Four days before the Emperor's wedding, on the first day of the twelfth month, Shen Yicheng's order to rescue the Emperor arrived in Datong.
After the person who delivered the imperial edict left, Fang Shoushi called Sun Chengzong to his room and showed him the imperial edict.
"Rescue the Emperor? In other words, Hsiao Jixin's army has already reached the capital? So fast? Shen Yicheng is asking for help? "
Sun Chengzong was stunned.
"You can say that."
Fang Shoushi said slowly, "If it weren't for the fact that Shen Yicheng has no soldiers at his disposal and that Hsiao Jixin is progressing smoothly, Shen Yicheng wouldn't even need to summon the soldiers of Datong. He had previously summoned the soldiers of Gansu. At that time, he was not in a hurry, but now he is even summoning the soldiers of Datong. You can imagine how anxious he is."
"Datong has just experienced war and there are many things waiting to be done. The army is busy repairing the gap in the Great Wall and repairing the armaments in various cities. Where would they have the time to support him? He has done such a treasonous thing. Dong Weng, why don't you go and punish him? Follow Hsiao Jixin and punish Shen Yicheng together! "
Sun Chengzong put down the imperial edict with a disdainful look.
"Young Rope, don't talk nonsense."
Fang Shoushi furrowed his brows slightly.
"Nonsense? Dong Weng, this is not nonsense! This is the truth! "
Sun Chengzong said angrily, "Hsiao Jixin was forced to rebel by him. Even His Majesty abdicated! Abdicated! Dong Weng, has the Daming Emperor ever abdicated? Since Yao Shunyu, has there been an Emperor who has abdicated? I think that Shen Yicheng is a traitor even though he is the Grand Secretary! Forcing the Emperor to abdicate is treasonous! "
"Young Rope!"
Fang Shoushi said in a serious tone, "There are many suspicious points in this matter. We still don't know the whole story, so we don't allow you to speculate! Even if Shen Yicheng is wrong, His Majesty is still a Daming Emperor, a legitimate Daming Emperor. As his subjects, how can we disobey the decree? "
"Dong Weng, don't tell me that you still want to send troops to help Shen Yicheng!"
Sun Chenzhong looked at Fang Shoushi in disbelief. "When Hsiao Jixin returned in triumph, you even told Hsiao Jixin to be careful of Hsiao Jixin and Shen Yicheng. In the end, such a thing happened. Hsiao Jixin actually plotted a rebellion. His Majesty actually took the blame and abdicated because he trusted Hsiao Jixin wrongly! Did he, Shen Yicheng, take everyone in the world for fools?
Dong Weng, you already knew that things would turn out this way. Why are you saying such things now? It's fine if you don't help Hsiao Jixin, but why are you colluding with Shen Yicheng? "
Fang Shoushi looked at the indignant Sun Chengzong and helplessly sighed.
"Young Rope, in the current situation, it doesn't matter who the Emperor is. What is most important is that the world is not thrown into chaos. What I care about the most is the stability of the world, not my personal gains or losses. If the capital cannot be stabilized at this moment, then once chaos breaks out, the world might fall into chaos! Young Rope, you know about the fall of the Imperial Cauldron at the end of the Han and the chaos of the Three Kingdoms. Tell this old man, how did the chaos at the end of the Han occur? "
Sun Chengzong frowned and said, "It's naturally because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which greatly increased the authority of the local authorities and scattered military authority. Then, the Ten Attendants Rebellion, where Great General He Jin and the head of the Ten Attendants, Zhang Rang, died in a fight. Then, Dong Zhuo entered the capital and caused chaos. The local officials refused to accept this and joined forces to suppress Dong. Only then did the chaos at the end of the Han begin.
"Correct. The Yellow Turban Rebellion did not cause great chaos in the world. After the death of the Spirit Emperor, the struggle between He Jin and the Ten Attendants began. He Jin was a distant relative and the Ten Attendants were internal attendants. These two were originally part of the power of the central government. If they coexisted, the power of the central government would be strong enough to suppress the local authorities.
But after their fight, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the power of the central government was greatly damaged. The vassal of the border, Dong Zhuo, entered the capital and caused chaos. When the other vassals saw this, they realized that the central government had weakened to such a state. The suppression of the local authorities was greatly weakened, and the fear of the local authorities was greatly reduced. Thus, the eighteen vassals came to suppress Dong Zhuo, and the world was thrown into chaos! "
After Guardian Fang finished speaking, Sun Chengzong asked, "But what does this have to do with what is happening now?"
"First, it was Shen Yicheng's rebellion that deposed the emperor. Then, it was Hsiao Jixin's northern expedition to the capital. Once he succeeds, he will depose the emperor and install the Retired Emperor. It would be fine if the Retired Emperor was still alive, but Zhi Sheng, don't forget that the Retired Emperor is in Shen Yicheng's hands. Hsiao Jixin has made it clear that he will not allow Shen Yicheng to live. If Shen Yicheng lost his mind and harmed the Retired Emperor before his death, and the Retired Emperor is in danger, what will happen?"
Sun Chengzong was stunned.
"Shen Yicheng joined forces with the Great Martial Army in the capital to depose the internal court. Now, Xiao Ruxun wants to depose the power in Shen Yicheng's hands. These are all the power of the central government! In just a little more than half a year, the internal court has lost many of its nobles, and the power of the court has greatly declined. Daming, the authority of the central government will be greatly damaged.
Right now, there is nothing to worry about locally, but in the borderlands, the southwest, southeast, and northeast, there are vile people with ulterior motives. When they see that the central government has declined and the world is in chaos, won't they have some improper thoughts?
It's fine if the Retired Emperor is alive, but if something happens to the Retired Emperor, and Hsiao Jixin sets up a new emperor, what difference is there between that and Dong Zhuo? Daming, won't there also be a chaotic war between the three countries? At that time, the people will have no way to make a living, and there will be no roosters crowing for a thousand li. Is that something that you and I hope to see? "
Guardian Fang spoke of his worries with a face full of worry, and Sun Chengzong was greatly shocked.
Now that he said it, it seemed to be the case. If Xiao Ruxun's power increased greatly and the power of the court was basically eliminated, then after that, the authority of the central government would greatly decline, and if Xiao Ruxun entered the court, what difference would the result be from Dong Zhuo in the past?
The stability of the world was due to the strength of the central government. Daming, the strength of the central government was strong. It was close to the northern war zone, and could directly control the border armies of many military regions. It controlled the grain supply of the nine borders, and held the line of life and death for the nine borders. The authority of the nine border armies was in its hands, and the strongest armies were in its hands, so the local areas were stable and did not dare to act rashly.
Once the strength of the central government weakened, and the nine borders were no longer under control, then the authority of the Daming Emperor would become worthless in the hearts of the people. Ambitious people would definitely appear, and the world would once again be in a state of unrest.
Even if the Taichang Emperor was a puppet, and even if Shen Yicheng was a powerful minister who started the rebellion, he could at least stabilize the central government. As long as the power of the central government existed, the world would still be stable.
But if the power of the internal court and the nobility were completely destroyed, the authority of the central government would cease to exist, and it would no longer be able to suppress the world. What would happen then?
"I've decided to carry out the imperial decree and send out troops for no other reason than to protect the Retired Emperor at a crucial moment. Shen Yicheng is a rebel, and I will not associate myself with him in his evil deeds. However, I must at least ensure that the Retired Emperor survives and that the Daming Emperor has a chance of resurgence.
The Retired Emperor has been Emperor for twenty-six years, and he is the legitimate Emperor of the Daming Empire. With the Retired Emperor, we can turn the strength of Hsiao Jixin into the strength of the Imperial Court and once more suppress the world. There is still hope for peace. Without the Retired Emperor, it will truly be a disaster! "
Guard Fang sat down in front of the table and began to write a military order.
"No matter what, we cannot allow the world to fall into chaos, or else we will become the greatest sinners of all time. Protecting the Retired Emperor is of the utmost importance. For this reason, we must enter the capital and think of a way to get close to the Retired Emperor. At this moment, if we lead an army, Shen Yicheng will definitely let us into the city."
Sun Chengzong's heart was filled with shock and astonishment as he watched Guard Fang's actions.
So this was the reason.
There was actually such a way of thinking?
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