In Xiangguo's mansion, Yu Ban sat alone on the Taishi's chair, closing his eyes and contemplating, not knowing what he was thinking. There was also a hint of inner anxiety on his thin and old face.

After a while, as soon as the door opened, the chief manager Gao Zhizan bowed down and walked in, "Xiangye, Lord Huai is here." ”

"Please!" Yu Ban opened his eyes, he had been waiting for Lord Huai.

Gao Zhizan respectfully invited Lord Huai in and quietly closed the door. In the room, Yu Banyi didn't let the second seat serve tea, but just silently looked at Lord Huai who walked in.

"What did Prince Hong say?" Yu Ban asked bluntly.

"There was neither a promise nor a veto. Apparently, the old fox wanted to stay out of it. ”

"Hmph, no one can stay out of the changes in heaven and earth. Tokusho was on his way to Kyoto, and the prime minister hoped that Prince Hiroshi would give him a clear answer before Tokusho arrived. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought he would sit idly by. Yu Ban said coldly.

"Lord Yu, if you really get to that point, what are your chances of winning?" Lord Huai looked at Yu Ban with sharp eyes.

"Inside Kyoto, the ticket to victory is in hand, outside Kyoto ~ Sansei."

Lord Huai shook his head, "It's not enough. ”

"What, you're afraid?"

"Hehe, at the age of the old man, there is no need to be afraid. Even if Dezhang sits on the throne, the old man should retire from the rivers and lakes. It's just a deal between you and me, Fu Dezhang is on top, and the old man just wants to get the silver taels he needs. For the Great Xia Dynasty, the old man has long been disheartened. ”

"Lord Huai, you have made such a great effort, once Dezhang ascends to the throne, he will definitely be reused with you, don't you want to enjoy the glory in the court."

Lord Huai sneered, "The old man just wants to spend his last time safely, as for Ronghua? Hehe, don't say it's Dezhang, even if Jian'an and Yuning are in power, if the old man wants to, he will be glorified, why wait until now. ”

"What, you still served during the period of Emperor Jian'an?" Yu Ban's eyes gathered, this information was very important to him.

Lord Huai glanced at Yu Ban sharply, "Lord Yu, you still have to think about how to deal with the upcoming Delong, you don't have to make a fuss about the old decay." ”

"Lord Huai doesn't have to worry too much, the old man is just curious. I don't know what you have been told to do, and I don't know what you have done. ”

"Pour out of the nest, I will implement the things promised to you."

"Okay, as long as Kyoto can be calmed, leave it to the prime minister outside of Kyoto."

"Before I leave, I would like to remind Lord Yu that you don't despise Prince Hong, he is an old and strong man."

Yu Ban said contemptuously, "I have been fighting with Emperor Yuning for half my life, but I didn't expect that after Emperor Yuning let go, another Prince Hong would emerge." At that time, the prime minister focused on Yu Ning, and he was indeed unexpected. But now, Prince Hong has nothing to worry about. ”

Lord Huai nodded and didn't say anything more. He knew that there was a need for wisdom and strategy in Kyoto, and Prince Hong was far from being forbidden. In the past few months, Kyoto has seemed to be calm, but in fact, it has not been idle for a moment in the ban, and has been secretly arranged. On the contrary, Prince Hong's side is waiting for the end of this war step by step. At this point, Yu Ban's foresight was admired even by Lord Huai. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bet his net worth on the banned side.

As soon as Lord Huai left, Yu Ban summoned Gao Zhizan over, "Go to the Ministry of Officials, find Chu Baoxiong, and give me a copy of the information of all the officials above the fourth grade during the Jian'an Emperor period, the more detailed the better." Remember, dead or alive, yes. ”

Gao Zhizan looked at Yu Ban strangely, "Xiangye, this copy is not small, are you in a hurry?" ”

"Let those idle officials of the Ministry copy it overnight, the sooner the better." Yu Ban said unhappily.

"No, the old servant will go." Gao Zhizan didn't know why, so he hurriedly went to the ministry.

Yu Ban's brows tightened, and he was thinking about the members of the court during the Jian'an Emperor's period. Since Lord Huai just revealed, this person should definitely be related to Emperor Jian'an. But for a while, he couldn't think of a senior member of the DPRK who was similar to Lord Huai.

The next morning, Prince Hong, who was the king of parliament, suddenly took sick and took leave. What is strange is that Xiangguo, who has been ruling the court, is also sick and on leave. The regent Crown Prince Dezhang was not in the court, and the two rulers were sick, and the chaotic court could only disperse in a hurry.

On the way west, Duan Lang took a step back to visit his adoptive father and Big Bear. Duan Lang once again begged his adoptive father to go to the capital city to retire for the rest of his life, but the old hunter Zhang Zongcheng was reluctant to leave Fengluan Mountain, and Duan Lang had no choice but to wait for him to return from Kyoto before taking his adoptive father back.

The team walked for more than half a month, and Duan Lang and the others finally came to the lower pass. Originally, it was just a lower pass in a narrow place, but at this time a camp was established. Even on the high ground side of the lower pass, defenses were repaired.

The camp scouts found Prince Delong's car and hurriedly reported it to the camp master. The camp master will lead everyone and hurriedly greet them at the lower pass. Duan Lang and Zhang Ruming raised their eyes and found that the camp leader of this line was actually an old acquaintance. This barracks are all the old team of the northern battalion, after Ma Ruzheng took over the northern battalion, he did not have many of his own people, except for the cronies of the former coach Wei Ran, Ma Ruzheng still reused many old people from the northern battalion. And the main commander of this camp is the veteran Sun Gang, who confronted Duan Lang at Yushan Pass that day.

Hu Weilin, the former commander of the northern battalion, was killed in Kyoto, and the coach Wei Ran took the blame and resigned to return to his hometown. Sun Gang, who has survived most of his life, did not expect to be reused by Ma Ruzheng because of a blessing in disguise. This time, soldiers and horses were mobilized to be stationed at the pass, and Prince Hong refused to be recommended by Feng Zhun, a soldier recommended by the ban, which allowed Sun Gang to control the actual power of this army of soldiers and horses.

Duan Lang and the others got out of the car, and the Seventh Prince Delong tidied up his clothes and walked forward. Duan Lang and Zhang Ruming glanced at each other, and the two followed behind. Don't look at Delong as he is not a role in Lidu City, but he is the prince who is also the generalissimo of the west when he leaves Lidu City.

The veteran Sun Gang stepped forward and knelt on one knee, "The last general, Sun Gang, I don't know that His Royal Highness will return to Beijing, and I hope that His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince will forgive his sins." ”

"General Sun, please hurry up, I have to work for everyone." The Seventh Prince, Delong, said gently.

Sun Gang stood up, looked at Zhang Ruming and Duan Lang, and clasped his fists in salute, "The last general has seen Lord Tianxuan." ”

Zhang Ruming grinned and said, "Of course I have seen it, we are old acquaintances." In Yushan Pass, this Heavenly Master was almost killed by you. ”

A trace of embarrassment appeared on Sun Gang's face, so he could only pretend not to hear it, and hugged his fist at Duan Lang, "Duan Lang, he said goodbye every day, but I didn't expect that when I saw you again today, you Duan Lang would become a protector general." Attacking Wuliang City at night through the desert and defeating Zhao Zhuofeng's 100,000 army, the old man really admired these battle examples. ”

Duan Lang also returned the salute with a fist, "General Sun has won the award, but he is just lucky." ”

The Seventh Prince laughed and said, "General Sun, Duan Lang is not only a battle example in Wuliang City. In our Western Theater, Duan Lang led a large army to defeat 400,000 soldiers and horses in Western Vietnam, and personally beheaded Han Ping's son. I'm afraid that once this battle is announced, Duan Lang will be a famous general in the world. ”

"What?" Sun Gang was stunned and looked at Duan Lang in shock.

Duan Lang knew that the Investigation Division would deliver the news to Kyoto, so he did not send someone to submit it specifically, but carried the detailed battle situation with the car and prepared it to be officially handed over by Delong in Kyoto. Therefore, Sun Gang and others did not know that Western Vietnam had been defeated. They also thought that Duan Lang was afraid that Delong would be in danger of staying in Lidu City, so he specially escorted him back to Beijing.

Looking at Sun Gang's shocked appearance, the Seventh Prince said proudly, "General Sun, you don't have to worry about the defense line here, Xiyue Xiao'er is no longer able to fight." Although they still refuse to defend the Two Realms Mountain, it is believed that it will not be long before they will return to Xiyue. In this battle, the soldiers of the capital city made great contributions, so the prince had to return to Beijing in person to report on his work. In addition, my Great Xia has been in turmoil for so long, and there should be a Ming Jun in charge of the world. ”

Sun Gang's heart trembled, and he knelt on one knee again, "The last general, Sun Gang, only His Highness is the head of the horse." If you are sent, you will not hesitate to go to the soup and fire. ”

"Good! His Highness will stay in the camp for the night today. What are the arrangements, let's talk slowly. ”

"Your Highness, please."

Sun Gang stepped aside, and after the Seven Princes, Sun Gang did not follow immediately, but looked at Zhang Ruming and Duan Lang, which meant that the two of them should go first. Knowing that Duan Lang had killed Han Pingzi and defeated the Xiyue army, Sun Gang's eyes suddenly became different when he looked at him. As a veteran in the army, Sun Gang knows very well that such feats are not something that can be obtained by luck. Many people think that Bactria and Western Vietnam will eventually sit down for peace talks. Unexpectedly, Duan Lang actually made a shocking move.

The Seventh Prince, Delong, was full of confidence and stayed in the camp. This 200,000 army is the capital of his ascendancy, and of course the Seventh Prince Delong must arrange it well. Moreover, it was only two or three days' journey from the lower pass to Kyoto, and Delong believed that this army was enough to deter the various forces in Kyoto.

Just as Delong was staying at the Shimonoseki camp, Prince Dezhang rushed to Kyoto without stopping. After getting the news of Yu Ban, Dezhang was even more shocked. Once the news of the pacification of the Western Theater is announced to the world, Delong's prestige will surely soar to the sky. Dezhang didn't want to give up the throne in his hand again, even if he risked the act of dividing the Great Xia, he had to give it a go.

In Kyoto, news of the great victory in the Western Theater was tightly blocked. But no matter how strict the news is, there will always be leaks, and many important ministers still learned about this major war report from various channels.

Outside the prince's mansion, Wu Guangguang, the imperial historian, and Pang Gang, the servant of the criminal department, came to visit Prince Hong. The two stood outside the gate of the mansion waiting for the report, Pang Gang looked at Wu Guangguang and asked in a low voice.

"Lord Wu, I'm in a good mood today, and I have a smile on my face from the moment I got out of the car. Why, it won't be a happy event. ”

"Hehe, huge man, why are you here?" Wu Guangguang asked with a smile.

Pang Gang looked around, "Lord Wu, you must have heard some rumors, and I am just ~ just here to verify it." Of course, the main thing is to visit the old prince. ”

While the two were talking, a steward came out of it and said, "Two adults, I'm really sorry, my master is sick in bed, and it is inconvenient to receive two adults." The master said that when he felt better, he would send someone to invite the two adults to come over to talk about it. ”

Wu Guangguang was stunned and frowned, "Why, is His Royal Highness the Prince so sick?" Have you passed on the imperial doctor? ”

"There is Lord Lao Wu, the imperial doctor has come to see him, and the master's body is fine, but he is old and needs to recuperate."

"This~ Okay, then the official will come back to visit His Royal Highness."

"Two adults, please!"

Wu Guangguang and Pang Gang didn't see Prince Hong, the two walked out of the corner, and Wu Guangguang's car stopped. Pang Gang also reined in his horse and cautiously glanced behind him.

Wu Guangguang raised the curtain, "Huge man, don't you think that His Royal Highness the Prince, something is wrong?" ”

Pang Gang cautiously asked, "Lord Wu, have you received news from the Western Theater?" ”

Wu Guangguang didn't hide it, and nodded, "That's right, that's why this official came to the Prince's Mansion to verify it." This is good news that is enough to deter all countries in the world, but Prince Hong has no news here, which is really a bit strange. ”

"Lord Wu, is your source accurate?"

Wu Guangguang thought for a while, "It should be accurate, this kind of news is not child's play, and I won't tell this official until I confirm it." ”

Pang Gang, the waiter of the Criminal Department, changed his face, looked around, and said in a low voice, "Lord Wu, it seems that the situation is a little bad. This is not the place to talk, and I invite Lord Wu to come over and talk about it. ”

Wu Guangguang's face also changed slightly, "Okay, then go to your house." ”

"No, let's go to Old Hanlin's mansion, there are some things that must be discussed." Pang Gang said solemnly.

Wu Guangguang nodded, and he also noticed that something was wrong. As an important minister in the court, I can understand the power of it after a simple thought. Wu Guangguang knew that although the victory in the Western Theater was a great joy, it was very serious for some people. Especially after Prince Dezhang returned to Beijing today, he rushed into Yu Ban's mansion and did not come out. Here in Kyoto, Wu Guangguang and the others can only rely on Prince Hong, in case Prince Hong has a situation, as an important minister in the court, Wu Guangguang and others must be prepared for the worst.

In the Prince's Mansion, Prince Hong asked with a gloomy face, "Are they gone?" ”

"Back to the master, the two adults left, and they didn't ask anything."

Prince Hong closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then took out a secret letter and ordered, "Enter the palace immediately to find Chief Manager Liu and ask him to act according to the instructions on the secret letter." In addition, inform Commander Zhang of the Ruifeng Battalion to come to the house secretly. ”

"No!" The steward agreed, and quickly took the secret letter.

Prince Hong sighed secretly, he knew that as soon as Dezhang arrived, the curtain of this duel was about to open. For the sake of the Great Xia royal family, Prince Hong had to make a difficult choice. But he also kept a hand, ready to use it when he saw the ending.

In the Xiangguo Mansion, Chu Baoxiong and other important ministers gathered here. Upon hearing the news of the great victory in the Western Theater, these important ministers were not only displeased, but were extremely shocked. Their net worth and lives are tied to Dezhang with Yu Ban, in case Delong ascends the throne and becomes the emperor. These people, the lowest is to return to their hometowns. If you don't get it right, you'll end up with a copyist.

Yu Ban stabilized everyone with a few words, now that Dezhang has returned, Yu Ban will not know that the news of the Western Theater will be blocked for a few days. Once DeLong returns, he can't hide it if he wants to. So, they had to arrange everything before Delong returned to Beijing. When the time comes, control Delong Duan Lang and others, and after the new emperor ascends the throne, he will announce the news to the world.

On this night, mysterious events took place all over Kyoto. First of all, He Lianjia, who took over the city defense battalion, mysteriously disappeared in the city. The city defense battalion was taken over by the deputy general Qian Biao. In the forbidden military camp, the military commander Zhang Zhao was controlled by Chang Lin, the son of Chang Yuguang, the secretary of Guanglu Temple, and seized the token to take over the forbidden military camp. The commander of the patrol battalion and the Yulin Guard was shot inexplicably, and the order was controlled by his subordinates.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Lord Huai finally appeared in Xiangguo's mansion. Knowing that the Investigation and Defense Division had helped Yu Ban to secretly take over the military power of Kyoto, Yu Ban secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Ban looked at Chu Baoxiong and other important ministers, "Ladies and gentlemen, the time of the early dynasty will come soon." After the morning of this morning, the enthronement ceremony will be set on immediately. Lord Zhu Wenjun, after the palace, immediately led people to control the Yushitai and the Hanlin Academy. took control of Kyoto, and as soon as Nadron and the others entered Beijing, the city gate camp immediately took them down. ”

"Lord Xiangguo, what if there are other ministers who oppose it?" Chu Baoxiong asked.

"Slash!" Yu Ban said coldly.

"That~Prince Hong's side?" Zhu Wenjun looked at Yu Ban uneasily.

Yu Ban frowned slightly, "If you know each other, you will ensure that he is prosperous and rich." Otherwise, among the royal family, this branch can be broken. ”

Zhu Wenjun's heart trembled slightly, it seemed that this was going to be ruined. Since the crown prince has been chosen, there is no way back for each of them. Only the crown prince Dezhang succeeds in ascending the throne, otherwise, if he does not succeed, he will become benevolent.

At the lower pass, early the next morning, the Seven Princes and others left the camp. No sooner had they left than a carriage came to the camp gate. In the car, it was no one else who was seated, but Wei Ran, the old commander of the northern battalion, and Feng Zhun, the former squire of the military department.