Princess Xiyue, that is, Murong Xiyue, finally entered the territory of the Shanyang Army, and then entered the territory of the Xiaoguo Army through the land of the Shanyang Army. Originally, Zhao Xun wanted to announce the matter directly. However, the Shadow Division reported that Yangzhou Murong Cheng also received the second princess, and then Zhao Xun suspended his plans and prepared to let Yangzhou take the lead.

Sure enough, for Murong Cheng at this moment, this Luoyang incident can be said to be a great, excellent opportunity, how can he give it up? The matter was immediately announced. But Murong Cheng wanted to do more than that, and then, at the end of April, Murong Cheng issued a crusade against Situ Lei, calling on the world to fight against him on the grounds of a total of 36 major crimes, such as killing the monarch and usurping rebellion, colluding with foreigners, betraying the country, murdering royal family members, and indiscriminately killing loyal ministers.

In addition, it was also widely proclaimed that all officials under Situ Lei would not be able to use military force, and all those who changed their banners when the army arrived would be exempted from punishment. Those who turn against each other will have merit. Kill those who have official members next to the Situ family, and be rewarded with 10,000 silver coins and made a baron. Those who kill members of the official position in the direct line will be rewarded with 10,000 gold coins, ranging from the title of viscount and his marquis. For a time, the world was shaken. Murong Cheng is a member of the royal family closest to the emperor's bloodline, and now he has an edict in his hand, which can be described as unparalleled for a while.

After Murong Cheng announced the crusade against Zhuwen, the first person to respond was the Youzhou Xiaoguo Army. The reason why the Xiaoguo army was the first to respond was also to wait for the level of the situation between the two sides. If the Xiaoguo army did not take a clear stand, how could the other princes dare to position themselves lightly? If they make decisions that are contrary to the Fruit Army, won't it be the end of it? For example, the Tang Army and the Xuzhou Army in the south of Qingzhou are all under the front of the Xiaoguo Army, and they can't be careless.

However, the correspondence of the Xiaoguo Army will be very different at that time. It has no intention of going to Luoyang, Yongzhou. Rather, he expressed his willingness to go out from the northern front to crusade against the Turks who were connected to Situlei. As for the land of Luoyang, it was handed over to the Central Plains. And His Royal Highness Qi Wen, who is a member of the royal family, is naturally qualified to command the heroes to crusade against Situ Lei, a thief who kills the monarch and betrays the country.

Murong Cheng was a little surprised by Xiaoguojun's response and announcement, but more than that, he was happy. After all, he and Zhao Xun got together, for example, they would fight. If the other party is willing to conquer the Turks, it is naturally the best, and in this way, they will take advantage of themselves in the Central Plains. Besides, as the overlord of the north, the Xiaoguo Army can change the balance of power in the world, not to mention sending troops directly, even if it shouts two voices.

And after Situ Lei heard this, he also suppressed his heart of despair when he heard that Xiaoguo Jun also declared that he was a thief who killed the king and betrayed the country. After all, if the Xiaoguo Army doesn't come, Murong Cheng alone is not so difficult to deal with. What's more, this Turkic army is not so easy to conquest. If the Xiaoguo army is defeated at that time, and he defeats the Qi army. Or after the defeat of the Xiaoguo army, with the help of the Turks to ascend to the throne, who would dare to do it?

Of course, Situ Lei also knew that the premise was that he could support Murong Cheng's crusade, otherwise, every qiē would be a pipe dream. Faster than Murong Cheng, Situ Lei, who forced Liangshan, cleared out all the non-own officials in Luoyang City in the shortest possible time, and exiled all them to Chang'an, the western capital, and stationed in the western capital. Of course, these officials are all old ministers and famous people, but after they enter the Western Capital, they will naturally live under the supervision of Situ Fei left behind in Chang'an, and it will naturally be even more difficult to do anything.

Sure enough, after the Xiaoguo army responded and spread the intention of conquering the Turks, the Tang army, which was always threatened by the Xiaoguo army, followed suit. The lord of the Tang army, Tang Xian, also responded to Murong Cheng's crusade against Situ Lei's text, and was willing to send troops to help attack Luoyang, Yongzhou.

Tang Xian did this, and he was forced to do so. In the past, the Xiaoguo army would not go south lightly, because it did not want to provoke the joint counterattack of the princes of the Central Plains, and fell into a stalemate battle. However, now that Murong Cheng is doing this, the Xiaoguo Army echoes from afar. If he doesn't say anything more, the Xiaoguo Army will definitely be the first to eliminate him. Even if the Xiaoguo army does not move, the Xuzhou army and the Shanyang army will.

Secondly, although he took the land of Xuzhou and the two provinces, the follow-up expedition has not been carried out, and until now, he still occupies the land of the two provinces and is in a stalemate with the Xuzhou army. If Murong Cheng shifts his focus to the west and conquers Situ Lei. And Li Chi of the Xuzhou Army also responded with troops, so his Tang Army would be in danger. At that time, the Xuzhou army will not be a part of the troops fighting a stalemate with itself, but all the troops will regain the lost ground. Coupled with a Shanyang army that has a territorial dispute with himself, he can't be careless, and he can't make a decision early.

As Tang Xian expected, after his own response, the Shanyang Army in the south also followed, and then the Xuzhou Army in the east did the same. For Li Chi, a truce with Murong Cheng at this moment is the most beneficial for him. The Xuzhou army was suppressed in the north and south, especially in the south, and the pressure on the Qi army was too great, which has always made it tired to deal with. Now echoing Murong Cheng's crusade, at least the two sides can suspend attacking each other.

In just more than ten days, the situation in the world changed abruptly, and in an instant, everyone's spearhead was aimed at Situ Lei and raised troops to fight against him.

In Luoyang City, there are also rumors, and the people who have been dealt with by Situ Lei with iron-blooded means are no longer one or two. From the civil and military officials to the ordinary people, everyone was very nervous, for fear that they would be approached by the government if they were not careful. Now, the result of being approached by the government is only a dead end.

When Murong Cheng was calling for a crusade, Situ Lei also began to frequently mobilize the army and change the generals in the army. In the shortest possible time, Situ Lei divided the soldiers from the local garrisons, and there were more than 500,000 soldiers and horses in each state under his jurisdiction. Subsequently, most of the commanders and generals of the various armies were replaced by people from the Situ family and Situ Lei's cronies. For those officers and generals who are not very close to them on weekdays, they are all transferred one by one, and even secretly disposed of.

Although this has caused some commotion within the army, it is nothing compared to controlling the overall situation and saving lives. For this reason, Situ Lei raised the salary of the soldiers, which made the soldiers calm down.

Not only that, but Situ Lei also increased the rewards after the start of the war, and he wanted to use the money to increase the courage and morale of the soldiers to fight to the death. All of a sudden, the various units of the Yongwang army began to move to the eastern front.

In addition to the army, the local government was also one of the targets of Situ Lei's rectification. It's just that there is no strict zhòng in the army. Although the local government has no direct relationship with the battle or directly determines the outcome of the war, it is a key point that affects the overall situation. After all, it is the local government that is in direct contact with the people, and it is related to the people's support for the above. Moreover, this local government also has a deep connection with the scholars.

Therefore, in order to stabilize the place, Situ Lei did not exert too much hand on the local government. Of course, the lack of talent replacement in its hands is also one of the important factors. However, despite this, Situ Lei still dismissed many people, especially some officials who had a very powerful mouth, but they were soft and hard, and Situ Lei was not ambiguous about these people, and directly disposed of them. But because of this, many local scholars and officials were extremely dissatisfied with Situ Lei, but they couldn't resist each other. Besides, Situ Lei is not a soft persimmon, anyone can touch it. Even if we are at a disadvantage now, no one has tried Tiger Whiskers. Situ Lei has been able to dominate the government for more than ten years, but it is not just a matter of talking, and countless officials have died in his hands.

"Lord Wang, the subordinate Jianyì is, we give up the land of Jiaozhou and return to Ningzhou. The terrain of Ningzhou is steep, which is easy to defend. In today's Jiaozhou land, not to mention that we don't get any benefits, we are also responsible for a lot of defense work. In addition, we must always pay attention to the surprise attacks of the Yi people in Jiaozhou. These Yi people, who lived in the mountains and fields, were easy to climb the mountains and often raided our army, and our soldiers were tired of coping. In addition, the meaning of Ling Xiao is the same. ”

Lin Shucheng paused, frowned again, and continued: "It is extremely difficult for us to develop a navy in the south of Jiaozhou. It takes longer to reach actual combat capability. Even so, I am afraid that it will be difficult to defeat the Qi Navy. After all, they sailed on the sea, not for a year or two, but for many years of training......" he said, and couldn't help but sigh secretly, and the tiredness on his face was undoubted. Even the eyes are also with two dark circles.

Situ Lei is almost the same as Lin Shucheng, and he is not much better, but now he does not have the same scenery as he did at the beginning. His face turned pale, and he said in a condensed voice: "Since Ling Xiao said so, give him an order and let him come back." ”

Since he was engaged, Situ Lei and his subordinates have been busy with their feet on the ground, and their affairs are complicated and chaotic. The good situation in the past was overturned overnight. Until now, Situ Lei can only regret that he didn't be ruthless in the past and imprisoned several princesses who seemed to have no impact. As a result, it was such a big problem that it was difficult for him to deal with.

"Lord, besides, the emperor is dead, no matter what, we need to bury the emperor. In addition, in the palace, there is also a need for a person. We must block Murong Cheng's upward path so as not to bring me even greater calamity. Lin Shiwen said in a condensed voice.

Situ Lei said in a sullen voice: "Then choose one from the royal family, I need obedient people who have nothing to do with the outside world to come out, do you understand?" Is there a suitable candidate? ”

Lin Shiwen paused and said, "Emperor Xuanwu has no sons, so he can only be selected among his own brothers. The first emperor had seven sons, but only four survived. But now, there are only three. One of them is Emperor Xuanwu, who is dead, and the other is Murong Cheng, the king of Qi, our biggest enemy now. So, he also excluded it. The third is Murong De, Prince of Huirui. Murong De is now thirty-five years old, but his health is not good. This is also the reason why after the death of the former crown prince, the other kings were killed but left behind. ”

"The most suitable candidate for us now is Murong De, the Prince of Rui, and the others are all candidates for side branches. In addition, Murong became a restriction and suppression of Murong De at the beginning, but he was very strictly guarded. Therefore, this Murong De has no backup, of course, someone may start to woo him now. But judging from Murong De's cautious situation over the years, he will not have any collusion with anyone else. ”

Situ Lei frowned and said, "Murong De? Although this person has no foreign aid, this person has been under the restrictions and suppression of Murong Cheng and me for many years, and has developed a cautious heart. This person is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface, I don't want to just dispose of Emperor Xuanwu and have to deal with this Murong De. And those who are thoughtful are even more difficult to deal with. ”

Lin Shiwen looked at Situ Lei, and said in a low and cold voice: "Lord Wang, it is true that this Murong De has been suppressed, so he married late. Up to now, his eldest child is only twelve years old, Murong De is unwell, and it is normal for Wen Xi to be excited and die unexpectedly. In this way, the emperor is the son of Murong De, so ......"

Situ Lei was a little difficult to decide, the emperor had just died, if something happened again, I was afraid that the rumors would be even worse, and when the time came, it would be difficult to suppress. For these, he Situ Lei still understands very well.

Situ Lei's brows were tightly locked, and his face kept changing, Lin Shiwen naturally knew what Situ Lei was worried about, so he said in a deep voice: "Lord Wang, it is much easier to let Murong De die than to let Emperor Xuanwu die. Murong De's health is not good, as we all know, we can completely let Murong De die in public to deal with the matter behind Emperor Xuanwu, and it will definitely not involve us. Besides, the situation is critical right now, and what could be more important than getting rid of it. The rumors can't be stopped, so what's the point of adding some? ”

Situ Lei's face was pale, and he said in a deep voice: "Okay, just do what you say." At this moment, he had already made up his mind that the matter in Luoyang City must be resolved as quickly as possible.

"The order is to go down, the Yizhou army guards the border between Jiangzhou and Yizhou, mainly for defense, and does not allow the enemy to cross the border. The rest of the armies gathered in the eastern part of Yongzhou to prepare to deal with Murong Cheng's crusade. I want to see how many people this Murong Cheng can pull up to crusade against this king. Situ Lei ordered in a hateful voice.

Lin Shucheng said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, if all the princes send troops to conquer, then we don't have to worry too much." The eastern princes were not in harmony with each other, how could they really fight together? It would be good if there was no conflict between them, and if necessary, we could also buy the princely forces among them for our use. Just like in the past, the Tang Army suddenly changed and did not do anything to the Wuwei Army, but instead carried out a surprise attack on the Xuzhou Army. ”

Situ Lei nodded and said, "Let our people take action and contact forces other than Murong Cheng to see if they can be used by us." ”

…………

Yanzhou City, the place of governance of Yanzhou. Since the Shanyang Army raised its flag in response to the Qi Army's crusade, Zhao Xun turned back to the north and returned to Yanzhou City, which was the center of Yanzhou after all. In addition, it is also because there will be no major war in the land of Yanzhou for the time being.

For Zhao Xun, now that the eastern princes are truce, there are good and bad. Good nature is for oneself, to be able to restore production, develop the economy, etc. The bad thing is that the other princes also have this opportunity.

Today, Zhao Xun met a very special acquaintance, an acquaintance who can no longer be acquainted. is still the representative of the former King Yong, Situ Wen. When Situ Wen announced Murong Cheng's announcement of the world, he knew that the situation was not good. He even guessed that it was because Shanyang Jun readily agreed to his conditions in the previous time, but also because he knew the details.

The reason why Situ Wen speculated so much was also related to the announcement of the Xiaoguo Army. You must know that the routes of several princesses were intercepted by the people of the Tiqi Division, especially Jizhou and Yuzhou. In front of Jizhou, it was not the princess herself who was killed by the Ti Cavalry Division, but a stand-in. But there was a suspect who ran to the land of Fengwei County and disappeared, which could not make Situ Wen suspicious. Therefore, after learning the information, Situ Wen left his personal entourage and prepared to flee under the cover of several people.

It's a pity that things are not as good as imagined, and he fled from Qi County, but before he escaped from Jiyin Mansion, he was seized by the government. It was not that the Shanyang Army deliberately captured them, but because their household registration was different from that of others, and they did not go through the formalities for entering the city. In the name of not fighting the government, they were naturally the object of suspicion, and as a result, they were naturally arrested.

Subsequently, he was investigated and dealt with by the Qi County government, and finally sent to Yanzhou City.

"Lord Situ, I didn't expect that we would meet again. Why did Lord Szeto flee? Although I am now on a hostile position with Lord Situ, this is also a last resort. The princes of the world are all standing on Murong Cheng's side, and my Shanyang army will not dare to disobey, otherwise, I am afraid that when the time comes, the surrounding Zhuhu will use the banner of this conquest and come to crusade against my Shanyang army first. On the main seat, Zhao Xun said with a smile.

Situ Wen, whose face was gloomy, said lightly: "I really underestimated Lord Dudu, I thought that Lord Dudu already had a hill in his heart, but I didn't expect that it was a last resort." By the way, what is Li Dudu going to do with me? Flag? I heard that all the princes are preparing to send troops to the land of Yongzhou to prepare for the expedition. I think Governor Li will definitely make a move. ”

Zhao Xun smiled faintly and said, "Conquest? What's my business? His armed guards occupy the three prefectures of our Yanzhou, and they have not yet been returned, so the governor of Pontus does not have time to accompany them to ask for anything. Playing the flag, that's it. Besides, our Shanyang Army is now in short supply of food and grass materials, and the place is unstable, so it is not a good time to send troops. ”

Situ Wen glanced sideways slightly, and said, "Li Dudu, do you want to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and take advantage of the fire to rob?" By the way, at the beginning, you said that the Shanyang Army lacked food and grass materials, and then you readily promised me that you would levy the Wuwei Army, and then let me publish the contents, which is also because Lord Du Du knows a lot about Luoyang's affairs. ”

Zhao Xun's face turned straight, and he said slowly: "It can be said that the governor doesn't want to take care of other things, and he is not interested in taking care of them, of course, he is not able to take care of them." However, Pontuk would never tolerate peace with the Turks. Therefore, I can only let the Xiaoguo army in the north deal with this matter. Lord Situ, you are not unaware of the scourge of the Turks in the border lands. The Xiaoguo army in the north can hold Youzhou and expand its territory in the north of Youzhou. Why, then, can't the borders be held in the land of the annexed states? They let the people of my Dayan be bullied by foreigners, is this still what a local government and border army should do? ”

Situ Wen smiled bitterly: "Governor Li, you are not unclear about the land of the state. Cao Gang, the general of Zhenbei in the north, did not obey the will of the imperial court at all and had already colluded with the Turks. With half of the annexed states that we occupy, what can we do? ”

Zhao Xun sneered: "Excuse, it's completely an excuse." In the past, the Xiaoguo army was able to rise to the land of Youzhou occupied by the Tatar people, so wouldn't your local defenders be successful? Last winter, there was heavy snow in the north, couldn't the defenders of the state take advantage of the situation to fight back? Not to mention anything else, it is still possible to clean up Cao Gang. Why don't you move? It's not because it's to preserve strength. As far as I can hear, the Xiaoguo army was willing to send troops to support the annexation many times, but they were rejected by Situ Lei. I can't resist, and I don't want to resist, but I don't let others help. In this case, it is better to let others occupy it. ”

Situ Wen said: "Governor Li, I don't want to say much about this matter. Besides, I'm not qualified to talk about it either. Lord Du Du didn't see me today to explain why he was on the side of Murong Cheng. ”

Zhao Xun secretly admired Situ Wen's quick reaction, and said: "Of course, I will just talk about the past. The reason why I say this is to let Lord Situ understand that I, Li Feng, am the governor of Yanzhou, and my duties will prevail first, and then everything else. As I said before, Situ Lei, as the king of Yong, is in charge of the defense of the state, so he should support the border defense of the state. Then, now the main responsibility and goal of our Shanyang Army is the entire territory of this Yanzhou land. ”

Situ Wen secretly took a breath and said, "Li Dudu wants to attack the Wu Wei Army and the Tang Army when Murong Cheng is conquering my Yongzhou?" This courage is also too big, and I admire it. But what does this matter to me? ”

Zhao Xun smiled: "Of course it matters, my Shanyang army is a part of the conquest of King Yong, if King Yong wants to weaken the hostile forces, then, what I do now is what King Yong wants to see the most, isn't it?" ”

Situ Wen's eyes condensed, and he said in a condensed voice: "So, how does Li Dudu want us to support it?" ”

Zhao Xun said in a deep voice: "Armor and equipment, grain and grass materials." Of course, it is necessary to suppress the army head-on. As long as the Qi army is scared, our Shanyang army can attack the Qi army from behind. Of course, at that point, it may affect the whole situation. ”

Situ Wen said coldly: "Want money? Lord Governor, you cheated me out of more than 700,000 yuan last time. ”

Zhao Xun replied with a smile: "Yes, but judging from the current situation, as long as you can defeat the conquest coalition army, let alone 700,000, it is 7 million, His Royal Highness King Yong is willing, isn't it?" Besides, in the past, in order to support Xu Jie, Lord Situ spent no less than three million silver coins. The result? Nothing. However, I can make King Yong go from disadvantage to advantage. ”

"Of course, the most important thing is that if I can succeed, then the one behind Lord Situ will be the prince with the greatest meritorious service among the sons of His Royal Highness King Yong. Then, in the future, he will succeed His Royal Highness King Yong, and the one who will replace the Situ family will be the one you support, Lord Situ. ”

As soon as these words came out, Situ Wen's face suddenly became excited. Zhao Xun's words made Situ Wen's heart beat involuntarily. If Murong Cheng's crusade fails in the end, then King Yong's forces will have the upper hand, and it is very likely that he and the prince who has made the greatest contribution and the prince who supports him behind him will succeed King Yong.