Guo Xu smacked his lips and said, "Let grandpa worry about it."
Lu Zhongtian said solemnly: "It's not right for me to worry about you. Yang Jun also said in front of the emperor that even if he were to personally command the battle of Yingtian Mansion, he would inevitably suffer heavy losses. According to the battle situation, the opponent's equipment
It's not bad, and it's well-organized, and it has a large number of believers following it. The number of people is much greater than our own troops. And we rely on the defense of a strong city to fight. Even if Sun Wu is alive, he may not be able to get an advantage. You can use tricks to capture Yingtian Mansion.
, it’s already very difficult. It’s just a slight flaw.”
Guo Xu said in shock: "Did Yang Jun really say that in front of his father?"
Lu Zhongtian sneered: "He knows what's going on. He didn't add insult to injury at the critical moment. Unlike those old guys, they seemed to have gotten a chance this time and jumped out to say something. But what they said doesn't count. Yang Jun's words don't count."
Only the emperor believes it. I won’t hide it from you, but your father was very unhappy originally, but with me and Yang Jun speaking for you, your father’s attitude has changed a bit. You also heard the imperial edict, but not even a single sentence
Words of rebuke.”
Guo Xu suddenly realized that it was Lu Zhongtian and Yang Jun who spoke for him in front of his father. Originally, his father might have reprimanded him, but the content of the current imperial edict was not his father's original intention. I am afraid that this was due to his grandfather and Yang Jun.
People tend to save face, but in fact, the father really has a grudge in his heart.
"Thank you for covering up the trouble for your grandson. But in fact, many people in the court still have something to say, right?" Guo Xu said in a deep voice.
"Of course they have to jump out and say something. That group of people are clinging to Lao Huangli. They are leaning towards the Jin Dynasty. So, if they catch your flaws, why don't they jump out and attack you? They just want to do it.
It's just some obstruction. What they say is just nonsense, there is no need to listen to it," Lu Zhongtian said.
Guo Xu frowned and pondered, he knew why. Ever since the news came out in the court that the emperor could not decide the position of the prince, and he did not know whether to establish the king of Jin or himself, people kept writing letters and making long remarks about this time. Those people have been following the emperor all day long.
Words such as "the elders and younger ones should be orderly, and ethics should not be abolished" and "it is the ancestral system to establish a direct descendant" are nothing more than persuading the father not to think about establishing himself as the prince. Now Yingtian Mansion is here
The war just gave them the opportunity, why wouldn't they jump out and say something? In addition, the King of Jin won a great victory in Yangwu, wiping out more than 20,000 religious bandits at a very slight cost. In comparison, they themselves pale in comparison.
"But, having said that, there is something I want to ask you. This is why I came in person." Lu Zhongtian turned to look at Guo Xu and said in a deep voice.
Guo Xu felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly said: "Please ask my grandfather for more information."
Lu Zhongtian said calmly: "How could you let the Qingjiao bandit leader escape from under your nose? This matter is very difficult to understand. The city is broken and you have cavalry, why don't you chase and fight? The bandit leader escaped, this is the result of Yingtian Mansion
A major failure of the war. Even I can't explain this to you. Someone in the army sent back a message saying that you clearly could pursue, but you ordered to stop the pursuit and let the opponent go. Is this the case? There are many in the DPRK.
This is what people are criticizing you for. Tell me, is this the case? Is what they say true?"
Guo Xu hurriedly said: "They are slanderers. I was worried that I would be ambushed before I caught up with Xiaoyangshan Pass and ordered to stop the pursuit. The soldiers and horses were tired from attacking the city and it was not easy to capture the city. I didn't want to cause more trouble, so I decided to stop the pursuit."
Caution comes first, I didn’t expect that this would be criticized. I also want to capture the bandit leader, but I can’t take risks because of this, which ruins a good situation.”
Lu Zhongtian chuckled, looked straight at Guo Xu and said, "Guo Xu, who am I?"
"You are my grandfather. Why do you ask this?" Guo Xu said in surprise.
Lu Zhongtian sighed softly: "I am your grandfather, your mother is my daughter, and you are my grandson. Do you think there is anything to hide about our relationship? I support you wholeheartedly, so
After many years, you should be able to feel it yourself. But you are defensive about me. It's a bit sad to say it."
Guo Xu hurriedly asked: "What did my grandfather say? How could Guo Xu be defensive about my grandfather?"
Lu Zhongtian said: "Facts speak louder than words. Your reason just now is not valid at all. After the city was broken, you had enough time to catch up with the bandit leaders before they arrived at Xiaoyang Mountain. But you delayed for half an hour before ordering the pursuit. This is
Isn’t that true? Xiaoyang Mountain is just a few small hills. The terrain is not suitable for an ambush. In addition, the bandit leader was already a lost dog at that time. How could he still have the energy to arrange an ambush? Do you think that others are fools? You can’t see this?
Boy, you are playing tricks in front of me, I'm afraid it's not enough. I can see it, and others can also see it. Some people have already said that you allowed the bandit leader to escape, but they are just whispering in secret and dare not put it out in the open.
Said, but once this kind of rumor is known to the Emperor, the Emperor will be suspicious and it will be very detrimental to you. I am here to ask you to explain it clearly to me and explain it honestly, so that I can cover up the situation for you and find a solution.
Countermeasures. If you are unwilling to tell the truth, then there is nothing I can do."
Guo Xu sat there quietly, with a complicated expression on his face. Logically speaking, when someone else says these words, any normal person's reaction would be panic or anger. But he seemed unusually calm.
He stretched out his hand to pour himself a glass of wine, but his hand was shaking slightly when pouring the wine. After drinking the wine in one gulp, Guo Xu gritted his teeth and said as if he had made up his mind.
"Grandfather's eyes are sharp and his experience is profound. My grandson is not willing to pretend to be a ghost in front of you. Anyway, in this case, my grandson will not hide it from you. Yes, the escape of the Green Sect bandit leader... was indeed done deliberately by my grandson.
My grandson didn’t want to kill him, so I didn’t chase him and let him escape with thousands of bandits under my eyes..."
Lu Zhongtian slowly stood up and shouted angrily: "That's true, you are so brave. Why did you do this? Are you crazy?"
Guo Xu shouted: "Grandpa, I'm not crazy. You should know better than me why I did this. Wasn't it your letter that taught me to do this? Why are you still pretending to be confused now?"
Lu Zhongtian was stunned and said: "How reckless. When did I teach you to allow the bandit leader to escape? That's nonsense."
Guo Xu shouted: "My grandson is not talking nonsense. Didn't you tell me that in the letter you wrote that day? Your letter said, 'The current situation cannot be reversed without seizing the city. And even if the city is captured, it will not be reversed.'"
It may not be possible to reverse it. Because the first victory was taken by King Huai, and the judgment of the court is biased towards King Jin, it is already very disadvantageous for you. Seizing the city is a must, and it should be done quickly and regardless of the cost. After that, you need to see the opportunity to reverse it. Maybe you can
To reverse the decline. Right now, we must capture Yingtian Mansion, and then we will talk about other things...' Grandfather, is this what you wrote in your letter?"
Lu Zhongtian frowned and said: "Yes, that's what I wrote? I'm telling you that you must capture Yingtian Mansion immediately without any further delay or hesitation. This is the first step to reverse the situation. I didn't tell you to let go.
Take the bandit leader."
Guo Xu frowned and looked at Lu Zhongtian, gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Yes, you really didn't ask me to do this. My grandson just understood what you meant. You said that seizing Yingtian Mansion is the first step to reverse the situation.
But it may not be able to reverse the situation. The criticism of the court is already unfavorable to me, and I have been taken advantage of by the King of Jin. My grandson himself understands it. I led an army of 50,000 to attack the city, and ended up paying such a heavy price to win it.
Yingtian Mansion, can this be regarded as credit? Taking down Yingtian Mansion will not reverse the situation at all. Don't look at the fact that my grandfather came today with a commendation decree, but my grandson knows that this is all because of the face of your father and Privy Yang.
He didn't rebuke me. I know best what kind of person my father is. My performance this time must have made him very disappointed, but he didn't say it out loud. You, old man, know better than me what kind of person my father is.
Man. So, I thought about it from the beginning. After receiving the letter from you, my grandson knew that he must fight to the end and win Yingtian Mansion. It is not enough to capture Yingtian Mansion. Grandson must also
...There must be other plans. In order to change the position in the heart of the father, and for...the great things in the future of the grandson, the grandson has to go all out."
Lu Zhongtian said tremblingly: "But what have you been talking about for a long time, what does it have to do with letting the bandit leader go? You know that taking Yingtian Mansion is not enough, but you don't know that capturing the bandit leader, and wiping out the dozens of prefectures on the East and West Road in Beijing, is also a credit
Is it enough to turn the situation around? Why let the bandit leader go?"
Guo Xu shook his head and said: "Grandpa, even if I capture the bandit leader, recover a large area of land on the east and west roads of Beijing, and quell the rebellion of the religious bandits, it may not be able to reverse the situation. The battle of Yingtian Mansion has actually destroyed me. Privy Council Yang said
Those words are comforting words, and I also understand that those words you said are words of comfort. My grandson is not belittling himself, and he never belittles himself. But this time, my grandson did fall under the gate of Yingtian Mansion. This is unacceptable.
I don’t admit it. The 50,000 elite Imperial Guards have the most powerful siege equipment in our Great Zhou Dynasty, but it took four days and four nights to capture the city, with more than half of the casualties. Who can accept this? If someone else leads the siege, this will happen.
If so, I would be the first to ridicule him, because it is only a mediocre and incompetent person who can achieve such a result. Even if a person who does not know how to lead an army were to command this siege, it would be nothing more than that.
.”
Lu Zhongtian frowned and shouted: "The opponent is so powerful, how can I blame you completely..."
Guo Xu interrupted: "Grandpa, don't talk about the other party's strength. In the final analysis, they are just a bunch of bandits. No one will believe how capable these bandits are. Otherwise, my father will not put down the rebellion."
The heavy responsibility of the task has been entrusted to me and Prince Jin. Didn’t some people say that the emperor’s behavior was a bit childish? That’s not because he came down from his father. Everyone knows that the religious bandits faced in this counter-rebellion are all rabble. People.
Everyone knows that when the imperial army arrives, it will be overwhelming? Now when we turn around and emphasize the strength of our opponent, who would believe it?"
Lu Zhongtian frowned and said nothing. What Guo Xu said was true at all. From top to bottom, they were extremely optimistic about countering the rebellion. They all believed that the religious bandits were vulnerable. They were just a group of common people making trouble. How could they defeat them armed to the teeth?
, the most elite imperial soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty were strangled. He concealed some of the remarks and comments about the capital from Guo Xu. Regarding Guo Xu’s battle in Yingtian Mansion, almost everyone in the court was disappointed. Go by yourself.
When he met Guo Chong, Guo Chong couldn't hide his disappointment. If he hadn't dragged Yang Jun to endorse the platform, the imperial edict of commendation would have been an edict of rebuke. It can be said that the battle of Yingtianfu made Guo Chong, who had a good reputation,
Xu's reputation plummeted, and many people were shocked and began to re-evaluate the abilities of the two princes. The reason why Lu Zhongtian came to deliver the decree despite the fatigue of the journey was that on the one hand he came to appease Guo Xu, on the other hand
It was also done to show the officials in the DPRK and China, so that they could understand their full support for Guo Xu, let them weigh the pros and cons, and be cautious in their words and deeds.
Guo Xu is still smart. He fully understands his situation at the moment. He does not feel good about himself just because he comforts him. This is a rare sobriety.
"Hey, it seems to be my mistake. I shouldn't have suggested that you lead the army to suppress the rebellion. I thought it would be beneficial to you, but I didn't expect it to be self-defeating. Who could have imagined that it would be like this?" Lu Zhongtian said lightly.
Sighed lightly.
Lu Zhongtian's words deeply hurt Guo Xu's heart, which showed that Lu Zhongtian was actually disappointed. The situation developed out of control, ultimately because he failed to capture Yingtian Mansion quickly. His grandfather was kind to him and hoped to use this to lay the foundation for
His status was recognized by the imperial court, but he didn't expect that he would mess up the matter.
"Grandpa, my grandson is incompetent, and he is extremely ashamed. He has failed to live up to his expectations. But his grandson is by no means a person who gives up when faced with difficulties. So my grandson was inspired by the letter my grandfather gave me.
.My grandson confessed to his grandfather today that his grandson cannot fail, let alone lose to that wimp. So my grandson had already planned it when he broke into the city. I want to do something big. Grandpa, don’t ask me what I want.
What you are doing, I won’t tell you if you ask me. I just hope that my grandfather can understand his grandson’s mood. The grandson must do this. The grandson cannot just watch the crown prince fall into the hands of others. The grandson must do it.
I got the position of prince, so I have to be more ruthless." Guo Xu said in a deep voice through gritted teeth.
Lu Zhongtian stood there, holding the back of the chair with his hands, his body hunched, and his whole body seemed to be trembling slightly. Based on his experience and experience, he had already guessed what Guo Xu was going to do. His mood
It can't be regarded as horror. Yes, it is not a feeling of panic and fear, but seems to be a kind of expectation. For a long time, the matter about the selection of the prince has been like an undercurrent under the water. Although it is turbulent, it has not made any waves at all. The emperor also
The proposal of establishing a prince has never been raised, and the whole court has not mentioned it consciously. Everyone maintains a tacit understanding, or wants to work hard to maintain a harmony. Because once this matter is raised, it will definitely be
The waves suddenly rose, as violent as a violent storm.
Lu Zhongtian had considered various situations regarding the proposal to establish the crown prince countless times in his mind, various difficulties that were difficult to deal with, and ways to support Jin Wang's faction. He had all rehearsed in his mind. But now, he suddenly discovered that everything
They all came at him more violently than he imagined. From the beginning, it was a situation where brothers were fighting each other. Even Lu Zhongtian never expected that the official battle for the crown prince would start in such a ruthless way.
He guessed what Guo Xu was going to do. Guo Xu wanted to kill people with a borrowed knife, deliberately let go of the Qingjiao bandit leaders, and then drove them to fight with the King of Jin in a trapped beast fight. This kid Guo Xu was more ruthless than he thought.
, even more decisively. His letter actually had no such implication, but Guo Xu just got his own understanding from it. He knew that taking down Yingtian Mansion, or even capturing the bandit leader and pacifying Jingdong might not guarantee the crown prince's success.
The position fell into his hands. Under the premise that Ying Tianfu suffered a setback, the subsequent remedies were at best a 50-50 split to even the situation. And out of thin air, King Jin showed his ability to lead the army in combat, overturning the previous playfulness of King Jin.
His image of incompetence made him look embarrassed in the battle of Yingtianfu. As a result, Guo Xu gained nothing from this counter-insurgency operation, but lost a lot. So he chose the most extreme approach.
, is to use the current situation to design the most beneficial outcome for yourself.
The competition for the throne is only between King Jin and Guo Xu. It is an either/or choice. But if there is only one competitor left, then there is no competition. The one alive is naturally the legitimate successor. Even if this person kills someone with a knife.
The strategy failed, but as long as he defeated King Jin with the help of the bandits, it would perfectly offset King Jin's previous achievements. Then he would lead his army to clean up the mess, and he would still be the final winner.
Lu Zhongtian thought about these things and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He seemed to be really old. The new generation's methods were so ruthless and decisive that even he felt inferior. He, Lu Zhongtian, had never thought of using such means to win.
The position of prince. In other words, he didn't dare to think about it at all. After all, Lu Zhongtian was loyal and responsible to the country of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so he still had some respect and restraint. But his fear was not at all with Guo Xu.
Existence, Guo Xu has no taboo in this regard, so he dared to make such a decision.
"Grandpa, are you okay? Why don't grandson help you go back to your room to rest? Grandpa will go back to the capital tomorrow. Grandson can handle it here by himself. Grandpa is worried about his grandson. I believe that he will be here soon.
My grandfather no longer has to worry about his grandson." Seeing Lu Zhongtian silent and looking complicated, Guo Xu hurriedly stood up and walked forward, holding Lu Zhongtian's arm and said softly.
Lu Zhongtian breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and stared at Guo Xu's face with electric eyes. He said in a deep voice: "Guo Xu, are you sure you know what you are doing? You must know that you are walking on a dangerous road, maybe
Ahead is an abyss, a mountain of knives and a sea of fire. If you walk over it, you will be shattered to pieces. Now, if you look back, there is still room. Send troops to capture the bandit leader immediately and regain the lost territory. This is not the worst outcome. Are you sure you have thought about it?"
Guo Xu swallowed and said hoarsely: "My grandfather must know what my grandson is going to do. My grandson has already decided to do this and will not look back. That position is mine. If I don't get that position, my grandson would rather
Go to hell. My grandson is qualified and able to sit in that position, but there are so many obstacles because of his background. How can that person be so virtuous and able to sit in that position? My grandson will never give up. Even if
It is a mountain of swords, a sea of fire, and cliffs are endless. My grandson must also walk through it. Grandpa, my grandson cannot fail. Look at my second uncle, that is the fate of a loser. I don’t want to be a coward like my second uncle. As the saying goes.
I am neither a poisonous nor a husband. If I were not born into a royal family, I could be in harmony with the brothers of the King of Jin, and be respectful to each other. Unfortunately, we are not ordinary people's family. A real man should fight for it, let alone for the supreme position.
Even the price of being broken into pieces is worth it. Grandpa, please don’t try to persuade me, please don’t try to persuade me. My grandson has always listened to you before, but this time he wants to make the decision on his own."
Lu Zhongtian sighed softly and raised his head to look at the waning moon in the sky. A group of dark clouds slowly covered the dim waning moon, and the surroundings suddenly became pitch black. The wind passed through the branches, and the leaves rustled, and the autumn breeze was cool, carrying
