At the beginning of October, in Bianliang.
After the light snow, the weather quickly turned cold. Even the bustling Bianliang could not hide the chill in the air. As he walked out of the Left Minister's residence, Qin Hui rubbed his hands and exhaled a mouthful of cold air. His expression was solemn and stern.
"The incompetent scoundrels have harmed the country …"
He gritted his teeth and whispered. When his attendant came over with a carriage to invite him in, he waved his sleeves hard and said, "No, I'm going to walk."
Leaving the alley of the Left Prime Minister's residence, he turned the corner and arrived at the bustling market. There were all kinds of snacks and refreshments on both sides of the street. The carriage and a group of attendants followed behind. Qin Hui walked straight ahead. Recalling the news he had just heard in Li Gang's residence, he was still angry.
In late September, Wang Ling and Yang Keshi finally launched a war against Liao in the north. 100,000 troops attacked 10,000 Liao soldiers along the Juma River … and suffered a crushing defeat.
That was nonsense.
The situation in the north was changing rapidly. The Jin State had declared war against Liao in the first half of the year and had won many battles in the past six months. They had already conquered nearly half of Liao's counties. With such a rare opportunity, as long as the Wu dynasty showed its strength, Youyan Pass could be easily taken back. The army led by Wang Ling and Yang Keshi had been delayed for several months, seeing that there were only ten thousand people before they made their move. Who would have thought that this would be the result of the battle? If this was in the eyes of the Golden Men, what would they think? The countless efforts of the courtiers in the court over the years could almost be said to have been in vain.
The incompetent scoundrels have harmed the country!
When he heard the battle report in Li Gang's residence, he almost fainted. In the end, his mood could only be summed up into these words.
Of course, as a person, he was actually aware of many things. In this war against Liao, the courtiers had always been in a strong position. In the process, Qin Siyuan had prepared for several years, the emperor's determination, Li Gang's leadership, and Tong Guan's support. He had also done his best to promote the war. But although the final goal was the same, everyone's intentions were different.
He was well aware of Tong Guan's ambition to take down Liao, to restore Youyan, and to leave behind a good name for all eternity. When Wang Lin and Yang Keshi sent out their troops, he had already given them a warning. Of course, the reason Tong Guan gave was that the 150,000 elite imperial guards were heading south to deal with the threat of Fangla. Although there were 100,000 soldiers heading north, it might not be enough. Thus, he secretly told Wang Lin and Yang Keshi to prepare for the expedition as much as possible. After he quelled the rebellion, they would head north with 300,000 soldiers. Only then would they be able to settle the situation in one fell swoop.
Everyone knew of Tong Guan's selfishness, but Left Prime Minister Li Gang couldn't wait that long. From the beginning to the end, Li Gang was an impatient person. After His Majesty appointed him as the Prime Minister, he concentrated on preparing for the military, tilting all the resources in this direction. Voices of discontent had long been heard both inside and outside the Imperial Court. This was the result of spoiling the source of wealth. But now, if the matter of pacifying Liao did not succeed as soon as possible, the longer Li Gang remained in power, the more pressure he would encounter.
Therefore, towards Wang Ling and Yang Keshi, Li Gang adopted a high-pressure policy, forcing them to act as soon as possible to win the war. But this kind of high-pressure policy did not have much effect. Since the conquest of Liao was a big matter, since troops were sent, it was not easy to change the commander. Moreover, Wang Ling and Yang Keshi were responsible to Tong Guan. Neither of them was willing to offend Tong Guan for Li Gang's sake.
In the end, Qin Siyuan's attack from behind had an effect. Qin Hui was in charge of the censorate, and some secret information secretly circulated indicated that since Wang Ling and Yang Keshi began to lead the troops, the imperial messengers inclined to Qin Siyuan had been making preparations, gathering all kinds of evidence, in order to harshly report them when they did not act. Qin Hui also became aware of this old man's ruthlessness recently. Once he really took action, his goal was not only to cut off the enemy's head, but also to exterminate Wang Ling and Yang Keshi's family. It was this ruthlessness of "if you don't act, I'll definitely kill your whole family" that made the Northern Expedition Army consider sending troops.
Of course, in addition to Wang Ling and Yang Keshi, there were also various pawns planted by Tong Guan in the Northern Expedition Army. If they really fought, there would definitely be restrictions. However, no matter how many reasons there were, a hundred thousand people against ten thousand, and they were defeated. This was truly a ridiculous matter.
Mediocre people harming the country! Treacherous officials harming the country!
From tomorrow onwards, the censorate would start to report people. Wang Ling, Yang Keshi, any deputy generals in the Northern Expedition Army who were under Tong Guan's command, even Tong Guan himself, Li Gang, the Prime Minister who had no control over the situation, and all the ministers in the court who were involved in the intrigue, would not be able to escape!
Countless plans and schemes had been ruined in the hands of such scoundrels.
Qin Hui made this decision as he walked on the cold, windy street.
Of course, soon after, when reason returned to his body, Qin Hui realized that it was impossible to report so many people at once. His focus should be on Wang Ling, Yang Keshi, and the other generals …
At the same time, in the residence of the Right Minister.
"This … isn't the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen …"
The hand holding the file trembled slightly, swaying in the air and finally falling on the table with a bang. Qin Siyuan frowned, suppressed his anger, and took a deep breath.
"Bu Gang, the Wanyan Tribe's 20,000 soldiers, defeated 800,000 soldiers in half a day at the Battle of Huang Prefecture … Compared to this, it's really not strange that 100,000 people were defeated by 10,000 people!"
At this time, in the room with Qin Siyuan was the eldest son of the Qin family, Qin Shaohe, who had recently returned to the capital. He was also shocked by the news and walked over with a frown, wanting to say something. "Father …" The old man had already slammed his palm on the table.
"The Jin people used 20,000 soldiers to defeat the Liao people 800,000, and the Liao people used 10,000 to defeat the 100,000 soldiers of the Wu dynasty. In comparison, what is the army of the Wu dynasty? These people … have done …"
Although he was angry, some things had already happened, and no matter how angry he was, it was useless. This was not the first time that Qin Siyuan had seen such things. After a while, he calmed down from his initial anger and sighed. "After all, I underestimated the intrigue in the northern army. Tong Guan, Tong Guan, he may not be able to do anything, but if you want to stop people from doing something, then you really can't do it. 100,000 against 10,000 … Shaohe, when we went north, I remember Liheng once said that without strength, no matter how much you want to plan, it's all empty talk. But, 100,000 against 10,000, do you really think that is without strength? "
"When some people want to fight, some people want to escape, some people do things, and some people get in the way, even a million people can't beat them."
After Qin Shaohe said this, Qin Siyuan was silent for a long time. Finally, he sat down behind the desk. "The 29th Wang reported that Yang Keshi's army was defeated at Juma River, and the 30th Tong Guan besieged Hangzhou. Until now, I'm afraid that they are still in a deadlock. Fang Qifo is a talent. He insisted that Tong Guan stayed in the Jiaxing area until Lidong. From Wenren Buer's intelligence, Hangzhou probably won't be under siege in the short term. In the past few months, the only news that can be seen is probably what Liheng has done in Hangzhou. Unfortunately … Tong Guan besieged Hangzhou a little too early … "
*****
"… If Tong Shumi's army could have besieged Hangzhou a little later, things might have been a little better."
Jiangning, Princess Cheng's Camel Mansion.
In the study, Kang Xian held a piece of intelligence and sighed.
"In three months, from a prisoner to a guest of honor, he instigated a change in the situation in Hangzhou. This kind of method is really admirable. Unfortunately, not long after the conflict between the Tyrannical Blade Camp and Bao Daoyi started, Hangzhou was besieged again. As long as they are rational, it is impossible for the two sides to fight again. If they can really follow the original plan and kill Bao Daoyi, then his subordinates will be able to take the key positions. The army might be able to break through the city in the blink of an eye. But even if they can't do that, using the strength of one person to cause internal friction has already played a great role in this battle … "
As Kang Xian said this, two women were listening in the study. Today, Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin 'er were here. When they learned that Ning Yi was besieged, Nie Yunzhu had come to ask Kang Xian for help. Although Kang Xian had nodded and promised, it was still hard to convince her. Yunzhu was worried about Ning Yi's safety. She thought that no matter what, she should go south to inquire about it. She and Jin 'er had already left the city, but then they were stopped by the people arranged by Kang Xian. To comfort them, Kang Xian promised them that he would pass on the information about Ning Yi to them. After that, every once in a while, Yunzhu and Jin' er would come to inquire about it.
Princess Cheng, Zhou Xuan, was extremely wealthy. The intelligence organization that Qin Siyuan had founded was independent of the Six Fan School. In fact, it was still supported and operated by them. After all, if not for the royal family, the imperial court would not have allowed such an organization to exist. In fact, Wenren Bu 'er was Kang Xian's disciple. Naturally, he could also get the information about Hangzhou. At this time, when Hangzhou was besieged by the army again, Kang Xian told them everything that had happened to Ning Yi in Hangzhou.
Wenren Bu 'er had already admired Ning Yi. Although the action of dealing with Bao Daoyi did not make it easy for the army to besiege the city, it had made a great impact. Therefore, the intelligence inevitably praised him. The version that Kang Xian told Yunzhu and Jin 'er omitted a lot of details. However, he added details in other aspects, making it sound like a novel. He vividly showed Ning Yi's imposing manner in the enemy's camp. In fact, it was also because he felt very happy after reading the intelligence.
Yunzhu and Jin 'er, especially Jin' er, were a bit stunned. They knew that Ning Yi was very powerful. However, they were told that he was powerful to such an extent. He was able to deal with a group of people in the rebel army who were said to be so fierce that they could make babies cry at night. Was this really the Ning Yi they knew?
"… Now that Hangzhou has been besieged, it is hard to say when the city will be breached. However, there is no way to get in or out of the city. That's why I'm able to tell you all about these things. However, even in Jiangning, if you want him to be safe, you must remember to keep it a secret. At this time, the rebels have returned to Hangzhou. Among the bandits, there are many outstanding people. For example, the Seven Buddhas of Fang can be described as geniuses. It is hard to say how Liheng will deal with them, but he should be able to protect himself … "
Kang Xian smiled and said, "Anyway, the guy you favor is not an ordinary person. Even if he is up against the Seven Buddhas of Fang, I don't think he will lose. Don't worry …"
After a slight hesitation, Yunzhu, who was wearing a white dress, blushed and lowered her head, saying, "I, I only hope that he will be safe …"
Yuan Jin 'er was a little stunned when she heard this. At this time, she reacted and her eyes widened. "I, I, I … I don't favor him. It is Sister Yunzhu, it is Sister Yunzhu … Oh, Grandpa Fuma, why did you drag me into this …"
Kang Xian just laughed. After a while, Yunzhu and Jin 'er left. Kang Xian also left the study and closed the door. In the room next to the study, a pair of siblings opened their mouths slightly. They retracted their ears from the bowl-shaped tapping device on the wall, and their expressions were still in shock.
"Master …" Zhou Junwu smacked his lips and said, "Master is really amazing …"
Zhou Pei blinked her eyes and thought for a while. Then she glared at her brother and said, "You know he is amazing, but you still don't learn from him. All day long …"
"I also learned the Investigating Things that Master taught me!" Zhou Junwu shouted after being talked about by his sister recently. He raised the tapping device in his hand and said, "If it wasn't for this, how could you hear these words? Investigating things is the best. Master said this before … "
"A real man should naturally …"
"Ah ah ah ah ah —" Zhou Junwu covered his ears and shook his head desperately. "Sister, you can't always use me to lecture you just because Father is forcing you to get married. I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things, I like investigating things. Sister, you can peacefully get married …"
Zhou Pei stood there, her face alternating between red and white. When Zhou Junwu finished shouting, she suddenly pulled away her brother's hands that were covering his ears and shouted, "I'm not going to get married!" This shout scared Zhou Junwu so much that he suddenly shrugged his shoulders and grimaced in pain. After shouting this, the slim and graceful girl, who had reached the marriageable age, ran out of the door. After a long while, Zhou Junwu finally recovered. He put his hands on his waist and shouted toward the door, "Woman! Humph! "
After shouting, his sister's figure suddenly appeared at the door again. She must have remembered something very important, so she ran back. She stared at her brother and said, "I know you think your master is very amazing, but when you hear it just now, you must not tell anyone else, understand?"
Zhou Junwu was stunned and nodded. "Oh, I know." After replying respectfully, he reacted and said, "Sister, I'm not an idiot!"
At this moment, how was Ning Yi, who was still in the midst of the chaos?
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