"Those days, when I think about them now, they really feel like a dream!" Pan Zhanyang changed to a semi-lying position and lazily concluded. The dual effects of wine and night finally made him feel some heat, and he stretched out his hand to pull the fur gap at his collar.
It's a little bigger, revealing thick but rough skin.
It was roughened by the strong wind on the grassland, and no matter how thick the leather was, it could not restore its original color. "You look like a horse thief who got rich!" Xuzi pushed him with his hand and laughed.
He said, "I'll ask someone to boil some water for you to wash yourself. Go and get rid of the tiredness. By the way, you can get rid of this old mud!"
"I can't wash in the wooden bucket, so I'm used to washing in the 'paozi'. The sky is like an upside-down cauldron, and there's no one around, so I can soak in it as long as I want. It's not like here, where there's a lot of water, but I can't find it."
Go to a secluded place!" Pan Zhanyang shook his head and refused. The expression on his face became more and more like an uncivilized barbarian. Maybe he drank too much, and his words became more and more arrogant, "If you want to find a woman, you don't have to work hard.
No matter what kind of appointment, what kind of matchmaker? Just whistle and she will follow you obediently. The stars in the sky are like candles, and the grass on the ground is softer than the bed!"
"Pervert, you're not afraid of a snake coming out of the grass!" Seeing that the other party was becoming more and more outrageous, Xu Zi cursed with a smile, "You have completely turned into a bastard, you don't look like you have read anything.
It looks like a sage’s book!”
"Is it useful to read the books of sages?" Pan Zhanyang held up the wine bowl angrily. "When I was a child, my family told me that if I study hard, I will have a good future and have no worries about food and clothing. But after ten years of hard work, I have finished
, the imperial court, his grandma’s imperial court did not start classes on time again. A million troops went to the east, but less than half of them came back. Fortunately, I ran in time, otherwise I would be a handful of land in Liaodong now! "
"That's not entirely true!" Xuzi didn't want to agree with his opinion, "Look, I'm not living a good life."
"How many people like you can come back alive and gain fame?!" Pan Zhanyang became a little excited, put down his wine bowl, and shouted. "Is it one in ten? Or one in a hundred? His grandma's
That bullshit court, if he hadn’t forced everyone into desperation, would you and I have gone to that barren wall? His grandma’s bullshit court, if he had given everyone a way to survive, would so many people have rebelled?"
Xu Zi couldn't answer the other party's question. He was from a humble background, but could achieve military success and be promoted smoothly. He couldn't find one among the 100,000 people in the Sui Dynasty. Talented people can't get ahead, and mediocre people can't get ahead.
It is a fact that everyone knows that he is in a high position. But the court gave him a chance after all. Although it was just a small gap, he stuck his head out of the gap like a grass root and saw the rocks.
Sunlight from above.
"Sometimes I would rather be a barbarian!" Pan Zhanyang gestured with his palms in the air to strengthen his rhetoric, "You see the barbarians are barbaric. Men in the same tribe also fight back and forth. But they are heavy
Hero, if you have the ability to overthrow others, you will naturally get the respect you deserve. As for our Sui Dynasty, everything is reserved for aristocratic families. As long as you are not from one of those big surnames, no matter how talented you are, it doesn't matter. It turns out that
There is also a scientific examination to give the people below some hope. I haven’t bothered to hold the scientific examination in recent years, and they talk about meritocracy. Bullshit, how to measure talent or not, it’s not up to them to decide!”
Xuzi couldn't deny that the talent selection channels in the Sui Dynasty were not smooth. But he still didn't want to hear others criticize the court's faults, especially a man like Pan Zhanyang who wore Hu costumes. "The past few years haven't been chaotic. I guess it will be over in a few years."
Okay. The tradition formed from the Wei and Jin Dynasties will be difficult for this dynasty to reverse for a while!"
"Will it be good in the future? Why can't I see it?" Pan Zhanyang shook his head like a wave drum, "The government orders come from a noble family, will they cause trouble for themselves? In my opinion, they hope that others will never come forward! If they master these
Those in authority know how to plan for the country, so that’s fine. But no matter what happens, they put their own interests before the safety of the country and the welfare of the people!"
"Alas!" Xuzi sighed and stopped defending. What Pan Zhanyang said was true, and Xuzi himself could see it. He couldn't change it, so he had to choose to be numb.
"The ruling of an aristocratic family is a chronic disease of the Sui Dynasty! The longer it is delayed, the more serious the disease will become!" Seeing that Xuzi remained silent, Pan Zhanyang's thinking became clearer the more he spoke, "The people below can't see any hope of getting ahead, so they can only talk about it.
Banner rebels. Do you know how many rebel banner houses I saw on the road, almost in every county. But when I arrived in Dongdu, Master Pei and Master Yu also told me not to tell the truth to your emperor. Tell me.
If your Majesty asks, just answer, 'The world will be peaceful and prosperous for a hundred years!'"
Slowly, a few beads of sweat seeped out from Xu Zi's head, shining brightly in the candlelight. Before Dugu Lin returned to the capital, everyone mentioned the matter of several powerful officials colluding to deceive the emperor. He originally hoped that
After Dugu Lin returns, he will use the local facts to awaken Yang Guang from his dream of a peaceful and prosperous age. But from Pan Zhanyang's words, Yang Guang is obviously still sleepwalking. I don't know whether it is because Dugu Lin has no chance to get close to him, or because he himself
Reluctant to regain consciousness.
"What do you say to the emperor? Don't you want to tell the truth?" Xuzi asked in a low voice with a glimmer of hope. At this moment, he felt like a beggar, lying on the ground waiting for a charity.
"Your emperor didn't ask at all. I can see that he doesn't care at all." Pan Zhanyang's answer contained the same disappointment as Li Xu's heart. "Zhongjian, I dare to ask you a question today!" He turned around and supported himself with his arms.
He raised his head and met Li Xu's eyes, "The Sui Dynasty is about to end. Do you really want to die for him?"
"Nonsense!" Xuzi slapped the ground hard, stood up with the help, and retorted loudly. "The Great Sui Dynasty will not be destroyed. The Great Sui Dynasty will still have a chance to regain its glory!" Because he stood up too fiercely.
, his head was a little dizzy, he shook his head and supported the wall with his arms.
This was the Sui Dynasty for which he had shed blood and shed tears. How could the country be subjugated so easily? Besides, what good would the advent of troubled times do to everyone? A few people could take the opportunity to make a fortune, but most people would lose their wealth and lives.
"The Turks are out in force, but the politicians are not aware of it at all. In the eyes of the aristocratic families, they have a family but no country, and they don't care whether the court will collapse. The people below can't survive and are displaced. Heroes who can't get ahead are raising flags one after another.
Rebellion, fighting to the death with the government and the army. Can such a court last long?" Pan Zhanyang also sat upright and analyzed methodically. He was looking up at Li Xu, but there was no respect in his eyes.
"You have already met Xu Maogong!" Xuzi supported his tired back with the wall, "Before coming to my place, you have been to Wagang Village, right?" He laughed, and a trace of light slowly shot out in his eyes.
Chill. "Don't lie to me while I still treat you as a friend. Otherwise..." No need to continue, the black knife is already the best answer.
"I did meet Xu Maogong. But I didn't take the initiative to find him. Instead, I was caught by the Wagang Army and taken to the mountain on the way to find you. He was very busy at the time and didn't talk to me much at all. He just stayed with me for one night.
They sent someone to take me down the mountain the next day." Pan Zhanyang moved his body back and explained in a low voice. The murderous aura in Xu Zi was so strong that it was so suppressed that people could not breathe. But there were some things he had to say clearly, otherwise
Misunderstandings will always be hidden in your heart.
"Didn't you say that bandits would treat each other with courtesy even if they wore this kind of clothes?" Li Xu hung the black knife back on the wall and asked with a sneer.
"The Wagang Army did not treat me lightly. After discovering that I was a barbarian, they dedicated me to Li Mi. Then I met Xu Maogong and was recognized by him. Li Mi and Maogong asked me about the situation outside the Great Wall.
, they asked more carefully than the ministers in the imperial court. It can be seen that they have a much clearer understanding of the general trend of the world than the imperial court!"
Speaking of his opponents, Xuzi felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart, "You think they can replace the imperial court, and then you want to be a lobbyist for them, right? But what does Li Mi know? Apart from pretending to be a ghost, what is the difference between him and the powerful officials in the imperial court?
You can say that he saw the chronic diseases of the imperial court and rebelled, but after the rebellion, did he come up with any solutions? Apart from destroying, looting, and making the world more and more chaotic, what else did he do!"
Pan Zhanyang moved back again, until he felt safe, and then slowly answered. "Li Mi is indeed not a person who can achieve great things. But he knows how to take advantage of the situation. He can maneuver among the heroes with ease. Based on this, you can
It is impossible to destroy him as soon as possible. In addition to him and Mao Gong, there are many heroes in the north who may not have the ability to bring peace to the world, but together they can overthrow the Sui Dynasty within a few years!"
The years of serving as the tribal leader were not in vain. His ability to read people and analyze the current situation are much better than those of the imperial court. The Great Sui Dynasty was about to be in chaos, and all the heroes came together. This was a disaster, and it was also a disaster.
God-given opportunity.
"You have not only met the leader of the Wagang Army. You have not only wandered to the Central Plains to find me!" Xuzi shook his head slightly, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth. He finally understood Pan Zhanyang's mission and wished he could kill him with a knife.
, "The main purpose of your coming to the Central Plains is to spy. If the Central Plains remains strong, you Khitan tribe will refuse to join forces with the Turks. If the Central Plains declines, you will answer the call of the Turks, right?"
He stepped forward slowly and stared into Pan Zhanyang's eyes. He dug out the truth from the other person's wandering eyes. This man had hoped for him before, but there was no chance of deceiving him a second time.
"I, I mainly look for you. But you are right. The Khitan tribes are weak and must find strong people to take refuge with them! I warned the Sui court to beware of the Turks' ambitions, but no one believed me.
Words! I have fulfilled my responsibility, I..." Pan Zhanyang was so excited by Xu Zi's gaze that he had to stand up and put his hand on the weapon rack beside him. The weapon rack behind him belonged to Xu Zi.
It's been a long time, rarely used, but always wiped extremely clean.
"So, you are going to collude with the Turks and sell the Sui Dynasty's parent state." Xuzi stepped forward, pointed at Pan Zhanyang's nose and shouted angrily, "The Sui Dynasty does have such and such flaws, but he is ours after all.
The Great Sui Dynasty of the Central Plains people. Your parents and brothers are all here, and your friends and relatives are also here. If you sell it, what benefits will you get? Is it to be famous forever, or to be promoted and make a fortune? You are not afraid that your children and grandchildren will ask about it in the future.
, what did you do when you were young? Aren't you afraid of facing your own conscience in the dead of night?"
Many days of repression finally broke out at this moment. He asked questions one after another, making the windows buzz. Under the aggressive gaze, Pan Zhanyang's face was covered with sweat. He supported his body with a weapon stand and murmured in reply: "
The imperial court of the Sui Dynasty was in a state of decay, and the people of the Sui Dynasty had been displaced."
"That can't be the reason for you to betray him!" Xuzi shook his head, his voice was not loud, but extremely firm. "The flaws of Sui Dynasty can never be the reason for you to betray him. You have been outside the Great Wall for a long time, and you know how they treat him.
All the men of the conquered were killed, and the women and children were made slaves. The houses were burned down, the property was evacuated, and the farmland was turned into pasture. For the Central Plains, that would definitely be a disaster, not a blessing!"
"I did not betray the Sui Dynasty. The Khitan tribes have not yet decided what to do, but the Turks will definitely invade within two years! I can't influence the choices of the Yuling tribe, nor can I influence the choices of other Khitan tribes!" Pan Zhanyang wiped his sweat.
, defended in a low voice.
"But you can control your own behavior! No matter you wear bear skin or wolf skin, you are still a Central Plains person at heart!" Seeing Pan Zhanyang's sweat-wet stick, Xu Zi's eyes softened slightly, but his tone was still fierce.
"I didn't say that I wasn't, so I hope that a hero from the Central Plains will come out to turn the tide as soon as possible!" Pan Zhanyang inferred from Xu Zi's eyes that he had run back and forth between life and death, seizing the fleeting opportunity, and vowed to do so.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have stayed in the Central Plains for so long. I can bring your message to the princess and work with her to advise the Yuling tribe not to respond to the Turks' call. But I have no idea how long it will last!"
"The chaos will definitely end. Before that, I will guard my home!" Xuzi smiled and slowly backed away from Pan Zhanyang. In his impression, Pan Zhanyang was not a very responsible guy. So he could
Forcing the other party to do this has reached the limit. "Sit down and continue drinking. We have been in the Central Plains for so many years and will not be easily defeated by a minor illness!"
"This is the reason why you have been putting out fires for the imperial court! I thought you were stupid when I first met you, but now I realize that my original judgment was absolutely correct!" Pan Zhanyang sat down sideways and carefully made a joke.
"There is not much time left for the Central Plains. Your emperor is obviously a person who cannot listen to advice!"
"There are many heroes in the Central Plains. Not all of them are Li Mi, Wang Bo and the like!" Xuzi shook his head and looked out the window. In the conversation between the two of them, they both used the word "Central Plains" instead of the Great Sui Dynasty in a tacit understanding. Xuzi had previously
He was not so clear in his heart. After a confrontation with Pan Zhanyang, his eyes were no longer confused.
There are many heroes in the Central Plains, including Wang Bo who only wants to take advantage of the situation, Li Mi who only knows how to destroy, and those Confucian scholars and clowns who consciously see the overall situation of the world and are eager to jump out to gain benefits. There is also Zhang Xutuo in this land.
, as well as Luo Yi, Zhou Fashang, and Xu Zi himself.
"The duty of a general is to protect!" At this moment, Xuzi finally understood Zhang Xutuo's original words. (To be continued)
