Yi Song

Chapter 247 Night in Lingzhou
Brother Richard was restless.

In the past two days, he not only confirmed that the imperial brother really wanted to flee west to Liangzhou, but also learned more details.

Since the fire at Shendui Station, the war has been unfavorable, and the harem and ministers have been trying to persuade the emperor's brother. The final word was that after the Battle of Yanzhou, the emperor's brother prayed to the respected monk Daoyuan for blessings and the will of the Buddha.

Then Monk Daoyuan made the imperial brother make up his mind in a few words.

Brother Richard also knew that these harem and close ministers had been in frequent contact with certain mysterious figures recently, and several highly respected monks, including the most trusted monk Daoyuan, were also suspected.

After Liu Erlang took control of Shaanxi, the contacts between the eminent monks there and the eminent monks at home quickly became closer.

After thinking quietly for two days, Brother Richard somewhat understood Liu Erlang's purpose of doing this.

The birds are gone and the bows are hidden, the rabbits are dead and the dogs are cooked.

Liu Erlang wanted to keep the emperor brother and others in Liangzhou, but he had to run away.

Liangzhou is a place of death, there is no doubt about it. Going to Liangzhou alone would be a dead end.

There were countless tributes of flowers, fruits, and animal sacrifices. Now is the time for Cage City to hold on. Food and supplies are most in short supply, and they are wasting them without regard to cost.

Poor old uncle, he has believed in Buddha and worshiped Buddha all his life, but he was actually scolded by two juniors who did not worship Buddha on weekdays, but just recited poems and composed poems. He was not pious to Buddha.
These two people wore monk robes, ate fasting and chanted Buddha's name day and night for the past two days, and they lost a lot of weight. Everyone who has seen them said that the two people's sincerity in worshiping the Buddha is rare in the world. The Buddha will definitely be moved and send down boundless magic power.

Brother Richard was originally going to leave two days ago, but he couldn't bear to leave his lovely wife, concubine, son and daughter at home. He sent people to sneak into Xingqing Mansion early, asked his family members to take advantage of the chaos and leave the city, and lurked in a small castle to the north, waiting to meet him.

The outcome is obvious. In order to keep the throne, the emperor brother does not mind sacrificing his half-brother to heaven.

Now I have been waiting for confirmed news from there.

It’s really ridiculous!

But during the two days of waiting, Brother Richard was frightened and anxious.

Now that war is approaching, eminent monks and novice monks should be gathered together to hold water and land Dharma gatherings to chant sutras and worship the Buddha. When the Buddha senses it, he will naturally use the boundless Dharma to exert great power to disperse the war and restore peace.

Most of the country has been lost, and most of the powerful people have left their homes like lost dogs. What a resentment. Someone must take responsibility.

The biggest monsters among them are Li Renzhong and Xie Dong'an. The two have similar odors and collude together to do many unbelievable things.

He is not only the governor of Lingzhou, but also the leader of a Han family in Xia Kingdom. What worries Brother Richard even more is that the Han family is very powerful in Lingzhou.

So I had to run, run north.

Such ridiculous words were believed by two scholars, Hanlin, who were well-read in scriptures.

Then everyone went around, and all the monks in the city were called together. If the number of people could not reach the required number of "eight hundred Arhats", a man with short hair would be shaved off, put on a monk's robe and stuffed in to make up the number.

But the one who makes Brother Richard most uneasy is Xue Gongsu.

He even rebuked Wei Mingda and asked him if he didn't believe in Buddha.

Either the imperial brother or himself.

What they are doing now is that the two of them have listened to someone's advice, saying that the whole country of Daxia worships Buddha and is a Buddhist country on earth.

Wei Mingda couldn't stand it anymore and scolded them a few times. They also said plausibly that the Buddha would bless them and calm down the war. So what if it cost a little?

There is the only way to survive. There is a vast sea of ​​grassland with countless herdsmen, cattle and sheep. Liu Erlang could recruit an army of cavalry there, but couldn't he?
Maybe if you leave the constraints of Daxia Kingdom, you can break out of a new world.

Could it be that if the country is about to perish, evildoers will appear?

The land between Lingzhouchuan and Ding, Huai, Jing, Shun and other rivers is one of the granaries of the Xia Kingdom.

When it comes to farming, of course the Han people are the most powerful, so Han families are gathered in Ling, Huai, Jing and other states, and their influence is complicated. At this turbulent time, there is no guarantee that they will not have other thoughts.

The city of Dingzhou in the north fell when it was said that it had fallen. If there was nothing fishy in it, Brother Richard would never believe it.

Maybe it was a Han family asking for directions. Dingzhou City was given to the Song Army to see how Liu Erlang would react. If handled properly, it would be a reassurance to the Han families.

Judging from Xue Gongsu's performance, they seemed to have received reassurance.

The Han family had capital. They controlled a large amount of land and had a large number of tribes and people. Liu Erlang had to rely on them if he wanted to quickly stabilize the old land in Hexi.

Xue Gongsu also had capital. In addition to land and population, he was also famous in the Xia Kingdom for having daughters.

The youngest daughter beside him now, named Xue Jinchai, is said to be the most beautiful among the six daughters. Even the emperor brother couldn't help but tried several times, but Xue Gongsu kept selling her at a high price.

Now as a worldly treasure presented to Liu Erlang, wouldn't it be a big deal?
It's just that if a Han family wants to surrender, it must submit a certificate of surrender. Isn't it the best certificate of surrender to wait for a party noble?

During the wars in Yanzhou and Weizhou, most of the soldiers and horses of the Xia Kingdom and Fan tribe were destroyed. Most of the soldiers and horses in Lingzhou City belonged to Han families. I and others were in danger and needed to make a decision early.

I have wanted to leave for a long time, but the news of the Xingqing Mansion family members has not come back yet, how can I leave?
Wait somewhere else?
Now there is war and chaos everywhere, where can there be peace? Once lost, they cannot be found. Thinking of these troubles, Brother Richard walked around the room dozens of times with his hands behind his back.

"Your Majesty!" Li Wanjuan announced at the door.

"what's up?"

"Someone wants to see you."

"Who?"

Li Wanjuan hesitated, "The person who came here refused to say it clearly. He just said that he came from the east?"

East? Sent to persuade him to surrender?

Brother Richard's eyelids twitched a few times, and he hesitated and said, "Please come in."

The visitor was dressed as a monk - well, monks are now highly respected in Lingzhou City. Many anxious people place all their hopes on the Buddha, and naturally respect the monks who can communicate with the Buddha.

"The poor monk has met the king when he saw his nature."

"Are you from Song Dynasty?" Brother Richard said straight to the point.

"Yes."

How brave to admit it directly.

But so what if you admit it? Many people in the city now feel that they should be from the Song Dynasty.

"What's the matter?"

"I advise the king to leave quickly."

"Leave? Why are you leaving?"

"Xue Governor and others have made an appointment to present the city at five o'clock tomorrow morning. If the king doesn't leave now, when will he wait?"

Damn it, I never expected that.

Brother Richard didn't know what to say for a moment.

Jian Xing continued: "The reason why the king is lingering is because he is worried about his family members in Xingqing Mansion. According to the information we have learned, Li Qianshun secretly ordered that the king's family members should be kept in Xingqing Mansion and handed over to the guardian of Xingqing Mansion, Weiming Anhui, to take care of them."

Brother Richard's face turned pale, Brother Emperor, you are so cruel.

"We worked secretly. The total number of the royal family members, including nine women, six children, and the remaining fifteen, together with fifty-seven maids, left Xingqing City last night and hid in Anning Fort, forty miles north of the city. , waiting for the king to meet."

Brother Richard's eyes widened, and he sighed after a while: "You are so clever."

"In times of turmoil, people are panicked, and some things can be easier to handle. They just let a few dozen people out of the city. They let hundreds or thousands of people go, and they don't care about these dozens anymore."

He still had a kind look on his face, and his tone of voice was calm.

Brother Richard was depressed and sad, "I didn't expect that everything was planned by you."

Jian Xing said: "Your Majesty, you should continue to suffer the rebellion. There is still time, enough for the King to gather his family and flee north. However, the poor monk reminds the King. People talk too much. If other people are alerted, I am afraid that even the King will not be able to escape. Lost."

Brother Richard stared hard at Jian Xing, but the monk was not afraid at all and his face was calm.

Damn guy!
Brother Richard closed his eyes in pain, and after dozens of breaths, he opened them suddenly.

"Okay, I will take the personal troops and leave the city quietly at the next watch without disturbing others."

At the first watch, Brother Richard quietly left the north gate of Lingzhou City with three hundred soldiers and crossed the Yellow River to go north.

Not far north of Shunzhou, across the Tanglai Canal, I saw a faint team on the west bank heading south rapidly.

This is the royal brother's team.

Although he may have gone south long ago, thousands of concubines, palace guards, family members of powerful people, and tens of thousands of guards cannot all be evacuated in a day or two.

This team may be the rear team of the royal brother's team.

Brother Richard got off his horse, across the river, and kowtowed three times respectfully to the group of people to the west.
When I raised my head, tears were streaming down my face.

The crescent moon hanging in the sky is extremely cold, illuminating the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers like the Helan Yellow River, making it look chilling.

(End of this chapter)