Nagato has a thin waist

Li Zongxun's army pressed on the border.

One night, the flames of war swept across Andu.

"The fight started, the fight started again."

"Can Li Zongxun defeat Andu?"

"It's hard to tell. Andu is too close to Shiguan. Last time, the 500,000-strong army in Yecheng was fake. This time... I'm afraid it's real. Li Zongxun, this old boy, is very insidious. He wants to take advantage of you while you are sick. I have been working hard for more than a year. This time the division has made a name for itself, so I must have used all the troops at the bottom of the box..."

"If Shiguan falls, Andu may be involved in the war again..."

The people are all afraid of war.

During the war, the tragic situation of having children with children and no food and clothing is still vivid in our minds.

No one is willing to let Andu, who has just restored his business, be destroyed by the flames of war again...

The news spread strangely, and everyone in Andu City was in danger.

In the counties of Xinzhou, people were busy storing grain and supplies. Some of them were timid and prepared to flee again with their families. However, the food and cloth in the city were once again rising, making it difficult to buy even if they had money.

The county governor and the county captain deployed manpower to guard the city under strict martial law to respond to the Northern Yong Army.

Shiguan County, which is closest to Chuzhou, is even more turbulent and panicked.

As soon as he got the news, He Qia, the governor of Xinzhou, ordered Shiguan to close the city and seal the roads. All comings and goings must be checked, and no other people are allowed to come and go.

The war drums were beating, and the entire Shinshu land was shrouded in shadow.

Huaxi is no exception.

As soon as the war broke out, the villagers got the news and ran to Nagato to find a solution.

Xing Bing and A'lou discussed it and went to Xiaojie Qiu at night, found Hou Zhun, and calculated the strength of Nagato's troops in front of the oil lamp, rehearsing how to protect Nagato and those workshops in the face of the war...

Wen Xingsu had just returned to the Beiyong Army camp when he encountered fighting.

Before he could take a breath, he summoned the generals to discuss countermeasures, then put on armor and went into battle. He rushed to the border of Xinchu overnight and formed a formation at Tonghui Bridge, giving the Yecheng army a head-on blow when it sneaked across the river...

Battle flags were flying on both sides of the river.

The news of the victory in the first battle and General Wen's victory was rushed for 800 miles and spread to Xijing and other places, giving the panicked people reassurance.

In the Xijing court, the ministers who were sweating in cold sweat breathed a sigh of relief.

"With the Beiyong Army here, I don't think Li Zongxun can change the world."

"Having said that, we should not take it lightly. Yecheng has an army of 500,000, 500,000! No matter how brave the Northern Yong Army is, it only has 120,000..."

Moreover, it is still known as 120,000.

After years of fighting, it is impossible to estimate the amount of war damage, and the ministers did not have a definite number in their minds.

"In your opinion, how does the Yecheng army compare with the Qi army?"

"This... each other?"

"Xiao Cheng of the Southern Qi Dynasty was defeated by the Bei Yong Army with 300,000 men. What ability does Li Thief have to break the copper and iron walls of our army?"

"What you said is wrong. The Yecheng army and the Qi army are completely different. Xiao Cheng has the intention not to fight, but Li Zongxun is desperate and must fight..."

"Why does Li Zongxun have to fight?"

"Business routes are cut off, border trade is gone, mining within the jurisdiction is not prosperous, and supplies are not abundant... If he doesn't take action, he will be eaten alive. If it's you, how do you choose? Should you be trapped to death, or take the initiative to march westward? Fight for a chance of survival?”

"That being said, Thief Li is taking the opportunity to attack this time and is well prepared."

"The country cannot live without a king for a day. At this moment, the people are panicked and the military's morale is unstable, which just gives the Li thieves an opportunity to take advantage of..."

"With the current war, we should make an early decision and establish a new king to consolidate the country's foundation. Only when the country is peaceful and the people are safe can we have enough energy to fight against Xiaoxiao..."

"Your Majesty is sick, not dead. What do you mean by erecting a new monarch? When your Majesty wakes up, what will happen? One country and two emperors are unheard of in ancient times and modern times."

In the Chongzheng Hall, the ministers were quarreling.

They discussed and argued, and finally came back to the root of the matter.

Who should be appointed as the new king?

The one that has been mentioned the most is the adoption of Crown Prince Zhuang Xian’s son under the name of Queen Mother Duan, in order to establish the right to the throne...

"King Yonghuai has arrived——"

As soon as he sang, Chongzheng Hall, which was noisy just now, fell silent in an instant.

Since both His Majesty and the Queen Mother were unable to go to court, everyone stopped going to the Jinluan Hall to discuss matters and instead went to the Chongzheng Hall where government affairs were usually handled.

In the hall, there is a case set by Lord Dan, and there are two rows of low tables prepared for the courtiers on the left and right.

Pei Madang walked slowly inside, and instead of sitting up, he had an ordinary chair brought up and placed in the middle of the hall, in front of the ministers.

He sat down slowly and said expressionlessly:

"With the national crisis at hand, all gentlemen should put aside their prejudices and speak to the outside world in unison."

Someone nodded in agreement.

Someone exchanged glances frequently.

Ruan Pu stood up from his seat and clasped his fists towards Pei Madang.

"King Yonghuai clearly learned that the monarch is as indispensable to all people as the sun and moon are to heaven and earth. The lower official believes that the most urgent task is to establish a new monarch to maintain the country, inherit the destiny to rectify the world, take care of the welfare of the people, and mobilize the six armies to destroy it. Kou.”

As soon as he opened his mouth, someone followed him.

"What Ruan Shangshu said is absolutely true. The Yecheng army occupies the upper reaches of the Huai River, and there is no natural barrier for Shiguan to cross. Once Shiguan falls, the Yecheng army will definitely invade in a large scale. The situation is not good for us. We should make plans in advance to secure the country and unify it. , get over the difficulties again..."

Pei Madang sat upright and drank tea without saying a word.

When the hall became quiet and everyone stopped talking, he slowly put down the tea cup.

"Everyone has thought carefully. Our army won the battle at Tonghui Bridge, but General Wen is a surrendered general of the Southern Qi Dynasty. He is not from a noble family in the Jin Dynasty, let alone a prince. I guess you have many doubts in your hearts and dare not trust it completely... …”

The ministers remained silent.

Silence is acquiescence.

Pei Madang said: "The foundation of the country must be upright, and a new king must be established. But supporting a new king is not like ordering food in a restaurant. There is no room for sloppiness in this matter. We should consider it in the long term..."

The ministers nodded frequently.

These words are also true.

Pei Ran glanced at Ruan Pu and his expression darkened.

"You can choose your new king slowly, but the war is imminent..."

After a pause, he looked around at the ministers.

"In order to enhance the country's prestige and crush Li Thief's evil words, we should choose a well-known and noble person among the princes of the Manchu Dynasty to personally supervise the battle and defeat Li Thief."

The ministers were shocked.

Shouldn't King Yonghuai personally go into battle to defeat the Li thieves?

Why should we choose someone from among them?

Could it be that King Yonghuai wants to sit in Xijing and not go to the battlefield?

Being used to Pei Man's role, this sudden change is confusing.

Pei Madang: "Please recommend someone."

Everyone looked at each other.

King Yonghuai is so easy to talk to today. Is there any trap?

Ruan Pu hesitated for a moment and was about to speak when he heard Pei Ran say:

"Since it is inconvenient for you, let me propose it to you. Prince Zhuang Xian is the emperor's uncle. His reputation, character, and family background are all extremely valuable. He is also highly respected by the civil and military officials of the dynasty, so he is qualified for the job."

Everyone gasped.

In the main hall, they were whispering to each other.

Ruan Pu felt as if someone had slapped him in the face, and his heartstrings tightened.

"King Yonghuai..."

"And -" Pei Madang got ahead of him and said in a deep voice: "Prince Zhuang Xian, the prince, has outstanding character and talents. He can come to the palace to accompany you to protect your majesty's recovery."

Ruan Pu's expression changed, "King Yonghuai!"

He wanted to scold Pei Mad for being so arbitrary.

Pei Madang waved his hand calmly, "The war is ahead, and the country is the most important, so it's settled. With Zhuangxian Wang Yuanyin as the general marshal of the rebellion, he rushed to the border areas to supervise the army that day. Polu General Wen Xingsu had the ability to lead the army and won the first battle. , who was the first to resist the enemy at Tong Hui, was promoted to the third rank of General Longxiang, received the Tiger Talisman Seal, and was in charge of mobilizing troops on the front line. "

Before his voice fell, he had already raised his sleeves and stood up.

"Return!"

Everyone in the hall was silent.

Let a prince who has never fought in a war go to the front of the battle, but he is not given the right to mobilize troops. He is treated as a decoration, and his son is sent to the palace to accompany the emperor.

This seems to be what they want to "pacify the morale of the military and build the foundation of the country", but it is also very wrong.

Then Wen Xingsu was promoted.

King Yonghuai really invested a lot of money in supporting and trusting his uncle.

-

In order to avoid suspicion, King Zhuang Xian seldom went to court in recent days, let alone the officials. He was shocked to hear that he had been entrusted with important tasks by King Yonghuai. This prince who came from a deep palace since childhood was like a thunderbolt.

After receiving the news, without saying a word, he took the crown prince Yuan Yue and hurriedly took a carriage to the eldest princess's mansion and asked to see his eldest sister.

They are biological siblings, born from the same mother's womb.

At that time, Yuan Yin was not regarded as the crown prince precisely because his temperament was weak and his methods were far inferior to those of Emperor Xifeng.

Their father knew this, and so did the eldest princess.

Therefore, after knowing her father's intentions and making Emperor Xifeng swear a poisonous oath in front of her not to harm her siblings, the eldest princess gave up her thoughts.

This younger brother has no ability. Being a "rich and idle man" and having a good death is a blessing.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, he was actually asked to wear armor and go into battle.

"This Pei Madang is so unreasonable!" The eldest princess felt sorry for her younger brother and was afraid that he would go to the battlefield and take risks, which made her eyes red.

"I thought Yi'er had settled the old feud with the Pei Mansion through marriage. Unexpectedly, he has another trick up his sleeve. This is clearly a deliberate revenge!"

These days, the ministers have made many suggestions for Prince Zhuang Xian to inherit the throne. It seems that they have made Pei Madang angry...

The more Yuan Yin thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he was extremely nervous, "I'm used to being lazy, and I just want to live a leisurely life. Sister, I don't want to go to the battlefield, even if I don't become the prince..."

The eldest princess glanced at this useless brother and pursed her lips without saying a word.

She said she was not forgiving, but she really couldn't figure out what Pei Ran's intentions were...

The nineteen-year-old Crown Prince Yuan Yue suddenly spoke.

"Your Majesty can't open his eyes and get off the bed. Why doesn't King Yonghuai refuse to establish a new king? Has my aunt ever thought that King Yonghuai's move is just to eradicate the clan? Just wait until Li Zongxun and Yecheng can be legitimately removed. The imperial court, in the name of the speechless Emperor Tianshou, abdicated the throne. "

The eldest princess narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him.

This nephew is one step away from the new king...

He is more considerate than his father. (End of chapter)