Chapter 939 Indulgence
In the Zhitang of Yongzhou Prefecture in Chang'an City, Li Mu, who served as the governor of Yong and stayed in Chang'an, faced the envoys from the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office and said in a deep voice: "Cui Lu and others are not living in the city at the moment, and we don't know where they are hiding." , the state government is conducting its own search and capture, and will report to the government if there is any news."
After the envoy heard Li Mu's reply, he could only reiterate the importance of the matter, hoping that the state government could actively cooperate, and then stood up to leave.
After sending away the envoys from the Chinese and Foreign Offices, Li Mu led his cronies to a garden villa outside Chang'an City. Cui Qian, Lu Rou and other people who had been ordered by the Chinese and Foreign Offices to arrest those involved in Dugu Xin's rebellion were here.
When they saw Li Muxing entering the manor, several people hurriedly greeted him and asked, "May I ask Mr. Wu An, how is the situation outside now?"
After hearing this, Li Mu sighed and said: "There is news from the east that the Zhengtong army of the King of Taiyuan is fighting the enemy in Heluo. Because it is known that the main force of Xiangyang has not entered Wuguan, the evil situation in Guanzhong is even worse. The Chinese and Foreign Governments are still searching for those involved in the case. , many times were arrested..."
After Duguxin was killed in Shayuan, many things that were originally kept secret gradually spread, such as the defeat of the Eastern Expedition army, the death of Otsuka Zai Yuwentai during the expedition, and the Xiangyang troops entering Wuguan, etc. Every piece of news has the effect of setting off thousands of waves, causing panic throughout Guanzhong.
But what worries Sergeant Guan and others most at the moment is not the military crisis caused by the defeat in the foreign war, but the investigation and prosecution of Dugu Xin's case by the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Bureau. Many Guanzhong Shiliu were found to be involved in the case of Dugu Xin kidnapping the emperor, and were arrested and punished by the Chinese and Foreign Governments.
Of course, everyone knew in their hearts that the so-called rebellion by taking advantage of the emperor was nothing more than an excuse to suppress dissidents through large-scale purges. Many of the arrested Shiliu didn't even know about Dugu Xin's return to Guanzhong, so they were arrested directly and charged with treason.
Most of these arrested persons were Duguxin's disciples and former officials, as well as members of the Guandong aristocratic family who had close contacts with the Li family in Longxi.
Since Dugu Xin has no longer been in charge of specific duties in recent years, and the conflicts between Shannan Daoxingtai and the Chinese Foreign Affairs Office have gradually been exposed, most of the celebrities who are closely related to them have been put aside. Those who are now arrested There was almost no resistance at all.
Since Cui Qian, Lu Rou and others were former relatives of He Basheng and were closely related to the Li family in Longxi, they were naturally on the list. Since they had been dismissed from their previous official positions and were idle at home, they were not qualified to accompany the emperor when he was transferred to Tongzhou. When the foreign government ordered their arrest again, Li Mu, who had heard the news in advance, first They were hidden and protected.
Since the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office has gathered almost all the remaining armed forces in the Kinai Prefecture under its command, and the targets they are attacking are mainly concentrated on the old tribe of Duguxin and some of the Kanto aristocratic clans, so although they have also caused a great deal of damage in Guanzhong People are panicking, but it hasn't caused much commotion yet.
Although many Shiliu were somewhat dissatisfied with this series of practices of the Chinese and Foreign Governments, they did not dare to speak out and question them rashly, fearing that they would be implicated and punished, and they did not have enough strength to fight against the chaos of the Chinese and Foreign Governments. Therefore, the masses could only keep silent and watch indifferently, watching the personnel situation in Guanzhong become increasingly chaotic.
Although Li Mu is Li Zhi's biological uncle, it is difficult for him to bring any effective restraint to Li Zhi, who is becoming more and more crazy in his words and deeds.
He was already under suspicion because of his actions in the Battle of Jiangling. Although he was promoted to general due to his military exploits, he was not given any authority and remained idle.
It was not until Otsuka Zai had no one available to plan the Eastern Expedition that he was appointed as the governor of Yong to stay in Chang'an. However, the real left-behind general in Chang'an was Cai You. After the emperor was transferred to Tongzhou, there were basically no important things to manage in Chang'an City.
Nowadays, Li Mu does not have any strong authority, so he can only shelter Cui Qian and others temporarily until the situation changes. Several people discussed the changes in the situation again, and felt a little helpless about the current madness of the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office. They could only hope that King Taiyuan could defeat the foreign enemies as soon as possible and then return with his troops to control the situation. This is not just a thought shared by them, but also by most people in the current situation.
Not to mention the situation and thoughts of the marginalized people in these current situations, the current Sino-foreign government is a busy scene, especially those who are in power from Lueyang Gong Yu Wenjue to the following, who have a kind of life and death, pleasure and kindness. Qiu's publicity and willfulness can be described as unlimited glory.
Needless to say, Yu Wenjue naturally had more than ten times the number of trusted guards directly under his command, with over a thousand members, each wearing brocade robes and robes, running rampant inside and outside Tongzhou City.
From the high officials to the common people, all were harmed by these people. As long as Yu Wenjue gave an order, they would all swarm in and kill people. Because of their arrogant and violent behavior, they set a new record in Tongzhou in a very short period of time. Great reputation.
In private, many scholars and people in the same state denounced these Lueyang public gang members as ghosts. On the one hand, they scolded these people as the accomplices of tigers, and on the other hand, they hoped that a powerful person would uphold justice and execute all these evil minions!
In addition to Yu Wenjue himself actively strengthening the ranks of his cronies, Li Zhi, the director of the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office, Sun Heng, He Bati, etc. are also using their power to suppress dissidents and support their cronies, making the entire Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office a mess.
Now these people have a feeling that the tiger is not at home and the monkey is the king. Originally, they were just the reserve force of the Chinese and Foreign Governments, but now that the army has not returned, those famous ministers and generals with outstanding qualifications and positions are still stranded in Tongguan. No one in the country could restrain them, so they all acted as they pleased.
Of course, it was not that there was no one to control and reprimand them. When the news of Dugu Xin's execution reached Tongguan, Yu Wenhu immediately sent Yu Chigang back to the Zhongwai Mansion, hoping to regain control of the chaotic situation.
At the beginning of Yuchigang's return, Li Zhi and others were in awe, and each bowed his head to apologize. However, when they learned that the Eastern Expedition army had been defeated so miserably, and that the number of troops who had withdrawn to Tongguan was not even as many as they had gathered in Tongzhou in an emergency, they felt in their hearts The sense of awe was naturally lost.
Especially after learning that Taiyuan King Li Boshan had led Shannan troops to Heluo to fight the enemy, and that only a small group of troops had entered the Shangluo area from Wuguan, Li Zhi and others felt more at ease and directly advised Yu Wenjue, General Yu Chigang. He was also put under house arrest.
"Fang Jin's army has been greatly mourned and the country's strength has been severely damaged. Everyone is responsible for the generals who went on the expedition! Duke Pingchang is a general in public service, but in private he is a disciple. He cannot defeat the enemy externally, and cannot serve his master and be considerate internally. It is really said that What a sin!"
With the further development of the situation, the mentality of Li Zhi and others gradually changed. At this time, when talking about Yuchi Gang and the generals of the Eastern Expedition who had defeated the country and humiliated the country, they could not help but feel contempt: "The former Dugu Ruyi and others escaped from the battle, The intention of returning to the country was to cause chaos. If not for Duke Lueyang's decisiveness and humble position, the situation in Guanzhong would have collapsed. Duke Pingchang did not think about his sins after returning. Instead, he used arrogance and made things difficult for Lueyang. If we don’t control the public laws, it will be unbearable!”
Of course, Yu Wenjue was not happy to have another restriction on his head. He even dared to poison his own brother, so why would he care about a mere cousin? After hearing the instigation of Li Zhi and others, he simply ordered Yuchi to be killed directly. Tsuna was captured and imprisoned.
However, despite their madness, these people occasionally regain some sense and are worried that the situation may not end well if it continues like this.
Li Zhi still had his own opinion on this: "The generals are incompetent, the army has been defeated and the country has been humiliated. Now they are allowed to garrison Tongguan, but the enemy is outside. It is Duke Lueyang who is showing mercy and allows him to perform meritorious service. If he does not obey the government orders and absconds, Returning home, Dugu realizes his wish and learns from his past mistakes. If anyone dares to make the same mistake again, won't he be afraid of the sword of the government?
As for Li Boshan, the king of Taiyuan, he underestimated the enemy and rushed forward and was trapped in Heluo. Our army of tens of thousands was defeated by the Eastern Bandit Brigade and returned with a great defeat. Even if Li Boshan depleted all the troops from Shannan, would he be able to defeat the Chinese and Foreign Governments? Even if he is lucky enough to win, he will surely be exhausted and unable to accomplish anything! "
After hearing Li Zhi's analysis, everyone clapped their hands in agreement. At least in their opinion, there was no problem with this logical deduction. Although Li Boshan was powerful, he easily entered Heluo, and the army of eastern thieves consumed his power. As for the Tongguan expedition, they had also lost their troops and generals. They were afraid of being punished when they returned to the court, so they could only defend Tongguan to resist foreign invasion in Guanzhong!
However, just when these people thought that such a good life could continue, the good news of the Xiangyang Division's victory was inevitably delivered to Guanzhong. For those in power, this is nothing less than bad news!
Not to mention those guys in the Chinese and Foreign Affairs Office who were extremely happy and sad, when Yu Wenhu and others stationed in Tongguan learned the good news, their mood was extremely complicated for a while. Especially when thinking about the chaos behind them, Yu Wenhu and others couldn't help but have an extremely headache.
But there was not much time left for them. When they learned about the victory of the Xiangyang Division, King Taiyuan had already led the front troops to move towards Hongnong, and they would soon arrive in front of Tongguan Pass.
To the east, the King of Taiyuan came with the momentum of a great victory, while to the west, Yu Wenjue and others were acting arrogantly and denying their relatives. If the situation is allowed to develop like this, I'm afraid they will have no choice but to sit back and wait for death.
In desperation, Yu Wenhu could only summon Li Yuan again, hoping that he could return to the Zhongwai Mansion to persuade Li Zhi and others. Besides, he couldn't find a better candidate.
A person with high qualifications and aspirations is like Dugu Xin who was burned by a fire, and a close relationship is like Yuchi Gang, but he does not know whether he will live or die. There are many people trapped in Tongguan now, but who dares to say with certainty that they can beat the two in these two aspects? He can only hope that Li Yuan can awaken his son's emotions and reason based on the relationship between father and son.