Li Si, Mao Jiao, and Yao Jia were dismissed by Qin Shihuang in advance. When they walked outside the palace, the sun had already risen in the sky. The three of them were all old, so they only felt the sun was dazzling.
Yao Jia yawned: "It's good to be sent away by His Majesty. I just want to take a nap in the official office."
Then he suddenly smiled and said: "But speaking of which, Your Majesty has such trust in that black man that he actually blocked us and discussed matters with him alone. Prime Minister Li, if I remember correctly, you are the only one among the three of us.
A dozen or twenty years ago, wouldn’t you have been treated like this?”
Li Si naturally remembered that during that time, the monarch and his ministers got along well with each other. It was precisely because of Qin Shihuang's trust and love for him that Li Si's sons became princesses and their daughters married Qin Gongzi's in-laws.
But Li Si always knew his duty as a minister and did not dare to call himself a relative.
Now Yao Jia's words were quite provocative, so Li Si just said lightly: "Your Majesty has summoned many people to discuss matters alone. Those who are far away include Wei Liao, Dun Rui, Wang Jian, and Wang Ben, and those who are close include Meng Tian and Li Xin."
"That's right."
Yao Jia responded: "When I left Xianyang to serve as county governor, your majesty treated Li Xin and Meng Tian the most favorably, but these two people combined could not be as valued as Hei Fu. Your majesty's employment of people is really like laying bricks.
Shangya!"
Mao Jiao frowned: "What did Shaofu Yao say? The reason why you and I came to Qin from Wei and Qi was not because the capable people in Qin were good at appointing people. Li Xin and Meng Tian let your majesty down, but Hei Fu never did. He was loyal
You have fulfilled your duties and done things properly, so what if your Majesty treats you well? Do you have resentment in your heart?"
"Have you any resentment? Don't you dare."
Yao Jia touched the crown on his bald head and sighed: "It's just fear. If you think about it carefully, the expansion to the west, the garrison in the north, and the eastward expedition are all related to this person. If he adds the southern expedition, the world will be conquered by him."
After fighting in a circle, with such great merit, after becoming a general, even if I don't immediately become the prime minister, I can at least be the ninth minister, right? By then, my position as the young master will probably be vacant."
"Yao Shaofu is nearly seventy years old, it's time to retire."
Mao Jiao and Yao Jia have known each other for many years, and they were not polite when they complained. But when he said it, he noticed a hint of deceit in Yao Jia's smile, and secretly said something was wrong.
But he forgot that there was an older person next to him...
However, Li Si seemed not to have heard about it, and cupped his hands towards the two of them and said: "The state affairs are busy, and another batch of memorials has been delivered, so Si will go ahead."
After saying that, he left, got on the chariot, and staggered towards the outside of Jieshi Palace.
Looking at Li Si's back, Yao Jia said: "Yu Shi Mao doesn't have to think he said something wrong. Our Prime Minister Li is not old. He must feel in his heart that he can still be Prime Minister for another ten years! Power is such a thing.
It’s addictive!”
"Young Master Yao is also addicted and blinded by power?"
Mao Jiao looked at Yao Jia and sneered: "If this were not the case, before entering the palace, he said that we should work together and endure for the sake of the country. Now, what is the purpose of instigating the old ministers and new ministers like this?"
"I?"
Yao Jia laughed loudly, then became serious: "Mao Yushi, have you and I ever tasted the taste of power? We are not even qualified to be addicted!"
…
When Heifu came out of the palace, he found that among the three veterans, only Mao Jiao was still waiting outside. Didn't Qin Shihuang already let the visitors come out and asked them to come back in the afternoon?
Mao Jiao smiled and said: "I am old and my bones are cold. I just want to bask in the warm sun. The county governor also wants to go to the palace. How about we go together in the car?"
Heifu had no choice but to agree.
Mao Jiao was specially left to wait for Hei Fu. He was an erudite man from the East and worked as a "Fu" for a period of time. He taught Fu Su how to learn books, math and chess. Fu Su attached great importance to filial piety, which was also influenced by Mao Jiao's teachings.
.Mao Jiao attached great importance to Fusu. Back then, he was dismissed by Qin Shihuang for suggesting that he should "establish a prince as early as possible." His political leanings are self-evident.
Since he regarded Heifu as a member of the "Princeling Party", he was naturally very enthusiastic towards him. After Heifu got on the bus, he already called Heifu "Jimo" and called him by the name "Jimo".
"Your Majesty has been talking to Jimo for a long time, has the matter of the southern expedition been decided?"
There was just a show of "The Emperor's Wrath" in the palace. Although Heifu said something from the bottom of his heart and handed over the Southern Expedition Strategy that was not intended to be presented, Qin Shihuang still scolded him again and blasted it out.
Naturally, these things cannot be told to others. Heifu only smiled mysteriously: "Your Majesty's words, Heifu dare not tell others privately."
"That's right, that's right. Otherwise, there's no need to block others."
Mao Jiao laughed twice. Although he scolded Yao Jia for being jealous of talents, he still felt a bit like "the descendants are to be feared" in his heart, so he said:
"But Jimo said before that the Yue could not be pacified in half a year. Is Lingnan really that difficult to defeat? I always thought that the Yue was already settled, and only the two small tribes of Xiou and Luo Yue were left to resist stubbornly."
Heifu shook his head: "Master Yushi, I heard that you are good at playing chess?"
Mao Jiao nodded: "I learned chess from those who played chess in Daliang."
"Then I dare to ask the imperial censor, what is the most difficult chess game in the world?"
Mao Jiao thought for a while: "It's the remnants of someone else's game..."
He laughed dumbly: "I understand, Lingnan is also in an endgame right now."
Hei Fu nodded: "Of course, the end game is already difficult to play. What's more, before I carefully observe the chess game, I am asked to issue a "half-moment victory" military order. I dare not agree."
As a general, one thing you must remember is: disobey orders!
Heifu told Mao Jiao something: "A hundred years ago, when the three kingdoms of Qi, Wei and Han attacked Chu, Qi general Kuang Zhang formed an array with the Chu army and held a stalemate for half a year."
"King Xuan of Qi was extremely impatient, so he sent an envoy to the front line to urge Kuang Zhang to cross the river quickly and fight with harsh words!"
"However, Kuang Zhang refused. He asked the envoy to return to Linzi and tell the King of Qi: 'Remove Kuang Zhang from his post, kill me, and even kill my whole family. This is what the king can do; but as long as Kuang Zhang is a general, there will be no fighting opportunities.
If you ask me to go to war when the time is right, if you ask me to retreat when the opportunity is ripe, Kuang Zhang will not dare to obey even if it is the king's order!'"
"It is precisely because of this that Kuang Zhang won the victory over the sand and became a famous general. Therefore, the method of using military force is that the general is ordered by the king, unites the army and gathers the people, and cannot help but attack. The army cannot attack, the city cannot attack, and the ground has
Don't fight for anything. Don't accept your orders!"
"The same goes for Heifu as a general. Now that the weather, location, and people in the south have been lost, Your Majesty has to conquer Vietnam in half a year. It is really difficult for someone to do it. If you don't realize this, you will be too impatient. Even if the Qin army is stronger in the north and goes to the south,
If you are not acclimatized, you will inevitably lose again and again, and eventually fall into a quagmire. Thousands of soldiers will die, and the national affairs of the Qin Dynasty will be ruined!"
Therefore, before going to war, the general must make it clear to the top decision-maker: it is your power to take office and remove him from office, but I have the final say on how to fight the battle on the front line!
This is Heifu's insistence.
The more Mao Jiao listened, the more surprised he became. He looked at Hei Fu up and down, as if he was getting to know him all over again.
In this person, he seemed to see himself twenty years ago, standing in front of the boiling cauldron, raising his head and arguing with Qin Shihuang.
I also seem to have seen Fusu ten years ago. Although he was young, he accepted death and used his immature voice to persuade Qin Shihuang not to kill innocent people indiscriminately and to cherish the people's power.
Now, when both of them have learned to remain silent, Heifu would rather offend the emperor than obey the arbitrary orders...
This made Mao Jiao even more convinced that Hei Fu was one of our own, trustworthy, and could be used as an aid!
So Mao Jiao bowed solemnly to Hei Fu and said:
"I'm ashamed. I always thought that Governor Wei was a smooth man. He obeyed all His Majesty's orders and even acted as a flatterer. But I never thought that when it came to military and state affairs, you would not give in even an inch, and you could even argue with His Majesty.
Arguing in court is really a cowardly and lonely subject!"
…
After leaving Jieshi Palace, Hei Fu said goodbye to Mao Jiao and got out of the car. After this incident, the veteran already regarded him as "one of his own".
But after the carriage drove away, Hei Fu shook his head and said to himself: "Master Yushi, you have misjudged the wrong person. I am not that noble at all..."
Everyone in society must learn to play different roles in front of different people.
In front of Mao Jiao, he was a brave and lonely minister.
In front of Fusu, he was a good teacher and helpful friend.
In front of the people, he is an honest official and a good official.
In front of Qin Shihuang, Heifu is a loyal soldier and the stronghold of the country...
Although he knew he was an actor, sometimes after a long time, Heifu couldn't tell whether these characters were real or fake.
"When the Duke of Zhou was afraid of rumors, King Mang was humble and did not usurp the throne. Perhaps if the rumors were played to the end, it would be true, and if they were not played, it would be false."
When Heifu returned to the library, his nephew Wei Yang came to tell him that Chen Ping had just arrived from Jiaodong and was at the port.
Hei Fu nodded: "As long as he comes, let him come to see me quickly."
In front of this overly clever henchman, what role will Heifu play?