Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 396 Jinyang raises troops!

Yuan Ziyou took a deep breath and took Su Shun back to the palace.

In the palace, Yuan Ziyou paced back and forth. His pressure had reached its limit.

The matter of the secret decree was of great importance, and Yuan Ziyou had not told any of the princes about it. Now the little emperor had been imprisoned by Empress Dowager Hu, and he had long been regarded as a member of the imperial party by Empress Dowager Hu. He would definitely not be able to enter the palace to meet the little emperor during this period of time.

This means that Yuan Ziyou now has no one to discuss with.

At this moment, Su Shun suddenly knelt down and said to Yuan Ziyou:
"Your Majesty! If you hadn't rescued me when I was in the palace, I would have died in Xuanguang Hall."

"Now that your majesty is imprisoned, I have some old acquaintances in the palace and am willing to risk entering the palace to deliver the message for the king."

Yuan Ziyou was overjoyed when he saw Su Shun kneeling on the ground!
During the Xuanguang Rebellion, Su Shun was originally in the young emperor's palace. Just before the coup, he seized the opportunity and followed Yuan Ziyou out of the palace.

Later, after a series of events, Su Shun never returned to the palace, but stayed by her side.

Yuan Ziyou also made some arrangements in the palace, but it was possible for a eunuch like Su Shun, who had served the little emperor in the Xuanguang Hall and was familiar with the layout of the palace, to sneak into the palace and really meet the little emperor.

Yuan Ziyou took Su Shun's hand and said:

"The situation is urgent. If you can really see His Majesty, it will be a great achievement for the country!"

Yuan Ziyou sorted out his thoughts and said:

"If you can see His Majesty, you must ask His Majesty to delay the adoption of Yuan Zhao as his heir as long as possible, at least until after the New Year. I will find a way to rescue His Majesty outside the palace!"

"Also, please decide, Your Majesty, to whom the imperial edict should be given, Erzhu Rong of Jinyang or Su Ze of Guanzhong!"

Facing the eunuch Su Shun, Yuan Ziyou could only explain as clearly as possible.

Given the current situation in Wei, these two are the only people who can intimidate Queen Mother Hu.

As long as these two local powerful groups are willing to support the emperor, Empress Dowager Hu will definitely not dare to act rashly.

Yuan Ziyou then mentioned a few more names, all of whom were palace maids he had made friends with. He also personally took out some treasures from the palace and gave them to Su Shun, asking him to use these treasures to bribe the palace maids.
-
In the Xuanguang Hall, the little emperor Yuan Xu paced back and forth.

A few days ago, Empress Dowager Hu suddenly strengthened the imprisonment of the little emperor, replaced the eunuchs and palace maids who were originally guarding the little emperor, and banned princes, ministers and foreign officials from meeting the emperor, completely cutting off the little emperor's contact with the outside world.

Yuan Xu could be said to be the most cowardly emperor. The number of coups he encountered since he ascended the throne ranked among the top among all emperors.

At the beginning of his reign, Yu Zhong abused his power, and he encountered the Xuanguang Incident and was imprisoned by Yuan Yi.

After finally getting rid of these powerful ministers, Yuan Xu was imprisoned by his own mother again.

Yuan Xu was not mentally retarded and was "experienced" in coups d'état. When Empress Dowager Hu asked him to adopt an heir, he sensed the danger.

The young emperor Yuan Xu remembered Yuan Ziyou's warning to him and did not visit his concubines for several months.

His queen, Mrs. Hu, was the niece of Empress Dowager Hu, and he had never even touched her hand.

But the young emperor did not expect that Empress Dowager Hu was so anxious that she even asked him to adopt a son!

In addition to anger and confusion, Yuan Xu's most common emotion at this moment was fear.

Once I adopt a son, does that mean I might be deposed at any time?

Why did mother and son come to this?
Just when the little emperor was feeling restless, there was suddenly a noise outside the palace and the little emperor heard a voice.

"Your Majesty! I am a close attendant to Prince Changle, and I risked my life to enter the palace just to see Your Majesty."

The young emperor recognized the voice. Su Shun had been on duty in the Xuanguang Hall and later often entered the palace with Yuan Ziyou. The young emperor hurriedly opened the side door himself and let Su Shun enter the hall.

"How did you get in?"

Su Shun knelt on the ground and said:

"I have been to the palace before, so I have some old acquaintances. I was able to sneak into the Xuanguang Palace and see Your Majesty because I am familiar with the terrain."

Su Shun actually didn't expect it to be so smooth.

It can only be said that the Wei dynasty is now on the verge of crumbling, Queen Mother Hu has lost the support of the people, the laws in the palace are no longer in place, and many guards and eunuchs on duty are trying to be cunning and treacherous.

Of course, what’s more important is that Su Shun has the map provided by Su Ze.

Su Suan, the envoy left behind, was also constantly infiltrating the palace. He made friends with many of the imperial guards and eunuchs who were guarding the palace, and had already opened up the road to the Xuanguang Hall. Following the map, Su Shun had green lights all the way and easily met the little emperor.

The little emperor shed tears in fear when he saw his acquaintance. He said to Su Shun:

"I regret not listening to King Changle's advice."

When Prince Changle Yuan Ziyou colluded with Prince Gaoyang to kill the male favorites of Empress Dowager Hu, he once advised the young emperor to issue a secret decree to Prince Gaoyang and find a way to rule the country himself after the coup.

But Yuan Xu hesitated at that time, and in the end the little emperor did not dare to step forward.

Su Shun said quickly:

"The king is actively working for Your Majesty outside the palace, and asked the servant to pass on a message to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to hold on. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please find a way to delay the adoption of an heir, so that you can buy more time."

The little emperor nodded quickly.

Su Shun asked again:
"The king said that if Your Majesty wants to break the siege, the only way is to send troops from outside to help the king." "Your Majesty, please issue an edict. Should we send Su Ze, the Duke of Gaoping, or General Erzhu to help the king?"

This time the little emperor hesitated.

"My beloved concubine Erzhu once said that General Erzhu was loyal to the country. Please ask the troops from Jinyang to come to the king's defense?"

Su Shun took a breath. After lurking in the palace and beside Yuan Ziyu for so long, it was finally time for him to play a role!
Su Shun knelt on the ground and said:

"Your Majesty, I think that Your Majesty should order the Duke of Gaoping to come to Luoyang to support the King!"

Under normal circumstances, Su Shun would have no chance to speak at this time, but Yuan Xu himself did not have much of his own opinion, and he was imprisoned and under great mental stress.

Naturally, this sentence was asked by Su Ze through the system and entrusted to Su Shun. After he finished speaking, Su Shun lay on the ground, waiting for the little emperor's response.

"why?"

Su Shun raised his head, looked at the little emperor and said:
"The Erzhu family made friends with the King of Jiangyang, and used generous gifts to secretly make friends with the nobles of Luoyang, and they did many rebellious things in Bingzhou."

"On the other hand, after entering Guanzhong, the Duke of Gaoping has always respected the will of the court."

After Su Shun finished speaking, he continued to lie on the ground, waiting for the little emperor's response.

Su Shun's words reminded the young emperor of the relationship between Erzhu Rong and Yuan Yi.

Even the fact that Erzhu entered the palace and became his concubine was arranged by Yuan Yi.

Yuan Xu raised his head and said:
"I have written a letter by hand, asking Prince Changle to take the imperial edict with him to Guanzhong, and to order the Duke of Gaoping to come to Luoyang to support the prince."

"Your Majesty is wise!"
-
Su Ze had spies in Luoyang, so the court's movements naturally could not be concealed from the Erzhu family, who had been operating in Luoyang for many years. The news soon spread to Jinyang.

When Erzhu Rong received the news that Empress Dowager Hu wanted the young emperor to adopt an heir, he also summoned all his generals to discuss the matter.

After Erzhu Rong explained the situation in Luoyang, the general's tent fell into a strange silence.

"General!"

A general with outstanding appearance stepped out and said to Erzhu Rong:

"The emperor has not yet been crowned and has adopted an heir. This is a sign that the evil queen is planning a rebellion. Please raise the troops in Jinyang, purge the evil and rebuild the dynasty!"

No one expected that Gao Huan would be so bold as to openly persuade Erzhu Rong to start a rebellion on such an occasion.

At this time, Erzhu Rong's confidant and cousin Xi Yi stood up and objected:

"General! Please execute Gao Huan!"

"Leading troops to enter Luoyang without the imperial order is a serious crime of treason! The general is determined to help the world, how can he listen to the words of such a villain and become a traitor?"

After Xi Yi finished speaking, many generals in the military tent nodded. Most of them held official positions in the court. Unlike Gao Huan, the cavalry commander and other private officials of the shogunate, the Luoyang court had been good to Bingzhou over the years.

Of course, these people did not oppose out of loyalty to the court, but they were worried that the uprising would not be effective. If they could not control Luoyang all at once, they would be labeled as rebels in vain. It would be better to defeat the rebels first and then enter Luoyang.

Erzhu Rong felt a little regretful because the situation in Luoyang changed too quickly and he was unable to summon family confidants such as Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Tianguang to discuss matters.

After all, Gao Huan had just defected and had a bad reputation, so the suggestions he put forward quickly turned into personal attacks on Gao Huan.

At this time, Heba Yue stood up and said:

"Extraordinary things must be done by extraordinary people! The general has excellent soldiers and horses, and his position is solemn. Now the general raises the banner of justice and attacks the rebels to support the lord. Where can he not conquer and where can he not destroy?"

Heba Yue urged again:
"As the ancients said, 'Morning plans cannot be made until the evening, and words cannot be spoken before the carriages are drawn.' This is the principle of military strategy! General, please march to Luoyang immediately!"

Erzhu Rong was very happy. Heba Yue's status was much higher than Gao Huan's. He held an official position in the court and had always had a good reputation.

As expected, there was also a group of generals who supported Heba Yue, and the voices of both sides gradually became evenly matched.

At this moment, a man in armor suddenly broke into the general's tent.

When Xi Yi, who was against sending troops, saw this person, his eyes lit up. The man was Yuan Tianmu, the legitimate governor of Bingzhou and a relative of the Yuan family.

Yuan Tianmu holds a very high position in the Erzhu Rong group, and he is also a relative of the Yuan clan. He will definitely oppose sending troops to Luoyang. This way, it’s a sure thing!
But Xi Yi was not happy for long when he saw Yuan Tianmu saluting Erzhu Rong and then said:

"The government of Luoyang is in chaos, and treacherous officials are in power. This is why the country is in ruins today! General, please send troops to Luoyang immediately to purge the emperor's side!"

Yuan Tianmu's speech had the final say.

He was a genuine member of the Yuan clan and the highest-ranking official of the court in Bingzhou. He took the lead in asking Erzhu Rong to send troops, and no one else could say anything against it.

Erzhu Rong stood up, drew his sword and said:
"The Erzhu family has been blessed by the emperor for generations. If there is any change in Luoyang today, we should raise an army and march to Luoyang!"

Gao Huan immediately drew his sword, walked out of the tent and shouted to his personal guards outside: "Raise the army to Luoyang! To clear the emperor's side!"

The soldiers immediately followed suit and the opponents in the general's tent turned pale, but in the end they had no choice but to agree.

On December 17th of the third year of Xiaochang, Erzhu Rong raised his army from Jinyang and marched to Luoyang.

(End of this chapter)