first minister

Chapter 307 The end of an era
The tea cup fell to the ground, and Emperor Chongning hurried out. He prayed in his heart, hoping that Gao Yi would just make a mistake.

But under the sad eyes of the bamboo forest manager, he gave up his unrealistic fantasy.

"Shang Junjie, after I leave, seal the Sixth Palace! At the same time, send a thousand imperial troops to take care of the prince's safety! No one is allowed to come in or out without my presence! Anyone who violates the rules will be punished immediately!"

He gave the order in a deep voice, and Shang Junjie, the commander of the Imperial Army, understood the importance and immediately responded in a deep voice.

"Gao Yi, use the tiger talisman to mobilize the patrol camp, seal the city gate, and meet me back to the city outside Dongsheng Gate!"

Gao Yi was also well aware of the horror that might be brewing, so he immediately nodded, turned around and hurried out.

Immediately, Emperor Chongning didn't even ask for the imperial chariot. He directly changed his clothes, mounted a fast horse, and rushed towards the bamboo forest under the escort of a group of elite forbidden troops.

I was afraid that I would be a moment too late and miss the old military god's final explanation.

He didn't encounter any problems along the way. He hurriedly dismounted and rushed into the Jiang family's mansion in the bamboo forest.

Rushing into the backyard, a middle-aged man with only one leg and a cane bowed down with difficulty.

Emperor Chongning supported him and said, "Don't be too polite. How is the old military god?"

The three words "Old Military God" are not only a tribute among the people, but have also become a reputation recognized by the government and the public.

"Your Majesty, please come with me."

The middle-aged man turned around and opened the door.

In the room, the light was just bright enough to see clearly without feeling dazzling. Amidst the strong smell of medicine, Emperor Chongning saw the old military god lying on the bed at a glance.

The old military god who once dominated the world and suppressed the world's dragons and snakes who dared not raise their heads for decades now looks like a gaunt tree, with his eyes slightly closed, his mouth slightly open, and his lips sunken inward, with more air coming in than out.

The middle-aged man walked over and said softly: "Father, your Majesty is here."

The old military god slowly opened his eyes and let out a gasping sound.

Emperor Chongning walked over and gently held the old military god's hand. This hand that once could shoot a hard bow and swing a long spear, the hand that defeated thousands of armies, was now as withered as a wood and as light as a feather. Emperor Chongning couldn't help but feel sad and whispered softly. Said: "Old Army God, I'm here to see you."

In front of this pillar of the country, Emperor Chongning has never called himself me since he succeeded to the throne.

At this moment, his hand seemed to have magical power. After holding it, the spirit of the old military god seemed to suddenly become better.

The middle-aged man turned his head silently, pursed his lips, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Your Majesty," the old military god said hoarsely, starting this last duel between the king and his ministers.

Emperor Chongning said quickly: "You said it, I'm listening!"

"Over the years, I have been dragging myself to death and suppressed some demons and demons. Now I can't drag you away anymore. I have failed the emperor's favor!"

Emperor Chongning couldn't help but get wet at the corners of his eyes when he heard this, "Old Army God, don't say that. You have done enough for me, Daxia, and my Dongfang clan."

The old military god pursed his lips and took a few breaths, "When the news of my death comes out, someone will definitely be ready to take action, and the momentum will be huge at the beginning. Your Majesty is wise and powerful, don't panic, just focus on the big ones and let go of the small ones. Strengthen your troops, step by step, there will always be a time to finish."

Saying so much in one breath, the old military god was also a little tired. He paused and continued: "Otherwise, our effective strength will be wasted. Every time we lose a battle, the rebels' strength and momentum will increase. This is It’s the scariest thing. Elite soldiers are rare, and veterans are even rarer!”

Emperor Chongning nodded repeatedly, "I understand! I must follow the instructions of the old military god."

"But Your Majesty!"

The old military god looked at Emperor Chongning with his turbid eyes, "The army is just an extension of the court. Your Majesty should know that if you want the army to be more relaxed, the court must put in more effort."

"With the court in good condition, there will naturally be fewer victims and refugees, and the rebels will become rootless water."

"The court is in good condition, and the army's food and salary rations are sufficient, so this battle will naturally be easier to fight."

"The country's current situation is still much better than it was back then. Your Majesty just needs to be careful and you can get through this."

Emperor Chongning nodded again, "I can save it, I can save it!"

The old military god tilted his head and looked at Emperor Chongning, "In my whole life, I can do nothing but fight. I have been fortunate enough to have the trust of two generations of wise kings, the late emperor and your majesty. I never had any doubts and died without regrets."

"Only Yu Hu'er is the one I can't worry about. I hope Your Majesty will take more care of her."

Emperor Chongning said quickly: "Old Army God, don't worry. Jiang Yuhu's literary, Taoist and military skills are among the best in the world. To inherit the mantle of Old Army God, I will definitely trust him as much as I do to Old Army God. I will never be suspicious of him. "

"Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this. The imperial power is supreme. I didn't take the throne because I wanted it. Therefore, the late emperor and Your Majesty both know my intentions. After all, Yu Hu'er has never been tested before, so it is normal to be suspicious."

The old military god looked at Emperor Chongning and said, "It's just that all three of my sons were ordered to serve on the battlefield. Two died and one was disabled. Now only Yuhu'er is left. If one day, Your Majesty suspects that he has too much military power, you are worried about him If it harms the imperial power, I will write an edict to him, ordering him to disarm and return to his fields, and to pass down the incense of my Jiang family. This can be regarded as the friendship between the emperor and his ministers, okay?"

These words made even Emperor Chongning, who was always very suspicious and skilled in power, feel moved and nodded heavily, "Don't worry, old military god, I promise you."

The sudden look on the old military god's face left at a speed visible to the naked eye. His voice became increasingly low and hoarse, and every word he spoke seemed to exhaust all his energy.

He turned to look at the top of his head and said regretfully: "Yu Hu'er, grandpa can't wait for you anymore."

The middle-aged man lowered his head, his shoulders trembled, and tears fell to the ground.

Then a smile appeared on the old military god's face, "The late emperor, father, Linglong, you've been waiting for a long time."

Emperor Chongning suddenly realized that the hand in his palm seemed to have an extra weight. When he raised his head again, the old military god had closed his eyes peacefully at some point.

"Old Army God!" Emperor Chongning murmured in despair, as if he were mourning his heir.

"Father!" The middle-aged man threw away his crutches, knelt on the ground with his hands on his hands, and finally cried out in pain.

Complete sadness spread out from this room like ripples, and low sobs enveloped the entire bamboo forest.

In the summer of the 24th year of Chongning, on May 88th, Jiang Qingxuan, a natural general who with an invincible appearance swept through rebellions in all directions, suppressed the Eight Wastelands and Liuhe, and forcibly continued the life of the Xia Dynasty for decades, a generation of military god Jiang Qingxuan, died in the bamboo forest Jiang Mansion, died at the age of [-].

Emperor Chongning personally paid tribute to him, ordered his officials to express condolences, buried him with royal rites, and attended the funeral in person.

At the same time, he was posthumously given the posthumous title of Taishi, with the posthumous title of Zhongwu, and was appointed to the ancestral temple and buried with him in the late emperor's mausoleum.

He even named his grandson Jiang Yuhu the Prince of Anguo County to show his comfort and trust.

The news spread in Beijing, and the people voluntarily put on mourning and took the initiative to close the market. The whole city was deserted, and every household set up sacrifices at the door to pay homage to the military god who had brought peace to the world for decades.

In the next few days, countless homing pigeons soared into the sky and arrived at the nine gates of the capital. Within a few days, there was an endless stream of messengers and riders.

When the news came out, the world shook.
-
Longshou Prefecture, Chuning County.

When Bai Yunbian found Xia Jingyun among the leaders of the Cao Gang, Xia Jingyun also got the same information from the leader of the Cao Gang, Ye Wenhe.

Even the news from the Cao Gang goes further than that from Baiyunbian. It is known that the traitor who calls himself the Great Sage of Pingtian has occupied Liangjun and the surrounding seven counties, and has started to fight against the evil king and the wicked, doing justice for heaven. Big flag.

So, Xia Jingyun hurried back to the county government office with Bai Yunbian, Ye Wenhe, and the two staff members, unfolded the topographic map kept by the county government office, and analyzed the current situation.

After briefly communicating the situation, Xia Jingyun rubbed his fingers and muttered: "There are two possibilities for this matter."

"First, it is naturally an accidental rebellion. He may be an ordinary and pure rebel who rises up when he can't survive. But there is something unreasonable about it. If they just can't survive, they will occupy the mountain and become the king. It's enough to rob merchants and travellers, but why do you dare to occupy counties, kill officials and rebel without hesitation?"

Bai Yunbian added: "And in such a short period of time, it has gained such a huge momentum. There are many powerful tycoons in the world who dare not do things. They have no confidence, and they never dare to risk the disapproval of the world. .”

Xia Jingyun nodded and continued: "So, this leads to the second possibility. There is someone behind them. They are just cannon fodder in the eyes of the other party. No one will care about the outcome of the cannon fodder, and this rebel I also got what I wanted, plus a little bit of the fearless mentality of the ignorant, so we hit it off right away.”

He looked at everyone, "There are not many people who have the ability to do such a big thing."

"It's possible that the wealthy families and high-ranking officials in Sixiang Prefecture, the local wealthy families in Liang County, and..."

Because there were two aides who didn't know the details yet, he didn't say the next words, but Bai Yunbian and Ye Wenhe both had a name in their minds: Xiao Fengshan.

If it were Xiao Fengshan's handwriting, it would be completely achievable.

Moreover, the incident happened in Sixiang Prefecture, so on the surface it had nothing to do with him.

But what is the other party’s purpose?What good can this do?

The most critical question is, under such circumstances, what should or can they do in Chuning County, seemingly hundreds of miles away from the rebels?

Everyone looked at Xia Jingyun, but Xia Jingyun pursed his lips and didn't say much. He just asked the two aides seriously about the details of the journey.After the conversation was over, Xia Jingyun returned to the Caobang Headquarters with Ye Wenhe.

Bai Yunbian excused himself that he wanted to go to Long Zhengqing to ask about some property data, and then followed him.

When he arrived at the place, he pulled Xia Jingyun and asked, "What should we do? Should we do anything?"

Xia Jingyun forced a smile and said: "As a county magistrate, you have the responsibility to protect the land, what else can you do? Just obey the instructions of the court and the superior officials, and protect the country and the people."

Bai Yunbian rolled his eyes, "You don't speak human words, do you?"

Xia Jingyun shook his head, "I really haven't thought about it, let me think about it again."

Bai Yunbian was stunned, "You haven't thought about it well?"

Xia Jingyun looked at him doubtfully, "When did I say that I had already thought about it?"

Bai Yunbian was speechless and choked, "Then why should I follow you on this trip?"

Xia Jingyun smiled and said, "I thought you really had something to do with Elder Long!"

Ye Wenhe also snickered on the side.

At night, after Su Yanyan and Qin Li fought fiercely for most of the day, they couldn't decide the winner and had to make an appointment to fight again tomorrow.

Everyone went back to the county government office with great fanfare. Su Yanyan naturally planned to live in the county government office, but she didn't expect Qin Li to ask Xia Jingyun where her room was.

The two women looked at each other and saw the persistence in each other's eyes.

At this time, Bai Yunbian who came out showed off his cleverness and said that Mingyu Tower had been taken over, and there should be accommodation inside!
Originally, Su Yanyan didn't want to live in Qin Li's home, but then she thought about it. After all, she was not married yet, so living in the county government office was somewhat inappropriate for the legitimate daughters of a top family like them.

But living together in Mingyu Tower didn't have this kind of problem. It happened that we could supervise each other so that no one would sneak back to the county office, so we agreed.

Qin Li naturally didn't care, so a sisterly relationship was staged amidst the warmth and laughter, making it look real to unsuspecting outsiders.

The accompanying team also moved into Mingyu Tower together. Watching the group go away, Xia Jingyun, who had been nervous all day, let out a sigh of relief on the spot and patted Bai Yunbian's shoulder gratefully, "Good brother, it has to be you! Thanks!"

Bai Yunbian was suddenly startled. After he realized what he was doing, he wished he could slap himself twice in the mouth, and even helped him, right?Why am I talking so much?

That night, Xia Jingyun was in the room, meditating hard on the map for nearly a night.

The next morning, when I saw Xia Jingyun's increasingly heavy dark circles and haggard look beside the white clouds, I felt a sudden realization in my heart. Just like this, what woman doesn't feel distressed when she sees it, and how can she have the nerve to make trouble? No wonder she can support him from both sides. Hug, the piano and the harp are in harmony!
Gee, it seems that men should be more cruel to themselves!

Not to mention the random thoughts beside Bai Yun, in the next two days, everyone was still immersed in heavy work.

Qin Li and Su Yanyan were so busy that they were so busy that they lay down on the table to sleep for a while when they had free time, and they didn't even bother to argue.

Coupled with the fact that Bai Yunbian couldn't stand Xia Jingyun's "hard work", he also borrowed two staff members, and finally accelerated the progress.

In the middle of the journey, news came from time to time. The imperial court decided to let the British Duke take command to quell the rebellion, which showed that it was a thunderous and powerful move to deter Xiaozhou Xiaoxiao who dared to take the lead in the world. There was still no movement in the Hezhou Mu's Mansion. Xiaozhou Mu was busy with government affairs all day long. As usual, the rebels are gathering strength and intending to advance westward, and [-] elite British soldiers have already set off for the expedition.
There are many things, but no one takes it too seriously. After all, if the old man in Zhulin is still there, the world will not be chaotic.

During the past two days, Xia Jingyun called Ye Wenhe from time to time, and the two of them whispered something quietly.

With everyone's concerted efforts, this lawsuit, which feels like a mountain, is finally coming to an end.

Xia Jingyun picked up the last petition in his hand and just looked up when a rush of footsteps rushed in. Ye Wenhe said anxiously: "Sir, something big has happened!"

Everyone in the hall was startled and looked up quickly. Xia Jingyun stood up and walked over quickly, "What happened?"

Ye Wenhe swallowed and looked into Xia Jingyun's eyes, "The Military God is gone!"

"what?"

Not only Xia Jingyun, but also everyone else in the room screamed in shock.

In the hearts of almost all people in Daxia, the old military god means peace. As long as he is alive, the world will be peaceful.

As long as he is around, the world's careerists can only hide in the shadows and dare not take the lead.

Therefore, even if the news of the rebellion in Sixiang Prefecture came out, it was only a few hundred miles away from us, and everyone could still chat with disapproval, saying that those who rebelled against the thieves did not know the heights of the world.

But now, the white jade pillar holding the sky fell, and the Great Xia Dynasty and its people fell into panic and fear almost instantly.

Fear of the unknown is human nature, and if this unknown has an inevitable negative trend, it is even more disturbing.

Whether they are Su Yanyan and Qin Li from top aristocratic families, or the two staff members from ordinary families who have only a little experience, as well as Chen Fugui and the guards in the hall who have less experience, they all have the same horror on their faces at this moment. .

Before Ye Wenhe could answer, another figure hurried in. This was Xia Jingyun's escort. He said in a trembling voice: "Sir, I heard from the merchants that the military god is gone!"

Boom!
These words were like a heavy hammer, smashing the remaining illusions in everyone's hearts to pieces.

Xia Jingyun stood in the hall, looking at the surging river water outside the Caobang rudder, with many thoughts in his mind.

He only met the old man once, but heard his name countless times.

He also met Jiang Yuhu. According to Jiang Yuhu's own words, he was not even [-]% as high-spirited as his grandfather when he was young.

How arbitrarily powerful that was, so powerful that everyone relied on him, so powerful that everyone thought he would not die and that he would protect his country forever.

"Gao Yang!"

Just as he was thinking about it, a distant call brought him back to reality.

Bai Yunbian came in a hurry, with a look of horror on his face, "Gao Yang! Just now the imperial messenger arrived, the military god has passed away!"

But everyone in the hall was dumbfounded, and they didn't even react at all after hearing his shocking news.

Bai Yunbian looked confused, "What's wrong with you? The God of War is gone!"

It was Chen Fugui who said: "Master Bai, just now Gang Leader Ye and the others have passed on the news."

When the imperial messenger arrived, there was really no chance of the matter changing.

An era has completely ended.

Xia Jingyun let out a long sigh, asked his two staff to deal with the remaining complaints, and rushed back to the county government office with his men.

Before leaving, he took a deep look at Ye Wenhe, who nodded solemnly.

Passing by the streets, as the news spread, sporadic people began to spontaneously put on mourning for the old military god.

Xia Jingyun watched silently, with a solemn expression not knowing what to think.

After returning to the county government office, Xia Jingyun, who had been thinking for a while on the road, immediately said to Su Yanyan and Qin Li: "Pack your things immediately, leave Longshou Prefecture, and rush back to the capital."

The two girls also knew that the capital was probably the most stable place at the moment, and it was the best choice to go back before the world was in chaos. But with Xia Jingyun still here, how could they be willing to leave alone.

Just as the two girls were about to speak, Xia Jingyun was the first to say, "Now is not the time for children to love each other. Even if I want to take any action then, it will be more convenient for me to be alone than to take you with me. Don't hesitate."

He looked at the two girls, his heart moved, he walked forward, took one hand and held it in his palm, silently thought about it in his mind, and said slowly: "It's my fault, I shouldn't let you leave the safe place, We are in such a dangerous place. Farewell today, I hope we can see each other soon. Lovers will eventually get married, and God will not let us down. Before leaving, let me hold your hands again and write down the words in your palms. temperature."

The random talk brought tears to the eyes of the two noble ladies from the aristocratic families, and Bai Yunbian exclaimed that he had learned something again, and Xia Jingyun finally saw the scene he wanted to see.

His expression suddenly changed, he realized it immediately, he forced a laugh again, and hugged the two girls one by one, "Okay, don't let the love between children last. Let's go quickly. Don't pack things. Leave the city immediately and ask Caobang to arrange a big boat. , we’ll talk about it when we get to the Huai River! Then we’ll leave Longshou Prefecture via the waterway!”

The two girls were not ignorant. Now that the situation was urgent, they did not do anything inappropriate to fight for favor. They nodded in unison, turned around and walked out of the county government office surrounded by guards.

Suddenly feeling a violent collapse, Xia Jingyun, who almost fainted, slowly regained his composure, watched their figures go away, and silently prayed in his heart: I hope it's too late!

But even after he learned about the death of the old military god, he immediately realized something was wrong and used his abilities, but the world played a big joke on him.

Just a moment after Qin Li and Su Yanyan left, a tremor came quietly from the earth.

The sound of horse hooves came like thunder and stopped at the gate of the county government office. The general who led the army dismounted and swept through the crowd, his eyes stopped on Xia Jingyun's face, and he breathed a sigh of relief quietly.

He immediately shouted loudly: "There is a rebellion in Sixiang Prefecture, which is close to the main prefecture. It coincides with the death of the military god. In order to prevent minor troubles, under the order of the prefect of Zhou Mu, the entire territory of Longshou Prefecture is sealed off. There is no state Mu in the whole territory. Your Majesty’s order, no one is allowed to leave across the border!”

(End of this chapter)