Thief Emperor

Chapter 603: Sharing the Southeast
Even when the imperial court was in the most difficult times, the Imperial City Administration did not stop operating.

Over the past year or so, the imperial court has gradually recovered some strength, and the first government office to begin to recover was the Imperial City Office. Moreover, after Li Yun began to rise, a considerable amount of power in the Imperial City Office was invested by the emperor into the Imperial City Office.

In recent times, there has been a troop mobilization of about 30,000 to 40,000 people in the southeast. A troop mobilization of this scale naturally could not be concealed from the eyes and ears of the Imperial City Bureau, and was also sent to the desk of His Majesty the Emperor by the Imperial City Bureau.

Pei Huang thought about it seriously, then looked up at the emperor and said silently: "Your Majesty, Jingxiang is too far away from the capital, and the court may not be able to support it. In addition, there is a Jingnan Jiedushi stationed there, so it may not be so easy to fight. Your Majesty can wait and see..."

The emperor frowned and said, "This Li Yun, the court has offered him official positions many times, but he has turned a blind eye. His intention to rebel is obvious. If he controls Jingxiang again, he will become a great threat to the court."

At this point, the emperor said in a deep voice: "Even worse than Wei Quanzhong!"

Pei Huang lowered his head and said, "Then your majesty means..."

"Issue an imperial edict to the Jiedushi of Hedong, the Jiedushi of Pinglu, the Jiedushi of Jingnan, the Jiedushi of Lingnan and other local vassal states, asking them to raise troops and fight against the thief Li together."

The emperor clenched his fist and said, "As long as the imperial court issues an edict declaring Li Yun a traitor, these military governors will no longer have any scruples. At most, at most..."

The emperor said in a hoarse voice: "At worst, we can let them divide the southeast."

Hearing the emperor's words, Pei Huang was stunned at first, then he looked up at the emperor.

There is nothing wrong with His Majesty the Emperor's idea.

Not only the royal family does not want to see any of the local Jiedushi become too powerful, but other Jiedushi also do not want to see a situation where one family dominates. If the emperor is willing to issue an edict, give them status, and offer benefits to the southeast, I am afraid that those Jiedushi will really respond to the court and jointly fight for the southeast.

Pei Huang thought for a while, then bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Southeastern Generals have not yet made any move. Shouldn't we not be in a hurry now and wait until they make their move? Moreover, the imperial edicts to the major military governors do not necessarily need to be issued in a clear order. We can send people to give them secret orders and at the same time test and inquire about their respective attitudes."

"If we can confirm that they are all willing to attack Li Yun, it won't be too late to issue a decree then."

The emperor shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice: "Sanlang, Li Yun was originally the governor of Jiangnan Road and concurrently the commander of Huainan Road. At that time, he had a basis for occupying the southeast. Now he has been dismissed by the court and has no official duties. He still occupies the southeast, which is already treason!"

"There's no need to wait for him to march into Jingxiang again."

The emperor clenched his fist and said, "Let's eat up his Jiangdong!"

Pei Huang bowed his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, there are so many Jiedushi in this matter. Even if they are willing to cooperate in attacking the southeast, someone must be in the middle to communicate, otherwise it may become a mess."

The emperor looked at Pei Huang and said with a smile, "That's why I asked Sanlang to come here."

"Sanlang has been in charge of the Imperial City Division for some time. In this matter, the Imperial City Division will notify all parties and gather information in the southeast. I think that Sanlang, you are the most suitable person to coordinate."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at Pei Huang and said slowly, "Sanlang is smart. I don't need to tell you many things. This time, even if we can't kill Li Yun, it's best to make him retreat back to Jiangnan Road and the vicinity of Nanjing."

Pei Huang said silently: "Unless they are more than 90% sure, the Jiedushi will never come out in full force. It would be a rare opportunity for each of them to send out 30% of their troops."

The emperor nodded and said, "Jingnan Jiedushi Yang Mao will probably do his best. Lingnan Jiedushi has always been loyal. He will not fail to respond if I issue an edict to him. The remaining two are Pinglu Jiedushi and Hedong Jiedushi."

"Go and tell the Pinglu Army, Sanlang, that as long as they defeat Li Yun, I will grant them Jiangbei."

"Hedong Jiedushi..."

The emperor let out a breath of foul air silently: "I don't understand what that old man Li is thinking, Sanlang, I need you to go there in person."

Pei Huang nodded silently and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will leave the capital tomorrow and go to Taiyuan to see General Li first."

"Then go to Qingzhou and meet General Zhou."

He paused and continued, "It's just that Taiyuan is too far away from the southeast, and the Hedong Army may not be willing to take any action. Even if they defeat Li Yun, they won't get much territory in the southeast."

"The southeast is far away, so the capital is not far from them?"

The emperor sneered and said, "Isn't it time to come?"

"Moreover, after Li Yun occupies Huainan Road, the closest distance to his Hedong is only a few hundred miles, which is not too far. When the time comes, we can give him the western part of Huainan Road."

"it is good."

Pei Huang bowed his head and said, "Then I will go to Qingzhou first. The Pinglu Army in Qingzhou is the closest to Li Yun. The two sides have fought each other before and have an old grudge. They are most likely to help."

"it is good."

The emperor said silently: "Zhou Xu is a lecher. Sanlang brought a few women over and said they were given to him by me."

"Yes."

Pei Huang bowed his head deeply: "I will prepare it right away." His Majesty the Emperor closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath: "If we can divide the southeast this time, no Jiedushi in the world will dare to show up, and no one will dare to dominate."

"You and I now have more room to maneuver."

Pei Huang bowed his head deeply and said softly: "After the chaos, even if they eat Li Yun, they will be seriously injured. If Your Majesty can restore the world, there will be a better chance."

The emperor smiled and said, "Sanlang knows what I am thinking."

"Go ahead, go ahead. If this is done, I will give you a higher rank and make it hereditary for your whole family."

Pei Huang bowed his head deeply and left the Chongde Hall respectfully.

After leaving the palace, Pei Sanlang thought about it and went to Prime Minister Cui's house again to meet Prime Minister Cui, and then returned home to pack his luggage.

The next day, Pei Huang left the capital with the emperor's token and two followers.

As for women, there is no need to bring them from Guanzhong to Qingzhou. As long as they have money and belongings, they can be prepared anywhere.

…………

Half a month later, in mid-July, Pei Huang and his party arrived in Qingzhou and quickly made their way to General Zhou's residence. After presenting the visiting card, a servant of the Zhou family quickly led him to General Zhou's study.

As soon as I entered the study, a strong scent of sandalwood hit me in the face. The smell was very strong, probably to cover up some other smell.

Ordinary people could hardly smell it, but Pei Huang was also a child of aristocratic family, so he guessed it a little bit and cursed the old pervert in his heart.

He looked up and saw Zhou Xu, who was wearing a plain robe, sitting behind a desk reading a book. Pei Huang hurried forward, bowed and said, "Hedong Pei Huang, greetings to the general!"

General Zhou put down the book in his hand, looked up at Pei Huang, and was a little surprised: "Is it Master Pei San?"

Pei Huang nodded: "That's me."

Zhou Xu stood up, looked at Pei Huang from a distance, and asked in surprise, "Why do you look so haggard after not seeing you for several years?"

In the past few years, Pei Huang can be said to have aged drastically.

He is about the same age as the emperor, about thirty years old this year. When he was serving as the governor of Qiantang County a few years ago, he was still a handsome young man, but now he looks like a middle-aged man, and even his face shows signs of old age.

This is because you think too much and are too anxious.

Pei Huang felt a little melancholy when he heard this. He sighed and said, "The state affairs are like this, and so are I."

General Zhou turned around and rummaged in his drawer for a while, then he pulled out a medicine bottle and a prescription, handed it to Pei Huang, and said with a smile: "Mr. Pei, these are my pills for health preservation, and a prescription for strengthening the body. Take them and take care of yourself for a few years, and maybe you will recover."

Pei Huang frowned, somewhat doubting that the two items were not proper, but he still reached out to take them, thanked them, then looked at General Zhou and said, "General, I am here to see you this time on the order of the Emperor."

Zhou Xu smiled and said, "I guessed it."

He looked at Pei Huang and asked, "Do you want to kneel?"

Pei Huang sighed in his heart.

This question originally didn't need to be asked, but Zhou Xu asked it, which showed his attitude and the decline of the court.

"This is an urgent matter. General, there is no need to be polite. Let's get down to business."

Zhou Xu then asked Pei Huang to sit down. Pei Huang said, "General, Li Yun in the southeast has been making frequent moves and has transferred troops from the east and south to get closer to Jingxiang. Does the general know about this?"

Zhou Xu thought for a moment and replied, "I know about the troop movement in Huainan Road. I have heard about it a little bit. As for the south you mentioned, it should be the troop movement in Jiangnan West Road."

"Zhou doesn't know."

Pei Huang briefly explained the situation to Zhou Xu, and then said, "Li the traitor has revealed his true colors. General, don't you want to take revenge?"

Zhou Xu looked at Pei Huang, lowered his head and drank a sip of tea, then smiled and said, "Mr. Pei, just tell me, who are these people and what are the benefits for me?"

"After the matter is accomplished, Jiangbei can be divided among the generals."

Just hearing these words, General Zhou's eyes flickered.

He was moved.

(End of this chapter)