On April 17, Prince Ji issued a proclamation to the world.
He first recalled his mother's voice and kind teachings. When virtue is established, the red tube will shine brightly. It will be a great blessing for the country if there are virtuous people in the future. The poem is written in four parallel sentences and ends with the emphasis on the fact that the Emperor's father respected and loved him the same way for twenty years.
Then he recalled the former crown prince, who had served in the palace for a long time, was intelligent and talented, brought peace to the country and was filial at home. Finally, it was emphasized that the Emperor's father had shed tears in praise when offering sacrifices to the Taimiao, and that there was a successor, and his respect for him had not changed over the years.
Empress Fu is the biological mother and brother of the former crown prince and Prince Ji, so it is normal for him to call his mother "Empress Dowager" and "Brother". After reminiscing, he changed the subject and lamented that the current emperor had imprisoned his father, killed his brother and mother, and even plotted to usurp the throne.
The manifesto stated that the emperor's father was seriously ill, bedridden and in a coma. The second prince Wei Xian colluded with the eunuchs and guards, forged an imperial edict to kill his brother, and then killed his mother. Finally, he forged an imperial decree to establish himself as the new prince in an effort to seize the throne.
Why could Prince Ji, who was thousands of miles away, know everything so clearly?
Along with the manifesto, there was also a private letter, a secret letter written to him by the late emperor.
The late emperor suddenly regained consciousness and was able to move a little, but he was under house arrest. He could only muster his last bit of strength to write a letter, ordering his confidant, who seemed to be docile to the rebellious son, to find an opportunity to send it out of the capital and hand it over to Prince Ji.
When Prince Ji received the letter, he was shocked and angry, but unfortunately Wei Xian had already succeeded to the throne. He was not afraid of death but was afraid that he would not be able to restore order and avenge his great hatred. So he gritted his teeth and endured it until now, and finally waited for the opportunity to raise troops to the north to rebel.
After the proclamation was issued, Prince Ji swore an oath to his troops, offered sacrifice to the national flag, and led the army northward.
Pang Wei, the governor of Xuzhou, was the first to respond, followed by Gao Shou of Le'an County in Yuzhou and Meng Shang of Guangdu County. The 200,000-strong army under Prince Ji was so powerful that by the time the letter was sent, they had already captured the three counties and kingdoms of Yuzhou at lightning speed, bypassed the disaster area, and marched northward.
…
The above is the entire content of the Economic Times.
Shao Qing was dumbfounded. She knew of course that Prince Ji's lies were made up, but it was so unexpected that the other party actually used the late emperor's Empress Fu and the former crown prince to make a fuss.
She hurriedly looked at Wei Jing.
"That's a good excuse."
Except for peasant uprisings, any rebellion was not directed against the emperor. Because the monarch is justice, he is the master of the world, he cannot make mistakes or be incompetent. No matter what, rebellion against one's superiors is the greatest treason.
If the name is not right, the words will not flow; if the words are not flowing, things will not be accomplished. Therefore, most rebellions are usually carried out in the name of "clearing the court".
But it is very difficult for Prince Ji to operate normally. After all, the new emperor had been on the throne for just over a year, and the only big mistake he had time to make was building the Yellow River embankment using the strategy of restraining water and attacking sand.
But Ding Hua, the culprit who misled the monarch, is already dead, so there is no need to clear him up.
He simply took a different approach and directly said that Wei Xian was a usurper of the throne.
Under normal circumstances, this method does not work. Isn't this a bit special? It is well known that Empress Fu was virtuous and the former Crown Prince was wise and talented, and they were praised by both the court and the public. In addition, the late emperor was an excellent actor, and he respected and loved the former, and cherished and doted on the latter for a full twenty years.
The sudden change back then came too suddenly, and now Prince Ji is making a fuss about it, fooling many people who don't know the truth.
Wei Jing's expression was a little complicated for a moment. Although Prince Ji did it for the sake of justifying his actions, it must be said that he did restore part of the truth of that year.
For the first time, the injustice of my mother and brother was made known to the world so clearly.
"…When the manifesto was published, the whole country was in uproar, many people were surprised and suspicious, and there were many discussions…"
His eyes fell on this paragraph and he read it slowly word by word. The knuckles of Wei Jing's fingers turned white as he pinched the letter paper and he closed his eyes.
"Husband?"
A slender hand covered the back of his hand, the palm was soft and warm. Wei Jing opened his eyes and shook Shao Qing's hand back: "I'm fine."
He quickly calmed down, read the letter again, and tapped with his index finger: "This secret letter is interesting."
It refers to the "secret letter from the late emperor" that Prince Ji took out.
Since this excuse is good, why were Wei Jing and Shao Qing quite surprised when they first heard it?
Because it is too difficult to operate.
Wei Xian ascended the throne smoothly for more than a year, and you took the opportunity to rebel and said that he usurped the throne. Even if you just wanted to fool the common people and families who didn't know the truth, you have to produce strong evidence, otherwise who would believe you?
But Prince Ji took it out.
What he took out was this "secret letter" that looked so real.
Why is it so authentic?
Because it is stamped with the private seal of the previous emperor. This private seal has been used by the late emperor for more than ten years, and quite a few people know it. And once he died, according to the rules, all his private seals would be buried with the imperial mausoleum.
The mausoleum of the late emperor had been built long ago. When he died, the coffin was carried in and the mausoleum was sealed, making it impossible to take out the burial objects.
If this seal is authentic, it can really prove that this secret letter was written by the late emperor.
The day before Prince Ji issued the manifesto, he invited Qin Yin, the former Imperial Censor who had resigned and returned to his hometown nearly ten years ago, to Jining. Qin Yin had been an official for decades and was well-known for his integrity and hatred of evil. After personally identifying it, he believed that it was indeed the private seal of the late emperor.
This is interesting. Where could Prince Ji get a private seal that could be so real?
Wei Jing saw it with his own eyes. He decided to rebel only a few months ago. It is impossible that he had prepared for it many years ago.
The couple looked at each other.
Shao Qing asked softly: "Do you think it could be Chu Zhu?"
Chu Zhu.
The one behind it all is Prince An.
…
The time goes back to a month ago.
Jining, Ji Palace.
After personally sending the white-haired Qin Yin to the guest house to rest, Prince Ji Wei Qin returned to the outer study.
He laughed loudly and patted Chu Zhu on the shoulder: "Fortunately, I had your plan and found a capable person in time, otherwise how could it be so smooth now?"
A few months ago, Prince Ji made up his mind to raise the banner of rebellion, and at that time he did intend to use the name of "clearing the court". The person who was purged was undoubtedly Ding Hua.
Unexpectedly, Ding Hua died before he left Beijing.
This is really annoying. How can I find a legitimate excuse in such a short time?
Chu Zhu offered advice at the right time, using Empress Fu's former title as the crown prince.
Prince Ji tried to look for it and actually found a eunuch in the tomb of the previous emperor. He was once one of the people who kept the private seal of the previous emperor. This person was very familiar with the seals of the previous emperor, especially a few that were used frequently, and he could depict them exactly.
After returning to his fiefdom, Prince Ji immediately began looking for a craftsman and successfully found a skilled craftsman who could imitate seals based on the pattern and was so realistic that it was indistinguishable from the original.
As for the handwriting of the late emperor with his weak hands who was "seriously ill and dying", it is relatively easier to imitate.
After much effort, we have achieved remarkable results today.
Chu Zhu smiled and bowed: "I dare not take credit for it. Your Highness has been entrusted with the late emperor's trust. It is all because of your modesty and wisdom that the late emperor trusted you."
Prince Ji was stunned for a moment, then he understood. He stopped smiling and nodded solemnly: "I will do my best to eradicate the rebels and live up to my father's trust."
The host and the guest sang in unison, and Yang Shu just listened quietly. When it was over, he stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, tomorrow we will issue a letter of pledge to send troops. Your Highness might as well conserve your energy and wait for it."
All preparations have been made, and the main event will begin tomorrow. Prince Ji agreed and nodded, saying, "You two should go back and rest."
Chu Zhu Yangshu was also a member of the army. Hearing this, he bowed and said, "Yes."
The two men walked out of the palace, talking as they walked, and soon returned to the west where the staff and clerks lived. Yang Shu's attitude was always neither distant nor close. He bowed and said goodbye, then went back to his own courtyard.
Chu Zhu looked calm and turned away.
That night, he was in high spirits again, painting and writing, and only went back to his room to rest when he was done.
The letter was sent out of Prince Ji's palace quietly and headed west to Jingzhou.
…
Prince An was in Jingzhou, but not in his fiefdom of Jiajia, which was located on the border, but in Shunyang, a city in the central part of Jingzhou.
He ostensibly followed the emperor's order and led his troops north to suppress the Zhenquan Army in Jingzhou. In fact, he had also received a secret order that if anyone with ill intentions was found in the counties of Jingzhou, they should be eliminated at once.
As the Zhenquan Army swept across the country, the situation of being unable to command the governors and county magistrates became increasingly serious, and the emperor felt a growing sense of crisis.
This was exactly what Prince An wanted, so he naturally obeyed the order with pleasure.
After leading his troops north for two months, he had pacified half of Jingzhou. Well, all the irregular county governors who needed to be removed have been dealt with, and his own confidants have been replaced.
"Zhenquan's army has retreated to Shi'an City. Shi'an is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I think we should take our time."
The person who spoke was Xu Cang. This former general under the King of Qi had come into King An's sight since the last raid on Qianshui. King An appreciated him very much, and this time he personally recommended him to lead the army and help him quell the civil unrest.
Xu Cang is a brave and skilled warrior with abundant strategies. He has made many achievements since the start of the war and has become one of the most trusted generals of King An.
King An asked: "According to Shuying's opinion, how should we obtain it?"
Xu Cang said: "My subordinates think that we can first take Buxian and Xincheng, and then surround them together."
Prince An thought about it and thought it was a good idea. He looked at Wei Xu and saw that he also nodded, so he said, "Shuying's plan is very good."
"But our army has just fought two battles, and the soldiers and horses are exhausted. It would be best for us to rest for a few days first."
This was added by Wei Xu, and Prince An agreed with it. He looked around at everyone and said, "In the next few days, everyone should reorganize the troops under your command."
Everyone agreed.
Prince An then smiled and praised Xu Cang a few more times, and said: "Shuying is indeed worthy of being a son of the Xu family. He has made many contributions. Tomorrow I will report to my brother and ask for credit for Shuying."
Xu Cang knelt on one knee and said: "I have served Your Majesty loyally, and I dare not take credit for it."
"Alas, this is wrong. You should be rewarded for your merits."
Prince An stood up and personally helped Xu Cang up. He smiled and gave a few words of encouragement before telling everyone to disperse.
After everyone had left and only Wei Xu was left, King An asked, "I wonder if this Xu Cang can be used completely by me?"
Xu Cang is brave and valiant, and Prince An is reluctant to let him go. Unfortunately, he is now only being used in the name of the emperor.
"Since he was able to be used by the King of Qi in the past, he may be able to be used by you in the future." There is a possibility of taming him.
Wei Xu made an objective analysis and said, "No need to rush, there is still plenty of time."
According to the plan, Prince An will continue to act under the name of the new emperor's confidant for a long time to come, so there is really no rush.
Prince An nodded and continued, "This morning Chu Zhu sent a message, and the secret letter was leaked without any mistakes. It was April 17th. Prince Ji has rebelled now."
Today is April 21st. The letter sent by Chu Zhu on April 16th was only half a day earlier than Prince Ji raised the banner of rebellion. The news of rebellion will surely arrive by tonight at the latest.
As he was speaking, a messenger rushed to the central tent, "Report! Six hundred miles, urgent!"
Prince An took the letter and unfolded it. Even though he was very cunning, he couldn't help but show joy on his face: "Be careful, Prince Ji has rebelled."
After long planning, it finally came true.
The Zhenquan Army alone was enough to make the imperial court in a state of panic. With the arrival of Prince Ji, the world would be in chaos, and he could take the opportunity to quickly encroach on and expand.
Wei Xu smiled: "Not bad."
The two were in high spirits and immediately had a heated discussion on the matter.
After the discussion, Wei Xu asked again: "Zhonghe, what do you think about the letter from Yizhou?"
The person sent by the other party arrived yesterday, and it’s time to get an answer to what they asked for.
He then added: "He Xin is quite self-aware. He knows that he has no guarantee of victory and he also knows to secretly ask the court for support. He is quite decisive."
It turned out that after repeated consideration, He Xin felt that his chances of success were only 50-50 and it was extremely unsafe, so he secretly sent out his confidants to seek help from the court. Give up small profits to ensure your position.
He followed the path of King An.
Of course, He Xin didn't know that Prince An had already developed ulterior motives.
This confidant was called Yan Chuan, and he had arrived yesterday. At that time, Prince An's army was still pursuing Zhenquan's army, so he listened hastily and did not give any reply.
Wei Xu said: "What a pity, he came at the wrong time."
Why?
To help He Xin ascend to the throne, the imperial edict alone may not be enough. Unfortunately, Prince Ji has also rebelled, and the emperor will no longer have the heart to pay attention to this relatively small matter of Yizhou.
Therefore, Prince An would not waste his time by submitting a memorial.
"Yizhou, Yizhou."
But King An himself was very interested in this largest state in the world, "a thousand miles of fertile land, a land of abundance."
He is now advancing step by step according to the planned plan, and has not been distracted in Yizhou. But now that He Xin has been delivered to his door, no matter who it is, he will be greatly moved.
Unfortunately, the imperial court was too busy paying attention to this matter, and he himself was attacking Jingzhou and could not spare any troops.
He asked: "Jinzhi, how is Hanzhong County?"
King An was concerned about the general situation in the world, especially several places that were fought over by military strategists, and Hanzhong County in Yizhou was one of them.
He had heard about the competition between He Yun's two sons. Now that He Yun is seriously ill, the struggle between the two sons has reached a fever pitch. It was reported that a war had broken out in Hanzhong County last month, with the excuse that the two factions of the Zhenquan Army were fighting each other to the death.
"What about Yang Ze? Can he continue to win big?"
It was because of this that Yang Ze, the prefect of Anyang County, came into the sight of King An for the first time. As soon as he entered Hanzhong, he made a great comeback, first pacifying Chi Shangyong, and then taking two cities in succession.
Wei Xu nodded: "He also captured two cities, Pingshu and Xialuo. Most of the eleven cities in Hanzhong have been captured by this man."
Prince An frowned slightly: "It seems that Hanzhong County will fall into He Hong's hands."
He Xin took the initiative to surrender to him, and he was very excited, but he was too busy to take Yizhou. He Xin was useless, and if he didn't lend a helping hand, he would probably be defeated.
But when it comes to helping, there are very limited ways we can do it right now.
Prince An finally made up his mind: "Come here, tell Bai Gu to come."
Bai Gu, formerly the chief counselor in Prince An's palace, took a step back only after Wei Xu arrived. However, King An still trusted him. This man has followed him for ten full years, from Luojing to Qiejia, and now to Jingzhou, and he has always been loyal.
Prince An personally wrote a letter, accepting He Xin's surrender and implicitly explaining the court's powerlessness in Prince Ji's rebellion.
But then he changed the subject and said that he admired the other party very much when he met him in Luojing last time and was willing to lend a helping hand, so he sent his trusted adviser Bai Gu to Jingzhou to give him advice.
…
Return to Yiliang County and go to Chuncheng.
Wei Jing soon realized that He Xin seemed to be seeking help from outside.
That day, after reading the news of Prince Ji's rebellion, he threw down the letter and said to his wife: "Once Prince Ji rebels, the chaos will be unstoppable, and the court will be powerless to save the situation."
This was a good thing for them, but it just brought back memories of his mother and brother, and he felt a little depressed.
Shao Qing held his hand and soothed him, "When Prince Ji published his edict, the whole world was in uproar, and many people were shocked and suspicious. It can be seen that everyone in this world knows the injustice of our mother and brother."
Otherwise, Prince Ji would not have played this hand so well.
Wei Jing said in a low voice: "Even if we know, what's the use."
The dead cannot be resurrected.
He was dejected.
well.
Shao Qing sighed softly and said no more. He just put his arms around him and put his forehead against his cheek, silently comforting him.
Wei Jing forced a smile and reached out to hug her back.
The couple embraced each other silently.
But at least the most difficult time has passed, and most of the pain has been hidden deep in his heart. When Wei Jing heard hurried footsteps approaching the courtyard gate, he quickly adjusted his mood and his expression returned to normal.
Shao Qing stood up and sat in another chair beside him.
It’s Han Xi, with urgent news.
From Gucheng.
"Yan Chuan has returned, bringing with him a counsellor named Dongshan. He Xin treated him like a distinguished guest and held him in high esteem."
Yan Chuan, one of He Xin's top confidants.
Wei Jing sent a group of spies to Gucheng last year, and many of them are gradually becoming successful. Although the time is still too short to involve confidential information, some major news and phenomena can no longer be concealed.
For example, Yan Chuan, one of the best strategists under He Xin, suddenly disappeared a month ago, while He Xin and his people behaved normally.
Wei Jing immediately judged that this person must have been secretly sent out by He Xin.
A month later, this person returned and brought back a strategist who, according to the description of his informants, was not a simple character. At least, he looked more capable than Yan Chuan. He Xin treated him like a distinguished guest and held him in high esteem.
"He Xin must have sought help from outside."
Wei Jing summoned everyone and first informed them of Prince Ji's rebellion, and then asked everyone to circulate the new letter from Gucheng.
Any counselor who is not ordinary would either come to the lord on his own initiative because of his reputation, or the lord would personally invite him. He would never be invited back by sending a confidant. Besides, He Xin hasn't even taken office yet, so he's not a big shot at all.
Therefore, Wei Jing easily judged that the other party was asking for help.
Zhang Yong hissed, "Where did this He go to seek help?"
Ji Huan replied: "It must be the imperial court."
Wei Jing said calmly: "Prince Ji has rebelled, the court will summon the Northern Army to suppress it. He Xin will not pay much attention to such a trivial matter."
The Northern Army, this brave army that he trained and led in battles for many years, can be said to be the trump card of the imperial court today.
With Zhenquan's army in front and Prince Ji behind, the Northern Army had no choice but to march out.
When talking about this familiar army, Ji Huan and his companions had complicated expressions, but Wei Jing's expression did not change. He said, "The situation in the Central Plains has nothing to do with us for the time being."
What he was more interested in now was which person He Xin had followed. This person was obviously very interested in Yizhou.
This Mr. Dongshan is the ironclad evidence.
Wei Jing said: "We need to take Yizhou as soon as possible."
His voice was not loud, but Ji Huan and Zhang Yong's expressions immediately became serious.
I have never heard of Mr. Dongshan, nor do I know whether the name is real or not, but no matter whose connections He Xin followed, this person must be one of the new emperor's trusted ministers.
From this we can see that more and more attention from the outside world is focused on Yizhou.
The sooner we take Yizhou, the better. If we delay, something unexpected may happen.
"He Yun can't hold out for much longer."
Wei Jing immediately issued an order: "From now on, news from Gucheng must be reported three times a day."
He then instructed Han Xi: "Chengping, you personally lead the people to Gucheng."
Monitor the He brothers' movements as much as possible.
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