In late May, the news of the capture of Lishui reached Jinling, and the entire (southern) Tang court was gloomy, and the ministers of the Privy Council were pacing anxiously in the Guangzheng Palace.

This period was the worst day for the Privy Council, and there were already many officials in the Tang court who were deposed and given death by Li Congqing because of their outspokenness.

What's more, the importance of Lishui to Jinling City in Jiangning Prefecture was very important, and the Song army successively cut off the hub between the capital and several military towns in the upper reaches of the Qinhuai River, and also made Jiangning Mansion lose the barrier in the southeast.

The hearts of these officials faintly gave birth to a feeling of sadness such as the death of a rabbit and a fox, and now they also feel that it is time to make a decision, although Jinling City in Jiangning Mansion is a strong city, but the strength of the Song army is not weak, and now there is one-tenth or twelve of the territory of the Tang Kingdom, and if it continues like this, the (southern) Tang ship is probably about to capsize.

The building will fall, how can the ants remain?

Some officials with sensitive minds and high political consciousness secretly plan to surrender to the enemy and sacrifice the city, and their lives are a major matter, and promotion and demotion are even more important matters, and some officials have also heard about it, and heard a hint of wind, Song Emperor Zhao Kuangyin is a benevolent and virtuous king, and under those captured cities, the people are still living happily and tastefully, yes, their minds are overflowing......

However, there are unforeseen circumstances, and the privy envoy of the Privy Council and the military post Song Shida have already reported the war report to the Zhaoqing Palace.

Now that Li Congqing heard such news again, he was so angry that he turned his back on it, and the anger that had been accumulated in his chest for a long time spilled out, and a mouthful of black blood spit out of his throat, and Li Congqing was already unconscious.

When the privy envoy saw that Li Congqing vomited blood, he went out to summon the inner servant, who was like a headless fly, and immediately went to call the imperial doctor into the palace, and at this moment they were all far away.

Song Shida on the side stood at the door, there was no one around at the moment, he thought about it again and again, and immediately took this opportunity to quietly hide behind a screen in the Zhaoqing Palace, he didn't want to be blamed because of Li Congqing's illness, and now he wanted to lie dormant here and eavesdrop on some favorable news.

Under the summons of the imperial physician Liu Deren, he immediately entered the palace to visit the sick, and as soon as he entered the Zhaoqing Palace, he entered Li Congqing's dragon couch alone.

At this moment, Li Congqing's face was pale, without a trace of blood, and his two eyes were bulging like the eyes of a dead fish, and Li Yannian on the side was staring at Li Congqing lying on the dragon couch like a sculpture.

Li Congqing woke up suddenly, and Liu Deren was almost frightened and sat on the ground.

Liu Deren was stunned: "Your Majesty, are you awake?" ”

Li Congqing turned his head, only to see the imperial doctor Liu Deren and his beloved commander Li Yannian beside the dragon couch, he wanted to speak, but he suddenly found that he couldn't speak, and he wanted to move his fingers, but found that his body was no longer under his control, and the trembling fingertips wanted to aim at the imperial doctor Liu Deren, but he pointed to the air on the side.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" Li Yannian choked up, and then he asked the imperial doctor Liu Deren, "Imperial Doctor Liu, what's wrong with Your Majesty?" ”

Judging from the results of the diagnosis just now, Liu Deren knew that Li Congqing's pulse was vain, so he knew that his body was not very good, and said: "Your Majesty, this is a hurry, plus the recent weakness of the dragon body, the wind evil has entered the body, resulting in the inability to speak and the hands to move, this is the ...... However, during this time, His Majesty still has to follow the prescription prescribed by the Hanlin Medical Hospital, take medicine on time, and it is estimated that it will be fine after a while. ”

After Liu Deren finished speaking, he sighed, he knew in his heart that Li Congqing's illness would not be cured, but because in front of Li Congqing, he couldn't tell the truth, otherwise Li Congqing would be angry and scold himself to death, and he would have died too unjustly.

When Li Yannian heard this, the gloom on his face had already dissipated, he didn't notice Liu Deren's perfunctory words, and immediately said: "Your Majesty's dragon body is important, Imperial Doctor Liu should prescribe a prescription as soon as possible." ”

"Yes." It's almost June, Liu Deren felt a clammy cold behind him, and then he prescribed Li Congqing a kidney tonic medicine with an ordinary conditioning prescription, and he went to Hanlin Medical Hospital to dispense medicine.

Li Congqing on the dragon couch couldn't speak, and then he gave up when he heard it, and now he felt like he was because of an illness, he couldn't speak, and he couldn't get out of bed, so that he couldn't move like a zombie, and now around Jiangning Mansion, there were only a few military towns left around to defend, and the armies of Song, (Southern) Han, and Wu Yue could occupy a favorable river, and they could go directly down the Qinhuai River with one blow.

He was already ill in a hurry, he didn't know whether the ministers of the court were reliable, but he couldn't speak at the moment, at this moment he looked at Li Yannian, Li Yannian was a guard of the Li Mansion in his early years, and he had been waiting by his side since he was a child, this person also had the same heart as himself, and he also had a physical skin-to-skin relationship, so he only had to let his cronies and guards come forward to help him test these courtiers of the court, and he didn't want the courtiers to betray the king and surrender to the enemy and the country.

Li Yannian also noticed Li Congqing's gaze on the dragon couch at this moment, looking very hot and earnest, he understood what Li Congqing meant, he had something important to say to himself.

Li Yannian had already opened the inner servants on the side, and in the entire Zhaoqing Palace, only Li Congqing and himself were left.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing to prolong your life?" Li Yannian's hands had already held Li Congqing's hand in the quilt, Li Congqing also felt that Li Yannian was very excited, his heart was warm, and a tear also flowed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, if yes, you need to nod, if not, then shake your head." Li Yannian whimpered.

Li Congqing didn't speak, Li Yannian kept opening his mouth and tried to ask Li Congqing many things, and after asking some questions, Li Congqing kept shaking his head, which made Li Yannian a little crazy...... It wasn't until he asked Li Congqing if he was worried about his courtiers that Li Congqing nodded violently, and then looked at Li Yannian in front of him with a deep expression.

Li Yannian was a little embarrassed, his handsome face was already red, like a woman with excellent weather, he held Li Congqing's hand tightly, and Li Congqing on the side closed his eyes helplessly, turning his head to the inside of the dragon couch, he vaguely felt a little weak physically, and psychological emptiness and loneliness, but his body was not good at the moment, he could only leave this thought down temporarily.

Li Congqing glanced away from one place, he had been looking at this place for a long time, Li Yannian saw that Li Congqing's gaze was a little solemn, so he looked in the direction of Li Congqing.

At the end of his gaze, there was a small wooden shelf, which should be the place where important things were stored, Li Yannian thought.

Li Yannian had already approached the small wooden shelf, he gently pulled open the shelf, and immediately saw a square box lying inside, which seemed to be almost as square as the box where the emperor's jade seal was stored, but it was a box made of vermilion paint, but it was more than twice as small as the box containing the jade seal.

Li Yannian took out the box with both hands, it was not as heavy as he imagined, and at this moment he had already brought it to Li Congqing, "Your Majesty, is this the thing?" ”

Li Congqing nodded heavily, and then gestured with his gaze.

Li Yannian understood what Li Congqing meant, and he had already opened the lid of the box at that moment.

The box has been opened, and inside is a bronze bronze plaque engraved with the word "Bing".

Is this a tiger talisman? Li Yannian thought secretly in his heart.

Li Congqing couldn't speak, but he suddenly made a movement, and his outstretched right hand swung violently, touching Li Yannian's cuffs.

"Your Majesty, do you want the last general to go now?"

Li Congqing nodded.

Li Yannian took Li Congqing's hand, then said goodbye and turned around and walked out of the Zhaoqing Palace, leaving Li Congqing alone in the huge hall thinking casually with his eyes closed.

Li Yannian went out of the palace, and he didn't find a thought for a while, he was like a fly that had been bumping around, he didn't know the direction, and now he took a look at the bronze medal in his hand, this bronze medal is also a tiger talisman, Li Yannian knows the power of this thing, and he doesn't know how much effect this thing can play at the moment.

Li Yannian had already left, he didn't know that there was a Song Shida hiding behind the screen, Song Shida saw that the hall was quiet, so he immediately hurried out of the Zhaoqing Palace, and then walked outside the palace.

……

Now it has entered June, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, originally in this season, it should have been the rainy season, but this year in the Jianghuai area there is no rain, the hot weather also makes the Song soldiers who came to the south to fight a little unbearable, and because of the summer heat, the soldiers in the Song army also have diarrhea, vomiting and other situations.

Wu Yongzi also saw it in his eyes, and in the past few days, he observed that some of the Song soldiers had symptoms after drinking raw water, so he asked people to boil the water they brought in a cauldron, and then grabbed some medicinal materials to treat such symptoms and gave them to the soldiers, which alleviated the symptoms of the soldiers.

Recently, a lot of people have died in the war, and the weather is hot, and the corpses will stink and water in less than half a day, so Wu Yongzi ordered the soldiers to move all the dead bodies to one place according to the method in the secret letter sent by Zhao Dezhao, and ordered people to record all the names of the dead soldiers, and then set up firewood and burned the corpses.

…… The heat wave is rolling, and the smell of anxiety has been dense in the air, and the three of them are a little frightened to see it, when they first watched such a scene, they felt a retching in their chests, and then after watching it for a long time, everyone stood aside in silence, and it was not themselves who secretly died of luck in their hearts.

The armies of Yang Xinshui, Li Hanqiong, Ding Deyu and Qian Yu in the upper reaches have been flowing down the Qinhuai River, and have been clearing the troops of several military towns near the Qinhuai River in these days.

Although the local people lamented how helpless they were when the dynasty changed, the Song Emperor's policies towards the people, scholars and others, because of the abolition of some harsh taxes and heavy forced labor, etc., were even more loved by them.

The coalition forces have reached the middle and lower reaches of the Qinhuai River, and the open vision in the distance has also entered their eyes, this place is also very open, the river is also very gentle, there is no trace of conflict, and they know that the downstream is the anointed and rich land of the Tang Kingdom.

According to the scout military report: Cao Bin and Pan Mei's army have been less than fifteen miles away from Jiangning Mansion, and now they are waiting for them to besiege the city together and force Li Congqing to surrender, but Li Hanqiong They don't know that a secret road to the city has already been opened, as long as Zhao Dezhao, the king of Wei, gives an order, the inside and the outside can be combined.

Ding Deyu's temperament is also impatient, he has been waiting for a day and can't wait, the current goal of the coalition army is to conquer Jiangning Mansion, abolish the emperor as soon as possible, welcome back Li Yu, and end the war in Jiangnan, but for the matter of welcoming back Li Yu, Ding Deyu's heart has long known what pills are sold in the bones of the official family, but those Wu Yueguo and the (Southern) Han army are really whimsical.

The ships have already docked on the shore, and today they plan to rest here for a day, and wait for the Song army on the western and northern fronts.

……

In the Qingyin Pavilion in the city, Zhao Dezhao has been letting people observe the movements of the Great Song army, and he plans to choose a necessary time and then surrender the city.

Zhao Dezhao was thinking about it when there was a knock on the door. Zhao Dezhao opened the door, and then Chen Yuan, Yang Guang, Song Shida and others hurriedly ran in, but they caught one person and came.

I saw that this person's hands were tied behind his back, his figure was about eight feet, he was wearing a dark gray half-worn round-necked robe, and his hair was a little messy because of the fight with Chen Yuan and others. Zhao Dezhao raised his head and looked at this person carefully, and found that this person looked like a weak woman, with a somewhat white complexion, it was easy to be regarded as a little lady, and it was easy to arouse the compassion of some men, but he was not a good man...... After observing for a long time, Zhao Dezhao suddenly found that this person was a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere, but now this person's mouth had been blocked by Chen Yuan and others with a strip of cloth, and he could only scream.

"Loosen up." Zhao Dezhao said to Chen Yuan, "By the way, who is he?" ”

Chen Yuan immediately said: "This person is a guard next to Li Congqing, named Li Yannian, I just heard Shida's description that this person hurriedly left the palace after Li Congqing fell ill, and there is a chance that Li Congqing is going to attack those officials." ”

"Oh? Take action? Zhao Dezhao already knew who this person was from Chen Yuan's mouth, wasn't this the night in Zhongshan, Zhao Dezhao put this person on Li Congqing's couch, and then ...... Zhao Dezhao looked a little embarrassed, he coughed dryly, but did not speak.

The man was relieved, but he said angrily, "Who are you, and why are you arresting me?" ”

Everyone reprimanded: "You don't know that the one standing in front of you is the king of the Great Song Dynasty and Wei Chitose!" ”

"Zhao Dezhao, King of Wei?" Li Yannian's stunned chin was enough to stuff a chicken, and then he quickly recovered his expression, but he was still a little suspicious in a hurry, so he asked rhetorically: "Why are you here, aren't you missing?" ”

Zhao Dezhao continued to cough dryly, and said: "This king has feet and eyes, how can he scatter at will, I don't know who spread this rumor, there are really a lot of rumors in this world." ”

Li Yannian knew the identity of the other party was Zhao Dezhao, the king of Wei, and at this moment he asked again: "Then why did you arrest me and what are your intentions?" ”

As soon as Yang Guang heard Li Yannian say this, he immediately ran up and pressed Li Yannian's back, and said, "You guy, don't want to seriously injure my family Chitose, I naturally captured you for important things." ”

Then Song Shida told Zhao Dezhao the ins and outs of the matter, and Zhao Dezhao pursed his mouth and smiled.