The autumn leaves have not yet fallen, and the war has ceased to reignite.
In the late summer and early autumn of the fourth year of Jianyan, the war between the Song and Jin Dynasties completely came to an end. As Yue Fei's imperial army escorted a large number of exiled people from Hebei across the Hebei and returned to the south, the front lines of both sides also completely returned to the pre-war
Location.
Not only that, as the two armies returned to their respective safety zones, almost by coincidence, the Song and Jin sides immediately began an orderly decompression of each other on the border.
A large number of field troops were evacuated in an orderly manner from the front, and the auxiliary troops and civilians were disbanded. Both sides tacitly agreed to retain only some garrison troops in key locations for surveillance and necessary precautions.
The same was true in the rear, where military troops were stationed and civilian officials began to dominate the place again.
The reason for such a tacit understanding is, for one thing, that in the battle that just passed, both sides were injured. In addition, both sides had a lot of internal problems and troubles to deal with that they could think of even if they closed their eyes, so neither side wanted to deal with it again.
They consume each other's energy; secondly, after this battle, almost all people of insight have realized that the strategic balance between the two sides has officially reversed. For a period of time, it is impossible for the two countries to inflict a fatal blow to the other...
The Jin army no longer has the ability to destroy Zhao and Song or seize large areas of Zhao and Song territory, and it is impossible for Zhao and Song to have been beaten for the past five or six years and suddenly be able to switch from defense to offense... Song, who had been clamoring for a long time before,
The strategic confrontation between the two countries across the Yellow River has thus far been officially formed.
In this case, only Zhang Rong's imperial navy was given the authority to move freely. As for the rest, it does not mean that large-scale friction cannot occur, but it is unnecessary.
What's more, as the old saying goes, things have priorities, or it can be said that before fighting against external forces, you must first settle down at home. With the strategic balance achieved, the priorities of some things have finally been adjusted.
July is full of fire, and autumn has clearly entered, but the heat of summer is still unabated.
On this day, a team consisting of donkey carts and mules arrived at the abandoned capital of Luoyang, and then went straight to the ruins of the old palace of the abandoned capital... Many sergeants and their families had long been surprised by this in the garrison living area built against the city.
It’s not surprising, because these days, anyone who is going from Tokyo to Kansai, or from Kansai to Tokyo, is an official, whether civil or military, or even a scholar, or a passing merchant.
I walked around the place where my husband died for his country, then burned incense and wrote poems.
And this person was able to get so many donkeys, carts, mules, and attendants at this time of year. It was obvious at first glance that he was a serious scholar, so he must have been in this situation.
Of course, this is because these people are ignorant, because unlike those passers-by who come to join in the fun and gain face because of Wang Xianggong's reputation, the Wanqi Yushi who was passing by here today is not a fake person. He and Wang Xianggong
He is a true colleague, even Wang Xianggong can be called his "benefactor"... After being conferred an official position in Nanyang Palace that day, Wanqi Yuanzhong was walking in the Privy Council, and he was Wang Zhongmu's direct subordinate.
Therefore, during this trip to Luoyang, although Wan Qixi was extremely exhausted and the journey was in a hurry, he still made sure to go to the ruins of the old palace of the abandoned capital to offer incense and candles to Mr. Wang and pay homage.
However, after shedding a few lines of tears, it stands to reason that at this time, Wanqi Yushi should have imitated the scholars and officials who came and went and wrote a mourning poem on the broken eaves and wall that had just been painted, but I don't know why.
He picked up the pen and dipped his ink, but he got nothing. Instead, he suddenly remembered the "Remnant Palace" that Zhao Guan's family had written for Luoyang in the past. As the saying goes, "the palaces and palaces are all made of earth. When they prosper, the people suffer; when they die, the people suffer"... In the end
, I can only abandon my pen and hide my tears and leave.
Not only that, after leaving the abandoned capital of Luoyang, Wan Qixi continued westward, taking the ancient Xiaomian Road, passing through Shaanzhou, entering Tongguan, and traveling westward along the Weishui River, but he was always depressed, and this depression made him feel unbearable.
.
Let's also say that Wanqi Yuanzhong was such a transparent person, and he could clearly see into his own thoughts: The so-called depression was caused by what he saw and heard before and after this battle. First, he crossed the river with the front army of the imperial camp and saw "thousands of villages in Hebei", and after returning, he heard
Enxiang behaved like this, and he was naturally depressed after the sacrifice; but unbearable, it was because he was always irritated that he could not get out of this mood.
You must know that he was a wasted middle-aged man, and he gradually got an official position by relying on speculation in Nanyang. He only wanted to be an official well and be a high official, and he was not taboo about having a good name in life or a good name behind him... This
That’s not to say that you can’t have this kind of depressed mood. After all, people are not just grass and trees, so how can we be ruthless? But the problem is that for some reason, time and time again, as the official becomes bigger and bigger, this kind of meaningless emotion becomes more and more likely to appear.
This time, it was even more obvious.
Only then did I feel unbearable.
Of course, what kind of person is Wanqi Yuanzhong? He feels miserable in his heart, but he never shows it on his face. But when he came to the posthouse outside Linwei City that evening, he heard that someone was visiting him, and he knew that he was going to the west to meet the saint for something big.
, he immediately put on a posture of keeping away from strangers:
"No matter who it is, please tell people from outside that I am the imperial censor in the palace, a high-ranking official of the court, and a close official of the government. I will not have any private dealings with anyone before I come to see the saint on this trip to the west..."
After hearing this, the attendant who was a retired soldier of the imperial camp naturally went out and informed him properly.
However, after a while, the attendant turned back again.
"This person calls himself an old friend of northern Shaanxi?" Wan Qixi hesitated for a moment. "Civil official or military general?"
"I didn't bring any attendants with me. I looked like a civil servant, but I had a majestic figure and rode a very majestic horse. I also spoke in a strange manner..." The attendant who followed Wan Qixi just after this battle said.
Come, as if you don't recognize the person coming.
But before he finished speaking, Wanqi Yuanzhong simply laughed and went out to greet him in person.
As expected, the person who came was none other than Wanqi Yushi's "old friend from northern Shaanxi", who had made outstanding achievements in the battle of Yaoshan that had just passed.
When the two met, Qu Duan curled his lips when he opened his mouth: "Wanqi Yushi came to Guanxi this time. Do you want to imitate Yang Zhen and be a gentleman with four knowledges? You don't even look for a bronze mirror to look at yourself. Do you really think you can get away with it?"
Where is the third generation and the third prince?"
Wan Qixi didn't say a word in front of him, and turned back to the small courtyard where he was staying. He twisted his beard and sneered: "It doesn't matter whether he has four or five knowledges. At this time, thanks to you, Qu Da still fell into the army. What if?
You still dare to make noises with me when you become a civil servant. I just shouted in public that there is a thief before I say anything..."
The two jabbed at each other before sitting down in the courtyard, and Qu Duan became serious: "If it is said in this way, Wanqi Censor does not taboo against military generals this time, but instead taboos against civil servants? Is this the case?
What’s the point?”
"What sense can there be?" It was a hot month in July, and the day was hot, but at night there was a bit of coolness. Wan Qixi sat with his hands folded, but did not try to cover up. "After this battle, what will the officials say to you soldiers?"
Which one of the heads is not holding a handle? The officials wanted to organize the Western Army here. Liu Xi rebuked him. There were three big military leaders left, one was You Qu Da, one was Wu Da, and the other was Liu Er. Could it be that
Do you really dare to break up?"
"Under the system of this dynasty, the emperor can control the generals at will." Qu Duan shook his head and sighed. "It's just that this official can shoot arrows immediately, so he is particularly conspicuous... But if you say this, don't be afraid. Military generals, why should we be wary of civilian officials? First organize the army, transfer tens of thousands of Western troops to the imperial camp, arrange the troops and horses, and guard tens of thousands of heroes, and then go to reward the idle fields in Guanzhong. Who dares to cause trouble? Who can cause trouble? "
Wan Qixi sneered and said nothing.
Qu Duan was startled for a moment, then woke up, and then he also laughed: "I understand... Wang Xianggong died for his country, Lu Xianggong has just been promoted to public minister, the provincial capital and the Privy Council have all vacated the official positions, the following You ministers and ministers are like black-eyed roosters. You are determined to be a sycophant, and you never want to be regarded as a father-in-law."
Wan Qixi shook his head and said, "Qu Da, Qu Da, you are so talented in literature and martial arts. It's a pity that you have a long mouth."
"It doesn't matter if I have a mouth, the command of the imperial camp and cavalry is still mine." Qu Duan faced him proudly. "The decree came down a few days ago!"
"Really?" Wan Qixi was startled for a moment, then shook his head. "Then why are you here? Are you really here to quarrel with me?"
"There is indeed something." Qu Duan just became serious at this time. "I am involved in a lawsuit... Does Wanqi Censor know about Guo Cheng?"
"Old General Guo Cheng, of course I know, was already a famous general when Shenzong conquered Xixia." Wan Qixi thought thoughtfully. "For many years, he has been in Huanqing and Jingyuan, which is the northern Shaanxi area... and Shaanxi Bei is also the place where you and the Wu brothers started their careers. If there is a lawsuit between you, I can imagine that it is nothing more than that your military power was robbed by you, or your descendants were squeezed out by you, right?"
"If we can't gather the soldiers and horses from these wastes at that time, how can we do anything?" Qu Duan frowned and simply admitted the matter.
"Then you just tell the officials like this..." Wan Qixi disagreed. "Since the officials have appointed you, they still value you in their hearts."
"The key is that Guo Cheng is going to die." Qu Duan frowned more and more. "This is a veteran of four dynasties, who has always had military exploits. After the departure of Lieutenant Yang, he is the most senior person in the Western Army. But I have been in poor health these past few years and have only been waiting to die in the Huanqing Road Wubao. I have been fighting with his son Guo Hao for many years. In the past two years, I took advantage of the chaos and gained the upper hand, mostly because of him, an old general. I didn't do anything to kill him, but what I didn't expect was that he suddenly appeared in person today... Not two days after the decree appointing me as the commander of the Imperial Cavalry Army came down, Guo Chengcheng was still recovering from his injuries in the border dock on Jingyuan Road, waiting to die. , but Zha Zi has been sent to the imperial court to publicly impeach me for the ten major crimes I committed when I was in northern Shaanxi two years ago."
"Only ten deadly sins?"
"Actually, I had more than twenty major crimes back then, but what's the point?" Qu Duan said disapprovingly. "If we really want to judge the crime, that idle poem and the affairs of the king and concubine are enough to kill me, so where can it be Guo Cheng and Guo Hao's turn?"
"That's true, so what are you afraid of?"
"Isn't it that the officials are about to reorganize the entire Western Army into the Imperial Rear Army? And since they want to reorganize the army, it stands to reason that they should give some comfort to the generals of the Western Army. If the officials want to give the old general who is dying Just to save face, so what if my Imperial Cavalry Commander is relieved?" Qu Duan finally got to the point. "And I won't hide it from you. Guo Cheng, Guo Hao, his father and son, and the Wu brothers are from the same hometown. I'm still afraid of Wu Da. Wu Er's two thieves were also involved in this matter. While I was agitated, I happened to hear that you were coming, so I came to meet you personally, and also wanted to ask you to consult on this matter."
Wan Qixi finally smiled again: "You are so concerned that you are confused..."
"What should I say?" Qu Da finally cheered up.
"Let me ask you," Wanqi Yuanzhong said, "Why would Guo Cheng, who is about to die, impeach you before his death? Doesn't he know that you are a favorite among officials? Isn't he afraid that you will wait until he dies to take revenge on his son?"
?A veteran with such qualifications, fighting for his last dignity and his son's future, just to vent his anger? If you were Guo Cheng, what would you do?"
Qu laughed when he was a freshman: "If it were me, I would naturally do this."
Wan Qixi's face darkened for a moment.
But Qu Duan continued to smile and said: "But I also understand what you mean... This is because Guo Hao has not made any meritorious service this time. Seeing that the Western Army is about to be reorganized again, his father sacrificed his face like this to remind the officials.
Don’t forget that the Guo family has been loyal for two generations and four dynasties, and wants the officials to give his son a future in his name... Such things will disappear as long as Guo Hao is given a position."
"That's exactly what I meant." Wan Qixi finally nodded again and asked curiously, "But Guo Hao is still in his prime years and is serving in the military at Huanqing Road. Why didn't he make some military exploits in this battle?"
"Because I was the one who dispatched troops to the walled city north of Huanqing Road at that time, and I had always seen this bird boy upset, so I specially summoned only his troops, but left him alone to look after his father." Qu Duan casually said.
A swing is as casual as saying that the iron elephant was bred yesterday.
"Just be a good person!" Wan Qixi tugged at his beard, feeling furious for a moment.
"If I was as good at life as Wu Da, how could I get involved with you?" Qu Duan still didn't care. "Wu Da is also an old friend of yours in northern Shaanxi. Have you come to see you today? You haven't yet.
You know, Wu Da and Liu Ziyu are now eye-catching, and coupled with Hu Jinglue's promotion in the past, Zhang, Hu, Liu, and Wu have almost completely controlled all the affairs in Guanxi, and even Yuwen Xianggong is just a show-off.
…”
Wanqixi was silent for the moment.
Let's say that fish looks for fish and shrimp looks for shrimp, and turtle looks for tortoise... These words are vulgar and vulgar, but some things are really like that.
Wanqi Yuanzhong knew that he was inherently deficient, so he was determined to be a sycophant. He did things several times, which actually attracted the attention of the serious ministers in the court... In this case, as long as there is a serious way
Who will hang out with him? But before, he finally found a way to Wang Shuzhan and Zhao Huangshu, but in the end he met Yiyoumen Tuogu once. After this incident, Zhao Huangshu was destined to have no political achievements. Wang Shu
Zhan and his son also suffered a lot of embarrassment over this, and Qu Da, who really had an extra mouth, was his biggest political partner at this time.
However, after being angry for a while, Wanqi Yuanzhong thought about it and laughed again... Because no matter what, Qu Duan came over this time and spoke so straightforwardly that it was already obvious that he wanted to be a partner.
Although the two of them are different, they can support each other by serving as a censor in the palace and as a commander of the cavalry in the imperial camp.
In fact, regarding that lawsuit, with this clever man who is capable of both literary and martial arts, he had already understood it clearly and it was just an excuse to see him.
In comparison, it is pointless to be taken advantage of by this guy.
At this thought, Wanqi sighed while twisting his beard, but it was rare for him to be honest: "I can see that what you really care about is not the Guo family, but the Wu brothers..."
"Don't you care about Liu Ziyu, Hu Yin, and Zhang Jun?" Qu Duan said coldly. "These people are gathered together, hooking up on the left and connecting on the right. The great officials and handsome ministers in the world are almost integrated into one. Where can we stay?"
People in Kansai are saying that when the officials return to Tokyo, it will be the day when Zhang Jun and Xuan Ma pay homage to the Prime Minister!"
"You still have little knowledge." Wan Qixi became more candid. "It is possible for Zhang Jun to ascend to the throne, but whether we can survive depends on the officials, not them. To say the least, these people have gained the power.
If they want to make things difficult for us, we can just stay away for a while, because although they can occupy the upper reaches temporarily, they cannot always occupy the upper reaches..."
"How to say?"
"Two sayings... one is that they will be separated after a long time together, and the other is that flowers will not bloom for a hundred days." Wan Qixi really said it sincerely today. "The saying that after a long time together, they will separate, it means that although these people are now one, it is only because
In the past, there were senior ministers, and they seemed to be one. When it was their turn to handle national affairs, they would inevitably dislike each other because of their age, political opinions, origins, and habits. At that time, the power would inevitably be divided;
It means that the officials are young and powerful, and they have a long time to come, and there are many things to do. These people may lack talents or have bad temperaments. How can they keep up with such powerful officials? "
Qu Duan raised his eyebrows and blurted out again: "They can't keep up, how can we keep up?"
Wan Qixi shook his head and sighed incomprehensibly: "What's the matter even if I can't keep up? In these troubled times, in this enlightened world, you and I have tried our best and done a lot of things and achievements. I'm afraid our reputation after death will be better than those of those who have done it."
Prime Minister Taiping is higher, right? Not to mention us, those who died before, are their lives not worth it? Why should we always seek the best? "
However, as soon as these words came out, Wan Qixi himself felt a little dazed, and Qu Duan wanted to ridicule him, but in the end he had nothing to say.
Just like that, not to mention how a treacherous minister and a domineering general secretly connected each other, just that early the next morning, Wan Qixi continued westward, entered Chang'an the next day, met the official family, but was ordered to take advantage of the autumn harvest as the imperial censor.
Check the ownership of the fields around Jingzhao Mansion on the Yongxing Military Road in Guanzhong, in preparation for the land transfer after the Western Army records its merits and reorganizes... This was an expected important task. Some other important ministers who had arrived one after another before were either going to reorganize the army or to go there.
There is no third major event in Toda and Kansai.
Therefore, Wan Qixi certainly has nothing to say.
Only after receiving the order, he was about to leave, but he was stopped by Zhao Guan's family in public: "Guanxi has been raided many times by the Lou family, and the war has been in chaos for several years. In some places, big families took advantage of their own forts and strong men to arbitrarily occupy the land without an owner.
The land, and among them, Jingzhao is the most powerful and the strongest, and Wan Qiqing must know that."
Of course there are many Wan Qixi... The officials are not reminding him of Wubao. There is a Wubao in Guanxi. How can he dare to fart under the nose of tens of thousands of troops? This is the officials asking him to be stricter.
Taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it is best to break up some big landowners and properly distribute the fertile farmland around Jingzhao, which may be the most fertile in the world... How could he not count it?
Seeing Wan Qi Yuan Zhong's hands raised in response, Zhao Jiu knew that the other party was a 'sycophant' who knew his feelings, and was naturally satisfied. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he continued to ask with a smile: "I heard that Qu Duan came to find you?"
"
"yes."
Wan Qixi felt calm. "Chen and Qu Dutong had an argument in northern Shaanxi in the past... His subordinates imprisoned me first, and I later escorted him to Tokyo. It was a rare friendship."
"This is really an ironclad friendship." Zhao Jiu couldn't help but laugh more and more. "Is he just looking for you to reminisce about old times?"
"That's not the case. After he went there, he first asked me how to deal with Guo Cheng's impeachment...I said that he should be more generous and give Guo Hao a bright future." At this point, Wan Qixi obviously hesitated, but
After glancing at Hu Yin and Xiao Lin who were standing on one side, he continued. "Later he told the truth, but he was worried that the Wu brothers would be linked to Liu Chengzhi, Hu Jinglue, Zhang Zhuan and others.
If we are one, we will bully him in the future... Therefore, I comforted him a few more words, so that he could do his job with peace of mind."
Zhao Jiu smiled and nodded, without making any unnecessary comments: "I know, Qin Feng Road will have to work hard to re-open the fields... But don't worry, I will support you here and wait for this matter.
Once it’s done, let’s go back to Tokyo together.”
Wan Qixi didn't dare to say anything, so he handed him over and left.
After Wan Qixi left, Zhao Jiu looked directly at Hu Yin on one side: "Ming Zhong, Qu Da said that you are forming a clique, do you have anything to say?"
Hu Mingzhong calmly came out to confront him: "Qu Daping has no appearance at all. He uses himself to save others, so he is troubled by others!"
Zhao Jiu nodded, and then continued to ask calmly: "Then let's not talk about this, I will ask you again, let's put it aside, have you ever thought about going back to Tokyo and becoming a prime minister?"
Hu Yin was obviously startled for a moment, but then he shook his head sternly: "The prime minister is the one who rules the world. My temperament and talent are not enough to serve the world. I am presumptuous and still ask to stay in Guanxi as a place."
Zhao Jiu nodded again and continued to inquire casually: "Then do you think Zhang Deyuan can be prime minister?"
Hu Yin finally fell silent.
Zhao Jiu looked at the other party for a while, then realized, and nodded three times.
ps: Thanks to No. 104 Meng, Erdan is right...who is this?
No. 105 Meng, classmate Lianyun... thank you all for your tolerance.
Then he sacrificed a new book - "My Senior Brother is the Sword Immortal"