Chapter 155

The report that Gao Yin sent back before has already arrived in Jiankang.

In the report, he said that Li Mu now poses no actual threat to the court, and asked for permission to return with his troops.

He explained that for the imperial court, the greatest danger today is not from Chang’an, but from the Xianbei soldiers still occupying Qingzhou and the situation in the southwest.

Qingzhou has always been the stronghold of the northern regime’s attempt to confront Guangling, which is known as the gateway to Jiangbei Jiangbei. It used to be the case in Northern Xia, and now it is the same in Northern Yan. Murong has run an elite army of loyal confidants in Qingzhou, eyeing him. In the previous battle of Luoyang, Li Mu lost most of the Central Plains south of the Yellow River because of the Jedi counterattack, but Qingzhou was still in his hands, and the threat to the imperial court had not been completely resolved.

In addition to Qingzhou in the north, the southwest is also the focus that the court needs to guard against. The Hu people were mixed together, and there had been many independent Hu people regimes one after another, and there was also the Xu Mi Rebellion. A few years ago, it was only because of Li Muzhi’s prestige that it was suppressed. Now that Li Mu is away, he is afraid that the situation will change again. He asks the court to pay attention to prevention.

Looking at the current situation, it is better to return to the army as soon as possible than to let him continue to stay here with vacant troops.

This is a very long report, detailed and thorough. His urgency was evident on the paper.

But he did not get a response as quickly as he had hoped. The court’s controversy over his report has been going on for many days.

The officials headed by Liu Hui did not change their minds because of Gao Yin’s report. They still insisted that Li Mu blatantly betrayed Dayu and acted appallingly. People were able to kill him, and ordered Gao Yin to immediately carry out the order issued by the previous court, control Chang’an, and arrest Li Mu.

Compared with people like Liu Hui, Feng Wei’s attitude was much more relaxed. He agreed with Gao Yin’s report, saying that Li Mu was not the biggest hidden danger of the court today. Based on his understanding of Li Mu, the reason why the garrison did not return should be a lot of misunderstandings. He hoped that the court would suspend the condemnation and oppression of Chang’an first, and even offered himself up, willing to go to Chang’an in person, and persuade Li Mu in person to plead guilty to the court and return to the court.

Although Gao Yongrong needed people like Liu Hui to cheer for her and win people’s hearts, she knew in her heart that someone like Feng Wei who was able to do things was incomparable to Liu Hui. She has always relied on Feng Wei a lot.

This time, she didn’t make a statement at first.

From the bottom of her heart, she is more inclined to Liu Hui’s remarks.

Before Gao Yin sent the letter, the news about how Li Mu was able to turn the tide in the Battle of Luoyang had already been sent back to the Southern Dynasty, and the so-called “white tiger appeared, the saint came out” and the people in front of Kanglong Pass were struggling to keep track of him. , but also caused heated discussions among the people.

The more the people are boiling, the more it becomes a nightmare for Gao Yongrong.

No one in the upper ranks can tolerate such a situation.

Li Mu is a big mountain pressing in front of her. If she doesn’t remove it for a day, she can’t feel at ease for a day. If there was a way to get rid of Li Mu without shaking Da Yu, she would immediately do it without hesitation.

The reason why she didn’t dare to do it was because she also knew that Gao Yin’s concerns were not unreasonable.

But her hesitation did not last long.

Because of a secret note sent to her by Gao Yin later, she finally made up her mind.

In the secret note sent to her, Gao Yin told the truth about his meeting with Luoshen.

He re-emphasized that he was willing to guarantee with his own head that Chang’an was definitely not the primary target that the imperial court needed to guard against.

He emphasized that this is not just a reminder from Changan, but also his own worries.

Rongkang was originally just a local Fangbo, and he rose to power through the chaos of Xu Mi. In recent years, he has been extremely enthusiastic about the affairs of the court, and his power has continued to expand. Judging from his previous bad deeds in encroaching on the surrounding area in Badi, Rongkang is by no means a man of his own accord. Now the situation in the imperial court is delicate, if he does not restrict his power, he is more likely to become a confidant of Dayu than Li Mu.

In the past few years, Rongkang’s official position has been continuously promoted. After Li Mu took Luoshen and broke with the imperial court, Gao Yongrong promoted him to be the general of Zhenxi, the prefect of Jingzhou, and ordered him to lead troops to attack Yicheng. After returning to no avail, he stationed in Jingzhou and sent a letter of plea to the court, waiting for the conviction.

What Gao Yin didn’t expect was that the heartfelt private letter he sent to Gao Yongrong not only failed to achieve his purpose, but instead made the empress dowager more and more doubtful and even uneasy.

The thing she was most worried about finally happened.

Now even Gao Yin has been persuaded by Chang’an! Instead of carrying out his own orders, he began to help Changan to exonerate his charges.

Can she continue to rely on the Gao family she originally relied on in the future?

When trust begins to crack, paranoia and doubts are like a snake spitting out poisonous letters, coiling in a dark corner, infecting people with blind and arrogant venom until it completely blinds people’s eyes.

Looking at the world, she could still use her strength to protect herself, except for Rong Kang, who was being slandered and divided by Chang’an, there was no one else.

In Gao Yongrong’s eyes, Rong Kang was a reckless man who admired the nobility wholeheartedly and wanted to be recognized by the nobility.

Although Li Mu came from a humble background, he was still a commoner.

And this Rongkang was not even a commoner, but a barbarian from outside Huahua.

Such a person actually dared to covet his cousin Luoshen, and even more than once, showed in front of her that if he would bring down Li Mu in the future, he hoped that the queen mother would marry him and Luoshen.

Gao Yongrong despised him from the bottom of his heart, but he never explicitly rejected his wishful thinking in person.

She needs the barbarian to obey her. In the past few years, Rongkang has always been obedient to her, except for the so-called “auspicious” who called her heartbroken and failed to lay down Yicheng, the rest of the performance made Gao Yongrong very satisfied.

Now, the reason why Changan wants to use Gao Yin’s mouth to remind himself to be careful of Rongkang is naturally intentional. Nine times out of ten, it’s just alienation.

That night, Gao Yongrong was in his son’s bedroom, staring at his sleeping face, tormented by the fear that his mother and son were about to be left alone, and couldn’t sleep all night.

After dawn, she no longer hesitated and issued two decrees.

The first one is for Gao Yin. He ordered him to continue to garrison the same place, closely monitor the movements of Chang’an, and seal Li Mu’s way to the south. Without the order of the imperial court, it is not allowed to return troops without authorization.

The second way was to make Rongkang the Duke of the county and the governor of Jiangzhou, ordering him to send troops to Jiangzhou, to obey the dispatch of the imperial court at any time, to defend the lower reaches, and to deal with any possible attacks on Jiankang.

These two decrees once again caused an uproar in the court.

Feng Wei was strongly opposed at first.

The Queen Mother did not seem to obey Liu Hui and the others, and publicly declared that Li Mu was a rebel, leaving room for future transfers, but such an arrangement, especially the introduction of Rongkang into Jiangzhou, in Feng Wei’s view, was like a gateway to Jiankang. Wide open, very dangerous.

Jiankang only had more than 10,000 military guards stationed there. To Guangling, which is known as the gateway to Jiankang, the main force of the army has also been transferred to guard against Li Mu, and now only part of the defenders are left.

From Jiangzhou to Jiankang, although it is not close, but on the premise that there is not enough Guangling army to guard the door, introducing Rongkang into Jiangzhou is tantamount to placing Jiankang under his protection.

In case Rongkang is not credible, Jiankang is in jeopardy.

But this time, Gao Yongrong’s attitude was very firm, and he ordered Rongkang to take office in Jiangzhou immediately.

Rong Kang’s response also made Gao Yongrong very satisfied.

After receiving the appointment from the imperial court, he was grateful to Dade. Not only did he rush a letter of gratitude to the imperial court, but he also proposed to send his eldest son to Jiankang as a pledge to express his loyalty to the imperial court.

Not only did Gao Yongrong completely dispel his doubts, even Feng Wei, after learning of Rongkang’s decision, finally eased his attitude and no longer opposed it as firmly as before.

After all, under the circumstance that the Guangling army could not return in time, if Rongkang was really loyal to the imperial court and let him garrison in Jiangzhou, it would be a good thing for Jiankang to have an extra layer of protection.

…

In the late autumn of this year, in the north and south of the great river, up and down the Yellow River, and in the desert, everyone went their own way and embarked on the path they had chosen.

Li Mu and Luoshen said goodbye once again and embarked on his northern expedition, marching forward for the ambitions he had set in his youth. Murong fought fiercely for him, drew allies, joined forces with Yanmen, and vowed to kill the enemy with his own hands, and he would be ashamed. Gao Yin was full of blood in vain, but he was like a rope, unable to move an inch. He could only station the army where he was, and in vain sent a report to the court again, hoping to persuade the people in power to allow himself to return to his right place. And Rong Kang, who led his army, went straight to Jiangzhou without stopping.

No matter how the North is resurgent now, at least in the Southern Dynasty, it seems that everything is under the control of Gao Yongrong.

Just when the court was up and down, waiting for Rong Kang to fulfill his promise and send his eldest son to Jiankang as a pledge, the situation became wrong.

According to reports, after Rongkang’s army arrived in Jiangzhou, they did not station troops on the spot as instructed by the transfer order, but continued eastward along the river and toward the lower reaches.

Gao Yongrong didn’t believe it at first, but after a few days, he received urgent reports from several prefects along the way, and then he realized the problem.

It is reported that Rong Kang led the army to continue eastward under the pretext of escorting his eldest son into Beijing as a hostage, which was unstoppable. With the poor local military strength of the counties, it is impossible to stop it. What they can do is to report to the court as soon as possible, hoping that the court will intervene.

Gao Yongrong immediately dispatched Liu Hui to stop Rong Kang’s actions, and ordered him to return to Jiangzhou with the army, only allowing his son to enter the capital.

Liu Hui not only holds a high position in the court, but is also a famous person in the Jiankang nobility. He is civilized with his agility and eloquence. When Rongkang entered the capital several times before, he flattered him a lot and seemed to respect him. When such a thing happened, it was most appropriate to send him to come forward to solve it.

However, Liu Hui’s performance completely disappointed Gao Yongrong and the court officials, and they became fearful and uneasy.

When Liu Hui saw Rongkang, Rongkang’s army had arrived in Shicheng adjacent to Danyang County.

According to the Huangmen servant who went with Liu Hui and fled back later, at the beginning of the meeting, Liu Hui was arrogant and bossy, and Rongkang was humble, but when Liu Hui conveyed the will of the court and ordered him to turn around and return to Jiangzhou , Rongkang immediately changed his face, saying that after he served the queen mother, he personally sent his son into Jiankang as a hostage, and refused to return. Liu Hui felt offended and was very angry, scolding Rongkang as a barbarian who speaks loudly and has no faith. Rong Kang was furious and detained Liu Hui and all his subordinates on the spot. The waiter happened to be unwell at that time and stayed in the camp with no companions. Hearing the bad news, he took off his official robes and the people on the road changed clothes and dressed as a passer-by in ragged clothes. Only then did he escape the pursuit and escape. Jiankang.

Manchu Wenwu was completely shocked by this news.

Rongkang’s intentions have been revealed so far.

Feng Wei was extremely remorseful, regretting that he had relaxed his vigilance at first, and did not insist on opposing it to the end, so that he led the wolf into the house, causing today’s disaster.

Gao Yongrong was even more distraught, he didn’t mention it in one breath, and almost fainted.

She never imagined that, in the past few years, the seemingly loyal and reliable local general that she cultivated with her own hands had hidden such a cunning and vicious evil intention.

If his army reaches Jiankang, with the strength of Jiankang, there is no room for parry.

At that time, people will be knives, and I will be fish.

She finally remembered her cousin’s previous reminder to herself through Gao Yin’s mouth, and also of Gao Yin’s army that was still suppressed near Chang’an.

Overnight, the corners of her mouth became blistered, and people fell ill, but she did not want to show weakness in front of the courtiers.

At the court meeting that day, she cheered herself up, brought her son, and stood at the door leading to the main hall. When she heard the low-pitched complaints of the officials from the court to her, for the first time in her life, she felt deeply. What is embattled on all sides.

She sent people to cross the river quickly, sent a letter to Guangling, and urgently called the garrison that Gao Yin had stayed there before to come to help and stop Rongkang.

At the same time, send a letter to Gao Yin at the fastest speed, ordering him to return to the army immediately.

After the messenger set off, Gao Yongrong and the ministers began to wait anxiously. And the news that Rongkang’s army would soon enter the capital quickly spread throughout the city.

All those who have experienced the Xu Mi Rebellion a few years ago have felt in their hearts a kind of fear and despair that the old nightmare is about to return.

That time, when Jiankang was in crisis, Gao Qiao, the head of the Gao clan, was ordered to stand up and lead the soldiers to fight to the end until Li Mu arrived, saving the imperial city and the people in the city.

And this time, when the same nightmare comes again, who will be their salvation?

There is no salvation, and no hope in sight.

But a few days later, the news from Jiangbei, like a plague, quickly swept the city with despair and fear.

At this juncture, the 30,000-strong Beiyan army stationed in Qingzhou launched an attack on Guangling, which had less than 10,000 troops left. Gao Yun, who had quietly returned to the south out of shame, has rushed to Guangling and led less than ten thousand troops to block the Xianbei people from heading south.

As for the main force of the Guangling Army, which was far away in Chang’an, even if they could receive the news as scheduled at this time, they would not be able to quench their thirst from afar.

What’s more, even the news was intercepted halfway.

At the beginning of the month, the rich and noble families in Jiankang City began to flee overnight, and when more people were panicking, Rongkang’s army, almost without any decent resistance, drove smoothly to the outside of Jiankang City. .

Feng Wei, who personally commanded the defense of Jiankang, was captured, and several military attachés who were stubbornly resisting were killed. In just half a day, Rongkang’s army tore open the position guarded by a group of old guards who had no will to fight.

In the face of the intruders pouring in like a tide, Feng Wei had no other choice but to cry bitterly.

The city gates were all blocked, and Jiankang became a besieged city.

Rongkang rode a horse, surrounded by the armored army behind him, and under the fearful gaze of the people in Jiankang beside the road, he was triumphant, roared into the city, and broke into the palace.

The Empress Dowager of Dayu, along with the emperor, the royal family, the gentry, and the group of officials behind him who looked like mourning concubines, was intercepted by Rongkang soldiers who were chasing after him from the escape route.

This group of noble people who used to be high above and who have been supported by the anointed Liang Jinxiu since the date of their birth, are like a group of refugees, they can only walk on foot, and are driven back to Jiankang by the surrounding soldiers with swords and halberds, like wolves and tigers, all the way back to Jiankang City, back to the palace.

On that day, the sky above Jiankang City was deep in the autumn sky, blue as a wash, and wild geese returned north.

In the autumn sky of the southern country, it is rare to have a hint of the sassy and transparent of the northern land.

Rongkang sat high on the precious chair in the main hall of Jiankang Palace, and was touching the dragon head of a golden coiled dragon embossed on the armrest. When he saw the group of people being driven into the main hall by the soldiers, he got up and got down. After taking the throne, he walked towards the crowd, and threw a head, whose blood had dried up and the flesh had begun to swell and rot, onto the smooth ground of the hall and said, “This minister is just following the order of the Queen Mother and personally sending the dog to the capital as a pledge. , but the Queen Mother misunderstood her ministers deeply, and she had no choice but to offend her with such a battle.”

The owner of the human head on the ground was the pirate general who was sent to lead someone to pass a letter to Gao Yin many days ago.

There was a sound of nausea in the hall, and many people couldn’t bear to look anymore, and covered their faces with sleeved robes.

Gao Yongrong’s face was pale, he tightly grasped the hand of the terrified young emperor hiding behind him, and sternly shouted: “Rongkang! Your Majesty Dayu is destined to return! It’s a waste of my trust in you, but you Repaying kindness and revenge, committing the following crimes, and doing evil deeds that are inferior to beasts! Aren’t you afraid of being punished by God?”

Rong Kang laughed instead of anger. After clapping their hands, everyone heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside the hall. They turned their heads and saw Feng Wei and Liu Hui, as well as those officials who had followed Liu Hui to confront Rong Kang, were all **** and pushed into the hall.

After the soldier let go, Feng Wei closed his eyes tightly and did not move. Liu Hui’s face was ashen, standing there shivering, looking like he was about to faint. It’s only been ten days, and it seems that they have changed people. Where is the half of the former light fur and red shoes, and the rich and noble appearance of the past?

Rongkang ordered people to untie.

Everyone looked at him, surprised and suspicious, wondering what his intentions were.

Rongkang walked in front of Gao Yongrong, stared at the young emperor beside Gao Yongrong, knelt down, and said solemnly: “Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, the minister just said, the only purpose of the minister’s trip is to send the dog to the capital. Everything is a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, I urge the Queen Mother and Her Majesty to return to the throne, and the ministers will also take their places.

There was silence in the hall.

Everyone looked at the soldiers with bright iron armor and dazzling blood-stained halberds standing around, no one dared to move.

Gao Yongrong also stood stiffly, keeping the little emperor behind him, motionless.

Rong Kang’s eyes swept across the faces of everyone in turn, gradually turning gloomy. He suddenly drew his sword and stabbed a minister in the chest next to him. Amidst the screams from the man, he shouted sharply: “You are all deaf? Didn’t you hear what I said? If you don’t obey, kill!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The surrounding soldiers roared, and the sound echoed in the corner of the hall, making a buzzing echo.

The crowd trembled.

Some fell to the ground softly on the spot, some ran to the place where they used to stand, and more people, like headless flies, with white faces, ran around in the hall, pushing each other, fighting for their own. The location, lest it be too late, the disaster will be summoned to kill.

After a commotion like a farce, even Feng Wei, who kept his eyes closed, was pushed by his colleagues who were afraid of being implicated by him, and pushed him to the top of the line of civil servants.

Amid the unbridled laughter of Rongkang and his soldiers, the civil and military officials of the Southern Dynasty finally took their places. In the end, only Gao Yongrong was left holding the little emperor, and the two stood in the center of the hall.

“The queen mother, everyone is in place, just waiting for the queen mother and her majesty.”

Rong Kang smiled and walked in front of her, seemingly respectful and authentic.

Gao Yongrong straightened his neck stiffly, stared straight ahead, dragged his son’s hand, and climbed the steps step by step, finally taking the little emperor and slowly sitting on the dragon chair.