The men in black have withdrawn from the West Gobi, but have not yet returned to Loulan and are still stationed in Yongzhou.
Qin Wubing was still leading the army.
"General, an official letter from Dao Sect Tiangang Hall." A man in black, dressed in military attache uniform, strode into the Chinese army tent and handed an official document to Qin Wubing's hand.
Qin Wubing felt a little guilty for no reason: "Tiangang Hall...couldn't they be here to investigate? It shouldn't be. They know that we are not responsible for this matter. In the final analysis, it is still due to their own internal fighting. By the way, which department is it? No
Will he be the new leader, right?"
The general hesitated and said, "It's the Eighth Division."
"Eighth Division?" Qin Wubing was startled.
"The original Ninth Division Yaoguang Division was integrated with the original Seventh Division of Master Shangguan to become the Eighth Division. The current deputy hall leader is Zhang Yuelu, the disciple of Master Cihang." The general explained.
Qin Wubing nodded and looked at the official letter in his hand.
There are not many words, so you can read it quickly.
Qin Wubing frowned: "There is no one named Wei Wugui among my soldiers, but this name is very familiar. I seem to have heard it somewhere."
The general reminded: "General, the man who saved the county lord."
Qin Wubing was busy with military affairs, so it was impossible for him to keep an insignificant person in his mind. After the general reminded him, he immediately remembered: "It's him, I gave him a sign."
Then Qin Wubing flicked the official letter in his hand with his fingers, and was a little bit dumbfounded: "Listen to the meaning behind Zhang Yuelu's words, this kid used the sign I gave him to swindle him? He even alerted the Taoist Tiangang Hall."
The general smiled bitterly and said: "This man forced his way through the border back then. He was a very daring person and even killed one of our soldiers. But we were wrong first and had the face of the county leader, so we didn't care about it."
Qin Wubing walked back and forth with the official letter: "What did Zhang Yuelu ask him for? Is he going to write an article for us? The key is what he committed. There is not a single word in the official letter."
Because Zhang Yuelu was just guessing and suspecting without any real evidence, and because the imperial court and the Taoist sect were separated by a layer and needed to leave some room, Tian Baobao never stated anything about Wan Xiuwu in the official letter.
At this time, there was an old man with white hair in the tent. This man had a good status. He was the mastermind of two generations of Jiangling County kings. His name was Sikong Song, and he was born in a Confucian family. Before the general came in, Qin Wubing was talking to Sikong Song.
Play chess.
Sikong Song, who had been silent all this time, said: "If it's an ordinary matter, that's all. But if it's a major matter involving internal fighting in the Taoist sect, at this sensitive and critical moment, we must not get involved, or even have the slightest connection.
have."
Qin Wubing stopped and said, "Sir, you are right. Shangguan Jing's matter has already involved us. We cannot get involved any deeper, otherwise there will be no way to escape."
The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
After a while, Sikong Song slowly said: "Taoist sects talk about inaction, at least in plain terms, so there is no way to live without a king for a day. The position of the Grand Master has been vacant for ten years, and the three deputy Grand Masters have
It is not impossible for the real person to take turns to be the head of the family. However, after all, the three deputy head masters, the big real man, are already old, and their promotion period is approaching, so judging from this situation, the election of the big head master is imminent, and sooner or later it will be within the next few years. The three candidates
, Master Donghua, Master Cihang, Master Qingwei, and Zhang Yuelu are the close descendants of Master Cihang. She came to us at this time. I am afraid that the so-called Wei Wugui is just a pretext, and the drunkard’s intention is not to drink. "
Qin Wubing said thoughtfully, "Sir, please explain it more clearly."
Sikong Song lowered his voice: "Your Majesty has met Master Qingwei, and it goes without saying that he intends to interfere in the internal affairs of the Taoist sect. However, the government and the public are not monolithic. Many cabinet elders do not dare to oppose openly, but secretly hold The objections are, on the surface, against the Li family. In the final analysis, His Majesty today has the legacy of the Taoist sect's five generations of great masters. It is only because of the Taoist sect that he has restrained himself slightly. If he holds both the Taoist sect and the imperial court in his hands, he will not say We little people, even the cabinet ministers, can only kneel down and kowtow. That is the real dictatorship of the cadres. The cabinet is like a fake, which is what the cabinet ministers don’t want to see."
Qin Wubing followed suit and said, "Furthermore, the Li family is deeply involved with the royal family, and several pavilion elders are on good terms with Zheng and the Quanzhen Tao. It can even be said that they share the same interests, advancing and retreating together."
"That's right." Sikong Song said softly, "Now it seems that His Majesty's intervention in the internal affairs of the Taoist sect has four consequences."
"The first outcome is that Your Majesty successfully takes over the Taoist sect and becomes the Grand Master and Emperor. There will be no two days in the sky and no two saints in the country. This is undoubtedly the result that Your Majesty hopes to see the most, but it is also the most difficult."
"The second outcome is that Your Majesty supports the Li family to ascend the throne, and both parties join forces to comprehensively suppress other forces. The Qin and Li families jointly rule the world, just like Xuansheng and Gaozu did in the past. However, because it is the Li family who has requests from Your Majesty, they still have to use Your Majesty is the leader, and the Li family is behind, and then a pattern of Taoist sects and the imperial court is formed. A hundred years later, the world will praise your majesty for subduing the Taoist sect. On the other hand, the emperors of the previous dynasties were controlled by the Confucian sect, like puppets, falling into the water. The number of dead people is countless and cannot be compared with each other."
"The third result is that although neither His Majesty nor the Li family can seize the title of Grand Master, the status quo is maintained, which makes the three pillars of the Taoist sect, with the imperial court as the mediator. Although the imperial court cannot completely control the Taoist sect, all forces in the Taoist sect are seeking help from the imperial court. , putting the imperial court in a relatively aloof position. However, it is not easy to find a balance. It was fine when His Majesty was alive. The next few generations of emperors were born in deep palaces and were better at women's hands. They may not have such means. Can they It is difficult to maintain this situation."
"The fourth result is the worst result. Stealing the chicken will end up losing the rice, and your majesty will completely fail. Instead, the Taoist sect will be integrated into one place, and a powerful leader will be elected to counterattack the imperial court in an all-round way."
Qin Wubing asked: "What does this have to do with this matter?"
Sikong Song said softly: "The noble faction has always been headed by the Prince of Jiangling. The old Prince rarely handles political affairs now, but the general has already become an official. Although he has not been in the cabinet to worship the prime minister, he should not be underestimated. In the eyes of others, the general's every move They all represent the trend of the Xungui faction."
"I have always known Zhang Yuelu of the Taoist sect. He was born in the Zhang family of the Zhengyi Taoist family, and was favored by the earth master. Furthermore, when coupled with the visit of the Quanzhen Taoist master to Yunjin Mountain, it can be seen that the Zhengyi Taoism and the Quanzhen Taoism are no longer an alliance but something better than an alliance. First of all, Zhang Yuelu is a very key figure. If Quanzhen Taoism and Zhengyi reach a compromise on the choice of the Grand Master in the future, it is unlikely that it will fall on her. On the one hand, she is a descendant of the Zhang family; on the other hand, she is a descendant of the Zhang family. , she is not a direct descendant of the Zhang family, but a branch, but she was promoted by the Earth Master personally. This is the gift of knowing and meeting, which is equivalent to reincarnation. In this way, Quanzhen Taoism and Zhengyi will regard her as one of their own, and if it comes to it, they will do whatever it takes. On the day when we all fight against Taiping Dao, let her come out and be a puppet leader, and there won’t be too fierce opposition from both sides.”
"As for the little man who saved the county lord, the general has seen it with his own eyes. He is just a martial artist in the Yuxu stage. It doesn't matter. Even if he is really a demon in a secret society, what can he do? Even if the ancient immortal comes, it will not affect the overall situation.
, so he is really nothing. At this moment, Zhang Yuelu actually asked the general about such a trivial matter, doesn’t the general find it strange? "
"It's strange, of course it's strange." Qin Wubing's eyes became dark, "Then how should we reply to Zhang Yuelu? If we say that the sign in Wei Wugui's hand was given by us, it is equivalent to being caught by Zhang Yuelu.
Very passive. Are you going to fight to the death and refuse to admit it?"
"No." Sikong Song said decisively, "The sign sent by the general is genuine. When it was sent and to whom it was sent, there are clear records. If this person falls into the hands of the Taoist sect, the sign will be
If we know it, we will fall into passivity and be irrefutable. Maybe we will get grudged against Zhang Yuelu because of this, which is not a wise move. More importantly, this move is likely to cause misjudgment by the people behind Zhang Yuelu.
We think we intend to stand on His Majesty’s side. It’s not that we can’t stand on His Majesty’s side, but we don’t have to stand on His Majesty’s side. It’s not yet time to take sides.”
Qin Wubing looked at Sikong Song and asked, "In your opinion, sir, what should we do?"
Sikong Song stroked his beard and said: "There is a customary word 'drag' in the officialdom. Big things can be turned into trivial matters, and small things can be put off until they can't be settled. We might as well use the word 'drag' this time. Without giving a clear answer first, just
He said that he needs to verify it, and wait until the matter becomes clear, at least until he understands Zhang Yuelu's true intentions, before deciding how to reply to her."
Sikong Song paused for a moment: "Remember what happened with Beichen Hall last time. They used the secret association to make a fuss about us and let us die. This is a handle. We might as well use it as an excuse to let them fight on their own. Tiangang
If we start a lawsuit with Beichen Hall, we can get rid of ourselves and put the matter in order."
Qin Wubing smiled and said, "Good advice, sir."
Qin Wubing looked at the general again and ordered: "Reply to Zhang Yuelu." Qin Wubing, Deputy Protector of the Protectorate of Xizhou, sent a letter to Zhang Yuelu, deputy director of the Yaoguang Department of Tiangang Hall.
I am writing to inform you that our army is not based in one place. We also have thousands of guest troops. It will take time to investigate whether Wei Wugui is there. I will inform you in a separate letter of the specific results of the investigation. Also, Jiuzhi Forty-Two
In the first month of that year, Beichen Hall once claimed that among the thousands of Xizhou guest troops who entered Yongzhou this time, there were core figures of the secret association Qingpinghui lurking among them with evil intentions. Afterwards, our department conducted an investigation and found no members of the secret association. Why did Beichen Hall
Obtained such incredible information? Is what Tiangang Hall asked today related to the information from Beichen Hall? Deputy Hall Master Zhang Yuelu should have given him some advice. Qin Wubing."