EFB Chapter 1659 Bai Tan asks for an audience
Chapter 1659 Bai Tan asks for an audience
Chapter 1659 Bai Tan asks for an audience
She sighed, "I heard, I heard that the Li family at the front alley was robbed and reported to the police. As a result, the police came and robbed his house again, and beat the old man to death!"
Seeing her husband was silent, she simply laid it on the table: "Okay, okay, if you don't want to go, just stay here. I'll take care of the baby myself."
The husband sighed: "My brother-in-law works in the palace and said that the king was not killed by General Bai, but by the gods..."
"Hush, hush!" his wife said hurriedly, "You are going to die, and you dare to say that? Even if it is a god... it is the people in the palace who have brought this upon themselves! Didn't the notice to reassure the people say that it is a punishment from the gods? It is a punishment from the gods! Only when you do something wrong will you be punished!"
So what if he is a king? Shouldn't he be punished for angering the gods?
However, the terrifying sight of the gods themselves making the couple tremble with fear.
Hearing this, Bai Ziqi smiled slightly.
He had just had a secret conversation with Bishop Liang and learned that the temple was deeply involved in this coup. Not only did it provide temple soldiers for Bai Tan to attack the palace, but it also instigated refugees to riot in the early stages.
The refugees were the poorest and most miserable, and a considerable number of them believed in the gods. Many refugee leaders even obeyed the temple's instructions. After the Yao Palace Incident, Bai Tan led the refugees to fight against the wealthy and distribute food. The refugees' emotions were appeased, and the temple later joined in the persuasion. The riot gradually ended in the afternoon.
There are still two groups of refugees who refuse to calm down, and the authorities are negotiating with them.
Of course, the so-called "official" now refers to Bai Tan and his faction.
……
"Palace Master, Bai Tan requests to see you."
After last night, the only person besides the gods who could make Bai Tan claim to be "seeking an audience" was Qingyang.
Bai Tan strode into the courtyard of Youhu Villa and saw Qingyang sitting under a tree. He felt a little strange.
It was freezing cold, why would an injured person stay outside in the cold wind? But Bai Tan didn't bother to think too much. He had been racing against time for more than ten hours since yesterday afternoon, and he was under great mental pressure. He only took a nap for fifteen minutes. Now his eyes were full of bloodshot and his brain was a little numb.
What he lacks most now is a good relaxation.
But he didn't dare.
Not to mention the threats from outside, there are countless issues waiting for him to deal with in Tianshui City alone.
This is the trouble with being in an improper position. Qingyang glanced at him and said with a smile: "How does it feel to be the ruler of Tianshui City?"
Bai Tan used to be a high-ranking official, but he was under the control of the capricious King Yao, and he had to guess the old man's thoughts all day long; now, the huge Tianshui City only listens to his orders.
Bai Tan shook his head: "There is no end to the work."
Time was running out, so he worked hard to sort out the internal affairs of Tianshui City while expanding the army. Overthrowing King Yao's rule was just the beginning, and he had to unite the whole country before he could become king.
From the moment he decided to rebel, he knew that this road was destined to be difficult.
Rebellion, huh, can rebellion be easy and enjoyable?
So Qingyang only said that he "ruled Tianshui City", but this feeling was really great.
The feeling of holding all the power is something that anyone who has tried it will be unable to stop!
Qing Yang then casually asked, "Why do you look even more tired than King Yao?"
Bai Tan was injured on the day of the uprising, but now his eyes are bloodshot and there are dark circles under his eyes, and his condition is even worse than it was then.
These words made Bai Tan feel frightened.
Comparing him to a dead person is unlucky.
But he couldn't get angry at Qingyang, so he could only touch his nose and ask: "How is the injury of the regent?"
He glanced at his personal guard, who immediately took out a box and placed it on the table.
"This is a secret medicine from the palace, specially for the king to take, to nourish the internal vitality and to heal the external injuries."
He was also generous enough to give this medicine to King Yao, as it was originally for King Yao's personal use.
Now, all of King Yao's treasures belong to him.
Qingyang was very polite: "Okay, General Bai is thoughtful."
The tone of voice on both sides was very polite.
Bai Tan was eager to seize power in Tianshui City, while Qingyang returned to Youhu Cottage to recuperate. After King Yao's death, the distance between the two sides seemed to have become somewhat distant, not as close as when they had secretly planned the rebellion.
Both sides are very clear that the past is the past, and the present is the present.
Previously, everyone had a common goal, which was to overthrow King Yao and subvert the Yao regime; once this target fell, the partners turned their attention and began to target each other.
If Qingyang had not been the regent sent by Beijia, Bai Tan might have raised the knife to kill her last night.
Fortunately, due to her special identity, Bai Tan does not dare to harbor any evil thoughts towards her for the time being. Instead, he has to ask her for help now.
Qingyang knew exactly what Bai Tan was here for, but on the surface he was just being polite and didn't say a word.
Bai Tan was busy with chores after all, and had no time to practice Tai Chi with her. After saying a few meaningless polite words, he finally changed the subject and got to the point: "Master Regent, do you know where General Chongwu has gone? I sent a message to the north, but there has been no response."
Qingyang shook his head: "I informed you and Liang Zhushi to start the rebellion in advance, and also asked Luodian and Chongwu to cooperate. So Yuwen Yong has not returned to Tianshui City yet. As for where Chongwu is, he has not contacted me yet. Maybe there will be a message tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
Bai Tan's heart sank.
At first glance, it seems that Qingyang's words are correct and his attitude is very peaceful; but in fact, his words are contradictory.
The coup was brought forward at the last minute, catching no one off guard, but Chongwu and Luodian were able to receive the news in time, which means Qingyang had a way to communicate with them instantly, and they didn't have to wait for the bird demon to send the message.
How come we can’t get in touch with each other now?
Bai Tan had been an official in the court for decades and knew that one should listen to the hidden meaning of what was said. Qingyang said this deliberately, probably with two meanings. First, she managed to hold Yuwen Yong back, and she could stop holding him back at any time; second, she could not control the movements of Chongwu.
In other words, it is none of her business what Chongwu wants to do.
This statement is worth talking about, because in the prior three-party planning, Qingyang made it clear that Chongwu was a very important chess piece in this plan. If the Yaogong incident failed, Chongwu could help them leave; if they succeeded, Chongwu could also help them resist attacks from other forces.
The conditions agreed upon at that time were that General Chongwu would lead an army back to aid Pisha after the incident was successful, and the Yao State would be responsible for supplying weapons, money and food, and could no longer shirk responsibility as it did during the reign of King Yao.
This condition was not excessive at all, and could even be said to be quite generous. Bai Tan of course agreed without hesitation.
But now she said that Chongwu has lost contact at such a delicate moment!
Does this mean that Chongwu also has ulterior motives?
The conditions agreed upon before the uprising actually had little binding force on these fierce generals and arrogant soldiers.
What Bai Tan is more worried about is whether this also means that Qingyang and Beijia behind her have changed their attitude towards him?
Sure enough, even if King Yao was killed, the troubles were still endless. Bai Tan was furious, but he had to be sincere on his face: "When you lead troops outside, there will be emergencies from time to time. I understand! How is the fighting on the northern front going?"
Qingyang smiled and said, "Yuwen Yong suffered two defeats, probably because of the withdrawal of the heavy army and the death of King Yao. The pass was breached, the Yao army in the north fled, and was chased by the Luodian Kingdom to the Dong Mountain in the southwest, losing more than 2,000 people."
Even though Bai Tan knew this result in advance, he was still slightly moved when he heard it.
When under Xue Zongwu, the Northern Border Yao Army's combat power was quite good. It didn't make sense for it to drop sharply after only three or four months. The sudden defeat was probably due to the army's demoralization and lack of fighting spirit.
In fact, when the Luodian army attacked the pass, they shouted loudly, saying that King Yao was dead and the Yao Kingdom was gone; General Chongwu had been withdrawn and you had no support; Tianshui City had been stolen, and you were still foolishly guarding the pass. Who were you acting as watchdogs for?
The most terrifying thing is that someone in the army confirmed that the heavy military camp in the south was really empty!
There was chaos in the rear, and Yuwen Yong himself was also concerned about state affairs and could not concentrate. As a result, he made a mistake on the battlefield and was seized by the Luodian people. If his personal soldiers had not risked their lives to save him, Yuwen Yong himself would have nearly been captured.
As a result, a great defeat was inevitable, and Yuwen Yong gathered his remaining troops and fled westward.
Qingyang guessed that he had received news of the Tianshui coup and knew that Wang Keqin would not be there if he returned. Perhaps he also knew that the entire Yuwen family had been killed, so he simply found a place to settle down first and then planned to make some progress.
Bai Tan nodded: "I just received news that Luo Dian has gone south to Lancang."
Qingyang made a thorough plan this time. He had secretly communicated with Luodian Zuo Zongzhang Qu Ruhai in advance, asking him to cooperate with Yaoguo's palace coup and march south. If the coup failed, Luodian could contain Yuwen Yong and the military forces in the north and central part of Yaoguo, which would be very important; if the coup succeeded quickly, Luodian should retreat to the north, and Baitan would give up three tribute lands including Shuangxi as a thank you gift for Luodian's military assistance.
These three tribute lands were originally managed by Xue Zongwu, which shows that they were rich in resources and had high output.
However, after defeating Yuwen Yong, Luodian State did not stop, but continued to move southward to invade Yaodi, which showed bad intentions.
Qingyang was not surprised at all: "I have warned you long ago that joining forces with Luodian is like courting death."
She had already said everything she needed to say, and now she was very calm.
The forces that could survive in the Golden Plains were all opportunists. For the first time in many years, the Luodian people broke through the blockade and entered the northern border of Yao State. They also saw that the king had been killed and Yao was in turmoil. How could they miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Even if we can't swallow up Yao State, we must bite off a big piece of fat from it!
Bai Tan smiled bitterly: "I know."
Before the incident, the focus of the conflict was King Yao, and Bai Tan's only goal was to capture Tianshui City, even at the cost of his own efforts.
This is his choice and he has to bear the consequences.
He would not be so naive as to think that Qingyang would restrain Luo Dian for him.
At this point, he had no choice but to state his intention first: "Master Regent, after Chongwu comes back, I want to meet him outside the city and have a good chat."
The words "outside the city" were emphasized.
Tianshui City was already his, how could Chongwu throw himself into the tiger's mouth? The meeting place was set outside the city, at least to show a little sincerity.
And he asked Qingyang to act as the middleman.
Qingyang smiled: "It doesn't seem difficult. What do you want to talk to him about?"