Realm of Power

In late May, heavy rain fell on the city

The empire went south brazenly and attacked the Yangshui area. In one day, it broke through three cities outside Deyang. The battle report from Deyang made the Zhongbia court, who originally thought that the imperial army would not launch a large-scale attack, drop their jaws. On the ground, I saw a military newspaper describing that "the number of imperial troops is several times that of our army." There were many, and there were intensive projections of imperial heavy ballistae, catapults and other weapons of attack. Our army fought desperately, but in the end, under the attack of several times the enemy, we were outnumbered. The spears were broken, and the generals were all bleeding through three layers of heavy weapons. A, inflicting a lot of heavy damage to the Imperial Army. The corpses of the Imperial Army were stacked as high as the city wall..."

"Your Majesty, the military generals obviously want to shirk responsibility."

One of the ministers' hair stood up with anger. He stood up from the court ministers and said sternly, "These military ministers are used to being greedy for life and afraid of death. Every time there is a battle, they use these words to excuse themselves. How can blood penetrate three layers of heavy armor? But This is a rhetoric to complain to the court. It is nonsense to say that the corpses of the Imperial Army are stacked as high as the city wall." "This time the empire went south, the total strength was only 60,000 to 70,000. If it is true as the military battle report said, so many people died in the battle outside Deyang, then what is it that now surrounds Deyang like an iron barrel! If the court is against If you pretend to be deaf and dumb, next time, you will not only lose Yang He, but also suffer another catastrophe in the Imperial Capital!"

"Although the military has done something wrong, it is not to this extent. It is too alarmist!" The Emperor of Zhongbia snorted in his seat, his eyes were cold, and the minister's face turned pale, knowing that he had spoken quickly. , violated the emperor's taboo, the catastrophe in the imperial capital, that was the biggest scar in the emperor's heart

To be honest, the Emperor of Zhongbia did not expect that the war situation would be so one-sided. Although the imperial army was powerful, Deyang was in the Zhongbia region after all, and the general Tang Shui was also the commander of the Imperial Guard, and the generals under his command had experienced many experiences. Who would have thought that a hundred thousand troops would just come into contact with the empire, and the result would be such a shocking result?

Thinking of the green crops on both sides of the Yang River, and the mature machines that will be mature in more than a month, and now most of them have fallen into the hands of the imperial army, the emperor of Zhongbia was not in such a bad mood, but he didn't show it on his face. Those are the court officials. Since I can’t get the private lands of the ministers, it doesn’t matter if I lose them all to the imperial army this time. It’s better than enriching these ministers. But it’s a pity to lose the 100,000 troops in vain.

Looking at the aggrieved expressions of the court ministers, the Emperor of Zhongbia knew that this court meeting would be nothing at all, and it became even more difficult to arouse interest. His eyes paused on the faces of the court ministers. , waved his hand, "Since you have doubts about this battle, then send someone to check it out. I wonder which of you is willing to go?"

"this……"

When I heard that the emperor was going to send people to Deyang to investigate, there was suddenly no sound.

The ministers in the court looked at each other, but no one stood up. Isn't this a joke? During the Battle of Deyang, the outer perimeter has been torn apart by the imperial army. Who knows what the situation is now, although it may not be like the mountain of blood and corpses mentioned in the military newspaper. The sea, but I'm afraid it's not that far away. After all, according to the military newspaper, there are more than 30,000 Central and Belgian troops outside Deyang. Even if only half of them are lost in battle, it is enough to dye the outside of Deyang red. Go to Deyang at this time , it’s nothing but death!

"It seems we can only wait until after the war to investigate!" A flash of ridicule flashed in the emperor's eyes, as if he had known that such a situation would happen. The military troops are still in Deyang. Unless these ministers dare to risk going to Deyang to question, otherwise That's it, the question is, who dares to go? Even if they knew that the military was talking nonsense, they could just scold them from hundreds of miles away.

It is absolutely impossible to go to the battlefield. There are still a few who are still alive in the court, and some have died in the two imperial capital catastrophes.

When the ministers left, Prime Minister Yu Fenglong stayed alone in the hall.

"Fenglong, is it true that this time when the empire goes south, it will not reach Xinjing?" The emperor of Zhongbia stood on top, wearing a golden robe that did not show the power of the emperor, but seemed a little lonely. The great court meeting just now , more like a joke. The emperor of Zhongbia did not expect Deyang to hold on, nor did he expect the ministers to stand up at the critical moment.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Since the empire is going south for the Li family, as long as the Li clan is released, then the empire will have no reason to continue going south." Yu Fenlong paused and raised his voice a little. "With the Li family in hand, we can It is beneficial to the invincible position. What is needed now is to find the best opportunity and take advantage of this opportunity to regain some power from the ministers of the court."

After Yu Fenlong finished speaking, he looked around, took out a few signed documents from his sleeves, and presented them to the emperor with both hands. "Your Majesty, these are the names of the people who have just been recruited." "Done?" Emperor Zhongbia His eyes fell on the list, and his expression was obviously a little fiery. He seemed to be more energetic.

"With the power of the Holy King, there is nothing in the world that cannot be accomplished!" Yu Fenglong said with a respectful look and a flattering face. "Through this thorough investigation of the Warehouse Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under Cai Long, this time only the There are three third-grade officials and six fourth-grade officials. The entire warehouse bureau has become His Majesty's private treasury. As long as this continues, it will be just around the corner for Your Majesty to regain control of the court."

"Okay, good job"

The emperor of Zhongbia grinned and waved his hand. An attendant in purple robe took the few documents. I am afraid that the ministers in the court did not know that the biggest purpose of tripping Cai Long this time was not Cai Long. The internal affairs power in Long's hands was the official network that Cai Long had run for many years. Because Cai Long was investigated, a large number of officials were implicated. This time they all became bargaining chips in the hands of the emperor.

Shunchang rebels

After a thorough investigation, it can be said that everyone is in danger. As long as he is not a fool, he will know how to choose. These officials are involved one by one. In this way, almost half of the middle-level officials in the Central and Asian courts are involved in the "Holy The mysterious organization "Jun Hui" has arisen in Xinjing, and many of its officials have become members of the Holy King Hui.

One of the most radical ones is Tang Hu, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites and the vice president of the Holy King Society. This young man with a Tang family background, after the emperor returned to the south, regarded himself as a disciple of the Holy King and repeatedly destroyed the imperial capital in public. The catastrophe was said to be the emperor's decisive arrangement, and the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Central Asians was said to be because they refused to follow the emperor and left, but had illusions about the grassland people, and as a result suffered cruel revenge from the grassland people. Those people have themselves to blame

"The so-called catastrophe of the Imperial Capital is just a slander against the Holy Lord by those who don't know the truth. In the two battles of the Imperial Capital, the Holy Lord personally took charge and was not afraid of danger. People who have not experienced it personally have no right to talk nonsense here. If If it weren’t for His Majesty the Emperor’s decisive decision, Zhongbia would have been doomed long ago. It was His Majesty the Emperor who saved Zhongbia from two disasters! "If they still had one thousandth of their love for the Holy Lord, they would not have suffered such a result! The power of the Holy Lord is beyond the reach of mortals like you." Tang Hu said that the emperor was like an ancient saint. , as the influence of the Holy King Society expanded, the name of this deputy minister of rites also became known in Xinjingyue. As he became more and more famous, he seemed to have the momentum to succeed the existing minister of rites. There were also ministers in the court who were dissatisfied with Tang Hu. However, considering the identity of Tang Hu's deputy minister of rites and the status of the imperial prime minister Yu Fenglong's former minister of rites, it is not difficult to I understand why Tang Hu blatantly promoted the Holy King Society everywhere.

Behind the Holy King Association, I'm afraid it's the emperor!

The ministers in the court are not fools, and they do not dare to interfere too much with the growth of the Holy King Association. They just think that it is strange that the emperor needs to use this method to clear his name. At this moment, in Tang Hu In the mansion, a mysterious guest is in the living room, with his hands behind his back. He is dressed in a scholar's green robe, with gray hair in his bun. His eyes fall on a landscape painting hanging on the wall. He just stands there, But there is a sense of vicissitudes of life,

"Sir Li Long, you and I can be considered old friends for many years. When you were defeated miserably in Linhang, I, Tang Hu, was the one who blamed me for saying a few words of justice to you. However, I was hurt by you and resigned from the popular official bureau. I have been transferred to the Etiquette Department of Leng Yamen. For the sake of being friends, you can give me a warm word. What will it take for the empire to stop the war this time? "

Tang Hu looked at Li Long who was admiring the hanging paintings with a worried expression. The person behind the Holy King Meeting was not the emperor, but he was basically the Prime Minister Yu Fenlong. This time Li Long came south again, and the Central and Asian sides no longer dared to do so. Keep Li Long out of the imperial capital, but if If Yu Fenglong met Li Long directly, Yu Fenglong was extremely reluctant to meet Li Long in person. After all, the whole of China and Bibia knew that Yu Fenglong, the chief minister returning to the south and the prime minister of Zhongbia, was completely snatched from Li Long. Yes, so it was Tang Hu who finally came forward

"Aren't all the conditions already in the submitted documents?" Li Long turned around from the front without thinking, picked up the tea in front of Tang Hu and blew it gently, looking at the tea leaves floating on the water. He said, "Release the Li family, hand over the management and taxation rights of Liugang City to the empire, and compensate the empire for the military expenditure of 1 million, and the empire will withdraw its troops."

"You know, that's impossible!"

As if he had been stung, Tang Hu suddenly stood up from his seat, with a livid expression on his face and said, "You, Li Long, were once the head of our military cabinet in China and Belgium. You should know more about China and Belgium's background than I do." It’s important to be clear. The court’s arrest of the Li family was an accident, and they should be released. However, Liugang City, which is the lifeblood of the country, is absolutely impossible to hand over to the empire. As for compensation for military expenses, it is even more nonsense. The empire going south is an invasion, so what’s the point? The reason why the invaded party should compensate for its military expenses!”

Li Long glanced at the gray-white sky outside the window and glanced at Tang Hu, who was trembling with no trace of blue. After taking a sip of tea, he put the cup on the table and said coldly, "Tang Hu, I know you are too." A man, when he was in Linhang, Yeluguda made a fierce attack on Linhang. There were less than 20,000 defenders in the city, and the people in the city were panicked. It was you, Tang Hu, who was the first to climb the city wall with his 30 servants, and that led to all the people. Cheng Xun The noble general's servants lined up on the city wall to help defend the city. In the end, Linhang was defeated. You were trampled by the prairie people's horse hooves and fainted to death. It was your servant general who stole it from the pile of dead people outside the city. A member of the Tang clan More than a thousand people were almost dead in Linhang. You, Tang Hu, can be regarded as a life saved. But look at what you are saying now, you are the holy king. You are responsible for not evacuating. Think about the thousands of wronged souls of the Tang clan. Don’t you feel ashamed?

"Blushing? Why are you blushing? I, the Tang Clan, have been in charge of Zhongbia's finances for more than a hundred years and have already enjoyed enough glory and wealth. Your Li family is just relying on being more noble. There is nothing else that can compare with my Tang Clan. It's not your turn, Li Long, to teach me these truths! "Tang Hu's eyes were red, his face was ferocious, and he was gnashing his teeth, as if he wanted to pounce on Li Long and bite him.

"Our argument is meaningless. I am just here to pass on the message. If the grand court meeting is over and there is still no news, then I will go back."

Li Long sighed and waved his hand at Tang Hu who was about to say something.

"No need to wait. The empire's negotiations will not be held at the grand court meeting!" Tang Hu took a deep breath with a solemn face. "It seems that from the beginning, you have never thought about negotiation!"

Li Long smiled bitterly. He still respected Tang Hu from the bottom of his heart. The Tang clan was almost exterminated in Linhang. The massacre on that day was vivid. Tang Hu's wife, daughter and concubine all died under the knife of the grassland people. He was also chopped three times and fainted on the spot. He was thrown into a mass grave outside the city as a dead body. He was dug out by the servant who was also pretending to be dead. Fortunately, he survived. However, when he returned to Xinjing this time, even Li Long did not expect that the shameless person who promoted the Saint King's Association everywhere was actually this Tang Hu. The hysteria in Tang Hu's tone made Li Long feel A feeling of fear,

Tang Hu looked at Li Long with deep eyes and sighed, "I am not afraid to tell you directly, the battlefield is still far away in Deyang, too far from here, leave Xinjing, as a member of the Tang clan, I can't leave, even if I know that the nails of the boat under my feet have rotten, I can only stand on it and shout that it is a big ship, but your Li family is different, the old prime minister is the old prime minister, decisively withdraw, the old tree sprouts new buds, the Li family has continued for hundreds of years, and it is not without reason"

Li Long turned and walked towards the door, Tang Hu said so, what was he still fantasizing about, the last bit of effort, finally... The battle of the city with 100,000 troops, whether it is the emperor of Central Asia or the ministers of the court, at this moment, no one thought about the life and death of 100,000 Central Asia soldiers, the ministers of the court stared at their own fields, and the emperor of Central Asia was calculating how to exchange the trump card in his hand for the greatest benefit, even if the empire wanted to negotiate, it would not really talk before the emperor got the power he wanted"