Pi Tong glanced at Liu Xiu and said helplessly: "Your Majesty is childish." ”

Liu Xiu didn't refute, but asked rhetorically: "So what?" ”

"......" Pi Tong was speechless.

The Son of Heaven is going to be unreasonable, what else can he do as a courtier?

Pi Tong wants to tell the old man to return to his hometown and return to the fiefdom, and it is not good to continue.

Liu Xiu was silent for a moment, his tone softened, and said, "If Weijun feels too tired, he can resign from his position as Taichang and become a Shaofu." ”

Before Pi Tong could speak, Deng Yu coughed dryly and reminded: "Your Majesty, the affairs of the Shaofu are more complicated. ”

To put it bluntly, Shaofu is the emperor's great housekeeper, helping the Son of Heaven manage the royal family's money, treasures, food and clothing, etc.

Liu Xiu thought for a while and said: "If you don't want to be a Shaofu, you can also be Zuo Cao, and now Zuo Cao is vacant." ”

In the past, Wang Chang served as Zuo Cao, but later, at Wang Chang's repeated requests, he was transferred to a military position, and Zuo Cao's position was vacant.

Zuo Cao and Right Cao, collectively known as Zhu Cao, this is not a petty official, but a heavy minister in charge of the cardinal, and the Yu Lu is 2,000 stones, and the Taichang Yu Lu is also 2,000 stones.

Compared with the fact that there are many trivial things, Zuo Cao is much more relaxed, but he needs to participate in court meetings every day.

Pi Tong pondered for a while, and arched his hand to Liu Xiu and said, "Weichen thank Your Majesty Longen!" ”

Liu Xiu nodded and said, "In the future, Weijun will be Zuo Cao with peace of mind!" ”

Pi Tong originally planned to ask Liu Xiu for his resignation, but under Liu Xiu's opposition, he had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and became Zuo Cao.

Seeing that Pi Tong finally stopped mentioning the matter of returning to his hometown, Liu Xiu's face finally showed a smile, and he deliberately said: "Weijun is unwell, even if he doesn't participate in the court meeting in the future, it doesn't matter." ”

Pi Tong hurriedly bowed and saluted, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. ”

Taichang is not allowed to participate in the court meeting, because Taichang's duties do not involve administrative affairs, and he is in charge of sacrifices, temples, celebrations and other affairs, such as Taishi (historian), Taile (musician), Taiyi, etc., all of which are under Taichang's control.

And Zuo Cao is different, the cardinal is an important connection point between the Son of Heaven and Shang Shutai, Liu Xiu allowed Pi Tong not to go to court every day, this is to open a small stove for him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Longen!"

Pi Tong bowed respectfully to Liu Xiu.

"Weijun, please get up."

After Guo Shengtong gave birth to the third prince Liu Kang, Yīn Lihua was also about to give birth.

This time, Guo Shengtong and Yīn Lihua were pregnant before and after, and there was a month between them, and Liu Xiu planned to wait for Yīn Lihua to give birth to a child before going to quell Pang Meng, but the war on the Eastern Front forced Liu Xiu to change his original plan.

After Pang Meng captured Chu County, it didn't take long for him to send troops to Dongping County, and captured the entire territory of Dongping County in one fell swoop, and then, he proclaimed himself the king of Dongping, led tens of thousands of troops, and marched to Zhang County, and the sword pointed directly at Taoxiang.

Dongping County and Taishan County border, Taoxiang belongs to Taishan County, located near the junction of Taishan and Dongping.

Zhang County is located in Dongping County, which is also located at the junction of the two counties.

It can be said that Zhangxian and Taoxiang, one in the north and the other in the south, the two counties are close at hand.

Pang Meng led the main army to Zhangxian, and its target must be Taoxiang.

Once Taoxiang is defeated by Pang Meng, then Pang Meng can use Taoxiang as a springboard to lead the army to invade Taishan County in a big way.

You must know that Chen Jun has just laid down Taishan County, the foundation is still shallow, and the situation is not stable, Zhang Bu has caused enough pressure on Taishan County, and now there is one more Pang Meng, and the pressure on Chen Jun will be even greater.

If you don't get it right, the Taishan County that you have just captured will be recaptured by Zhang Bu and Pang Meng in the blink of an eye, if this is the case, your own losses will be too great.

Knowing that Pang Meng was the king in Dongping and pointed at Taishan County, Liu Xiu could not continue to wait in Luoyang, so he successively issued edicts to recruit the great Sima Wu Han, the Huya general Gai Yan, the former general Wang Liang, the Hanzhong general Wang Chang, the captured general Ma Wu, and the captured general Wang Ba, and assembled in Rencheng.

Liu Xiu himself decided to personally command 70,000 Han troops, set off from Luoyang, and went to Rencheng.

Rencheng is not a city, but a county, just a small county, there are only three counties in the county, one is Rencheng County, one is Kangfu County, and one is Fan County.

Rencheng County borders Dongping County, located in the south of Dongping County, Liu Xiu's edict asked the generals to assemble in Rencheng, and its purpose is also obvious, that is, to pacify Pang Meng.

Before setting out, Liu Xiu went to the West Palace.

Now yīn Lihua's belly is already very large, and it is very inconvenient to walk.

Seeing Liu Xiu coming, she got up from the bed and was about to give a blessing, Liu Xiu stepped forward quickly and hugged her.

Yīn Lihua asked with concern, "The concubine heard that His Majesty is going to take the royal conquest?" ”

Liu Xiu nodded and said, "If nothing happens, I'll leave tomorrow." ”

yīn Lihua was surprised: "Your Majesty is in such a hurry? ”

I didn't even have a word about it beforehand! Liu Xiu smiled indifferently, held Yīn Lihua's arm, slowly sat down on the bed, and said: "Pang Meng sent troops to Zhang County, the purpose of which is to capture Taoxiang, and then take the entire Taishan County, the battle ahead is tight, I have to go in person!" ”

yīn Lihua asked nervously, "Your Majesty, this battle ...... Will it be dangerous? ”

Liu Xiu smiled disappreciatively, as long as it is a war, whether it is a big battle or a small battle, there will be risks, the horse has a hoof, and the boat can capsize in the ditch! He said confidently: "Lihua, don't worry, I know Pang Meng, his every move is under my control!" ”

Yīn Lihua did not dispel her doubts because of Liu Xiu's words, but instead showed her worries.

She frowned and said: "Your Majesty knows Pang Meng, but Pang Meng also knows Your Majesty, in this battle, Your Majesty must not be careless!" ”

Liu Xiu patted yīn Lihua's hand and said with a smile: "I know." ”

After a pause, he changed his words and said, "During my departure from Beijing, Lihua doesn't have to worry about me, but takes care of her body. ”

As he spoke, he turned outside and said, "Xue Ying, Red Notes, you all come in!" ”

As he spoke, four palace maids walked in from outside.

The two leaders are Xue Ying and Hongjian, and the two behind are Li Xiu'e and Luo You.

Liu Xiu looked at the fourth girl and said, "During this time, you must take care of Lihua, if Lihua has any mistakes, after I return to Beijing, I will ask you and others!" ”

When the four girls heard this, they all knelt on their knees and said in unison: "The maid must do her best to take care of the nobles!" ”

Yīn Lihua secretly pulled Liu Xiu's sleeve and threw a dissatisfied look at him, expressing her dissatisfaction with Liu Xiu's scaring maid.

The corners of Liu Xiu's mouth rose, smiled, and said: "I have already informed Feiyan and Zhang Kun, and asked him to pay more attention to the West Palace, if there is something in the West Palace, Lihua can consult with Feiyan and Zhang Kun." ”

"Won't the flower beauty accompany His Majesty on the expedition?"

yīn asked curiously.

Hua Feiyan is in charge of Yunxi Pavilion, well-informed, and when Liu Xiu goes out, he often brings Hua Feiyan with him.

Liu Xiu shook his head and said, "This time, I didn't plan to bring Feiyan to fight together!" ”

Don't look at Liu Xiu's words very easily, he didn't take Pang Meng in his eyes at all, in fact, he was not completely sure of this battle.

On this expedition, his enemy will never be Pang Meng, there will also be Dong Xian and Zhang Bu.

Especially Dong Xian, he and Pang Meng have already colluded, it is a relationship between lips and teeth, if he wants to exterminate Pang Meng, Dong Xian will definitely do his best to help in the war.

There are many enemy troops and their strength is strong, and this battle is not easy to fight.

Seeing that Yīn Lihua was about to ask questions, Liu Xiu stretched out his hand, gently stroked Yīn Lihua's belly, and asked with a smile: "In the past few days, has the emperor been messing with you?" ”

yīn Lihua glanced at Liu Xiu and said, "The child has not been born yet, how can Your Majesty know that it is the emperor?"

Why not a princess? ”

Liu Xiu smiled: "I feel that it will be the emperor." ”

As he spoke, he bent down and put his ear on yīn Lihua's round belly, and after listening for a while, he smiled and said, "The emperor is moving!" ”

yīn Lihua was amused by him, laughed for a while, she held Liu Xiu's hand, and said, "Your Majesty must be more careful in this campaign!" ”

"I will."

Liu Xiu nodded to Yīn Lihua.

Luo You stood behind Xue Ying and Hongjian, and peeked at Liu Xiu, who was in deep love with Yīn Lihua and his wife, and frowned imperceptibly.

She transferred from Changqiu Palace to the West Palace, which can be said to be a big step closer to Liu Xiu, and here in the West Palace, she can often see Liu Xiu.

The more frequent the contact, the clearer the feeling is that Liu Xiu is a completely different person from her.

has a soft temperament, a generous mind, and is approachable, without the frame of the Son of Heaven, which is very different from the cruel and treacherous Liu Xiu in her cognition.

Liu Xiu chatted with yīn Lihua for a long time in the West Palace before he got up and left, and after that, he went to the Changqiu Palace to say goodbye to Guo Sheng.

Guo Shengtong wanted to accompany Liu Xiu on the expedition, but Liu Xiu refused, she had just finished giving birth, and her body was still very weak, where could she accompany Wang to accompany her and go on a long journey?

After that, Liu Xiu went to the Phoenix Palace again, and finally went to the Lecheng Palace.

Relatively speaking, Liu Xiu went to Lecheng Palace the least number of times, and he didn't dislike Xi Cheying, but he didn't like it much.

Xi Cheying approached Liu Xiu to the main hall, and after sitting down, Xi Cheying asked with a smile: "Your Majesty came to Lecheng Palace this time to bid farewell to your concubines, right?" ”

Liu Xiu was stunned and asked, "Che Ying knows that I am going on an expedition?" ”

Xi Cheying said: "Pang Meng is in turmoil, the imperial court's eastern crusade has been stirred up by him, and now Pang Meng has the intention to plot Taishan County, how can Your Majesty tolerate him to continue to make trouble?" ”

Liu Xiu took a deep look at Xi Cheying, don't look at Xi Cheying staying in the palace all day, but her news is even better than Hua Feiyan, and she is even clear about Pang Meng's plot against Taishan County.

Xi Cheying continued: "Taishan County is a big county, there are a total of twelve counties in the territory, how can Pang Meng eat such a big county alone?

Moreover, Taishan County was originally Zhang Bu's territory, and even if Pang Meng wanted to swallow Taishan County, Zhang Bu would not be able to sit idly by. ”

Liu Xiu listened carefully, pondered carefully, nodded, and agreed with Xi Cheying's statement.

Xi Cheying said: "Therefore, Pang Meng is not the only one who wants to annex Taishan County, Dong Xuan must also be involved, but because of the friendship between Dong Xuan and Zhang Bu, it is not convenient for him to send troops openly." ”

"So what?"

"Pang Meng, Dong Xian, Zhang Bu, is by no means monolithic, between the three of them, there is also intrigue, the concubine can also conclude that the three of them will never sincerely fight together, this expedition, Your Majesty's main opponents, in fact, only Pang Meng and Dong Xian, Zhang Bu will not send troops to help the two of them."

Xi Cheying said conclusively.

Liu Xiu asked curiously: "Che Ying knows the relationship between Pang Meng, Dong Xian, and Zhang Bu so well, presumably in Qidi, a lot of eyeliner has already been arranged, right?" ”

Xi Cheying smiled and said, "The concubine has some eyeliner in Qingzhou. ”

Liu Xiu picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly.

In this campaign, Liu Xiu was more worried that Pang Meng, Dong Xian, and Zhang Bu joined forces and joined forces to send troops, and all the forces of these three people were added together, which was enough to reach 500,000 people.

In the face of so many enemy troops, even if Liu Xiu fought in person, it was a little difficult to deal with.

Therefore, whether Zhang Bu participates in the war or not, this is very important for Liu Xiu.

And Xi Cheying has planted a lot of eyeliner in Qingzhou, and he can grasp Zhang Bu's every move, which is very beneficial to himself.

He put down the cup and said, "Che Ying has never mentioned it before, and he has installed eyeliner in Qingzhou. ”

Xi Cheying smiled and asked rhetorically, "Has Your Majesty ever asked about the concubine?" ”