Chapter 486 The most difficult thing is the human heart
At the end of the banquet, Du Fu was so drunk that he collapsed to the ground unconscious and had to be helped down.
After the banquet was over and the guests dispersed, Zhou Jun left Li Guangbi alone to talk in the side hall.
A pot of tea was boiling in the room, along with several plates of pastries.
Li Guangbi took a small sip of the cloud tea in the cup and sighed softly: "I haven't had anything like this for a long time."
Zhou Jun: "Shuofang's army set up a cloud tea workshop in Lingzhou, which can produce tens of thousands of kilograms of tea every year. Every once in a while, Shuofang Jiedushi will send people to donate some. If you like it, take some back."
Hearing this, Li Guangbi took another sip of tea and said, "Master..."
Zhou Jun turned his head and glanced at Li Guangbi.
The latter quickly changed his words: "Is it Guo Ziyi that Erlang is talking about?"
Zhou Jun: "Yes. After the Battle of Dunhuang, did you have any dealings with him?"
Li Guangbi shook his head.
Zhou Jun nodded slightly, but sighed in his heart, since he came to the Tang Dynasty, the fate of many people has changed.
Li Guangbi failed to become the deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, but he spent three years in prison because of the Battle of Shibao City. Guo Ziyi was supposed to be just a small prefect of Jiuyuan, but because of his own recommendation, he participated in the Dunhuang attack and defense.
After much hard work, he became the governor of Shuofang.
Zhou Jun picked up the teacup and asked Li Guangbi: "What do you think of Guo Ziyi?"
Li Guangbi thought for a moment and said, "Guangbi doesn't like this person."
Hearing this, Zhou Jun was a little dazed at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he gradually understood.
According to historical records, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi worked together under An Sishun for a period of time.
Li Guangbi is a bloody person when things happen, and he pays attention to being clear about love and hate, being decisive in doing things, and not being sloppy; while Guo Ziyi is sophisticated, and when encountering problems, he mostly adopts a gentle approach to minimize the impact.
Therefore, before the An-Shi Rebellion, these two people had conflicting personalities, and they could not even sit at the same table.
An Sishun also had a headache for a long time because of this matter.
Li Guangbi drank the tea in the cup and asked Zhou Jun: "An Lushan's rebellion is getting stronger and stronger. We have been preparing to deal with the rebels since that day."
Zhou Jun remained calm and asked Li Guangbi, "In your opinion, what should we do?"
Li Guangbi: "Anlushan is now the military envoy of the three regions. He also has the Turks, Xi, Tongluo and other foreign elites in his hands. The number of available troops is no less than 200,000. If all the troops are mobilized, I am afraid the world will be in danger. What is the plan now?
, The first is to warn the court and advise them to take precautions in advance; the second is to contact the Huihe Ministry and ask for their cavalry to assist; the third is to prepare grain and grass supplies and rush to help at any time."
Zhou Jun just remained silent after hearing these words.
Li Guangbi continued: "Ge Shuhan and I risked our lives to retain three thousand elite members of the Northern Fan, just for this day... Guangbi is willing to follow Erlang, wipe out the rebels, and revive the power of the Tang Dynasty! Erlang, he
If you save the world and return your clothes and silk to the court, your name will be remembered forever!"
Zhou Jun heard this and asked calmly: "Guangbi, how do I treat you on weekdays?"
Li Guangbi was stunned for a moment, and then quickly replied: "If Erlang hadn't saved me from prison, Guangbi would have died there without anyone knowing... Erlang has given me the gift of reincarnation, and Guangbi can't repay it.
It’s just a matter of death!”
Zhou Jun nodded lightly and said: "In this way, you and I are friends of life and death, and let me have a heart-to-heart talk... Let me ask you, does the imperial court really want me to go back to quell the rebellion?"
Li Guangbi was stunned: "What do you mean...?"
Zhou Jun: "Jun was born in a humble family. Although he was lucky enough to have Princess Shang as his wife, he was still excluded from the court."
Li Guangbi: "Erlang defeated Tubo and Dashi. If you look at the Tang Dynasty, no one can match him in terms of military achievements. He also rescued nearly ten thousand Tang prisoners and returned to Anxi. He built homes for countless refugees. He was also a sage in his political studies. Why did the court exclude Erlang?"
"
Zhou Jun: "Guangbi, you are in Shazhou, and the situation there should be very clear... Jun previously ran the Daqi trade route, earning countless taxes and tributes for the court, and benefiting the people of Shazhou. It stands to reason.
He said that the imperial court was grateful for my deeds and should allow me to continue operating the trade route. Why did the imperial court rush to take back my post as the envoy of Longyou as soon as the Tibetan people were driven away?"
Li Guangbi was stunned at first, then recalled carefully, and suddenly said: "When I was in Shazhou, I once heard Governor Liu say that Erlang replaced the private sector with government-run businesses and benefited the people of Shazhou. This move hindered many people's ability to make money.
The road led these people to slander His Majesty."
Zhou Jun just smiled bitterly, there were some things he couldn't tell Li Guangbi clearly.
The important ministers in the court, the prominent families in Guanzhong, the nobles in the palace, and Li Longji sitting on the dragon throne actually all belong to the same vested interest group.
In China's thousands of years of feudal history, "state" and "imperial power" are basically the same concept. Imperial power means the country, and the country is the imperial power.
Even with the famous saying "Water can carry a boat, it can also capsize it", the thinking only stays at the level that the people are the carriers of imperial power... But no one has ever really proposed that the people are the country.
The main body of the country, and imperial power is just a way of running the country.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun could only change his mind and asked Li Guangbi: "Do you remember Wang Zhongsi and Wang Duhu?"
Li Guangbi nodded.
Zhou Jun: "Wang Duhu has served the country all his life. He has been dedicated and loyal. In the end, he ended up being disabled and dismissed from office. Now he no longer knows whether he will live or die. In terms of merit and ability, he is much greater than me. Why?
Still can’t escape this fate?”
When Li Guangbi heard this, he was stunned for a moment. He lowered his head and thought for a long time. He sighed and said: "Erlang's words are enlightening."
Zhou Jun spread his hands and said to Li Guangbi: "Although Jun wants to save the people, he doesn't want to end up like Wang Zhongsi... Why don't you teach me how to do it?"
Li Guangbi stood up from his seat, pacing back and forth in the room while touching his chin.
After a while, Li Guangbi gritted his teeth and seemed to have made up his mind. He came to Zhou Jun, raised his hands and said: "Guangbi has thought before that Wang Zhongsi was wronged because Li Linfu was a traitor; now Erlang is ostracized because of Yang Guozhong.
Jealousy Xian... The world must be saved and the rebels must be destroyed, but Yang Guozhong must also find a way to get rid of him."
After hearing this, Zhou Jun's expression remained normal, but Li Guangbi's next words made him unable to help being surprised.
Li Guangbi lowered his voice and said: "It is not easy to get rid of Yang Guozhong. Your Majesty loves the imperial concubine and uses the Yang family. This makes Yang Guozhong confident... If Erlang wants to protect himself, he must first deal with Yang Guozhong and the Yang family, but as long as
With His Majesty here, this matter will not go as planned. Therefore, we must first think of a way to persuade His Majesty to retreat bravely..."
Zhou Jun opened his eyes wide and was quite surprised: "Is it advisable for Your Majesty to retreat bravely?"
Li Guangbi: "I know this is treacherous, but it is indeed a last resort... The current Holy Emperor is convinced that the vassal general An Lushan has given power to the traitorous Prime Minister. He is no longer the Ming Lord of the past. In this case, why not contact Erlang secretly?
As a prince, I will give you full support for him to ascend to the throne, and he will have a stable future in the future."
After Zhou Jun heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry.
What he wanted to hear was not the answer.
But he also knew in his heart that Li Guangbi's ability to speak such words was tantamount to putting his wealth and life completely in his own hands.
Li Guangbi was a typical Tang official at heart. In his mind, even if everything went wrong with the court, it was an internal matter within the imperial power.
In other words, the emperor can be changed, but the Tang Dynasty must still be the same Datang Dynasty.
Zhou Jun couldn't help but think that Li Guangbi, who was so loyal to him that he could even trust him with his life, just thought this way.
What about others such as Feng Changqing, Liu Zai, Li Siye, Duan Xiushi, etc.?
If they were asked to make a choice between Datang and themselves, how would they choose?
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun raised his head and sighed softly.
At this time, he suddenly began to miss someone in his mind.