The fourth day of September.
"Great victory at Baektu Gorge, 110,000 killed in formation!"
The yamen servant had a banner tied to his back and a big gong in his hand. He was shouting as he walked. There were quite a few of them, twenty of them lined up neatly in two rows, beating the gong and shouting in a leisurely manner on the road.
This is called "victory". It is to spread the word about the great victory on the front line and let the people in the city spread the word.
This method has many benefits, the most important of which is to reassure the people and make them feel that the war is about to end or the country is winning, thereby stabilizing the country.
The seemingly simple and rough method is the most effective method.
Because for ordinary people who had limited information and could only learn about the war situation from the yamen gate, they believed in the voice of the yamen. This was also the credibility that the Jing Dynasty had slowly built up over the long years.
There were such jubilant victorious teams not only in the imperial city, but also in big cities all over the Jing Dynasty. The whole country knew that the war in the south would not last long, and the days of poverty were coming to an end. A jubilant atmosphere began to rise in the vast area of Jingjiu Dynasty, and the people were wondering whether the damn barbarians would be completely wiped out this time.
But unlike the joy of the common people, the victory of Baektu Gorge is a death knell for some people in the imperial city. When the bell rings, someone will die, but they don't know whether it is others or themselves who will die.
The study room in Prince Ling's Mansion was full of people. Fortunately, there was an air conditioner to help cool down the room. Otherwise, the room would smell terrible of sweat.
Yang Shu was holding herbal tea in his hand, with ice added in it. It made a crisp sound when shaken. But it seemed a bit harsh in the silent study.
Today, Yang Shu is no longer a dark horse, but the prince who is actually ranked number one in terms of strength. Not only did he have the imperial merchant "Cha" and countless merchants and emerging nobles as the cornerstone of his team, but he also used the power of tightening money and food to consolidate his reputation and prestige in various parts of the country.
Finally, with the successive deaths of the three princes, King Qian, King Lu, and King Jing, Yang Shu used explicit or covert means to gather as much force as possible under the command of these three princes. And captured the most critical "big test" location: the imperial city's military force.
There are three branches of military force in the imperial city. One is the Xuanqing Guards and the Forbidden Army, which are the emperor's private armies and are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. The other is Fenghong Villa, which is the strongest force belonging to the royal family and will not be moved easily. The last is The defenders of the four gates of the Imperial City and the yamen servants of the local yamen of the Imperial City.
The four gate defenders and the city's government officials seem to be the weakest among the armed forces in the imperial city, but they are the only forces allowed by the emperor to be included in the "Grand Examination" competition. They have always been regarded as important areas for the "Grand Examination". Who can get as many as possible? If you take down the four gate guards and government officials, you will be closer to the throne.
Now, the south gate of the imperial city and the local government officials were in Yang Shu's hands.
Ximen is in the hands of Shou Wang Yang Lin.
The east gate originally belonged to King Jing, but after King Jing's death it was taken over by the third prince, King Wu Yang Yong.
The North Gate was originally controlled by King Lu. Later, King Lu died and it fell into the hands of the sixth prince, King Yang Feng of Qi.
Calculated in this way, Yang Shu was only as strong as the other three princes as a local Yamen servant in the imperial city. Of course, we also have to count the largest number of armed guests under his command. Therefore, his current strength is absolutely number one.
However, the "big test" is not a one-on-one duel, but a chaotic battle with almost no rules. The last person left is considered a winner, so the situation of consecutive draws is very common, and it is usually used to clean up. The "strongest" one.
Of course, it is not uncommon in the history of the royal family's "big exam" to have people who have been in a row and then be wiped out in one fell swoop. But more often than not, the "strongest" one accidentally becomes the first to die.
No one wants to die, least of all Yang Shu, let alone die in front of the throne, Yang Shu will never die in peace.
Of course there are countermeasures. He has such a large number of counselors who share the same fate as Yang Shu. In addition to being responsible for specific affairs, these people also specialize in making suggestions, analyzing and deducing the worst-case scenario, and even coming up with ideas to help Yang Shu overcome obstacles. .
But time is a big problem, and now Yang Shu faces a life-threatening choice.
The great military victory in the south sounded the clarion call for the "big test", and Yang Shu had no room to retreat.
The counselors in the study watched closely, not daring to make random noises to disturb Yang Shu's thoughts.
After a long time, Yang Shu finally said, "How sure are you?"
"Go back to the prince, I'm 80% sure!"
"Eighty percent? Haha... If this thing fails, my life will be over. And your end will not be happy..." Yang Shu's expression was strange, seven points fierce, Three parts gloomy. He stopped mid-sentence, and his eyes swept across the faces of every counselor below him like knives.
After another long silence, Yang Shu suddenly put the tea cup in his hand heavily on the table. The tea splashed out and wet his clothes without caring. The three gloomy expressions on his face disappeared and were replaced by a wolf-like ruthlessness. Li.
"Forget it! My father often said that you can bet your life if you are 70% sure, and the success or failure is left to fate! I, Yang Shu, started from a young age, but now I am only one step away from the throne. I will break it when I am ready. I am betting on this life! "
With just one sentence, more than a dozen counselors below knelt down on one knee and shouted, "Follow the prince to the death."
The planning was done by these counselors, and the idea was taken by Yang Shu himself. But no one can be sure of the final outcome, otherwise Yang Shu would not have repeatedly said the word "gamble".
However, although it is "gamble", it is not a blind guess with eyes closed, but a planned and strategic layout.
According to the analysis of the counselors, the current situation in the imperial city will be completely determined within September, which means that the winner of the "big test" must be determined this month. The basis is the eerily fast advancement speed of the southern army. and scattered messages from the palace about the emperor's physical condition.
The combination of these two conditions can kill time.
Time is drawing to a close, and the “big test” is sure to pick up pace. And now the one who emerges is the Soul King Shu, who is called the "strongest".
Three against one, Yang Shu did not dare to say that he could win, and even knew that he was likely to lose, because a lot of the power in his hand was only replenished recently, not to mention digestion, and how useful it was in a life-and-death situation. It's impossible to tell.
"Huang Zishan's side must be foolproof, and no flaws can be seen beforehand. In addition, our people must enter the north gate at least three days in advance, and their identities must be arranged by Huang Zishan." Although he was determined, Yang Shu's life and death were inevitably at stake. I was a little nervous and had to remind me again that all details should be accurate.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, there will be a group of soldiers rotating at the North Gate tomorrow. Our people will sneak in by then. Huang Zishan has already made arrangements."
