Zhutian: My skills are not serious

Chapter 442 I am truly your husband and I will fight for you (2 in 1)

"Guess what?"

"Uesugi Tiger has been instigated by Chu Pingsheng to rebel."

"what?"

The expressions of the Queen Mother, Zhan Doudou, and Haitang Duoduo all changed. Even the two maids standing at the steps were moved by his guess.

"Chu Pingsheng is trying to instigate Shangshanhu to take people to the west?"

Whether it is the Queen Mother, Zhan Doudou, or Shen Zhong, they all know that the responsibility for Northern Qi's defeat this time is not Uesugi Tora, but the problem is that he is close to neither the Queen Mother nor the Emperor. Under normal circumstances, he can please both sides, but the problem is that the relationship between mother and daughter is one of false hostility and true cooperation. Then Uesugi Tora, the uncontrollable general, naturally becomes the most unstable factor in the entire Qi State, and they want to get rid of him as soon as possible.

It just so happened that Northern Qi was defeated, and Uesugi Tora was the general leading the troops, so he was recalled to the capital by an imperial edict and became a tiger with its teeth pulled out.

Shen Zhong said: "According to the information I have collected, the most important purpose of Chu Pingsheng's mission to Southern Qing is to study and learn from Qing's experience in politics and diplomacy."

The Queen Mother asked, "So you think Chu Pingsheng came to Qi to poach our talents?"

"Yes."

Shen Zhong straightened up, his eyes sparkling as he said, "The grasslands and the northern barbarians are organized in tribes, each acting independently and fighting on their own. They lack the ability to cooperate and coordinate operations with each other. I think that after Chu Pingsheng understood the management system of Qing, he wanted to promote it among the tribes. It is impossible for him to do everything himself. He needs one or more powerful assistants who understand this management system. There are many tribes in the west, and there must be many people who are dissatisfied. As a grandmaster, Bai Feng is not convenient to take action personally. In this way, it makes sense that Chu Pingsheng went to find Shangshan Hu as soon as he entered the city, and the queen mother..."

Shen Zhong paused and continued, "Shangshan Hu is not alone. He rescued Xiao En in the battle of Cangzhou. Although he has been imprisoned by the Supervisory Council for twenty years and is not as good as before, he was the one who caused Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping to fail in the Northern Expedition twice. If this father and son help, Chu Pingsheng's ambition will be even more powerful."

The Queen Mother and Zhan Doudou nodded frequently, and even Haitang Duoduo thought that the logic was rigorous and one thing led to another.

To be fair, if we only compare the ability to lead troops in battle, Uesugi Tora is better than any general of Nanqing. Once such a person joins Xihu, he can lead the grassland warriors who are more straightforward and stubborn, without the constraints of the Northern Qi civil service group and the military forces affiliated with them. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that he can wipe out everything he points his spear at, but there will be absolutely no problem in helping Chu Pingsheng to unify Xihu as soon as possible.

And Sean is the spy chief, intelligence master, a combination of military and intelligence talents... The future of Xihu is scary enough just to think about it.

Chu Pingsheng's move was indeed in line with the interests of Xihu.

However, what embarrassed the mother and daughter was that the current situation was caused by themselves. They deprived Uesugi Hu of his military power and treated Sean coldly, thus giving Chu Pingsheng the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

It is not an exaggeration to describe this skillful political operation as "shooting oneself in the foot".

The Queen Mother sighed and said, "I suspected earlier that Bai Feng and Emperor Qing had reached some kind of agreement. It turns out that this is where the problem lies."

Chu Pingsheng took the opportunity of escorting Si Lili to the north to mess up the State of Qi. If Shangshan Hu turned against Qi, it would not only cut off the foundation of Qi, but also lose an arm in the military. In the future, the power of the Northern Barbarians would expand, with Nanqing in the south and the Northern Barbarians in the northwest. Qi would be caught in a situation where it would be attacked from all sides. One day, it might be divided up by Chu Pingsheng and Li Yunqian in one fell swoop.

Shen Zhong said, "I learned a piece of information last night that Si Lili and Chu Pingsheng had an affair day and night on their way north, which was leaked from the inn where the Nanqing envoys were staying. Before that, there were rumors in the palace that the Queen Mother was planning to make Si Lili a concubine. Just imagine that the people were indignant, and it was impossible to make her a concubine, so..."

"So you want to say that in the end, Shangshanhu and Xiao En are gone, but Si Lili is still his. From the beginning to the end, he made a business with no capital and made a lot of money, right?"

Shen Zhong held the courtesy of a subject and bowed his head: "And..."

"What else?"

"When I came to the palace, Zhuang Mohan's students gathered outside the Zhengyang Gate. It is said that the marriage proposal team was beating gongs and drums all the way, and half of the people in Shangjing City were alarmed. The crown prince of the Western Tribe is going to marry the Saint of Northern Qi, and the proposer is the current leader of the literary world. This move clearly shows Zhuang Mohan's support for him. Although the old master is not greedy for power and profit, the grassroots officials of our Qi country and the students all over the world all have a respect and admiration for him. They all know that the "Three Hundred Tang Poems" and "Three Hundred Song Poems", which became popular as soon as they were published, were given to the old master by Chu Pingsheng. Those who have been educated by him must have a good impression. Now that the old master has made a high-profile matchmaking, but was rejected by the Queen Mother, although it will not cause unrest, it will create a feeling among the people that the royal family has cut the face of the literary saint. Our Great Qi has always regarded itself as a cultural orthodoxy, and the people's confidence comes from this. Once the royal family and the literary saint are in opposition, in the long run, the country will not be solid, and the monarch and the people will be alienated. The harm is even greater than the rebellion of Shangshanhu and Xiao En."

Zhan Doudou and the Queen Mother looked at each other, and the former said, "Lord Shen, you are worrying too much. Zhuang Mohan is very old. How many years can he live?"

Shen Zhong said, "Your Majesty, didn't you notice that the old master looks much better than before?"

After hearing what he said, the mother and daughter finally realized that Zhuang Mohan's spirit and energy had indeed changed a lot compared to before.

"Prying Shangshanhu and Xiao En is a grand sword, provoking the royal family and the literary world to oppose each other, tearing the foundation of Qi is a chronic poison. Your Majesty, Queen Mother, Chu Pingsheng is indeed a great enemy of our Qi State."

"Then according to Shen Qing, how should we deal with this great enemy?"

Shen Zhong glanced at the Saintess of Northern Qi, who had been standing beside the Queen Mother and had not spoken a word, and said, "Given the current situation, I think it would be better to... accept Zhuang Mohan's proposal."

"Then do you know what the consequences of doing this will be?"

"I know."

Shen Zhong looked loyal and said frankly, "It is said that Great Qi was defeated by Qing and was forced to cede land and negotiate peace. The princess was also married to the Southern Dynasty. If the Saint Girl is married to Western Hu, the national prestige will be damaged and the imperial power will not be prominent. But have the Queen Mother and Your Majesty ever thought about this? Princess Lin Wan'er of Southern Qingchen and Fan Xian were in love with each other, but Chu Pingsheng stole her away. The two of them must have been at odds after marriage. Now he has Si Lili by his side. If he marries the Saint Girl, if he can take advantage of Chu Pingsheng's lustful weakness, then the beauty trap can be accomplished. At that time, Northern Qi and Western Hu will jointly resist Southern Qing. In the short term, the impression given by Qi may be relatively weak, but in the long run, it will be of great benefit to Great Qi."

After saying this, he actually knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Haitang Duoduo, saying: "I hope the Saint will put Daqi first and share the worries of the Queen Mother and His Majesty."

"..."

The three people at the top looked at each other. They didn't expect that Shen Zhong was here to be Chu Pingsheng's lobbyist, although he took the initiative to do so.

The problem now is that Shen Zhong didn't know that Ku He had gone to see Ye Liuyun, and after the three of them discussed it, they came to the conclusion that they should use Ku He's absence from Shangjing City to buy time, wait for the opportunity, and act accordingly.

"Report..."

Just then, a burst of quick and hurried footsteps were heard outside. The eunuch ran into Ci'an Palace in a cold sweat and fell directly in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, Uesugi... Uesugi Tora he... he..."

"What's up with him?"

"He rebelled!"

Uesugi Tora rebelled? Whether it was the Queen Mother, Zhan Doudou, Haitang Duoduo, or Shen Zhong who was kneeling in the hall, they all looked confused.

Is Uesugi Tora a fool? He is now a commander without any troops, with at most a hundred loyal servants under his command, and he dares to rebel?

"Wang Youen, tell me again, what happened to Uesugi Tiger?"

The chief eunuch Wang Youen said, "Lord Shen, that's right. Shangshan Hu rebelled. This is the news sent by the South City Military Department. Shangshan Hu and Chu Pingsheng are now... just... cursing outside the South Gate. The people from the Five Cities Military Department and the Jinyiwei have all been dispatched and assembled in the south of the city."

???????

What the hell is this?

As soon as Zhuang Mohan left, Chu Pingsheng led Shangshan Hu to attack Shangjing City?

They had analyzed the situation carefully, weighed the pros and cons, and considered everything, but the other party just flipped the table? And did they do it so cleanly?!
What do the Queen Mother and Zhan Doudou think?

Chu Pingsheng was a Western Hu person with his roots in the West. He had no ruling foundation in either Southern Qing or Northern Qi, so it was meaningless for him to overturn the table. Bai Feng was very powerful and could kill his way through the palace, but there was a price to pay for doing so.

If the Zhan family of Northern Qi was exterminated by Bai Feng, what would Li Yunqian think? Would he remain indifferent? What would Si Gu Jian think? Would he remain indifferent?

At that time, the three great masters would join forces to fight against him.

Moreover, since Northern Qi had a royal family, did the Western tribes also have no royal family? Could Bai Feng alone protect the entire Zhuhua tribe?

Therefore, in the eyes of the mother and daughter, starting a war is the stupidest thing to do. Playing both sides between Northern Qi and Southern Qing and gaining benefits is what a smart person should do. Their conversation with Shen Zhong just now was also based on this premise. But now the eunuch told them that Chu Pingsheng had indeed led Uesugi Tiger to rebel?
What kind of person is this! You think he is from Xihu and is a barbarian, but he takes advantage of others and fleeces them. You think he is smart and a mature businessman, but he doesn't even blink an eye when he turns the table over.

It was Zhan Doudou who came to his senses first: "Let's explore again."

"Yes."

Wang Youen took the order and quickly left the hall.

Haitang Duoduo still feels unreal. Has it been only an incense stick of time since Zhuang Mohan left the palace? Has he turned against her?

The Queen Mother didn't say anything harsh. Since the Master is not here, isn't it normal to wait for Him to come back before making any plans?
……

Outside Zhengyang Gate.

Many people from the capital gathered here to watch the excitement. Fan Xian also hid among them, staring at the gate leading to the palace without blinking. Zhuang Mohan came out, exchanged a few polite words with the eunuch who saw him off, and then walked outside.

"My Lord, what is the situation?"

Hearing the voice behind him, Fan Xian turned around and saw that Wang Qinian and Hu Jinzhu had also joined in the fun. "Do you need to ask me this? Look at Zhuang Mohan, there is no smile on his face. It seems that he didn't succeed."

"Sir, why do you sound so disappointed?"

Fan Xian was of course disappointed. If the Queen Mother agreed to marry Haitang Duoduo to Chu Pingsheng, Lin Wan'er would naturally have more room to maneuver. Now that Yan Bingyun has been found and the secret of the temple has been mastered - he didn't know whether Uesugi Tiger's people would leak it out, but fundamentally speaking, he had done what he promised to Emperor Qing. According to the agreement made before the delegation set out, the engagement between Lin Wan'er and Chu Pingsheng should be annulled.

"Oh no, oh no... Uesugi Tiger is coming with his men to kill us."

Just at this moment, a stevedore in coarse cloth came running from the direction of the south gate and fell down in the middle of the run.

No one reacted for a while.

Until the man shouted again, but this time, the voice was drowned out by the sound of horses and footsteps of infantry running out of the military camps in front, behind, and around the imperial city.

Looking at this scene, everyone knows that things are serious. Even Zhuang Mohan, who had just come out of the palace and was surrounded by disciples, was also confused. He had just left the palace and Shangshan Hu rebelled? Did Chu Pingsheng foresee the result of this trip?
So the question is, what is the point of letting him act as a matchmaker to propose marriage?

Because the other person refuses to marry you, you lead your army to attack. This is not tenable in terms of morality and justice. Throughout the dynasties, who rebelled without occupying the moral high ground and finding a plausible excuse?
Yes, yes...

The sound of horse hooves was heard in the palace. People on the long road outside the gate turned their heads and saw that the Zhengyang Gate was wide open and the Jinyiwei commander Shen Zhong was riding in.

Riding a horse in the palace shows how urgent the situation is.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, everyone."

Not only him, but also He Daoren, the guest official beside the empress dowager who had replaced Lang Tao as the commander of the imperial guards, followed him out of the imperial city.

People on the long road in front of Zhengyang Gate dodged one after another, making way for horses to gallop. Those who were quick-witted had already started to flee. Judging from the Northern Qi royal family's formation as if facing a powerful enemy, the troops led by Uesugi Tiger must be formidable. Maybe... the soldiers on the front line would also rebel?
This possibility is not small, because there have been rumors circulating that the unfavorable war situation in Qing Kingdom was not entirely the fault of Uesugi Tora, but that a high-ranking official in the court sold the information to the Southern Qing spies.

The sound of horse hooves was urgent and the horses passed by so quickly that the wind made it difficult for passers-by to open their eyes.

Fan Xian and Wang Qinian looked at each other.

"Go and have a look."

The two of them jumped directly onto the side wall of the courtyard and headed towards the Drum Tower near the south gate. They definitely couldn't climb up the city wall, but if they stood on the roof of the Drum Tower, they could see outside.

"You...you guys...you guys wait for me, wait for me..."

Hu Jinzhu didn't know any martial arts, and was trapped in a corner by the crowded crowd, unable to move forward or retreat. He could only watch the two men leave him.

After a while, Shen Zhong and He Daoren climbed up the city wall one after another. Looking from afar, they saw Uesugi Tora leading the way and standing in front of more than a hundred fully armed cavalrymen on the plain opposite the south gate.

One hundred cavalrymen attacking a city?
Under the battlements on the left, soldiers from the Five Cities Army were laughing so loudly that they could hardly hold their weapons steadily. They had received an order saying that Uesugi Tora was plotting a rebellion and the situation was extremely urgent. But when they arrived here, they found that there were less than two hundred cavalrymen on the plain outside.

With such a small number of troops, they could not even capture the capital of Northern Qi, Shangjing City, or even a county town.

A few people were also whispering that their boss was making a big deal out of nothing.

"Kill the one who's talking."

Shen Zhong pointed at the soldier with the most exaggerated expression and movement. A captain wearing black leather armor and with a seventh-grade combat power walked over from behind him. Without giving the soldier a chance to beg for mercy, he raised his sword and chopped off a head. A head flew into the sky and blood spurted out like a fountain.

Now no one was laughing anymore, and all the soldiers on the city wall fell silent.

The imperial court was worried about undermining the morale of the army, so the details of the Battle of Cangzhou were hidden. The internal propaganda was that the Qing army had angered a grandmaster, and as a result, 4,000 cavalrymen were wiped out. As for which grandmaster it was, the soldiers didn't know, but that didn't stop them from guessing, such as Ku He.

Only Shen Zhong and He Daoren knew that Shang Shanhu and Xiao En were not a problem, and Chu Pingsheng and Bai Yuan could be worn out by the army, but Bai Feng...

If a ninth-rank warrior can defeat a thousand cavalrymen, then it is not too much for a grandmaster to defeat ten thousand alone. But if it is Bai Feng... this number must be doubled at the least.

Even if the Five City Military Command and the Imperial Guards stationed in the north and west of the city were added together, they would not be enough for Bai Feng to kill.

"Sir Shen, look..." At this time, another captain pointed at the carriage that turned out of the grove and reminded him.

Shen Zhong took a closer look and saw an old man in a white robe and a long beard standing on the roof of the carriage. The man in front of him, slowly waving the whip and letting the horse slowly come to the front of the formation, was Chu Pingsheng. It can be seen that the old man in the white robe is undoubtedly Bai Feng, the great master of Western Hu.

Before Chu Pingsheng and Bai Feng arrived at the battlefront, Shen Zhong pointed at Shangshan Hu and said, "Shangshan Hu, the Queen Mother and His Majesty have treated you well. Today you led your men to force the emperor to abdicate. This is truly treasonous and unworthy of being a minister. Considering your many military exploits, if you dismount and surrender now, I will ask the Queen Mother to spare your life."

Shangshan Hu pointed his gun at the tower and shouted, "Shen Zhong, stop pretending to be a good person here. Do you think I don't know? The reason for this defeat is that your sister Shen Wan'er fell in love with Qing's spy Yan Bingyun and leaked our army's deployment. Afterwards, you covered up everything and imprisoned Yan Bingyun, not letting the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple intervene. You also colluded with Fang Butong, Liu Yuzhong and others to falsely accuse the Queen Mother of my improper command that led to the defeat. It is because of dogs like you in the court that my Great Qi is getting worse day by day. Today, I, Shangshan Hu, will enforce justice on behalf of heaven and kill you, a group of shameless villains who are accustomed to deceiving the Queen Mother and the Emperor and harming loyal officials."

Shen Zhong's expression changed. He didn't understand how Shang Shan Hu knew that Shen Wan'er fell in love with Yan Bingyun and played an ignominious role in the leak.

The soldiers on both sides were talking about it, and looked at him with a bit more suspicion.

The Jinyiwei had great power in Qi State, and Shen Zhong held all kinds of confidential information. If it was true as Shangshan Hu said, that Shen Wan'er was assisting Qing State's spies behind the scenes, then it would make sense that Qing State would know the front-line defense intelligence.

"He's trying to sow discord! Don't listen to his nonsense."

The two captains of the Jinyiwei raised their eyebrows. They had heard a little about Shen Wan'er's strange behavior. Uesugi Hu's words... were probably not just a simple plot to sow discord.

As a soldier, Uesugi Tora did nothing wrong, but he became a victim of the political struggle between the Queen Mother and the Emperor. If they were to encounter such a thing, they would probably not be able to suppress their emotions and rebel.

whoosh...

At this time, the sound of clothing was heard passing by. Everyone turned their heads and saw the Holy Maiden Haitang Duoduo of Northern Qi, wearing a purple robe with black collar, flying towards the city wall. Their eyes were immediately fixed and they all called out "Holy Maiden".

She just responded faintly, then looked towards the carriage where Chu Pingsheng was, and saw the big bell on the carriage behind Bai Feng and the cavalry team. Her scalp suddenly went numb. That day on the battlefield in Cangzhou, she witnessed with her own eyes how Bai Feng used this thing to shock four thousand cavalrymen of Nanqing to death. If this thing were to be used a few times on the capital city, how many of the hundreds of thousands of people in the city would survive?
"Is that Senior Bai, the Grandmaster of Xihu, on the carriage?"

"Exactly."

A hoarse voice was heard, and the people on the city wall could not tell where the voice came from.

Haitang Duoduo remained calm and asked loudly, "Just because the Queen Mother did not agree to my marriage with your disciple, you, as a senior, are going to use that high-pitched killer move against me in the capital. Don't you think that doing so is beneath your status as a Grandmaster?"

The soldiers on the city wall were shocked again, thinking that this was shameless. Just because the girl didn't want to marry you, you took advantage of your strength to bully the weak and kill people. This was really wrong.

Wang Qinian, who was standing on the top of the drum tower behind him, couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "That's right, shameless! Both the master and the disciple are shameless. Sir, you are right, Chu Pingsheng is a pervert."

Fan Xian was quite pragmatic. He ignored him and looked around, looking for terrain that could weaken the sound waves. In case Bai Feng went crazy and fired a loud horn at Shangjing City, at least he could save his life.

"Provocation? Humph..."

Outside the city gate, Bai Feng snorted coldly and ignored Haitang Duoduo. At this time, Chu Pingsheng, who was sitting in the front of the carriage, stood up and "said": "The Saintess of Northern Qi? Ku He's disciple? Haitang Duoduo... No, Songzhi Xianling, do you know that you have been treating the thief as your father?"

Songzhi Xianling? Recognize the thief as your father?
Haitang Duoduo was confused by him. Was he... calling her?

"Do you think my teacher wants to kill Ku He and destroy the Zhan family just because you didn't agree to our marriage? Then you underestimate my teacher too much. Back then, with the help of Ku He, the great general Zhan Qingfeng of the Northern Wei Dynasty drove the Northern Wei royal family out of power. Afterwards, the descendants of the Northern Wei royal family fled to the northwest and entered the area where our Beiman tribe lived. In order to eradicate the roots and expand the territory to stabilize his rule, Zhan Qingfeng ordered the army to attack the Northern Barbarians. Ku He, oh no, he was Zhan Qingfeng's younger brother Zhan Mingyue at that time, and he also followed the army, specializing in killing the descendants of the Northern Wei royal family. In that battle, the Northern Barbarians suffered countless casualties and were eventually driven into the cold ice field to survive. Among them, the leader and his wife of the Karna tribe were killed by Zhan Mingyue, leaving only a baby girl. He deliberately set up a false formation and forged the scene of an internal conflict between the members of the Northern Wei royal family and the leader and his wife of the Karna tribe who took them in, and finally died together. Then he took the baby girl away and raised her to adulthood."

Chu Pingsheng looked at the moved woman on the tower and said, "Do you know what the surname of the royal family of the Karna tribe is? Songzhi! And your real name is Songzhi Xianling. This name means blooming flowers in the Karna tribe. Ku He was lazy, so he named you Haitang Duoduo."

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it." Haitang Duoduo looked at him steadily. Her emotions told her that this was all nonsense, but her reason told her that if this was not true, how could Chu Pingsheng explain the details clearly?

Shen Zhong said loudly: "Saint, don't fall for his scheme to sow discord."

"Sowing discord? Hahahaha."

Chu Pingsheng pointed at Sean who was riding on the black horse behind him and said, "Why did Ku He want to kill Sean? Is it just because he knows the secret of the temple? Oh, he was the intelligence chief of the Northern Wei Dynasty back then. He knows better than anyone the bad things that Zhan Qingfeng and Ku He did. Think about it, when has the Zhan family ever shown true kindness? I think... you should know why the Queen Mother asked Si Lili to do this."

Others may not know that Si Lili is a descendant of the Nanqing royal family, but how could Haitang Duoduo not know that? She also knew that Si Lili returned to Nanqing as a spy in order to protect her brother Li Liguang. If she could not contribute to Beiqi, it would be her brother's turn to go to the "battlefield".

"Similarly, you are a hot commodity in Ku He's eyes. He taught you martial arts, made you the Saint of Qi, and made you befriend the young emperor. His goal is to let you return to Beiman when conditions are ripe to integrate the Karna tribe and build an army that can contain Nanqing from the side."

"This...is not true."

Haitang Duoduo's hands, which were pressed on the battlements, turned pale, and her face also turned pale. Although she still said that she didn't believe it, her tone had obviously become softer and weaker.

(PS: Today I have only one chapter with 6400 words, which is the amount of two chapters normally.)
(End of this chapter)