After paying homage to the tomb and taking the files from the Ministry of War, Chang Silang left Changyang, coming and going like the wind.
"Oh my sister-in-law, my puppy Fu, my little grilled fish." Si Hu, who drank too much with Chang Wei, saw that he could no longer drive.
Xu Mu sighed and had no choice but to go into battle himself, pick up the reins and drive towards the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Passing through the bustling streets, many vendors and passers-by clasped their fists and bowed to Xu Mu.
"Xu Xiang!"
"I've met Mr. Xu."
There were many vendors who also took some silk preserved fruits and even live fish, and stuffed them all into Xu Mu's hands.
Everyone knows that the Xu Zaifu in front of him has no official authority. If you make a fist, you might get a gift in return.
"I saw with my own eyes a few days ago that Xu Zaifu killed the traitor with one knife in the street!"
"In Changyang City, only Xu Zaifu can think about the poor people like me."
Xu Mu clasped his fists and drove the carriage silently, feeling an unspeakable feeling in his heart.
…
"Master, how do you want to do it?" Cao Hong stood in front of Xu Mu in the study room of the Prime Minister's Mansion, his tone solemn.
"We can only lure him out of the city first."
In Changyang City, Chen Changqing's 30,000 Muyun Battalion patrols back and forth. If they cannot kill the 3,000 iron guards, they will be counterattacked in a short time.
"It was previously discovered that Chen Changqing is also buying people from the Jianghu community and wants to take action against his master."
Listening, Xu Mu frowned. Just as Chang Shiro said, Chen Changqing almost shrank into a turtle shell.
"Master, if not, I will gather people tonight and fight hard."
"Too impatient."
In Changyang City, except for the four thousand dead soldiers of Hutang, there were only hundreds of beheaded soldiers under his command.
"Commander Yu still has a good impression of the master and can win over him."
"I know this. But if the imperial guard leaves the palace for no reason, it is a serious crime of leaving his post without permission. I don't want to get him involved yet."
"Cao Hong, think of some way to kill some of the chief captains of Muyun Camp without leaving any hands or feet behind."
Cao Hong cupped his hands and accepted the order. Suddenly he remembered something and hurriedly stood firm again.
"By the way, Master, the old Marquis seems to have contracted an illness."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Xu Mu looked slightly shocked.
"The old Marquis... walked out today, holding himself up, and suddenly fell to the ground."
Xu Mu raised his hand bitterly.
Cao Hong sighed and disappeared into the night.
"Si Hu."
When Xu Mu walked out of the study and walked around the street, he found Si Hu lying on the bed, drunk and asleep.
With a helpless smile, Xu Mu could only make a gesture. Not long after, hundreds of Tiger Hall dead soldiers fell steadily around.
"Get the car and go to Dingbeihou Mansion."
After the Qing emperor came to his side, Li Rucheng simply stayed in Changyang and did not return to Chengcheng. After all, Chengshiro's side is now almost within Tsuneshiro's sphere of influence.
"Master, we're here."
"hidden."
Hundreds of figures suddenly disappeared silently.
Xu Mu straightened his robe before knocking on the door. The slave who opened the door opened the door in a hurry when he saw that the person coming was Xu Mu, holding a lantern and making a "please" gesture.
"Master has been feeling unwell these past few days. I wanted to tell Xiang Xu, but the new nursing staff were not allowed to leave—"
The servant suddenly stopped talking and hurriedly bowed down.
Xu Mu raised his head and found Li Shuomo, dressed in a luxurious robe, standing coldly in the pavilion.
"Good son-in-law." Li Shuomo shouted.
Xu Mu didn't have a good impression of Li Shuomo. The marriage between him and Li Dawan basically bypassed this father.
"I met my father-in-law." Xu Mu slightly arched his hands.
"As I said before, this virtuous son-in-law of mine is one of the best among men. He will definitely stand out."
You can pull off the feathers.
Xu Mu cursed his mother in his heart and was too lazy to joke with his son-in-law. He quickened his pace and walked towards Li Rucheng's house.
Li Shuomo snorted coldly, and when Xu Mu walked away, his expression turned gloomy.
…
Walking into the house, Xu Mu only took a few glances before his chest felt astringent. The extremely haggard appearance of Dingbeihou in front of him reminded him of the scene before Yuan Tao's death.
"Don't cry yet." Li Rucheng stepped back, his voice hoarse for a moment.
Xu Mu walked over a few steps and helped him stand up.
"I've been thinking about it for the past two days, and I guess I was poisoned."
Xu Mu looked shocked. Yuan Tao was like this, and Li Rucheng was like this. What a fucked up world this was.
"That's why."
"My son-in-law, you know. I have an army of more than 50,000 in the northwest. I have transferred 20,000 to Changyang. There should be another 30,000. Why can't I give them all to you? I only sent tiger talismans for 8,000 people."
"Yuezu said that the remaining troops should not be moved and should be kept to guard the northwest to prevent horse bandits from entering the pass."
"We call them horse bandits, but they are actually hateful foreigners. Although they are not many in number, they are brutal in their methods. They slaughter villages and towns at every turn. If they are allowed to enter, great disaster will occur."
"Whether it's rebellion or the Qing monarch's side, the new emperor or the new dynasty, it's all a matter of the Central Plains. But when foreign bandits enter the pass, it's different."
"What does Yuezu mean?"
"Someone wants to touch my Dingbei camp and want to transfer it back to Changyang."
Xu Mu looked astringent.
"You guessed it, and I guessed it too. After I die, who will seize the title of Ding Beihou?"
"Your son, my father-in-law."
"What will he do after he attacks the title?"
"Adjust the northern camp to enter Changyang."
Li Rucheng closed his eyes in pain, "The two veterans who followed me died inexplicably a few days ago. I knew there was something wrong, but I didn't expect that it was this traitor who was causing trouble."
"Can the poison be cured?"
"It shouldn't be a serious poison, but the most important thing is that my body can't bear it anymore. I don't want to tell you that the people who were sent out were all intercepted. And you are here now, so you must have fallen into a trap. Falling into a trap that was laid out.”
Xu Mu turned his head, his eyes filled with murderous thoughts.
"I have been fighting on the battlefield for more than thirty years, and I have long known that there is no chance of dying in this life. I often thought that I would be wrapped in horse leather, turned into a jar of ashes, and taken back to the inner city by my colleagues."
"But none of them." Li Rucheng said with a pained face, "I never imagined that I would fall into the hands of a traitor."
"Earlier, I should have killed Chen Changqing." Xu Mu's voice trembled. He had reason to suspect that it was Chen Changqing's method.
"It's not your fault. He has been hiding in his bastard shell. The most elusive thing in this world is the human heart. Not everyone is like you. After becoming the Prime Minister, you are still willing to eat three copper coins for breakfast."
"Do you understand the meaning of the surname Hou?"
"I understand somewhat."
"He pushed you to stand in front of the world because he believed in his heart that you are a clean person. You will obey his orders and become a loyal minister of Tuogu. But I can guess that he must have waited for this day, probably. There are other words left.”
"I'll keep it. If Yuan An can't help me, I can choose."
Li Rucheng closed his eyes and smiled, "Then it's your choice. A son-in-law is useless, but I can be proud of having a grandson-in-law like you."
"If it's my suggestion, you should have your own way after leaving Changyang. You have to understand clearly that in this round of Qing Dynasty, your biggest gain is not the official position of Prime Minister, but the people of the world, knowing that there is a leader like you. Traitor!"
"I said, you Xu Mu are not a dog that lives under someone else's roof. Even if you are inferior to one person or superior to ten thousand people, don't be a dog! You must soar, rise up like a dragon lying in a pond, and roar to me in the thirty states of the world!" "
