Realm of Power

Zhongbia Linhang Xinjing

After the Spring Festival in April, the famous misty rain season in the south of the Yangtze River has come, and the weather changes have become more obvious. When the rain falls like a thin line of mist, Linhang, the new capital of the Central Asian Empire, seems to be in a fog. The streets that were supposed to be noisy in summer are now desolate, especially the shops along the river, which used to be full of noisy hawking sounds, are now quiet.

There were very few people on the streets, and those walking back and forth were all armored soldiers. The streets were washed clean by the rain, and a trace of cold air that could not be concealed seeped into the streets and alleys of the entire city, and penetrated into the hearts of Linhang people. In Fugang, more than 600 miles away from Beijing, on the day of the Spring Festival celebrated by the whole city, the Aden army rushed into Fugang, burned, killed and looted. The fire lit up the night sky of Fugang. That night have More than 6,000 people in Fu Kong were killed, and 17 bustling streets were looted and burned. It is said that even Princess Mingyue was detained by the Aden people and taken away on a ship. The navy in Fu Kong originally wanted to pursue it, but was beaten by the other side's navy. He sank eight dragon ships, which the navy was proud of, and even the garrison of Fugang became a drowned rat. He could only watch the Aden navy fly away, leaving behind a devastated Fugang city.

Fucheng is an important town on the southern coastline of China and Libya, and as a result, cities without garrisons are even more panicked.

Nowadays, rumors are spreading throughout the Central and Asian coastline. Some people say that the Aden people massacred the entire city of Fugang. Others say that people within a hundred miles of Fugang were killed without a trace. The even more outrageous statement is that after the Aden people massacred Fugang, , and will continue to massacre along the coastline, such rumors Under this situation, not to mention ordinary citizens, even the local officials in the coastal cities in China and Libya are already restless. They are frightened three times a day. There is no trace of the Aden people yet. There has been a wave of refugees in the coastal cities, and for the North Korea in China and Libya, Tang Li, he is also very busy now.

So many refugees entering the inland from the coast have seriously affected the farming in these areas, and the judgment from the military made the emperor of Zhongbia even more frightened: "If the Aden navy does not raid Fugang, but moves up the coastline, Xinjing Linhang, which has just stabilized, is undoubtedly the first to bear the brunt. Your Majesty, this is the most important problem that needs to be solved. If the Aden people can pass Fugang this time, they may not attack Linhang next time!

The generals in the Central and African Military Cabinet are all heartbroken. They seem to be indignant at the Fukang tragedy, but in fact, each of them has sharp eyes like a wolf that has smelled blood. In this year, the generals in the Central and African Courts have expressed their indignation. He is definitely the most miserable person. He was beaten back by the Yelu family and was beheaded countless times by the emperor in anger. Not even half of the generals who went to the battlefield came back alive. Many people went to the battlefield and were simply dragged away. Went with a coffin,

Even so, the civil service group was holding on to military pay to the death, saying that their financial resources were tight and they were unable to pay. However, for the emperor to rebuild the Taiji Hall, they spent three million in one go, and had to come from hundreds of miles away. When transporting huge rocks to decorate the emperor's new garden, no one thought that the soldiers guarding the riverside area had been without pay for three months. In the eyes of civilian officials, what if this group of vulgar soldiers If they don't tighten their purse strings, they will clamor for the Northern Expedition every day. They can just give some charity when necessary. They don't have the heart to scream if they are not starving to death. Now the national strength has barely recovered to some extent. This is still the case with last year's great war in the south. As a result of the good harvest, if there is strength to launch a Northern Expedition, the money must be saved for use. Otherwise, when the Yelu family really wants to forcefully cross the river, what will be used as a bounty for the army to fight bravely!

Since the catastrophic move of the imperial capital in Central Asia to the south and the rise of central Yelvjia, the power of military generals has suffered heavy losses, and the power of civil servants has risen rapidly. With the connivance of the emperor, it has become a trend to use civilized and military forces to control military affairs. There are also a group of Qingliu who want to be famous. The supervisor, with his eyes as big as an ox, stared at every general.

As the head of the military cabinet, Li Long gave birth to his son last month and held a family banquet in Yanyue Tower. The next day, the Qingliu supervisors blocked the court and insisted that Li Long spend the expenses of the family banquet. They all made it clear that he was so angry that even Li Long, who had a good temper, kicked two Qingliu supervisors over and was now punished by the emperor to meditate at home.

The head of the military cabinet is treated like this, and it is conceivable that other generals are treated like this.

"Today's imperial meeting, I'm afraid the navy matter will be brought up! It would be best if you, the head of the Military Affairs Ministry, don't go." Mrs. Li, the old prime minister who no longer attends court, leaned on the rocking chair, closed her eyes and rested her mind. The little maid in green clothes was kneeling there and tapping Li Tai's legs. The weather in April was cool, and the rain was hitting the stained glass outside, making a crisp and sweet tinkling sound.

"But as the head of the military cabinet, I can't go to such a meeting. What if the generals..." Rumor has it that Li Long, the head of the military cabinet, who was sitting at home and thinking about his past, bowed his hands and saluted, then hesitated and said.

"What do you think about rebuilding the navy?" Li Tairu's eyes fell on Li Long.

Li Long said cautiously, "The navy's combat effectiveness is low, and the warships are old and outdated. The latest warships launched twenty years ago are no longer suitable for maritime operations. It is inevitable that something like Fukang will happen. There are also some generals." People have brought up the matter of rebuilding the navy. After all, if there is a strong navy stationed on the river defense line, it will be a shot in the arm for the Central Asian defenders and the court. " "No matter how powerful the grassland people are in field battles, they are still too weak to fight on the water because of their lack of combat power. North horse and south boat, this is a concept that has been formed for many years, but due to lack of funds, the emperor threw it away with a single word without mercy. There is nothing wrong with the generals mentioning it now that they are back!"

"Isn't it appropriate?"

Mrs. Li closed her eyes and opened them. A hint of coldness flashed in her old eyes. She waved the two little maids down, stood up from the chair and said, "I don't know if I'm going to die! You are asking His Majesty to reincarnate." Everyone in the entire navy knows how much oil and water there is in it. ""This..." Li Long looked embarrassed, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Mrs. Li said, "A navy needs at least 80 warships and more than 100 transport ships according to the Central Asian military system. The procurement and supply of wood, recruitment of craftsmen, and various equipment are not a waste of money. Even if you can't get a job as a major, knocking Picking up leaks is enough for everyone to eat for more than ten years. Anyway, shipbuilding cannot be done overnight. If the Aden people attacked Fucheng, they may not dare to come. As long as they have such a reputation, they can allocate the money currently allocated by the court. The reduced military expenditures will be raised by at least three Of course, if 10% can actually be built on the ship in the end, then everyone has a conscience! With such a consensus, the generals naturally wanted to talk about the cruelty of the Aden people to the sky, and asked the court to order the coastline. nearby china The city has entered a state of war readiness. In this case, everyone will not have to sit in Linhang and eat nothing. Maybe they can be sent outside. In the current situation, the central government's control over the outside world is very limited. Without Linhang, the sky is not high. Let the birds fly!"

"The problem is, these military ministers who are already red-eyed don't think about it. The civil servants knew that the military ministers were going to build a navy, so why did they collectively shut up this time! It's because the civil servants knew very well that the construction of a navy was The emperor would never agree!" Mrs. Li said with a cold smile, "Not to mention releasing military officials."

Mrs. Li sighed, "I have been in charge of the civil service group for decades. How could I not know the nature of the civil service group? Civilians are the most insidious. If everyone silences their voices collectively, they are basically waiting to see the other party's joke, or they have already He sentenced the other party to death!" He looked at it. Li Long, who was stunned, said slowly, "The heads of the generals are almost lowered to the ground. If they can't win the battle ahead, they can't straighten their backs. There is no money in their pockets, and they have no face when they see their subordinates. The soldiers are even more so." Disobeying orders, this is the emperor's consideration of condoning civil servants and undermining military generals.

"In such a precarious situation, what the emperor fears most is that the military ministers with the army are domineering and Lingzhu. A Southwest Long family is an example. Therefore, the emperor will never give the military ministers another chance. As long as the military ministers do not have the capital to be domineering, as long as the court does not send money , these military ministers are bare generals."

"The emperor has spent so much effort to achieve this goal, how could he let go again! Now the military ministers are jumping out to touch this bottom line. If there is one who jumps, he will govern him! To put it bluntly, the civil servants group Without the support of the emperor, how could he be so dominant in bullying military officials in such troubled times? Fighting against the Yelu family actually took the opportunity to weaken the power of the military officials. Using civil servants to control military affairs also completely uprooted the foundation of the military officials. This time the civil servants collectively shut up because the emperor had now gained a foothold. We only need those who are willing to obey. As for those who still have illusions, we will definitely get rid of them all! "

Li Long's face changed drastically. This Li family son, who had squeezed out many competitors and ascended to the top of the military cabinet, had been keeping a low profile since returning to the Southwest Long family. Kicking two Qingliu supervisors in front of them was a rare act. Even the emperor of Zhongbia thought that Li Long was He was acting angry, so he just asked to face the wall at home and think about his fault. In fact, who knew that this was entirely Li Long's intention. As the head of the military cabinet, how could Li Long not know that the military ministers had been suppressing it for too long, and once it broke out? , how difficult it is to stop it! Once he is swept in, he is afraid that the emperor will be the first to behead him. The emperor has wanted to rectify the military for a long time. As the head of the Ministry of Military Affairs, he is caught between the military and the emperor. It feels like walking on thin ice. It's not an exaggeration to say that it's like sitting on the crater of a volcano. You can't predict when this volcano will erupt and burn you to ashes!

"What, you want to save them?" Mrs. Li raised her eyebrows calmly.

"Although they have selfish motives, they are generals who shed blood for the country after all. They should not die like this."

Li Long's scalp was numb at the sight of Mrs. Li, and he said with a trembling voice. He believed that Mrs. Li's analysis was not wrong. This old man, who had been in charge of the Central and Northern Dynasties for decades, was already too worried about the dangerous changes. To the point of speculation, if anyone knows the emperor’s thoughts best, then it must be However, with the old man in front of him, the emperor wanted to take this opportunity to eradicate the military clan, completely take over the military and political power, and achieve the absolute unification of the royal power in China and Libya. This imperial meeting must be the result of a bloody storm. I don’t know how many generals. Will be dismissed, how many people will be implicated! As the head of the military cabinet and the number one person in the military, I am afraid that I will be scolded to death for being such a coward!

"Compassion does not control soldiers, you should know that!"

Mrs. Li's sunken eyes were filled with a pair of cloudy eyes that were frighteningly bright. The emperor's purge of the military actually had only benefits and no harm to the Li family. There were many factions of military ministers. In addition to family status, it was always a place where support was emphasized. It seemed loose. In fact, seniority is very important. Li Long turned from civil servants to military ministers. Even if he was already the head of the military cabinet, he could not completely suppress the grudges of these military ministers. On the contrary, only after the purge could Li Long truly establish his authority and position as the head of the military cabinet!

"Please sir, please save them!" Li Long saluted with determination on his face.

"That's it!" Mrs. Li smiled helplessly. After fighting with the military all his life, he finally had to find a way for the military. He stretched out his hand and pointed towards the north, and said in a serious voice, "If you don't want them to die, just let them go." North of the river, the Long family is in Yelu In the hinterland of the family, Long Yang resisted the two-sided attack of the Yelu family's army of more than 100,000 and the Beiwang Ting in Beiyan Prefecture. Although he was finally defeated and his life and death were unknown, the Long family's reputation was already at its peak. As the orthodox court, could it be just a little bit more? means both No, now the Yelu family's strength in Yanzhou has been greatly damaged, and half of the hinterland has been conquered by the Long family. The grassland army has retreated towards the Imperial Capital. Since the generals are thinking about it day and night and clamoring for the Northern Expedition, then the Northern Expedition is better, grassland people. So many places have been lost, Just let the generals grab it, grab it from the prairie people, grab it from the Long family. As for who owns the land, it naturally depends on whose strength is greater. An army of 30,000 is the limit that the court can mobilize at present. If you die, Survive, this is their only way!”

"Master, great victory in the south!" At this moment, the housekeeper of the Li family came over from a distance with a hurried expression.

"A great victory?" Mrs. Li and Li Long looked at each other in tacit understanding. Is there a war in the south?

"Just now, the Song clan rode into Linhang. The Song fleet defeated the Aden navy that had plundered Fugang a few days ago in Qinglong Bay. They beheaded six thousand people and captured more than a hundred Aden ships, large and small! What a great victory at Qinglong Bay." The housekeeper blushed excitedly and said it in one breath

"How is this possible!" Li Long looked unbelieving. The Chinese navy was worse than the Biya fleet, but it was still better than the Song fleet. The Chinese navy was not good enough, so why did the Song fleet achieve a great victory? Could it be that in just a few years, the combat power of the Song fleet has surpassed that of the Central and African navy? Isn’t this nonsense!

"The Song people definitely did it on purpose. They killed people with a borrowed sword!" Mrs. Li screamed with a strange look on her face. With the Song family's fleet in front of them for a great victory, the only reason for the catastrophe in Fugang was the incompetence of the generals. The emperor was furious. under , I am afraid that the road to survive in death will not work. What kind of person Song Que is, the head of the Song family. He must have guessed that the military would propose a large-scale reconstruction of the navy, and deliberately delayed the opportunity of the imperial meeting to send a good news, isn't it? What is killing someone with a borrowed knife!

To be continued