67. The crowd is forced, the will is difficult to calm
A few pots of wine and a plate of side dishes.
Lu Zhi just knelt down quietly in his study, pouring and drinking.
As an old friend of Li Shushi, he no longer has to drink those bitter things. The wines produced in Bingzhou can be said to be everything from sharp to mellow. Su Xiaololi can always find the right way to brew a cup that is addictive.
Excellent product, and then let those alcoholics who want to die in a tank of wine rush to pay for it.
However, today Lu Zhi did not intend to savor the mellow and sweet taste of the wine. Instead, he was savoring the roughness and bitterness hidden in the turbid wine, just like his sad mood at this time.
Behind him was Du Ji, who was standing by silently.
The turbid wine in the cup was bought by Du Ji from a wine house in a corner of Chang'an City at the request of Lu Zhi. There were various impurities suspended in the wine, and the spicy smell from formaldehyde and methanol made those who had tasted fine wine.
Du Ji couldn't help but frown.
But Lu Zhi seemed oblivious, pouring cup after cup into his stomach. Even if he was choked and coughed loudly, even if he was poisoned by the drink, he still didn't care. His slumped appearance made his already haggard face even more troublesome.
Very sad.
But even when facing Lu Zhi like this, Du Ji, as his staunch supporter, did not show the slightest sign of wanting to admonish him.
Because Du Ji knew very well the pain in Lu Zhi's heart at this time.
It stems from the heartache and sadness caused by the changes in the court in the past few days.
If you are not drunk with wine, everyone will get drunk.
In a hazy moment, Lu Zhi seemed to have returned to the court and saw the impassioned courtiers.
It has been a long time since I have experienced the joyful feeling of pointing the country and scolding Fang Qiu. Ever since General Dou Wu was executed, thousands of horses and horses have been in silence in the court. Either he has become a puppet of the eunuchs or the powerful ministers have wantonly spread their domineering influence.
palace.
It is not an exaggeration to compare the mood of these courtiers, who were extremely noble in the eyes of the people, to that of "turned-serfs singing". After all, they finally felt like "the masters of their own country."
But what?
Perhaps it was because this feeling was so high that their performance seemed a little too excited.
"Please ask Lieutenant Lu to take command and lead the troops to attack Wudu, Hanyang, and the remnants of the Xiliang Army in Longxi."
"Order Li Xue, the governor of Bingzhou, to hand over Li Ru and Zhang Xiu, the Dong thieves and rebels against the party, and lead the troops to annihilate the Dong thieves and rebel Zhang Ji to clear their names."
"Appointed Yuan Shao as the general for the Northern Campaign, leading the military forces of Youji and Shuozhou. Appointed Gongsun Zan as the governor of Shuozhou. Deprived Lu Bu of the post of prefect of Wei County, and appointed Xin from Yingchuan as the new prefect of Wei. Gao Lan from Bohai was appointed as the new prefect of Wei.
Governor of Hedong."
Although Lu Zhi struggled to resist, more and more similar voices seemed to have formed a certain consensus among the courtiers.
And as Lu Zhi continued to use his reputation to deal with things, he slowly found that he seemed to have become part of the consensus.
Although Lu Zhi was indeed an impulsive guy when he was young. He was very much in line with the style of a Northland man. However, after so many years of ups and downs in officialdom, Lu Zhi has not only tempered a lot, but also gained considerable experience in political wisdom.
It can be said that Lu Zhi knew clearly what the court officials headed by Wang Yun were thinking without much thinking.
Although on the surface, the one who suffered the most was Li Shushi, who was deprived of a large amount of land and even had to unjustly kill his trusted generals on unreliable charges. But in fact, looking at the relatively unified opinions formed by the courtiers, each one
The person behind the scenes is actually the same person. That is Lu Zhi Lu Zigan, who has become a thorn in the side of the courtiers!
Is it strange or cruel?
It’s not surprising, because the truth is so cruel!
In fact, what Wang Yun could see would not have gone unnoticed by Lu Zhi with his wisdom and vision. However, Lu Zhi, who did not have much ambition in the pursuit of power, did not use all the "favorable situations" to benefit himself.
plan.
In fact, if Lu Zhi really had such a plan, maybe the outcome of the Battle of Qinghe would have changed.
But even if Lu Zhi said this idea loudly in public, many people would never believe it.
Those who bring themselves into Lu Zhi's position are basically unable to refuse the light of temptation emanating from the pinnacle of power that is so close at hand, so even if Lu Zhi puts his heart into it like Bigan,
I dig them all out and show them to others. I believe that most of the comments they get back are not good words like "this person is loyal and courageous", but comments like "showing off" and "hypocritical".
Not to mention that with the help of some people, the direction of public opinion against Lu Zhi has been formed. Everyone at the top and bottom seems to have been swayed by preconceived impressions. It would take more than ten times and a hundred times more energy to reverse it.
After all, it seems that the party without much actual power is the weak one and deserves people's sympathy more, just like the big v's who face the state machine. No matter whether their words are right or wrong, as long as they go against the gov, they can always
Get a lot of praise, encouragement and support - just think about your daily experience of being cheated by various functional departments and some of the things you have experienced, you will naturally tend to those who "dare to challenge windmills" in the eyes of ordinary people.
"Don Quixote".
Therefore, one can imagine the distress in Lu Zhi's heart at this time, who has always regarded reputation and integrity as his highest pursuit.
Of course, Li Shushi's children's shoes are definitely to blame for why Lu Zhi is so depressed.
As mentioned before, Lu Zhi's current situation is partly caused by his defense and defense of Li Shushi in the court. It was his actions that caused some ministers who were originally neutral to be involved.
The enemy's camp.
After all, in the eyes of the courtiers, Li Shushi was definitely the second Dong Zhuo's reserve. He and Dong Zhuo had too many similarities in terms of their origins, growth experiences, and attitudes and methods towards powerful families.
Although Li Shushi's reputation in Shilin was not as bad as that of Dong Zhuo after the Luoyang Massacre, the actions he took under his rule still put him at the apex of public opinion and the wealthy family who believed that they should be the sole controllers of the country.
He felt dissatisfied. Although he later made certain compromises, due to the existence of the imperial examination system with Li Shushi's characteristics, Li Shushi's actions such as establishing official schools and popularizing children's education became a conspiracy to replace the clan system.
Well, there is actually not much wrong in what the wealthy families said. Li Shushi’s actions were indeed originally measures to fight against the wealthy families. Who made those people resist him in every possible way at the beginning? Later, although the relationship eased, even a certain
Some families have begun to actively integrate into Li Shushi's official education system, but the leadership of this system is still in Li Shushi's hands.
However, such a person who has a rather arrogant attitude towards a wealthy family has soldiers and generals, and is inextricably linked to the Xiliang Army. If this person stands up and cheers, the courtiers believe that the leaderless Xiliang Army will definitely
We will not ignore the voice of this person, let alone that before Dong Zhuo died, he asked Li Ru to take his granddaughter to defect to Li Shushi. The political implications of this...
It can be said that the courtiers may have mediocre abilities in other aspects. But when it comes to court battles and fighting against political enemies, they never mind using the most malicious ideas to speculate on the intentions of political enemies and use them as guidelines for their actions.
Those who are neutral also believe that as an important official of the court promoted by the late emperor Liu Hong, Li Shushi not only failed to drive away Dong Zhuo, who was a traitor to the country, but also formed an alliance with him to fight against the hope of the court's recovery - the coalition of Kwantung princes. This is absolutely treason.
Therefore, defending Lu Zhi, who is also a traitor, is also a being who should be defeated.
As for whether Li Shushi defeated the ambitious foreigners on the grassland and once again demonstrated the national prestige of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions, the courtiers would selectively ignore such things. After all, as long as the political line is wrong, then those achievements are just a traitor showing off.
In their eyes, the Xianbei people were actually obedient people of the Han Dynasty. Even if they invaded Bingzhou and killed 180,000 people, they were just unavoidable casualties in the process of defeating the rebels.
Thinking about it, Cixi and Lafayette probably had such a mentality.
Of course, Li Shushi, who allowed the Yellow Turban Army to destroy those powerful people who gave him eye drops, did not have much position to blame others.
This is completely the darkest side of politics.
But this made Lu Zhi, who had just killed Dong Zhuo and was complacent and wanted to use up his last energy for the great man, how could he bear it? He wanted to kill the enemy but was unable to save himself. Now he could only drink at home and continue living in a state of drunkenness and dreams.
Following his dream.
By the way, I also completely forgot all the things that happened in the real world.
However, everything that happens in the real world is obviously not subject to personal will.
The disputes in the court naturally spread through various channels and reached the tables of various princes.
"It seems that without Dong Zhongying's 'fly swatter', the flies have started to make a lot of noise again."
"Hasn't my lord already expected the current situation, and hasn't my lord already made a conclusion about the prince's master's character?"
"I just feel a little sorry for Lu Gong. But those flies are really bullying. Do you really think you can control everything? Well, I was thinking about giving an old friend a warning before, but now it seems that it is necessary
Already."
Wang Yun's actions really made Li Shushi feel angry. After all, the emperor was far away in Chang'an and not under the eyes of Bingzhou. As Lu Zhi was unwilling to easily fall out with Wang Yun, who had been a comrade a while ago, he was indeed powerless.
However, all Wang Yun could do to Bingzhou was to add more obstacles.
It should be noted that Li Shushi is no longer the young boy he used to be. As he continues to win victories in the south and north, east and west, his prestige has been gradually established with the help of some well-intentioned people. At least after experiencing a big defeat,
Before that, his deterrence will not be reduced. Anyone who is hostile to him in the area under his jurisdiction must first weigh his own strength.
At the same time, today, several years after taking control of Bingzhou, Li Shushi's control over Bingzhou is far from what it was back then. His reputation in Bingzhou Shangxia Middle School is no less than that of those scholarly scholars. Even in the minds of the people, his efforts to develop Bingzhou's economy have made it easier for him to do so.
Li Shushi, who has given the people of Bingzhou a better life and has the ability to protect such a life, has a higher reputation than those illusory Confucian scholars.
Especially among the foreigners who have gradually integrated into Bingzhou, Li Shushi's prestige, which has allowed them to obtain a better life that they could not imagine before, has reached an unprecedented level. Especially Li Shushi's fair, just and open attitude accelerated this process.
A process. Even though some Han people could not understand the continuous influx of refugees and foreigners at first, precisely because of Li Shushi's fairness and the power to ensure justice, they are now familiar with such a new environment and are proud of it.
Of course, such behavior would naturally harm the interests of those local wealthy families at first. However, when the two sides gradually compromised and reached an integration with Li Shushi as the mainstay, those wealthy families who were willing to take the initiative to get closer have gained benefits far beyond what they had before.
, and those families who were unwilling to confront Li Shushi gradually adapted to the new changes.
Especially as the merger of states gradually began to transform into an expansion policy, these families who initially followed could expect more benefits, which naturally strengthened their stance and aroused their enthusiasm for cooperation with Li Shushi.
As for those families that are unwilling to cooperate or even act against the will, under Jia Xu's secret instigation, even if the elders in the family can stay on their own, the younger ones continue to fall into the traps that have been prepared for them.
These families who were ignorant of current affairs naturally became the prey of the new interest group with Li Shushi as the core.
It was precisely because of this confidence that Li Shushi was able to face the oppression from Chang'an so calmly.
After all, even the descendants of Wang Yun's ancestral family, the Wang family in Qixian County, all distanced themselves from each other when called by Chang'an and rushed to express their loyalty to Li Shushi. Even if the other families were really dissatisfied, they couldn't afford to cause any trouble.
With the help of Li Ru in this aspect, Jia Xu will definitely be even more powerful. His ability will increase exponentially.
However, it is not a problem to keep these people from Chang'an unable to do serious business, and to worry about their own affairs every day. With Jia Xu and Li Ru, two old foxes from Xiliang, the presence of these two old foxes from Xiliang should make those courtiers sober up.
.
Well, don't forget that Mr. Yan Zhongyan is also famous in Xiliang. This man also has extremely strong appeal in Xiliang.
Even though Li Shushi had such confidence, he felt depressed by the group of courtiers in Chang'an who couldn't understand the reality. One can imagine what undercurrents are surging in Chang'an City now.
Although Lu Zhi cared about the stability of the overall situation and his long-standing friendship and did not intend to openly confront Wang Yun's party, this did not mean that the subordinates he brought to Chang'an from Shuozhou would behave as he did.
In fact, as the decisions made by Wang Yun in the court continue to spread through various channels, the dissatisfaction among the young people from Shuozhou has accumulated more and more, so much that it only takes one
The fuse can be lit.
Among this group of dissatisfied young people, there is a group of people who are particularly dissatisfied.
This group of people are the descendants of the Li family in Xihe who followed Lu Zhijian in Beijing.
Of course, some people of the older generation were quite critical of Tong Yuan forcibly bringing in a child who did not have the blood of the Xihe Li family, not to mention that this child also became the direct heir of the Xihe Li family.
It makes people feel even more angry and even furious.
However, compared with the older generation's defense of the purity of family blood, the younger generation's resistance is much smaller, because most of them are watching Li Shushi fight with various alien races in Xihe.
He won every battle, even annihilated the Jie people who pretended to be powerful, and beheaded the king of Xianbei, Shanyu Helian, step by step to reach today's status.
Li Shushi and his tough men left a very deep impression on these young people.
In a family like Xihe, which is greatly influenced by Hu Feng in a remote area, the strength of the family has a far greater say and decision-making weight than that of the Zhongyuan family. Li Shushi's performance is strong enough, and he is the idol of the young people of the entire Xihe Li family.
and direction of efforts.
By the way, the reason why I say that old stubborns are only a small part is because Tong Yuan’s heroic demeanor also left a deep impression on their generation and even the next generation. Moreover, Tong Yuan’s achievements are not as good as those of Li Shushi now.
Woolen cloth.
The most important thing is that with Li Shushi's gradual promotion and Lu Zhi's management in Shuozhou, the children of these families who were originally excluded from the mainstream circles of Shilin have an easier chance to get ahead.
But now, both Lu Zhi and Li Shushi have been suppressed by the courtiers headed by Wang Yun. This is not only an oppression of their idols, but also an obstacle to their promotion.
The hatred between many people and preventing people from being promoted is really like killing parents, not to mention that the party that killed Dong Zhuo and Lu Zhi also put in a lot of effort. How can you let these young people swallow this breath?
Therefore, they chose a similar way to Lu Zhi to express their emotions - drinking.
The only thing that is different from Lu Zhi, who is drinking at home, is that Lu Zhi drinks to numb himself and forget the unhappiness of reality; but this group of fearless young people gathered together to drink, even if the purpose is simple, but the result...
In a wine shop in Chang'an West City.
Although Chang'an in the late Eastern Han Dynasty can no longer be compared with Chang'an in the Western Han Dynasty, and the once bustling and glorious Western Market has now become sparse, but as the Xiliang army returned here with the people and wealth of Luoyang, the originally cold city
The West Market also has a lively atmosphere. The wine shop Goulan, in particular, has become extremely popular with the influx of a large number of soldiers and a large amount of fresh materials provided by the "sinful people" who had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated.
Even now that the Xiliang army has been basically wiped out, this is still a place where the residents living in Chang'an are happy to hang out.
Because this place seems to be isolated from the outside world, you can completely relax your mind here, and you can have no worries even if you want to be wild. You don’t have to be as well-dressed as the outside world, and you don’t have to be as forced as the outside world.
Observe the code of conduct known as "gentleman".
Here, you can find your own world and be the king in your world.
And on a cold evening, this wine shop welcomed a group of special guests. (To be continued...)