The rain outside the window was pattering and the sky was gloomy, just like Xiao Yu's mood at the moment.
In his life, he went from being a highly respected member of the Nanliang royal family to being a miserable and precarious prisoner, and then to entering the Tang Dynasty and becoming the prime minister of a country. He experienced numerous ups and downs and power struggles, but he was always able to take advantage of both sides, turn danger into safety, and turn adversity into safety.
Cheng Tantu has always been able to control the situation.
But now Zhang Xingcheng is shirking responsibility like a rogue, which makes him quite troublesome...
He stared at Zhang Xingcheng closely, and when he saw the other person lowering his head to drink tea, he remained silent and said slowly: "Is the Shandong family going to renege on their previous oath?"
Zhang Xingcheng put down his tea cup and sighed.
He has sighed too much these past two days...
Looking at Xiao Yu, he tried his best to make his eyes sincere and his expression sincere: "I'm not afraid of your jokes, Lord Song. Today, there are serious differences within the Shandong aristocratic families, and their wills cannot be unified. Many clans work in their own way, and many of them advocate giving up the relationship with the Jiangnan gentry.
Covenant... Song Guogong wants all the families in Shandong to cooperate with you in running the court and force the prince to submit. I am afraid that not only will it be difficult to achieve his wish, but he will also encounter resistance from some Shandong families. "
This is true, but it also contains a lot of water.
At any time, it is difficult for clans and clans to live in peace and share benefits, even within the factions. Even once disputes break out, they will be more serious than those of outsiders. Shandong, Jiangnan, and Guanlong all divide many areas based on region.
The clans and clans united together, and everyone stayed together for warmth, married each other, and conducted business, which made the connection between each other closer and closer, achieving the goal of monopolizing a place.
But precisely because they are too close to each other, differences will inevitably arise in the distribution of interests between each other. Although differences will be suppressed due to unanimous external relations, once they break out, they will often fight to the death...
When it comes to the trend of "involution", the Shandong family is far more serious than the Guanlong clan.
The Guanlong clans at least have a common leader in name. Between the choices of advancement and retreat, Changsun Wuji, the number one person in Guanlong, coordinates the various clans and eliminates conflicts. However, each of the Shandong aristocratic families is a millennium-old wealthy family with profound heritage and huge power. No one can
No one agrees with anyone, and no one can do anything about it. On the surface, they are united, but in reality they are divided and full of contradictions.
For example, this time he asked Cheng Yaojin to lead his army to Dayun Temple in an attempt to wipe out the remnants of Guanlong. This was a helpless move caused by the involution of the Shandong clan. Li Ji turned a deaf ear to the orders of the Shandong family. What could he do?
Of course, even if Li Ji disobeys the orders of the Shandong family, the Shandong family still has different ideas, but it is far from being divided...
Xiao Yu's anger grew stronger, his face became gloomy, he took a sip of tea and remained silent, expressing his dissatisfaction with silence.
Although there is a competitive relationship between the Jiangnan gentry and the Shandong aristocratic families, they have deep roots with each other. During the "Southern Journey", the Shandong aristocratic families moved to Jiangnan in large numbers. Today, most of the Jiangnan gentry have blood ancestry from the Shandong aristocratic families, such as the "Lanling Xiao Clan"
He was once a member of an aristocratic family in Shandong. Even though he moved to the south of the Yangtze River for many years, he still did not change his county name and never forgot his hometown accent.
Most of these clans that have been passed down for thousands of years are descendants of Confucius and Mencius. They study the Four Books and Five Classics, pursue benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trust, and believe in "people cannot stand without faith". After taking over this two times, they jointly concluded an alliance and returned to China.
Before entering the court, he was stabbed in the back by the Shandong family...
It’s clear that he is just seeking profit and forgetting his righteousness!
Seeing Xiao Yu's dissatisfaction, Zhang Xingcheng smiled bitterly and said: "I don't dare to take charge of this matter. I have to report it to the heads of each family, and then give a reply to Song Guogong after deliberation... But please rest assured that each family in Shandong has an agreement with the Jiangnan nobles."
We attach great importance to it, and no matter how great the difficulties are, no matter how much our interests are lost, we will not ignore our oath."
Cooperation is definitely necessary. If you join forces, you will be stronger, but if you divide them, you will be weak. What the clans in the two places want is to join forces to control the court, instead of being divided and defeated by the prince after he ascends the throne.
Xiao Yu was a little tired, and understood that Zhang Xingcheng's words and attitude were just laying the groundwork for future negotiations, allowing him to see the toughness of the Shandong family. During the negotiation process, he would try his best to meet the Shandong family's requirements and give up more concessions.
Many benefits...
They are not honest people.
Although he is still dissatisfied, at least he knows what the other party's bottom line is. In short, it is just a game that will never end...
Then he said: "The prince's coming out of the city to greet the Holy Emperor certainly shows extraordinary courage, but it also means that he has lost control of the current situation and has no confidence to control the court situation step by step. He can only use this approach that is almost
Using brute force, Li Ji forced Li Ji to hand over His Majesty's body and swear allegiance to him as the Crown Prince... However, at this moment, we have not been able to fully accept the benefits left by Guan Long, and we cannot sit back and watch the Crown Prince ascend the throne, otherwise the Crown Prince's prestige will be greatly increased and the imperial power will be stable.
, we will have endless troubles."
Li Chengqian's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion, and no one can stop him, unless someone can annihilate Donggong Liuli and Youtunwei in one fell swoop.
Li Ji has this strength, but obviously Li Ji won't do that...
But from the perspective of the interests of the Jiangnan and Shandong clans, the premise for them to allow the prince to ascend the throne must be with their support, instead of just sitting back and watching the prince succeed in such a tough way, waiting for the Guanlong clan to succeed with the prince's support.
Next comeback.
Zhang Xingcheng nodded and asked: "What does the Duke of Song want? How can the Shandong family cooperate?"
Xiao Yu said in a deep voice: "Prevent the prince from leaving the city to meet the Holy Driver!"
Zhang Xingcheng frowned. This was because he planned to use the strongest method to prevent the prince from having a state funeral. The process of enthroning the throne would be completed quickly, which would buy more time for the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan to organize the court and capture more interests.
In hand...
He thought for a moment, looked troubled, and muttered: "Chang'an is about to be rebuilt. When the Shandong family arrives near Guanzhong, they will definitely pay more money, silk, and manpower to respond to the call of His Highness the Crown Prince. Therefore, Chang'an and Wannian are the magistrates of the two counties."
They must be descendants of Shandong, otherwise Shandong will suffer too much if there is a little turmoil."
Above the court, sometimes they are like merchants, getting back as much as they pay. The reconstruction of Chang'an and even the entire Guanzhong will inevitably require extremely large manpower, material and financial resources. When the national treasury was almost exhausted by the Eastern Expedition, the Shandong Family
Proximity support is what is meant. This is not just a simple contribution. From all the reconstruction projects that the Shandong Family participates in, it can reap very considerable benefits. If this is extended to the entire reconstruction plan, the benefits that can be harvested are huge.
Such many interests will not only become coveted by all parties, but will even trigger internal struggles within the Shandong family, which requires powerful local officials to safeguard these interests.
Ma Zhou is a member of the East Palace team, and he has an irreversible friendship with Fang Jun. No one can care about the position of Jing Zhaoyin, so they have to settle for the second best. The Shandong family must acquire the magistrates of Chang'an and Wannian counties, otherwise it will be huge. interests cannot be protected.
But in ordinary times, how would the Jiangnan nobles be willing to give up such an important position?
Now is the best opportunity to bargain...
Xiao Yu thought about it, and although he was unwilling to do so, in order to win the trust of the Shandong family and get the help of the Shandong family, he had no choice but to nod and admit: "There is no problem with this matter. You will choose people to retaliate to me later. I will personally inform His Highness, the Prince of Jiangxia County."
The Shandong Aristocratic Family has a deeper foundation and stronger strength, but Li Ji is obviously not of the same mind as the Shandong Aristocratic Family. Most of the time, he goes his own way and does not listen to the Shandong Aristocratic Family's orders. As a result, the Shandong Aristocratic Family lacks a certain powerful banner in the court and has to rely on him many times. Xiao Yu.
Like the magistrates of Chang'an and Wannian counties, which are low-ranking but extremely important positions, the Shandong family would never be able to take them without his approval.
Therefore, Xiao Yu has always believed that in the process of cooperation between the two great clans, the Jiangnan clan has always taken the initiative...
When Zhang Xingcheng saw Xiao Yu's promise, he smiled happily and said: "Bo Yuntian, the righteous lord of the Song Dynasty, thanked all the families in Shandong. He then left and went back to explain the intentions of the Duke of Song to each family, and tried his best to win the agreement of each family, so that the cooperation between the two parties would be better. close."
Xiao Yu served the guests tea and said meaningfully: "You and I are strong together, but weak apart. Don't underestimate Guanlong. They have been at the end of their rope. They have been running Guanzhong for more than a hundred years. They are powerful and deeply rooted. How can they be uprooted overnight?" In addition, we should be careful not to rush but to be patient and plan carefully so that we can grasp the overall situation... Let's encourage each other."
Alliance with the Shandong Aristocratic Family is a last resort, otherwise it will be difficult for either of the two parties to control the situation in the court, and they can only become the prince's tool. When the birds are gone in the future, the good bows will be hidden. However, the Shandong Aristocratic Family has a long heritage. He has a profound background and is most prepared for his actions. He is insidious and cunning. If he is not careful, he will be swallowed with his skin and flesh...
I have to beat them from time to time, and hope that Shandong Family will put the overall situation first and not do anything to burn bridges.
When the Jiangnan gentry gained a firm foothold in Guanzhong, they would naturally not be afraid of the Shandong gentry going back on their word...
Zhang Xingcheng stood up, bowed and saluted, and said solemnly: "The Shandong aristocratic family inherited from Confucius and Mencius. They passed down poems and books, farmed and read non-stop. They stayed clean no matter the prosperous and troubled times. They are also in the same neighborhood as the Jiangnan gentry. We have a deep connection. How can we cut ourselves off?" Arm, did you do that stupid thing that hurts your relatives and makes your enemies happy? Please rest assured, Duke Song, that as long as the Jiangnan nobles abide by their oath, the families in Shandong will never abandon it!"
Xiao Yu nodded repeatedly, with a look of relief on his face: "It's best for you to understand this. The Tang Dynasty has no boundaries, and the interests of the court are not calculated. Only one family can take care of it, eat it, and everyone cooperates sincerely to control it. Use power to control the situation and achieve great achievements."
Later, the perfunctoriness in his tone was clearly revealed, and I kept sighing in my heart - Mom, just looking at Zhang Xingcheng's face, I knew that my words were in vain. There are really no allies between aristocratic families, only interests. No one can be trusted...