The capital of Shu, Xijing.

Inside the Emperor's Bedchamber.

"Your Majesty, the old minister recently received a secret letter from Yan Shuo, the emperor of Yan State, saying that he had sent troops south, and Yan Shuo had also waved his army north, and there was about to be a big war between the two countries," Ouyang Yunzhong, the prime minister of Shu, showed a rare look of excitement on his face, and bowed to the emperor and said:

"This time Murong Dan of Yan State poured the country south, although Wei Guo is the main attacking party, but the strength is insufficient, once the two countries go to war, Wei Guo will have a big defeat, then the Han Emperor Liu Zhuang can sit idly by, so the old minister thinks that although the Han State follows our army to station troops on the border, but it is just for show, it is estimated that in fact Liu Zhuang has secretly arranged a large army, waiting to go west!"

Speaking of this, he took a step forward, his body trembled slightly with excitement, and his voice couldn't help but increase a little, and said:

"Your Majesty, this is God helping me Dashu! Now that the two countries of Yan and Wei are fighting with all the strength of the whole country, the Han State will definitely secretly support Liu Xiu, so that the troops on the Shu Han border will not be enough to maintain the defense, this is the best time for my Shu State to march eastward, Your Majesty! Once the enemy's border is broken, our army will be able to drive straight into Luojing City, and then dominate the world, just around the corner! Think again! ”

Ouyang Wenliang, the general of the auxiliary state, stood out from the side, faced the emperor, and saluted:

"Your Majesty, what the prime minister said is very true, our army since the victory of Jingyun, morale has been greatly boosted, although after the victory failed to attack the enemy's territory, but the enemy is still in the aftermath, and this time the main army of the Han State is less than 300,000 people, and our army only has 400,000 soldiers and horses on the border, and there are still enough soldiers and horses in the country to mobilize, the emperor, now Wei Yan and Yan are at war, and the emperor Murong Dan personally asked for help, promising to defeat the Han Wei after the equal division of the world, this is a golden opportunity, the minister believes that the army should be sent immediately, Attack the Han Kingdom, break its defenses, and conquer the national capital! ”

Emperor Muyang's eyes flashed after hearing this, and before he could speak, he saw He Yaochen, the Marquis of Shunyang, and Mu Yunxuan, the crown prince on the side, glance at each other, then coughed lightly, walked out of the train, came to the two of them, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty." ”

The emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, nodded, and said, "Marquis Shunyang, please speak." ”

He Yaochen cleared his throat and said loudly: "The minister thinks that what the prime minister and the auxiliary general just said is not unreasonable, but if you send troops to the east with this, it is still a little too hasty, and the minister thinks that the use of troops abroad is a major matter of a country, and it will affect the whole body, and the slightest carelessness will displace the people, and even make the empire hurt its muscles and bones, and there is a hatred of the country, so the minister Jianyi, this matter needs to be considered in the long run, and it can't."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Ouyang Wenliang stomp his feet, interrupted He Yaochen's words, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Shunyang is talking nonsense, and now there is a good opportunity that is not encountered in a hundred years. Ship to the border and make a difference, it's too late! Your Majesty, the fighter plane is fleeting, and it can't be delayed! ”

When He Yaochen heard him refute himself in person, his face sank, and he said coldly: "Ouyang Wenliang, don't dare to be disrespectful to me just because you are the nephew of the prime minister, make a big fuss in front of the emperor, disrespect me, and sue you, even if it is a great army to the east, it will not be your turn to point fingers and become the commander of the three armies!" ”

When the prime minister heard this, his eyes froze, but his tone was as gentle as ever, but there was a faint threat in his words:

"Shunyang Hou, the old man didn't hear what you said just now, I didn't hear it clearly, can I bother you to say it again?"

He Yaochen frowned, snorted coldly, don't look over, and didn't speak.

Seeing this, the prime minister had no intention of bothering with him, turned his head, looked at the emperor, and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, the soldiers are fast, this matter can not be delayed any longer, without further ado, the old minister will give an order to the army to conquer the Han in the west, how about it?" ”

On the side, the prince saw that although the prime minister's expression was as usual, there was a resolute and fierce look in the depths of his eyes, and a trace of worry crossed his eyes, and he subconsciously stood up from the seat next to the emperor, and asked without waiting for the emperor to speak:

"Prime Minister, I don't know anything about it, and I want to ask you a thing or two."

Seeing that the prince suddenly spoke, impatience flashed in his eyes, but his tone did not change, and he turned to face the prince and said, "Your Highness is polite, but it doesn't hurt to ask." ”

The crown prince nodded and said, "Prime Minister, although the two countries of Yanwei are at war now, they haven't clashed yet, right?" ”

Ouyang Wenliang was a little impatient when he saw the prime minister's expression, and he didn't want to answer, so he had to take a step forward and say to the prince: "As far as the information we have obtained so far, the two armies have not yet clashed. ”

After hearing this, the prince stood up, looked at Ouyang Wenliang, nodded, and continued to ask: "Then according to the general of the auxiliary country, who has a better chance of winning, the Yan army or the Wei army?" ”

Ouyang Wenliang frowned, and after pondering for a while, he replied:

"The Yan army has a large number of generals, and Murong Dan's military strategy is outstanding, although Liu Xiu is talented, but the minister believes that under these conditions, judging from the existing strength alone, it is not possible to compete with Murong Yanguo."

The crown prince bowed slightly, and immediately said: "In that case, why didn't our army send troops east after the two armies had fought, or after the defeat of the guards?" At that time, our army will march westward, and the Han army will not be able to take care of each other, and the hope of breaking the enemy will not be greatly increased? ”

As soon as the words fell, the prime minister and Ouyang Wenliang changed color together, the prime minister's eyes were cold, he glared at Ouyang Wenliang, turned his head to face the prince, and saluted:

"Your Highness, the battlefield situation is changing rapidly, how can you judge the victory or defeat with paper strength, and there are many allusions to win with less, Liu Xiu will not necessarily lose to Murong Dan, and although the Yan State is strong and unmatched, but Liu Xiu is not a mediocre person, and in the hands of Liu Xiu, there is also the Shadow Legion of the Leaving Country to help, and the weak brigade is also the Yu Wei of Murong Ke, the first emperor of the Yan State, and his subordinates Wan Yan Shuo is also an unborn general, Liang Jian and others also have the avant-garde king Liu Hongwen in his hands to accumulate private troops, so although Liu Xiu is weaker than Yan Guo in terms of strength, But it is not that it will be defeated in the war, Your Highness, the soldiers are very fast, only when the Han Kingdom is now unintentional on the border, our army will go out to attack the Han State with the Yan State, and there will be a chance of victory! Think again. ”

Before the prince could speak, he saw He Yaochen on the side and said: "Prime Minister, my subordinates think that the prince is reasonable, even if he sends troops to attack the Han now, in your opinion, what are the chances of victory?" Prime Minister, war is a major national event, how can you make a hasty decision, and I hope you will put national affairs first! ”

After hearing this, the prime minister's face instantly became gloomy, and he looked at He Yaochen, his eyes broke through the air like a blade, and he replied coldly:

"Shunyang Hou, what you mean by this seems to imply that the old man has selfish intentions in this matter?"

After speaking, he turned around and walked forward, and after walking a few steps, he stood up and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the old minister is loyal to the country, he has worked hard for decades, he has done his best, and he has never slacked off for a day, although he has never made Dashu the first empire in the world, but he has not let the country despise it!" Majesty, the old minister has never had selfish intentions, please be aware of it! ”

After speaking, he fell to his knees and was silent.

Ouyang Wenliang hurriedly followed and knelt down.

The emperor's eyes flashed, nodded, and said, "Why did Aiqing say this, how can I be a person who doesn't distinguish between right and wrong," he said and turned to the prince and said, "Why don't you help the prime minister up?" ”

Before the prince heard this, he heard the prime minister say: "Don't work for the prince," he stood up and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, this is a God-given opportunity, if you don't seize it, once the soldiers and horses of the Han Kingdom gather at the border, it will be more difficult to send troops to attack the Han State than to ascend to the sky, so the old minister dared to beg His Majesty to give the order to send troops!" ”

The emperor's eyes narrowed, and he pondered for a long time before he shook his head and replied, "How about Rong Zhen think about thinking about replying to the prime minister?" ”

After hearing this, the prime minister shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, time is not waiting, we can't delay it any longer, the old minister has waited for decades to wait for this opportunity, if he is allowed to slip away, it will be difficult for the old minister to look at after his death." ”

Hearing this, He Yaochen snorted coldly and said, "Prime Minister, what do you mean by this?" Is it because you want to persecute the emperor? ”

The prime minister listened but did not listen, his eyes were fixed on the emperor, waiting for him to speak.

After thinking for a while, the emperor shook his head and said: "Prime Minister, I have only now received this news, and I have not yet been able to straighten out the form, if I order the dispatch of troops, it is too hasty, even if I am in a hurry, I must allow me to think clearly, and once the war starts, the food, grass, soldiers and horses need to be prepared in advance, and I am afraid that it will not last long if I send troops rashly."

Before the words fell, he heard the prime minister say: "Your Majesty, the old minister has already transported enough grain into the city when he transferred troops to Jingyun last time, and the grain and grass can be enough for the army in March." ”

The emperor's eyes were cold, and before he could speak, He Yaochen on the side suddenly sneered and said: "The Prime Minister is so bold, he actually concealed the emperor's transfer of troops and food, you treat Shu as your own home!" ”

Hearing this, the prime minister's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at the emperor with an undoubted decision in his tone, and said: "Your Majesty, everything is ready, just wait for you to give an order, and as soon as the holy decree is issued, the war will be handed over to the old minister!" ”

When the emperor heard this, his expression instantly turned cold, he stood up, waved his hand to the prime minister, and said, "Rong Zhen will think about this matter for one night, how about giving the prime minister an answer tomorrow?" ”

The prime minister took another step forward, looked directly at the emperor, did not evade it at all, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, time is running out, the opportunity is fleeting, and the old minister hopes that you can order the westward expedition now!" ”

He said it very forcefully, with a hint of threat.

Everyone else was startled by him, and for a while there was a dead silence in the hall, and even the prince didn't dare to make a sound.

The emperor's face turned cold when he heard this, and he said coldly: "What if I don't agree? ”

The prime minister's voice did not decrease at all, and he replied: "If the emperor does not agree, then the old minister will naturally obey the holy will and dare not violate it in the slightest, but," Speaking of this, he paused, turned his head to face the outside of the palace gate, and said: "There are hundreds of thousands of troops outside the palace, but the old minister does not dare to guarantee whether they will stay in the country with peace of mind and not attack the country of the dead enemy!" ”

After hearing this, the emperor took a deep breath, his face was cold, but he did not become as angry as the others thought, but sneered: "You are forcing me! ”

The prime minister replied lightly: "The old minister doesn't dare!" ”

The emperor raised his head, and when he looked at the prime minister again, his gaze had returned to normal, and after he stood still for a while, he shook his head and said, "Don't dare?" Is there anything else that Prime Minister Ouyang doesn't dare? ”

As he spoke, he took out a secret letter from his sleeve, threw it at the Prime Minister's feet, and said, "This is the reason why I want to consider sending troops, Prime Minister, see for yourself!" ”R1058