Chapter 136: Nanzhao Internal Strife (1)

The sky has gradually changed from the white of the fish belly to brown yellow, and dyed with a touch of red, as if the girl's shy face, the morning star has also begun to dim, and the swarthy Cangshan Mountain has opened a thick black curtain, revealing the dark green color inside, and a new day has come to Taihe City.

Li Qing said goodbye from the Chengjie mansion, under the escort of a group of soldiers, he rode to the station, the air was cold in the early morning, although he had not slept all night, everyone was full of energy, there was no slackness, in front of Zhao Quandeng's mansion, which had been blocked, so he had to take a detour.

At this time, Wu Xingsu, who had been silent, suddenly asked, "General, do you say that the news can be blocked?" ”

This is the crux of the matter, according to the strategy set by Li Qing and the two army generals, first block the news that Zhao Quandeng is dead, and then in the name of negotiating the establishment of a new king, Luo Feng will enter the city and kill him.

Li Qing glanced at him and smiled faintly, "Of course it can't be blocked, how can the people who live around smell those bloody smells not smell it." ”

Wu Xingsu was surprised: "Then, will he still come?" ”

"Maybe it will come, maybe it won't come, but I think that no matter who it is, if something is about to be lost suddenly, it will not be reconciled, even if it is me, and it is the same to invite him in the name of the queen and let the queen give him a guarantee of safety."

Li Qing stared at the sky that was already slightly white, and said with a slight smile: "So I bet he will definitely come!" And he will bring his 3,000 guards and come in a grand manner. ”

"Three thousand!" Wu Xingsu and Gao Zhandao beside him were startled at the same time, and said in unison: "But we are only three hundred, how can we fight." ”

"You knives!" Li Qing pointed at Gao Zhandao and scolded with a smile: "It's okay if you don't understand, it's a shame that you have been with me for so long, don't you understand?" ”

Yang Ming means, "Gao Zhandao is enlightened."

"I don't mean anything, the civil war in Nanzhao, the Nanzhao people fought by themselves, what does it have to do with us." After speaking, Li Qingyi urged the horse and sped up.

Wu Xingsu and Gao Zhandao glanced at each other, and suddenly understood the meaning of Li Qing's words, "The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch is behind." ”

Although Ge Luofeng's residence is secret, but there are three thousand guards around, the messenger can still convey the message to him very clearly, when the blood-red sun has just revealed the clouds, the official invitation of the queen of the south was sent to the hands of Ge Luofeng, the country can not be left without an owner for a day, and today the second generation of the king of Nanzhao will be determined.

There are more than 30,000 garrisons in Taihe City, mainly 10,000 Janissaries and 20,000 Janissaries and 20,000 Janissaries who hold a neutral position, and Pi Luo Ge is loyal to the queen after his death, and the 20,000 Garrison troops are led by the general Zhao Fuwang and the general Du Luosheng of the army, both of whom are from the Baiya City Department and are hardcore supporters of Yu Chengjie, in addition to these two armies, there are thousands of scattered small troops, or support Yu Chengjie, or be loyal to Ge Luofeng.

In terms of civil officials, among the five Qingping officials, Zhao Quandeng was dead, Duan Fuke and Ge Luofeng were together, and among the other three, two supported Yu Chengjie and one was neutral, while the people and middle- and lower-level officials of Nanzhao mostly supported Ge Luofeng, but it was not here that made Ge Luofeng feel inferior, but the army general Hong Guangcheng and the army general Luo Feng, who each led 50,000 troops, were stationed in Dachaocheng and Yongchang (now Baoshan, Yunnan) respectively.

The reason why Ge Luofeng dared to enter the city to fight for the throne, his treasure was bet on the body of 10,000 Praetorian Guards, and now there is a queen to ensure his safety, once Yu Chengjie's people break the contract, the Praetorian Guards are very likely to stand on his side, plus some sporadic soldiers, the final result is 15,000 to 20,000, and there is public support, he Ge Luofeng may not lose. But Ge Luofeng didn't move, he was still waiting for news from the city, and his Black Feather team had already entered the city before dawn

In the palace of Nanzhao Wang, Queen Yinan looked solemn, and opposite her sat the representative of the Tang Dynasty, a young general, the secret decree of the Tang Emperor was confirmed, he could represent the Tang Dynasty with full powers, this secret decree was no longer the golden box secret decree that Li Qingxin got when he got married, but the new decree that Li Longji urgently came from 800 miles after killing the Tibetan mission.

Queen Yinan is about forty years old, although the flower is gone, but the temperament is graceful and dignified, soft-spoken, such as a spring breeze, makes people feel more cordial, she is a devout Buddhist, treat people well, never ask about political affairs, won the love of the people of Nanzhao, in this battle for the throne, her attitude is a kick in the door, directly related to the legitimacy of the heir to the throne, for the supporters of Chengjie is very important.

Accompanying Queen Yinan to meet Li Qing, there were also Wang Qian, the official of Qingping, and Yang Gexiao, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, both of whom held a neutral position, and the situation in Nanzhao had reached the edge of the cliff.

Although Pi Luo Ge died suddenly, Queen Yi Nan had already been mentally prepared, and in her opinion, her husband went to another Elysium, and she didn't believe in the suspicion of poisoning the two princes, the bowl of medicine that Pi Luo Ge drank had been tested before and after, there was no poison, there was no evidence, and people could not be resurrected after death, so the most important thing now was not to investigate the cause of the king's death, but that Nanzhao could not be messed up.

She settled her mind and said slowly: "General Li, Nanzhao is a subject country of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Emperor asked Yu Chengjie to ascend the throne, and the Nanzhao should be obeyed, although the first king did not have time to make an edict, but my Nanzhao implements the heir name system, Ge Luofeng has inherited the word 'pavilion' of the previous king, and is the eldest son, so it is reasonable for him to succeed to the throne, I hope the general can tell His Majesty the emperor and respect the Nanzhao people's own choice." ”

"Your own choice?" A faint mockery appeared at the corner of Li Qing's mouth, "Does the current situation still need me to repeat it?" If the queen decides to let Ge Luofeng ascend the throne, then what do the Nanzhao people choose, peace or civil war? His Majesty also hoped that Nanzhao would not be chaotic, so he judged the situation and chose Yu Chengjie, who was supported by most people, to ascend the throne, which was a decision made only by respecting Nanzhao, and from an orthodox point of view, Yu Chengjie was the eldest son of the king of Yunnan, supported by the people, and the ethics were reasonable, so why couldn't Yu Chengjie be chosen. ”

Li Qing's words were sharp, and according to the reasoning, Queen Yinan was speechless, but at this time, Wang Qian, the Qingping official next to him, sneered and said: "Your emperor's vision is too high, 'most people support', excuse me!" What kind of people are these people, the people of the country? If so, I can tell you clearly, nine out of ten people do not want Yu Chengjie to ascend the throne, he lives a corrupt and shameless life, if he ascends the throne, what will he bring to the people of Nanzhao? If the Tang Emperor really wanted Nanzhao to be stable, then ask him to support the real majority opinion, and not just look at the faces of a few people who hold power. ”

Li Qing's eyes glanced slightly, and saw that Yang Gexiao, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, was sitting there and was silent, he was the real purpose of Li Qinglai's palace, testing the attitude of the Praetorian Guard, what orthodoxy and public opinion of Nanzhao, in his opinion, it was all bullshit, he was a general of the Tang Dynasty, and supporting Yu Chengjie to ascend the throne was the key, if the 10,000 Praetorian Guards could remain neutral, then the matter would be ninety percent certain.

"Whether it's people-oriented or scholar-oriented, this issue can be left for discussion later, whether it is Yu Chengjie's accession to the throne or Ge Luofeng's accession to the throne, it doesn't matter, the important thing is that Nanzhao can't be messed up, I don't know if the three of you can agree with my opinion?"

Seeing that the three of them nodded in agreement, Li Qing continued: "In order to ensure fairness and impartiality, I hope that the Praetorian Guard can remain neutral, and the queen may agree?" ”

Queen Yinan hesitated, looked at the two, and without waiting for Wang Qian to speak, Yang Gexiao, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, immediately said: "Queen, what General Li said is true, and the minister thinks that whether it is the eldest prince or the second prince, it is valued by the first king, and we have no reason to favor either side, everyone should sit down and have a good talk and find a compromise solution, otherwise if the two of them continue to fight, a civil war will break out in Nanzhao." ”

At first glance, the words are indeed reasonable, and they are magnificent, but it avoids the essence of the problem, that is, such justice is based on the unequal power of the two sides, Li Qing glanced at him deeply, and a knowing smile quietly flashed in his eyes.

Wang Qian's face changed, he was about to refute, but Queen Yinan stared at Li Qing's chest, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes, she suddenly waved her hand in a gloomy manner, "Commander Yang is right, I don't want to ask about this matter anymore, just let Commander Yang and General Li discuss it, Lord Wang, you will be the intermediary between the two princes, I am a little tired, you can go!" ”

Wang Qian's heart kept sinking, and he didn't know why the queen was depressed at a critical time, but it had come to this, and he could only shake his head helplessly, just that! That's it! Recently, I learned the turtle method, so let's shrink my head when you have to!

Li Qing was about to say goodbye and leave with Yang Gexiao, but the queen stopped him, "General Li, take a step slowly, I still have something to say to you!" ”

Li Qing was taken aback, at such a fatal time, the queen still had something to say to herself, he hurriedly turned his head to look at Yang Gexiao, only to see him glance at himself slightly, and strode out.

After the two left, Queen Yinan drove the surrounding attendants away, and there were only two personal maids left in the room, the queen had been silent in thought, and after a while, she suddenly whispered: "You, is that the Tang general that Awan is obsessed with?" ”

Li Qing was stunned, suddenly remembered something, hurriedly looked down at his chest, and saw that the necklace that Awan gave him had somehow revealed a side, his heart was shaken, and he blurted out, "Could it be that the queen is Awan's mother?" ”

Queen Yinan nodded, "A few days ago, Awan sent me a letter from the people of Yundongtuo, the letter mentioned a Tang general, just now I happened to see the necklace around your neck, and I knew that the Tang general she said turned out to be General Li. ”

Speaking of this, a trace of anger flashed in Queen Yinan's eyes, she straightened her waist, stared at Li Qing and reprimanded: "But Awan gave you everything, but you left them alone in eastern Yunnan, are you still a man?" ”

Li Qing stood up and said angrily: "When don't I want to care about her, it's her own witch who wants to be a witch, and she refuses to go with me." As soon as he said this, his words suddenly became dumb, as if a lightning bolt struck him, he was stunned, and there were only two words in his mind, 'mother', could it be that Awan and she were pregnant

Standing for a long time, Li Qingxiang was like a stone statue that had been lifted from the spell, and suddenly came to life, "I'm going to be a father!" He was confused, surprised, and walked around the room excitedly, at this moment, Nanzhao's major affairs had been temporarily put aside by him, he took a deep breath, stepped forward and half knelt in front of the queen and explained sincerely: "I really didn't know that Awan was pregnant, if I knew, I would never leave her in eastern Yunnan, please rest assured, I will send someone to pick her up, no!" I'm going to pick her up myself. ”

Perhaps satisfied with Li Qing's attitude, Queen Yinan's eyes softened, and she smiled slightly: "I have already sent someone, you can say this, it means that Awan is not wrong, you are a responsible man, I can rest assured, you go and do your own business!" I will take good care of my daughter, and if she wants to be with you in the future, I will not stop her. ”

After hesitating for a moment, Li Qing said again: "Doesn't she want to be a witch?" ”

Queen Yinan shook her head, "She just wants to do it now, but she can't do it, don't say more, you can go quickly!" ”

Li Qing knelt down silently, kowtowed respectfully to Queen Yinan, took out the letter from the curtain from his arms, handed it to her, and said: "This is a letter from my wife, which contains her attitude towards Awan, please pass it on to her, so that she can come to Chang'an to find me with confidence." ”

After speaking, Li Qing strode towards the door, looking at his majestic back, Queen Yinan muttered: "For your sake of saving my daughter, for the sake of you being my son-in-law, I won't stop you, I just hope you don't go too far." ”

Li Qing walked out of the palace, only to see Yang Gexiao, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, standing in front waiting for him, seeing him come out, Yang Gexiao stepped forward and said without hesitation: "Please General Li tell the second prince that I, Yang Gexiao, resolutely support him as the king of Nanzhao." ”

Li Qing let out a long breath, he stared at the high walls of Taihe City, his eyes showed confidence and arrogance, and the last ring was also closed, so as long as Ge Luofeng entered the city, he would no longer be able to escape, there was no more business of his own here, it was time to collect the net.

"General Yang, this operation is in charge of the two generals Zhao Fuyuwang and Du Luosheng, General Yang must hurry up and discuss it with them, otherwise if the credit is only done and not said, it will only be hard work and no merit!"

Yang Gexiao suddenly woke up, Li Qing was right, if he didn't show prominence, this support would be cheaper for others.

Near noon, Ge Luofeng received a letter urging him to enter the city again, and he also received news from the Black Feather Team that Taihe City had been taken over by the Praetorian Guard.

"Prince, I always feel that something is wrong, it shouldn't be like nothing happened, I think it's better not to go!"

Duan Fuke looked at Taihe City from afar, and saw that it was calm as usual, it stands to reason that there are more 20,000 garrisons than the Praetorian Guards, and it should not be so smooth for the Praetorian Guards to take over the city.

Ge Luofeng was also a little apprehensive in his heart, he had already known that he should have left a part of Duan Zhongguo's 50,000 troops, but it was already too late, and the arrow had been wound today, so he was not allowed to leave it unsent.

"I also know that this matter is risky, but now it is the queen who invites me, if I don't go, it will be equivalent to giving up the throne by myself, and Yu Chengjie will be cheaper for nothing, don't worry, I won't be so stupid, as long as I can enter the palace, I have at least forty percent hope."

He turned back to his son, who was still a minor, stroked his head lovingly, and said, "If Daddy can't come back, you have to take good care of your mother and sister, you know?" ”

Ge Luofeng's son was only thirteen years old, his body was thin, but his eyes showed adult-like stubbornness and fortitude, he slowly knelt down and said loudly: "If the father can't come back, the child must kill Yu Chengjie when he grows up to avenge his father!" ”

"Good! Attaboy. Ge Luofeng handed him over to Duan Fuke, and said to him in a serious tone: "From this time on, my son will be renamed Feng Jiayi, as my heir, I am not here, you are his father!" ”

Duan Fuke's plop! He knelt down, kowtowed to the lord a few times, and wept in a trembling voice: "The minister has done his best, and he is dead!" ”

He stood up, picked Feng Jiayi on his horse, waved his hand, and under the escort of hundreds of horsemen, galloped away in the northeast direction, the yellow dust was rolling, and gradually disappeared in the lofty mountains, Ge Luofeng kept watching them go away, Huo Ran turned around, stared at Taihe City with blazing eyes, and smiled proudly at the corners of his straight mouth, "Yu Chengjie, I'm here!" ”