The Blood Crown

Three years later

The stars move and turn, harvest in autumn and hide in winter, and spring comes again.

For thousands of years, regardless of the change of dynasties and surnames, the vicissitudes of life, the world has never changed, the sun rises and the moon sets, and the flowers still bloom, the water still flows, and the mountains and rivers remain the same.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed. The Dasheng Dynasty, which had been enjoying peace for three years, has risen again. After ten years of rejuvenation, Zhuo Letai, who has become the emperor of Jin Kingdom from the eldest prince, once again raised his troops to attack Liaodong. . Seventeen years ago, Zhuo Letai, who was young and strong, had 17 soldiers, trying to break through Liaodong and go straight to the capital. However, his grand plan to dominate and wolf ambition stopped at the small Guangning Guard. This time, he vowed to A shame, won Liaodong.

Above the Chang Dynasty, all the officials were discussing the situation in northern Liaoning, when the herald suddenly broke into the Hall of Supreme Harmony: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The front line reports——"

When Emperor Zhaowu saw his panic-stricken appearance, his heart skipped a beat: "Say!"

"The Liaodong messenger just arrived in Beijing, Governor Han...Governor Han...failed..."

Emperor Zhaowu's face was livid: "Yu, Yu Ji..."

Regardless of etiquette, Yu Ji ran down Danchi in a hurry, took the letter from the herald, and ran back to the throne.

He was old and looked like he was running very hard, but his actual movements were very slow. All the civil and military people on the left and right were anxious for him, wishing they could do it for him.

Yan Sikong stood among the officials and generals, watching Emperor Zhaowu's ugly behavior with cold eyes.

Han Zhaoxing's defeat had already been expected.

The military newspaper finally came into the hands of Emperor Zhaowu, he opened it tremblingly, let out a harsh "hey", threw the military newspaper up, and said sadly: "Taining fell, General Di died in battle! "

Yan Sikong squinted his eyes, clasped his hands hidden in his sleeves tightly, pinched his phalanges against each other, and the pain made him extraordinarily awake.

Since the first battle of Guangning, the Jin soldiers were forced to retreat hundreds of miles. Han Zhaoxing stepped on the bones of Yuanmao and enjoyed great achievements. With the support of the imperial court, he gradually regained the lost land in northern Liaoning. In the past 17 years, seven states in northern Liaoning have recovered four states , his hometown - Taining is also among them.

After Zhuo Letai raised troops, Han Zhaoxing took the opportunity to ask the imperial court to transfer troops. He first wanted soldiers from Datong, but resisting the remnants of Wala was of great importance and was opposed by many ministers. Finally, he dispatched [-] troops from Henan Province to support him, led by the veteran General Di , but now Taining fell again, and General Di died in a foreign country.

This battle report exploded in the court, and the solemn and solemn Hall of Supreme Harmony was as noisy as the market.

"Quiet—" Yu Ji shouted loudly.

Emperor Zhaowu supported his forehead, his expression was a bit painful: "My dear friends, tell me, this...how should I do it?"

Meng Duo came out, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I think that Governor Han has fought with the Jin people for more than [-] years. He has lost more than won, and I am afraid that the Jin people have been frightened. Now the first battle is defeated, and General Di died. Down, the battle situation after that is really worrying."

"Isn't this nonsense!" Emperor Zhaowu said angrily, "What's your opinion?"

"Your Majesty makes amends." Meng Duo said, "I believe that another good general should be chosen to guard Liaodong."

Xie Zhongren's followers naturally quit, Yushi Mali jumped out and retorted: "Governor Han fought back against Zhuo Letai's [-] troops back then. If he wanted to be afraid, it was Zhuo Letai's fear! Zhuo Letai launched a surprise attack, and Governor Han was caught off guard. , although Taining is lost now, there are still three states before Huangshui, and victory or defeat has been a common matter in military affairs since ancient times. It is absurd that Mr. Tingwei will change his commander just because of one defeat!"

Since the death of Yan Zilian, the faction of the gentry has withered, but there are still upright and upright people who are dedicated to the country and the people, and fight for right and wrong. Dali Temple Minister Meng Duo is one of them.

"That's right, isn't General Di a good general? Even a veteran general like General Di was defeated by Zhuo Letai, which shows that the golden army is stronger than before. If we change commanders right now, it will shake the morale of the army even more."

"General Di's defeat was definitely not because he was inferior in wisdom and courage to that barbarian. It was clearly because he had been stationed in the Central Plains all year round. When he arrived in Liaodong, the weather was freezing and the water and soil were not acclimatized. If you ask me, he shouldn't have transferred troops from Yuzhou in the first place!"

"Hmph, when we discussed the transfer of troops from Yuzhou, I didn't see such strong opposition from your lords."

"It's not that you are stupid and wrong..."

The two factions quarreled loudly. These learned scholar-bureaucrats also blushed and had thick necks when they quarreled, and they had no Confucian style.

"Stop arguing!" Emperor Zhaowu slapped the case fiercely and said loudly, "Yang Yuqing!"

"The minister is here."

Yang Yuqing, then Shangshu of the Ministry of War, came out.

Back then, Wen Youchi, Minister of the Ministry of War, was designed by Yan Sikong to return to his hometown Ding You. Now he is sick and unable to return to the court. The left servant of the Ministry, who specializes in ordnance manufacturing, belongs to the eunuch party, Xie Zhongren finally took the Ministry of War back into his hands.

As for Yan Sikong, since he became a son-in-law, he has been on the rise in the past three years, but at the age of [-], he has succeeded Feng Chuang as the right servant of the Ministry of War, and the official rank is the third rank.

Of course, if he was just a son-in-law, he would not have been promoted so fast. It took him three years and with his extraordinary skills, he was not only cited by Xie Zhongren as a confidant and think tank, but also used the identities of Xie Zhongren and his son-in-law to become a Zhao A close minister of Emperor Wu, he tried his best to give up all the shame and integrity, and made Emperor Zhaowu happy, so that Emperor Zhaowu's favor for him became more and more prosperous.

Although he is the right servant now, Yang Yuqing actually still has to give him three points of courtesy, and the power of the Ministry of War is falling into his hands step by step.

Emperor Zhaowu pointed at Yang Yuqing: "You were the one who proposed to transfer troops from the Henan government. What do you have to say?"

Yang Yuqing knelt down on the ground, and said in a deep voice: "I wrote a letter that day, and I have listed the pros and cons. Apart from Yuzhou, other places are even more inappropriate."

"Yang Sima is obviously avoiding the important and taking the light." Meng Duo retorted, "At that time we were still debating whether we should deploy troops. The [-] troops stationed in Liaodong, with sufficient food and grass, were more than enough to defend against Zhuoletai. ? I think Governor Han took the opportunity to gather military power, and General Di died for no apparent reason."

"What do you mean, Mr. Ting Wei!" A spokesman jumped up, "But you are implying that Governor Han sent General Di to die in order to seize the military power? Your intentions are too sinister!"

"I didn't say that." Meng Duo snorted coldly.

General Chen Shu stood up and said in a rough voice: "Back then Sima Yang proposed to transfer troops from Yuzhou, and the ministers and others objected. Now that General Di died in battle and Taining fell, the Ministry of War cannot shirk responsibility." He suddenly glared fiercely at Yan. Sikong said, "The son-in-law of Yan also tried his best to encourage the transfer of troops from Yuzhou, why doesn't he fart now?"

The eyes of all the officers and generals swept towards Yan Sikong in unison, among them were disgust, contempt, disdain, and resentment.The name of Yan Sikong's sycophant has been broadcast all over the world in three years, and it is destined to be recorded in the annals of history forever.

Yan Sikong bowed to Emperor Zhaowu without hesitation, and said calmly: "As Yang Shangshu said, the deployment of troops in Yuzhou is not a whim decision. The pros and cons have been clarified, and as Ma Yushi said In other words, how can one judge a hero based on the success or failure of the First World War, changing commanders just before the battle is a big taboo for military strategists, I think His Majesty should trust Governor Han."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers quarreled again, pointing directly at Yan Sikong's nose and calling him "wrong master."

Yan Sikong is neither humble nor overbearing, his face is expressionless, and he has all kinds of plans in his heart.

Emperor Zhaowu favored him more and more, but he became less and less fortunate towards Xie Zhongren. One was because Xie Zhongren was proud of his favor for many years. He was so good at pleasing Emperor Zhaowu in the past, he wanted Han Zhaoxing to be the last straw that crushed Xie Zhongren.

Han Zhaoxing had [-] troops, which didn't seem like many, but being so close to the capital was a great threat. He and Xie Zhongren were not greedy enough, and wanted to gather more military power. They borrowed gold soldiers to go south and sent troops from Henan Province to help.

Yan Sikong, like many people, has already seen the end. General Di left, most likely he never returned. General Di is not dead, how could the 70 soldiers in Yuzhou obey Han Zhaoxing, and he understands better than "many people" Han Zhaoxing's true face, knowing that even if Han Zhaoxing has [-] troops, he will lose to Zhuo Letai.He couldn't save his homeland, so he had no choice but to use Han Zhaoxing's big defeat in exchange for a bargaining chip to knock down Xie Zhongren. Only in this way could he truly save Liaodong and the Central Plains.

This verbal battle was the same as in the past, and ended without a problem. Yan Sikong dragged his tired body and mind into the carriage. When the curtain was lowered, he collapsed on the cushion, staring at the empty air absently.

Three years.

There is no news from Feng Ye.

Three years ago, more than two hundred members of the Feng family were beheaded, Feng Jianping committed suicide by "taking the blame", Feng Ye escaped from prison, and his whereabouts are unknown.Feng Ye's uncle was originally stationed in Datong for Feng Jianping, and was implicated to be executed together. He fled with [-] family troops and disappeared in the vast northwest.

The traces of the Feng family gradually disappeared from the world. How vigorous and vigorous it was back then, it is so calm and calm now, as if the feats made by the Feng family army never existed. This surname has also become a taboo in this dynasty. People dare to mention.

In the past three years, Yan Sikong has turned himself into a calculating walking dead. He doesn't trust anyone. He is ruthless and sinister. Every step, every word, has a purpose.

He doesn't care about being spurned by others, he doesn't care about being famous behind him, he doesn't care about life and death gains and losses, he doesn't seem to care about anything anymore, he will risk everything, as long as his goal is achieved.

But there is only one thing, only one thing, he still cares about.

That is the safety of Fengye.

Feng Ye, are you still alive?