The battle in Capital Cheng shocked the world.
Of course, the Tang Empire was the most shocked.
The atmosphere in the court was particularly tense. The Queen's faction, which had been silent for a few days, straightened their bodies and stared at the bead curtain behind the throne.
Her Highness, Princess Lee Yu, was behind the bead curtain.
The ministers did not hide the anger in their eyes. The Northeast Border Military of the Tang Empire had been wiped out. Nothing like this had happened for many years. How could the proud Tangs bear it?
Now the streets and alleys of Chang 'an were full of discussions about this and accusations against the new Emperor and the Princess Regent. Xian Zhilang was pushed to the position of the Great General of the North by Her Highness. His decision to join forces with the Yan army was also Her Highness's plan. Now that they had suffered such a crushing defeat, who would be responsible if not Her Highness?
The Tang Emperor, Li Huiyuan, looked at the ministers' faces and eyes. He was so angry that he almost broke the armrest of the throne. He wanted to send the Yulin Royal Guards to kick them out. But thinking of his sister's words, he suppressed his anger and looked at Mo Han, the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Wenhua.
"The Yan Imperial Palace was burned and the Yan Emperor was killed … I don't want to argue for General Xian Zhilang and the soldiers of the Northeast Border Military. I just want to say that they did not embarrass the Tang Empire."
Mo Han said with a gloomy face, "If any minister wants to criticize the soldiers who died for the country, please forgive me for cursing his relatives on the spot."
This sentence was vulgar, but it was actually very shrewd.
Even if the ministers of the Queen secretly scolded Xian Zhilang and the generals of the Northeast Border Military, no one dared to say anything in the court.
Heroes could not be insulted.
Those soldiers had died for the country, but there were still people alive who needed to be responsible.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites stepped out and bowed to the bead curtain. He said calmly and directly, "I think that the responsibility for the battle in Capital Cheng lies with Your Highness. What do you think?"
The court was silent.
Everyone knew that the Queen's faction would not let go of this opportunity. But not many people, including the officials of the Queen's faction, could think that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites would directly say this and not give the Emperor and the Princess any chance.
After a while, Li Yu's voice came from behind the bead curtain.
"All responsibility lies with me."
"Once the war is over, I will pay with my life."
"But before that, Milords should clearly consider what the most pressing matter for my Great Tang is."
…
…
The atmosphere in Chang 'an was very depressing because of the defeat at the frontline, especially because it was a crushing defeat that many Tangs had never seen in their lives. Although there was no gloom, when the Tangs discussed this matter, they were mostly angry. Anyway, not many people were in the mood to drink and have fun.
But the Building of Pines and Cranes was still brightly lit today, because a rich guest had booked the entire restaurant several days ago. After the court session was over, the guests gradually arrived and the liveliness began to return.
"Chengjing has suffered a crushing defeat, and the soldiers of the Northeast Border Military are fighting for their lives in foreign countries. But you and I are meeting in a restaurant. Although a righteous heart is not afraid of right and wrong, and good wine can nourish the soul of heroes, beautiful women are out of the question."
"Master Zeng Jing still refuses to come? At this critical juncture, how can he be at ease in the residence, planting flowers and weeding weeds? "
"Everyone has their own ambitions. Don't force him."
Tonight in the Building of Pines and Cranes was a gathering of the officials of the Empress' faction. They probably thought that there was nothing to hide, so they did not try to hide it.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at the people at the banquet and frowned slightly. He said, "The main issue of today's gathering is the Eastern Border. Do you have any opinions on what Her Highness said in the court session?"
An official sneered and said, "Pay with my life? How is this different from the vows of a shrew in the marketplace? Her Highness has stayed with the barbarians in the Wilderness for a long time. How did she learn this trick? "
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites rebuked, "What nonsense are you talking about? Shut up. "
The official apologized, but he still did not let it go. He said, "I would like to ask you, in the history of the Tang Empire, is there a precedent of an emperor or a governor paying with his life because of a defeat at the frontline? Since there is no such precedent, what does Her Highness mean? In order to shut the mouths of the people? After the war is over, are we really going to interrogate her and ask her to die? This is preposterous to the extreme! "
The Taichang Temple Chancellor stroked his beard and said after a moment of thought, "But Her Highness's actions can at least dispel the grievances of the soldiers … Now that the country is in a crisis, His Majesty and Her Highness's next measures are appropriate. It is safe to move the troops of the Gushan Commandery and the Northern Military Camp to the east."
The previous official sneered and said, "It is just a way to cure the headache and cure the foot. Who doesn't know how to be a tinker? If you ask me, the Eastern Border is empty and we can also use the Southern Expedition Army. Her Highness has decided to use the three states of the Gushan Commandery. Everyone knows that she wants Hua Shanyue to defeat the Yan army and win back some face for her. "
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites heard this and frowned even more. He said, "The Southern Expedition Army is far away at the edge of the forest, separated from Qinghe Commandery by mountains. They can only go around the Shannan Road, which is a long journey. By the time the Southern Expedition Army goes to the Eastern Border and fills the gap left by the Northeast Border Military, the Yan army will have already fought their way to Chang 'an."
The official was startled and did not say anything more.
"Lord Li said something earlier, and I think that's the main point. Now that the country is in a crisis, all disputes should be settled in the court. The Tang Emperor and his ministers should work together to fight against the foreign enemies. "
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at the people at the banquet and said earnestly.
Someone said worriedly, "But when will the Empress and the Sixth Prince return to Chang 'an?"
…
…
The gathering at the Building of Pines and Cranes ended quickly. The officials on the Empress's side finally decided to keep quiet for the time being and wait for this difficult period of time to pass before discussing other matters.
However, from the attitude of the officials, including the arrangement of the imperial court for the defense of the Eastern Border and the anger of the people in Chang 'an, it could be seen that the current Tang Empire, from the emperor to the ministers to the ordinary people, still believed that the Tang Empire would not lose, even though they were sad and angry about the result of the battle in Capital Cheng.
Zhuge Wuren had already resigned from his position as the director of the Imperial Center Administration. He also attended the gathering at the Building of Pines and Cranes. However, this person was usually a bit sinister and ruthless, so no one was willing to deal with him. Now that he had already resigned from his position, inviting him to the gathering was already out of respect for the Empress. Who would say anything more to him?
Zhuge Wuren was very clear about what the officials thought of him. He did not show any resentment, but was more silent than usual.
In his opinion, these officials only knew how to talk and did not know what was important at the moment.
Why did the Tang Empire's army suffer a crushing defeat? Why was the country in a crisis?
It was precisely because the siblings in the palace were in an improper position and were extremely stupid. As long as they could welcome the Empress and the Sixth Prince back, the Tang Empire would be at peace and all the problems would be solved.
After leaving the Building of Pines and Cranes, Zhuge Wuren did not return to his mansion. Instead, he walked in the direction of the imperial city. He knew that there were always cultivators following him in the Southern Gate Temple after he resigned, so he did not deliberately hide his whereabouts. Anyway, the place he was going to was not a place that anyone could enter.
He went to the Imperial Palace's Imperial Guard Office.
Xu Chongshan was now the chief of the Imperial Guard Office of the Tang Empire. This calm elder, who had dealt with Ning Que many times, was still as simple and amiable as before, until he saw Zhuge Wuren's face that was like a poisonous snake.
"Zhuge, isn't it a little inappropriate for you to appear here again?"
Xu Chongshan looked at Zhuge Wuren and said with a slightly solemn and vigilant expression.
Zhuge Wuren said, "I think no matter how inappropriate it is, it can't be more inappropriate than you appearing here."
Xu Chongshan frowned and said, "I don't know what nonsense you are talking about."
Zhuge Wuren smiled and said, "I mean, there is nothing stranger than a master from the Devil's Doctrine becoming the chief of the Imperial Guard Office of the Tang Empire."
Xu Chongshan's eyes slowly narrowed, and a cold light flashed through them.
Zhuge Wuren did not seem to see his reaction. He walked straight to the chair and sat down. He lifted the front of his robe to shake off the non-existent dust and said calmly, "Sometimes when I think about it, I really admire you people. You are obviously cultivating the skills of the Devil's Doctrine, but how can you hide from so many people and become a martial arts master? General Xiahou seemed to have obtained some kind of skill from the West-Hill Divine Palace. Did you learn it too? "
At this moment, Xu Chongshan became calm. He poured a cup of tea and slowly drank it, but he did not pay attention to him.
Zhuge Wuren looked at him and continued to praise, "The Devil's Doctrine is really powerful. They were wiped out by Mr. Ke and chased around the world by the West-Hill Divine Palace, but they still managed to retain so many people … The person who made this plan back then should be the legendary Divine Lord Lotus, right? Tsk tsk, if this bigwig could live until now, and if General Xiahou was not killed by Ning Que, wouldn't the Tang Empire's palace be completely under your control? "
Xu Chongshan smiled and said, "You know that no matter what you say now, no one in Chang 'an will believe you. So you can tell me why you are here."
Zhuge Wuren slowly stopped smiling and stood up. He stared into his eyes and said, "I don't know what the Empress has to do with the Devil's Doctrine, but I am very sure that both Xiahou and you are on the Empress's side. I am also on the Empress's side, so we should work together to do something."
Xu Chongshan fell silent and said after a moment, "What do you want to do?"
Zhuge Wuren said, "Since you are on the Empress's side, then … you should know very well what you want to do."
Xu Chongshan said slowly, "You want me to die?"
Zhuge Wuren said, "Now that the Desolate Man is about to be exterminated and the Tang Empire is also destroyed, there is no place in the world that can accommodate the remnants of the Devil's Doctrine. Since you are going to die, why not die meaningfully?"
…
…
Ma Shixiang stood on the mud wall and looked at the sky.
The sky in the Wilderness was very gloomy, and it had been like this for many days. It looked like it was going to rain, but it never did.
The news of the Northeast Border Military's annihilation in the Yan territory had already reached the City of Wei. The coffin of the former Emperor was still in Helan City, and no one knew when the Empress and the little prince would return to Chang 'an. The entire sky of the Tang Empire was covered with dark clouds. Just like the City of Wei, no one knew when the storm would come.
Ma Shixiang looked very solemn, but not because of the difficult situation the Tang Empire was facing. He was just an ordinary low-level general at the frontier fortress, and he had no right and no way to worry about the entire empire.
He was ordered to guard the City of Wei, so he had to worry about the City of Wei.
…
…
(There are also some that I revise after eating and then update. Saving manuscripts doesn't seem difficult, but when I update two or three chapters every day, I'll find that the food I've saved up for a few autumns is gone. That feeling … is really empty, so anxious.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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