Chapter 783: Choice

The fourth day of September.

"Baitouxia Great Victory, 110,000 soldiers were killed!"

A banner was tied on the back of the yamen servant, and a big gong was held in his hand, shouting as he walked, and there were quite a few of them, a full twenty people lined up in two rows, beating the gong and shouting on the road without haste.

This is called "victory". It is to advertise the great victory on the front line, and let the people in the city spread the word.

This method has many benefits, the most important thing is to make the common people feel at ease, let the common people feel the favorable situation that the war is about to leave or the country is winning, so as to stabilize the country.

The seemingly simple and rough method is the most effective method.

Because for ordinary people who have limited information and can only learn about the situation of the battle from the Yamen, they believe the voice of the Yamen, which is also the credibility that the Jingjiu Dynasty has gradually built up over the long years.

Not only is there such a joyous victorious team in the imperial city, but there are also big cities in Jingjiu Dynasty. The whole country knows that the south will not be able to fight for long, and the difficult days are coming to an end. A jubilant atmosphere began to rise in the vast area of ​​the old Jing Dynasty, and the common people speculated in their spare time whether the damned barbarians would be completely exterminated this time.

But different from the joy of the common people, the victory of Baitou Gorge is a death knell for some people in the imperial city. When the bell rings, someone will die, but they don't know whether it is someone else or themselves.

The study room in Lingwang's mansion was full of people, fortunately there was an air conditioner to help cool it down, otherwise there would be an unpleasant smell of sweat in the room.

Yang Shu was holding herbal tea with ice in it, and it made a crisp sound when it was shaken. But it seemed a little harsh in the quiet study room.

Today's Yang Shu is no longer a dark horse, but the prince who ranks first in actual strength. Not only did he have the imperial merchant "tea" as well as many merchants and emerging nobles as the cornerstone of his team, but he also used the power of tight money and food to consolidate his reputation and prestige in various parts of the country.

In the end, with the successive deaths of the three princes, King Qian, King Lu, and King Jing, Yang Shu either overtly or secretly used means to gather the forces under the command of these three princes as much as possible. And seized the most critical "big test" site: the imperial city force.

There are three forces in the imperial city, one is the Xuanqing Guard and the Forbidden Army, these are the emperor's private army and are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War; The defenders of the four gates of the imperial city and the servants of the local yamen of the imperial city.

The guards of the four gates and the government servants in the city seem to be the weakest in the imperial city's armed forces, but they are the only armed forces allowed by the emperor to be included in the "big exam". If you take down the four guards and yamen servants, you will be closer to the throne.

Now, the south gate of the imperial city and the local yamen are in Yang Shu's hands.

Ximen is in the hands of Shou Wang Yang Lin.

The East Gate originally belonged to King Jing, but after the death of King Jing, it was taken over by the third prince, Yang Yong, King of Wu.

The North Gate was originally under the control of King Lu, but after the death of King Lu, it fell into the hands of the sixth prince, Qi Wang Yang Feng.

Calculated in this way, Yang Shu's strength is only one more than the other three princes' strength as a local yamen servant in the imperial city. Of course, he must also count the most powerful guest ministers under his command. Therefore, his current strength is absolutely number one.

However, the "big test" is not a one-on-one duel, but a chaotic battle with almost no rules. In the end, only one person is considered victorious. The "strongest" one.

Of course, it is not uncommon in the history of the royal family's "big exam" that Lian Heng was reversed and wiped out. But more often, the "strongest" became the first one to die without paying attention.

No one wants to die, Yang Shu is even less willing, let alone die in front of the throne, Yang Shu will never die with peace in his eyes.

Of course there are countermeasures. He has such a large number of counselors who share the same fate with Yang Shu. In addition to being in charge of specific affairs, these people also have special counselors, some analyze and deduce the worst situation, and some even come up with ideas to let Yang Shu pass the test. .

But time is a big problem, and Yang Shu now has a life-and-death choice.

The military victory in the south was a clarion call to the "big test", and Yang Shu had no room to retreat.

The counselors in the study watched carefully, not daring to disturb Yang Shu's thoughts by making any noise at will.

After a long time, Yang Shu said, "How sure are you?"

"Go back to the prince, I'm 80% sure!"

"Basically? Hehe, if this matter fails, my life will be over. And your end will not be happy." Yang Shu's expression was strange, seven points fierce, three points gloomy. He stopped in the middle of speaking, and his eyes swept across the faces of every counselor in the lower head like knives.

After another long silence, Yang Shu suddenly put the teacup in his hand heavily on the table. The tea splashed out and wet his clothes, and he didn't care. severe.

"Forget it! Father often said that if you are 70% sure, you can gamble your life, and the success or failure is up to God! I, Yang Shu, started at the end of the day, but now I am only one step away from the throne. If I die, I will die. I bet on this life! "

With just one sentence, more than a dozen counselors below knelt down on one knee and shouted, "Follow the prince to the death."

The plan was made by these advisers, and the idea was taken by Yang Shu himself. But no one can be sure of the final result, otherwise Yang Shu would not have repeatedly said the word "gambling".

However, although it is a "gamble", it is not a blind guess with closed eyes, but a planned and strategic layout.

According to the analysis of the counselors, the current situation in the imperial city will be completely set in September, which means that this month, the winner of the "big test" must be determined. The basis is the strangely fast advancing speed of the military affairs in the south. And the scattered messages from the palace about the emperor's physical condition.

The combination of the two conditions can kill time.

The time is coming to an end, and the "big exam" will definitely follow the accelerated pace. And now it is the "strongest" Lingwang Shu who is standing out.

Three to one, Yang Shu didn't dare to say that he could win, and he even knew that he might lose, because a lot of power in his hands was filled recently, not to mention digesting, how useful it is at the moment of life and death Not sure at all.

"Huangzishan must be absolutely safe, and we must not be seen in advance. In addition, our people must enter the north gate at least three days in advance, and Huangzishan must arrange their identities properly." Although he made up his mind, life and death were inevitable for Yang Shu. I was a little nervous, and I had to tell him again that all the details were not even the slightest bit wrong.

"My lord, don't worry, there will be a group of soldiers rotating at the north gate tomorrow, and our people will mix in at that time, and arrangements have been made for Huang Zishan."