Guzang Xicheng, the residence of Xie Tongshi, the Minister of War.
The Xie Mansion is really not big, and the architecture of the three-level house is quite strange. The outside looks like an ordinary house in Liangzhou. The square house is gray and looks solid and ordinary.
The main house is a two-story building with a big round head.
Every time Tongshi Xie returns home and sees this, he feels a little gloomy, but there is nothing he can do about it. This is a house left by a Hu merchant. The merchants value profit over separation and would not properly arrange a place to stay during their journey.
Speaking of it, Guzang was one of the important nodes for trade in the Western Regions. It was also an important town in the northwest, where troops and horses were stationed. Its importance is self-evident. It was taken seriously during the Qin and Han Dynasties and began to become more prosperous and glorious. In the past thousand years, there have been ups and downs.
It reached its peak during the Daye period.
The prosperity did not last long, but at that time, there was an endless flow of caravans, and all kinds of goods were piled up like mountains. The population of Guzang once exceeded 200,000, which was not much inferior to the big cities in the Central Plains. Serious
The Northwest thoroughfare is where the population gathers.
But today, having lost the support of the Central Plains and suffering from war, Guzang has become lonely very quickly. In fact, the geographical environment has determined that it cannot support the important task of being the political, economic and cultural center of the northwest alone, otherwise
If so, the starting point of the Silk Road would not be Chang'an, but Guzang.
Just like this city, the gap between the former governor of Liangzhou and the former governor of Liangzhou, Xie Tongshi, is also huge.
Tongshi Xie always felt that he had a distinguished status, his official position had been very influential in the northwest, and he had made great contributions in defending Liangzhou during the Bai Yusuo Rebellion.
But in the end, he had to commit himself to being a thief. What is this called? This is called a time when there is no hero, so Shuzi became famous... Okay, it's a bit inappropriate. If Li Gui was a Shuzi, wouldn't everyone else be worse than a Shuzi? But
That was probably what it meant, and Tongshi Xie felt uncomfortable.
Therefore, Tongshi Xie has always regarded himself as orthodox and is always ready to return to "Zhengshuo". This sounds very awkward, because where is there any Zhengshuo in the world today?
But in the northwest, there were quite a few people who had the same aspirations as Tongshi Xie. Most of them were members of the Kansai clan who were stationed in the northwest at that time. Among them, Wei Shizheng, the Minister of Rites, was the main one.
Actually, to put it simply, returning to Zhengshuo is just an excuse for self-comfort. He just can't let go of his arrogance and doesn't want to hang out with a group of northwest natives and live under a merchant like Li Gui.
This is a very common problem encountered by princes today. As the most proud group among the nobles in the late Sui Dynasty, the Guanxi clan did not want to be used by Li Gui. It is not surprising at all.
On this day, Master Xie returned very late, and the moon was already hanging in the sky.
Commander Xie turned over and dismounted, stamped his feet, looked up and saw the big head above him again, he couldn't help but grunted twice, feeling uncomfortable all over his body.
Master Xie Tong's ancestral home is in Shu. He is not very tall, but he is a few generations removed, so he still looks a bit like Shu people. Because he has been an official in the northwest for many years, his skin has become dark and rough, and his figure is a bit fat, but he is still
Quite healthy.
Well, Tongshi Xie is a fat black man. Some people outside jokingly call him Long Tusk. This is the elegant name for wild boars in the northwest. It falls on the head of Tongshi Xie. Apart from being a metaphor for being aggressive and strong, there is no element of praise in it.
Already.
This annoying nickname is said to have been originated by Liang Shuo. When it reached the ears of Master Xie, it made him embarrassed and annoyed for a long time, so he responded with a black-faced nickname. However, it was short of technical content and failed to spread.
In the past few years, Master Xie has moved several times. The house has become smaller and smaller, the food has become worse and worse, and he still has a lot of resentment that needs to be vented. Well, in general, his life has become more and more miserable.
.
What's even worse is that Liangzhou is about to be in chaos, and he doesn't have many soldiers and horses in his hands. The Shangshu of the Ministry of War, who is in name only and very emotional, is so pitiful.
When Master Xie entered the house with a lot of lawsuits on his head, he was thinking about what he was doing so hard for. Fortunately, almost all his family members were not around. He only had two concubines and two concubines here. Otherwise, there would have been chaos.
He couldn't take care of it.
After sending everyone to rest, and returning to the inner house, Commander Xie had just washed up and put on his casual clothes. Before he even had a sip of hot tea, his servants came to report that General An Xinggui of the Left and Right Guards came to visit.
There is no need to mention Master Xie’s disgusting behavior, but he has to meet him.
It can be said that no one of the big shots in Guzang City wants to take a breather and rest, but no one dares to relax. That is just making fun of their own lives.
After serving food and wine, the two of them talked for a long time in the hall of Xie's mansion before An Xinggui said goodbye and left.
Master Xie rubbed his forehead and sighed tiredly. His face turned a little darker. He drank a few more sips of wine and ate a few bites of vegetables, but he felt more and more that they tasted nothing.
An Xinggui visited frequently, and the gifts became heavier and heavier, but the things he talked about became less and less innovative. In addition to repeatedly talking about the scenery of Chang'an and Li Yuan's wisdom, he seemed to only have bad things to say about Li Gui and others.
When these words began, Master Xie was very willing to listen, as if every word spoke to his heart, because he despised the origins of Li Gui and others, and also wanted to return to Chang'an.
But that's how things are, you'll get used to it if you hear it too much. The most important point is that An Xinggui's intention is very obvious, but he can't get any real benefits, even if you take out the manager of Liangzhou
The position can make people feel at ease, right? But every time he talks about it, An Xinggui always talks about him. How can this satisfy Master Xie?
Ah, it turns out that you just came with your mouth open and nothing else, and you just wanted to fool me into joining you in joining Li Yuan. How could it be so cheap?
Of course, this is just because of the conditions that are difficult to negotiate, and there is nothing else. Although An Xiuren may be considered a foreigner, he is actually a powerful person. There should be no harm in standing next to him.
Besides, Li Yuan has a very good reputation and is a serious member of the Kansai clan...
In fact, at this point, Commander Xie had no choice. After all, unlike Li Yun and others, he did not have such a strong feeling of rejection towards An Xiuren and others.
As soon as An Xinggui left, Wei Shizheng, the Minister of Rites, came again. Master Xie felt very uneasy after this meal.
After changing the food and drinks, it was another round of secret conversation.
These two people gathered together to talk, but it was different from when An Xinggui came. One of them was the governor of Liangzhou back then, and the other was the county magistrate of Liangzhou. They were old friends who had gone through hardships together, and now they are the same.
A grasshopper on a rope has nothing he cannot say.
What is frustrating is that what the two people discussed first was serious business. There will be a funeral for Liang Shuo in the near future. The Ministry of Etiquette is the top priority, and so many dignitaries from the northwest will accompany him, and the Ministry of War will also have to send people to protect him.
This is all okay, but there are some things that An Xiuren can't get past. You have to discuss the deployment of troops with An Xiuren, but you have to be careful about An Xiuren. You can't let him use this to cause the Qiang soldiers to cause chaos. After all, the time is not right, so
It is necessary to inform Cao Zhen and others...
This is just a matter of troop deployment. For a funeral with royal rites, no matter how much it costs, it has to be paid at the Ministry of Household Affairs. But now An Xiuren is tightening his grip on the treasury and refuses to let go. He wants to force Wei Shizheng and others to go to the emperor's bedside to complain.
persuade the emperor to change his mind.
At this time, how could Wei Shizheng dare to enter the palace and tell the emperor about this? Li Gui was so confused that he might just open his mouth and the word "cut" would come out. If he lost his head like this, Wei Shizheng felt that it would be too unfair.
It can be said that these two people are in a mess, but they can't do anything. In fact, this is not surprising at all. Slightly neutral fence-sitters like them are so embarrassed at the critical moment. They neither have the strength to win the initiative nor the
Without the determination to put life and death at risk, it may seem worry-free, but in reality it is extremely dangerous.
In fact, this is very similar to the Liu Wuzhou Rebellion in Mayi. The officials and generals in Mayi chose to stand aside when the prefect Wang Rengong needed support the most. However, when the riot happened, they were the first to be harmed.
It was Tongshi Xie's turn, and here with Wei Shizheng, An Xiuren was indeed not Liu Wuzhou, but the reasoning was no different. The hesitation of Xie and Wei was no different from that of the officials in Mayi. They wanted to sit back and watch to protect themselves.
You also want to benefit from chaos. You said this idea itself is very dangerous.
This actually obviously means that both of them are lacking in talent.
At the zenith of the moon, General Xie sent Wei Shizheng away. Their discussions had no results. They could only rely on their own abilities tomorrow to talk to An Xiuren, Cao Zhen and others.
Master Xie Tong was different from Fan Wenjin. When he returned to the hall, he was not sleepy at all. He just drank one cup after another, hoping to get drunk and relieve his worries.
Obviously, the sense of urgency of the impending chaos was not well reflected in him.
In the drinking room, his son led Chen Ling, a staff member of the government, to the hall quietly. They were greeted first, and then the son came to his father's side. While pouring wine for his father, he whispered: "Someone sent a letter during the day."
In the house, I didn't dare to say anything, just waiting for my grandfather to turn around...do you want to see me?"
It's no wonder that he was cautious. After hearing this, Commander Xie immediately opened his eyes, slapped his son on the face, and said angrily: "How long has it been, and you still dare to make your own decisions? If I don't beat you to death, you are useless."
little beast."
While cursing, he stood up and punched and kicked his son. This scene was very common. Most of the Kansai nobles grew up under the stick of their violent fathers, especially the bastards, who were simply their father's natural punching bags.
When Chen Ling, the staff member, saw this, his heart and body started to tremble. He secretly sighed at the misfortune, but he had to hug Master Xie's waist and said in a low voice: "Shang Shu, don't be anxious. Liu Lang is not to blame for this. Who's here?"
He made it clear that he had handed over a letter from the minister to the editor. At that time, in order to avoid suspicion, he did not dare to come to see him, so he came up with this strategy..."
Master Xie stopped angrily and kicked his bruised and swollen son to the side, "Humph, people who hide their heads and show their tails, how can they talk about old friends... Where is the letter? Bring it to me."