Chapter 138 Although the Waist Tag Was Given to Gou Moli

Although the waist tag given was Gou Moli's, He Chunlai had accompanied Gou Moli to mobilize troops. Previously, at the Marquis's residence in Fengxin City, He Chunlai had spent most of his time learning from the blind man, aside from cooking.

After coming out this time, he followed the blind man's advice and, based on what he saw, naturally began to learn from Gou Moli.

The blind man, as Fengxin City's "Blind Fan Li," was always very mysterious.

And Gou Moli, needless to say, had already proven himself early on.

To be honest, being able to learn from teachers of this caliber was an incredible opportunity.

The South Gate Barracks was a Jin (state) camp.

Initially, He Chunlai hadn't expected this. Upon arriving at the entrance of the camp, He Chunlai couldn't help but ask,

"Mobilizing the Jin camp into the city?"

Of Yingdu's four major camps, the east and west camps were Yan (state) army camps, formerly part of the Jingnan Army, while the north and south camps were Jin camps.

From He Chunlai's perspective, standing in the position of the Marquis of Pingxi, standing in the position of a Yan person, it would naturally be most prudent to mobilize the Yan army camp into the city.

The distinction between Yan and Jin was obvious.

Gou Moli shook his head and said, "You don't understand this. Which camp did the Marquis mobilize last time in Yingdu?"

"If I remember correctly, it should have been the East Camp, which is a Yan army camp."

"Yes, but times have changed. Back then, the lord wanted to mobilize troops under the guise of the Prince of Jingnan, so naturally he had to mobilize them from the Yan army camp. Why?

Because the Yan army camp, to the lord at that time, was on his side.

The Jin army camp, seemingly large in number, was actually constantly suppressed. They themselves were well aware that the Yan people were wary of them, so they dared not make any mistakes.

If the lord had gone to the Jin army camp at that time, even with the prestige of the Prince of Jingnan, without a genuine royal decree from the Prince of Jingnan, it would have been difficult to mobilize them.

But now it's different.

The lord is already a Marquis, and the Marquis's residence is still in Jindong. As the youngest meritorious Marquis of Great Yan, the foundation of a century-old Marquis's residence is right before him.

At this time,

the lord wants to mobilize troops, he no longer needs to borrow the name of the Prince of Jingnan. He can directly use his own name.

Mobilizing the Yan army again would seem petty. Mobilizing the Jin army into the city is the true grand strategy.

Furthermore, with the lord's current prestige in the army, even if this Jin camp enters the city, are you still worried that they will cause trouble? Do you still think that the lord himself can't suppress them?

To put it bluntly,

although the lord doesn't yet have the ability of the Prince of Jingnan to ride a Pixiu and, alone, scare away thousands of troops;

but when the lord puts on his Xuanjia armor,

and stands on the city tower,

intimidating a few local military leaders and a few local troops, that's not a problem at all.

You're worried that the Jin army's entry into the city means the Prince of Cheng's mansion will resort to desperate measures and that they might collude with the Jin army camp to cause trouble;

but no one in this world is a fool.

The soldiers understand, and the officers understand even better,

that right now,

which thigh is thicker, the rising Marquis of Pingxi's mansion or the declining Prince of Cheng's mansion?"

"I didn't realize there were so many intricacies," He Chunlai said with emotion.

"You used to be involved in the martial world, small-scale skirmishes. To put it nicely, it's a righteous army, but to put it bluntly, it's just a band of rebels. The lord was born with a sense of grand strategy.

I even think that,

back when the lord was in the inn in Tiger Head City, his sense of grand strategy was already very broad;

otherwise,

the lord wouldn't have rejected the princess's offer to be a family retainer of the Li family, but instead chose an obscure merchant escort captain that he created on a whim.

Now that you can stand in this position, look more, think more. A sense of grand strategy can be cultivated slowly. Once it's cultivated, you'll be able to stand alone."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"It still depends on yourself."

At this time,

Kong Mingde, the Jin main general of the South Gate Barracks, led a group of adjutants out of the camp in quick steps.

Gou Moli directly threw the Marquis's waist tag to him.

Kong Mingde caught it, inspected it, and respectfully returned it with both hands,

then stepped back a few steps,

and led a group of his subordinate generals to kneel down:

"Kong Mingde of the Yingdu South Gate Barracks, awaits the Marquis of Pingxi's command!"

"This humble general awaits the Marquis's command!"

"This humble general awaits the Marquis's command!"

Gou Moli took back the waist tag,

and said,

"The Marquis has ordered that there has been an incident in Yingdu, which may endanger the situation. The main general of the South Gate Barracks, Kong Mingde, is now ordered to personally lead the soldiers of the South Gate Barracks into the city to protect Yingdu!"

When Kong Mingde and a group of generals heard this order,

the expressions on their faces were not of shock, nor did they show any trepidation,

but rather, they showed a kind of excitement!

Yes, excitement.

There had been an incident in Yingdu, and the Marquis didn't mobilize the Yan army into the city, but instead mobilized their Jin camp. This was undoubtedly a great trust and affirmation for the Jin camp, both high and low.

When Kong Mingde and his subordinate generals reached this position, they had somewhat become indifferent to things like gold, silver, and jewelry. It wasn't that they weren't greedy for money, but that ordinary wealth was already difficult to move them.

What they needed was political advancement and recognition, such as recognition from the Marquis of Pingxi's residence.

"This humble general accepts the order. The South Gate Barracks will enter the city immediately to protect the Marquis!"

Kong Mingde accepted the order very readily.

Gou Moli nodded.

Before long, more than eight thousand soldiers from the South Gate Barracks entered through the South Gate.

Gou Moli rode on his horse,

surrounded by armored soldiers,

and slowly rode into Yingdu.

He couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

He Chunlai noticed it, but didn't say anything.

Gou Moli reminded him,

"Next time, if the lord has this kind of expression on his face, you have to find a way to set the stage."

"Yes, what's wrong with you?"

Gou Moli smiled,

reached out and gently patted the horse's head a few times,

and said:

"I, Gou Moli, have finally led troops into Yingdu."

…

Prince of Cheng's mansion, council hall.

Xu Wenzu had left with a group of officials, and the Prince's mansion was now in chaos.

Zhao Yanglou, the leader of the Yingdu Secret Intelligence Division, the one who had praised the Zheng Marquis's bodyguard's flying fish uniforms, began leading his men to conduct a strict identity check on the eunuchs, maids, and servants in the Prince's mansion, his face flushed red.

Zhao Yanglou was the Emperor's man. To be precise, the Secret Intelligence Division was an agency that extended from the palace. His real superior was Eunuch Wei Zhonghe.

But Zhao Yanglou knew that,

even if the Marquis of Pingxi killed him tomorrow,

after Wei Zhonghe found out, he would smile and send a letter back to the Marquis of Pingxi, thanking the Marquis of Pingxi for helping him kill a useless drunkard, saving him, Wei Zhonghe, the trouble of doing it himself.

Therefore, Zhao Yanglou, who had been "atoning for his sins," was now truly like an ant on a hot pot.

The council hall, on the other hand, seemed much quieter.

Inside the hall,

only Zheng Marquis, sitting on the throne, the Queen Mother sitting on the ground, and Situ Yu, kneeling there, remained.

Even Zhao Wenhua had been taken away.

At this time,

the periphery of the council hall was surrounded by three layers of elite guards wearing flying fish uniforms. These guards were skilled and proficient in battle formation cooperation, and they were also well-equipped. Many of them carried hidden weapons designed by Xue San.

To put it bluntly,

even if Bai Li Jian appeared on the periphery at this time, it would be difficult to break in.

No one served tea, no one added charcoal, and the temperature in the council hall was a little cool.

Situ Yu's body was obviously a little weak, after all, he was so young and had already fathered a child.

Zheng Marquis didn't quite believe in the theory of nourishing the body that said that premature loss of yang essence would lead to physical depletion. After all, who hadn't gone through that age? There was no reason to say that the difference between what the Fifth Lady produced and what other girls produced would be so great, right?

But Situ Yu usually seemed to have developed a taste for that matter. He must have been fighting a lot in his daily life, and perhaps not just with Wenren Minjun, but with other women as well.

Being so young and already draining his body was the biggest loss.

You should know that, with Zheng Marquis's current martial artist physique, it was inevitable to be overworked and suffer from sore back and knees when dealing with three women, let alone this child.

The Queen Mother looked at her son with some heartache, looking at the Marquis of Pingxi sitting on the throne with a pleading look.

Too bad,

Zheng Marquis didn't care.

It was inevitable for people to become greasy in middle age, which was human nature.

But you can't just criticize Zheng Marquis for being greasy, just because this Queen Mother didn't have the plumpness of the Jin Queen Mother and didn't know how to give some face;

even women have different levels of tolerance for handsome men, right?

Of course,

most importantly,

Zheng Marquis didn't have the mind to notice these things now,

The orphaned mother and son, one sitting and one kneeling below, were no longer in his consideration.

What he had to think about now was how to bring things to a conclusion.

Moreover,

try to be fair and just, and put himself in the position of a loyal subject of Great Yan to think.

This was perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this Great Yan, that its meritorious Marquis had to brew emotions in order to embody "loyalty."

Fortunately,

Sun Youdao came.

Grand Tutor Sun was getting old. People at this age really changed every year, no, every half a year.

He walked in step by step, leaning on a cane, his steps slightly trembling, because servants were not allowed to enter, so the last part of the road was a little difficult.

But when Sun Youdao saw Situ Yu kneeling there and the Queen Mother sitting there in a daze,

the old man realized

what it truly meant to walk with difficulty.

The past glory and the former vigor were things that the old man was no longer willing to regurgitate.

After regurgitating too many times, it inevitably lost its flavor, leaving only a dry emptiness.

"Greetings… Marquis."

Grand Tutor Sun didn't salute, he just lowered his head slightly.

Zheng Marquis pointed to a position below him and said,

"Sit."

There are no servants in the room, and you don't have to kneel. I'm too lazy to get up and help you up, and then it will be difficult for you to stand up again. Let's just do whatever is easiest for us.

Grand Tutor Sun sat down on the chair. After sitting down, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead.

Situ Yu lowered his head, not looking at Sun Youdao.

The Queen Mother looked at him with a pleading look.

"The belly is big," Sun Youdao said with emotion.

The Queen Mother's expression changed slightly.

Sun Youdao poked the ground with his cane,

"You are confused."

The Queen Mother hesitated.

Once,

when Situ Lei was still an unimportant illegitimate prince, in Situ Lei's mansion, Situ Lei and Sun Youdao often talked about their grand plans for the future, and at that time, the Queen Mother was still very young, and would bring snacks and serve tea to her husband and Sun Youdao.

In the most difficult times,

Situ Lei was demoted, stripped of his title, and his official salary was cut off. The Queen Mother even personally sewed and mended clothes.

But at that time,

whether it was Situ Lei, Sun Youdao, or the Queen Mother, who was starting to do needlework, they all had full of hope in their hearts.

That's how they were able to recover later, to take office in Zhennan Pass, to win against Chu, and to return to the court…

In those years,

no matter what kind of obstacle or difficulty, it seemed that they couldn't be defeated.

But now,

it was different.

Situ Lei had been replaced by Situ Yu,

Sun Youdao needed someone to help him walk,

and the Queen Mother,

was her needlework

still so skillful?

Although people often say that times create heroes, when heroes are no longer around, when heroes are old, what's the point of any situation?

"Marquis," Sun Youdao looked at Zheng Fan, "The Prince's Mansion, let it move to Yanjing."

Hereditary succession without replacement, you can still think about it. In fact, without power, the so-called hereditary succession without replacement is nothing more than raising an idler. A hereditary prince without replacement can have his salary cut by even a small clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.

This generation is okay, but the next generation, and the generation after that, other than a memorial archway still standing there, your life will be just like that.

Without a place to garrison, power is like a rootless duckweed, it cannot continue to exist.

When the Queen Mother heard this, she almost blurted out: "No…"

Zheng Marquis, sitting on the throne, also shook his head.

The Queen Mother didn't speak when she saw this.

Sun Youdao's face showed a painful and tangled look. Unlike the Queen Mother, he didn't think that the Marquis of Pingxi was just rejecting the decision to move the Prince's Mansion. He knew that this was the Marquis being dissatisfied with the punishment.

Since ancient times, after a country was destroyed and a family was ruined, they basically held the idea of exterminating the royal family.

The exception was whether they surrendered in advance, and to what extent they surrendered.

The Jin royal family was blessed because Yu Ciming opened the South Gate Pass and led the Yan army into Jin.

Originally, Situ Lei's line, Situ Lei, did even more than Yu Ciming, and his scope was even broader. Moreover, the family fortune and territory he gave to the Yan people, although dilapidated, were of great help, providing great assistance for the subsequent battles against the barbarians and the Chu people. This is how he earned a better treatment than the Prince of Jin, garrisoning the local area.

Now,

it's all gone.

Why bother?

Zheng Marquis said,

"This Prince of Cheng, must be deposed."

For a moment,

Situ Yu suddenly raised his head and looked at Zheng Fan.

The Queen Mother was even more thunderstruck and immediately shouted:

"No, you can't, the Prince's Mansion can't fall, it can't fall!"

The Great Cheng Kingdom was gone, and the Prince's Mansion was the Queen Mother's last thought of her husband.

Zheng Marquis said,

"From Situ family's branch, choose one person to inherit the title of Prince of Cheng."

"Why, why!"

Situ Yu immediately roared.

This was even more unbearable for him than being deprived of his title!

It was like your family property being lost due to natural disasters or your own mismanagement, your family was ruined;

that was a natural disaster, human misfortune, and your own lack of effort, there was nothing you could do;

but if your family property was taken away by others, that anger was different!

Although everyone was surnamed Situ,

his father and his two uncles were still brothers, they were still a real family, but could that be the same?

If people with the same surname could just exchange things like this, then why would there be any princes fighting for the throne throughout history?

Zheng Fan's eyes narrowed slightly,

looked at Situ Yu,

and said:

"If you shout again, you can suddenly develop a serious illness and die tonight."

"…" Situ Yu.

Situ Yu lowered his head.

The Queen Mother cried and said to the Marquis of Pingxi:

"Please, Marquis, have mercy, please, Marquis, have mercy."

This foundation of her husband could not be lost.

In comparison, what Sun Youdao said earlier, moving back to Yanjing, was extremely good.

Because, at least it could ensure the continuation of the ancestral shrine.

Once it was given to another family,

that family might continue to worship the ancestors,

but where would they go to worship her husband?

Her husband, as the Emperor, would have his blood food offerings cut off in the afterlife, how cruel would that be?

Sun Youdao said:

"Marquis, this old man thinks that this matter needs to be discussed at length, and we still need to wait for an imperial decree from Yanjing."

Zheng Marquis said:

"The imperial decree from Yanjing will probably ask this Marquis to listen to Prefect Xu's advice and then make a decision on my own."

"…" Grand Tutor Sun.

Sun Youdao understood that the imperial decree would probably really be like this.

Emperor Yan was decisive, indeed decisive, but he was extremely willing to delegate power when it came to external affairs.

Therefore, the imperial decree, barring accidents, would really be as Zheng Marquis said, and in the end, Zheng Marquis would represent the court to handle it. The court would not send imperial envoys back and forth to delay matters, but would only send someone over to go through the motions after a decision was made.

Most importantly,

if the Marquis of Pingxi was just a martial artist, that would be fine, but the problem was that the reason why the Marquis of Pingxi was able to become a Marquis was because of his military exploits and his ability to handle matters, not just limited to military affairs. This gave Emperor Yan even more confidence to let go and hand it over to him to handle.

"Marquis, leave a little more grace," Sun Youdao sighed.

"Great Yan has already left too much grace to this Prince's Mansion and to Yingdu."

"Marquis… alas."

Sun Youdao didn't speak anymore, he really had nothing to say.

The most crucial point was that the woman, she was pregnant!

Moreover,

she made it public!

This blocked most of the room for maneuver.

If the blind man were here, he would probably make an analogy, saying that this was like the case of the Third Prince Zhu during the Kangxi era. The Qing court also wanted to take a gentle approach and put on a show of benevolence, after all, Dorgon held a funeral for Emperor Chongzhen after entering Beijing, but Emperor Chongzhen was dead after all, so in the case of the Third Prince Zhu, the Qing court could only rather kill a thousand than let one go.

The current situation of the Yan Kingdom in the Jin land was actually very similar.

At this time,

the Queen Mother suddenly wiped away her tears,

and said:

"Marquis, this humble woman is willing to tell you who is really behind the Prince's Mansion."

When Sun Youdao heard this, his eyes widened in surprise. He really didn't know about this, because he had long been separated from the core decision-making of Zhao Wenhua and his group in the Prince's Mansion and had retired.

Zheng Marquis didn't speak,

waiting for the Queen Mother to continue,

while Sun Youdao bit his lip directly,

got up from the chair,

knelt down,

and shouted:

"Zhen Niang, if you say it, you and your son will surely die!"

————

Thank you to the Epitaph of Wuao student for another alliance leader.

I will try to have another chapter before one o'clock, but if it is a little late, please forgive me.