Chapter 1219: Besieged on all sides

Chapter 1219: Besieged on all sides

The changes that occurred in Jiangbei made the atmosphere in Jiankang City extremely tense again, and the Chen Qian brothers, who were now in charge of the political power of the Southern Chen Dynasty, were the first to bear the brunt and endured the greatest pressure.

In addition to Chen Tanlang, who stayed in Qin County in the north of the Yangtze River and relied on the backing of the Western Wei Dynasty to constantly threaten and clamor, the turbulent emotional situation in the middle school also made the brothers feel anxious. The smooth feeling that had come naturally before no longer existed, and was replaced by It’s the repetition of various personnel matters.

Today Chen Xu spent most of the day re-adjusting the defenses between the Taiyuan Garden and inspecting them. Just after completing these tasks, he dragged his tired body to the location of his brother's shogunate in Dongfucheng.

When he arrived at Dongfu City, he saw Minister Wang Tong walking out of the Zhitang Hall, boarding the carriage with the help of a servant and preparing to leave.

Wang Tong was born in the Langya Wang family and is now the leading celebrity in Jiangzuo. He has a high reputation both in court and in the public. Not long ago, his brother Chen Qian proposed to the Langya Wang family for his eldest son Chen Bozong and obtained the Langya Wang family. After the national mourning is over, the two families will form a close alliance and become close relatives.

Therefore, when Chen Xu saw that Wang Tong was about to leave, he did not dare to be too negligent. He strode forward, clasped his fists towards Wang Tong and said with a smile: "Wang Pushe came to Fucheng today. Do you have something important to discuss with my brother? Do you need it?" Arrange for the soldiers to escort you to avoid being harassed by idle people?"

Wang Tongzheng's brows were slightly furrowed and his expression was not very good. When he saw Chen Xu entering and exchanging greetings, a trace of surprise and embarrassment flashed across his face at first, and then he waved his hand and said: "It is not necessary for the king to take this care of you, but to ensure that the affairs of the country can be managed and kept within this territory." How can we be afraid of being harassed by idle people in this place!”

Chen Xu's eyebrows jumped when he heard Wang Tong's unkind tone. Before he could question him, Wang Tong waved his hand and ordered his slave to drive away. At this moment, several subordinates of Chen Qian who had sent Wang Tong out of the house came to greet Chen Xu. Chen Xu pointed at Wang Tong's car driving away and said displeasedly: "Why is this old slave suffering from epilepsy? "

The government officials were not able to answer this, and they just vaguely said that Wang Tong seemed a little unhappy when he was talking to their lord just now. Not finding any useful information from the government officials, Chen Xu went to the government office with doubts.

In the main hall of Fucheng, the atmosphere was very dull and depressing. Chen Qian was sitting in the banquet with a stern expression. There was nothing on the case in front of her. Instead, there were many utensils scattered on the ground in front of the case. There was a handsome and delicate woman but The young man in military uniform was standing beside the case, carefully picking up the utensils scattered on the ground and putting them back on the case one by one. As for the other tribesmen, they all bowed their heads and remained silent.

"Brother, what happened? I saw Wang Pushe..."

After seeing this, Chen Xu suddenly felt something bad in his heart, and he quickly stepped forward and asked.

However, before he finished speaking, Chen Qian raised her fist and hit the case hard, and at the same time shouted angrily: "This old man is used to admiring the powerful and capricious, he is really hateful! I'm afraid I will see evil in the Wei Dynasty, If you can’t stabilize the situation, you will break the engagement!”

"Is this happening?"

When Chen Xu heard this, he was immediately furious. During this period, he was already worried and irritated by the internal and external situation. Now he heard that the arranged marriage was actually reneged on by the Langya Wang family, and he became even more furious. , shouted loudly: "I will lead a team of forbidden troops now, go straight to Wuyi Alley, and capture this family of thieves!"

As he spoke, he turned around and went straight to the outside of the hall. However, before he could walk out of the hall, he was stopped by Chen Qian in the hall: "Well, Wang Xie Chou has no bones and muscles. I hope they can share weal and woe and fight against the enemy." It is not realistic in the first place. The former's view that I am strong and obsequious is not true in the first place. Now that there are more powerful people approaching the river to provoke, it is not unusual for them to renege on the alliance and protect themselves. Now they are just self-disciplined. It’s useless to stand up.”

"If we let things go as they are, once the bandit army actually crosses the river, the situation in Kinei will be even more difficult to determine!"

When Chen Xu heard what his brother said, although he turned around and walked back to the hall, he still said with a look of reluctance.

"Really fighting is just a trick. Regardless of success or failure, I'm afraid the masses won't like it."

When Chen Qian said this, her tone became quite serious.

This time Wang Tong came to Dongfu City not only to regret and break off the engagement, but also to warn him on behalf of all the noble families in Jin. The purpose was simply to hope that he would try to avoid further intensifying conflicts, and it was best not to start a fight with the Western Wei Dynasty. struggle.

The impact of the Western Wei Dynasty on the situation in Nanchen was greater than Chen Qian's imagination.

Originally, in Chen Qian's opinion, after experiencing a series of devastations such as Hou Jing's Rebellion and the invasion of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the people of Jiangdong should be able to see clearly the true face of those northerners, and have the determination and courage to swear to defend the river, which is quite disgusting. The Western Wei Dynasty interfered too much in the current situation of Nanchen.

And this kind of human mood was the confidence he could rely on to compete with the Western Wei Dynasty. Chen Qian did not think that he was committing rebellion by relying on the empress dowager's edict to put his heir under house arrest and take over the situation. Instead, she felt that by doing so, he truly complied with the wishes of his uncle Chen Baxian, inherited his uncle's legacy, and maintained the independence of the Nanchen regime. sex!

Unlike Chen Chang and Chen Xu, who had been held hostages in Guanzhong for a long time, Chen Qian really followed her uncle all the way to pacify Jiangdong and rebuild the country. Especially the most important series of wars to pacify the Three Wu Dynasties, Chen Qian personally participated in and led them.

Of course he didn't want Jiangdong and the regime he and others had worked so hard to regain to become a puppet of the Northerners. Even if the prince wanted to betray the country, he wouldn't agree!

Originally, he felt that the soldiers and people of Jiangdong should be able to understand his painstaking efforts after experiencing the devastation of the war, just like his uncle resolutely raised troops to attack Wang Sengbian in order to refuse to accept the mercy of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and then united as one and united in the war. Won the battle to defend Jiankang during the Northern Qi invasion!

But he didn't expect that just because there were some threats from Jiangbei, people in Jiankang City were panicked. People like Wang Tong who were rich and powerful in the country did not dare to resist the threats and oppression from the Western Wei Dynasty. Instead, they came here to advise and threaten him, warning him that if he insists on going his own way, the situation may change for the worse. The implication is naturally self-evident that these aristocratic families may want to collude to do something.

At this time, one of the government officials who had been silent in the hall said: "The reason why Wang Pushe and others are afraid of war with the Wei State is not only because they are afraid of the other party's power, but also because many families in the country have money and goods with the Wei State. After the great chaos, Jinei's industry was in decline and everything was sluggish. In the past, it opened trade with Wei Guo in Liyang and Gushu towns. People in Jinei rushed to send money and goods to each other, and many heavy goods were hoarded in Jiangbei. If a war breaks out, all the money will be lost."

The name of the person who spoke was Hua Jiao, who was Chen Qian’s confidant. He was originally a small official and was good at managing money and property. Chen Qian not only used it to manage the government treasury and property, but also used it to manage his subordinates. industry. As a trading port between the north and the south, Gushu is now one of the hottest gold mining areas in Nanchen. Hua Jiao often travels there, so he also knows the details of many families in the region.

"This is the treachery and viciousness of Li Boshan of the Wei State! In the past, when others used treachery, they would have to use money and goods to bribe ministers of other countries. But now, the Wei State not only does not need to use money to bribe, but all the families in the country have to pay money to the north. They are rushing to buy goods from the north and sell them to the south, unaware that they have become greedy! In my opinion, trade should be banned so that the people cannot receive anything privately, so as to avoid future troubles!"

After Chen Xu heard this, he couldn't help but frown and said that he was secretly resistant to everything related to the Western Wei Dynasty and was unwilling to accept and tolerate it.

After Hua Jiao heard this, he shook his head and sighed: "It can't be banned. Since the incident in the former country, goods from the north of Liyang have no longer been transported to the south. Now the prices of all kinds of goods in Ji Nei have increased by several percent, and people's livelihood is difficult." . If it is really forbidden, the situation will be even more dangerous."

Jiankang City has developed commerce and trade, and the consequence of this is that many people's livelihood materials need to be transported from outside. Although the Jiankang City in Nanchen today is not as prosperous as it was in the Nanliang period, the people's livelihood industries that were originally there in the Nanliang period are far from being restored, and the external demand is even higher.

Although there are also materials from the Sanwu area in Jiangdong that can be transported to Jiankang City, the Sanwu area was also seriously damaged during the Hou Jing Rebellion. In addition, the local powerful forces increased sharply and divided the countryside into separate areas, making the originally smooth process Quchi water transportation became congested and difficult to move.

On the other hand, Liyang has supplies from material production bases in Suilu, Huainan and other places. However, there is only a river across from Liyang to Gushu. Even cargo ships can directly pass through Hengjiang and arrive outside Jiankang City. Even the transportation consumption is far lower than transporting goods from Sanwu.

Therefore, a large part of the materials needed for construction and health now rely on transportation from Liyang. Once something happens to this line, it will inevitably have a huge impact on Jiankang's people's livelihood!

Chen Qian, like Chen Chang before her, although she had some power, when Chen Baxian was still alive, their respective powers were also limited, and they could not control everything and power in their own hands.

Although he now has some power in the country, he was mainly controlling the situation in Gyeonggi Province and personnel communication before, and did not have a deep understanding of these detailed issues. At this time, when Hua Jiao said that the livelihood needs of the entire Jiankang City sergeants and people were in the hands of the Western Wei Dynasty, his mood naturally became even worse.

"We should still send a message to Tan Lang, asking him to cross the river and come to discuss it no matter what. Don't allow the enemy to take advantage of the disputes in the household and incite my brothers to kill each other!"

After pondering for a while, Chen Qian said in a deep voice: "I know that the reason why he is so angry is probably because he thinks that my brother ignores his safety in Wei State and concentrates on the country for his own power, thus offending Wei State. But if he can If you understand my painstaking efforts and know that this is also the Empress Dowager’s instruction, you will probably be able to repent and won’t be held hostage by the Wei State again!”

After Chen Xu heard this, he said angrily: "But this idiot doesn't even want to see the envoy sent by the country, so how can we convince him?"

"When necessary, extraordinary methods may have to be used."

When Chen Qian said this, she looked at Chen Xu with deep meaning and said: "You have lived in Guanxi and have known the conditions of Wei for a long time. If you really fail to do it repeatedly, for the sake of the safety of our family and country, we need you to make another journey." ”

"I don't, no... Brother, do you know how I suffered during the years when I was a hostage in Wei State? I would rather die, rather... I really don't want to go there again, Brother, please don't... …”

Chen Xu didn't expect that things would turn around him again. He shook his head like a rattle and refused to agree to this arrangement.

Seeing Chen Xu's refusal so decisively, Chen Qian felt helpless for a moment. After much thought, she decided to go to the palace, hoping that the Queen Mother would put the overall situation first and personally arrange for people to go to Qin County in the north of the Yangtze River to persuade Chen Tan Langnan. Come.

However, the Empress Dowager now understood how her previous self-righteousness in teaching her son a lesson had put her and her son in such a dangerous situation. Naturally, she would not listen to Chen Qian's explanation. When she came to see him, she scolded Chen Qian, making him dizzy and in the end, they did not talk about anything serious.

It was difficult for Chen Qian to achieve any effective communication with Chen Tanlang, but the personnel affairs in the outside world would not stagnate because of this. As the situation in the capital became more and more tense, in recent days, court officials in Jiankang secretly took boats and held planks to cross the river to the north, responding to Chen Tanlang's call and joining the condemnation of Chen Qian and his brothers.

However, although the situation was critical, the troops in the capital were still in the hands of Chen Qian and his brothers, and the garrison generals of various parties still did not express their opposition to their brothers' rule. Generally speaking, the situation was not completely out of control.

However, as long as many things started, the subsequent chain reactions would come one after another, and they would not be transferred by human will at all. Just as the Chen Qian brothers had previously taken advantage of the Empress Dowager's edict to sideline the crown prince and seize power, the various reactions of the Western Wei Dynasty have now caused various effects, which will also be gradually revealed according to the speed of time.

While Chen Qian continued to stabilize the situation in the capital, he contacted the forces of the Three Wus and prepared to dispatch troops from these places to strengthen the control of Jiankang City. However, before his specific orders were issued, a surprising change occurred upstream in the west.

The troops of Yingzhou in the Western Wei Dynasty suddenly marched into Xunyang. Wang Sengyin, who was stationed in Xunyang before, went straight down from Pengli Lake and joined forces with Wang Lin's troops entrenched in Yuzhang to attack the army of the Southern Chen stationed in Poyang County. The main general Zhou Wenyu was captured and killed in front of the battle, and the governor of Wuzhou, Hou Zhen, retreated all the way east to Xin'an.

This was not the worst. As the Wei army suddenly marched eastward, Cheng Lingxi, the governor of Beijiangzhou stationed in Nanling County upstream, suddenly retreated to Gusu. As a result, all the territories of Southern Chen Jiangdong west of Xuancheng County were exposed to the front of the Wei army!

When this series of changes were transmitted to Jiankang City one after another, it was like a series of thunders exploding on Chen Qian's head.

However, this is not the focus of the change. With the dramatic changes in the situation in Jiangzhou, the local chieftain who had been separatist in Dongyang County and the Dongyang governor Liu Yi, who was also Chen Qian's son-in-law, also expelled the officials sent by the court, took advantage of the situation to rise up, and directly threatened the Three Wus. In this way, the assistance from the Three Wus, which Chen Qian had originally hoped for, naturally became a distant prospect.

At this point, even if Chen Qian didn't dare to believe it, he knew that the situation was probably powerless to turn the tide. He really didn't expect that it was so easy to sideline the successor before, but after the Western Wei responded with a tough attitude, the situation that was originally maintainable became surrounded by enemies in an instant.

I will update one chapter today.