Chapter 524: Are you rebelling, sir?
Although Shao Shantong apologized, he also explained in detail the reason behind this "carelessness". According to his letter, after he received the order to recruit soldiers, he immediately asked people to start the matter and set up temporary recruitment offices in various counties in Gwangju.
But unexpectedly, there were so many people who came forward on their own initiative that the scene became very heated, and even brothers fought each other for the places to join the army...
In Shao Shantong's words, the officials in charge of recruiting soldiers had tightened the conditions, but the total number of names submitted by the counties still exceeded 10,000.
Alas, it’s all because Huainan Dao treated soldiers too well, and the prestige of the Jiedushi was too high - Shao Shantong finally made such a conclusion and reflection.
After reading it, Chang Suining was silent for a while.
When facing Shao Shantong's question "Do they need to be laid off on the spot?", Chang Suining gave a few simple instructions, the general meaning of which could be summed up in eight words - the money has been raised, so don't make it public.
When Shao Shantong received the reply letter, he jumped out of his chair, his eyes shining, his heart excited, and he ate two extra bowls of rice that dinner.
The autumn sowing of wheat in Huainan Road has been completed. After a rain, the tender wheat seedlings sprouted out of the soil.
Shao Shantong's heart was also sprouting, and the tender sprouts made his brain itch, so he could only relieve the pain by writing letters frequently.
On the first day, he reported in the letter the training situation of the new recruits after the recruitment. At the end, he asked first whether the envoy was well and then when he planned to enter the capital.
Three days later, he wrote again, talking about the inventory of military equipment. At the end, he also asked about the well-being of the envoy and when he planned to return to the capital.
Three days later, he talked about the current status of the implementation of government orders and asked the envoy how he was and when he planned to return to the capital.
…
Another letter, expressing that after the autumn harvest and autumn sowing this year, the people of Guangzhou are at peace, and are all grateful to the envoy for his good governance... I just don't know when you will leave for Beijing? Goodbye letter, it rained heavily in Guangzhou today, I don't know if it will rain in Jiangdu, I miss you very much recently... I think you should prepare to go to Beijing, right?
The fifteenth letter: Today in Gwangju, a fierce woman beat her husband in the street, attracting many onlookers...By the way, when will you leave for Beijing?
Letter 16. When I got up this morning, I saw several colorful magpies circling under the eaves for a long time. It seemed to be a good omen, so I wrote this letter to tell you the good news... So, when are you going to leave? ...
Anyone could see that the letter from this old man from Gwangju was filled with enthusiasm for rebellion. The question he always asked, "When will you come to Beijing?" was clearly asking, "Will you rebel?"
And: [When will the rebellion begin?]
At first, Chang Suining always replied "undecided", "undecided"... Later, seeing that there was nothing serious in his letters, she even became too lazy to respond.
Shao Shantong, who had not received a reply for a long time, became more and more excited - the envoy did not even have time to reply? He must be very busy! Just imagine, what are the adults busy with?
While Shao Shantong was still writing the letter seriously, he also started counting the days. Until today, it was less than a month away from the prince's wedding...
Because Chang Suining had not set out for a long time, the court even sent someone to send a letter to ask about the date of Chang Suining's departure.
It normally takes half a month to travel from Jiangdu to the capital, but such a major event often requires sufficient time to prevent the journey from being delayed or disrupted. To ensure safety, it is necessary to set off early.
At this time, a small number of princes and military governors had already arrived in the capital. Most of them heard the news of Prince Fanyang's rebellion only after they set off... Prince Fanyang Li Fu was not something to be feared. What made people uneasy was the Fanyang Army and Duan Shiang.
As for the princes who were in the capital at this time, seeing the Fanyang army approaching Luoyang step by step, whether they were more angry or more regretful in their hearts, outsiders had no idea.
However, the change in attitude of those who have not yet arrived in Beijing is obvious. They are either "blocked on the way due to the chaos" or "unable to leave for the time being due to busy work" - most of them have chosen to wait and see the situation temporarily.
The letters from the capital asking about the departure date did not have a very good effect. Compared with the letters from the court, the people from all sides were obviously more concerned about the movements of the Fanyang army.
While countless pairs of eyes were closely watching the battle situation of the Fanyang Army, many people were also paying close attention to the actions of the Rong Wang Mansion in Yizhou.
Yizhou is less than a thousand miles away from the capital and can be reached in five or six days, so the time left for Prince Rong to set off is relatively ample.
When the imperial court delivered the imperial edict, Prince Rong had given a clear response, saying: [Li Yin will definitely attend the Crown Prince's wedding.]
But as the Fanyang army broke the deadlock and the situation changed, everything was unknown at this time.
Up to now, Prince Rong has not made any clear and noticeable moves in this dispute, but the growth of Prince Rong's Mansion in Yizhou in the past two years has been seen by everyone. When discussing the overall situation, all parties have never tried to bypass the huge mountain of Prince Rong's Mansion.
In the outer study of the Jiangdu Governor's Mansion, the topic of Prince Rong's Mansion was also discussed at this time.
After listening to Wang Yue and others' opinions, Chang Suining said, "I suspect that the rebellion of the Fanyang Army may be the work of Prince Rong's Mansion."
This sentence, without any preparation, caused everyone in the study to react briefly.
After a moment, Luo Guanlin asked seriously, "My Lord, have you found anything?"
Chang Suining shook his head: "No, so I just said I doubt it."
Luo Guanlin: "Your Excellency, do you think that the timing of the Fanyang Army's rebellion is too coincidental?"
"Yes and no. With the current situation in the world, there are many people who are unwilling to take the risk of entering the capital. It is normal for some people to choose to rebel." Chang Suining said: "I made this judgment based on the lessons learned from the past -"
She said, "The Rong Palace has secretly stirred up the situation more than once. When Xu Zhengye started the rebellion, the Rong Palace also secretly revealed the secrets of the court's troops, horses, and grain to Xu Zhengye to add fuel to the flames."
Luo Guanlin was slightly surprised. This was the first time he heard of this, and Chang Suining did not seem to be talking nonsense.
And when he thought about it carefully, he was able to recall things related to this... At that time, he was working under Xu Zhengye. Indeed, Xu Zhengye's several surprise attacks and interception of the imperial court's grain and grass were often accurate, but the source of the information was not clear.
He had made many speculations about this, but Xu Zhengye never told him clearly.
So... those secrets were all secretly revealed by the Rong Palace? At this time, Chang Suining said, "Also, the former Huainan King Li Tong, who died of illness, was actually poisoned by the Rong Palace——"
Luo Guanlin fell silent and pursed his lips slightly.
"So I suspect that the Fanyang Army's rebellion is more or less related to him, and it's not groundless." Chang Suining said, "Whether he is watching the fire from the other side of the river and trying to be the fisherman, or he is firmly behind the scenes manipulating the situation, the Fanyang Army caused such a big chaos, and in the end, Prince Rong's Mansion is the beneficiary."
Moreover, the more trouble the Fanyang army causes, the more benefit Prince Rong will gain from it.
If the Fanyang Army really attacked the capital and committed all kinds of evil and dirty work, there would be no doubt that the Rong Palace would come forward to "attack" them in a fair and justifiable manner, and would win the hearts of the people.
Thinking of this, Wang Yue felt a chill down his spine.
Although power struggles are never clean, looking at Prince Rong's many actions, it is hard to believe that he will become a benevolent king in the future... But for such a person, the only thing he uses to win the hearts of the people is his well-known reputation for benevolence.
Wang Yue had no doubt that there was something wrong in what the master said. His master would not bother to use such means to slander anyone, not to mention that this was only said privately to their advisers.
At this moment, Wang Yue couldn't help but feel worried and angry, "If such people are allowed to accomplish great things, it will definitely not be a blessing for the people."
"So, we can't let him get what he wants." Chang Suining picked up the teacup, his tone was a bit casual, but it gave people a sense of determination.
Seeing Chang Suining drinking tea, Luo Guanlin paused before asking, "In your opinion, will Ming order you to lead troops to stop the Fanyang army?"
The battle situation in Xiangzhou was not good at this time.
"Her." Chang Suining put down the teacup and guessed, "She should want me to go to Beijing."
But the world is ever-changing and no one can always get what they want.
On that day, Chang Suining, after discussing with Luo Guanlin and others, summoned the generals in the army into the city.
Shepherd's Purse also came back and went to see Chang Suining with Bai Hongchuxing and others.
After receiving the order and leaving, when Shepherd's Purse passed through a moon-shaped cave gate, a figure who had been waiting for a long time rushed out and saluted her: "Commander!"
The girl in front of him was wearing a blue robe, her hair was braided and hung behind her head, and there was a tentative look in her deep eyes. She asked in a low voice: "Commander, are we going to fight?"
Shepherd's Purse smiled and asked instead of answering, "How's the bean picking going?"
Kang Zhi's face turned bitter: "Commander, I already knew I was wrong!"
Previously, when Kang Zhi followed Chang Suining to quell the rebellion of the governor of Huainan Road, he was rewarded for killing the governor of Huangzhou, but at the same time, he was punished by She Cai for being too reckless.
This punishment made Kang Zhi very crazy. Someone mixed mung beans and red beans into a bucket every day, brought it to her, and asked her to sort them out again... She kept doing this for several months!
In the first ten days or so, she had no patience at all. She would often get so impatient while picking beans that she would kick the bucket over. She would rather be beaten with a military stick than endure this torture! But doing so only resulted in a longer bean picking punishment.
Before, Chang Suining led his troops to Mianzhou. When Kang Zhi heard that she was not taken with him, she felt anxious and aggrieved. She picked up beans in her hands and tears fell from her eyes.
But Gu Erlang saw it. She was so angry that she drew her sword and chased Gu Erlang for half a mile.
By the third month, Kang Zhi had finally calmed down and was able to pick up a whole bucket of trash every day.
At this time, Kang Zhi held out her hand and swore, "Commander, I swear that I will never violate military regulations and act on my own again!"
As he spoke, a rare look of helplessness appeared in his eyes: "I pick beans every day. If I keep picking beans like this, I'll become a bean!"
"If you can really be half as round as a bean, it would be a relief!" Shepherd's Purse said, and walked away, saying, "Okay, let's go! Follow me to the military training, and it's time to take out your knife and sharpen it!"
Kang Zhi was overjoyed and hurried to catch up, and asked She Cai again: "Commander, are we really going to fight?"
"More sharpening, less asking."
Upon hearing this, Kang Zhi quickly pursed her lips, fearing that she would be thrown back to pick beans again.
Five days later, news reached Jiangdu that the imperial army that was trying to resist the Fanyang army was defeated in Xiangzhou and Xiangzhou had fallen into the hands of the Fanyang army.
After a short rest, the Fanyang army led 100,000 troops and headed straight for Luoyang.
The government and the public were in panic and shock for a while.
After finishing his morning court session with great fear, the prince ran to Ganlu Palace and knelt down crying: "…Luoyang is in danger, please give me some advice, sage!"
Some ministers made many suggestions, but he did not dare to agree easily for fear of making the wrong decision.
Even though he knew that Prime Minister Ma of the Secretariat and Prime Minister Wei of the Ministry of Personnel were both the emperor's confidants, and that he should follow their opinions, as he had done in the past, this matter was of great importance, and the court officials were arguing over it, and he was frightened and at a loss as to what to do.
"A minister has proposed that 60,000 Xuan Ce troops from the capital should go there..." The prince said in a panic, "Prime Minister Wei has not expressed his opinion, and Prime Minister Ma is also hesitant. I can only dare to ask the saint for instructions!"
Behind the curtain, the fragrant mist from the burning incense balls lingered, and the emperor slowly closed his eyes.
After a moment, a majestic and calm voice was heard: "The 60,000 Xuan Ce troops cannot leave the capital."
This is the last barrier of the capital against the enemy. We must not leave the capital easily, especially since all the members of the Qinghe Cui family have moved to Taiyuan...
The Cui family and Cui Jing seemed to have severed their relationship, but at this critical moment they were still so close and open-minded. How could she allow the remaining 60,000 Xuan Ce troops in the capital to leave the capital at this critical moment, and go north...
The Emperor of the Holy Ce spoke decisively again, and every word fell clearly into the ears of the Crown Prince: "Order Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, Bianzhou and other places to rush to Luoyang to help, at any cost, without loss!"
The prince agreed immediately and took people to draft an imperial decree.
When leaving Ganlu Palace, the prince's hands were shaking.
There are only ten days left until his wedding, but lately he has been feeling that he may not live to see his wedding day.
On this day, the Crown Princess' wedding crown and clothes were delivered to Duke Zheng's mansion by palace servants.
Wei Miaoqing was helped by a group of palace servants to try on the heavy dress. What awaited her was a complicated wedding etiquette rehearsal to ensure that she would not make any mistakes on her wedding day.
But Wei Miaoqing was also at a loss. Could she still be the cheap crown princess? Could she still fulfill the promises she had made to her sisters? Wei Miaoqing looked at the palace maids around her in confusion. She felt that everyone was just trying to do their job. Their hearts were probably already filled with fear.
Wei Miaoqing, who had been busy and tired all day, hurried to look for his brother after hearing that he had returned home.
Wei Shuyi patiently comforted his sister with a few words. After his sister left, he sat back in the chair and rubbed his eyebrows with his hand tiredly.
Today he went to Ganlu Temple to seek an audience with the sage and put forward a proposal to the sage - to let the Huainan Dao Envoy Chang Jie lead troops to Luoyang to resist the Fanyang rebels.
Wei Shuyi chose to advise the sage in private, rather than guide the prince to make this decision in the morning court, because he knew that the sage might not agree with this matter. But for the sake of the overall situation, he still chose to give it a try.
As expected, the saint refused.
But after the rejection, the saint made a "compromise" decision.
When Wei Shuyi thought of this "compromise" strategy again, he couldn't help but feel complicated and indescribable feelings in his heart.
Good night, darlings.
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