Chapter 603: Fighting with a coffin, contacting the traitor
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Outside the north gate of Huting, Zhao Duan, escorted by Tang Ping, rode up to the crowd, dismounted, and threw the reins aside. He nodded to Xue Shence and said with a smile:
"Privy Councilor Xue."
Then he turned his head and met Mo Zhaorong's gaze.
It had been quite some time since the two sides parted ways in Taicang Prefecture on the western front. When they met again, this "rival in love" had changed a lot.
It's not just the appearance that has been worked on, but more importantly the temperament.
If Zhao Duan were to use one word to describe it, it would probably be "stripped of all dross".
Well, although Mo Chou was nicknamed "Female Prime Minister" in the past, this reputation was false.
It was just a "metaphor" used by court officials and common people to describe his status as the empress's closest attendant.
This does not mean that Mo Chou, who grew up in the deep palace and rarely left the capital, really has the talent to govern the country.
The nearly one year of experience on the front line has brought about a drastic change in the temperament of the first female official of the Six Shangs. She has become more calm, her eyes are sharper, and even her tone of voice is different from her previous aggressiveness.
"Long time no see, but I'm not used to it if Mo Zhaorong doesn't tease me." Zhao Duan smiled at her.
Mo Chou's slightly wheat-colored cheeks flushed, and she smiled bitterly:
"Don't tease me, Governor. I had many misunderstandings about you in the past, but fortunately, things are different now.
I've heard from you from time to time on the Eastern Front these past few months, and I'm deeply impressed by what you've done."
The words were spoken sincerely, without any irony.
Not only Mo Chou, but a large number of old acquaintances headed by Xue Shence all had similar feelings.
If we say that back in Taicang Prefecture, when everyone was working together to deal with the "Juren General" Su Dan, Zhao Duan only showed talents in the extraordinary realm...
Rescuing the city when it burned was indeed a great achievement, but that was all.
After the two sides separated, the news coming from the west refreshed everyone's impression again and again.
First, he infiltrated Yongjia City and rescued the imprisoned officials. Then, he persuaded Zhao Shixiong to rebel, forcing the Western Front, which was originally responsible for defense, to advance southward. Not to mention the subsequent successful assassination of Xu Jingtang, which completely reversed the course of the war and reduced the Eastern Front to a mere supporting role...
And all of this is like a accumulating tide.
When the peace negotiation delegation entered the capital, Zhao Duan went to the palace with a sword in hand to ask for orders, and his anger completely erupted.
"Commander Zhao, you may not know this, but the story of you ascending the throne room with your sword has already spread throughout the army, inspiring countless soldiers! Now, your prestige within the army is even higher than mine."
Xue Shence joked with a smile.
This is a very dangerous statement.
But Xue Shence's eyes and tone were frank, and even the generals and officials around him did not notice anything strange.
Because that's the truth.
Shi Meng laughed and said:
"Look, Commander-in-Chief, these soldiers can tell by the way they look at you."
Ah, am I so good?
Zhao Duan's old face blushed when he was praised. He looked at the soldiers standing in the snow and ice. Sure enough, he saw that every soldier had a fanatical look in his eyes. Wherever his eyes passed, the soldiers tried their best to straighten their chests.
Every move you make is watched by thousands of soldiers.
This was the glory accumulated by the "God of War" Xue Shence through decades of military career.
Zhao Duan also achieved it in just a few months.
"Secretary Xue, you're joking. You and I have all worked tirelessly for His Majesty, the court, and the people. Without your tireless efforts to hold back the Jiancheng Army on the eastern front, I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything."
Zhao Duan said humbly.
The Grand Canal Governor Ning Zechen laughed heartily:
"When did the Governor start adopting the humility of a pedantic scholar? Everyone present is an old acquaintance, so there's no need to elaborate. I, Ning, will simply say: Based on what you've done, I have nothing but admiration!"
Then, other old acquaintances, generals and civil officials who were not very familiar with him also spoke up to express their admiration.
Having been accustomed to falsehood in the court, Zhao Duan suddenly felt a warmth in his heart when he suddenly felt sincerity coming towards him. He laughed and scolded:
"Governor Ning, you're the only one who's good at talking. You're praising me like this, isn't it because I brought New Year's gifts to your wife and daughter?"
Ning Zechen was wearing an official robe, but around his neck was a densely stitched "scarf", which was sewn by Madam Ning herself and sent from the capital not long ago.
Everyone burst into laughter and Governor Ning blushed.
A brief greeting.
Xue Shence immediately wanted to welcome Zhao Duan into the city.
At this time, Chen Gui, the director of the Firearms Battalion, looked at the black coffin on the cart in surprise:
"This is……"
Zhao Duan glanced at it and said casually:
"Oh, this is the coffin I prepared for myself. Now that the military order has been issued, you should inform the three armies that if this coffin cannot hold Prince Jing's body, then use mine."
Fighting while carrying a coffin!
Upon hearing this, everyone present looked serious and felt their blood boiling.
It was as if the coldness that had been waiting for hours in this winter was dispelled by a surge of warm blood!
…
…
After a while, the news that Zhao Duan was carrying a coffin into the city spread throughout the Huting military camp.
Zhao Duan and his party were led into an official office in the city that served as a "temporary command center."
Outside the courtyard were soldiers standing guard. A group of people came in in a mighty procession and sat down in the "conference room". Servants had already set up braziers and served hot tea.
When everyone gets together again, it is inevitable that there will be some warm greetings and reminiscing about the past.
Zhao Duan told them some details about his time at the front line and the peace talks in the capital.
Everyone talked about their confrontation with Prince Jing.
a long time.
Zhao Duan put down his cup and got down to business. He looked around at the faces sitting at the table in the room and said seriously:
"Okay, let's get down to business. I came to Huting from Jingchuan this time. You all know my purpose, right?"
The pale-faced, short-bearded "God of War" nodded and said "yes," and said seriously:
"Your Majesty has already sent me the documents. Next, I will travel to Xiping Road and lead the Imperial Guards and the Five Military Battalions, along with the Duke of Zhenguo, to resist the invasion of the Western Regions."
Yes!
This time, the empress also spent a lot of money. She simply sent out most of the imperial guards guarding the capital, leaving only the last few to maintain basic order in the city.
In this way, with Xue Shence leading the way, there is a great chance that the King of Hejian can be eliminated before the spring, and then the forces can be reorganized to defend against the ambitions of Buddhism in the Western Regions.
Zhao Duan nodded and said:
"Since you already know, I don't need to bother explaining it. I learned a little about the situation in Jingchuan, but it's not very detailed. I did have some contact with the Jiancheng rebels along the way. What do you think of the Jiancheng army?"
Faced with his question, everyone was silent at first, and then Shi Meng spoke first:
“Very strong.”
He explained carefully:
“Our Shenji Battalion has also fought against the Yunfu Army on the western front, but it is obvious that the Jiancheng Army has a stronger cohesion, including their weapons and armor, which are the most powerful among the Eight Kings.
If these are secondary, the real difficulty lies in the fact that the Jingwang Group is full of talents and has strong strategic determination.
Even though we have been victorious in recent times and have conquered a lot of territory, in reality, the Jiancheng Army has hardly ever fought to the death with us. They have voluntarily given up many territories, leaving us with a mess..."
These words cannot be said by Commander Xue Shence.
But there was no problem with Shi Meng's explanation.
Zhao Duan listened with a serious expression and asked:
"So, Prince Jing's army didn't suffer heavy losses?"
"Yes," the commander of the 3,000-man battalion first sent to the Eastern Front nodded.
"Furthermore, Jiancheng Dao is still sending in new soldiers... Prince Jing has already established a deep alliance of interests with the major families in Jiancheng Dao, including the Shen family, and has a very solid backing."
Zhao Duan exhaled lightly and said self-deprecatingly:
"It seems to be a tough nut to crack."
He glanced at everyone's faces and said with a smile:
"But it's not a big problem. I can handle Xu Jingtang, and Xu Wen is not supernatural... Are Prince Jing and his son at the front line in Huting now?"
Xue Shence shook his head and said:
"No. They were there before winter. After winter, a ceasefire was declared, and Prince Jing and his son retreated to Jianning Prefecture. Nominally, they were there to stabilize the rear and prepare for the spring battle. However, the latest intelligence from the Shadow Guards states that Prince Jing and his son have quietly entered Binhai Road."
"Prince Jing went to Binhaidao?"
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows: "Purpose?"
Xue Shence said:
"I don't know the details, but I think it's either for King Chen or for Qingshan."
In Binhaidao, there are two most powerful forces. As one of the Eight Kings, Prince Chen blocked the entire Binhaidao after he launched the Fengshan Army, acting as if he was ceding land to become a local emperor, and he did not spread any of his power to the outside world.
As for Qingshan... he is also an old rival.
"Haha, once Xu Jingtang dies, Prince Jing will definitely want to seek help. Prince Chen will be in dire straits, so the two sides might get involved.
"But I've discussed this with Your Majesty, and given Prince Chen's indecisive nature, he might not agree immediately... Our primary target for now is still the rebels across the way," Zhao Duan commented.
If he analyzed the situation based on the Three Kingdoms, he felt that King Chen had some Eastern Wu characteristics...
I just don't know if there are any big and small Qiao sisters on Binhaidao...
Cough cough.
Xue Shence commented:
"The one leading the rebels in Hu Ting is nominally Ye Xin, the former deputy commander of the military headquarters of Jianning Prefecture. When Prince Jing rebelled, he killed the former commander and took over the position, controlling the military camp. He is a descendant of the Ye family of Jiancheng Dao."
After a pause, he continued:
"Although Ye Xin is the nominal leader, the person who actually makes many decisions is a mysterious advisor."
Zhao Duan's heart moved:
"I've heard of this person, and his surname seems to be Xu as well?"
"Yes," Xue Shence nodded.
"This person appeared very suddenly. For now, we speculate that he is a descendant of the Xu family's side branch. There are many people with the surname Xu in Jiancheng Dao."
"But there aren't many people who are capable enough for Prince Jing to rely on," Zhao Duan interrupted.
"I previously asked Shadow Guard to collect information on capable people in Jiancheng Dao, but there's currently no one who meets the requirements."
Mo Chou said:
"Perhaps we can mobilize our people in the rebel army to conduct reconnaissance."
Zhao Duan glanced at the female prime minister and thought to himself, are you targeting me?
Do you already know that the princess is my pawn?
Your Majesty's mouth is so loose?
Seeing him staring at her, Mo Chou misunderstood him and took the initiative to explain:
"We instigated the rebellion of officials within Prince Jing's group."
Good fellow... you scared me... Zhao Duan exhaled and said in surprise:
"Is the level high enough?"
He was not surprised at all that the imperial court was instigating the rebels.
Since the princes can bribe officials in the court to serve as spies.
The Dayu court certainly also took similar actions, but the process of instigating rebellion and bribery was extremely difficult in the first few months.
You can imagine.
At that time, the various vassal kings on the shore were at war with each other, and the imperial court was in danger. Only the empress was left to resist with her cultivation.
The rebels' morale is high, how could they accept the court's instigation to revolt?
But as the war progressed, Zhao Duan won a series of victories and the situation became delicate. At this time, many rebels began to waver and lose confidence.
Only by gradually accepting private contacts from the imperial court... could rebellion become possible.
Mo Chou said:
"Our efforts to persuade the top brass of the Jiancheng Army to defect haven't been going very smoothly. Those who have truly surrendered to us haven't held high positions yet. However, some of the top brass have already established contact with us, but they haven't fully surrendered yet."
Zhao Duan asked:
"Why? Are you unwilling to offer benefits? Using threats or inducements?"
Mo Chou shook her head and said, "No. It's because of you."
"I?"
Zhao Duan was stunned.
I thought to myself, good man, Mo Chou, your fox tail has finally been exposed. You are going to slander me, right?
Take this blow from me...
Mo Chou explained helplessly:
"The other party doesn't believe our promises. They have to wait for someone with enough weight and credibility before they are willing to join us."
"..." Zhao Duan said speechlessly:
"Even with Privy Councilor Xue and you, the 'Military Supervisor', here, the other party still doesn't believe it?"
Xue Shence smiled bitterly and said:
"Perhaps the situation is still unclear. In fact, when the news of peace talks came out, the other side was a little anxious, but after the talks collapsed, they calmed down again."
I understand.
After all, the situation is uncertain, and the other party is also hesitant... Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and said:
"Who is responsible for inciting the enemy's high-ranking officials to rebel?"
Tang Jinzhong, the imperial attendant, suddenly spoke up: "It's Song Jinxi who's following up."
After Zhao Shixiong's successful rebellion, knowing that the situation on the western front was already decided, Song Jinxi was sent by Zhao Duan to support the eastern front.
Not in the meeting room at the moment.
Zhao Duan nodded and said, "Go find him and I will personally take care of this matter."
"Yes." Tang Jinzhong stood up and walked out.
Then, everyone started talking about other topics, and the meeting was disbanded after a full hour.
Xue Shence began to prepare to leave. As for the handover, it was easy because the commanders of the three camps would not leave.
…
After the meeting.
Zhao Duan called Mo Chou alone and went to another room together, where he met Song Jinxi who had been waiting there for a long time.
"Sir." The priest who was good at concealment and assassination bowed deeply.
"No need to be so polite. Tell me about the situation of the local high-ranking official who instigated rebellion." Zhao Duan sat down leisurely with a deep look in his eyes.
Mo Chou was sitting on the side and also looked over.
Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. If you can successfully instigate a rebellion, subsequent wars will be much easier to fight.
At the same time, this is also the area where Zhao Duan is better at.
Song Jinxi said:
"Yes. The highest-ranking officer we've come into contact with in the enemy forces at Huting is Jiang Wangsun, one of the top ten civilian officers in the Jiancheng Army.
He is also the highest-ranking civil official in the Huting Army, aside from the counselor surnamed Xu, who is on the same level as Ye Xin."
After a pause, Song Jinxi added:
"Jiang Wangsun was originally supposed to co-manage Huting with Ye Xin, but after the appearance of Xu the Advisor, a large portion of Jiang Wangsun's power was taken away, and now he has been demoted to the third in command of the Huting rebels."
Jiang Wangsun?
What a grand name... Zhao Duan recalled the man's information and remembered that he was originally the prefect of Jiancheng Dao.
He thought for a moment and said, "Make arrangements. I want to meet him."
(End of this chapter)
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