In the inner courtyard of a mansion, several long harps were placed randomly in the courtyard.
The elegantly dressed and beautiful official ladies, perhaps tired of studying music, gathered together and exchanged secrets with each other.
"Hee hee, sister Li hasn't been preparing for her wedding at home recently. How come she still has time to come and play with us?" One of the pretty girls suddenly joked.
Sitting aside, the beautiful girl who had been slightly in a trance, when she heard this, her face suddenly turned red and she lowered her head shyly.
When the ladies on the side saw this, they all burst into laughter.
Seeing that the girl from the Li family was blushing with embarrassment, a noble lady came to her aid with a smile and said:
"Now that the situation in the southwest has become tense again, General Jingwu was ordered to lead troops in Wuling Prefecture in the southwest. Sister Li's fiancé is the second son of General Jingwu, and he is the youngest and most progressive among the noble children in the capital. Naturally, he is
We have to go to the southwest with the army. Naturally, we can only push back the marriage..."
"Wuling Prefecture in the southwest, there is another military situation? It's strange, why haven't I heard my father and brother talk about it?" someone asked curiously.
"It's just that the Yun Kingdom suddenly launched troops some time ago and captured a small city in the southwest. Although there has been no other movement since then, the DPRK and the Central Government are extremely nervous and are preparing for war."
The noble girl who spoke was obviously one of the family's fathers who were in charge of military affairs in the Xia Kingdom and had a very detailed understanding of southwestern military affairs.
Someone on the side also answered:
"Yes, His Majesty has issued an order to requisition grain, grass and military equipment and transport them to the southwest. Now my father has not been home for several days because of this. Yesterday, he came home in a hurry to freshen up, and he looked very tired!"
Although these official ladies have been in boudoir for a long time, their fathers and brothers are both high officials in the court. Even when chatting at home, they can know a lot about the trends in the Xia Kingdom's court.
"Hey, the people of Yun State are really bad! In such a peaceful situation, we can't live a peaceful life, so we have to go to war rashly!"
"Who says it's not the case... Look, our Li family's sister's marriage has been dragged down, isn't it?"
At this point, the noble daughter of the Li family was involved again. All the noble ladies laughed and laughed again.
But at this time, it was on the side.
A female musical disciple with a beautiful appearance and outstanding temperament, who is responsible for teaching them music, is kneeling down and politely waiting for the ladies to finish their rest.
At this time, she was listening to the chatter and laughter of the noble ladies, and her eyes suddenly moved.
Wuling Mansion......——
The "snap" sound of the whip, accompanied by the painful screams of people, echoed in this deep and terrifying prison.
Under the firelight, Zhong Zizhuo's fat face was covered with oil. He looked at the thin man in front of him with a ferocious look and sneered:
"Name!"
"Zhao Gu." On the torture rack, the thin man said with an air of pure gossamer.
"Official position?"
"The great minister of agriculture is an official, and he has orders within the capital."
"..."
The simplest question and answer was repeated several times. The young official Tingwei looked confused and couldn't help lowering his voice and said to the elderly official beside him:
"Why do the embroiderers keep asking such simple questions over and over again?"
The elder official heard this and said in a low voice:
"This is a common method used by embroidered clothes envoys. First, torture them severely. When they are half-conscious and confused, it is easiest to ask the truth!"
The young official of Tingwei suddenly showed a look of enlightenment.
At this time, Zhong Zizuo said sternly:
"Master Zhao, it is said that your government office is the richest government office in the world. As long as you have the ability and means, it is not much to make one hundred thousand taels of silver a year! But Master Zhao, you can secure this position as the chief minister of agriculture."
I have been in charge of the imperial capital for six years, and who doesn’t praise your methods? As a result, I tried my best to find only 380,000 taels of silver in your home, Mr. Zhao. I really don’t know, should I praise you for your integrity?
? Or are you really good at hiding money?"
The prisoner named Zhao Gu was tortured to the point of being somewhat unconscious. He lowered his head and murmured:
"No more, really no more..."
Seeing the prisoner who was still so insistent at this time, Zhong Zizhuo frowned and murmured:
"But if a civil servant refuses to explain, he is really gone. In this way, this person named Zhao can really be regarded as an upright official..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Zizuo suddenly reacted and let out a loud sigh. He almost gritted his teeth with envy and said:
"Bah, I'm confused too. What kind of upright official is he? With my salary of only a few thousand taels a year, I'm afraid I have to have been an official since Emperor Sejong until now to be able to save more than 300,000 taels of silver.
!”
The older Tingwei official on the side heard this and answered with a smile:
"Sir, the imperial court had previously been unable to make ends meet through taxation. The tax money was transferred directly to the various yamen in the court before it entered the treasury of Da Sinong. Even if he wants to do something about it, I'm afraid he has no choice."
Speaking of this, Zhong Zizuo's eyes suddenly moved, he shook his head and said:
"No, since Your Majesty asked me to investigate this matter thoroughly, I cannot be careless! Ask again and see if I can find any loopholes."
Once this reason came up, several court officials could not stop him, so they could only let Zhong Zizuo continue to torture him.
Zhong Zizhuo lashed out with the whip in his hand again, and the sound of flesh and blood exploding sounded, causing prisoner Zhao Gu to let out another scream.
"I'll ask again, your name!"
"Zhao, Zhao Gu."
"Official position!"
"The great minister of agriculture is an official, and he has orders within the capital."
"..."
"..."
There was another round of tedious and repetitive questions. The prisoner paused for a moment, then Zhong Zizuo whipped him up, beating him until his skin was torn and his body was covered in blood.
Such boring, repetitive and bloody scenes made several court officials feel uncomfortable.
Seeing this, the embroiderer on the side stepped forward in time, saying that his commander hated evil as much as hatred, was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and hated criminals who did not want to serve their country. This torture must take a while, so they were asked to go up and rest for the time being.
The officials of Tingwei came here to jointly investigate the corruption within the imperial capital. It was not in line with the rules to leave in the middle. But it was really scary to be in the prison without being able to stand up to Xiuyi, and the case was almost solved, so instead of staying,
Watching perverts being tortured and forced to confess here, why not go up there and take a break for a while.
In the end, several court officials turned around and left under the warm invitation of the embroidered messengers.
Zhong Zizuo turned around and watched the Tingwei officials leave, then turned to look at the prisoner who had been tortured to the point of unconsciousness, and asked in a deep voice:
"Tell me, before you were arrested, what were the officials in the mansion busy with?"
Zhong Zizuo's voice made Zhao Gu tremble all over, and he immediately said without thinking:
"Your Majesty has an order to raise grain, grass, supplies, gold and silver, etc., and escort them to various places on the southwest front. Wuling Mansion in particular needs to be prepared to pay attention to the supplies for an army of 200,000 this time. The officials of the government have been busy with this matter before!
"
When Zhong Zizuo heard this, his eyes moved and he asked again:
"Wuling Mansion? But there will be a war in Wuling Mansion soon?"
"No, I don't know. The mansion is only responsible for preparing food and supplies..."
Hearing this, Zhong Zizuo nodded slightly and murmured:
"Wuling Mansion..."
It is said that before the food and grass are moved, the soldiers and horses go first. To accumulate food and grass materials, doesn't it mean that there is a war in Wuling Mansion?
Thinking of this, a hint of joy flashed in Zhong Zizhao's eyes.
Hahaha, report it to the superiors quickly, now I have made a meritorious service again!——
At this time, in Zhongqing City of Yun State, in the Yangxin Hall of the Imperial Palace.
A dazzling blue light filled Xiao Cheng's sight, and immediately condensed into a card, which slowly fell in front of his eyes.
[Blue Training Card, Wanshou Daozang
Card effect: After using it, you will get Yuan Miaozong, Wang Daojian, and Huang Shang
Card Description:
Yuan Miaozong was born in the Zhenghe period of the Northern Song Dynasty. After converting to Taoism, he traveled to famous mountains and mountains, looking for teachers and visiting Taoism for more than 30 years. He lived in Nanyang and used Fu Shui to relieve people's suffering, and the value of Taoism became more and more prosperous. Later, he went to the capital in response to Huizong's imperial edict and granted him the title of Taoism.
He was named "Master Dongyou" and was ordered to enter the Sutra Bureau. He extensively collected secret formulas for saving the world and curing diseases, as well as talismans, formulas, seals, steps and tricks, and compiled them into "The Supreme Secret of Helping the Country and Saving the People"
Ten volumes, published in the world.
Martial power 71, Literature 79, Wisdom 80, Morality 83, Age 37, Dominance 40, Politics 61, Charisma 77, Loyalty 100, Ambition 53
Wang Daojian, a Taoist priest of the Northern Song Dynasty, came to Beijing during the Zhenghe period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. He was ordered to come to Beijing and lived in the Taiyi Palace. Huizong visited him to cultivate elixirs to prolong life. Daojian wrote: "Quiet and inactive, Xuan Huang is the reason for the cure; many people want to seek immortality,
The reason why Han Wu ignored meritorious deeds is that cultivation is not the emperor's business." At that time, Huizong foresaw that the country would be in trouble, and ordered Dao Jian'an to do it. Dao Jian said to the sun: "Cultivation of virtue can bring you back to heaven. As Huizong said, he did not dare to harm the country.
"Hou Li asked to return to the mountain. Emperor Gaozong first sent an envoy to Shaoxing to summon him back. When the envoy arrived, the road was already solid.
Martial power 69, Literature 82, Wisdom 85, Morality 87, Age 47, Dominance 31, Politics 55, Charisma 84, Loyalty 100, Ambition 23
Huang Shang, also known as Mianzhong, also known as Yanshan or Zixuanweng, was a famous writer and poet in the Northern Song Dynasty. He was the first Jinshi in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, and became a bachelor in Duanming Palace. The language of his poems is bright and colorful, like spring water and jasper.
It's fascinating. During the Zhenghe reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, he was ordered to work on the carving board of "Wanshou Dao Zang".
Force 99, Literature 90, Wisdom 93, Morality 83, Age 27, Dominance 59, Politics 78, Charisma 80, Loyalty 100, Ambition 41]
On the blue training card, Huang Shang's name was extremely conspicuous, and he was the only person Xiao Cheng could call familiar. And Huang Shang's force value of up to ninety-nine made Xiao Cheng's eyelids twitch.
With such a force value, combined with the training card [Wanshou Daozang] in front of him, it is obvious that this Huang Shang should be a combination of a historical figure and a character in a martial arts novel.
The reason why this card can be ranked in the blue level is probably because of Huang Shang's existence.
Xiao Cheng felt inexplicably emotional at this time. He never expected that the famous minister with the highest force value he had gained so far was actually a civil servant...
Xiao Cheng couldn't help but shook his head slightly, and with a thought, the blue card immediately shot straight into the sky, turning into three rays of light and escaping.
"Where is the person? He hasn't arrived yet!" Xiao Cheng came back to his senses, held the two military reports in his hands, and asked the little eunuch beside him.
When the young eunuch heard this, he quickly said:
"Slave, go take a look!"
Not long after the young eunuch ran out of the palace, he led Feng Bao and Guo Xie into the palace.
The two of them knelt down on the ground and said in a deep voice:
"Servant Feng Bao (Chen Guo Xie), pays homage to Your Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng nodded and threw the military report in his hand casually. Using the inner strength of his arms and fingers, he sent the two military reports into the hands of the two of them.
"One is a military report sent by Wu Zixu's troops in Yixian County. The Xia army has stopped the fine cavalry and has recently harassed Yi County, hindering the dredging of local rivers. The second one is a military report sent by Di Qing's troops in Hechi County. Xia's troops have troops in Yongzhou.
Mobilizing, with unknown traces and nowhere to go, is most likely a sign of wanting to mobilize troops elsewhere!"
After receiving the military report, Xiao Cheng immediately summoned Feng Bao and Guo Xie, who were in charge of the two major secret service agencies. Apparently, he wanted to find out from them the reason for Xia's unusual movements.
When Feng Bao heard this, he quickly bowed and saluted, saying:
"Your Majesty, I have just received an urgent report from Jinling City. The Xia Kingdom's imperial court has dispatched Xia Kingdom's veteran general Sun Qianfang, a respected military general, to lead troops to Wuling Mansion to take charge, as if to spy on Dejiang County!"
At this time, Guo Xie also opened his mouth and said:
"Your Majesty, our Shangyu Preparatory Office has also received news that the Xia Kingdom has accumulated countless grain and supplies in Wuling Mansion. It seems that it is indeed launching troops!"
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng nodded and said:
"Wuling Prefecture is under the control of Shaoyang County, and it relies on Shaoyang County and Anshun County. From now on, if we send troops, we can directly attack Dejiang County! Once Dejiang County is captured, the waterways of Yixian County will be completely dredged, and it will no longer be able to threaten Xia Kingdom!
This proactive attack is in line with the concept of offense as defense in the art of war!"
"And Wu Zixu's tribe in Dejiang County has a total of less than 30,000 troops. It is the weakest among the three front lines. It is not surprising that Xia Guo has ideas!"
Having said this, Xiao Cheng's face darkened and he said loudly:
"According to my order, 5,000 elite troops were stationed in Xiushan County and 8,000 elite troops were stationed in Shicheng County. A total of 13,000 soldiers and horses were sent to Dejiang County to serve. I also ordered Di Qing to dispatch 20,000 soldiers and horses to assist in the defense of Dejiang County.
flank!"
Having said this, Xiao Cheng pondered for a while.
Today, the Xia Kingdom has also gathered the power of national destiny. Moreover, the fact that the elite army can gather visions has spread throughout the world, and few people will regard this as a miracle anymore.
Therefore, the subsequent wars will not be as devastating as the first. Therefore, if the Xia Kingdom mobilizes an army of 200,000, I am afraid that Wu Zixu will use troops again. With only less than 30,000 soldiers and horses in hand, he may not be able to win a good deal.
!
Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng no longer hesitated and immediately continued:
"Today, there are still 40,000 soldiers and 20,000 cavalry in the camp on the outskirts of Beijing. The 10,000 soldiers who were left to guard the capital, and the remaining troops and horses, have all been transferred to Dejiang County to be controlled by Wu Zixu!"
In this way, adding up the bits and pieces, Wu Zixu had nearly 90,000 troops under his command!
The Yun Army has elite soldiers and horses, coupled with Wu Zixu's military skills, even if the Xia Army really scrapes together an army of 200,000, it may not be impossible for them to encounter him!
When they heard that only 10,000 soldiers and horses were left to garrison the capital, Feng Bao and Guo Xie immediately hesitated.
"Your Majesty, do you want to discuss this with the courtiers?" Feng Bao said hesitantly.
Xiao Cheng also understood that the two of them were worried, which was that the capital was empty and they could not feel at ease.
However, when his eyes moved and looked at the golden Ceka [Heavenly Murderous Intent] that he had drawn previously in Goldfinger's backpack, he suddenly became determined, shook his head firmly, and said:
"Just do it!"
"yes……"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I was fishing at work today and wanted to draw a map, but it was too ugly...
Let me tell you for your reference. I don’t know if typing real place names here will be blocked.
Wuling Prefecture is Changde, Xingyuan Prefecture is Hanzhong, Yongzhou is Yongzhou in Hunan, Jiangcheng Prefecture is Wuhan, Jiangling Prefecture is Jingzhou, Yuezhou is Yueyang, and Yixian is Yichang.
I am actually not a professional, I just use real maps and historical battle examples as reference. If there are any map bugs in the subsequent war plots, please forgive me.