After General Di was killed in Taining, Han Zhaoxing retreated to Xiaju. It is difficult to say whether Han Zhaoxing deliberately killed General Di, but there were rumors in the capital that Han Zhaoxing did not rescue General Di when he was surrounded. Moreover, as Han Zhaoxing was the supreme commander of Liaodong, it must have been his order to order General Di to attack Taining.

After General Di's death, the 30,000 soldiers and horses he brought from Yuzhou all returned to the Han army.

In recent years, Han Zhaoxing seems to be trying to emulate Feng Jianping. Feng Jianping was a military commander who took the position of governor-general and commanded the military and political power of Datong. He also drove away two governors-general and made Emperor Zhaowu appoint him as governor-general. Feng Jianping had the Feng Family Army, so he reorganized the most elite Liaodong Iron Cavalry and named it the Han Family Army.

Some people privately discussed whether he also wanted to follow Feng Jianping's fate.

Yan Sikong disagrees. Feng Jianping was unjustly killed because his achievements surpassed those of his master. Does Han Zhaoxing deserve this?

Seventeen years have passed, and he has made no progress. He is still stupid and vicious. The reason why Feng Jianping sits on the position of governor and holds the title of prince is because he can afford it. The reason why Feng Jianping has the Feng family army is because he can afford to support it. The soldiers in the northwest are all fierce, and the soldiers in Liaoning are not much behind. Supporting soldiers is not only about feeding and clothing, and paying salaries on time, but also about being able to keep them under control. Han Zhaoxing, this useless man, would have died many times if it weren't for Xie Zhongren.

The ministers in the court who still had some courage in their hearts wrote letters to urge Emperor Zhaowu to change his commander-in-chief. The pain of the seven states in Liaobei still makes them feel painful when they think of it.

However, the eunuchs insisted that Han Zhaoxing had used Guangning to resist Zhuoletai's 100,000-strong army, and that changing commanders on the battlefield was a major taboo in military strategy. Emperor Zhaowu was indecisive and whenever he was hesitant, he did not want to cause trouble and remained indifferent.

The court was once again filled with smoke and miasma.

Yan Sikong saw this and immediately sent a Siamese magic medicine to Emperor Zhaowu, allowing him to show his prowess on the dragon couch.

——

A few days later, Zhao Fuyi came in person and asked Yan Sikong to persuade Emperor Zhaowu to change his commander-in-chief. His tone was quite impolite. Over the years, the two of them had drifted apart. Zhao Fuyi's appreciation of him gradually turned into confusion, and finally, into disgust.

Yan Sikong respectfully practiced Tai Chi with him.

Zhao Fuyi was definitely not a reckless man, but he was a military officer after all. He was so angry that he kicked over the table on the spot and pointed at Yan Sikong's nose and cursed: "Yan Sikong, I am blind and have misjudged you. You have talent but no morals, and you are opportunistic. My Dasheng Empire will be destroyed by the hands of you treacherous villains!"

Yan Sikong said slowly, "General Zhao, Governor Han is a famous general who once used the tiny city of Guangning to resist the Jin army of 100,000. Why do you look down on him? Back then, Zhuoletai couldn't even get past Guangning. Now, there are Xiaju, Mizhou and Huangshui in front of Guangning. Even if Governor Han is good at defense but not attack, he is more than capable of dragging down Zhuoletai."

"Impossible!" Zhao Fuyi said in a stern voice, "Han Zhaoxing has never won a single battle against the Jin soldiers. He must have been frightened when he heard the name of Zhuoletai!"

Yan Sikong pretended to be puzzled: "Why do you say that, General? The Battle of Guangning was a great victory that will go down in history forever."

"The victory in Guangning was not Han Zhaoxing's credit at all!" Zhao Fuyi blurted out angrily.

Yan Sikong knew the time had come, and continued to ask, "What do you mean, General?"

Zhao Fuyi's face was distorted. Even if the table was overturned, he was afraid that he would not give up. "I was ordered to lead troops to aid Guangning. The Guangning garrison general Yuan Maoyuan would rather die than retreat. He vowed to live and die with the city. He led the soldiers and civilians of the city to repel the Jin bandits three times, and only then did we save Liaodong and the northern border of our Dasheng. He was the most deserving hero in the Guangning battle, but he was killed by Han Zhaoxing!"

Yan Sikong's blood boiled and his whole body began to tremble.

Zhao Fuyi shouted with a red face: "Han Zhaoxing is a good-for-nothing bastard, a bastard! Liaodong will die in his hands! Dasheng will die in his hands!"

Yan Sikong stood up proudly and said loudly: "Then why didn't you tell me back then?!"

Zhao Fuyi was stunned. He was puzzled by the hatred and viciousness in Yan Sikong's eyes.

"You knew that Yuan Mao was wrongly accused, and that Xie Zhongren, Ge Zhong, and Han Zhaoxing had framed him. Yuan Mao was convicted and beheaded three days after he was imprisoned, and died in front of thousands of Guangning people who cried out that he was wronged." Yan Sikong approached Zhao Fuyi step by step, his eyes red, "Why didn't you say it?"

Zhao Fuyi's scalp tingled and he stumbled back uncontrollably, trembling as he said, "You... who are you? How could you..."

"How do I know this?" Yan Sikong turned around and opened the cabinet under the bookshelf. He carefully took something out of the secret compartment and placed it on the table.

Zhao Fuyi took a closer look and found that it was Yuan Mao's tablet!

Zhao Fuyi looked at the tablet, then looked at Yan Sikong, his face pale.

Yan Sikong gritted his teeth and said word by word: "I am Yuan Mao's adopted son."

Zhao Fuyi was a general of the first rank and the commander of the Beijing Garrison Army. He knelt down in front of Yuan Mao's tablet and burst into tears: "General Yuan, my brother Yuan, it's my fault that I was cowardly and didn't dare to speak up for you. For the past seventeen years, I... I have suffered so much..."

Yan Sikong raised his head to the sky, staring with his eyes wide open, unwilling to let the tears flow down.

After so many years, someone who knew the truth was finally willing to tell it. Otherwise, in his dreams at midnight, he would have suspected that his first half of life was just an illusion.

Zhao Fuyi touched Yuan Mao's tablet with trembling hands soaked with tears, then shrank back as if burned. He covered his eyes and his shoulders trembled.

Yan Sikong walked over and knelt in front of Zhao Fuyi.

Zhao Fuyi looked at him in a daze.

"General." Yan Sikong choked up and said, "You were just a small general back then. You couldn't save my father. It's understandable that you tried to protect yourself. I have no intention of criticizing you, but I am very grateful that you told me the truth today." As he said this, he was about to kowtow to Zhao Fuyi.

Zhao Fuyi hurriedly supported him: "Sikong, for so many years, the injustice of the Yuan generals has always been on my mind. I just watched the eunuchs' party become more and more powerful day by day, and I..." He said ashamedly, "I am also a coward!"

"General, you don't have to blame yourself. It's not easy to protect yourself under the tyranny of the eunuch party. My teacher died of hatred, and the father and son of the Feng family were wrongly imprisoned. They were all my hopes for revenge, but I can't count on them anymore, so I..." Yan Sikong whispered, "I can only endure the humiliation and live a life of shame. I will not stop until the eunuch party is wiped out!"

"You..." Zhao Fuyi patted Yan Sikong's shoulder vigorously, "You are able to bend and stretch, and you will become a great man."

"General, I know that the key to destroying the eunuch party lies with Your Majesty, so I have been thinking hard for the past three years, waiting for this moment. As long as Han Zhaoxing is defeated, Xie Zhongren's death will not be far away!"

Zhao Fuyi was surprised and asked, "You already have a plan?"

Yan Sikong helped him up from the ground: "General, listen to me in detail."

He told Zhao Fuyi about his plan, including that after Zhao Fuyi became the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, they would jointly recommend Zhu Lanting to be the commander-in-chief of the garrison. Of course, he and Zhu Lanting's plan was not limited to this, they also wanted to welcome Chen Yi, but he would not tell Zhao Fuyi about this now.

After hearing what Yan Sikong said, Zhao Fuyi was shocked. This was such a cold-blooded and meticulous plan. It took years of long and forbearing preparations, and watching the blood of innocent people flow like a river, before waiting for today's opportunity - the opportunity to overthrow Xie Zhongren.

Zhao Fuyi clenched his fists. As expected of a decisive commander on the battlefield, he calmed down and said, "I really want to go to Liaodong. Looking at Dasheng, there are not many talents available. I have fought with Zhuoletai before. I would like to ask to go to Liaodong and defend the northern border, but I dare not recommend myself for fear that Your Majesty will be suspicious."

"The general's concerns are correct. His Majesty will not easily agree to a change of commander. If the general asks for resignation, His Majesty and Xie Zhongren will be suspicious. When Han Zhaoxing is defeated, only the general can take on this important task."

Zhao Fuyi nodded and said, "I went to Liaodong. Zhu Lanting is indeed an excellent candidate for the commander of the garrison army. He also wants to get rid of the eunuchs as soon as possible."

"If the general takes charge of the Liaodong military, and Commander Zhu takes charge of the garrison, we will have cut off Xie Zhongren's chance of survival. Even if His Majesty still has feelings for us, he will not be spared."

Zhao Fuyi narrowed his eyes and said, "When that bastard is doomed, I will open the altar and pour out the fine wine to make him drink for three days and three nights!"

Yan Sikong straightened his chest and knelt solemnly to Zhao Fuyi again.

"Sikong, get up quickly."

Zhao Fuyi reached out his hand to help him up, but Yan Sikong refused to get up. He said in a sad voice, "I have something to ask, and I beg the general to grant my request."

"You say."

"When that day comes, I will ask the general to clear my father's name." Yan Si's blank jade-like face was filled with sorrow. "This is all I have ever wanted in my life."

Zhao Fuyi helped Yan Sikong up and said solemnly: "I swear on my life that I will clear General Yuan's name!"

"Thank you, General!"

——

At the end of spring and the end of summer, two pieces of news dealt a heavy blow to the Da Sheng Dynasty.

First, a rebel army rose up in Shu, and in a short time, they gathered a large number of bandits and mobs who were dying due to drought. In a blink of an eye, they changed from farmers with hoes to soldiers with swords and guns. They had strict military discipline, were brave and good at fighting, and attacked cities and strongholds all the way. They were invincible, like a rolling stone from a mountain, crushing from Shu to Hunan. It took several years for Hunan to recover from the rebellion of King Liang, and it had no power to fight back. The rebels were unstoppable.

The leader of this rebel army was none other than the little wolf king Feng Ye, who had escaped from death row and had not been heard from for three years!

Second, Han Zhaoxing was defeated as expected. Zhuoletai's morale was high, and he successively captured Xiaju and Mizhou, forcing Han Zhaoxing to Huangshui. Han Zhaoxing's so-called Han family army and the Yuzhou soldiers from General Di's army were defeated at the first touch because their commander lacked the authority of a general. In the battle of Mizhou, 20,000 soldiers were lost.

Yan Sikong had anticipated Han Zhaoxing's defeat, but what Yan Sikong did not expect was Han Zhaoxing's shamelessness - he actually surrendered to Zhuoletai!

Hearing this news, Yan Sikong felt mixed emotions. Han Zhaoxing had completely dragged Xie Zhongren into hell. He should have been happy, but when he thought that it was such a despicable, greedy and cowardly beast who killed his father, his brother, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Liaoning, he wished that Han Zhaoxing could be executed a thousand times, but it would not be enough to atone for this bastard's heinous crime.

Due to internal and external troubles, the Chen Sheng Dynasty, which had stood for two hundred years, suddenly collapsed.