In a special period, the prime minister who stayed in the Eastern Capital, led by Yang Xuangan, the Minister of Rites, urgently convened the left-behind officials from the five provinces, Santai, Jiusi and Twelve Guards to gather in the Shangshu Province to discuss strategies to resolve the Tongji Canal crisis.

The thieves in Henan were rampant, and the garrison forces along the Tongji Canal were seriously insufficient, which led to the Tongji Canal being cut off. Previously, the prefect of Jiyin Wei Baoluan reported to the Dongdu, saying that the Qilu rebels rushed into the Central Plains in an unstoppable manner. Later, the prefect of Liang County Li Dan reported again that the rebels plundered Tongji Canal in large numbers, but the Dongdu did not believe it. The Dongdu judged that the small stock market victims went south to flee to famine, which had a certain impact on local public security. The local government was overwhelmed by the double contradictions of the continuous payment of military supplies for the Eastern Expedition and the sharp reduction of local taxes. So he took the opportunity to fabricate lies, deliberately exaggerate the facts, deceived the superiors and concealed the subordinates, and intended to escape the blame. Now, the deputy chief of the Censorate Zhishushi Censor Wei Yunqi personally inspected the front line of the Tongji Canal, and the bloody fact of the defeat of the Jishui River proved the existence of the Tongji Canal crisis. Therefore, the Dong had to accept the facts and send troops to quell the rebellion was imperative.

There was no different voice in the Shangshu Province. All participants agreed to send troops to suppress the rebellion immediately, ensure the safety of Tongji Canal, and ensure the victory of the Eastern Expedition.

Originally, everyone thought that the time for suppressing the rebellion should be in July, and thought that Wei Yunqi's purpose of inspecting Tongjiqu was to delay the time for sending troops until July, and that King Yang Nan of Qi and his political forces who supported him were intended to make a comeback with the help of the anti-rebellion and attack the crown prince again. However, after the defeat of Jishui, the truth was revealed. Only then did everyone realize that they underestimated the ambitions of King Yang Nan of Qi and the political forces who supported him, and realized that the political situation in Dongdu was actually far more complicated than they imagined, and the dispute over the imperial rule was far more cruel and bloody than they imagined.

The Yuan family, Dugu family, the royal family, the Yang family and the Zheng family in Xingyang, who were temporarily allied with the Wei family, were suddenly realized after the Jishui defeat. They were deceived by the Wei family and were disguised as a result, which made them particularly angry and depressed.

What was the result? The result was that the Jishui War, which they kindly sponsored and supported, was a scam, which was a scam, and it was a scam. Dongdu had to decide to send troops to quell the rebellion, and had to bear all the responsibility for it. What was worse was that they were passive and unreasonable to be forced to mount the ship of King Yang Nan of Qi by Wei, and they could not get off the ship. What was the evidence that you did not participate in planning the Jishui defeat this scam? Since you have no evidence, you are your natural complicity.

If the next rebellion is won, King Yang Nan of Qi has made contributions and once again attacked the crown prince, then they will stand opposite to the emperor; on the contrary, if they lose, the consequences will be unimaginable and the Tongji Canal will be cut off. Even if the Eastern Expedition did not fail, whether it was delayed until next year or failed to withdraw the troops, they were all scapegoats that the emperor brought out to bear, and their heads were not guaranteed.

For this reason, they had no choice but to help King Yang Nan of Qi win this battle, but the defeat in Jishui exposed King Yang Nan of Qi and the ambitions of the political forces that supported him.

Their dispatch of troops to suppress the rebellion in June was actually equivalent to announcing the interruption of the Tongji Canal, and declared that the Eastern Expedition could not end before the winter this year as the emperor and the central government had expected. However, the Eastern Expedition would not fail, and the emperor would not withdraw, so the Eastern Expedition would definitely be delayed until next year. Once the Eastern Expedition was delayed until next year, it would require countless manpower, material and financial support. In this way, King Yang Nan of Qi stuck the neck of the emperor and the central government. If you want to win the victory of the Eastern Expedition, you must compromise with me and give in to me. Otherwise, just the political storm and chaotic domestic situation in the Eastern Expedition would be enough for the Emperor and the Central Expedition to fall on the battlefield.

It can be foreseen that the emperor and the central government had to compromise and concessions to King Yang Nan of Qi due to the bad political situation, but this was obviously not the ultimate goal of King Yang Nan of Qi and the political forces that supported him.

Once the emperor and the central government win the victory of the Eastern Expedition, their authority will increase greatly and the Guardian army will return successfully. King Yang Nan of Qi and the political forces that supported him will inevitably be retaliated by the emperor and the central government. Therefore, using the benefits of Tongjiqu to coerce the emperor and the central government to compromise was only the first goal of King Yang Nan of Qi, and the second goal was about to emerge.

After consolidating his strength in Dongdu and winning the support of more political groups, he would inevitably destroy the Eastern Expedition, put the emperor and the central government to death, and directly compete for the throne of the emperor. Of course, the emperor and the central government would not be tied up and allowed to be slaughtered. Both sides would definitely fight and fight, and father and son would rob each other. As a result, political forces, large and small, gave unlimited space for imagination and opportunities to seek greater power and more wealth.

The political trend of Dongdu changed overnight, and the political situation experienced countless changes overnight. While these changes quickly promoted the decision of Shangshudu Province to send troops to suppress the rebellion, they also quickly intensified the complex interest entanglements between large and small political forces in Dongdu. This result directly led to Shangshudu Province immediately falling into various contradictions and conflicts after making the decision of sending troops to suppress the rebellion, and the debate was unprecedentedly fierce.

Sending troops to suppress the rebellion is not just a simple decision-making issue. It involves the vital interests of all political forces in the East Capital. For example, where are the troops that suppress the rebellion transferred? Where are the military funds needed for suppressing the rebellion? Where are the civilians needed for combat? In the process of suppressing the rebellion, local pacification, civilian assistance, city repair, military town garrison and other military affairs, how to deal with military and political affairs in a timely and appropriate manner? etc., all of this is related to whether the suppression of the rebellion can successfully achieve the goal of stabilizing the local situation in the shortest time. If this goal is not achieved, even if the suppression of the rebellion is successful and the killing is blood-splitting, the local situation will further deteriorate, and the quelling of the rebellion will fail and the blame will be great. Suppressing the rebellion is a means to suppress the rebellion, and stability is the purpose of suppressing the rebellion. If the cart is put before the horse, it will inevitably be more cost-effective and the harm will be greater.

The deliberate "make troubles" of Shangshudu Province is actually to shirk responsibility and put a tight curse on King Yang Nan of Qi. I allow you to suppress the rebellion and suppress the thieves. It is not to let you start a massacre, strengthen your strength, and engage in conspiracies, but to stabilize the situation and ensure the smooth flow of the Tongji Canal. If the Tongji Canal is interrupted and the local situation is still tense, then the blame is yours, it is your implementation that is not good, not my decision-making mistake.

King Yang Nan of Qi and the political forces supporting him had already anticipated many obstacles. It was impossible without resistance. Before the political situation was clear, the political forces of all sizes in Dongdu were all the two ends, and they were good at both sides and were on both sides. They were like this to the emperor, and the same was true for the King Yang of Qi. But King Yang of Qi was confident of reversing the world because the emperor's radical reforms had violated the vested interests of the entire ruling class and had angered most of the noble bureaucrats. The emperor's plan to expose himself to the eastern expedition not only put himself in a deep crisis, but also intensified many contradictions between the domestic and foreign governments and the government and the people. In the future, as long as the political situation faces King Yang of Qi, most of the political forces in Dongdu will support him. This is completely foreseeable. Therefore, the resistance in front of him is not terrible, but what is terrible is the loss of confidence and courage.

Where did the soldiers come from?

The left-behind Imperial Guards could not leave the capital, and the Dongdu Garrison could not leave the capital. The garrisons of the capital wanted to guard many dangerous passes and passes, and to guard the natural barriers that lasted thousands of miles long, and it was impossible to participate in the suppression of rebellion. In this way, the Twelve Guards would firmly reject the King of Qi Yang Nan, and would not give him any soldiers.

King Yang Nan of Qi did not argue with reason. He had 20,000 troops in his hands. With these 20,000 elite troops, he went to the Tongjiqu battlefield to suppress the rebellion and suppress the thieves with ease.

However, Shangshu Dusheng extended his hand to the 20,000 army of King Yang Nan of Qi.

The 20,000 army of King Yang Nan of Qi was originally the Imperial Guards of the East Palace. Prince Yuande died, the East Palace lost its master, and the Imperial Guards of the East Palace were gone, but the East Palace always existed, and the Imperial Guards of the East Palace could not be cancelled. However, without the Imperial Guards of the East Palace would be unstable. This is a major hidden danger. So the emperor thought of a solution to let King Yang Nan of Qi be the commander of this army. King Yang Nan of Qi was not the crown prince, but commanded the Imperial Guards of the East Palace. Not only was it illegal, but it would also send wrong messages politically. So the emperor thought of another way to keep the "shell" of the Imperial Guards of the East Palace, but gave the "core" of the army, that is, 20,000 soldiers, to King Yang Nan of Qi as the personal guards.

A prince has 20,000 personal guards, and his strength can be imagined, but his appearance cannot conceal his political siege and blockade. He shoots the birds and targets the public. Only the King of Qi himself knows the pain in his heart. These 20,000 troops are a hot potato. The emperor gives you, and you still have to accept it. If you take it, you will suffer. If the emperor says you want to rebel, you don’t even have a reason to defend yourself. Who gives you the strength to rebel?

If these 20,000 troops stay in Dongdu, it would be like being locked in a cage, and every move was under the surveillance of the garrison troops in the capital. They would not find any opportunity to rebel. But once they leave the garrison and leave the cage, it would be different and they could do whatever they want. Originally, King Yang Nan of Qi did not dare to blatantly take all this army out of the capital. After all, now he has many political enemies and has opponents around him. Too many people want to defeat him or even kill him. He must be careful every step. But now the Guards' army firmly refuses to participate in the suppression of the rebellion, which is equivalent to giving him a chance to take away all the troops.

However, Shangshu Dushu Dushu did not want to bear all the consequences caused. If King Yang Nan of Qi did something illegal or disciplined during the suppression of the rebellion, or they would be in vain and rebelled in a daring manner, they would be miserable. Therefore, Shangshu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu Dushu told King Yang Nan that the military funds that the treasury can now be given are very limited, and it will support up to 5,000 troops in one month's combat effectiveness.
Chapter completed!