On August 20, Chai Guozhu, the chief soldier of Jizhen, received an edict from the imperial court.

The content of the edict was simple.

First, the news of the announcement of the new emperor Jianyuan, the new emperor Jianyuan Taichang, the new emperor began to use the new emperor year name Taichang in September of the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, and the twenty-sixth year of Wanli is the first year of Taichang.

Second, there were bandits in the south of the Yangtze River who attacked the important town in an attempt to do evil, and Chai Guozhu, the chief soldier of Jizhen Town, led 20,000 elite soldiers to the south to join the Beijing battalion and prepare to crusade against Buchen.

After Chai Guozhu saw this edict, he was stunned for a while, and then gathered his cronies and subordinates to discuss together.

"The imperial court announced that the new emperor Jianyuan Taichang, and said that there were bandits in the south of the Yangtze River, and they wanted to transfer me to lead troops to the south to conquer, what do you think of this matter?"

A cronie general spoke: "Chief soldier, shouldn't the new emperor succeed Jianyuan until next year?" Why should you build a yuan now? ”

Chai Guozhu shook his head.

"I don't know the specific situation, before the chaos in Beijing, Xiao ...... Xiao Ruxun was declared a traitor, killed, the emperor abdicated, and now ascended the throne, all this happened too fast, I didn't know how to deal with it, and now the court is going to transfer me south to suppress bandits...... Could this be? ”

Several cronies looked at each other.

"Could it be that Shen has always known that the chief soldier has an old relationship with Xiao Ruxun, and he is not worried that the chief soldier will continue to lead the troops in Jizhen, so he is the one?"

One of the cronies put it mildly, but the meaning was clear.

This can't be Shen's conspiracy, right?

Chai Guozhu's face was worried.

At this time, another cronie spoke: "Having said that, this is an edict of the imperial court, with an official document of the Ministry of War, a seal, and an official order to transfer troops. ”

When Chai Guozhu heard this, his face became even more worried.

"But the trouble in Jiangnan is naturally the Jiangnan counterinsurgency, what does it have to do with us? Our mission is to defend Jizhen, not to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan. ”

"Could it be that something big happened in Jiangnan?"

"Unless the Wako comes again, what's the big deal?"

"The Japanese have been defeated a long time ago, how can they appear again? That's impossible. ”

"What's going on?"

Cronies, you and I will have a headache for Chai Guozhu with every word.

"Okay, since it's an official order from the imperial court, I think I still have to go."

Chai Guozhu hesitated and spoke.

Cronies, look at me, I'll look at you.

"Chief soldier, the current situation is very strange, do you want to take a look again?"

"But this is an edict of the imperial court, and it is not to let the chief soldier go to Beijing to report on his work, but to bring 20,000 elite soldiers. Isn't this self-inflicted? The last general thinks, maybe the imperial court really needs soldiers and horses to quell the rebellion? ”

Another cronie spoke: "This order is too strange, it doesn't say what place needs to be quelled, and it doesn't say who the traitor is, just Jiangnan, it's too strange, isn't it?" ”

"That makes sense."

The opinions of his cronies have never been unified, Chai Guozhu felt that something must have happened in Jiangnan, and the imperial court would use such a strange order to announce that he was going south, he instinctively sensed a hint of danger, and he didn't want to go, but this was a formal order of the imperial court, if he didn't go, it would be a protest.

This is a crime that a military general cannot afford.

If Shen Cheng has no reason to move him for the time being, but if he doesn't go, it will be tantamount to giving Shen Cheng an excuse.

So you have to go, and you have to bring elite soldiers to avoid any accidents.

"There's no other news from the Jingshi? Didn't the person we sent to inquire about the news respond? ”

Chai Guozhu asked.

"There is no special response for the time being, that is, the previous chaos in Beijing, the news from three days ago is like this, the rest, we don't know yet, but if the imperial court needs to transfer troops to quell the rebellion, this news should come quickly."

A close confidant replied.

"Okay, I got it."

Chai Guozhu stood up: "Prepare the troops first, prepare to go south, if there is no news, then I will lead the troops to the south to inquire in person, I have elite soldiers in hand, the court should not move me, in short, I can't resist the decree and disrespect." ”

The cronies looked at each other, and there was no better idea, so they had to clench their fists and promise.

And the same situation also happened in Liaodong, Li Rusong received an order from the imperial court to transfer troops a few days later than Chai Guozhu, asking him to take 20,000 cavalry south to suppress bandits.

After dealing with the messenger a little, Li Rusong went to Li Chengliang with the edict.

This kind of thing has to be analyzed by Li Chengliang for him.

Sure enough, after Li Chengliang saw the edict, his face changed greatly.

"Da Lang, you can't accept this order!"

Li Chengliang looked at Li Rusong very seriously.

Li Rusong frowned.

"Dad, why? This is the official order of the imperial court, and there is a big seal of the military department, if I don't obey it, it will be disrespectful to the decree, which is equivalent to rebellion! ”

Li Chengliang shook his head again and again.

"Yumu head, you don't want to think about it, what kind of imperial court order, it is clearly Shen Zhengyi's order, the little emperor has just ascended the throne and knows what, Shen Zheng is a coup d'état, Shen Zheng at this moment must be a military and political grasp, this order is definitely issued by Shen Zheng."

Li Rusong was surprised: "What is Shen always going to transfer me to the south?" Dad, you have always suspected that the coup d'état is something else, I asked you, but you didn't tell me, and now you continue to hide it from me? ”

Li Chengliang took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and said helplessly: "I didn't tell you before, because your kid is too straight-eyed and easy to act impulsively, but now, if you don't tell you, you won't be able to do it."

In order to deal with Xiao Jixin, in order to deal with the emperor, Shen has always deliberately launched a coup d'état, forced the emperor to abdicate, and said that he killed Xiao Jixin, although the old assistant Zhao Zhigao and Song Yingchang said that they died of illness, but the time was too coincidental, and it is estimated that their deaths are not unrelated to this coup. ”

Li Rusong gasped.

"Shen has always been really...... No, Dad, he is a civil official, and he was born as a two-rank jinshi, how can he do such a thing? ”

"Back then, no one thought that Wang Mang was going to usurp the throne."

Li Chengliang's cold words blocked Li Rusong's words: "When I was in Bauhinia Pass, my father told you not to get too close to Xiao Jixin, and told you to return to Liaodong immediately after the battle, and you did so, so you can safely be your Liaodong commander-in-chief, don't you still believe in your father?" ”

Li Rusong blinked.

"Don't dare."

Li Rusong really admires his father, the older he gets, the smarter he becomes, do what he says, Li Rusong really avoided that terrible thing, and now he can be a general soldier in Liaodong safely.

"Why do you do that, why do you want to do that, why don't you get too close to Xiao Jixin, it's because Xiao Jixin and the emperor are too close! You also said that Xiao Jixin talked to you all night and talked about his ambitions, is that the ambition that a military general should have?

Emperor Taishang must be planning something with Xiao Jixin, Governor Jingying Rongzheng, Governor of the Central Military Governor's Mansion Zuodu, Qin Guogong, this is to build momentum, what is it for? Jingshi military power! What did you do with the military power of the Beijing Division? Mutiny! ”

Li Rusong swallowed a mouthful of saliva.