Yang Kan also sneered: "It is precisely because most of them agree with your Lord Zhu's opinion that we can't repel Hou Jing's rebels, everyone knows that the land route is easy to attack by water, but Hou Jing often takes the sword sideways, and likes to think in the opposite direction with ordinary people, which is the key to his surprising victory." As His Majesty can see, the south of the city is indeed easy to walk, but what is the difference between this and the west of the city? The city wall is tall and deep ravines, and it is impossible to shake it head-on, on the contrary, it is adjacent to Xuanwu Lake in the north, and our army's defense is weak, and it is very likely to become the target of Hou Jing's sneak attack, but this transfer order was arranged by the minister in private from all the generals, but I don't know where Your Majesty knows? ”

Zhu Yi didn't wait for Xiao Yan to speak, and got up anxiously to argue: "You are embarrassed to say that you are hiding it from Your Majesty and everyone, if I hadn't told Your Majesty in advance, I am afraid that we will not know that we will be betrayed by you!" Yang Kan is clear now, it was Zhu Yi who told Xiao Yan the news, the key is how did Zhu Yi know the news? Do you still have his eyeliner in your own army?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat behind his back, this Zhu Yi was so terrible, even his cronies were bought by him, it seems that the imperial court is really dark, and there are parties and selfish intrigues everywhere, how can such a country do well? Is it true that as Hou Jing said, the Liang State is terminally ill, and the only way out is to violently overthrow and re-establish a new order?

At this time, Xiao Yan looked at him and didn't speak, and asked loudly: "General Yang, I came to ask you, is what Master Zhu said true?" Yang Kan came back to his senses violently, and quickly knelt down to the emperor and said again and again: "Your Majesty, the minister is wronged, the minister is loyal to the country, and he dare not say that he has done his best, but he is also full of liver and brains, if it is really as Lord Zhu said, the minister is selfish, and the heaven and earth can learn from the sun and the moon, and he will teach me that Yang Kan will not die well." ”

Xiao Yan suddenly stood up, walked up to Yang Kan and stared at him for a while, during this period, even Zhu Yi felt that he might drag Yang Kan out and cut off his head at any time, and was looking forward to such a thing happening, but Xiao Yan helped Yang Kan up and said with a smile: "I definitely believe that General Yang's sincere heart is just to show those people with ill intentions." As he spoke, he took off his shawl and put it on Yang Kan.

Yang Kan was flattered, and bowed to the emperor again and again, shouting: "Your Majesty Shengming! "This is called a companion like a companion tiger, although he is loyal, he can't escape the fate of don't doubt, Zhu Yi on the side also looked hot at this time, he thought he was dead, but he didn't think that the plot was reversed, Yang Kan was not only not beheaded, but also favored.

Now I finally understand why there are so many eunuchs and chaos in the country, Zhu Yi is indeed an extraordinary person, with unpredictable abilities and means, and ruthless conspiracy. Although Yang Kan avoided this calculation very thrillingly at this time, it was difficult to guarantee that he would not be tripped by Zhu Yi for the second and third times, so when he returned to the barracks, Yang Kan stayed awake all night, thinking about it over and over again.

Early the next morning, he summoned his eldest son (who served as the captain of the Yulin Guard in the palace) Yang Tan and his second son Yang Qiu (Guozi Jian Sacrificial Wine) to the military camp and told them to take advantage of the night to go out of the city from the city to the west tonight to defect to Xiao Duo, the king of Xiangdong. The two sons had tears on their faces, but they knew in their hearts that it must be that Jiankang would not be able to hold on, and their father would leave them a way back.

Yang Kan's third son is called Yang Kun, young but brave and courageous, so he has always kept him by his side as a herald military attaché, at this time Yang Kun said to the two brothers in high spirits: "The two brothers don't have to worry too much, this trip to Jingxiang to move the rescue troops is also a very dangerous road." I also hope that the two brothers will take care of their health, and my father will take care of me here, so you don't have to worry. At this time, when the family and the country are at stake, I hope that the two elder brothers will put the country first and the safety of the king first. ”

Yang Tan and Yang Qiu nodded again and again, and that night, under the escort of the guards, they disguised themselves as beggars, found Jiankang from the middle road, and went all the way west to Xiao Duo, needless to say. But although this matter was hidden, even Hou Jing's rebels were hidden, but it was never hidden from Zhu Yi's eyes, and Zhu Yi was confident that he would die now.

As soon as the sky was bright, Zhu Yi was waiting outside the palace gate, and as soon as the palace gate saw him, he entered the palace Taicheng to find Xiao Yan to report, at this time, Xiao Yan could no longer calmly look at Yang Kan after this series of things, and immediately asked Wang Yong to summon Chen Xianda, intending to let him go out of the mountain again to serve as the commander of the capital garrison, but unfortunately Chen Xianda was old and faint at this time, and he was by no means comparable to the bravery of the year. Yang Kan and Yang Kun's father and son were both arrested by Zhu Yi and others.

Zhu Yi looked at Yang Kun and scolded: "Big-eared military leader, teach you to despise the old slave, what should you talk about at this moment?" Yang Kan didn't turn his head and ignored him, Yang Kun scolded angrily: "Eunuchs have brought disaster to the country and the people, today my father and son were wrongfully imprisoned by you, and I will definitely seek justice from you in the future." You sell your lord to seek glory and leave a stink for 10,000 years, and when the nine clans are all over the place, see how you can call this gelding donkey? Zhu Yi was almost angry to death by Yang Kun's scolding of the Seven Tricks, and jumped to his feet and said loudly to the errand officer: "Pull me down and put me on death row, quickly!" Fast! Fast! ”

Hou Jing learned that the coach in the city had changed hands, and he was not in a hurry to attack Jiankang, and there was still plenty of time to spare. Xiao Duo, the king of Xiangdong, was slowly marching towards the capital at this time, and he didn't dare to go too fast, for fear that he would not be able to defeat Hou Jing, and he would be killed under Jiankang City after the division of the other Qin Wang. Most of the generals of Southern Liang did not have much combat experience, and most of them were mainly infantry, so they could not put up frontal resistance with Hou Jing's cavalry, so those Qin Wang's divisions were also dragging and procrastinating.

Hou Jing is really not powerful, even He Batsheng can defeat him, but why is it like entering a no-man's land in Jiangnan and rampage unscrupulously? It is precisely because there are very few generals in Nanliang who can fight, and Xiao Yan cannot effectively prevent internal forces from tilting against each other. The continuous internal friction allowed Hou Jing to take advantage of the void.

In short, Hou Jing decided after discussing with Xiao Zhengde that he would first support Xiao Zhengde as the new emperor, put Xiao Yan in the position of the emperor, and try to put him in the air first, Xiao Zhengde ascended the throne in Datong in Stone City two days later, changed the Yuan Tianpardon, and established his wife Qiao as the queen, and the three concubines were concubines, and even a cook under his command became an official, worshiping Hou Jing Universe General (the title of Curious Beauty), Hou Jing's subordinate Song Zixian Guo Yuanjian and others also held important positions in this pseudo-imperial court. After doing all this, Hou Jing decided to take advantage of Xiao Yan's unpreparedness and attack Taicheng from Xuanwu Lake in the north of the city.

Because of Zhu Yi, a traitor, to pass information to them, the entire Jiankanger and other defensive distributions were mastered by Hou Jing's rebels, Chen Xianda did not dare to act recklessly when he first came, and could only honestly distribute the defense forces step by step, he and Zhu Yi agreed that Hou Jing was unlikely to come by water, so a large number of troops were distributed in the west, south and east of the city, and a patrol force was only symbolically stationed in the north of the city, with a number of about 800 people.

That night, Hou Jing's cavalry and infantry made a feint in the west and south of the city, attracting Chen Xianda's attention, and he personally led 3,000 sailors to cross the Xuanwu Lake in the dark and came to the north of the city. Three thousand people, one person in a night suit, a lanyard short knife in his hand, the eaves and the wall climbed the city wall standing on the mountain, easily killed the guards and opened the city gate, three thousand people suddenly poured into the city, Hou Jing took the lead with people from the East Gate Bridge through the Leyou Garden along the north road all the way to the Guangmo Gate under the Taicheng.

At this time, Xiao Yan and the queen were still trembling in the mystery behind the dragon bed in the forbidden palace, and when Wang Yong told him that the north gate was lost and Hou Jing's rebels had reached Taicheng, he almost drew his sword and committed suicide, not wanting to die in the hands of Hou Jing's rebels and be humiliated. Fortunately, Wang Yong's eyes were quick, and he snatched the sword in his hand and persuaded him: "Your Majesty has not yet reached the point of self-judgment at this time. General Chen should be allowed to return to the palace as soon as possible to repel this small force that had infiltrated the inner city. So Xiao Yan asked Wang Yong to send someone to inform Chen Xianda to return to Fangtai City.

It's a pity that everything was too late, Zhu Yi was waiting for Hou Jinger and other rebels in Guangmomen as early as when the North Gate was lost. So when Hou Jing's 3,000 people appeared, Zhu Yi opened the city gate with tears in his eyes and put them all into the city. Xiao Yan has been wise and martial all his life, but unfortunately he was betrayed by a eunuch around him in the end, and it was difficult to prevent thieves day and night.

The rebels shouted the slogan of the Qing monarch and wantonly looted and plundered in Taicheng, and then the west of the city was lost, and Xiao Zhengde's rebels also attacked like a tide. Chen Xianda had less than a thousand Imperial Forest troops at this time, and all of them were cowering in the palace near the Taicheng Imperial Palace. Hou Jing's rebels surrounded these places, and Song Zixian and Guo Yuanjian in the south of the city also led troops into the city to set fire to everywhere, and the entire Jiankang suddenly fell into a sea of fire, and there were fleeing people and rebels who killed people, set fires, robbed and raped, just like purgatory on earth.

Hou Jing and Xiao Zhengde led the army to the emperor's residence in the palace, and Xiao Yan and Empress Wang Yong, Chen Xianda, and a kind of civil and military ministers cowered in the palace of Qinzheng at this moment. Hou Jing held a sword in his hand and led his men and horses to chase and kill the 1,000 Imperial Forest Army all the way under the guidance of Zhu Yi, until he reached the outside of the Qinzheng Palace, and the few dozens of Royal Forest Army retreated to the palace. Hou Jing said in a loud voice outside the hall: "Your Majesty, please come out, I, Hou Jing and the new emperor, have already brought people to protect you, Your Majesty?" ”

Xiao Yan in the palace even had the heart to die at this time, and now he became a prisoner of the rebels overnight, which is a fact that he can't accept, but Wang Yong and the ministers all knelt down to persuade him, and Chen Xianda also turned around and asked: "Your Majesty, although I despise the crisis at this moment, I forgive Hou Jingxiao Zhengde and dare not come nonsense to Your Majesty, if they have the intention of committing a crime, the minister will fight to the death to protect you and the queen." More than a dozen ministers also knelt down and prayed to him, Xiao Yan was pale at this time, his hair was scattered, and he looked up to the sky and sighed: "Is it supposed to be like this?" After waiting for a while, I saw Xiao Yan throw the sword in his hand and sighed: "That's it, Wang Yong, you go and tell Hou Jing that I am willing to go out to meet him and let his subordinates withdraw." ”

When Hou Jing and Xiao Zhengde saw Xiao Yan trembling out of the hall, Hou Jing suddenly found that Xiao Yan at this time was like two people when he first saw him. But now you are looking at Xiao Yan, who is short and withered, his eyes are sunken and disheveled, his body is rickety, and even his hair has fallen out a lot, and he is beginning to show his potential for baldness.

Hou Jing quickly took a few steps forward, put the sword back in the sheath and bowed to Xiao Yan and said, "The minister Hou Jing sees Your Majesty, and the minister who is late to save the car will forgive your Majesty." "Xiao Yan thought to himself, are you still too late to save the car? Who was escorting before that? At the moment, he was also very moved and said: "Aiqing, please hurry up, I have been waiting for you for a long time," the two of them showed each other's acting skills outside the palace, and both monarchs and ministers were powerful actors.

Xiao Yan suddenly saw Zhu Yi behind Xiao Zhengde, and then he realized that everything was this eunuch ghost, but unfortunately it was too late to realize it now. Xiao Zhengde saluted Xiao Yan and said, "Meet the Emperor." "The uncle and nephew are very embarrassed to meet in such a situation, Xiao Yan doesn't want to say anything, Xiao Zhengde's wolf ambition he has heard of for a long time, but for the sake of his closest relatives, he always just scolds him and does not have the intention to kill him, but if he knows that he will end up like this today, Xiao Yan may knock Xiao Zhengde out of the killer.

Xiao Yan was also a decisive and witty man in his early years, his hard background has always been his motivation for progress, but unfortunately he gradually lost his fighting spirit and decisiveness after winning the comfortable life of the world for decades, making him from a young man to an old man, and the older he is, the more perverse and violent he is, from killing meritorious ministers to listening to villains like Zhu Yi to manipulate power, the originally quiet and inactive Southern Liang court was made into a miasma, and the upper and lower parties and private friends were compared to traitors.

Therefore, the success and failure of Nanliang are concentrated in himself, just as the so-called success is also Xiao He defeated Xiao He, Xiao Yan's current miserable fate is directly related to his own actions. (To be continued.) )