"I really didn't expect that once the king had a stroke, everything would be over!" Wanyan Wushu was the first to sigh.

Qin Hui also smiled bitterly.

That’s right, it must be emphasized here that Wanyan Wuqimai was not under house arrest by Nianhan, but he really had a stroke!

Historically, this guy had a weak health, and he had a stroke about two years later… In fact, what Lou Shi said was absolutely right. People of their generation were malnourished when they were young, and fought all day when they grew up, so they had a lot of health problems. It was just in these few years, and it was only a matter of time before something bad happened… This kind of health condition, plus Lou Shi’s defeat at Yaoshan and his death in Guanxi, Nianhan’s refuge in the south and his seizure of military power in Damingfu, the continuous military and internal affairs caused great psychological pressure on Wuqimai.

So, when Nianhan was persuaded to come back by Wuzhu, it was the beginning of spring and the weather was getting warmer, so the group headed north according to the rules, heading for Wuguo City. However, the strong wind in Yanjing in the beginning of spring blew Wuqimai's mouth crooked in full view of everyone, and then he lay down with half of his body unresponsive.

With no other choice, they could only stop the practice of returning north and settle Wuqimai back in Yanjing.

To be fair, it was normal for an old man whose health had been gradually deteriorating to have a stroke at this age. However, the problem was that, although he had a stroke, this old man was the ruler of a country, at least the core figure of one of the three major factions of the Jin Dynasty, and the only candidate who could compete with Nianhan as long as he was alive.

But this only candidate suddenly became paralyzed, and all balance was lost.

Therefore, rumors soon spread in Yanjing that Nianhan had poisoned... mutinied... plotted assassination. Otherwise, why did he collapse when Nianhan was in the worst situation instead of earlier? And why did he collapse when he was about to leave Yanjing, Nianhan's sphere of influence?

As for Nianhan, he was a little flustered when he first encountered this situation and heard these messages... because he really didn't do it. But then he realized that this was a great thing, because once Wu Qimai lost his political ability and could no longer fulfill his political promises, he, as the commander-in-chief, would win without doing anything!

It's really an easy win!

Nianhan sat at home, and the garrisons, military commanders, local officials, generals of garrison troops, and hereditary Meng'an and Mouke in various places all pledged their allegiance to him, either openly or privately.

There was no way. Although the three princes were from the same lineage, their personal prestige and strength were not enough to be compared with Nianhan, who was the first in terms of founding merit. Moreover, the eldest prince and the third prince had fallen out with each other, and there were huge problems within the country. Moreover, there was a history of the three princes forcing the emperor to abdicate by using the image of Nianhan's subordinates!

As for the king, his several sons combined were no match for Wuzhu. Several of his cousins, whom he used to trust, just came to Nianhan's house early and sat there doing nothing, like Talai.

In short, within just a few days, Nianhan gained control of the situation, and then he simply overturned the table and put Wuqimai's sons under house arrest, making them serve the king's "medicine", without caring at all about the fact that Wuqimai could still speak three words after resting for three days.

"Now the Grand Marshal is pushing the Fourth Prince, and he discusses everything with you, the Fourth Prince, which makes the other two princes a little embarrassed." Qin Hui smiled bitterly, twisting his beard, and further analyzed the current situation. "It also makes you, the Fourth Prince, the target of public criticism."

"The Grand Marshal had the power to challenge Taizu back then, let alone now?" Wuzhu twisted a chestnut and shook his head. "He is a man of means. As for me, I am not afraid of becoming the target of public criticism, but I am afraid of delaying national affairs."

Qin Hui also picked up a chestnut, peeled it and tasted it. He found it unusually sweet, but after hearing Wuzhu's words, he smiled bitterly: "Fourth Prince, are you still thinking about what I said before?"

"I always felt something was wrong, but I couldn't figure it out. Fortunately, Mr. Qin explained it to me thoroughly in Huguan that day... Dajin is a vast country, but it can't combine the tax output of Dajin with the cavalry. Instead, the two are at odds with each other." Wuzhu finished eating a chestnut and felt more and more emotional. "If you want to make both sides benefit, you should let Meng'an and Mouke cavalry be separated from the Han people, and then use the central government as a link to take the manpower and material resources of the Han people to supply Meng'an cavalry, and use Meng'an cavalry to protect the Han people. But now Meng'an is enfeoffed in Hebei, and the result is that the cavalry is becoming more and more corrupt, and the Han people are also harassed by the cavalry. Not only can they not produce and supply well, but they also regard each other as enemies... No wonder the south is getting stronger day by day, and the north is getting weaker day by day."

"In fact, since the Marshal is a capable man, why not tell him about it?" Qin Huizhi suddenly interrupted.

"Mr. Qin, why do you have to say these idle words?" Wuzhu spread his hands and sighed. "If you want to separate the Meng'an Iron Cavalry from the locals, you have to make great efforts to rectify them. Not only must the central government establish authority and a unified system, but you also have to gather military power in the locals... However, to make such a big move, you have to make the official in the south stop first, that is, you have to negotiate peace... You said that! But now, the official in the south does not want to negotiate peace, and the commander-in-chief in the north is also unwilling to negotiate peace. Aren't we just sitting there waiting to die?!"

"It's not impossible for the South to negotiate peace." Qin Hui suddenly spoke again. "I am willing to pledge my family's lives. People, scholars, and officials from Jiangnan, Huainan, and even the Central Plains all want to negotiate peace... In other words, at least half of the people in the Southern court are willing to negotiate peace, but they have no choice but to do so because of the pressure from the official above."

"It's just that official who's in charge?" Wushu ate another chestnut and couldn't help but sneered. "That official himself is the South's backbone. If he doesn't want to, what can the people below do?"

"Why not give him an offer he can't refuse..." Qin Hui said casually. "As for defense, northern Shaanxi and Jingdong are both on the other side of the river. If we want to negotiate peace, we can't refuse them, and we can't defend them."

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