Become a feudal king from today

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News of the fall of Jincheng was rushed to the palace via eight hundred miles.

At the same time, Beidi once again threatened to hand over a message from King Yan.

When he learned that Cui Yan, the captain of the Jincheng Forbidden Army, had surrendered to the enemy and Jincheng was lost, Zhao Heng dropped the paintbrush in his hand to the ground in anger.

"Your Majesty, calm down. It has become a fact that Jincheng has been captured by Xiliang, but don't get so angry about it." Liang Cheng picked up the brush and put it back carefully.

Zhao Heng's face turned livid, "I didn't expect Beidi to show off to me so quickly. They are such a bunch of losers. How could they lose Jincheng so easily?"

"His Royal Highness King Yan is in charge of Yanzhou, but there is no reliable person in Jincheng." Liang Cheng sighed.

Liang Cheng's words reminded Zhao Heng.

During the Battle of Yanguan, Xiao Yuanshan escaped before the battle. Now the Xiao family is still trying to shirk the responsibility and cannot find anyone to arrest him.

This time Jincheng was lost, and the main generals of Jincheng were the Wang family.

After all, the current Dasong Imperial Army has been corrupted by powerful clans and is riddled with holes.

In the past, when the royal family was weak, he could only turn a blind eye.

But now, King Yan has made the royal family great.

He felt the need to reorganize the Custodes.

Moreover, in the Battle of Yanguan and the fall of Jincheng, he lost nearly 150,000 forbidden troops.

Therefore, taking advantage of this time to replenish his troops, he wanted to establish a brand new Forbidden Army.

The generals have to choose between the Mo family and the Yang family.

As for the equipment, he wanted to give King Yan a military supply order.

Armor, artillery, he wants them all.

As long as a brand new imperial army is built, he will no longer need to worry about the powerful clans, nor will he need to rely on King Yan for everything.

Anyone who dares to disobey him will be weighed against his imperial army.

But at the moment, he still needs to resolve the matter in Jinzhou.

Dasong's territory was occupied by Xiliang. As the emperor, he had to ask.

Although Xiliang surrendered to Beidi, it is now colluding with Beidi.

But this still can't change the fact that Xiliang once betrayed Dasong.

Jinzhou was captured by Xiliang, which was a great shame and humiliation for Da Song.

The historian's pen will not leave him a good reputation in the history books.

The previous emperors of the Zhao family would also scold him in heaven.

He was hesitating what to do when a eunuch came to report that Dou Wei had arrived.

Zhao Heng frowned. I am afraid that all the civil and military officials in the court knew about this important matter.

"Your Majesty, Jincheng is lost. This is a disgrace to Dasong." Dou Wei came in in a hurry, saluted, and screamed sadly.

When Zhao Heng heard this, his expression became even more dull.

This Jincheng is guarded by the imperial army, and of course the biggest responsibility lies with him as the emperor.

Thinking of the scenery that King Yan had brought to him a few days ago, he felt even more depressed compared to his current embarrassment.

"What does the prime minister think now?" Zhao Heng asked.

Dou Weidao: "Jinzhou has been the territory of the Central Plains since ancient times. I believe that Xiliang cannot be allowed to invade the territory of Dasong under any circumstances, so we should send troops to retake Jinzhou."

Zhao Heng nodded and suddenly looked at Dou Wei with interest, "The prime minister has always advocated peace, why is he so determined to fight this time?"

Dou Wei's face stiffened, and he said: "Your Majesty, Jinzhou is really too important. At present, Xiliang surrenders to Beidi, and Xiliang controls Jinzhou, which is the same as Beidi controlling Jinzhou. In the future, once they cross Jinhenan to the south of Jinzhou Next, what lies ahead of them will be the vast plains of the Central Plains, and it will no longer be possible to resist the Beidi army. "

Zhao Hengshen thought so.

This time, Beidi caused quite a lot of trouble for him.

To solve this matter, one is to hand over King Yan, and the other is to take back Jinzhou through war.

But if he handed over to King Yan, he would never get King Yan's artillery again.

After weighing the balance, war is the only way left.

Looking at the Dasong Mountains and Rivers hanging in the study.

His eyes stopped for a while in Jinzhou, then in Yanzhou, and then in Qinzhou.

The closest ones to Jinzhou at the moment are King Yan and the Ma family.

As for the Yuan family, he didn't trust the Yuan family's troops to go to Jinzhou.

After all, there was a gap between King Yan and the Yuan family.

Dou Wei observed Zhao Heng's expression and said at this time: "Your Majesty, Yanzhou is adjacent to Jinzhou, so we can order King Yan to send troops to Jinzhou to recapture Jincheng, and then order the Ma family to send troops to assist King Yan."

This is exactly what Zhao Heng was thinking about just now.

Jinzhou has always been a state controlled by the royal family. Currently, the 70,000 imperial troops at Yanguan need to guard Yanguan and cannot be mobilized.

If the Dou family and other powerful troops are sent to Jinzhou, these bastards will not only ask for money and food endlessly.

The most important thing is that they retreat when fighting and seize benefits faster than anyone else.

Let them go, and they may not be able to win by then, and they will have to waste money and food.

Furthermore, he didn't want Jinzhou to be tainted by them.

So after much thought, I still feel that these two are the most suitable.

First of all, the Ma family, unlike the Dou family and other powerful families, still obeyed his orders.

As for King Yan, he refused him for the second time and handed it over to Beidi, so it was natural for him to send troops.

However, if Beidi also participates in this war, I am afraid that King Yan and the Ma family will not be able to take back Jinzhou with their few troops.

But judging from the current news, the Beidi army did not enter Jinzhou.

Perhaps although Xiliang surrendered to Beidi, there was still a gap between the two.

Therefore, let the two of them take the lead.

It would be best if Beidi did not send troops. If he sent troops, he would mobilize more troops to enter Jinzhou.

"That's it." Zhao Heng said.

This way he feels at ease and the court spends the least amount of money.

"Your Majesty is wise," Dou Weidao said, with an undetectable smile on his lips.

These days, he got more information about Yanzhou.

Among them, he hated the official examination held by King Yan.

If land is the foundation of wealthy and powerful families, the election system is the foundation among the foundations.

What King Yan did was tantamount to slapping the powerful clan in the face.

Therefore, he felt that just using Yuan Li to check and balance King Yan was not enough.

Originally, he and Beidi worked together to get rid of the Ma family and his son in order to control the Ma family and facilitate the trade of war horses between the powerful clan and Beidi in Jinzhou.

But now, he felt it was necessary to take this opportunity to plunge King Yan into the whirlpool of war in Jinzhou.

In this way, Beidi and King Yan consumed each other, and they reaped the benefits.

…

The next day.

The ministers went to court early in the morning, and Zhao Heng announced the decree.

At this moment, a young eunuch suddenly entered the hall and said something in Liang Cheng's ear.

When Liang Cheng heard this, his expression changed drastically. He said to Zhao Heng: "Your Majesty, the Ma family is coming to Beijing immediately to report that Ma Zhoumu and his son died unexpectedly."

"What!" Zhao Heng exclaimed.

After being silent for a while, he suppressed the shock in his heart.

Facing the ministers, he said: "I just received bad news that Ma Zhoumu and his son died at the hands of bandits."

"What, how is this possible?"

"Ma Xuan and his son are dead."

"This is just unbelievable."

"..."

After hearing the news, the ministers talked a lot.

The Ma family dominates the northwest of Dasong and resists Xiliang all year round.

At this juncture, the Ma family's father and son died, leaving the Ma family without a leader.

Although Ma Yuan has always been at odds with his brother, it was due to disagreements over government affairs.

But he still has strong feelings for this brother.

Hearing this, he stood stunned for a long time and suddenly fainted.

When Mi Yan saw this, he immediately supported Ma Yuan and pinched him. Ma Yuan woke up and cried loudly.

Zhao Heng sighed slightly, and then felt happy.

If Ma Xuan and his son died, wouldn't it be possible for Ma Yuan to inherit the position of head of the family?

Compared to Ma Xuan, he felt that Ma Yuan was more loyal to him.

"Ma Yushi, this is not the time to be sad. You should go to Qinzhou immediately, take charge of the Ma family, and work with King Yan to calm down the chaos in the northwest." He said.

After he finished speaking, an official suddenly came out and said: "Your Majesty, Ma Yushi cannot inherit the Ma family. Ma Zhoumu has an eldest son in Jinling. He should be the next head of the Ma family. If the rules are violated, I'm afraid that the Ma family will be confused and the chaos in the northwest will be even more uncontrollable."

Zhao Heng looked displeased and looked at Ma Yuan, saying, "Is this true?"

Ma Yuan nodded, "Your Majesty, my brother has an eldest son named Ma Chong, who has been studying at Jinling Imperial College."

Zhao Heng looked disappointed. He had thought that the Ma family, one of the eight powerful families, would be able to move closer to the royal family.

Lazily, he said: "Xuanma rushes up to the hall."

In less than half an hour, Ma Chong was taken to the Golden Palace by the Forbidden Army soldiers.

When the Imperial Army found him, he was in a brothel with two women lying on his back.

"Are you Ma Chong?" Zhao Heng asked with side eyes.

"Back...back to the emperor, the common man is Ma Chong." Ma Chong replied.

Mi Yan looked at Ma Chong and frowned.

This Ma Chong has a thin body and a pale face. At first glance, he looks like a man addicted to women.

How can such a person run the Ma family?

Thinking of this, he sighed softly and wondered why his nephew was so miserable.

First there was the chaos in Yanzhou, and now there is chaos in Jinzhou again.

Zhao Heng also frowned. Although he could appoint the candidate for the state shepherd, he could not decide the succession of the Ma family.

Without the support of the Ma family, there is basically no difference between whether the state has a pastoralist or not.

Because of this, in the past, he simply sold the favor to the powerful clan, and the powerful clan elected the governor of the state, and he could just take a look at it.

Ma Yuan also looked at Ma Chong at this time and said, "Do you know that your father and brother are dead?"

"What!" Ma Chong was startled at first, then covered his face with his sleeves and cried, "Father..."

Zhao Heng frowned even more. Why did this cry sound fake?

He said: "The Ma family needs someone to take charge of the overall situation now. After you return to Qinzhou, you should work with King Yan to resist the enemy invaders and recapture Jinzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ma Chong bowed, still crying.

At this time, thinking of the chaos in the northwest, Zhao Heng suddenly became agitated, and without saying a word, he got off the dragon chair and disappeared into the Jinluan Hall.

Liang Cheng shouted "dismissal" and chased after him.

After the emperor left, the officials looked at each other, shook their heads and left with sighs.

Dou Wei turned around to leave, but suddenly saw Ma Yuan standing in front of him.

"Ma Yushi, you..." Dou Wei crossed his arms and looked at Ma Yuan, whose eyes were red.

"You did it, right?" Ma Yuan looked at Dou Wei.

The chaos in the northwest is too coincidental.

Jincheng was captured and his brother and nephew died tragically.

The most important thing is that he knows that Ma Chong has always been closely related to the Dou family.

Therefore, when an official mentioned that Ma Chong should succeed as the head of the Ma family, he immediately became suspicious.

"Ma Yushi, you can eat randomly, but you can't talk nonsense." Dou Wei said coldly.

He used to let Ma Yuan score three points. At that time, there was a Ma family behind Ma Yuan.

But now that Ma Chong has inherited the Ma family, this Ma Yuan is just a lost dog, who has the right to stand in front of him.

Seeing Dou Wei's arrogance, Ma Yuan was even more angry. He pointed at Dou Wei and said, "It must be you! It must be you! Just wait, I, Ma Yuan, will definitely get to the bottom of it and avenge my brother and brother."

"Everyone, everyone, Yushi Ma actually said that the Ma family's father and son were killed by me, the great prime minister. He must have failed to inherit the position of the head of the Ma family. He must be crazy." When Dou Wei heard this, not only was he not angry, but Laughed loudly.

"Hahaha..." Many powerful officials laughed in agreement, looking at Ma Yuan with ridicule in their eyes.

Ma Yuan was so angry that he reached out to grab Dou Wei's collar.

At this time, Mi Yan suddenly grabbed Ma Yuan and dragged him out of the palace, saying, "Prime Minister Dou, don't be offended. Ma Yushi must be too sad and confused."

Dou Wei gave a cold hum, raised his head and left with his hands behind his back.

Return to Dou Mansion.

The cold expression on Dou Wei's face gradually faded away, and the smile at the corner of his mouth spread to his entire face, "Hahaha..."

Hearing his father's laughter, Dou Kuang walked over at this time.

But he didn't dare to get close, and just said: "What makes father so happy?"

Dou Wei was in a particularly good mood today and seemed to like Dou Kuang.

He said: "Ma Chong is now the head of the Ma family. This plan went extremely smoothly. Moreover, even if they go to investigate, they can only find out that Beidi did it. Even if they suspect our Dou family, they can't come up with anything." evidence."

"This is indeed a great joy." Dou Kuang was excited.

Dou Wei nodded, "By the way, you go find Ma Chong and ask him to go to the manor outside Jinling City tonight. Just say that I want to see him off."

"Yes, father." Dou Kuang said yes and left with a smile.

Before he had taken a few steps, he heard the conversation between his father and the housekeeper behind him, "Go and invite His Highness."

Upon hearing this, his smile suddenly disappeared, and his steps seemed to have lost strength.

evening.

When the setting sun hides into the black clouds and mountains, it dyes the sky red and yellow.

A carriage appeared at the Dou family manor outside Jinling City.

The curtain of the carriage was opened, the horse rushed down, and was led into the manor.

At this time, his face was full of contentment, but there was no trace of sadness at all.

"Hey, Master Ma, please take a seat." Dou Wei came out, took Ma Chong's hand and sat down at the banquet.

He sat in the front seat, and Ma Chong sat on his left.

Dou Kuang and other children of the Dou family were further behind.

"It all depends on the prime minister..." The gratitude in Ma Chong's eyes almost overflowed.

"Shh, as long as you and I know what's going on." Dou Wei interrupted him.

Ma Chong smiled and nodded.

At this time, the food and wine were served, and the dancers danced to the singing of the singer.

After three rounds of drinking, Dou Weidao said: "When I return to Qinzhou this time, I hope that Master Ma will not forget his promise to our Dou family."

Ma Chong's eyes stayed on the graceful dancer. When he came back to his senses, he said: "I understand what the prime minister meant. When I go back this time, I will specially dispatch and open up a trade route to allow the trade between the powerful clan and Beidi to proceed normally. ”

Dou Wei nodded with satisfaction, "Also, don't use any force when sending troops to Jinzhou, just watch the King of Yan fight."

In his opinion, the four northern counties of Yanzhou are sparsely populated.

As long as King Yan's troops continue to be consumed, King Yan will gradually have no troops to use.

At the same time, the death of a large number of young people in the King of Yan will inevitably drag down the farming of the King of Yan.

In this way, Yanzhou's further decline is inevitable.

The royal arrogance will also be knocked down.

"But after returning to Qinzhou, I'm afraid that Ma's family will not accept me." Ma Chong suddenly became worried.

Dou Wei laughed softly, "Don't worry about this. Do you think you are the only one in the Ma family who wants Ma Xuan and Ma Han to die? Without anyone's cooperation, the Beidi assassins will not know the whereabouts of Ma Han and Ma Xuan in advance."

Ma Chong suddenly realized and clapped his hands, "The prime minister is still foresighted, so I feel at ease. As long as I firmly hold my position as the head of the Ma family, I will be the prime minister's leader in the future."

"Okay." Dou Wei shouted softly and drank a cup with Ma Chong.

Then he waved his hand, and two extremely charming dancers walked out of the queue with a chuckle and threw themselves into Ma Chong's arms.

The nephrite was warm and fragrant, and Ma Chong immediately forgot about Dou Wei's existence and only focused on teasing with the dancer.

Dou Wei's eyes flickered.

Among the eight powerful families, the Ma family has now become a vassal of the Dou family, and the Xiao family has always been on good terms with the Dou family.

With the combined efforts of the three families, his power in the government will now greatly increase.

Whether it is suppressing the royal family or fighting for the crown prince position for the third prince.

He wanted to see who else could compete with him?