Scaling ladders were pushed up the walls, arrows flew through the air like locusts, shouts shook the heavens, and thunder could be faintly heard in the dark clouds.
The scene that had taken place in Bianliang more than a month ago reappeared on the walls of Taiyuan.
After several months of siege, the well-rested Jurchen soldiers began to launch an all-out assault on Taiyuan City.
At this time, Taiyuan City's food reserves were already beginning to run low. At the end of the year, the food supply for the soldiers in the city had been halved, and even less for the residents. In this cold season, there was not enough wood and coal for heating. Many of the elderly and weak died of hunger and cold. It was now the beginning of spring in the fourteenth year of Jinghan's reign. Although they had managed to conserve some food, no one had expected that reinforcements would still not arrive.
But Zong Wang had returned.
The channels to the city had been sealed, so no one knew what was happening in the capital. No one believed Zong Wang's claim that the Wu dynasty had surrendered and ceded Taiyuan. On the day that Zong Wang's army arrived, Li Pin and the others in charge of logistics had restored some of the food supplies for the defending soldiers. Over the last two days, they had been able to eat a few full meals. Soon, the bitter defensive battle began once more.
After several months of siege, as the cold winter passed, the will to defend Taiyuan City had not been exhausted. In this period of time, the members of the Bamboo Shop, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others spared no effort in spreading the news. Whether it was soldiers or generals, they all knew that if Taiyuan was breached, what awaited them would be an inhumane massacre.
On the other hand, since Zong Wang had withdrawn his soldiers from the south, this meant that the war in the south had come to an end. Soon, the Imperial Court's reinforcements would arrive.
On the sixth day of the second month, spring rain fell within the boundaries of Taiyuan City, and a bone-chilling coldness enveloped the entire place. The battles on the city walls had not stopped, but Qin Shaohe, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others who were participating in the defense of the city felt a warmth of hope in their hearts.
That afternoon, as the rain intensified, they dispatched their elite personal guards to choose a place where the Jurchen's defenses were weak to break through and ask for reinforcements.
At the same time, news of the Jurchen's attack on Taiyuan was rapidly spreading through different channels to the south.
The first to receive the news, apart from the remaining forces in the various prefectures and prefectures, was the Wu Sheng Army, which was heading north under Chen Yanshu's command. At this time, the snow in the south had gradually melted. She hurriedly rushed north with tens of thousands of troops. Under the cold weather and inefficient organization, the speed of the army was less than half of the Venerable Woman's speed. At this time, they had only traveled one-third of the distance.
Chen Yanshu's mind was on the verge of collapse when he received the news of the Jurchen's attack on Taiyuan.
He had led the army for many years and was originally a civil official. Later on, he gained the reputation of being a master of both the pen and the sword. He understood the situation and was good at balancing the pros and cons. It wasn't that he didn't have any, but the achievements of Zong Wang army had made him understand.
Originally, the Lady Zhenren was so strong that no one could defeat her. He was just one of these generals. However, Bianliang's resistance was tenacious. In addition to the Wu Ruiying Camp's achievements in Xia Village, these people had almost become criminals. His superiors wanted him to make up for his mistakes by leading the army to the north. Chen Yanshu hoped that if the Jurchen didn't attack Taiyuan and left, he might be able to get back some of his reputation and face.
That night, he ordered his soldiers to speed up their march. It was said that Chen Yanshu pulled out his sword several times as if he wanted to commit suicide, but he didn't do so in the end.
The Wu Sheng Army's reaction after receiving the news was to write a letter asking for help and quickly head south.
"… the Jurchen is cruel and powerful. We must work together and fight with our lives … I hope the court can send reinforcements quickly …"
The messengers from the various powers sped up and the news spread. The distance from Taiyuan to Bianliang was nearly a thousand miles. With the spread of the war, the relay stations were not fully operational. Only half of the snow had melted. On the night of the seventh day of the second month, the first round of news of the Jurchen's intention to attack reached Bianliang.
On the eighth day of the second month, all kinds of news came to Bianliang like an avalanche.
There was no chance of a fluke. The Jurchen's attack on Taiyuan had become a reality.
The upper echelons of the court hurried into the palace. The atmosphere was so tense that it was almost frozen, but the atmosphere among the people was still normal. Ning Yi was waiting for the response from the court in Takeshi. He naturally knew that once the news of the Jurchen's attack on Taiyuan came, Qin Siyuan would once again gather the officials that he could persuade to carry out another remonstrance.
Time waited for no one. The army had to be mobilized.
Including Tang Ke, Wu Min and the other advocates of peace, in this remonstrance, they also stood on the side that advocated sending troops. In addition to them, a large number of court officials, as well as the originally idle minor officials, under the control of the Right Minister's residence, submitted reports to the upper echelons. In this one month's time, Ning Yi did not know how much silver he had sent out. He had almost emptied out all the assets of the Right Minister's residence and Takeshi. Level by level, it was all in order to push for the troops to be mobilized this time.
In the few days that the Jurchen had arrived in Taiyuan, there were people coming and going in and out of Takeshi. Shopkeepers and attendants acted as lobbyists outside, sending money, treasures, and promising all kinds of benefits. There were also people who cooperated with Yao Zunian and the others to send gifts to more distinguished places.
At the same time, all kinds of propaganda in the city had not stopped. At this time, it had already reached the peak of nourishment. Once the court decided to send troops, the news of the Jurchen's attack on Taiyuan would be spread out at the pace of the troops, inciting fighting spirit. And if the court was still hesitant, Ning Yi and the others were already considering the possibility of using the people's will to force the political will — — of course, this kind of taboo matter, he did not want to act recklessly until the last moment.
In the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon. Ning Yi stood in front of the window on the second floor and looked into the courtyard, holding a cup of tea in his hand. This tea was only to quench his thirst, so he used a large cup. After standing for a long time, the tea gradually cooled. Juan'er came over to give him a new cup, but Ning Yi waved his hand.
"Is the son-in-law worried about Taiyuan?" Juan'er asked in a low voice.
"A little." After Ning Yi finished speaking, he shook his head slightly. "But mainly not."
"Hm?"
"The matter of Taiyuan is clear. They are already fighting. There is no use in worrying." Ning Yi glanced slightly toward the north. "The situation in the capital is the problem. It seems quite clear, but I always feel that something is wrong."
"I heard a few gentlemen say that even if they really cannot send troops to Taiyuan, the Prime Minister has repeatedly asked to resign but was firmly refused by the Emperor. This shows that he is favored by the Emperor. Even if the worst situation occurs, as long as the soldiers of Xia Village can be trained, there is still hope to rise again. Also … this time, most of the dukes in the court are inclined to send troops. The possibility that the Emperor will accept is very high. "After Juan'er finished speaking, she pursed her lips." Yes, they said. "
Ning Yi glanced at her and smiled. After a moment, he nodded. "Saying that there might be something behind this is just some blind speculation of mine. Even I did not see it clearly. Logically speaking, we have done what should be done, and the feedback is not bad … wait for the news. The preparations outside the city have also been made. If everything goes smoothly, the troops will be sent out in two or three days. Of course, before the troops are sent out, the Emperor may have a review. "
He paused. "The matter of Taiyuan is the end of this battle. After it is over, there will be a bigger business. At that time, the Prime Minister's residence and Takeshi will most likely have a different scale and nature. Oh right, Juan'er, tell me honestly. This time in Xia Village, did you find someone you like? "
As he spoke, the topic suddenly changed. Juan'er was startled. Her face turned red for a moment, then white. She stammered for a moment. Ning Yi laughed. "Come over and look downstairs."
He pointed to the courtyard downstairs. From time to time, there were figures passing by. In the spring afternoon, the voices of people seemed noisy and lively.
"The people of Xia Village, or them, if there are no accidents, will become important characters in the future. Because in the next few years, more than ten years, they may be spent in war. If this country can live up to expectations, they can ride the wind and rise. If they can't live up to expectations in the end, they … may be able to live a tragic life. "
"H-war?" Juan 'er's eyes widened.
"Yes." Ning Yi looked for a while, then turned around and walked back to the desk. He put down the teacup. "The Female Zhenren's southward march is only the beginning, not the end. If your ears are sharp enough, you can already hear the impassioned melody now. "
He smiled and looked at Juan'er who was a little confused. "Of course, I'm just saying. Juan'er, you don't need to listen to this. However, at this time, it may not be easy for people to live a good life. If there is someone they like …"
The room was silent. In the end, he didn't continue.
After Juan'er left the room, Ning Yi sat back at the desk. He looked at some forms on the wall. He gathered the information in his hands and continued to calculate the next things. Occasionally, someone came up to pass information, but it was somewhat insignificant. The decision in the court had not been decided, and they might still be arguing. Until around five o 'clock in the afternoon, there was a little chaos below. Someone ran in quickly, knocked down the advisor below, and then ran up again. Ning Yi heard these sounds clearly in the room. When the person ran to the door to knock, Ning Yi had already reached out and opened the door.
It was a steward in charge of the information in the palace.
"What's wrong?"
"I, I received a message …"
Ning Yi frowned. The steward took a step forward and whispered a few words in his ear. Ning Yi's expression changed slightly.
"Really? They didn't say anything? "
The steward shook his head. "They returned everything …"
"Has the news been sent to the Prime Minister's residence?"
"Yes, but the Prime Minister is still in the palace. The Prime Minister's residence should have also sent the news to the palace. "
"… I knew there was a problem, but I just didn't expect it to be of this level."
Ning Yi murmured and said something. The steward didn't hear it clearly. "… What?"
"Nothing. Continue to find people to visit until he picks you up. Check around and see if there is any relationship with him. Ask them to be a lobbyist … No, don't just invite people, in case the matter gets out of hand and alert the enemy … Find someone reliable …"
He hurriedly made a few responses. The steward nodded and left in a hurry.
Ning Yi stood in the room for a moment.
Before Tong Guan met him, he'd felt slightly uneasy in his heart. However, the matter of Qin Siyuan's resignation being rejected had caused him to suppress the uneasiness in his heart. Only now did that uneasiness finally emerge.
He had predicted what kind of melody would follow, but he had never imagined that it would develop like this.
No matter what, he felt it to be somewhat absurd.
…
In the palace, the discussions had come to an end. The ministers were resting in a side hall to the side of the arched hall. During this time, everyone was still arguing and arguing.
Qin Siyuan was standing to the side, talking to someone. Soon, an official hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear.
The old man was slightly stunned. He stood there, blinking his eyes.
After a long time, he finally digested the situation. He gathered his thoughts and returned his attention to the discussion in front of him.
…
In the evening, Ning Yi's carriage entered the Right Minister's residence. He crossed the gate of the side courtyard and went straight inside. When he arrived at the study, he saw Yao Zunian and Jueming.
"How did things become like this?"
"It can be big or small …"
"After hearing about this, the monk immediately came back …"
"I've already sent someone to inform the Prime Minister."
"At such a critical time …" Ning Yi frowned. "This is not a good sign."
Not long after, Qin Siyuan also returned.
The decision to send troops had not been made.
In this past month, the Prime Minister's residence had mobilized all of its resources and power in an attempt to push for troops to be sent. Ning Yi had always been in charge of the Prime Minister's residence's wealth. He had always interfered in matters such as gift-giving. When it came to gift-giving and bribery, there were naturally people who accepted and people who refused. But the meaning of today's events was different.
Within the palace, the Chief Eunuch Du Chengxi refused and returned the gifts sent by the Right Minister's residence.
For hundreds of years, the Wu dynasty had always been ruled by civil officials. The power of the eunuchs was not great. After Zhou Zhe succeeded to the throne, he adopted a strategy to suppress the eunuchs' abuse of power. But no matter what, those who were close to the Emperor, whether it was a few words or a piece of intelligence, were of great value.
This Chief Eunuch Du Chengxi had always been cautious and self-restrained. Although he did not dare to speak carelessly in front of Zhou Zhe, he could be said to be a man of great righteousness and leaned towards the side of Li Gang and Qin Siyuan. Usually, when he received some benefits, he was also cautious. Because of this, in the current situation, he suddenly returned the gifts. The meaning and warning behind it were quite thought-provoking.
Before this, everyone had thought about the problems of the military, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and all kinds of obstacles. But they had never thought that suddenly, the situation would escalate from Du Chengxi to the point where they needed to return the gifts.
Thinking about it carefully, it was like a huge, dark metaphor was gradually emerging in everyone's hearts.
…
In the palace, Zhou Zhe overturned a pile of memorials on the table.
"Wild ambition!" He yelled. "We knew the Perfected Woman could not be trusted. We knew … they would attack Taiyuan!"
A pile of memorials was pushed down from the table. Almost all of them were requests to send troops. He stood there, looking at the words on the memorials scattered on the floor.
After a long time, he repeated with bloodshot eyes, "Wild ambition, Perfected Woman …"
As Zhou Zhe walked back behind the desk, Du Chengxi motioned to the young eunuch, telling him to pick up the memorials. Zhou Zhe did not care. He sat in a chair and leaned for a long time before speaking in a low voice.
"We hoped for a fluke …" he said. "Du Chengxi, you see, we hoped for a fluke, but in the end, we suffered …"
Du Chengxi hesitated for a moment. "Then … Your Majesty … why didn't you send troops?"
Zhou Zhe looked at him. After a long time, he said, "You are a eunuch. What do you know?"
After a pause, Zhou Zhe raised his head and said in a low voice, "We did not want to lose Taiyuan, and even more did not want to lose everything in Taiyuan. There was also … Guo Yaoshi's mistake as an example. Du Chengxi, learn from the mistakes of the past … Du Chengxi, do you understand the mistakes of the past? "
He murmured these words. Du Chengxi lowered her head. "I, I shouldn't have talked about political affairs with Your Majesty …"
"Go on, go on. We're all talking. We've been talking all day!" Zhou Zhe stood up. His eyes suddenly became fierce. He pointed at Du Chengxi and said, "Look at Medicine Master Guo! I treated him so well, using the power of the world to raise an army for him, and even wanted to confer him the title of King! As for him, he turned around and joined the Female Daoist! In Xia Village, not to mention the fact that there were only about ten thousand people, the most powerful of these ten thousand people were the revolutionary army from the north! Du Chengxi, I haven't even grasped this army in my hands, I haven't subdued their hearts, and now I'm going to release them. Tell me, should I release them? "
He spread his hands and said, "My dynasty has a vast territory and abundant resources, but we don't have any soldiers who can fight. It's not easy for us to find some people who can fight. If I let them go, there will be too many variables. I want to use them as seeds. Even if we lose Taiyuan, I still have this country. If we lose the seeds, I'm afraid. In a few days, I will inspect this army. I want to subdue their hearts and keep them in the capital. Whatever they want, I will give them. I can't buy them like I bought Medicine Master Guo anymore. "
"What's more, Taiyuan might not be lost." He closed his eyes and murmured to himself, "The Female Daoist is tired, and Taiyuan has been persevering for several months. Who said they can't persevere any longer? I've already sent Chen Yanshu to the north to help, and I've already issued an order for him to march quickly. Chen Yanshu is redeeming himself for his crimes, and he always knows the pros and cons. If he loses again, I won't let him go. I want to kill his entire family. He doesn't dare to not fight … "
Du Chengxi listened respectfully as Zhou Zhe walked out the door with Zhou Zhe. Only then did Zhou Zhe hurriedly catch up.
…
That night, Ning Yi returned to Takeshi, summoned a few stewards, and gave them a few orders. Most of it was to privately send gifts and make arrangements to open up connections. Soon after, he also gave orders for Takeshi's propagandists to stop making any big moves. They didn't have to worry about publicizing the incident in Taiyuan too much.
He sat in the courtyard and carefully thought about everything that had happened, everything that had happened, everything that had happened. In the wee hours of the morning, Yue Fei came out of his room and heard a bang in the courtyard. Ning Yi was standing there, waving his hand and breaking the trunk of a tree. It looked like he had been practicing martial arts earlier.
Yue Fei was Zhou Dong's personal disciple, so he could naturally see the complicated meaning behind this. He hesitated and came over. "Young Master Ning … is there something on your mind?"
Ning Yi glanced at him. "The incident in Taiyuan is probably still at war."
"Could it be that there's been a change in the matter of sending troops?" Yue Fei probed. "Fei heard some rumors tonight …"
"… It's hard to say." Ning Yi said, "Something did happen, and it doesn't seem to be a good thing. But to what extent, it's still unclear. "
"Young Master Ning … can't solve it?" He asked.
"Hahahaha." Hearing this, Ning Yi was slightly stunned, then he laughed. "You believe me."
Yue Fei cupped his hands. "Before the battle in Xia Village, I didn't know your abilities. But after the battle, you've become someone I admire. Just like what you said in Xia Village, some things can't be reasoned with, there's no way out, and there's no way out. If Taiyuan falls, the people in the Central Plains will be plunged into misery and suffering. If the Female Zhenren comes again, she'll march straight in. In this dangerous time, you mustn't be discouraged. If there's anything you need Yue Fei to do, I'll die a hundred times! "
His words were impassioned and powerful. Ning Yi looked at him for a moment and smiled. "You're right. I'll do my best to do what I have to do …"
After saying this, he walked over and patted him on the shoulder. Then he walked past him and went upstairs.
The next day, although Takeshi didn't deliberately promote it, some things still happened. The news of the Female Zhenren attacking Taiyuan spread. Imperial College student Chen Dong led a group of people to the imperial city to petition for troops to be sent.
At the same time, the discussion about whether to send troops or not didn't move Zhou Zhe. He just quietly listened to the arguments of the civil and military officials in the imperial court. Then he decided on some things that he had wanted to do before. Three days later, he would review the meritorious troops outside the city.
Qin Siyuan asked to see Zhou Zhe in private and once again asked for his resignation. Similarly, Zhou Zhe kindly rejected him.
When it came to the Female Zhenren, he also showed his violent and angry side. But only when faced with Qin Siyuan's resignation, the Son of Heaven comforted the old man kindly.
The battle in Taiyuan continued. Because of the delay in the transmission of information, no one knew if the northern city had already been broken by the Female Zhenren when they received the news that Taiyuan City was still safe.
Compared to the previous month of silence and waiting for the development of the situation, time seemed to have entered a swamp at this moment. A trace of ill intent had already appeared, and the further forward they went, the more difficult it became.
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