female concubine

In the early morning of February 11th, Jianping 27th, the city of Tokyo was still lit up with thousands of lights, and the noisy noise from the tiles in the downtown areas continued day and night.

At the fourth watch, the bustle gradually receded. In the dark night, a royal horse galloped into the city. The soldiers on the horse raised their hands and held up golden talismans. They stopped in front of Gongchen Gate and shouted: "Yongxing urgent military report!"

In the dark night, the gate of the palace was opened wide, and the soldiers galloped inside on royal horses, and the sound of horseshoes echoed in the palace corridor.

The emperor, who was still asleep, was awakened by Zhao Ci. Hearing that it was an urgent military report, he hurriedly put on his clothes and summoned the postman.

General Zhao Ci forwarded the report. After the emperor opened it, his red eyes widened and he overturned the table in front of his seat. What do the border guards eat?"

"Western Xia fought unannounced, disguised as a caravan and attacked the border town at night. General Li died in battle. Our army lost three cities in a row. The enemy has already pushed to Qingzhou. It is not good to defend the city. The ministers deserve death."

The emperor walked out quickly, "Ring the bell and let all the prime ministers of the military and government enter the palace immediately."

The sound of the golden bell came from the inner city. In the silent night, the sound of the bell and chime was very clear, and many people in the city lit up candles again.

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been busy regaining his homeland, which gave the Xia Kingdom a chance to breathe. After Wei Guogong passed away, the Xia people tried several times. This sudden attack must have been fully prepared."

"The fall of the city is the disadvantage of the generals defending the city, and the failure to detect the enemy's attack is the crime of negligence and dereliction of duty by the generals. This Yongxing Army..."

"The general who defended the city has died in battle. Is it possible that the Prime Minister wants to bring the body out for questioning?" The emperor interrupted Chen Yu's words with a gloomy face.

Chen Yu rolled up his purple sleeves and bowed, "I don't mean that. Frontier military affairs have always belonged to the Privy Council. If something happened to the border affairs, I can't absolve myself of the blame, but the generals on the Yongxing Army Road should have noticed such a big move by the Xixia people." Yes, why have you never received any news, did someone deliberately conceal the military situation?" Chen Yu looked at the ministers coldly.

"What time is it? Now that Qingzhou is in a desperate situation, the most urgent thing is to make preparations early. Please make a decision, whether to send troops to support?"

"Marshal Xiao is in Xizhou, isn't he? He has one hundred thousand elites from my dynasty."

Chen Yu, who stood opposite the Zhengshitang, snorted coldly, "Xiao Xianrong only has [-] left in Xizhou, and the other [-] is still in Yazhou to guard the southwest. He took [-] elites to give to the enemy A meeting ceremony? The current situation should quickly mobilize standing armies from all over the country to fight."

"What do you mean by Privy Envoy? Just because you are an elite, you can use one as ten to block it for a while..."

"They are soldiers, not gods!" Chen Yu reprimanded, "We must have made sufficient preparations for Xixia to fight without announcing it. They dared to attack my Shangbang without a strong army. I'm afraid the prime ministers haven't woken up yet?"

"Chen Yu, you."

"That's enough, pass on my decree to mobilize Qinfeng Road, Yongxing Jun Road, Hedong Road, Xijing Road and Northwest Four Roads..."

Chen Yu also reminded: "The Xijing Road cannot be adjusted. It has only been more than ten years since the recovery of the Sixteen Northern States. The people's hearts are still unstable. Now the Khitan people are making a comeback, so we have to guard against it."

The emperor stroked his beard, but he didn't reprimand Chen Yu for his quick words and disregarding his own face. Instead, he said, "The army on Xijing Road will not move and be transferred to the imperial army, so who do you think can be in command?"

The prime ministers of the two mansions looked at me and I looked at you, and whoever recommended to be in command would be suspected of forming a party, so they thought of the ancestral system, "I will go to war in every case, and the prince will be the commander-in-chief of the world's soldiers and horses. Now the prince has been established. , only the Prince of Chu remains.”

"No, the Marshal of the Army and Horses leads the army with a tiger talisman. He has a very powerful position, and the party members are extremely cruel. The King of Chu has never been on the battlefield. How can he lead the army to defend against the enemy?"

"Then King Zhao is now the crown prince..."

"That's enough, I'll let you discuss it, not for you to quarrel, let's call in various soldiers and horses for support." The emperor looked at the sky, and it was almost five o'clock, "Let Xiao Xianrong lead Qingqi to arrive within one night, Let's carry it on first, and then choose the generals to go to war at the court meeting."

"Yes."

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Candles were lit in the bedrooms of the King Chu's mansion at four o'clock, and the King Chu burned a secret letter.

"It's so late, who sent you the letter?"

"He came from the west. What happened two days ago, the imperial horse had to run faster. It is estimated that the lights in the palace are also on at this time." The King of Chu looked at Xiao Youqing sideways, "Sister, you know that I have the power to defend the generals and use them The prince is the marshal of the army and horses to conquer the Quartet, Taizong is like this, and so is Your Majesty..."

Xiao Youqing frowned lightly, and asked eagerly: "Is there a war on the border?"

The king of Chu nodded, "There is a general in Xia who is very good at fighting. He is the brother-in-law of King Xia. When he was young, he defeated Khitan with a few victories and a lot. Duke Longde also said that he was a strong opponent. , They dare not be rampant, now..." King Chu frowned, "I think at this time, Qingzhou has fallen."

Xiao Youqing stared at her, "You know what I want to ask."

The King of Chu raised his head, blinked his eyes, and sighed: "I really want to be in command to gain military power and authority, but at my age and having never fought a war, even if I want to lead the army, those ministers will definitely not agree to let me be in command Yes, His Majesty has divided Taishan's military power, and this time he will definitely not let Taishan be the marshal of the conquest."

"Then there is only one commander left in front of the hall."

The King of Chu sighed softly while pressing his forehead, Xiao Youqing rarely saw her like this, so he stepped forward and gently held her hand, "There is always a way to deal with everything, it will be very easy."

— Kuang! — Kuang! ——The morning bell was heard from Da Nei, and several fast horses stopped in front of the Chu Palace.

The imperial guard jumped off the horse, showed his waist card, and the guard gave way, so he walked quickly into the palace and summoned, "According to your majesty's instructions, the king of Chu is urgently summoned to participate in the court. The ministers have already arrived, please hurry up." some."

"At four o'clock today, the king heard Ouchi's golden bell, what happened?"

The imperial guard shook his head, "Your Majesty doesn't know, I only know that His Majesty lost his temper and summoned all the prime ministers at the fourth watch. Now the court council not only called you, the Sixth King, but also His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Sixth son, get the horse out, don't ride in the carriage."

"Yes."

Xiao Youqing turned around and took a fur coat from the house to put on her, "You are a prince who does not participate in politics, and now you are at home. I always feel that there will be no good things if I call you at this time."

King Chu gently touched her face, "Sister, don't worry, have I encountered fewer bad things since I was born?" She smiled again: "Except you."

The king of Chu wrapped his fur clothes tightly and took the whip from Xiaoliuzi. He got on the horse when he heard a polite call from the north.

"Coincidentally, why did the Six Kings get up so early?"

The King of Chu pulled the reins and sat upright, "Does Han Du Chengzhi know how to ride a horse? I thought Du Chengzhi was just a frail scholar who couldn't lift his hands."

Han Bang lowered his head slightly, "It's true that the lower official is a weak scholar, but he's not too weak to mention it. It was just four o'clock when the lower official heard the golden bell in Da Nei, and he got on his horse because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to catch it. The six kings know What happened in court?"

"They are all committed to the court, and they should be more clear than this king."

"The lower official is just a footman who forwards the imperial edict for His Majesty, and the lower official doesn't know about the affairs of the government."

"Oh, is that so?" The King of Chu just smiled and then raised his whip to beat his horse and left.

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In the Chuigong Hall, the emperor ordered people to play the military situation in the west in the early morning, and lost three cities in one night, shocking the whole court.

"The party members are wolfish ambitions, and now they dare to attack Duke Longde not long after he left. Do you really think that there is no one in my court?" Compared with the panic of the civil servants, the general on the right is full of enthusiasm.

"Three cities were lost in one night. Could it be that the enemy led the army..."

The emperor sat on the bright platform and said in a deep voice, "The enemy marshal is Wei Mu Shanxi."

"I heard that when Wei Mu Shanxi was 20 years old, he led a hundred cavalry from the Liao army's tens of thousands of troops, and broke through 30 troops with [-] troops. He is a fierce general of the party."

"But he was defeated in the hands of Lord Longde in the end, and since then he withdrew from Yan'an Mansion and dared not attack again."

"Your Majesty, the enemy is coming fiercely, and the people will suffer for a day if they are delayed. The most urgent thing is to elect a leader who will defend against the enemy."

"Since we come, we will fight. Xixia will fight without announcing it, it is despising me..."

"If Your Majesty wants to personally conscript, the Privy Council will be the first to refuse." Chen Yu stood up.

"The Prime Minister thinks that I am too old to be useful?"

Chen Yu immediately knelt down, "I don't dare, but Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and His Majesty needs to sit in the rear."

"Not only do I want to defend against the enemy, but I also want to beg for it. Otherwise, will I have the face to see the envoys of all countries at the grand ceremony in the future?"

"Your Majesty has a son, and the princes are all grown-ups, so they can be appointed as the Marshal of Xidou."

The crown prince stood under the bright platform, but all the officials looked at the king of Chu who stood at the head of the civil servants, and the emperor immediately cast a dissatisfied face.

As soon as the discussion came out, some ministers came out to object, "His Royal Highness is the foundation of the country, so he should not be involved in danger, and the king of Chu is too young and has never been on the battlefield. War is not a child's play, so how can he be hastily appointed."

"This is the rule set by Emperor Tai. Zugao. Didn't His Majesty serve as the Marshal of the Army and Horses for the first time when he was young? Even Duke Longde, who was victorious in all battles, never served as the Marshal of the Army and Horses."

"Report!"

"Gyeongju Forbids Urgent Military News!"

"read."

"Qingzhou fell, Weizhou Zhizhou fled without a fight, and the enemy forced Fengxiang."

The emperor stood up from his seat, and immediately stretched out his hands to grab the clothes on his chest, and the soldiers who glared angrily rolled down from their seats.

Seeing this, the crown prince under Mingtai quickly ran onto the stage, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" He frowned and said anxiously: "Hurry up and declare the imperial physician, hurry up!"

Before the imperial doctor came, the servants could only help the emperor to lie on the throne. Half a quarter of an hour later, the Hanlin medical officer sent Sun Hongda to rush to him. After searching for a while, he said: "First, carry your majesty to the side hall."

The crown prince waved his hand, and then ordered: "Lift it lightly."

There was a mess of porridge on the spot in the orderly Chuigong Hall. The prince anxiously went to the side hall with the imperial doctor, but the King of Chu stood indifferently in the hall.

Tong Pingzhang stepped forward, "As the sons of men, the six kings will express their wishes even if they are unwilling, otherwise..." Lu Wei looked back at the ministers.

"The superficial effort, I don't need it anymore, right minister, has the candidate for the expedition already been decided?"

Lu Wei nodded, "Before the court meeting, His Majesty has summoned the prime ministers of the military government and the government to discuss it."

The King of Chu looked at the side hall coldly. Not long after, Tong Shisheren was called into the side hall, followed by Tongping Zhangshi. After a quarter of an hour, Tong Shisheren walked out with the emperor's edict.

"Don't worry, all ministers, Your Majesty is fine." Tong Shisheren opened the edict, "Your Majesty has an edict."

As soon as the decree came out, the Chuigong Hall returned to tranquility, and all the officials knelt down, "Please be safe."

"I am ordered by the family of Haotian. The border bandits have repeatedly violated the border and harassed the border people. The ancestors of the past generations have never been able to drive them away. This is my heart disease, and now it is coming again. It makes me sleepless at night, so I ordered the front of the palace to command As the Marshal of Xiqiu, I wanted to fight in person, but I suddenly felt unwell, so I ordered the sixth prince, King Chu, to replace him, and took the Tiger Talisman of the Privy Council. He was ordered to serve as the deputy marshal of the army and horses, and his younger brother Xiao Xianfu was temporarily removed from the post of Imperial City Secretary."