The leading cavalry deputy general pulled the flag from behind and waved it twice, "I am Zhang Xing, the first vanguard under the Second Prince, open the gate quickly!"
Fan Shicheng frowned and said coldly: "Zhang Xianfeng, the Southern Emperor once ordered that the Northern and Southern armies cannot return to the capital without an imperial decree. Why, are you waiting for an imperial decree?"
Zhang Xingqing shouted and raised the Northern Army flag in his hand, "This is the imperial edict!"
Seeing this, Fan Shicheng refused to enter the city and said directly: "No one is allowed to enter the city without an imperial decree!"
"Please retreat quickly!"
Zhang Xing and others were instantly angry, "General Fan, I advise you not to rely on your old age and neglect your old age. It is better to open this barrier!"
"At my rear is an army of 350,000 people!"
"Do you think a Niangniang Pass can stop the advance of an army of 400,000 people?"
Four hundred thousand troops!
This shocked Fan Shicheng. He was very aware of the terror of this 400,000-strong army.
His face suddenly darkened.
However, he still refused, "Sorry, you can't enter the customs without His Majesty's decree!"
Zhang Xing and others had no choice but to wait.
Now, everyone is very angry, gnashing their teeth one by one, wishing they could peel off Fan Shicheng's skin.
As a veteran general, Fan Shicheng naturally saw the truth behind it. He sighed in his heart and muttered to himself, as expected, there is a lot of right and wrong in this imperial family.
Immediately, he ordered people to send a message to the capital immediately, saying it was extremely urgent...
A few days later, the secret message from Niangniangguan reached Nanhuang. When he saw the contents, he was shocked and filled with anger.
Wow!
He tore the secret letter into pieces.
Trembling, shivering...
Xu Mingfeng brought 400,000 troops back to Beijing, which can already explain a lot of problems.
The Confederate army was defeated?
Boom!
Nanhuang punched the dragon table and said angrily: "Call the Prime Minister to me!"
"Yes!" the eunuch answered.
Not long after, Gongsun Hong walked into the side hall. When he saw the Southern Emperor, he knelt down and bowed, "Your Majesty..."
"Get up!"
Nanhuang said directly: "Xu Mingfeng has commanded an army of 400,000 and is on his way back to Beijing. He has now arrived at Niangniang Pass!"
These words made Gongsun Hongzhen's scalp numb and his eyes almost popped out of shock.
"Wha...what?"
"This... the fifth prince..."
He really didn't dare to think about it.
Xu Mingfeng actually captured Xu Minglin and included his southern army into the northern army.
"An army of 400,000 people, what should we do?" Gongsun Hong was also confused. He never expected that the Confederate army would end up like this after they attacked.
To be honest, it's hard to accept.
The Southern Emperor lowered his eyes and said faintly: "Now, the total of the imperial army and pro-army forces is only 100,000 people. There is no way they can be the opponent of 400,000 people!"
"Yes...yes!"
"This..." Gongsun Hong froze and was speechless for a moment. At the same time, he was afraid when he thought of the scene where he led troops to arrest Xu Mingfeng.
That's right, he was on the wrong team this time!
Once Xu Mingfeng successfully enters Beijing, he will definitely settle accounts with himself, and his position as prime minister will definitely not be preserved.
Thinking of this, I feel very unwilling.
Gongsun Hong hesitated for a while, "Your Majesty, I propose that we recruit troops now to resist the Northern Army!"
Nanhuang shook his head, "The new recruits will die in vain if they go up there, which is not advisable!"
"Then...should we just sit back and wait for death?" Gongsun Hong's head was buzzing.
Just like that, I fell into passivity.
The Southern Emperor's eyes were as sharp as a knife, "Right now, the 400,000-strong army has arrived at Niangniang Pass. The troops in the capital were only a drop in the bucket in the past. It seems that we can only stick to the capital!"
"this……"
Gongsun Hong also wanted to express his determination and lead the troops to retreat for the Southern Emperor, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.
Xu Mingfeng was so frightened that he did not dare to act rashly.
It was not that Nanhuang had never thought about coming forward in person, but then he thought again that it would be relatively safer to stay in the capital.
Therefore, I chose to ignore the secret message from Niangniangguan.
Of course, for now, that's all we can do, turn a blind eye.
Gongsun Hong left the imperial city.
Prepare to return to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Suddenly, a figure blocked Gongsun Hong's path.
"Who is it?" the servant shouted.
"Prime Minister, Prince Gong invites you!"
Gongsun Hong in the sedan chair rolled his eyes and agreed, "Okay..."
So, we came to Prince Gong’s Mansion.
At this time, Prince Gong was feeding the fish, with a leisurely and elegant look on his face.
When he saw the Prime Minister, he stood up and said politely, "Prime Minister..."
Gongsun Hong nodded and responded: "Third Prince, I wonder why you suddenly called me here?"
Prince Gong said calmly: "You are so anxious, has something happened?"
Gongsun Hong heard the sound, paused for a moment, and then said: "Xu Mingfeng has brought an army of 400,000 people and is on his way back to Beijing. He has now arrived at Niangniang Pass!"
"Military emergency!"
After hearing this, Prince Gong remained calm, "So that's it!"
Gongsun Hong was just pretending to be polite to Prince Gong in front of him. To be honest, he didn't like Prince Gong at all.
At this moment, Prince Gong calmly said: "Prime Minister, what if I say that there is a way to defeat the enemy?"
Gongsun Hong was a little surprised after hearing this, but he soon showed some ridicule on his face, "Third Prince, you stay in this palace all day long and don't know anything about the outside world... Besides, Xu Mingfeng brought you this time
The troops that came back are 400,000, 400,000!"
Prince Gong was not angry and continued: "Believe it or not, it's up to you!"
"If Xu Mingfeng returns to the capital, I think you people will be the ones who will suffer the most!"
"Those people who supported the prince during his lifetime..."
Hearing this, Gongsun Hong frowned, "You...what do you mean?"
Now, he felt that Prince Gong in front of him was a bit extraordinary.
He may not be the coward or incompetent that others say...
Prince Gong smiled half-heartedly, "The prince was killed, and the murderer may be the second child. Now the fifth child has been defeated by the second child. Looking at the entire imperial family, who is the most qualified to take over the position of the prince?"
Buzz!
As soon as these words came out, Gongsun Hong's heart trembled violently, "You...what do you mean? You want us to support you?"
Prince Gong said: "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
In a short period of time, Gongsun Hong had many speculations in his mind, but they were all overturned. In his eyes, the third prince, Prince Gong, was sick and the most useless one.
"I...I don't know either!"
Gongsun Hong's face was as sinking as water now.
Prince Gong did not have a definite answer, nor was he angry. He suddenly said coldly: "In this case, Prime Minister, just wait to die!"
"When the time comes, I will definitely collect the body for the Prime Minister!"
"You..." Gongsun Hong was so angry that he was cursed in front of his face, "Third Prince, don't go too far. Do you think you are as heroic as the Crown Prince and the Second Prince?"