Chu and Han contend for the throne

Chapter 471 Combine Vertical and Horizontal (Eleventh)

Zhao Yan's mansion is in the east of the big city of Linzi. To come to the palace, he had to cross the whole big city and then enter the small city, so it took about half an hour before Zhao Yan entered the side hall panting. It looks like Ganqing trotted all the way into the palace, probably because he thought Han He had something urgent to find him.

"My lord, please see your majesty." Zhao Yan saluted Han He panting.

"No." Han He waved his hand impatiently, feeling a little bored in his heart.

Waiting for more than half an hour made Han He, the young monarch, very impatient. When he first succeeded to the throne, Han He once said that he would build a mansion for Zhao Yan in a small town to show his favor, but Zhao Yan refused. Yes, although Han He is young, he is a person who likes to use his brain very much. He can't help but think, isn't your Zhao Yan too high-spirited?
Feeling upset, Han He didn't bother to talk nonsense, and asked, "Is the military division in the mansion around Xu time?"

"Xu Shi?" Zhao Yan replied without hesitation, "Xu Shi, I was invited by Bi Shu to Chu camp outside the city."

"Really?" Han He's eyes turned cold for a moment, and he asked again, "But I don't know why Bi Shu invited the military advisor?"

Zhao Yan couldn't help frowning, and when he turned his head to look at Lou Jing, he found that Lou Jing's eyes were flickering and he didn't dare to look directly at him. At that moment, Zhao Yan understood everything. It seems that most of the villains Lou Jing first complained in front of the king. I bought him a copy, and the reason why the king called him into the palace overnight was to ask him if he had secretly communicated with Bi Shu about the song?

A wave of anger suddenly arose in Zhao Yan's heart. A soldier can be killed, but not humiliated!
Seeing that Zhao Yan was silent, Han He thought he was guilty, and then said: "Did the military master say that?"

"I have nothing to say." Zhao Yan straightened his chest and said in a condescending manner, "Your Majesty, do you have something to say?"

Han He became a little annoyed, and Zhao Yan's expression stabbed his sensitive and fragile heart again. To be honest, it was both Han He's luck and misfortune to have a peerless military family like Han Xin as his father. He has been taught by Han Xin since he was a child. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tries, he can never catch up with Han Xin.

Han Xin's great achievements in the military, however, cast a shadow over his successors, and also planted a very bad habit of thinking among the civil servants and generals of Qi State. No matter who they are, even if it is Zhao A wise man like Yan would instinctively compare Han He and Han Xin when encountering something, and then feel disappointed.

If Han Kan, who is simple and straightforward by nature, becomes the king of Qi, that's fine, Zhao Yan is in charge of everything.

But now that the arrogant and ambitious Han He is the king of Qi, the conflict between the monarch and his ministers will inevitably intensify, especially the conflict between Han He and Zhao Yan.

"Zhao Yan!" Han He said angrily, "Are you guilty?"

"Guilty?" Zhao Yan glanced at Lou Jing coldly, and said in disbelief, "Does your lord think that the minister has already secretly communicated with the state of Chu, and has done something wrong to the state of Qi?"

Han He was a little embarrassed by Zhao Yan's irony, and said in a muffled voice, "I didn't say that."

"Your Majesty didn't say it, but you just think so in your heart." Zhao Yan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, don't even think about it. I have repeatedly opposed the alliance between Qi State and Chu State, so how could it be possible to secretly communicate with Chu State?" Speaking of this, Zhao Yan laughed miserably again, and said sadly, "Your Majesty, is this minister so untrustworthy?"

Han He looked embarrassed and didn't know how to answer the words for a while.

However, Zhao Yan's heart was cold. As an important minister of the late king Tuogu, Zhao Yan really wanted to do his own job well, put the new king on the horse as soon as possible and help send him off, but he didn't expect that all his efforts would be ignored The king regarded him as a coercion, and the new king has regarded Zhao Yan as an obstacle to mastering the royal power and establishing prestige. Even if there is no such thing as today, and there is no false accusation by Lou Jing, there will be another one in the future, and there will be another one by Wang Jing , Li Jing is greedy in Junjin, Han He will still take the opportunity to attack.

The relationship between the monarch and his ministers is already at the same level, so why should he, Zhao Yan, want to stay in love again?

"Your Majesty, I don't want to say too much about the defense. I just want to say one thing. If Qi wants to save it, there is only one way out, and that is to join the Lianheng Alliance! And don't be fooled by Xiang Zhuang's appearance of entrusting Wei to others. Look." Zhao Yan finally glanced at Han He, but there was undisguised contempt in his eyes.

The anger in Han He's heart surged again, and he said angrily, "Zhao Yan, do you dare to despise me?"

Zhao Yan ignored Han He, but bowed to Nan Tian, ​​and said sadly: "Your Majesty, you treated me as a man of the country, and I will repay you as a man of the country. Your Majesty's heroic spirit is not far away, and my ministers are coming..." The words were still unfinished Already, Zhao Yan rushed a few steps and slammed his head into the stone pillar of the side hall. The impact was so hard that his brain burst and he died on the spot.

"Military division..." Han He was half a step too late when he was eager to stop him.

But immediately, Han He's heart was filled with anger again. The king Zhao Yan worshiped before his death was obviously not him, but his father, Han Xin. In other words, Zhao Yan never really regarded Han He as the king in his heart. , or, in Zhao Yan's heart, Han He is not worthy to be a king at all, it is simply unreasonable!
Lou Jing next to him was also taken aback, he never expected Zhao Yan to be so fierce, just because the king didn't trust him, he even thought of dying to show his ambition!Surprised, Lou Jing was also a little ashamed, today, he knows what a real scholar is to die for his confidant, Zhao Zijin, a national scholar should be like this!
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In the early morning of the next day, Hu Yan hurried into Bi Shu's large tent, and said: "General, news just came out in Linzi City that Zhao Yan had already died before him." After a pause, Hu Yan said with admiration, "The last general really didn't expect that such a frail scholar like Zhao Yan could be so fierce, the people of Qi are afraid."

"Crack." Bi Shu threw a handful of chess pieces in his hand onto the chessboard, and said with a long sigh, "Another Kuaiche, what a pity, what a pity for a national scholar."

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Two days later, Plain Ferry.

Bai Mo and his party of more than [-] riders had just crossed the river when there was a sudden sound of horseshoes on the road ahead, and they rushed towards them like flying, carrying billows of smoke and dust.

Zhou Guanfu said: "Prime Minister, it seems to be someone from Heibingtai!"

Bai Mo's eyes froze, and he said in a deep voice, "It's probably because something serious happened in Linzi!"

In less than a moment, the cavalier seemed to fly to the front of Bai Mo's horse team, but he did not dismount, but asked Zhou Guanfu panting, "Is the champion on the other side?"

"It's the Marquis." Zhou Guanfu put his hand on the hilt of his sword and asked sharply, "Who are you?"

The knight hurriedly rolled off the saddle, bowed to the ground and said: "The villain is a swordsman from the Black Ice Terrace, and I have something urgent to report to the Prime Minister."

Zhou Guanfu naturally wouldn't step aside, and said in a deep voice, "The prime minister is behind, just tell me what you have to do."

"Here." The swordsman knew the status of Champion Hou in the court of the Han Dynasty, so he naturally did not dare to disobey him, and said immediately, "Champion Hou, the Qi State military strategist Zhao Yan who advocated joining the Lianheng Alliance committed suicide last night, Qi State Minister Lou Jing If you advocate joining the vertical alliance, the Qi State will probably turn its back on the Han and form an alliance with the Chu State."

Zhou Guanfu frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Understood, this Marquis will report the truth to the Prime Minister."

"That's it, the villain will leave." The swordsman stood up again, got on his horse and galloped along the way he came. After a while, he disappeared in the billowing smoke.

Zhou Guanfu rode his horse to Bai Mo's carriage, relayed the news about the swordsman, and finally said: "Prime Minister, it seems that the wind direction in Qi has changed, let's go back to Handan."

"No." Bai Mo shook his head and said, "It must be because my junior brother is not fully sure, so he did not hesitate to make such a bad plan, trying his best to get rid of Zhao Yan, who is inclined to Lianheng, before the truth arrives in Linzi. However, Zhao Yan's suicide just shows that the situation in Qi State is still uncertain, so Linzi still has to go."

Zhou Guanfu had no choice but to order the cavalry to go on the road again.

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In March of Yangchun, the new grass has sprouted, but the Mobei grassland is still freezing.

Shanyuting, located at the southern foot of Xushan Mountain in Langju, is no longer the same as it used to be. Because of the artisans plundered from the Central Plains, Mao Dun accepted the advice of his uncle and decided to build a city in Shanyuting.

At this time, the outline of a medium-sized city has taken shape.

Outside the city, the women and children captured by the Huns to Shan Yuting were braving the severe cold and working extremely hard to reclaim the wasteland. From time to time, teams of Huns' horses would gallop past. Draw it over, and when someone fell ill and collapsed, they would be dragged to a secluded place without any explanation and beheaded.

Not far from Shanyuting is the Yuwu River. Tens of thousands of Xiongnu tents are scattered on both sides of the Yuwu River. Herds of cattle, sheep and horses are leisurely eating the freshly sprouted grass on the river beach. Hunting in the mountains, the women are busy milking the horses, while the children are riding ponies and playing in the grassland.

The uncle said that he bent down and got out of his cowhide tent. The cold wind blowing in front of him made him subconsciously tighten the tiger skin cloak wrapped around him. Looking at the Xiongnu woman milking the horse, the uncle said that a smile could not help but appear on the corner of his mouth. He has fallen in love with this prairie.

The uncle said that he was walking leisurely on the river beach, but the nearby Hun women and children suddenly became agitated, and then flocked to the east of Shan Yuting like a swarm. The uncle said that they stopped a The beaming Xiongnu woman only knew that Shan Yuting had come with a group of Bei Diao Hu merchants!
Since last autumn, when the Xiongnu went south to hunt the grassland, the entire Central Plains has completely stopped the trade with the Xiongnu. Not only the Central Plains businessmen with official backgrounds no longer come to the grasslands, even the previous years, groups of people who went north to earn a few hard money The traffickers and pawns have also disappeared, and other supplies are fine, but the life without salt is really hard.

After a whole winter, the Xiongnu's mouths were almost fading out, but they finally looked forward to the North Diao caravan, and sold tens of thousands of catties of salt, but the uncle's brows were instinctively frowned. Isn't it a coincidence that the North Diao caravan came?The Huns were short of salt, so they sold so much salt?

(End of this chapter)