At the critical moment when he was about to capture Shouyang, Pei Di died of illness in the army. The Northern Expedition, which was originally full of confidence and smooth sailing, has now suffered a blow to the head, and the blow to Emperor Liang can be imagined.

Emperor Liang issued an edict to posthumously crown Pei Di as the general of the service and the left guard, and added the marquis of Yiling, nicknamed "Lie".

Chen Qingzhi hurried back to Jiankang and entered the city of Taiwan.

Emperor Liang received him in the imperial study as usual.

In Chen Qingzhi's eyes, Emperor Liang at this moment has long lost the vigor he had at the beginning of the Northern Expedition, and his gloomy face looked more and more old and haggard.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of the dragon's body!" Chen Qingzhi approached Emperor Liang and whispered with concern.

Emperor Liang waved his hand and motioned for Chen Qingzhi to sit down and speak, "Ziyun, I am in a hurry to summon you back, I just want to hear your opinion, since even the Marquis of Yongchang is so optimistic about you, then you plan for me, what should I do now?" ”

Emperor Liang's voice was weak and sad, which made Chen Qingzhi feel a little sad.

"Your Majesty, for the sake of today's plan, we must choose a replacement for General Pei as soon as possible and go to the front line to stabilize the morale of the army; At the same time, we must also guard against the counterattack of the Wei army and consolidate the good situation won by General Pei! ”

"Then who do you think can take on such a heavy responsibility?"

"If you want to find someone with the same talent as General Pei, I'm afraid there are few people in the whole world. But if it is just a person who holds the results of General Pei and waits for the opportunity to continue the great cause of the Northern Expedition, I still have it. ”

"Tell me, who is it?" Emperor Liang was like grabbing a life-saving straw.

"The Middle Protector - Xiahou Shilong Gong!"

"You said Xiahou Yan?" Emperor Liang's eyes widened.

"Xiahou Gong has always been an important minister of my Great Liang, and like the Marquis of Yongchang, he had the merit of supporting His Majesty back then, and it can be said that his reputation is unsurpassed in Daliang."

"Xiahou is a good ruler, but this leader ......" Emperor Liang hesitated.

"Your Majesty, although Xiahou Gong can't break through and conquer cities like General Pei, but he also has experience in commanding the army, plus he is old and serious, as long as His Majesty tells him not to rush, then, with Xiahou Gong's prestige and ability, it is still no problem to stabilize the morale of the army and keep the results of General Pei."

"Okay, I'll do what you said, and send Xiahou to go." Emperor Liang still didn't let go, and whispered worriedly, "I hope I and the Marquis of Yongchang haven't looked away......

"You don't want to go to the military camp in Yixing right now." Emperor Liang instructed, "Just stay in Jiankang, and if there is anything, I will discuss it with you at any time." ”

Chen Qingzhi stayed in Jiankang and stayed by Emperor Liang's side almost all day long.

As the days passed, Emperor Liang's face began to smile again, and the previous haze was swept away - because Xiahou Kang really lived up to expectations as Chen Qingzhi said, and repelled several fierce counterattacks of the Wei army, and the defense line of the Liang army was impregnable!

On this day, Emperor Liang was in the imperial study, holding a military report, and said to Chen Qingzhi overjoyed, "Ziyun, good news, the Hejian Wang Yuanchen and Linhuai Wang Yuanchen of the Northern Wei Dynasty have been unable to break through Xiahou Kang's defense line, and they have withdrawn their troops in disgrace!" ”

Hearing the news, Chen Qingzhi breathed a long sigh of relief, "Great, General Pei's result is to keep ......"

"What's next?" Emperor Liang asked, "You can't keep guarding like this all the time without attacking." ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry, Weichen still has an idea."

"Tell me about it!" Emperor Liang couldn't wait.

"Shouyang is low, and there is a lot of rain in that area. Xiahou Gong can be allowed to build a weir in Huaishui near Shouyang, and when the rainy season comes, it will become a Ze country. The Wei army's infantry and cavalry army could not pass, but our army could shuttle back and forth in small boats. At that time, our army can attack in several ways, respectively seize the city fortresses around Shouyang, and then surround Shouyang, so that Shouyang is a lonely city - the turtle in the urn, and the hand can be captured! ”

"Okay, let's do it!" Emperor Liang stroked his palms and laughed, and then patted Chen Qingzhi's shoulder affectionately, "Ziyun, I really didn't misunderstand you, and Yongchang Hou didn't misunderstand you either, I am very pleased, it seems that I, Daliang, am going to be a general again!" ”

Chen Qingzhi hurriedly knelt down and thanked him, "Your Majesty has praised Weichen, Weichen will definitely do his best to serve my Daliang in order to repay Your Majesty's kindness!" Weichen hopes to emulate the heroes of Liang like Marquis Yongchang and General Pei, do their best, and die! ”

Emperor Liang smiled from ear to ear, and helped Chen Qingzhi up with both hands, "It's really a blessing for me to have such an idea, a blessing for Da Liang!" ”

The war went well, and the whole court was full of joy, and it seemed that they had seen the day when the Northern Expedition was successful.

But there is still one person who calmly observes the changes in the situation - this person is Zhu Yi.

It's just that the situation he is concerned about is not the war with the Northern Wei Dynasty, but Chen Qingzhi's increasingly important position in the heart of Emperor Liang.

Emperor Liang's most trusted and most important favorite in his heart must be him Zhu Yi! It can only be him Zhu Yi!

He went from a humble scholar to today's status step by step, relying on being good at figuring out Emperor Liang's mind and winning Emperor Liang's favor and trust.

Although Chen Qingzhi has been by Emperor Liang's side since he was a child, in Zhu Yi's opinion, he is just a pedantic scholar, and by playing chess with Emperor Liang, he has mixed up with the status of the main book, and he does not pose any threat to him Zhu Yi at all.

But since the beginning of the Northern Expedition, this Chen Qingzhi has a great tendency to replace him - Emperor Liang has let him accompany him almost all the time, and military affairs have to be discussed with him.

What made Zhu Yi especially intolerable was the reaction of those courtiers - they obviously began to flatter Chen Qingzhi, and more or less, ignored Zhu Yi's existence.

Zhu Yi knew very well in his heart that once a person like him lost the emperor's favor, the only thing that awaited him was a dead end......

But he's not going to just sit still!

Zhu Yi is waiting for the opportunity, he wants to reverse this decline!

But until he finds an opportunity, he must not be noticed, and he must show enthusiasm and friendliness to Chen Qingzhi as always.

picked a day, Zhu Yi invited Chen Qingzhi to his mansion for a banquet.

"Brother Xian has been working hard for state affairs recently!" Zhu Yi picked up the wine cup with a smile and said to Chen Qingzhi.

"It is the duty of a courtier to share the worries of His Majesty; Compared with the soldiers on the front line, this is nothing hard. ”

"Brother Xian said it well! It's just that the foolish brother doesn't understand military affairs, and he can't help the virtuous brother, so I'm really ashamed. ”

"What did Brother Yan and Brother say, when you were in the court, you were the first to stand up and advocate the Northern Expedition, it can be said that you have made the first contribution to the Northern Expedition, and you admire it!"

"Where, the foolish brother just puts the fortune of the country first and speaks out impartially."

"By the way, now that the war has stabilized, does Your Majesty have anything to consider about the first battle of the virtuous brother?" Zhu Yi began to probe tentatively.

"Your Majesty didn't mention it. Didn't Brother Yan and Brother oppose the rash dispatch of troops in Xia, why, is there a suitable time? Chen Qingzhi asked rhetorically.

"Where does the foolish brother know what the timing of the war, I just think, this has been fighting for more than a year, and it is almost time to have the opportunity for the virtuous brother to go into battle to show his military might."

Chen Qingzhi smiled indifferently, "In this army, Brother Yan and Brother have also paid something, and they also gave their proud protégé to join the army, and they are grateful." If there is any movement, I will definitely discuss it with my brother as soon as possible, please rest assured. ”

"Brother Xian can think like this, I am very happy for my brother." Zhu Yi said with a serious face, "As long as you can remember that this army is the common support of our brothers, Your Majesty, I will naturally find an opportunity to speak out and let the virtuous brother go out of the battle." ”

I must keep it in mind in the next by all means! Then thank you Brother Yanhe. ”

After chatting for a while, Zhu Yi suddenly asked, "These days, has King Yuzhang ever looked for a virtuous brother?" ”

"King Yuzhang?" Chen Qingzhi recalled, "I have looked for him two or three times, and I still hope that I can recommend him to lead the troops in front of His Majesty." ”

"Well, he has also looked for Brother Fool a few times, and Brother Fool feels that he is becoming more and more urgent every time."

"King Yuzhang is young, his blood is strong, and seeing that the situation of our army is very good, he is a little anxious to go into battle, which is understandable."

"But the foolish brother faintly felt that it didn't seem to be so simple." Zhu Yi shook his head slightly, "I hope I think too much......"

After Chen Qingzhi's farewell, Zhu Yi stomped back and forth in the room alone - this Chen Qingzhi's performance was still as tepid as ever, and Zhu Yi felt that he still hadn't figured out the true thoughts in this person's heart. Although there is no threat to himself now, I have to guard against it; When necessary, it is necessary to suppress it appropriately.

And that King Yuzhang, with Zhu Yi's keen observation, always felt that there was something hidden.

Zhu Yi summoned a confidant, "When you go to King Yuzhang's mansion, you must be careful not to be noticed—I want to know what King Yuzhang has been doing these days to see if there is anything abnormal; If you find something, be sure to find a way to get to the bottom of it! ”

After a short period of silence, the peaceful routine is finally broken!

Zhu Yi's henchman, after careful and careful investigation, has returned with an amazing secret!

Even an officialdom trendy person like Zhu Yi was so shocked that he couldn't keep his mouth shut at all when he heard his henchman slowly tell him this secret, and his eyes were so wide that the corners of his eyes were almost cracked!

Although this secret now seems to be worthless to him, Zhu Yi subconsciously feels that this will be a killer in his hands, and he can only get out at a critical moment!

Zhu Yi is very glad that it was originally just a little suspicion in his heart, but now it has brought such a big harvest!

Zhu Yi held this secret firmly in his hands, patiently waiting for the day when he could play a role......

And for Emperor Liang, there was also a great good thing that fell from the sky and smashed on his head - the Northern Wei Dynasty Xuzhou Assassin History, the Governor of Xuzhou Military, and the Yuan Dharma Monk who was a branch of the Northern Wei Dynasty clan, actually sent his son Yuan Jingzhong as an envoy to Jiankang to see Emperor Liang.

What Emperor Liang didn't expect was that he actually came to ask for surrender!