Good things don't go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.

The news of the Dengzhou mutiny spread like a plague on the north and south banks of the Han River. The people, the soldiers and civilians of Xiang and Deng, which are only separated by a river, heard thunder on the flat ground, and there was an uproar and panic on both sides of the strait!

Lang Lang Qiankun is peaceful and prosperous, and the land of Jingxiang is not a border pass army, how can people not be frightened when there are military disasters? Since the founding of the state of the Tang Dynasty, Jingxiang, which is located in Shannan Road, has been enjoying peace and tranquility, immersed in the blessings of the prosperous era, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, and do not know the war and soldiers.

It has been nearly 20 years.

Now there was a sudden mutiny overnight, and there was going to be a war, and the people who had not closed their doors at night were almost about to have no masters, and the whole city of Xiangyang was in chaos. The merchants in the port desperately rushed to carry the goods on the ship and hid in the city for refuge; The people in the city are all returning to their homes with their doors and windows closed, looking at the panic of the end of the troubled times, and some people are dragging their children and preparing to move their families to flee, like mosquitoes on a hot pot who are panicked all day long.

In fact, all of this happened in just one day. Less than a few hours after Li Ke and Qin Mubai received the news, the entire Xiangyang shook globally.

Qin Mubai no longer dared to doubt that in this era without telecommunications and networks, people's ability to transmit information is strong. Dengzhou and Xiangzhou are separated by hundreds of miles, and they only learned about the fast horse flying report, and the people also quickly learned the news.

If it is at the border where there is a lot of fighting, such things will not have much impact; But for the interior of Xiangzhou, which has been peaceful for a long time, the consequences of this sudden chaos are really very serious.

When Li Ke and Qin Mubai returned to the Assassin's Mansion, they didn't have time to sit down or talk or negotiate for a while, and immediately threw themselves into a series of intense work.

The first task, of course, is to reassure the people and strengthen their vigilance.

Li Ke quickly summoned the county commanders and county officials under the rule of Xiangzhou, and gathered with the officials of the state government to solemnly clarify the rumors and explain his position, preferring to die rather than collude with the traitors in Dengzhou. He also issued many decrees, ordering the officials under his rule to appease the people and strengthen public order, enforce the ban on the sky, the river and the land, strictly investigate the population, arrest the rebels in Dengzhou who were against the river, and put an end to rumors and rumors. From now on, the Assassin's Mansion will show the determination of King Wu every day, and promulgate a series of decrees to calm the people and prohibit strictness during the special period to stabilize the situation in Xiangzhou. We will carry out "strike hard" and severely punish all evildoers who take advantage of the opportunity to commit disorderly and crazy crimes......

Wan Ji has the right to assist Li Ke in political affairs, but Qin Mubai doesn't have to worry about it. In fact, the burden on his body is not lighter than Li Ke.

Dengzhou and Xiangzhou are only separated by a river, and share the Han River. Li You raised troops to rebel, and also framed Li Ke and Qin Mubai for conspiring with him, and his intentions can be regarded as vicious. Qin Mubai knew that his intentions were nothing more than two layers, one was to force him and Li Ke to rebel, and he was forced to rebel against him; The second is to confuse the public and create chaos, which makes nearby states and counties fall into a panic, and he takes the opportunity to make profits.

Now it seems that his second purpose is about to be achieved. The flat land of Deng Xiang Erzhou thundered, and the people fell into an unprecedented panic. These local prefectures and counties in the remote interior usually do not do so well in preparing for the defense of war, many of the cities are not strong, the military government has long sparse battle formations and little combat experience. If Li You and the others take advantage of this chaos to attack some prefectures and counties, it will not be difficult. Moreover, it is difficult to guarantee whether they will suddenly wave their troops across the river to Xiangzhou. If the Han River fails, then Xiangyang, a port city without a strong city and thick pond, will face the rebels' spears nakedly, and it will be dangerous!

As a result, Qin Mubai and Li Ke went their separate ways, Li Ke commanded and dispatched the people to strengthen the rule in the Assassin's Mansion, and Qin Mubai returned to the military mansion and let Pang Fei lead the 800 Bailang Water Army to the Han River as quickly as possible, and more than 20 Shenyu spaceships lined up on the river between the Eight Ghost Ferry and the military port, and the strong bows and crossbows were waiting for them. In addition, more than 10 teams of cavalry patrols were dispatched along the river, day and night to strictly guard and guard, strictly check the passers-by and merchants, and be vigilant against Dengzhou spies.

The rest of the government army soldiers and horses, soldiers do not take off their armor and horses, they do not get off the saddle, day and night, ready to fight at any time!

Xiangyang hasn't smelled the beacon fire for twenty years. Dou Ran was tense overnight, and people shouted and neighed, which really had a bit of the atmosphere of troubled times, which made everyone's nerves tense.

The air of this clear autumn day seems to be about to freeze.

After spending several hours to put the soldiers and horses in order, Qin Mubai didn't care about resting, took a few guards, galloped to the Assassin's Mansion, and then discussed with Li Ke the next countermeasures.

When he first received the news, Li Ke could be said to have decided without hesitation or without thinking that he must make his position clear as soon as possible and draw a clear line with Li You. This decision coincided with Qin Mubai, so the two immediately went their separate ways. Today, the first step of people's livelihood pacification and military deployment has been completed.

Next, the two finally had to conspire carefully and how to deal with the big trouble across the river.

The four gates of Xiangyang City are all under martial law, and the inventory is very strict. Countless people fled from the port into the city, swarming into a crowd. Looking around, from the city gate directly to the riverside, the vast sea of people and cars are like dragons. These were all merchants who came to the port for business and travelers who passed by. The sudden change caught them off guard, as if they had suffered a natural disaster. The Assassin's Mansion sent all the officials, and also requisitioned hundreds of personal soldiers from the Wu Palace, who were responsible for the martial law of the city defense gates everywhere, and struggled to maintain order, and finally there was no major chaos.

When it was getting dark, the four gates of Xiangyang were finally closed, and the people were finally not blocked, and all of them were included in the city. However, in this way, the pressure of law and order in the city increased, and the Assassin's Mansion had to send many officials and personal soldiers to patrol day and night.

When Qin Mubai entered the city, it was dark. After the ban, there were only soldiers on the street who patrolled the streets. Beigang Flower Street, which used to sing songs every night, also fell into silence, and there was no light.

The hooves of the Huoyun Horse stepped on the hard bluestone slab, and the sound of tuk tuk was heard far away. Today's desertion and slaughter are in stark contrast to the prosperity and tranquility of the past, making Qin Mubai feel like a world away, not to mention the panic in the hearts of those ordinary people.

Qin Mubai deliberately walked around to Wu Meiniang's door and knocked on the door.

"Who?" Vigilant and panicked questions could be heard from inside.

"Don't be afraid, it's me, Qin Mubai."

"Ah, it's my uncle's general here!" Menzi shouted in surprise and quickly tore open the door.

As soon as Qin Mubai walked in, he saw Wu Meiniang and a large group of women coming over, and immediately asked, "Mubai, what's going on?" ”

Qin Mubai glanced at these people, all of them were women who followed Wu Meiniang from Chang'an to open a wine shop in Xiangzhou to do business, and at this time, they all looked panicked, all of them looked at Qin Mubai with a look of expectation and eager to protect. Only Su Lianqing still scratched the tips of her hair indifferently, looking left and right with a pair of charming eyes, as if she didn't care about anything.

"Li You rebelled and framed me and King Wu for conspiring with him. Now that the whole city is under martial law, you can hide at home, but you don't have to be afraid of anything. Qin Mubai said succinctly. Immediately, he waved his hand, and several hundred cavalry guards came behind him, and Qin Mubai ordered: "You few, stay here to guard and protect." If anyone takes advantage of the chaos to trespass and looter, they will be killed! ”

"Yes!" The guards didn't say a word, and simply responded neatly.

This move was like a shot in the arm for the women present, and many people immediately smiled and clapped their hands in celebration.

In times of war, there is nothing like a soldier to feel safe. Especially, a group of women.

"There's a girl here, what are you afraid of!" Su Lianqing smiled and said, "General Qin, you are using your power for personal gain, and you have sent the soldiers to protect your wife." ”

"Yes and what? If you can't even protect your own woman, how can you protect others? Qin Mubai sneered and didn't bother to pay attention to her, and only said to Wu Meiniang, "Meiniang, don't worry, it'll be fine." Those who are clear are turbid, and Li You just wants to fish in troubled waters, and this kind of shoddy trick can't deceive others. ”

Wu Meiniang nodded, still with a worried look on her face. She repelled the women and said to Qin Mubai in private: "Mubai, although the rumors stop at the wise, but ...... Often, too, rumors hurt people the most. In particular, it is quite unfavorable to enter the ears of suspicious people. You need to take precautions as early as possible. ”

Qin Mubai nodded, he understood what Wu Meiniang meant. These rumors must have reached the capital and entered the ears of the emperor sooner or later. The emperor can be regarded as the most special type of person in the world, whether he is a wise man or a fool, whether it is a rumor or a fact about such a thing as "rebellion", whether he believes it or not, whether he believes it or not, the doubts in his heart are difficult to shake away.

In short, the emperor's attitude towards rebellion is to believe in what is there rather than believe in what is not. To put it nicely, it is to prevent the slightest; To put it mildly, there is no king who is not suspicious!

It is not yet known how the Emperor will react when he hears this. It is also difficult to say how those political enemies in the court who have a hostile attitude towards King Wu and Qin Mubai will fan the flames and add fuel to the fire. In short, the most troublesome person in the world now is not Li You, who is gambling to find death, but Li Ke and Qin Mubai as mentioned by the rumors.

"Hey, Li You rebelled, I don't know what Gao Yang will think!" Wu Meiniang seemed to say this inadvertently, but suddenly stabbed the nerve in Qin Mubai's heart.

He couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and thought: At the beginning, Ling'er went to Beijing with Li You; Now that Li You "escaped" and ran to Dengzhou to raise troops to rebel, where would Ling'er be?

Although he was very reluctant for that kind of thing to happen, Qin Mubai estimated that nine times out of ten, Li You had already kidnapped Ling'er to Dengzhou. Otherwise, how could he get involved with King Wu and Qin Mubai of Xiangzhou for no reason? Obviously there are hole cards in the hand!

"Mei Niang, take care, I'll go first." Thinking about this, Qin Mubai was so worried that he hurriedly said goodbye and left.

"You wait—" Wu Meiniang suddenly stopped him.

"What else?" Qin Mu Bai Xuan asked.

Wu Meiniang stepped forward, stared up at him, and shook her head: "It's okay." I know you must be anxious and worried now, I have never seen you with such a solemn expression and hurried steps. I may not be able to help you much at this point, but please remember. No matter what you do, Mei Niang understands you, and Mei Niang is always with you. ”

"Hmm......" Qin Mubai stared at her and nodded lightly. Suddenly he picked up her face, kissed her deeply on her red lips a few times, turned around and strode away without looking back.

Wu Meiniang twisted her eyebrows lightly and looked at Qin Mubai's background, and muttered: This is a torment between the fathers and brothers of the Li family's royal family, and it is also a test for Gao Yang and Mu Bai. And Mu Bai is the most complex character among them. He is not only the emperor's favorite confidant, but also close to Li Ke like a brother, and he also loves each other deeply with Gao Yang, and has a complicated relationship with Li You. Among these people, the most difficult person to be a person and the most difficult to choose is Mu Bai...... Loyalty, righteousness and love, how to fulfill all four?

When I came to the Assassin's Mansion, I saw that it was brightly lit, and the horses and officials who came in and out were walking endlessly. In the hall of the main hall of the Assassin's Mansion, Li Ke was anxious, his forehead and mouth were dry, and he was discussing and arranging various government affairs with a group of officials.

"General Qin is here! General Qin is here! ”

Seeing Qin Mubai coming, someone shouted in surprise.

Li Ke also raised his eyebrows excitedly: "Please!" ”

Qin Mubai strode into the main hall in a military uniform, and Kong Wu bowed with his fists in force: "The last general, Qin Mubai, has seen His Royal Highness King Wu!" ”

There were more than 20 officials present, and everyone exhaled in unison, as if they had taken a reassuring pill.

"Mu Bai, it's just right that you're here. There are many things that we can't decide, and you have to make up your mind. Li Ke hurriedly beckoned to Qin Mubai, summoned him to the side of the assassin's table, and gave him several folded copies.

Qin Mubai unfolded it, it was all about how to collect and transfer grain and grass, open the treasury and call weapons Fu Xin, the prefecture and county to arrange armed defense, and urgently recruit government soldiers to prepare for war.

Qin Mubai expressed his opinion on some bills on the deployment of grain and grass, decided on a way to deal with it, and then said, "Could it be that Your Highness, you want to raise troops at this time?" ”

Li Ke blinked his eyes a few times in surprise: "It's been like this, when will you wait if you can't afford to be a soldier?" ”

"Raise an army to fight against the King of Qi?" Qin Mubai asked with a gloomy face.

"Of course......" Li Ke looked at Qin Mubai suspiciously, "Don't you approve of me doing this?" ”

Qin Mubai didn't answer directly, but said, "Take a step to speak." ”

"Good ......" Li Ke entrusted the matter at hand to Quan Wanji, and came to the secret room of the study with Qin Mubai.

"What's wrong, Mu Bai? Shouldn't I raise the banner of rebellion now to prove my innocence? As soon as Li Ke sat down, he asked anxiously.

"Raising the flag to rebel is something that must be done, but it is by no means now." Qin Mubai said categorically.

"Why?" Li Ke asked in surprise, "I don't live up to Li You, Li You doesn't live up to me." He doesn't care about his flesh and blood, and he raises troops to plot rebellion and frame me for being an accomplice, shouldn't I fight back and use facts to shatter rumors to prove my innocence? ”

"Your Highness, you are too anxious and not calm enough. As long as you calm down, you will understand that now any state and county can raise troops to rebel, but Xiangzhou cannot take the lead. Qin Mubai said.

Li Ke raised his eyebrows in surprise, took a heavy breath, and fell into a long period of contemplation.

Qin Mubai didn't bother, and let him think. He knew that Li Ke's wisdom, especially his sensitivity to politics and his mind, were not inferior to his own. It's just because this time, what Li You did stimulated him too much, so he lost some of his calm in a moment of anger.

After a long time, Li Ke finally spoke and said: "So, I should first write to my father, first, to clarify the facts, and second, to ask for orders to go on a crusade?" ”

"Yes." Qin Mubai nodded decisively, "Your Highness is wise." Li You's ghost is obsessed with his own death, the mayfly shakes the tree and is beyond his own strength, his defeat is sooner or later, and whoever cleans him up will be easy. But who will clean it up and how to clean it up is particular. First of all, we must take the initiative to dispel the emperor's suspicions; Secondly, no matter how unbearable Li You is, he is your brother after all. If you don't make an assertion without asking for orders, and raise troops to destroy Li You first, even if you succeed in the end, you will not escape the infamy of a 'brotherly wall'. The Emperor, in particular, must think that you are in a hurry to attack your brother in order to clear yourself, what does this make him think? It's like, when you were a child, the two of you brothers had an awkward quarrel, no matter how wrong Li You is, you, as an elder brother, can beat him to death and cripple him with a stick, and then tell your father and the emperor? ”

"Makes sense!" Li Ke nodded heavily, but was a little worried, and said, "What if, when the time comes, my father doesn't want to listen to me and still doesn't let me raise an army to rebel?" ”

"If nothing else, His Majesty the Emperor will definitely not let you send troops. Li You's rebellion was originally a misfortune for the family, His Majesty the Emperor, as a father, how could he let another son clean up this unscrupulous son? Even if he wanted to clean the portal, he would definitely act under the guise of someone else's hand. Qin Mubai said.

"That's right, according to my father's character, he really won't let me raise the flag to crusade against Li You, and watch our brothers kill each other. This has always been the last thing he wants to see, how can he take the initiative to arrange it? Li Ke frowned worriedly, sighed, and said, "Actually, how can I want to fight against Li You for life and death?" But this time, it really chilled me and disappointed me too much. And if I don't do this, I will be wronged and implicated by him. In addition, it is difficult to ensure that there are many people in the court who take this opportunity to fan the flames and spread rumors, saying that I, Li Ke, also have different intentions. At that time, even if I am innocent, it will be difficult to get rid of it. ”

"No, it won't. In the end, the facts will tell. Qin Mubai's expression was silent and said lightly.

"How?" Li Ke said worriedly, "I want to raise troops, this is not appropriate; I wrote to ask for my life, but my father will not agree! Do you want me to sit and wait in Xiangzhou, waiting for the gods and Buddhas to come down to clear my grievances for Li Ke? ”

"You don't need the gods and Buddhas to descend to earth, I, Qin Mubai, can do it." Qin Mubai said calmly.

"You?" Li Ke's eyes widened in astonishment, "You...... What can be done? ”

"Resist the decree!" Qin Mubai said categorically.

"What?!" Li Ke was taken aback, "You're crazy!" You know that your father will not allow me to raise an army to rebel, but you want to resist the order and raise an army, isn't this self-defeating? ”

"Will be outside, the king's order will not be affected. You are the main text, I am the main martial arts, and I have the final say in the war. Qin Mubai said, "The emperor doesn't want to see your brothers, but he must be willing to see you prove your innocence." But this kind of thing, no matter how much you justify it, you can only use facts to speak. So, I had to ask someone in Qin to resist the order and raise an army to defeat Li You and destroy him. ”

"Then ......" After listening to Qin Mubai's words, Li Ke's mouth widened, his eyes widened, and he didn't return to his original place for a long time, he muttered, "Then if you don't obey the order, isn't it also a capital crime?" ”

"We'll talk about that then." Qin Mubai smiled and said calmly.

At this time, he was thinking in his heart: I openly resist the holy decree, but secretly cooperate with the emperor's heart. When the time comes, the merits and demerits will be offset, and there will be absolutely no problems. Li Shimin categorically would not give an order, and really let Li Ke and me go to crusade against Li You. Doing so shows that he is suspicious and shows that he is short-sighted. As for me, I might as well behave a little "stingy and impatient", resist this holy decree, and raise troops to destroy Li You on my own, but it will line Li Shimin's heart and save his face. Of course, you can't say these words to Li Ke, otherwise it will not be a good thing for him to know that I am so vain about the emperor's heart.

"You've really decided?" Li Ke was very uneasy and asked.

"Yes. Firmness like never before. Qin Mubai said decisively, "If it is not surprising, Ling'er must also be in Li You's hands, which is why he is so unscrupulous, so blatantly slandered and planted to us." What we need to do at the moment is not how to eliminate Li You and how to clear the charges. Instead, he stabilized the situation in Xiangzhou without moving, and then, like other neighboring state and county officials, wrote a letter asking for his life, and did not show too much anxiety and specialness. Now, no one has said that we are anti-thieves or anti-party. Our duty is still to protect the country and the people. ”

"Well, that's a great point, it really made my mouth start!" Li You slapped his forehead a few times in succession, and said happily, "That's right, we are not thieves, rumors are just rumors, and they will not become facts." We just need to do our part - to protect the country and the people! This duty, my father emphasized these two words to us princes more than once, but I didn't expect that when it really came to a critical time, I forgot a little. On the contrary, you understand more thoroughly than I do, and you are more calm and wise. Qin Mubai, Uncle Jiangxia Wang Huang is right, you are indeed a rare Wang Zuo general! ”

"It's overrated." Qin Mubai smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness, Li Jing said in my military book that a good general commands the army, as quiet as Mount Tai, and moves like a fierce wind and fire. It is not easy to hit with one blow, which is the way to use troops from above. Now, there must be many people who are waiting for us to raise troops as soon as possible and go to fight Li You to the death. They are good-looking, or they can create another rumor. We are going to raise an army, and who knows if we are going to rebel or rebel? The border states and counties of Dengxiang and Xiangzhou all have government soldiers. These generals of the military government, who doesn't want to take advantage of the chaos to make a fortune? Originally, they only aimed at Dengzhou for meritorious service and promotion, but when they saw us move, maybe someone would be ready to target us. When the time comes, he doesn't ask us whether we are here to fight the fire or to rob, but first to put out the fire and rob us, and take credit for it. What are we going to do? Explain to them with a single mouth, or raise troops to fight back? Explanation, even if you take advantage of the fire to rob, you will definitely not listen; Counterattack...... Well, we're really thieves! ”

When Li Ke heard this, he almost broke out in a cold sweat and muttered, "That's right! Not to mention the distance, such as Jingzhou and Anzhou, there are land and water soldiers and horses. There was chaos in the near state, and they could barely say that they went to pacify. If we also raise an army, it is really possible that they will take advantage of the fire and robbery as rebels according to the rumors, so as to ask for merit and reward. This may be the intention of Li You's treacherous scheme. He wants to create chaos and force us to act. Then he confuses right and wrong, adding fuel to the fire, so that he can take advantage of the chaos. ”

"Yes. The rumor itself is ridiculous, and few people will actually accept it, but when it reaches the ears of people with ulterior motives, it will become a weapon of great threat to us. Qin Mubai said, "Therefore, people all over the world can now raise troops to rebel, but Xiangzhou must not move like a mountain!" Your Highness, without further ado, immediately suspend the book, and send it to Chang'an in a hurry of six hundred miles! ”

"Okay, please help me sharpen the ink!"

Li Ke didn't say a word, he personally took out the four treasures of the study, and wrote a copy of the above table with a wave. The pen and ink were still fresh, so he handed it to Qin Mubai to see.

"Is that a good idea?" Li Ke asked.

"Yes." Qin Mubai nodded and said, "If nothing else, tomorrow, His Majesty the Emperor of Chang'an will know the news of the Dengzhou rebellion." His Royal Highness's recital will not arrive in Chang'an until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. In other words, there is a time difference of one day in between. At this time, with His Majesty's wise and decisive character, he must have reacted and sent a general to raise troops to rebel. When the holy decree returns to Xiangzhou, the Dengzhou side should already be fighting. Therefore, although we do not recruit troops and do not prepare for war, we must also secretly prepare for battle! As soon as the holy decree arrives, I will immediately lead the people of this province and cross the river to fight against the rebellion! ”

"Mu Bai, it's going to be difficult for you again." Li Ke's thick eyebrows tightened, patted Qin Mubai's shoulder, stared at him and said, "I didn't expect that Li You would be so stubborn and make such a radical move; I didn't expect that Yin Yang was so incompetent, and I had dismissed him as a pawn to see the aftermath. ”

Qin Mubai smiled and nodded: "Things are quite tricky, but I believe that there will always be a day when it will calm down." Yin Yang's things, don't blame too much. Not surprisingly, Li You was intercepted by Yin Hongzhi. Yin Yang escorted all the way, and they were still safe and sound in front of the Xuanwu Gate of Daming Palace, who would have expected that Yin Hongzhi would be so scheming and intercept Li You and Gao Yang in front of the Xuanwu Gate? In addition, what was released to us was also Yin Hongzhi's ploy. Although Li You is unbearable, he is not so vicious and insidious, nor is he so old and smart. ”

"yes, as I thought." Li Ke snorted twice depressedly and said, "This old thief, the hundred-legged insect is dead but not stiff, and only he can bewitch Li You like this." At the beginning, Xiangzhou had been busy with rituals, it was too noisy and chaotic, and we could only act in secret, which made him a fish that slipped through the net. Next time...... No, there is definitely no next time! This time, Mu Bai, you must slash this old thief! ”

"Hmm......" Qin Mubai nodded lightly, and said secretly: Is the blade Yin Hongzhi? I would love to dismantle him. Now, only by stabbing this old thief can I clear my suspicion of Li Ke.

But the question is, do I kill Ling'er in front of me, or do I kill Ling'er behind my back? Do you cut off his dog's head with your own hands, or do you order someone else to use a knife?

……

Afterwards, how should I face Ling'er?