On the rugged official road, the Dingzhou army was slowly advancing.
I don't know when it started to rain, forming a thin curtain of rain in the air. The cold wind carried the rain and slapped it on the bodies of many soldiers.
The knights ran back and forth on both sides of the army.
The soldiers lowered their heads and were dejected. Even the drizzle had a huge impact on morale, not to mention that they had no morale in the first place. The soldiers were soaked to the skin, their faces were red, and they were constantly shivering in the cold wind.
A soldier took a few steps forward, suddenly fell down and could not get up again.
The officers shouted.
Gao Yanzong rode in the middle of the army, with Liu Taozi at his side.
The knight kept running back and forth to report the situation.
There were so many people going back and forth that there was no chance for Gao Yanzong and Liu Taozi to talk.
"General! The road ahead is severely damaged and we cannot ride our horses!"
"General, there are three people on the right side, claiming to be woodcutter!"
"General, the Changle soldiers are advancing slowly and are about to collide with the Changshan soldiers."
These were knights who conveyed information from various places. They came one after another. Gao Yanzong thought it was quite interesting at first, but after this continued for a day, Gao Yanzong felt like he was going crazy.
Is this how tens of thousands of people go to war?
Gao Yanzong hurriedly handed all these to Liu Taozi and rode farther away, just to avoid hearing the words "general".
At first, Liu Taozi's handling was extremely unfamiliar, but gradually, he became proficient in dealing with it. Whether it was opening a path from the front, roping in the rear, maintaining team distance, maintaining forward speed, providing logistical support, etc., he could do it in a timely manner.
Give orders.
The Boling soldiers under Liu Taozi became supervisors and scouts, with Liu Taozi as the center and spread to the entire army, providing Liu Taozi with timely information on the situation and trends in various places.
The total number of people from the five counties and the king's personal entourage exceeded 10,000, and with 10,000 people on the road, the marching speed was much slower than Gao Yanzong expected.
They walked for two days, but they didn't even see the shadow of Sang River.
This marching speed can't be overstated to say it's a turtle's pace.
However, Gao Yanzong did not dare to speed up. At this level, if he dared to forcefully march, he would probably end up with more than a thousand people before he even reached the destination.
Gao Yanzong raised his head and looked at the dull sky. The light rain was washing his face. His whole body was wet, and his armor made him feel particularly uncomfortable. He wiped his sore eyes and rode close to Liu Taozi.
"Brother, it's better to stop and rest on a rainy day."
"We can't rest here. We have to march to Changshi Canal, where we can rest and resupply. At the current speed, we can arrive there in an hour."
Liu Taozi looked up at the sky again, "The rain won't last long."
Gao Yanzong was stunned for a moment and had no choice but to lower his head and continue moving forward.
The war horse shook its head and shed the water drops on its body, equally dissatisfied with the bad weather.
The army arrived at Changshi Canal and began to rest and recuperate here. Each department dispersed separately, learning the old method of the past, stationing themselves separately and setting up guard against each other.
Gao Yanzong and others sat in a dilapidated temple, gnawing on the dry food in their hands and looking outside helplessly.
The rain has indeed stopped, but the ground is still wet and difficult to walk on.
The sky is still dull, and just looking at it makes me upset.
After Gao Yanzong waited for a while, he couldn't sit still and went to his tent to sleep.
Four people, including Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Chu Jiande, and Tian Zili, stayed with Liu Taozi. The five of them looked outside and ate their dry food happily without saying a word.
Tian Zili suddenly cleared his throat.
"Brother."
"Um."
"I was really stupid at the time. I thought leading the army was so simple, but now I know how difficult it is."
"With these more than 10,000 men, after two days of marching, there were hundreds of casualties. The army was morally shattered and had no fighting power. It turns out that it is so difficult to lead troops."
Tian Zili exhaled tiredly, "I will never dare to raise an army again."
Yao Xiong chuckled, "It's just that you are useless. Like me, isn't it very easy?"
"Oh, you just lead the cavalry back and forth, it's easy of course. How about you and I swap, I'll go back and forth on horseback, and you'll escort the food and supplies, count and distribute them, how about it?"
"Do you think my job is easy? The army of more than ten thousand people relies on me to supervise it. From time to time, there are those who escape, those who fall behind, those who faint, and so on!"
Yao Xiong glanced at Kou Liu and said, "There are still people who steal things!"
Kou Liu's face darkened, "What do you think I'm doing?!"
A few people were talking and laughing, it was very lively, and they were not tired from the journey at all.
But Liu Taozi still kept a straight face, "Study more and accumulate experience."
Several people quickly bowed their heads and said yes.
But Yao Xiong secretly asked: "Brother, is your general Hu Fen really true? Or do you mean that he was appointed during the war and then taken away after the war?"
"have no idea."
Chu Jiande stroked his beard and said, "If you are not appointed in the temple, you will be taken away. However, this is a good thing. Firstly, you can get familiar with commanding the army. Secondly, you can get some supplies from the state government. Thirdly, you can play a role in the Qing Dynasty.
.”
Liu Taozi reminded: "Having it both ways, taking bribes and perverting the law, I won't tolerate it."
"Hey, I just said it casually, just said it casually."
Yao Xiong was very curious, "I understand the first two, but what does the third one mean?"
Chu Jiande grinned, his appearance was quite scary, and he said: "This time it is King Changshan who takes action against Yang Xiang. Although we are only watching from a distance, speaking of it, we are also following King Changshan to participate in this major event. Wait
When King Changshan takes power, he must be rewarded based on his merits. No one can be left behind. It seems that our Mr. Liu has to be promoted again! It’s still a formal one!"
Yao Xiong was overjoyed, "It's good to be promoted, it's good to be promoted. If my brother gets promoted, I can follow him!"
Everyone is full of expectations for the future and is in full swing. There is no longer any fatigue or complaint. Their eyes are bright and they are full of fighting spirit.
Liu Taozi, on the other hand, was just looking in the direction of Yecheng from a distance, with a solemn expression and said nothing.
Yecheng.
Zheng Zimo held Yang Min's hand, his face full of anxiety.
"Xiang Yang, who knows the thoughts of King Changshan and King Changguang? They accepted the edict so easily. There must be fraud in it. It's better not to attend this banquet!"
Yang Min frowned and looked at the many officials around him.
Everyone looked at Yang Min, waiting for him to make a correct decision.
Yang Min pushed Zheng Zimo away and said sternly: "We are loyal to the country, and I have no personal enmity with King Changshan. Everything is just for the sake of Daqi. At that time, King Changshan paid his respects to the post and held a banquet in honor of him before leaving.
Officials, how can you be wrong?! How can you be so worried?"
Zheng Zimo sighed, "Mr. Yang, if you think you have a selfless hatred against him, I'm afraid he won't think so."
Yang Min's face softened a little, "Don't worry, this banquet is not in Changshan Palace, but in Shangshu Province. It is not just a banquet for a few of us, all officials are invited."
"Even if someone wants to harm me, can they still harm me in Shangshu Province, in front of all the civil and military officials?"
Hearing these words, Zheng Zimo did not continue to persuade. He bowed and stepped aside. Yang Min, with his belly puffed out, led the important ministers into the car and drove towards the Shangshu Provincial Office.
It's not too far from Yang Min's mansion.
After a while, everyone arrived, Yang Min got out of the car, and Gao Zhan hurriedly walked up to greet them.
"Hahaha, Prime Minister Yang, why are you late? All the officials have arrived, Prime Minister Yang has just come now, but he has to have a few more drinks!!"
Seeing Gao Zhan's generous appearance, Yang Min also chuckled, "Since the two kings are going to take office, they dare not not prepare gifts, so they are late. Don't worry, my king. I will definitely have a few more cups later."
!!”
Gao Zhan happily took Yang Min's hand, and the two walked into the official office together.
As expected, all the ministers arrived. When they saw Yang Min coming, they all stood up to pay their respects. Gao Zhan ignored them and just grabbed Yang Min's hand and continued walking towards the inner room.
At this moment, Yang Min whispered to Gao Zhan beside him: "Your Majesty, everything in the past was for the sake of the country. I also hope that your Majesty will do it."
“Let’s not talk about the past!”
"Please take a seat!"
Gao Zhan asked Yang Min to sit in the seat headed by civil servants.
Yang Min and many ministers sat down one after another. Those officials were still drinking. Yang Min picked up the wine glass and nodded politely towards them.
Zheng Zimo frowned. He looked at the large number of nobles in the inner room and Lou Rui who was smiling but not smiling. He felt increasingly uneasy. Soon someone came over and took him to another room.
Just as he was about to speak, King Changshan walked in. Everyone stood up to pay their respects, including Yang Min. The banquet had officially begun, and Zheng Zimo had no choice but to stand up and leave.
Gao Yan sat in the upper seat and drank wine quietly. Gao Zhan held the wine bottle and began to toast one by one.
But the order of his toasts started from the right, which is opposite Yang Min.
Yang Min didn't feel anything was wrong and just drank his own wine.
Gao Zhan poured wine for everyone along the table, then bumped into each other and toasted two glasses. He raised his head, swallowed the wine in one gulp, and then wiped the corners of his mouth.
Along the way, he had two drinks with everyone, but he didn't look drunk at all. He was extremely sober. He ate the wine faster and drank it down in one gulp. The Xianbei nobles looked at him like this.
Everyone couldn't help but applaud him for his bold appearance.
By the time Gao Zhan walked in front of Yang Min, he had already pulled open his collar, revealing his red skin. His face was also flushed, and his eyes looked a little strange.
His hands were empty, and the wine bottle was thrown somewhere.
Gao Zhan shouted: "Catch the wine!!"
No one on either side came forward.
"Catch the wine!!"
"Why not catch it?!"
Gao Zhan shouted again. At this moment, he saw dozens of people rushing out from the inner room. They rushed forward. The two at the front pushed Yang Min to the ground and hurriedly tied him up.
The remaining people in office, but Zhu Huntian, Song Qindao and other Yang Min's best friends were subdued in an instant. These strong men pinned them to the ground. Faced with the sudden scene, many nobles in the inner room
, but turned a blind eye and continued to drink and look at them happily.
Yang Min was stunned. He raised his head, looked at Gao Zhan in front of him, and asked in disbelief: "Are the kings rebelling? Do you want to kill loyal ministers?!"
He shouted: "We respect the emperor and cut down the princes, and we are dedicated to serving the country. What crime do we commit?!"
Gao Yan frowned and said, "Let them go."
Gao Zhan hurriedly stepped forward, "Brother, don't listen to this person's nonsense. What is the country and what is the emperor? In the final analysis, he just wants to suppress the nobles and make himself dominant by serving the country and the people!! And
I see that Liu Taozi has made a lot of achievements by rooting out traitors in the local area, paying enough food, but don't these people still order his execution?"
"If you are dedicated to serving the country, why do you have to execute meritorious people when they hurt their own family members?!"
Gao Yan then closed his eyes. Gao Zhan pointed at Yang Min and others and shouted angrily: "Hit me!! Beat me to death!!"
The slaves swung their sticks, and the sticks fell on everyone like raindrops, and they could only scream in agony.
In the other houses, similar situations occurred. A servant came forward and pushed Zheng Zimo to the ground. Zheng Zimo raised his head and shouted: "Don't listen to the words of the wise! This will be the consequences."
He closed his eyes in despair, and the people in the other rooms were all Han Chen.
They looked at this scene in horror and asked: "What happened?!"
They were also in disbelief at this moment, their eyes widened.
A slave rushed towards Yan Zixian. Yan Zixian lowered his head and punched the slave. The slave was knocked to the ground. Yan Zixian hurriedly ran out. Several slaves rushed up, but he snatched the stick away.
Next, the slave fell to the ground.
Yan Zixian was extremely frightened at this moment and tried his best to escape. None of the slaves along the way could catch him and could only watch helplessly as he rushed out of Shangshu Province.
Yan Zixian knocked over the slave in front of him again and knocked him out of Shangshu Province. But as soon as he stabilized his steps, he saw the person in front of him.
The man standing in front of him was tall and sturdy, with a strange smile on his face, looking him up and down.
And behind him were many elite soldiers.
Yan Zixian froze just when he saw him.
"Dendrobium light"
Gao Yan led everyone out of here, Hu Luguang stepped forward and saluted, and then threw the fainted Yan Zixian in front of him, "Your Majesty, this person has been captured."
"Take custody and enter the palace!"
Gao Yan led the army and set off toward the palace in a mighty manner. On the way, there was a lot of chaos and everyone fled. As for the ministers, they continued to be detained in Shangshu Province and were not allowed to enter or leave.
They rushed all the way to Yunlong Gate and ordered the door to be opened.
The governor scolded Li Sao and quickly led his troops to stop him, "No entry!!"
Gao Guiyan frowned and reprimanded: "I command the imperial army, how dare you stop me?!"
"No one is allowed to enter without His Majesty's order!!"
Gao Yan looked at Hu Luguang who was standing aside. He quickly fired an arrow and immediately fell to the ground.
Gao Guiyan's face looked a little ugly. They passed Yunlong Gate and were blocked by Cheng Xiuning again. Gao Guiyan gave the order again, and the soldiers dropped their weapons one after another. Cheng Xiuning was also arrested on the spot.
They rushed all the way into the inner palace. King Changguang and King Pingqin were stationed at Zhuhua Gate, while Gao Yan sent Lou Rui to invite the Empress Dowager to come.
Soon, the Empress Dowager led the emperor to the Zhaoyang Palace.
Gao Yin looked at the people in front of him in astonishment, his face full of fear.
Gao Yan immediately kowtowed, "Empress Dowager! I and Your Majesty are of the same flesh and blood. It's just that Yang Min wants to master the power of the court and bless himself. If he doesn't get rid of it early, it will be a serious problem. I and Zhan are important to the state. He Baren, Hu Lu
Jin et al. cherished the emperor's deeds and captured Yang Min and sent him to the palace without torture. Please punish him!"
After saying that, he kowtowed heavily again, as if he was about to draw blood.
Gao Yin was so frightened that his face turned pale and he said nothing. Many soldiers in the palace on the left and right were looking in the direction of Gao Yin, but Gao Yin did not speak, his lips were trembling slightly. There were many expressions on the faces of the soldiers.
Feeling disappointed, he slowly lowered his head.
Empress Dowager Lou sighed and asked, "Where is Yang Lang?"
He Baren stepped forward and opened his hands, "One of his eyes is here!"
Empress Dowager Lou said sadly: "What can Yang Lang do? Wouldn't it be better to keep him?"
She suddenly looked at Gao Yin angrily, "These people you are conniving with want to kill my two sons, then me, and finally you. Why do you condone them so much?!"
Gao Yin lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
Empress Dowager Lou pointed at Li Zu'e not far away, "How can I be allowed to be manipulated by a Han like you?!"
Li Zu'e was so frightened that she quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.
Seeing that Gao Yan was still kowtowing, Queen Mother Lou looked at Gao Yin and asked, "Why don't you comfort your uncle?"
Gao Yin trembled and said: "The throne of the emperor can be given to my uncle. How. How. How can I argue with my uncle because of these Han, Han, Han people? Please forgive me. Spare my life. I, myself.
Go to the palace, these Han, Han, Han people will be dealt with by my uncle!"
Gao Zhan immediately looked at Hu Luguang and motioned for him to follow him out.
Gao Yin stepped forward to help Gao Yan up, and tremblingly confessed to him. Gao Yan hurriedly backed down, "How can we allow the emperor to salute his ministers?"
He stepped forward again and took Gao Yin's hand, "Your Majesty, everything I am doing is for you. When my brother passed away, I promised you that I would protect you. As long as I am here, I will never let you go."
Rebellious ministers like Yang Min are endangering the world. Please issue an edict now and appoint me as the prime minister. I will supervise all the Chinese and foreign military affairs and record the affairs of the minister. This is to stabilize the world as soon as possible and prevent the evil people of the Yang Party from causing chaos everywhere!! Your Majesty
Issue an edict!!"
Gao Yin trembled, glanced at the fierce-looking Empress Dowager Lou, and said timidly: "Okay, okay, I will make my uncle the prime minister, and supervise all military affairs at home and abroad, and record the affairs of the minister."
Yang Min was kneeling on the ground, one of his eye sockets was empty.
Blood flowed from his face to the ground.
The two soldiers just grabbed him, and several courtiers around him had already been beaten unconscious.
Gao Zhan walked up to him with a sinister smile, and He Shikai stood behind him.
"Do you know what His Majesty said? He said that he would never argue with us because of you Han people. You are the only ones who are worthy of being the ones to exercise your own power??"
Yang Min slowly raised his head and looked at Gao Zhan in front of him with one eye.
"If you kill me, all the Han officials in the world will be alienated, and there will no longer be any Han officials who are interested in assisting the government."
"Oh? Yang Dadu wants to ask for mercy right now? Hahaha, isn't it too late?"
"I'm not begging for mercy. You can't execute me."
"Pfft."
Gao Zhan thrust the sword in his hand into Yang Min's abdomen. Yang Min looked at him in pain. Gao Zhan whispered: "Then I want to see what the consequences of executing you will be. Han Shi? Han Chen
?Do I, Daqi, need it? What are you for?"
Yang Min's mouth was bleeding. He looked up at Gao Zhan, "You will know from now on that Daqi will die in your hands sooner or later."
Gao Zhan was furious and drew his sword suddenly.
Yang Min leaned back and fell, his empty eyes staring at the bloody sky.
Never die with peace of mind.
Chapter completed!