It was the middle of winter, and the Jiangnan region was gradually entering the coldest time. Jinling City, compared with the prosperity of winter in previous years, is much worse, the people are talking about it, and people's hearts are gradually unstable. One of the main reasons is the war in Jiangbei.

Although for a period of time, there was a war report in Jiangbei, and the Xinqi of the Southern Tang Dynasty did not shout stupidly anymore "Woe is a disaster", and sensed the instability of the people, the Southern Tang Dynasty court also strengthened martial law and control in Jinling, and began to block the defeat report in Jiangbei.

However, how can there be an impermeable wall in the world, and Jinling is leaking everywhere, basically, the people of Jinling know that the Northern Han Dynasty invaded and the Tang army was defeated again and again.

And, with the frequent mobilization of soldiers and horses in the imperial court, they built ordnance, recruited bravery, and collected money, food and materials. Although the Southern Tang Dynasty has accumulated a lot of capital in the past ten years, especially during Li Yu's reign, it can't bear to spend a lot.

Especially since Li Jing succeeded to the throne, he built a large palace garden, liked to set up banquets, and used extravagantly. The use of troops abroad cannot be regarded as a small amount, but it is a lot of money and food for soldiers, horses, horses, and food, and it is impossible to make ends meet.

It is precisely because the Huainan half and the Jiangnan half can complement each other economically, so that they can support the profligacy of the Southern Tang Dynasty monarchs. Now that the northern disaster came, it was like blowing up Mao, and the reaction was fierce, and he tried his best to resist the Han army.

With the large-scale preparation of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the prices of Jinling rose accordingly, and the cost of living of ordinary people skyrocketed. The adverse effects of the war on the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty have gradually been reflected in Jinling City.

Of course, in this cold snap in the north, when Xiao Xiao went south, there were always people who didn't listen to things outside the window and only studied the sages and sages.

King Zheng's Mansion, the back garden, between the pavilions, in the greenhouse, in the elegant and fragrant environment, a young man with a beautiful appearance and a handsome temperament is practicing calligraphy, a warm poem, overnight. This is the sixth son of Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Congjia, King of Zheng.

He whispered a few words in his mouth, and praised lightly: "The rhyme of Wen Gong's words is desirable!" ”

A warm smile appeared on Li Congjia's handsome face, beckoned the waiter who was waiting on the side to approach, and asked, "Look at the word Lone, how is it written?" ”

The chamberlain is a eunuch sent by the palace, waiting for King Zheng, hearing and seeing, and also a bit of literary talent, for the master, of course, it is a compliment, a young man, eyebrows and smiles.

"I'll give you this picture!" Li Congjia was happy and said to the inside.

The waiter hurriedly said: "Little Xie Liulang reward!" ”

The young man didn't know what it was like, twisted his slender hand, and suddenly asked: "Recently, I heard rumors from people in the house that the northern invaders invaded the south, what is going on?" ”

Facing Li Congjia's curious eyes, the chamberlain said cautiously: "It is said that the Han Dynasty in the north suddenly sent troops to attack my border!" Your Majesty has already sent a large number of soldiers north to rescue! ”

"These northerners, really good soldiers, this nameless army!" Li Congjia nodded abruptly and said, "But since the imperial court has sent troops, it should be fine, enough to block the enemy!" ”

"Your Highness is right! My Tang Dynasty inherits the world's righteousness, the national strength is strong, and the Han soldiers are coming, and they deserve it! The chamberlain comforted Li Congjia with this in his mouth, and did not use the defeat in the north to affect the comfortable and quiet life of His Royal Highness King Zheng.

Li Congjia became interested and said: "Lay a good paper for Gu again, and Gu will compose a poem, and wish the soldiers who resist foreign insults!" ”

The chamberlain hurriedly moved, and said in his mouth: "Liulang has this heart, Your Majesty will be happy when he learns it!" ”

At the same time, in the palace of Jinling, Emperor Li Jing was annoyed by himself, the situation in Huainan was deteriorating day by day, reports of defeat were frequent, and the oppression of the Han army almost made him breathless.

Even though more than 20 days have passed, Li Jing still remembers the palpitations and panic when he first learned that Liu Yanzhen's entire army was annihilated. During this period of time, Li Jing can be said to have no food to taste, he can't sleep, and he has not been safe for a day. Poetry, song and dance, and extravagant play in the palace rarely made him uninterested.

"Your Majesty, the ministers are all here!"

Hearing the report, Li Jing barely cheered up and ordered to drive.

In the main hall of the palace, several important ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty have been waiting here, and the most generous of them is the Taifu, the Duke of Chu, and Song Qiqiu, the privy envoy of the right from Hongzhou. Originally, Li Jing was promoted to be the Taishi, and Song Qiqiu resigned and was still the Taifu. The ministers are old, but at this time of national crisis, there is a faint tendency to become the backbone of the country.

Under the guidance of the chamberlain, Li Jing entered the hall with an expressionless face, sat down and was saluted, and swept a few ministers around, Li Jing asked in a rare and neat manner: "Say, what's the bad news?" What did the Han army do? ”

The courtiers glanced at each other a few times, and Li Zhenggu, the privy deputy envoy, got up and said, "Your Majesty, it's news from Hunan." Bian Hao reported that the Chu soldiers were all opposed, the Lang army was rampant, the Changsha army was in turmoil, the grain was insufficient, and the military supplies were lacking, and it was no longer enough to defend. If the imperial court does not rescue it, the land of Hunan will be lost! ”

As soon as he heard this, Li Jing immediately became angry, and reprimanded the palace: "Why is the pickaxe here so useless, the army of 30,000 can't suppress Hunan, and it was crushed by a group of deserters, and the rabble was forced into such a predicament!" ”

"Your Majesty, in the matter of Hunan, Bian Ho is certainly responsible, but the situation has developed to this point, and it is not his fault!" Han Xizai said a fair word, and when he said this, he glanced at Song Qiqiu, Feng Yansi and others. Since Song Qiqiu returned to Jinling, the Nandu scholars in the DPRK and China were immediately suppressed, and in terms of the influence on the military and political affairs of the Southern Tang Dynasty, they had to belong to these Jianghuai bureaucrats.

"What about Xianshi Lang, why didn't he lead the army north, join forces with Bian Hao, and defeat Lang and the rebels first!" Li Jing said again. During this time, Li Jing obviously made up for the situation and war situation of all parties, at least he could simply say something.

Li Zhenggu said: "On the side of Xian Envoy, the rebels are endless, the barbarism is not endless, and there is a threat from the Southern Han army in the direction of Guizhou, so I dare not leave without permission!" ”

Listening to his explanation, Li Jing's mood became even more depressed, and his face was very gloomy and ugly. Seeing this, Song Qiqiu spoke up, but he looked calm, and spoke directly: "Your Majesty should make up your mind, Hunan is already a quagmire, and it cannot be held for a long time away from the country of chaos." It is already a deep clay foot, when you want to extricate yourself, the strong man breaks his wrist, like cutting carrion! ”

"Nowadays, Liu Yanzhen's army is defeated, Shouchun City is besieged, Jiangbei is in an emergency, and dealing with the invasion of the Northern Han Dynasty is the first priority. On the Hunan side, it should be decisively abandoned and the army that entered Chu was withdrawn. Raising 100,000 Ding Zhuang in Jiangnan is not as good as the 20,000 or 30,000 troops who have entered Chu, so they can only withdraw, rest for a period of time, and transfer north to defend against the enemy without training! ”

"The Chu people are so forced, can they be successfully withdrawn?" Li Jing obviously has this thought, but he has a lot of concerns.

Seeing this, Song Qiqiu replied sternly: "Bian Hao and the others can't hold Hunan, if they don't even have the ability to retreat, then these soldiers are useless to transfer north!" ”

After speaking, his tone softened a little, and said: "With the current situation, in the Chu army, people must return their minds, let them stay in Hunan, and fight with the troops under the condition that they are embattled. But let them withdraw their troops and return to China, they will inevitably rise up enthusiastically, and the Chu people will be difficult to stop! ”

The army that entered Chu was an army whose military discipline had been completely corrupted, and they were unwilling to fight against the Chu people, so how could they fight against the more fierce and powerful Han people? I don't know if Song Qiqiu has taken this into account, or rather, he has taken it into account and has not put it forward.

Han Xizai spoke out, and Li Jing's heart was applied: "Your Majesty, it is reported that Wang Kui of Langzhou and Zhou Xingfeng are all greedy and profit-seeking, although they are known as the 'Ten Brothers', in fact, they all have ghosts, and they all have ambitions for the land of Hunan. Our army is in Hunan, so it can barely fight together, and once our army withdraws, it will not be too obstructive! ”

"After all, that martial artist is absolutely unwilling to use his corporals to consume with our army, and in the face of our withdrawal of troops, they are more likely to sit idly by, and instead share Hunan, each according to its own place, and claim to be the king and hegemon!"

"The only thing that can stop me from retreating is the Han army! But the Han army in Lizhou, after all, is outnumbered, and it is difficult to support it alone, and it is difficult to become a big problem! ”

Listening to Han Xizai's analysis, Li Jing didn't react yet, but Song Qiqiu stroked his beard indifferently and said: "Han Shilang's words are a bit insightful, the master of Hunan, Your Majesty can rest assured to give an edict!" ”

"Let's issue an edict!" Seeing this, Li Jing waved his hand.

"Yes!"

The bad things in Hunan can be regarded as a decision, but Li Jing's mood is still heavy, and the strong captives in the north are the heart disease and the big trouble.

"What about the Northern Han army? What's the trend? In Hunan, it's just a pack of hungry dogs, but there's a tiger in the north! Li Jing let out a long sigh and was worried: "How to fight it?" ”

After these words, the hall was silent for a while, and Li Zhenggu left a message: "Since the Emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty personally conquered, fortunately the southern front of Huai, the soldiers surrounded Shouchun, and the connection between our dynasty and Shouchun has been completely cut off!" Tens of thousands of forbidden troops in the Northern Han Dynasty are trapped in Shouchun, and I don't know what the situation in the city is! ”

"He Zhijun and others will stick to the loyal country, try their best to save the defeat, there are still soldiers and horses, food and grass are prepared, and they will defend the fortified city, and now it is midwinter, I think they should be able to hold out for a while, waiting for the imperial court to send reinforcements!"

Han Xizai added: "The Northern Han army set up a fortress under Shouchun City, and it can be seen from its movements that it has the heart of a long war. In the opinion of the ministers, at least until the end of winter retreats, the Han army will not storm Shouchun, therefore, our dynasty still has enough time to reorganize the northern aid army! ”

Regarding Han Xizai's analysis, Li Jing still believed it, and after listening to his words, he breathed a sigh of relief, but the worries in his heart were still very heavy.

Li Zhenggu continued: "In addition, after the loss of Haozhou, the Han Emperor sent two partial divisions, one by the enemy Huaidong Jingluo Guo Rongdong to attack our Sizhou, and the other by Huang and Guang to inspect Sichao to the west, has captured the two counties of Huoqiu and Anfeng in the central part of our Shouzhou. Feng Yanlu, the envoy of the Sizhou regiment, asked the imperial court to send troops to support as soon as possible! ”

"When the Han army enters, let it run its own liness and have nothing to fear?" Li Jing finally became angry: "I'm asking for help everywhere, are the reinforcements coming as soon as they say they?" ”

The reality is that the 30,000 forbidden troops worthy of the Han army's jealousy have been defeated by Liu Yanzhen, and it is useless for Li Jing to be so incompetent and angry.

"Your Majesty, the minister is still heard, the Han Emperor took Wang Pu, the deputy envoy who came to Jinling, as the governor of Haozhou, acting in charge of the military administration of Haozhou, although this person is young, but he is very capable and means, and has begun to count the books in Haozhou, reform the Han system, appease the people, absorb the ministers, buy the hearts of the people, and turn Haozhou into Han rule!" Han Xizai said with a calm face: "Compared with violent attacks, such means as Emperor Han are more terrifying for our dynasty. ”

Hearing this, Li Jing couldn't hold back any longer, and angrily brushed off the documents on the imperial case.

"Your Majesty is angry!" Seeing this, a group of courtiers hurriedly asked.

The scattered documents are just like Li Jing's scattered mood at this time.