Chapter 244
Taifu Cui Hongren was not in the capital, but the news was very well-informed. Soon after Marquis Juan left the capital, he was notified and sent a large number of soldiers to block the entire area around Baiqiao Town. Be sure to intercept the target, and dare not let Marquis Juan quietly like last time. Cross the river.
He must find out the real intentions of Hou Juan and the Queen Mother.
When the soldier came in and announced that Hou Juan was asking to meet, Mrs. Cui was not surprised at all, but felt that the son-in-law finally knew a little about the current affairs.
But when Hou Juan entered the room, Cui Hong was stunned, and then became angry. It is true that he did not meet his son-in-law much, but he did not admit his mistake. Although the man in front of him was wearing royal clothes, he was clearly a juvenile eunuch.
Cui Hong held down the hilt of the knife, he did not need to do it himself, this was a signal, and the more than ten guards on both sides understood it and pulled out half of the waist knife.
The little eunuch was frightened, raised his arms, and said loudly: "My name is Zhang Youcai, I am Marquis Juan's personal entourage, and I was ordered to see Taifu Cui."
Cui Hong's face was still so gloomy, and Zhang Youcai added more quickly: "Marquis Tien asked me to pretend to be him, saying that it would be faster to see the master this way, he also said...and said..."
"What?" Cui Hong finally said.
Zhang Youcai looked at the sword-wielding guards beside him, and slowly took out a letter from his arms, "Marquis Tien also said that after reading this, Taifu will not be angry anymore."
A guard took the letter and sent it to the table in front of Cui Hong. Cui Hong loosened the handle of the knife and opened the letter to check it. The guards still maintained the posture of drawing the knife. The Da Sima just snorted, and they immediately dismissed the daring person. The eunuch chopped into puree.
With just one glance, Cui Hong's face changed slightly, then he read it carefully, put away the letter, and sat there staring at the little eunuch, "What else did Hou Juan say?"
Zhang Youcai hummed twice, but refused to answer. Hou Juan explained very clearly that after Mrs. Cui read the letter, his anger would definitely subside, and Zhang Youcai could hold back a little.
Mrs. Cui still looked very annoyed, and Zhang Youcai's restraint naturally seemed reluctant, more like suffering from amnesia at a critical moment.
Cui Hong waved his hand, and the guards sheathed their knives and filed out.
Zhang Youcai breathed a sigh of relief, he was not small, but in the past there was either Marquis Juan or Du Chuanyun by his side, and at worst there was a loach. He was alone in the face of the Taifu who held military power, and he couldn't keep his composure.
Cui Hong was still staring, and Zhang Youcai remembered that he still had questions that he had not answered, "Oh, that's it... Well, Hou Wan said, 'The rainstorm is coming, please Mrs. Cui find a safe place to shelter from the rain as soon as possible, don't hesitate any longer. Undecided.'"
Cui Hong burst out laughing, Zhang Youcai was startled, his knees softened, and he almost knelt down, but thinking that he was wearing Juan Hou's clothes, he forcibly held back, but his body trembled and his voice trembled, "Wan Hou... That's what Hou said."
Cui Hong stopped laughing and asked coldly, "Where's the Marquis?"
"Back, back to the city."
"Since you came out, why did you go back?"
"Marquis Tien said that when you leave the city, you don't have to abide by any rules for the throne. When he goes back, he won't fight for the throne, but... but restore the throne."
Cui Hong couldn't stop sneering, and suddenly picked up Xingtangmu and slapped the case heavily. The guards immediately came in from outside and surrounded Zhang Youcai.
Zhang Youcai was shaking so much that his teeth were fighting, and the scene in front of him was different from what Wanhou had predicted beforehand.
"Put it down and watch it strictly."
The guards supported Zhang Youcai and exited.
An old man dressed as a Confucian entered the room, without notice, apparently familiar with Mrs. Cui, went to the desk and asked, "What news did Hou Juan send?"
Cui Hong pushed the letter to the opposite side of the desk, the old man picked it up, read it quickly, and laughed, "The queen mother is really pretending to be crazy, and she actually wants to dismiss you as the chief secretary of the Southern Army."
"I can't let the soldiers in the battalion see this imperial edict." Cui Hong knew very well that when the military's heart was unstable, any accident could cause unimaginable chaos, not to mention the first imperial edict in months.
"What does Tired Hou mean? Are you trying to please you?"
"It must have been the imperial edict that the empress dowager gave to the empress dowager, and wanted to use him to deal with me. The empress dowager did not want to make wedding dresses for others, so she gave me the edict. This is to use me to deal with the empress dowager. Hey, it is said that he has returned to Beijing. , no need to abide by any rules for competing for the throne..." Cui Hong suddenly realized that this was the real news that Marquis Juan passed to him.
"It turned out that Marquis Juan wanted Taifu to lead the Southern Army to the capital." The old man also understood, "What did he think, did he think Taifu Cui would support him?"
"It doesn't matter what Huanhou thinks. I really should go to the capital. No matter who wins or loses, the King of the East Sea and the Champion Hou will need my help."
"Don't Taifu think Tien Hou can win?"
Cui Hong looked at the old man a few times, "He's just pretending to be mysterious, why did he win?"
The old man smiled, "Taifu should go to the capital, but be careful of the Northern Army."
"It doesn't matter, I only brought 60,000 people to the capital, which is enough to suppress the Eighth Battalion of Suwei. The remaining 40,000 people stayed behind. The Northern Army only came over a few thousand people, and most of them remained in Mancang City. When they heard the news, they went south. It will take at least five or six days, by which time the major event in the capital will be completed, and the Northern Army will not dare to make trouble."
The situation in the capital is changing rapidly, and the relationship between the southern and northern armies has also fluctuated. Some time ago, they were still in confrontation. A few days ago, they turned their enemies into friends and guarded Baiqiao Town together. Thousands of northern armies have arrived and were arranged outside the town. stationed.
The old man picked up the imperial decree and read it again, put it on the table, and said, "This thing should not be left for a long time."
Of course Cui Hong understood the truth, put away the letter, and planned to burn it later, "How on earth did my sister offend the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother really regards the Cui family as her mortal enemy and presses every step of the way. Marquis Tien has done me a favor, look. For Xiaojun's sake, give him a king name in the future."
The old man smiled without saying a word, Cui Hong said with some dissatisfaction: "Marquis Junyang, I accept your defection because I value your experience and hope to hear advice. You always laugh, do you think of yourself as a hopeful person? Yes? Say whatever you want."
Junyang Hou Huabin participated in the palace change more than a year ago, and fled halfway. With his name of chivalry, he was like a duck to water in the rivers and lakes, and he has never been caught. middle.
Cui Hong valued not only the experience of Marquis Junyang, but also his reputation and the extraordinary people he provided.
"I don't think Taifu needs to hesitate any more. It must be the King of the East Sea who will seize the throne. There is Taifei Cui in the palace, the Tan family and a group of heroes introduced by me in the city, and the Southern Army of Taifu outside the city. It's already in the bag."
Cui Hong sighed, "Champion Hou has no hope?"
"Outside is strong and in the middle, the northern army that got it was lost. Originally supported by ministers, the champion marquis did not make full use of it. Instead, he was defeated by the Juanhou who had nothing, and there was no chance for a turnaround. The return of the Juanhou to Beijing only added some small twists and turns. He has no stable supporters, and only a group of scholars can't achieve great things."
Cui Hong nodded, then his face sank, "You keep saying that my sister will do something in the palace, but you refuse to tell me the truth. Now it's time to tell me. Once the Southern Army crosses the White Bridge, I will be on my head. There is one more charge of returning to Beijing without purpose."
Marquis Junyang also felt that the time was almost up, "During my time in the arena, I met a lot of strange people, introduced a few to the Tan family, and sent two to Taifei Cui. One was given to the King of the East Sea as a follower, but unfortunately died in Iron Broken City, and the other was brought into the palace as a maid."
Cui Hong became more and more shocked, "This is... this is a long time ago."
Junyang Hou nodded, "Cui Taifei attaches great importance to the friendship with the Hua family, even if I and the dog fell into the rivers and lakes, the connection has never been interrupted."
Cui Hong was stunned. He didn't expect his sister to do such a bold thing behind his back, "The strange person who entered the palace..."
"She is the sharpest knife in Taifei Cui's hand, and she can stab anyone."
Cui Hong's face changed greatly, and gradually eased, "Why doesn't my sister ask me for help? The odds of winning are better."
"I'm not asking for help for Concubine Cui."
Cui Hong no longer hesitated. If it was just a tossing between the East Sea King and the Tan family, he still wanted to wait and see for a while. If his sister got involved and had a "sharp knife" in his hand, he had to make his stand as soon as possible.
"Okay, the southern army crosses the bridge."
Cui Hong did what he said, and half an hour later, he had already led thousands of elites across the bridge, and the remaining soldiers set off one after another. Before dawn tomorrow, the 60,000-strong army will be on their way back to Beijing.
Baiqiao Town has been busy all night, and the sound of horses’ hooves is almost uninterrupted. Every house is closed, and no one dares to go out. Only after dawn, did anyone dare to come out to check.
It is impossible for the 100,000 southern troops to be stationed in the same place for a long time. The camps are scattered, and 60,000 people cross the river. It will take a few days for the rest to gather in Baiqiao Town. Now there are only two or three thousand troops stationed here. The Northern Army outside the town did not take good care of the town, and rumors were flying around that the emperor and the empress dowager were killed, and the Taifu led the army back to Beijing to pacify the chaos.
Han Ruzi and Meng E crossed the bridge and entered the town around noon. He just planned to return to the capital, but he had not yet made the trip.
The two were dressed in ordinary people's clothes, like a couple on their way. In normal times, they would be called by the soldiers of the Southern Army to be strictly interrogated, but now no one cares about their identities, but some people see them coming from the direction of the capital. Come and ask about the situation.
Han Ruzi also made up a lot of rumors according to the meaning of the questioner.
The two went to the only inn in the town to stay, claiming that they were frightened by the army and wanted to rest here.
There were not many customers in the store. It didn't take long for Chao Hua to come to see him. He was a horse dealer at this time, because the horses were requisitioned by the southern and northern armies, and he stayed here waiting to check out.
Not long after the meeting, Chao Hua left the store and went to the North Army camp outside the town, asking to see the Overseer Cai Xinghai in the name of asking for an account.
The Northern Army was numerous, and not many people recognized the leader of Marquis Juan's private ministries, especially since he was dressed in the clothes of a merchant, much less like a soldier.
Cai Xinghai recognized him.
Soon after night, Chao Hua visited again, this time bringing two people.
In the big tent, Cai Xinghai and several generals who knew about him greeted Marquis Juan who came in. Han Ruzi showed another imperial decree, indicating that he had been officially appointed as the Great Sima of the Northern Army.
The imperial decree was passed around, and after seeing the seal of the seal above, Cai Xinghai and others knelt down in their armor, acknowledging the new Great Sima of the Northern Army.
Han Ruzi said: "The queen mother is safe and sound, and the imperial decree is a clear proof. Mrs. Cui led the army back to Beijing, and the wolf son's ambitions are clearly revealed. The so-called pacification is all rumors. It is not the southern army, but the northern army. Go and summon the Mancang North Army. The generals will send the order, and half an hour later, the whole army will enter Baiqiao Town, and tell the remaining soldiers of the Southern Army the imperial edict, those who surrender will be pardoned, and those who do not surrender will be beheaded."
Therefore, being mysterious is just a means. Han Ruzi understands that when it is time for a decisive battle, he must have the most real power in his hands.