Chapter 1242: Mount Tai Falls

Chapter 1242: Mount Tai Falls

The city of Jinyang was heavily guarded inside and outside, there were few pedestrians on the streets, and the atmosphere was extremely dull and solemn.

The atmosphere in Jinyang Palace was not very relaxed either. Heavily armed soldiers were distributed inside and outside, and the air was filled with an aura of gold and iron. The palace slaves who came in and out were like wandering spirits, trying to keep their footsteps to a minimum and their breathing undetectable, in order to reduce their sense of presence and avoid attracting dangerous eyes to themselves.

All kinds of bad news kept coming in the past few days, making people uneasy. The emperor also kept calling his ministers and generals to discuss countermeasures. However, often before the crisis he saw had been discussed how to deal with it, something worse would happen soon. , making people overwhelmed and tired of coping.

Just the various unfavorable situations in the war have given people a lot of headaches, but recently the Empress Dowager has been suffering from illness. The emperor was very filial by nature. In addition to taking care of state affairs, he also had to serve medicine to the Queen Mother in bed every day, fully clothed.

Yesterday evening, Pan Zihuang, the king of Hedong who was in charge of Sizhou, sent another urgent report, saying that the Wei army and the Turkic coalition forces outside the Beishan Great Wall were invading in large numbers, and that the Beishan defense line was in danger.

When this news came, the atmosphere in the city immediately became more tense, and the psychological impact it caused to Jinyang's monarchs and ministers was even greater than the previous fall of Yedu. After all, Hebei suffered the most from the fall of Yedu. Jinyang still had a certain buffer, but once the Beishan Great Wall was breached, the enemy troops could reach Jinyang City!

Therefore, after receiving the letter, the emperor and a group of ministers discussed countermeasures in Jinyang Palace for a long time. Until late at night, they still had not come up with a result. However, in the middle of the night, another palace official came to report that the Empress Dowager's condition had turned critical. The emperor ordered the ministers to continue the discussion while he rushed to the Empress Dowager's palace.

"The Supreme has not returned yet?"

Hu Luguang hurriedly entered the palace. After entering the palace, he saw the ministers sitting in the banquet with sad faces, so he frowned and asked in a deep voice.

He did not stay in Jinyang before, but went south to Jiexiu to inspect the defense there. Although the main force of the Wei army had previously moved to Shangdang, Yedu and other places, the situation on the front line of Queshu Valley was still grim, and small-scale conflicts continued to occur. The main reason was the harassment from Li Shihu and others, which made the enemy situation in this direction seem extremely serious, but the actual situation was not that serious.

After learning that the Great Wall of Beishan was in danger, Hu Luguang did not dare to neglect. Even though he hurried back to Jinyang to discuss military affairs, when he saw that the emperor still had not returned to the palace, he couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

The emperor's pure and filial character is certainly worthy of admiration, but now that the situation is urgent, things should be prioritized. If a response cannot be made as soon as possible, then the safety of the empress dowager alone will not be a problem!

It was not convenient for everyone to say anything about this. After hearing this, they just shook their heads helplessly. Hu Luguang also understood that it was not convenient to urge the emperor at the moment, so he suppressed the anxiety in his heart and asked everyone about the content of the strategy discussed last night so that he could reference it and develop his ideas.

The current situation is extremely dangerous. Both Shangdang and Ye have been lost one after another, causing the entire Hebei region to lose control. At present, the only things Jinyang can control are the Beishan Great Wall, Jiexiu Fortress, and Xishan on the left to the right. Jingxing is only a small corner of the Taiyuan Basin.

Before this, Jinyang was still discussing how to save Hebei, but now as another Wei army approaches the Beishan Great Wall, what is in front of them becomes how to defend Jinyang.

In terms of military strength alone, the situation does not seem that dangerous. There are still 100,000 armored soldiers gathered in Jinyang, while Pingyuan King Duan Shao in Jingxing still commands an army of 60,000. The combined strength of the two forces is very impressive.

However, the comparison of situations cannot only be based on the number of troops. Whether there are strategic advantages and initiative is more important than simply the number of troops.

There is no doubt that the Northern Qi Dynasty is in absolute passivity at the moment. Hebei is out of control, Jinyang is isolated, and there are many enemy troops trying to invade some of the surrounding passes. The situation is precarious, and the seemingly considerable troops can actually be used. There are very few, and it seems difficult to move anywhere to solve the urgent need.

Not to mention the helpless ministers in the palace, in the Empress Dowager's palace, Emperor Gao Yan saw his mother fall asleep after taking a dose of decoction. She was no longer in pain as she was at dawn, and her tense heartstrings were slightly relaxed. Then he looked at the maids serving in the palace and said solemnly: "You palace slaves must serve the Queen Mother well. If there is anything wrong, you must report it in time!"

After hearing this, all the palace slaves hurriedly bowed their heads in response, and then Gao Yan slowly walked out of the dormitory.

When he came to the hall outside his bedroom, he felt a little dizzy and his body was swaying slightly. A palace lady next to him hurriedly stepped forward to support him and whispered: "At this time of internal and external troubles, the Supreme Being especially needs to take care of his saints." Body!”

Although these words showed deep concern, if they were just coming from a palace lady, they would be somewhat overbearing and offensive. When Gao Yan took a closer look at this woman, he realized that she was his first wife, Yuanshi.

Seeing Yuan's simple dress with a plain skirt and silver hairpin, he couldn't help but have mixed feelings for a moment. Various complex emotions came to his heart. The corner of his mouth trembled, but he didn't squeeze out a smile after all. He just said in a dry tone: " Madam, you have been here all this time, you must be very tired, right?"

"I thanked the Empress Dowager for taking her in, so I have a place to live. Now that I see the Empress Dowager suffering from many serious illnesses, I wish I could take her own life to replace her. And seeing the Supreme Being so haggard, I feel even more resentful for my incompetence..."

Yuanshi lowered his head and helped Gao Yan sit down in the hall, and whispered again.

After Gao Yan heard this, he felt guilty again. In order to unite with the Turks, he had chosen to marry the Turks and had no choice but to make the Turk woman his queen. As a result, the Turks were so arrogant that they did not allow the Yuan family to stay in the inner palace, so they had to arrange him elsewhere, and the husband and wife did not see each other for a long time.

At this time, seeing that Yuanshi's temperament was as gentle as yesterday, and thinking of the side affair yesterday that made him extremely sleepy and even unwilling to face it, Gao Yan couldn't help but hold Yuanshi's wrist with his backhand, and said in a deep voice: "Tujue Chou" Hu Xing has not kept his word! I have treated you with so much kindness before, but now he still joins forces with the Qiang thieves to attack him. But if he can survive this disaster, I will definitely take my wife back to the palace!"

After hearing this, Mrs. Yuan burst into tears instantly. She lowered her head and sobbed: "The family and the country are important. Concubine Chenji is safe and dare not trouble the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being has his own destiny to protect him. He will definitely be able to survive the crisis and be unharmed by all calamities." !”

After chatting with Yuan for a few words, Gao Yan called the witches and alchemists supported by the palace and asked the empress dowager if there were any other prayer methods that could help the disease besides medicine and stone treatment.

Medicine and divination are quite similar to each other, and his family mostly adheres to Xianbei customs, so they trust and respect alchemy more than medical skills. For example, when his brother Gao Yang fell ill last year, he did not immediately return to Yedu to summon famous doctors for diagnosis and treatment. Instead, he received prayers from monks at Ganlu Temple for treatment.

Gao Yanjin saw that his mother's condition was not getting better, and he didn't have much time and energy to spend on it, so he wanted to use alchemy to treat his mother's disease.

The true skills of the witches supported in the palace are unknown, but their ability to observe faces is not bad. After hearing the Supreme Counselor's question, he quickly lowered his head and said: "The Queen Mother is seriously ill now, and it is not just the epidemic. The old woman has been protecting her for days and sincerely asking questions, and she feels that it is because of the pressure of luck..."

"Grandma, please speak more clearly!"

When Gao Yan heard that his mother's illness indeed had other causes, he immediately said in a deep voice: "Why did the Queen Mother get injured, and is there any way to relieve it?"

The witch didn't speak directly, but put out all kinds of magic tools to perform magic tricks. After a while, she started trembling all over, talking and singing. After struggling for a while, she stopped, and turned to give a speech to Gao Gao with a tired look on her face. Said: "The Empress Dowager is the mother of the country. Now that the country is uneasy, how can the mother of the country be at peace? A majestic force is pressing down on the country, just like Mount Tai pressing down on the top..."

"Is the mountain overwhelming?"

After Gao Yan heard this, his expression couldn't help but froze, and after a moment he sighed secretly, Li Boshan's real name is Li Tai, and now he is coming with a strong momentum. Isn't it the top of Mount Tai?

His mind changed, and he asked sternly: "Does Grandma have any magic to hate?"

After discussing with the ministers last night, there was no good plan to reverse the current situation. Gao Yan also knew that the art of hating victory was often absurd, so even if he had some thoughts in his heart that he wanted to try it, he would not do it in front of the ministers. Mentioned that by asking about his mother's condition at this time, he couldn't help but reveal it.

"There is heaven above Mount Tai. If the empress dowager can change her surname to Tianshi, she can connect with the will of heaven above and protect all people below. The supreme being is the Son of Heaven. Mother and son guard each other, and heaven and man will be respected forever. No matter how powerful the invading spirit is, It’s just covered under the sky, it’s not harmful!”

The witch was used to doing similar things, and she also knew that the emperor was worried, so she naturally started talking nonsense.

But her tone was so loud that Gao Yan couldn't believe it. After hearing this, he just sighed: "How can the heroes of thieves gather together day and night? There were so many heroes in the past that it was difficult to defeat them. Now I am afraid that I want to use this to seize their luck. It is also a delusion, but it has caused my mother to be rejected by heaven and have an unlucky old age. I don’t want anything but the enemy is invisible. I just want to keep the Queen Mother alive and live longer. Is there anything else I can do?”

The witch originally wanted to use this to hold a grand victory-weary ceremony, which would naturally require more money and treasures. However, she did not expect that the emperor himself lacked faith, so she quickly lowered her head and changed her words: " Yes, yes, since the Supreme Being does not want to disturb the sky, he can change the name of the empress dowager to Shi and the mountain and stone to Yue. After changing the surname, he will be integrated and protected from further infringement. "

"Then do this. I'll cast the spell as soon as possible and make sure the Queen Mother recovers as soon as possible!"

Gao Yan didn't have much resistance to changing his mother's surname. After all, health was the most important thing. As for whether his grandfather's family agreed or not, he didn't bother to care. After explaining these things, he hurried back to Jinyang Palace.

The ministers in Jinyang Palace finally waited for the emperor to return, and then they hurriedly got up to greet him. After Gao Yan saw Hu Luguang walking at the front, his eyes suddenly lit up. He took Hu Luguang's arm and said, "I am really relieved that the king can return in time. How is the situation with Jiexiu?"

Hu Luguang lowered his head and told the situation about Jiexiu: "Although there are still thieves there, they are not strong. As long as they are guarded carefully, it is not a big problem. Only the barbarians in Lishi took advantage of the situation to cause chaos, causing the other side to be in trouble." Things are chaotic and unclear, so we are often in a hurry.”

"Bu Luoji is responsible for causing great harm to the world, and I hate to kill him before I can catch him all!"

After Gao Yan heard this, his face darkened and he cursed bitterly.

After hearing this, the surrounding ministers lowered their heads and did not dare to answer the question casually. Changguang King Gao Zhan was also called Buluoji in small Chinese characters. At the moment, they did not dare to inquire carefully whether the person the emperor was scolding was Jihu from Lishi area or Changguang King, or both.

After everyone had entered the palace, Gao Yancai looked at Hu Luguang and asked: "The king must know the situation in the north. Upon hearing the news, I already ordered Xian'an to lead five thousand divisions to the north for reinforcements, but still I think it’s not enough. Wang has been in Beishan for a long time. What are your thoughts on this?”

Beishan Great Wall is the most important line of defense in the north of Jinyang. Hu Luguang had been stationed at Beishan Great Wall before. It was not until Duan Shao proposed a plan to regain Jianzhou that Hu Luguang led his army back to Jinyang and was replaced by Hedong King Pan Zihuang. Its people. However, the Battle of Jianzhou was not fought, and the situation deteriorated to this point.

Yesterday, he learned that the Western Wei and Turkic coalition forces were rushing towards the Beishan Great Wall. Gao Yan immediately dispatched Shedi Xian'an to lead a team to rescue, but those troops were scattered on the Beishan Great Wall that stretched for hundreds of miles. A drop in the bucket.

Gao Yan had previously discussed the matter with his officials, mainly because he was not sure how many troops should be sent to Beishan to reinforce the garrison. It should be noted that Jinyang is currently facing more than just this siege. Even if Li Shihu is not a concern, the Wei army is still harassing Bafuling, not to mention Hebei, which has become corrupt.

At present, it is useless to send more troops to Beishan if there are too few troops. Sending too many troops will create a void in Jinyang. Once the enemy breaks through from elsewhere, it will also be very harmful.

Before Gao Yan returned, Hu Luguang had already discussed this issue with the officials in the palace. When he heard the emperor's question, he said in a deep voice: "The current situation is like an overflowing mountain torrent, building embankments with sand, and water When the dike breaks..."

"According to the king's opinion, there is no need to rescue Beishan. Heavy troops are stationed inside to wait for the enemy to penetrate deeper?"

After Gao Yan heard this, he frowned and asked, "There were many people who agreed with this plan last night. Since it is inappropriate to send more people and less people, it is better not to send more people and stick to Jinyang. After all, Jinyang city is tall and vast, and there are With so many troops stationed there, it will not be easy to break through Jinyang if the enemy comes from afar.

But Gao Yan is still a little unhappy about this. After all, as an emperor, he is always blocked by the enemy in the capital. No matter the victory or defeat, it is never a good experience. Even if he can force the enemy back, it will be a great destruction to his authority. .

What's more, the imperial court has invested so much manpower and materials over the years to operate the defense line of the Beishan Great Wall just to keep the enemy at bay. Now it allows the enemy to advance straight in. So all the efforts made before will soon be in vain?

"Although the front line of Beishan is long and dangerous, even if it is filled with heavy troops, the enemy is still outside, but now Hebei is in chaos, and Beishan is bound to be difficult to survive."

Seeing that the emperor was still a little reluctant, Hu Luguang sighed and said. Last year, after the peace talks between the two countries were completed, the Turks came again to take advantage of the situation. The Qi army rushed to Beishan, but the situation turned out to be critical due to a shortage of logistics. The emperor had to marry a Turkic woman and humbly sued for peace to cope with the situation.

Although Jinyang already has a certain amount of savings, the important money and grain transfer area in Hebei is in chaos, and it is not known how long this war will last. Once the envoys send a large army to Beishan, even if it will be The enemy forces are blocking the way, but if the situation cannot be reversed quickly, the war may drag on and the same mistakes may happen again.

After Gao Yan heard this, he couldn't help but spit out two turbid air from his nostrils. If thoughts can kill people, then Gao Zhan, the bastard, has been cut to pieces in his mind many times. He is still a little reluctant to think about and face the fall of Yedu and the chaos in Hebei.

Naturally, Hu Luguang did not simply advise the emperor to stick to Jinyang. After a brief pause, he continued: "Now the Turks and the Wei army are coming together, but they must be in harmony with each other. I am also on good terms with the Turks. It would be better to send envoys to lobby for discord, so that they are constrained and unable to attack with all their strength."

"Both of them are stubborn thieves! The Wei Kingdom will never die in destroying me. Otherwise, why would we lightly provoke them in front of them and invade them in a big way? The Turks are even more shameless, greedy for goods and afraid of strength, and it is difficult to make plans..."

After Gao Yan heard this, he said angrily that his current hatred for the Turks even exceeded that of the Western Wei Dynasty. After all, he was the first to initiate the invasion of the Western Wei Dynasty, but the Turks had been inviting them with all their heart over the years, but the Turks still could not withstand the coercion of the Western Wei Dynasty and chose to send troops to invade together, abandoning their friendship with each other. .

"The Turks are definitely lacking in strategy. I know this, and so do the people in Wei. Now that they are bringing the Turks to invade, they are just trying to strengthen their reputation. If they send envoys to bribe heavily, they will be suspicious of them twice, and their power will be weakened. Even if the troops approach the city, It is difficult to attack with all our strength, Jinyang can be safe for the time being."

At this point, Hu Luguang's strategy was not out of touch with common sense. However, his eyes flashed brightly and he continued to say in a deep voice: "Today the city of Ye has been lost and Hebei is in turmoil. It really caught people off guard. Even though Li Boshan is extremely wise, he must have It’s hard to predict in advance…”

He paused for a moment when he said this. He really didn't know how to evaluate King Changguang's behavior, and then he said: "Li Boshan is greedy for Hebei, so he will make a large-scale march eastward. The plains of Hebei are vast and far from a small number of people." Then we can sweep and encircle them, and the king of Pingyuan will gather troops above. Therefore, there must be a heavy concentration of troops below the Fen Valley, and the areas in Pingyang and Hedong must be empty. I would like to send 10,000 elite troops out of the Queshu Valley to sweep the enemy territory south. The thief will be defenseless..."

After hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed, and Gao Yan's originally frowning face was even more shocked. However, before he could react, the King of Puyang, Lou Zhongda, stood up and spoke repeatedly. He shook his head and waved his hands and said: "This plan is not possible, it must not be done! When the king of Pingyuan went north, Yedu was lost. Now when the king of Xianyang goes south, who will defend Jinyang? If the foundation is shaken and the branches and vines grow elsewhere, what good will it do!"