Since the new emperor ascended the throne, Yan Qing has changed from empress to empress dowager, and moved from Fengyi Palace to Renshou Palace.

Xiao Huangmen, who came to deliver the message, was stopped outside the palace and passed to Fuying. When she came out, she frowned and asked, "What's the matter? My son is reading a book right now. Please tell me and I'll report it then." Give it to the empress."

The little Huangmen knelt on the ground with a bang and kowtowed before saying: "My dear, forgive me. This news must be reported to the Queen Mother in person. If it is too late, it will be a crime of beheading. Please forgive me. This slave is going to die."

Seeing him in such a panic, Fuying thought it must be a big deal and said, "Okay, come with me."

Yan Qing was indeed reading, and all the people in the palace were dismissed. Before it got dark, no one was ordered to light the lamp. When Fuying went in, he saw her sitting on the heated kang by the window, and turned her head when she heard the door open.

"Your Majesty, the Supervisor of Ceremonies has sent someone here, saying that he has something urgent to report to us," Fuying said.

Yan Qing nodded, and saw the small yellow door behind her stepping into the hall, then kneeling straight on the ground, saying in a trembling voice: "Queen Mother, Beiqi has entered the gate." There was

a "pop", and the one she was holding in her hand The booklet fell on the Kang table.

After being stunned for a moment, she came back to her senses and asked: "Already entered the pass?"

Jiading Pass is the only gap in Hengyun Mountain, and is also known as the "Tiger's Pass" because it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Hengyun Mountain is If the barrier to the north of Dayu and Jiading were broken, the pass would be a fertile field, and Beiqi's cavalry would go straight down and there would be no cover.

Once Jiading is destroyed, the world will be in danger.

"Enter," the little Huangmen replied with his head lowered, "Guo Xu, the guard of Jiading Pass, betrayed the enemy."

Because of the importance of Jiading Pass, the Chen soldiers have always been the heaviest and the baggage (zī) the most heavy. If Beiqi wants to attack It is really difficult to capture the city without more than a month, but if the defender rebels against the enemy, the impregnable Jiading Pass will become a decoration.

Yan Qing stood up abruptly, looked at the little Huangmen and asked: "Jiang Da...where are all the masters of the cabinet now?"

The Xiaohuangmen naturally didn't pay attention. She almost blurted out that the question she wanted to ask was Mr. Jiang, and only replied: "The elders are all in the Wende Hall, waiting for the two empress dowagers to go."

-

When Yan Qing arrived at the Wende Hall, several elders in the hall, the Chief of Ceremonies Zhang Fang, and the Empress Dowager Cao were all there. There are several people from the Privy Council waiting there. There is a huge map hanging in the hall, like a mural.

In front of the map, a person stands out, it is Jiang Weiren.

The ministers in the palace were about to salute, but Yan Qing had already waved his hand and said: "No need to be formal, just say it directly."

Yan Qing thought that the people from the Privy Council would be the first to report the battle report ahead, but to his surprise, it was Jiang Weiren who turned around and pointed. Looking at several places on the map, he said to the crowd: "The urgent report was sent from Jiading. Three days ago, after Jiading was Yingcheng. It took only half a day's march to arrive.

"The guard of Yingcheng is Wang Su. This person Although he is very brave, he is not as good at strategizing as Guo Xu. I expect that he will defend until the second day at most, and then he will come to Zhuozhou. The Zhuozhou garrison has just been changed, and the generals are not in harmony. Today, I guess Zhuozhou has been defeated. "

The urgent report had just reached the capital. No one expected that he could analyze it in such detail and know the garrison and garrison of several cities in such detail. It seems that he knows everything about it on weekdays. The state affairs are so heavy, but he has to do it. Everything is clear, and it seems that this position of chief assistant is really not something that anyone else can take.

"Why is Guo Xu rebelling? "Yan Qing suddenly raised his head and asked.

No one expected that she would suddenly ask such a question, and they were all a little startled. Jiang Weiren looked at her and answered: "Because he was promoted by Shen Zhu. "

Not only Guo Xu, when Shen Zhu came to power and promoted many of his own people in the army, the Minister of War directly became a puppet. Guo Xu was placed in such an important place as Jiading Pass, so he naturally gained Shen Zhu's trust. .

But Shen Zhu fell and was sent to Qiongzhou, and his people in the court were gradually eliminated. Only the army, especially the border guards, did not make any big moves because they were afraid of Beiqi.

This Guo Xu was a capable general, although he was promoted by Shen Zhu. , but the late emperor admired him very much. When the late emperor was alive, Jiang Weiren naturally did not dare to touch him.

Now that the late emperor died and the new emperor was young, since he was the one who cared deeply, how could Jiang Weiren let him go? It's better to take the risk.

"Not only that," Jiang Weiren said slowly, "At the beginning, I focused on placing cronies randomly in the army. A large number of generals in the northern cities were descendants of aristocratic families. Most of them were talking on paper, ranging from more than ten days to half a month. The contract will go straight to the capital. "

As soon as these words came out, there was a silence in the palace. After a while, the Minister of the Ministry of War spoke weakly: "Xuancheng has been guarding the capital since ancient times. There are 30,000 garrison troops. There are dozens of three-bow crossbows newly made last year on the city walls. Think about it. Can hold on for more than ten days.

Jiang Weiren smiled coldly, "That's good. If Xuancheng is lost, the first person to ask Cui Shangshu is him. " "

After hearing this, how dare Shangshu Cui have anything to say.

Yan Qing shook her head when she saw it. The dignified Shangshu of the Ministry of War was so useless at such a critical moment. She suddenly felt that what Jiang Weiren said might not be alarmist.

How to deal with it now had to wait for the battle reports that would arrive in the capital one after another. Naturally, the cabinet and the Privy Council members did not want to rest. Yan Qing and Cao Dingzhen also insisted on staying at Wende Palace

at dawn . , the second battle report came, confirming

Jiang Weiren's first guess.

The three major battalions in Beijing had received Jiang Weiren's order as early as yesterday, and were on standby, according to the plan drawn up by the Privy Council. The army immediately set off to support Zhuozhou and push the enemy back outside Jiading Pass.

This sounded like the most effective strategy at present, but it was opposed by one person,

and that was the plan proposed by Mr. Jiang Weiren . Everyone was shocked.

“The three major battalions stayed behind in the capital and never left. "

This sounds almost unbelievable to everyone. The three major battalions are the most elite troops of the imperial court. If they go north now, they may be able to contain Beiqi's offensive and resolve the crisis outside the capital. With

this arrangement, he almost gave up the north. Several cities directly used the capital as the battlefield.

Looking at the shocked eyes of everyone, Jiang Weiren could only explain: "Beiqi has always invaded in the autumn, why? Because unlike our dynasty, their soldiers and horses marched ahead without using food and grass.

"The march in Beiqi had no military rations, so they had to plunder everywhere after attacking the city. After autumn, the warehouses in the north were full of grain, and the people had a good harvest. They plundered enough grain and livestock so that they could return to the grassland for the winter.

"But this time they invaded the border in early spring, and Why? Because I ascended the throne as the new emperor, people's hearts were uncertain, and I met Guo Xuli and Tongwaihe. At this time, I went south, not to grab food, but to completely overthrow Dayu. There

was silence in the hall. After a pause, Jiang Weiren spoke again: "So, this time they will take the imperial capital as quickly as possible and at all costs."

"The three major battalions went north. Perhaps as soon as they reached Xuancheng, the Beiqi army arrived. Although Xuancheng has always been used to defend the capital, it has always stationed troops instead of civilians. How big is Xuancheng? There are 30,000 The army, with tens of thousands of people from the three major battalions, was crowded in the city and could not be mobilized.

"If I were the general of Beiqi, I would only need to divide half of the troops to besiege the city, and the other half to bypass and go straight to the capital. When the time comes, the capital has no troops to mobilize. All we can do is sit back and wait for death. "

Everyone in the Privy Council is the best at tactics and strategies. After listening to his words, no one dared to refute him.

Neither Yan Qing nor Cao Dingzhen had any idea about the war, so it would naturally be decided by the cabinet and the Privy Council. Although Jiang Weiren is the chief assistant, what he just said cannot be refuted. But letting the three major battalions stay in the imperial capital is tantamount to giving up the defense in the north. If the capital falls again, the entire Yu Dynasty will be in danger.

No one dared to take this risk, so several adults in the Privy Council argued hard and argued that Jiang Weiren would not give in. In the end, there was a stalemate, and it was Empress Dowager Cao who came out to directly seal the coffin.

Since the Privy Council insisted on letting the three major battalions go north and the chief assistant insisted on staying behind, half of the soldiers in the three major battalions were allowed to go north and half stayed in the capital.

The half of the soldiers who went north left the capital on the second day. That night, the battle report from the front was transmitted to Wende Palace.

The report was about the fall of Zhuozhou, and this battle report was sent from Zhuozhou a day ago. Therefore, by the time they arrived at the imperial capital, the Beiqi army should have been heading straight for Xuancheng. Calculating, they would be able to reach Xuancheng in less than a day.

Three days later, Jiang Weiren's prophecy came true again, and Xuancheng was besieged.

——In

the morning of the second day, the two queen mothers made an exception and appeared behind the banquet. The ministers were still confused, and then the internal eunuch announced the news that Beiqi soldiers were besieging Xuancheng.

The news of Beiqi's breach was known to everyone inside and outside the imperial court, but where exactly the enemy troops had attacked now, all kinds of news flew around the capital. The reports issued by the imperial court in the past few days all reported good news but not bad news. It was not until this moment that the ministers knew that Xuancheng had been besieged.

Naturally, there was chaos in the court hall. Suddenly, the whole hall was filled with discussions like boiling water. The ceremony officer shouted loudly several times before quieting down.

Xuancheng is only sixty miles away from the capital, and the Beiqi army will soon reach the capital.

Even the young Zhao Yuan knew that the current situation was critical. He sat on the throne and watched the ministers in the palace arguing about how to deal with it. He could only turn his head to look at the faces of the two queen mothers.

At this moment, Fu Jingfang, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, came out holding the hù (hù), "Your Majesty, last year the Yang family, the chieftain of Bozhou, rebelled, and the imperial court sent 100,000 troops to Bozhou. Now, even if they travel under starry night, they can't get back. The three camps the day before yesterday Another half of the troops were sent to Xuancheng, and now there are only 50,000 troops left. How can these 50,000 troops fight against the enemy?"

When he said this, many courtiers immediately agreed behind him. Fu Jing conveniently said: "I think that for now? The most important thing in this plan is to ensure the safety of His Majesty and the two Queen Mothers, and take temporary refuge from the capital before the enemy troops arrive. "

The so-called "temporary refuge from the capital" is nothing more than fleeing south, as was the case during the previous dynasty. When foreign enemies invaded, the royal family abandoned the city and fled. After crossing south, they established the Southern Dynasty. From then on, they were in a corner of peace. Even during the whole dynasty, they failed to regain the mountains and rivers in the north.

As soon as his words fell, there was an uproar of discussion. Many courtiers stood up and cursed him, but more of them echoed his petition to support Zeng Jia's departure from the capital.

When the stalemate was going on, Jiang Weiren walked out. He was the chief minister of the cabinet. Everyone fell silent when they saw him.

"Master Fu, let me ask you," he walked up to Fu Jingfang, "after Zengjia leaves the capital, will all the lords in the court and those high-ranking families also want to take their families and flee the capital? If you are from the capital, The defenders, seeing this situation, are you still willing to fight to the death? "

Jiang Weiren's meaning is very clear. If Changjia leaves the capital at this time, the morale of the army will naturally be shaken, and the capital will not be protected."

Fu Jingfang did not give in at all. Your Majesty is most important. If Your Majesty stays in the capital and the capital is still unprotected, our century-old country Zuò will be in danger. Can the Chief Minister bear this responsibility?"

Jiang Weiren smiled, "Then your Majesty will leave. What to do after Beijing, just like the previous

dynasty, they crossed south? Stabilize the situation of the court. Now that His Majesty is young, there are still tens of thousands of elite soldiers guarding the imperial capital. If he abandons the city and flees, who will ensure the safety of the emperor? "

Despite what he said, there are still many courtiers below who support what Fu Jingfang said. Although Jiang Weiren is the chief minister, no one can care about it at the moment of life and death.

Zhao Yuan saw the two sides quarreling, blushing and disapproving of each other . Empress Dowager Cao didn't say a word at the back .

She listened to both sides. Jiang Weiren was right. The emperor's departure from the capital would shake the morale of the army, but she was the emperor's biological mother. In her eyes, her son's life was always the most important thing.

At this moment, no one expected that Yan Qing would suddenly stand up.

She walked forward slowly, looked directly at the crowd of ministers below, and said solemnly: " The Ai family would like to ask you all, the former dynasty was in a corner, relying on professing vassal status to the north and losing annual coins to survive.

"The Ai family read the books compiled by the Hanlin Academy and often saw articles by adults criticizing the previous dynasty. Why are they now imitating the previous dynasty?"

Her words made the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty speechless.

Jiang Weiren stepped forward at this time and said: "At such a juncture, without thinking about the enemy's plan, but spreading such remarks that shake the morale of the army, I believe that we must not tolerate it."

Yan Qing looked at him and asked: "Sir, our court regulations "When the two armies are fighting, what should we do if they want to retreat?"

"Report it to the Queen Mother," Jiang Weiren replied, "If it is our soldiers, they will be killed immediately."

Yan Qing smiled coldly, "The officers and soldiers in the army will receive their salary from the imperial court. " "Civil officials also eat the salary of the imperial court, and the soldiers cannot withdraw, but your lords can. What's the reason?"

"The Queen Mother," Jiang Weiren said loudly, "Fu Jingfang, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, wanted to withdraw before the war, which shook the morale of the army. I asked the court to report it?" Staff, as a warning to others. If anyone in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty agrees, he will be punished with the same crime as Fu Jingfang."

After he finished speaking, the ministers in the court were so frightened that they dared not speak out. Yan Qing understood that Fu Jingfang's remarks had already made people feel guilty. shake. Now that the young emperor has ascended the throne, and there is a national crisis outside, we must work together. If we don't kill Fu Jingfang, we will not be able to establish our authority.

"Zhang Fang," she turned to look at Zhang Fang to one side and said, "to pass on the family's decree and the imperial staff, just walk outside the palace."

Fu Jingfang immediately knelt down and begged for mercy after hearing the sound, but the guards outside the palace had already come in, and the ceremonial staff The supervisor held the imperial staff and usually carried out the execution outside the Meridian Gate. Now Yan Qing specially ordered it to be carried out outside the palace so that all the ministers could see it with their own eyes.

The guards quickly dragged the people out of the palace. Jiang Weiren stood in front of everyone and said coldly: "The emperor will not leave the capital, and no one can leave the capital. From now on, the troops and horses of the five cities will guard the gates of each city. Anyone who leaves the city will be punished."

Fu

Jingfang's screams remained in the minds of every courtier in the palace that day.

Empress Dowager Cao covered the emperor's ears, but Zhao Yuan still saw the bright red in the distance, and the bloody color became an indelible memory in his heart.

After retiring from the court, Empress Dowager Cao took the emperor back to the palace, while Yan Qing went to the Wende Palace to continue listening to the cabinet's discussions on how to defend the city.

When Jiang Weiren predicted today's war situation, he had already started to deploy the defense in Beijing. This was a matter for the Minister of War, but the Minister of War was not as clear as he was about the defense of Beijing, so all matters were decided directly by the chief minister. .

Yan Qing has hardly been able to sleep in the past few days, and now his eyelids started to fight as he listened. The other ministers present dared not say a word, but the voice of the chief assistant, who was reporting the situation of the defenders, became softer and softer.

When Yan Qing realized that she almost fell asleep, the palace was quiet, and she was a little stunned. Jiang Weiren said softly: "I'm tired, let's call it a day."

He stood against the light, and she was drowsy again, unable to see him clearly. The look on his face, but listening to his voice at this moment, there is a gentleness that seems to be from another world.

"Everyone, please go back and have a rest." She looked away, as if afraid of meeting his eyes, "Everyone has worked hard these days."

After everyone in the hall retreated, it took a while before Yan Qing slowly stood up. , I am indeed a little tired, but I really need to rest, but I feel so confused that I can’t stop.

When she walked out of the hall, the breeze blew, and the eaves bells hanging in the corners of the hall jingled. She turned her head to look and saw that familiar figure.

He stood outside the temple and did not leave at all.

"Master Jiang," she spoke first, "I heard that Master Jiang has not rested for several days in a row. Aren't you tired, sir?"

He slowly walked to her side, "I don't dare to rest. I have to go somewhere soon." Look at the city defense layout on the city wall."

When he said this, Yan Qing also frowned and whispered worriedly, "I don't know how the defense arrangements in Beijing are..."

Jiang Weiren's next expression made Yan Qing feel... He seemed to have guessed that he would say what he just said, and she actually saw him laughing, "You'll find out if you go and see."