monarchs, neither Li Jing nor Li Yu have the wisdom to recognize and employ people.
In addition to the four ministers, there is also an official, Jinling Ling Chen Qi, a famous strong command in Jiangnan. He has a tough temperament, is not afraid of powerful people, ghosts and gods, and is especially evil. And his hurried entry into the palace this time could wake up Li Yu who was intoxicated in the romance, which was obviously a big deal.
But it was the Yangtze River fishermen who found some pontoons in the river. They were drifting eastward from the upper reaches. After opening them, they found a letter. What was written in the letter was also the Emperor of the Han Dynasty's edict to Pingnan and a message to the people of Jiangnan. This is Cao Bin's method of following the example and ordering people to do it, which is the same old trick of attacking people's hearts.
At this time, Li Yu was uneasy, with a sad face, holding an edict in his hand, his hands trembling slightly, and his handsome face looked a little pitiful at this time. His lips trembled slightly and he murmured to himself: "It turns out that in the eyes of the imperial court, I am such an ignorant and ignorant person. Do the people in Jiangnan also see me this way?"
Seeing that Li Yu actually fell into self-doubt due to the influence of this edict, Chen Qiao became anxious and said immediately: "My lord, this is all a conspiracy by the Northern Han Dynasty to mess with my heart. Don't take it seriously. Please also quickly order the government and military along the river to seize and destroy this mailbox if they encounter it!"
However, Li Yu couldn't help but frown, looking a little painful. He was thinking that he seemed to be able to get a little bit of the story in this edict...
However, Chen Qiao's words finally had some effect. When he came back to his senses, Li Yu asked: "Is the imperial court really going to send troops to attack and destroy our country Zuo? Is war really inevitable?"
Obviously, Li Yu, the leader of the Jiangnan Kingdom, still has some illusions in his heart, although he knows in his heart that they are just illusions. As the prime minister, Xu Xuan spoke. His elegant face was also shrouded in gloom at this time, and his tone was heavy: "My lord, the Northern Army's southern expedition is inevitable. We can no longer take chances. For this plan, You should think about strategies to deal with the enemy and develop defensive methods, otherwise the country will be in danger and the ancestral temple will collapse right before your eyes!"
Well, Xianggong Xu said a lot, but nothing was implemented in practice, but I have to admit that this is a common sense statement and the actual situation. Feng Yanlu sighed and also told some bad news: "Master of the country, news has come from Runzhou. The Northern Army is massing southward in large numbers, and troops are stationed on the north bank. Apparently, troops are about to be launched!"
"What's the policy of the Privy Council?" Li Yu asked immediately after seeing Feng Yanlu's words.
"For the former, navy and army troops have been mobilized to support Jingkou. Other passes have also been arranged. It will not be easy for the Northern Army to cross the river!" Feng Yanlu said without confidence.
"Can the imperial court's 300,000-strong army be stopped from coming south?" Li Yu was not a stupid person. He couldn't tell Feng Yanlu's guilt, and murmured with a wry smile.
His appearance made Chen Qiao quite dissatisfied. He took a step closer and said loudly: "Master, the coming of the Northern Army will definitely destroy our country. The foundation of the three generations of the Li family is in danger. At this moment, You should cheer up your spirit, coordinate civil and military affairs, deploy troops and generals to resist the enemy. Although the Northern Army is large, we still have 200,000 troops and millions of people. If we can work together as one, we may not be able to repel the enemy and protect the delay. Guo Zuo!"
Chen Qiao's words are the words of a scholar, his words and deeds are exciting and even a little rude. It was also because he was a civil servant and loyal to the public that he could tolerate it. If the generals like Lin Renzhao dared to do this to him, they would probably punish him.
Trying hard to stabilize his mind, Li Yu asked Chen Qiao: "Do you have a strategy to retreat from the enemy?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qiao said directly: "Most of our elite troops are concentrated in Runzhou, and the Northern Army has also gathered in Yangzhou. Lin Renzhao, the general of the Zhenhai Navy, has the talent. As long as he can stop the Northern Army at Jingkou, as long as he can hold on to other places stably, That’s it. In addition, I suggest that the imperial court continue to recruit young people for training, especially to strengthen Jinling’s military strength!”
Well, Chen Qiao's strategy, to put it bluntly, is to leave it to Lin Renzhao and other generals, and capture some strong men to expand the army, which will give them a strong momentum...
Li Yu also agreed with this, but other than that, he couldn't think of any other way.
However, looking at Zhong Mo who had been silent, Li Yu took the initiative to speak: "Zhong Qing, the country is in a critical situation, what are your suggestions?"
During this period, Zhong Mo significantly reduced his political activities and did not make any statements in the court. He was also a smart man. If Wang Shinan came south and the two countries fought, he would continue to advocate surrender for fear of arousing public anger and losing his life. Especially for radicals like Chen Qiao, it is very dangerous when the real thing comes.
Zhong Mo's reputation in the Jinling court over the years can be said to be mixed. On the one hand, he is the core figure of the capitulation faction. However, Zhong Mo has also put forward many systems and strategies to benefit the people and government, but they have not been adopted. Just accept it.
It is not that Li Yu has not heard about his reputation. Direct ministers like Chen Qiao have criticized Zhong Mo more than once, saying that he has ulterior motives. Therefore, Li Yu is also wary of Zhong Mo. Of course, because Zhong Mo had previously shown his support for his succession and supported himself, Li Yu was somewhat grateful to him.
Under his ambivalence, Zhong Mo continued to be a senior official in Jinling. At this time, facing Li Yu's inquiry, Zhong Mo thought for a while and said: "I am just a scholar and have no knowledge of military affairs. If war is unavoidable, there is really nothing I can do. However, if we can hold on and send envoys to tell Tokyo If we try to buy time out of our sincerity, or delay the war, maybe the imperial court will take the initiative to withdraw its troops if Pingnan is unwilling to do so?"
Zhong Mo finally gave an extremely unreliable suggestion. In response to this, Chen Qiao immediately sneered: "The Northern Han Dynasty has always used troops and has never been afraid of fierce battles. The Northern Army came with the intention of wiping out the countries and unifying the rivers and mountains. They wanted to rely on The envoy then said to retreat the enemy troops, doesn’t Zhong Shangshu think it’s ridiculous?”
Facing Chen Qiao's sarcasm, Zhong Mo just said lightly: "Maybe you can give it a try!"
Unexpectedly, Li Yu also agreed with this, but who should be sent?
