RNP Chapter 1598 Concubine Duanrong: Song Shu will never agree!
Chapter 1598 Concubine Duanrong: Song Shu will never agree!
Chapter 1598 Concubine Duanrong: She, Song Shu...will never agree!
Hamiwi
And in the camp five miles away from the city wall, in the military tents—
The Dzungar Khan was gathering his generals for a chat. Many Dzungar soldiers were sitting on the knee-high chairs below with serious expressions.
The Junggar Khan Baturhui, with a rough face, said in a deep voice: "The Han army relies on the strong city to hold out. If our army attacks the city rashly, there will be heavy casualties."
The Junggar tribe is now in a stalemate in the war.
Baturhui Taiji asked, "Is there any news from Galdan?"
At this time, a burly and resolute officer of the imperial guards stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Taiji, the young master sent someone to deliver the news this morning, saying that the Han army has begun to increase its troops and escort the grain and fodder to protect the grain route.
When the generals heard this, they all looked at each other in bewilderment.
During this period, Galdan led a group of elite cavalry to harass the Khan's army's food supply, but Pang Shili was not willing to fall behind and dispatched a group of cavalry to escort the food and fodder delivered from Shazhou Wei.
At this moment, Aletai's face was firm, and he said in a loud voice: "Taiji, the Han army's Beijing camp is sending more troops. I'm afraid it won't be easy to force the Han army to leave the city and fight by disrupting the food supply route."
Baturhui said coldly: "Our army is good at sending elite cavalry to fight in the field, and confronting the Han army offensively and defensively. It can be said that we use our own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths."
Now Baturhui also feels like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog, not knowing where to start.
Altay raised his thick eyebrows and said in a loud voice: "Khan, should we send a group of elite cavalry to attack Shazhouwei and go around the enemy from behind to divide the Han army's forces?"
At this moment, another officer in the military tent said, "The journey is long, and it is not easy to transfer troops and horses back and forth and replenish military supplies."
Baturhui said in a deep voice: "We can give it a try. The key is to transfer the Han army in Hami Weicheng."
Aletai said: "Khan, I will count the troops and prepare for the expedition."
Baturhui said: "Be careful along the way."
Altay responded, stood up, left the military tent, counted the troops and went to the battle.
Baturhui said in a clear voice: "Next, the troops will rest for three days and wait for the opportunity to fight."
The officers and soldiers below had different expressions on their faces when they heard this.
After all the generals left, Baturhui's face immediately became solemn.
Having been stationed under the city for a long time, the Dzungar Khan, who had been a soldier for half his life and had a keen sense of war, clearly sensed that something was wrong.
Under Baturhui's thick eyebrows that were as majestic as mountain peaks, there was a cold light surging in his eyes.
The current Han army is really different from the past.
……
……
Thousands of miles away in Tibet, the city of Qamdo——
Khoshut Khan, Gushri Khan, was now wearing a black scaled armor, standing at the foot of Chamdo, looking at the city wall in the distance which was controlled by the Han army.
Gushri Khan's face was as solemn as iron, and his eyes were gazing at the city of Chamdo in the distance.
On the top of the city wall, Prince Chahar, also known as the Mongolian Prince, was also wearing a suit of black iron armor. He was looking at the Tibetan troops in the distance, but a hint of sneer appeared on his face.
It won't be long before he can pacify Tibet. By then, he can find a pasture for Chahar in Qinghai Tibet, and the glory of his Golden Family will be restored in his hands.
The deputy general Xiong Hong beside him said, "Your Majesty, the Khoshut people have lost most of their fighting spirit. We Han people can make a concerted effort and go out of the city to defeat them."
The eyes of the Chahar Prince Ezhe were as sharp as a sword, and he said loudly: "Defend the city strictly and wait for the enemy to give up, then counterattack. Now is not the time to go out of the city and pursue them."
The deputy general Xiong Hong beside him, with a face as calm as iron and full of worry, said: "Your Majesty, the Gao family in Sichuan has rebelled. Should our army return to help?"
King Meng said loudly: "Our army is still far away from Sichuan, so there is no need to rush to its aid."
Just then, “Bang Bang!!!”
Gushih Khan, riding on a chestnut horse with black and red mane, stared at the top of the city wall and whispered, "Chahar Khan, come closer and answer me!"
At this moment, the Khoshut army selected a few warriors with loud voices and shouted to Prince Chahar above.
Prince Chahar's thick eyebrows showed a cold look in his eyes. He said loudly, "Gushi Khan, I have nothing to say to you!"
Gushri Khan said in a loud voice: "You and I are both descendants of Genghis Khan. Why should we go to war and do things that will bring pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies?"
Gushri Khan was a man of profound learning, and he was well versed in the cultural anecdotes of the Han people.
Ezhe sneered and said, "Gushih Khan, I, Ezhe, am a Han minister. Why didn't you, the Khoshut, respond when the Jurchens were forcing us? Why are you saying this now?"
Gushih Khan paused for a moment, and said in a clear voice: "At that time, my Khoshut troops were still in Qinghai, and the journey was too long to reach them. Even if we wanted to help Chahar, it would not be enough to help them from a distance."
Ezhe pondered for a moment and asked, "Gushi Khan, now the Han court treats the four barbarians equally. The Khoshut people should abandon the dark and join the light, and stop confronting the imperial army."
Gushihan looked at Ezhe with cold eyes and said angrily: "Ezhe, you don't have the blood of the Golden Family!"
Ezhe said coldly: "You are hiding in Tibet and your heart is not with the Golden Family. You are the one who has brought disgrace upon the Golden Family."
As the saying goes, if you don't agree, there's no need to talk too much. When Gushri Khan saw that he couldn't communicate with Prince Chahar, a cold look appeared in his eyes.
As he spoke, Gushri Khan reached out and took down a bow and arrow hanging on his horse, and seemed to shoot it towards Ezhe's face on the city gate tower.
The bow is like the full moon, and the arrow is like a shooting star.
Arrows were shot out and hit the plaque on the city gate tower. Then there was a "buzzing" sound and the tail of the arrow continued to shake.
Gushri Khan said loudly: "From now on, Khoshut no longer regards Chahar as the orthodox. Khoshut is the orthodox of the Golden Family!"
Having said this, he rode away without saying anything more.
The Meng Wang Ezhe raised his thick eyebrows, his eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he cursed back, saying: "There is no such person as you who has no loyalty to the emperor or the father in my Golden Family!"
As the sound of drums as dense as raindrops sounded, the Khoshut soldiers below, armed with weapons, began a massive siege on the city.
The Tibetan soldiers of Khoshut carried wooden ladders and attacked the city walls.
The sound of arrows whizzing through the air was heard, as dense as locusts, and they suddenly hit the city wall, making a series of clanging sounds.
For a moment, one could hear the deafening shouts of killing. At this moment, there was the sound of swords and guns clashing between the two sides, and then there was the sound of blades entering flesh, with bursts of "puff" sounds.
At this moment, screams could be heard accompanied by shouts of killing that shook the sky.
Both sides were Mongolian warriors, brave and good at fighting. At this moment, soldiers were fighting against soldiers, generals were fighting against generals, and they were all fearless and fighting bravely.
By noon, accompanied by the sound of "clang clang" to retreat, the Khoshut Mongolian soldiers retreated like a tide, leaving behind only corpses and broken swords and guns, as well as billowing smoke from burning flags.
Prince Chahar didn't say anything else. He turned back to the hall and sat down.
"Your Highness, the Khoshut people are coming today with great force, and their troops are still elite and difficult to defeat." At this moment, a young officer with a whisker spoke up.
Under the thick eyebrows of Prince Chahar, his clear eyes flashed fiercely, and he whispered: "Our army relies on the strong city, and the Khoshut are really nothing to be afraid of."
Upon hearing this, the young officer nodded and said nothing more.
Prince Chahar said: "Count the casualties and replenish the bows and arrows."
The young officer bowed and said yes.
……
……
Time flies, and two days have passed without me noticing.
As the news that Yangping Pass was successfully breached by the Beijing camp's official troops reached the capital city of Shenjing, the officials from both the court and the country gradually put their minds at ease.
However, some civil officials who had hoped to see Jia Heng's troops fail in their advance or even fall were now clearly disappointed.
Imperial Temple
Today is the Ghost Festival of the first year of Jianxing, and it is also the day when all the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty pay tribute to Emperor Shizong.
The Taimiao temple has been newly renovated. The beams and pillars are painted a dazzling vermilion. The green bricks and black tiles seem to be covered with a layer of moisture, reflecting the crystal clear light.
At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the capital came out of Anshun Gate and, under the guidance of the ceremonial officials, headed towards the Taimiao in a mighty procession.
At this moment, the Imperial Ancestral Temple was filled with captains and strongmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Their hands with thick joints were pressing on the exquisitely scabbarded Xiuchun swords. They looked alert and glanced around.
Ever since the assassination of Emperor Chongping in the Taimiao, the entire Jinyifu Guards have been on unprecedented alert around the Taimiao. Qu Lang personally led a team to patrol around the Taimiao.
At this moment, Li Zan stood at the head of a group of civil officials in the court. He was tall and straight, wearing a white mourning dress, holding an ivory jade scepter, and walking quickly towards the Taimiao.
Jia Heng was wearing a black and red satin robe. His face was as calm as water, and his eyes were bright and sharp under his sword-like eyebrows.
Well, there is nothing unusual in the Taimiao today.
Don't bury him alive with explosives.
Previously, people had been sent to conduct a thorough search of the Taimiao, and fortunately, nothing unusual was found.
At this moment, accompanied by the voice of the ceremonial officer suddenly sounded, and the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty stood according to their rank, wearing mourning clothes, and strode into the main hall of the Taimiao.
"kneel!"
Following the words of the Minister of Rites Liu Zheng, all the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty knelt down before the table with the tablet and portrait of Emperor Shizong.
A large crowd of ministers knelt down before the spirit tablet of Emperor Sejong.
Along with the cheers of "Long live the emperor" that shook the roof tiles, the smell of sandalwood incense rose from a rectangular altar in the hall, and everything was shrouded in a quiet atmosphere.
Liu Zheng unfolded the silk and recited the sacrificial text that he had written long ago. At this moment, the clear voice rang out in the empty hall, causing all the civil and military officials to be slightly moved and fall into an extremely sad mood.
It was unknown how long it took, but following Liu Zheng's "completion of the ceremony", all the ministers in the hall stood up one after another.
In a side hall, Concubine Duanrong was also kneeling on a cushion, facing the spirit tablet and portrait on the altar, her heart filled with sorrow.
Emperor Sejong, my sister and Ziyu have done something wrong to you, and I don’t know what to do.
Is the Han Dynasty going to fall into the hands of a foreigner?
Concubine Duanrong stared at the spirit tablet in a daze, her beautiful and charming face seemed to be covered with a layer of disappointment.
Because of Queen Song's "awkward" status as a criminal, she did not attend the worship ceremony.
In the front hall——
After Liu Zheng finished presiding over the sacrifice, Jia Heng did not say anything else, and said: "The worship of Emperor Shizong has been completed. My lords, please return to the palace now."
Li Zan's face was filled with sorrow, and he said, "Prince Wei can return home first. I would like to stay with Emperor Sejong for a while longer."
Xu Lu said: "King Wei, I am the same."
Jia Heng frowned and said, "Emperor Shizong is in heaven and would not like to be disturbed."
Who knows, Li Zan and the cabinet might be plotting something again, so we have to be on guard.
At this moment, Xu Lu, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, also came over from the side and said in a loud voice: "Prince Wei, Emperor Shizong revived the prosperous era. It is not difficult for us officials to commemorate Emperor Shizong and remember his past achievements."
Jia Heng took a deep look at Xu Lu.
Such a solemn and dignified place was naturally not suitable for arguing with Xu Lu. Jia Heng had no other words, but a feeling of suspicion arose in his heart.
Then, he walked quickly out of the hall, approached the eaves, and looked at the pavilions and palaces with their blue bricks and black tiles, and calmed himself down.
On this side, other civil officials left the second-floor attic and went to the outer room.
Xu Lu and Li Zan stayed for a while without saying much else. It seemed that he really stayed with Emperor Sejong for a little longer.
After a while, Li Zan, Xu Lu and others came out from the inner room. There seemed to be traces of tears on their clear cheekbones and old faces.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then approached, a hint of doubt on his resolute and calm face, and said in a loud voice: "My condolences, Lord Li."
Li Zan nodded and said, "Emperor Sejong became ill due to his worries about state affairs, which led to this prosperous era. When we saw his spirit tablet in front of us, we were deeply moved and sad, so we couldn't help crying for a while."
Xu Lu's face was stern, his eyes were fierce, and he said loudly: "Prince Wei has gone back."
Jia Heng was slightly stunned, and the doubts in his heart were slightly relieved.
As Jia Heng spoke, he and Li Zan left the Taimiao together. In a side hall of the Taimiao, Concubine Duanrong cried for Emperor Shizong for a while and did not linger in the Taimiao for long.
Afterwards, he returned to the palace accompanied by female officials and eunuchs.
Jia Heng left the Taimiao at this moment, and without saying anything else, headed towards the palace.
As time passed, a number of civil and military officials returned to the government offices in the capital one after another.
Jia Heng returned to Ningguo Mansion and said to Chen Xiao, "Today we are worshipping Emperor Shizong. The atmosphere in the Imperial Ancestral Temple is so quiet and strange."
I'm not afraid of something happening, I'm afraid of nothing happening, but I don't know when it will happen.
Chen Xiao looked thoughtful and said, "Maybe they are still planning to contact each other."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Most likely."
Chen Xiao comforted him and said, "The Beijing Camp, Jinyifu, Wucheng Bingma Division, and Palace Guards are all in your hands, so you don't have to worry too much."
Jia Heng's resolute and calm face showed no sign of losing its solemnity. He whispered, "But we must not be careless."
The current situation is that the civil officials appear to be obedient, but in fact they harbor resistance forces.
As he was speaking, Jia Heng walked into the study and sat down. He looked at Gu Ruoqing who was coming towards him with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Gu Ruoqing's expression paused slightly. Under her willow-leaf dark eyebrows, her eyes were as bright as water. She opened her pink lips slightly and whispered, "This is the tea I just brewed. You can use some later."
Jia Heng took the teacup and took a sip without saying anything else.
Chen Xiao said: "If Li and Xu are really planning something, then they are most likely supporting Concubine Duanrong and the Eighth Prince. Compared to the young prince whose bloodline is a mystery, the Eighth Prince is indeed the son of Emperor Shizong."
"It should be almost done." Jia Heng said: "Li Zan doesn't have many cards in his hand, but he has some connections in the Beijing camp, and maybe he can persuade some officers."
Chen Xiao said: "Now that you are in the Divine Capital, the soldiers and generals in the Capital Camp all regard you as a god, so Li Zan's actions are limited."
Jia Heng said: "After the war in Sichuan and the northwest ends, the court will turn to civil governance and domestic affairs, and Li and Xu will have less room to maneuver."
All the officials in the inner and outer courts were his disciples. The political struggles were limited to the court, and he could gradually nibble away at the Han Dynasty and establish his own regime.
Chen Xiao suddenly asked: "When will you add the Nine Gifts?"
Jia Heng shook his head and said, "I won't grant the Nine Gifts. I value real benefits over empty reputations. I will first sort out the civil servants and see what Li Zan and Xu Lu are going to do."
In his view, adding the nine gifts was not a preliminary step to usurping the throne, but the inevitable result of accumulating sufficient strength.
This was true of the Southern Dynasties such as Song, Qi, Liang and Chen.
If local forces are not accumulated sufficiently and rash actions are taken, they will only lead to opposition from people all over the world.
This is what is meant by slowly claiming the throne.
Chen Xiao nodded and said softly: "In that case, it's not bad."
Jia Heng's eyes flashed with a gloomy look, and he said, "The war in Sichuan needs to be settled as soon as possible."
Just when Jia Heng was worried about the war in Sichuan, Concubine Duanrong entered the palace in a carriage with a high shaft, holding a silk handkerchief and wiping the tears from her face.
A sense of mission surged in my mind.
Although he had not talked to Li Zan, the chief minister of the cabinet, when they made eye contact, they reached some kind of tacit understanding.
In other words, Concubine Duanrong's appearance in the Taimiao and her weeping and worshipping of Emperor Sejong was a signal to Li Zan.
The country and people left by Emperor Sejong must not be allowed to be usurped by someone of a different surname!
She, Song Shu, would never agree to it!