Three days later, Wang Gang led an army of 100,000 people to leave Jinling to support the northern border. Emperor Liang led all the civil and military officials to see them off.
King Yu and Xia Jiang stood in the crowd, watching the army leave, feeling relaxed.
In contrast, Concubine Jing and Princess Nihuang had worried faces.
The battle report from the northern border has just returned to Jinling. Dayu and Beiyan have increased their troops by 200,000. The total strength of the coalition forces has reached 600,000, and they are likely to destroy Daliang.
Wang Gang went to the northern border this time. It seemed that he had military power in his hands, but in fact, his life or death was uncertain.
The next information coming back from the north also made everyone in Jinling feel anxious.
Dayu and Beiyan defeated the thirteen cities of Daliang and almost defeated the northern defense line.
Later, Wang Gang led an army of 100,000 to join the Northern Border Army, but they could only defend passively and could not regain the lost ground. The situation was very unfavorable for Daliang.
The war became tense for a while, and the atmosphere in the Jinling court became depressing.
It was not until a month later that Southern Chu suddenly raised troops and chaos broke out in the southern border of Liang that Emperor Liang truly realized the danger of annihilation.
Princess Nihuang was summoned to the palace immediately.
"The Nanchu envoy disappeared in our territory of Daliang, and the whereabouts of Princess Xiandai and Xiao Jingrui are unknown. Nanchu used this as an excuse to invade the southern territory."
Emperor Liang handed the battle report to Princess Nihuang, why: "Donghai Kingdom sent another 50,000 troops. It seems that they want to take advantage of the chaos. Liang is now besieged on all sides!"
Princess Nihuang said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I will return to the southern border immediately and join my brother. I will never let Nanchu cross the border."
Emperor Liang nodded and said: "I can rest assured that you are in charge of the southern border, but what about the East China Sea Kingdom?"
Princess Nihuang said solemnly: "Now the only troops that the imperial court can allocate are the 100,000 troops from the northwest and the 50,000 Jinling Forbidden Army."
"The northwest army cannot move. After the destruction of the Ye Qin Kingdom, the northwest has been unstable. If the northwest army is transferred and the northwest is in chaos, Daliang will be surrounded by enemies from all sides."
Nihuang said worriedly: "But the 50,000 forbidden troops have the responsibility to defend the capital, so they can't do anything lightly!"
Emperor Liang had a headache and said: "I also know, but now most of the country's troops have gone to the north, and there are really no troops to mobilize!"
Nihuang suggested: "It's better to recruit new soldiers. As long as a veteran general comes out to block the small country in the East China Sea for a period of time, it shouldn't be a problem. As long as King Jing repels the Allied Forces of Dayu and Beiyan, the clowns in the East China Sea will retreat on their own."
Emperor Liang asked back: "Then which veteran do you think is qualified?"
Nihuang hesitated for a while and said: "With the prestige of Commander Meng, he should be able to do the job, but I am worried that he may not be able to stabilize the Eastern Territory due to his upright temperament and lack of experience in water warfare."
Emperor Liang sighed: "Meng Zhi is brave but lacks strategy. I want Mr. Su to help him."
Nihuang was surprised, she didn't expect Emperor Liang to have his mind set on Mei Changsu.
But then I thought about it, Emperor Liang probably took a fancy to the Jiangzuo Alliance behind Mei Changsu, and hoped to use the power of the Jiangzuo Alliance to block Donghai Kingdom.
Although the Jiangzuo League is not as good as the regular army, it has been active in the fourteen states of Jiangzuo for a long time and has many masters who are good at water warfare. If it can help Meng Zhi defend the eastern border, the pressure on Daliang will be reduced a lot.
"Su Zhe's body is weak and he may not be able to withstand the turbulence of the army. Besides, I want to take him to the southern border to help."
Princess Nihuang did not want Mei Changsu to go to the battlefield.
Emperor Liang softened his tone and said harmoniously: "Nihuang, Daliang is in troubled times now. There is war on three sides. The court is under great pressure and needs the help of people with lofty ideals."
Nihuang was very embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty, could you please allow me to discuss this with Mr. Su?"
Emperor Liang said earnestly: "Okay, you go back and discuss it with Mr. Su. If the Jiangzuo Alliance can help the imperial court block the East China Sea this time, I will be rewarded generously."
Princess Nihuang left the palace with a heavy heart. When she saw Mei Changsu, she found that he was packing his luggage.
"What are you doing?" Nihuang asked in surprise.
"Pack your things and go to the East!" Mei Changsu said with a smile.
"You know everything?"
"The troops of the East China Sea invaded our country. As a former commander of the Red Flame Army, I naturally cannot sit idly by and ignore it." Mei Changsu said calmly.
Nihuang said worriedly: "Your Majesty is not prepared to give you any soldiers at all. He is obviously using the Jiangzuo Alliance to protect his country."
Mei Changsu chuckled and said, "Didn't Your Majesty promise Meng Zhi to recruit new soldiers?"
"How much fighting power can the new recruits have?" Princess Nihuang rolled her eyes.
"It doesn't matter, that's enough." Mei Changsu pulled Princess Nihuang to sit down and said:
"I must leave Jinling, otherwise King Yu and Xia Jiang will not dare to act."
Nihuang was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion: "What do you mean? Are you and Prince Jing hiding something from me?"
Mei Changsu nodded and said, "Yes, Jingyan and I are planning a big event!"
Princess Nihuang is a smart person, and she can guess something if she thinks a little.
"You want to induce Prince Yu to rebel!?"
Mei Changsu raised the corner of his mouth and praised: "You are so smart, you guessed Jingyan and I's purpose right away."
Princess Nihuang said anxiously: "Prince Jing deliberately took away most of Jinling's troops. We and Brother Meng left again. Jinling's defenses were empty. This was a great opportunity for Prince Yu to raise troops to seize power. Aren't you giving up the country?"
Mei Changsu said calmly: "If you think about it again, most of Daliang's troops are concentrated in the north, there are Lie Zhanying in the northwest, and you are in the south. In addition, Brother Meng and I are in the east, surrounding Jinling on all sides.
Even if the king takes Jinling, we can destroy him with our backhand.
Prince Jing wants to use a great chaos to thoroughly cleanse the Liang Dynasty, bring order to the chaos, and uproot all those who disobey."
Princess Nihuang took a breath and said in surprise: "This move by Jingyan is too risky! If Prince Yu ascends the throne first and takes away the name of orthodoxy, he will be a traitor and traitor.
And if you do this, it will easily affect many innocent people and cause them to suffer from war!"
Mei Changsu sighed and said: "I have also advised Jing Yan before, but he thinks that Daliang is now rotten to the core. The Jinling court is corrupt and local land annexation is serious. If there is no drastic reform, one day Daliang will be destroyed by the Northern Chongqing or the Northern Chongqing."
When swallows are swallowed and destroyed, the people will truly suffer."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Princess Nihuang asked puzzledly: "Wouldn't it be good to wait until Jing Yan ascends the throne in the future to carry out reforms?"
Mei Changsu said: "Reform does not happen overnight. It requires the efforts of one generation or several generations. It takes too long and there are too many unstable factors. Moreover, the enemy will not just watch the beams become stronger.
It is better to simply tear everything down and start over, to pull out the opposition forces first and establish a new order. After the chaos, there will be great order."
Princess Nihuang sat down helplessly and said, "If this happens, all life will be ruined. What's the difference between Jing Yan and King Yu?"
Mei Changsu smiled and said: "That's why Jing Yan wants to take control of the country's military power. When the time comes, he will counterattack Jinling with a devastating force, so that the people will suffer less and at the same time end this chaos as quickly as possible."
Princess Nihuang frowned and said: "This move is too risky. If you are not careful, you will lose everything. Moreover, what will Concubine Jing do after we leave?"
Mei Changsu said: "We have informed Aunt Jing of our plan, and she agrees. People from the Jiangzuo Alliance will take Aunt Jing away before King Yu attacks!"
Nihuang lowered his head silently, knowing that he could not persuade Mei Changsu.
…………
On the third day of June, when the war in the northern border was still raging, incidents occurred one after another in the southern and eastern borders of Daliang.
Emperor Liang first sent Princess Nihuang to rush back to the southern border to stabilize Prince Mu's palace. Then, with Meng Zhi as general and Mei Changsu as military advisor, he went to the eastern border to recruit troops on his own to resist the East China Sea Kingdom.
After King Yu and Xia Jiang got the news, they almost woke up from their dreams with laughter. As soon as Nihuang and Meng Zhi left, they immediately contacted the generals of the Imperial Army and waited for an opportunity to capture the palace and force Emperor Liang to abdicate.
The time will come soon.
On July 15th, battle reports came from the northern border. Due to the hot weather in Dayu and Beiyan, the soldiers could not adapt to the hot weather in the south and suffered from heatstroke one after another. The army led by Wang Gang resisted desperately and recaptured ten cities.
In addition, the allied forces of Dayu and Beiyan were at odds with each other and were suspicious of each other, so they had to temporarily withdraw their troops.
The northern border is temporarily stable, and good news is coming from the southern and eastern borders one after another.
The Nanchu delegation, which had been missing for many days, finally appeared. Princess Xiandai and Xiao Jingrui had safely returned to the capital of Nanchu and successfully persuaded King Sheng to withdraw.
On the eastern border, Meng Zhi and Mei Changsu cooperated tacitly and stabilized the East China Sea for the time being.
When Emperor Liang received the battle report, he laughed three times and praised King Jing in front of all the civil and military officials.
Later, the Minister of Rites proposed that after the crisis in Daliang was resolved, Emperor Liang should lead his officials to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices.
Emperor Liang nodded in agreement without thinking for a while, but did not see the proud expressions on Prince Yu and Xia Jiang's face.
After returning to the harem, Emperor Liang went directly to the queen's palace. According to the rules, the queen, as the mother of a country, must attend the sacrifice in the Ancestral Temple.
Emperor Liang came over just to give a notice and have lunch at the Queen's place.
The queen put a lot of thought into this meal, but Emperor Liang couldn't finish it after a few bites.
"Your Majesty, these meals are not to your liking. I will ask you to make them again." Queen Yan said respectfully.
Emperor Liang waved his hand and said, "Don't bother me. Recently, I have become accustomed to eating the medicinal food cooked by Concubine Jing. Now it's almost boring to eat anything."
When Queen Yan heard this, her eyes twitched, but she quickly covered it up.
"By the way, I want to discuss something with you." Emperor Liang didn't notice anything strange about Queen Yan, or even if he did, he didn't care.
"This time Jing Yan has made great contributions in the north. I am going to make him the Prince of Qizhu. According to the etiquette, Concubine Jing's status is not good enough. I plan to promote her to the title of Noble Concubine." Emperor Liang put down his chopsticks and said.
Queen Yan's hands shook and she couldn't hold the chopsticks steadily, and the dishes fell on the table.
Emperor Liang saw this in his eyes and said with relief: "It's hard for you to be in charge of the harem. I want Concubine Jing to help you share some of it in the future."
After Queen Yan asked the palace maids to clean up, she said to Emperor Liang: "Sister Jing Fei has just been promoted to the imperial concubine not long ago. Now she is promoted to a noble concubine. Isn't it a bit urgent?"
Emperor Liang said dissatisfied: "Concubine Yue was promoted faster than Concubine Jing, and you didn't talk so much at that time."
Queen Yan said with a fake smile: "I am also afraid of criticism from the courtiers."
"Humph, Prince Jing has made great achievements this time. Concubine Jing is promoted to a noble concubine. No one will object." Emperor Liang stood up.
Queen Yan quickly said: "Your Majesty, would you like to take a nap in the concubine's palace? You have been worried about the war during this period and have not had a good rest. You have lost a lot of weight."
Emperor Liang stretched himself, feeling a little tired.
"Okay, I will take a nap in your palace today."
Queen Yan was overjoyed and hurriedly asked the palace servants to make the bed. Not long after Emperor Liang lay down, he started snoring. He was indeed tired.
After Emperor Liang fell asleep, Queen Yan said to Gao Zhan: "Eunuch Gao also goes to rest for a while. When Your Majesty wakes up, I will let someone notify you."
Gao Zhan glanced at Emperor Liang with some embarrassment, especially the edict of succession placed on his body.
Seeing Gao Zhan's delay, Queen Yan was a little dissatisfied and asked, "Is Eunuch Gao afraid that I can't serve your majesty well?"
Gao Zhan repeatedly said he didn't dare and had no choice but to retreat.
As soon as Gao Zhan left, Empress Yan immediately ran to Emperor Liang and carefully took out the edict of succession that he carried with him.
King Yu was already hiding in the Queen's Palace at this time.
Queen Yan handed over the edict of passing the throne to King Yu, and King Yu took out a fake one and handed it to Queen Yan.
"Mother, please put this one back again."
Queen Yan received the new edict with a complicated look on her face.
"Jinghuan, do we really want to do this?" Queen Yan struggled.
"Mother, do you want to watch Jamel Xiao ascend to the throne of God and Concubine Jing become the Queen Mother?"
When Queen Yan heard the words "Concubine Jing", she felt bad.
"Can you spare your majesty's life?" Empress Yan still had some marital feelings for Emperor Liang.
"Don't worry, Queen Mother, I just want my father to abdicate the throne and live his old life in the harem." King Yu swore.
Empress Yan finally felt relieved and went back to stuff the edict back into Emperor Liang's body.
King Yu secretly left the palace, and when he returned to Prince Yu's palace, he and Xia Jiang took out an identical edict of succession.
"Your Highness, I have sent someone to replace the edict behind the plaque in the main hall." Xia Jiang said excitedly.
King Yu opened the two edicts of succession at the same time, and sure enough, Prince Jing Xiao Jingyan's name was written on them.
"Father really wants to pass the throne to Prince Jing." Prince Yu said unwillingly, "What on earth did this king do to him? It's because I am the queen of the Hua clan!"
King Yu directly burned the two edicts under the candlelight.
Qin Banruo comforted him and said: "Your Majesty King Yu, now we have everything ready. The only thing left is the east wind. When Your Majesty goes to the Ancestral Temple, our people will be able to capture the imperial city.
I have also arranged assassins at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to take care of the Queen by then.”
Xia Jiang stared at King Yu, wanting to see if he was someone who would achieve great things.
"My mother should want to stay with my father all the time!" Prince Yu said sinisterly: "The plan remains unchanged, I will give my mother a grand burial."
Qin Banruo expressed his understanding, and Xia Jiang was also satisfied.
"Your Highness, during this palace change, one person must not die!" Xia Jiang reminded.
"I know that Concubine Jing cannot die, and we have to use her to contain Jamel Xiao!" Prince Yu nodded.
Qin Banruo said: "Most of the generals of the Forbidden Army are controlled by us. Four of the six ministers support His Highness. In addition, the edict of succession is added. As soon as His Majesty dies, His Highness King Yu's accession to the throne will be a matter of course.
By the time everything is settled, it will be too late for Prince Jing to come back."
Prince Yu laughed happily and said, "When I ascend the throne, I will definitely not forget you two."
"Hahaha!"
"I also want to tell your highness the good news that the princess is happy." Qin Banruo said.
King Yu was ecstatic and laughed: "This child has come just in time. This is a double happiness for me!"
Although Qin Banruo and Xia Jiang were smiling, there was a coldness in their eyes.
King Yu is a mean and ungrateful person who even sacrificed Queen Yan who was like her own son to him. How can you believe what this kind of person says?
Both of them were thinking of a way out at this moment.