After the two rectifications, Han Jian only left more than 50,000 border men and horses in the north, and a large number of soldiers were requisitioned and transferred to the two defense lines of Yuzhou and Jiangdu, but only Su Tingxia's men and horses were still stationed north of the Yellow River and refused to cross the Yellow River.

Before Han Jian toured the capital of Xingjiang, he had to solve the problem of Su Tingxia's men and horses, but if it was solved by force, Han Jian was afraid that it would affect the stability of the current situation in Luoyang.

On the second day of the first month of March, just two days before the start of the patrol, Han Jian issued an edict to the locality, in the name of the local guarantee of the Son of Heaven's patrol, the local garrison soldiers and horses were rectified, Han Jian's southern tour of the way, will reorganize the local people and horses to accompany the royal car to Jiangdu, Han Jian's descendants will have more than 20,000 people and horses, plus the people and horses collected by the local government, there will be more than 30,000 people and horses to arrive in Jiangdu.

In the past few days of March, the court and the central government held a court meeting in Ye'an Pavilion every day, in fact, they were preparing for Han Jian to leave Luoyang. The departure of the Son of Heaven from Luoyang is a major event, especially when the country is stable and stable, even if many people think that Han Jian should not return to Jiangdu at this time, they also know that Han Jian is preparing for the southern expedition to the Qi Dynasty. To stabilize the rear, everything must be handed over to Ning Yuan, but Han Jian is not particularly at ease with Ning Yuan, and he has arranged people to replace Ning Yuan for the important yamen in the DPRK and China.

On the afternoon of the second day of the third lunar month, Han Jian sent an envoy to Su Tingxia's military camp in Jiangbei to deliver a message to Su Tingxia, ordering Su Tingxia to follow the emperor south with his 20,000 horses. This was seen as a signal for Han Jian to make a move on Su Tingxia, and the envoy did not come out again after entering Su Tingxia's military camp, and then Su Tingxia's men and horses began to cross the Yellow River to the south, but did not come in the direction of Luoyang, but according to the principle of the local people and horses Qinwang, the soldiers and horses were stationed in the northwest of Luoyang City sixty miles, and then Su Tingxia personally led a small group of men and horses to the direction of Luoyang City.

Because Su Tingxia was marching overnight, when Han Jian learned about this situation, it was also when Han Jian was preparing to go to bed at Gu Xin'er's place. Su Tingxia had obviously prepared to cross the river for a long time. Even the boat was prepared a long time ago, and the speed of crossing the river exceeded Han Jian's imagination. After all, Su Tingxia had a large number of people and horses, and it took about two days to cross the river, but Su Tingxia had already crossed the river in less than half a day.

Han Jian redressed and went to Ye'an Pavilion to hold an emergency military meeting, and before Su Tingxia arrived in Luoyang with his relatives, Han Jian also had to make a decision. Whether to let Su Tingxia enter the city, or to turn Su Tingxia away.

Not only was Han Jian in a hurry to learn about the situation, but even the ministers of the DPRK and China suddenly learned that even Ning Yuan had not had time to discuss the matter with his cronies before the little eunuch who had passed the decree from the palace broke into the house. Ning Yuan knew that the matter was urgent, originally Han Jian led the troops south, and more or less would use the descendants of Jiangdu as the main generals to lead the troops, and as the two major meritorious figures in the northern resistance to Xianbei, Lin Zhan and Su Tingxia, one had to guard the North Pass. The other has lost Han Jian's trust and should not be the coach of the south.

Ning Yuan even contacted a lot of generals as an internal response in the army, but if Su Tingxia came to Luoyang alone, Han Jian would not kill Su Tingxia, a hero who had made great achievements, otherwise he would not be able to explain to the soldiers and people of the three armies, and Su Tingxia might become the main general sent by Han Jian to lead the troops in the south this time.

"Master, you better wait for the time being, and when everyone comes, it's not too late to discuss before leaving." In Ningyuan Fuzhong. Only the celebrity Yun Huatong invited by him was the strategist. Yun Huatong did not serve in the court, but only as a guest of the Ning Mansion. On weekdays, he made suggestions and suggestions, but he also tried his best to win Ning Yuan's trust. According to Yun Huatong's idea, Ning Yuan should discuss with his vassal colleagues before entering the palace later, there is a very subtle change in the situation, if Han Jian reaccepts Su Tingxia, he will have to give up one son, which is like playing chess. If Han Jian took the opportunity to seize Ning Yuan's phase, then Ning Yuan's entry into the palace without defense would be tantamount to being slaughtered.

Compared with a year ago, when Ning Yuan first took office as the minister of Lingshang Shutai, Ning Yuan's influence in the DPRK and China is more deep-rooted, and he not only has a large number of supporters, but also extends his influence in the army. At a time when the power needs to be contained. Ning Yuan had been expanding his power, even if Han Jian had been tolerating pretending not to know, how could the emperor allow him to have a huge power? Especially before Han Jian was about to leave Luoyang to conquer the Qi Dynasty in person, Han Jian obviously had to prepare for the war, and the first thing to guard against was the rebellion of the ministers, and among the people who could make trouble, Ning Yuan was the most dangerous.

Ning Yuan put on his court clothes, but he didn't seem to think so, he felt that with his current power, it was impossible for Han Jian to do anything to him, as far as he knew, his daughter Ning Xiuyan had not fallen out of favor, and Han Jian had not made a move in Luoyang City Defense, so it was unlikely that he would attack him. Ning Yuan said: "Your Majesty is still worried about the rebellion of the generals, as a minister, you should enter the palace to give advice to Your Majesty." ”

So he ignored Yunhuatong's reminder, asked people to prepare a sedan chair, and entered the palace overnight to go to Ye'an Pavilion.

When Ning Yuan's sedan chair stopped at the gate of the palace, ministers and generals entered the palace one after another, and Ning Yuan stepped down from the sedan chair, and immediately a minister came to inquire about Ning Yuan's meaning. Ning Yuan really wanted to get rid of Su Tingxia earlier, because Su Tingxia made a lot of enemies in the court, not only did the Confucianists hate him to the core, but even the people of the Jiangdu faction lacked a good impression of Su Tingxia.

"Master Ning, no matter what Your Majesty says, you have to use troops against the south, if you kill the general at this time, will it have an impact on the morale of the army?" On the way to the palace, there were two people who had been following Ning Yuan, and they were also on the staff on this matter. Even if they think that Su Tingxia should be killed, but they are worried that Han Jian will not be able to do this, although Su Tingxia has been a little evil in the past few years, but he is also doing things for the imperial court, one is to conquer the Bohai Kingdom, the second is to conquer Guanzhong, and the third is to conquer Xianbei, these three wars have established Su Tingxia's position as the second-in-command in the army, and he is one of Han Jian's founding generals, and Su Tingxia's position is not easy to shake.

Li Zhong, the head of the household, walked over and whispered to Ning Yuan: "Master Ning, I heard that Your Majesty summoned a person from Jiangdu, but this person has not shown up, but I don't know if it is Your Majesty's old friend in Jiangdu?" ”

Ning Yuan frowned slightly: "Old friend, who?" The son of the Sima family in Jiangdu? Didn't he already make a prime minister for the Southern Dynasty and prepare to be an enemy of the Northern Dynasty? ”

Li Zhong shook his head and said: "I also listened to the rumors of the local post station, the specific situation is unknown, but it seems that His Majesty attaches great importance to this person and has the intention of entrusting him with important tasks." Do you think that among the people of Jiangdu today, can there be anyone who can take on a big responsibility? ”

Ning Yuan was puzzled, Jiangdu's military and political system. With Jiangdu Sima as the main body, it is impossible for Han Jian to bring Sima Yi's father to Luoyang, otherwise how to deal with Jiangdu's defense? To say that this Sima family is also very strange, the father is Sima of the north and southeast Jiangdu, and the son has become the military leader of the south and north of the river, which is equivalent to father and son working against each other. Or it is not impossible for Han Jian to transfer Sima Zheng to Luoyang in order to prevent the Sima family from fighting each other on the battlefield.

Ning Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't know." But His Majesty will go to the capital of Xingjiang the day after tomorrow, and if someone comes at this time, there will be a lot of articles. ”

The group finally arrived at Ye'an Pavilion, and before they entered the door of Ye'an Pavilion, a little eunuch came out to pass the word, and let Ning Yuan go in alone to talk, and the others. Including those descendants of Jiangdu, they can only wait outside.

Ning Yuan entered the Ye'an Pavilion, but he was still a little surprised, at this time, Han Jian was not the only one sitting on the main seat in the Ye'an Pavilion, there was also a figure who gave him a headache, and it was also the former empress Yang Rui who he offended when he purged the old forces in Luoyang. Although Yang Rui is no longer the empress, because of his relationship with Han Jian, even if Yang Rui abdicates. His status in the palace is also outstanding, and Yang Rui is sitting on a chair next to Han Jian at this time. was looking up and squinting at Ning Yuan, making Ning Yuan feel a burst of cold sweat.

"Chen Ningyuan, see Your Majesty." Ning Yuan bowed.

Ning Yuan was originally looking down at a notebook, but when he heard this, he raised his head slightly, lowered his head and said, "Ning Aiqing doesn't need to be polite. I asked you to come in because I had to consult this notebook first. ”

said. Han Jian asked the little eunuch to present the recital he had in hand to Ning Yuan, and when Ning Yuan opened it, he saw that it was a joint participant in his transgression recital, and among the people who played it, there were not only old ministers of the previous dynasty. There were also some characters that Ning Yuan didn't dare to imagine before, and among these people there were also his direct vassals, which made him feel that things were unusual, and in them, Ning Yuan even found the name of Li Zhong, the head of the household who had just passed the wind with him before.

Ning Yuan hurriedly knelt on the ground, as if to apologize: "Your Majesty, the old minister is dedicated to the court, and he does not dare to have any tyranny and encroachment, and please let Your Majesty know about it." As he spoke, he raised the notebook above his head, with great respect for Han Jian.

Han Jian asked the little eunuch to take the notebook back, and then said: "Ning Aiqing has always been the person I rely on in the court, and now that I am about to lead the troops south, it is inevitable that there will be villains who slander me in front of me, how can I take it seriously?" Come and give Ning Aiqing a seat. ”

Ning Yuan simply felt like a cloud falling, although Han Jian was not angry, but just now he still had the intention of punishing him, but he turned his head and saluted him, which made him feel in a trance. Han Jian convened the ministers at Ye'an Pavilion at night today, and actually let the former empress Yang Rui accompany him, which was not a simple matter in itself, even if the seat was moved, he sat down very cautiously, and he was also thinking about what Han Jian's intentions were.

Han Jian said: "I asked the eunuch to explain the matter, originally I wanted to send an envoy to General Su's military camp, so that General Su would lead the troops south as soon as possible, but who knew that he would lead the troops across the river in one day, and the people would come to Luoyang." I summoned the ministers over to discuss this matter, after all, Ning Taishi has an outstanding reputation in the court, I don't know if he has insight into this matter? ”

Ning Yuan thought for a while, then lowered his head and said respectfully: "Back to Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that General Su is a meritorious general of our dynasty, and since he has entered the city, he should do his best to appease him." ”

"Oh?"

Han Jian looked at Ning Yuan, and then said, "Don't Ning Taishi think that General Su is too radical in his behavior, and his reputation among the people is a little bad, if he leads the troops, it will inevitably endanger everyone in the Southern Dynasties, and the city will not surrender smoothly?" ”

Ning Yuan said: "Your Majesty uses troops and acts in the way of heaven, how dare the people of the south disobey?" ”

Han Jian sneered, Ning Yuan's answer was obviously a bit perfunctory. As far as Han Jian knows, Ning Yuan has been contacting Su Tingxia since a long time ago, hoping to establish contact with Su Tingxia, but Ning Yuan has a hot face and a cold buttocks, Su Tingxia disdains Ning Yuan even if he has no connections in the court, this is not that Su Tingxia has no one in his eyes, but Su Tingxia judges the situation and assesses the situation, if Han Jian wants to get rid of the person, if he Su Tingxia dares to rank second, then it is none other than Ning Yuan who can be listed first. Su Tingxia has had a rough life for half of his life, and he is still very cautious in controlling his own fate, so he naturally will not put his chips on Ning Yuan.

This also attracted Ning Yuan's jealousy, and Ning Yuan should have to get rid of Su Tingxia. But because of Han Jian's threat just now, Ning Yuan actually changed his attitude and didn't mention the matter of killing Su Tingxia, which also surprised Han Jian a little.

Han Jian nodded slightly and said: "I sent troops to the south this time, preparing to lead the troops with two generals, one of them sent troops to Jiangdu, and harassed Yangzhou and other places with false soldiers, so that the soldiers and horses of the Southern Dynasty could guard Jinling and not take care of others. The other group of men and horses drove straight in, from the right side of the river diagonally to the south, first taking Jiangjiang, and then Shuzhong, in order to collect most of the southern territory under the rule of our dynasty. ”

Ning Yuan pondered for a moment, Han Jian actually discussed military politics with him, and he was talking about the general strategy of sending troops. This is a bit unexpected, in the past, Han Jian didn't talk about discussing this kind of thing with him, even small military affairs would not let him be involved, which was also the reason why he wanted to wait for the opportunity to seize power to fight against the imperial court.

"Your Majesty is strategic, and the old minister is not familiar with military affairs, but it is also a good move taken by His Majesty. It's just that...... When is Your Majesty going to march into Jinling and destroy the Southern Dynasty in one fell swoop? ”

Han Jian shook his head and said, "It's too urgent." To fight steadily, I let Ning Taishi in, not to discuss how to attack the Southern Dynasty and make it perish, but to use Ning Taishi as a reference, who can lead the troops to the great task of waving the troops, this sent troops to Jiangzuo, and fought with Zhu Tongjing, the king of Linjiang in the Southern Dynasty, as well as the Southern Dynasty Lin, what a famous general, I really don't know in my heart. ”

Ning Yuan was overjoyed in his heart, and immediately wanted to recommend his descendant generals. But as soon as he reacted, if Han Jian was tricking him, what if he wanted to know who he had close contacts with in the army?

Ning Yuan's heart moved, and he said: "Back to Your Majesty's words, the old minister thinks that the two princesses of the county sent by His Majesty to conquer Guanzhong have always been heroes among women, and now it is most suitable for her two nobles to lead the troops." ”

Han Jian shook his head and said, "It's not good, it's not good." Even if my two aunts are heroes among women, they are always women, not excellent candidates, and I originally intended to use General Su to take on this position, but if you think about it carefully, if the people think that he has committed murders, and they are afraid of our dynasty, it is very inappropriate. Other people, in the army, either lack prestige, or do not believe me, think about it, only Ning Taishi, you have a deep will, as the best candidate to lead the troops south. ”

In a word, Ning Yuan's cold sweat scared out again. (To be continued......)