No matter how turbulent the undercurrent was, the dismantling of the Guangde Army and the establishment of the Embassy Office, the resumption of the command of the Guangde Army to the newly established Privy Council, and the three-pronged troop advance to Jinling City were all proceeding in an orderly manner.

No matter how powerful Empress Xu, Niu Gengru, Wen Muqiao and others were, no matter how powerful their generals were under their command such as Yang Jian, Wen Bo, Zhao Mingting, Xu Anlan, etc., no matter how powerful Xu Mingzhen was on the north bank of the Yangtze River,

He personally led 40,000 to 50,000 elite troops across the river to help, but the situation was over, that is, the situation was over.

Zhao Mingting looked at Chishan Lake in the north of the city. Only the edges of the lake were covered with thin ice, and white mist was rising in the center of the lake and spreading to all sides.

Although the weather is already extremely cold by this time, the winter climate in the south of the Yangtze River is much wetter than that in the Central Plains. No matter how cold it is, ordinary streams and rivers are frozen solid, but Chishan Lake, which is more than ten miles east to west, is difficult to completely freeze.

At this moment, Zhao Mingting, who was wearing cold armor, was sitting on the back of a bay-red horse, feeling full of melancholy and powerlessness.

In the battle of Chizhou, in the end, Wen Bo had to lead the remaining troops to withdraw and abandon Chizhou City simply because the situation was over. However, it must be said that under such harsh conditions, the battle was still impressive.

However, the situation is over, which makes people feel most helpless.

Even if they still have 70,000 to 80,000 elites in their hands, they will only be suffocated to death in Jinling City at this time, and will hardly have a chance to bloom in the end.

To be honest, if it was King Xin who captured Jinling in the end, Zhao Mingting would still be convinced, but who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, the third prince, who had the least hope for the throne, would suddenly gain an overwhelming advantage?

Mentioning this, Zhao Mingting felt extremely aggrieved deep down in his heart, but after analyzing it, it turned out that the opportunity for Han Qian to appear in Jinling and the time to reorganize the remnants of Taowu's troops to destroy Liyang City and retreat to Maoshan were so critical.

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At the beginning of the Jinling Incident, Anning Palace grasped the situation in Jinling City as quickly as possible. The attitudes of the Jiangdong family members, including Xuanzhou Gu Zhilong, were all submissive. Representatives of the Jiangdong family in Beijing, such as Shang Wensheng, supported the crown prince on the throne.

Without much hesitation, Zhao Mingting also believed that they would soon control the counties in the east of the Yangtze River, and then send troops to conquer Chuzhou and Yueyang.

The battle of Jingshan Nunnery was a crucial turning point. Not only were they deceived, but the members of the Jiangdong family who had previously revealed that they wanted to join forces suddenly withdrew their attitude and began to recruit troops and wait and see the situation.

After that, Han Qian appeared in Jinling, reorganized the remnants of the Taowu soldiers, burned down Liyang City, and withdrew to defend Maoshan.

At that time, even though Zhao Mingting knew that Han Qian and them were mortal enemies and there was no room for change, he still expected Han Qian to cause more trouble for the Chuzhou Army.

Zhao Mingting believed that Empress Xu, Niu Gengru, Wen Muqiao and others should have this idea, and even sent many orders to him and his troops not to act rashly in Jiangcheng.

Of course, deep down in their hearts, they were also worried that this was a cruel trick created by Han Qian and Chuzhou.

Otherwise, if they had paid a little attention to this matter in the early stage, and even if they had sent three to five thousand more troops to the west flank of Maoshan, or directly divided their forces to attack Maoshan to contain the Chishan Army, the situation would never have evolved to this point.

They made no move. The Chuzhou Army was obviously focusing on them at that time. It did not mobilize truly powerful elite troops and resolutely dealt a fatal blow to the Chishan Army from the east wing. It took two or three months to find that the Chishan Army was already in danger.

Gain momentum.

The Chishan Army was entrenched between Fuyu Mountain and Jieling Mountain, and the northern foot of Fuyu Mountain was the main channel for Jinling to communicate with Jiangdong and Jiangxi aristocratic families. Its strategic position was so critical that Gu Zhilong turned against him after the defeat of Langxi, and a series of subsequent

Chain reactions occur unstoppably and continuously like toppling dominoes.

So when they try to do something again, they suddenly realize that the situation is over.

Moreover, the situation was so complete that they had 70,000 to 80,000 elite troops in hand, but they had to seriously consider the possibility of abandoning Jinling and retreating to Jiangbei.

It's just that Zhao Mingting couldn't help but melancholy thinking to himself, is there really a chance to withdraw from Huaixi at this time?

The three prefectures and seventeen counties of Shouzhou, Chaozhou, and Chuzhou seem to be a large territory, but in addition to the rise of Emperor Tianyou in the early years of Huainan West Road and decades of continuous conquests, after the founding of the Chu State, it was invaded many times by Liang Jun.

, not to mention that large areas of land have been deserted over the years, and the population has also dropped to less than 800,000.

In Zhao Mingting's view, the most important thing they need to do now is to strictly control the movements of civil and military officers in the city. Relying on the Jinling Fort to defeat the Yueyang soldiers and horses, they may be able to look forward to a turning point.

Otherwise, after the third prince takes control of Jinling, he will completely control Jiangnan East Road, Jiangnan West Road and nearly 30 states in southern Zhejiang, with nearly 12 million people. The strength comparison between the two sides is really huge.

However, Zhao Mingting had no say in these matters. He thought to himself that the final compromise plan might be for the Queen Mother, His Majesty and Prince Yang Fen to cross the river to Chuzhou first, leaving an elite army to defend Jinling City, right?

It's just that the Queen Mother, Her Majesty, Prince Yang Fen and others have all crossed the river to Chuzhou. How much of the remaining generals have the ambition and willpower to fight to the death?

Zhao Mingting sighed feebly, tightened the reins, and was about to drive his horse to the front of the queue. At this time, several fast horses galloped towards this direction from the east bank of Chishan Lake, and were stopped by his guards.

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Zhao Mingting didn't know if there was any urgent news that needed to be delivered to him on the east bank of Chishan Lake, which was already controlled by Huzhou soldiers.

Zhao Mingting reined in his horse and stopped there. After a while, his bodyguard led a knight over. Although he was dressed as a business traveler, when he got closer, Zhao Mingting could clearly see at the first glance that it was Liu Jie, who was in charge of his duties.

Fang Sishi was a spy leader who went to Yangzhou to lurk.

Liu Jie and others originally made arrangements for the Shouzhou Army to control Yangzhou, but before the Jinling Incident, the Chuzhou Army had already penetrated and controlled Yangzhou on a large scale, leaving no room for the Zifangsi's deployment.

On the one hand, Zhao Mingting secretly resented the failure of the troops deployed by the Zhongfang Division over the years to play any role. On the other hand, he wondered what news there was in Yangzhou, so he asked Liu Jie to cross the river to see him in person, risking his identity.

"A few days ago, Yueyang's envoy Wang Lin secretly arrived in Yangzhou and met with Ruan Yan. Wang Wenqian discussed the recruitment. Yueyang seemed to intend to revive the engagement between Han Qian and Wang Wenqian's Queen Jun, and Wang Wenqian's Queen Jun was imprisoned in Fanchang at this time!" Liu

Jie half-knelt in front of Zhao Mingting's horse. Faced with the current situation, everyone was extremely embarrassed, but the secret discussion between Yueyang and Chuzhou was so critical that he did not hesitate to risk his identity and crossed the river in person to state the details of the matter.

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Taking into account the difficulty of attacking Jinling City and the complicated situation in Huaihe River after capturing Jinling City, Yue Yang promised to temporarily stabilize the Chuzhou Army with favorable conditions before the final attack on Jinling, and even instigated the Chuzhou Army to contain the Shouzhou Army.

This is not beyond Zhao Mingting's expectation, but what the hell is this about the marriage contract between Han Qian and Wang Wenqian's daughter?

Various signs indicate that it was Wang Wenqian who secretly instigated Han Daoxun to contact the Prime Minister of the Internal Affairs Bureau Zhong Yuli to expose the secret of Shen He's death by poisoning. This was also the origin of the Jinling Incident. Later, Wang Wenqian personally went to contact Li Pu's concubine Wang Chan'er, which finally prompted The two families rushed to issue a petition to protest against the situation, which angered the Queen Mother and killed Han Daoxun.

In any case, even if Han Qian had a bloody feud with Anning Palace, he should still hate Wang Wenqian for being the initiator of his father's death.

Everyone in Yueyang obviously understood this, so why would they mention the marriage contract between Han Qian and Wang Wenqian's daughter again as a prerequisite for recruiting Chuzhou?

Zhao Mingting summoned the chief sentry officer and asked: "What are the current trends of Dantu's enemies and Maoshan's enemies?"

"According to Tanma's report, although the Huzhou soldiers and Youguangde troops have all dispatched from Dantu and the northern slope of Maoshan, their movements are not very fast. Apparently they want to wait for our troops to withdraw before calmly occupying Jiangcheng, Qiuhushan and other places. ." said the chief sentry officer.

"Okay, Ge Keng, you are responsible for continuing to supervise the troops and horses moving forward. I have urgent matters to go to the palace to inform the Queen Mother." Zhao Mingting ordered his deputy general Cheng Gekeng, and then led more than a hundred guards to the direction of Donghua Gate. Go away.

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The Huaidong Salt and Iron Division is governed in Yangzhou. Every year, millions of stones of sea salt are transported to the Jianghuai states through Yangzhou. The salt officials are fat and luxurious, and Yangzhou is located in a land of fish and rice. The land is flat and fertile, and the population is prosperous. Together, they have made this famous city through the ages. Prosperity and magnificence.

This was a large city second only to Jinling in terms of scale in the world. In its early years, it was the seat of the Guangling Jiedushi Mansion. It was merged into Huainan with the Xu family, and it did not suffer much damage from the war, and the prosperity of the previous dynasty remained the same. and continue.

Before the Jinling Incident, there were more than 100,000 residents in Yangzhou City. In the past two months, as King Xin robbed a large number of slaves and forced thousands of noble families to move to the north bank with soldiers and horses, Yangzhou became more and more abnormally prosperous. stand up.

The merchant girl doesn't know the hatred of her country's subjugation, but she still sings from across the river | Courtyard Flowers.

Although the war is still raging and Jianghuai swordsmen are in full swing, there are many wealthy and powerful people in Yangzhou City who are in a state of intoxication, as if they are enjoying the last glorious glory before the war affects them.

Wang Lin walked into Yanchun Pavilion and was secretly amazed when she saw that the building was packed with people. The light and graceful singing voice of Huai girls and the clanking sound of silk and bamboo could be heard from many rooms.

Wang Lin walked into a side room, with guards guarding the door. He ordered a banquet alone and called a middle-aged piano player to join in the fun.

After the violinist came over, he placed a xylophone with mottled paint marks on the small table and began to play it. At this time, a secret door opened in the wing, and Yin Peng was seen walking in from the next wing.

When Wang Lin waited to salute, Yin Peng bowed first and said: "Master Wang has been in danger and serving as a tiger these past few years. He has worked really hard. I would like to be honored by Yin Peng."

Although Wang Lin was the secret envoy, even if Wang Wenqian came to contact the Chuzhou side, when both sides had their attendants standing around, they could only follow the instructions of the third prince, Shen Yang and others before the envoy was sent. We can talk about recruitment matters step by step and cannot involve other matters.

When it came to discussing secret matters, Wang Lin had to go through a lot of twists and turns and delayed it for two days before creating the opportunity to be alone with Yin Peng in Yanchun Pavilion.

Of course, this also ensures that Wang Lin's identity will not be exposed due to unexpected factors.

After Yin Peng sat down, he couldn't wait to ask:

"What is the current situation between the third prince and Han Qian?"

"The greater Han Qian's achievements, the more he is suspected. However, Han Qian seizes Li Pu's military power without telling him. Even while seizing the military power, he also sent Feng Yi to Yueyang to force Yang Yuanpu to recognize his actions. This would be difficult for anyone in a superior position. In his eyes, they were all taboos that could not be tolerated; in addition, Guangde was too close to Jinling. Han Qian himself should have realized this long ago, and had spread the word very early that he would hand over military power and return to Xuzhou after the war. Although he kept his filial piety, his traces of retreating in order to advance were too strong and he was not worthy of trust at all. Perhaps this was what ultimately prompted Yang Yuanpu to actually remove Han Qian's military power before he could wait for the capture of Jinling. Not to mention Li Pu and his own uncle. However, Han Qian's recruitment of slaves into the army in Jinling and the many new policies he and his father implemented in Xuzhou were also suspected by the Yueyang families. Therefore, no one spoke for him on the matter of removing Han Qian's military power. Even Zheng Zheng Hui, Gao Chengyuan, Guo Liang and other people who have good friendships with him have also been quite critical of this matter, and Shen Yang, Xue Ruogu and others have long known that he is domineering..."

During this period, the entire Fanchang City was equivalent to Yang Yuanpu's forbidden palace. The Su Wei army controlled the entrance and exit of the city gates. Wang Lin had no chance to send someone to deliver the news. He was not worried about who would break into this wing at this time, so he calmly sent Han Han to the palace. Many situations since Qian came to Fanchang City to meet Yang Yuanpu and the subtle attitudes of the people in Yueyang towards Han Qian were told to Yin Peng one by one.

In Wang Lin's view, Han Qian had long been isolated and helpless in Fanchang City. It was only because of his great achievements that everyone was reluctant to treat him in harmony.

"Your Excellency is already aware of these things, but there are still some doubts before and after the whole thing, which Your Excellency cannot think through." Yin Peng saw that Wang Lin really did not know more details, so he changed the topic and asked, "Miss at this time How was it in Fanchang City, did you suffer any grievances?"

"The young lady has not suffered any grievances. She is only not allowed to enter and leave Fanchang City freely, but she doesn't know what your lord thinks about the engagement?" Wang Lin asked with concern.

"Ruan Yan and others see that the general trend is leaning towards Yueyang. If there is a chance, they still hope to negotiate with Yueyang. In this way, they can justifiably occupy the land of Huaidong first, and then gradually plot other plans. Your Excellency is caught in it, even though they know that the young lady will suffer a great deal. I feel wronged, but it’s really hard to say ‘no’.” Yin Peng said with a wry smile.

Emperor Liang sent Han Yuanqi to lead the Caizhou troops eastward, and joined forces with Sima Dan of Xuzhou to exceed 100,000 troops, threatening the south bank of the Huaihe River from the north. King Xin had to lead his elite troops to personally guard Chuzhou to guard against unpreparedness.

Judging from the current situation, there is no suspense that Yueyang will capture Jinling later in the year and control the entire Jiangdong, Jiangxi, and Hunan regions. By then, Chuzhou will be faced with the embarrassment of being attacked from both sides.

Negotiating peace with Yueyang and obtaining the separatist rule of Huaidong in exchange for superficial loyalty was a rare respite for the people of Chuzhou.

Although after the Jinling Incident, the Chuzhou Army controlled the Yangtai and Huaidong Saltworks as quickly as possible, and even forced nearly 200,000 slaves from Su Runchang and the descendants of aristocratic families to the north bank when they retreated north. However, Chuzhou’s foundation in Yangtai and Huaidong Saltworks is still shallow.

Once Yueyang captures Jinling and the third prince formally succeeds to the throne and assumes the rightful title, it is not clear how many forces in the Yangtai area and Huaidong Saltworks will secretly collude with Jinling. No matter how strong the Chuzhou army is, it will really be possible to separate them. Guard every city and village along the river from being penetrated?

If it can be formally enfeoffed and has formal governance rights, it will have completely different meanings for the Chuzhou Army to manage the entire Huaidong region.

Obviously, the whole matter mainly depends on King Xin's attitude towards the recruitment of vassals. Even if Wang Wenqian holds a high position in Chuzhou, he cannot interfere with "big things" with his children's personal affairs.

Thinking of this, Yin Peng couldn't help but said angrily: "Yang Yuanpu is so scheming at such a young age. Is he really not afraid that Han Qian will quarrel with him if he advances step by step?"

Hearing what Yin Peng said, Wang Lin also sighed and said: "In order to avoid the suspicion of coercion, Yang Yuanpu hopes that Chuzhou will formally propose the engagement."

"He is so scheming. He wants to be a villain, but he still knows how to kill himself first!" Yin Peng said helplessly and angrily.

"Yang Yuanpu is not weak in his power, but can Chuzhou expose this matter and force Han Qian and Yang Yuanpu to turn against each other?" Wang Lin asked.

"I have also asked your Excellency, and you think this possibility is unlikely," Yin Peng shook his head and said, "Unless Yang Yuanpu has the intention to kill Han Qian at this time and forces Han Qian to retreat, otherwise Han Qian will not be able to retreat.

Bear it down and see the destruction of Anning Palace first! However, before the capture of Jinling, Yang Yuanpu did not dare to use the most drastic means, right? Otherwise, things would be easier."

Wang Lin thought about it. Zuo Guangde's army seemed to have few troops, but in addition to the critical location of Guangde, the two to three hundred thousand old, weak, women and children gathered in Guangde were also an active volcano. The reason why Yang Yuanpu hoped to start from Chuzhou

Bian took the initiative to bring up the engagement, and to be honest, he wanted to leave some room for it.
To be continued...