Aspirations for Nation and Beauty: Section 33: Beacon

October in Zhongzhou should have been a very pleasant autumn season, but the imperial capital in the late autumn of 695 in the mainland calendar was shrouded in a gloomy and panicky atmosphere. Pedestrians were in a hurry on the streets, and heavily armed soldiers could be seen from time to time It is very rare to patrol the streets and alleys in the capital.

"I heard no, there is a rebellion in Kansai!" A timid and thin businessman lowered his voice and pretended to be mysterious, and said to the two tea friends sitting next to him.

"Hmph! When did you get the news? I just heard from people in the palace this morning that the north side has also turned upside down, and there is still a lot of movement. Several mansions are in trouble." Contemptuously Squeezed out from the nasal cavity, the middle-aged businessman in brocade robe said nonchalantly.

"Hey, after all this trouble, what can we do with our goods?" Another yellow-faced, rat-whiskered businessman complained.

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?" The brocade-robed businessman glanced at his partner next to him and said dissatisfied.

"Well, that is necessary but risky. Although the business route to the west has not yet been broken, the forces of the rebels have begun to spread everywhere. I think it will be a bit difficult for the government and the army to defeat the rebels and control the road. Xuan." The yellow-faced businessman retorted unconvinced, "If the goods are blocked by the rebels, wouldn't they just send the sheep to the tiger's mouth for nothing?"

"Then what should we do? Just put it there and wait for it to rot?" The brocade-robed merchant's tone was also full of anger, "Damn, don't turn back sooner or later, it's just when Lao Tzu's goods are going to pass away. , Isn’t this peace of mind that I want to lose my money?!”

"Let's deal with it here, it's better than being robbed by the rebels!" The yellow-faced businessman looked dejected.

"Look at your bear, don't say that the road is still under the control of the empire, even if it is controlled by those people, I dare to go there!" The brocade merchant roared, "I won't I believe that my luck is so bad, and I will meet him as soon as I go."

"Brother, it's better to be careful. It's been a few days since the news of the rebellion in Kansai. Silently, if there is good news that the army has defeated the rebels, wouldn’t those reporters who have a better sense of smell than hunting dogs have already made a fuss?" Although the skinny businessman was timid, what he said was very reasonable , the yellow-faced businessman who listened nodded and said yes.

"Even Longtan and Tiger's Caves have to go through the same thing. Who told us to do it?" The brocade-robed businessman's determination remained unchanged, but there was a gloomy look in his eyes, "Now there is trouble in the north, too. I think if we don't leave, I'm afraid that the Heshuo area will be in chaos sooner or later, and by then, I'm afraid I really want to leave but I won't be able to." The merchant in brocade robes obviously didn't have much hope for the imperial army.

The palace of Qinzheng, which used to be resplendent and majestic in the past, is now filled with the bleak taste of cold rain and wind. All the civil and military officials in the court suppressed their breath consciously or unconsciously, and listened to the report of the intelligence department.

"The situation in the six prefectures of Kansai County is a little more stable except Lujiang Mansion, and the rest of the prefectures have lost control. Already participated in the rebellion collectively, Bao Guowei, the city guard of Hanzhong Prefecture, died for the country, and the entire Hanzhong Prefecture has been completely lost. The First Division of the Fourth Corps stationed in Hanzhong Prefecture has protected the prefectural government and withdrawn from Hanzhong Prefecture, and moved to Lujiang Prefecture. The situation in Xikang Prefecture is also precarious. On the evening of October 29, two regiments of the Xikang Security Division were attacked by armed bandits of the Taiping Sect in the northern suburbs of Xikang City, and the entire army was wiped out. The Fifth Regiment rebelled, and the soldiers of the other two regiments were surrounded by the rebellious Fifth Regiment and Taiping armed bandits, and then surrendered. Xikangfu City fell that day, and the whereabouts of Xia Rikui, the defender of Xikang City, is unknown." The Minister of Intelligence Zhou Baozhong, who was sweating profusely, could not help but secretly glanced at His Majesty the Emperor who had been silent all this time.

Seeing that His Majesty didn't say anything, Zhou Baozhong had no choice but to bite the bullet and read on: "Mobs led by Taiping believers in the northern and western towns of Jincheng Prefecture, according to the information we have, about 80,000 armed rebel groups are heading to Fucheng. On the way, Tao Liangcai, the city guard of Jincheng Prefecture, disappeared, and now the director of administration is temporarily acting as the agent of the whole government affairs. The Second Division of the Fourth Army stationed there has repeatedly reported urgently to ask for emergency support; Xie Wuyong, the city guard of Bashan Prefecture, and Yu On October 27th, they were assassinated in the official residence at the same time. Changjiang Yuanyi of the Administration Department and Gao Delin, the head of the Bashan Security Division, collectively defected to the enemy. Except for the far southern region, the entire Bashan area has been controlled by the Taiping Sect; A riot broke out on October 29. During the process of suppressing the riot, the soldiers of the three regiments of the garrison division were disbanded. The soldiers of the other regiment and Song Hua, the guard of the city, had retreated to Tianshui to stand by. message."

"Then let's talk about the north side again." Situ Mingyue's cold voice seemed to be squeezed out of a crevice in the ice, but it was still calm, but everyone knew that behind this calmness was often hidden a violent storm.

"Uh, to the north, riots have occurred throughout Qinghe Mansion and Anyuan Mansion among the five prefectures of Beiyuan County. The situation of the large-scale riots is unknown now. Yanshan Mansion, Laizhou Mansion, and Yunzhou Mansion in Yanyun County have all had signs of riots, and the situation is in danger of getting out of control. Now the police forces in various places are stepping up their efforts to clean up the situation. The specific situation has not yet been further clarified. News." Zhou Baozhong bravely reported the information one by one.

"Is there anything unusual in the Heshuo area?" Situ Mingyue was not overwhelmed by the disastrous news, her voice was a little hoarse, but she remained calm.

"Well, there are signs of instability in the three prefectures of Tianshui, Heishan, and Longquan, but there is no clear news yet." Zhou Baozhong replied with a difficult swallow.

"It's very good. In just a few days, it seems that this day is going to be overturned. I don't know what you should think after hearing this? This great country has been destroyed by a bunch of ignorant people." The ignorant peasants have made a mess, I really can't understand how powerful the Taiping Sect is really? How many officials from our empire defected to the enemy in just a few days, and how many were loyal to the emperor to serve the country and die for the country?" Situ Mingyue's The words are full of bitter irony.

"What are the high opinions of the gentlemen here? Tell me." The voice became colder and colder, and the officials of His Highness lowered their heads unconsciously, fearing that His Majesty the Emperor would name him .

Taking a long breath, Situ Mingyue looked at His Highness's ministers for a split second, and suddenly felt that she was so exhausted. Fake has never been safe. He even had the idea of ​​handing over all government affairs to others, and he just wanted to go to some paradise far away from the world to rest quietly, but only at that moment did he have such an idea, and the harsh reality forced him to It didn't take long to bring my thoughts back to my eyes.

Before the fall of Kansai had time to react, Beiyuan was full of flames again. It was really hard for me to be the emperor. Why did these things always fall on my head? Thinking of this, Situ Mingyue became a little envious of her ancestors, as if except for the two founding ancestors, the other ancestors seemed to have never been in the situation she was in.

Gently rubbing his forehead, Situ Mingyue tried his best to stabilize his mind. He knew that this was not the time to get angry, and he needed to calm down and discuss with his ministers how to deal with the current severe situation. The resentment and anger simmering in his heart are always difficult to suppress.

There was no sound in the hall, and occasionally a minister who wanted to cough had to cover his mouth tightly with his hands to avoid irritating the seemingly calm, but heaving chest, which could be seen to be in a very bad mood.

After a while, Situ Mingyue's voice sounded again in the hall: "Apart from these three places, are there any abnormalities in other areas?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, although there are signs of instability in other counties, so far there has been no sign of it. All localities have stepped up vigilance and investigations to prevent any collusion with responders." Lu Wenfu, Minister of the Interior, replied after saluting.

"Oh? Lu Aiqing, I don't want to hear about similar phenomena in any place other than these three counties~IndoMTL.com~ I wonder if it's okay?" At this time, His Majesty's tone was weak, but full of ruthlessness The smell, only the ministers present can hear the meaning.

With his usual expression on his face, Lu Wenfu bowed deeply, "I'll repay your kindness after my death."

Rao is Situ Mingyue who has been a ruler for a long time, love, pity and sympathy seem to have nothing to do with him, but at this moment, he can't help but feel sour in his heart. Look at the Minister of the Interior in front of him. He looked as if he had aged ten years, and it was obvious that the work pressure during this period had exhausted him.

"Lu Aiqing, thank you for your hard work. At this critical moment for the empire, I hope you can ``````" After considering your words, His Majesty the Emperor did not continue.

"A humble official must devote all his energy to live up to the king's wishes." As if he could understand the emperor's intentions, Lu Wenfu's originally calm face also had a blush.

Trying to cheer up, Situ Mingyue let out a long breath, and set his sights on the second person from the left, the Minister of Military Affairs, "He Aiqing, what do you think now?"

Knowing that this question will fall on his head sooner or later, although he has made a lot of preparations before the court meeting, at this moment, He Zhiqiu's heart is still full of bitterness. However, the mobile forces that the empire can mobilize are extremely limited, and there are still packs of wolves watching. How should he deal with this?

But how dare you confess this to His Majesty? Now His Majesty can't and doesn't want to hear any unfavorable news. If you don't know the current affairs and speak out, lose your official affairs and let the rebellious army take advantage of the situation, that's what He Zhiqiu would never want to see. Right now, what His Majesty the Emperor needs most is support and encouragement. Only by arousing His Majesty's confidence and courage can he cope with this critical situation.