In Jiangning in early summer, it was rainy and rainy, and the corners of the palaces in the palace city also gave birth to green moss due to the continuous rainy weather.

Yuan Yan was dressed in a skirt and sat by the window, looking at the green moss at the foot of the corridor.

Although the extravagant family crossed the river and fled north, causing a drastic change in the balance of power in Jinghu, the situation in Jiangxi finally settled down.

Huang Binghao, Chen Zishou and other rebel generals also have the intention of surrendering in Yuanzhou, and then Xiangtan will also get rid of the predicament, which means that the chaos in the south that has lasted for nearly 20 years will be completely quelled this summer.

Huma is about to enter the Jianghuai River, and the tug-of-war in the Jinghu area may worsen the situation of the confrontation between the north and the south, but it will not be more precarious than when the swallow thistle collapses. The imperial court from Huaidong downwards, with Huaixi, Jinghu, Nanyang, Xiangtan, Chizhou, Sichuan-Shaanxi, and Hezhong, supported 6.7 million troops. Even if Yan Hu is forced to take Guanzhong, and if he is forced to the first line of Huaishui, the imperial court should protect half of the country, and he should not worry.

These truths can be understood even if Yuan Yan is in the deep palace.

However, when the news of Lin Lian's victory in Shangrao reached Jiangning, the palace was shrouded in clouds; The news of the collapse of the Chizhou army in Zongyang came back, and the queen mother and the emperor were sick one after another, and they did not see the foreign ministers, which made the atmosphere in the palace even more strange.

The little palace maid who has no background in the palace here is often reprimanded, and there are not a few people who whip her, Yuan Yan persuaded a few words from the side, and also received a reprimand from the queen mother, and her heart was depressed for two days.

What is this, Yuan Yan also knows in her heart, it is precisely because of this that she is more and more in a dilemma, soft intestines entangled, tossing and turning day and night, and her chin has become thin and sharp these days. It's just the sorrow in her heart, so that Yuan Yan can't find anyone to tell.

At this time, there was the sound of chariots and horses in the front hall, and a palace maid came from the front hall, Yuan Yan asked, "Which one came into the palace to visit the queen mother?" ”

Yuan Yan has not left the pavilion, and she lives in the Wanshou Palace with the Queen Mother Liang, and she can naturally know what is going on in the front hall.

"It's the subordinate Yuan Hou Ye who came to the palace." The palace maid replied.

Yuan Yan sighed lightly, after the defeat of the Chizhou army, Cheng Yuqian, Yu Xinyuan, and Zuo Chengmu of the Political Affairs Hall were silent, except for entering the palace the day before yesterday to greet him, he hadn't seen anyone for three days. In contrast, Yuan Guizheng frequently entered the palace to discuss secretly, but I don't know if the Privy Council is staring at this side.

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Yuan Guizheng entered the hall and said while saluting: "The envoy of Nanyang has returned, and Luo Xiancheng and his troops have a tendency to shrink to the east......"

"The declining family doesn't understand the affairs of the militaristic state, so you tell the declining family directly." The Empress Dowager Liang leaned down and asked Yuan Guizheng to speak, she was eager to know the situation in the north, and asked Yuan Guizheng to directly state his judgment and not to detour.

Except for the inner attendant Zhang Yan and the inner attendant Young Cheng Miao Shuo, the queen mother did not call anyone else in, so there was no disadvantage in speaking.

Miao Shuo also knew little about military politics, but Zhang Yan heard Yuan Guizheng's words, and the North Ridge was cold.

Yuan Guizheng said: "Luo Xiancheng is based on Xiangsui Erfu, and his troops shrink to the east, that is, to gather in Suizhou, and there is the intention of giving up the Hanshui coast to the luxury family to attack Nanyang!" ”

"How can this be?" The Empress Dowager Liang was anxious about the ants on the hot pot and said, "When will the Huaidong Army go north, have you ever sent a messenger to Shangrao to ask?" ”

"The privy envoy entered Jiangning yesterday, and others have moved Yuzhang from Shangrao." Miao Shuo reminded.

Yuzhang is geographically the center of Jiangxi, and Lin Jian left Shangrao to go to Yuzhang to sit in the town, which means that he will stay in Yuzhang for a period of time and will not be in a hurry to return to Jiangning.

"Whether it's Shangrao or Yuzhang, you always have to send someone over." The Queen Mother said.

Lin Bin's excerpts, the Queen Mother has also read it, but she can't write about the Shangrao War and the various rules and regulations for dealing with the follow-up situation in Jiangxi, and there are more than 10,000 words sprinkled with enthusiasm, and the Queen Mother is upset when she sees it, and she has not had the patience to read it at this time.

"Chongguo Gong has this special merit, and if you want to send envoys to work in the army, this reward must be discussed first," Zhang Yan said, "Maybe wait for Lord Shen to come back from Qiupu?" ”

The Chizhou army was defeated at Zongyang, and nearly half of its strength was lost, which greatly weakened the only force on the side of Jiangning that could balance Huaidong. More importantly, Yue Lengqiu violated the military orders of the Privy Council and delayed the fighter, and he had to bear the responsibility for the defeat.

Lin Jian wanted to use this to directly admonish Yue Lengqiu's military power, and there were few people in the court who could stand up and speak for him. If someone really doesn't know how to lift, they don't need the officials of the Huaidong department to come forward, and a large number of officials in the court who are angry about the collapse of the Chizhou army and the soldiers gathered in Jiangning City can drown them in one spit.

Huaidong soldiers and horses won a great victory in Shangrao, so that the rebels lost their armor and abandoned their armor, so that they did not even dare to defend Jiangzhou. In such a good situation, Yue Lengqiu actually defeated at Zongyang, allowing the remnants of the rebel army to cross the river and flee north, causing the situation in Jinghu to deteriorate sharply - this battle has completely defeated the prestige that Yue Lengqiu has accumulated over the years.

The so-called success and defeat of the king are also realistic in the temple.

Yue Lengqiu violated the order of the Privy Council and delayed the fighter, defeat is defeat, and no one will understand his difficulties.

The Empress Dowager Liang was also puzzled, why was Yue Lengqiu so defeated? She also hated Yue Lengqiu's lack of courage, which made the situation more and more complicated. But no matter how much she hated in her heart, she couldn't stand idly by at this time, and really asked the Chizhou army to disband Lin Jian or give Huaidong a bite to eat, so she sent Shen Rong to Qiupu to urgently discuss the aftermath with Yue Lengqiu in the name of questioning her responsibility.

Although Shen Rong had been going west to Qiupu for two days, Yuan Guizheng, Zhang Yan and others were not hopeful.

Lin Lian and Yue Lengqiu have been entangled in grievances over the years, and they want to get rid of them quickly, this time there is such a good opportunity to knock Yue Lengqiu down with a stick, how can they let it go?

First, the wind discussion above the court is extremely unfavorable to Yue Lengqiu; Again, the strength of the Chizhou army was greatly reduced, and the remnants were surrounded by Huaidong soldiers and horses - Lin Lian wanted to take away Yue Lengqiu's military power, and Yue Lengqiu didn't even have room to struggle.

Whether Yue Lengqiu's military power can be retained, and Lin Lian's prestige in the government and the opposition are even more difficult to shake, which is worrying, but the urgent need to call Yuan to return to politics and the Liang family to scratch their hearts and jump to their feet is still the crisis that Hezhong Mansion and Nanyang Mansion are facing at the moment.

The matter of Shaanxi is in danger, and under the nest, Liang Chengyi is also difficult to finish his eggs in Hezhong Mansion; Now that the power of Jinghu has changed again, Luo Xiancheng may change at any time in Suizhou, and Liang Chengchong is in danger in Nanyang Mansion - the two forces of soldiers and horses that the Queen Mother and the Marquis of Yongchang can directly rely on are like lonely boats in the angry waves, which will capsize at any time.

This can be said to be the most direct and serious consequence of the defeat of the Chizhou army in Zongyang and the smooth crossing of the river by the remnants of the luxury family.

Wu Guizheng also fantasized about what would happen if Yue Lengqiu could follow Lin Lengqiu's plan and gather heavy troops on the north bank to seal the road of crossing the river for the remnants of the luxury family-

First, the Chizhou army will not be defeated; In the end, it can also form a trend of encircling Jiangzhou with Huaidong and Jinghu.

At this time, Chizhou will be able to equally share the military exploits of recovering Jiangxi, and the three families will divide and rule Jiangzhou, so that Huaidong cannot monopolize Jiangxi. The second is that Huaidong has no chance to extend his hand to Jinghu, which can limit the further expansion of Huaidong's power.

Even if the Cao family does not defend in Guanzhong, Liang Chengyi can lead the troops from Hezhong Mansion to withdraw into Nanyang, and Luo Xiancheng has no possibility of struggling, or absorbing or exterminating, which will make the surrounding Jinghu, Chizhou, Nanyang and Huaixi Deli further consolidate their power - this kind of change can make the pattern change above the temple to develop in the direction of the favorable emperor.

It's a pity that the above are all fantasies of Yuan Guizheng, the Chizhou army was defeated in Zongyang, and the dream of Yuan Guizheng was shattered.

Zongyang was defeated, the remnants of the luxury family crossed the river to the north, and directly entered the north bank of the Han River, Jinghu Lake was under great pressure along the Han River, and Hu Wenmu had no confidence to say that Lin was not bound.

After the luxury family crossed to the north, Luo Xiancheng had a lot less scruples and began to move, making the situation in Nanyang critical, and Dong Yuan's defense line in Huaixi became thin.

Once the Cao family abandons Guanzhong and retreats to eastern Sichuan, Hezhong and Nanyang are likely to collapse in an instant, and Huaixi will be the first to take the lead in the troops and horses of Northern Yan to the south - in this case, Dong Yuan will never offend Lin Yuan.

Because the situation is like this, this is also the fundamental reason why Cheng Yuqian, Zuo Chengmu, Yu Xinyuan and others have become silent in the past ten days. In the past, with the support of Chizhou, Jinghu, and Huaixi, he could still compete with Huaidong for one or two things in some things, but at this time, he could only watch Lin Jian and the Privy Council cover the sky with one hand in the temple.

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It was already May 12 when Shen Rong returned from Qiupu to see Yue Lengqiu.

Shen Rong, who couldn't care about returning to Jiangning, was tired all the way, and when he learned that he had returned to Jiangning, the Queen Mother summoned him to the palace to discuss matters.

Even Emperor Yongxing, who had been sick for a long time, also supported his sick body, and came forward to summon Shen Rong together, wondering if Shen Rong went to Qiupu to discuss with Yue Lengqiu what countermeasures.

For Emperor Yongxing, Yue Lengqiu and Dong Yuan have always been the two foreign ministers he can rely on, and he also pinned his hopes for regaining control of the government on Yue Lengqiu and Dong Yuan.

The defeat of the Chizhou army in Zongyang made Emperor Yongxing feel the pain of breaking his arm, and half of the dream of re-ruling was awakened, which also made his heart even more painful.

In the Chongwen Palace, the ministers were all summoned, after all, Shen Rong was responsible for the defeat of the cold army in Qiupu Zhiyue on behalf of the imperial court.

Shen Rong stood in front of the hall and said: "The casualties of the Chizhou Navy are particularly heavy, and there are no warships and generals; In addition to the naval army, Yue Xiang's son Yue Duming died on the battlefield. Zongyang was defeated, descended from Yue Duming, and died more than 13,000 soldiers, and the Chizhou army still had 30,000 soldiers, gathered in Qiupu and Yicheng......"

Listening to Shen Rong's oral account of the casualties of the Chizhou army, Cheng Yuqian, Yu Xinyuan, Zuo Chengmu and others were shocked; Lin Xuwen just stood aside with his hands crossed, the corners of his mouth seemed to be smiling, so that Emperor Yongxing could see it, and he couldn't wait to throw the teacup in his hand directly in his face - however, Emperor Yongxing didn't dare. Insulting a minister for no reason is a loss of morality.

In comparison, Liu Zhi, Huang Jinnian and other Huaidong ministers are more restrained, and they don't want to provoke the sensitive nerves of Emperor Yongxing and others.