Great Han Empire

Chapter 475
Early May, Hanoi.

General He Jin led his troops from Yecheng, Jizhou, and marched westward to Liangzhou in April.When the army arrived in Hanoi, he received an imperial edict from the emperor calling him to Beijing.He Jin knew that the emperor was going to attack him. At this time, he had no way out but to fight to the death. As for the result, he had no time to think too much. The ending is the same.He ordered the army to speed up the march and strive to cross the river as soon as possible to approach Mengjin.At the same time, Yuan Shao stationed in Mengjin, He Miao and He Yong in Luoyang, Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang who sneaked back to Luoyang secretly sent people to report He Jin one after another.

At the beginning of May, when the army arrived in Sanyang, Hanoi County, He Jin received the shocking news that the emperor was seriously ill.He Jin almost suspected that he was dreaming.Recently, he has been thinking so hard about going to Beijing to launch a mutiny, and he is so terrified that he can't sleep at night, and his whole body is almost about to collapse.He Jin stared dumbfoundedly at Wu Dang who came to report the letter, was stunned for a long time, and then asked in a trembling voice: "Really?"

Wu Tang hesitated and said: "It should be true. The Queen Mother is ill, why did His Majesty order the Yongle Palace to be sealed off? Why did His Majesty not allow anyone to enter or leave Yongle Palace? Why did His Majesty ignore the government? All this seems very sudden and strange, very unreasonable .Now that the Northern Conscript Army has gone out to fight, and the matter of the emperor's order has come to a critical moment. At this time, His Majesty should take care of the government and take care of every opportunity. How could he not even want the country and society in order to serve the Empress Dowager?"

He Jin trembled all over, feeling the breath of death getting closer and closer to him.

Tianzi's dragon body has always been healthy, how could he suddenly get sick?And still seriously ill?Is this the emperor's deceit, deliberately deceiving himself so that he can return to the capital with peace of mind?Could it be that the fact that he secretly led the army back to Beijing to launch a mutiny was leaked?

The more He Jin thought about it, the more frightened he became, so he asked again: "What did Pan Yin say?"

Wu Tang nodded.The news was told by Jian Shuo's elder Shi Panyin to the general Shi Xuliang.Ever since it was reported that the Empress Dowager was ill and the emperor was serving the left and right and ignoring the government affairs, the middle-ranking officials in the palace and the ministers in the court were panicked and had many speculations in private. In Yongle Palace, he did not return to the mansion.One day Jian Shuo went back to the mansion to wash and change clothes, and privately told Pan Yin to send all the property in the mansion back to his hometown.Pan Yin was very surprised and asked casually.Jian Shuo said sadly that the time of the Son of Heaven is numbered, and there may be changes in Beijing.Pan Yin was terrified and didn't dare to ask any more questions.

After listening to Wu Tang's narration, He Jin sat blankly and thought for a long time.

If the emperor was seriously ill, then the purpose of his sudden decree to call him to Beijing is easy to explain. He can't wait to force himself, he wants to kill himself as quickly as possible, in order to strive to establish the Huangtong, that is to say, the emperor's illness is very serious, and he may die.If the emperor was seriously ill and was about to die, would it be necessary for him to bring the army secretly to Beijing to launch a mutiny?Do I still need to rush to Beijing?
Once the emperor died, the queen mother, Dong Zhong, and Jian Shuo dared to support the young Donghou as the new emperor by the emperor's will when the imperial line was not established and he held the military power in his own hands?Without the support of the middle officials of the inner court and the ministers of the outer court, and without the army, what is the use of the emperor's edict?I can only lead the army back to Beijing, tell the people of the world that Jian Shuo is correcting the imperial edict, tampering with the emperor's will without permission, and daring to abolish the son-in-law and set up the concubine to trap the emperor in an unrighteous way, the little emperor is doomed, the queen mother, Dong Zhong, Jian Shuo, and None of the clan ministers who supported the Empress Dowager could survive.At that time, who would dare to stand up and say that the edict of the emperor was to abolish the imperial family and establish the concubine?
Now leading the army back to Beijing to launch a mutiny is very risky, and I have no certainty of victory. If the emperor dies of a serious illness and leads the army back to Beijing to launch a mutiny while Luoyang is in chaos, then I will be absolutely sure of victory.The question is, what if the Son of Heaven does not die?Or is this a trick the emperor came up with to trick himself into Beijing quickly?

He Jin decided not to return to Beijing for the time being.In any case, delaying returning to Beijing for a while will not affect the overall situation.Going back to Beijing now, if you win, you will have to use up all your strengths. If you lose, your fate will be like Dou Wu's, and all the nine clans will be wiped out, so it's better to wait.Once the emperor is really dead, the situation in Luoyang will be turned upside down, and he will be completely in charge.At that time, he supported Xiao Shihou as the emperor, monopolized the power, and the world was under his control.

===

He Jin wrote a letter and handed it to Wu Tang, "Go back to Beijing immediately and hand this letter to He Miao." He Jin said, "Don't say anything about this, absolutely don't say anything."

"What about He Yong? Do you want to tell He Yong?" Wu Tang asked, "He planned and presided over all the affairs in Luoyang. If you don't tell him such an important matter, I'm afraid..."

"Don't tell him, let alone let him know that you are in the capital." He Jin said, "If His Majesty is really terminally ill, then the affairs of the emperor will depend entirely on the middle officials in the palace, not He Yong and those gangs. Gentlemen, they can't help you now."

"If He Yong gets to know this news, he and those scholars will do everything possible to force me to go to Beijing to launch a mutiny so as to take the opportunity to eradicate the rape eunuchs, and then get rid of me by the way, and then the world will belong to their scholars. How could he let go of such a good opportunity?" He Jin sneered, "But how would I be willing to kill the middle officials? Without the middle officials fighting with the scholars, how could I take power alone? How could I have such a good opportunity?" Will you let it go?"

Wu Tang looked at He Jin in surprise.

"With the help of middle-ranking officials, the issue of the imperial lineage can be easily resolved, and I don't need to lead an army into Beijing to launch a mutiny." He Jin said, "It is too risky to use the method of mutiny to establish the imperial lineage. If you are not careful, you will be destroyed." Moreover, after His Majesty's death, Luoyang must be in chaos. If another mutiny is launched, the chaos will add to the chaos, and Luoyang may collapse in an instant. If Luoyang is in chaos, the country will be in turmoil, which will directly affect the war in northern Xinjiang. You must know , if the northern border war is defeated, the consequences will be very serious, we may lose the entire northern border, and the great Han country may fall apart because of this."

When He Jin said this, there was fear in his eyes. He shook his head and said in a low voice: "At that time, I was the enemy of all people. Not to mention the ministers in the court, even the middle officials would take the opportunity to kill me." Me. Who killed General Liang Yi? Who killed Dou Wu? It was the middle officials."

"When His Majesty passed away, the new emperor was pending, and I was unable to control the government in time, only the Queen Mother and middle officials could control the situation and stabilize the political situation in Luoyang. Therefore, in that letter, I asked Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and others The ten servants promised that after His Majesty died, as long as they can control the situation in the palace and persuade the Queen Mother and Jian Shuo to appoint Xiao Shihou as the new emperor, I will take action to restrain the scholars and maintain the balance of power in Luoyang." He Jin smiled. Said, "As long as the middle officials and the scholars are fighting in full swing, I will be very safe. Before I have no power, the country is in danger, and the battle in northern Xinjiang has not been decided, maintaining the balance of power in Luoyang is the only way to stabilize the situation in Luoyang." way."

"For the middle officials, it doesn't matter who is the emperor, what matters is their life and power, so of course it is better for them to shake hands with me than to be my enemy. They have repeatedly expressed their willingness to help the queen. Express this meaning to me?" He Jin smiled, "With my promise, of course the middle officials will do their best to help me. It doesn't matter if this news is His Majesty's trick to trick me back to Beijing. Wait until I'm sure. After His Majesty is fine, I still have to go back to Beijing to launch a mutiny, but because of the help of the middle officials, I am no longer afraid that the soldiers will take the opportunity to attack me."

Wu Tang asked, "When is the general going to return to Beijing?"

"I won't be returning to Beijing for the time being." He Jin said, "I will report to Your Majesty immediately, saying that the ant thief Yu Du led his troops to attack Shanyang and blocked the army's westward march."

Wu Tang hesitated for a moment, but stopped talking.

"What do you want to say?" He Jin asked.

"Once your majesty dies, the general must go to Beijing to preside over the overall situation immediately, so as not to cause trouble." Wu Tang persuaded, "Shanyang is too far away from Luoyang, and it is inconvenient to transmit news. I think the general is still fifty miles a day, slowly heading for the Yellow River. It's better to be close."

He Jin shook his head, "If His Majesty is really seriously ill, I will rush to Mengjin. If there is no accurate news, I will stay here and delay my return to Beijing."

===

In early May, Luoyang.

The emperor's condition worsened suddenly, and the severe pain tormented him day and night, which made him so miserable that he wished he could end his life as soon as possible.Looking at the lonely and helpless mother who washed her face with tears all day long, looking at the young prince and princess who were kneeling in front of the bed and weeping, the emperor couldn't help crying and sighed.Fate, this is all fate.He couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't protect his mother and child. The only thing he could do now was to do everything he could to save the lives of the mother and child before he died.

At this time, Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, rushed to the emperor, saying that a large number of refugees had flooded into Youzhou, and Youzhou was overwhelmed and unable to support him. He begged His Majesty to immediately allocate money and food for relief. The number of national soldiers was reduced to [-] to reduce military expenditures and help refugees.The emperor smiled bitterly. He knew Liu Yu's character. In the current extremely difficult situation in Youzhou, even if Liu Yu received his imperial edict, he would not leave the people of Youzhou and follow the edict to return to the court.I will never see Liu Yu again.At the same time, the general He Jin also rushed to the emperor, saying that the army was blocked by ants in Hanoi and would not be able to return to Beijing in the short term.The Son of Heaven slowly put down He Jin's memorial and sighed dejectedly.I can no longer see He Jin.

The emperor made a decree to move Yuan Kai to be the rear general, to participate in the affairs of Li Shangshu, and to temporarily manage the government affairs. After receiving the decree, he was ordered to meet him in the Jiade Hall immediately.

Jian Shuo was taken aback, and asked panickedly: "Your Majesty let Master Yuan have an audience, so His Majesty's illness..."

The emperor said in pain: "Open the gate of Yongle Palace and tell all the ministers that I am seriously ill."

"Your Majesty..." Jian Shuo fell to his knees, weeping bitterly, "Your Majesty..."

"Aiqing, don't cry. I still have a lot of things for you to do. Get up." The emperor smiled, "I will die eventually. It is better to die sooner than later. Immediately issue an order to Guang Luxun, Liu Bo, and Wei Wei." Liu He, ordered them to supervise the guards of the Southern Army, Huben, and Yulin, and strengthen the guards of the North and South Palaces. In addition, an order was issued to Yuan Shao, Lieutenant of the Central Army, Cao Cao, Lieutenant of the Dianjun, Xia Mou, and Right Xiao of the Xiyuan Army. Wei Chunyu Qiong ordered them to bring their troops back to Beijing to garrison in case Luoyang changes."

"It's called Da Changqiu Zhao Zhong, Zhongchang Servant Zhang Rang will come to the Jiade Palace immediately, I want to see them."

=====

Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang were very sad to see the emaciated emperor with sunken eye sockets.The emperor has been served by them since he entered the palace, and the two have watched him grow up. After more than 20 years, this kind of relationship between the emperor and his ministers is still very deep.The two of them didn't want to cry in front of the emperor, so they pretended to smile and comforted in a low voice.

The emperor held the hands of the two, chatted a few gossips, and then asked: "I'm gone, what do you do?"

Zhao Zhong's heart ached when he heard the words, tears flowed down immediately.Zhang Rang's eyes were red, and he bowed his head in silence. After a long time, he choked up and said, "Your Majesty, this matter about the prince..."

The emperor closed his eyes and shook his head, endured the sharp pain in his heart, and said intermittently: "If I establish a crown prince, will you still have a way to survive?"

Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang suddenly realized, and Qi Qi fell to the ground, crying like rain.

"Do you two lovers remember the Beigong mutiny that year?" the emperor asked.

Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang nodded again and again.Zhao Zhong wiped away his tears, leaned into the emperor's ear and whispered: "The old minister understands what your majesty means. If your majesty does not appoint a crown prince, the queen and the general must rely on our support to support the eldest prince, and the old minister and others will support him." If we can avoid the bloody disaster in front of us, the empress dowager and the little prince can be kept safe for the time being. When we have the opportunity in the future, we will kill the general, attack the power of the sergeants, and re-establish the little prince."

The emperor smiled wryly, "Ai Qing, today's plan can only keep your lives safe for the time being, but if you want to live forever, you must remember the Beigong mutiny that year. As for Dong Hou, you can forget it. Right when I never said that."

Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang stared at the emperor dumbfounded.

"The best policies that I forced the ministers to write are all here, you should keep them properly, this will help you a little in the future." The emperor pointed to the side room and said, "You must make good use of it, and don't let down my painstaking efforts. "

The two kowtowed in emotion.

"Invite the queen to come over tomorrow, I want to meet her."

=====

Yuan Kui couldn't believe that the emperor was so ill.When he walked into Yongle Palace just now, he was still wondering if the matter of military remonstrance had been leaked, and the emperor was going to trick himself into Yongle Palace and kill him.

The emperor waved to Yuan Kai who was kneeling on the ground, motioning him to sit beside him.

"I'm running out of time." The Son of Heaven said calmly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for the Taiwei to return to Beijing, so I entrust the affairs of the court to Aiqing, and I also entrust the great man's society to Aiqing." Sir."

Just as Yuan Kai was about to speak, the emperor waved his hand lightly to stop him.

"Nowadays there are many disasters in the country, and the soldiers in northern Xinjiang are fighting bloody battles outside the Great Wall. What the Han Kingdom needs most is stability." The emperor continued, "I'm gone, and Ai Qing must always remember that Luoyang must be stable, and the war in northern Xinjiang must continue. Going on, this is the foundation to ensure the survival of my great Han society. In order to help you do all this, this matter of imperial order..."

Yuan Kai was startled and looked at the emperor with extreme nervousness.If the Son of Heaven establishes a Crown Prince before his death, this Luoyang will definitely be slaughtered in a bloody storm, and there is absolutely no possibility of stability, but he can't stop it.At this moment, what else can he say?
The emperor slowly closed his eyes, and said word by word: "I will entrust it to you."

Yuan Kai shuddered all over, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.He hurriedly fell to his knees, his upper body slumped to the ground, his mind was in such a mess that he couldn't utter a single word.

"What Aiqing wants to do, I know. Although this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it can't be done now, absolutely not." The emperor said, "The Northern Xinjiang War is related to the survival of the Han Dynasty. Compared with it, the matter in Luoyang can be counted." what?"

Yuan Kai forced himself to calm down, raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty, if the war in northern Xinjiang is delayed again and again, what should we do if the battle is not resolved for a long time?"

The emperor suddenly opened his eyes, and said excitedly: "Fight, we must continue to fight, even if I finish Wanjintang. As long as the northern border is there, the Great Han Society will be there, and the northern border war will never be defeated."

"Your Majesty, if the war in Northern Xinjiang is won, then the general who conquers the North will surely overwhelm the sky. This poses a great threat to the Han Dynasty. How will we control it in the future? Should he be sent to the north of Yinshan Mountain?"

The Son of Heaven said: "After the victory in the Northern Xinjiang War, it doesn't matter whether the situation in Luoyang is stable or not. Does Aiqing understand what I mean? At that time, Aiqing needs to enlist the General of the Peking University."

Yuan Kai looked at the emperor suspiciously.

"It's very difficult for Aiqing to fulfill her wish, but once Aiqing gets her wish, my wish will come true, and the country of the Great Han will be more stable." The emperor took out a sealed edict and handed it to Yuan Wei, " If Aiqing can't achieve her wish, I will use this purpose to implore the princess to go north to recruit the North General to go south to help."

Yuan Kui took it respectfully and carefully hid it in his arms.

"When Aiqing's wish is fulfilled, and my wish is also fulfilled, if Wan Jintang still has money at that time, it should be sent to the north of Yinshan Mountain."

=====

After Yuan Kui left the palace, he went straight to the mansion and made an urgent appointment with He Yong.

"The Son of Heaven is really seriously ill, and I think time is running out." Yuan Kai said with a heavy heart, "You immediately inform the general that the strategy of remonstrance will be cancelled, and ask him to lead the army into Mengjin."

He Yong asked: "What does your majesty say? Do you want to establish a prince?"

Yuan Kai stroked his beard and sighed: "Your Majesty is smarter than us, he won't make a crown prince."

(End of this chapter)