King An lost Jingzhou, and his 180,000-man army was annihilated in Quyang. They abandoned Liling and fled to Luojing. In just three months, the seven counties of Jingzhou all fell into the hands of King Qi.
This battle shocked the world.
The princes, both big and small, were either frightened or fearful, and the power of the King of Qi was at its peak. But ordinary refugees cannot care about these things. They have heard that the King of Qi is magnanimous and benevolent, and the people live in peace under his rule. Wouldn't it be better to have strong soldiers and horses to protect them?
In the neighboring Yuzhou, which had suffered greatly from the war, refugees had already passed through the important passes and arrived with their families. The two states of Jing and Yi will usher in a climax of population migration.
However, compared with Wei Jing's powerful presence, Prince An who fled to Luojing was in a much more miserable state.
The memorial had been sent to Luojing long ago. There were no obstacles along the way, and it smoothly entered Sizhou and headed straight for Luojing. However, these 40,000 elite soldiers could no longer be brought with them and were temporarily placed in Ping County, while Prince An and his entourage entered.
Prince An didn't even go back to the palace. As soon as he entered the city gate, he separated from his family and went straight to the palace.
"Please punish me, my brother! I am incompetent and I lost Jingzhou!"
At the foot of the jade steps, Prince An knelt heavily on the gold bricks of the imperial study, recalling Jingzhou, which he had painstakingly planned and managed for many years. He felt resentful and unwilling, his body trembled, and his eyes were truly red.
"You, you, how could Jingzhou be lost so quickly in just three months?!"
Only half a year had passed since the battle to encircle and suppress the rebel king. A deep wrinkle appeared between the emperor's brows, his eyes were dark, his complexion was dull, and his expression was filled with unconcealed anxiety. He could no longer sit on the throne and stood up to pace back and forth.
He should be anxious. The encirclement and suppression of the King of Qi had failed, and the latter was growing more powerful. Not only did the court not have the ability to encircle and suppress him a second time, it even had to deal with the approaching forces of the two rebels, the King of Ji and Zhenquan. I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep at night.
At this time when the country was surrounded by enemies, Jingzhou was lost.
Jingzhou has a vast territory and fertile land, and is an important source of military food and grain for the imperial court. If it is lost, it will undoubtedly be a further blow to the current imperial court.
The emperor was indeed furious after losing Jingzhou to Prince An, and he flew into a rage on the day he received the news. But after calming down a little, the anger was like a leaky bag and could not be rekindled.
Even someone as powerful as the King of Qi was deeply feared by him. So perhaps he was subconsciously prepared for the fact that King An would be defeated.
But this was thrown away too quickly!
Worried and afraid, the emperor angrily rebuked Prince An. Prince An did not say a word in defense, but only admitted his guilt and asked for punishment with tears. However, in the end, the emperor only gave a few superficial punishments and did not impose any actual penalties.
"Forget it. Jingzhou has already been lost. There is no point in thinking about it. The two rebels are coming fiercely. Repelling them is the most urgent task."
The current imperial court, facing the fierce attack from the two rebel armies led by Prince Ji and Zhenquan, is showing signs of being unable to hold on and has to retreat. Fortunately, the arrival of winter, heavy snow and severe cold, has brought great obstacles to both warring parties. Now the war is almost in a truce state, and the court can at least take a breath.
Although Jingzhou was lost, Prince An at least brought back 40,000 elite soldiers and brave generals. In addition, Prince An himself was capable. He had successfully taken Jingzhou in the past few years and only failed when he met Prince Qi.
The emperor still planned to continue using Prince An. After scolding him, he personally helped him up and appeased him with a few words. He used both kindness and force, and then appointed Prince An as the General Who Conquers the East and sent him to the front line to resist the rebels.
However, he looked at Prince An and said, "It's snowing heavily and cold, so the fighting has stopped. You can rest for a while and then go to the front line."
Prince An was covered in dust, his eyes were red, and he looked haggard. His condition was really bad. Since the war was not urgent, the emperor would naturally show him more favors.
Prince An was so excited that he bowed to the ground and cried, "Brother, I will never be able to repay your kindness. I will do my utmost to prevent the rebels from advancing even a single step!"
"good!"
The two brothers expressed their kindness and loyalty respectively. After a long exchange of words, Prince An finally withdrew and went to the palace of his adoptive mother, Empress Dowager Feng, to cry.
He entered the palace at noon and came out at dusk. When he returned to the palace, Prince An's eyelids were swollen. As soon as the door of the study was closed, the look of self-blame and gratitude on his face disappeared instantly.
"Jinzhi, it's done."
After retreating to Luojing, he naturally wanted to erode the emperor's power and use it for his own benefit. The result was very satisfactory and it was worth his hard work.
However, the current situation is really not a happy one, and Prince An's face is still gloomy. There were only two people in the outer study room. He wrung out his handkerchief and wiped his hands and face.
"The Emperor asked you to rest for a while before leaving?"
This was also what Wei Xu had expected. He took a sip of tea and said, "Does the military arrangement need to be adjusted? If not, the order should be passed down immediately."
Prince An is staying in Beijing to recuperate, so these 40,000 elite soldiers certainly cannot stay in Ping County for long. They must rush to the front line to station at dawn tomorrow. At this stage, he was actually very reluctant to let Prince An temporarily leave his trusted soldiers and horses, but there was no way. He could not refuse the emperor's grace and show his eagerness.
Wei Xu had mentioned this matter a long time ago, and the military arrangements had been discussed more than once. Prince An nodded, called his personal guards in, and quietly passed on the order.
Wei Xu said: "Good and bad things go hand in hand. It may not be a bad thing to no longer be neighbors with the King of Qi."
Between Sizhou and Jingzhou, there is a battlefield where a three-way fight is taking place, which means they are temporarily away from Wei Jing. If we can seize the opportunity to develop, we may be able to prosper again.
Prince An heaved a long sigh: "I hope so."
…
King An acted according to his plan step by step. Just as Wei Xu said, with time, it might be possible for the king to become strong again.
But will Wei Jing just watch this enemy rise again?
Of course not.
…
After rewarding the three armies, Ji Huan, Zhang Yong and others followed Wei Jing back to the county governor's mansion, and Wei Jing handed the news report to everyone for circulation.
After reading it, Ji Huan immediately bowed and said, "My Lord, it is time to expose Prince An's ambition."
Two years ago, Wei Jing pretended to be Yang Ze, the prefect of Anyang County, and went to Luojing to pay tribute. His ambition was discovered by the King of An's killing of Ding Hua.
However, it was just what I saw at the time, and there was no solid evidence that could be presented.
But is it difficult to get evidence?
It's not difficult at all. Prince An was developing his personal power in the name of the imperial court. When he was attacking Jingzhou, he dispatched various personnel and arranged military and political affairs. A careful investigation would reveal clues.
The most recent one is the hidden large private iron mine in Daning Road, which easily reveals Prince An’s ambition.
For two years, Wei Jing has been sending people to collect similar evidence, and now there is a full pile of it. Although Jingzhou has now been taken by him, there is still irrefutable evidence that can be traced back to the past, which undoubtedly exposes Prince An.
Wei Jing had the evidence in his hands but kept it secret because revealing it previously would be detrimental to others and not beneficial to himself. Since Prince An was away, the emperor could do nothing except be furious and announce his condemnation to the world.
Wei Jing and the emperor had a deep blood feud, and he was unwilling to help the emperor eliminate major hidden dangers.
This is one time, and that is another time.
Now Prince An has fled to Luojing, which is the emperor's territory. And countless new hatreds arose between Meng's mother and daughter, Shao Qing, Wei Jing and Prince An.
The intention to capture King An alive failed, and he was unable to kill his enemy with his own hands. Although this was unexpected, it did not prevent Wei Jing from finding another way to put him to death.
His expression was icy: "What Bo Yan said is exactly what I think."
Wei Jing's voice was as cold as his eyes, but he said, "No hurry, wait a few more days."
Let’s wait until those 40,000 elite soldiers rush to the front line.
Although Wei Jing had not yet received the news that Prince An's elite troops were sent to the front line, it was impossible for foreign soldiers to stay in the capital for long. The fact that Prince An could station his soldiers in Ping County was an unexpected sign of gaining the emperor's trust.
With his troops far away and Prince An in Luojing City, he was like meat on the chopping board.
Thinking of his wife whose dark pupils had lost their focus, Wei Jing's eyes flashed coldly: "This time, Wei Ping can't escape even if he has wings."
The matter was settled.
Ji Huan, Zhang Yong and the others stood up, knelt down and said in shame: "We were incompetent and caused Prince An to escape. Please punish us, my lord!"
Wei Jing did not blame them. Ji Huan and his men had indeed advanced at a lightning speed, and there had been no mistakes in the entire battle. The reason why King An had managed to escape was because Wei Xu had made an accurate inference. Therefore, he said in a false tone, "You have all done a good deed, and have no faults. Get up quickly."
The ministers were about to take their seats again. Zhang Yong could not help but worry and asked hurriedly, "My lord, I heard that Madam was injured and temporarily blinded. What's this?"
Mistress Shao Qing has been with Ji Huan and others for many years, going through thick and thin together. In the minds of Ji Huan and others, she is definitely not the lord's wife in the general sense. They had already known about what happened at Jinquan Temple, and they also had a general idea of Shao Qing's condition. Upon hearing this, they all looked worried.
"Yes, it is true."
Wei Jing's eyebrows furrowed as well, but he emphasized: "Madam, you can get well after giving birth with acupuncture and medicine."
Everyone had heard the truth, and seeing that the leader Wei Jing looked serious and was unwilling to even mention the unknown possibility, they became even more worried. However, things have come to this point, and no one can do anything to help, they can only agree with it.
Ji Huan sighed secretly, hoping that his wife would get better.
When this matter was mentioned, Wei Jing was in a bad mood, and he remained in a bad mood until the meeting ended, and he turned back to the backyard.
Standing in front of the main door, he took a deep breath and tried hard to adjust his mood and expression. When both of them were relaxed, he pushed open the door and went into the house.
The room was very quiet. Nanny Ping and Chunxi were standing in the corner waiting, while Shao Qing was lying on the windowsill listening to the sound of snow.
It snowed heavily today, falling on the eaves and treetops, covering everything in white. She couldn't see it, but she was just as excited. After Sun went back, she ordered two large smoking baskets to be brought over, opened half of the window, and tilted her head to listen to the rustling sound of the snow.
She felt quite happy to have a little leisure time in her busy life, but when Wei Jing saw it, her heart suddenly felt like it was being stabbed by needles.
If her eyes were fine, she would probably still be handling official business, busy and happy, instead of sitting here, lonely and desolate.
Wei Jing felt uncomfortable, but his voice was gentle: "Why did you open the window? Be careful not to catch a cold."
He had slowly walked behind his wife, sat down, and gently hugged her. He touched her hands and found them warm, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"My husband is back."
Shao Qing turned around and smiled: "I'm not cold at all."
She pulled at her big fur cape and pointed at two large smoking baskets with charcoal burning brightly at her feet.
To be honest, she felt a little hot, but being pregnant was different from usual, so she was cautious and didn't take off her clothes.
His wife's arms were around his neck. Wei Jing held her on his lap and sat her down. He closed the sash window and asked softly, "What did you do today? Where's your mother?"
"Mother has sent Old Madam Fan and the two Madam Fans to the second gate."
Today, three ladies from both the old and young generations of the Fan family came to pay their respects to Shao Qing.
Of course, this greeting was not a greeting in the ordinary sense, but an apology for Fan Tian.
In fact, there was nothing wrong with Fan Tian's relationship with Fu Yun, because it was arranged by Wei Jing and his wife. His mistake was that he inadvertently revealed the news of Anshan Pass to Fu Yun.
At the beginning of the war, Wei Jing formulated a real and fake battle strategy. Although Fan Tian did not know the details, King An could guess it based on the two orders he received to delay the departure and the destination of the grain route.
After the Meng mother and daughter failed and a thorough investigation was underway, Fan Tian took the initiative to tell everyone what he had accidentally revealed and waited for action.
Although it is understandable that he was not on guard against the lord's only remaining blood relationship, confidentiality is the most basic principle for a general. Wrong is wrong. After Fan Ya and Fan Qing came back, they immediately took him to Wei Jing to apologize.
Wei Jing punished Fan Tian according to military regulations, demoted him by one level and ordered him to make amends for his crime through meritorious service. Although his punishment was severe, he was not too harsh, and he also appeased the Fan family afterwards.
This matter is over.
But the Fan family managed to get everything done. Old Madam Fan brought her two daughters-in-law to meet Shao Qing and apologize on behalf of Fan Tian.
Shao Qing had eye problems, so he refused to receive unimportant greetings, but since the Fan family was a trusted general's family and there was a reason for it, he agreed.
"I comforted the three Madam Fans and told them that the matter was over and they didn't need to worry about it."
"Well, A-Qing did the right thing."
Wei Jing picked up the hot tea, tested the temperature and passed it to his wife's lips. He lowered his head and watched her drink a few sips before putting it down. He hugged her and said, "Ah Qing, let's go to the front together tomorrow, okay?"
This was the thought that came to my mind when I saw my wife listening to the sound of snow just now.
Ji Huan and others came back. It was not appropriate to stay in the inner courtyard to handle official business, so they had to move back to the front. He was already thinking about his wife, so when this idea came to his mind, he immediately felt it was a great idea.
Shao Qing was originally a member of the outer study room meeting group. Although her eyesight was inconvenient, it did not prevent her from listening and giving advice.
Besides, for the official duties she was originally in charge of, it would be no problem for her to make major decisions and set the general direction. She could just have someone read them to her, which would not be a big deal. If he feels tired, the room inside his study room can be used as a lounge.
She will definitely be very happy this way.
Wei Jing didn't want to see her sitting alone anymore.
Shao Qing was pleasantly surprised when she heard this: "Is this okay?" She was worried: "Will it hinder you?"
"Won't."
Wei Jing felt that this was the most suitable method as he could take care of his wife while being busy with official duties.
This matter was settled, and Shao Qing was very happy. She didn't like being a delicate flower, and she was very uncomfortable when she was used to being busy and suddenly had free time. Although Sun was able to accompany her, to be honest, she was not very interested in needlework and family matters.
"Husband, you are so kind!"
Shao Qing kissed him hard. She naturally knew what Wei Jing meant. After rewarding him with a few kisses, she hurriedly asked, "How's the matter with Prince An going?"
Since we are discussing matters, we have to keep up with the pace. Shao Qing knew yesterday that Prince An would soon arrive in Luojing.
Seeing his wife smiling happily, Wei Jing hurriedly told her the latest news and the decision he had just made.
Shao Qing nodded. That was right. Without soldiers and horses, Prince An would be like a tiger with teeth pulled out, and he would also take Luojing City with him. There was no way to escape this response.
She asked: "What about the evidence? How do we deliver it?"
In whose name should the key events be reported? After all, this spanned two years and there was a lot of evidence. Should it be reported anonymously and let the emperor guess for himself?
"Han Xi has personally led people to Luojing."
The target was any of the emperor's close ministers who were not members of the Wang An party.
As for in whose name?
Wei Jing raised his lips coldly: "This thing is given by me personally."
This exposes Prince An. Who could satirize the emperor better than Wei Jing who signed his name himself?
Your brother, whom you trust very much, is plotting against your kingdom right under your nose, and you are totally unaware of it, yet you still trust him even more. How stupid and ridiculous you are.
And I have been standing by and watching for two years.
Shao Qing thought, well, that’s great, the emperor would probably be furious, but he had no choice but to do as Wei Jing planned.
very good!
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