Chapter 676 The situation is strange
Chapter 676 The situation is strange
At night, a bright moon hangs in the sky above Jianmen Pass, illuminating the empty mountains and valleys like daylight.
At two o'clock in the morning, the gate of Jianmen Pass was opened, and a team of soldiers came out with white flags and lit three fires under the city gate.
This was the signal agreed upon in the pigeon letter sent by Dugu Kaiyuan.
When Wei Wentong received the news, he hurried out of the camp to check. He really couldn't believe that the other party surrendered like this.
Although he had some doubts in his heart, Wei Wentong would not let go of the opportunity. What if it was true?
He hurriedly ordered General Shang and his apprentice to lead 5,000 troops to charge forward.
Wei Wentong stared at his army without blinking, and saw that his army had successfully rushed into Jianmen Pass. He was overjoyed and shouted, "Order the entire army to enter the pass!"
The remaining 25,000 troops followed Wei Wentong and marched into Jianmen Pass in a mighty force.
In Jiangdu, Xiao Xia received a pigeon letter sent by the Chang'an Intelligence Station staff from Nanzheng. The content shocked him, but also made him very uneasy, as a plague suddenly broke out in Nanzheng.
Xiao Xia had extensive experience in dealing with plagues. He knew that plagues would not break out for no apparent reason. There would usually be a reason, such as drought, flood, famine, or too many corpses exposed in the wild.
At the same time, it will not explode suddenly. It will start with a small amount, then become more and more, and finally it will change from quantitative change to qualitative change and begin to explode on a full scale. It is a process.
Moreover, when the emperor went on a southern expedition, the imperial doctors would usually observe the epidemic situation along the way in advance. This was their duty to prevent the emperor from falling into the epidemic area.
But this time, when the plague broke out in Nanzheng, there was no warning at all, and there were no conditions for the epidemic to occur. Why did it appear suddenly?
There was only one possibility, that someone poisoned the plague. Thinking of poisoning, Xiao Xia's thoughts became more active. He pondered secretly, could it be done by the Western Sui army?
But if it was done by the Western Sui Dynasty, then the plague should have broken out in the army, not among the people.
Xiao Xia couldn't figure out the reason, but he felt uneasy. He thought about Li Yuan's army's sudden march south. Was it related to the plague?
Also, Yuan Xiaoju came to Jiangdu for unknown reasons without giving any explanation.
The more Xiao Xia thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, so she immediately sent someone to find Yuan Xiaoju.
Yuan Xiaoju sat opposite Xiao Xia and thought for a long time before saying, "This is indeed a coup d'état, a coup initiated by the Guanlong nobles, but the actual operator was not us!"
"Who is that?"
"Wang Long and Yu Wenzhi are the most suitable people. We have chosen them both!"
"Then what? What are you planning to do? Why did a plague suddenly appear?" Xiao Xia's tone became stern.
Yuan Xiaoju shook his head. "I know nothing either. I didn't even know there was an epidemic in Nanzheng. I don't know what they would do to the emperor."
"You did a pretty good job!"
Yuan Xiaoju sighed and said, "You don't know the rules we follow. Since the Western Wei Dynasty, the Guanlong nobles have never participated in any coup. We are just chess players. We decide to make a move, and then we don't care about the chess pieces."
"You decided to launch a coup and found Wang Long and Yu Wenhuaji!"
"Yes! The two of them are just chess pieces. How to plan, what means to use, when to happen, and what the final outcome will be are all decided by them. We will never involve ourselves in it, and we will not even make any suggestions."
Xiao Xia looked into Yuan Xiaoju's eyes and said slowly, "If the emperor was murdered, you are the instigators. It is impossible that you have nothing to do with it!" Yuan Xiaoju's face changed drastically, and after a while he said, "I thought you were someone who could do great things!"
Xiao Xia's eyes became deeper, staring at Yuan Xiaoju and said: "He is my father!"
Of course Xiao Xia would not kill Yuan Xiaoju, but Yuan Xiaoju could no longer stay in Jiangnan, so he had to set off and return to Chang'an.
Xiao Xia urgently convened a meeting of the six advisors and told them what happened in Hanzhong. The six advisors looked at each other with shock in their eyes.
Gao Jiong asked in confusion: "Your Highness, what is the connection between the plague and the coup?"
Xiao Xia said slowly, "At first I couldn't figure out what the plague and the coup had to do with each other, but when Yuan Xiaoju told me that Yu Wenzhi and Wang Long had teamed up to launch the coup, I thought of the prince being shot by a poisoned arrow. I have always suspected that Wang Long was the one who poisoned him. Lord Gao, if the emperor unfortunately died of the plague, could it be that Wang Long used the plague to cover up the poisoning?"
The poisoning of Crown Prince Yang Zhao was a lifelong pain for Gao Jiong. Xiao Xia's words made him feel as if his heart was stabbed with a knife, and a painful expression appeared in his eyes.
Su Wei added, "Your Highness's suspicion is very reasonable. The plague in Hanzhong came too strangely. I have visited the epidemic area many times in the past. I know that plague usually follows a major natural disaster. As the saying goes, a major disaster will inevitably lead to a major epidemic. However, there was no disaster in Hanzhong, but the plague broke out inexplicably. It is obvious that someone deliberately spread it, so it makes sense to use the plague to cover up the poisoning."
Xiao Cong also said: "If it was Wang Long who launched the coup, then his real target is Luoyang. Wang Shichong is the garrison commander of Luoyang. Your Highness, I'm afraid a coup will also take place in Luoyang."
Xiao Xia nodded and said, "I have already sent an urgent pigeon letter to Luoyang, asking the Luoyang Jinzouyuan to immediately notify the Prince of Yan and be highly alert to Wang Shichong."
If the three elders were concerned about the coup, Liu Wenjing was more concerned about the subsequent countermeasures.
"Your Highness, what should we do next?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Xiao Xia. At this critical moment, it all depended on what decision King Jin would make.
Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and said, "The situation is unclear now, so we can't act rashly for the time being. However, we must make all preparations. The entire Jiangnan Province and the army must enter a level one combat readiness state."
Xiao Xia returned to the official residence, and soon, Lu Miao reported: "Grand Master Gao is here!"
Xiao Xia nodded, "Please let him in!"
Not long after, Gao Jiong came in and asked with a smile, "I forgot to ask when I was discussing matters just now. I heard that Your Highness received the military report from General Zhou. I wonder what the situation is like in Lingnan West Road?"
Xiao Xia took out Zhou Fashang's military report and said with a smile, "General Zhou has been operating in Lingnan West Road for more than ten years and has won the trust of the local people. Wherever he led his army, the local chieftains and the people lined the streets to welcome him. When the local soldiers in Xiao Xin's army heard that the old general had arrived, they mutinied and surrendered. The Sui army swept across the entire territory without losing a single soldier. Xiao Xin has now retreated to the south of Jiaozhi County. The old general will not attack for the time being and will start to pacify the local area and restore order."
Gao Jiong said in a deep voice: "Regarding Xiao Xin, Your Highness, don't forget the story of the farmer and the snake!"
Xiao Xia nodded. "I agreed with him at the beginning that if he honestly went to manage Jiaozhi, I would let him go. But he didn't listen to my good intentions and insisted on occupying Lingnan West Road. Then I couldn't tolerate him. I have ordered Zhou Fashang to pacify the counties and continue to lead the army to the south. He must annihilate Xiao Xin's army and escort Xiao Xin's family back to Jiangdu."
Gao Jiong nodded and said, "There is one more important thing. If the emperor dies, will Your Highness succeed him to the throne?"
This was the real purpose of Gao Jiong coming to see Xiao Xia. He had just avoided this matter during the council meeting, but since it was a serious matter, Gao Jiong still had to come and talk to Xiao Xia.
Xiao Xia was silent for a moment and said, "To be honest, I'm not ready yet. I want to hear Mr. Gao's opinion!"
Gao Jiong said slowly: "Of course, the final decision is made by Your Highness, but I still want to remind Your Highness that Your Highness is not representing just yourself, but the countless civil servants and soldiers who support Your Highness behind the scenes. Your Highness cannot only consider your own interests and feelings."
Xiao Xia nodded silently, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Gao!"
(End of this chapter)