long friend

In the spring of the 37th year of Tongning, news of Zhao Wang Xiao Qiyu's death in battle came from the front line, Xiao Yan became anxious and fell ill immediately.

At first, the Jinlingtai city was dazzled by the good news of victory. After Xiao Yan woke up, he was the first to order Su Yan to continue northward.Everyone thought that if this went on like this, they would recapture the Cloud Gate Pass sooner or later, just like every time in the past few years.But half a month later, Su Yan's urgent battle report was sent back to Jinling with bloodstains all the way, and the army was defeated like a mountain.

Xiao Yan lay crooked on the sickbed, and when he saw that every word was written by Tie Ma Binghe, he immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.

Shi Yu knelt under Xiao Yan's couch and grabbed the ground with his head: "Your Majesty, now the only way to stop the Turkic offensive is to mobilize all the garrisons in the seven counties north of the Yellow River to fight to the death. I implore Your Majesty to dispatch troops!"

He coughed for a long time, and said with difficulty: "Su Yan... Didn't Su Yan win the battle first!"

Shi Yu didn't know whether the battle report had fooled His Majesty or what, he gritted his teeth and repeated the bloody facts: "After the First World War in Zhuo County, the Turkic main force was damaged, so our army continued to go north. But outside Yuyang City, Ah Shi Nawushan actually brought in elite Turkic troops to reinforce, and the difference in strength between the two sides was tens of thousands... How can the general win... If His Majesty does not make a decision, not only Yuyang will not be able to take it back, but the entire Xiaoqiguard will be destroyed as well!"

The two words Xiaoqiwei and "destroyed" seemed to have never been put together, and no one thought they would lose.But this time Liang Jun lost his troop mobilization talisman, and was outstretched, retreating steadily—maybe he would really lose.

Xiao Yan's pupils dilated slightly, as if he finally realized that he had made a mistake, but he was speechless.

In the warm pavilion of the West Hall, the three important ministers of the dynasty knelt in a row.After Shi Yu said, he kowtowed desperately, even his forehead was red, and Chen Youyou took a few steps forward on his knees: "Your Majesty, I have a message!"

Xiao Yan had always trusted the prime minister whom he single-handedly promoted, so he hurriedly said, "Aiqing, please tell me."

Chen Youyou bowed again: "I think the top priority is the northern frontier defense. Your majesty took back the tiger amulet to prevent the general's prestige from being too high, and the emperor's order is not accepted. But if you don't decentralize power now, it will not only chill the hearts of the soldiers, but also destroy the army. lead to more serious consequences.”

He raised his eyes slightly and saw that Xiao Yan's face was not very good-looking, but he still bite the bullet and said: "It's not a good thing for the country or the people to be separated from the monarch and his subjects. Even if your majesty believes that the general will not disobey the emperor's order, but... There are still so many generals... Yuyang is thousands of miles away from Jinling, with such a fierce battle, I am afraid that the entire army will either be wiped out or—"

The word "rebellion" stuck in his throat, Chen Youyou couldn't continue, so he had to kowtow heavily: "Your Majesty, think twice!"

At this point, although Shi Yu couldn't figure out why the prime minister suddenly changed his position, he quickly seized the opportunity to stand on the same front with him: "Mr. Chen is right, I ask your majesty to decide on the tiger talisman."

Wang Di, who was silent at the side, also followed up, and raised his voice: "Your Majesty, please give the other half of the tiger talisman to the general, and mobilize all the troops north of the Yellow River to fight the Turks to the death!"

"You...you..." Xiao Yan was still hesitating, coughing again, and his mouth was full of bloody smell.

Liu Wenyuan, who stood as a statue on the side of the warm pavilion, took the opportunity to hold a cup of hot tea: "Your Majesty, it is important to take care of the dragon's body."

Shi Yu continued to analyze: "If the Turkic army goes south and crosses the Yellow River, the Xuzhou garrison will only have 5000 people, and the Bashu defenders will not be able to move against Nanzhao, and the defense troops on the southeastern border must not be hastily transferred away—Your Majesty!"

At this point, Shi Yu really couldn't figure out why Xiao Yan still held on to the half of the tiger talisman.He spoke almost dry-mouthed, and the emperor just looked at him, with no emotional fluctuations in his eyes.

A thought flashed in Shi Yu's mind: "Could it be that he is really playing tricks on the country?"

For a moment, he was almost forced by this thought to want to offend Jun Wei, pinching Xiao Yan's shoulders and shaking, shouting in his ear: "This is not the time for you to suppress this and that!"

"Zhen..." Xiao Yan finally opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "Zhen will think about it, you all back down."

Chen Youyou said: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

Xiao showed him to speak directly, so he lowered his head, his voice was much softer than before: "The dragon's body is not healthy, and the situation is so tense, the court meeting is indispensable... Will your majesty allow the prince to supervise the country?"

As soon as these words came out, not only Xiao Yan was shocked, but even Shi Yu and Wang Di looked at Chen Youyou in disbelief.In the dead silence of the room, the quiet Liu Wenyuan suddenly said: "I think that Chen Xiang's remarks may not be completely unreasonable. At a special time, the benefits of the prince's supervision of the country outweigh the disadvantages. Your Majesty may think twice before making a decision."

But Xiao Yan couldn't speak anymore, he didn't know what he was thinking, and lay on his back on the couch, feeling as if his throat was blocked.After Chen Youyou finished speaking, he got up from the ground and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency will leave."

Several important ministers left one after another, Xiao Yan felt that his voice had recovered, and said dimly: "Wen Yuan?"

Liu Wenyuan nodded slightly: "What is your majesty's order?"

"Send me an order," Xiao Yan paused word by word, with great difficulty, he loosened and clenched his fingers, and closed his eyes reluctantly, "I... my chronic illness has relapsed, and I ordered the sixth prince, Xiao Qichen, to temporarily take over the position of the Eastern Palace. Start supervising and governing the country."

There was no fluctuation on Liu Wenyuan's face, like a wooden man: "I obey the order."

Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief, this is the first time he has released his power.He has been the emperor for more than thirty years. From being smug at the beginning to being timid now, he just wants to hold every ounce of real power in his hands, but gradually he finds that there is no successor, and he is not very satisfied with anyone in his heart.

As soon as the news of Xiao Qiyu's death came, Xiao Yan collapsed briefly.

In his heart, he always thought that no matter who he wrote in his will after a hundred years, Xiao Qiyu would eventually ascend to the throne of God, but he died like this!

He supported the side of the couch, sat up slowly, and called to the person who was about to leave: "Liu Qing."

Liu Wenyuan stopped when she heard the words, turned her head politely, and bowed silently, waiting for his order.

As an emperor, you must always understand the four words "lonely family".Xiao Yan finally resigned himself to his fate and discovered that even when he was at the pinnacle of power, there were times when he was powerless, and at this moment this feeling reached the peak in history.

There are no courtiers around who he can fully trust and side with him, and no confidante who can say a few words of confidante. Even to his own son, he is more wary than anything else.There is always a price to be paid for a thousand miles of land, and it seems that he has to pay for all the tricks he secretly did to ascend to the throne of God at this time.

Xiao Yan looked at Liu Wenyuan and shook his head: "It's okay, you can step back."

Seeing that Liu Wenyuan hesitated to speak, he still saluted with extreme restraint, and then left.In such a huge West Hall, he was the only one left.Xiao Yan sighed, raised his head and looked at the monotonous beams.

The northern border of Daliang was already in disarray, Xiao Yan thought for no reason: "Did Brother Huang come to ask for my life?"

The next day the emperor decreed that the six princes would supervise the country.Xiao Yan moved to Hualin Garden to recuperate, every three days Xiao Qichen sent a memorial, if it wasn't an urgent matter, don't let him read it again.

At first, there were still some voices of opposition in the court, who believed that Xiao Qichen's name was not justified, but his first decision on the first day when he took over the important task of supervising the country was to lightly let these adults who were full of "the party has its own tricks and order" Speechless.

Xiao Qichen didn't know what method to use, but he forced Xiao Yan to let go, and the other half of the Tiger Talisman was sent to the front line immediately.

He stood in front of the Taiji Hall, propped up the empty dragon chair with one hand, looked down at the noisy room, and said coldly: "Qichen knew he was not qualified, but now the king of Chu is weak, the king of Zhao died for his country, and the seven princes are not worthy." Familiar with the world, Qichen was entrusted by his father to supervise the country, and there are still many matters to ask you. The people in the northern border are in trouble, and these can be resolved. You can accuse Qichen of any crime you want, but you must send the tiger amulet to you. In the hands of the general."

The whispering voice suddenly became quieter, Xiao Qichen sighed, and said earnestly: "Everyone is the pillar of the country, Qichen believes that the same joints are not difficult for adults, let's leave the court today--please trouble Mr. Xie, Mr. Gong Lord Minister Han stays for a while."

It was the first time for Shi Yu to stand in front of everyone and issue orders. Shi Yu suddenly discovered that the little prince he had met in the Imperial College by chance when he had just entered the official career had grown into a slender, calm young man. .He saluted along with the others, and before turning around to leave, he met Xiao Qichen's eyes.

The tall and handsome young man was dressed in the prince's court clothes, and smiled at him without any superfluous movements, which could make people feel completely at ease, believing that he can control the universe and clean up the mess left over from these years.

After everyone dispersed, Xiao Qichen made a gesture to the two people left behind, signaling to invite outside.There is a palace on the east side of Taiji Hall, which is used for presenting memorials and military affairs. It was newly set up by Xiao Yan a few years ago, and it is now used by Xiao Qichen as a temporary meeting place.

Xie Hui disagreed with him, sat down on the couch, and poured himself a cup of tea: "Your Highness, how do you feel?"

"Not bad." Xiao Qichen took a seat opposite him, smiled at Han Guang who was standing on the spot, "Brother Han, why bother to be so polite, you and I have known each other since we were young, is there anything else to worry about?"

Building Donghua Weir together with him, it is reasonable to say that Han Guang is indeed familiar with Xiao Qichen, but now he sat down cautiously, and said reluctantly: "Your Highness, is the current situation what you want to see?"

Xiao Qichen denied it and said: "What I want is the triumphant return of the stable army in the northern border. Now this is far from enough. I want to ask you one more question by leaving the two of you to the court today. Brother Han and Brother Zhong Guang, would you like to run to the north for me? What? Not going to the front line, only going to Qingguang, I left something in Donghuayan back then, if I don’t bring it back now, I’m afraid it will be affected by the flames of war.”

As soon as he said this, Han Guang immediately comprehended "ah", and the restraint disappeared, as if he found that Xiao Qichen hadn't changed at this moment, and said excitedly: "It's the drawing of Donghuayan !"

Xiao Qichen nodded with a smile: "Brother Han still remembers clearly. I just thought that Su Yan had already retreated to Yecheng. If the tiger talisman was not delivered in time and the siege could not be rescued, the next city to be disaster would be Qingguang—the blueprint has been revised. It can also be used in floods in the south of the Yangtze River, so please take it back properly."

Han Guang said generously: "This matter is the duty of the minister. There is no need for Zhong Shuling to go together. When Jinling City employs people, he can't stay too far away. Please rest assured, Your Highness, the minister will leave tomorrow!"

Xie Hui was caught off guard by a compliment. He always felt that this sounded a bit strange, but he didn't say much.After Han Guang left, he turned to Xiao Qichen and said innocently, "You want to send Master Shangshu away, right?"

"It's true, but it wasn't intentional." Xiao Qichen took a sip of tea, "I met Royal Father yesterday."

Xie Hui: "How does Your Majesty look?"

Xiao Qichen put the teacup in front of the table, leaned over slightly, an unknown light flashed in his eyes.Xie Hui only felt that this expression did not look happy, as if it was all expected, but he felt a little guilty.

Xiao Qichen took a deep breath, the corners of his naturally upturned lips were almost drawn into a straight line, and he uttered four words coldly:

"Time is running out."

With a sound of "boom", the teacup in Xie Hui's hand fell to the ground and rolled away in pieces. He frantically wiped off the tea splashed on his body, and after a while he raised his head and lowered his voice: "Who said that?!"

Xiao Qichen: "Liu Wenyuan. After being diagnosed and treated by the imperial doctor, my father was stimulated by the successive defeats in the Northern Territory, the courtiers forced him to transfer troops, and Xiao Qiyu's 'death in battle', which stimulated the relapse of his old illness, which is quite similar to Rongniang's illness back then. , should have been neglected by medicine and stone, and now it can be delayed for a day...Brother Zhongguang, I don't have much time, I want to clean up the court before he dies, and you can see that some people don't accept me."

At the beginning, the joke was about to come true, Xie Hui felt a little out of breath: "...What do you want?"

A white mark was bitten on Xiao Qichen's lower lip, and then he let go, and said softly: "Mr. Qing, I want a clean court. Everyone who stands opposite me should know what will happen to them."

Xie Hui was taken aback for a moment, a thunderbolt rolled out of the window and exploded above their heads.

The last rain of spring came with great momentum, drenching the heaven and earth from the north and south of the Yangtze River, and spreading all the way to the north.

"Marshal! I can't stand it anymore, please retreat!"

When Su Yan heard the news, his forehead twitched, and the feather arrow in his hand was broken immediately by him: "Where can I retreat!? Those idiots in Pengcheng can't keep up with the heat of their shit. It's been a long time since the order passed!"

Shen Chengjun saw that his eyes were full of red blood from staying up all night, rubbed his temples with a headache, and said to the orderling gently: "Don't mention retreating in front of the commander, if he is in a bad mood, he can kill you on the spot."

Then, amidst the trembling of the other party, Shen Chengjun played his usual role of smiling tiger perfectly, and said softly: "Send another urgent military report to the commander of the Pengcheng Army. If you can't get to Yecheng within two days, order the deputy general Cut it first and then play it instead. If you understand, go quickly."

The messenger couldn't even say "yes" and ran away.

Only then did Shen Chengjun turn to Su Yan, and sighed in the tone of someone who had been there: "The young man is still too impatient. Look at your own mouth full of blisters. Can you rest for a while when you get angry?"

Su Yan couldn't even bother to talk back to him, and sat down very irritatedly, but was stabbed by a piece of iron and bounced up again in an instant. Reinforcements, we are going to be trapped in this lonely city—where did Huyantu get so many troops!"

Fang Zhi looked through the information and reported: "The Uyghurs were forced to be put on the shelves, and 5 people were 'borrowed'—it's really miserable, it was originally a small country in the northwest, and now the young and middle-aged people of the whole country are probably here. "

Su Yan asked suspiciously: "The Uighur is a vassal state of Daliang, why don't you go ask for help?"

"Please, Your Majesty didn't understand." Shen Chengjun drank his saliva, feeling that sooner or later he would be suffocated on the spot by the king, "It's a good thing that Lord Hou is not here, otherwise I'm afraid I will be pissed to death."

Su Yan thought of the family letter he received a few days ago, and said with lingering fear: "It's not going to be any better in Jinling... My father asked His Majesty to fight, but was rejected. Poor General Jin Yi's body is still alive, but his comrades are being used one by one by various means." The reason is to tell the old man to return home, how embarrassing."

Shen Chengjun groaned|groaned, and fell down on the table: "Don't tell me that His Majesty found out about us detaining his son, so he is trying to torment us in different ways... General Shang Lu's subordinates are about to rebel, Xiao Qiyu finally woke up without?"

"Wake up." Fang Zhi said indifferently, "in order to prevent the wound from getting worse, the military doctor amputated his left leg while he was unconscious. After His Royal Highness Zhao woke up, he made a fuss all day and night, crying and shouting to go back to Jinling and sue him. The general murdered the emperor's heir—and said we all had to die."

Before Su Yan could respond, Yan Nandu, whose body was still wrapped in bandages, stood up with a knife: "They all have to die?! Then I will let him see the King of Hades first!"

This person had recovered from his injuries with great difficulty recently, and regardless of the opposition of his colleagues, he immediately went to the battlefield, entered and exited seven times in the chaos, and killed a world-shaking murder, even more brutal than when his limbs were healthy before.As soon as he said this, the Chinese military tent opened up again, and Su Yan didn't want to answer anyone, so he opened the tent, intending to be quiet by himself.

He sat down slowly on the mound, and as far as he could see, there were old, weak, sick and disabled.

There are no soldiers in Yecheng who can fight. Su Yan understood this seven days ago, and now they are just stubbornly resisting.The morale of the army was unstable, led by a small group of people from the Yanzhou Army, who protested every day, and the Turkic side would go to the tower to persuade them to surrender from time to time, so Su Yan could not stop the number of deserters even after beheading three times.

"If this goes on... if this goes on... I might really not be able to go back." Su Yan thought this way, the old injury on his arm was aching.His shoulder was damaged the first time he went to battle, and it got worse after successive battles.

It might be raining soon, Su Yan looked to the south, his eyes sore without warning.

He is reluctant to admit that he is homesick, and he is also tired of retreating and fighting for so long. Jiangnan has become a distant thought of Su Yan, and he can only glimpse a corner of the dreamlike beauty when he is rarely asleep.

The sad thoughts of spring and autumn only lasted for a moment, and Su Yan stood up again.He wiped away the moisture from the corners of his eyes, and turned to the orderly who was running towards him panting, "What's wrong!?"

"Marshal!" As soon as the messenger stopped, his feet became limp, and he knelt down in front of Su Yan. His face was livid, his lips were chapped after a long journey, and his body had countless small wounds.

Su Yan helped him up: "What happened!?"

"Jinling... Jinling... Tiger Talisman! Marshal, it's a Tiger Talisman!" The messenger handed over a small iron object with trembling hands. Su Yan trembled all over, and the whole sky went blank as if struck by lightning.

The tiger amulet lay quietly in his palm.

Su Yan took out its other half from his waist, and the two pieces of tiger talisman were put together seamlessly immediately, stained with warm body temperature and blood, you can see gold and iron horse from the simple lines.

It didn't come easily, Su Yan suddenly had a very strange idea: "How could Your Majesty agree to give me all the troops in the territory?" But he didn't care about deep thinking, he straightened his armor immediately, and strode towards the central army tent.

"Shen Chengjun! Help me write a transfer order, ordering the Xiao cavalry guards to stay in Xuzhou and march northward!"

The author has something to say: excited