Zuo Lanshan was not an upright official. The Ministry of Industry he was in charge of was also an oil-and-water bureau. In recent years, he had gained a lot of income after joining Zhao Junchen. In terms of family wealth, he was among the best among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
Therefore, Zuofu is also a luxurious and magnificent mansion, especially the back garden of Zuofu, which is a famous scenic spot in the capital.
It covers an area of nearly ten acres, shaded by lush ancient trees, covered with exotic flowers and precious grasses, dotted with pavilions and waterside pavilions, layered with rockeries and carved galleries, with ingenious structures and red dots and emerald green leaves. It is extremely beautiful.
But in such a beautiful place, there is a huge and ugly iron cage placed in the center, which immediately destroys the overall beauty and looks extremely abrupt and eye-catching.
The length, width, and height of the iron cage are about three feet each. It is welded by iron rods and iron mesh. There are also rockeries and trees inside. The interior of the iron cage is divided into two places by the iron mesh, but there are two places respectively: a goshawk and an iron mesh.
With a crested eagle.
It is well known that Zuo Lanshan likes to raise eagles, and his method of "cooking eagles" is not inferior to that of the Mongolian and Jurchen professional eagle keepers.
The so-called "hawking" is a method of domesticating hawks, which is extremely cruel.
After the falconer catches the eagle, he will trap it in an iron cage and iron mesh, and tie it to the talons with iron chains and iron balls so that it cannot fly. The falconer will stay nearby and feast on it.
He shouted loudly, constantly arousing the eagle's impatience.
During this period, the eagle keepers will also feed the eagles meat, but the hawks are unruly birds. They will definitely ignore the food that comes to them and will only attack the hawk keepers crazily. But all this is not the case.
It was all in vain. Its beak and claws were blocked by the iron net, and in the end it was only injured and bleeding.
After two or three days of confrontation, the eagle's will gradually wore away, and it gradually became unable to attack. It just wanted to take a rest, but the falconer kept harassing it with sticks and stones, not giving it any chance to rest.
In this way, the eagle gradually realizes the fact that it is no longer a predator but a prisoner. At this time, its beak and claws are covered with blood scabs, its anger has dissipated, and its tired body cannot drag itself.
Iron chain.
On the fourth day, the eagle keepers will recruit some fierce dogs to surround the eagles. The fierce dogs will roar and roar at the eagles, making the eagles feel lonely, helpless, frightened and trembling, which also completely defeats the eagles' unruliness.
In nature, all that is left in his eyes is collapse and begging for mercy.
Eventually, the falconer will lift the eagle out of the iron net, stroke its head, and soothe its emotions. The eagle no longer struggles. It stretches its body and lets the falconer touch it, with gentleness and obedience in its eyes.
; Then the falconer will put the lamb meat in the palm of his hand, and the eagle will no longer resist and eat it.
This marks that an eagle has survived, but it has also lost its freedom and completely turned into a pet.
*
At dusk that day, Zuo Lanshan took Zuo Kuiwen outside the eagle cage.
After seeing Zuolan Mountain, the goshawks and crested eagles spread their wings and sang loudly to welcome their masters.
Zuo Lanshan looked at the two eagles in the iron cage with admiring eyes, then turned to a servant behind him who was responsible for serving the two eagles and asked: "Have these two eagles eaten today?"
The servant quickly replied: "My lord, these two eagles have not fed yet and are waiting for you to do it yourself."
Zuo Lanshan nodded and ordered: "Bring two pieces of mutton, neither weighing more than three taels. Apply some olives and verbena on the mutton, and feed them to the two eagles respectively. After they eat the mutton, then
Take away the iron mesh from the compartment of the eagle cage, and then put in a three-pound piece of mutton."
Hearing Zuo Lanshan's instructions, the eagle servant couldn't help but be shocked.
Goshawks and crested eagles are of different species and have different temperaments, and they are both territorial eagles. They always dislike each other in order to compete for favor, so Zuo Lanshan ordered people to cage the eagles with iron nets.
Separated into two parts, the two eagles will continue to fight across the iron fence on weekdays.
Now, the two eagles have been hungry for a whole day. The three ounces of mutton will only make them feel hungry further. The olives and verbena smeared on the mutton will arouse the ferocity of the animals. Once taken away at this time,
The two eagles will definitely get into an endless bloody fight to fight for the mutton!
After being stunned for a moment, the eagle servant couldn't bear it, but in the end he didn't dare to disobey Zuo Lanshan's order and quickly turned around to prepare.
On the other side, Zuo Kuiwen didn't know the knowledge about raising eagles. Seeing that Zuo Lanshan brought him to the back garden just to watch the eagles, he couldn't help but asked in confusion: "Father, what are you doing? Didn't you bring me here?"
Do you want to be reasonable? Why just let me watch the eagle?"
Zuo Lanshan smiled and said: "Be patient and don't be impatient. You will understand after reading."
Soon, the eagle servant had prepared everything and threw two pieces of mutton smeared with olives and verbena into the two ends of the eagle cage. The crested eagle and goshawk also ate the mutton immediately.
Perhaps it was their appetite that was stimulated, or perhaps the olives and verbena had their effect, but the two eagles in the cage quickly became anxious and ready to move, no longer as docile as before.
Then, the iron mesh partition in the middle of the eagle cage was removed, and then another piece of mutton weighing three kilograms was put into the cage.
After the goshawk and crested eagle saw the piece of mutton, they spread their wings and rushed towards it. In the end, the goshawk was faster and got the mutton first, but before it could swallow the mutton, the crested eagle
It has already pounced on it.
In this way, the goshawk and the crested eagle began to fight fiercely, becoming more and more fierce and cruel, and soon turned into a fight to the death.
For a time, rapid eagle calls continued to sound, broken eagle feathers fell everywhere, eagle blood kept splattering, and the goshawks and crested eagles suffered more and more injuries.
Seeing such a cruel scene, Zuo Kuiwen was a little excited, but also a little intolerable, and even a little confused. He didn't understand why Zuo Lanshan, who usually doted on these two eagles, would prompt them to fight endlessly.
I couldn't help but turned around and asked: "Father, why are you..."
Zuo Lanshan quietly watched the bloody eagle fight in the eagle cage, but expressionlessly interrupted Zuo Kuiwen's inquiry and said: "Keep watching! Keep watching seriously!"
Zuo Kuiwen knew that Zuo Lanshan's move had a profound meaning, so he didn't ask any more questions and just continued to watch with a serious expression.
After about a stick of incense, the battle in the eagle cage finally ended.
The crested eagle was bigger, more powerful, and more ferocious. It won the final victory, but its body was also scarred and nearly half of its feathers fell off. It looked quite embarrassed; the other goshawk was faster.
, but it was trapped in the eagle cage but could not use its skills. It was kept being pressed and beaten by the crested eagle. At this time, it was even dying. A big hole was pecked in its neck by the crested eagle, and it looked like it would not survive.
Seeing that the battle between the two eagles was over, Zuo Lanshan sighed with some regret, then turned to Zuo Kuiwen and asked: "You witnessed this eagle fight with your own eyes. Come and tell your father, these two eagles are fighting."
When eagles fight, where do they focus on attacking each other? Which parts of the body are most injured and most severely injured? But which parts are least and least injured?"
Zuo Kuiwen thought about it for a moment and replied: "When two eagles fight, they focus on attacking each other's head, but in the end, the body is injured the most and the most, while the talons and beak are the least and least injured.
"
Zuo Lanshan asked again: "In your opinion, why do both eagles focus on attacking each other's heads, but in the end the body is the most injured? Why are the eagle's talons and eagle's beak the least injured?"
Zuo Kuiwen replied: "Because the two eagles protect their heads the most strictly, even if they are hit by a major attack, they will still not be injured much. However, the target of the body is too big and they are not very flexible. The two eagles are not very flexible."
During the fight, the head often escapes the attack, but the body is implicated, so the two eagles' bodies are the most seriously injured... The eagle's claws and eagle's beak are the main attack methods of the two eagles, not only are they the most flexible and sharp
, and also made the opponent try his best to avoid it, so he was the least injured."
Zuo Lanshan nodded and said: "Actually, the criticism of the parties in the temple is the same as this eagle fight! The eagle heads are the leaders of the factions in the court, and they are the powerful officials in the temple who will be attacked by the enemy.
The factions focus on attacking, but they will also be protected by their own forces... The eagle is like the bottom member of each faction. When the parties criticize, these people are often the most vulnerable to being implicated... As for the least injured Eagle Claw and
The eagle's beak represents the core official in each faction, second only to the leader, just like my current position in the 'Zhao Party'!"
Having said this, Zuo Lanshan smiled slightly and added: "Of course, there are some differences between party criticism and this eagle fight. The eagle has only one beak and only one pair of talons, but the major parties in the court hope
They have more beaks and more claws. If the enemy faction collapses and loses power, they will completely peck out the opponent's eagle head and devour the entire opponent's body. At the same time, they want to take away the opponent's claws.
Use the beak for yourself!"
After hearing Zuo Lanshan's words, Zuo Kuiwen was thoughtful and vaguely felt that he had figured out something.
Zuo Lanshan continued: "It has been twenty-eight years since my father entered the official career. No matter whether it is my colleagues in the temple or private scholars, they don't think highly of me. They think my methods and vision are mediocre, and I always think that I am mediocre."
Is he willing to be a minion and a lackey... Hey, this evaluation is not wrong. Compared with Zhou Ge Lao's insight and ability to make the best use of the situation, or the current majesty's emperor's scheming, accurate calculation of pros and cons, or our Zhao Ge
Your Excellency’s keen vigilance and unique approach are far inferior to mine! And I have always been content to be subordinate to others, and I have never had a proud moment when I stand out and stand out..."
At this point, Zuo Lanshan's voice rose slightly, and he said: "But so what? I still have a smooth official career, and I have never fallen once in the past twenty-eight years! How many officials have been better than me?
There are abilities, ambitions, and talents, but they all fell down and lost power in the end. But step by step, I climbed to the top of the human ministers and climbed to the position of elder! Why is this? Because I have never been a chicken.
The head is never meant to be the tail of a phoenix, it is just a claw and beak, and it faithfully performs the duties of a claw and beak!"
After a pause, Zuo Lanshan's voice became more proud, and he continued: "It is because I am willing to be the talon and beak of an eagle, so no matter who I have taken refuge in over the years, I will be reused, and it is also because I have faithfully fulfilled my mission."
I have the responsibility of holding the claws and the beak, so they will feel free to use me! Hehe, who doesn’t want a clique like me?
... When I was only a seventh-grade magistrate in Jiangxi Province, I had always served the magistrate Shangfeng loyally. I even offended many colleagues for him, so he also focused on promoting me and protecting me until the magistrate.
After I retired, my reputation for loyalty had spread to the ears of Guan Zhongyuan, the governor of Jiangxi at the time, and I was quickly accepted as a confidant by Guan Zhongyuan. Within two years, I was promoted to prefect...
...When Guan Zhongyuan was transferred back to the capital to serve as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he also transferred me to the Ministry of Industry. I still served him loyally and fought for him when the party attacked. Unfortunately, Guan Zhongyuan soon
I lost power, and everyone thought that I would definitely end badly this time, but I immediately joined the previous cabinet minister Wen Guanliang. Everyone at that time knew that I was a loyal friend, and I followed the orders of the party leader, so
Wen Guanliang quickly accepted me as his disciple, and even made me Minister of the Ministry of Industry...
...At this time last year, Wen Guanliang lost to Zhao Junchen in the party struggle. At that time, all the "Wen Party" officials rushed to defect and defected to others. Only I joined Zhao Junchen after the overall situation was decided.
However, because of this, Zhao Junchen actually trusted me the most. Zhan Shanchang, who was the first to betray Shen Changmao, Tong Huan and others all had poor official careers during this period. Chen Dongxiang was also secretly beaten by Zhao Junchen before he was promoted to Minister of Industry.
I have taken advantage of it many times...but I am still the only one who is still stable, rising step by step, and now I have become the elder of the pavilion!"
After such a long speech, Zuo Lanshan finally calmed down his emotions, turned to look at Zuo Kuiwen, and asked: "I have said so much, do you understand the truth?"
After Zuo Kuiwen thought for a moment, he nodded and said: "My child understands! Some people in this world would rather be a chicken head than a phoenix tail, and some people would rather be a phoenix tail than a chicken head, but father, you don't want to be a chicken head."
I also don’t want to be a phoenix tail, because the rooster head is the target of public criticism, while the phoenix tail is the most vulnerable to being implicated and is not safe. Only becoming a claw beak is the long-term way to settle down! As long as the claw beak can prove one’s loyalty and ability
, once the bird head and body fail, they will be pecked to pieces and eaten, but the claws and beak will be easily accepted by new bird heads!"
Zuo Lanshan put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "Children can be taught, it's just this truth! As a father and I have been an official for twenty-eight years, the reason why I can't stand still and rise step by step is because I have understood this truth!"
After a pause, Zuo Lanshan continued: "Speaking of which, since I joined the cabinet to assist the government, the 'Zhao Party' is still headed by Mr. Zhao Junchen and Mr. Zhao, but on the surface, my identity is the most noble, 'Zhao Party'
The Party has become a two-headed strange bird, and His Majesty and Chief Shen are bent on using me to split the Zhao Party! Hehe, they think about things too simply. Zhao Junchen has nothing to do with the Zhao Party.
My control power is far beyond the imagination of outsiders. All the "Zhao Party" officials only recognize Zhao Junchen. I have no ability to fight against others...
To take a step back, even if I really split the "Zhao Party" and became a "Left Party" faction, I am afraid that His Majesty and Chief Shen, who have vowed to support me, will soon turn against each other, so I just ignored their instigation and just pretended that I didn’t understand their hint...
However, His Majesty and Chief Shen's repeated secret instigations also reminded me that I have now become one of the two leaders of the "Zhao Party" in name, and I will inevitably be attacked by hostile factions in the future. key attack, but the bird body of 'Zhao Dang' is not under my control. Once the two bird heads are attacked at the same time, everyone will give priority to protecting Zhao Junchen, but I have no defense, so my current position is not only It's a bit embarrassing, but it's also extremely dangerous! If virtue is not matched, you will suffer consequences...
It is precisely because of this reason that I strongly recommend Mr. Zhao to join the cabinet to assist the government this time, even if I leave the cabinet for such reasons! Only in this way can I continue to be Clawbeak instead of Only by becoming a bird-head that is under heavy attack from hostile factions can we stand for a long time!"
Zuo Kuiwen naturally understood what Zuo Lanshan said, but he was still a little reluctant. He frowned and said: "Father, your statement certainly makes some sense, but you just gave up your position as Pavilion Elder. The kid is really unwilling!"
Zuo Lanshan said with a smile: "You, I still can't bear to look at it! Retreating to advance is a profound knowledge. Although I will leave the cabinet this time, Zhao Junchen also owes me a huge favor. So even if I lose my position in the cabinet, Zhao Junchen will definitely do his best to protect me. With Zhao Junchen’s protection and recommendation, it will not be difficult for me to become a feudal official! When the time comes, It's much better for me to say everything in a province than to sit in the cabinet and be a puppet boss!"
Having said this, Zuo Lanshan's expression became a little more serious and continued: "Actually, I have further considerations about this matter. Nowadays, Zhao Junchen seems to be in the limelight, but it is obviously also affected by His Majesty and various people. The common fear of the factions is that if others are in such a position, they will definitely die, but Zhao Junchen is best at turning danger into safety and bringing back the dead, so I can't guess what his final outcome will be. I feel that the success or failure of Zhao Junchen will only happen in the next three to five years. Once he survives the next three to five years, he will definitely be able to dominate the government with his scheming methods, but if he cannot resist it, he will definitely die without mercy. Burial place!
But in any case, the temple center in the next few years will inevitably be in a state of flux and crisis. I took this opportunity to leave the temple center and the muddy waters of the capital, so as not to be implicated during this period, and at the same time create a way forward and retreat for myself. In a comfortable situation, after I have served as a feudal official for one term, the situation in the capital should have been roughly determined. If Zhao Junchen wins by then, it will naturally be easy for me to return to the cabinet and resume my position as cabinet minister. , but if Zhao Junchen is defeated in the end, our Zuo family will not be further implicated. Considering my father’s reputation, it will not be difficult to find a powerful minister to join him again! But no matter what, I, Zuo Lanshan, will be there then. The temple is still standing!"
After hearing Zuo Lanshan's further explanation, Zuo Kuiwen was finally convinced and praised Gao Ming repeatedly.
But soon, Zuo Kuiwen felt something was wrong again and asked: "Father, you can just explain these truths to me directly, why do you have to kill two eagles that you have raised with your own hands? These two eagles can
I have always been your pet peeve!"
Zuo Lanshan's face was full of kindness and smile, and he said: "If it were not done in this way, how could these principles of fatherhood be impressed and remembered in your heart? If I could make you fully understand these principles, I would kill two eagles.
What’s the point!”
Zuo Kuiwen was moved and felt that Zuo Lanshan had really good intentions for him. He immediately said excitedly: "Father, don't worry, my son has completely understood these principles! It's just a pity, father, for the two eagles you have worked so hard to raise!"
I will find someone to find two more good eagles for my father tomorrow!"
Hearing what Zuo Kuiwen said, Zuo Lanshan's brows jumped slightly, but he shook his head and said: "No need, my father is getting older and I don't plan to continue raising eagles in the future."
In fact, ever since Zuo Lanshan took refuge with Zhao Junchen, he felt more and more awkward raising eagles.
Because Zuo Lanshan discovered that Zhao Junchen's various methods of controlling "Zhao Party" officials were actually very similar to his "Eagle-boiling" method. They both used mutton in one hand and a stick in the other. Both of them cleverly used external threats, and both gradually
This eliminated all the dissent of the "Zhao Party" officials, so that all the "Zhao Party" officials could only be firmly tied to his ship.
After discovering these circumstances, Zuo Lanshan looked at the two eagles he had raised, and it was as if he saw himself becoming more and more tamed by Zhao Junchen.
As a result, Zuolan Mountain will no longer find the joy of raising eagles.
Therefore, taking advantage of this opportunity, Zuo Lanshan no longer plans to continue raising eagles.
This discovery was one of the reasons why Zuo Lanshan wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to leave the capital. He was afraid that if he continued to stay in the capital, he would eventually lose his self-judgment completely and could only follow Zhao Junchen into the dark side.
…
ps: Well, the first update today, there is one more chapter before midnight!
By the way, Zuo Lanshan is based on an official whom Chongzi knew in real life. This person was nicknamed a "mad dog" by low-level civil servants. He would bite whomever his boss asked him to bite. He didn't care who his boss was or who his boss was.
Whether his order was right or wrong, he just served his superiors loyally, so every superior was willing to reuse him, and now he is a county-level cadre.
