Wu Zetian took the military newspaper and read it, gritted his teeth and trembled while reading it, his eyes were bloodshot, Xue Shao was really afraid that she had high blood pressure and would collapse in anger.

"Cancel the court meeting, and immediately convene the imperial council!" Wu Zetian took a deep breath, tried his best to suppress his emotions, and said to Xue Shao, "You come too!" ”

"Yes."

At this time, Princess Taiping hurriedly walked over, and when she saw that Wu Zetian, Xue Shao and the others all had changed their expressions, she couldn't help but exclaim: "Queen Mother, Xue Lang, what happened?" ”

Wu Zetian turned his head to look at Princess Taiping, and asked with a suspicious expression: "Taiping, why are you here too?" ”

Princess Taiping didn't know why, so she had to answer truthfully that she was invited by Xue Shao to enter the palace overnight, and wanted to ask her mother about the Turkic entry.

Wu Zetian was speechless for a moment, and his expression gradually became more and more ugly.

Xue Shao stepped forward and said, "Queen Mother, let's hurry up to the political hall, right?" ”

"Hmm." Wu Zetian, who had been relieved, nodded, glanced at Xue Shao with a little gratitude, and left first.

Princess Taiping was confused and a little worried, and only after Wu Zetian left did she come to Xue Shao's side and whispered, "Xue Lang, what's wrong with the queen mother?" ”

Xue Shao smiled bitterly, "Don't ask." Let's rest in Yingxian Palace for a while, and then go home. I'm probably going to be busy next, so you have to take care of yourself. ”

Princess Taiping was taken aback, "Are you going to fight?" ”

Xue Shao sighed heavily, "Even if it's it!" - I'll go first! ”

Princess Taiping watched Xue Shao stride away with a sad face, and muttered to herself: "War, can you come later?" …… It's when I'm pregnant again! ”

In the political affairs hall, the prime ministers such as Cen Changqian and Wu Chengsi all arrived one after another. They saw that Wu Zetian's face was almost blue-green, and Xue Shao, who did not worship the prime minister, also appeared today. So they didn't have to ask, they had already guessed some of them.

After everyone sat down, Wu Zetian was ready to open his mouth as usual, but he opened his mouth a few times but couldn't speak, so he threw a sentence, "Xue Shao, you say." ”

Xue Shao smiled bitterly, I'm not even the prime minister, can I still preside over the meeting of the political hall?

So Xue Shao handed the military report to Cen Changqian. Cen Changqian picked it up and looked at it, her face changed greatly on the spot, her eyes were round, and she was unable to speak with the military newspaper in her palm. Then he followed Wu Zetian's example, "Xue Yuma, or you say!" ”

Xue Shao had no choice but to stand up and said, "Princes, the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion has six hundred urgent reports, and the Turks have already broken through Lingzhou. More than half of the Hu people in Liuhu Prefecture under the rule of the Metropolitan Governorate defected to the Turks, resulting in the fall of all six prefectures. Now, the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and the Liuzhou County Government have been destroyed, almost all the officials have been killed, and the garrison of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion has been wiped out. The Turks collected the remains of our fallen soldiers, filled the river valley and burned the corpses on the road. They also threatened to go straight to Guanzhong and seize Erjing. ”

"The Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion relies on Helan natural danger, and the soldiers are strong enough to strengthen the city, how did they break the city pass and wash the six states overnight?" Wu Chengsi asked loudly.

Xue Shao glanced at him and said, "The Turkic envoys entered the customs through Lingzhou through Helan Mountain, and under the cover of the mission, many assassins lurked into various checkpoints and waited to move. After the Turkic mission entered Lingzhou, the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office informed the imperial court and received it. Just as their letter arrived in Luoyang, an assassination occurred among the Turkic missions, and one of the envoys died in the middle of the night in the post house. The Turks used this as an excuse to gather a crowd to make trouble and incite the local Hu people to participate. The Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion was useless to appease, causing a military-civilian conflict. The pre-existing Assassins took advantage of the chaos and killed people to win the gates. The Turkic soldiers and horses who were waiting for the opportunity to break through several levels in the night and enter the city to wash the Governor's Mansion in blood. At the same time, the Hu people of the six prefectures, who had already secretly defected to the Turks, rebelled, and the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and the six counties under its rule fell to the enemy almost overnight. ”

Xue Shao finished speaking. The audience was silent, and the prime ministers, big and small, were all stunned.

"Countermeasures." Wu Zetian spoke, and many people were shocked when he drank loudly, "Who has a countermeasure?!" ”

Everyone looked at Xue Shao in unison.

Xue Shao was a little annoyed, what do you want me to do? - You are all the prime ministers of An Lishu, the son of heaven, and you are usually full of economic and martial arts, but when it comes to the critical time, are you all grandmothers with no legs?

"Why did all the princes set their sights on Xue Shao?" Wu Zetian seemed to understand Xue Shao's thoughts, and said in a deep voice angrily, "Could it be that all the princes have no solution, just waiting for Xue Shao to come forward and turn the tide?" ”

"Queen Mother, the minister thinks it......" Wu Chengsi hurriedly said, "You should immediately organize soldiers and horses to fight!" ”

Wu Zetian glanced at him unceremoniously and directly ignored his words - what he said is equivalent to not saying it!

"Queen Mother, the minister thinks it......" Wu Youning arched his hand and said: "It is indeed the right place, immediately organize soldiers and horses to go to the battle!" ”

Wu Zetian was really angry now, "You two have a tacit understanding." ”

"Uh......" Wu Youning and Wu Chengsi didn't dare to say more.

"Queen Mother, the stakes are very high." Cen Changqian finally spoke, and said, "The minister thinks that the imperial court sent troops to defend against the enemy, and it is difficult to quench the thirst of the near water. The Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion fell, and all the military resources fell into the hands of the enemy, and many Hu people defected, which further strengthened the momentum of the Turks. Since they threatened to storm Guanzhong and seize Erjing, the minister estimated that they were likely to rely on Helan Mountain and Lingzhou Military Town as a stronghold to organize their troops and horses to collect grain and grass for the later war. Therefore, it is better for us to mobilize troops and horses to go to the nearest expedition, and not give them too much opportunity to breathe and expand. ”

"Map." Wu Zetian shouted, and immediately an attendant brought a wooden military map across the political hall.

Everyone walked to the map, and they all saw the Shuofang army in Xiazhou and the Heyuan army in Shanzhou, not far from the Lingzhou Governor's Mansion.

"Cen Xiang, which soldiers and horses will be transferred to the battle?" Wu Zetian pointed to the map and asked Cen Changqian.

"This ......" Cen Changqian's eyebrows furrowed and fell into deep thought, and he didn't answer for a while.

Everyone knows that the current military deployment is definitely a hot mountain. As long as Cen Changqian speaks out, he will have to take full responsibility for the next war.

"What do you think, my lords?" Wu Zetian asked the others present.

Xue Shao saw that Wu Chengsi and the others all made a look of contemplation and thought hard, and remained silent. At present, no matter which troops and horses are mobilized to fight the battle, winning the battle is a great achievement; If he loses, the prime minister will definitely do it, and maybe he will have to face other tragic endings.

Therefore, no one wants to come forward for others at this life-and-death juncture. "Don't seek merit but seek no fault" is the motto that Wu Chenghei and his ilk have always believed, and almost everyone in the government and the opposition knows it.

Wu Zetian looked around at everyone, so angry that he gritted his teeth and dragged his fists up, but his stomach was full of fire and there was nowhere to send it - this is the prime minister promoted and reused by this palace! When it comes to the critical moment, they only know that they are secretly prevaricating and helpless!

"Queen Mother, the minister thinks that such a royal meeting still has to invite a few more generals to come and participate in the meeting." Cen Changqian made a suggestion.

"Who, please?" Wu Zetian said angrily, quite a little angry.

"Isn't there a general here?" Wu Chengsi muttered in a strange voice.

"Be louder!" Wu Zetian drank.

Wu Chengsi trembled, so he had to stand up and say: "The minister said that there is already a general here, and he is also the Xia official Shangshu who is in charge of military affairs. He should be the first to come up with a countermeasure. ”

"According to you, what's the use of the prime minister?" Wu Zetian shouted with his head covered his face.

Wu Chenghe, who had just returned to the political hall after facing the wall at home for a few days, immediately shrunk his neck and said no more - the days facing the wall were not easy!

"The Queen Mother is angry."

After Wu Zetian had enough fire, Xue Shao finally stood up and said, "The minister thinks that what Cen Xiang said is very reasonable, and such a royal meeting should invite a few more generals to attend the meeting." The minister suggested that at least the generals of the Imperial Forest, Li Duozuo, Zhang Qianqiao, Fan Yunxian, Zhou Jitong and Cheng Boxian, should be invited to discuss the military details. ”

"Why don't you go soon?" Wu Zetian sighed, stroked his sleeves and left, "Take a break, we'll discuss it later!" ”

The ministers saw the Empress Dowager Wu go away angrily, and they all walked to the side hall silently to rest for a while.

Xue Shao is not the prime minister after all, so he is just a "guest" when he arrives at the political hall. Cen Changqian is Xue Shao's old boss and has a good relationship with each other, so he politely invited Xue Shao to sit down and asked the attendant to serve him tea.

Wu Chengsi and Wu Youning sat together, looking at Xue Shao's side and sneering. Xue Shao didn't know what they were smirking at, so he didn't bother to pay attention to it. He found that Liu Qixian and Guo Zhengyi were missing from the political affairs hall, so he quietly asked Cen Changqian where the two prime ministers went?

Cen Changqian also quietly told Xue Shao that Guo Zhengyi had been dismissed as the son of the country and had not come to the political hall for a long time. And Liu Qixian has just been taken away by the people of the pastoral courtyard and is now on trial.

Xue Shao couldn't help but be stunned, I rarely go to the court recently, and I don't know that so many major events have happened in the court - Liu Qixian and Guo Zhengyi were both Pei Yan's sworn friends. After Pei Yan fell, they were able to stand tall above the court for so long, which was actually a miracle!

Just as the two were talking, Liu Yuanzhi came over, gave a salute with a smile, and then said, "Xue Yu Mahan is not attending the imperial meeting, right?" ”

"I can't even remember the last time I came to the Cabinet Hall." Xue Shao said indifferently.

Liu Yuanzhi nodded with a smile, "According to me, Xue Yuma should have entered the cabinet a long time ago." ”

"What Liu Xiang said is not right." Xue Shao replied to him without a match, "I'm still shallow and inexperienced, so why pay respect?" ”

Cen Changqian knew that Liu Yuanzhi wanted to chat with Xue Shao alone, so he walked away under the pretext.

Liu Yuanzhi really asked in a low voice: "Xue Yuma, how should the Lingzhou military be arranged?" ”

Xue Shao smiled, it seems that Liu Yuanzhi wants to take some private goods from me, and it will be good to say a few more useful words in the political hall later. The atmosphere in this government hall is really strange, and no one dares to speak casually, for fear of any responsibility—but these prime ministers cannot be blamed entirely, they may not be able to get home without a plan. Now that Wu Zetian has changed the prime minister like a horselight, and the court has been overthrown by the cool officials batch after batch of important ministers, who is not everyone in danger?

"If I say it, will Liu Xiang support me?" Xue Shao got right into Liu Yuanzhi's mind and turned against the army.

Liu Yuanzhi blinked his eyes and hesitated for a moment, "Definitely!" ”

"The Heyuan Army is on the march." Xue Shao whispered and walked away immediately.

Liu Yuanzhi was stunned for a moment, why?

But Xue Shao had already walked away, and everyone around him was watching, so he naturally didn't want to ask any more questions.

Several generals came, and the Imperial Council began again. Cen Changqian first told the new generals about the situation and asked them what countermeasures they had?

Li Duozuo and the others participated in the imperial meeting less than Xue Shao, so they didn't know how to speak for a while.

Wu Zetian said: "Generals, if you recruit troops and horses to defend against the enemy, who do you think is better to send the Shuofang army in Xiazhou and the Heyuan army in Shanzhou?" ”

Wu Zetian asked, Li Duozuo and the others all looked at Xue Shao in unison - who doesn't know that Shuofangjun is Xue Shao's direct army? Who doesn't know that Xue Shao is a leader of the military?

"What do you see me doing?" Xue Shao said angrily, "The Queen Mother is asking you!" ”

Li Duozuo and the others all secretly complained in their hearts, and after thinking about it, several people replied separately-

"It is advisable for the Heyuan Army to go to war."

"Shuofang's army is closer, and the soldiers are fast!"

"The two are dispatched at the same time, and the front and rear strikes have a better chance of winning!"

Wu Zetian's head suddenly became bigger, and his chatter was noisy, all of which was said to be equal to not said!

She wanted to shout "Xue Shao, you have the idea", but Xue Shao is not the prime minister after all, if she forces Xue Shao to make a decision on her behalf, this will not only violate the system but also make all the prime ministers lose face. In the end, both himself and Xue Shao will stand on the opposite side of the prime ministers - this result is far worse than the current situation!

- How?