Chen Ping, who spent a day and a night completely clearing out the White Lotus bandits, was about to go to Zhongzhou to join Lu Wei. Then he learned about the uprising of bandits in Zhongzhou, Jianzhou and other places.
Although they are all shabby thieves, this is an extremely dangerous signal.
Chen Ping felt his scalp numb as soon as he heard the news. He really wanted to run to Zhongzhou immediately and eliminate these thieves one by one, and then go to the northern border to scare the Northern Liao Hulu so that they would not go south, so that he could wait for the big enemy.
The internal conflicts within the reputation will be eliminated.
But this thought disappeared as soon as it emerged, because his reason told him that his mission to go south to suppress the bandits was actually a failure from the beginning.
Even if Chen Ping could annihilate the White Lotus thieves in Jingzhou when they first emerged, he would only be able to temporarily suppress these thieves who were swarming everywhere.
When greater turmoil occurs in the capital, these hidden dangers will still erupt again. Rather than leaving a bunch of time bombs behind, it is better to detonate them early.
Thinking of this, Chen Ping felt a little relieved, but only a little.
The original plan was disrupted, and he is now in a dilemma, that is, whether to continue to stay in the local area to suppress thieves, or to return directly to the capital and participate in the game of the capital.
Chen Ping was a little undecided for a while, but this situation did not last long, because that night, a message was urgently sent to him.
"Coming from the capital."
"Beijing?"
Chen Ping looked at the letter in Li Feng's hand, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason. He had a bad feeling that the content of this letter was probably not good news.
However, the stronger this premonition became, the calmer Chen Ping became. Master Ye's previous teachings came to mind one by one at this moment.
He took a deep breath, opened the letter, and searched it with his eyes.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Chen Ping couldn't help but feel his breath stagnant when he saw the words that made people stand on end and breathe quickly.
Li Feng on the side narrowed his eyes when he saw this, and had some suspicions in his mind, while Luo Li's face was as cold as iron and as motionless as a mountain.
After a while, Chen Ping slowly put down the letter in his hand, his eyes full of melancholy about the difficult situation.
"This day has finally come..."
He shook the letter in his hand, smiled bitterly and said to the two of them: "There was a coup in the palace, and the King of Chu seized power. His Majesty's life and death are now uncertain. The capital has been controlled by the King of Chu, and now it is under full martial law."
What Chen Ping said was heart-wrenching. After hearing this, Li Feng's pupils shrank sharply and his breathing quickened. Luo Li was also a little touched, and there was a trace of ripples in his meteor-like eyes.
"How dare King Chu?! What should we do now? Your Majesty..."
"The situation is still unclear and I have no plan."
Hearing what Chen Ping said, Li Feng was a little discouraged. After all, they had just put in a lot of effort to wipe out the rebellious White Lotus bandits. Although there were rebel bandits in Jianzhou, Zhongzhou, they would just have to suppress them again.
But now that something like this has happened in the capital, it seems that their previous efforts have been in vain, and no one can remain calm.
At this moment, Luo Li spoke.
"Who gave you this letter?"
This question immediately stunned Chen Ping. He was stunned for a moment and then replied: "Master Su, Master Su, Mr. Su."
"What is his purpose for giving you this letter? I hope you will return to Beijing?"
Chen Ping frowned and thought for a moment. The letter did not mention this matter, but Chen Ping had to admit that after seeing the information in the letter, the first thing he thought of was indeed returning to Beijing.
After all, his junior brothers, allies in the imperial court, and fiancée are all in the capital. Now that something like this is happening in the capital, how can he turn a blind eye?
Luo Li noticed the change in Chen Ping's expression, and his eyes became sharp.
"If I were you, I would never go back now. It is no different from throwing myself into a trap."
Chen Ping fell silent, and then asked Luo Li: "Brother Luo, the situation is serious, please tell me about it now..."
That night, snowflakes fell again in Huaibei, like a signal that deep winter was coming, and Chen Ping's tent was brightly lit all night.
Early the next morning, a group of cavalrymen who were still immersed in the joy of annihilating the White Lotus bandits received Chen Ping's order.
"Go to Shou County and set up camp!"
We must not go to the capital, and we cannot go to Zhongzhou to suppress the thieves for the time being.
Chen Ping chose to stay in Jiangzhou to observe the situation. This was the conclusion he and Luo Li and Li Feng came to after discussing it all night.
As for the more complicated reasons, let’s not talk about the capital city. In fact, there is a lot to explain why the thieves who emerged in Zhongzhou were not suppressed.
Not to mention whether the thieves in places like Zhongzhou and Jianzhou can be wiped out in a short time, but once Chen Ping leaves for the north, it may cause unpredictable chain reactions. After all, the current situation is so tense, no one can guarantee the future.
What happens will happen according to your expectations.
Therefore, the best thing to do is to stay put and adapt to changes.
In addition, there is another hidden factor, which is to prepare in advance for the possible move of the imperial court to the south!
.......
When the news of the mushrooming of thieves in the establishment of Zhongzhou reached southern Jiangzhou, the local gentry and wealthy people could not sit still.
Logically speaking, they, the big landowners and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, would never care about such things. After all, no matter how violent the commotion in other places, it would not affect the south of the Yangtze River. They would just sing, dance, jump, and run around, and continue to live a beautiful life.
The dream life of Qinhuai River in the south of the Yangtze River.
But now the situation is different. Last year, the rare southern invasion of Northern Liao touched the heartstrings of these people. This year, countless major events have followed one after another, such as the death of Emperor Tianqi, the King of Chu coming to Beijing to assist the government, the discord between the two saints, etc.
.
Among them, the one that makes the gentry and wealthy merchants in Jiangnan the most frightened is the White Lotus bandit who fled to Jiangzhou not long ago.
Although those White Lotus thieves were chased by the army led by Chen Ping, the deputy envoy to recruit from the southwest, the performance of Jiangzhou's local Xiang army against the White Lotus thieves was so vivid that they couldn't bear to look at it in detail.
Now the Jiangnan gentry and merchants who witnessed the threat of thieves so close at hand could no longer hold back. Their family and business were all in Jiangnan. If the government couldn't even resist the thieves, wouldn't their wealth and lives be in danger? p>
As a result, a group of influential gentry and wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan united to petition the Jiangzhou Prefect for help, hoping to get a positive reply from the Jiangzhou Prefect.
After all, they spent money to suppress thieves, but judging from the performance of the Jiangzhou Xiang Army, it seems that the money they spent had no effect at all.
As a result, Lord Lin, the prefect of Jiangzhou, had to face a group of gentry and wealthy businessmen from Jiangnan.
Originally, Magistrate Lin, as the magistrate of a state and a large official in border areas, did not have to give any face to these civilians who did not have official positions, but this is Jiangzhou.
Not to mention those families that have officials in the government and hold large tracts of land, and have passed down poems and books for many years. Even among the wealthy businessmen in Jiangzhou, which one does not have the support of a high-ranking official in the government?
What's more, Jiangzhou is very prosperous, and merchants have a lot of say here.
Furthermore, Magistrate Lin was short-tongued and soft-handed, and the humiliation of the Jiangzhou Xiang Army's collapse against the White Lotus Bandits also gave him little confidence in facing these people.
Just as Magistrate Lin was trying to persuade and deceive these difficult financial owners, the news that Chen Ping, the deputy envoy to the Southwest Recruitment, had caught up with the White Lotus bandits in the Huai River and annihilated them in a battle was also quickly sent to Jinling City.
Also sent to Jinling was a secret letter from Zhongzhou Jianzhou from the capital.
Jiangzhou, Shouxian County.
This is a county in the north of Jiangzhou. Because of its superior location adjacent to the Huaishui River, it has great strategic value.
It was a good choice for Chen Ping to choose it as a temporary residence for himself and his three thousand cavalry. Stationed in Shouxian, he could take action immediately if there was any trouble, whether it was in the south or north.
As for Lu Wei, Chen Ping has already contacted Lu Wei and explained part of the reasons for his temporary residence in Shouxian County and Jiangzhou.
As for the thieves in Zhongzhou, they can only be left to Lu Wei to deal with.
Chen Ping believes that with Lu Wei's mind and wisdom, he should be able to understand its meaning.
Being stationed in Shouxian County was not just about waiting for time. Due to the drastic changes in the capital, Chen Ping's plan had to be started in advance. Therefore, after arriving in Shouxian County, he wrote several letters to Qianzhou, one of which was to Yang Qian, the prefect of Qianzhou. , one is for He Qing, and the other is for Dean Cheng of Jiangxia Academy.
The original worst-case plan was that the imperial court would lose to the Northern Liao invasion due to civil strife and be forced to move south. Now it seems that this worst-case plan will become a reality, at least the probability is much higher than previously predicted.
For this reason, he had to start making plans, and Qianzhou, as the most trustworthy place for Chen Ping, naturally had to pay more attention to it.
"Qianzhou's disciple soldiers should be on the road now, right? Phew, as long as we have this soldier in hand, we will be much better."
Thinking about the thousands of soldiers in Qianzhou, Chen Ping began to spend his time lying in bed in Shouxian County.
At the same time, in Zhongzhou, the Southwest Recruitment Envoy was stationed in Guide County.
Lu Wei was looking at a simple map in his hand, his face was livid and he looked extremely anxious.
He had already learned about the affairs in the capital, and he was naturally panicked at first. After all, it was related to the general trend of the world. But after the panic, Lu Wei also figured out that no matter how anxious he was, he could not influence the situation in the capital.
But now there are difficult things for him to deal with.
"Places like Shenqiu and Luyi are not far from my headquarters, yet they dare to raise the flag of rebellion. If I turn a blind eye, I'm afraid it will embolden the thieves' arrogance and attract more imitators."
"It's just that there are many thieves and few soldiers now. Even if I have the will, I am powerless. I heard that Chen Ping killed the White Lotus thieves in Huai River and was defeated and annihilated. I only hope that he can quickly go north to fight with me to suppress the thieves."
As he muttered, Lu Wei put down the map in his hand and rubbed his temples.
A clever woman cannot make a meal without rice, and besides, he is not an expert in suppressing thieves. At first, he was just a magistrate in Qianzhou, and later he was promoted and demoted secretly, and was thrown into the capital to work as a sinecure like the Minister of Taichang Temple.
Now it is really difficult for people to take orders to recruit envoys to suppress thieves.
That's why he placed his hopes on Chen Ping. After all, Emperor Yongxing originally valued Chen Ping, and he was just a foil.
Although it is still unknown whether Emperor Yongxing is dead or alive.
Lu Wei was waiting for Chen Ping to come north to work, but he didn't expect that he would receive Chen Ping's letter early the next morning. Lu Wei was even more dizzy after seeing the contents.
"Your Majesty entrusted you with the important task of suppressing bandits, but this guy actually left the Central Plains bandits alone?"
"What, what is this going to do?"
Lu Wei was very puzzled and even felt like he had been betrayed. It should be noted that Chen Ping had more troops than him. He only had less than 2,000 troops at his disposal. Even if they were all sent out to suppress the thieves, it would be a drop in the bucket.
, besides, he has to ensure his own safety.
Just when Lu Wei was helpless because Chen Ping was blaming him, a certain prince of the Qin Dynasty appeared again.
"Master Lu, what's the news about Master Chen?"
"Can I let Xiao Wang take a look?"
Lu Wei glanced at Shi Jialuo, his brows furrowed and a little suspicious. He now felt that His Royal Highness was weird in everything. This feeling became more obvious after the other party learned about the drastic changes in the capital, because Shi Jialuo seemed to be very excited about it, not at all.
The fear of ordinary clan members.
"This is a military secret. It is better for Your Highness to avoid suspicion."
Lu Wei did not agree to his request, but Shi Jialuo's next words made Lu Wei stunned on the spot.
"If Mr. Lu said this, Xiao Wang would go to find Mr. Chen himself."
Hmm?
What does he mean by this?
Lu Wei turned his head and stared at Shi Jialuo. Shi Jialuo did not dodge and faced Lu Wei's gaze calmly.
At this moment, Lu Wei saw an elusive flavor from Shi Jialuo.
This guy is definitely not the Crown Prince of Qin!
Lu Wei made a bold judgment in his mind.
King Qin has long since aged, and the prince in front of him looks like he is only in his early twenties. If King Qin had a son in his fifties, he would not be unimpressed.
Even if he is really the crown prince of King Qin, King Qin will not let him leave the palace without permission, let alone accompany the army to suppress thieves, something that is extremely sensitive to the clan.
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Finally, the more Lu Wei looks at him, the more he feels that this Shi Jialuo looks so similar to His Majesty?
Lu Wei swallowed his saliva and looked at the other person up and down. A storm surged in his mind, and various conjectures flashed through him like a revolving lantern. Finally, he came up with a conjecture that he had never dared to think about.
"You, you can't be..."
Shi Jialuo raised his index finger with a smile and whispered softly: "Master Lu, it's good to know some things. There's no need to speak out in such a hurry."
As soon as these words came out, it further confirmed the idea in Lu Wei's heart.
He nodded with difficulty, and then looked at the other party solemnly.
"Chen Ping wants to stay in Shouxian and Jiangzhou because the situation is unpredictable and he doesn't dare to act rashly."
Lu Wei handed over Chen Ping's letter and said to himself.
Shi Jialuo took the letter and glanced at it. He nodded calmly and said, "Master Lu and Master Chen are both smart people. The situation is almost clear now. I think Master Chen is doing a good job. What do you think?"
/p>
"Master Lu."
......
"The little emperor of Yongxing is probably in trouble. In this case, Shi Jialuo may take the throne. After all, the Qin Palace has a close relationship with the Western Army, and the Northern Army has been fighting with the Northern Liao for many years and it is impossible to surrender to the Northern Liao."
"In this way, unless the King of Chu can withstand the invasion of Bei Liao amid internal and external troubles, he will have no choice but to die. Then the world will be without a master and all the dragons will be without a leader. With Shi Jialuo's identity and the support of the King of Qin, he is indeed the most powerful
Maybe he will be able to sit on the throne of great treasure."
"It's just..."
Shouxian County, camp.
Chen Ping sat on the felt bed and analyzed the current situation. Don't forget that the capital is now the focus of the world. In fact, only Chen Pingping and a few people who know the inside story understand that from the moment the King of Chu and Emperor Yongxing broke up publicly,
Dayu's fate is probably doomed.
The King of Chu had only two choices. One was to turn the tide and eliminate the external threat from the Northern Liao Dynasty, then control the Northern Army's Western Army, and then deal with the internal rebellion.
The difficulty of this set of operations can be said to be astounding, and it can basically be eliminated.
The rest is to grovel, cede territory and pay compensation like Shi Jingtang did back then, or even become the emperor to win the support of Northern Liao, and use the soldiers and horses of Northern Liao to suppress disobedience in various places.
Judging from the current situation, this is almost the only choice for King Chu.
Therefore, what Chen Ping is preparing now is to deal with this situation. If the King of Chu dares to do that, these famous ministers will dare to immediately support a royal family member and then establish a separate court.
In view of the flat terrain in the north, which is suitable for Northern Liao cavalry operations, the new imperial court naturally had to be located in the south of the Yangtze River.
The next script is very familiar to Chen Ping. Isn’t this the same routine from the Southern Song Dynasty!