I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

Bianliang, Chongyuan Hall.

This magnificent palace, which witnessed the rise and fall of the Zhu Liang dynasty, the rise and fall of the Li Tang dynasty, and the survival of the Shi Jin dynasty, has now welcomed a new master.

On the throne, Yelü Deguang, the newly crowned emperor of the Central Plains, sat upright on the dragon throne that symbolized the highest power in the Central Plains.

He wore the Han dynasty imperial robes and a twelve-tasseled crown. Looking down at the assembled officials below the steps, his face remained calm, but only he knew what he was truly feeling.

His Highness and his ministers stood in two rows.

On the left are Han officials led by Zhao Yanshou, and on the right are Khitan nobles led by Xiao Han.

These two groups are like oil and water; they appear to be in the same bowl, but in reality, they are clearly separate and even secretly competing with each other.

Now, let's talk about Zhao Yanshou, who was quite a remarkable person.

Zhao Yanshou played a significant role in the Khitan invasion of the south and considered himself the new master of the Central Plains.

After all, Yelü Deguang had promised before heading south that as long as he destroyed Jin, he, Zhao Yanshou, would sit on the throne of the Central Plains emperor.

But now?

The Jin dynasty fell, and Shi Chonggui was captured and taken north, but Yelü Deguang himself took the throne.

Zhao Yanshou was filled with hatred, like someone swallowing a bitter pill. But he dared not rebel, because he had no troops, and his life and fortune were in the hands of the Khitans.

So, His Highness the Prince of Yan came up with a compromise.

A few days ago, he couldn't hold back any longer, so he asked Li Song, a Hanlin Academician, to deliver a message, saying: "I dare not hope to be the emperor, but only ask to be the crown prince."

When these words reached Yelü Deguang's ears, the Khitan emperor almost burst out laughing.

Crown Prince?

You, a Han Chinese, want to be the son of the Khitan emperor?

Of course, Yelü Deguang was a seasoned politician. He didn't directly refute him, but instead replied with a half-smile, "I have been completely open and honest with the Prince of Yan. Even if one day I had to cut off a piece of my own flesh, as long as it would be of use to the Prince of Yan, I would not hesitate."

That's more convincing than any song.

But then, the true intentions were revealed.

"But!" Yelü Deguang changed the subject, "The position of Crown Prince should be reserved for the Emperor's own son. Although the Prince of Yan is related to me, he is not my own flesh and blood. How can he possibly be the Crown Prince?"

The Zhao family is truly a lineage of folly.

Back then, Zhao Yanshou's adoptive father, Zhao Dejun, was originally a high-ranking official in the Later Tang Dynasty.

In order to also become a puppet emperor, he did not hesitate to compete for favor with Shi Jingtang on the battlefield and wrote a letter to Yelü Deguang to express his loyalty.

Unfortunately, Yelü Deguang had already negotiated a price with Shi Jingtang.

Even worse, Zhao Dejun's elite force of three thousand "Silver Saddle Khitan Soldiers" was completely wiped out by the Khitans.

Zhao Yanshou has completely failed to learn from his father's mistakes and is still dreaming of being granted a title of kingship by someone of a different surname, or even being adopted into the imperial family.

He didn't even consider that those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions.

The Khitans didn't even trust Shi Jingtang, their adopted son, so why would they trust you, a servant who wasn't even an adopted son?

However, we still need to appease them.

After all, the Central Plains are not yet firmly established, and they still need these traitors to attack the Han people.

To appease the wronged dog, Yelü Deguang generously promoted Zhao Yanshou.

Zhang Li, the Hanlin Academician, was also a sensible man. He proposed a title of "Governor of the Central Capital, Grand Chancellor, Registrar of the Imperial Secretariat, and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Capital and the Countryside".

Yelü Deguang took a stroke of his pen and removed the two most powerful titles, "Recorder of the Imperial Secretariat and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Interior and Exterior," leaving only empty titles.

This is the art of rulership.

They want to use you, but they also want to guard against you; they want to give you bones to eat, but they also want to tighten the chain around your neck.

Zhao Yanshou stood below the throne, holding the abridged imperial edict in his hands, with a grateful smile on his face.

But who can see how much resentment and malice is hidden deep within those downcast eyes?

However, the low atmosphere in Chongyuan Hall today is not entirely due to Zhao Yanshou's trivial matter.

What truly troubled Yelü Deguang were the urgent reports that had recently arrived from various places.

Just a few days ago, something happened in Chanzhou.

It's only natural that something like this would happen.

The military governor of Zhenning, who was stationed in Chanzhou, was a Khitan nobleman named Yelü Langwu.

This scoundrel was cruel by nature, treating Han people like pigs and dogs. He plundered the land in Chanzhou, sparing not even women and children.

The people of Chanzhou were driven to the brink of despair. At this time, a bandit leader named Wang Qiong stepped forward.

Wang Qiong was a ruthless man. Under the cover of night, he led more than a thousand brothers and miraculously captured the southern city of Chanzhou.

Immediately afterwards, these peasants, their eyes bloodshot with rage, marched north across the pontoon bridge, stormed into the inner city, and surrounded the arrogant Yelü Langwu within the main city.

When the news reached Bianliang, Yelü Deguang panicked.

He wasn't afraid of Wang Qiong's more than a thousand men; he was afraid of the momentum behind them.

How far is Chanzhou from Bianliang?

That was the ferry crossing on the Yellow River, the northern gateway to Bianliang!

If Chanzhou falls, the route back to Hebei will be cut off.

At that time, his hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops would truly be trapped like turtles in a jar.

He originally thought that once he destroyed Shi Jin, the Central Plains would be his ranch.

But now, all I see is smoke and fire everywhere.

Liang Hui from Xiangzhou, Yao Kechou from Jinzhou, Zhao Hui from Shanzhou, and now Wang Qiong from Chanzhou has joined the ranks.

Among this pile of bad news, there was an inconspicuous report buried at the very bottom.

That came from Daizhou.

It is said that Wang Hui, the defense commissioner of Daizhou, was intercepted and killed by a new army led by Liu Zhiyuan.

Normally, the death of Wang Hui wouldn't be a big deal.

The problem is that the army that intercepted Wang Hui was fighting under the banner of "helping the capital in distress".

Grand Tutor Feng Dao, standing on the train, was squinting slightly, as if he were dozing off.

Feng Dao was a smart man.

He knew better than anyone else Yelü Deguang's fear at that moment.

This fear came not only from the bandits who rose up in rebellion, but also from Liu Zhiyuan, who was hiding in Taiyuan City.

Although the Battle of Daizhou was only a minor local setback, its significance was extraordinary.

Especially that "Fuweidu".

These three characters are a good choice.

Whose danger are we helping in times of distress?

Is it Liu Zhiyuan's Han?

Or is it still this crumbling Han Chinese empire in the Central Plains?

Feng Dao sighed inwardly.

He knew that Yelü Deguang wouldn't be staying in Bianliang for long.

really.

"deliver an imperial order."

Yelü Deguang's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Issue Li Shouzhen, the military governor of Tianping, and Du Chongwei, the military governor of Tianxiong, to return to their original garrisons immediately to suppress the rebellion."

These words shocked the entire hall.

Li Shouzhen and Du Chongwei were both surrendered generals who commanded large armies.

Yelü Deguang had previously detained them in Bianliang because he feared they would rebel.

Releasing these two tigers now would be tantamount to admitting that the main Khitan force is no longer able to control the situation and can only use Han methods to control Han.

This is undoubtedly like drinking poison to quench thirst.

But Yelü Deguang had no choice.

The fire in Chanzhou has reached their doorstep, and Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong is eyeing them covetously.

If these two dogs aren't released to bite people soon, the situation in the Central Plains might really get out of control.

"in addition..."

Yelü Deguang paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of ministers below the throne, each with their own ulterior motives, before finally settling on Zhao Yanshou.

"Mobilize troops to rescue Yelü Langwu. As for Wang Qiong..."

"Kill without mercy."

Zhao Yanshou quickly stepped forward to receive the order, his movements as respectful as a grandson.