scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 108 The Opportunity Comes
(PS: It's the end of the month, ask for the last monthly pass in August.)
Full of curiosity, he went up to the side of Nule Peak, tossed and tossed for a long time, and when he descended to the foot of Nule Peak full of hope, Wang Jing, the guard of the Nule Peak Camp, stopped Fatty Lu, Liu Xuanchu and Wang Shirong.Seeing the happy smiles on the faces of Fatty Lu and the three of them, Wang Jing couldn't help asking curiously: "Mr. Liu, Mr. Wang, Brother Lu, what were you doing on the mountain just now? Why did we hear a loud noise at the bottom of the mountain just now? What happened on the mountain?" What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, we are experimenting with a new type of gunpowder, and we plan to dedicate it to the prince for firecrackers and fireworks during the New Year." Fatty Lu explained vaguely, and then said: "Second brother Wang, you must explain this to the following, so that they don't go out blind It is said that the road up the mountain must be sealed off, and outsiders are absolutely not allowed to go up the mountain, and craftsmen are not allowed to go out at will, and the army will directly provide what they want.”

"Of course, the prince has issued a strict order, and the second brother doesn't dare to play around with his own head." Wang Jing nodded, and said: "Just like just now, the prince sent an emergency messenger from Kunming, saying that he would meet immediately. Seeing you, because I didn’t expect you to happen to be on Nule Peak Mountain, and he didn’t bring the prince’s warrant to allow him to go up the mountain, so I didn’t dare to let him in, I just asked him to wait outside the camp temporarily.”

"The prince sent an emergency messenger? Do you want to see us immediately?" Fatty Lu, Liu Xuanchu and Wang Shirong were all taken aback. People came here from Kunming.Thinking of this, Fatty Lu and the others hurriedly said together: "Quickly, lead us to the prince's messenger."

Hurrying to the gate of Nule Peak camp, what surprised Liu Xuanchu, Wang Shirong and others was that the messenger turned out to be Fang Xueshi, the grandson of Fang Yizao, Minister of Rites of the Chongzhen Dynasty, and the son of Fang Guangchen, Wu Sangui's confidant!If Wu Sangui or Fang Guangchen sent such a person as a messenger, there was no doubt that something serious would happen.Liu Xuanchu and the others stepped forward to ask, and sure enough, it was the earth-shattering news in the capital——Wu Liuyi, the nemesis of the Ao Party and one of the most important figures of the Ma Party, died of a sudden illness!

"Are you sure about the cause of death?" Hearing the news, Fatty Lu, Liu Xuanchu, and Wang Shirong asked in unison without batting an eyelid, "Did they die of a sudden sudden illness? Or were they slaughtered? They faked a sudden illness." And the illusion of death?!"

"We don't know the specific situation, but my father thinks that Wu Junmen is most likely to die in the hands of Prime Minister Ao." Fang Xueshi answered honestly, untied the package on his back, and said, "My father asked me to collect the I copied all the information and brought it here for your reference. In addition, the prince asked Mr. Mao Xia and Mr. Liangchen to go back to Kunming as soon as possible, and said that if you can spare the time, Mr. Lu, you can also go back to Kunming to help The prince will analyze the situation in the capital and formulate countermeasures."

"Okay, it's getting late now. Let's pack up tonight and return to Kunming tomorrow." Liu Xuanchu nodded, then turned to Fatty Lu and said, "Yifeng, pack up as well, and prepare to go to Kunming with us in secret. What are you good at?" Analyzing intelligence, you will definitely be able to use your strengths at that time."

"Student obeys." Fatty Lu nodded, and said again: "Since Brother Xueshi has brought all the information collected, I will analyze it overnight when I return to Qujing, and try to get a clue before arriving in Kunming."

Accompanying Liu Xuanchu and the others back to Qujing in a hurry, Fatty Lu told Xiao Erlang and the others to prepare luggage, dry food and horses. Among the various information on the June [-] violent death case, carefully study and find various useful clues, and analyze the meaning.But it is a pity that because the case involved a lot, Xiao Mazi and Aobai both intentionally or unintentionally joined forces to block the news, so Yang Qilong, the intelligence chief of the Pingxi Palace in the capital, did not collect much useful information even if he got the guidance of Fatty Lu. , Most of the content is trivial. Fatty Lu researched and studied, but he still didn't find much accurate information.

First of all, the unlucky Wu Liuyi was hanged around the afternoon of October [-]th in the seventh year of Kang Mazi, and the cause of death was announced to be a heart attack (heart attack). The arrow poison wood venom can poison people to death and cause the illusion of death due to heart paralysis. Moreover, this poison is infected through blood, and the wound will have obvious signs of redness and swelling, which is very easy to identify.

But it is a pity that the autopsy results of the unlucky Wu Liuyi were tightly sealed. Neither Wu Yingxiong nor Yang Qilong could confirm whether there was such a wound on his body. Naturally, Fatty Lu could not judge whether Wu Liuyi died of Curare poisoning.

Second, in the first six days before Wu Liuyi's death, Kong Sizhen, who was downgraded to a third-class bodyguard due to a crime, was decided by Xiao Mazi to temporarily stay in the capital and work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to common sense, Xiao Mazi probably let Kong Sizhen take full control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs The thirteen yamen directly under it took advantage of Kong Sizhen's talent in espionage to lead the intelligence organization in the capital to contend with Ao Bai.

And if Wu Liuyi really died of murder, the murderer would have played a very beautiful and clever time difference, taking advantage of the chaotic opportunity of the change of leadership of the spy organization under Xiao Mazi's command, killing the Mazi party by surprise, minimizing the Possibility of leaks.

Third, after the tragic death of the unlucky Wu Liuyi, his deputy, Murima, sealed off the scene of the murder in less than a stick of incense, not only providing clues of destruction and opportunities for possible murderers to flee, but also taking the opportunity to help the capital As the leader, he takes over the defense of the Nine Gates, forcing Xiao Mazi not to act rashly, and sit back and watch the Aobai Party run rampant in Nine Cities.

Fourth, on the second day after Wu Liuyi's death, Obai went to the imperial court and asked Xiao Mazi to formally appoint Murima as the admiral of the Nine Gates to be in charge of the defense of the capital, on the pretext that the defense of the Nine Gates was of great importance and could not be left alone for a day. At that time, the Aobai faction headed by the minister of the Ministry of War, Ga Chuha, responded and supported Murima to take over the post.

Afterwards, although Xiao Mazi wisely chose to respond vaguely, using the excuse that the matter was too big and needed careful consideration, and temporarily put aside the appointment as a tactic of delaying the attack, the military power of the Nine Sects was still actually in the hands of Murima.What is certain is that on the way to the south of these news, the Ao Party and the Ma Party in the capital must have launched countless open and secret battles around the issue of the candidates for the nine admirals.

In addition, Fatty Lu also discovered a very inconspicuous but very important situation, that is, on the first day before the death of the unlucky Wu Liuyi, Aobai invited many officials to have a banquet at home to celebrate under the pretext that his concubine gave birth to a newborn son. Pai's confidant Bumbleshan forcibly invited Subutu, the commander of the Xishan Ruijian Camp, to the scene.The Xishan Ruijian Camp is close to the capital, and its importance is second only to the Jiumen City Defense Camp and the Fengtai Day Camp. Therefore, Fatty Lu judged that this is probably a very clever move to attack the West—using this to attract most of the Mazi Party's secret service organization Pay attention, take the opportunity to attack the unlucky Wu Liu, and succeed in one fell swoop!
"If Wu Liuyi really died at the hands of old man Ao, then this old man Ao is more powerful than I imagined, and he can make a lot of noise." Fatty Lu smiled, and said from the bottom of his heart: "It seems that I treat him well. The story I told worked. Even if the old man Ao didn’t want to seek to usurp the throne, he managed to protect himself. Killing Wu Liuyi, who was in charge of the defense of Jiumen City, was equivalent to cutting off Xiao Mazi’s arm, and Xiao Mazi was crying .”

"Yifeng, what do you think?" After reading all kinds of information carefully, Liu Xuanchu asked his favorite student Fatty Lu after a moment of silence, "Do you think this Wu Liuyi died at the hands of Oboi?"

"It cannot be completely ruled out that Wu Liuyi died of a sudden illness, but there is at least an [-]% possibility that it was Oboi's hand!" Fatty Lu replied decisively.

"What's [-]% possible?" Wang Shirong snorted coldly, and said even more firmly: "In my opinion, Wu Liuyi definitely died in the hands of Oboi! Otherwise, Murima would have reacted so quickly and snatched it before him." Take away the nine military powers in front of everyone?"

"Mr. Liangchen, it's better not to be too arbitrary." Fatty Lu shook his head, and said seriously: "I'm not trying to excuse Oboi, but we can't rule out any possibility until seeing is believing. This is especially true on the battlefield. Every possibility must be considered and prepared for every possible response.”

"Stop arguing." Liu Xuanchu was afraid that the relationship between Fatty Lu and Wang Shirong, which had finally been eased a little, would deteriorate again, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Whether Wu Liuyi really died of a sudden illness or was caused by old man Oboi, this matter The influence of the situation will inevitably be very significant. In which direction do you think the situation in the capital will develop after this incident?"

"Oboi has the upper hand, and the next step is probably to emulate Yiyin Huoguang and do what Duke Zhou did." Wang Shirong replied.

"Oboi has the upper hand for the time being, and the time for his downfall has been delayed, so he can live for another year or two." Fatty Lu replied, "But it is not ruled out that the emperor will take the risk and fight Oboi to the death!"

"You underestimate Oboi, don't you?" Wang Shirong asked Fatty Lu suspiciously: "He made such a big move to get rid of Wu Liuyi, just to live another year or two?"

"Mr. Liangchen doesn't understand Oboi very well. If he really wanted to usurp the throne, he should have done it when our Emperor Mazi was in charge at the beginning of last year, so why wait until now?" Fatty Lu shook his head and said seriously: "If at the beginning of last year At that time, Sonny and Suksaha had just died, Ye Bilong was cowardly and incompetent, our Emperor Mazi had not yet fully grown, and Oboi's family was the only one. It was not difficult to imitate Li Yuan and Cao Pi, not to mention Yiyin Huoguang. But he But he did not do so, and watched the emperor get married and take charge of the government. This is enough to prove that he is still bound by the etiquette of the emperor and ministers, and he still has feelings for the Aixinjueluo family. The possibility of usurping the throne or abolishing the establishment Not big."

"Then why is he attacking Wu Liu again now?" Wang Shirong asked back unconvinced: "Controlling the defense of the capital, isn't this a sign of something big going on?"

"This is self-protection, and it is also a warning to the emperor." Fatty Lu continued to shake his head, and said, "Warning the emperor not to act rashly, to declare his strength to the emperor."

"Are you so arbitrary?" Wang Shirong sneered, "Just now you said that nothing can be ruled out until seeing is believing? Are you sure that Oboi will not follow Yiyin Huoguang's example?"

"Well, even if this possibility is not ruled out." Fatty Lu was too lazy to argue with Wang Shirong, and said with a wry smile: "But Oboi controlled the defense of the nine gates and did not attack Emperor Mazi immediately. Is that right? Even Oboi still has to fight for it." It is not something that can be done in a day or two to completely control the Nine Sects' army, install cronies and eliminate dissidents. Of course, our Mazi Emperor will not just sit still and watch. There will still be a long period of time in the capital. If we refuse to stop, we still have a little time to react, right?"

"That's about the same." Wang Shirong snorted again.Liu Xuanchu asked again: "Yifeng, then what are the chances that the Emperor Mazi you said will take the risk and fight Aobai to the death?"

"It's hard to say for sure." Fatty Lu frowned and said, "With Emperor Mazi's youthful character, it is very likely that he would take risks in a fit of anger. But his grandmother, the Empress Dowager, is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and she took risks." It's not her style, unless Emperor Mazi does this without telling her, she will definitely stop it with all her strength, let Emperor Mazi hold back temporarily, hide his strength and bide his time, and find another opportunity to deal with Oboi."

"And our Emperor Mazi still has a great advantage in that he is young. He will only get older, more energetic, and more mature in character, but Oboi will only be getting older and more energetic. Weakness, the character will only become more and more stable and conservative, so the longer it drags on, the better it will be for our Mazi Emperor."

"I let you finish talking about the pros and cons, doesn't that mean you didn't say anything?" Wang Shirong continued to raise the bar with sarcasm.

"Okay, Mr. Liangchen, there is no need to do this anymore." Liu Xuanchu dissuaded with a wry smile, and then said seriously: "However, Yifeng's words reminded us that, just like Oboi, our prince will only grow older. , the energy is getting weaker and weaker, and the character will only become more and more stable and conservative. Therefore, whether it is you and I, or Mr. Liangchen, if you want to have no regrets in this life, you have to hurry up, otherwise, don't say Whether we can see that day, or whether we can keep our heads, is going to be a big question."

Wang Shirong and Fatty Lu were silent together. They both knew that the road they took was a road with no room for turning back. Either they succeeded or their heads fell. If they didn't succeed, they could only become benevolent.Liu Xuanchu saw that Wang Shirong was moved by his own words, so he said again: "Mr. Liangchen, don't be in a hurry to argue with Yifeng. After he finishes speaking, if you think there is something wrong, it is not too late to refute. Yifeng, in your opinion, Wu Liu Is this a good thing or a bad thing for our Pingxi Palace?"

"Of course it's a good thing, and no matter what the consequences are, for our Pingxi Palace, we can only take advantage of it, not lose it." Fatty Lu replied quickly, and said plausibly: "Because this incident obviously represents the The conflict between Bai and Emperor Mazi has been enlarged and sharpened. After this incident, the conflict between the two will only become more and more acute and expanded, and will not be eased or resolved. And no matter which side they are on, they absolutely dare not To provoke the prince at this time, you will only use methods of win over and appease, at least let the prince choose a neutral position, and will never force the prince to the opponent's side."

"I think so too." Liu Xuanchu nodded, then turned to Wang Shirong and asked, "Mr. Liangchen, do you think Yifeng is right?"

Wang Shirong still put on airs with a stern face and did not speak. After a while, he nodded slightly and said: "On the side of Oboi, it is more likely to try to join forces with the prince. On the side of Emperor Mazi, it is enough to let the prince stand in a neutral position."

"Mr. Liangchen's words are incisive and hit the nail on the head." Liu Xuanchu nodded, put a high hat on Wang Shirong, and suddenly said: "However, I am very surprised that Wu Liuyi's death is beneficial to the prince, but not harmful. You see, Yifeng It’s out, Mr. Liangchen, you can see it, and the old man can see it too. Mr. Yanxian (Fang Guangchen) and Hu Guozhu from Kunming can see it. I already know it in my heart, and I am secretly happy."

Speaking of this, Liu Xuanchu paused, and said in a low voice: "But in such a profitable situation, why is the prince in such a hurry to call Mr. Liangchen, you and the old man back to Kunming? You also need to ask Yifeng to go there as well. Kunming? What is the purpose of the prince doing this?"

Fatty Lu also suddenly realized that, with Wu Sangui's submissive, indecisive, and mediocre cowardly character, in such a situation where it was clearly profitable to stand and watch, he suddenly called a few think tanks to discuss and discuss, Is it too unreasonable?Thinking of this, Fatty Lu's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Could it be that my lord...?"

"Could it be that the lord has come to his senses?" Wang Shirong's thinking was no less fast than Fatty Lu's, and his eyes were also brightened, and he rushed to say: "Could it be that the lord finally saw the favorable situation for him at present and planned to help him? Let Emperor Mazi and Old Man Ao bite the dog more fiercely and crazier? Maximize the interests of our Pingxi Palace?"

"It's very possible." Liu Xuanchu nodded solemnly, and said in a low voice, "Let's say something disrespectful behind our backs. Before we persuaded the prince and Oboi to join forces, the prince was actually somewhat tempted, but he was too short-sighted. I was afraid that it was Oboi and Mazi. The trap set by the emperor's joint efforts is even more afraid that Oboi will sell him in front of Emperor Mazi, so we dare not agree to it! Although we are all anxious, we have no choice but to watch the prince toss and miss the opportunity! "

"But now, Emperor Mazi's confidant Wu Liuyi suddenly died tragically. Oboi's younger brother Murima took the opportunity to take the position and mastered the most important and sensitive nine armies, directly threatening Emperor Mazi's head. The conflict between the two sides has almost ended. It's public! Under such circumstances, no matter how indecisive our lord is, no matter how short-sighted, I'm afraid he has seen the huge opportunities and huge benefits contained in it, right?"

"The teacher is right." Fatty Lu echoed: "Under this situation, I still can't see the opportunity coming, and I don't want to take advantage of it, unless he is a mentally handicapped child born to a close relative!"

Wang Shirong still had a stern face. After a long time, Wang Shirong turned his head and said coldly: "Fang Guangchen sent his son Fang Xueshi to Qujing as a messenger, and also brought us all kinds of information collected. Tell us that he also sees an opportunity, and hopes that we will take the same position as him, and persuade the prince to make a move, and the benefits that should be reaped must be fully reaped! Also, the prince is so eager to recall us, it is very likely that he wants to ask us Opinions, should I intervene? Or should I intervene?"

"Besides this explanation, there is no other possibility!" Liu Xuanchu slapped the table, tried his best to lower his voice but said extremely excitedly: "With the prince's character, this meeting must be looking forward and backward, hesitating, wanting to intervene to take advantage but afraid of getting into trouble, I want to be a whore but I'm afraid I won't be able to build a memorial archway! That's why I can't make up my mind, and Fang Guangchen can't talk to him, so I sent my son to be the messenger, implying that the matter is big, the opportunity is coming, and we want to work together with him. Convince the prince to take part in it, and get enough benefits, get enough!"

"Then what should Hu Guozhu mean?" Wang Shirong said worriedly: "He is the eldest son-in-law of the prince, and he is most trusted by the prince. If he objects, we may not be able to convince the prince if we work together!"

"Hu Guozhu? Huh!" Liu Xuanchu gave a rare cold snort, and said, "Like the prince, he also likes to look forward and backward and be timid. He must be more hesitant than the prince at this time. He wants to take advantage of it but is afraid of causing disaster. He can't decide Idea. But it doesn't matter, this person never suffers, as long as we tell him how much he will suffer if he doesn't take advantage of it, he won't be tempted."

"It makes sense. When we return to Kunming, the first person we are going to visit is not the prince, but Hu Guozhu." Wang Shirong nodded, and said in a deep voice, "But when that happens, which side should we persuade the prince to stand on? Obai ? Or our Mazi Emperor?"

"Do you still need to ask? Of course it's Oboi!" Liu Xuanchu and Fatty Lu replied in unison.

"Oboi may not necessarily win, right?" Wang Shirong asked doubtfully.

"Whether Oboi can win or not is none of our business?" Liu Xuanchu said concisely and with a smile: "As long as the prince is on Oboi's side, we must win."

"Mr. Liangchen, please think about it carefully." Fatty Lu was more wordy, and patiently explained: "If the prince is on the side of Oboi, if Oboi wins, then it doesn't matter whether he abolishes the establishment or directly seeks the court. To usurp the throne and control the government is not justified, and the world will inevitably return to chaos. Even if the prince continues to act conservatively and short-sightedly, when the opportunity comes again, with this precedent, he will definitely seize the opportunity again. And Obai If we lose, will our Emperor Mazi spare the prince lightly? Is our prince easy to capture an imperial decree and commit suicide? At that time, won’t it be easy for us to encourage the prince to do that kind of thing?”

Wang Shirong pondered for a while, and finally agreed with Fatty Lu's opinion once in a while, saying: "It makes sense, persuading the prince and Oboi to join forces can be our first purpose of returning to Kunming this time."

"Wait, isn't it right?" After speaking, Wang Shirong suddenly came back to his senses and asked, "Master Lu, isn't it right? When you returned to Kunming to get married last time, Obai sent a secret envoy to ask for an alliance with the prince, but you Those who hold objections, still urge the prince to continue to wait and see, and fight against Ao Baixu?"

"That's right, I was going to ask you about this too." Liu Xuanchu also challenged the students, and asked with a smile: "Yifeng, that's not what you said last time when you explained to me that you opposed the lord's direct alliance with Obai I remember you said at the time that you were afraid that after Oboi or Emperor Mazi won, they would take gentle measures against the prince, causing our prince to continue to muddle along and lose his ambition."

"Master, please forgive me, and Mr. Liangchen please forgive me." Fatty Lu was a little embarrassed, and said with a slightly red face: "Last time in Kunming, I really wanted to persuade the prince to form an alliance with Obai, but I saw that the prince He was so indecisive that he didn't dare to make up his mind to form an alliance with Oboi, so he made up that kind of nonsense to please the prince and deceive the trust of the prince. Later, Mr. Liangchen, you called me short-sighted, and the student was afraid that your teacher would be angry. If you care about the students again, you will talk hard and forcefully, and make up your teacher's favor, and make up later nonsense to please your teacher. If the student is convicted, please be punished by your teacher and good minister."

"Mr. Maoxia, what kind of person is your student?" Wang Shirong was furious, and turned to Liu Xuanchu and asked, "Talking about people when you see people, talking nonsense when you see ghosts, or an oiled glass marble?"

"It's not just an oiled glazed marble? It's also an oiled fat loach!" Liu Xuanchu smiled instead of anger, and said, "But it doesn't matter, since Yifeng's nonsense can fool you and me, you still believe it, let alone us Your lord? With his support when we return to Kunming this time, our chances of success will be greatly increased."

(End of this chapter)