The autumn in the south of the Yangtze River is late, and the Lin'an Mansion in November, the solar term of the beginning of winter has long passed, but the most prosperous city in South China is still shrouded in a poetic twilight. Pen fun and pavilion www.biquge.info

"Let's go." The right minister Liumengyan, who was dressed in regular clothes, tightened the cloak tightly draped on his body and stepped on the shoulders that had been prepared for a long time.

This four-person chariot is a bit like a sliding rod in later generations, and it can be smooth even when going uphill and downhill, let alone walking on neat streets. In the past, Liu Mengyan would take advantage of such a moment of effort, close his eyes and pretend to sleep for a while, and when he reached the forbidden, he would be more energetic to deal with government affairs, but these days, no matter how hard he tried, his heart was always disturbed, and even normal sleep was saved a lot, and his well-maintained appearance was a little more haggard, is this the price of the so-called monopoly of power?

He listened to the shouts in his ears from time to time, watched the hazy street scenes outside the gauze curtain flash, and the hustle and bustle of the capital division was as usual, and there was no urgency for the catastrophe, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Chen Yizhong, the left minister, has been sick due to injury for more than a month, this month, for him, can almost be described as anxious, the war reports from all over the country are like snowflakes, almost a day of peace, resulting from the displaced people, compassion, resettlement, disputes, lawsuits, prevarication, etc., Rao is he is exhausted and still take care of one and the other, and he is too busy to deal with it, and in just one month, he has already given birth to the meaning of burnout, which was unimaginable before.

But he knows in his heart that such feelings are true, after all, for the prime minister, what he wants to enjoy is the kind of self-restraint that is above ten thousand people under one person, standing at the top and being worshiped and admired, instead of facing the broken walls and tiles, and the house that is ventilated on all sides.

"It's hard for a good woman to cook without rice"!

The cause of all this is nothing more than the word 'money', the treasury that has already seen the bottom is so clean that even a hamster does not want to stay, the autumn tax has been divided up before it has been collected, and it is not yet December, and the government hall has already put the idea on next year's summer tax, and the idea of increasing the tax has been mentioned again and again, but it has been rejected again and again.

The land has been levied and cannot be collected, and then it will provoke the people's uprising, which is not the one in power who has good land, which is naturally clear, but as the pillar of the country's finance, the largest revenue of the city, Qiongzhou has not yet opened the port, and its tax revenue this year has been advanced, and even if the water gates, the courts, the city gates, and even the salt, tea and other lifting divisions in various places are busy, but the number has not changed compared with previous years, which means that no matter what method you think, it is just an empty word on paper.

Brainstorm them? That is to move the gentry's mouth, at this time, what is the difference between looking for death? As soon as he thought of these things, his head ached, and now that he is in charge, he understands why Jia Rudao wanted to carry out the law of planning, public land and so on, and forced himself to the opposite side of most people, so that when he was defeated, no one spoke for him.

There is no way to raise taxes, and there is no money to spare, and the country is facing such a big war, so who will go hungry to fight the Tartars? Before he knew it, his brow was furrowed deeply.

"Xianggong, it's here."

Bowing his head slightly, he had already recovered his atmospheric and calm face, but to his surprise, his honor guards had all arrived at the foot of the steps of the political hall, and no one came out to greet him, this kind of neglect was magnified countless times by his mood, and his face was already clearly dissatisfied.

"Xianggong, over there." It was still the family members who were with him who knew the opportunity, and Liu Mengyan took a brief look at his finger and understood the reason for the matter.

On the other side not far away, a shoulder of the same system was preparing to be lifted elsewhere, and needless to say, it was the thing that Chen Yizhong, the left prime minister on top of, was actually here? Liu Mengyan turned his head abruptly, and above the heavy steps, there was a faint human voice.

“...... The rest is not enough, this 'bud yellow flower blooms in the path, and the hazy moon comes out of the clouds. What does this mean, is it a ridicule of the prime minister lying down in the hall, sitting and watching you wait so busy that your feet don't touch the ground? Before he entered the door, Chen Yizhong's voice entered his ears, and Liu Mengyan was shocked when he heard this, not knowing who he was questioning.

"Originally, I didn't have this intention, listening to your explanation, I feel that this intention is good, what do you think?"

A man with a slight Shudi accent answered, which made him feel a lot more relieved at once, and when he entered the hall, he saw a group of people sitting together, and the people on duty were standing outside, as if they were looking at something, and the one who was surrounded by them was Chen Yizhong, who had not appeared for a long time.

"According to a certain point of view, this sentence may not be good, but there is another sentence, which is appropriate." Liu Mengyan walked over with a smile, and as soon as the people outside saw him, they quickly got up and made way for him.

Chen Yizhong was facing the gate, and as soon as he saw his figure, he got off the ground from the couch, and the man who was originally facing away turned around, a head taller than others.

"Hanpu, even you came to make fun of so-and-so."

Chen Yizhong walked a few steps quickly, and immediately greeted him, followed by Jia Xuan Weng and other subordinate officials in the hall, in the eyes of outsiders, such a scene was as if he had just returned from a bath.

"Where." Liu Mengyan shook his head: "Not only so, tell me, is this so?" ”

After a month of recuperation, the other party's complexion looks very good, those traces on his face, if he doesn't look closer, he can't see anything at all, but with his might, how many people in the world dare to come closer to see?

"Then I want to hear it, what is the wisdom of what you said?" Chen Yizhong waved his hand and let him sit on the edge of the couch.

Liu Mengyan untied the belt under his neck while looking at all kinds of people around him, but with his eyes, he couldn't tell if this was intentional, or it was a coincidence, Chen Yizhong had been lying silent for so long before, no one knew when he was going to leave the house, and later, Liu Mengyan almost thought that the other party had intentionally thrown the mess to himself, but he didn't expect him to come again.

"I remembered that there was a spring question in Zetang in the past, although it was not very appropriate, but it should be more appropriate to put it here." Taking off the cloak and handing it to the waiting Zhishe, he swung his legs and sat on the couch like Chen Yizhong, and then chanted unhurriedly: "Spring is only in the flowers, and it is more Qianjun's poetry as a reminder." ”

Chen Yizhong couldn't help but be stunned when he heard it, he thought he was just picking up the conversation, but he didn't expect this person to really be able to point out the question, sighed and said: "A good 'more Qianjun poem is a reminder', then he is a great talent." ”

However, Jia Xuan Weng waved his hand again and again to thank him: "It's just clumsy, it's not worth mentioning." ”

Of course, the two prime ministers plus a deputy minister, it is impossible to get together for the purpose of appreciating any poetry and articles, after the gossip, the political hall is also office time, and the subordinate officials who are gathered outside all of a sudden go to their respective seats, and the three of them are left in the middle hall, and a few direct houses waiting for tea.

"Don't hide it from the two of you, I've been lying down for so long, and if I don't come out and walk around, I'm afraid that even the bones will be crispy." As the prime minister, Chen Yizhong naturally had to speak first: "I also know how difficult the state affairs are these days, and it depends on you to share it here. ”

After that, he arched his hand on the couch, how dare the two of them accept his courtesy, they are all holding hands in response, no matter what others are, while Liu Mengyan breathed a sigh of relief, he also understood in his heart that the actual first person in the Great Song Dynasty announced his return, and he would return to the position of the second thousand-year-old, but at this time his heart was not so repulsive.

"Chen Xiang is back, the country's luck, there is no need to say polite words, Zetang, the news I received recently, why don't you talk about it." Liumengyan looked at Jia Xuanweng who was sitting at the bottom.

"Two of you." Jia Hyun Weng did not doubt him, as the last of the trio, this was originally his job.

"First of all, I received it early this morning, and there was news from Qianxian County, the beacon on the eagle's beak cliff of Tianmu Mountain was ignited, and the smoke was divided into four columns, and the fast horse entered the city this morning, and the news just reached the cardinal, Xie Tongzhi did not dare to slack off, and personally sent it to the forbidden middle school, this time, I am afraid that the saint will also smell it."

Liu Mengyan was shocked, but he looked at the other side, Chen Yizhong was unmoved, knowing that the other party already knew.

"Is it Sichuan?"

"Exactly, with the addition of Guangxi Road, Lianghuai Road, and Sea Road, there are already five roads." Jia Hyun Weng nodded, and the relaxed expression on his face no longer existed.

Of course, the two of them understand that in addition to the five-way soldiers and horses on the bright side, as well as the Jinghu front line, which has not moved so far, the current offensive alone is already difficult to deal with, if it is launched again, no one knows what to do, the current situation is not as good as at the beginning of the year, where can more than 100,000 people be gathered?

"The two Huai are still in a stalemate, since the Huaixi Yuan people occupied the Anfeng army and other places, the soldiers stopped under the city of Luzhou, and now it has been nearly half a month, and the city has still not been broken."

"Li Shuzhang is known for his talent and proper scheduling, which is natural." Chen Yizhong praised it, both of them knew that this position was recommended by him, and now that it has confirmed his vision, of course he is a little proud.

"According to reports, the Yuan people besieged the city with a lot of soldiers and horses, no less than 100,000, and our people are currently gathered in Anqing Mansion, only about 50,000, and they do not belong to each other, I am afraid that I want to ask the two ministers to get an idea."

Chen Yizhong had just heard about this matter, and Jia Xuanweng explained to him in detail, this soldier and horse were mainly based on Zhang Shijie's men and horses, accounting for the majority, relying on the support of Anqing Yifu, currently stationed in the Tongcheng area, across the remaining veins of Dabie Mountain and Tartar confrontation, because of the dangerous terrain, the two sides have not yet had a fierce confrontation, but small-scale temptations, almost every day.

In addition to his soldiers and horses, there are about 10,000 people in the old Huaixi Department who withdrew from the passes of Dabie Mountain, in addition to the thousands of people from Liu Shiyong of the Wuwei Army next door, and the Xiongjiang Navy under the command of Zhenchao Army Hongfu, with their presence, they can also contain the Yuan people to the surrounding development, and the situation in Huaixi has formed such a temporary stalemate.

If there were no reinforcements, the fall of Luzhou City would only be a matter of time, and thinking of this, the three of them fell silent.

The current situation is obvious, to talk about strength, Zhang Shijie, deputy envoy of the Yangtze River system and Zhi'an Qingfu, is the strongest, and he is also the highest in terms of grade, and he is originally the best candidate to be the commander of the entire army and horse, but the problem is ...... He's a general!

Why did you hand over more than 100,000 military horses to Jia Nidao at the beginning of the year? It's because only he can control those warriors, of course, the final result is not ideal, but this principle cannot be broken, so the question is, who goes?

"If Li Shuzhang is not surrounded, he is a suitable candidate." Liu Mengyan sighed unexpectedly.

"What about Li Xiangfu, hasn't he already ordered him to supervise Jianghuai?" Chen Yizhong thinks the same as him, but the truth is already like this, what's the use of regretting it.

"It's the same with Huaidong." Jia Xuanweng said with a wry smile: "Chuzhou has been besieged for nearly 20 days, and the Yuan people's sailors have appeared on the coast again. ”

One is the nominal jurisdiction, the other is the foundation of the beginning, how Li Tingzhi will choose, it is self-evident, but no one can say anything, after all, he is only one person, no matter where the Yuan people break through, they will eventually converge under Jiankang City, where is the Jiangnan barrier.

"Ye Shaobao led the Haisi fleet to the north, and now it should be on the surface of the Chuzhou Sea, whether he will fight the Yuan people or not, but it is unknown."

Chen Yizhong exchanged a look with Liu Mengyan, he didn't expect that this old fox would choose to take the initiative to attack, which surprised them a little, but the other party's military report was not so much a request for instructions as a notice, what is the use of opposing now, if it can really block the enemy on the sea, it can make Lin'an Mansion have a way out, it is not useless.

What made them a little uneasy was that Ye Mengding must have discussed this move with Li Tingzhi, otherwise it would be impossible for such a large fleet to supply without local response, and the two border marshals did not pass through the cardinal mansion, so they communicated without scruples, which was what the imperial court was most wary of, but at present, what could they do?

"Make up an edict and send it to Yangzhou." There is no way, even for the sake of the face of the court, this pot has to be carried Liu Mengyan looked at Chen Yizhong and opened his mouth helplessly.

Needless to say, this is Ye Mengding's intention, Chen Yi is so hateful in the center that he has to pretend to have a smile on his face, since this old guy is going to die, then give him a ride.

"Ye Zhenzhi has to go to the dangerous place at such an advanced age, it is our role model who will send this edict to the world to show his deeds."

Seeing that Chen Yizhong slapped the board, Jia Xuanweng turned his head and called a straight house, ordering him to pass on the instructions, naturally someone would write an edict and follow the order, Chen Yizhong obviously didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, so he turned around and asked seemingly casually.

"Is there any news from the south?"

South? The two were stunned, if Sichuan is going to return to the southwest, then this south can only refer to Guangxi.

"It's only been a month, I'm afraid people are still on the way." Liu Mengyan knew what he was thinking: "But since the beacon fire entered Beijing, the subsequent military reports only said that the Yuan people entered Kou Yongzhou, where they hit, and there is no news. ”

"When it is." Jia Xuanweng went on and said: "Yongzhou Chengjian, our army is prepared again, it should not be taken advantage of by the enemy as it was seventeen years ago, and when Liu Ziqing arrives, the situation in Guangxi is only more ideal than elsewhere." ”

"Oh, you're so optimistic about him?" There was no joy or anger on Chen Yizhong's face.

"Well, even if you don't win, you won't be defeated."

Jia Hyun Weng replied calmly that he was not speaking for others, and the two actually had no friendship, but after looking at it all the way, objectively the comments would definitely be more pertinent.

"I hope so." Chen Yizhong waved his hand to reveal the matter, everything has to wait for the exact news to come, it is still too early.

"What about Jiangzhou?"

He is most concerned about the Jinghu line, how weak the defense there is, it can be seen from Zhao Yingding's takeover of Jiangzhou, if the Yuan people contain the soldiers and horses of Lianghuai, I am afraid that they will not even be able to draw reinforcements at that time.

"The news of the day before yesterday is still as usual, and the Yuan people on the other side have not added any strength."

"The cardinal government sent a letter to urge me, and I always felt a little unsure."

Jia Xuan Weng was stunned for a moment, the letter was very simple, what could he say? As a front-line guard, people must be much more nervous than the Jingshi thousands of miles away, and he can't get anything substantial, and he doesn't know how to phrase it.

"Su Renzhong is about to return, there will always be some Qinwang soldiers and horses in various places, and when the time comes, it may not be impossible to ......" Seeing that he was a little embarrassed, Liu Mengyan took over the conversation, but who here didn't know, counting on those would be the same as at the beginning of the year, and there were only a few that came in the end.

Jiangzhou is the first line of defense, once it is broken, there is Jiangdong Road behind, all the way to Jiankang City, there will be no more obstacles, not to mention that the Yuan people may not necessarily go this way, what if they follow another road?

"There is a vacancy in Ning Guofu, Li Xiangfu intends to transfer Yuan Hong, and the book came up early in the morning, just now I suddenly thought, this may not be a solution." After being silent for a while, Liu Mengyan patted the table and said suddenly.

"But the Yuan Hong who was originally sentenced by Jiankang, and then promoted to Taiping Prefecture after accumulating merit?" Chen Yizhong still has some impressions of this person.

"Exactly, what Li Xiangfu meant, the villains in Taipingzhou City are outnumbered and difficult to guard, it is better to move people to Ningguo Mansion, if the Yuan people want to enter the Jingshi, there is no way to get around."

This is indeed a way, Chen Yizhong understood after thinking about it, the territory of Ningguo Mansion is mountainous, the army of the Yuan people is not easy to use, it is better to defend it than elsewhere, Yuan Hong has experienced the war, and he is also a person who knows the soldiers, and he can play an obstructive role with him, unlike at the beginning of the year, he surrendered the enemy early.

"It's so good, just promote this person to Taichang Shaoqing and Zhining Guofu, and I will send the appointment out of office today, and I won't be waiting for me."

It is related to the defense of the Beijing Division, of course, it has to be done in a special matter, but Liu Mengyan knows that Li Tingzhi must have started to work on it at the same time as he wrote the book, and whether the imperial court will make a formal appointment or not, it will not affect his plan, which is completely out of instinct.

The discussion has come to this point, and it is not over, because the previous question has not been answered, who can be appointed by those military horses gathered in the Anqing Mansion?

"There is a certain candidate, this person has just returned from Jinghu, originally thought that he would be a border commander for many years, and he could enter the cardinal mansion, but now it seems that I am afraid that he will not be able to stay." Seeing that the two ministers did not speak, Jia Xuanweng took out a document from his sleeve.

Chen Yizhong took it and took a look, it turned out to be him, Zhu Yusun, the original ambassador of Jinghu Xuanfu, who had participated in the war of aiding Sichuan and Xiangxiang. The performance, lackluster, not many victories, many defeats, the battle of Yangluo Fort, Xia Gui ran away by himself, he also ran away, can such a person take on the heavy responsibility of commanding the army and rescuing?

It's just that this person's qualifications are enough, Zhang Shijie was originally under his command, and he also had contact with Xia Gui's old department, so he was a little hesitant for a while.

"If the war in Quanzhou ends as soon as possible, the imperial court will not be left without soldiers." Liu Mengyan didn't know what he thought, and said Yoyo.

When Chen Yizhong heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, how could he forget this stubble.