The emperor asked Mu Xiaoyao many questions carefully, and he was especially concerned about the news that Mu Xiaoyao found along the way. Mu Xiaoyao marked the farming areas he passed on the map, and he saw at least four or five of them. Even if Li Yuanshan hides 10,000 people in each farming area, this is already a large number.
The emperor looked at the place marked on the map and sighed slightly: "It is the duty of the Qing Yamen to monitor the garrisons in various places In order to hide it from me, Li Yuanshan naturally wanted to bribe Hou Wenji. It seems that Hou Wenji has some influence on me. It¡¯s not just a matter of time.¡±
Fang Jie said: "Perhaps, at first, Li Yuanshan only talked about the important land in the northwest, and it was difficult for Youxiao's guards to calm him down, so he secretly expanded his words about the troops. Although this is also a serious crime, it is indeed excusable. . So Hou Wenji took advantage and hid it for him. But later, even if Hou Wenji discovered Li Yuanshan's true purpose, he would not dare to tell His Majesty again, because it would be tantamount to conspiracy. "
The emperor nodded.
"You can stay at Tai Chi Palace tonight and follow me out of the palace early tomorrow morning."
After Su Buwei¡¯s reminder, the emperor realized that the night was already very late. He waved his hand and gave an order, indicating to Fang Jie that they could leave. Fang Jie resigned and stopped when he reached the door: "Your Majesty I feel uneasy."
The emperor glanced at him and asked, "What about tomorrow?"
Fang Jie nodded.
The emperor said: "Tomorrow you just follow me, there is no need for you to do anything. If it is needed, it will be easier for me to take care of you if you go with me."
Fang Jie responded and exited Dongnuan Pavilion, wondering what the emperor relied on? Why don't you seem worried about tomorrow?
Mu San led them to the arranged room, chatted for a few words and then left. Fang Jie thrust a large-denomination banknote into his hand, but Mu San simply refused to accept it. Fang Jie laughed and said that there is no money in the palace and it is difficult to manage it, so just think of it as what I lent to you. Mu San then put it away and left with a lot of thanks.
Although Fang Jie, Shen Qing, Shan Mu and Xiaoyao were in the same room, it was not easy to do anything in the palace. The three of them chatted for a long time, and it wasn't until midnight that they lay down to rest. After packing up a bedding, Fang Jie slept alone in the outer room. He spread the mattress on the ground and lay down for a long time without falling asleep.
All he could think about was what would happen tomorrow, constantly speculating on what Prince Yi had planned. He knew that Prince Yi must have controlled part of the army, but the most worrying thing was that he didn't know which guard's men were bribed by him. It is precisely because we don¡¯t know that we can¡¯t guard against it.
He planned to persuade the emperor to bring the eight hundred men who were rumored to be the best in the world when he left the palace tomorrow morning to bring the elite of the military camp. As long as these eight hundred people protect him, nothing will happen to the emperor.
There must be many experts on Prince Yi's side. What Fang Jie is most worried about is why those people from Wudang Mountain came. If those Taoists are Prince Yi's people, plus the great practitioners in Prince Yi's hands, tomorrow's situation will definitely be very difficult. Fortunately, there is also Zhou Banchuan, who is recognized as the number one master of the Sui Dynasty, in the Yanwu Academy, and there is also Xiao Zhenren, the leader of the Taoist sect in Qingfeng Temple. There must be many people with advanced cultivation levels in the palace.
Thinking of this, Fang Jie understood why Master Xiao and the people in Yiqiguan never left Chang'an City. The emperor must have been worried about Prince Yi causing trouble, so he kept Xiao Zhenren and others in Chang'an for emergencies. Master Xiao was already familiar with His Majesty before he ascended the throne, and His Majesty must have told him something long ago.
Fang Jie¡¯s worry is precisely because he doesn¡¯t understand Prince Yi. He could not guess how powerful Prince Yi was, especially his control over the military. Moreover, he was also worried about the Queen Mother in the harem. It was said that the old lady loved Prince Yi the most. If the emperor was defeated, the old lady would definitely side with Prince Yi. The emperor was a filial man, so it was hard to say how he should face the queen mother.
He couldn¡¯t sleep, and there were countless people who couldn¡¯t sleep that night.
Prince Yi¡¯s Mansion
Qin Liuqi looked at the hundreds of men in black standing neatly in the yard in front of him with a solemn expression. These people are the Snake Guard formed by Prince Yi not long ago, but these people are all good at killing people. Many of them were soldiers who had a bad life and were deceived, and the rest were charlatans. These people are usually murderous without batting an eyelid.
"Have you remembered all your tasks?"
Qin Liuqi said coldly: "When the prince launches his attack tomorrow, you will form a group of ten to assassinate those who target the prince in Chang'an City. I have already given you the list. Remember, the people at the top of the list are You must die. If this is done, you will all have the power to follow the dragon. No matter what your previous background is, you will all become nobles after tomorrow!"
"I understand!"
The snake guards responded.
"You only have one chance. If you seize it, you will reach the sky in one step. If you don't seize it, you will be doomed."
Qin Liuqi said: "Destiny is never static. Others can have good clothes and good food, and you can do the same. Don't you all envy those children of aristocratic families? Then, you go and create a family of your own. The prince has given the opportunity I¡¯ve given it to you, then it¡¯s up to you!¡±
Ouchi Guards Office
Luo Weiran put the two lists on the table and said: "These people must be watched closely, and no one is allowed to escape."
He pointed to another copy: "Although these people are not serving in the imperial court, they are all nobles. If Prince Yi wants to succeed, he must either recruit these people to help him or get rid of these people Ming'er will protect him closely and will never allow him to do so. Something happened!"
"Here!"
At the Ouchi Guard Office, deputy commander Meng Wudi and four thousand households responded in unison. Because of Hou Wenji's incident, three of the Eight Thousand Households of the Ouchi Guards were removed and executed secretly.
"If we don't do well tomorrow."
Luo Weiran stood up straight and breathed a long sigh of relief: "The Ouchi Guards Department may be destroyed by you and me."
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Northwest
Langru Mountain
In a dense forest, a Sui army of about a thousand people sat listlessly on the ground. There was no trace of the mighty Sui army. This place is very hidden, with a large forest under the cliff. Although Langru Mountain does not look very towering, it is a huge mountain range. It is not too difficult for a team of more than a thousand people to hide in the mountains without being found.
On a stone next to a small stream, the gloomy-looking Prince Xu, Yang Kai, looked at the soldiers sitting in a mess on the ground to rest and couldn't help but sigh. Just a few months ago, these soldiers were proud elites of the Sui Dynasty, but now, there is no fighting spirit in them.
After several months of hiding in the mountains, Meng Yuan's cavalry could not go up the mountain to search. Li Yuanshan's rebels were eager to control the cities in the northwest, leaving only 20,000 horses to guard the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, there are water sources and a lot of prey in this mountain. If it is like Banyue Mountain to the north of Chang'an City, they will all starve to death without the rebels chasing them.
Next to him, a young man wearing a sword armor also had a very ugly expression. He squatted by the stream and took some water and handed it to Yang Kai: "Your Highness, please drink some water."
Yang Kai took the kettle over, was silent for a while and said: "Li Xiaozongwhy don't you follow Li Yuanshan in rebellion?"
Li Xiaozong was startled for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you still don't believe in humble positions?"
Yang Kai shook his head.
Li Xiaozong was silent for a while and said: "Beizhi was indeed in pain at the time. If Li Yuanshan had not colluded with the Meng Yuan people, Beizhi might have gone astray with him. But he shouldn't have stood with the Meng Yuan people in the massacre. I, a man from the Sui Dynasty, have forgotten what kind of blood is flowing in his body. "
Yang Kai hummed: "It's not that I don't trust you, I'm just curious In the past few months, if you hadn't led your troops to hide in Langru Mountain, these people wouldn't have been able to survive."
Li Xiaozong said: "I firmly believe that there are still many people alive. Although the 700,000-strong army has been defeated, it is not that easy for the Mongolian people to kill all our troops. I have sent people to search in the Langru Mountains." , we will definitely be able to find others. As long as we gather a few more troops, we can take advantage of Li Yuanshan's back to fight out If we can destroy the 20,000 rebels at the foot of the mountain and snatch some supplies from Fangu City, we can. Recruiting brave people. The people must be resistant to the rebels. When the time comes, the prince only needs to raise his voice and a large number of people will follow. "
Yang Kai nodded: "I also believe that there are still many troops alive, but they were scattered and I don't know where they are hiding. General Zuo Xiaowei Jin Shixiong never heard the news of his death. At that time, he should have broken out with his troops. He has more than 10,000 cavalry, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to get out.¡±
As he was talking, a man in the uniform of a school captain came quickly.
"My lord, I found it!"
This man is tall and thin, with a resolute face. The skin that was originally very fair has turned into the color of wheat after only half a year of fighting.
It is Cui Lueshang.
"What did you find?"
Yang Kai stood up and asked.
Cui Lueshang said with joy on his face: "Your Majesty, I led the scouts to search north for 150 miles and found traces of human activities. I chased them all the way, but I found the troops of General Zuo Xiaowei Jin Shixiong. There are no less than five thousand people, and they are planning to take a detour to the north and enter from the north.Go to the Wanda Mountains, go through the territory of the Northern Liao people, and then return to the Sui Dynasty. "
"People from Northern Liao?"
Yang Kai's expression changed, and he suddenly smiled and said: "Why did I forget them? Cui Lueshang, did you see General Jin Shixiong?"
"seen!"
Cui Lueshang said: "Bizhi rushed back with a few people first. The other scouts stayed with General Jin to lead the way and are on their way here to join us."
"With five thousand troops, Jin Shixiong actually managed to save so many soldiers."
Yang Kai couldn't help but sigh.
"They were gathered along the way. If Meng Yuan's cavalry hadn't been searching back and forth on the grassland, there might have been more gathered."
Cui Lueshang replied.
Yang Kai handed the kettle to Cui Luoshang and said: "Have a rest, let's set off to meet Jin Shixiong. In addition, I have a plan If it succeeds, maybe I can catch the Meng Yuan people off guard!"
"People from Northern Liao?"
Li Xiaozong asked subconsciously.
Yang Kai nodded: "The people of Northern Liao have long wanted to surrender to the Sui Dynasty. As long as we persuade them to send troops, we can regain some places. As long as we hold firm, we can wait until the reinforcements mobilized by His Majesty arrive. When the time comes, the rebels will attack from both sides. Defeat."
Li Xiaozong said nothing, but what he was thinking about was Your Majesty Do you have the mind to deal with the northwest affairs at this time? It¡¯s time for Prince Yi to take action.