Although Deng She was far away in Haidong, he still had some understanding of the palace battles in Dadu.

Today's Yuan Emperor has been in power for a long time, and the son of the Qi family, Aiyu Zhilitra, has been registered as the crown prince since the thirteenth year of Zhizheng, and it has been nearly eight years, and the spring and autumn are flourishing.

There was a custom in the Yuan Dynasty that whenever the crown prince was established, the crown prince would concurrently serve as the Zhongshu Order and the Privy Envoy. Zhongshu Ling is the highest governor of Zhongshu Province. The Privy Counsellor is the highest officer of the Privy Council.

Although these two positions are more fictitious than substantial, such as the Privy Council, the real power is actually held by the deputy envoy of the Privy Council and other deputy official positions, and the crown prince is only the nominal head to a large extent, but after all, he has become the most core decision-making power in the court.

In the fourteenth year of Zheng, Emperor Yuan issued an edict: "Edict: Zhongshu Province, Privy Council, and Yushitai, all the princes will be enlightened in advance." It can be said that with the two official positions of Zhongshu Ling and Privy Envoy, the crown prince will be unheard of about all military affairs, and "all of them will be executed".

Not in his position, not in his politics. If he is in power, in the face of the temptation of power, it is difficult for anyone to still be able to do not seek power. Moreover, at a time when the world was in turmoil, the country laid down by the ancestors and ancestors was in danger, and now Emperor Yuan, with the reputation of "Luban Son of Heaven", is lazy in government affairs, and is desolate in banquets, and the crown prince is young and vigorous, coupled with the ambition of the Qi family, all factors are combined, and he inevitably has the idea of usurping power.

In May last year, the crown prince invited a tour of the north to appease the army and civilians, and it seemed that he was worried about the country and diligent in political affairs, but in fact? Digging deeper, it cannot be ruled out that he has the idea of using this to develop his personal power. It's just that in the end, he couldn't make the trip due to "sparse retention on the imperial history platform".

Immediately, with the support and support of the Qi family, he made up for the idea of peace again.

At the time of peace, he was the prime minister of Zhongshu Province, and he was a close minister of Emperor Yuan, and he was in a high position. The Qi clan and he sent Pu Buhua to personally go out and tell Taiping that they planned to do "inner meditation" and force the current Yuan Emperor to abdicate the throne and ask Taiping's opinion. Taiping was favored by the current Yuan Emperor, and was silent and did not answer. Qi recruited him into the palace again, "raising wine and even before he intended it", but Taiping always refused to let go, insisted on refusing to agree, and "finally disobeyed".

The crown prince was very angry, and a few months later, finding an excuse, he killed two people with a rod. One is a Chinese scholar Zuo Cheng Zun, and the other is Zhao Zhong, a political governor. Because both of them are peaceful henchmen, he kills chickens and monkeys. Zhongshu Zuocheng, is the second product. Participate in the governor's affairs, from the second grade. The master of the second grade, he said that he would kill it, and it can be seen that his wings have already begun to form.

Taiping knew that the situation could not be kept, and in order to save his life, he resigned. Worship the Taibao and recuperate at home. Some ministers said that they thought that the current situation is difficult and dangerous, and Taiping has the ability to govern the country, so it is not a pity that "it is appropriate to take the teacher and the protector and the corresponding position", and it is best to concurrently serve as the official position of the prime minister of Zhongshu Zuo. However, "the emperor can not follow".

It's not "not from", but "can't from". Even his close ministers can't keep it, and the dilemma of Emperor Yuan and the aggressiveness of the crown prince can also be imagined.

So, since the crown prince already has such a big power, why can't he force Emperor Yuan to "inner Zen"? There are three reasons for this.

First of all, there are many courtiers who are loyal to Emperor Yuan in the court, such as the old Sha of the Imperial Historian. The old Sha is a man of lust, and he is the maternal uncle of the current Yuan Emperor, and he is loyal.

Secondly, Emperor Yuan has reigned for more than 20 years, and all the powerful ministers died at his hands, and hundreds of ministers were killed. The slightest concession does not endanger fundamental interests, and he may ignore it. If he is really forced to be in a hurry, the crown prince will be difficult to match.

Thirdly, and most crucially, the crown prince has no military power.

It is true that he is also a privy envoy, but the Privy Council is "in charge of the decrees of military affairs, military defense, border preparation, and military affairs", and is in charge of "government decrees", but it is not directly in charge of the army. Even if he is in charge of the army, it is good in the peaceful years, but in the troubled times, where is the actual military power? In the hands of local separatist warlords. In short, in the hands of Chahan and Polo.

What kind of character is Chahan? The limelight is blowing.

Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, half of the Yuan court was preserved, and the reason why it was able to be recaptured and recovered from the hands of King Xiaoming and Liu Futong can be said to be almost all his own work. With such a great merit and high merit, will he take the crown prince in his eyes?

Take 10,000 steps back, even if he actively supports the crown prince, will the crown prince dare to accept his support? There is a Yuan generation, and the powerful ministers are in chaos one after another, and if you accept his support, won't you kill yourself? In the early years of Emperor Yuan, the rebellion of the powerful ministers and ministers was only 20 years ago, and the past is still there, and it must not be repeated.

Moreover, it was quite peaceful at the time, but now that there is great turmoil in the United Kingdom, it is not as good as in the past, so it is even more difficult to find Chahan's support. Just imagine: Chahan is already infinitely beautiful, if the crown prince adds fuel to the fire, he will use his own influence to become a standout, and develop to the end, in this future domain, who will be in the world, I am afraid it is really uncertain.

Tsavhan support can't be found. Polo's support is hard to find.

The emperor's mind is nothing more than the word balance. Today's Yuan Emperor is well versed in this. In order to balance Chahan, he has always supported Polo either explicitly or implicitly. Polo has vested interests, so why bother to make such a move, risk the world's disapproval, and toss with the crown prince?

Just when the Qi clan and the crown prince were worried about having no military power, Deng She's envoy came.

I don't know what she thinks, but after hearing the news, she suddenly had a whimsical and thought: "Can you take this opportunity to get some military power for the crown prince?" After discussing with Pu Buhua and others, she felt that there was a lot to be done, so she immediately made a decision and met Liu Shimin and Luo Lilang in person.

Originally, the purpose of Liu Shimin and Luo Lilang's envoy this time was to hope that Wei Sijian and Pu Buhua could persuade the Qi family and the crown prince to use some of their influence in the court, or appropriately favor Chahan, or appropriately favor Polo, and strive to provoke discord between the two.

The apparent reason is that because Polo's strength is too strong, Haidong is afraid that he will attack him, hoping to get some respite. In fact, Deng She's original intention was to hope that Chahan would temporarily have no spare strength to look east to Yidu, so as to create a relaxed external environment for Haidong's annexation of Shandong. It is for "Ming Xiu plank road, secret crossing Chen Cang".

On the other hand, Deng She was willing to use Wang Qi's head and give a heavy salute in return.

But now that the Qi clan has such an idea, it is obvious that Wang Qi's head alone cannot satisfy her. Anyway, neither Chahan nor Polo can be used for him, and it doesn't matter if he provokes discord between the two of them, as long as it doesn't hurt his muscles and bones and does not damage the strength of the Yuan court. It's a balance. To be honest, even without Deng She's request, Emperor Yuan and the crown prince still had this idea.

Deng She was promised that he could, but Qi put forward two conditions.

First, Deng She had to accept the appointment of the Yuan court and walk from under the table to the table. Following Zhang Shicheng's old example, worship Deng She as a captain.

Second, he ordered Deng She to make peace with Naha on the same day, open the Liaoyang Pass, and allow the Mongols in Mo Nan and Mo to go south, and reappointed Naha as the Privy Council of Liaoyang Province.

At the same time, on the basis of Deng She's existing territory, Liaoyang Province and Haidong Province remained unchanged, with Deng She concurrently serving as Zuo Cheng of Liaoyang Province, and a close confidant of the crown prince as the Pingzhang political affairs of Liaoyang Province. The three treasure slaves of the Qi clan in Dadu were used as the Zuo Cheng of Haidong Province, and Deng She was also the Privy Council of Zhihai East Province.

The focus of her first condition was to force Deng She to turn from darkness to light, which was equivalent to announcing to the world that he had surrendered to Meng Yuan. The focus of the second condition is to install wings and control Haidong and Liaodong. So that the crown prince can take the opportunity to grasp some military power and strengthen the momentum of the party.

Liu Shimin and Luo Lilang's report was soon sent to Yidu.

After reading it, Deng She was stunned for a long time, and said for a long time: "Stealing chickens is not a recipe for rice." "He can accept peace with Naha, including the opening of Liaoyang Customs. But it is impossible for him to accept Meng Yuan's appointment openly and honestly, and let the crown prince install wings in Haidong.

He asked Luo Guoqi and the others: "What do you think?" ”

"It's really surprising that Qi's would put forward these two conditions." Luo Guoqi said, "This is obviously borrowing chickens to lay eggs, and I want to seek personal interests for her by controlling our Haidong." If we promise her, then we will be in a passive position to make wedding clothes for others,......" he shook his head, "I think we must not agree." ”

Pan Xian'er stepped out of the queue and put forward the opposite opinion, saying, "No. The minister thinks that the focus of Qi's two requirements is not to borrow chickens to lay eggs, with the prestige of the lord in Haidong, even if she is allowed to plant her wings and let it go, who will listen to her in Haidong?

"Especially my Haidong army, which was created by the lord, not to mention Ren Naha as the Privy Council of Liaoyang Province, and Sanbaonu as Zuo Cheng of Haidong Province, even if the positions of Liaoyang Province Zuo Cheng and so on, they are all handed over to her people, at best, they are just puppets. The real power of Haidong is still in the hands of the lord.

Therefore, the focus of these two requirements of the Qi clan in the early stage should be to force the lord to turn from darkness to light. In the minister's opinion, it doesn't hurt to agree to her. As long as the lord agrees, she will provoke Chahan and Polo to fight, which will actually benefit me Haidong without harm! Why not? ”

Yang Xingjian waved his hand again and again, disapproving, and said, "No, no, no." Master Pan only saw the benefits, but not the name.

"May I ask Lord Pan, if the lord agrees to the Qi family, how should I face the two consequences? First, the lord has become a villain who betrays the lord and surrenders to the enemy, and this enemy is still a Hulu, and he has a deep sea of blood with my Yanhuang nobles, and he is incompatible. What will the heroes of the world think of the lord? What would you say about the lord?

"Second, we are now in Yidu, and the foundation of the lord's plot against Shandong is because I Haidong and Yidu are originally a family, and Wang Shicheng is not too wary of us. If the lord accepts Qi's conditions, will my Haidong still have a foothold in Yidu? How else can I attack Shandong in Haidong? ”

Pan Xianer knew that his status in Deng She's mind was far inferior to that of Luo Guoqi and Yang Xingjian, and he was very modest, he said: "The name is not right, and the words are not good." The 'name' is of course important. But don't be rigid.

"The minister made an inappropriate analogy, and Zhou Lang called Cao Cao: 'Although he is a Han minister, he is actually a thief.'" was called a thief, Cao Cao is not without notoriety. Cao Chao said Sima Zhao: 'Sima Zhao's heart is known to passers-by. Sima Zhao is not without notoriety. So what? The world of the Han family will eventually belong to the Cao family. The world of the Cao family will eventually belong to the Sima family.

"Again, Chen Ping stole his sister-in-law, and everyone thought he was virtuous. Han Xin was humiliated in the crotch and was known as a famous general. Why? Judging the situation, not sticking to false names, knowing flexibility, knowing current affairs, this party is a big husband, and can be called a handsome man. Now that the Mengyuan is descended, there will be Baili; Sticking to a false name will do a lot of harm. How to choose, Lord Yang's clever person, there is no need to say more, he must have seen it thoroughly.

"As for the raiders Shandong. The lord can temporarily make peace with Qi Shi Xuan and continue to send envoys to negotiate with her to delay time. In this way, I can benefit and avoid disadvantages. Kill two birds with one stone. ”

Dunsher groaned.

Yang Xingjian reads poetry and books a lot, and attaches great importance to the righteousness of fame. His face flushed, and he was about to retort when he opened his mouth. Luo Guoqi interrupted him and asked, "Qi's meaning is very clear, I, Haidong, will only agree to her two conditions first, and then she will help me stir up discord between Chahan and Polo." If according to what Master Pan said, being false and wrongful means that he has not put his promises into practice, and the Qi clan will not be satisfied, and I am afraid that he will not contribute to my Haidong. How can we 'get the benefits and avoid the disadvantages'? ”

"Flip these two conditions of hers."

"How do I turn it over?"

"Find an excuse, don't agree to her first request for the time being, you can agree to her second request first, and allow the crown prince's cronies and three treasures to enter Haidong."

"What excuse?"

"Last year, the crown prince attempted to make a northern tour, but he was unable to make the trip. I, Haidong, am willing to dispatch elites to capture the north, provoke trouble, and create opportunities for the crown prince to tour the north. Even, the lord can propose by name that he will not demote the Yuan Emperor, admire the virtue of the crown prince, and be willing to demote the crown prince. Use this as an excuse.

"However, there is a premise, Polo is powerful, if our army wants to capture the north and provoke trouble, I am afraid that it will not be his opponent, so as not to be self-defeating, the Qi clan and the crown prince must first provoke the disagreement between Polo and Chahan, and then I Haidong can send troops to build momentum for the crown prince."

Luo Guoqi said: "It's easy to talk on paper, although Lord Pan's strategy is good, but the Qi family and the pseudo-Yuan crown prince are not three-year-olds, will they willingly act according to this?" ”

"The lord sent envoys to Dadu one after another, and once sent several big gifts to the Qi clan, avenging her for the extermination of the clan. In the first battle of Liaodong, the lord deliberately let go of the eunuch, thinking that he was showing goodwill. They may not believe in the sincerity of the lord because of this, but nine times out of ten they will judge the lord on this basis. Just like Zhang Shicheng, there is a foundation that can be used at both ends of the end.

"Moreover, Chahan is a dominant force, and its power is far greater than that of Polo, and for the Yuan court, it is not a matter of time before Chahan is suppressed. In other words, the lord's request is actually easy for them. It's easy, but it can be exchanged for the lord's willingness to build momentum for the crown prince, just like a person sitting at home, ingots come from the sky, why not do it? ”

Pan Xianer believes that balancing the matter of Chahan and Polo will be done sooner or later by the Mengyuan court. It is the same with or without Dunshe, at most, Dunshe's intervention promoted the matter in advance. So as long as Dunsheken promised them benefits, they would absolutely agree.

However, there is one point, Luo Guoqi asked: "Aren't they afraid that they will be busy in vain, and in the end, the lord will break his promise and leave a bamboo basket to draw water?" ”

"Even if the Lord finally breaks his promise, what harm will they do to them in vain? And in order to strengthen his faith, the lord can first sign a private agreement with him, and if the lord finally breaks his promise, let them publish the agreement to the world, so that it is not they who will be harmed, but the lord.

Moreover, they didn't know the lord's intention to attack Shandong, thinking that the lord was just seeking self-preservation. It can be inferred from this that if the lord breaks his promise, what good will it do to my Haidong? Could it be that the lord can still take the opportunity to go south and attack Dadu? Does the lord dare to do this? Without external pressure, Chahan and Polo can be at odds. With external pressure, will Chahan and Polo still be at odds? Thinking about the Three-Way Northern Expedition back then, Chahan and Polo will definitely be in unison with the outside world.

"To sum up, for them, it will be successful, and it will be profitable; No, no damage. As long as the lord shows his sincerity, the minister dares to assert that the Qi clan and the pseudo-Yuan crown prince will definitely agree. ”

Sounds plausible. Everyone's eyes turned to Deng She at the same time, and Deng She reclined on his seat, looking out of the hall, silent in thought.

——

1, with the help of Wei Sijian and Pu Buhua, provoked the infighting between Chahan and Polo.

This is not unachievable.

"When the emperor is tired of politics, he doesn't spend time on things, and he thinks about the prison as the inside and outside, the alarms of the four sides, and the merits of the generals, all of which are suppressed and disintegrated. However, the roots are solid, the arrogance is burning, and the internal and external officials tend to adhere to the nineteenth. He also declared that the government was happy, and he was in harmony with the evil, and he was the great beetle of the country. ”

In the course of the internal struggle between Chahan and Polo, "the Prime Minister and the Senior Minister's Yuan made Pu Buhua and insatiable, depending on the thickness of the bribes between the north and the south, and the secret decree was used to order you to merge with the north, and the bribes in the north were thick, and the bribes in the north were said to be ordered to merge with the south." Because of the deepening of grievances, the soldiers will not be able to understand it. ”