Fu Shanhe

Chapter 210: The Prime Minister Died Suddenly from Overwork

Guilin Prefecture.

"Holy Emperor, the pseudo-dynasty army has withdrawn!"

Shi Qichuan said excitedly.

Ever since he learned that the government troops had withdrawn, he rushed straight to the palace as fast as he could, without even having time to take off his armor.

As a city defense officer, he has been under too much pressure these days.

Even though the government troops only launched a tentative attack, it put tremendous pressure on the defenders, and they were almost killed and forced into the city by the enemy several times.

"Is the news confirmed?"

Shi Rongxian asked with concern.

Defending Guilin to the death was a forced choice. If he had any other choice, he would never stay and fight to the death with the government troops.

They have just enjoyed a few days of good life, and Shi Rongxian doesn't want to die young and let others enjoy the pleasure.

“Holy Emperor, I sent someone to verify it.

The puppet army has retreated thirty miles. It is said that the governor-general of the five provinces of the puppet dynasty issued an order to transfer troops from Guangxi to the Guangdong battlefield.

After losing a town of elite soldiers, the enemy no longer had enough troops.

I guess they were worried that we would take the opportunity to break out and have a decisive battle with them, so they ran away first.

Do you think we should send troops to pursue them?"

Shi Qichuan asked tentatively.

The surprise came too suddenly, and he hadn't figured out what to do next.

In essence, defending Guilin has more political significance than military significance.

According to the original plan, they only needed to put up a symbolic resistance for a while and then look for an opportunity to evacuate.

Later, because the government troops besieged the city, their evacuation plan failed, and they had no choice but to choose to defend it.

“Chasing for shit!

Hurry up and call all the ministers to discuss the matter, something big is going to happen in Guangdong!"

Shi Rongxian couldn't help but laugh and scold.

The withdrawal of government troops was the best good news he had received since the outbreak of the Guilin Defense War.

From the perspective of the Holy Kingdom, if Guangdong were attacked by government troops, their strategic space would inevitably be further compressed.

But from the personal standpoint of the White Lotus Saint Emperor, the situation is completely different.

In essence, the Holy White Lotus Kingdom is a partnership company. Shi Rongxian was able to be the boss because his strength was the strongest in the early stages.

As the situation changed, his troops suffered repeated casualties, while the strength of the three kings of different surnames continued to grow.

As one side gained strength while the other lost strength, he, the Holy Emperor, could no longer suppress the three kings below.

The best proof is that the Xizhen Army dared to disobey his orders and changed the marching route without authorization.

Now that the government troops are about to attack Guangdong, to a certain extent this is also helping him to reduce the power of the feudal lords.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to break out of the cage of Guilin is the best choice.

……

Forbidden City.

Looking at the mountain of memorials, Emperor Yongning began to regret again.

Just now, in order to vent his anger, he acted capriciously when dealing with Yin Zuo and the other two.

It is refreshing, but the aftereffects are very serious.

Yin and Zuo were plotting treason, and the gang members who attached themselves to them could not escape the fate of being purged.

Many of them were his confidants who were promoted by him personally, including his ministers during the reign of Prince Fu, who were also implicated.

All officials were very serious about this issue, and even though the emperor came out to protect him, impeachment memorials never stopped.

If another emperor encountered this situation, he would have taken measures to crack down on the censors in order to ensure his own voice in the court.

Emperor Yongning, who claimed to be a wise ruler, was unwilling to block the channels for speech.

Although the content of the impeachment contains some exaggerations, the charges listed are basically real.

The Dayu civil service group is already strong, and especially when they are right, they dare to criticize the emperor.

At first, he impeached the remnants of Yin Zuo's party, but later on, they began to plot against him, which gave Emperor Yongning a headache.

After dealing with these impeached officials, all the cronies he had promoted were swept away.

If these people are not punished, the civil and military officials in the court will not agree.

I originally wanted to handle the situation calmly and let time ease the conflict.

Unexpectedly, the officials not only did not stop, but instead dug deeper for evidence.

Faced with the evidence that surfaced, Emperor Yongning was unable to defend himself.

Having read the books of sages carefully, the idea of ​​“being close to virtuous ministers and staying away from villains” has long been engraved in his bones.

It is impossible for him to go against all the officials for a group of corrupt officials.

If one person is found, he will be punished.

Although it seemed to be nothing wrong, it actually put Emperor Yongning into an awkward situation, making him unpopular with everyone.

His close associates felt that he lacked responsibility.

Especially those unlucky guys who were labeled as corrupt officials for only receiving a few hundred taels of silver were extremely dissatisfied with the results of the treatment.

They are obviously very honest and never touch any money that they shouldn't take, but they still bear the stigma.

According to this standard, there would be few honest officials in the Dayu Dynasty.

All officials felt that Emperor Yongning was acting.

Political struggle is cruel. Since they have chosen to execute Yin and Zuo, they should also know how to purge their followers.

If you don't want to make things worse, then change the charges against the two people and minimize the political impact.

Politically, you want this and that, so how can other people at the table play?

“Your Majesty, I just received news that Xu Wenyue’s mother passed away.

If nothing unexpected happens, his application for mourning is already on the way."

Wang Yifeng stepped forward and reported.

The factory guards who returned to work were much weaker than before in terms of both staff size and combat effectiveness.

In order to prove your own worth, you have to find another way.

A large number of intelligence personnel have been lost, and it is impossible to place people in the officials' residences in a short period of time, so we have to send people to watch outside.

Although we were unable to gather any important information, we were able to obtain a lot of general intelligence.

"Hey!"

After sighing, Emperor Yongning's expression suddenly turned ugly.

The war to quell the rebellion was at a critical moment, and it was obviously not the right time for Xu's mother to die.

According to custom, one must observe three years of mourning after the death of one's parents.

As one of the leaders of the Qingliu, Xu Wenyue would definitely abide by it strictly.

Since it concerns his reputation, even if the emperor issues an order to deprive him of his love, he will choose to go home and observe mourning.

"Call all the elders to discuss this matter."

Emperor Yongning said with a frown.

Since Xu Wenyue was in mourning, it was necessary to appoint a new person to lead the suppression of the rebellion.

There are only a few people in Dayu who can coordinate relations among provinces and suppress the arrogant and powerful soldiers on the front line.

……

"What a troubled time!"

Pang Hengsheng couldn't help but sigh.

During the reign of Emperor Tianyuan, he had a miserable life as a cabinet minister, but the situation was generally improving.

During the reign of Emperor Yongning, he became the Prime Minister and an assistant minister, and no one could give him any favor anymore.

Unfortunately, a series of troubles followed.

Thinking of this, he hated Yin Zuo and the other two to death.

If it weren't for these two idiots, there would not have been the White Lotus Rebellion that affected several provinces.

Without this money-eating beast, we can now start to recover Liaodong with the wealth left by the late emperor.

After completing this task, he could retire from his position as Prime Minister and become a famous official.

Now, let alone becoming a famous minister, it would be considered good if he was not scolded by future generations. "Lord, Lord Xu is in mourning at this time, and there are vacancies in both the cabinet and the front line.

I'm afraid this person is a bit difficult to choose! "

Mr. Yan on the side spoke up to remind him.

The Qingliu camp has been unlucky recently. First, a large number of up-and-coming talents were killed by Yin and Zuo, and now Xu Wenyue, a pillar of the Qingliu camp, has to observe a period of mourning.

The Qingliu Party, which once dominated the court, is now only supported by Pang Hengsheng alone.

The various factions in the court will certainly not miss this opportunity, and a number of small groups within the Qingliu will also take the opportunity to stir up trouble.

If we are not careful, the court will turn into a big fight.

"Changing commanders in the middle of a battle is a big taboo in military strategy.

I hope Your Majesty can withstand the pressure and issue an order to seize the love.

Otherwise, if there is any trouble on the front line, the Great Yu Dynasty will be in big trouble."

Pang Hengsheng said bitterly.

Even though he knew it was impossible, he still had unrealistic fantasies.

It’s not that Pang Hengsheng has lost his mind, it’s simply that the court needs stability right now.

Since Emperor Yongning ascended the throne, all officials have either been engaged in factional struggles or on the way to starting factional struggles.

If this bad trend cannot be curbed, something serious will happen sooner or later.

“If Your Majesty is unwilling to force the relationship, the elder may recommend Duke Chengguo and Marquis Zhenyuan.

With their prestige in the army, it was easy for them to put down the rebellion.

If it really doesn't work, letting Marquis Wuyang go there can also stabilize the situation."

Mr. Yan thought for a while and said.

These three are not civil servants, and under normal circumstances, the cabinet should strongly oppose it.

But the situation is special now. Xu Wenyue has been transferred away, and ordinary people will not be able to control the situation.

In fact, the three people he nominated also found it difficult to coordinate relations among the provinces.

However, Duke Chengguo and Marquis Zhenyuan have high prestige in the army and possess outstanding military command capabilities.

Even if the local relationships cannot be sorted out for the time being, as long as the enemy can be defeated on the battlefield, civilian officials can be arranged to deal with the aftermath.

The Marquis of Wuyang was a relative by marriage and had experience in suppressing rebellions. He also had a close relationship with the emperor, so no one dared to mess with him in the local area.

“Duke Chengguo and Marquis Zhenyuan are capable, but Marquis Wuyang is just there to make up the numbers.

When he suppressed the rebellion in Yangzhou a few years ago, he did not command the battle personally, but directly delegated power to the children of nobles under his command.

It just so happened that the sons of nobles under his command were able to perform well and thus achieved such an impressive record.

The situation is different now. It is not enough to delegate power alone. We also have to suppress the local evil spirits.

Most people dare not offend relatives by marriage, but they can pretend to obey them while secretly disobeying them.

Even when Xu Wenyue's orders reached the local level, everyone carried them out selectively."

As he spoke, Pang Hengsheng began to think secretly.

Recommending a nobleman to serve as commander-in-chief is naturally not a problem in military matters, but the tricky part is politics.

Against the backdrop of suppressing military generals, giving nobles the opportunity to lead troops will inevitably increase the noble group's voice in the court.

As a member of the civil service group, he had to consider the interests of the civil service camp and it was impossible for him to personally recommend the two.

If the emperor intends to support the nobles and arranges for someone to recommend one of the two to be the commander-in-chief, he can also give them some slack when they oppose.

But after Emperor Yongning ascended the throne, although he tried to win over the nobles, he had no intention of using them.

"Lord, someone from the palace has come to report that His Majesty has summoned you to the palace to see Him."

The butler's voice interrupted Pang Hengsheng's thoughts.

After looking out the window, his brows frowned slightly.

At this point in time, the palace gates had already been closed.

The emperor summoned everyone to discuss matters at this time, which was a bit too diligent.

The worst thing was that no matter how late he stayed up at night, Emperor Yongning never missed the morning court.

Young people can do this, but it is not so harmonious for older officials like Pang Hengsheng.

If this continues, the older officials in the court will sooner or later die suddenly in office.

The current problem is difficult, but not extremely urgent.

Even if Xu Wenyue wanted to go home to observe mourning, he would have to wait until the successor official arrived before he could step down and leave.

According to his idea, before finding a suitable candidate, it would be better to simply delay the matter and let Xu Wenyue continue to lead the suppression of the rebellion.

At most, the emperor would be criticized by outsiders for being unkind, which was not a big deal.

"knew!

I cannot keep your Majesty waiting any longer. Prepare the sedan immediately and I will set off immediately."

Pang Hengsheng said expressionlessly.

There are some things you can think about but cannot say out loud.

……

"Get off the sedan!"

As the eunuch's voice sounded, the sedan bearers lowered the sedan steadily.

As an old minister, Pang Hengsheng still received preferential treatment.

You can enter the palace in a sedan chair instead of walking in from the palace gate.

However, for safety reasons, after entering the palace, one needs to change to the palace sedan chair.

"Lord, we've arrived!"

"Lord, we've arrived!"

After shouting twice with no response, everyone instantly realized something was wrong.

After opening the sedan door, the leading eunuch looked at Pang Hengsheng lying motionless and hurried forward to check.

When the middle-aged eunuch found that the person had stopped breathing, he immediately realized that the situation was not good.

"Quick, call the doctor over!"

"What are you guys standing there for? Hurry up and take the elder indoors to rest."

Even though he tried hard to calm himself, his trembling body still revealed his inner fear.

Now we just hope Pang Hengsheng can be rescued, otherwise if the prime minister dies in the palace, it would be a huge event.

Although he did nothing, he could still be blamed if the civil servants made a fuss.

"Eunuch Cai, Elder Pang..."

The imperial physician's hesitant words indirectly told everyone the bad news.

No one dared to hide such a fatal matter.

Soon the entire palace became bustling. Several ministers who rushed over after hearing the news kicked Eunuch Cai who was lying on the hospital bed.

"Mr. Pang, why did you leave?"

He seemed sad, but actually he was taking the opportunity to examine Pang Hengsheng's body.

When everyone was discussing matters together during the day, he was fine, but now he suddenly died. It is hard not to be suspicious.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Yongning's face turned ashen with anger.

He was also very sad about Pang Hengsheng's sudden death, but the performance of several cabinet ministers made him even more worried.

This is the imperial palace. Without his permission, who would dare to attack the prime minister?

The actions of these few people clearly showed their distrust of the emperor.

Although he knew it, Emperor Yongning also knew that this was not the time to lose his temper.

It was normal for ministers to have doubts when the prime minister died in the palace.

After all, his relationship with Pang Hengsheng has never been very good.

"Mr. Pang has devoted his life to the Great Yu and made great contributions to the country. We must not neglect the affairs after his death.

The Ministry of Rites was ordered to arrange funeral for Lord Pang.

Send someone to notify the family members and ask them to..."

Emperor Yongning suppressed his displeasure and issued the imperial edict.

No matter how unhappy he was with Pang Hengsheng, he had to praise him since he died suddenly in the palace.

(End of this chapter)