Xue Qing's goal has been achieved. He just wants to point the finger at the Zhang family and the prince. Next, they need to get evidence to prove that all this was the prince's instigation. At that time, the prince's position will definitely be unsafe.
Dai Yan also saw the opportunity. He was extremely dissatisfied with the Zhang family's continuous penetration of the Dai family, so Dai Yan would not let this opportunity pass.
Even if no conclusive evidence is found in the end, he will try his best to create evidence to confirm the ambitions of the Zhang family and the prince.
As for the Fang family, he is naturally happy to be able to overthrow the prince and re-establish the throne. No matter who wins or loses in the final competition, the Fang family will have the opportunity to fight for it.
Whether it is the third prince or the eighth prince, as long as one person can win, the Fang family will win in the end.
General Yunhui Dou Mao, who had just arrived on the north bank of the Yellow River, once again received the imperial order and rushed to Yancheng to support King Yan. One hundred thousand royal elites took a short rest and headed north again.
Luzhou, the first prefecture and county on the north bank of the Yellow River, is bounded by Taiyuan to the northwest, Weizhou to the east, Zhenzhou to the northeast, and beyond Zhenzhou is Yancheng. Dou Mao, who had been marching in a hurry, had just arrived in Luzhou when he saw a fast horse galloping from a distance. Dou Mao knew at a glance that it was a military messenger, so he sent someone to stop it.
"Call!" the messenger reined in his horse.
"But there is a military report from Yancheng?" a soldier asked.
"It's Yancheng Military News? Are you?" the messenger asked
"This is the army led by General Yunhui. They are rushing to Yancheng to support His Highness King Yan! The general wants to see you."
The messenger followed the soldiers to Dou Mao.
"Have you ever seen the general?"
"What's the current situation in Yancheng?" Dou Mao asked directly.
"Report to the general, a great victory in Yancheng and a great victory in Xiguan! Twenty-five thousand soldiers and horses of the Jie tribe besieged Yancheng. King Yan led his army to kill 20,000 Jie soldiers. Generals Lu Biao and Hou Tai led their troops to recapture Xiguan and ambush the fleeing troops. The Jie Clan troops and horses annihilated more than 6,000 enemies in total, and the 30,000 Jie Clan army that came this time were all annihilated!"
"What? Seriously?" Dou Mao couldn't believe his ears. Things changed too fast, beyond his expectation.
"Absolutely true."
"Great, how is King Yan now?"
"The King of Yan is safe and sound and is currently guarding Yan City."
"Okay, okay, please return to the capital and report the news as soon as possible."
The messenger responded, immediately got on his horse and drove towards the capital.
After the messenger left, Tai Shihong, the general of Guide, stepped forward and asked: "General, what should we do now? Should we continue north or return to the capital?"
"This general will lead 50,000 troops and horses to continue heading north to prevent the Jie tribe's army from attacking. You and the remaining troops will be temporarily stationed in Luzhou and send people back to the capital to request orders as soon as possible." Dou Mao said.
In the early morning of the next day, the urgent news from the frontier entered the capital, and the messenger shouted all the way, "Great victory in Yancheng, great victory in Xiguan, great victory in Yancheng, great victory in Xiguan"
Above the court, all the officials gathered together. Zhao Wuji listened to the messenger's report and couldn't calm down for a long time. He never expected that when he was angry and drove King Yan to Yancheng, a bitter and cold place on the border, he accidentally saved the whole situation. defeat.
"Your Majesty, in addition to the military report, here is also a memorial from Prince Yan's palace." The messenger took out the memorial from his arms and asked for instructions.
Fang Shutong stepped forward to take the memorial, walked slowly to the high platform, and handed the memorial to the eunuch Liu Zhi.
Zhao Wuji opened the memorial and read the contents one by one.
"My son Zhao Bin respectfully invites your majesty to read: On March 28, the eighth year of Yuanlong, a 30,000-strong army of the Jie tribe attacked Xiguan. That night, Zhang Da, the defender of Xiguan, led his army to abandon the pass and fled. On the 29th, Zhang Da led his army to besiege Yan. City, was shot and killed by his son.
Thanks to the emperor's great grace and the power of heaven, I surrendered the army led by Zhang Da. However, at this time, Xiguan was attacked by the Jie tribe. Due to the incident, I had no choice but to mobilize the army in the name of King Yan, and ordered the escort army to prepare for Lu Biao. The commander-in-chief, Hou Tai, the guard general of Xiguan, was appointed as his deputy general and ordered him to recover Xiguan.
On the 30th day of the day, when the Jie people who had conquered Xiguan launched a massive attack on Yancheng, Lu Biao and Hou Tai led their troops to attack Xiguan at night and recaptured Xiguan in one fell swoop.
The Jie army besieged Yancheng for two days and two nights. Fortunately, all the soldiers of Yancheng fought with their lives and were able to save Yancheng.
Sarzhu, the leader of the Jie tribe's Shalang tribe, was shot dead by our army during the attack on the city, causing civil strife in the Jie tribe camp.
Modohar, the leader of the Domo tribe, attempted to return to the grassland with his troops, but was ambushed and annihilated by Lu Biao on the way back. The Yancheng defenders took the opportunity to attack the Jie tribe's camp at night, and the Jie tribe was defeated.
It is really strange that Zhang Da escaped from the battle this time. The military power of the imperial court must never be handed over to the children of the aristocratic family. If cholera breaks out again, the consequences will be disastrous.
The son-in-law observed that Lu Biao was smart, careful and strategic, and could be of great use.
Such talents are really buried in the guards of the emperor, and the emperor dare not covet the talents. The father can recruit them for his own use and make them serve as the generals stationed in Xiguan. He will definitely be grateful for the kindness of his father and do his best. Allegiance!
My son, Zhao Bin, pays homage! "
Zhao Wuji put down the memorial in his hand and looked at the officials in the hall.
"During this border crisis, the King of Yan, Zhao Bin, acted bravely and decisively to retake Xiguan and ensure that the people of Hebei Province were protected from the war. He sent an order that all the counties and counties under the jurisdiction of Yancheng should be canonized as the territory of the King of Yan!"
After hearing this, the prince hurriedly left the office and said: "Father, think twice, this move is inconsistent with our royal etiquette.
Since the founding of the Xia Dynasty, vassal kings cannot be granted more than one city. Now, King Yan is in charge of the army and horses of a city because of his father's heavenly favor. If he is granted the title of a state, he may be out of the control of the court in the future. "
The prince said that he would break away from the control of the court because he was really worried that Zhao Bin would raise an army to rebel in the future and threaten his throne.
"Your Majesty, what the prince said is absolutely true. The vassal king's mercenaries have been trained by their ancestors, and now they have expanded their fiefdoms. If the mercenaries rebel in the future, it will easily cause the country to split." Meng Xiangli, the official minister, added.
As a wealthy family member, the Xue family would naturally not allow the emergence of a powerful vassal king: "Your Majesty, King Yan has made outstanding achievements in this battle. Your Majesty can reward you with a thousand taels of gold to show your kindness."
"The imperial court is short of both silver and tax revenue. Where will the extra money and food rewards come from? I wanted to form a cavalry the day before yesterday, didn't you still say you have no money?"
"Your Majesty, cavalry is not a one-day expense, it requires year-round investment. This reward to King Yan is just a temporary thing, and the two cannot be compared." Xue Qing continued.
Zhao Wuji rolled his eyes at Xue Qing and said nothing. This old guy had never suffered a verbal defeat.
Fang Shutong, the Minister of War, took a step forward and said: "Your Majesty, I think this matter is feasible.
Since His Majesty's Northern Expedition to recover Hebei Road, although there have been constant frictions between Daxia and the Jie people, no large-scale war has occurred.
Now that nearly twenty years have passed, the Jie clan may have been accumulating strength. Now that the army is moving south again, there may be another border war.
King Yan is young and promising, brave and resourceful. If he can establish a foundation in the north and prevent the Jie people from going south, it can greatly ensure the stability of the hinterland of the Central Plains. "
Fang Shutong supported this idea firstly because of his support for King Yan, and secondly because the Jie people once occupied the north bank of the Yellow River and confronted the Fang family on the other side, threatening the Fang family. He did not want such a scene to happen again. .
"Your Majesty, the stability of the imperial court lies internally, not externally. For more than a hundred years, the Jie people have only occupied the land east of Hebei and Hedong, and have never crossed the Yellow River to threaten the Central Plains. Mr. Fang's words are too alarmist." Li Buzuo. The servant Xue Kui came out and said.
"Hmph, that's alarmist. Your Xue family lives in the hinterland, so you're not worried about the Jie tribe's invasion." Fang Shutong retorted.
"Master Fang, please don't forget that my Xue family guards the southern border for Daxia. Isn't the Yue Kingdom in southern border a threat? Aren't the barbarians in southwest Bashu a threat?
Aren’t the Huns in the northwest of Guanzhong a threat? Isn’t the Japanese invasion of Jiangnan a threat? If Lord Fang wants it to be true, should all places be divided into states and vassals to defend the Central Plains? "Xue Kui did not give in.
Fang Shutong smiled slightly and saluted Zhao Wuji, saying: "Your Majesty, I think what Mr. Xue said is very true. I agree with Mr. Xue's proposal of dividing states and establishing vassal kings in various places."
"Hahaha" Some ministers in the palace couldn't help but laugh out loud when they heard that Fang Shutong made such a move with the old dog, which made Xue Kui dumb.
Xue Kui was so angry that he almost cursed: "You...when did I say that I would establish vassal kings in various places? It was obviously you who said it."
Xue Qing hurriedly shouted: "Kui'er!"
Xue Kui regained his composure after hearing his father's reminder.
The reason why Zhao Wuji wanted to canonize Zhao Bin actually had this intention. Since regaining Hebei Road, he originally wanted to restore the people's livelihood in Hebei Road to make up for the lack of royal power.
However, the people in Hebei and Hedong had been members of the Kujie tribe for a long time and fled to other places one after another, despite the imperial order prohibiting people from migrating.
However, many people had to leave this precarious land even if they were sold into slavery. Although Daxia prohibited people from migrating, it did not prohibit the sale of slaves. As a result, Hebei Province, a thousand miles of fertile wilderness, was desolate and inhabited.
Zhao Wuji looked at the ministers in the audience and said, "What you all said is not unreasonable. Since everyone is opposed to the title of King Yan, why not find another way to mobilize 100,000 elites from Guanzhong and Xiangchu to station at the border of Hebei Province? "
"Your Majesty, this matter has been discussed before. There are foreign enemies in Xiangchu and Guanzhong. Your Majesty can dispatch 100,000 elites from the Central Plains to garrison the border. It would be most appropriate." Xue Kui reminded.
"There are only 200,000 elite troops in the Central Plains, and 100,000 have been transferred away. There are only 100,000 defenders left in the Central Plains, and they are scattered and stationed at various passes in the Central Plains. If a civil uprising occurs in the Central Plains, wouldn't the imperial court be in danger?" Zhao Wuji said angrily.
Xue Qing lowered his head, and there was an unnoticeable coldness in his eyes. This was not talking about a civil uprising, but it was talking about various aristocratic families. It was clearly to prevent each family from rebelling.
Everyone knows that a flowing dynasty and an iron-clad family are like this. This was also the case when Daxia was founded. Back then, the Zhao family controlled all parts of the Central Plains, reached agreements with major aristocratic families, and eventually replaced the previous dynasty.
"Since you can't come up with anyone, let's just let this be settled," Zhao Wuji said with a sigh.
"I obey the decree!" Zhao Ren, the Minister of Rites, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, and the name was not "I", but "I". This old prince, who has no real power but only a false position, is Zhao Ren, the uncle of the current emperor.
"In addition, Zhang Da, the guard of Xiguan, is dead. Lu Biao, the guard of the Prince of Yan's palace, is brave, wise and strategic. He led the army to regain Xiguan. This is a great achievement. The King of Yan recommends him to serve the imperial court and guard Xiguan. Do you have any objections? "Zhao Wuji said again.
"Father! Lu Biao is just a captain and has no prestige in the army. How can he command an army of tens of thousands? Moreover, Lu Biao was once under the command of King Yan. Doesn't this mean handing over the Xiguan army to King Yan? Isn't this a move? That’s right.”
"Then Prince, please recommend me another person."
Zhao Wuji used the word again and again, and now he was becoming more and more disgusted with the prince.
Everyone in the court knew that Zhang Da was from the Zhang family, that is, from the prince. Although Zhang Da was not directly recommended by the prince, he definitely had the prince's instructions secretly.
The second son of Zhao Wuji was, firstly, to recommend another person on the basis of King Yan's recommendation.
The second is to beat the prince. You have placed your own confidants to cultivate your own power. This is understandable. After all, if you want to inherit the throne in the future, you need your own people.
As your father, I allowed you to do this and gave you the opportunity, but it almost led to a big mistake.
Prince Zhao Chong knelt on the spot and hesitated for a long time without saying a word.
"Since I have no one to recommend, I won't give up."
"Yes, Father!" The prince stood up and returned to his seat.
As the emperor, Zhao Wuji has not given up yet. He is only in his forties this year. He still has a lot of time. He wants to ensure the stability of Daxia in his lifetime.
