It has entered early winter in Guanzhong. The sky is dim and bright. Between the mountains and the fields, there is still mist that has not dispersed. The withered and yellow vegetation on the ground is dyed with a thin layer of hoarfrost. The white air spurts out every breath, and the air is cold.
The beautiful Shaolingyuan has also lost its green elegance in summer. The hills are withered and yellow, the water is gurgling, and the fields are deserted.
A carriage and three or two knights walked slowly on the loess road. The wheels ran over the uneven dirt road, bumping a few times from time to time, making a "clang" sound.
Gao Jifu was sitting in the car, wearing a brand new robe, his beard neatly trimmed, and his happy face could not be concealed.
Since he failed in his attempt to become the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he had hated his elder brother Gao Shilian, so he had been suppressed and ostracized. He had to temporarily stay in Shaolingyuan to avoid the surging undercurrent, and hunkered down patiently, waiting for the opportunity.
Hard work paid off. Not only did he really get the opportunity this time, but he was also given such a wonderful job as assisting His Highness the Prince of Jin and helping to control the Ministry of War. How could he not be delighted? He knew that he and His Highness the Crown Prince were already drifting apart.
If the crown prince ascends the throne, his future will be bleak, and there will be almost no possibility of advancement in his official career. Now if he can assist the King of Jin in ascending the throne, it will be the result of the dragon's success, and it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will join the cabinet and become the prime minister in the future.
How could you miss such a God-given opportunity?
From beginning to end, I counted the ministers, lieutenants, and chiefs of the Ministry of War. Except for Cui Dunli, who was calm and experienced, they were all submissive people. The backers behind him were not strong enough, and the strategies in their minds were not good enough. Therefore, Gao Jifu did not care about himself.
Fan assisted the King of Jin in joining the military department and was full of confidence.
Now that Gao Shilian has retired from office, he still has countless disciples and former officials and has influence in the court. But after all, he is just a man. Given time, he will make his elder brother Gao Shilian the leader of the Gao family in Bohai, and his family will be proud of his ancestors and the lintel of his family will grow. Then,
How glorious and glorious is it?
Thinking happily in my heart, I stretched out my hand to lift the car curtain and saw the majestic Chang'an City Wall and the towering and majestic gate tower of Mingde Gate in the distance. I let out a gentle breath, lowered the car curtain, closed my eyes and rested.
I was too excited last night and had been tossing Hu Ji with the help of medicine for too long. Although the release was very refreshing, time is not forgiving after all. Now I am still tired, my back is sore and my legs are aching, and my spirit is a little listless. I must adjust my state for a while.
After that, he must shock the officials of the Ministry of War and leave an extremely good impression on His Highness the King of Jin.
Just as soon as he closed his eyes, the snow-white and smooth skin, the slender but strong waist, and the wild nature that was different from the tame and well-behaved women of the Tang Dynasty came to mind again, which made his lower abdomen still feel hot and his blood flowing...
A soft sound of "呲" reached his ears. Before he could open his eyes, he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder. He heard his own soldiers outside yelling frantically: "There is an assassin!"
Gao Jifu opened his eyes in shock, stretched out his hand to cover his shoulder, and touched an arrow shaft. He just had time to let out a scream, and the carriage on the left suddenly exploded like a cracked tortoise shell, and more than ten arrow clusters penetrated the wooden boards of the carriage.
Countless sawdust flew up and hit him hard, piercing into his body.
Gao Jifu's eyes were about to burst, and he let out an earth-shattering scream. In an instant, he was shot into a hedgehog by more than ten crossbow arrows. He gritted his teeth and curled up as close to the floor as possible, listening to the noisy and chaotic sounds outside, the heartbreaking pain and
Boundless fear surrounded him.
Outside the car, more than a dozen assassins wearing black scarves and fancy outfits, holding swords and crossbows, leapt out of the ditch on the side of the road and rushed towards the carriage. They were silent and did not say a word, but they seemed to be from hell.
The Seducer took firm steps and fired the crossbow arrows in his hand continuously. When he got closer, he retracted the crossbow and hung it on his back, and drew out his sharp sword.
Gao Jifu's soldiers, their eyes wide open, were dodging the raindrops of crossbow arrows while constantly driving their horses, roaring and shouting: "Get to the city gate quickly, quickly!"
But the flesh and blood body could not withstand the sharp arrow clusters after all. Each crossbow arrow shot hard into the flesh and bones. The soldiers fell down one after another with a scream. When the black-clothed assassin came close, the soldiers had already
They were all hit by arrows and fell from their horses.
The black-clothed assassin stepped forward and coldly chopped off the people with the horizontal sword in his hand. Whether they were dead or still wailing and struggling, he cut them one by one, leaving no one alive.
The leader of the assassins in black kicked open the car door, stretched out his hand to pull Gao Jifu out of the car, and leaned forward to look carefully for a moment to confirm that it was correct. He ignored Gao Jifu's screams for mercy and cut off Gao Jifu's neck with one knife.
, blood splashed like a fountain, splashing all over the black-clothed assassin.
The assassin in black put away his sword and stood up. He looked at the Mingdemen gatekeepers who came after hearing the sound in the distance. With a wave of his hand, more than ten people quickly evacuated the scene and fled along the ditch on the side of the road. By the time the gatekeepers arrived, they were already there.
Disappeared without a trace.
The soldiers guarding the Mingde Gate arrived panting and gasped when they saw the corpse lying on the scene bleeding all over the ground.
This was outside the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Who could be so arrogant and dare to commit murder in broad daylight?
The leading city guard captain looked solemn. While ordering the soldiers to check if there were any survivors, he asked, "Does anyone know the identities of these people?"
Several soldiers came forward and turned the corpse over to check one by one. When they saw Gao Jifu, someone exclaimed: "Come and see, is it Gao Jifu, the Minister of Civil Affairs?"
"who?!"
The captain who defended the city was shocked. He hurriedly stepped forward and carefully identified Gao Jifu, who had blood on his face. It took him a long time to confirm his identity. He stepped forward to test his breathing and pulse, and found that he was already dead. He quickly said: "Everyone should step back ten steps away and maintain the scene."
!”
Then he appointed two close subordinates: "Inform the Jingzhao Mansion and the Ministry of Punishment that Gao Jifu, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was assassinated outside Mingde Gate and has died. Please ask them to send someone to inspect the scene and hunt down the murderer!"
"Here!"
The men hurriedly ran away and went straight to the city gate. After entering the city, they went to Jingzhao Mansion and the Ministry of Punishment to report the case.
*****
The rickety carriage came out of the Jin Palace and headed towards the Yamen of the Ministry of War in the imperial city.
The horseshoes made a crisp sound when they stepped on the bluestone road, neither fast nor slow, with a leisurely rhythm. Li Zhi and Changsun Wuji were sitting opposite each other in the carriage. Li Zhi said: "I still have to trouble my uncle to send me to take office. This king
Grateful."
Changsun Wuji waved his hand and said: "We are one family, why do we need to speak two different languages? Your Highness used to be an official in the Shangshu Province, with His Majesty's care and the British Duke's care. Your Highness only needs to do your work with all your heart, and you don't need to care about those personal matters.
Human beings are worldly. However, the Ministry of War is completely different. As the Secretary of the Ministry of War, His Highness is not only responsible for presiding over the affairs of the Ministry of War, but also to appease people's hearts. The entire Ministry of War is full of Fang Jun's followers, and they will obey his advice and will never disobey him. When His Highness takes office as a new official, he will surely
To arouse the resistance of these people, the old face of the old minister is still of some use. It is reasonable for His Highness to calm down the situation and make them fearful."
Li Zhi thanked him again and said with a smile: "My uncle appointed Gao Ji to assist me, which is really a good plan. This person is very resourceful, calm and capable. With him on the side to check for deficiencies, my confidence in controlling the military department will be greatly increased. If in the future,
If you achieve great things, my uncle will take all the credit!"
Although Gao Jifu was suppressed and unable to recover after failing to seek the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, his ability was indeed recognized by many parties.
The only shortcoming is that as a member of the Bohai Gao family, after Gao Shilian became an official, he did not listen to dissuasion and instead joined the Guanlong nobles in an attempt to seek the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. In the end, he failed in his success, losing his wife and losing his army...
Changsun Wuji said: "The outside world has many misunderstandings about Ji Fu, thinking that he should not abandon Duke Shen, but how can that be regarded as betrayal? People go to higher places, and water flows to lower places. When there is an opportunity to be promoted to the rank of six ministers,
If you put it in front of you, anyone will give it a try. If you don't succeed, there will be no loss. If you succeed, you will be a central court official and a pillar of the Tang Dynasty. You can be a wife and a shadow, and you can honor your ancestors. It is human nature. On the contrary, Shen Guogong is too harsh.
His merits are unparalleled, and he is still famous all over the world after becoming an official, but he restrains his clansmen from staying away from the court. Who can be convinced? Now that His Highness wants to achieve great things, he needs the dedicated assistance of enterprising talents like Ji Fu. We should support each other and make them do their best.
Only then can you receive the effect of inviting people to win hearts.”
Li Zhi nodded solemnly and said solemnly: "I know, thank you uncle for your teaching."
"Haha," Changsun Wuji said with a smile on his face: "How dare you take it as a teaching? It's just that as people get older, there is more nonsense. Your Highness, as long as you don't mind the noisiness of the old minister."
While he was talking, the carriage had already entered the Zhuque Gate and arrived in front of the gate of the Ministry of War Yamen.