Huan Rong

After the early dynasty, Xie An was left alone, led by eunuchs, to discuss matters in the inner hall.

Puzzling what the Son of Heaven meant, after Xie An entered the palace, he saluted and sat down, he didn't speak in a hurry, but just looked at the map laid out in front of him, his heart moved slightly, and it was rare that he was a little lost in thought.

Sitting behind the low couch, Huan Rong ordered the palace servants to bring tea soup and cakes, and all of them left the hall.

The door of the temple was closed, and there was a light creak, awakening Xie An who was in deep thought.

"Thank you, Situ, I have summoned Situ to come to discuss something."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Huan Rong's attitude was so cautious, Xie An suddenly became concerned.Seeing the map in front of him and thinking about the matter of the Northland, several thoughts flashed through his mind, and before he knew it, his gaze was fixed on Qingzhou.

"A few days ago, Qin Qingzhou's assassin sent Tang Gongluo against him, and wanted to surrender to our dynasty. What did Situ think?"

Huan Rong cut straight to the point, Xie An's expression became serious.

"I heard that Tang Gongluo was an old general of Di Qin. He was brave and courageous. He was powerful and capable of running a bull. His archery skills were extraordinary, and he could shoot through Yang with a hundred steps. When he served in Di Qin, he had the merit of destroying the dynasty. He was awarded General Bei."

Huan Rong listened quietly, knowing that Tang Gongluo had this ability, he was not surprised.If there is no extraordinary ability, how can he be reused as a general, and even sit in a state.

Judging from all the signs, it was true that Qin Ce was guarding against Tang Gongluo, but he was indeed using him.

However, how to explain the matter of Bingzhou?

Huan Rong pinched his fingers, and suddenly felt that maybe Qin Ce was not the "mastermind", and more than [-]% of them were responsible for others.

"The Qin clan conquered Chang'an, Tang Gongluo contributed a lot. After Fu Jian's death, the Qin clan recovered the states, and he also made great contributions."

Speaking of this, Xie An seemed to think of something, and shook his head regretfully.

"Qin Ce makes good use of people, but he is too suspicious."

What happened next, Xie An didn't need to elaborate, Huan Rong knew it very well.

Tang Gongluo served as the assassin of Qingzhou, seemingly holding great power, but in fact, he was locked in a cage and could not move left or right.

Qingzhou is adjacent to Xuzhou in the south. It was originally under the rule of Qin Jing and is now guarded by Qin Jue; to the north is Jizhou, which is garrisoned by General Xiahou.

Going east is the sea, without sea ships, it is tantamount to a dead end.

To the west is Yanzhou, and the generals stationed here are Qin Jing's former troops, and next door is Luozhou where Qin Jue is stationed. Whenever there is any trouble, Qingzhou will be wrapped in dumplings immediately.

Such an arrangement shows the court's attitude towards surrendering generals.

Tang Gongluo could bear it, he was always conscientious, without a single complaint, guarding Qingzhou for Qin Ce.

It's a pity that the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop.

No matter before or after he joined the Qin family, Tang Gongluo had offended quite a few people.At least one-third of the Chang'an court had an unhappiness with him.

Especially when Qin Ce reduced the powerful forces, Tang Gongluo became a sharp knife, and many people were injured in his hands.

With Qin Jing in front, few people in the world would notice Tang Gongluo.The tyrants he had dealt with never forgot, and when he seized the opportunity, he would bite back to relieve the hatred in his heart.

The matter of merging states is accidental and inevitable.

Even if you don't do anything today, those who hide in the dark will not be silent for a long time.One day, Tang Gongluo will become a bright target, and he will be cornered step by step.

Xie An said while Huan Rong was thinking, his mind was spinning rapidly, thinking about how to speak next, so that Xie Situ could accept his proposal and persuade Wang Biaozhi on his behalf.

There is no need to worry about Xi Yin.

Xi Chaoma, as long as there are benefits, everything can be done.

To be honest, Huan Rong was also a little confused about the relationship between the father and son.

If it were a few years ago, Huan Rong could say categorically that Xi Yin had the heart to kill relatives righteously.Today, Xi Rong's successor is still Xi Rong, which has not changed. However, Xi Chao enters the prime minister's residence more frequently, and often stays for half a day.

Not just Huan Rong, among the civil and military courts, almost everyone who knew about the early years was stunned, and couldn't figure out what kind of drama this father and son were singing.

"Your Majesty mentioned this person, but did you mean the Northern Expedition?"

"Why did Situ say that?" Huan Rong froze for a moment.

"If this is not the case, I really can't figure out what your majesty specially summoned me to come here, mentioning Qingzhou and having this map."

"Tang Gongluo raised the flag to rebel, and said he would switch to Jiankang." Huan Rong said in a deep voice.

Xie An frowned slightly, even though his expression was solemn, he was still an old handsome guy with an extraordinary temperament.

"Your Majesty really wants to send troops?"

Huan Rong sent troops to the Northern Expedition to gradually take back the Central Plains, which is a matter of benefit to the country, and Xie An naturally would not object.But in his view, now is not the best time to do it.

Although the rebellion in Jiaozhou was peaceful, the rebels were not wiped out.

The assassin of Ningzhou came to the table a few days ago to take down the capital of Linyi, intending to hunt down the remnants, and took the opportunity to conquer the surrounding foreign states and restore the old land of the Qin and Han Dynasties, so they could not withdraw their troops for a while.

This year, the wheat and rice are ripe and the treasury is full. It doesn't matter to support one or two wars.But meddling in Qingzhou is obviously against Chang'an, and it is likely to attract revenge from the other party.

In this way, it is by no means that one or two local wars can solve it.In the end, it is likely to be a big battle to decide who will dominate China.

Xie An thought that Huan Rong would not be so reckless.

Or did the emperor have other plans, but he was kept in the dark?

"I understand Situ's worries."

From Xie An's expression, Huan Rong could guess a thing or two, and immediately explained: "I said that Tang Gongluo did intend to intervene in Qingzhou, not for a few counties, but for Tang Gongluo and his generals."

"For people?"

Xie An was surprised at first, then suddenly stunned.Looking down at the map, a bit of understanding flashed across his expression.

"Your Majesty wants to use sea ships?" Xie An said to the point.

"Exactly." Huan Rong nodded lightly, motioning Xie An to come closer, pointed at the map, and continued, "Youzhou merchant ships go to the north every year to trade goods, and occasionally stop at Qingzhou, so they know a little bit about the local area."

"I called people to inquire a few days ago, and I know that the caravan is quite familiar with the local people."

Due to the relationship with Chang'an, in order not to arouse Qin's vigilance, the caravan did not set up a local firm.Use local shops to pass on news as usual, weave a more secretive network of relationships, and plant more nails.

"According to my opinion, you can write a letter to Tang Gongluo in advance, and only after the plan is made will the fleet berth."

Huan Rong's plan is very simple and can be explained clearly in a few words.

After Xie An heard it, he didn't express his opinion immediately.After pondering for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, have you ever thought that it will take time for a ship to sail at sea, and Chang'an will not sit back and watch Qingzhou's rebellion. Will Tang Gongluo last until the ship arrives when a large army is sent out?"

In short, if Tang Gongluo couldn't hold on and was wiped out by Qin Ce's troops, no matter how good the plan was, it would be useless.In the end, after spending manpower and material resources, it is still nothing to fetch water from a bamboo basket, and it will be caught by Chang'an.

Knowing that Xie An would ask this question, Huan Rong calmly said, "It is precisely because of this concern that Xie Situ was asked to stay. Saving people is like putting out a fire, and as soon as possible, convince the three provinces, especially Wang Sikong, that Situ is needed." Come out."

Xie An: "..."

Daring is not negligence, but has already dug a hole, waiting for him here?

Now that things are up to now, saying that you disagree will inevitably ruin the emperor's face.

Nod in agreement?

Xie An looked at Huan Rong, his expression was startled again.

In other words, when did he agree to send a boat to rescue Tang Gongluo?Why go around three times and go around to him to persuade others?

Huan Rong raised his eyebrows, didn't he?

Xie An also raised his eyebrows, did you?

This "stupid" pretended to be very unsuccessful, the monarch and his subjects looked at each other for a moment, Huan Rong coughed twice, and simply played it to the end, solemnly expressing that Situ is at ease in handling affairs, so please trouble Situ!

Xie An was silent for a while, and finally could only accept the reality.

The Son of Heaven dug a hole, but he couldn't see it clearly, so he took the initiative to jump in. It's really no wonder to others.Furthermore, this matter is indeed beneficial to the country, so there is no harm in falling into the pit once.

"I obey the order." Xie An bowed his hands, no longer caring about the emperor's act of digging a hole.

Watching Xie An exit the inner hall, Huan Rong heaved a sigh of relief, stretched out his hand to touch the back of his neck, it was damp, and obviously broke out in a lot of cold sweat.

It's really not easy to play with this boss.

Xie An took the initiative to give in today, if not, things would never have gone so smoothly.

"Jiangzuo's romantic prime minister, there are no worthless people under his fame, and the ancients will not deceive me."

The eunuch happened to walk into the inner hall, and when he heard this murmur, his expression didn't change at all, but he was muttering in his heart: Your Majesty is talking about Prime Minister Xi?This is indeed a contemporary celebrity, but I always feel that something is wrong.

Even if he broke his head, he would never have thought that what Huan Rong said was not Xi Yin, the chief of the officials, but Xie An, the official Situ.

Xie Situ took over the burden, and Huan Rong's plan took the first step.

Immediately afterwards, Jiankang and Youzhou kept flying pigeons. Xun You and Shi Shao acted quickly, constantly mobilizing manpower, and sending caravans to the north first to prepare for the northward pick-up.

After Xie An settled the three provinces, Xi Chao persuaded Xi Min, and Huan Rong communicated with Youzhou to contact the caravans traveling in Qingzhou and Xuzhou, and tried to contact Tang Gongluo.

During this period, Jia Bing made a plan for Huan Rong. Since the fire in Qingzhou was burning, it was always boring to see a small flame. Why not add some firewood to make the fire burn more vigorously?

"Bringing Tang Gongluo to Jiankang, some people in the court will definitely have doubts. Chang'an knows this, and will also accuse His Majesty, which will damage His Majesty's reputation." Jia Bing said.

"Indeed." Huan Rong nodded.He had thought about this before, but it was impossible to cover everything, only the lesser of two evils.

Jia Bing obviously didn't think so.

"Since that's the case, why not turn the disadvantage into an advantage?"

"Oh?"

"I have a plan to make Tang Gongluo openly arrive at Jiankang. Not only will he not be caught by Chang'an, nor will he cause doubts in the court, but he will also win the hearts of the people in the north. Why not do it?"

Kill three birds with one stone?

Seeing the smile on Jia Bing's face, Huan Rong's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had a bad premonition.

Pretty bad.

Taiyuan five years, December

From Tang Gongluo raising the flag to rebel, to Chang'an sending troops to suppress, in just two or three months, the land of Qingzhou raged.

In order to suppress the rebellion as soon as possible, Qin Ce issued an order to mobilize soldiers from the three prefectures of Ji, Yan, and Xu, vowing to fight down.The army passed by, with tall teeth and banners, and banners covering the sun, the momentum was extremely huge.

The people along the way avoided one after another, and they didn't dare to look at them until the army was far away and their backs disappeared.

"There are natural disasters every year, and I can't get enough to eat. There will be war again. When will there be peace." The speaker sighed, obviously worried about spring farming next year.

"I thought that the official ascended the throne and drove away the Xianbei and the Di people, and they could have a good life for a few days. How could I have thought..."

"In the final analysis, it was the Qingzhou assassin who caused the military disaster!"

"That's wrong." A man who often went to the county town to sell mountain goods in the village market frowned and retorted.

"What's wrong?" Everyone wondered.

"I heard that it was the Son of Heaven who ordered the entire Tang family to be killed, and even the ancestral halls were leveled." When the man spoke, he paid attention to the expressions of the people, and he couldn't help but secretly complacent when he saw the expected performance, "This is not even the ancestors. Let it go! If it were you, would you pick up the knife and fight desperately?"

Everyone looked at each other, both shocked and somewhat disbelieving.

"No?" someone hesitated.

"No way." The man snorted, "A businessman went to Bingzhou City for medicinal materials, and the locals said that it was strange that the Tang clan was exterminated. They said it was to eliminate the epidemic, but it was enough to burn down the house. People's ancestral hall?"

The man said with certainty, everyone's expressions were shocked, and their unbelief was much less.

"In the final analysis, the assassin of Qingzhou is a subdued general, and his foundation in Bingzhou is too deep. Sooner or later, this will happen."

"It's not surprising, the rabbit is dead and the dog is cooking, and the bird is gone, so there are still few people from the previous court?" Another person answered.

"If you say that, you have to look at the situation. The Huan Han in the south is becoming more and more powerful day by day, but the court in Chang'an is acting like this. It's really..." The man shook his head, sighed, and didn't continue talking.

When Huan Han was mentioned, everyone became curious.

"I heard that the harvest in the south is bumper this year, and the emperor in the south is still offering sacrifices to the suburbs..."

Compared with rebellion and counter-insurgency, everyone is obviously more interested in the harvest in the Southland.Although the topic changed, the man's words had been deeply rooted in his mind, and he could never get rid of it.

As the rumors continued to spread, Qin Ce's heroic image collapsed.

Murder is just a no-brainer.

The heinous crime is nothing more than death in the execution ground, so it should not alarm the ancestors anyway.Not to mention that Tang Gongluo had no real crimes, so why was his ancestral hall destroyed.

People in the world worship their ancestors, and what Tang Gongluo encountered, how could they not make people feel sympathetic.Chang'an denounced him as rebellious and ambitious, but the folks had many sympathetic words.

The hatred of killing relatives is unshakable, the Tang family suffered such a catastrophe, Tang Gongluo rose up to stand on his own, it is really understandable.

As the situation continued to ferment, Tang Gongluo changed suddenly. He was no longer a rebel who raised troops, but became a tragic hero.When fighting with the imperial army, many young and strong men from Bingzhou came, and the local people in Qingzhou also took up arms to fight with them.

The army and the rebels were evenly matched, and the battle quickly fell into a stalemate.

The incident in Qingzhou had a chain effect, and the surrendered generals stationed in Bingzhou and Youzhou also raised their troops one after another and turned against each other.

Although the generals rebelled, they were all like a mirror in their hearts, and they were always on guard against the barbarians in the north.Even if the war breaks out, the latter will not be allowed to take advantage of it.

After receiving the report, Qin Ce had to order to mobilize Pingzhou soldiers, and sent people to Shuofang City to call Qin Jing to go south to suppress the rebellion.

When the news reached Jiankang, Huan Rong was shocked for a long time, looked up at Jia Bing where the old god was there, and asked, "Can Bing know about Bingzhou and Youzhou?"

Jia Bing smiled and nodded.

"Return to Your Majesty, I know."

"But Bing Zhi pushes people?"

"Return to Your Majesty, a little."

Huan Rong was speechless.

I knew that this fire-setting skill is extraordinary, but after a few years, it has obviously improved to a higher level.

Should he express his appreciation, or try to persuade this person, at least restrain himself?

Sure enough, it should be appreciated... right?