Prime Minister Zhuge Liang walked steadily along the long corridor with thoughtful thoughts on his brows and returned to his own room.
He was returning from an inspection tour of the military camp in the east of the city.
It's mid-winter in November, and each unit has to go to inspect the clothing and food for the winter, as well as the rest of the soldiers and other trivial matters, so that they can feel at ease.
In particular, the Prime Minister also wanted to see with his own eyes which of the soldiers and horses had better morale.
In order to decide whether to stay in Chengdu in the future or to be transferred to Hanzhong to deploy and plan the Northern Expedition.
As for why he went there so early in the morning, it was because the Prime Minister rarely stayed overnight in the Prime Minister's Office recently.
The first is that the counties in Nanzhong have rebelled. The rough outline has been decided, and the government affairs have been reduced. It is time to return home at dusk.
The other is that he has recently acquired an additional identity: eldest father.
Sun Zhuge Pan has been in this world for more than ten days.
At the beginning, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was over forty years old and had no children, so he wrote to Soochow and asked his eldest brother Zhuge Jin to adopt a son as his heir.
Zhuge Jin thought that he was divided into two countries, but he did not dare to master it.
After writing to Sun Quan for permission, he sent his second son, Zhuge Qiao, to Yizhou.
Qiao, whose real name was Zhongshen, and his brother Zhuge Ke (whose name was Yuanxun), were both famous at that time. People in the Eastern Wu Dynasty thought that Qiao's talent was not as good as Zhuge Ke's, but his nature and career were beyond him.
When he arrived in Shu, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang regarded him as his suitable son, so he changed his nickname to "Bosong".
Zhuge Pan is his eldest son.
It is human nature to treat one's grandson with pleasure, and the prime minister is no exception.
Although I will not abandon public service for personal reasons, I still feel a little more anxious when I finish my work and return home at dusk.
As I patrol the camp today, I have other thoughts on my mind.
Now that Zhuge Qiao is a father, should he be sent to serve in the army?
Well, after Zhuge Qiao entered Yizhou, he was worshiped by the imperial court as the Prince Consort Duwei [Note 1], which was the duty of serving the imperial edict.
Thinking and acting, he arrived in front of the office. The little official on duty hurriedly stepped forward, gently opened the door, lowered his head and turned to the side to welcome the Prime Minister in. When the Prime Minister passed by, he could salute behind him and say, "Prime Minister
"In the middle of the day, Zheng Shuzuo came to see him. He said that the Prime Minister was not here, so he left several bamboo slips and went to the superintendent's office under the door to wait."
"Zijin?"
The Prime Minister raised his eyebrows slightly, a little surprised.
He still remembered that Zheng Pu had taken a bath two days later, so why did he come to see Xie now? Did he come here with several bamboo slips and wanted to speak?
"First get the bamboo slips."
Nodding slightly, the prime minister asked the clerk to get the book. The prime minister took out the fire flint from the utensil and lit the sandalwood.
"promise."
After a while, five volumes of bamboo slips were spread out on the case.
With one glance and ten lines, I looked at the Prime Minister who had finished reading one by one. He looked at the Prime Minister with his eyebrows raised and his eyebrows stroking in thought amid the curls of incense.
He finally understood who was behind the recent heated discussions among scholars in the academy, all criticizing Wei Wei's harsh rule.
Moreover, since Da Zhi Zhi Bian was like him, he knew without further questioning that Zheng Pu was planning for the Northern Expedition.
Su Wu and Geng Gong encouraged the soldiers to fight to the death; Gao Bu Shi and Jin Rixi comforted the Nanzhong tribes and hoped that they would wholeheartedly conquer the Han Dynasty; and those who rebelled against Wei and killed the city and tyrannical government made Bashu Li Shu know it.
Why did the imperial court embark on the Northern Expedition!
Since ancient times, the country has been attacking, increasing taxes and obtaining food supplies, and frequently levying corvee fortunes, which has caused many hardships to the people.
However, Zheng Pu's move was tantamount to eliminating the people's resentment of taxation and corvee labor.
I don’t want to be reduced to withered bones under the butcher’s knife of the rebel Wei Dynasty, and I don’t want my wife and daughter to be reduced to the playthings of the soldiers of the rebel Wei Dynasty. I will work hard to help the imperial court in the Northern Expedition, get rid of the traitors, and restore peace to our great Han Dynasty!
It is also easy to implement.
The book submitted by Zheng Pu is easy to understand. All you need to do is to copy it and send it to the prefects and magistrates of each county, who have them send junior officials to read and interpret it for the head of the village pavilion and the three elders, so that it can be known to the common people.
In the past, before the Southern Expedition, You Chang once said that "attacking the heart is the best thing", but today Zijin does the opposite.
He actually used the method of "attacking the heart" on the people of Bashu!
The Prime Minister closed his eyes and thought, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
The life of a wise man is like a cone in a bag, the end of which appears immediately.
This son of the Zheng family has a strategy in mind, and among the descendants of Bashu, it is like pines and cypresses placed in withered grass, which cannot be covered up.
Congratulations to the state-owned Zicai!
Birds with the same wings live together, and beasts with the same feet walk together. Zijin is talented, and if Bosong is in charge of the army, it may be useful to have more contact between the two of them, see if there is no benefit.
Or maybe it's not just Boson.
After thinking about this, the Prime Minister opened his eyes, tapped the table, and said, "Summon Zheng Shuzuo to come and see you."
"promise."
The clerk on duty outside the door responded loudly.
Under the supervision of the gate, Zheng Pu posted himself in the house.
The cramped space and long wait made him feel a little irritable.
Simply lift up the small window that opens along the eaves and witness the busy going back and forth and the patrolling soldiers, which is a relief from fatigue.
It has been more than a month, and Jufu still has not returned to Shu. It must be that he has been away from his hometown for too long, the prime minister allowed him to take a long rest, and he came with his wife, so it is not appropriate to rush, right?
Grandma and Xiao Yaner, have you received my letter?
The weather is already cold, the wind and snow are coming, and the journey will be difficult. If you come to Chengdu, it is best not to delay too long.
And brother Xiuran, he went north to Hanzhong County, but he didn’t know what happened?
Seeing the soldiers coming and going, as well as the winter plum blossoms that had sprouted countless little bones, Zheng Pu's thoughts surged, and he savored the melancholy of sitting alone in silence.
In the past, I was busy working hard and only wanted to accumulate more merits and achievements in order to expand my ambitions.
Now that I'm in the middle of the game, I feel a little tired again.
But I don’t know how the prime minister, who has been menstruating for many years, and the emperor, who has no palace guard, survive day after day.
"Zheng Shuzuo, the Prime Minister has summoned you."
The sound of the soldiers on duty outside the house interrupted Zheng Pu's random thoughts.
"good."
Nodding slightly, Zheng Pu lowered his head from the small window and quickly walked out of the office.
Along the way, he followed the officer on duty at the Prime Minister's Mansion and walked quickly through the moon gate, passed the corner of the pavilion, and entered the Prime Minister's office.
Before he had time to salute, the Prime Minister smiled and stretched out his hand to say, "Zijin, don't be rigid about the etiquette. Please sit down."
"promise!"
Hearing this, Zheng Pu bowed and knelt down.
"I have read all the books submitted by Zijin."
The Prime Minister said to Hu, "As for the 'heart attack' in the book, I also feel that it will be of great benefit to the imperial court in the Northern Expedition. It is commendable that Zijin has many good thoughts when he is taking a rest!"
"Pu dare not act like a prime minister."
Speaking modestly, Zheng Pu also smiled and said, "Pu has little knowledge and limited talent. I asked Brother Yunnan to write these five volumes on his behalf."
Does the state encourage students to learn from Qiao Yunnan?
Also, if Qiao Zhou had not heard about it early, there would have been a lot of discussion among the scholars in An Youxue?
However, the diction of this book is not gorgeous. Zheng Pu could have written it himself, so why did he ask Naqiao Zhou to write it for him?
Raising his eyebrows slightly, the prime minister was a little surprised and continued, "I didn't expect that Zijin and Qiao Yunnan were so familiar with each other that they could even ghostwrite the book. However, Qiao Yunnan is very knowledgeable and it will be beneficial for Zijin to have more friends with him."
After finishing speaking, he paused for a moment, then held up a scroll of bamboo slips and asked with a smile, "Well, Zijin asked him to write for me, because he wanted to give me advice, so that he could go around the counties and spread the word against Wei's tyrannical rule?"
"The Prime Minister saw this and knew it a little bit, and Pu was impressed!"
Immediately, Zheng Pu was filled with admiration and bowed his hands, "Because Brother Yunnan is familiar with astronomy, Pu often asked him to answer his questions, so he became familiar with him. He also learned that his personality is sincere and changeable, and he can make people listen to his teachings."
Therefore, I boldly recommend it.”
Um.
After listening, the Prime Minister responded slightly with his nasal voice and lowered his eyes in thought.
As Zheng Pu said, letting Qiao Zhou take charge seems to be a good choice.
His father and ancestors were all great Confucian scholars in Yizhou, and they had a very good reputation, and many people in the Bashu region admired him. Moreover, he was now serving as a prefecture advocate for learning, and young scholars from all over Shizhou County could also convince Li Shu.
"That's fine."
Opening his eyes again, the Prime Minister said in a calm voice, "He is already involved, so let him take charge."
After he finished speaking, he changed the subject and asked, "Zijin had a private dinner with the emperor a few days ago. The emperor told me that he praised Zijin's talent and learning. I wonder what Zijin thinks of the emperor?"
Uh, emperor?
Zheng Pu, who was about to say thank you, was stunned when he heard this.
Although he had known about it earlier, it was impossible for the Prime Minister to not know about his banquet with the Emperor.
However, he really couldn't imagine that the prime minister would ask him how the emperor was doing.
After a while, he came back to his senses and hurriedly bowed his head and asked, "Prime Minister, please forgive me for not speaking. My official position is no more than a secretary, so how can I dare to speak arbitrarily about the emperor?"
"There is no need to be restrained. What is said here will not spread beyond the four ears."
Seeing Zheng Pu acting like this, the Prime Minister couldn't help but laugh, and waved his hand, "It's not me who is making trouble for Zijin. It's the emperor who also wants to know how Zijin's senses are."
Is this the emperor’s intention?
Could it be that the emperor had rumored that the prime minister wanted to transfer me to the palace and ban me from serving as a close servant?
This thought suddenly appeared in Zheng Pu's mind, and he felt a headache.
For others, it is a blessing to be a close servant of the Emperor.
However, he was determined to lead the army on an expedition, but he did not want to be trapped in the palace with nothing to do.
After thinking for a moment, Zheng Pu first held up his hands and raised his head and said, "Returning to the Prime Minister, Pu thought that the emperor was the master of benevolence. However, after Pu and Yan returned, he was quite worried about the emperor now living deep in the palace."
Worry?!
When the Prime Minister heard this, he smiled and his eyes were solemn.
Although the late Emperor Liu Bei had asked Yin Mo, a scholar from Yizhou, to teach the emperor "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period" before the emperor, most of what the emperor learned was done by the prime minister himself. Now Zheng Pu actually said that he was quite worried about this, and An Neng
Don't you want the Prime Minister to be eager?
Unconsciously, the Prime Minister leaned forward slightly and urged, "Zijin speak quickly!"
"promise."
Zheng Pu responded loudly and eloquently.
"When Pu was in Sangyuan, he heard that Cao Cao, who rebelled against the Wei Dynasty, was the successor of Fei Tinghou and had a prominent family background. Therefore, since the establishment of the army, he has been thinking about meritorious deeds, regardless of the hardships of the common people, killing wantonly and tyrannizing the common people. However, the late emperor started from a young age and heard about the suffering of the common people.
, traveled north and south, so he always had a heart of benevolence and righteousness, showed great compassion to the people, and won praise from all over the world."
"Pu entered the palace a few days ago and saw that the emperor did not know what was going on outside the palace. Therefore, he felt worried."
"Therefore, Pu dared to advise the Prime Minister, why not let the emperor patrol the land of Bashu, taste the food of the common people, travel on the march of the soldiers, and know the scenery of Yizhou, so that he will not be deceived by the treacherous ministers in the future!"
"Pu also heard that if a young eagle doesn't have the will to die and leaps over a cliff with its wings, it won't be able to soar in the air."
"I have also heard that if the cold plum blossoms had not suffered from the bitterness of winter and built up their arrogance, they would not have had the fragrance to fill the world with praise."
"Since the founding of the late Emperor, he has always gone to battle in person in order to command and strengthen his soldiers. Now that the Wei Dynasty has become stronger and the Han Dynasty is in decline, it is actually a time of life and death! Therefore, Pu believed that the emperor was responsible for the resurgence of the country and should follow the example of Guangwu.
Feng Fen, the late emperor and the remaining lieutenants, went out to the palace to practice more, showed their virtues to the people, and showed their benevolence to the soldiers, so that in the future, they can conquer the Northern Wei Dynasty and gain the courage to share the same hatred with the enemy!"
——
[Note 1: Prince Consort Duwei was first established during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Prince Consort, that is, deputy, is in charge of the horse of the auxiliary carriage. When the emperor travels, the carriage he rides in is the main carriage, and the other carriages accompanying him are all auxiliary carriages. 】
