The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 288 It’s hard to achieve success with a mob

Li Hongyi was stunned, then hurriedly stood up and bowed down.

Meng Ye chuckled and said: "The official's instructions are just for the envoy to take the order and see for himself. Remember not to make it public!"

Li Hongyi suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart. He held the decree in his hands and hesitated.

"What are your concerns?" Meng Ye stared at him closely.

Li Hongyi laughed unnaturally and said, "It's really surprising that you suddenly received the government's order. Don't blame Meng Gong."

Meng Ye smiled and motioned for him to unfold the will and see for himself.

Li Hongyi held up the yellow silk secret edict and bowed in the direction of Kaifeng. He turned slightly sideways, unfolded it carefully, and silently recited it word by word.

"This!!"

Only half way through, Li Hongyi was already breaking out in a cold sweat. He went to bed late last night and woke up late this morning, and the tiredness left in his body was instantly wiped away.

Meng Ye smiled and said: "Don't be surprised, please read the secret decree."

".Okay.Okay~"

Li Hongyi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and the tip of his nose, suppressed the fear in his heart, and read each word carefully with his eyes wide open.

It is indeed an official's handwriting and stamped with the emperor's seal, so there is no mistake.

But every word felt like needle pricks in the eyes.

The officials secretly ordered him to get rid of Wang Yin, consolidate the military power in Chanzhou, secretly cut off the transportation of money and food for soldiers and horses in Hebei, and sent troops to guard the Yellow River crossing to guard against soldiers and horses in Yedu.

If there is any movement in the direction of Hebei, it must be reported to Kaifeng as soon as possible.

Li Hongyi read it several times without finishing every word, then he fell down and sat down as if he was weak, his face turned pale and he was breathing heavily.

He had lived a comfortable life for a long time, and suddenly he was asked to do such an exciting thing. It was really hard to react, and his heart couldn't bear it.

"Do you understand what the official meant?" Meng Ye chuckled.

Li Hongyi nodded stupidly: "I understand."

"Then when do you plan to take action? How will you take action? Do you need Meng's cooperation?"

Li Hongyi suddenly woke up and asked hurriedly: "Please Meng Zongfeng tell the truth, what happened in Kaifeng City?"

Meng Ye briefly recounted the events that took place since November [-]th, including the killings of Shi Hongzhao, Yang Ping, Wang Zhang, and others in Guangzheng Palace, as well as the massacre in Kaifeng during the city's closure in the past few days.

Li Hongyi's hair stood on end as he listened and kept swallowing. He was sweating and his vest was soaked through.

"Such a shocking and dramatic change happened in Kaifeng."

Li Hongyi stuttered a bit when he spoke.

Meng Ye looked at him with disdain. This man was indeed as cowardly and incompetent as the rumors said.

Also the younger brother of the Queen Mother, compared with the cruel and ruthless uncle Li Ye, the gap between their brothers is too big.

"The government sent another secret envoy to Yedu. As long as Guo Wei is eliminated, there will be no chaos in Hebei. At that time, the envoy will go to Yedu according to the imperial edict to take charge of the overall situation and become the new commander-in-chief of our army in Hebei.
When I came here, my uncle specially told me that in the future, I will lead the troops outside, and my uncle will preside over the government at home. Together, you two brothers will become the backbone of our country.With your uncle as your guarantee, you will surely be able to secure your position as commander and take charge of the military! "

Meng Ye's tone was full of temptation, which made Li Hongyi's heart beat, his eyes rolling around, sometimes his breathing became rapid, and sometimes his heart pounded.

"I dare to ask Meng Chongfeng. Guo Wei has so many fierce generals under his command and his reputation is overwhelming. How can the officials get rid of him without leaving a trace?"

Li Hongyi swallowed his saliva and asked in a low voice.

Meng Ye said calmly: "This is a top secret. Please forgive me for not being able to comment! As long as you know, Guo Wei is surrounded by people arranged by the official family and the uncle."

"Oh oh~ so that's the case!" Li Hongyi suddenly realized that Guo Wei had already planted swordsmen around him, waiting to obey orders.

Seeing that Li Hongyi was reluctant to express his position, Meng Ye said impatiently: "Please envoy to get rid of Wang Yin as soon as possible, calm the situation in Chanzhou, and cooperate with the official layout in Hebei!"

Li Hongyi said sarcastically: "Since there is a secret edict from the official family, I, Li Hongyi, should obey it. However, Wang Yin has been staying in the rear army camp for food and accommodation recently, and there are still more than a hundred soldiers staying with him, so he really can't find a chance to make a move.

It's better to ask Meng Zongfeng to stay at home and wait peacefully. I will go to the rear army camp immediately. If I find an opportunity in a few days, it won't be too late to take action! "

Meng Ye frowned and thought, not noticing the slight twinkle in Li Hongyi's eyes.

"Okay, please make up your mind as soon as possible. Yedu can't delay too long, otherwise things will change!"

Meng Ye couldn't think of a way for a while and could only listen to Li Hongyi.

"Without further delay, I will set off to the north bank camp immediately."

Li Hongyi stood up, shouted to the outside of the hall, summoned the old servant and told him: "Arrange a quiet wing and invite Meng to stay. Tea, food and drinks will be served every day. You will arrange it yourself. Don't leak the news and let outsiders know about Meng." Enshrine and live in the house."

The old servant responded hurriedly.

"This is my slave who has been with me for many years. He is loyal and cautious. If Meng Gongfeng needs anything, just tell him."

Li Hongyi said with a genuine smile.

Meng Ye thanked him and followed the old servant out of the hall.

Li Hongyi watched him leave, his smiling face suddenly disappeared, replaced by solemn hesitation.

Holding the secret edict and pacing for a while, Li Hongyi was still thinking over and over about what to choose.

"Li Ye is narrow-minded. If he is allowed to get rid of Guo Wei and gain power, how can he be willing to hand over the power of the army to me? If so, wouldn't I become the second Guo Wei and be regarded as a thorn in his side?"

"Li Ye only knows how to wield power, but when it comes to marching and fighting, Guo Wei is thousands of times better than him!"

"Hebei has no less than [-] soldiers. If the incident is revealed and Guo Wei raises his troops to go south, I, Chanzhou, will be the first to bear the brunt. The first person to die will be me, Li Hongyi!"

"Guo Wei has been in high and low officialdom for many years, how could he be easily placed by Li Ye and others as a spy? I'm afraid there is fraud in this matter."

In Li Hongyi's mind, heaven and man are at war.

In terms of emotional ties, he is the cousin of the Queen Mother, and as a relative, he cannot escape glory and wealth.

But the facts and intuition told him that the officials and Li Ye's calculations were carefully planned, but they might not be effective.

More importantly, Li Hongyi did not have the confidence or courage to get rid of Wang Yin!

Wang Yin was also a war general, and was appreciated by Guo Wei as the infantry commander of the guards. Li Hongyi knew his own weight, and was afraid that he would not be able to kill Wang Yin, but would be chopped into pieces by Wang Yin!
"Li Yekong has ambitions but insufficient abilities. Sooner or later he will harm others and himself! I will never follow them into the pit of fire~!"

After a long time, Li Hongyi finally made up his mind and clenched the secret edict in his hand. His face flickered and he gritted his teeth! ~~~
That night, Li Hongyi crossed the river to the rear army camp on the north bank of the Yellow River, and went straight to Wang Yin's tent.

Wang Yin felt very tired after a busy day, and was about to take off his clothes and rest. The soldiers outside the tent reported that Li Hongyi wanted to see him, so he had to get up to greet him.

"Why is Li Jieshuai interested in coming to the camp to have a look?" Wang Yin welcomed him into the tent and joked with a smile.

Li Hongyi took off his cloak and threw it aside. After his bodyguards brought hot tea and retreated, he bent his knees and fell to the ground. He cried loudly: "General Wang, save me!"

Wang Yin turned pale with shock and hurriedly leaned over to help him: "What is Commander Li Jieshua doing? Please get up quickly!"

Li Hongyi cried so much that he choked and his face was covered with snot and tears: "My little brother is in danger. I beg General Wang to save my little brother's life for the sake of past kindness!"

Wang Yin didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Li Jieshuai has something to do, but it doesn't matter."

Li Hongyi choked and wiped away his tears, and took out the secret edict from his arms: "Please ask General Wang to take a look at this."

Wang Yin took it suspiciously and read it quickly. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Li Hongyi in surprise, then quickly lowered his head and read it carefully again.

"Where did this thing come from?" Wang Yin's face was filled with condensation, and the anger in his heart could not be suppressed.

Li Hongyi swallowed his saliva and told everything about Meng Ye holding the secret edict.

Wang Yin was so angry that he clenched the secret edict tightly, crumpled it into a crumpled ball, gritted his teeth and roared: "Foolish king! You actually listened to the villain's words and wanted to kill the hero! Shi Gong and Yang Gong died unjustly! How pitiful! Privy Council Guo’s family actually also”

Wang Yin's cold eyes showed a bit of murderous intent. He stared at Li Hongyi and suddenly shut up.

Li Hongyi was startled and said hurriedly: "General Wang, please don't misunderstand me! Unlike Li Ye and other traitors, I definitely have no intention of harming the general and Privy Council Guo! Otherwise, I wouldn't come to see the general tonight!"

Wang Yin took a deep breath, suppressed the anger and shock in his heart: "Then where is Mengye?"

"It's at my younger brother's house!" Li Hongyi replied hurriedly.

Wang Yin was pacing with his hands behind his hands. Li Hongyi looked at him longingly, with a mournful face: "I just want to be a rich and wealthy man who enjoys ease and enjoyment. I don't have the guts to harm others. General Wang, please give me an idea. What should you and I do now?" ."

Wang Yin was silent for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes and said in a low voice: "Hunjun, Li Ye and other traitors want to kill me, so I will not sit still and wait for death! For the current plan, the only way to do this is to send deputy envoy Chen Guangsui to Yedu to report to Privy Council Mingguo. We are willing to surrender and obey Privy Councilor Guo’s arrangements in everything!”

Wang Yin patted Li Hongyi on the shoulder with his big hand: "You revealed the conspiracy of the Hunjun to me. You can't go back to Kaifeng. Why don't you join me and join Privy Council Guo! You and I will work together to guard Chanzhou and wait for Yedu's army to move south. ! From now on, you and I will be brothers in life and death! Wang Yin will never forget his life-saving grace today!"

Li Hongyi did not hesitate, clasped his fists and said: "I am willing to follow General Wang and serve as Privy Secretary Guo!"

Wang Yin looked at the secret edict in his hand and said bitterly: "This thing and Meng Ye's head are the certificates of surrender for you and me!"

Wang Yin and Li Hongyi rushed back to Chanzhou City overnight. Early the next morning, Meng Ye, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by the soldiers who broke into the house. Before he could resist in fear, he was hacked to death with knives and his head and head were cut off. The secret edict was handed over to Chen Guangsui, deputy envoy of Jiedu, and brought to Yedu.

~~~
Yedu.

Since Guo Wei arrived in Yedu, he implemented the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the country, rectifying military discipline, and severely dealt with a group of generals who neglected their duties and did not strictly perform border defense tasks. This boosted the morale of Hebei, and the defense along the Dingzhou line became increasingly tight, which was called Khitan There is no opportunity for people to take advantage of.

Two months ago, Chai Rong personally led the troops to annihilate the Khitan cavalry that was wandering around the border of Shenzhou.

A month ago, Guo Wei returned to Yedu from Qinzhou, the forefront of border defense. He praised Chai Rong in front of all the soldiers and ordered him to take full charge of Zhenzhou, Shenzhou and Zhaozhou. Suppress troops and horses.

Seeing that Hebei was heavily defended, the Khitans made inquiries and found out that Guo Wei was personally in charge of Yedu. They could not find a place to fish in troubled waters, so they had to shrink their troops and retreat to Zhuoxian.

The territory of Hebei, which was originally in turmoil due to the Khitan troops' invasion, returned to peace within just three or four months after Guo Wei arrived in Yedu.

On this day in Yedu City, a man who had traveled a long way appeared in a restaurant on a side street.

He called the waiter and ordered some food and had a feast. He originally wanted to drink, but then he thought about the important responsibility he had, so he suppressed his alcohol craving and threw down a handful of coins and left.

This man's name is Yan Tuo, who is less than 30 years old. He is from Shatuo and was born as a boy servant who grew up with Liu Chengyou.

After Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, Yantuo was reused. He has been serving as an interviewer in various armies in various states, secretly exploring the customs and customs of various places, and monitoring local officials and people.

This time, Yantuo received the secret order and sneaked into Yedu to contact Guo Chong, the commander of the left wing of the guardian saint, and Cao Ying, the commander of the right wing of Fengguo.

Guo Chong and Cao Ying were both generals of the imperial army who followed Guo Wei in the Hebei expedition. They had followed Guo Wei for many years and had many military exploits, but their status in Guo Wei's power group was not high.

Yantuo spent half a day to find out where the two were currently, and successfully contacted Guo Chong and Cao Ying through several small schools that Li Ye had buried in the Yedu Forbidden Army.

Early the next morning, Guo Chong and Cao Ying came to meet Yan Tuo as scheduled at a small stall next to the west gate of Ye City.

The stall sold steamed buns, pancakes, porridge and pickles. Yantuo bought some of each and sat at the table to devour it.

Guo Chong and Cao Ying are as close as brothers. Both of them are in their forties and come from humble backgrounds. They both started as small soldiers. They relied on their bravery to achieve military exploits. They followed Guo Wei almost at the same time, step by step, to reach their current position as generals of the Forbidden Army. .

Regardless of his age or seniority, Yantuo was considered a junior in front of the two of them, but he acted like an envoy of the emperor. When the two arrived, he did not get up to greet them. He signaled them to sit down and did not speak. He just immersed himself in eating and drinking. .

After waiting for a while, Guo Chong pretended to be unable to remain calm, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty has urgently summoned us to meet each other. What's the important matter?"

Yantuo glanced at him, stuffed the last half of the hot steamed bun into his mouth, chewed it and swallowed it, and then said slowly: "Uncle Guo asked me to ask you two, you two agreed to what Uncle Guo said more than half a year ago, but... Still counting?"

Guo Chong and Cao Ying looked at each other and replied in unison: "Of course it counts!"

Guo Chong said hurriedly: "As long as uncle Guo has any use for us, the two of us will definitely fight to the death with all our strength!"

Cao Ying clasped his fists and said solemnly: "The two of us are willing to serve the officials, even if we die! I just ask my uncle to help us say more kind words in front of the officials!"

Yantuo smiled half-heartedly: "As long as you two act loyally, the officials and uncle will definitely not treat you badly!"

"Listen to the envoy, does the official have a decree for us?" Guo Chong asked hastily.

Yan Tuo chuckled, looked around alertly, took out a silk book sealed in a brocade bag from his arms and handed it to the two of them.

"Take it apart and look at it, don't say anything!"

Cao Ying took it, sat with Guo Chong, carefully opened the brocade bag, took out the silk book and read it.

After looking at it, both of them looked at each other in shock.

Yantuo kept a close eye on the two men's expressions and whispered, "How about it? Do the two generals dare to do this?"

Guo Chong's eyes flickered and he gritted his teeth and said, "The two of us have been holding back a lot of resentment for a long time. Why don't we dare?"

Cao Ying's face was solemn and she whispered: "What good will happen to the two of us afterwards?"

Yan Tuo smiled and said: "The official Jinkou promised that after the completion of the matter, the position of Guard Si Du Yu Hou and the position of Jiedu Envoy near Kaifeng will be chosen by the two generals!"

The two of them looked at each other and were overjoyed. They clasped their fists together and said, "I am willing to share the worries of the official family! Please wait patiently for the good news!"

(End of this chapter)