What should come will come, and what should go will always go.

Heaven seems to have played a big joke with Song Huizong, the northern expedition of the labor division has ended in a farce, and it cost tens of millions of dollars to get back six empty cities, which really confirms every word Liu Zhenglong said.

Is Tong Guan too incompetent, or is Liu Zhenglong too powerful? Song Huizong had no idea for a while, and in the face of Wang Huang's whitewashing of the peace, he was in a dilemma, and finally agreed after thinking about it. Whether it costs money or not, in the end, six of the sixteen cities in Youyun Prefecture still came back, which can be regarded as an explanation to the ancestors and the people of the world.

Crowned king? Don't think about it for the time being, no matter what, this is not a glorious thing, Song Huizong finally decided, on the basis of Tong Guan's original Chu Guogong, to add the title of Xu Guogong and Yu Guogong, and become a veritable true third duke, but at the same time contact with his military power. Tan Zhi replaced his original position, and this great eunuch with unlimited power and unlimited scenery temporarily went home to recuperate.

Tong Guan is not an ordinary civil servant, once he is dismissed, it will be over, he is unwilling to lose everything he has, and he is even more unwilling to lose the opportunity to be promoted to the king of the county, so the big eunuch chose to compromise with the eunuch Cai Jing.

Cai Jing was not surprised at all that Tong Guan came to meet him, it was rumored that he was a public minister, and Tong Guan was a concubine, but in fact, he looked down on this eunuch-born guy in his bones.

Tong Guan knew that Cai Jing didn't want to see him, but he still saluted respectfully and said: "The old lady has always been spiritual, which makes Tong envious. ”

"It's not necessary to be too polite, you are a real third prince now, the scenery is infinite, and the old man is envious?" Cai Jing motioned for Tong Guan to sit down, and after waiting for the next person to serve tea, the old lady said unhurriedly: "The cardinal minister is devastating in the northwest, and he is also killing in the south of the Yangtze River, but why is it that the army is not defeated on the northern front?" Now that the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty are staring at you, and the pressure on the official family is also very great, you should know this better than anyone else. ”

The explanation is pale and weak, throwing the pot is the last word, Tong Guan has lowered his posture when he came in person, and seeing that Cai Jing did not mean irony, he understood that there was still a possibility of reconciliation, he thought for a moment and then said: "Careless Jingzhou, in fact, Tong can still regroup and defeat the Liao army, but the Jin army acted too fast, and quickly conquered the sixteen states of Youyun, which was unexpected." Wang Xianggong meant to respect the maritime covenant, not to clash with the Jin army, and to transfer the annual coins that should have been given to the Liao State to the Jin State, not only could the city be recovered without spending a single soldier, but also the relationship with the Jin State could be consolidated. Old lady, you know, Tong is good at commanding the army, and he doesn't know anything about diplomacy, and he was blinded by Wang Huang, so he made today's mistake. ”

The son can be taught, this pot is thrown beautifully, and the pot is thrown to Wang Huang, which indicates that Tong Guan is no longer inclined to King Yun on the issue of standing in line, which is what Cai Jing wants to see, which is also similar to what Liu Zhenglong said before.

"Yes! The prime minister is still good at commanding troops, and it is not one person's fault that the horse misses the front hoof, let's play it, the official family still wants to see you commanding the troops, but Tan Zhi is doing a good job now, which will make the official family embarrassed. ”

Cai Jing ostensibly pointed out a clear way for Tong Guan, but in fact, he pushed Wang Hao to the guillotine, once Tong Guan's fold was handed over, then it would be difficult for Wang Hao to turn over, let's see how Wang Hao saves himself!

"Thank you for your advice."

Tong Guan left happily, and the old lady Cai Jing said to herself: "Liu Zhenglong, you little fox, what you said, the old man has done everything, I hope you can be true to your word." ”

Being able to lead the army for twenty years, Tong Guan still has certain skills, this guy is decisive in killing, and he is also a ruthless person, and after leaving the Taishi Mansion, he began to operate. On the one hand, he sent an order to his old subordinates Liu Yanqing, Wang Yu, Wang Lian, Wang Weizhong, Xin Xingzhong, Ma Kuo, Zhang Shuye, etc. to Tan Zhi to do it against him, and refused to obey discipline, on the other hand, he took the initiative to go to Longde Hall to report the reasons for the failure of the Northern Expedition to the official family, of course, the most important thing was to dump the pot to Wang Huang.

Tong Guan had already studied the psychology of the official family before he came, and he also organized the language, and did not explain too much about the defeat of the Northern Expedition, but only emphasized his brilliant achievements in commanding troops on the Western Front, and emphasized the suppression of Fang La in Jiangnan.

Sure enough, an official who missed the old gradually tended to Tong Guan in his heart, and also agreed that the root cause of the failure of the Northern Expedition was in Wang Huang, an incompetent guy.

The trees fell and scattered, and the walls fell and everyone pushed them. It is rare to send charcoal in the snow, but there are many stones falling into the well.

After the official family revealed their dislike for Wang Huang, the civil officials began to attack it in groups, of course, this is mainly Cai Jing operating in the back, you must know that Cai Jing, who is the prime minister for the fourth time, has far more power in the court than Wang Huang, and his protégés are all over the world. The meritorious group also began to take the opportunity to attack, only emphasizing that the Northern Expedition did not achieve the expected goal, and did not attack Tong Guan, but only expressed dissatisfaction with the money to redeem the empty city, and there is no doubt that the spearhead is still pointed at Wang Huang.

The crown prince has not raised his eyebrows for a long time, Zheng Juzhong, Zheng Zhong, Geng Nanjie, Zhang Bangchang, Li Gang and others began to attack Wang Huang in a big way, in fact, the spearhead was pointed at King Yun.

Liang Shi was the kind of person who bet on both sides, especially after talking with Pan Xu, he had already made up his mind to give up Wang Huang, so he secretly instructed the imperial history of the imperial history platform to keep complaining, and the imperial city division also kept throwing evidence outward.

In the fifth year of Xuanhe, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Zhenglong returned to the capital from the Western Front to report on his work.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the monarch and the ministers rejoiced together, which is undoubtedly a great grace.

Jin Mingchi, on the dragon boat, except for the eunuchs and palace maids, there are only Song Huizong Zhao Ji and Liu Zhenglong Junchen.

Song Huizong said with a smile: "Aiqing, you are the only one who spends the Mid-Autumn Festival with me. ”

"Chen Cheng is scared."

"Young age, how old-fashioned, this is not the protégé of the Son of Heaven that I like." Although he blamed him, the official still liked Liu Zhenglong's attitude of knowing advance and retreat, which was much stronger than the group of old guys in the political hall, he waved his hand and said: "Today, there are only two of us, the monarch and the minister, don't be too obsessed with understanding, you can just talk about the situation in Western Xia, the situation in Hebei." ”

The official family can talk about small talk, but Liu Zhenglong can't deal with it casually, he thought for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, then Weichen will talk about Western Xia first, and then talk about Hebei." ”

The official didn't speak, just nodded slightly, expressing approval.

Liu Zhenglong said: "Li Qianshun, Chongzong of Western Xia, was seriously injured in the assassination, and it will be difficult to recover within a year or two. At this time, only the queen Yelu Nanxian was in power, although the dispute between King Shu and King Pu came to an end, King Shu was executed, and King Pu was exiled, but Western Xia had broken his muscles and bones, and it was difficult to recover in a short time. At this time, the agreement between the Song and Western Xia sides will fully open the field, and the economy of the Western Xia will collapse within a year or two, and at that time, we can win without a fight. As long as the Great Song Dynasty forbidden army drove over, it would be invincible and destroy Western Xia. ”

"Then do you think you can take the right to go out and destroy Western Xia?" Song Huizong was still thinking about the next trick at this time, not that he couldn't believe Liu Zhenglong, but he was too jealous of the soldiers, which was a common problem of the emperors of the Song Dynasty, otherwise there would be no glass of wine to release the military power, and there would be no Di Qing who died in depression, and there would not be Yue Fei's death in the Wind Pavilion.

Liu Zhenglong had already discussed this matter with Pan Xu and Pan Jing, how could he fall into it? He smiled and said, "In the face of absolute strength, any strategy pales in comparison. To destroy the Western Xia, no one is needed to go to the army, only the military gate of the Western Front needs to take the initiative to attack, as long as the troops come to Xingqing Mansion, the queen Yelu Nanxian will open the city gate and surrender, and there is no need for the imperial court to send people to lead the army. ”

Although the imperial court is strict with the people in charge of the army, the military gate of the Western Front is a special existence, and there is no need to take precautions, anyway, it is guarding the border in such a big place. This is the reason why Liu Zhenglong is trying to win over him, only when these people enter Western Xia can they reassure the official family.

"If there is no one to command the troops, will they fight separately and end up missing the fighter?"

"No, the Western Xia was originally barren land, sparsely populated, and the eight tribes were full of contradictions, and now the imperial court no longer has enough military strength to suppress the tribes below, and when the economy collapses, the contradictions will completely break out, and if there is no Western Army, the Western Xia will perish. The expedition of the Western Army only accelerated the demise of the Western Xia, as long as the imperial court demarcated the marching route, stipulated which route army would capture the city, and finally surrounded Xingqing Mansion. ”

Liu Zhenglong finally shamelessly patted the emperor's ass, you must know that except for Song Taizu, the other emperors of the Great Song Dynasty did not understand military affairs, but they all loved to command blindly, and loved to formulate marching routes and combat strategies for military generals.

When Song Huizong heard that he had made a marching route and a combat strategy, he was immediately overjoyed, and felt that Liu Zhenglong was too good at coming to things, which was definitely a blessing given to him by God.

"If you weren't too young, you would have been able to enter the political hall with your current qualifications, but don't worry, the political hall has already reserved a place for you." A smile appeared on the official's face, and he said with a smile: "Now the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty are demanding the removal of Wang Huang, what do you think? ”

Don't bring such a play, the small magistrate of Kaifeng County came to discuss with the official family whether to remove the minister of the political hall, isn't this a sinkhole? Liu Zhenglong seems to understand the meaning of the official family, that is, the official family wants to take down Wang Huang, but they are not willing to be swayed by the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, which would lose the dignity of the emperor.

"The minister thinks that the dictatorship of the Qiangang is the blessing of the Great Song Dynasty. The civil official group has been pointing fingers at the emperor for more than 100 years, and they have long been forgetful and don't know that the sky is high and the earth is thick, as if they are the masters of the world, so they can look at the country and scold Fang Xuan. Throughout the ages, this is nothing, the Qin Emperor destroyed the six countries to dominate the world, the Han Wu Emperor beat the Xiongnu to the west for thousands of miles, Tang Taizong created the rule of Zhenguan, I Dynasty Taizu, Taizong completed the unification of the world, which one is not the dictatorship of the Qiangang. As for Wang Huang, staying in office and removing him are all in the Sacred Heart, how can he be influenced by his courtiers. ”

Liu Zhenglong said that he was excited, and he couldn't wait to go out and beat up the group of civil officials who pointed fingers at the government. His attitude really won the sacred heart, which made Song Huizong appreciate and value it very much.

Yes, if you can't be dictatorial, then how can this emperor be famous for eternity? Song Huizong showed a pleased smile on his face, and he said with a smile: "Aiqing is reasonable, but Wang Hao is indeed a negative emperor, I am very disappointed in him, you know how to deal with it!" ”

"I understand."

"Okay, you can do it yourself, and don't let anyone dictate your will. Now let's talk about Hebei, now Tan Shu can't control the situation in Hebei at all, and I am very disappointed. ”

Liu Zhenglong understood that the official family was just looking for steps, hoping to say it through his own mouth and let Tong Guan preach Hebei. But is Tong Guan Xuanfu really suitable, it seems that the historical tragedy of the Jin army's southward movement is destined to be repeated, and it will be difficult for him to reverse the shame of Jingkang.

Seeing that Liu Zhenglong was silent, the official family knew that this young man wanted to lead the team on the expedition, and he preferred to fight in the territory rather than being tied to the small place of Kaifeng County.

"A month later, you will preach Jiangnan." The official family gave Liu Zhenglong a reassurance, but it also officially blocked the way of this guy's northern expedition.

It seems that the official family is Wang Ba's iron heart, in this case, Liu Zhenglong is not willing to go against the dragon scales, after all, he is not qualified to argue with the official family now, the official family can uproot himself with a casual word, why kill yourself in this case?

Liu Zhenglong, who no longer suffers from gains and losses, said: "Your Majesty, the situation in Hebei is complicated, and it is not decisive to kill, and people with high and powerful positions cannot sit in charge. Now there is no buffer of the Liao State, the border between our dynasty and the Jin State, head-on conflicts, and small-scale frictions are inevitable, plus the sixteen states of Youyun have belonged to the Liao State for more than a hundred years, and the people's hearts are no longer easy to control, and local rebellions will also occur from time to time. ”

"Just what?" There was a slight dissatisfaction in the official's tone, and he felt that Liu Zhenglong had also begun to learn how those old foxes had played tricks, and he didn't have the fearless momentum of the brave before, and it was really the bigger the official, the less timid he was.

"It's just that after all, the cardinal minister has this faux pas, I'm afraid that the civil official group will attack in the future, and the meritorious family will bite the bite, in that case, the cardinal minister is likely to be transferred back again, so that since then, the strategy of Hebei Road will continue to change, which is not conducive to the stability of the northern line. The minister dared to implore His Majesty to make a holy decree to let the prime minister declare that he would not return for two years. If it is really possible to stabilize the situation in the north and take back the other state capitals from the Jin State by the way, then. ”

The official family knows what Liu Zhenglong means in his mouth, isn't it just according to the edict of Emperor Shenzong, and he will be crowned as the king of the county? Liu Zhenglong did this, of course, to fight for his own rights and interests, after all, the affairs of Western Xia were all planned by this guy.

"Don't worry, your credit, I can't forget your credit." In the hearts of the officials, Liu Zhenglong has always been a child, and he needs to be coaxed, as long as he is coaxed, he will definitely be able to do things, he said with a smile: "You are already married, otherwise I will recruit you to be a concubine, so let's do it, after Jiangnan meritorious service, I will crown you as the Duke of Qin, and find a princess in the royal family to marry you." As for which one, you can look for it yourself, and see which one is beautiful for the princess's princess. ”

"The emperor's grace is vast, and the ministers have nothing to repay, so they can only bow down and die." Liu Zhenglong has also learned to act, he knows that no matter what he says, Da Song's qi is exhausted, and he should prepare his own way back, and going to Jiangnan is undoubtedly the best choice.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is destined to have countless interpretations, and the interpretations of the civil official group and the meritorious family are destined to be different. However, Liu Zhenglong couldn't manage it so much, he just knew that the official family only gave him a month to deal with Wang Hao's problem, and after disposing of this old fox, he could go down to Jiangnan.

The official family was very satisfied with Liu Zhenglong's attitude, and he said with a smile: "To deal with Jiangnan, you can solve it with as many troops as you need." ”

"10,000 elite soldiers are enough."

Domineering, according to Tong Guan, there are millions of believers in Jiangnan La, and now Liu Zhenglong actually said that 10,000 elite soldiers are enough to quell the rebellion, on the one hand, it is his own strength, and on the other hand, it also shows that this guy is afraid of the official family.

What can 10,000 do? The official said with a smile: "When you went out to fight against the 100,000 forbidden troops led by Western Xia, more than 40,000 were killed, and you will lead the team to the remaining 60,000." Don't expand, grasping judgment is the last word, don't jump the chickens and dogs killed in Jiangnan, and I don't want Jiangnan to be chaotic. ”

"Obey." Liu Zhenglong knew that this round had finally passed, he was secretly proud, the 100,000 forbidden army had already completed the replacement, and now it can be said that the 100,000 Longxiang army, plus the 30,000 Longwei army, this is all his family background, but he doesn't need the Privy Council to pay the military salary, so he is not in the scope of the imperial court's monitoring!

To go to Jiangnan, there is not much need for cavalry, there are 5,000 enough, and the remaining 50,000 infantry can be, quelling the Jiangnan rebellion is a small matter, and the key is how to avoid the surveillance of the imperial court is the last word.

That night, after the third watch, Liu Zhenglong returned home, he didn't expect the two old fathers-in-law Pan Xu and Pan Jing to be there, so he hurriedly saluted.

Pan Xu waved his hand and said: "Those politeness will be saved, this time the official family will spend the Mid-Autumn Festival alone with you, and it will spread in the capital tomorrow, and it will be published in the newspaper, for you, it is not necessarily a good thing, or think about how to deal with it." ”

"Actually, there is nothing, there is no need to over-interpret, I am going to lead the team to Jiangnan, but I have to deal with Wang Huang before." Liu Zhenglong told the content of the official family again.

"Ah Long, the official family dug another pit, you didn't hear it." When Pan Xu heard that Liu Zhenglong should choose to marry that county concubine by himself, he knew that the official family had dug a pit.

"What's the matter, big brother, why do you say that?" Pan Jing didn't even hear what was going on, he was just dissatisfied with the official family's marriage.

Pan Xu said helplessly: "The official family has always been very suspicious, coupled with the mysterious person incident, he has always wanted to track it down, but he has no clue. To put it bluntly, Ah Long chose the princess of the prince's family as his wife, and the prince was the key object of suspicion, and he was destined to be purged. And Ah Long will also be regarded as the same party, and when the time comes, it will be a catastrophe to call the heavens and the earth to be ineffective. ”

At this time, Liu Zhenglong also reacted, it is obvious that this marriage gift has been different in the past, and it will cause trouble in the next day. He scratched his head and said, "Father-in-law, you have a clever plan to avoid this catastrophe. ”

"The soldiers will block the water and cover the earth, and there is nothing, just see the move. Since Ah Long, you said that the Jin army will go south in the next year or two, then you can delay it in Jiangnan for a year or two, anyway, if the war in Jiangnan is not over, you will not be married, and you don't have to think about this link, in addition, since the problem of the official Wang Hao is handed over to you to deal with, by the way, the mysterious person will be dug out, as long as the jealousy in the heart of the official family is swept away, then there will be no crisis. ”

The old fox, not the old fox, Pan Xu just got to the point at once, no matter what, this matter needs to be solved, the so-called mysterious person is actually not mysterious, isn't it one of the princes, as for which one it is, it doesn't matter anymore, just find out a difference.

"Okay, that's the only way, it depends on how far Wang Hao's evidence has been collected, now it can be said that there is no problem in bringing him down, what I want to do now is to let him take the initiative to resign, this is what the official family wants to see."

Liu Zhenglong has made up his mind to deal with all the problems before leaving the capital for Jiangnan, leaving no troubles.

At this time, the next person reported that a girl who claimed to be Yun Feixue asked to see her.

At this moment, Liu Zhenglong was a little embarrassed, so he walked out under the angry eyes of the two old fathers-in-law, but when he saw the poor Yun Feixue, all the unhappiness in this guy's heart disappeared into the clouds.

Yun Feixue saw that Liu Zhenglong was coming, and regardless of whether there was anyone next to him, she rushed over and hugged this guy's bear waist and offered a hot kiss.

The subordinate has a color, and immediately avoids it.

"What's wrong, why did you come here at this time?" Liu Zhenglong is indeed a little embarrassed, after all, he is in his own home, and the two fathers-in-law are there.

Yun Feixue snuggled in Liu Zhenglong's arms like a human, choked up and told her whereabouts during this time, and finally she said: "I know what your current predicament is, and I also know how to help you get out of it, but is it really worth it for you, you must know that cooperating with that person will be beneficial and harmless to you, why should you send him to the guillotine?" ”

"You said the wrong girl, it's not that I sent him to the guillotine, but that the official family wants to send him to the guillotine. The struggle for imperial power has always been cruel, and there will never be any human affection at all. I'm afraid you won't know that my every move is basically under the control of the official family, because in addition to the Imperial City Division, there is also a mysterious organization that has never stopped monitoring me. Perhaps, I am in Jingzhao Mansion, and I can still hide something about the things on the Western Front, but anyone I have seen and said anything in the capital will be reported to the official family. Don't you think that person is very mysterious, isn't it like King Zhao of Chu? Others don't know, don't I know? If it weren't for his unauthorized collusion with Wang Hao to win over Zhao Yunqi in private, I wouldn't have suspected him. King Yun is competing with the crown prince for favor, but he will definitely not be stupid enough to privately win over the commander of the forbidden army. As a minister of political affairs, if it wasn't for someone else's plan for the throne, how could he be stupid enough to do this? ”

Liu Zhenglong's words have always been half-truths and half-truths, in fact, the first thing he suspected was Zhao Yu, the king of Yan, or one of Zhao Si, the king of Yue, especially the king of Yan, who had never suspected the king of Chu, Zhao Xiang, but when he saw Yun Feixue, he was sure that it was Zhao Xiang, the king of Chu.

"You know, what are you going to do?" Yun Feixue and Zhao Yurou, the daughter of King Zhao of Chu, are best friends, and she is also the righteous daughter of King Chu, so she ran to Liu Zhenglong to plead.

"It depends on what the King of Chu does, he should understand the reason of giving up the car to protect the handsome, but at most it is to reward the whole corpse, it is impossible to get out of the whole body, he should be very clear about this, you go back and let the King of Chu think clearly and come to me again."

Liu Zhenglong's face was expressionless, he was already a horse for the King of Chu, but this was far from enough for Yun Feixue, but it was also benevolent and righteous to be able to do so much, otherwise it would definitely be a full slaughter, and there was absolutely no possibility of survival.

Watching Yun Feixue leave with tears streaming down her face, Liu Zhenglong didn't know whether he was right or wrong to do this, maybe this time he said goodbye to this big beauty, and then he was not only a passerby, but also an enemy.

After listening to Liu Zhenglong's words, Pan Xu pondered for a long time and said: "It can only be like this, the death of the king of Chu alone can be exchanged for the safety of the whole family." Don't hesitate, enter the palace tomorrow morning, tell the official family about the matter of King Chu, and let the official family decide, as for Wang Huang, it is no longer a problem, and he can be eradicated at any time. ”

It was only one night, and there was a change, Liu Zhenglong said that he chose Zhao Yurou, the county concubine of the king of Chu, and of course he also said that Zhao Yurou, the king of Chu, was in charge of Zhao Yunqi and Wang Huang, and finally he said: "There will definitely be other forbidden army commanders involved behind this, as for how to deal with it, I hope Your Majesty will give you an instruction." ”

The official family didn't expect that Liu Zhenglong was still a loving and righteous person, he sighed and said: "You go to the Chu Palace, let Zhao Yi write a confession and commit suicide, the Chu Palace, can be preserved, and I will reward you with Yunxiao Junji, and I will not give you marriage this time." As for Wang Huang, you can do it. Zhao Yunqi, you can solve it yourself, and you will also reward the whole corpse. You can recommend a Forbidden Army Commander. ”

Liu Zhenglong didn't expect this to be the result, but it's no wonder, this is a royal scandal, and it's understandable that the officials don't want to make a big deal out of it.

After listening to Liu Zhenglong's account, Pan Xu said: "What are you going to do with Wang Hao, whether to execute him, or let him take the initiative to resign." ”

"It depends on what you mean, father-in-law, I don't care, this kind of clown doesn't mean anything to me." Liu Zhenglong doesn't like Wang Hao's personality very much, but once this kind of person leaves the phase, life and death are indeed of little significance.

"It's better to resign, in this way, if you need to deal with that group of old foxes one day, you can also let Wang Hao go out of the mountain, after all, you can't intervene in many things in the court, otherwise it will cause the jealousy of the officials. In this way, I will personally run Wang Hao's problem, as for Zhao Yunqi, you can handle it yourself, whether it is secretly arrested or dealt with directly. ”