Chapter 824 Father Is Here

The Lord of Liang leaned back on his dragon throne. In the hall before him lay the corpses of maids, eunuchs, and guards, their deaths gruesome.

At the entrance of the hall, a group of palace guards, who should have been loyal to the Lord, pointed their weapons at the throne.

The Lord held a sword in his hand, blood dripping from its blade.

He seemed lost and melancholic. Perhaps his undignified posture was his final act of defiance.

A handsome young man pushed a wheelchair slowly into the hall. Seated in the wheelchair was the old State Chancellor.

A coup had once again occurred within the Liang palace.

Everything seemed to have returned to the past.

The Lord looked at the old State Chancellor in the wheelchair. Once, he had stood by his side, while the late Lord had sat here in a daze.

Destiny seemed to be a circle, turning and turning, returning to this point, leaving behind a sigh: "Things have changed."

"Your Majesty…"

The old State Chancellor began.

The Lord's gaze narrowed slightly. He dropped the sword in his hand and sat up a little straighter, saying,

"Did it have to be like this?"

The old State Chancellor's lips trembled, but he didn't answer.

The Lord then said,

"Why didn't you speak plainly to me?"

The old State Chancellor shook his head and said, "My three sons are all involved. I have no choice."

"Hahaha, haha…"

A desolate smile appeared on the Lord's face. He gently patted his own thigh.

"I feel like I'm a joke, no, I was always a joke. Otherwise, you wouldn't have helped me overthrow my brother and support my ascension to the throne."

The old State Chancellor nodded, then shook his head.

Xie Yu'an released the wheelchair and took out an orange. Perhaps the stench of blood in the hall was too strong, and he needed the scent of orange to dispel it.

"At first, I had other ideas. Liang had been usurped once before, so I wouldn't mind usurping it again."

More than a hundred years ago, the Qian region was divided into several countries, one of which was called "Liang."

Liang was the strongest of these countries. The Lord of Liang at that time was an outstanding figure, striving for domestic governance and actively expanding abroad. He even ignored the threats issued by the Yan, Jin, and Chu kingdoms.

The first to raise the banner of unifying Zhuxia was that Lord of Liang. He was confident that he had the ability, and he indeed had the demeanor.

But heaven envied talent. After a victorious northern expedition to destroy a country, he contracted a serious illness on the way back and died young, leaving behind a pair of orphans and a widow.

Subsequently, the founding Emperor of Qian, who had been the commander of the Liang Lord's imperial guards, launched a coup, forcing the young emperor to abdicate and usurping the Liang kingdom, changing the country's name to "Qian."

At that time, the Lord of a small country far away from Qian, because he married the sister of the Liang Emperor, claimed that the Liang orthodoxy should be inherited by him, so he changed the country's name to "Liang." This is the origin of the current Liang kingdom.

Later, the founding Emperor of Qian destroyed many countries in the Qian region, unifying the Qian kingdom. For a time, his vigor was strong, and the Qian kingdom was in a stage of abundant martial virtue. Then the Imperial Younger Brother succeeded to the throne, taking advantage of the great battle between the Yan kingdom and the barbarians, and led an army of 500,000 to launch a northern expedition…

Later generations said that the Liang Emperor regarded the founding Emperor of Qian as his own younger brother and had entrusted him as a regent before his death. However, the founding Emperor of Qian usurped his kingdom. Afterwards, the founding Emperor of Qian's kingdom was "taken over" by his younger brother, and the founding Emperor's lineage suffered various "violent deaths" for more than a hundred years. It could only be said that karma was at play.

The old State Chancellor continued,

"But I didn't expect my health to deteriorate so quickly, and none of my three sons could be relied upon. What I didn't expect most was that Your Majesty, you are much more outstanding than I had anticipated when I chose you.

I think that perhaps it would be good for Liang to continue like this, it is good in your hands, and perhaps the Pu family doesn't have that fate.

Even if Your Majesty took advantage of my illness to cleanse my people, I was willing to let it happen, only asking for a decent end for the Pu family."

"Then why…"

"I just said, if I could choose, I would choose that way, but now, there is no choice. My three disappointing sons are all involved in this matter.

If I continue to do nothing,

Then,

If the Yan win, according to the Yan prefect's actions in Yingdu, my Pu family will inevitably be purged, and Your Majesty will no longer care about old feelings.

If Qian and Chu win, my three sons won't be able to redeem themselves, and the Chu people will remember my hatred for abolishing the late Lord. I don't know how these three cubs will be played to death.

Not doing anything is death, so…let's do it.

After today, the Pu family will move to the Qian kingdom as a whole to request annexation, not seeking a noble position, only seeking to be wealthy."

After hearing these words, the Lord nodded and said, "I see."

He seemed to understand.

"When we forced the late brother to death, it was I who prepared the white silk for him. Although my Liang kingdom is a small country, and can only be called a Lord and not an Emperor, it is still an emperor in its own right;

An emperor should have the death of an emperor. Death by weapons is not the death of an emperor. Please, State Chancellor, grant my wish."

"Naturally."

A guard presented the white silk.

While tying the knot, the Lord mocked himself, "I thought I had everything under control, but I didn't expect that this army, which I should have trusted the most, had always been your people.

Yes,

The late brother must have been just as surprised. I have finally followed the late brother's old path."

The old State Chancellor looked ahead tiredly and said, "Your Majesty has done very well. The Liang army, except for General Pu's, is basically loyal to Your Majesty.

Your Majesty sided with the Yan people, using their strength to help you gain control of the military power, which was indeed a clever move. I admire it."

"But, the old ginger is still spicier."

The old State Chancellor smiled and said, "As a powerful minister who has served several Lords of Liang, I should have a few mouse holes prepared. Since ancient times, powerful ministers rarely have good endings."

The white silk was tied.

The Emperor himself hung the white silk up, and someone brought a chair.

The Emperor stood on the chair,

Looking at the people standing around,

He asked;

"Can you win?"

Xie Yu'an handed the orange pulp to a guard beside him and said, "I can give Your Majesty a chance."

A hasty coup was certainly swift and successful.

But it was difficult to mobilize the Liang army in a short period of time, and even if they were forcibly mobilized, it was unknown how much strength they could contribute.

Even in Xie Yu'an's plan, the Liang army would at most serve as auxiliary soldiers, but having them was better than nothing.

"I am the Emperor."

The Lord of Liang said,

"If you had discussed it with me beforehand, I might have considered it, but now, I won't consider it. My son is still in Yanjing, and I, as his father, can't let him down."

Xie Yu'an shrugged and made a "please" gesture.

He didn't argue that you still have two sons in this palace, in their hands.

Because Xie Yu'an knew that the嫡子 (dí zǐ, son of the first wife), was the true heir, the lineage, the rest of the sons were often used to make up numbers.

Although there were exceptions, the principle was eternal;

Didn't you see that the new Lord of Yan, although he was not a 嫡子 (dí zǐ, son of the first wife) himself, immediately made his 嫡长子 (dí cháng zǐ, eldest son of the first wife) the crown prince after he ascended the throne?

The Lord of Liang took a deep breath,

Closed his eyes,

And said:

"I'll be waiting for you below!"

He kicked the chair away,

Hanging himself;

Although he left freely, he still experienced struggle, resistance, ferocity, and distortion;

Finally,

He stopped moving.

"Come, the Lord of Liang has passed away due to illness, invite the Prince to ascend the throne, and issue a national mourning internally and externally!"

After shouting these words,

Xie Yu'an pushed the old State Chancellor out of the hall.

"The matter is done, Young Master doesn't need to push anymore."

"Oh, good."

Xie Yu'an released his hand and stood beside the old State Chancellor.

"Actually, I'm a little surprised. I always thought you would lie there, but I didn't expect…"

"Didn't expect me to help you take down the Lord?"

"Yes."

"I've disappointed Young Master."

"It's alright."

"I am not a saint after all, I wanted to do it, but I really couldn't sacrifice my small family for everyone."

"I understand."

"If I hadn't taken action, what would Young Master have done?"

"General Pu is guarding Qishan, and a branch of my Xie family's elite troops has already entered."

"I guessed it, back then, in order to resist the Chu people, Liang was united, but now, the generals who resisted Chu back then personally let the Chu people in.

So, after all the effort, these years have become a joke."

"Who isn't?"

Xie Yu'an stretched and yawned.

"Can we win?"

"At least for now, it's hard to find a reason to lose. Of course, you can't say that, saying that always makes me feel a little uneasy."

"Young Master has worked hard. It's a pity that Liang is not as good as Chu. Liang is a small country with few people, and only produces people like me who are蝇营狗苟 (yíng yíng gǒu gǒu, engage in petty and contemptible activities).

Unlike Chu, which is vast and rich with a large population, even if there are a few useless people, a large number of capable people have died, but in the end, there are still people like Young Master who can stand up, try to save the situation, and protect the country."

"Alas, you can't say that. Actually, I don't have that much obsession with protecting Chu.

My Xie family has been unwelcome among the Chu nobles for hundreds of years, and has suffered countless snubs. If my Emperor of Chu didn't have no other choice, he wouldn't have asked my Xie family to come out and serve the country."

"Then Young Master…"

Xie Yu'an took a few steps forward,

Spread his arms,

And said:

"I just think that if the Yan people recuperate for a few years, and really let the Yan people unify the world step by step, it would be too…"

"Too what?"

"Too boring."

…

Throughout history, any coup that originates within one's own ranks will create a sense of "tenderness" towards the outside world;

People of this era may think this is a kind of "self-deception," but alas, this is not meant to deceive the people of this era.

The Lord "died of illness," and the Liang capital was filled with white mourning clothes.

The new Lord was the son of the Lord, and in accordance with the tradition that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, he did not wait for the太子 (tài zǐ, crown prince) to return from Yan to inherit the throne.

In this regard, the new Lord was very cooperative, because the new Lord knew that if he could not quickly stabilize the situation while embracing the thighs of Qian and Chu to block the anger from the Yan people, the Yan people would definitely bring his brother back to kill himself and let his brother ascend the throne.

He really had no choice.

The old State Chancellor came forward to preside over the overall situation, relying on his influence and the established facts, the Liang government did not experience large-scale turbulence.

Cart after cart of wealth from the Qian kingdom were distributed, and a group of surrendered generals led by General Pu began to buy off the Liang army with the new Lord's imperial edict.

Of course, whether in the court or in the army, the truly "die-hard" elements still needed to be cleansed, because the time was short, so the methods had to be more cruel.

Fortunately, the wealth of the Qian people played a great role in stabilizing people's hearts at this time.

Xie Yu'an looked at this long list of gifts and smiled at the Qian official in front of him:

"Everyone says that Qian is rich, and I've really seen it this time."

"Young Master is too kind."

"I really don't understand, Qian is so rich, why…"

The words stopped here, it was enough for everyone to understand the meaning.

"For this matter, the official even opened the internal treasury, and a lot of it was funded by the internal treasury."

"Alas, I understand, it's not easy for everyone."

"In addition, Young Master, I have something I have to ask."

"Speak, we are allies now, so we should be honest with each other."

"I have learned that the Xie family's 20,000 private soldiers have entered Liang territory and are marching towards the capital."

"Yes."

"But according to the prior agreement between Chu and my Qian kingdom, Chu should send at least 100,000 royal guards into Liang to fight."

"Alas, my Chu kingdom is in trouble."

"What does Young Master mean by this?"

"That's what it means." Xie Yu'an smiled, "Zhennan Pass is in the hands of the Yan people, and the iron cavalry of his Prince of Pingxi can exit Zhennan Pass, pass Shanggu County, cross the Wei River, and attack from three sides.

You should also know about the Battle of Fancheng last time.

Therefore, this time, in order to prevent the Prince of Pingxi from learning the news here and then using the tactics of sending troops from his side to involve my Chu's main force in returning to aid, my Chu has already ordered the cities and villages to defend strictly, making sure that the Prince of Pingxi's iron cavalry can come in, but can't grab anything, and won't give them the opportunity to threaten my Chu's capital.

In addition, last time my Chu's General Nian Yao wanted to try to take back Fancheng, and you also know the outcome. The Yan people have Fancheng in their hands, which is equivalent to burying a nail in my Chu territory.

Once my Chu army is mobilized in advance, it will definitely disturb Fancheng, and the news will be leaked in advance. Furthermore, my Chu army has to garrison Qishan to prevent the Prince of Pingxi from sending troops through Fancheng to break through Qishan and enter Liang territory.

In short, my Chu must block any possibility of the Prince of Pingxi interfering in this battle.

Oh,

You don't know that my Chu losing Zhennan Pass is like your Qian losing the three borders. The border has become a horse-riding field for the Yan people. It's difficult."

"So, Young Master means that Chu this time…"

"Yes, my Chu only has 20,000 soldiers entering Liang this time, but that's the elite of my Xie family's main family. I tell you, they are not inferior to the most elite Qingluan Army back then."

"What I mean is, Chu only sends 20,000 soldiers into Liang, then who will resist when the Yan people come to attack next? Don't tell me you want the Liang army to resist?

It's already not easy for the Liang army not to cause chaos or mutiny to support the Yan people. How can you count on them?"

"Isn't there also the Qian army? Besides Commander Meng, there are also Young Marshal Zhong, Commander Han, Commander Le, and Commander Zu Dongling, the son of General Zu?"

The Qian official in charge of escorting the grain and salaries exclaimed upon hearing this:

"How can we rely on my Qian army to fight…"

"Hehehe…"

Xie Yu'an almost laughed like a pig,

And said:

"You're the one insulting them, not me."

The official had no time to pay attention to this slip of the tongue and teasing, and said directly: "How should this battle be fought, how should it be fought!"

Obviously, this Qian official really had no confidence in the Qian army at all.

There was no way around it. Back then, the Yan army only sent two routes of troops south, probably less than 70,000 troops, and after bypassing the three borders, they actually broke through the entire northern defense line of Qian, and even crossed the Bian River and reached the capital, causing the capital to shake.

The Qian army was pulled out in batches and collapsed in batches, and then pulled out another batch and collapsed again. The Yan people even joked that fighting with the Qian people was really tiring, and catching prisoners all over the mountains and fields was more troublesome than charging into battle.

Xie Yu'an reached out and patted the Qian official on the shoulder,

And said:

"So, I, a Chu person, have more confidence in the Qian army than you, a Qian person, haha, don't worry, the Yan army is not all heavenly soldiers and generals. If you block the Prince of Pingxi, the Yan people will also have their heads chopped off with a knife, and they will also die."

"Young Master!"

At this time, the familiar old man appeared and whispered a few words in Xie Yu'an's ear.

Xie Yu'an's expression immediately changed,

His change in expression almost frightened the Qian official:

"Has the Yan army attacked?"

"No, no."

Xie Yu'an was too lazy to explain and left the hall in a hurry.

The city gate of the Liang capital had been opened, and Xie's private soldiers in red were entering the city in neat ranks.

Xie Yu'an's claim that Xie's private soldiers were not inferior to the Qingluan Army was by no means bragging. You could feel the sternness emanating from this army just by looking at their military style.

You know, when the real Qingluan Army lined up against the city wall at the foot of Jade Plate City, even the Yan iron cavalry personally led by the Prince of Jingnan did not choose to charge.

Xie Yu'an hurried over and saw the figure of the general riding a black panther mount;

He went over,

Reached out,

Touched the general's boots,

And said flatteringly:

"Father, why are you here?"

Xie, the young master of the Xie family, who was always wise and regarded the people around him as fools, rarely acted like a child.

Xie Zhuyang, the Pillar of State of the Xie family, had taken over General Nian's position and taken over the royal guards along the Wei River, but now, he was personally leading Xie's private soldiers to appear here.

"Xiong Lao Wu has taken over my position. Xiong Lao Si means that this time, it is related to the national fortune of Chu and cannot be taken lightly. Therefore, he asked me to lead Xie's sons over. Fathers and sons fight together, haha, Xiong Lao Si is playing a good game."

"That's right, Xiong Lao Si is so shrewd, but it's also good this way. Father, I feel more at ease with you here, and Father, you yourself are comfortable. The royal guards are nominally under your command, but they won't really listen to you. It's more comfortable to lead your own soldiers, right?"

"Hehe, that's for sure."

"Father, let me take you to rest."

"No, don't rush to rest."

"What else is there, Father?"

"Father…"

Xie Zhuyang leaned over, grabbed his intelligent and monstrous only son, and lifted him onto the back of the black panther,

Then, without saying a word,

He slapped his son's buttocks several times with his palm,

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

"Want to see your concubine's pretty body?"

"Ah, Father, don't hit me, Father…"

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

"I've long suspected that you're interested in your concubines, as expected!"

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

"Father, I was wrong, please don't hit me, it hurts…"

Knowing that his son didn't know martial arts and was weak, Xie Zhuyang stopped in time after beating him for a while.

Xie Yu'an also lay weakly on the back of the black panther, gasping for breath, snot and tears were beaten out, and the oranges in his pocket were also crushed, the juice bursting out, looking like he had lost control after being beaten by his own father, the scene was extremely embarrassing.

"Damn, if you like any of your concubines, just tell Dad, Dad can't handle it anyway, I can't hold my waist;

Dad is also anxious to hold a grandson. If you're really not interested in young girls like the Prince of Pingxi of Yan, isn't there a lot of married women at home?"

"Father, wouldn't that make us no different from animals?"

"Pa!"

"Ah!"

Another slap, and it was hit.

Xie Zhuyang scolded:

"Bullshit, it's better than being worse than animals!"