novelSusiti Chapter 54 He bet the Emperor wouldn't dare touch him
Chapter 54 He bet the Emperor wouldn't dare touch him
My resignation letter has been sitting in the Imperial Study for three days.
It was already the third day since Qiao Zhou refused Fei Guan's request.
As dusk fell, a fast horse galloped out from the south gate of the Central Protectorate.
The military post station they traveled through carried the token of the Central Protectorate General.
Chen Dao's sentry was crouching on the corner of the city wall, and could see clearly.
The news reached the Imperial Study less than half an hour after the riders left the city.
Liu Shan read the silk strip without saying a word.
He reached out and pressed the silk strip under the paperweight.
There was no movement all day the next day.
At noon on the third day, trouble struck.
-
An urgent military report was sent to the Prime Minister's residence.
The words "Central Protectorate" were stamped on with sealing wax.
The main text is just one sentence.
"The Eastern Wu navy has assembled at Zigui with a force of over 20,000, and it is suspected that they intend to advance westward. I request that the Prime Minister quickly dispatch troops from Hanzhong to the south to provide support."
Inside the Imperial Study.
Zhuge Liang placed the military report on the table but did not sit down.
Liu Shan glanced at it but didn't take it.
"Does the Prime Minister believe it?"
"I don't believe it."
"Several flaws."
Three places.
Zhuge Liang's fingertip touched the sealing wax.
"If Eastern Wu were to deploy 20,000 naval troops, the garrison at Yong'an, or Li Hui's spies—at least one of them should receive a reward."
"Now there is only one voice from the Central Protectorate."
Liu Shan nodded.
"second."
"The rotation of troops in Zigui always requires reporting to Lu Xun first. Lu Xun couldn't possibly be unaware of the mobilization of 20,000 men."
"However, the Eastern Wu official gazette that Fei Yi received last month stated that Lu Xun was supervising the construction of the city wall in Wuchang. He did not leave Wuchang within a month."
"third."
Zhuge Liang turned the military report over.
"We took the military post station of the Central Protectorate."
"It's not the post road of Yong'an."
The hall was silent for three breaths.
Liu Shan's thumb left an indentation.
"The Governor of Yong'an did not report it, but the Central Protectorate reported it first."
"right."
He made it up himself.
Zhuge Liang did not respond.
He doesn't need to give the answer.
-
Liu Shan closed the military report.
What did he bet on?
Zhuge Liang paused for a moment.
"I'm betting that the Northern Expedition cannot proceed without his command of supplies. I'm betting that His Majesty wouldn't dare to touch him before the army sets off."
"Gambler—"
Zhuge Liang paused for a moment.
"Remembering the old affections entrusted to him."
Liu Shan pressed his knuckles against the indentation.
"Will the Prime Minister read it?"
"This clause was not included in the late emperor's will."
-
"What should we do?"
"Two steps."
"Not a single soldier will be transferred from the garrison in Hanzhong. The Northern Expedition will proceed as planned."
"Step two."
"Send Fei Yi to Yong'an. Do it openly."
"Is this enough?"
"That's enough. Let him make a detour to Jiangdong on his way."
Liu Shan did some calculations.
"A few days."
"Half a month."
"Can he afford to wait?"
"It's better if we can't wait."
-
Zhuge Liang walked to the door.
Liu Shan called out to the man.
"Prime Minister."
"His Majesty."
"Not a single word was mentioned in court."
Zhuge Liang turned around.
"Let him sit and burn it."
Liu Shan pressed his knuckles into the dent again.
"People who can't sit still are prone to making a fool of themselves."
Zhuge Liang nodded, lifted the curtain, and went out.
-
Fei Yi left the city at dawn.
Ten horsemen provided escort. No ceremonial procession was used.
The official explanation given was that they were inspecting the defenses of Yong'an.
-
The study of the Central Protectorate.
Fei Guan pushed open the door and went in.
Li Yan sat by the window, a pot of wine in his hand.
Do not wipe the sword.
He took the sword off the shelf and placed it on his lap.
The cloth was pressed down on the sword sheath and did not move.
Fei Guan stopped.
"Guardian—"
Fei Yi is gone.
Fei Guan's hand hung in mid-air.
"Go verify it."
Li Yan poured the wine.
A drop of wine spilled and landed on the sword sheath.
He didn't wipe it.
"Over in Yong'an—"
"I know."
Li Yan finished the wine in one gulp.
"There is no navy."
Fei Guan's face turned pale.
-
"Guardian. This—"
"Brother Fei."
"exist."
"On the day I submitted my resignation, you asked His Majesty what would happen if he approved it."
Fei Guan did not answer.
"There's no need to ask now."
Li Yan looked up.
I smiled.
The laugh was brief.
Whether it's accurate or not, it's all the same.
Fei Guan took half a step forward.
"Guardian—"
"go out."
Fei Guan didn't move.
"go out."
Li Yan didn't raise his voice.
Fei Guan stood for three breaths.
He retreated to the doorway and glanced back one last time.
Li Yan carried him on his back.
His shoulders are very straight.
The sword was still resting on his lap.
The cloth pressed down on the drop of wine on the sword sheath, and it remained unwiped.
-
into the night.
The Imperial Study.
The second draft of the Northern Expedition strategy, spread out on page three.
The military deployment in Longyou consisted of five routes.
Liu Shan's gaze lingered on the fourth route.
"A detachment. The old Chencang road. Three thousand light cavalry. Commander to be determined."
To be determined.
That position—Zhuge Liang didn't fill in.
Both of them knew who should fill in.
Liu Shan circled the words "pending".
The above is a summary.
-
Take the diagram from the bottom of the hidden compartment.
The annotations in Li Yan's column were already squeezed to the edge of the silk.
A line was added at the end.
"False military intelligence reports."
The pen tip pressed down for a moment.
Four more words were added.
"Waiting for Fei Yi's return."
Press down for another breath.
The last line, in small print.
"To be settled in one fell swoop."
The pen was put down.
-
The Dongwu Gazette, which Fei Yi had sent before his departure, was pressed down on the corner of the desk.
A line of small print on the last page.
"The King of Wu held a banquet for his officials in Jianye. Lu Xun had not yet arrived, claiming to be ill. During the banquet, the King of Wu said, 'My Jiangdong territory is far more than just three-tenths.'"
Liu Shan finished reading it.
I pick up my pen.
Two words were written next to it.
remember.
-
Another piece of silk was passed under the curtain.
The courtesy name of Chen Dao.
"At the rear gate of the Central Protectorate. Early in the evening. A man went out, not on horseback. He walked west along the alley."
west.
The direction of Jiang Wan's residence.
Liu Shan's thumb fell into the dent.
in the end.
He didn't rush to approve it.
Place the silk cloth under the paperweight, pressing it down on top of the military report from the Central Protectorate.
-
The wick of the bean lamp was shorter than usual.
Liu Shan did not dial the number.
Footsteps walked heavily past the door without stopping.
Only that lamp remained in the hall.
Look at the two layers of silk on the table.
The first floor contains fabricated military intelligence by Li Yan.
The first layer contains the footprints left by Li Yan during the night.
[End of Chapter]