One year passed by in the blink of an eye.

Qin Huizhi was drinking tea in his mansion.

Within this year, his power expanded again by supporting Qi Yingzong's restoration. He could even decide major issues in the court with one word.

If any important matter happened to one of his ministers, he would not report it to the court immediately, but send it to him first and let him make a decision.

A very human minister, nothing more than that.

However, Qin Huizhi did not forget what General Han Fuyue said when he sent Meng Lin to come a year ago.

His desire for usurpation was like a blazing flame, growing stronger and stronger and almost unstoppable.

In fact, to be a powerful minister or to usurp the throne? This is a difficult choice, but after making a decision, most people will still choose to give it a try.

Because powerful officials never end well.

Qin Huizhi knew very well that although he seemed to have great power at this time and had the status of an emperor without the title of emperor, in fact, his power was like duckweed on the water and did not last long.

After his death, his descendants will definitely be liquidated, and even his coffin will be opened and his body will inevitably be slaughtered.

Which powerful official can not be hated by the emperor?

Moreover, to think in a more pessimistic direction, this power will be shaken even without waiting for his death.

Qi Yingzong had just come to power, but because he had no foundation in the court, he could only hand over all major affairs to Qin Huizhi.

In other words, Qin Huizhi could seize more power from Qi Yingzong than Qi Gaozong.

But Qi Yingzong is not a fool, he can feel it.

You won't say anything at first, but as time goes by, this resentment will become deeper and deeper.

Qin Huizhi seized more power from Qi Yingzong, which meant that Qi Yingzong was more vigilant than Qi Gaozong and hated Qin Huizhi.

And Qi Yingzong still has a chance if he wants to slowly regain power.

Since the Qi Dynasty, the imperial examination became the mainstream for the selection and appointment of officials. Officials who passed the imperial examination were naturally close to the emperor.

No matter how you say it, Qi Yingzong is still the emperor on the surface and the seat of legal authority. As long as he can still go to court and contact the officials, he will gradually cultivate his own team, which will be of great importance to Qin Huizhi at this time.

poses a threat to power.

Therefore, what Meng Lin said at that time can be said to have directly spoken to Qin Huizhi's heart.

You can’t be too hasty, but you can’t be too hasty either!

One year is almost over.

During this year, Qin Huizhi intensified his efforts to seize power, taking advantage of the vacuum period when Qi Yingzong had just been restored to control almost all important positions in the court.

Then, he waited for another news.

Outside the house, a fast horse came to report.

"Report to the Prime Minister of Qin! The latest military report from the north!"

The soldier responsible for reporting the message raised his hands above his head and presented a military report.

Qin Huizhi couldn't help but perked up, quickly took it, and opened it hurriedly.

After just two glances, he couldn't help laughing: "Okay! Okay! Okay!"

He said the word "good" three times in a row.

The contents of this military newspaper are clearly written.

Just a few days ago, General Han Fuyue had sworn to fight for the Northern Expedition!

The two armies of the Zhaoyi Army moved all the way to the east of Hebei and rushed towards the important town of Taiyuan, which was still in the hands of the Jin people; the other army started from Daming Mansion and went straight to Zhending Mansion on the West Road of Hebei!

Once these two routes are secured, the next step will inevitably be to attack the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun.

Although the Jin people were caught off guard, Taiyuan City is a fortified city after all, and the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun is also a very difficult strategic location. The start of this battle will probably be delayed for a long time, and it will not be possible for more than a year and a half.

Finish.

The reason why Qin Hui clasped his hands and laughed was because he had agreed with the Zhaoyi Army to use this pledge as a signal for the Northern Expedition!

Although the two sides had secretly reached an agreement to cede a large area north of the Yangtze River in exchange for the Zhaoyi Army's acquiescence and support for Qin Huizhi's usurpation of the throne, Qin Huizhi was always wary of the Zhaoyi Army.

Peace negotiations can be torn up at any time, especially when the other party has the initiative.

Qin Huizhi actually understood it in his heart.

Only a fool like Qi Gaozong would wishfully think that the peace agreement has been concluded and that he will have nothing to worry about in the future.

Therefore, Qin Huizhi was still a little worried. What if he carried out a coup, forced Qi Yingzong to abdicate, and what if General Han Fuyue came over?

Well now, General Han Fuyue's Northern Expedition is tantamount to a security statement.

Because when he went to attack the Jin people, the Jin people would definitely mobilize a large army to fight back. Once the war started between the two sides, General Han Fuyue could not stop fighting if he wanted to.

The two powerful enemies in the north are fighting together and it is impossible to pay attention to the situation of the Qi Dynasty in the south. Then it will be much safer for Qin Huizhi to cause trouble.

Qin Huizhi stood up and took two quick steps in the courtyard. Then he called his close associates.

"Prepare to cause trouble!"

…

Below Taiyuan City.

Zhao Haiping looked at the indestructible Taiyuan City, while directing the battle, while chatting with General Deng Yuanjing.

"General Deng, how many days do you think it will take to defeat Taiyuan City?"

General Deng Yuanjing thought for a while: "Within three days."

Zhao Haiping smiled slightly: "I think so!"

In Qin Huizhi's view, the war between the Zhaoyi Army and the Jin people would inevitably drag on for a long time and would not end in a year or so.

But in the eyes of General Zhao Haiping and Deng Yuanjing, this is definitely not the case.

Perhaps the battle against Yanyun will be a little more troublesome, taking three to five months, or one or two months, but the battle against Taiyuan and Zhending Prefecture should be quick and easy.

The soldiers of the Zhaoyi Army were allocated fields and conducted countless special trainings on weekdays. Whether in field battles or sieges, they all had very strong combat effectiveness.

During this time, Zhao Haiping also asked craftsmen to build a large number of siege equipment.

But these are not the most important reasons.

The most important reason is that this is the old place of the Qi Dynasty, and it is what people want!

When the Jin invaded Taiyuan City before, they slaughtered almost all the people in the city, leaving Taiyuan almost as a dead city.

But after the Jin people ruled Taiyuan, as an important strategic location, it was inevitable to move a large number of people into it.

Again, the number of Jin people is relatively small, and there are various other ethnic groups under their rule. Moreover, in order to build the city and maintain the daily needs of the city's operation, the Jin people still have to drive the Qi Dynasty people from other places in the north.

To enrich the town, either doing hard labor or doing business, in short, there are still a lot of Qi Dynasty people in the city.

And these people, just like the rebels everywhere, are hoping that General Han Fuyue can fight over as soon as possible.

Therefore, the Taiyuan City defended by the Jin people was far different from the Taiyuan City of the Qi Dynasty, where the army and the people were united.

The strongest cities are often breached from within.

On the first day, Zhaoyi's army attacked fiercely. The Jin people in the city fought bravely and repelled Zhaoyi's attacks many times, but failed to achieve much results.

On the second day, riots began in the city, and the Jin people had to divide their troops to suppress them.

On the third day, in the chaos, a gap appeared in the Jin people's city defense. The people in the city opened the city gate, and Zhaoyi's army marched straight in.

That night, Taiyuan was restored.

…

One in the south and one in the north, the two places that originally belonged to the territory of the Qi Dynasty, now turned into two completely different states.

North of the Huaihe River, in the area ruled by the Zhaoyi Army, the people enthusiastically supported the Northern Expedition. Not only did they collect daily taxes, but many people also volunteered to push carts and transport grain to the front line.

In the rear, after the land was divided, the enthusiasm of the people was also very high. Water conservancy projects were built and farmland was reclaimed. It was a lively scene.

To the south of the Yangtze River, the capital of the Qi Dynasty was still peaceful, but in the countryside, there were many hungry people who had been displaced due to heavy and harsh taxes.

In the capital, there are a lot of people, prosperous and prosperous. The storyteller in the teahouse is talking about the excitement of General Han Fuyue's pledge to fight the Northern Expedition and regain the old land.

In the palace, a violent turmoil began again.

…

In the palace, Qi Yingzong hurriedly summoned a minister.

Chen Yuanshan, the Taiwei in front of the palace.

This is the one who went to deliver the edict to General Han Fuyue.

In fact, there were originally many ministers in the court who disliked Qin Huizhi, such as Zhang Deyuan, who often opposed Qin Huizhi. But unfortunately, during the process of Qi Yingzong's accession to the throne, these ministers were also purged.

At this time, Qi Yingzong looked around and found that everyone in the court was Qin Huizhi's party members. Among the higher-ranking officials, only Chen Yuanshan could be trusted.

This Chen Yuanshan is a person who is relatively good at protecting himself wisely, and was not completely purged by Qin Huizhi. At the same time, he has met General Han Fuyue, which is also very important.
To be continued...