Chapter 458: A war without smoke (a 7,000-word chapter)
On this day, the Jianning Mansion was "busy". Under the auspices of Zhao Duan, the siege plan against the Shen family had just begun and attracted the attention of countless people.
The well-informed big shots in the city quickly found out what was going on.
After learning that both Zhao Shijun and Governor Ning were assassinated last night, they were all shocked, and doubts immediately arose, wondering whether the "assassination" was real or whether it was directed and acted by "King Zhao Yan".
In the eyes of many people, although the Shen family has deep roots, they should not have the courage to assassinate second- and third-grade officials.
However, the authenticity of the assassination soon became unimportant, because after the Cao soldiers seized the shop, the Shen family also began to fight back.
Unexpectedly, the Shen family gave in and took the initiative to go to Caoyun Yamen to plead guilty and negotiate peace.
In the next few days, officials in various government offices in Jianning Mansion were shocked to find that their decrees were beginning to be blocked.
Yes, the decree was blocked!
The imperial court set up large and small yamen in Jianning Mansion, including large government offices such as Caoyun and Fuyamen, as well as small government offices involving various aspects.
In the final analysis, the court's decrees, down to the last detail, must be implemented by countless officials to the local people.
Almost overnight, most of the system was paralyzed.
"The Shen family decided to fight back."
Water transport yamen.
Inside Ning Zechen's "office".
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back, standing next to the ancient bookshelf. On the table were densely packed official documents delivered by Master Wen.
These official documents come from various government offices and yamen, covering all aspects.
There was no look of surprise on Zhao Duan's face:
"It's the same as I expected. The Shen family decided to fight back and used the method that the family is best at.
These clans will not choose to conflict with us head-on, because they have no soldiers, no right to interpret the law, and most importantly, no legitimacy.
Therefore, if there is a head-on fight with the imperial court, several Shen families will be turned into ashes if they are stacked on top of each other. ”
Governor Ning sat at the large table, looked at him and said:
"But the Shen family has been running this area for too many years, and their tentacles cover every piece of land and every alley. When it comes to force, the imperial court has the upper hand, but when it comes to infiltration and control of the place, these locals have the upper hand.
As long as they say something, they can make many local people not cooperate with the government... No, it doesn't have to be so complicated at all, because many of the lower-level officials are dogs of the Shen family. ”
Zhao Duan sighed:
"Yes, officials are of higher quality than officials, but how can we do things by relying on officials alone? When officials at all levels of government offices are acting in an unfaithful manner, the government's decrees will be blocked and it will be difficult to advance."
Governor Ning smiled bitterly:
"I felt that this matter was difficult before, so I repeatedly petitioned for the appointment of new officials, but now it seems that this group of wealthy people did not use their full strength at all. When they were operating at their full strength, we officials were reduced to a mere emptiness. ”
Did you just figure it out? Or didn’t want to believe it before?
Throughout the dynasties, why did the imperial court win over the gentry and clans?
If the royal control is strong enough, there will be nothing to do with the aristocratic family...
Zhao Duan muttered in his heart, but he was not depressed.
He walked to the table and looked down at the "map" spread out on the table.
It was densely packed with red and blue inks delineating many areas, as if two armies were fighting.
There was no apparent conflict between them, but while the court was targeting the Shen family's property, the Shen family was also paralyzing the court machine.
"It seems that I have underestimated the great families of this era." Zhao Duan said in a low voice.
"What?" Governor Ning didn't hear clearly, and then he saw Zhao Duan put down his pen and paper and started to write: "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"
"Invite more people to participate in this feast." Zhao Duan explained without raising his head while writing:
"Governor, do you believe it or not, the Shen family must have begun to win over other families at this moment, and even promised benefits to try to gather more allies and create obstacles for the court?"
"His Majesty is about to be enthroned. What do you think will happen if, when His Majesty arrives, he finds that all major government agencies are in chaos and the imperial court is almost paralyzed in issuing orders?"
Governor Ning's face changed slightly and he suddenly said:
"What you mean is that the Shen family's plan is to delay? If this confrontation continues, they are betting that you and I cannot afford to delay it."
Zhao Duan nodded and said quickly:
"Now, we and the Shen family are like fighting a war of attrition without any smoke, and it depends on who can't hold on first.
If we calculate it normally, we will definitely not be able to hold on at first, because even if we shut down all the Shen family's shops and caravans, with the family's heritage and the money stored in it, we will be able to sit on our hands for a long time...
But we cannot paralyze the government for a long time..."
"However, they missed me. Oh, if you were the Governor alone, you would definitely not be able to hold on. But I can."
While he was talking, Zhao Duan had quickly finished writing his first letter to the local military government, took out a seal, sighed, and stamped a scarlet seal on the letter paper!
He looked at Ning Zechen with a smile and said:
"His Majesty gave me the position of envoy of Feng Chan, and allowed me to use the name of Feng Chan to coordinate all the agencies of the entire Jiangnan court. Even seemingly unreasonable orders can be promoted as long as they are given the reason of 'Feng Chan'."
Governor Ning was so blessed that he suddenly realized:
"So, you want to write to other government agencies and ask them to work together to divide the Shen family's property?"
"Smart!" Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"The Shen family has a profound heritage, and its industries span Jiancheng Road and even the Huaihe River Road. Similarly, the Shen family also has many members, and each member of the Shen family has their own calculations and interests."
Governor Ning stood up excitedly and said:
"So, as long as we unite more people to carve up and kill together, those Shen family members who have lost their interests will turn around and put pressure on Mrs. Shen. For this kind of big family, the unity of people is the most important. Once people's hearts are broken, it's time to collapse!
The Shen family is indeed not afraid of engaging in a monetary war of attrition with us, but they are afraid of us engaging in a psychological war!
The old lady must not only win over allies and maintain the continuous obstruction to the imperial court, but also continue to provide benefits to make up for the losses of her people... She can't hold on for long! ”
Zhao Duan smiled and drafted the second letter, which was addressed to "Feng Ju" who was in charge of Huting:
"Don't forget, our allies are not only the government agencies, but also the group of royal merchants and families of all sizes raised by the New Deal.
Dr. Feng Zhong, who presided over the New Deal in Huting, has an old relationship with me. If I send a letter, he can mobilize the group of imperial merchants to join the hunt. ”
Zhao Duan took out the third letter and simply wrote it to the King of Huai'an!
The King of Huai'an, a faction on the fence, showed a tendency to lean toward the imperial court when the market opened in Huting. Zhao Duan simply invited him this time.
Let’s talk about whether there are dates or not.
His fourth letter was written to Luan Cheng, the prefect of Binhai Road, with a very simple request: swallow up the Shen family's accumulation on Binhai Road.
The fifth letter...
The sixth letter...
Zhao Duan wrote a thick stack of letters in one breath, but considering that this war of attrition with the Shen family must end before the empress canonize.
Considering the communication distance in this era, he only contacted nearby "allies".
Unknowingly, Zhao Duan's connections were no longer limited to that corner of the capital, but had spread to the nine realms and eighteen prefectures.
At the end, he called Song Jinxi to come in and said:
"Send someone to deliver these letters, and the worshipers of the Martial Arts Hall should make a trip. I need to be fast enough and safe to avoid being intercepted."
"Yes." Song Jinxi nodded, took the letter, hesitated and asked:
"Sir, do we need to spread out to protect our officials? If those assassins change their targets and attack the officials below..."
But Governor Ning shook his head and said: "No! Neither the Shen family nor Prince Jing's Mansion will do such bad things."
His tone was determined.
The logic is very simple. If Prince Jing turns around and kills his officials, then Zhao Duan can also send his men to hunt down the people in Prince Jing's palace...
And considering that Zhao Duan has five worldly realms under him, a large group of royal ministers and Lihuatang elites...it really means that both sides will not follow the rules and assassinate them.
Both sides will lose miserably and it will be pointless.
"Governor Ning is right, there may still be assassinations, but they are mainly aimed at me and Governor Ning, so during this period, I also live in the Governor's Mansion,"
Zhao Duan thought for a while, suddenly his heart moved, and he said with a smile:
"However, although there is no need to assassinate each other, it does not mean that we can only passively defend.
I bet that the spies of Prince Jing’s Mansion must be secretly monitoring our every move. In this way, we can deliberately throw out some bait to attract the spies of the Prince’s Mansion to snatch them, and then you can kill them...
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You can ask the shadow guards in the city to cooperate with you and provide information.
Hey, I have seen the tactics of the royal spies many times in Beijing, so I decided to give it a try this time. ”
Song Jinxi smiled and exited the room.
The masters of the martial arts palace have been trapped in the palace all year round. They finally went out together and were exhausted along the way. Now they hunted down the palace's spies to relieve their boredom.
……
……
The two sides are completely at war!
This is a fact that everyone in Jianning Mansion has gradually come to understand.
It started from the time when the Shen family and the Governor's Mansion began to fight overtly and covertly.
This group of prominent people who had participated in the "Jingyuan" night banquet that day began to place bets on who would be the first to stop and surrender.
And, how long it will last.
At first, almost everyone believed that the confrontation would take a turn for the worse within a few days at most.
However, as the days passed, this fighting without gunpowder showed no sign of a "ceasefire", but intensified.
What draws people's attention even more is that in the drama of the battle between the local officialdom, headed by the Caoyun Yamen, and the largest local clan in the dynasty, Prince Jing's Mansion, which should have intervened to mediate, was almost silent.
The tenth day of the war.
Civil cases occurred frequently, with dozens of cases occurring in one day, and various county offices were in a state of distress.
The prefect of Jianning Prefecture could not bear it anymore and went to the Caoyun Yamen to ask for a ceasefire, but Zhao Duan politely "invited" him out.
The twentieth day of the war.
Letters sent back from Jiancheng, Huaishui and Binhai Road were sent to the Shen family mansion one after another.
On that day, the Shen family held a family meeting, and most of the clan members were present. No one knew what happened. All they knew was that after it was over, the Shen family broke away, voluntarily abandoned their overseas properties, and went all out to shrink.
The war started for a full month.
This season's canal grain collection encountered obstacles. Zhao Duan went to jail late at night and talked with He Xiaolou, who was imprisoned here.
The next day, twenty strong men beside He Xiaolou and Zhao Duan disappeared. In just two days, there were more than fifty corpses in the Grand Canal.
Water transport vessels sailed on time and were not affected.
……
The forty-ninth day of the war.
It was rainy. Starting from dawn, thin raindrops fell from the sky above Jianning Mansion.
In the Caoyun Yamen where the atmosphere was almost like that of a Chinese military tent on the battlefield, Zhao Duan moved out a green bamboo chair and sat outside the study room with the double doors open.
Close your eyes and meditate under the eaves that are sheltered from the wind and rain.
"My Lord, a secret message from the Shadow Guard!"
The little secretary Qian Kerou ran from the front yard with light steps, her boots stepped on the wet floor, and the splash of rain wet her trousers.
Zhao Duan opened his eyelids, raised his hand to take the secret letter, opened it and pulled out a thin piece of letter paper, scanned it once, raised the corners of his mouth, and looked happy:
"His Majesty's dragon boat has passed through the Huai River. In a few days, it will arrive at Jianning Mansion."
Qian Kerou said in surprise: "Is Your Majesty coming?"
Immediately, she looked bitter again: "But our current situation..."
After forty-nine consecutive days of fierce fighting, although there was no smoke, the losses caused by the paralysis of the imperial court's institutions and the accumulated affairs were enough to dismiss all the officials of Jianning Mansion.
But the situation seems to have not changed. The two sides are still facing each other, and the Shen family is ready to wait until the Empress arrives.
Once the empress arrives, the situation will remain the same and it will inevitably affect the matter of enshrining the emperor.
Zhao Duan might not care about such a serious crime and could resist it with the support of the empress. However, a group of local officials headed by Ning Zechen, Jianning Mansion, and even the entire Jiancheng Road could not withstand it.
In other words, even if Zhao Duan still refuses to relent and Governor Ning risks his life, other local officials will start to "rebel" in order not to be affected. "Don't panic, Kerou, do you believe me?" Zhao Duan smiled.
The little secretary nodded and said, "Of course I believe you, sir."
Zhao Duan smiled:
"If my judgment is correct, the Shen family can no longer hold on. In these few days, Mrs. Shen must make a choice."
Qian Kerou blinked: "Because of yesterday's secret letter?"
Yesterday, the shadow guard in the city sent a secret message at night, but except for Zhao Duan, no one else knew the content.
Zhao Duan smiled and said nothing. Qian Kerou's guess was correct. According to the secret letter, a "forced palace" incident occurred in the Shen family mansion last night.
Unable to bear the loss and pressure, the Shen family forced the old lady into the palace with the instigation and alliance of several Shen family children who were secretly contacted and bribed by Zhao Duan.
Although they were suppressed in the end, the Shen family, which was seen as powerful in the eyes of outsiders, was already under tremendous pressure and was about to collapse.
Seeing that Zhao Duan didn't say anything, Qian Kerou smartly didn't ask any questions, but casually said:
"By the way, just now Song Zongfang sent two more spy heads. According to your instructions, they were sent to the courtyard of Prajna Bodhisattva as usual. The Bodhisattva was a little unhappy and asked you to come over."
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"I know." Zhao Duan curled his lips.
During these days, in addition to the war on the surface, secretly, the worshipers of the Wugong Hall used various means to catch and kill the spies of Prince Jing's palace.
Zhao Duan was quite moved, what is a dimensionality reduction strike... Compared to the royal robes of the Imperial Palace, the worshipers in the palace were invincible in cooperation with the shadow guards.
When it comes to spying, it's just like chopping melons and vegetables... But it's not surprising when you think about how much resources the royal family has spent in order to raise a team of just a few dozen people.
Zhao Duan sighed, picked up the oil-paper umbrella by the door, held the umbrella and walked to another separate courtyard.
As soon as I entered, I saw green lotus leaves covering the water in a pond in the small courtyard. There were frogs and fish hiding under the lotus leaves to "shelter" from the rain.
Prajna Bodhisattva stood quietly next to the square stone pillar at the edge of the pond. There was no trace of being wet on her body, as if any trace of rainwater would be pushed away by invisible forces around her.
She looked at the rippling water, slowly turned back, gritted her teeth and said:
"Master Zhao, can you stop sending people to poor nuns to die?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "Didn't the Bodhisattva promise me that he can help the deceased?"
Prajna Bodhisattva was dressed in gauze, with flowing black hair, and her translucent eyes stared at him faintly:
"If I had known this, I would have gone to the temple early. Why would I have to stay here to help you?"
Zhao Duan rolled his eyes and sneered:
"Bodhisattva, do you still think I don't know? The reason why you didn't leave was because you were greedy for my body. Didn't you also agree to protect me until your Majesty arrives?
Let me tell you good news. His Majesty's dragon boat will arrive at Jianning Mansion soon. The Bodhisattva will be free after a few more days and can leave on his own. ”
Prajna Bodhisattva bit her lip resentfully and acted like an eighteen-year-old girl:
"Why are you so cruel, sir? You know that this poor nun is grateful for your kindness in debating scriptures that day. Your Majesty will not say anything, but in return for this kindness, he will help you."
Huh... help me? Is it to avoid affecting your Zen practice?
Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect. I helped you in debating scriptures and you got benefits. If you don't repay me, how will you repay the "result" in the future... It's obviously selfish, but you don't mean to love me... Zhao Duan said contemptuously:
"Okay, tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Prajna Bodhisattva raised his hand and pointed to the small courtyard in the rain.
There, there was a "Tower of Human Heads" made up of heads piled one after another. Each one came from a secret agent.
At this moment, at the top of the tower of human heads, two fresh heads had their eyes closed, dying extremely peacefully.
When these heads are delivered, almost all of them are dead, but after Prajna salvation, they will become peaceful.
"The poor nun has just 'saved' these two benefactors, and saw some valuable information from the remaining memories of their heads."
Prajna Bodhisattva’s expression is extremely serious:
"The poor nuns 'saw' that King Jing had recently secretly sent them to pick up some people into Jianning Mansion."
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows: "Who is it?"
Prajna Bodhisattva shook his head and said:
"Some of them are suspected of being sorcerers, but they all hide their faces and are sneaky. The only one who shows his face is not a sorcerer, but a martial artist. A martial artist you know."
Do I know him? acquaintance? Zhao Duan asked curiously: "Who?"
"The leader of the Qingshan Martial Immortal has cut off the flow of water."
……
……
As the residence of the prince, Prince Jing's Mansion is different from the Shen family who placed the family mansion outside the city. The entire palace is built within the city, on an open space with an excellent location.
At this moment, deep in the palace, there is a garden filled with strange rocks and rockeries bought from various places.
Prince Jing, who wears wide clothes and long sleeves, with slightly white temples, is sitting in a hexagonal pavilion with a noble and elegant temperament. In front of him is a long green bamboo fishing rod.
The end of the fishing rod dropped slightly, and a thin fishing line sank into the pond directly below the pavilion.
Beside him was a bamboo basket, and behind the bamboo basket was a set of stone tables and benches.
At this moment, Duanshui Shui, who is short but strong, with a slightly square face and a huge nose, and is wearing a black robe, is sitting at the table, holding a leg of lamb in one hand and a wine bottle in the other.
Have a great time.
The table was covered with food. Duan Shuishui tore off large chunks of fragrant mutton with his big mouth, chewing and swallowing. His rough appearance was in stark contrast to the elegant Prince Jing.
After swallowing the mutton, he picked up the wine pot, raised his head and put the spout into his mouth. When no drop of wine came out, he threw it away.
"Bang!"
The exquisite silver wine pot flew out of the hexagonal pavilion and fell into the pond, startling a pond of golden carps.
"Mr. Duan, you scared my fish." Prince Jing frowned and reminded him helplessly.
Duanshui Shui chuckled, wiped the grease on his mouth with his sleeve, and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty wants fish. I will help you catch everything in the pond with just one palm. How about it?"
Prince Jing shook his head and said: "I admire Qingshan martial arts. Mr. Duan's palm skills are overqualified for dealing with swimming fish."
Duan Shuihui laughed at himself: "My lord, please stop flattering me. Last time I was in Huting, I failed against Zhao Duan."
"Well, Mr. Duan fought fiercely with Hai Zongfeng in the past. It's not Mr. Duan's fault that Zhao Duan escaped." Prince Jing waved his hand.
Duanshuifeng lamented:
"Hai Chunlin is obviously old, damn old, and his energy and blood have declined, but he still has that level of strength. He is worthy of being the person who came to my Qingshan for an appointment in place of the royal family of the Yu Kingdom when he was at his peak in the past. It's not bad to lose to him. No shame!”
After a pause, he said:
"Okay, I ate and drank. The prince called me here. Why? You don't want me to kill that person named Zhao again, do you? Haha, this guy can actually defeat Xiao Ran. It's amazing. I was quite surprised.”
Zhao Duan...
Hearing this name, King Jing's face became a little gloomy, and the intelligence that his secret spies had been repeatedly damaged in the past few days came to mind.
He smiled:
"Well, Zhao Duan is traveling this time, and there are many masters around him. I am not interested in fighting with him anymore. In a few days, my niece will enter Jianning and go to Luoshan to become a Zen monk."
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Duanshui Shui raised his eyebrows without saying a word.
Prince Jing smiled and said: "A few days ago, I asked Mr. Duan to return to Qingshan and send the letter to Master Wushan. I wonder what Master Wushan said after reading it?"
The "Lord of the Mountain" in his mouth is naturally the "Lord of the Qingshan", and he is also the "Lord of the Qingcheng City" as people in the world call him.
Duanshui Shui was silent for a moment and said, "My master read it and tore the letter into pieces without saying anything."
"You didn't say anything?" Prince Jing asked.
Duanshui Shui said displeasedly:
"Why did I lie to the prince? The master did not say a word. On the contrary... he went to bed earlier than usual that day."
Prince Jing was thoughtful. At this time, outside the pavilion, the Crown Prince Xu Jinglong walked over quickly:
"Father, the old lady of the Shen family wants to see you!"
Prince Jing was startled, and the corners of his delicately bearded mouth were slightly raised:
"Invite her in."
……
……
When the old lady, who was leaning on a dragon-head crutch, dressed in pure black mourning clothes and with silver-white hair on her temples, was protected by the oil-paper umbrella held up by her maid, Miss Hong, she walked through the bluestone road of the palace and arrived at the living room.
I saw Prince Jing and his son waiting here.
"Haha, why is the old lady here today? It's a rare visitor. It's such a windy and rainy weather. Come in quickly to avoid the cool breeze."
With a warm smile on his face, Prince Jing stood up and went out to greet him personally, with the crown prince Xu Jinglong obediently following behind.
"I have met the prince." Mrs. Shen stopped and slowly bowed her head in salute.
However, after not seeing her for more than a month, this old woman who was originally rosy and energetic has become much more haggard.
On the face with ravines and crisscrosses, every wrinkle hides the weariness of physical and mental exhaustion.
"You don't need to be polite, old lady."
Prince Jing pretended to be displeased and personally helped the old woman with the title of Imperial Lady into the living room.
After the servants served tea, King Jing asked with concern about the burial of the second son of the Shen family. When he learned that the coffin had been buried for peace, he couldn't help but look sad and comforted him with a few words of comfort, such as not to be too sad.
Apart from this, there is no mention of the recent fight between Zhao Duan and the Shen family.
It was as if he was completely unaware of the wind and rain in the outside world.
The old lady sat in the jet black sandalwood chair, was silent for a moment, and said straight to the point:
"Prince Jing, I have taken the liberty to come here today to ask just one question. Do the words His Highness the Crown Prince said in my Shen family mourning hall that day still count?"
What did I say? Oh, by the way, it is said that the door of the palace will be open to the Shen family at any time... Xu Jinglong was stunned for a moment, then he realized and smiled: "Naturally, I will."
The old lady ignored him and continued to stare at Prince Jing.
Xu Jinglong: "..."
King Jing Xu Wen tried his best to suppress his smile: "Natural will do the trick."
The old lady nodded. The old woman who was in charge of the largest wealthy family in Jiangnan took a deep breath, as if she had finally made up her mind. Her gray eyes, clouded by insomnia for days, stared at Xu Wen and said:
"The Shen family needs help from the palace."
Prince Jing was overjoyed and couldn't hold back his lips: "Easy to say, easy to say...What does the old lady need?"
The old woman in mourning clothes said calmly:
"I don't covet anything else, as long as Zhao Duan is buried with my grandson."
The prince next to him, Xu Jinglong, frowned and said, "The one who killed your grandson was the one who worshiped Song Jinxi..."
The old lady snorted coldly:
"What weight does a mere eunuch who obeys orders have? I only want Zhao Duan's life! From now on, the Shen family will only obey the prince."
The prince said displeased: "Don't be too..."
Prince Jing raised his hand to interrupt him, nodded as if he had expected it:
"Okay."
At this time, not only Xu Jinglong, but also the old lady was stunned for a moment and looked at Xu Wen suspiciously, feeling that the agreement was too straightforward.
Xu Jinglong started to think about it, wondering if his father had invited Mr. Duan to come to his house for this purpose?
Yes, the Huting assassination attempt failed, but this time it was at his own base camp, so the success rate was naturally different.
"I wonder how the prince plans to take action? There are many experts around Zhao Duan, I'm afraid..." the old lady asked later.
Prince Jing smiled slightly, as if he had been prepared, he reached into his arms and took out an envelope.
Immediately, a strand of black hair was poured out from the envelope.
……
Outside the reception room.
A royal maid unexpectedly raised her head and looked at Lu Yan'er walking in the rain: "Your Highness, Princess?"
(End of chapter)