inspire-indiana Chapter 1584 Jia Heng: I will go after him myself!
Chapter 1584 Jia Heng: I will go after him myself!
Chapter 1584 Jia Heng: I will go after him myself!
Jinyifu, government office
The hall was frozen in place, and the atmosphere was like the weather in June, with dark clouds and a thunderstorm brewing.
Jia Heng's face was as gloomy as iron. He looked coldly at Liu Jixian who had returned and asked, "What's going on?"
Liu Jixian looked dejected and clasped his fists and said, "Commander-in-chief, Gao Zhongping's men have already escaped."
As soon as these words were spoken, Qu Lang's face turned pale and his hands and feet felt cold.
"Tens of thousands of soldiers in the capital, can't they keep watch on one person? Tens of thousands of spies in the Jinyi Palace, can't they keep watch on one person?" Jia Heng was also a little furious at this moment.
If I don't keep an eye on it for a while, such a mistake will happen? What is the Jinyi Mansion doing?
Chen Xiao said from the side: "The guards did not dare to be rude to him because he was the second assistant of the cabinet. While they were hesitating, they gave Gao Zhongping a chance."
Because Gao Zhongping had not yet rebelled at this moment, and was still a legitimate second-in-command of the cabinet, it was acceptable to let the Jinyifu guards monitor a cabinet minister, but it was really rude and reckless, and controlling him like a prisoner with a guard every ten steps and a sentry every five steps was a bit cautious.
The lack of constant surveillance and the delays and hesitations between actions gave Gao Zhongping an opportunity.
In other words, he sensed the weird atmosphere in the capital from the surveillance of the Jinyi Palace, so he made a prompt decision and planned to escape from the capital.
This is a keen sense of smell developed from his service as a provincial governor for more than ten years from the Longzhi period to the Chongping period.
A keen eye for danger.
In other words, it was the intensive surveillance by the Jinyi Mansion that allowed Gao Zhongping to escape early.
Qu Lang's face was as pale as paper, and he was filled with remorse.
The person should have been arrested right away.
Jia Heng suppressed his anger, stared at Liu Jixian, and asked, "When did you run away?"
"According to the manager, I disguised myself and left the capital yesterday, and it has been one night." Liu Jixian was stunned for a moment and replied quickly.
Jia Heng quickly calculated the distance in his mind and said in a deep voice, "We should be able to catch up!"
This is not an era with high-speed trains and airplanes, and the capital city is a long way away from Sichuan.
Chen Xiao's expression paused for a moment, and he looked at the young man in the python robe. He felt a little worried, and said, "Let the Tiqi go out and track him down."
Jia Heng waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "I will go after him myself!"
Now he is the only one left and he feels that others are unreliable.
Jia Heng said, "Have someone inform the Prime Minister of the Cabinet that Gao Zhongping colluded with Chen Yuan and other rebels, defected from the court, and started a rebellion in Sichuan. The court labeled him a traitor, and sent a letter by carrier pigeon to the Jinyifu guards in Guanzhong, informing the local government offices and guards to guard the passes and important roads. No one and no horse can pass for one month."
If he stayed in the capital, he would have to follow the character of a loyal minister and be cautious and consider the opinions of people inside and outside the court.
But now he has abandoned his official position and fled from the capital, which has confirmed the rebellion plan, all of which was his idea.
The journey from Shenjing City to the Han Bashu area is long, and it is not easy to escape.
"Come here, prepare three thousand Ti cavalry, I will go after them myself." Jia Heng said in a deep voice.
After all, his men were young and could not defeat this old fox.
In other words, Gao Zhongping must have sensed the danger from the strange situation, which is the style of Emperor Chongping's strategist.
After all, I underestimated this loyal minister.
At this time, Jia Heng stood up, and the Jinyifu cavalry chased after him outside.
Seeing this, Qu Lang suppressed the negative emotions in his heart and followed Jia Heng out of the hall and government office in a hurry.
Soon after, a large number of Jinyifu cavalry, led by Liu Jixian, left the Jinyifu officials together.
The overall situation in Beijing will be temporarily handed over to Chen Xiao.
It doesn't matter how much fault the Jinyifu has in this matter. The only thing left now is to hunt down Gao Zhongping.
At this moment, the Jinyifu cavalry marched forward in a mighty force, without stopping, and left the Shenjing city.
……
……
However, it was late at night, the moon was shining brightly, and fireflies were flickering back and forth in the summer night, like twinkling stars.
"Mr. Dong, take a rest." Wu Xiancheng is old after all, and at the moment he looks tired and speaks out of breath.
Although Gao Zhongping was skilled in archery and horse riding, he was sweating profusely after running all the way in the summer night. He was hot and tired. He looked up at the dark sky and said, "Let's walk a little further. Don't stay here any longer."
"We have been running for a whole day and night, Dongweng, take a break. The government troops have not caught up with us." Kuang Shouzheng, who was standing by, was also a little exhausted and said, "People can bear it, but horses can't."
Because Gao Zhongping's escape was when he suddenly realized the danger in Shenjing City, and he did not wait for the situation to change, but left immediately. Therefore, the few people did not make much preparation, and everything was done in a hurry. They finally got out of Shenjing City by surprise.
There were only two horses prepared.
Wu Xiancheng looked deeply and said in a deep voice: "Dong Weng, how did you know that the situation in the capital had reached a critical moment?"
Gao Zhongping sighed and said worriedly, "When the servants of the mansion go out, they are all followed and interrogated by the Jinyifu. It must be the instruction of the Wei Wang. They are so wary of me. It can be seen that the rebellion in Sichuan has probably already happened. The Wei Wang has already known that I was behind the rebellion in Sichuan."
Upon hearing this, Kuang Shouzheng frowned and asked in confusion, "Since King Wei had already noticed it, why did he just sit there and do nothing?"
Gao Zhongping was silent for a moment, and said, "Prince Wei is wary of me. I'm afraid that the departure of the Wei and Liang vassals from the capital was also under his control."
It was not until this moment that Gao Zhongping realized that this was a trap carefully designed by Prince Wei. He wanted to lure Chongping into a trap and use the stigma of rebellion to wipe out Chongping's old ministers in one fell swoop.
In other words, let the remnants of the King of Zhao, who were mired in disgrace, and the two vassal states of Wei and Liang drag the Gao family in Sichuan into the water.
This was because the Gao family was the backup force left by Emperor Chongping to check and balance Jia Heng. Together with Li Zan, one was in the central government and the other in the local area, one was patient and the other was intimidating, and they assisted the King of Chu together.
But I didn’t expect one thing after another to happen later.
Kuang Shouzheng couldn't help but show a puzzled look on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Dong Weng, if the King of Wei wants to capture Dong Weng, he should just use the Jinyi minions to capture him directly, why bother with this unnecessary effort?"
Gao Zhongping snorted coldly, his eyes were full of pride, and he said, "I am an old minister of the previous emperor's palace, an old guard who has been keeping the emperor's promise, and the chief minister of the frontier! What crime did he accuse me of? At that time, people all over the world were against him, and heroes and patriots were surging. How could he still steal the divine weapon? How could he still claim to be orthodox? How could he still live in the capital?"
At this point, the former loyal minister of Emperor Chongping had completely seen through Jia Heng's true face.
Traitors and traitors, they are treacherous but appear loyal!
Not only did he want to usurp the throne, but he also wanted the Chen Han to abdicate to him. Otherwise, he could just take advantage of the rare talent and become the regent in place of the Han Dynasty.
This was the reason for the previous worship of Emperor Chongping.
Even if his bloodline is not Chen Han, it is still a luxury to hope that the country is nominally named Chen Han.
Kuang Shouzheng said, "How can Dong Weng explain to the people of the world that he returned to Sichuan and wanted to raise an army? The King of Wei will definitely slander Dong Weng by calling him a traitor."
Apart from other things, a frontier official who colluded with the remnants of King Zhao and contacted the two rebellious sons of Wei and Liang was more like an ambitious person.
As for the palace secrets, they were more like slander against Jia Heng that was not worthy of being made public.
Wu Xiancheng frowned and said, "In the eyes of the world, the King of Wei is now a loyal minister who supports the young master and is loyal to him. As long as he does not usurp the throne, he will have a righteous reputation in his hands."
Gao Zhongping said coldly: "It's just a matter of who wins and who loses. It's just a battle. Everyone says that the King of Wei has unparalleled military strategy and is invincible. I will measure the quality of this King of Wei!"
He only spoke for a moment, then his eyes dimmed and he said, "But I have already fallen into their trap. It is just a waste of time. Now I can only rely on fate."
When men of wisdom and strategy fight, they often compete for the upper hand. Gao Zhongping lost at first, but was able to react in time, which made him worthy of the title of a loyal minister of Emperor Chongping.
Wu Xiancheng looked at the mountains in the distance that looked like giant beasts in the night and said, "Dong Weng, it's not easy to walk along this road because of the high winds and dark moon."
There are many mountains and passes from Chang'an to Shu, and the three people were just escaping temporarily.
At this moment, Gao Zhongping looked up at the bright moon in the sky and said with emotion: "Whether I can escape to Shu depends entirely on fate."
At this moment, several people came down and started to feed the horses. They didn't say anything. Only the snorts of the horses under their crotch were particularly depressing in the silent night.
Gao Zhongping picked up the water bag and dry food and chewed them in small sips. He was a famous official of Chongping who had a military career and was both civil and military.
Now that I am over fifty, I have some white hair on my temples, as white as frost, with a sense of desolation and sadness.
"Dong Weng, is the King of Wei really such a treacherous and evil person?" Kuang Shouzheng raised his thin eyebrows and said in a deep voice: "Perhaps, those filthy and slanderous words are just the remnants of the King of Zhao's imagination? After all, the secrets of the palace have always been... misty."
Gao Zhongping shook his head and said, "I didn't believe it at first, but now I see that he has the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf, and has long had the intention of being disloyal."
At this point, Gao Zhongping sighed and said, "I'm afraid he has been working hard and planning for a long time. From conquering Liaodong to now having power in the court, it was not a plan that happened overnight. Emperor Xianzong trusted him too much after all."
Kuang Shouzheng sighed.
Wu Xiancheng said in a deep voice: "Prince Wei was victorious in all battles and pacified Liaodong. Emperor Xianzong was a man of great talent and strategy, and thought he could suppress his talent, but he didn't expect..."
At the end, Wu Xiancheng was also filled with emotion.
Gao Zhongping's face was as hard as steel, and he said in a deep voice: "It's the timing and luck. Although the external threat to Liaodong has gone, the internal troubles are even greater, which is why we have reached the current situation."
A few of them chatted to relieve the fatigue of the bumpy ride.
Then, a few people felt tired and took a nap beside the horses, and time passed silently.
The summer night was already hot and full of mosquitoes. A few people dozed off for a while, then woke up again, all startled.
Fortunately, there was no sound of horse hooves from government troops behind us.
"It's almost done. Let's go and escape to Hanzhong. You and I will go into the mountains." Gao Zhongping placed the water bag on the horse, a look of determination appearing on his resolute face.
"Mr. Dong, it's not even dawn yet." Wu Xiancheng's face was full of fatigue and exhaustion.
Gao Zhongping's face was solemn. He said, "We can't delay. The King of Wei's troops may catch up with us at any time, and the local guards at the pass will also block us. We need to escape into the mountains of Shu as soon as possible. That's when we can escape to heaven."
The journey from Shenjing to Shu is long. Whether they can escape depends on when King Wei can react and their luck.
Although Wu Xiancheng and Kuang Shouzheng were so sleepy that their eyelids were drooping, they still managed to hold on, climbed onto their horses, pulled up the reins, and urged the horses along the road covered with
However, Jia Heng tracked the enemy all the way from the capital, split his troops into two groups, and rushed along the official road from Chang'an to Shu.
Behind him were nearly a thousand Ti cavalrymen, riding fast horses, galloping along the official road, raising a huge cloud of dust.
Before I knew it, two days had passed. I was exhausted and hadn't slept for two days and two nights.
Jia Heng's eyes were bloodshot, and Qu Lang, the commander of the Jinyi Palace beside him, also had a pale and haggard look.
"How many people are there?" Jia Heng gripped the reins tightly on his horse, expressionless and asked in a deep voice.
Qu Lang said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, there are still five or six hundred people."
As they ran for their lives, the Jinyifu's cavalry fell behind a little.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "Dismount and rest for a quarter of an hour, and then continue the pursuit without stopping."
Qu Lang responded without saying anything else, and ordered Jin Yiti behind him to get up.
He cannot escape the blame for Gao Zhongping's escape from the capital this time.
Wait for the soldiers to rest for a while.
"Sorry..."
The Ti cavalry behind him mounted their horses again and continued their pursuit along the official road of Bashu.
……
……
Let’s not talk about Jia Heng’s pursuit of Gao Xiang under the moonlight, and what the result was, but let’s talk about Chengdu Prefecture, the Governor’s Office—
Outside the door stood teams of soldiers wearing the Han army's dark armor and red robes, with straight steel goose-feather swords on their waists. Their eyes were sharp and their expressions were extremely alert.
In the hall, Sichuan Commander-in-Chief Gao Cheng was discussing military intelligence with Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong, while Gao Yong and Gao Bo sat down on the pearwood chairs nearby and listened to their conversation.
Gao Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Shunqing Prefecture has been occupied by the White Lotus Sect. The urgent message from the Imperial Military Affairs Office has been sent to the government office. The Governor's Office should send troops."
Zeng Shuhong said: "It is appropriate to send troops, but we should also send troops to guard the pass to prevent the court's troops from breaking through Guanzhong and attacking Shuzhong."
Gao Yong took over the conversation and asked, "This matter is of utmost importance. We should send someone to investigate it first."
Gao Cheng nodded and asked, "By the way, has Father not come back yet?"
Gao Bo looked surprised and asked, "No news yet?"
Gao Cheng said: "Send someone to send another letter by carrier pigeon to urge the matter. The capital has become a place of trouble. Father cannot stay in the capital for long."
When Gao Bo heard this, his sparkling eyes flickered, and his heart moved slightly. He asked, "Brother, are you worried about the safety of our father?"
Gao Cheng frowned, his eyes dark, and said in a deep voice: "The King of Wei is a man of deep thoughts and ruthless means. He may have sent people to monitor father at this moment. As long as there is any unusual movement in Bashu, they may capture father."
Gao Bo looked worried when he heard this.
Under Gao Cheng's resolute eyebrows, a fierce and sinister look flashed in his sharp eyes. He turned to look at Zeng Shuhong and said, "The Jinyi Mansion has a spy in the city. We need to bring him here later. We need to get rid of this eye of the court."
Zeng Shuhong's face was calm, like a mysterious water, his eyes were bright and sharp under his two dark eyebrows, and he said, "Come here, go and invite the Qianhu of the Qianhu Office of the Sichuan Jinyi Mansion to come over."
Then, Zeng Shuhong instructed a clerk beside him, walked out of the hall and went to the Jinyi Mansion.
Chengdu Prefecture, Jinyifu Qianhu Suo——
Shen Tingmei, a captain of the Jinyi Guards, was currently sitting behind a lacquered wooden table, a look of calmness appearing on his resolute and calm face.
The Jinyifu in Chengdu Prefecture was restructured after Jia Heng took power in the Jinyifu. He also replaced the Jinyifu guards of the Chengdu Prefecture's Qianhu Suo.
Therefore, the previous surveillance of the Sichuan Governor's Office was so smooth.
"Sir, something seems to be different in Chengdu Prefecture recently. The atmosphere is very tense." A trusted captain beside Shen Tingmei spoke up.
Shen Tingmei nodded and said gently, "Then let the brothers pay attention to it later."
At this moment, above the blue brick and black tile house, a lieutenant from the Jinyifu wearing a flying fish uniform quickly entered the hall and whispered, "Sir, the governor's office has sent a clerk to invite you to the governor's office to have a chat."
When Shen Tingmei heard this, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Or, he is also an old hand who seems to have sensed some danger from the recent situation.
"Master Qianhu, could this... be a trick?" asked the trusted captain beside him.
"It's possible." Shen Tingmei's eyes flashed coldly, and he snorted coldly, saying, "Go and tell the person who comes that I'm not feeling well today and can't see guests."
No matter what, he could not risk going to the Governor's Office, and needed to report the recent situation in the city to the capital as soon as possible.
The captain in brocade uniforms was stunned for a moment, bowed in response, then turned around and rejected the messenger.
In the Governor's Office, in the government hall -
Zeng Shuhong was slightly startled when he saw the clerk come back and report Shen Tingmei's reaction. He turned to look at Gao Cheng beside him with a hint of coldness in his eyes and said, "Are you alert?"
Gao Yong interrupted, "Jia Heng's lackeys are on the alert now."
Gao Bo asked, "Should we send people to surround the Jinyifu Yamen and destroy the Jinyifu Yamen's office?"
Gao Cheng said: "Now is not the right time. In the eyes of outsiders, this matter is like a blatant confrontation with the court. We must not rush into it."
This flag is still needed now, or in other words, Sichuan is not ready at the moment.
Gao Yong said in a deep voice: "I think it's almost time. Don't let the court take the initiative."
Zeng Shuhong frowned and said, "Sichuan's current situation still needs to be handled by the elder. With what you and I can do, it is difficult to take charge of the overall situation."
This is the truth. After all, the opponent they are facing is the victorious and brave King Wei. It is impossible to say that there is no pressure.
Gao Bo said: "Given the current situation, Chengdu Prefecture cannot do without father."
"I hope God will bless my father and let him arrive in Bashu safely." Gao Cheng looked outside and murmured.
Praying in my heart.
……
……
I hope I can get it done in the next chapter. I originally had 3,000 words in this chapter, but it ended up being a mess.
In fact, Gao Zhongping, an important character, cannot die like a dog without causing any waves. From the perspective of character portrayal, he must be given a shot.