first minister

impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
An unbelievable roar flashed through Xiao Fengshan's heart, and he turned to stare at Dong Liang, his eyes like a tiger that chooses people to devour, "Are you sure you heard correctly?"

Dong Liang, an old dog that pretends to be powerful like a tiger, felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave under such power, and quickly knelt down on the ground, "What I said to the Prime Minister, I heard it is absolutely true. It was indeed spoken by Master Xuanhu himself."

Xiao Fengshan raised his head slightly, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, like a long sigh, and then strode away.

When Dong Liang, who was lying on the ground, heard the footsteps, he raised his head fearfully, wiped his sweat, and quickly followed.

When Xiao Fengshan's strong and tall figure appeared in the imperial study room, Dongfang Ming, who had been waiting for a long time, seemed to have found a savior. He stood up immediately and said anxiously: "Uncle!"

Xiao Fengshan nodded, "Your Majesty, the minister has roughly heard about the situation. What is the specific content of the information received by Heibingtai?"

In the second half of the sentence, he was speaking to Xuanhu, so Xuanhu took the initiative to answer: "The news received right now is that Longshou State City has definitely been captured by the rebels, and the leader of the opponent is suspected to be Yunmengzhou Baiyi The owner of the villa, Zhao Qingsheng."

"Zhao Qingsheng?" Xiao Fengshan repeated, finding the image of the famous white-clothed imperial master from his memory, and the doubts in his heart were slightly relieved.

"It seems that Yunmengzhou helped?" Although Dongfang Ming was young at the time, he was no stranger to the people around the late emperor. Hearing this, he immediately said: "Uncle, Yunmengzhou must have secretly sent an army there? Isn't that true? Yunmeng State’s defense is empty, maybe we can directly march into Yunmeng State?”

Xiao Fengshan slowly shook his head, "Yunmeng Prefecture and Longshou Prefecture are not bordered. They can send at most 2000 people to disperse and sneak into Longshou Prefecture through Guangling Prefecture. It is impossible to send many people. What's more, Su Zongzhe is still in charge. Yunmengzhou, we cannot hope that people like that will make such low-level mistakes."

He tried not to let himself sigh and muttered: "I have some arrangements for Longshou State. It is said that the situation will not collapse like this, but now it is a foregone conclusion. Let's slowly explore the reasons later. The current plan is to take back Longshou State."

He looked at Dongfang Ming and said with a serious expression: "Otherwise, the rebels can go west from Longshou Prefecture and reach the outside of Sishui Pass without any danger or pass. The dignitaries in the DPRK may want to move the capital to Xijing and use Tongguan to control the enemy. Avoiding disaster.”

Although Dongfang Ming now has a distorted personality, has no interest in national affairs, and is lustful and dissolute, after all, he is not stupid and understands the hidden meaning:
If so, it's up to two people to say whether he can still secure his throne, which is not yet secure.

After all, they have another option, which is to directly welcome the Jiaodong County Prince and save the trouble of moving the capital.

So, he said anxiously: "What plan will be implemented?"

Xiao Fengshan said slowly: "The more times this happens, the more we need to keep calm. Your Majesty allows me to think about it. I will go into the palace to discuss with Your Majesty before the meeting tomorrow. Before that, in the palace and in the capital, outside the Song Dynasty. Keep it tight and don’t show panic.”

"Okay, okay! Thank you for your hard work, uncle." Dongfang Ming realized the seriousness of the matter again and quickly agreed.

He and Xuan Hu walked out of the imperial study and stood in front of a palace. Xiao Fengshan said softly: "I want Zhao Qingsheng's most detailed information and the current detailed situation of Longshou Prefecture."

Xuanhu said in a deep voice: "Zhao Qingsheng's information will be sent to Prime Minister Xiao's house within an hour. I will try my best to inquire and collect the details of Longshou Prefecture when I get back. In any case, before tonight, I will send a more detailed content to Xiao Prime minister’s desk.”

Xiao Fengshan reached out and patted his shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work. Stay still, they can't turn the sky upside down."

After Xiao Fengshan walked away, Xuanhu looked at his confident figure, wrapped himself in black clothes, and walked out of the palace.

And the news, following their steps, spread out of Zhongjing City.
-
Yue Pingwu walked out of the Zhonghujun Yamen. Although he was still in this position, both he and the people involved knew that he would not last long.

Back then, under pressure, he promoted many sergeants from poor families or even civilians, and blocked the promotion paths that many noble disciples had planned long ago. This caused a lot of commotion. It was just because the late emperor's prestige was high enough and he was working behind the scenes. Well, these nobles can’t do anything about it.

Now that the British princes and nobles are standing up and singing, how can we let these people who care about the common people have a good life!
That is to say, there are too many benefits to be grabbed in a short period of time, and there is no time to take care of this seemingly unimportant Central Guard Army.

Many middle- and lower-level military generals who had been greatly favored by Yue Pingwu and ended their dark days and took up the positions of officers and generals had advised him, explicitly or covertly, that the new emperor had been established, so he should protect his position and find ways to go to the British Duke. Or Prime Minister Xiao voted for it, but he calmly refused.

The only word of rejection is, "If that happens, I will become those people you hated before, and those who are like you will never have the opportunity like you again."

After everyone listened, they could only remain silent.

Yue Pingwu didn't care. He even deliberately cut off friendship with many of them because he was afraid that they would be implicated in what he wanted to do.

He once thought that his life would come to an end after an effort that shook the tree like a cricket.

His luck was so good that he left a sentence in the history books: On XX day, Yue Pingwu, the former general of the Central Guard Army, assassinated the emperor in XX.

But everything changed after meeting Xia Jingyun that day.

As a result, he began to get close to some people who might be useful, consciously or unconsciously, to maintain relationships.

After returning to the mansion and sitting down, he picked up the book, looked at the guests he had arranged to meet tonight, and suddenly laughed at himself.

He thought to himself: Yue Pingwu, Yue Pingwu, were you originally afraid of death? Now that you have the road to immortality, you use it as a life-saving straw and start to follow that road to the dark side, right?
Have you ever thought about whether that young man has the ability to do such a thing?

Under the current circumstances, how could he let Xiao Fengshan and the British father leave at the same time, as he was sitting in a sleepy city and did not dare to show his face?Isn't this a foolish dream?
He turned to look at the spear in the room. Perhaps, that was the way he, a warrior who came from a humble background but was highly valued by the king, should be rewarded.

"General! Liu Shenjun is here."

As soon as the housekeeper finished speaking, a man in his thirties walked in with excited steps, "General!"

Yue Pingwu looked at the visitor, waved his hand to the housekeeper, motioning for him to leave, and then looked at the visitor, "Didn't I say you were coming at Youshi? Why are you here so early?"

The man lowered his voice, but could not suppress his excitement, "General, something big has happened!"

Yue Pingwu smiled lightly, "What's the matter?"

"The capital of Longshou Prefecture has been lost! Most of the entire Longshou Prefecture has been captured by the rebels!"

"what?"

Yue Pingwu stood up suddenly, "You didn't talk nonsense?"

"No, General, why are you so excited? Longshou State was lost, and it's not like Zhongjing City was invaded!"

The man said, after all, he was promoted in the late emperor's dynasty, and he had some old feelings for the late emperor, so he took it as good news, but he didn't expect his benefactor to be so surprised.

Yue Pingwu also immediately realized that his reaction was a bit too much. He suppressed his emotions, "No, I mean, isn't Longshouzhou the base camp that Xiao Xiang has been running for nearly ten years? Why was it destroyed by the rebels in such a short period of time?" Easily broken?"

The man shook his head and said: "I don't know, I just heard the news. Hey, general, you mentioned the situation in Longshou Prefecture. I'm afraid Xianggong Xiao has to take action personally? This Longshou Prefecture is his territory. He is doing his part!”

Yue Pingwu's heart suddenly moved and he murmured: "Yes, he should have to take action himself."
-
"This time, I'm afraid you have to take action personally, right?"

In the Xiao Mansion, several Xiao Fengshan's personal guards gathered together and chatted about the news they had just received.

"I don't know what's going on with Ma Lirong. With such a strong city defense and thousands of elite brothers, the city was breached in just a few days! What a waste!"

"Isn't that right? In that situation, if a pig leads everyone to defend it, the rebels won't be able to chew it down in a month or two!"

"But with the current situation in Beijing, can you leave, sir?"

"What are you mumbling about?" A Xiao Fengshan personal guard came over with a tray and scolded coldly: "You have nothing to do, right?"

The crowd quickly dispersed and went their separate ways.

The guard was not arrogant, but looked solemnly at the lit study and walked over with a tray.

"Sir, I just gave up the job of cooking."

"Hold the sword. You're here just in time. Go prepare your horses and gather a few trusted confidants to follow me out without making any noise."

Xiao Fengshan put down the information about Zhao Qingsheng sent by Hei Bingtai and stood up.

"Ah? Ah! Okay! Your Excellency, you have been tired and exhausted these days. Please drink this soothing soup first!"

"Put it there and let's finish the matter later."

After saying that, Xiao Fengshan walked out, and the guard had no choice but to put down the tray and follow quickly.

After a while, a team of more than ten people left the Xiao Mansion and headed out of the city.

It seemed like a commonplace operation, but no one would have thought that Xiao Fengshan was hiding in it.

The team came all the way to the bamboo forest.

Everyone dismounted and knocked on the door to see him.

Not long after, Mr. Jiang came to the door in a wheelchair and looked at Xiao Fengshan calmly, "You still dare to leave the city? Aren't you afraid of changes in the city?"

Xiao Fengshan also remained calm, "No one has the courage in broad daylight!"

Mr. Jiang sneered, "That's right, you have to do everything at night."

Xiao Fengshan was not angry at such a face-to-face ridicule. He cupped his hands and said, "I want to see the little military god."

Mr. Jiang waved his hand directly, "He will not go to Longshou State."

The expressions of the guards behind Xiao Fengshan suddenly changed, and then they realized why their lord took the risk and went out of the city.

But Xiao Fengshan himself was not surprised that Mr. Jiang could reveal his purpose in one word. He knew that if Mr. Jiang had not had the accident that year, the title of Little Military God would not have fallen on Jiang Yuhu at all. For such a It is not unusual for a character to guess the purpose of his visit. He said: "Second brother, I have taken such a big risk to come out of the city. Please let me meet the little military god."

He knew that for people like Mr. Jiang, all power and prestige were like clouds, and only friendship could move him.

Hearing this title, Mr. Jiang looked at him and sighed, "Wait a moment."

A guard next to him hesitated to speak. Erye Jiang glanced at him lightly. He was obviously a cripple with a broken leg, but that look made the guard feel as if he was being spied on by a ferocious beast as prey, and he suddenly became distracted. Trembling, he quickly lowered his head and said nothing.

Not long after, Jiang Yuhu came out and let Xiao Fengshan enter the living room.

"You want to invite me to rebel in Pinglong Shouzhou?"

When Jiang Yuhu met, he didn't say hello and asked directly.

Xiao Fengshan nodded, "I have received information. There are only a few thousand rebels in Longshou Prefecture right now. Even if the garrison from various places is reorganized, the main force will not exceed [-] if they are stationed in separate areas. With the invincible fighting power of the small army, even if Rebellion is like picking something out of a bag."

Jiang Yuhu smiled faintly, "You previously suspected that I was secretly hiding the Jiaodong County Prince, but now you are not afraid that I will directly lead the imperial troops to rebel against you?" Xiao Fengshan's expression did not change, "I believe in the integrity of the Jiang family, and I also believe that a person who can be called The belief and bottom line of a man who is a military god."

Jiang Yuhu stood up and said, "I said I would keep vigil for my grandfather for a month. Unless the troops from Beiliang come to Zhongjing City, all the big things will have to be detoured. If you can wait for me for seven days, then wait."

On the seventh day, Xiao Fengshan looked bitter.

Jiang Yuhu glanced at him, cupped his hands, and walked back to the thatched cottage.

Xiao Fengshan didn't try to stay, which meant that he had already made his choice.
-
At the British Government Palace, Lu Rusong looked at the information in his hand and stared at his attendants in disbelief, "Is this true?"

The attendant nodded hurriedly, "This is the news from the palace's informants. It is said that Master Xuanhu from Heibingtai received the report and entered the palace, and then His Majesty urgently summoned Mr. Xiao to the court to discuss matters."

The British public slapped the table angrily, "What does Xiao Fengshan do for food? He has been running Longshou Prefecture City for nearly ten years! Not to mention anything else, any prefecture city in the world, with enough defenders, can It’s impossible for the rebels to break through in just a few days! Didn’t he even know how to make some preparations after he came out?”

He has every reason to be angry. Now that the world is already in turmoil, the two states of Surabaya and Yunmeng have suddenly become powerful. The reason why the court can still maintain stability is that while Surabaya is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is difficult for rebels to come out, and Yunmeng is difficult to attack. There, they can also use the Xiangyang defense line to guard Yunmengzhou's northward path.

But Longshou Prefecture is completely different. From Longshou to the west, Sixiang Prefecture is basically a flat plain, and the defense line is very difficult to arrange. Although Sishui Pass is called a natural danger, it is only a few dozen miles away from Zhongjing City. It is possible for Zhongjing City to directly How could the imperial court remain stable when exposed to the rebel forces and people were in panic?

What's more, there are only thirteen states in the world, and now that the rebels have confirmed that they have captured almost three states, how long can the court hold on!

You have been busy planning for so long, what are you planning on?

Thinking of this, the British Duke slapped the table again, "Xiao Fengshan doesn't claim to be both civil and military!"

The attendant suddenly plucked up the courage and whispered: "Master, actually this is not necessarily a bad thing for us."

The British father turned to look at him, "If you have anything to say, just say it!"

"Master, think about it, now that the situation in Longshou Prefecture is so corrupt, does the imperial court have to find a way to clean up the situation quickly? It is impossible for the imperial court to just sit back and watch all of Longshou Prefecture really fall into the hands of the rebels, right?"

"Of course, if you remain indifferent, not to mention whether His Majesty can accept it, the civil and military dignitaries of the entire dynasty will cause a huge quarrel in Zhongjing City!"

The British Duke snorted and his expression suddenly changed, "You mean, Xiao Fengshan?"

The follower smiled mysteriously, "When it comes to going to Longshou Prefecture to quell the rebellion, in terms of ability, status, strength, prestige and familiarity with Longshou Prefecture, in the current situation, there is no other person except Xianggong Xiao. However, as soon as Xianggong Xiao left, , this is the capital city, it’s great.”

The British Duke's eyes lit up, and his expression showed natural excitement, but he immediately shook his head and said: "Some things cannot be done so obviously, otherwise they will inevitably lead to verbal and written criticism."

The attendant smiled and said: "As long as I can control Zhongjing, there are not many ways to do it. There are not many ways, such as taking the wrong medicine, falling into the water, or even getting into trouble on a horse. Anyway, everyone in the world now knows that His Majesty is a lustful person."

After hearing this, the British father-in-law was not only not angry that his daughter was included in it, but he looked happy and said, "That makes sense, makes sense! Let me plan it carefully!"

Just as he was excitedly pulling his entourage to prepare for some operations, the housekeeper came in a hurry and said, "Master, Mr. Xiao wants to see you!"

The British Duke was shocked. It was clear that what he just said could not be known by Xiao Fengshan, but he felt like he was being caught.

But when he arrived at the reception hall and saw Xiao Fengshan, this noble leader and now the most powerful person in the court had returned to normal.

He smiled and asked Xiao Fengshan to sit down, "Mr. Xiao is coming to the door now. He must not be here for dinner, right?"

Xiao Fengshan, who hurriedly returned from the bamboo forest, realized that it was almost dinner time now, but his face did not show any strangeness due to the British Duke's rush. His expression was calm, "Xiao wants to ask the British Duke to lead troops to the Dragon Head." The state wiped out the rebels.”

The British official pretended to be stupid and said, "What happened in Longshou State?"

Xiao Fengshan raised his eyes and looked at him lightly, "The rebels of the King of Jiaodong captured the city of Longshou Prefecture and took over the three counties of Huai'an, Donghai and Gaocheng. Three of the six counties of Longshou have been lost, and the remaining three counties are in danger. There may be danger at any time. If Longshou Prefecture is completely in the hands of the enemy and Sixiang Prefecture is unstoppable, the rebels will easily march in and directly threaten Beijing, so I want to ask the British Duke to lead troops to go out and wipe out the rebels."

The British Duke looked at Xiao Fengshan, as if he wanted to tell whether the man's statement was true or not from his face, but he failed. Xiao Fengshan's face was as if it had been frozen by frost, without any change in emotion.

The British Duke had no choice but to think carefully and said: "My Duke doesn't know much about the situation in Longshou State!"

"I can tell you everything."

The British man twitched his lips and finally said what was on his mind, "In that case, why don't you just go directly? You, Xiao Sanlang, are not some weak scholar. You are not bad at leading troops in battles. Everyone recognizes you, maybe when you show your face, this matter will be settled immediately? Why do I need to go to such trouble? "

Xiao Fengshan said: "I don't trust you. If you directly launch a mutiny as soon as I leave, oust His Majesty from the throne and help your grandson ascend the throne, I am far away at the head of the dragon. Isn't there anything I can do?"

Being exposed so directly by Xiao Fengshan, the British Duke immediately snorted coldly. In this case, everyone should stop hiding it, "As you said, aren't I afraid that you will act recklessly in the capital after I lead the troops to go out? What about killing the emperor’s younger brother?”

Unexpectedly, Xiao Fengshan sighed softly after hearing this, "Look, this is a dead end."

He looked at the somewhat surprised British father-in-law, "You don't believe me, and I don't believe you. One result is that the two of us will just fight in a stalemate, and then sit back and watch the rebels all over the world grow stronger step by step, and finally die together in the capital city." In trouble."

His expression changed quietly, "But the other way is that you and I will lead the army to go to war. I will go to Longshou Prefecture and pacify Sixiang Prefecture on the way. You can pick any prefecture and go to calm the overall situation and bring peace to the world. Sit tight and let's compete again."

"Mr. British, when it comes to dividing the spoils on the ground, you must first grab the spoils and hold them firmly in your hands before deciding how to divide them. Now that the pot is about to be smashed, it is useless to be so wary of each other and pull on each other!"

"Even if you can take advantage of my absence to turn the situation in Zhongjing upside down, and the powerful enemies from all directions are still there, and I will be added as a powerful enemy, do you think you can really secure that position?"

"If you don't leave, I will definitely replace both the imperial army and the patrol camp with my own people. Even if you sit in Zhongjing, what kind of trouble will you cause?"

"After the master class, you will still have the upper hand in the situation in the DPRK. Then we will take our time to fight, or you can also hope that I will die in the battle? After all, swords have no eyes, haha."

"If you are still unwilling to take this step back and are still so persistent, then when the King of Jiaodong County comes over, do you think you can continue to lead the court like this, or can you survive and become a rich man?"

"So, choose a place, and we will go on an expedition together in the future."

The British duke was silent, weighing, and finally nodded helplessly.

He was convinced by Xiao Fengshan, so he felt that he had no choice.

Among the nobles, he is quite capable, but in front of the real heroes, he is just a mediocre person.
-
The night is gradually rising, like a huge curtain, covering up the majestic glory that is usually displayed in front of the world, brewing layers of intrigues and conspiracies in the dark.

In a secret private room of a restaurant, several men were sitting and chatting.

"Have you heard? Longshou Prefecture was also captured by Jiaodong County Prince."

"So, I'm afraid there will be another relapse in this situation?"

"It's good to have repetitions! His Majesty's death was so mysterious. We are deeply favored by the Emperor, how can we sit back and watch these regicide thieves act so freely."

"Yes, the late emperor's concubine was raped before his coffin was buried. What a despicable and unethical thing it is! How can such a king be worthy of my help!"

"Why don't we contact you secretly, and then we can help you to fulfill the late emperor's love and achieve the feat of following the dragon!"

"good!"

Under the same night, in the same secret room, there were people talking.

"How's it going? Is the news confirmed?"

"Confirmed, something big has indeed happened in Longshou State. Now, I'm afraid everyone can't sit still, right?"

"Hey, no matter who is sitting on the dragon throne, when will this government be able to stabilize, and when will the people be able to live and work in peace and contentment again!"

"We all thought that your majesty has a righteous name at home, military support from outside, and Prime Minister Xiao's ability to govern the country. The throne is stable. Who knew that the prince of Jiaodong County could create such a momentum? It's really surprising."

"What's the point of being stable? Look at what His Majesty has done since he ascended the throne. Does anything look like the work of a wise king? If Prime Minister Xiao hadn't been working hard to mend the situation, the situation in this dynasty would have collapsed long ago."

"Now it seems that we should change our strategy a little and place some bets in that direction? With Concubine De, Xia Jingyun, and Mr. Su, together, the situation in this court will be much better." !”

"It's worth thinking about!"

Unlike those two places, they either took a clear-cut stand against the current imperial court, or remained neutral and followed the prevailing circumstances. In a certain courtyard in the West City, the attitude of the people was completely opposite.

This group of people who made huge profits during the uprising of the new dynasty and achieved a leap in life are not very loyal to the current His Majesty. They are just very loyal to their status and benefits that they have not yet warmed up to.

"What should we do? If Longshou State is lost, it won't be long before the army comes to Sishui Pass."

"Yes, the court should be able to find a solution, right? Longshou Prefecture is Prime Minister Xiao's old territory. If he is willing to lead troops to put down the rebellion, won't it be easy to defeat him?"

"But in this current situation, who can guarantee that there are no rebel accomplices in Zhongjing? Does Xiao Xiang really dare to go out?"

"How about we propose a proposal to move the capital to Xijing?"

"Wait and see how His Majesty and the Center respond."

"Yeah, that's right. We must not let this situation turn over again!"

The attitudes and voices of all parties were obscured by the night, turning into turbulent undercurrents under the water.

Xia Jingyun sat in the secret passage, still waiting.

The door of the secret passage was opened after several signals. Lu Yi came in excitedly and said excitedly: "Master, empress, it's done! The city of Longshou Prefecture has been captured by us!"

Xia Jingyun threw the book away and hurried forward, unable to conceal his excitement, "Really?"

Lu Yi nodded heavily, "Really, the news has spread among the powerful circles in the capital!"

"Okay!"

Concubine De and Feng Xiuyun, including Chen Fugui and other people who knew Xia Jingyun's entire plan, were equally excited.

After pulling Lu Yi to give some instructions and explain a few things to be prepared immediately, the secret passage returned to silence.

Xia Jingyun stood at the entrance of the secret passage, looking up at the night above his head. He stretched out a hand, felt the air flow through his fingers, and said softly: "The wind is blowing." (End of Chapter)