In the busy street market of Chang'an, an old man with a white beard is particularly eye-catching, although the old man is dressed in coarse gray clothes, it is difficult to hide his Confucian demeanor.

I saw him sitting in the carriage, poking his head out from time to time to ask the groom, and his eyes that revealed wisdom were hidden by nervousness and impatience. It can be seen that the old man must have encountered an urgent matter to be so anxious.

When the carriage finally stopped at the majestic Imperial Palace, the old man jumped down in a hurry.

He didn't even wait for a report before he went straight in, and strangely, the armor guard did not dare to stop him, but respectfully allowed the old man to break in.

When the old man entered the Imperial Mansion, he saw that the officials were busy going back and forth. The old man easily found the main room, and when he entered the gatehouse, he saw several officials looking down to listen to what a middle-aged official wearing a blue ribbon was saying. The old man coughed dryly, and when the middle-aged official saw it, he hurriedly left the rest of the people and walked quickly to the old man, bowed down and said, "Father, why are you here?" ”

When the others saw that it was the boss's father, they also bowed deeply, went out of the door, and gently closed the door.

The middle-aged official hurriedly held the old man. Before the old man could sit down, he hurriedly said: "Wrong, the emperor has just ascended the throne, you are for political purposes, invading the princes, alienating the royal relatives, and even resentment, why are you here?" ”

It turned out that the mistake in the old man's mouth was the mistake of the imperial historian.

Chao Cuo replied: "Father doesn't know, if not, the status of the Son of Heaven is not respected, and the society is uneasy!" ”

"Ridiculous, do you know that the Liu family is safe, and my Chao family is in danger!" The old man was so angry that he coughed a few times.

Chao Cuo suddenly panicked, and called the attendants loudly, wanting to send his father to the mansion. The old man looked at Chao Cuo's firm expression, knowing that his son insisted on Qingshan's unrelaxed temperament, so he could only sigh, wave his hand and say, "I'd better go back to my hometown in Yingchuan!" ”

Chao Cao looked at his father's back and was stunned for a while, and he couldn't help but feel a little melancholy, but when he came back to his senses, he threw himself into a thousand official duties.

Busy with official business, how could he have expected that this farewell would become an eternal farewell.

Chao's father returned to Yingchuan's house all the way, and had a premonition that the family would suffer misfortune, and he couldn't bear to see the tragic ending in the future, so he chose an extreme way and committed suicide by taking poison.

More than ten days later, before Chao Cuo could wait for the news of his father's death, he first learned the bad news that shook the whole country.

King Wu united the six vassal states and finally raised an army to rebel.

The situation far exceeded Liu Qi and Chao Cuo's expectations, putting Chao Cuo in an embarrassing situation in front of Liu Qi.

The cutting of the feudal domain was led by Chao Cuo, and the consequences of the cutting of the feudal domain were also patted on the chest in front of Liu Qi, but now it is good, the twenty-two vassal states have rebelled against seven, except for a few who have clearly stated that they are on the side of the imperial court, the rest are either watching or quietly preparing.

Liu Qi looked at the urgent reports flying from the counties, especially the song of the king of Liang asking for help, and was so anxious that the six gods were at a loss for a while, so he could only wait for the civil and military ministers to come to the court.

Even if the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs did not gather all of them, he hurriedly ordered the Imperial Servant to announce the beginning of the court meeting.

"What should I do?" Liu Qi asked the ministers for help blankly.

As soon as the words fell, the court was like an explosion, full of complaints and sighs.

Everyone's eyes looked at Chao Cuo, who was contemplating and pondering, this person was the initiator and executor of the event, he didn't speak, others didn't need to wade into this troubled water, in extraordinary times, saying a wrong word could lead to burning. As the saying goes, the bell needs to be tied to the bell, and since Chao Cuo dares to launch a reduction in the domain, then he must have thought of a countermeasure.

However, the ministers seem to have overestimated Chao Wrong.

It is very clear that he has miscalculated the situation himself, and if he does not handle it properly, not only will he lose his merits, but he will also have to bear the infamy of the ages.

However, if you don't say that you are ugly and come up with a strategy today, it will be unjustifiable in any way. If you don't annoy Liu Qi, you will have to drink the northwest wind in the future.

So far, Chao Cuo, who has always been arbitrary and resourceful, has not spoken a word, because the time for Chao Cuo to receive the report is too short, and the situation is greatly beyond his expectations, he has not had time to come up with countermeasures, in addition, Chao Cuo also wants to listen to the opinions of others, and it is wise to make a decision himself.

Liu Qi was not in a hurry to admonish Chao Cuo, he was so anxious that he sent Doctor Chao to kneel down, he looked at the teacher who was contemplating and thinking, hoping that he could open Chrysostom for the first time and mobilize the atmosphere of political discussion, even if it was to talk nonsense, shouting some slogans is better than holding back!

The atmosphere of the court meeting was so embarrassing that it became embarrassing.

Everyone has something to say, but it's not easy for anyone to start this, after all, the supervisor hasn't spoken, and it's not easy for others to cut in line. And everyone knows that Lord Chao has an upright and harsh personality, and if he disobeys him, he may be retaliated against in the future.

When burning his eyebrows, Liu Qi finally understood a problem.

He suddenly discovered that for more than three years, with his connivance, the courtiers had developed a bad habit. Every time they hold a court meeting, they will give up the first right to speak to Chao Cuo.

Liu Qi's thinking got into the tip of the horns.

Liu Qi believes that the reason why the courtiers were reluctant to take the initiative to speak up was because they were afraid of mistakes.

The problem is serious!

Liu Qi's mind suddenly had emotions of internal and external troubles. Although Liu Qi was vaguely aware of the problems of the imperial court, because he was in it, he couldn't really understand it, what the courtiers were afraid of was not Chao Cuo, but the huge figure behind Chao Cuo, this figure was himself.

Without his connivance, without his favor, can Chao Cuo have such a deterrent?

Liu Qi drooped his head, still looking at Chao Cuo, who had a long flowing beard, and there was a sense of strangeness in his heart.

Suddenly, Chao Cuo coughed a few times, and the spirit of the court was lifted.

The ministers pricked up their ears for fear of missing a single word from the mouth of the first minister of the dynasty.

Chao Cuo said loudly: "The minister thinks that the thief is extremely powerful, and His Majesty should drive the expedition in person!" ”

As soon as Chao Cuo's voice fell, the hall exploded again.

The Tingchao faction praised this as a good way to improve the morale of the front and deter the anti-thieves. The anti-Chao faction was dismissive, thinking that Lord Chao would have some clever plan, but he didn't expect to come up with a bullshit method for a long time, which was ridiculous.

Liu Qi was also stunned by this suggestion, although he said that he was proficient in riding and shooting, but after all, he had never been on the battlefield, and he didn't know how to march and fight, so he wanted him to drive the expedition in person, which was 10,000 unwilling.

"I am the emperor and the pro-conquest, so who will defend the capital?" Liu Qi's question shows that he rejected Chao Cuo's proposal, his own son is young, so he did not have a prince, and if he wants to conquer in person, there will be no qualified person in Chang'an City to take on the important task of sitting in the national capital.

Chao Cuo was also confused for a while, just came up with a bad idea, and then gave an answer that stunned everyone.

Chao Cuo said indifferently: "The ministers should stay behind, Your Majesty can send troops to Xingyang, according to the enemy, temporarily abandon the area of Tongguan in Xuzhou, and wait for the rebels to reduce their spirit, Your Majesty will wait for work and quell the rebellion in one fell swoop!" ”

Liu Qi was stunned when he heard this.

This is like the words of a courtier? Can this come from the mouth of Lord Chao? Although Chao Cuo is his own teacher and has the friendship of teachers and students, how can the friendship between teachers and students go against the way of monarchs and ministers? When the emperor went to the front, while the courtiers hid in the rear. What is this system? Even if you stay behind, it should be the queen mother who stays behind, and the prince who stays behind, how can you say that you are wrong to stay? Besides, if you come to stay, if you stab you in the back, then I won't be finished.

Liu Qi continued to droop his head, and a series of question marks surfaced in his mind. But because of the relationship between teachers and students, it was inconvenient for him to refute, so he could only remain silent.

Although he still has little experience in politics, he still knows very well in his heart that Chao Wrong's advice is absolutely unacceptable, and the dragon chair must stick to his ass at any time, and if he does it, he will only die faster.

The light of Chao Chao quickly retreated in Liu Qi's heart, and finally slowly dimmed.

Speechless for a long time, Liu Qi's gaze kept sweeping over the courtier's face.

Isn't there a real savior in my court? Could it be that I can really just sit back and wait for death?

For the first time in Liu Qi's heart, he experienced his father's state of mind when he was eager to seek talents.

Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a general standing solemnly in heavy armor, and the courtiers exchanged heads and talked about each other, but he was the only one who always stood solemnly and thoughtfully.

This middle-aged general is none other than the hussar general Tiao Hou Zhou Yafu.

Liu Qi suddenly remembered his father's last words when he was dying, "If the matter is urgent, you can use Zhou Yafu as a captain."

Liu Qi summoned Zhou Yafu out of the ranks, without saying a word, and in the consternation of everyone, he worshipped Zhou Yafu as a lieutenant, and ordered him to be fully responsible for the suppression of the chaos.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yafu seemed to have been prepared, and without hesitation, he readily agreed.

This day has finally come, from the prophecy of Xiangshi to the death of Emperor Wen, from the teachings of my father to the high hopes of the imperial court, I, Zhou Yafu, have only one mission, to meet the challenge and go to the country.

Liu Qichang breathed a sigh of relief, and he told the new lieutenant with a firm look.

The rise and fall of the country is entrusted to you!