Linzhi

"Khan, I thought, we shouldn't go any further south."

The person who spoke was Ashina Queqi, who was originally an Eastern Turkic nobleman. His mother was related to Fu Nian's mother. , strength is the key factor that determines everything.

Ashina Queqi stood in the right team in the previous power struggle between Fu Nian and his brothers and sisters, so his status has risen. Now he holds the position of Zuozheng in Turkic, which is equivalent to the prime minister. Not much decision-making power.

In the past, that's all. Although Fu Nian was arbitrary, he was proved to be correct in many decisions. But today, many Turkic ministers, including Queqi, felt that they had to speak out to stop it.

Because Fu Nian wanted to leave Chang'an and lead the Turkic army to continue southward.

The Turkic people are good at riding and shooting, but they are not good at attacking and defending. Especially after entering the customs, the terrain is changeable, and the people of the Central Plains are cunning. In the end, Chen Wei died in battle, but everyone knows that Chen Wei's defeat was not due to Chen Wei himself, but because he had no soldiers to use, and the opponent's morale was low.Even so, the Turks also lost a lot of soldiers and horses in the battle of Jinzhou. When they arrived in Chang'an, although they were still called iron cavalry, which made people tremble, but in fact, compared with when they first entered the customs, the number of Turks had been reduced by three or four tenths.

At the beginning, I heard that the Central Plains court was weak, and Chang'an was just around the corner. Thinking of taking this thousand-year-old city as their own, many people's blood surged up, and they focused on fighting behind Fu Nian. Now the city is also occupied, and their belongings are full. , Many people began to miss their hometown and wanted to go back. After all, no matter how many things they caught, they had to carry them with them, and it was not appropriate to take them back to their hometown.

Although He Xiu's assassination did not cause much damage to the Turkic people, the fact that King Ji's head was hung on the city tower aroused the blood of some Central Plains people. It's not much, but it's annoying after a long time.

There are also rising rebel armies from all over the country, all under the banner of expelling aliens, as well as the forces in Li Kuan's hands, He Zhan in the south of the Lingnan, and He Rong in the north, all of which are potential threats. If they unite and surround them from all sides, then the Turks will It will be deeply trapped in the quagmire of the Central Plains, and it will be difficult to get out.

Some sober Turkic people began to realize that it might not be a wise choice for them to come to Chang'an, so they wanted to quit, and tried their best to persuade Fu Nian to retreat and return to the outside of the pass. After enjoying it, Chang'an is now bleak and empty, not as prosperous as it used to be, and it is boring to see too much.

Unexpectedly, Fu Nian not only refused to retreat, but continued to go south. He ignored the advice from the left and right, and insisted on letting the troops be reorganized, and planned to go to Xiangzhou in two days.

Only then did the scene where Ashina persuaded him strangely.

Fu Nian gave him a gloomy look, but didn't speak.

In the past, Queqi would never disobey Fu Nian. He relied on Fu Nian for his position, and of course he knew that his position would be more stable by following Fu Nian closely. At the beginning, people's hearts were shaken, but because of Fu Nian's long-standing coercion, no one dared to openly oppose it.

Queqi's gaze made him break out in cold sweat, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Khan, we Turkic people have long been accustomed to living as nomads. Although the Central Plains is good, it is not our home after all, and if we go south, we have to cross the border." The river is gone, we were able to cross the Yellow River back then because the river was frozen in winter, and if we go back now, it will be just in time for the river to freeze in winter, and crossing the river will be more convenient, but the Yangtze River, it is said, will not freeze."

Fu Nian unconsciously touched his empty left arm.

Ever since he broke his arm, he has developed this habit. Although the wound has healed day by day, every time his fingers touch it, he still feels an indescribable tingling sensation, like a brand of humiliation, reminding him of the mistakes he made over and over again.

Thinking of this, Fu Nian's face became even more gloomy.

"People from the Central Plains can take root, so can the Turkic people. The land here is rich and fertile. We don't know how to farm. We can drive the people from the Central Plains to farm. The Turkic people just want to sit back and enjoy the benefits. As for those who dare to resist us, kill a few more people from the Central Plains I just obeyed, if they were really so brave, how could they be easily defeated by us?"

Queqi looked at each other with several other Turkic nobles, and one of them said: "Khan, there are many people in the Central Plains, and now we are getting farther and farther away from the royal court. If the Central Plains people cut off our way from behind, then..."

Fu Nian interrupted him: "So, you don't agree to continue the attack?"

Everyone didn't say anything, which already showed an attitude.

Many people were dazzled by gold and silver treasures, and captured many beautiful women. If Fu Nian hadn't taken them through this journey, they would not have known that the Central Plains south of the border town was so intoxicating. After that, they didn't want to go through the baptism of iron and blood anymore.

Fu Nian suddenly sneered, pulled out the knife in his hand, and pierced the chest of Queqi who was closest to him with lightning speed!

White knives go in, red knives go out, and the blood splashes on the gold bricks at the feet, mottled and mottled.

Queqi opened his eyes wide, and with an expression of incredible regret, he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Who else wants to go back to the royal court, I'll see him off." Fu Nian said sadly, looking around at the crowd.

Those who were swept by his gaze lowered their heads one after another, not daring to look at him.

A dead silence.

Fu Nian barely suppressed the violence in his heart, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "There is no need to cross the river, as long as the entire north is included in the Turkic territory, our children and grandchildren will no longer have to worry about winter food." , we will also have endless cattle and sheep, endless food, and endless slaves. But this useless guy wants to go back!"

He pointed at Que Qi, who was lying on the ground without a sound, and shouted: "Are you willing to go back to Turkic, and live the life of entering the customs in autumn and staying on the grassland for the rest of the day! No gold and silver treasures, no beauty Women don’t even have comfortable beds, and there are all kinds of delicacies, which originally belonged to us, are you willing to return them to the Central Plains people!”

No one speaks.

Everyone lowered their heads, seeming to agree with his words.

Fu Nian knew that through the death of Queqi, those voices of opposition were temporarily suppressed, but he needed a bigger victory to make these people completely rest their minds.

The impetuousness in his heart grew wildly like weeds, Fu Nian looked at the fresh blood on the back of the knife, as if seeing He Xiu's disgusting face, his expression became more and more gloomy.

……

"Mom, I'm scared."

Hearing these words, Mrs. Song suddenly felt sad, and even her eyes turned red instantly.

But she didn't dare to cry, because if she did, her son would be even more frightened.

Mrs. Song stretched out her hand and took He Xin's hand: "Don't be afraid, your mother is here."

Teenagers are supposed to be full of vigor, not as timid and shy as they are now.

He Xin's behavior was not due to his personality, but because he was completely frightened.

The glory of the crown prince and the emperor's eldest grandson is ultimately based on the support of the prince. Once the prince dies, they are like floating weeds without roots. Although the Song family is sad, but there is still a son, life will always go on, the prince People leave tea to cool down, and the palace is cold and warm, so there is inevitably some gap, but fortunately, Empress Pei is still there, with many caresses, and the emperor has not appointed a new crown prince, so the Song family and He Xin's mother and son can continue to live in the East Palace.

When the royal family hurried south to avoid disaster, they were naturally among them, and then a series of shocking events happened. First, Empress Pei disappeared, and then Emperor Jiayou passed away. Frightened, and heard that the first emperor did not leave a will, so that there are now two voices in the court. Li Xiang hopes that the nine princes born to his daughter will ascend the throne, while Zhang and others feel that His Royal Highness King An is now the elder, and it is more important. Appropriate, some people remembered that the crown prince also had an eldest son, and thought that it would be more legitimate for the eldest grandson of the emperor to succeed to the throne.

Rumors spread to her ears, and Song was terrified, and she was not even half happy. She may not have made much progress in the court these years, but she has seen a lot of people's hearts, so she naturally has her own judgment. Song doesn't want her son to be an emperor at all. In her opinion, that position is extremely dangerous, she has already lost a husband, let alone her only son.

Orphaned and widowed, with no background, why would the other party support their mother and child?It's not because their identities can bring some benefits to each other.

Moreover, now that Li Xiang holds the military power, if someone blocks his daughter's way, Song can't imagine what will happen to her mother and child.

The late emperor and empress are not here, who else can protect them?

Mrs. Song now sleeps with one eye open every night, for fear that if she doesn't pay attention, her son will be taken away.

He Xin is not an ignorant wooden man. His mother's worries and fears, the turmoil of the situation, and many rumors and gossips surround him, making him trembling and walking on thin ice. He has to check his meals twice to avoid being poisoned. .

"Tell mother the truth, do you want to be the emperor?" Song asked him.

He Xin shook his head like a rattle: "No, mother, I just want to be an ordinary citizen, can we go and tell Li Xiang to let us go, I really don't want to be an emperor!"

Song smiled wryly: "I'm afraid we can't let us..."

Just as he was talking, someone came outside, saying that an old man came from the south, and Li Xiang invited the two of them to meet.

He Xin's eyes lit up when he heard the words "old friend" and "Nanfang" and asked, could it be Uncle Wu?

He Zhan guards the south, it seems that he is the only one.

He Xin excitedly said, "Third Uncle and Fifth Uncle loved me the most that day. If they were here, Li Xiang would definitely let us go!"

Song felt that this matter was a bit strange, it must not be that simple, she said to He Xin: "Since you don't want to be the emperor, you will have to find someone who will show your heart in front of Li Xiang, whether he believes it or not."

He Xin nodded: "This emperor, let whoever loves him be the one. Anyway, I'm not the one."

Mrs. Song dragged him and others to meet Li Kuan, but as expected, there was another person there.

It's just that it's not Wang An He Zhan they thought.

It was Wei Wang He Hui.

Li Kuan smiled and said, "His Royal Highness King Wei said he wanted to meet you."

He sighed again: "I didn't expect so many things to happen in such a short period of time. Your Highness came down one step too late, and you didn't even see your Majesty for the last time!"

However, when Emperor Jiayou went south, he issued decrees to King Wei and King Xing respectively, ordering them to bring troops to escort them. King Wei thought about it, hesitated for a long time, and then set off slowly, because he was also in his heart. Some ulterior ambitions and desires are just due to his character, and he repeatedly missed opportunities. Seeing the chaos in the world, the long-awaited opportunity seemed to have finally arrived. He hesitated again, worried that all his previous efforts would be wasted, and he was also worried that he would be congratulated by He Zhan before he could accomplish anything. Rong and others encircled and suppressed, but halfway through, the news of Emperor Jiayou's death came. King Wei thought that Xiangzhou must be in chaos at this time, and maybe he could take the opportunity to pick up bargains.

He did not forget the original agreement with Li Kuan. Although time has passed and the opportunity has passed, but now that the emperor is dead, if his uncle meets by chance, why can't he reach the top?The eagerness to move made Wei Wang choose not to return to Yangzhou, but to continue to move forward, and finally joined Li Kuan's troops who were about to go down the river in Anzhou.

But King Wei soon found out that he had been fooled by the old fox Li Kuan. The other party had long wanted to support the Ninth Prince to become the throne, and he wanted to bring him here to deal with Emperor Jiayou's sons.

King Wei was not reconciled, so he proposed to see the Song family and He Xin, but Li Kuan didn't take it seriously, and really brought them over.

Little did they know that Song's mother and son had already been frightened out of their wits, not to mention the emperor's position, now they are being given wealth for nothing, and neither of them would dare to take it.

Hearing that King Wei cared about them both inside and out, he asked about the candidate for the new monarch. Before Li Kuan could speak, Mrs. Song hurriedly said: "Da Lang's qualifications are mediocre. When the first emperor was here, he talked about it many times, and my husband sighed again and again." , Don’t dare to have unreasonable thoughts, now that the current situation is turbulent, there should be a more suitable candidate for Xin Junhe, please also Li Xiangming.”

Li Kuan said: "Emperor Eldest Sun Zhixian, everyone can see that the Ninth Prince is actually still young and unable to convince the public..."

"Then Dalang will be even more unconvincing!" The Song family became more and more frightened when they heard it, so that they ignored Li Kuan's words, "With Li Xiang assisting the government, the Ninth Prince must be a wise king in the future. As for the concubine and Dalang's mother and son The two of them only hope that after the world is peaceful, there will be a few acres of Susukida for daily life, and they will be satisfied."

Empress Pei disappeared in a strange way, and the first emperor died strangely. The Song family had faintly noticed some clues, but she didn't dare to think about it. She knew very well that with their mother and son alone, they were just ants that Li Kuan could round and flatten at will. , even if he becomes the emperor, he is destined to be a puppet emperor.

Li Kuan is very satisfied with Mrs. Song's acquaintance. No one knows that he has other plans in mind. Although he pushes the Ninth Prince hard now, the Ninth Prince is too young after all. A child will easily die if he has a headache. If something happens to the prince, he has to find another candidate. He Xin's timidity and fear of getting into trouble undoubtedly meet his requirements. The identity of the emperor's eldest grandson can also stop some people's mouths, so he will not be unfavorable to Song's mother and son for the time being, but will Take good care of them.

King Wei watched this scene, how could he not know Li Kuan's plan?

After Song's mother and son left, he said quietly: "My cousin's promise to me, I'm afraid it has long since ceased to exist, right?"

He scolded He Zhan in his heart for being cunning, obviously everyone rushed over after receiving the order at about the same time, but now that he arrived, He Zhan was still nowhere to be seen, it was clear that he heard that the late emperor died on the way, so he changed the road directly and refused to pass. Throwing in the net, I don't know where to go.

"Your mother is also driving south. You can go and see her later, and you can take her to Yangzhou to retire in the future." Li Kuan didn't care about his words, but smiled slightly, "If I forget the promise, why should I go out of my way?" Looking for you? Xinjun is young, so he must have someone to help him around. I can’t support myself alone, and Zhang Song and those people are against me all the time, but if it were you, we are of the same heart and mind, so why not grow stronger?"

King Wei's heart skipped a beat, he didn't expect the other party to have such a plan.

Li Kuan continued: "As long as we cross the river right now, we will be safe. The north can be left to them to fight. When they are almost finished fighting, we will go back to clean up the situation. By then, the differences between you and me will all be resolved." It’s a small disagreement, but now the Turkic people, He Rong, He Zhan, and even Zhang Song are the ones we have to deal with first, and you should be able to tell the difference.”

King Wei was no longer the one who was deceived by him back then, and he asked suspiciously: "When the time comes, are you willing to give everything up to me?"

Li Kuan said calmly: "I don't want to, but we can rule across the river and not invade each other. I want the north, and you are in the south. If two people divide the world, wouldn't it be much more generous than five or six people?"

King Wei fell silent.

Li Kuan smiled slightly, he knew that the other party would definitely agree.

King Wei asked again: "What if He Zhan comes?"

Li Kuan said: "I just got the news that he didn't come to Anzhou, but went straight to Xiangzhou. He happened to help us block the Turkic people. Will there be danger here for a while? Moreover, we can also send people to Xiangzhou state."

"Going to Xiangzhou? Didn't you just come from Xiangzhou? What are you doing backtracking..."

Halfway through the words, King Wei suddenly realized: "You want to...?"

……

The river is surging, and the clothes are fluttering.

He Zhan stood on the reef by the river, held his sword and looked out, his face was cold and hard, and he didn't know if it was blown by the wind or he was full of thoughts.

"Your Highness, the river is turbulent today. How about waiting for the water to calm down in a few days before setting off?" Tan Jin said with a slight frown as he looked at the river.

The army requisitioned a lot of merchant ships and civilian ships, as well as merchant ships that were originally docked along the coast of Yuezhou. It is not impossible to cross the river in batches, but Tan Jin feels that the weather is not very good these days, and he is worried that something will happen midway, so Want to delay for two days.

But He Zhan shook his head and said: "The Turkic people have occupied Chang'an for a long time, and their arrogance and arrogance have grown. No matter whether they decide to go south or want to retreat north, now is the best time for us to attack. If we miss these few days, the situation will be over again. There will be changes, in order to prevent long nights and dreams, it is better to cross the river as soon as possible."

Tan Jin nodded, and looked at He Zhan again, only to feel that the other party was changing day by day, and seemed to be a little different from before, but he couldn't tell what was different.

Perhaps all of this happened too quickly, and people had to grow up quickly in a short period of time. Even himself, Tan Jin, who was used to being a civil servant two years ago, would never have imagined that one day he would be able to be a decent person. The deputy commander, followed the leader to fight.

I don't know what happened to His Royal Highness Wang An.

Tan Jin hesitated to speak, but in the end he didn't dare to say it, and silently swallowed the name back into his stomach.