lady, please calm down

In mid-April, after the Xin Dynasty completed its court structure, newspapers across the country began to denounce the Southern Dynasty's act of assassinating the emperor.

For a time, the people of Great Chu were excited, and calls for "raising troops to attack" were heard everywhere in the court and among the people.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was the new dynasty's attempt to mobilize public opinion in preparation for sending troops to the south of the Yangtze River.

On the 19th of the same month, the Huaibei troops stationed outside the city of Tokyo moved south one after another after receiving rewards for the Northern Expedition. The Black Flag Army of Zhou Liang, which had stayed on the banks of the Dalingh River in Liaodong for more than two years, returned to Huaibei for rest and recuperation.

The two most elite vanguards, Xin Qiji and Han Shizhong, entered Huainan, Xin's unit was stationed in Anqing and Han's unit was stationed in Yangzhou.

The Minister of War Zhang Chunxiao was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Jiangdong, also known as the Governor-General, and was temporarily in charge of civil and military affairs north and south of the Huai River.

Chen Jing'an, who was familiar with the geography and customs of Huainan, and Zhe Yanwen, a military representative, served as the left and right deputy commanders respectively.

All of this was done in preparation for Chen Chu to lead the army in person and serve as the vanguard.

In the eyes of the ministers, this southern expedition was like a tiger attacking a rabbit, and it should be a crushing victory. There was really no need for the emperor to lead the expedition in person.

But everyone also knew that the current emperor was about to gain the world and was in his prime, so it was normal for him not to miss this war to annihilate the country, so they stopped advising him.

By early May, the troops had arrived in place one after another.

However, after witnessing the fighting power of Huaibei several times, the Lin'an court had no intention of resisting at all, and was filled with gloom and despair.

The fifth day of May is the Dragon Boat Festival. Today should be a day off, but due to the current situation, we still have to go to court as usual.

However, nearly 20% of the court officials were sick at home, which gave people a sense of déjà vu as if everyone was running away when disaster struck.

The Zhou Emperor did not bother to think about it and said in a tone that was almost pleading: "My dear ministers, who can make the Chu army withdraw?"

All the officials remained silent and no one was willing to speak.

Isn't it so? Seeing all the talented people gathered in the hall, they all have their own thoughts. The attitude of the Minister of Finance Chen Bokang is ambiguous, and the position of the Minister of War Luo Ruji, who stole the high position by a villain, has aroused suspicion even before he followed the Chu army to the north to Liaodong.

Prime Minister Qin has not attended court for more than a month due to illness.

At the end of last year, the Chu army rescued a large number of civilians from Liaodong, and the Lin'an court secretly sent people to Tokyo to bring their families back.

Who can guarantee that none of these people will take the opportunity to secretly collude with the State of Chu?
Furthermore, the Liuhuai Preparatory School west of Lin'an was the pro-Chu base camp in the south of the Yangtze River. From professors to students, they always mentioned the Emperor of Chu and talked about Jiangbei in every matter.

As a result, a large number of students from other academies were attracted to study there. It was said that now the students in Liuhuai Academy were bold enough to gather together to discuss the pros and cons of Chu and Zhou.

As for the numerous merchants who made their fortunes by selling Huai goods, there were countless people who volunteered to collect information and work as spies for the State of Chu.

In other words, the entire Zhou Kingdom, from the court to the academic world to the people, had already been riddled with infiltration. It was already the extreme that they could not be suspicious of each other. There was no possibility of them joining forces to fight against the Chu Kingdom.

In addition, Wang Shu, the former Minister of War who had followed His Majesty's order to launch a surprise attack on Huaibei, resigned and became a civilian. Wanqi Xie, the commander of the Western Route Army, was handed over to the State of Chu. Later, he was skinned alive in public in the Loyal Martyrs' Garden in Caizhou.
Although Wanqi Xie was treacherous, he was working for the emperor after all. After the failure, you took the blame for him and had Huaibei execute him by slicing him to vent your anger. With this as a lesson, who would dare to give you advice now?

After the meeting ended at Si hour, Emperor Zhou, who had not received any advice, truly experienced what it meant to be alone.

After staying alone in the bedroom for a while, he suddenly called the eunuch Kang Lu, who was in charge of the eunuchs, and asked him to go to the Sansi Yamen in person to invite Liu Changqing and Zhu Chun, the chief and deputy judges of the Sansi Duzhi, into the palace.

Kang Lu was an old acquaintance of Emperor Zhou's secret residence, so he naturally knew the latter very well. After leaving the bedroom, he could not help but wipe away a few tears quietly, thinking: Your Majesty is really at his wit's end, and actually wants to ask the King of Chu to withdraw his troops through Liu and Zhu. This is a desperate attempt to find a cure, and it is also a desperate measure.

Inside the Sansi Yamen, Liu Changqing and Zhu Chun were quite surprised to see the old eunuch with a big smile on his face.

When he learned that it was Emperor Zhou who invited the two of them into the palace, Liu Changqing was shocked and confused. He thought that Emperor Zhou wanted to kill the two of them to vent his anger because his teacher had stationed troops in Jiangbei.

Zhu Chun, who was riding in the same sedan with him, had a calm expression on his face. He just said, "Brother, you are worrying too much. If Emperor Zhou wanted to kill you and me, why would he go through so much trouble? He could just take us to Caishikou and execute us! I think he was scared by our teacher and didn't want to give up half of his kingdom, so he asked you and me to persuade our teacher."

Sure enough, the facts were exactly as Zhu Chun had expected.

Emperor Zhou was particularly friendly today. He first asked the two of them whether they were used to the local climate in Lin'an, and whether the southern food was delicious. He hesitated for a long time before getting to the point. "The assassination of the King of Chu has absolutely nothing to do with me. However, I have sent more than ten letters to the country, but none of them have been responded to. There must be a misunderstanding. Please write a letter in person to explain to the King of Chu. It would be best if you could cross the river to meet the King of Chu in person. I will pay for the travel expenses."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Lu brought a plate of golden horseshoe-shaped cakes and placed it within the reach of the two.

Liu Changqing was limited by his family background and knowledge, and his courage and insight were not as good as his junior brother Zhu Chun, but at least he was reminded by his junior brother on the way, so he was ready at this moment, and hurriedly declined, saying: "I am a foreign minister with a lowly position, and I have no right to ask about military and national affairs. If there is any misunderstanding, Your Majesty can send an envoy to meet with our emperor and clarify it in person."

If it were so simple, would the Emperor of Zhou be so servile as to bribe you, a minor official of the fifth rank?
Emperor Zhou sighed deeply and said, "I'm afraid the King of Chu doesn't believe the words of our envoy! Now that the King of Chu's army is approaching, he won't listen to my explanation. I really can't bear to see the war start again and the people suffer. I hope Judge Liu will think of the people of the world and put an end to this war."

As he spoke, Emperor Zhou began to wipe away his tears.

Liu Changqing was born in a humble family and had a natural reverence for figures like the "Son of Heaven". He didn't know what to say for a moment and could only look at his junior brother.

Zhu Chun's father, Zhu Da, was a military commander in Caizhou. He grew up in a wealthy family and later became a disciple of Chen Chu. He could be considered one of the top second-generation in Huaibei. Like Guo Lin, the son of Yingzhou commander Guo Taoer, children of this background often have an innate self-confidence and are particularly bold in what they do and say, not afraid of offending others.

But Zhu Chun said slowly: "Your Majesty keeps saying that he has nothing to do with this matter, but I have evidence that someone from Zhou State is definitely involved in this matter."

This was not polite, and Emperor Zhou did not bother to argue with him, and hurriedly assured: "Please rest assured, Emperor Chu, if anyone from our dynasty was involved in this matter, I will investigate it thoroughly, hand over the real culprit to Emperor Chu, and give an explanation to the upper country!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhu Chun smiled suddenly, leaned forward, and said quietly: "The newspapers in my Great Chu have clearly written which people are suspects. Your Majesty, do you dare to arrest them?"

"."

To be frank, this is not just impolite, but a slap in the face of Emperor Zhou.

It was written in the Chu newspaper that the Zhou prime minister Qin Huizhi was involved in this matter, and several wealthy families in Zhejiang East Road, Jiangnan Road, and Jinghu Road were also involved in this matter. Do you dare to arrest them?
Although Qin Huizhi has been unusually low-key in recent years, he has controlled the government for many years, and even many of his followers are among the Lin'an Imperial Guards.

As for those wealthy families, their roots are deep and powerful and difficult to shake. If Emperor Zhou forces them into a corner, this group of people will join forces both internally and externally, and might appear at the gates of Lin'an even faster than the Chu army.

"presumptuous!"

Seeing the emperor being humiliated, Kang Lu quickly scolded him, but Emperor Zhou waved his hand dejectedly to stop Kang Lu.

At 9:00 pm, Liu Changqing and Zhu Chun left the imperial city. The former looked up at the faint rain and sighed as if he were in another world: "When Chun Meng said that just now, I thought I was going to die here today."

Chun Meng is the nickname given to Zhu Chun by his teacher. Spring means the beginning of all things, so it is quite appropriate.

But when combined with the word "pure", one can't help but wonder if Chen Chu has some bad intentions!
Zhu Chun laughed and said, "Brother, if Emperor Zhou had the guts to kill you and me, how could he have allowed the situation in the Southern Dynasty to deteriorate to this point? He should have killed many people, but he didn't dare to. Now he can't kill them all even if he wants to."

"Haha, Chun Meng is so brave! However, Emperor Zhou is also ridiculous. He actually wants to use you and me to lobby the teacher. It's too fanciful. Even if we dare to speak for the Southern Dynasty, the teacher will not change his mind." "Haha, there is no other way. The teacher has said it before, how can I allow others to snore beside my bed!"

After Liu and Zhu left, Emperor Zhou looked at the gloomy sky outside the palace, feeling sad. He seemed to be talking to himself or to Kang Lu beside him, "I was appointed in times of crisis. I have been trembling with fear and treading on thin ice for eighteen years since I ascended the throne. However, there are treacherous people at home and powerful enemies outside. The Great Zhou has been passed down for two hundred years. Is it really going to perish in my hands?"

"His Majesty!"

Kang Lu had served the Zhou Emperor for decades, and upon hearing this he fell to the ground and cried bitterly.

When Emperor Zhou saw this, he also started crying.

A master and servant looked at each other and shed tears.

After a while, Kang Lu suddenly straightened his back and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say to you."

"But you can tell me."

"Your Majesty, our dynasty has been infiltrated by the Chu rebels. If Your Majesty wants to reverse the situation, you must use drastic measures!"

"What kind of thunderous means?"

"Punish the treacherous people like Chen Bokang and Luo Ruji! Close Liuhuai School, execute the three officials Liu and Zhu, tax police Zhang Bao and other people who were planted by the Chu rebels in our court, to show your majesty's determination to fight against Chu! Issue another decree, and forgive the ministers who went to Tokyo to secretly recognize their relatives last year. If they continue to collude with the Chu rebels, their entire clan will be killed! Although Prime Minister Qin did something behind your majesty's back to assassinate the King of Chu, he has no way out. Your majesty should not pursue his crime of acting without authorization, but ask Prime Minister Qin to come out and take charge of the overall situation and contact the local gentry."

Before Kang Lu could finish his words, Emperor Zhou waved his hands and said, "No, no! The Chu army is too strong. If this continues, our dynasty will have no room for maneuver!"

"."

Although Kang Lu's plan was extremely dangerous, it was the only way at the moment. Killing the Chu officials of the Lin'an Dynasty, as well as Chen and Luo, could not only warn other officials, but also demonstrate the Zhou emperor's determination to resist.

If his own will to resist is not strong enough, how can the ministers have the confidence to fight against Chu to the end? Who is not afraid that you will change your mind halfway and be thrown out as a scapegoat?

Qin Huizhi then contacted local gentry. Against the backdrop of the Chu State's continued efforts to promote land reform, it was possible that the gentry could really organize a large-scale rural militia.

Kang Lu also knew that the chance of success in doing this was less than 10%.

But in a desperate situation, if you are not mentally prepared to risk your life, you will not even have a 10% chance and can only be like the fish on the chopping board.

Emperor Zhou probably felt that his subconscious reaction just now was too timid, and then he sighed and said, "Even if I follow Grandpa's advice, it's too late now. The situation in our dynasty is critical now, and we can't afford to take any more drastic measures to avoid civil unrest."

Kang Lu sighed secretly, knowing that even now, the emperor was still thinking about a way out and didn't dare to fight to the death with Chu Ni. The Great Zhou was most likely doomed.

Although Kang Lu was a eunuch, he was extremely loyal to Emperor Zhou. At this moment, he no longer cared about his personal safety and only thought about how to solve the problems for Emperor Zhou. "Your Majesty does not want to start a war in the court, but the troops along the river must be guarded!"

After all, Emperor Zhou was still the ruler of a country, so he had his own intelligence channels and understood what Kang Lu was talking about. "Grandpa, are you asking me to keep an eye on the Jinghu Army?"

"That's right! The Jinghu Army has been following the Chu rebels in their campaign for more than a year, and in March they even accepted rewards from the Chu rebels in private! In his memorial, the commander-in-chief Wu Gong was vague about accepting the rewards!"

"What can we do? The court has been in trouble for the past two years, and 30% of the military pay cannot be paid on time. If I do not allow the soldiers of the Jinghu Army to accept rewards from the Northern Dynasty, I am afraid that it will provoke a mutiny."

Kang Lu understood all these things, and just heard him say: "Your Majesty, I am not encouraging Your Majesty to confiscate the reward money from the soldiers of the Jinghu Army. But after the Jinghu Army returned to their garrison, the officers and soldiers led their subordinates to cross the Yangtze River to the north and drink and socialize with the Chu Army. It was just like a daily routine! Our army's deployment in the south of the Yangtze River is no secret to the Chu Army! If this trend is not stopped, the Jinghu Army will definitely rebel in the future! Your Majesty needs to send an imperial envoy to Jinghu Road to rectify military discipline!"

This incident did have a very bad impact. When the war was approaching, the Jinghu Army, which was the main force of the Zhou State, secretly formed alliances with the Chu Army on a large scale and treated them as brothers. Crossing the river was like visiting each other.

If this goes on, what’s the point of fighting such a war?

"At this difficult time for the country, if you don't know how to fight the hard times with the country, you don't know what loyalty is!"

Emperor Zhou cursed in a low voice, but cursing could not solve any problems. After a few breaths of silence, he said, "I know what Grandpa said, but now Prime Minister Qin is claiming to be ill and not attending court, Wanqi Xie is dead, and Luo Ruji is unavailable. Even if I want to send someone to Jinghu Road to rectify military discipline, there is no one available."

Among the several major backbones at that time, some pretended to be sick, some surrendered to the enemy, some resigned from office, and some died.

There was not a single person in the whole court whom he could completely trust.

But Kang Lu had a determined look on his face, "If Your Majesty does not abandon me, I am willing to go to Jinghu Road in person to help Your Majesty solve your worries!"

"you?"

No matter when he was in the palace, or in the chaos of war after Dingwei, or now as the king of a country, Kang Lu has always been loyal to him. After a brief surprise, Emperor Zhou actually felt that it was very appropriate.

After all, the previous emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty had the precedent of sending eunuchs as military supervisors.

After a quick thought, Emperor Zhou made up his mind that the corruption in the court could be delayed for some time, but if the border army was corrupted, the last bargaining chip of the Great Zhou would be gone.

He just said, "Good! In times of crisis, Fang Jian's true colors are revealed! Although Grandpa is not a perfect person, his courage and insight are not inferior to those in the court! I will order you to be the military supervisor of Jinghu Road, and the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp, Wang Yuan, will lead his troops to escort Grandpa to take up the post, to strengthen Grandpa's momentum, and to eliminate the many chaos in the Jinghu Army!"

"Old slave, take your orders!"

Kang Lu's eyes were red with excitement. He was not excited because he was the supervisor, but because Emperor Zhou had made up his mind and thrown all his concerns aside.

That resolute and capable look reminded Kang Lu of the high-spirited look of Emperor Zhou when he was a prince in the Qiandi Palace!
Unfortunately, after Dingwei, Emperor Zhou was frightened while fleeing south and became much more cowardly from then on.

"If your majesty is willing to fight, I am willing to sacrifice my life to save the great Zhou dynasty!"

Kang Lu kowtowed repeatedly, and tears streamed down his face with excitement.

Emperor Zhou was also affected by Kang Lu's emotions. He could not help but personally step forward to help Kang Lu up, and then said: "Even Grandpa has such a determination to die, how can I retreat! My Great Zhou will surely have a day of revival! Grandpa has gone to Jinghu Road, you can act boldly!"

Kang Lu became more and more excited. He wiped away his tears and began to talk about his trip plan in detail.

But Emperor Zhou gradually calmed down, until Kang Lu noticed that he was distracted frequently, and then he asked, "Your Majesty?"

"Oh"

Emperor Zhou came back to his senses, but the resolute look on his face had disappeared. He hesitated again and again, and finally took back the words "boldly act". "Grandpa, when you arrive at the Jinghu Army, don't conduct a large-scale investigation, so as not to anger the soldiers and provoke a mutiny. Just catch one or two typical examples and kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. Be sure to pay attention to the method!"

Kang Lu was not stupid. Now was a time when he needed people, and he had never intended to conduct a large-scale purge. But it was one thing to think so in his mind, and it was another to say it out loud when he saw Emperor Zhou's hesitant look.

"I will remember your majesty's instructions."

Kang Lu accepted the offer respectfully, but he could not help but feel a little disappointed and had a bad feeling about this trip. (End of this chapter)