To The Land of Nevernight

The case of Sun Shangde involved a lot, and Zhao Fu appointed the Criminal Department and Dali Temple to jointly try the case.

However, to everyone's surprise, Yu Chaosheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, was expelled from the list and failed to enter Dali Temple to examine criminal officials.After a little thought, everyone understood: In the 19th year of Kaiping, Yu Chaosheng, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, was working in Xingzhou!

The Xingzhou case was an old case 17 years ago and involved many people. It is not easy to try it clearly.Two months passed quickly, and the trial of the Xingzhou case had not yet ended, but something happened in the Northwest.

On the sixth day of March in the 36th year of Kaiping, a small group of 38 soldiers in the Northwest Camp raided the Liao territory, captured nearly a hundred Liao soldiers, and raided the trail where the Liao people transported grain and grass.In the dark, before the people of Liao woke up from their dreams, Grand Marshal Zhou Taishi sent [-] soldiers and horses to the enemy's territory.

That night, gold and iron horses shook the ground with the sound of hooves.

The Liao soldiers were still immersed in dreamland. The sentinels guarding the city wall had just beat the drums. The Liao soldiers hurriedly put on their armor and took up their weapons. They rushed to the gate of the city. The Song army had already broken most of the city gate.

Soldiers are precious and fast, [-] troops suddenly approached the city, no matter how brave the Liao army was, they were all defeated.

However, this city at the junction of Song and Liao was the territory of Song Dynasty decades ago, named Jiaozhou.Now in the Liao Kingdom, it is renamed Datong Mansion.The terrain of Datong Mansion is rugged, surrounded by mountains on three sides, easy to defend but difficult to attack.Even though the Song army almost captured most of the city gate, the Liao people immediately defended it after reacting.

The general of the Liao army guarding the city was named Xiao Han, and he sent someone back to Dading Mansion angrily: "You quickly tell the prince and grand master about the Song army's invasion. Let's go to war! Just take this opportunity to take back their Youzhou and other places again, and give them Song people a good look."

"Yes."

The Liao army guarded the city gate, and the Song army went out in armor.

The two sides had been in a stalemate for three days in Datong Mansion, and Xiao Han, the guard general of Datong Mansion, was not worried.Although he is not a well-known general, it is still easy to defend a Datong Mansion.But on the fourth day, the military rations that were supposed to be delivered did not come from his secret comrades, so Xiao Han felt bad.

"Oops, could it be that there is something wrong with the military rations?"

On the other side, Li Jingde held the heavy helmet between his arms, and strode into the marshal's tent.It is March now, and the northwest is still bitterly cold, but Li Jingde is sweating profusely.He wiped the sweat from his head first, then clasped his hands tightly, and gave a military salute: "Li Jingde has seen the Generalissimo. According to the place where the Liao soldiers were summoned, the subordinates led the troops and captured two teams to transport the Liao army rations." army."

Grand Master Zhou's solemn face rarely showed joy, he shouted loudly: "Okay! You made that Liao soldier confess?"

Li Jingde touched his nose.He is a kind person, he did not do this credit, of course he would not admit it: "It's not a subordinate, it's... Su Wenyun, the counselor of the Qinzheng Palace, did it. That kid used to be the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, how can you force him?" Confession, he did a quick job on this."

Grand Master Zhou glanced at him: "I just said that you look a little better now, that's Mr. Su, what's that 'boy'."

Li Jingde chuckled.

The military adviser on the side said with emotion: "I discovered the trail where the Liao army transported military rations four years ago, and I have been hiding it all the time, just waiting for the opportunity now. Finally, the time has come, Marshal, this is a golden opportunity. !"

In the marshal's big tent, soon, several Northwest generals walked in to discuss countermeasures.

On the other side, the second prince Zhao Shang, who is in Youzhou City, has become a fool these days, and he doesn't know what to do!

Grand Master Zhou did not reveal anything to Zhao Shang about the raid on Datong Mansion.It wasn't until the next morning that the staff knocked on the door of Zhao Shang's room, that Zhao Shang woke up from his sleep.He didn't even open his eyes, and there was still a hint of anger.After opening the door, his confidant said to him with a horrified expression: "Reverse, rebellious! Second Highness, the Grand Master sent troops to the Liao Kingdom, tore up the contract, and started a war!"

Zhao Shangru was struck by lightning, and now he woke up completely.

When the war broke out in the northwest, Youzhou City was immediately sealed off. Li Jingde personally brought people back to seal the city.

Hearing that Li Jingde had returned to the city, Zhao Shang immediately went to look for him, but was in vain.Li Jingde left long ago.

Since then, Zhao Shang spent four days in the city in a daze.How could he and his staff figure it out, where did Taishi Zhou get the courage to surprise the Liao army!So what if he really captured the Datong Mansion?As long as the Liao army reacts and the army suppresses the situation, it will definitely not be the Liao people who will be defeated.

Ten years after Kaiping, the peace treaty signed by the two countries was the result of ten years of hard work by Zhou Taishi on the battlefield!

Why now, Taishi Zhou personally tore up such a precious contract!

Zhao Shang was puzzled, and even his staff couldn't give him an answer this time.On the fifth day, Zhao Shang's eyes were staring straight. He even felt that he might die here when he came to Youzhou this time. The Northwest Camp suddenly sent someone to his house.Zhao Shang's eyes lit up: "Please come in!"

A young general in silver armor clasped his fists and saluted him, saying: "The younger one will see His Highness the Second Highness. The younger one is ordered by the Generalissimo to take His Highness to the camp."

Zhao Shang was overjoyed, Taishi Zhou finally remembered him as a person?

But before he opened his mouth, his staff pulled him aside and said worriedly: "Your Highness, Taishi Zhou's behavior is unpredictable now. This northwest camp is probably a grand banquet. His Highness is going, and his life is in jeopardy."

Zhao Shang is like waking up from a dream. "Mr. is right. Grand Master Zhou suddenly sent troops to the Liao Kingdom. Could it be that he wanted to go against him? So what should we do now? He sent someone to pick me up to the camp. How can I not go? Who would dare not listen to the entire Youzhou City?" Grand Master's order!"

The staff wanted to say, "It's better for you to go, I will stay for you, so that I can meet you", but just as he was about to speak, he saw Zhao Shang staring at him.He sighed in his heart, knowing that he would not be able to escape no matter what.Zhao Shang would never allow him to leave alone.If I said it, it would destroy the relationship between the two, and it would only lead to a dead end; if I didn't say it, it would still be a dead end.

The staff thought for a long time, and said: "Your Highness, please write a letter immediately, and arrange someone to see if there is an opportunity to secretly send it out of Youzhou City."

Zhao Shang's eyes turned red: "That's the only way?"

The aide gritted his teeth and said, "That's the only way to go."

Zhao Shang: "I can only work hard, Mr., and take this trip with His Highness."

The staff had tears in their eyes, and they held Zhao Shang's hands tightly.

The two were taken to the Northwest Camp by four soldiers. When Zhao Shang saw Taishi Zhou at night, he was already so weak that he couldn't even utter a word.

"Your Highness." Grand Master Zhou clapped his hands neatly as a salute.

Zhao Shang: "Master... Grand Master."

Taishi Zhou stared at him silently for a long time, with no emotion in his eyes, but Zhao Shang somehow felt that he was extremely disappointed in him.Before Zhao Shang could figure it out, Grand Master Zhou said: "When the two armies go to war, I cannot make the decision by myself. Now I have an imperial decree here, and your Highness, you are the commanding officer." Then, he handed an imperial decree to Zhao Shang, "As for the war between Song and Liao, let His Highness come down and read out the imperial decree."

Zhao Shang was so frightened that his legs trembled, he wanted to cry, but he dared not accept this "false imperial edict" with trembling hands.

Taishi Zhou sighed heavily, and no longer concealed the strong disgust and disappointment in his tone: "This is a true imperial decree, and it was sealed by His Majesty before leaving Beijing last year!"

Zhao Shang: "Huh?"

Zhao Shang never expected that he was sent to Youzhou by Zhao Fu a year ago for today's battle between Song and Liao!

The war situation is changing rapidly, and the confrontation between the two countries is only in a few days.

It is not easy for the Song Dynasty to win the Liao Kingdom, and the key timing must be grasped.They have been deployed in the Northwest for many years for this occasion.But if you send people to Shengjing to ask for the will, it will take six days to go back and forth.These six days are very likely to lead to the defeat of the Song army.So Zhao Fu wrote an imperial decree a year ago and handed it to Grand Master Zhou, allowing him to go to war at any time.

But just having the imperial decree is not enough, if there is a prince who reads the imperial decree in person, it will be more official and can stop the mouths of people all over the world.

When Taishi Zhou asked the emperor for this person, Zhao Fu was still seriously ill in bed.Leaning on the large and soft pillow, he looked at the golden silk quilt calmly. After a while, he asked, "Which of my three princes do you think is more capable of becoming a prince?"

The grand master's voice was dignified: "As for the matter of the throne, the old minister thinks that His Majesty has his own conclusion."

Zhao Fu said: "There is no separation between the students and the Grand Master. Grand Master, just tell me, I really want to ask you, and I have no other intentions."

Taishi Zhou looked down at the white-haired emperor for a long time, then he sighed and said: "All the old ministers listen to your majesty."

Zhao Fu smiled and said: "Yes, none of my three princes are useful, they are all mediocre and mediocre."

Taishi Zhou did not respond.

Zhao Fu also stopped talking.

This long silence is a silent tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers.

In the silence, Zhao Fu said quietly: "Zhao Shang, he is my eldest son."

Now, Zhao Shang took over the imperial decree, and he suddenly felt that this trip to the Northwest Camp was quite different from what he had imagined.When he returned to his military tent in a daze, the staff who had been waiting for a long time heard him tell the truth, their eyes widened in astonishment, and then they said ecstatically: "Congratulations, Your Highness, congratulations, Your Highness! How about it, Your Highness is the candidate for the future crown prince!"

Only then did Zhao Shang come back to his senses, and he laughed loudly, feeling that all the hardships are coming to an end.