Ye Mengxiong received the wine from Xiao Ruxun, and his heart was filled with emotions. The young child from back then had now grown into a commander who could command hundreds of thousands of troops. Things had changed with the passage of time, and everything was different from back then.
It was also here that there had been a frustrated scholar and an immature general, and now there was an aging high-ranking official and a commander-in-chief of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Far too many things had happened in the last six years, and Ye Mengxiong truly felt that life was impermanent.
"Back then, we were also here. This old man was expelled from the capital and forced to flee to the south to avoid calamity, and you were given the title of Count of Pinglu for no reason. You were openly praised and secretly demoted, but now, we're back here. Even though we're sitting here, this old man feels like nothing has changed. It's like everything is still the same."
Ye Mengxiong drained the cup of wine in one gulp.
Xiao Ruxun also drank the wine in her cup.
"That's right. Back then, I was only twenty-two. I had just finished the Ningxia campaign and was in the prime of my spirit. I wanted to show off my abilities, but I didn't expect to be dealt a blow. It was only thanks to Duke Ye's persuasion and support that I was able to fight for the position of commander-in-chief of North Korea and gradually open up the situation.
Otherwise, I would probably have been the commander-in-chief of Ningxia. The commander-in-chief of Ningxia would have worked until middle age, and then I would have accumulated enough merit to go to the capital and do what my father did. I would have been a simple general for the rest of my life, with no great achievements or mistakes. After I die, I will be honored by the Imperial Court. In the future, I might even be remembered by some people! "
Xiao Ruxun faintly smiled.
After all, his name was still the source of an idiom. When people spoke of that idiom, they might think of his name.
For a general of the late Daming Dynasty, this sort of life was already very fortunate.
But with his participation, everything seemed to have changed. The Daming Dynasty had undergone an astonishing transformation, and the future was rather confusing. It seemed like everything had reached a critical point and was waiting for a new round of blooming.
Just how would the future proceed?
Xiao Ruxun turned to Ye Mengxiong.
"Duke Ye, what do you want to do after the world is stabilized?"
Xiao Ruxun picked up some food for Ye Mengxiong and put it into his bowl.
Ye Mengxiong smiled and looked to the south.
I'm already sixty-seven years old this year. I'm already satisfied to be able to live to this age, so I don't dare to ask for more. When the situation is settled and the world is stable, I'll go home to Hui Province and spend the rest of my life with my wife and children. I don't have any other requests. "
Xiao Ruxun also looked to the south and said with a smile, "Family happiness is indeed wonderful. Duke Ye, do you not want to take charge of the court and become a Prime Minister?"
Ye Mengxiong paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "I'm getting old. The Northern Expedition has exhausted all of my energy. What I want now is nothing more than to go home and spend my remaining years in peace. Becoming a minister sounds good, but if you think about it carefully, it's just a reflection in the mirror. The happiest thing in life is when one reaches old age, when one's family is happy, when one's wife and children are still around, and no one has passed away prematurely.
Ye Mengxiong drank another cup of wine and sighed.
This kind of life, not to mention the ancients, how many people in the modern world could not ask for?
Once upon a time, Xiao Ruxun's dream was the same. Before doomsday, he longed to be outstanding. After that, he just wanted to live. When he first came to the Daming, he was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. He did not have any great ambition. He just wanted to enjoy life in the Daming. Taking over Bo Bai's rebel army was a blow to his head.
It turned out that he also had to work hard to survive here.
He rose step by step, climbed up step by step, made achievements, and gradually became the mainstay of this country. He gradually achieved things that he had never dared to imagine, and gradually reached the peak until today.
It seemed as though everything was no longer what the original Xiao Ruxun wanted to do. What Xiao Ruxun wanted to do now, Xiao Ruxun herself was a little confused. She couldn't see herself clearly, and the more things became clear, the more confused she became.
"What about Ji Xin? What does Ji Xin want to do after the world is settled? Like what you said before, recapture Hetao, conquer the grassland in the north, and make the capital the hinterland instead of the frontline? So that we can recover the prosperity of the Hongwu era of the Daming? "
Ye Mengxiong looked at Xiao Ruxun. It seemed that he cared a lot about Xiao Ruxun's answer.
"That is something that must be done. Hetao, grassland, Liaodong, these northern lands must be occupied and controlled in our hands. We must not lose them. Otherwise, the hinterland of the Central Plains will be unstable. It will not only be a waste of manpower and money, but also very dangerous."
Ye Mengxiong saw the seriousness in Xiao Ruxun's eyes. He knew that he was serious when he said these words and also seriously planned to do these things.
For the country, there was no doubt that this was beneficial.
"Of course it is good to do this. But the country is weak, there are too many disaster victims, and the grain harvest has declined sharply. How should we deal with this?"
Ye Mengxiong raised a question.
"Work in lieu of relief."
Xiao Ruxun straightforwardly stated his idea. "Rather than simply distributing grain and disaster relief funds, why not work in lieu of relief? On my journey here, I've discovered that many of the local cities are in ruins, the roads are muddy, and the local water conservancy projects are in urgent need of repair. This is a good opportunity. As long as the court allocates funds to work in lieu of relief, those who work will have food to eat, and those who don't work will have no food to eat. In this way, we can solve the problem of disaster victims while also solving the engineering problems.
This is the best of both worlds. "Ye Mengxiong stroked his beard and smiled." This is of course a good idea. It's not that no one has ever thought of using work in lieu of relief, but very few have succeeded. The main reason is that the court lacks money. How can Ji Xin solve the problem of lack of money? "
Xiao Ruxun picked up the glass and took a sip.
"Of course it can be solved. Just wait and see, Master Ye."
"Oh? It can really be solved? "
Ye Mengxiong was skeptical.
"It can really be solved."
Xiao Ruxun gave an affirmative answer.
If he still couldn't get any money after taking the lives of those fellows, then he shouldn't be in the business anymore.
Drinking here could be considered as saying goodbye to the past, saying goodbye to his past self, and then moving on to a new life. Ye Mengxiong could sense that Xiao Ruxun seemed to have understood something. While he was happy for him, he was also a little puzzled.
In terms of age, Xiao Ruxun was Ye Mengxiong's grandson. Ye Mengxiong did indeed treat Xiao Ruxun as his junior. However, sometimes, Ye Mengxiong really didn't know what Xiao Ruxun was thinking.
But this was no longer important. For the current Xiao Ruxun, he just needed to stabilize, settle the matter of Shen Yicheng, and then let Zhu Yijun ascend to the throne.
On the afternoon of the 24th December, Li Rusong led his troops to the capital. Xiao Ruxun personally received Li Rusong, holding his hand as they went to the central tent to talk about the past. Li Rusong expressed his deep sorrow at what happened to Xiao Ruxun after he left, and expressed his extreme indignation at Shen Yicheng's despicable and shameless acts. He was willing to help Xiao Ruxun defeat Shen Yicheng.
Xiao Ruxun, on the other hand, was very happy. That night, he even held a banquet to entertain Li Rusong.
It was also on this night that Xiao Ruxun ordered all the high-ranking generals and officials around the capital to gather at the Lugouqiao Camp. He wanted to hold an important military conference on the 25th December to discuss how to deal with Shen Yicheng, what to do next, and even the distribution of benefits after the war.
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