Volume 4: Storm and Rain in Jiangnan Chapter 78: Variables

Emperor Qiyuan seemed to be talking to Du Ning, and seemed to mutter to himself. Du Ning listened on the side, but did not answer. As the largest secret spy leader of the entire Jian Dynasty, Du Ning knew only a lot more than anyone else. Before the war in the southeast began, many secret reports had already been placed on Du Ning's desk, and the signs of these secret reports were immediately noticed by Du Ning, who was clear-headed. With Emperor Qiyuan's acquiesce and only a few people knew about the information, Du Ning had already made corresponding preparations in secret.

From the beginning of the war in the southeast to the present, although Du Ning was in the capital, his eyes were spread all over the place. Not only did he arrange a large number of people in the southeast, but other provinces also had secretly inspected them. Among them, the key targets of supervision were not only the kings enfeoffed in various places, but also some provincial officials adjacent to the southeast, and even many nobles and nobles in the capital. At this stage of the matter, like water filtering quicksand, many people and things that had originally sunk to the bottom of the water were revealed little by little. Now, after listening to the emperor's whisper in the imperial garden, Du Ning knew: After preparing for so long, the emperor finally couldn't help but start...

"There are rebellions in the southeast these days, and the government and the country are in turmoil. Some things are naturally to be investigated, but you should also be careful not to lose your composure at this time and expand some unrestricted things without reason. You should prevent some people from taking the opportunity to make trouble and take the opportunity to make profits. You should also be careful not to make irreparable mistakes at such critical moments!"

"Yes, I will follow the emperor's teachings."

Emperor Qiyuan slowly turned around, looked up at the tall osmanthus tree that was several feet high and flourishing. After a while, he suddenly asked slowly, "I and you have been busy all the time, and I have never had time to ask. Is there some things I asked you to check in the past?" Du Ning felt a stern when he heard this. He was about to answer, but he heard Emperor Qiyuan say again, "You don't need to say anything, write a memorial and hand it over to yourself." Du Ning quickly responded, and in a moment, a layer of sweat was soaked on his back.

"The matter of reducing the vassal states will be over soon. Humph! Many people in the past wanted to see my jokes, and even the queen mother thought that I was mostly powerless. What was the result? Didn't it just rotten the southeast and cut off the heads of countless people?" Emperor Qi Yuan's voice gradually became colder, and he continued: "If you break up your family, you can rebuild it; if you rot in the southeast, I can make it prosperous again! But if you were afraid and let it sit, my country would be rotten one by one. If I had looked forward to the front and the back, I would probably have been rotten one by one.

, if you refuse to give up half of the southeast, how can you have today's situation? After the vassalization, all the kings' soldiers and wealth will be collected from the court. This alone is enough to offset the losses in the southeast. Calculate that, over the years, my little uncle has seized so much money and food from the court? He has secretly raised so many soldiers... salt roads, tea ceremony, mulberry and hemp, rice... My autumn wind this time is very happy. I want to see who else dares to speak up for trouble before those who opposed me in unison!"

…………

The public opinion of the government and the public, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly became more and more voices as the war situation in the southeast changed. Many people who had previously disapproved the imperial court's reduction of the vassals, and even fiercely opposed the reduction of the vassals, suddenly became like a person, and began to praise the emperor's far-sightedness and criticize the three kings of Wu, Huai and Yue for their rebellious actions. At the same time, they did not forget to bring them along, as if they had known the ending of such a long time ago. Especially the censors in the Censorate, they all took turns to write memorials, quoted classics, and discussed the classics and the current situation. The wisdom of the court's actions and the inevitable outcome of the kings, as if the matter of fiercely opposing the reduction of the vassals before had nothing to do with them.

However, just as the government and the country were in an uproar and spitting at the King of Wu, the war was still in full swing in the southeast. The King of Shu turned around and became a black-hearted businessman when he saw the wind; the King of Dian became a slippery bandit, and he dispersed when the situation was not good; King of Yue and Huai took the thorns early to apologize; whether on the front or back, there was only the King of Wu, a lonely man, left on the entire battlefield. Facing this scene, no one knew what the King of Wu felt personally.

What is it? But everyone can see that the King of Wu is still fighting hard! Although the court had a total of 60,000 to 70,000 troops, the King of Wu did not abandon his son as expected, but did not retreat at all. The three guards of Leishan Guards, Jiangyang Guards and Dongyang Guards were still firmly guarding the Dongjiang defense line. At this time, some areas in Huaixi were captured by the King of Wu!

He still did not surrender!

Compared with the corrupt King Yue and the Huai King who was so savage on the outside, King Zhang Xiu of Wu finally showed his tough character at this time! Even though the situation was so disadvantageous, the three guards of the Dongjiang River and the temporary recruitment of scattered soldiers and refugees were less than 40,000 troops to fight against the nearly 70,000 troops of the court. The result was inevitable, but Zhang Xiu showed no sign of surrender and still accumulated the final strength to compete with the court army.

This situation has caused great surprises in the court and the country. Many people began to speculate and analyze the reasons why the King of Wu did this. Some people think that the King of Wu was pretending to be calm and wanted to fight to the death to exchange for the court's compromise and make the final effort for their own results. Some people think that this was a helpless move by the King of Wu. Since he had raised the anti-flagship, he had to go all the way to the black. King of Huai, King of Yue could surrender, but he took the lead first, which was the biggest trouble. If the King of Wu, who had to tossed the southeast, would there be a turbidity? If the King of Wu, who had to surrendered in the southeast, would there be a

The good results are hard to predict. Moreover, the King of Wu also offended many people openly and secretly before and after the rebellion. If he really put aside his airs and the phoenix with hair was not as good as a chicken, it would be impossible for anyone to take his life. Some people also believe that the reason why the King of Wu still has the courage to persist in the face of tens of thousands of troops in the court may not be just the result of speculation by the previous people. The biggest possibility is that the King of Wu still has unknown strength, which is enough to carry out this war or even turn the tables! Otherwise, why should he persist so much?

Many supporters agree with this view in the previous two speculations, but the last speculation caused ridicule and ridicule from most people. Isn’t this nonsense? The war situation in the Southeast has been clear at a glance, and he also said that the King of Wu has unspoken strength? Isn’t this a fool? Strength... Where is the strength? When is it? It’s about to be broken into the army and be in danger. What kind of strength will it have!

The facts that happened on the southeast battlefield seemed to verify everyone's speculation.

In the southwest, Sanchakou was in the sky, with the ninth prince Mingyong as the head, Huang Xin, Sun Chang, and Lin Beihe and a group of generals led the Xiangzhou Guard, Anling Left Guard, Anling Right Guard, Huchuan Guard and Nanling Guard, a total of more than 25,000 people, and launched a fierce attack on the Dongyang Guard defending here. Seven days later, Sanchakou was occupied by the court army again, and the remaining remaining troops of the Dongyang Guard would have to retreat to the Lianghe line.

Huaixi, the sixth prince Mingzhong commanded the Jeju Guard, Luocheng Guard, and the Yangtze River Navy, a total of more than 40,000 people. It took only two days to completely occupy Huaibei and Huaixi. Most of the areas where the Huai King belonged was completely controlled by the imperial army. The Leishan Guards and Jiangyang Guards who had previously defended this area had to retreat dozens of miles, and rebuilt a new line of defense based on the towering mountains and passes, forming a confrontation with the imperial army again. After these two major battles, the King of Wu's troops were

The decline suddenly dropped sharply, from nearly 40,000 to less than 20,000 now! The reduction in map areas and huge losses in military strength have made more and more people believe that the King of Wu is already declining and it is difficult to have the capital to fight against the court. Victory on the battlefield once again led to a wave of public opinion. And this time, not only some middle and low-level officials and censors who have always relied on their mouths to impeach the King of Wu's illegality, but some officials in the ministry could not sit still.

However, the next war suddenly dragged the situation in another direction.

After seizing the Sanchakou, the troops in the southwest divided the troops into two groups, and they continued to divide the Jinzhou and Fangtai of Wu. Jinzhou is located in the southwest of Jiangdu, and Fangtai is located in the southwest of Jiangdu. If these two places were taken down, the base camp of King Wu, Jiangdu, would be attacked on both sides, and would be in danger. At that time, the part led by Mingyong, the ninth prince of the court army, and the part led by Mingyong, the sixth prince, would be completely connected into anger, and the land of Wu Yue was mostly surrounded. Then the court army would go down along the river, almost until the city of Jiangdu. Even if the army could compete, there would be no hope. Fighting would inevitably lead to defeat; even if the court did not fight, it would be enough to trap him in the city. At that time, unless the King of Wu fled to the sea, it would be difficult to fly.

The sixth prince Ming Zhong, who obviously knew Ming Yong's intention, also led his troops to advance wildly and conquered Haozhou and Ding Yang one after another. However, just as he led his troops to attack Jiang Yang, the last northern defense line before Jiangdu, suddenly another enemy army of unknown origin appeared behind him!

With the help of the night, this army appeared so mysterious and sudden that the generals of various units who were rushing to death by the successive victory were a little unresponsive for a while! Ji Xian, the commander of the Jeju Guard who was caught off guard, almost thought that this was a reinforcement sent by the court again!

In front of him was Jiang Yangwei, who had extremely strong defense and resistance. Although after a series of defeats, Jiang Yangwei's current military strength is still around 6,000! The rebels led by Zheng Sanshan were extremely determined to resist in Jiang Yang's old nest! The imperial army had always been in a state of unstoppable momentum and was severely challenged here!
Chapter completed!