After Zhao's army and the local army successfully joined forces in Yanchuan City, news of Zhao Huan's uprising finally reached the Imperial Palace.
Yuan Xiu was completely stunned.
As Zhao's army marched toward Yanchuan City, another New Year arrived. It was January of the thirteenth year of the reign of Emperor Zhishang. The weather was cold, and Yuan Xiu, disregarding the temperature, ran toward the central government with disheveled hair and wearing only a thin long gown.
The usually dazed emperor seemed to have suddenly gained tremendous strength, and Wei You, carrying a cloak and a hand warmer, could not catch up with him.
As soon as Yuan Xiu entered the central government building, he saw Wen Hu, Yuan Li, and others present, and immediately began to curse: "Wasn't Zhao Huan supposed to be dead? How is he alive? And Zhao Cheng! Is he alive too? Did father and son rise from the dead together?!"
To be honest, Wen Hu and Yuan Li were also stunned when they learned that Zhao Huan had raised an army.
The two even summoned Du Yucheng to the central government headquarters and beat him up.
Du Yucheng was also shocked. He had clearly watched Zhao Huan and his son fall into the sea, and he had even seen his own halberd pierce Zhao Cheng...
How come he's still alive?
Is there no reasoning involved?
"What I've been most worried about lately is that Feng Jing will rebel, but I never expected that Feng Jing wouldn't make a move at all. Instead, the first to show their faces are two people who are already dead! Well done, look what you've done! Wang Ren is still fighting the Atkins coalition in the west, and Zhao Huan has already rebelled in the east. If the Southern Zhou army comes from the south again, Changsui City will be attacked from three sides!"
"This situation is all your fault, you bunch of bastards! Say something, why aren't you saying anything?!"
"You expect me to clean up your messes? What use are you to me?"
Yuan Li was too angry to utter a sound, but Wen Hu remained calm and said after Yuan Xiu finished venting his anger, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Calm down my ass!" Yuan Xiu waved his long sleeves and said, "We're in a real crisis!"
Wei You quickly took the opportunity to drape a cloak over Yuan Xiu's shoulders.
Yuan Xiu shoved Wei You aside and shouted, "I'm furious, do I need to put on clothes?!"
Just then, Jin Hu approached with a hand warmer, and Yuan Xiu kicked him, then did something that shocked everyone.
He swiftly unbuttoned his clothes, even taking off his thin long robe, leaving him only in his underpants.
"I'm not cold! I'm not cold!! Get lost, all of you!!!"
The crowd hadn't seen Yuan Xiu so angry in a long time, and they all retreated, except for Wen Hu, who remained unmoved. He met Yuan Xiu's gaze, took the cloak from Wei You, then picked up the long robe that Yuan Xiu had taken off, and slowly walked behind Yuan Xiu, helping him put on the long robe and then draping the cloak over his shoulders.
"Your Majesty, with me here, any problem can be solved."
Yuan Xiu was furious, but Wen Hu's combination of soft and hard tactics left him unable to find an opportunity to vent his anger.
Yuan Xiu asked, "Two hundred thousand troops, that's two hundred thousand troops! How do we deal with that? If it were Feng Jing, it would be one thing, but now it's Zhao Huan leading the army! Zhao Huan, with two hundred thousand troops, can rout the Night Dan so badly, how do you expect me to defend against him?"
Wen Hu said, "Zhao Huan was very capable, but that was in the past. He's old now."
Yuan Xiu said, "I already know about the Zhao family army. Although Zhao Huan is leading the army, Zhao Cheng is in charge of the front lines. Zhao Cheng eliminated three Southern Zhou spies and played an important role in the Battle of Muqiaokou. His abilities have long been demonstrated, and he is no less capable than Yang Qingzhi!"
"With Zhao Huan's help, and his own abilities, I will not be arrogant enough to underestimate this rebel army!"
After a pause, Yuan Xiu roared, "More importantly, Yan Chuan City and Chang Sui City are only a thousand miles apart. Now that even Li Lu of Shangyang County has been sentenced, what can I use to stop them?!"
He Yin spoke before Wen Hu could: "Your Majesty, Zhao Huan is not rebelling; he is trying to purge the court of corrupt officials."
Yuan Xiu frowned and said, "Minister He, do you believe such nonsense?"
"Of course I don't believe it. But since Zhao Huan has raised the slogan of 'purging the emperor's inner circle,' we have no choice but to act in accordance with the rules of 'purging the emperor's inner circle' on the surface."
He Yin glanced at Wen Hu and said, "The purpose of Zhao Huan and his son is to seek revenge on Marquis Sha. If Your Majesty really has no other choice, it is not unreasonable for Marquis Sha to sacrifice himself for righteousness in this time of national crisis!"
Yuan Xiu fell silent, a growing tension settling in his heart.
He Yin's words really struck a chord with him.
"Hahaha……"
Wen Hu laughed and said, "Your Majesty, are you having a hard time now? If you think you're having a hard time, can you guarantee that things will be better when Zhao Huan and his son actually invade Changsui?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu's pupils contracted.
Wen Hu extinguished his thoughts with a single sentence.
Yes, Your Majesty, you currently have no real power, but the real power is in my hands, Wen Hu. At least you won't have to worry about food and clothing, and you can still indulge yourself in the Imperial Palace without restraint.
But what happened after Zhao Huan and his son stormed in?
They've come with hatred and accusations; they won't let you off easy.
Yuan Xiu immediately said, "Marquis Shaxian has devoted himself to the Great Jing and endured so much infamy. How could I sell him out at a time like this? If I were to do that, wouldn't I be disheartening to all the officials? Minister He, please stop talking. I would never do such a thing!"
He Yin sighed inwardly and asked, "Then how does Your Majesty intend to defend against the enemy?"
Yuan Xiu paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and after thinking for a long time, he said, "No matter what, I still have a deep friendship with Zhao Huan, and Zhao Cheng is my brother-in-law. As long as I humble myself and take the initiative to make peace, they shouldn't be so ruthless."
“Your Majesty, you are thinking too simply.” Wen Hu shook his head and said, “You can seek peace and stop the war, but Zhao Huan’s campaign to purge the court of corrupt officials will not stop. When that happens, he will demand that the court hand me over and take the opportunity to eliminate dissidents. Your Majesty’s situation will be no different from their invasion of Changsui.”
Yuan Xiu said angrily, "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Of course we'll fight!"
Wen Hu clenched his fist and said, "No matter how powerful Zhao Huan and his son are, how can the Great Jing Dynasty yield to traitors?"
Yuan Li, who had remained silent until now, said, "Lord Shaxian, you make it sound so easy, but where are we going to find people? The army in the Changsui region, plus the defenses of Jing Palace, doesn't even amount to 50,000, does it?"
Wen Hu said, "We can still recall Wang Ren immediately!"
He Yin exclaimed in surprise, "Wang Ren is dealing with the Atkins coalition. If we recall him, what will happen to Qinhuang County?"
Wen Hu said, "The Atkins coalition has suffered heavy casualties and is already in a losing position. Even if Wang Ren abandons them now, they will only think about retreating as soon as possible. To put it another way, even if they are unwilling to leave, given their current state, the damage they will cause to Qinhuang County will not be too great. Compared to the Zhao family's rebellion, it is not worth mentioning."
"The most urgent task is to quell the Zhao family's rebellion as soon as possible, and prevent the Zhao family from gaining power and attracting more people to join them!"
"Wang Ren has an army of 300,000. Sending him to deal with the Zhao family will surely lead to victory!!"
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