Chapter 1159 Backstab

Chapter 1159 Backstab

Chapter 1159 Backstab
After nightfall, officials from the Shu noble families gathered at Fan Ben's residence one after another. Some people with more complicated identities even came uninvited, making the meeting more representative.

After people arrived one after another, Fan Ben did not rush to hold a meeting, but stood in the yard and asked about the situation first.

"It's too chaotic, no one is in charge." Taichang Doctor Qiao Xianzhi said, "There are only a dozen servants left in my house, all of them have been given swords and guns, even the cook has been given a stick, I don't know if we can hold out. On the way to the Prime Minister's Mansion, there were actually evil young men holding bows and demanding money and goods."

"Bow?" The Prince's Junior Tutor He Dian asked in surprise.

"They are bows, most of which are good military bows." Qiao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said, "I like archery in my spare time, and I can tell the difference between hunting bows and military bows."

Others were also a little surprised.

Hunting bows and military bows are completely different, with a huge difference in power. Generally, they are only available in imperial workshops or large families. To be honest, the quality of bows made by some tycoons with poor backgrounds is not very good. Thirty years ago, there were even tycoons who didn't know how to straighten arrow shafts. Of course, things are different now, as craftsmen and skills have spread greatly due to wars.

What kind of family background does the vagrant boy have? It is difficult for him to have a good bow. What happened?
"The armory was robbed." The speaker was Anle Duke Liu Xuan.

This man was not very old. He was the great-grandson of Liu Bei and the son of Liu Chen, the commander of the Jin Dynasty's chariots.

During the war in Luoyang, he fled back to the initially stabilized Shu area. He was first appointed Duke of Anhan County, and later was named Duke of Anle by Li Xiong, inheriting the title of Liu Chan. Liu Chan's descendants either died in the war or fled to Jiangdong.

Liu Xuan was a signboard used by Li Cheng to appease people's hearts, and his role was the same as Fan Changsheng's. The difference was that Fan Changsheng had a greater influence, so when he became prime minister, Liu Xuan only had a title, which was a high-ranking position, that is, he was only given money but no official position.

In terms of identity, Liu Xuan's generation had almost been "whitewashed" into the Shu gentry, otherwise they would not have rushed to Shu whenever something happened. They had quite a few old connections and could be taken care of by others.

Of course, there were also people he disliked, such as Qiao Xianzhi.

Liu Xuan had a manor outside the city and a house in the city. Because of his superior status, even if the servants of the wealthy families were conscripted, they could not target people like him and Fan Ben. Therefore, he brought more than a hundred people with him, willing to "join in the great cause."

When passing by the armory on the way, we found that most of the guards had run away, and some of them colluded with others to steal and sell equipment. When the situation was chaotic, it was hard to say which was more valuable, weapons or food.

Liu Xuan's servants all had good weapons, and he didn't want to recruit a team to start a rebellion, so he ignored it and went straight to the Prime Minister's Mansion. When he heard someone asking about it, he told the question directly.

Fan Ben had already guessed it in his mind. When he heard what Liu Xuan said, he nodded, then called his sons and nephews and watched them guard the gates with their family soldiers.

Another group of people carried long ladders and climbed directly to the top of the wall, and were stringing their bows.

Only after seeing these things being implemented one by one did Fan Ben feel relieved. He then called everyone to the study to discuss the matter.

"The emperor is leading the army in person, and rumors are spreading in the capital. At this moment, I don't know what will happen." After sitting down, Fan Ben said straight to the point: "But you are not stupid, you should know that the situation is irreversible. Even if the emperor saves the army in Jiangzhou, what will happen? It will only be a matter of death sooner or later."

There was something right in what he said, and everyone felt the same way. They all raised their heads and listened to what Fan Ben had to say.

Fan Ben was also very satisfied with their performance.

Today, the nobles in Shu must unite as much as possible so that they can bargain, otherwise they will be divided and manipulated at will.

Of course, everyone acquiesced to him as the leader, which made him even happier.

"Several decades ago, 5,000 families from the four clans of Xu, Lin, Xie, and Fan in Fuling moved to Shu as hunting officials. Among them was Xu Yaozu, a descendant of Xu Ju. After reaching the age of 20, he returned to Ba County and Fuling, and then returned to Badong." Fan Ben said, "Some elders in my clan have seen this person and have a slight friendship. Maybe we can contact him."

Fan Ben's ancestors were Qiang people - of course, he usually wouldn't mention these things, he always considered himself a Han clan - and he moved west to Shu with his people. The Xu family was the same, in terms of strength, it was much stronger than the Fan family, but because the Xu family was the main culprit of the rebellion, the other three families were at most coerced, so the Xu family was hit the hardest and was not as well off as the other three families, especially the Fan family.

The Fan family produced a man named Fan Changsheng (Fan Ben's father), who was knowledgeable and talented. He also joined the Tianshi Dao and became the leader of the Tianshi Dao near Chengdu, delving into the art of "longevity".

Liu Chan changed his house into Changsheng Temple.

After Li entered Shu, he was appointed prime minister and was worshipped as "Grand Master of Heaven and Earth of the Four Seasons and Eight Festivals", a position of great respect.

Therefore, the Fan family chose a wise path, either delving into academic studies or practicing Taoism. In short, the family business must be prosperous by making a name for themselves. This is much better than the Xu family, who rely on their large number of followers and engage in fighting and killing at every turn.

But now Fan Ben needs help from the Xu family, and the situation is different. It can only be said that it is a matter of time and fate.

"Prime Minister, Xu Yaozu is a commoner, so he can't speak in front of the Liang people, right?" The Prince's Junior Tutor and Pi County He Dian frowned and said, "Why not find a way to contact the families in Dangqu, especially the Gong family, they have made the right bet this time."

Upon hearing this, Fan Ben nodded, then shook his head and said, "The seven families of Bantun have always been independent and have little contact with the families of scholars and officials. What can we do about it?"

"Prime Minister." Tingwei Ping Dong Jiao stood up and said, "I used to have contacts with General Zhengdong (Li Shou), and I am on good terms with the Zan and Luo families. I heard that the Zan family has surrendered and Zan Ying has been appointed governor of Dangqu. I am willing to take the risk of leaving the city and contacting the Zan family members."

"Good." Fan Ben patted the table happily.

The Luo and Zan families of Bandunman had close marriage ties with the Li family.

Li Te’s wife was Luo.

Li Dang's wife was Luo, and he had two sons, one with Luo and the other with Zan.

Li Xiang (Li Shou's father)'s wife was Zan.

The main consideration for marriage was the military strength of the other party. Li Te’s wife, Luo, once put on armor and refused to fight. She was injured in the eye, but she still “became stronger” and finally defeated the enemy.

The women of the Bantun barbarians are not only good at martial arts, but can also lead troops in battle, so the Li family frequently intermarries with them. The Luo family is about to be destroyed, but the Zan family seems to be able to survive, so it doesn't hurt to contact them.

"Prime Minister." Qiao Xianzhi stood up and suggested, "In the past, many people from Shu were in the mansion of Sima Ying, the King of Chengdu in Jin Dynasty. Now many of their descendants are officials in Liang Dynasty. Maybe we can make some contact."

Fan Ben's heart moved, then he frowned and said, "He is far away in the Central Plains, will it be too late?"

"The Prime Minister must always consider the future," said Qiao Xianzhi.

Fan Ben nodded silently and took note of the matter secretly, but as he said, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and he could not rely on them in the short term. Now he needed someone who could match up with Shao Shen and Huan Wen.

Especially Shao Shen, who holds the power of life and death, is the person who needs to be curryed the most.

To put it bluntly, it doesn't matter if a general of the Liang royal family kills a few people in Shu. The matter will never reach the desk of Emperor Liang.

He said that whoever could be pardoned would truly be pardoned, and whoever could not be pardoned would be exiled with his entire family at best, or even destroyed at worst, and there would be no hope for him.

Huan Wen is the son-in-law of the emperor and is quite famous in this battle. His name can be heard everywhere. He should be able to have a say in front of Shao Shen, so it would be nice to be able to hook up with him.

As for the Zan family, the Xu family and others, they still rely on the Liang people. They may not be able to help much, but it can be said that something is better than nothing.

"Prime Minister, why not ask for help from others instead of asking for help from yourself?" Jing Qian, the lieutenant of the imperial court, stood up and drew his sword, saying, "When I came here, I saw many guards of the Eastern Palace fleeing, which shows that Chengdu has no master. If so, why not just take control of the entire city and capture the crown prince and offer him as a sacrifice? Isn't that a merit?"

When these words came out, everyone looked a little unnatural.

Yes, everyone understands what they are discussing here, but the words are also very harsh, although they don’t mind doing so.

Fan Ben showed no change of expression. He just looked at Jing Qian and asked, "How many guards from the Eastern Palace escaped?"

"I don't think there are more than a few hundred." Jing Qian said, "Many of the guards' uniforms scattered on the ground outside the palace were picked up by the people. Besides, the Prime Minister naturally knows where the guards came from."

When Fan Ben heard this, he stroked his beard lightly, shook his head and laughed.

Crown Prince Li Ban was an extremely filial person.

The emperor fought too much when he was young and had many hidden injuries on his body. He often had various problems. When he was bedridden, the prince served him day and night without taking off his clothes, and even sucked out the pus himself, which was amazing.

In addition, he was respectful to wise men and was very fond of these big families in Shu. They often discussed metaphysics and philosophy and composed poems together.

He employed many of the scholars in Shu, and accepted all the talents recommended by them, acting like a close and trustworthy person. Because of this, the chances of taking him down by cooperating inside and outside were very high.

"Prime Minister..." Jing Qian couldn't help but urge.

Fan Ben stretched out his hand to stop him from speaking, and then maintained this posture for a long time.

Everyone subconsciously sat up straight and looked at Fan Ben.

After a long time, Fan Ben slowly withdrew his hand, looked at everyone, and asked, "Is there no one at home?"

"It's gone. The emperor has conquered it."

"There are still a few."

"There are only a dozen left, and they are still hidden."

"Running out."

Fan Ben stood up suddenly and said, "There is no one in the city, but there are people outside the city——"

Everyone looked stern.

"I can recruit a thousand soldiers." Fan Ben said, "Send an envoy out of the city today to recruit all the soldiers and farmers and march into the city. Before the Liang army arrives, take control of Chengdu first. With our own people in the city, your families will be safer. That's it!"

Everyone looked at each other, and finally responded in unison.

After Li Xiong looted his troops and left, these big families in Shu have always had the ability to change the situation in Chengdu. It just depends on whether you are willing to do so.

I used to worry that Li Xiong would come back to settle accounts after winning the fight, but now it seems that he doesn’t have the ability to do so, so there is no need to be polite.

They also want to live and keep their families going. It's that simple. There's no question of whether they are doing anyone the right thing or not.

After the plan was finalized, some people walked through the chaotic streets that night, and under the escort of their armored and armed personal guards, they asked the guards at the city gate to let them out of the city, and then disappeared into the dark night.

There was no change during the day on the 22nd. After nightfall, the nearest Fan clan's 1,000 soldiers entered the city from the west and rushed directly to the East Palace...

(End of this chapter)