Chapter 230 The King Who Lost His Country

September 21, Gancheng.

Half a month ago, Gancheng had already begun full-scale martial law.

Now that the autumn harvest has just ended, Gancheng has sufficient food and grass.

With the Ji family members supporting them from behind, the armor and weapons used by the Gancheng defenders are only slightly inferior to those of the Imperial Guards.

The magistrate of Gancheng County, wearing his official uniform, took a tour of the city wall and asked the garrison commander, "How long do you think Gancheng can hold out?"

The garrison commander was a close confidant of the magistrate and had good abilities. He thought for a moment and gave a cautious answer, "Sir, we have sufficient food and excellent weapons. With the help of Gancheng's easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack terrain, even if the Yao family kid really has 50,000 troops, it will take a month or two to capture Gancheng."

"Okay." The magistrate of Gancheng County waved his hand, "The court is sending troops to reinforce us. The reinforcements will arrive in Gancheng in half a month at the latest." The garrison commander

responded loudly, and said with some regret, "It's a pity that the number of our garrison troops in Gancheng is too small, otherwise we could have gone out of the city and fought one or two battles before the reinforcements arrived. "Let's put a damper on the arrogance of the Yao family kid."

The magistrate of Gancheng County understood the thoughts of the garrison commander and promised: "As long as you defend Gancheng well and wait until the reinforcements arrive, you won't have to worry about your future."

The garrison commander smiled: "Yes, yes, sir, rest assured, I understand."

The magistrate of Gancheng County looked at the other soldiers around and said loudly: "Everyone listen! From now on, eat meat every meal! As long as you can hold on for half a month, everyone will get an extra month's salary; if you hold on for one month, you will get an extra two months' salary; if you hold on for two months, you will get an extra four months' salary!"

At this juncture, the magistrate of Gancheng County was still willing to spend a lot of money.

As long as Gancheng was saved and the status of the Ji family was saved, they would have all the glory, wealth, high positions and generous salaries in the future.

If Gancheng was not saved, he would not have to think about the future. Even if Ji Yushan did not kill him, Yao Nan would never let him go.

Sure enough, under the urging of money, the morale of the soldiers defending the city was greatly boosted.

The magistrate of Gancheng County stroked his long beard, nodded with great satisfaction, hummed a little tune and returned to the county government office, and went directly to the courtyard of the concubine he had just taken in yesterday.

Just as he changed his clothes with the help of his concubine, there was a series of loud noises at the city gate.

The loud noise shook the earth and the sky, and the whole city!

"What's going on! What happened to the city gate!"

The magistrate of Gancheng County pushed the concubine away and rushed out of the yard in panic, just in time to see the flames rising from the direction of the city gate.

***

This was the first battle after Nan Liujing announced his uprising.

This battle must be won beautifully and brilliantly, so as to shock the villains on all sides.

Qi Mingxu was very clear about the importance of this battle, so after requesting the battle, he did not rush to mobilize troops, but had been studying the intelligence of Gancheng.

With the intelligence provided by the An Ge, Gancheng was one-way transparent to Qi Mingxu. Qi Mingxu not only found out the military deployment of Gancheng, but also got the design drawings of Gancheng's city gate.

Jiang Ding spent several days studying the design drawings in detail and determined which places were the weak points of the city gate.

In the end, Qi Mingxu selected one of the weak points as the main attack point, and then launched a feint attack from the front of the city gate to confuse the enemy. It took less than two hours to successfully smash a hole using siege equipment.

He personally led 500 elite soldiers to break into Gancheng through the gap and directly attacked the city gate. After half an hour of bloodshed, he seized the opportunity to open the tightly closed city gate and let the army outside the city drive straight in.

When it was almost dawn, Qi Mingxu successfully captured the city gate.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the county magistrate of Gancheng abandoned his group of beautiful wives and concubines in the backyard and fled alone. Before he left the city, he was captured on the spot by Qi Mingxu's men.

Qi Mingxu took over the county government and ordered the soldiers to be restrained and not allowed to disturb the people in the city. Those who violated the order would be killed without mercy.

At noon that day, Nan Liujing and Yao Shengan rode into Gancheng under the protection of their entourage.

Yao Shengan had lived in Gancheng for a period of time before. He could clearly feel that after the baptism of war, the streets of Gancheng were not as prosperous as usual, but they were not deserted either.

The battle just ended this morning, and now there are many shops on both sides of the street that are open for business. Passers-by were not panicked when they saw their troops, but just looked at them curiously.

From the small glimpse, it can be seen that after Qi Mingxu's army entered the city, it definitely did not disturb the local people, so the lives of the people were not greatly affected.

"He has the courage to lead the troops to charge, and the strictness to manage the army. In time, Qi Mingxu will become a famous general." Yao Shengan praised him generously.

Nan Liujing said, "Isn't Brother Qi a famous general now?"

In the past few years, Qi Mingxu has fought in more than a dozen battles, big and small, and there are many brilliant moves that make people's eyes light up.

Yao Shengan thought for a while and said, "If compared with the military generals in the court today, Qi Mingxu is indeed a famous general. But I am comparing him with my father."

Nan Liujing understood: "If compared with my grandfather, Brother Qi can only be considered a rookie."

Yao Shengan smiled and said, "I smell the temperament of a peerless general from Qi Mingxu."

"It sounds a bit mysterious."

"Let me put it this way, I have only felt this temperament in Qi Mingxu and my father. Even my eldest brother and second brother don't have it."

Nan Liujing suddenly felt a little curious and a little competitive. He pointed at himself and said in a low voice: "Uncle, tell me quietly, do you think I have the potential to become a famous general?"

Yao Shengan was stunned.

Yao Rong couldn't help laughing out loud.

Nan Liujing's face fell when Yao Rong laughed.

Yao Rong said: [I am definitely not laughing at your comparison.]

Nan Liujing complained even more: "...Mother, you don't have to explain."

Yao Rong laughed even louder.

Yao Shengan came back to his senses and smiled helplessly: "You have never fought in a war, right? When you are on the battlefield, I will carefully study how high your potential to become a famous general is."

Nan Liujing supported his forehead and couldn't help laughing: "I was just joking. But then again, if Brother Qi knew what my uncle said about him, he would be very happy."

Yao Shengan asked: "Why?"

"Brother Qi has always admired you after hearing about my uncle's deeds."

Yao Shengan was stunned.

"Brother Qi also asked me when my uncle plans to return to the battlefield."

Yao Shengan smiled and said, "Qi Mingxu didn't ask that question, you asked it, didn't you?"

Nan Liujing smiled but said nothing.

Yao Shengan touched his broken leg, looking melancholy.

Return to the battlefield...

He was already a useless man, how could he still lead troops to fight.

As if he had guessed what Yao Shengan was thinking, Nan Liujing suddenly spoke: "My uncle has been familiar with military books since he was young, and he should have heard the story of Sun Bin in the Warring States Period. At that time, Sun Bin was harmed by others and suffered from the punishment of Bin, but he still commanded the Battle of Guiling and the Battle of Maling. His series of military ideas had a profound impact on later generations."

"Even if my uncle does not plan to lead troops to fight again in the future, you can take this opportunity to think about what you will do after avenging the blood feud of the Yao family."

Talents are rare. Even if Yao Shengan was not his uncle, Nan Liujing would not want to see him remain silent.

Is it difficult to conquer the world?

Of course it is difficult.

But what is more difficult than conquering the world is how to stabilize the world.

This world needs more ministers like Yao Shengan who are both talented and upright.

Yao Shengan's heart was shocked and he fell into deep thought.

After a while, Yao Shengan sighed, "You are right, I will think about it carefully."

***

After Nan Liujing and Qi Mingxu met at the county government office, they immediately began to discuss the next military action.

"How long will it take for the imperial reinforcements to arrive in Gancheng?" Nan Liujing asked, looking at the marching sand table in front of him.

Qi Mingxu replied, "According to the information provided by the An Ge, the earliest is tomorrow noon, and the latest is the morning of the next day."

"How is the news blocked?"

"Don't worry, the news has not leaked. The reinforcements certainly can't think that we can capture Gancheng overnight."

"Okay." Nan Liujing picked up a small red flag and stuck it next to a river named Sanchuan. "The reinforcements have to rush to Gancheng, and Sanchuan River is the only way. Can we stop them here?"

The reinforcements have a total of more than 30,000 people.

In June this year, they were first sent to the south to quell the rebellion.

After the southern rebels accepted the imperial court's offer of amnesty, they were hastily transferred to the north. After months of hard work, no matter how well-equipped they were, their fighting power was running low.

Qi Mingxu said, "Give me 10,000 people, and I can stop them and prevent them from crossing the river."

Nan Liujing made a prompt decision, "Then I'll give you 20,000 people. This army has been marching all the way, and they must not have much food and grass on them. You use these 20,000 people to besiege them, and after they run out of food and grass, force them to surrender."

"No problem. But this way, I will be delayed for a long time."

Nan Liujing's eyes looked from Sanchuan River all the way to Fuxiang County.

This is the first county town into the north.

Once Fuxiang County is successfully captured, the capital will be undefendable, and his tens of thousands of troops can march straight into the imperial capital.

"It's okay, leave Fuxiang County to me."

Qi Mingxu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Can't you hold back?"

Nan Liujing flexed his wrists, "I have learned military tactics for so many years, and trained soldiers for so many years, I can still command a battle."

Moreover, it is not necessary to use weapons to capture Fuxiang County.

"Then let's have a competition." Qi Mingxu also picked up a small red flag and stuck it on the sand table, "Whoever leads the troops here first will be the winner."

That night Qi Mingxu led 20,000 troops to leave Gancheng and rushed to Sanchuan River for an ambush.

Nan Liujing stayed for one more day to rest, and then led the remaining troops to Fuxiang County.

***

For Nan Liujing and Qi Mingxu, this battle was not suspenseful.

The real suspense was who was faster and who was slower.

On the evening of September 23, Qi Mingxu besieged the imperial reinforcements at Sanchuan River.

At noon on September 24, Nan Liujing arrived in Fuxiang County. On

September 26, the imperial reinforcements were in urgent need of food and grass, and Qi Mingxu persuaded them to surrender.

The reinforcements refused and tried to break through several times.

On the evening of the same day, with the help of the members of the An Ge, Qi Si sneaked into the Fuxiang County government office with Nan Liujing's letter and met the Fuxiang County Magistrate who was having a meal in the house.

The next moment, Qi Si put the dagger against the waist of the Fuxiang County Magistrate: "Mr. Magistrate, I am a special envoy sent by Young Master Yao Nan. I came here to say hello to you on behalf of Young Master Yao Nan." The

Fuxiang County Magistrate drank the last mouthful of porridge in an orderly manner, put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and then lowered his eyes to stare at the dagger on his waist: "Is this how Young Master Yao Nan greets you?"

"Please don't make any noise to alarm the soldiers outside." Qi Si glanced at the Fuxiang County Magistrate, and when he nodded, he slowly moved the dagger away, "I'm sorry for offending you just now." The Fuxiang

County Magistrate snorted coldly, but did not dwell on the matter: "Why are you here? I tell you, if you want to persuade me to surrender, then forget it, you can kill me or behead me as you please. I eat the salary of the Daye court and guard the territory of the Daye court. I would rather die than be a person who betrays the country and has no integrity!"

"Young Master Yao Nan has heard of the integrity of the county magistrate, and he admires it very much." Qi Si took out the letter from his arms, "However, you can take a look at this letter first. After you finish reading it, we can talk about other things."

The county magistrate of Fuxiang County frowned and took it.

Qi Si moved the candle closer to the county magistrate of Fuxiang County to make it easier for him to read the letter.

The county magistrate of Fuxiang County glanced at Qi Si, and his evaluation of Qi Si in his heart increased a little: "You are a beautiful woman, but why do you follow a thief."

Qi Si smiled slightly without explaining.

The county magistrate of Fuxiang County gathered his mind and lowered his head to read the letter.

After reading the first few lines, his expression suddenly changed: "Young Master Yao Nan, who is well-known to all the people in the North, is the third prince who grew up in the cold palace in the legend?"

Hearing his question, Qi Si nodded and said, "Yes."

The county magistrate of Fuxiang County knew that the other party would not deceive him on this matter. He frowned and read the letter at a glance.

Qi Si said: "Your Excellency should have heard about what His Highness has done in the North over the years."

"May I ask, sir, do you think that being loyal to the tyrant and defending the city to the death for the tyrant and the treacherous ministers is a way to preserve your integrity as a civil official, or a way to lose your integrity as a civil official?"

The magistrate of Fuxiang County remained silent.

"If you are loyal to Your Highness, you will still receive the salary of the Daye court and defend the territory of the Daye court."

"But if you still decide to resist stubbornly, sir, how do you think the people of Fuxiang County will evaluate you?"

"How will history judge you!"

The magistrate of Fuxiang County sighed and finally said, "I will order people to open the city gates to welcome Your Highness."

On September 27, Nan Liujing officially took over Fuxiang County. After spending two days sorting out the affairs of Fuxiang County, he continued to march south. On

September 29, the imperial reinforcements ran out of food and grass.

The reinforcements decided to follow the example of the King of Western Chu and burn their boats. His deputy general led the mutiny, chopped off the reinforcements' heads, and surrendered to Qi Mingxu with the heads.

On October 3, Qi Mingxu hurried to the gathering place and met Nan Liujing, who had been stationed there for a long time.

"It seems that I have lost," Qi Mingxu said.

Nan Liujing smiled and said, "We can compete again."

"Compete for what?"

"Let's see this time, is your arrow faster or my sword faster." Nan Liujing's eyes penetrated the vast wilderness and the dark night, and his tone was full of endless killing intent, "Let's compete to see who can chop off Ji Yushan's head first."

***

Ji Yushan has been ill recently.

After hearing the news that Gancheng had changed its owner overnight, he was so angry that he fell to the ground. When he woke up, his body was not very comfortable.

The doctor suggested that Ji Yushan stay in bed and recuperate, but at this juncture, Ji Yushan had no way to rest and recuperate.

That day, when Ji Yushan woke up, it was already bright outside.

He tried to get up from the bed, but accidentally pulled his trachea, and coughed heartbreakingly while holding his chest.

The eldest son, who was guarding outside, heard the noise and quickly went around the screen, ran to the bedside, supported Ji Yushan, and patted Ji Yushan on the back to calm him down.

Ji Yushan said with difficulty: "What month and day is today?"

"Today is the fourth day of October."

"How is the situation in the north?" Ji Yushan waited for a long time, but did not wait for the eldest son to reply, and said angrily, "I ask you, how is the situation in the north!"

"Dad, your body..."

"Tell me!"

The eldest son hesitated, but still said truthfully: "Now we only know that the 30,000 reinforcements sent by the court are besieged in Sanchuan River... The rest of the news is unknown for the time being."

Ji Yushan almost vomited blood again.

He suppressed the desire to vomit blood, and his face, which was already flushed, became more and more dead.

"Dad!"

Ji Yushan closed his eyes and said weakly, "30,000 reinforcements can't stop the rebels. If I'm not mistaken, they should have successfully captured Fuxiang County by now."

"What should we do then?" The eldest son was a little flustered.

Glancing at his eldest son who had no idea, Ji Yushan felt disappointed.

If his sons could be trusted, why would he force himself to plan despite his illness?

"Has the Dark Chamber found out the details of Yao Nan? Where has he lived for the past 18 years? Such a person could never appear out of nowhere."

The eldest son said angrily, "I went to the Dark Chamber to ask, but Liang Guangyu sent me away directly, saying that the Dark Chamber only needed to report what they found to His Majesty, and there was no need to report to the Ji family."

With Qi Si and Liang Guangyu helping to cover up, until this moment, Ji Yushan and Emperor Yongqing still didn't know who their real opponent was.

Ji Yushan frowned, but he was too lazy to waste energy on this matter: "You ask someone to go to the warehouse to get a hundred-year-old ginseng, boil it and send it to me, I want to go to the palace to see the emperor."

The palace.

Emperor Yongqing's life during this period was not easy.

On the one hand, the rebels led by Yao Nan were constantly approaching the capital.

On the other hand, because he temporarily suppressed Ji Yushan's treason, many people were dissatisfied.

Officials, royal family members, and even those scholars in the Imperial College who had not entered officialdom dared to curse him in the wine house, saying that he was a disaster to the country and the people, and was the same as Ji Yushan.

When Emperor Yongqing thought of those people cursing him, he was furious.

He picked up the vase next to him and threw it to the ground.

"Your Majesty." Liang Guangyu, wearing armor, strode into the hall, as if he didn't see the broken vase on the ground, "Ji Yushan requests an audience."

After the previous commander of the Imperial Guard retired, Emperor Yongqing promoted Liang Guangyu from the position of deputy commander to the position of commander.

Now, Liang Guangyu is the commander of the Imperial Guards and the second in command of the Secret Chamber. He is trusted by Emperor Yongqing.

After hearing what Liang Guangyu said, Emperor Yongqing suppressed his anger and said, "Let him in."

After Ji Yushan came in, Liang Guangyu was about to leave the palace.

Emperor Yongqing stopped him and said, "You stay and listen together. For some things, the Imperial Guards need to cooperate with Master Ji."

Ji Yushan glanced at Liang Guangyu and did not object.

Liang Guangyu lowered his eyes and responded respectfully.

An hour later, the meeting was over, and Liang Guangyu personally helped Ji Yushan out of the palace.

"Commander Liang, I will trouble you a lot in the future." Ji Yushan said gently.

Liang Guangyu looked at the emaciated Ji Yushan and smiled: "Master Ji, don't worry, the Imperial Guards will definitely cooperate with you."

After Ji Yushan got on the carriage, Liang Guangyu got on the horse and returned to his mansion.

After a while, a pigeon flew out of the Liang Mansion and landed in Li Guanqi's yard.

After reading the note, Li Guanqi pondered for a moment and ordered his servants: "Prepare the horses, I want to leave the city."

***

October 7th.

The rebel army was only a hundred miles away from Kyoto.

The army was stationed on a wide plain, ready to spend the night here.

Nan Liujing sat by the fire, looking relaxed.

He was not looking through intelligence, nor thinking about the next military action, but chatting with Yao Rong: "Mother, after four years away from Beijing, the persimmon tree we planted should be able to bloom and bear fruit."

Yao Rong said: [It must be.]

"The first batch of persimmons this year will be ripe, it seems I have to speed up."

Nan Liujing just said this, and saw Qi Mingxu, Jiang Ding and Qi Si walking towards him.

Behind the three, there was another person wearing a hooded cape, and his face could not be seen clearly.

"Guess who is here." Qi Mingxu smiled.

Nan Liujing was startled, and immediately responded: "Second Brother Li!"

Li Guanqi took off his hood and smiled brilliantly: "I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Nan Liujing pulled Li Guanqi to sit down: "Why are you here? Did something happen in Kyoto?"

Li Guanqi told Nan Liujing everything that happened in Kyoto.

"You said, Emperor Yongqing plans to surrender me?" Nan Liujing raised his eyebrows.

Li Guanqi said, "That's right. They knew they couldn't stop your army, so they wanted to lure you into the capital under the pretext of surrender, and then kill you."

"Lord Liang asked me to tell you not to fall into their trap."

"The advantage is already on our side. As long as we fight steadily and advance step by step, we will surely achieve the final victory."

Nan Liujing lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked, "If I hadn't fallen into the trap, what would Ji Yushan and Emperor Yongqing do?"

Li Guanqi said, "That's not clear."

Hearing Nan Liujing's question, Yao Rong's mind moved, and he thought of a possibility: [Liujing, if you hadn't fallen into the trap, but instead used 50,000 troops to besiege Kyoto.]

[What kind of situation do you think would make you withdraw your troops and return to the north? Nan Liujing

was startled at first, and then his scalp went numb: "If you want me to withdraw, there is only one possibility."

"That is, Di Rong's army is pressing on, and the north is in danger."

Nan Liujing raised his head suddenly and said to Li Guanqi and others: "I suspect that if I didn't fall into the trap, Ji Yushan might collude with Di Rong again."

"What!?" Li Guanqi and others were shocked.

Nan Liujing clenched his right hand into a fist: "Anyway, everyone in the world already knows that Ji Yushan has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, so why can't he do it again!?"

Ji Yushan has no bottom line.

So Nan Liujing can completely think of him in the worst way.

Li Guanqi looked serious: "Your worry is justified."

Nan Liujing said: "I have left tens of thousands of soldiers in the north, but if the Di Rong are out in force and someone cooperates with the Di Rong, the people I left in the north may not be able to stop the Di Rong."

"Then we must withdraw our troops to defend, otherwise we will become the eternal sinners of Daye."

They are on the land of Daye, no matter how they fight, it doesn't matter. But if they allow the foreign races to bloodbath the border and massacre the people of Daye, then they will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever.

Qi Mingxu frowned and thought: "What should we do now?"

Nan Liujing said coldly: "You can't get a tiger cub without risking it. Brothers, do you dare to take the risk with me and use a trick against me?"

Qi Mingxu said straightforwardly: "No problem. I am still hoping to win a round with you and chop off Ji Yushan's head first."

Li Guanqi, Jiang Ding and Qi Si looked at each other and said yes.

A long wind blew from the vast wilderness, and the vast sky cast a bright moonlight. The firelight on the side fell on the five of them, clearly illuminating their high-spirited eyebrows.

Among the five of them, Nan Liujing, the youngest, was only 19 years old, and Qi Mingxu, the oldest, was only 27 or 28 years old.

But the history books have already begun to be written by them.

Every step they take, every word they say, and every thing they do will become words engraved in the history books.

This is history's preference for heroes.

Yao Rong looked at them and said to the system with emotion: [The five of them will succeed no matter what they do when they get together.]

The system agreed very much: [That's right. Especially in the matter of rebelling and conquering the world, the five of them are already invincible.]

***

The tenth day of the tenth month, cloudy.

Early in the morning, a huge black cloud floated over Kyoto, revealing a momentum of dark clouds pressing down on the city.

The wind blew violently, and countless yellowed branches and leaves rustled in the wind. The originally fresh air became sticky and dull, full of the breath of an approaching rainstorm.

At noon, the 50,000-strong army of the Northland marched to the imperial capital as planned.

The gates of the imperial capital were closed, and the atmosphere was murderous.

Nan Liujing's sword was already on the necks of the ministers of the Manchu dynasty.

Just when everyone thought that a war was about to break out, an imperial edict was sent out of the capital from the palace at full speed and delivered to Nan Liujing.

The imperial edict said three things in total -

Emperor Yongqing agreed to vindicate the Yao family.

Consort Zhao Yao Rong was posthumously conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, and General Yao Lao, General Yao Da, and General Yao Er were posthumously conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort.

Most importantly, Emperor Yongqing planned to confer Yao Nan the title of King of Zhenbei and designate all the sixteen cities in the Northland as Yao Nan's fiefdom.

"King of Zhenbei?"

Nan Liujing sat on the high platform, and said playfully: "Then wouldn't I become the only king

of a different surname in the more than 100 years since the founding of Daye?" The eunuch who came to issue the imperial edict smiled and nodded.

"But how do I remember that Emperor Tai||zu once left a will saying that only those who are not members of the Daye royal family can be king? Emperor Yongqing disobeyed Emperor Tai||zu's will, isn't he afraid that Emperor Tai||zu will be so angry that he will jump out of the imperial mausoleum?"

The eunuch who came to issue the imperial edict was embarrassed.

Nan Liujing changed to a more comfortable sitting position and said lazily: "You have finished reading the imperial edict, right?"

The eunuch nodded repeatedly as if he had been pardoned: "Yes, yes, King of Zhenbei, please accept the edict."

Nan Liujing said: "Emperor Yongqing did not fully agree to the requests I made."

The eunuch said stiffly, "King Zhenbei, His Majesty is His Majesty after all. How can we, as his subjects, force His Majesty to plead guilty and abdicate? Don't you think so?"

Nan Liujing frowned, as if he had taken the eunuch's words to heart.

After a long while, Nan Liujing finally showed a relaxed expression: "Well, you have a point. I can not force Emperor Yongqing to abdicate, but what about Ji Yushan? I must use the heads of all the Ji family to commemorate the ancestors of my Yao family!"

The eunuch looked around: "Can the King of Zhenbei dismiss these idle people?"

Nan Liujing said impatiently: "Just say it."

People have to bow their heads under the eaves, so the eunuch had to say: "King of Zhenbei, you should know how powerful the Ji family is and how powerful Ji Yushan is. Even His Majesty does not dare to deal with the Ji family easily."

"His Majesty sent me here. In addition to conferring you the title of King of Zhenbei, he also hopes that you can bring 5,000 soldiers and horses to Beijing to serve the king, kill Ji Yushan, eliminate the Ji family, and report to the spirit of General Yao in heaven!"

***

It must be said that Emperor Yongqing and Ji Yushan were very smart.

They knew that if Nan Liujing was not allowed to bring troops into the capital, Nan Liujing would never agree to take the risk.

So they offered enough bait and allowed Nan Liujing to bring 5,000 troops into the capital.

Nan Liujing looked excited but hesitant.

The eunuch saw this and knew there was a chance, so he kept persuading him.

Nan Liujing thought for a while and said, "I'll discuss this with my men, you can leave first."

The eunuch also knew that he couldn't show too much eagerness, so he had to leave.

About a quarter of an hour later, the eunuch was brought back to the palace.

Nan Liujing said, "I agree. But five thousand soldiers are not enough. I want to bring ten thousand soldiers into the capital."

"No, ten thousand soldiers are too many."

"Then bring eight thousand."

"Still no."

Nan Liujing slammed the table and said coldly, "I'm not bargaining with you in the vegetable market. There are twenty thousand imperial guards alone in Kyoto. My eight thousand soldiers will not cause any big waves after entering Kyoto. They are just for self-protection."

Nan Liujing lowered his eyes to look at the eunuch, waved his hand and said, "Okay, you, a eunuch, can't make the decision on such matters. You go back and report to Emperor Yongqing."

The eunuch looked at the imperial edict in his hand and said in embarrassment, "King Zhenbei, you haven't received the edict yet."

Nan Liujing glanced at Qi Mingxu.

Qi Mingxu understood, walked down the steps, came to the eunuch, and asked the guards to hand him the imperial edict.

Eunuch: "..."

The eunuch wailed in his heart: This, this is not in accordance with the rules.

But thinking about Yao Nan's identity, the eunuch was helpless.

This is the first king of a different surname in Daye. In front of him, how can there be any rules.

The eunuch silently handed the imperial edict to Qi Mingxu.

After the eunuch left, Qi Mingxu presented the imperial edict to Nan Liujing.

Nan Liujing didn't even look at the imperial edict, and threw it into the stove, letting the flames engulf the imperial edict.

At this point, does he still need Emperor Yongqing to vindicate the Yao family and posthumously confer titles on his mother and grandfather?

Whatever he wants, he can take it in person.

***

The Imperial Palace, Yu's study.

Emperor Yongqing sat at the top.

Liang Guangyu stood beside Emperor Yongqing.

Ji Yushan's eldest son helped Ji Yushan sit down below.

They had been sitting here waiting since the eunuch who announced the decree left the palace with the imperial edict. They had been waiting

until they were exhausted.

Finally, before Emperor Yongqing's patience ran out, the eunuch who announced the decree came back to report.

He did not hide anything and recounted his experiences in full.

Emperor Yongqing's already ugly face became even gloomier: "This kid from the Yao family is really asking for more!"

Ji Yushan was very calm. If Yao Nan had agreed directly, he would have been worried.

Now that Yao Nan was willing to argue with them, it meant that Yao Nan was tempted by the proposal.

"Your Majesty, eight thousand soldiers are eight thousand soldiers, nothing to worry about."

Emperor Yongqing glanced at Ji Yushan: "Aren't you afraid, Master Ji? His eight thousand soldiers are here to kill you."

Ji Yushan smiled lightly. He was able to dominate the government for more than ten years, and he was definitely not an ordinary person: "As long as he is lured into the capital, nothing can be decided by him. Not to mention that he only brought eight thousand soldiers, even if he brought ten thousand soldiers, how could he turn the world upside down?"

Emperor Yongqing seemed to be thinking of that beautiful future, and he clapped his hands and laughed.

Liang Guangyu was also laughing.

He laughed at the people in front of him who were fighting like trapped beasts.

- As long as the third prince successfully entered the capital, nothing can be decided by you!

***

The three parties all had their own plans, but they reached an amazing unity on this matter.

On October 12, before dawn, the dark clouds that had accumulated for many days turned into heavy rain, and soon the entire capital was submerged.

Thunder roared, the wind and rain were dark, and the night that had never receded was extended indefinitely.

Nan Liujing went to bed early last night, and was awakened by the heavy rain, so he just sat up.

After a simple wash, Nan Liujing sat by the tent, quietly listening to the crackling sound of rain outside, and suddenly said to Yao Rong: "Mother, we finally got here."

He was only one step away from that position.

[Are you still wearing the amulet I gave you?]

Nan Liujing put his right hand on his chest: "I always wear it close to my body."

Yao Rong smiled and said: [That's good.]

[Next, follow your plan and take the last step. [

I will always be with you.]

She would always keep her eyes on him. She

would watch him from this moment on, embark on a thorny road to becoming an emperor, and meet his inevitable fate.

The slight uneasiness that lingered in his heart disappeared with Yao Rong's words.

His mother is his patron saint. As long as she is with him, he will be invincible.

Nan Liujing stood up, without changing into the formal clothes that the eunuch who announced the decree had sent in advance, but only wearing casual clothes, picked up the emperor's sword on the sword rack, and strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, Qi Mingxu, Li Guanqi, Jiang Ding and Qi Si stood in a row.

Looking at the indigo in their eyes, Nan Liujing smiled and said, "Did the four brothers not sleep all night?"

Qi Mingxu said, "I was so excited that I couldn't sleep when I thought that I could kill the enemy today and avenge my parents and clansmen."

Li Guanqi and the other two couldn't sleep purely because of nervousness.

Nan Liujing smiled and asked, "Are you sleepy now?"

The four of them said in unison, "No!"

"Okay!" Nan Liujing nodded, smiling brightly, "Since you are not sleepy, then the four brothers will come with me to count the troops!"

"Count 8,000 troops and we will go to Beijing together to kill the powerful officials and question the tyrants!"

***

Later history books always spared no words when describing this day.

This rainstorm, which was rare in a century, trapped the people of Kyoto at home, allowing Nan Liujing's side, Ji Yushan's side and Emperor Yongqing's side to fight to their heart's content.

When Nan Liujing entered Kyoto with 8,000 troops, both Ji Yushan and Emperor Yongqing had already regarded him as a dead man.

Emperor Yongqing directly dispatched 15,000 imperial guards to set up an ambush on Suzaku Street, intending to shoot all of Nan Liujing's 8,000 troops on Suzaku Street.

Ji Yushan was waiting for this moment.

Emperor Yongqing had transferred so many imperial guards to deal with Nan Liujing, and the defense of the palace suddenly became extremely empty.

Ji Yushan had already discussed with the imperial concubine to launch a palace coup on this day to push the sixth prince to the throne.

The imperial concubine, who had been in charge of the harem for twenty years, and the powerful ministers who had controlled the government for twenty years worked together from the inside and outside. Even if Emperor Yongqing had taken precautions, he was killed by surprise.

In just half an hour, the East Gate fell.

The rebels attacked the palace.

Since the founding of the Daye Dynasty, this palace, which symbolizes the supreme imperial power, was breached by the army for the first time.

The palace maids and eunuchs were in chaos and fled everywhere.

The cries of begging, the sounds of fighting, and the thunder of the rainstorm intertwined, and the rain and blood rolled down, extending all the way along the dragon patterns carved on the floor tiles.

Soon, Ji Yushan successfully reunited with the imperial concubine and the sixth prince.

"Uncle, you are in charge of the army yourself, can your body still bear it?" The imperial concubine looked at Ji Yushan with a worried look on her face.

Ji Yushan knew that his body was almost at its limit. He looked kind: "It doesn't matter. As long as the Sixth Prince can succeed to the throne smoothly, I will die without regrets."

The Royal Concubine nodded. She knew what Ji Yushan wanted to hear most: "Uncle, don't worry. The Ji family will always be Le'er's and mine's maternal family."

"Okay!" Ji Yushan laughed loudly and turned to look at the Emperor's bedroom located in the center of the palace. "Come with me to kill them!"

In the Emperor's bedroom, Emperor Yongqing looked crazy: "Ji Yushan! And that bastard Royal Concubine! They actually launched a palace coup at this time!"

Emperor Yongqing had always been wary of Ji Yushan and the Royal Concubine, but he didn't expect that the threat of Yao Nan had not been completely eliminated, and Ji Yushan and the Royal Concubine took the lead in attacking him.

"Where is Liang Guangyu! Where is Liang Guangyu!" Emperor Yongqing shouted.

The chief eunuch ran into the palace, "Lord Liang has personally led his troops to set up an ambush on Zhuque Street. I have sent someone to inform Lord Liang, but it will take at least an hour to go back and forth. Your Majesty, let's retreat quickly! It's not safe here anymore!"

"Go to Mingguang Palace!" Emperor Yongqing did not delay any longer, "There is a secret passage in Mingguang Palace leading to the outside of the palace!"

Mingguang Palace is located to the west of the imperial palace. When Emperor Yongqing moved, the guards who were protecting him also moved.

Ji Yushan and the imperial concubine noticed this immediately.

They did not know that there was a secret passage in Mingguang Palace, but they immediately led their troops to chase after it.

When Emperor Yongqing was only a hundred meters away from Mingguang Palace, Ji Yushan and Concubine Gui's troops completely surrounded him.

"Your Majesty, we can't get through." The leader of the Ange who rushed to rescue him said, "Your Majesty, swords have no eyes, you retreat to the Biluo Palace behind, and wait for me to lead people to fight a bloody way for you."

At this time, Concubine Gui's voice also penetrated the rainstorm and reached Emperor Yongqing's ears: "Your Majesty, where are you going to escape to."

The Sixth Prince followed and said: "Father, you surrender. As long as you announce your abdication and become the emperor, I promise that I will take good care of you in the future." Emperor

Yongqing was so angry that his face was distorted.

The dragon robe on his body had long been wet by the rainstorm, and his clothes and hair were tightly attached to his body, and he didn't look like a monarch at all.

"You dare to launch a coup at this time, aren't you afraid that Liang Guangyu will come back at this time?"

Ji Yushan sneered: "Can Liang Guangyu come back? Even if he sets an ambush in advance, even if his troops far exceed Yao Nan, it is impossible for him to easily get rid of Yao Nan and Yao Nan's 8,000 troops. When he comes back, everything will be settled."

Unexpectedly, the moment Ji Yushan's voice fell, the sound of neat and uniform footsteps suddenly penetrated the rain curtain, through the killing, and came here.

Then, Liang Guangyu's voice resounded through the night sky: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being late to rescue you--"

Emperor Yongqing's expression changed from fear to ecstasy.

Ji Yushan's face was completely frozen with the confidence of victory.

"How is it possible..."

"Impossible, Liang Guangyu can't come back at this time... What went wrong..."

Ji Yushan's body, which was already on the verge of collapse, could not bear such a sudden shock. He coughed until his face turned red, and it seemed that he was going to cough out all his internal organs.

But the next moment, as Liang Guangyu and his party appeared in his sight,

the ecstasy on Emperor Yongqing's face froze.

Ji Yushan's eyes widened.

Because they saw that Liang Guangyu stood behind a young man in an obviously submissive posture.

The young man was dressed in black clothes, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist and a jade crown on his head. He held a sixty-four-joint oil-paper umbrella in his left hand and a black long sword in his right hand. Behind him, thousands of troops were silent.

They had never seen this young man before, but they all guessed his identity at this encounter -

King Zhenbei, Yao Nan.

Apart from him, no one else in the world could have such power at such a young age.

Ji Yushan could hardly bear the weight of the armor on his body, and he was dragged back several steps. It was the Sixth Prince who supported him in time to prevent him from losing face in this situation.

"Uncle grandfather, are you okay?" The Sixth Prince was worried.

The imperial concubine also hurried forward to support Ji Yushan: "Uncle, you must hold on, we can only rely on you now. If you fall, our Ji family will be really finished."

Ji Yushan raised his head and laughed, his laughter was cold and painful, and in the end he laughed out tears: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I thought Yao Nan was the cicada, Emperor Yongqing was the mantis, and I was the oriole. Who knew that I was the ridiculous prey."

After laughing at himself, Ji Yushan laughed at Emperor Yongqing: "Emperor Yongqing is indeed stupid and incompetent."

"The commander of the imperial guards, whom he regarded as a trusted minister, had actually defected to others a long time ago."

There was actually no big problem with his layout, but he did not expect that Liang Guangyu would actually defect to Yao Nan's side.

Yes, who could have thought of it!

In short, Emperor Yongqing could not have thought of it at all!

Not only did he not expect it, but when the facts were completely laid out in front of him, he still couldn't figure it out!

"Liang Guangyu, you actually betrayed me!"

"You know very well how I have treated you over the years!"

"Not only did I let you take charge of the Imperial Guards, I also let you take charge of the two departments of the Dark Chamber. In the entire court, except for a few people, who else is more powerful than you! I don't believe that this kid from the Yao family can give you more than I give you!"

Liang Guangyu stood behind Nan Liujing, saying nothing.

Yes, in terms of high position and power, he has almost reached the top.

But after a person has wealth and honor and high official positions, he should always have some other ideals to pursue.

What he wants most can only be achieved by the third prince.

So he chose to accept the third prince as his apprentice, chose to help the third prince deceive the emperor, and chose to help the third prince leave the palace.

So when he received the letter from the third prince and saw that the third prince asked in the letter, "Master Liang, are you willing to lend me a hand?", he gave the third prince a box of golden cakes.

***

Through the rain, Nan Liujing's eyes swept over Ji Yushan, the imperial concubine, and the sixth prince one by one, and finally stopped at Emperor Yongqing.

Nineteen years have passed.

From the time he was born in the cold palace to the time he stood in front of these people, a full nineteen years had passed.

This was the first time he and his biological father met.

As soon as they met, it was the day of the palace coup, life and death, success and failure.

"Everyone, let me introduce myself."

Nan Liujing threw away the oil-paper umbrella, stood in the wind and rain, and casually drew out the Emperor's Sword.

"I am Yao Nan, the King of Zhenbei."

"I am also Nan Liujing, the third prince of Daye."

The eyes that were originally focused on Liang Guangyu, gathered on Nan Liujing.

"The third prince of Daye..." The Sixth Prince was completely confused, and subconsciously asked, "Is there a third prince Nan Liujing in Daye?"

The corners of the noble concubine's lips trembled slightly, and she thought of a person.

The child who grew up in the cold palace and was later sent out of the palace because of an illness.

The child who was never taken seriously by her.

Ji Yushan took a deep breath and figured it all out: "No wonder I can't find out about Yao Nan's past these years. It turns out that there is no such person as Yao Nan in this world..."

Emperor Yongqing's face turned pale and blue, and suddenly he wanted to slap himself a few times.

Because he remembered that it was he who ordered Liang Guangyu to approach Nan Liujing.

It was him! He created the opportunity for Liang Guangyu and Nan Liujing to come into contact!

Otherwise, how could Nan Liujing have any intersection with Liang Guangyu.

"We have finished talking nonsense, and it is time for us to settle our grudges."

As Nan Liujing's voice fell, Liang Guangyu immediately led a team of soldiers and horses towards Emperor Yongqing.

Emperor Yongqing's face changed drastically: "What are you going to do?"

Liang Guangyu pointed to the Biluo Palace behind him, politely but firmly: "Your Majesty, please go in and rest for a while. When His Highness has dealt with Ji Yushan's rebels, he will come to see you." Emperor Yongqing scolded: "You want to put me under house arrest?!" Liang Guangyu said: "If Your Majesty does not intend to go in, you can stay here in the rain. But on the battlefield, swords and knives have no eyes. What if there is something wrong

?

A hidden arrow flew and accidentally injured your Majesty's precious body. Please don't blame me for not protecting you well."

Emperor Yongqing finally gave in: "I can go into the palace to rest, but I want to go to Mingguang Palace."

Liang Guangyu directly pointed out: "Your Majesty, the secret passage leading to the outside of Mingguang Palace has been guarded by my people."

Emperor Yongqing had no choice but to retreat to the palace next to Mingguang Palace under the protection of the leader of the secret chamber and the chief eunuch.

This battlefield was officially taken over by Nan Liujing.