Seeing Changsun Ji nod, Zheng Chao lowered his voice and asked, "Prince Rong... do you intend to become emperor?"
The members of the Changsun clan standing by looked at Changsun Ji calmly.
Chang Sun Ji understood and said, "Whether Prince Rong is willing or not is still unknown. But Prince Rong is now the only youngest brother of the late emperor. In terms of orthodoxy, he may be the most suitable candidate."
"Before my grandfather passed away, he solemnly instructed me to select a wise leader from the Li family to restore the orthodoxy and save the world." When the young man mentioned his grandfather, there was some sadness in his eyes.
Zheng Chao sighed lightly and nodded, "If we can choose from the Li royal family, it would naturally be the best choice."
It is legitimate and natural... these orthodox etiquette and laws are a very powerful sword.
"Mr. Zheng has great ambitions. If I am lucky enough to walk with you, this path may become clearer to me—" The young man looked sincere and invited him to accomplish great things together.
Therefore, Zheng Chao had no choice but to ask directly: "May I ask if the Ling clan has already chosen the Rong Palace?"
Chang Sun Ji: "To be honest with you, Mr. Zheng, I am still considering it. However, considering the overall situation, I think Prince Rong is the most suitable. Prince Rong is already quite popular in the southwest."
Seeing Zheng Chao's thoughtful and hesitant look, Chang Sun Ji said, "But as I just said, I still want to hear your opinion, so I dare to invite you here today."
"We may not be in a hurry to make a decision on this matter." Zheng Chao suggested sincerely: "It is not easy for the Changsun family to survive in this world, and we cannot withstand another shock... In my opinion, it is better to accumulate strength in secret first, observe the situation, and make a decision when the time is right."
The implication is that you should not be easily overwhelmed by the situation and choose sides too early, so as not to bet on the wrong person.
Zheng Chao suspected that Prince Rong might have been secretly trying to gain the support of the Changsun family, but the Changsun family members were not willing to talk to him about it openly for the time being.
Chang Sun Ji nodded: "What you said makes sense, sir. We really can't make a rash decision."
He could tell that Zheng Chao had no intention of rushing to make a decision, but he was sincerely reminding the Changsun family to choose carefully.
Accumulating strength is inevitable. Now that chaos has arisen and the empress's orders are difficult to implement, it is a good time for them to accumulate strength again.
But the power of a clan is limited after all, so he wants to win over all the people and forces he can to the best of his ability.
Zheng Chao is very valuable. First, his reputation, and second, the remaining power and talents of the Zheng family behind him. Even though he is regarded as a traitor by the Zheng family, in such a large Zheng clan, there are always people who understand things and are willing to put aside their differences for the sake of interests.
Therefore, even though Zheng Chao did not agree to support Prince Rong at this moment, Changsun Ji and other clan members still treated Zheng Chao with great courtesy and turned to talk about other forces.
During the conversation, Chang Sun Ji suddenly asked, "Mr. Zheng and the governor of Jiangdu should have had some contact when they were in Xingyang, right?"
Zheng Chao was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and nodded: "Yes, at that time, Governor Chang prayed with me for the rain to stop."
This matter has long been widely circulated, and even became "evidence" to prove that Chang Suining is the reincarnation of a star general.
"When I was in the capital, I admired Madam Chang very much." Thinking of the murder of his aunt, Chang Sunji's eyes dimmed a little. After a moment, he said, "But at that time, I never thought that Madam Chang would achieve what she has today."
At the beginning, Mrs. Chang's efforts to clear her brother's name were truly astonishing. He knew that this girl was extraordinary, but he never expected her to be so extraordinary.
As soon as he was born, he put down the rebellion of Xu Zhengye, occupied Jiangdu, and resisted the Japanese pirates, becoming famous throughout the world for his unstoppable attitude.
Therefore, he and his clansmen were also considering whether they could bring the Chang family into the camp.
It is inevitable that the Chang family will be suspected by the empress. They cannot stand alone, so it is worth considering finding someone to form an alliance with.
Although it has not yet been determined who will be supported in the Li family in the end, if possible, he really wants to conspire with someone like Madam Chang to do great things, whether for considerations of interests or personal selfishness.
Chang Sun Ji tactfully revealed this idea to Zheng Chao.
Zheng Chao felt a little complicated. Should he ask her to help him support the wise leader?
Thinking of the ambitious feeling that the girl gave him, Zheng Chao felt that the Changsun family's plan was doomed to fail.
At that time, she hadn't been to Jiangdu yet, but she invited him in the tone of a host to visit Jiangdu in the future... and sure enough, she put Jiangdu into her sack openly.
And now, she has turned Jiangdu into her sack, stuffing all kinds of talents into it...
Would such a person really be willing to support others easily? In other words, what kind of person would make her willing to be a vassal and support him? Does the Prince Rong, who is favored by the Changsun family, have the ability to do so? Zheng Chao felt uncertain, but still said tactfully: "Since we are old acquaintances, it is okay to first find out what Governor Chang thinks..."
Next, the people from the Changsun family asked Zheng Chao about Cui Jing's recent situation.
Zheng Chao clicked his tongue in his heart. So, the Changsun family only wanted to take in the rats who were spurned by the aristocracy, right?
However, his eldest nephew is indeed a person worth winning over.
But this matter concerns Xuan Ce's army, which is too important and there is no certainty at all. The people of the Changsun family did not dare to say it clearly, but only hinted at it.
Zheng Chao had no intention of making any choices for Cui Jing. He was now just a poor uncle who was raised by his nephew outside. He had no way of being the head of his nephew's home or being the master of his nephew's affairs.
Zheng Chao did not reveal much about his nephew's thoughts. Of course, he had no way of revealing anything - he didn't really know much about what his eldest nephew was thinking.
Changsun Ji let Zheng Chao stay for a few days. During these days, Zheng Chao had a very good impression of the young head of the Changsun family.
Before Zheng Chao left, he agreed with Changsun Ji that they would maintain correspondence if conditions permitted.
In fact, Zheng Chao made such an agreement with many people he got along well with along the way.
Chang Sun Ji wanted to give Zheng Chao some money for the journey, but was rejected - there was no other way, as his eldest nephew gave him too much, enough for him to maintain a worry-free life and his noble image of treating money as dirt.
Come to think of it...it seems like tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival?
So Zheng Chao decided to write a letter to his nephew, telling him about his recent experiences, including the beautiful scenery and the sufferings of war. At the end, he mentioned the incident in Xiazhou when he was threatened with a kitchen knife, and concluded: [Fortunately, I was able to resolve the situation with my wit]
Zheng Chao had just sent the letter home and was about to take a boat across the Fuling River when he suddenly heard a commotion at the ferry. It turned out that someone had brought back a report of the battle in the east.
"…Duke of Han, Li Xian, was defeated! He has been forced back to Jingzhou by Bian Chunliang's army!"
"Dongting has fallen into the hands of Bian Chunliang, who has occupied Yuezhou and is burning, killing and looting!"
"Bian Chunliang's army is so fierce and brave, what should we do..."
"Here is a manifesto... written by Bian Chunliang's military advisor. They also threatened to 'attack Huanglong directly' and attack the capital Shangdu to seek justice for the people who died in Daozhou in vain!"
Zheng Chao hurried forward and asked the young man in scholar's attire to borrow the manifesto to read.
At the beginning of last year, Daozhou suffered a severe drought. Due to the untimely disaster relief, countless victims starved to death. In recent years, there have been many disasters. At first, the imperial court did not pay much attention to the man-made disaster caused by this drought.
By the autumn of last year, disaster victims from Daozhou began to pour into the capital, begging the emperor for mercy and justice. By then, Xu Zhengye's rebellion had already broken out, and the capital was under martial law while investigating Xu's accomplices and spies. Many disaster victims were wrongly killed or violently expelled.
Their voices are not heard, and their lives and deaths are not cared about.
This public resentment, with the help of Xu Zhengye's rebellion, quickly gathered into a rebel army under the leadership of salt merchant Bian Chunliang.
After all, it was a civilian force. At the beginning of the rebellion, the imperial court did not take it seriously. Until it was almost impossible to put it out, it became more and more powerful. Bian Chunliang started from Daozhou, successively captured Hengzhou and Shaozhou, and this spring he captured Tanzhou and led his troops to attack Dongting.
Xu Zhengye's power has been extinguished, while Bian Chunliang's power, which was initially not taken seriously, has become increasingly powerful.
Bian Chunliang's ambition was written clearly. He raised the banner of revenge and vowed to attack the capital and overthrow the current government.
He claimed to be the people's hero, to seek justice for the innocent people who died in Daozhou, and to pay blood debt with blood. Therefore, wherever he went, all officials, dignitaries and powerful people were robbed and killed. Many local nobles, both old and young, were slaughtered and their houses were burned to ashes.
If Xu Zhengye had tried to win over officials and nobles in the name of supporting the Li family, Bian Chunliang had openly stood in opposition to the officials and nobles. In his manifesto, he said, "I will kill all the corrupt officials with my sword, and crush the nobles' pride with my feet. I will not turn back until I have conquered the capital and brought justice to it."
Zheng Chao looked worried.
The paper is filled with words of blood and revenge, and is determined to overthrow the oppressive government... This manifesto is undoubtedly very powerful when used to incite civilians in troubled times.
In addition, with Li Xian's defeat, the morale of Bian Chunliang's army has been boosted, which will surely attract countless people to follow suit.
Zheng Chao looked past the panicked crowd at the ferry and towards the east towards Dongting Lake, feeling extremely worried.
Li Xian's defeat was beyond the expectations of many people.
Two months ago, Li Xian forced Bian Chunliang's army out of the Dongting area and reported the victory to the capital, which was regarded as a battle that turned the situation around.
Afterwards, Li Xian took advantage of the victory to pursue and retake Tanzhou, but after fighting for more than a month, he still failed to capture it.
A long siege without success is a great taboo in the military. When morale is low, defeat is inevitable.
On the first day of August, Bian Chunliang's army suddenly went out of the city to fight, broke through Li Xian's army's defense, and in less than ten days, they captured Dongting and occupied Yuezhou.
Li Xian's army suffered tens of thousands of casualties and was defeated step by step. They were able to stabilize their formation in Jingzhou by relying on the advantage of being easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Jingzhou has always been difficult to attack, and Bian Chunliang's army is also exhausted. At this moment, they set up camp in Yuezhou to recuperate and gather strength. However, the city of Yuezhou has become like purgatory due to the massacre by Bian's army.
After Li Xian lost Dongting and Yuezhou, the first thing he did when he settled in Jingzhou was to severely punish his generals.
He believed that he had clearly formulated a detailed battle plan, but the defeat occurred only because his soldiers were incompetent, failed to execute it, retreated easily, and disrupted the morale of the army.
These soldiers are like a pile of loose sand. If they are not held accountable, how can we talk about military discipline and military prestige?
After the defeat, the morale of the troops was low, and Li Xian tried to use this opportunity to boost the morale of the troops.
Under such severe punishment, the army, which had just suffered a defeat, became even more panicked, like a taut bow that was forced to stand up straight.
Li Xian, who was also wounded, had a gloomy expression on his face as he was writing a battle report in the camp to apologize.
Jingzhou was of vital importance. In his letter of apology, he repeatedly assured that he would defend Jingzhou to the death with his life and would definitely take back Yuezhou that was lost in his hands.
When he was about to put down his pen, Li Xian exerted force suddenly and the pen broke in his hand.
Although he was defeated this time, he would never be defeated again! He would definitely take down Bian Chunliang's head with his own hands to avenge the shame of this time! When the news of the defeat at Dongting was sent back to the capital, the whole court was filled with anger and panic.
Upon hearing officials' reports about the miserable conditions of the people in Yuezhou after the war, Emperor Shengce became furious and severely reprimanded Li Xianzhi for his mistakes.
"Your Majesty, Jingzhou is located at a critical point. It is the most powerful barrier blocking the Shannan East Road... If Jingzhou is lost again, the Eastern Capital Luoyang and even the capital will probably fall into the hands of the rebel army! Then Dasheng will be in danger!"
Upon hearing this, the Holy Seal Emperor flew into a rage: "How dare you!"
The official realized that his words were inappropriate, so he knelt down in panic and apologized.
But although his words sounded ominous, they were facts before us.
The Emperor Shengce was also aware of this, so he did not deceive himself and others by glossing over the situation. He punished and reprimanded the official, and after he calmed down, he urgently discussed countermeasures with his ministers.
Feeling the uneasy atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall, Crown Prince Li Zhi, who was listening to the government affairs, had his hands half-hidden in his sleeves trembling slightly.
In addition to the threat from Bian Chunliang's army, war reports of varying sizes have been sent back to the capital almost every few days, and General Xiao Min has once again led his troops to quell the rebellion...
What should I do? Is Dasheng going to perish?
The prince was so terrified that he almost cried.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were also about to cry.
Other officials were angry, shocked or frightened, and their Ministry of Revenue had another headache.
Faced with the continuous huge war expenditures, they are really having a headache!
Minister Zhan looked at the pile of bills in front of him and suddenly understood his teacher. His teacher's mental state of going crazy at any time was decades ahead of him! How could he not go crazy facing these things every day?
Especially when the military pay of the Duke of Korea was demanded, he almost wanted to tear it into pieces and chew it up and swallow it. He had fought for so long and asked for so much money, but in the end he suffered such a big defeat, not only did he not take back a single city, but he also lost Yuezhou! Isn't this a total money-loser?
But even more losses are yet to come. Defeat does not mean the end of the war, but it means more supplies of medicinal materials, more huge compensation for casualties, and even a longer wartime consumption...
Listen to what the ministers said at the morning court. Since Bian Chunliang's military force has grown again, it is inevitable that more troops will be sent to Jingzhou.
How can we not send more troops? Jingzhou must not be lost! Minister Zhan sighed. Even though he had a thousand headaches, he could only speed up the process.
Minister Zhan was looking through his official documents, his brows furrowed more and more, and he couldn't help but think of the plan of Governor Chang of Jiangdu to build a government-run workshop not long ago.
Building a workshop would undoubtedly be a huge expense. Just when he was about to have a headache, he heard that Governor Chang had proactively stated in his petition that she could find a way to advance all the expenses herself.
Advance payment... What a beautiful word! (The location of Daozhou in the text is in Yongzhou, Hunan today)
Please give me a monthly ticket at the end of the month. Good night!
(End of this chapter)
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