The Second Master of the Red Chamber

A wide area about twenty miles west of Tiewang Mountain.

There are thousands of lanterns and tents here, and the flames are blazing.

These thousand military tents were lined up along a road, one in the south and one in the north, clearly separated.

At this time, in a temporary military tent on the avenue, the commanders of the two armies were meeting.

"In this situation, what does Yun Jiedu think we should do?"

"We have been marching here for some time. During this long period of time, there has been no new decree from the Emperor, and our people cannot go up the mountain.

Moreover, our scouts just reported that there are no signs of fighting on Tiewang Mountain. It seems that Xie Jing did not lie to us and the rebellion on the mountain has really ended.

At this moment, I am afraid that the old emperor has met with an accident."

Yun Guang sighed.

As the Jiedushi of Chang'an, he was the closest garrison troops outside the capital.

Therefore, when he received the imperial edict from the retired emperor, he immediately led tens of thousands of troops and rushed to Tiewang Mountain.

Unexpectedly, someone arrived earlier than him.

Guanning Jiedushi Tao Ran was clearly farther away than him, but he arrived before him. Later he learned that the other party only led 3,000 cavalry ahead, leaving the majority behind.

Although they approached Tiewang Mountain one after another, they were all blocked by a strict formation.

And blocked their troops, and took out the order of Emperor Ning Kang. Neither of them dared to act rashly, so they agreed to join forces.

During this period, they naturally received "persuasion" from the garrison generals, asking them to leave their troops behind to meet the emperor at Tiewang Mountain, or return to where they came from, otherwise they would be charged with treason.

In response, they said they had not received any order from the emperor, so they did not dare to withdraw their troops without authorization.

As for going to Tiewang Mountain alone to meet the emperor... they are not stupid.

This commotion was so big that even a fool would know that something big had happened.

Although the order given to them by the retired emperor only asked them to lead their troops to Tiewang Mountain to defend the king, it did not specify who was the traitor.

But putting aside the "inside story" obtained from the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, let's just say that in today's world, who else, other than Emperor Ning Kang, would dare to rebel against the emperor emeritus and have the ability to force him to dispatch foreign troops to the capital to defend him?

As the saying goes, when gods fight, innocent people suffer.

Now the two saints are fighting each other. If things go wrong, the generals who hold military power will be the ones to die.

"How many soldiers did General Tao bring this time?" Yun Guang suddenly asked.

Tao Ran's expression slightly changed. He looked at Yun Guang deeply and said casually, "This time, I have been ordered to bring troops to the king's defense. There are 3,800 light and heavy cavalry, and the rest are 8,000 elite soldiers."

Yun Guang was secretly jealous when he heard this, and then he said pointedly: "I heard that Lord Wang, the commander of the nine provinces, also came to the capital this time, and the troops he brought are several times more than you and me..."

As a general who had been in charge of a region for a long time, Tao Ran could naturally understand Yun Guang's hidden meaning.

But he denied it after just a brief thought.

Although the two saints of Tiewang Mountain were fighting each other this time, the world was not in chaos.

The 100,000 well-equipped Imperial Guards alone are not something they can contend with with the limited forces they have.

Moreover, Wang Ziteng was a monk who had once served as the governor of the Beijing Camp. He was not of the same kind as them and could not communicate with them. The other side also had more troops than the two of them.

If they really want to unite to do something big, who will listen to whom? I'm afraid that before the big thing is accomplished, they will quarrel among themselves.

Therefore, given the current situation, if they want to emulate Dong Zhuo and enter the court to control the government with their limited strength, that is wishful thinking and a way to death.

Yun Guang only needed to look at Tao Ran's expression to know that the other party didn't mean that, and he was just thinking about it.

After all, compared with the misery of the military towns, the prosperity of the capital city makes it normal to have some thoughts.

The court also knew that they would have some normal thoughts.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the imperial court would not allow foreign troops to enter the capital. This was also the reason why Emperor Ningkang felt that his father was old and confused when the emperor sent foreign troops to the capital.

The two conspired for a long time, and after deciding on a strategy of advancing and retreating together, they prepared to disperse.

Suddenly, a soldier came to report: "Generals, the commander of the Imperial Guards' Firearms Battalion, Jia Lian, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, is outside the camp and wants to see you two generals."

Hearing Jia Lian's name, Yun Guang and Tao Ran's expressions became more serious. They looked at each other and ordered the person to be brought in.

……

Jia Lian walked through the numerous military tents and looked at those gray and black tents. He realized that the conditions of these foreign troops were indeed not as good as those of the officers and soldiers in the capital.

These are foreign troops that are relatively close to the capital. One can imagine what the conditions are like for the border troops in the nine border areas.

One of the great drawbacks of feudal empires is that the longer they survive, the more harshly they treat soldiers in remote areas.

This is not the subjective idea of ​​the emperor or the court, but it will be objectively manifested in one dynasty after another.

Jia Lian knew that one of the key changes that Emperor Ning Kang wanted to make was to change the military system. The key thing he wanted to change was the hundreds of thousands of Green Camp soldiers across the country who were both soldiers and bandits...

After walking about a mile or two along the road, we saw two veteran soldiers in armor standing on the left and right of an abrupt military tent.

When the two saw him, they all came forward to greet him.

"General Yun Guang (Tao Ran) pays homage to His Royal Highness the Grandson."

Jia Lian had originally come forward to greet them, but he had not expected these two to address him in that way.

After being stunned for a moment, I realized that these two people were not completely ignorant of what was happening on the mountain.

"You are too polite, generals. Please stand up quickly."

Helping up the two old men who were already bowing slightly, Jia Lian said, "As for my identity as the grandson of the emperor, there is no final conclusion yet. You two old generals should just call me by my name."

Yun Guang said: "Your Highness, please do not speak nonsense. The words spoken by the Supreme Emperor are golden words. How can what he said in public be called inconclusive?"

Tao Ran also nodded in agreement.

What else could Jia Lian say? In fact, even if he was really the illegitimate grandson of the retired emperor, he could not be considered "His Royal Highness".

Look at all the grandchildren of the retired emperor. Apart from the princes and princesses of Emperor Ningkang, who else calls him "Your Highness"?
Those who are orthodox are not even considered as such, let alone the one who is not allowed to be seen in public.

Jia Lian knew that Yun and Tao were not only flattering him, but more importantly, they were tacitly acknowledging that he was a member of the emperor's chariot and was of the same kind as them.

Of course, whether he is pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth is unknown.

Jia Lian did not argue with them on this issue. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went into the big tent and sat down.

After serving tea, Yun Guang and Tao Ran looked at each other, and Yun Guang spoke up, "Your Highness, did you come here so late at night to bring the Emperor's message?"

Jia Lian took a sip of tea, put the cup down, and looked at the two military governors with strange expressions on their faces.

He didn't believe that the two old guys didn't have any doubts. If he was the envoy of the retired emperor, he wouldn't have passed through Emperor Ningkang's defense line so brazenly and appeared calm and unhurried after arriving.

He didn't have time to beat around the bush with them as he had to go to Juyongguan later.

"I have come here this time with the order from His Majesty to ask the two generals questions." Jia Lian shook his head.

Yun and Tao's faces changed, and then Tao Ran said, "I wonder what your majesty wants to ask me?"

"Both generals are governors of certain regions, responsible for protecting the safety of the capital. Why are they suddenly leading their troops into the capital? Are the two generals planning a rebellion?"

"Your Majesty, why do you say that? We are loyal to the Wei Dynasty, so how can we talk about rebellion?

This time, I am coming to the capital in compliance with the order of the Supreme Emperor. I am here to serve the King and protect him. I have the imperial edict as proof!"

"Where is the imperial edict?"

What happened before was just nonsense. Both parties knew exactly what was going on and they had negotiated on this before.

However, Yun and Tao knew that Jia Lian came here this time probably on behalf of Emperor Ning Kang to have formal negotiations with them.

In fact, the two of them were not surprised at all that Jia Lian was the envoy of Emperor Ning Kang.

Since they knew that the emperor had publicly acknowledged Jia Lian's identity, they naturally also knew that Jia Lian did not help the emperor in the end.

Seeing Jia Lian asked to see the imperial edict as soon as he arrived, the two of them hesitated for a moment, but still ordered someone to bring the edict.

Jia Lian looked at the two imperial edicts in a pretentious manner, then nodded and said, "I see, it seems that your majesty has misunderstood the two generals. The two generals, rest assured, I will tell your majesty the truth after I return."

Yun and Tao did not appreciate Jia Lian's kindness. They frowned and asked, "What does your Majesty mean?"

Jia Lian cleared his throat and said, "To be honest with you two generals, there was indeed a rebellion in Tiewang Mountain this time.

The situation was urgent at the time, so the emperor issued an imperial decree, inviting all generals to come to the capital to quell the rebellion.

However, now that the rebellion on the mountain has been quelled, the safety of the two saints is no longer in doubt.

Therefore, I hope the two generals will lead their troops to retreat as soon as possible to avoid causing unnecessary trouble again."

"May I ask, Your Highness, what kind of rebellion happened on the mountain? Who rebelled, and forced the Grand Emperor to dispatch us to the capital to quell the rebellion?"

"Alas, this is really sad..."

While sighing, Jia Lian recounted the causes and consequences of the Crown Prince's rebellion that had been planned long ago by Emperor Ning Kang.

Especially the fact that the prince was dead shocked Ling Yun and Tao. Jia Lian took the opportunity to calm down all the chaos on the mountain and said that Emperor Ning Kang had been sending troops to suppress them because of a "misunderstanding".

The implication is that if they don't follow Emperor Ning Kang's orders, they will be destroyed.

Yun and Tao are naturally not easy to fool.

"We have all come here in compliance with the imperial decree of the Retired Emperor. If we withdraw our troops without his permission, I am afraid that we will have a hard time explaining to him in the future.

It is easy for His Majesty to ask us to withdraw our troops. Just let us go up the mountain and meet the emperor in person. As long as the emperor gives the order, we will naturally lead the troops back immediately. "

Jia Lian nodded: "That is indeed what should be done. In that case, you two should pack up immediately and follow me up the mountain to see the Emperor."

The corners of Yun and Tao's mouths twitched. If they followed Jia Lian up the mountain like this, would they be able to go alive, but would they be able to come back alive?
Tao Ran suddenly said, "It's pointless to keep going around in circles like this.

Let's be frank, whether the incident on the mountain was a rebellion by the prince or something else, we cannot confirm it, nor do we have the intention to confirm it.

I just want to ask, how is the old emperor now?"

Seeing Tao Ran's reveal, Yun Guang dismissed the waiter in the tent and said, "Your Highness the Grandson and I are old acquaintances, so I will just say whatever I want.

Your Royal Highness should also know that this matter concerns the life and property of me and General Tao, so we cannot be careless.

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If you want us to withdraw, you must let us know what is going on and whether the emperor is safe. Otherwise, how can we withdraw with peace of mind?"

Yun Guang's eyes were extremely sincere, as if he was truly a loyal minister who was extremely loyal to the emperor.

In response, Jia Lian said, "I can only tell you two generals that the old man, the retired emperor, is now very safe. And His Majesty has decided to escort the retired emperor back to the capital early tomorrow morning.

The chaos in Tiewang Mountain will also come to an end this time.

If the two generals are still unwilling to retreat at this time, the only result will be that they will be charged with treason and be suppressed by the troops sent by His Majesty."

Jia Lian's words revealed two messages.

First, the emperor is indeed still alive.

Second, the retired emperor had already been defeated and fell into the hands of Emperor Ning Kang, otherwise it would not have been "Your Majesty has made the decision."

Tao Ran was somewhat dissatisfied with Jia Lian's tone, "Your Majesty, are you so confident? As far as I know, the governor of nine provinces, Wang Ziteng, has also been ordered by the emperor to lead tens of thousands of troops to the capital to help the emperor quell the rebellion. I'm afraid they have already arrived at the city of Juyongguan!

I know that Feng Sheng has led his troops to guard Juyong Pass, but if Yun Jiedu and I transfer troops north to Juyong Pass now and cooperate with Lord Wang from inside and outside, it should not be difficult to break through Juyong Pass.

By then, when our three armies converge, it may be possible to rescue the emperor..."

Tao Ran's words were exactly in line with Yun Guang's idea.

After much difficulty, he was able to lead his troops into the capital. If he could rescue the retired emperor from the real rebels and let him rule the country again, it would at least be a meritorious service to the emperor, and his future would be limitless.

However, before he could imagine it, Jia Lian on the opposite side sneered.

“I am not the one who attacked the two generals.

Let’s not talk about whether it is possible for your three armies to merge and defeat our army which is several times larger than yours before His Majesty returns to the capital.

Let's talk about the two generals..."

Jia Lian's expression suddenly turned grim: "Aren't you two generals afraid of being accused of forcing the Emperor to death and being infamous forever?"

Seeing that Yun Guang and the other two had not yet reacted, Jia Lian said quietly, "The old emperor is now extremely safe, but if the two generals insist on not withdrawing their troops, and even want to join forces with Wang Tongzhi's three armies, and cause chaos in the capital in the name of the emperor...

What do you two generals think is the simplest way for His Majesty to avoid these troubles?"

Tao Ran's expression changed, and he said angrily: "He dares!"

“General Tao is not a child anymore, there is no need to say whether he dares to do so or not.

Since ancient times, the royal family has been fighting for power. Where is the love between father and son, and brothers!
Your Majesty still cares about this family relationship, so the old emperor will be fine.

But if the generals insist on rushing to the capital to rescue the emperor, they will attempt to destroy the chaos of "two suns in the same sky" that Your Majesty has finally ended.

For the stability of Wei's country and to prevent the innocent deaths of Wei's brave soldiers, His Majesty will certainly be ruthless.

At that time, the history books and the people will not say that it was your majesty who killed the emperor. They will only say that it was the stupidity and ambition of the two generals that forced the emperor to death. "

Tao Ran sat on the chair dejectedly, he knew that Jia Lian was right.

The retired emperor has fallen into the hands of Emperor Ning Kang. No matter what, the retired emperor has been defeated.

In fact, how much does the struggle for power between two generations of emperors have to do with them?

The reason why they had to participate was that they were promoted by the retired emperor, and being loyal to the retired emperor meant being loyal to themselves.

The Supreme Emperor has been defeated, and the future of the Wei Dynasty is destined to be ruled by His Majesty the Current.

It seems that it is time for them to find a way out for themselves.

Seeing that Yun Guang and Tao Ran had seen the situation clearly, Jia Lian finally took out his last trump card.

“Your Majesty also knows that the two generals are leading the troops into the capital this time out of loyalty to the Emperor Emeritus and to the Great Wei.

Therefore, His Majesty will naturally not blame you two.

If the two generals are interested, they can inquire about Pei Fengnian, the former deputy commander of the Beidaying Camp of the Beijing Camp, and Shi Ding, the former deputy commander of the Cavalry Camp. These two were previously instigated to oppose Your Majesty, and Shi Ding even caused great trouble to Your Majesty.

But because they repented in time, they were all forgiven and reused by His Majesty.

They are like this, and the two generals are only acting in accordance with orders. They have not caused any adverse consequences. Your Majesty should be even more forgiving.

Of course, His Majesty is very sincere in order to completely dispel the concerns of the two generals.

His Majesty said that as long as the two generals withdraw their troops back to their original positions, His Majesty promised that as long as the two generals have no obvious faults, their positions will not be changed for at least the next five years.

In this case, the two old generals may be relieved?"

Yun Guang and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

When they were stopped at the foot of Tiewang Mountain by the troops of the Beijing Camp and had not received any order from the retired emperor, they guessed that something had happened to the retired emperor.

They also knew that they were in a difficult situation.

Now that Emperor Ning Kang is willing to make a promise, it gives them a chance to change sides.

"Is there an imperial decree?"

Jia Lian took out the imperial edict that he had prepared long ago.

After Yun Guang and the others looked at it carefully, they felt much more at ease.

Tao Ran said: "Your Majesty's words are golden, and we naturally believe them. But I am curious, why is it five years?"

Jia Lian said: "With your Majesty's ability, you will be able to unify the world and stabilize the country within five years.

By then, the two generals will naturally know who to be loyal to, and they will not have to worry about His Majesty's reckoning, because there will be no need."

There was one thing Jia Lian didn't say, which is that given the emperor's age, in another five years, he would probably pass away, right?

Feeling the confidence in Emperor Ning Kang in Jia Lian's words, Yun Guang and the others completely put aside their distracting thoughts and decided to change their flags.

So both of them changed their expressions and began to ask about the specific situation on the mountain. They even started to worry about Wang Ziteng, the biggest "rebel", on behalf of Emperor Ning Kang.

When they learned that Jia Lian had personally gone to "recruit" Wang Ziteng, the two felt relieved and began to flatter Jia Lian.

Previously, like everyone else, they felt that Jia Lian's special status would definitely make him fall out of favor with Emperor Ning Kang.

But now it seems that this is not the case at all. If it weren't for his absolute trust and reliance on him, how could Emperor Ning Kang have entrusted such an important task to Jia Lian?
Just when the host and guest were meeting harmoniously and Jia Lian was thinking about saying goodbye and going to Juyongguan, the sound of a drake duck clamoured outside.

"All of you get out of here. I want to see Tao Ran and Yun Guang..."

"Let's ask them why they have been reluctant to go up the mountain even though they have been here for so long!"

"Please calm down, eunuch. The two generals are meeting distinguished guests. Please wait for a moment..."

"Distinguished guest? What distinguished guest? I think it's the lobbyist over there.

Good, I knew it, the old emperor has been so kind to them and let them guard one side, but now the old emperor is in trouble, they just stand by and watch, refusing to be loyal, they really deserve to be killed..."

Listening to the noise outside, Tao Ran and the others felt a little embarrassed.

"It was Wang, the chief steward beside the emperor. Marquis Zhenyuan must have known him. It was he who conveyed the emperor's will to us."

After deciding to change the flag and banner, knowing that Emperor Ning Kang would not give Jia Lian a correct name, the two changed the title back.

Jia Lian's expression at this moment was somewhat intriguing: "Yes, of course I don't know him. He is the deputy chief steward of Wang Fuwang, how could I not know him?"

Yun Guang and the other two were both smart people, so how could they not hear the disgust in Jia Lian's words?

Well, are these two still having a feud?
But Jia Lian said, "By the way, Your Majesty is sincere to the two generals. Not only did he let me come here on your behalf to appease them, but he also made such a promise.

To show your loyalty, even if you two generals don't go up the mountain to express your gratitude right away, shouldn't you at least do something?"

Yun Guang reacted faster than Tao Ran. He stood up immediately and said, "My Lord, you are right. I will be back soon."

A moment later, Yun Guang personally carried Wang Fu's head into the tent and threw it at Jia Lian's feet.

Jia Lian only glanced at it briefly, then ordered his attendants to pack it up and send it to Emperor Ning Kang together with the letters from Yun Guang and others. (End of this chapter)