Devil’s Advent

"Because the minister is there."

This is said very confidently.

Once upon a time, Uncle Hirano of Dayan, the little barbarian prince, Nian Yao, the general of Chu State, and Zhong Tianlang of Qian State were called the four heroes of the next generation.

But now, no one is obsessed with this statement anymore, even the dry people will not mention it again.

Literati can rely on flattery. After all, at any time, literati have been playing highbrow things. If you brag in your own circle and praise each other, it is difficult for outsiders to comment. If you dare to comment, it means that you have no eyes and can’t produce good works. .

However, military commanders cannot stand by purely relying on flattery. What's more, the military commander's achievements can really stand up to boasting, not in the field, but in the external battlefield.

It is said that the little barbarian prince fought many disobedient tribes in the desert, but firstly, the desert is too far away from the eastern countries, and secondly, his self-deprecation to His Majesty Emperor Dayan was too detrimental to his image.

Zhong Tianlang once occupied several Yanren Fortresses on the border, but when the First Prince came to Nanwang City, Zhong Tianlang also settled down there, quite a sense of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

In addition to capturing a few princes in the country, General Nian Yao's greatest achievement in foreign wars was relying on Zhennan Pass and once played chess with the Marquis of Jingnan.

Everyone in the world knows how difficult it is to play chess against Jingnan Hou Tian Wujing, but this foreign record sounds a bit aggrieved.

Only Uncle Zheng,

Three hundred rode down Mianzhou City, beheaded the magistrate and left;

Qianqi went deep into the hinterland of Qianguo, killed King Fu and left;

Three thousand riders followed Li Fusheng into a town to enjoy the snow outside the capital;

Thousands of horses rode thousands of miles to raid the Duoxue Customs, ruining the main force of the savages in one fell swoop.

Because the Marquis of Jingnan was not popular among the people, there were a lot of folks who praised Bo Hirano, and what's more, there were rumors that the more generals, the better.

For the big bosses of the Great Yan Chaotang who were present, they had already passed the age of enthusiasm. If it is said that officials are divided into grades, they have already stepped into the immobile state.

This is not bragging, but how the Tibetan master of Qianguo led his disciples to practice meditation in the early years. He once took a group of disciples to Beijing and entered the Imperial Academy.

The Imperial Academy of Qian Kingdom can be described as extremely honorable, but if you want to have a successful career in the future and hope to aspire to the position of minister, you must go through the Imperial Academy for a while.

The Hanlin people are practicing penance in the Hanlin for the future Zhu Zigui and Qingliang Umbrella,

And the Qi refiners watched them penance into meditation in the cubicle;

What's more, Master Zang said in person that the state of mind of the princes in the current dynasty is only higher than him.

The adults in the imperial study room are equivalent to the ministers of the Qian Kingdom. They don't like Meng Lang, they only like to govern a big country like cooking a small fish, they want to seek stability, and they also dislike this kind of too radical color.

But facing Uncle Hirano's words,

There was no disturbance in their hearts.

In the end, it was the high officials who were promoted by Yanhuang himself after the horse stepped into the gate. Because of the monopoly of power and the stability of the monarchy, when selecting these high-ranking officials, Yanhuang did not have to think too much about political balance, nobles and scholar-bureaucrats like other emperors in other countries. Factional entanglements.

Therefore, this group of officials may have different personalities, and they may have some personal hobbies in private, but when it comes to right and wrong, they stand with Emperor Yan.

Previously, many people have stated the reasons.

But Uncle Hirano's reason seemed simple and rude, but it made everyone feel that it was the most tenable.

This young uncle of Dayan has indeed never lost a battle since he joined the army, and all the battles he participated in were great victories, and he was best at using small things to make big gains.

Of course, besides him, there was also the Marquis of Jingnan standing behind him.

With the current situation in Dayan, to start a national war forcibly is really a gamble. If you win, even if there are still problems, but at least you can maintain the stability of the society in general, and if you lose, the society will be in danger of being overthrown .

so,

The thoughts in the minds of the bosses now, after Uncle Zheng's words were uttered,

It turned into:

Since it's a gamble, why not someone who has good luck and never lost?

Military affairs are not child's play;

The major events of the country are sacrifices and military affairs;

But everyone just couldn't help thinking about that, if nothing else, it's auspicious.

At this time,

Xu Qiutai said:

"Your Majesty, the King of Zhenbei needs to guard Beifeng County. The court will not transfer him away unless it is absolutely necessary. If the country is to be fought, the commander-in-chief must be the Marquis of Jingnan.

Therefore, I believe that attacking Chu should be the first. "

This time, Xu Qiutai, who was the order of the minister, directly killed Jingnanhou with one bite.

Because the last time the army of the Eastern Expedition was led by the eldest prince, something went wrong, which led to the defeat of the left army and heavy casualties.

Although there is nothing wrong with the eldest prince's command and actions, and victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs, but everyone knows that if the Marquis of Jingnan was invited to take command immediately, the first defeat of Wangjiang would not have happened.

Your Majesty wants to start a national war, and we agree, but there are some things that His Majesty must know in his heart.

Emperor Yan's gaze sank slightly.

He could hear the implication of Xu Qiutai's words, he was worried that if he attacked, he would let the eldest prince lead the army again, or lead the army in the early stage.

but,

Emperor Yan was not angry, because it was his own son who failed to live up to expectations.

In this national war, the commander must be Tian Wujing, because Li Liangting's health is not good, and he is not suitable for running back and forth again.

so,

Under the premise that it must be Tian Wujing's commanding troops, it is the most appropriate choice for him to send troops from the Three Jins to attack Chu immediately. After all, the military power in the Three Jins has already fallen into Jingnan very early. Hou is in control.

On the way to Beijing before,

The best proof is that Bo Hirano can directly dispatch the camps outside the city of Yingdu with the order of the Marquis of Jingnan.

finally,

Emperor Yan nodded,

road:

"Tomorrow's court meeting, start the battle first, and then directly attack Chu."

Below, all the court leaders kowtow together:

"The minister waits to obey the order."

"The minister waits to obey the order."

The meaning is very simple. The theme has been determined today. After you go back, you will communicate with your respective forces. Tomorrow, everyone will determine these two policies together and take a formality.

In fact, Yanhuang's words, like the previous prince's words, are detrimental to the image of the "sage".

It is obviously inappropriate to speak so clearly and straightforwardly about this kind of black box manipulation and control of the government.

But the big guys dare to criticize and question the prince,

But no one dared to question Emperor Yan.

"Let's stop here, Zheng Fan stay."

"The minister waits to leave."

"My son will leave."

The adults and the two princes left.

Wei Zhonghe led a group of eunuchs to remove the chairs, but left one behind, and moved that chair forward, signaling Uncle Zheng to sit closer to His Majesty.

The emperor has a lot of things to do every day, where there is no saliva wasted every day on "granting a seat", "giving tea" and "sit closer", it still has to be conveyed by this personal eunuch.

Uncle Zheng sat down,

Yanhuang stood up and left the imperial case.

The emperor stood up, and Uncle Zheng could only stand up again.

"I haven't seen you for a long time."

"It has been more than two years since I returned to His Majesty."

"Well, the days go by so fast."

"Although I haven't seen Tian Yan again in the past two years, but the mighty grace of Heaven always accompanies me."

After hearing this, Emperor Yan smiled and said;

"It's hard for you. He's obviously a general, but he speaks nice words better than those sycophants."

"..." Zheng Fan.

"Zheng Fan, tell me, do the times make the heroes, or do the heroes make the times?"

"The minister thinks that both are possible."

"I don't like to hear ambiguous answers from my courtiers."

"Your Majesty, forgive me. I don't mean that. For me, the times make heroes. If it wasn't for His Majesty, who is wise and mighty, to open up to the outside world, I would naturally not be able to rely on military merits to confer titles. Maybe, it's just a Guizhou leader now, or still Be a captain and guard in Tiger Head City or Green Willow Castle;

But for His Majesty, it is heroes who make the times.

The national war is decided by His Majesty's thoughts, thousands of tigers open up territories for His Majesty, and the ebb and flow of tides are all controlled by His Majesty's thoughts. "

Emperor Yan pointed to Wei Zhonghe who was waiting by his side,

road:

"study."

Wei Zhonghe immediately laughed and said, "The slave has been learning."

"Zheng Fan, it's just me and you now, tell me how hard it is to fight this Nanguan Pass."

"Returning to Your Majesty, the city wall of Zhennan Pass is towering, and there are many troops stationed there. The people of Chu are also earnestly managing it. It is really difficult to break through Zhennan Pass."

"It's hard, but you patted your chest and promised me."

"Returning to Your Majesty, I have always despised the enemy strategically and valued the enemy tactically."

Emperor Yan savored this sentence carefully, nodded slowly, "It's interesting."

"So that His Majesty will know that Zhennan Pass is like a thorn in the throat of Jin. If you don't pull out this thorn, Jin will be in trouble."

"I know the importance of Zhennan Pass, but I know better that there is no wall in this world that cannot be conquered. I believe that you can do it, and I also believe that Wu Jing can do it.

You fight on the front lines,

what i can do,

It is to sit in the capital and protect you from worries. "

"The minister will definitely do his best, and he will never hesitate to die!"

"Come on, tell me in detail, what kind of scenery is the regent of Chu State and the official family of Qian State?"

Only then did Uncle Zheng understand that Emperor Yan asked him to stay. He said that Zhennanguan was just mentioned in passing. The real reason was that Emperor Yan wanted to understand his two colleagues through himself.

"Your Majesty, which one should I talk about first?"

"That official from Qianguo, I heard he is very good at taking care of himself?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, the official of the Qian Kingdom is really good at taking care of himself. He should have practiced some meditation methods. When I saw him, he was wearing a Taoist robe with his body half exposed."

"How is his character? Compared with me, how is it?"

"The minister is terrified."

"Just be blunt. I forgive you for your innocence. Don't ask your mother-in-law to tell the truth."

"Yes, I believe that the official of Qianguo can be regarded as a wise master. He is extremely clever in both heart and means. Compared with you, Your Majesty, I feel that he lacks your majesty's mind and spirit." boldness.

Your Majesty is the hero who created the foundation for all generations, and he is the guardian of Chengming. "

"Then, where is the regent of the Chu Kingdom?"

"Back to Your Majesty, he, young."

As an emperor, the regent of Chu is undoubtedly young.

Moreover, there is also a spirit beside the King Regent of Chu State, that is to say, the King Regent of Chu State is himself a practitioner.

Yan Huangpin smacked these two words,

Let out a sigh.

young,

If he can be ten years younger,

If Li Liangting is also in his prime,

this world,

How difficult is it to completely settle down?

"I know, you can step back, the day after tomorrow, you can leave Beijing and go back."

"The minister obeys the order."

"Do things well, I, and I will pay off the meritorious officials."

"I understand."

When he came out of the palace, Zheng Fan found Eunuch Zhang's carriage waiting at the gate of the palace.

Ji Laoliu went to the household department after leaving the imperial study, and the carriage was temporarily unavailable.

This carriage actually meant that the nearby experts protecting the carriage were also ready. After all, Zheng Fan knew that Ji Lao Liu was not bad at all when it came to saving his life.

After Uncle Zheng got into the car, Eunuch Zhang asked courteously:

"Uncle, are you going back home?"

"Prince Jin's Mansion."

Eunuch Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said: "This servant understands."

actually,

The last time I went to see the Third Prince, Uncle Zheng planned to visit the Prince Jin's Mansion, but at that time there was a Juggernaut sitting beside him.

Right now, it happens that Ji Laoliu's masters are protecting him, so he can watch it safely.

They are all old acquaintances. After I come to Beijing, I have to pay a visit.

Prince Jin's Mansion is located on Dongsan Street. To the west is the Yamen of the Inspection Department, and to the east is the Yin Yamen of Yanjing Prefecture. It can be said that it is heavily guarded.

Of course, apart from this, Emperor Yan did not treat King Jin's family harshly. On this point, Emperor Yan has always been generous.

In Prince Jin's mansion, there are hundreds of maids and servants, who are supported by Dayan's inner treasury every year, and it is not a problem to maintain a luxurious life.

Except for the festive occasions when King Jin was required to show his face in formal attire, Emperor Yan never issued an edict to announce his entry into the palace.

The gate of Prince Jin's Mansion is very grand, and there are many guards in front of the gate.

When Eunuch Zhang drove the carriage to the gate of the palace, a row of soldiers immediately came down and surrounded the carriage.

King Jin, he was already under house arrest in the mansion. He gave you glory and wealth, but it was impossible to give you freedom, and no one in Yanjing would visit him.

Even His Majesty would not treat him like a monkey, and gave the most basic face. Even if the other princes and ministers wanted to show off their might, how would they have the guts?

When Uncle Zheng got out of the carriage,

The surrounding soldiers knelt together:

"See Uncle Hirano!"

"See Uncle Hirano!"

This golden armor is indeed highly recognizable.

Today, Uncle Zheng is still wearing golden armor because he is going to enter the palace to face the saint.

"Bember, just came out of the palace."

Uncle Zheng has already gained experience in the matter of pulling tiger skins. He just came out of the palace, but he didn't come to see Prince Jin's family according to the order, but the meaning is actually the same.

In Jin, Uncle Zheng was used to it, but in Yanjing, he didn't restrain himself much. The reason is that he has rare goods to live in, can fight and do things, and is proud of being favored.

Even if Emperor Yan knew about this matter, he wouldn't take it seriously. When he was using himself, nothing mattered;

And when I really want to pinch you,

Even if you bathe and burn incense at home and pray for the longevity and well-being of Emperor Yan every day, it will cure you of the sin of cursing the emperor.

When the surrounding soldiers heard the words, they retreated immediately, and the leading lieutenant immediately ordered his subordinates,

"Open the door!"

The door of the mansion was opened.

But the captain stepped forward, kicked his subordinate, and cursed again.

The gate of the mansion was closed again, and then, the main gate was opened.

The one that was opened earlier was the side door.

"Uncle, please."

Zheng Fan shook his head with a smile, got out of the carriage anyway, and went directly through the main entrance without letting the carriage.

In Prince Jin's Mansion, the flowers and plants are flourishing, and the garden is well maintained.

A group of servants were alarmed by the sound of the door opening and rushed over.

"Trouble to report to His Royal Highness King Jin, just say that an old friend is visiting."

...

Uncle Zheng was arranged in the living room by the servants of Prince Jin's Mansion, and served tea.

wait a while,

He heard footsteps coming from outside the hall.

but come in,

Unexpectedly, it was not King Yu Ciming of Jin, but the Empress Dowager Jin in a red dress.

Uncle Zheng immediately stood up and saluted:

"Meet the Queen Mother."

"I heard from my subordinates that a general in golden armor came to the mansion, and Ai's family guessed who it was. If you don't look at it, it really is you, Uncle Hirano."

"Queen Mother, where is His Royal Highness King Jin?"

There's no reason for a woman to entertain guests.

"Unfortunately, yesterday was the day to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao, and the prince needs to serve the ancestors behind closed doors for three days."

"It's quite a coincidence."

"..." Queen Mother.

Uncle Zheng sat down again and asked, "Queen Mother, how is your life in Beijing?"

"Life is very good, His Majesty has given us enough dignity."

"Um."

Zheng Fan nodded and looked around. He knew that there must be many secret agents in this mansion, so it was inconvenient to say some things.

scene,

It also cooled down.

The Queen Mother broke the silence and said, "The Ai family has to thank Uncle Hirano for helping us drive out the savages in Jin and save the people of Jin from suffering."

"That's what I should do."

Then,

There was another awkward silence.

Queen Mother said:

"Uncle Hirano came here this time, what he did..."

"Oh, I don't have many acquaintances in Beijing, and it's rare to come back once, so I just want to visit."

"So that's the case. In fact, there are no guests in the palace on weekdays."

Then,

Continue to be cold.

Uncle Zheng was sitting so uncomfortable that he could only stand up and prepare to leave.

Seeing this, the queen mother also got up and was ready to see her off.

She shouldn't have come out to meet guests, but firstly, Yu Ciming was still retreating in the temple of the palace, and secondly, all the guests who could enter the palace were not ordinary nobles.

"Then, I'll take my leave. I'll send someone to send some Jin local specialties later."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Is there anything the queen mother needs, and Ben can send it to you."

The Empress Dowager's face suddenly turned red, and she hurriedly shook her head and said, "No need, no need, there is nothing missing here."

"Well."

Uncle Zheng walked out of Prince Jin's Mansion and got back into the carriage.

"Tsk tsk..."

This is boring.

Uncle Zheng felt a little unfulfilled.

"Uncle, what's next?"

"Go home."

"Yes, uncle."

The carriage went out from East Third Street, and at the intersection, I met another carriage, and the driver was Little Eunuch Zhang.

Opening the curtain, the blind man got out of the carriage and got into Zheng Fan's carriage.

"Has the lord gone to the Jin Palace?"

"Well, let's go and see, how about you?"

"Subordinates are going to see my father-in-law."

"Oh, yes, you still have an old man in Beijing."

"Does the lord want to go with his subordinates?"

"Go and have a look, it's also an old friend."

"By the way, my lord, I haven't asked you about the results of the Imperial Study Room today?"

Uncle Zheng smiled,

road;

"Ready to fight."