After seclusion, Xinhan carried out a bloody crackdown on the Taichu imperial court and Xinghe Sect secret agents lurking in Yuzhou. The intelligence network that the Seven Killing Battalion had operated for decades was dealt a fatal blow, but people outside Yuzhou were indifferent to this. Not even aware of it.

Gu Xifeng was already very anxious at this time, but it was not because of the retreat of the New Han Dynasty, but because Taichu and Dongxia completely broke up with each other and officially declared war.

The cause of the matter is very simple. The envoy from Taichu was beheaded.

Li Boqian was very enthusiastic about sending envoys to Dongxia to give advice, and would not stop even when the relationship was tense. Dongxia King Bai Xuanhui always tolerated this, and the most he could do was to drive the envoys out of the palace.

However, before the Taichu Messenger could say anything this time, Bai Xuanhui couldn't help but directly pulled the Taichu Messenger down and beheaded him, and hung the severed head outside the imperial city.

Even if the two armies were fighting, they should not kill the envoys. This completely ignited the anger of Emperor Taichu Li Boqian. With the encouragement of the imperial concubine Zao Ji, Li Boqian immediately summoned all civil and military officials to go to court to discuss the matter.

Something big was bound to happen when a court meeting was convened so suddenly. All civil and military officials rushed to the main hall of the Taichu Palace with solemn expressions.

After the officials arrived, Li Boqian came to the main hall with a gloomy face and sat on the dragon chair. The officials saw His Majesty the Emperor's expression and became more convinced of their guesses. Everyone had a serious expression and was nervous inside, waiting uneasily for the Emperor to take over. News to be announced later.

"Go to court!" a eunuch shouted loudly, and all the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted long live.

Li Boqian still said with a cold face: "Everyone loves me."

The officials stood up and waited quietly.

Li Boqian said with an angry tone: "The news just came that the envoy I sent to Dongxia was killed by the king of Dongxia, and his head was hung outside the palace. This is a naked provocation. Dear friends, please tell me, I am Taichu How about that!"

For a while, no one came forward to answer, they were all waiting and watching. If they spoke carelessly at this time, they might be doomed.

A figure stood out at the front of the civil service team. This person was none other than Xu Guanzhi, the current Prime Minister of Taichu.

Xu Guanzhi was the first absolute confidant recruited by Li Boqian. He also contributed a lot to the alliance with Qinghe. When he stood up, everyone's eyes were focused on him, because everyone knew that Xu Guanzhi was at this time. What the Prime Minister wants to say is what His Majesty wants to hear.

Xu Guanzhi held a wat tablet and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, I think Dong Xia's move is too deceptive. Now that I have strong troops and horses in Taichu, I don't have to worry about the threat of the new Korea. This is a good time to send troops to conquer Dong Xia. !”

Li Boqian's expression improved after hearing this. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that Xu Guanzhi's words must be the intention of His Majesty the Emperor. Civil and military officials immediately responded, and most people expressed support for going south to attack Dongxia.

A very small number of people did not speak, and only one person spoke out against it, and that was Fang Xizhi, the young minister of Taichang Temple.

Fang Xizhi was Liu Zhiyong's protégé, but when Liu Zhiyong was forced to retire and return to his hometown, he did not stand up. Instead, he took refuge with Xu Guanzhi. Only then did he retain his official position. He was not dismissed from office or even relegated to prison like other disciples of the old prime minister. prison.

This move also made many of his classmates feel ashamed. Many of them insulted him in the street, but he laughed it off.

No one knows that Liu Zhiyong had a long conversation with Fang Xizhi back then.

…

That night, Liu Zhiyong called Fang Xizhi to his house. The doors and windows of the study were closed, and there were only these two people in the room.

The old prime minister's study room was filled with books, and there were even scattered books on the floor. Liu Zhiyong said to Fang Xizhi with a serious face: "Xizhi, you are the most upright and loyal among my many disciples, and you are also my most loyal."

Someone you trust.”

Fang Xizhi was speechless, waiting for the old prime minister's next words.

Liu Zhiyong paused and said, "I will definitely be dismissed from office or sentenced to death by His Majesty in the near future."

"Don't get excited yet. Listen to what I have to say." Liu Zhiyong saw that Fang Xizhi was a little excited and wanted to speak, so he stopped him.

"After I am no longer in the court, Your Majesty will act without any scruples. Xi Zhi, I hope you will join His Majesty's followers immediately after I lose power." The old prime minister continued.

Fang Xizhi saw the opportunity and hurriedly said solemnly: "Xizhi will always be a disciple of the teacher and will never be a follower of others."

Liu Zhiyong's eyes were a bit unbearable and he said: "Xizhi, this may be difficult for me, but someone has to do it, and you are the best candidate."

Fang Xizhi realized that the old prime minister seemed to have another purpose, so he stopped talking and continued to listen.

Liu Zhiyong saw that Fang Xizhi had calmed down and continued: "After I leave, those officials who have relations with me will inevitably be purged. You are seeking refuge with His Majesty's cronies at this time, in the eyes of outsiders, for the sake of protecting yourself wisely and making it easier for others to accept you."

"If they ask you to add insult to injury, you have to grit your teeth and do it. Even if you want to join in with them, you have to do it. In short, you have to do whatever it takes to keep your official position! Can you sit down?"

Fang Xizhi didn't speak for a long time after hearing this. The old prime minister's request ran counter to his original intention, and he naturally knew that the old prime minister must have deep meaning in doing so.

Liu Zhiyong looked at Fang Xizhi solemnly, waiting for his answer.

Fang Xizhi solemnly said: "Xizhi completely follows the teacher's words."

Liu Zhiyong nodded with satisfaction and continued: "You don't have to do anything in the future, as long as you continue to be an official, but remember, you must keep your official position."

The old prime minister's eyes gradually became sad and he said: "If one day, you feel that His Majesty's decision will ruin Taichu, I hope you will stand up and try to dissuade Your Majesty at all costs."

At this moment, Fang Xizhi finally understood the old prime minister's intention. The old prime minister wanted to retain the last right to speak and speak out at the most critical moment in the beginning!

Both of them knew what the price of speaking out would be, but neither of them said it out loud. This would make Fang Xizhi die!

This is a fatal remonstrance that may be destined to fail, and it is the last strength of the literati in troubled times!

Fang Xizhi's body was trembling slightly, and he was struggling in his heart. This would be a difficult road of no return. Liu Zhiyong stepped forward and grabbed his arm, holding it tightly.

Fang Xizhi felt encouraged by the old prime minister, and gradually calmed down and said firmly: "Teacher, Xizhi will definitely fulfill his mission!"

…

In the past few years, although Fang Xizhi had taken refuge with Xu Guanzhi, because he was a disciple of the old Prime Minister, he had not been put into use by His Majesty the Emperor. His official position had not been promoted, and he had not held an important position. He only worked in Taichang Temple in charge of the ancestral temple etiquette.

Ren Shaoqing is a position that is insignificant to the imperial court.

Today, when all the civil and military officials were echoing Xu Guanzhi's remarks about sending troops to Dongxia, Fang Xizhi clenched his hands with a solemn look on his face. He knew that the moment the teacher said back then had come!

He seemed to hear the familiar old voice in his ears: "Xizhi, it's now!"

Fang Xi straightened his heart, held the wat tablet in his hand tightly, knelt down and saluted and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I believe that we must never start a war with Dongxia!"

Fang Xizhi's words were so harsh among the many voices of approval. As soon as these words came out, the entire hall focused their attention on this usually unknown little official.

Emperor Taichu Li Boqian was also attracted by the sound and looked at Fang Xizhi. He said with some displeasure: "Fang Aiqing, tell me why you can't go to war with Dongxia."

Fang Xizhi had nothing to fear at this moment, so he began to talk eloquently: "His Majesty sent an envoy to Dongxia not just in a day or two. We have been living peacefully for so many years. Only this time the Dongxia Dynasty directly killed people. It was nothing more than In order to anger Your Majesty and our Taichu Dynasty!"

"When things go wrong, there must be monsters. If your Majesty declares war with Dongxia rashly, I'm afraid you will fall into the trap of Dongxia Dynasty!"

Hearing this, Li Boqian sneered and said: "Don't worry about Dongxia. Any conspiracy is in vain in the face of absolute strength. What's more, there is Marshal Lin Chuhe in the beginning, how can he easily fall into the enemy's trap? Ai Qing is too worried."

After hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, all the civil and military officials spoke in agreement.

"Fang Xizhi, how can you, a young Taichang Temple young minister, understand the important affairs of the imperial court? Don't talk nonsense here."

"Your Majesty is right. Now that our Taichu Dynasty has strong troops and horses, it is a good time to send out troops to conquer the world and restore the old mountains and rivers!"

"Marshal Lin Chuhe is like a god in his military skills. How could he fall into the enemy's trap? How can a pedantic scholar dare to talk about military affairs?"

Seeing such a scene, Li Boqian regained his smile.

But that disturbing voice sounded again: "Your Majesty, I think there is something fishy about the war between Xinhan and Xiyao. If Taichu goes to war with Dongxia, and Xinhan takes advantage of me to launch a massive attack on the inner emptiness, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Li Boqian's smile stopped abruptly, his brows furrowed again, and he stared at Fang Xizhi with disgust and said: "The King of New Han has accepted my canonization, and the two dynasties are now closely related. How could New Han attack Taichu? Even if New Korea really harbors evil intentions, how could it be possible for New Korea to easily break through the 200,000 Taichu soldiers and 100,000 Qinghe elites stationed on our western border."

"Even if we take 10,000 steps back, my 300,000-strong army really can't stop the Xinhan people. I can also mobilize the Xinghe Sect to send elite soldiers and strong generals to stop them. Why should Taichu be afraid?"

Li Boqian's analysis of the situation on the Western Front was clear and logical. Fang Xixi, who he thought he could refute, was speechless.

Li Boqian's eyes were as sharp as a knife as he stared at Fang Xizhi, as if he wanted to eat him alive. If an ordinary minister was stared at like this by the king, he would be so frightened that he would tremble and dare not say anything.

But how could Fang Xizhi have this intention at this moment?

Fang Xizhi once again said in a decisive tone: "Your Majesty, if you are not of my race, your heart must be different! The alliance between Qinghe and me, Taichu, is by no means as simple as it seems. If Qinghe rebels when the war begins, I, Taichu, will be in danger! "

Li Boqian's face flushed with anger at Fang Xizhi's words, and he was about to scold him, but was interrupted by Fang Xizhi loudly: "Your Majesty, that Qinghe woman is the disaster of Taichu! I hope your Majesty will see clearly the wolfish ambitions of Qinghe people as soon as possible!"

Li Boqian said angrily: "Fang Xizhi! You are looking for death! First, you disturbed the morale of Taichu, and then you made random suspicions about Xinhan, who has a good relationship with Taichu. The most hateful thing is that you dare to alienate the alliance between Taichu and Qinghe, and slander my imperial concubine. !”

"Every one of these items is a capital crime! Come here, drag Fang Xizhi out and execute him in Lingchi! Execute his nine clans!"

Immediately, two Yulin soldiers stepped forward and restrained Fang Xizhi with both hands. Fang Xizhi did not resist. He was a Confucian scholar who had no strength to restrain a chicken, and he did not have the strength to resist.

Two Yulin soldiers took him down. On the way, Fang Xizhi shouted again: "Your Majesty! Open your eyes and look at all the civil and military officials in your court. Which one is really for Taichu? Old Prime Minister Liu Zhi A mediocre person devotes his life to the beginning, but a scholar is useless. A scholar..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was blocked by Yu Linjun who had reacted. No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer speak.

Seeing Fang Xizhi's tragic end, no one dared to stand up and oppose war against Dongxia. Li Boqian successfully declared a formal declaration of war against Dongxia.

His Majesty the Emperor ordered the execution of the Nine Fang Xizhi Tribes, so Dali Temple was naturally obliged to arrest everyone within the Nine Fang Xizhi Tribes. However, what surprised them was that those people seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

The old Prime Minister Liu Zhiyong had already predicted today's situation when he handed over the matter to Fang Xizhi. Before he was forced to retire and return home, he contacted the Xinghe Sect and entrusted the safety of Fang Xizhi's family to the Xinghe Sect.

A few years after the death of the old prime minister, the Xinghe Sect secretly transferred all of Fang Xizhi's relatives and friends to places controlled by the Xinghe Sect.

Needless to say, these people cannot be found in Dali Temple now. Even if they know that Fang Xizhi's family and friends are protected by the Xinghe Sect, there is nothing they can do.

Fang Xizhi knew this well, and he could die calmly without any worries.

Fang Xizhi was executed on the busiest street in Kaiyuan City. After the execution platform was set up, countless people watched the excitement.

Before the execution, the officials of Dali Temple read out the charges against Fang Xizhi. After reading the charges, the people talked a lot. The most common thing they said was that this official was really stupid and foolish, risking his own life to stop something that could not be stopped.

Even some children, under the influence of adults, began to laugh and point at Fang Xi and call him a fool.

This situation was exactly what Emperor Taichu wanted to see.

When the execution began, the executioner first unscrewed a piece of meat the size of a copper coin from Fang Xizhi's chest. Fang Xizhi felt pain but gritted his teeth and persisted without making a cry.

The people watching in the audience began to applaud, with faces full of gloating.

Fang Xi looked straight at the people in the audience, his eyes filled with sadness.

He murmured: "Teacher, I failed, but I have no regrets."

"Doing something you know you can't do is stupid. Stupid things are also important. There is always a need for fools like you and me."

Fang Xizhi kept staring at the people in the audience, with an indescribable look of pity in his eyes.

During the execution, Fang Xizhi remained silent. Finally, when he received the 123rd stab, his weak body could no longer bear it.
Chapter completed!