In the military camp, several soldiers gathered together and whispered. Ying Huai strode past and glared at everyone. They quickly dispersed, but there was something strange on their faces.
After Ying Huai entered Song Muchuan's tent, he closed the curtain very carefully and looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Then he walked to Song Muchuan's case and whispered a few words to him.
Song Muchuan was surprised: "Who recognized him?"
Ying Huai sighed heavily: "On the battlefield, Third Young Master Xie's helmet was picked off by the enemy commander. Although he quickly retrieved it, the soldiers around him still saw his face."
"But not many people know him, so why did he recognize him? Could it be that Qi Ren's Shozo deliberately spread the rumor?"
"Don't you think this is just a coincidence?" Ying Huai slapped his thigh in annoyance, "There happened to be a soldier who used to work in the gatehouse of the government office and met Mr. My colleagues told me about it, and the result was good. In just a short while, they spread the news from ten to ten, and the people who spread the word were those who had noses and eyes, saying that he was a piece of grass that could fall in the wind. Seeing that Qi Ren was in trouble, he turned around and surrendered to Yu Chao. "
Song Muchuan thought for a moment and asked worriedly: "He doesn't know about this yet, does he?"
Ying Huai scratched his head: "I don't see anyone else in the camp... I won't hear anything. Are you hiding and feeling sad?"
"He is not such a person," Song Muchuan mused, and just smiled at Ying Huai in relief, "Probably he went to meet the person he wanted to see."
"Then... should we do something about this? Should I order an order to stop the soldiers from spreading such gossip?"
Song Muchuan wanted to say something, but his mind changed. He sighed and said sadly: "Youyou's mouth cannot be blocked."
"What should we do?"
"If you and I do too much, we will be accused of being an ignorant servant. He is clearly a duplicitous and disloyal minister who has repeatedly abandoned the Lord. We also entrusted him with important tasks and helped him hide his identity..."
"Sir Song!" Ying Huai shouted anxiously, interrupting Song Muchuan's words, "How long has it been? Am I the one who can't bear such doubts?"
"General Ying has never seen the horror of rumors... If the soldiers are separated and the morale of the army is shaken, will the general be able to bear it? It is precisely because of these considerations that Queshan concealed his identity. He has already weighed the consequences. Now He can bear everything if you think about it.”
Ying Huai choked, but there was still a bit of unwillingness on his face: "It's one thing that he can bear it, but how can I feel at ease? Mr. Xie is a hero who endures humiliation and bears the heavy burden, and undercovers the enemy country. If a song is misunderstood by stigma, God is just. Where is it? What he has done in the army these days is obvious to all. Without him, today's victory would not have been so beautiful."
"Only those who know the truth will know how difficult it is for him. But there are many people who don't know the truth. Three people can become tigers, and one person's words can make gold..."
"Then make his difficulties known to the public!"
"I'm afraid it will backfire, but it seems like I'm trying to hide it." Song Muchuan showed an uncharacteristically negative attitude.
"What's wrong with Mr. Song today? He's so timid!" Ying Huai blurted out in a hurry, but after calming down for a moment, he felt that what Song Muchuan said made sense. This matter was a difficult matter, so he must not act rashly.
But Ying Huai was a man who couldn't tolerate sand in his eyes. He was thinking quickly in his mind, and suddenly his eyes lit up and he said: "If you are too bright, why don't you come to the dark head office? Anyway, everyone is spreading the news. I will ask Yu Chengjun to also Rumor, let’s just say I heard it. Third Young Master Xie is an undercover agent and has never committed treason. He helped Lidu Mansion get rid of Qi Ren’s control before, and even risked his life to send a lot of information. Anyway, it is a rumor, even if not everyone believes it. , but as long as it is heard, someone will believe it.”
Song Muchuan finally heard what he wanted to hear, and he would occasionally make subtle tricks.
It's not that he can't trust Ying Huai, but after all, Ying Huai and Xie Queshan don't have such a deep friendship. Now that the war is stalemate, he can completely avoid getting involved in this muddy water. Song Muchuan was afraid that he had no strong will to defend Xie Queshan, but he could not get real support from Ying Huai, and in the end he was just powerless.
So he seemed to be pushing the envelope, but in fact he was very persuasive, which made Ying Huai deeply grateful for Queshan's difficulty and took the initiative to come up with countermeasures. He is the leader of Yucheng's army. If you are united with him, things will be much easier to handle.
He was also ashamed of his villainous heart for a moment, Ying Huai was frank and frank, without any intention of shirk. He quickly agreed: "The general is indeed very resourceful. I think this method is feasible."
Ying Huai was filled with enthusiasm, and he clenched his fist and threw it: "Then I will immediately give the order and let the Yucheng troops pass it on."
Song Muchuan was uneasy and warned again: "Don't be too deliberate."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Song Muchuan sent Ying Huai away. Xie Queshan's matter was settled, but he was still a little restless and his heart couldn't calm down.
——It will come sooner rather than later, but just when the battle was won and everyone in the army finally had some hope, Xie Queshan's identity had some waves. Hopefully, this is just a minor disturbance.
——But how long can this victory last? Will it anger Qi Ren and trigger a more violent counterattack?
——The letter asking for help was sent a few days ago, why has there been no reply from the court today?
……
Jinling. Tai Chi Hall.
The morning court unexpectedly lasted for two hours and had just ended at this moment.
Regarding the matter of whether to send reinforcements to Lidu Mansion, the ministers argued fiercely for several rounds, and the scene in the main hall was once out of control.
If the country has a strong army, there is no doubt that it can defend every inch of its territory, but now that the new Jinling Dynasty has just been established, the number of troops is limited. The new capital is still unstable, so it is the general trend to divide the river and govern it. Lidu Mansion is located in the north of the river. If you want to defend it, you will have to pay a higher price.
These are difficulties that everyone is well aware of.
However, the ministers who supported and supported said that this battle was related to the people's hearts and morale. If they succeeded, it would mean that the Yu Dynasty still had the ability to fight Qi, and there would be hope for returning to the north.
Many people whose homes were in the north were forced to flee to the south of the Yangtze River. An old minister said that his clothes were full of tears when he returned home, which made everyone sigh.
But it is a sigh of relief that the opposition is still heartbroken.
They came up with a more powerful reason - the siege of Lidu Mansion might be a trap.
The person who said this was Hu Ruhai, the Minister of War. After Shen Zhizhong's death, he took over the management of military affairs. He was a chief minister and a reckless man. Although he often had disagreements with others, everyone in the court knew that he was an upright man, loyal to the court, and a good man.
Hu Ruhai said: "Yesterday, a group of about seven or eight soldiers escaped to Jinling with a narrow escape, and then told the minister the true situation of Lidu Mansion. Lidu Mansion is actually under the control of the traitor Xie Queshan, and he and the Qi people They colluded with each other to force the Song magistrate to surrender, issued a request for help, and created the illusion of defending the city. They wanted to lure the Jinling army into the tiger's mouth. This is a strategy of military strategists to encircle the enemy for reinforcements. Officials must not be fooled!"
As soon as these words came out, the palace was in an uproar.
Xu Zhou was a little anxious: "There is a war in Lidu Mansion now. Those few people did not stick to the front line, but came to Jinling. Could they be deserters? Besides, how can you trust the words of a few people? I can't trust Master Song, and his letter for help is not It may be fake."
"Everyone knows that Mr. Song and Xie Queshan were once close friends. Before the Shocking Spring Incident, he knelt outside the Wende Hall for Xie Queshan and begged the Supreme Emperor to reinforce the Youdu Mansion - but what happened next? Xie Queshan surrendered. Qi, he also went into self-exile and never entered the court again, which shows the friendship between these two people! Although Mr. Song made great contributions to the official family's southern crossing, he may also reveal his weaknesses in front of his former friends and be exploited by them. In this matter , His words cannot be fully believed!”
Hu Ruhai spoke impassionedly and every sentence was factual, and the ministers nodded in agreement frequently.
Xu Zhou wanted to be fair to Xie Queshan. He knew Xie Queshan's identity, but at the moment he couldn't produce any evidence. So he wanted to argue again, and one of his ministers retorted bitterly - "The officials were blinded by thieves!"
"If the officials insist on having their own way, the old minister will have no choice but to die to prove his will!" After saying that, the man took off his hat and hit the pillar to show his determination not to send troops.
Xu Zhou was so horrified that he almost ran down from the dragon chair to pull someone away. Fortunately, the officials kept shouting in surprise and stopped him.
The main hall was in complete chaos. Xu Zhou sat back on the dragon chair in confusion, looking at the faces of these ministers who were either flustered, nervous or sad.
He wanted to save Lidu Mansion, but in the eyes of his ministers, he was not a very trustworthy king. He has no outstanding political opinions or achievements, so every decision he makes needs to be carefully considered. He can sit in his current position only because of the support of these courtiers, and he has to listen to everyone's opinions.
He can send troops arbitrarily, but this will chill the hearts of the courtiers. The new dynasty is set for the first time and cannot be divided up and down.
In the end, this long quarrel ended with Xu Zhou's tired "further discussion."
After the morning court, Xu Zhou left Xie Zhu alone.
Among the ministers of the new dynasty, Xie Zhu had the highest prestige. Before Shen Zhizhong died, he was the person he trusted most. Shen Zhizhong had many supporters in the court, and these people chose to continue to trust Xie Zhu, almost treating him as the next Zhongshu Ling. What's more, Xie Zhu came from Lidu Mansion, and Xie Zhu also contributed to the new emperor's southern crossing.
As for Xu Zhou, he naturally trusts the Xie family, and Xie Zhu is also the uncle of Xie Queshan and Xiaoliu. He had always heard Xiao Liu talk about how his father was a coward who escaped from the world of mortals and became a Buddhist monk. Only his third uncle still had a strong sense of righteousness and struggled to support the literary mind of Lidu Mansion.
"According to what Sir Xie sees, should I send troops to Lidu Mansion?"
Xu Zhou asked sincerely, because Xie Zhu did not say a word today, and he really hoped that this respected veteran could give him some answers...even if it was just some direction.
"Presumably the officials have already made a decision in their hearts, and I dare not say more."
Xu Zhou was a little anxious. It was already this time, why were he still doing Tai Chi? He wished he could speak more clearly.
"Master Xie, you don't believe that your nephew is that kind of person, right? He is clearly an undercover agent who joined the enemy army alone. Without his secret help, how could I have reached Jinling safely? It is impossible to be trapped in Lidu Mansion. If there is a lie, I’m afraid that someone is playing tricks on it and deliberately letting Jinling hear some information that confuses people’s minds.”
Xu Zhou knew in his heart that those who opposed sending troops were not necessarily sycophants, and their decisions were all responsible for the court. Including Hu Ruhai, he may not have second thoughts, but he has obtained some information, and he must give his own suggestions to the emperor based on this information.
These are the duties of a minister, but we are afraid that someone will take advantage of the loyalty of the ministers. The exchange of information between Jinling and Lidu Mansion was not timely. Unless Xu Zhou went to see it in person, he could only hear what was going on in Lidu Mansion.
Xu Zhou wanted Xie Zhu to express his position. He would not be unclear about Xie Queshan's character and then use his prestige to influence the courtiers' decisions.
Unexpectedly, Xie Zhu immediately lifted his robe and knelt down, saying with great humility: "Because Xie Queshan is Chen's nephew, I have selfish intentions for him, but the temple is so high and every decision is related to the life and death of everyone in the world. How can I do that?" Bringing your selfishness to the court? Officials, this matter is public or private, and I can’t say much. I will fully support all your decisions."
Xu Zhou was a little dumbfounded that Xie Zhu actually wanted to avoid suspicion. This is obviously true. The melon field does not accept the shoes, and the Li Xia does not have the right crown.
Everyone is right, but why can't he save Lidu Mansion?
He looked at Xie Zhu as he kowtowed and his winged hat fell to the ground. Taizu didn't like his ministers to get too close to each other to prevent them from whispering, so he designed a hat with long wings. The iron wings could not get close to him. Be upright in the West and keep yourself clean. But Xu Zhou suddenly felt that he was too cold and far away, and he could not get close to the hearts of his ministers. The suffocating feeling of seeing the ministers dying to remonstrate in the main hall came back. In fact, Xie Zhu was no different, they were all forcing him.
