Hsu Fengnian felt a headache coming on. "It's hard to say what the world will look like in the future, but after Huang Sanjia transferred the fate of the eight countries to Jianghu, the current Jianghu is like a bamboo forest. It's a year of spring, but soon, the bamboo will bloom. Once it dies, a large area will die. Everything within a radius of dozens or even hundreds of miles will die. Moreover, there won't be any bumper harvests in the future. It'll all be a small year. The more it's like this, the more outstanding my three disciples, Yu Dilong, Wang Sheng, and Lu Yunzhang, will be. Especially Yu Dilong, who has the best opportunities and the highest achievements. When the time comes, he'll definitely stand alone. Perhaps he'll be the only immortal on earth in the hundred years after my generation. Therefore, whether he has a family or not will make a big difference. "
Pei Nanwei smiled. "That's why you're willing to come here and have a meal. It's really hard for you, the King of Beiliang, to worry about the country, its people, and the world while fighting against the Beimang barbarians. Moreover, you're even scheming against your own disciple. Aren't you tired? "
Hsu Fengnian said self-deprecatingly, "It's fine to worry about the country and its people. I really don't have that kind of free time. In the end, I just want to protect the family business that Xu Xiao passed to me. This is my bottom line. It's even better if I can do something good above my bottom line. If I can't do it, I won't force myself. However, I really don't want to add fuel to the fire or kick someone when they're down. As for the scheming you mentioned? Perhaps. There's no other way. When I see Yu Dilong, it's hard not to think of that Wang Xianzhi. He, Huang Longshi, and Zhang Julu are three people I hated in my early years, but in the end, I can't help but admire. "
Pei Nanwei suddenly said, "I just heard the military news from the mouth of the gourd. It said that Crouching Bow City and Luanhe City were conquered by the Beimang barbarians. I thought you'd send a spy to tell me to move back to Mount Qingliang. These two days, people in Bishan City have been saying that you personally led troops to the mouth of the gourd and killed many barbarians. Does that mean I don't have to go to Liangzhou anymore? "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "If you don't like it, you don't have to go back. Also, to tell you the truth, if the Beimang army really goes south, Youzhou will be the last of the four provinces in Beiliang."
Pei Nanwei asked in confusion, "Later than Liangzhou?"
Hsu Fengnian nodded and said, "The geographical situation dictates it. For example, Youzhou is of little value and extremely difficult to conquer. Liuzhou was just an appetizer. It tasted spicy, but Beimang could finish it if he gritted his teeth. Lingzhou was a plate of delicacies, but it was a little far away, and the barbarians couldn't reach it with their chopsticks. Therefore, the main battlefield can only be in Liangzhou. The cities will attack and defend, and the light cavalry of both sides will wait for an opportunity to move. Even the first large-scale battle between heavy cavalry in history can happen. "
Pei Nanwei said softly, "Beiliang Road is still too small, and there aren't enough people."
Hsu Fengnian was a little helpless. "What do you think? Back then, when Li Yang was controlling the various vassal towns, he had a lot of reference to Xun Ping's Kuo Di Zhi and Xie Guanying's Hong Jianian County Map. The territories of the various vassal kings, how many soldiers Xu Xiao's Beiliang Road could support, and how many soldiers Zhao Bing's Nanjiang could support, were all calculated and deduced countless times. Since the middle of Yonghui's reign, all kinds of restrictions and support for Beiliang Road were built on the foundation of Beimang using Beiliang as the entry point to the south. Yuan Benxi was betting on the current situation. As for Zhao Bing's Nanjiang, it was used to target West Chu's reestablishment of Guangling Road. Otherwise, how could Li Yang still be so calm and composed after Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun's defeat? Zhao Dun even had the leisure to take Gu Jiantang to Jizhou to see the scenery before his death, instead of going to the southern part of the capital to boost the army's morale. He also didn't rush the two Liao border armies to the south. The reason was very simple. In Zhao Dun's eyes, the reestablishment of West Chu wasn't a big deal that would harm the country's vitality. What he wanted to do was to control the situation and weaken the separatist forces of all the vassal kings outside Beiliang Road. He wasn't afraid of losing many battles in the early stages. On the contrary, he was afraid of Yang Shenxing. Yan Zhenchun won consecutive battles at the beginning, causing the Duke of Guangling, Zhao Yi, the Duke of Huainan, and the King of Jing An, Zhao Xun, to have nothing to do with them. Otherwise, why do you think Yan Zhenchun, who was familiar with military affairs, would rush south to help Yang Shenxing? How could Lu Shengxiang not see the risks? After the war, why didn't anyone from the Ministry of War in the capital, including Lu Shengxiang, get punished? "
Pei Nanwei said worriedly, "What if Zhao Bing, the Duke of Yan Chi, doesn't send troops? Beimang's million-strong army is pressuring the border. Is the imperial court really not afraid of being attacked from the front and rear? When the time comes, can Gu Jiantang's two Liao defend Tai 'an City alone? "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said softly, "You're underestimating Zhao Dun and those famous ministers of Spring of Eternal Hui. Vassal towns, eunuchs, relatives, civil officials, and local military generals have always been the Five Great Evils of History. You might as well recall the situation of the Liyang imperial court in the past twenty years, and the result of West Chu's reestablishment. "
Pei Nanwei said tirelessly, "Eunuchs meddling in politics didn't exist when the two Zhao emperors were alive, and there won't be any in the future. It's the same with the matter of relatives. If we're talking about party struggles, during the reign of Eternal Hui, there was Zhang Julu, who didn't amount to much. Now that Zhang Lu and Gu Lu have collapsed, although I don't know what will happen if someone else sits on the dragon throne, I know that before Zhao Dun died, he invited the Grand Chancellor of Shangyin Academy, Qi Yanglong, to Tai 'an City to be the appointed minister, to help the new emperor stabilize the court. As for the local military generals, after the collapse of Gu Lu, and with the example of Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun, the two old generals, everyone felt insecure. In addition, Gu Jiantang made concessions everywhere. Many military generals were thankful to be able to protect themselves. They really didn't have the heart to challenge the imperial court. Among the old vassal kings, the Duke of Huainan, Zhao Ying, died. The Duke of Jiaodong, Zhao Sui, was suppressed by Gu Jiantang to the point that he had difficulty breathing. As for Qingzhou … in order to show his loyalty, that person seems to have sacrificed thousands of elite cavalry, right? Then, Beiliang will fight to the death with Beimang. The most powerful Duke of Guangling, Zhao Yi, is restrained by West Chu, and it's inevitable that he will be injured. In addition, you said that the Duke of Yan, Zhao Bing, will soon be ordered to go north … "
Pei Nanwei reached out to stroke the hair on her forehead and smiled, "As expected of the Spring of Eternal Hui."
Hsu Fengnian sighed, "Qi Yanglong didn't disappoint. The new imperial court did a lot of things well. They made an exception for the meritorious generals and added six academicians to the civil officials. Everything was done in an orderly manner."
Hsu Fengnian lowered his head slightly and looked at the rainwater falling on the limestone floor in the alley and then disappearing. "Zhang Julu is dead. Other than some hidden things, there won't be any changes. However, many of the marks that he and Zhang Julu left in the Liyang Dynasty will soon fade and then disappear without a trace. The Spring of Eternal Hui, written by Zhang Julu, is a book that can be flipped over at will. This is the most powerful part of the Liyang Dynasty. It looks like wind is blowing in all directions, but it's actually as stable as Mount Tai. In the end, it's because Zhao Dun left behind a lot of assets for the current emperor. "
The two walked slowly. There was still some distance before they reached the yamen of Bishan District. Pei Nanwei wanted to say something but stopped.
Hsu Fengnian turned to look at her and smiled, "If you want to ask, then ask."
Pei Nanwei looked at him, "Don't you know what I want to ask?"
Hsu Fengnian closed his oil-paper umbrella and suddenly squeezed under her umbrella. Pei Nanwei didn't show any strange expression. She thought that if the "husband and wife" went to the yamen to quarrel and ask for money, it might be inappropriate for them to hold their own umbrellas. Their momentum would be weaker.
Hsu Fengnian took the umbrella from her hand and walked side by side on the wheeled street after turning out of the alley. "When I was on the way to the Shenwu City with Wudang Wang Xiaoping, I wasn't sure if I could survive under the hands of Cat Man Han Shengxuan, so I told Wang Xiaoping some things from my heart. My father, Xu Xiao, has never been a narrow-minded person. He said that Beiliang Road and Liyang Road are one family. It's okay to quarrel behind closed doors. If we can't live under the same roof, then we can move out and set up our own house next door. We won't interact with each other for the rest of our lives. But if others feel that they can take advantage of this opportunity and come to his house to show off, then Xu Xiao doesn't mind slapping them in the face. It's that simple. Of course, Xu Xiao also has a bottom line, which is me, his son, who is going to inherit his family business. As long as I don't die, even if the process of inheriting the family business is bumpy and not smooth, Xu Xiao can endure it. If I die in the hands of the imperial court, then he won't care about Beiliang anymore. He will definitely lead the 300,000 Beiliang Frontier Army and fight all the way to Tai 'an City. In the past, when I traveled Jianghu with Old Huang, the empress at that time, now Empress Dowager Zhao Zhi, personally mobilized the imperial bodyguards to help me block a disaster. Obviously, as a woman, she can rely on her intuition to grasp Xu Xiao's thoughts. "
Hsu Fengnian suddenly laughed to himself and said, "As for me, in the past, when I was in the capital, I boasted that I would guard the country for the people of the Central Plains. It wasn't true, but it wasn't a lie either. In any case, I have to help Xu Xiao guard Beiliang. Isn't that the same as guarding the northwest door for the people of the Central Plains? It's the same thing, but we have different intentions. "
The corners of Pei Nanwei's mouth gently curved up.
Hsu Fengnian looked at the yamen not far ahead and said softly, "That old woman in Beimang once said in front of everyone from the two dynasties that she is willing to rule the world together with Xu Xiao. Doesn't it sound very heroic? "
Pei Nanwei nodded and said, "Yes."
Hsu Fengnian laughed and said, "This is a needle hidden in the silk floss. In the past, Xu Xiao refused to rule by drawing rivers, and a group of generals who were unwilling to accept this left. If you say that this was Xu Xiao's own doing. Later on, the imperial court allowed the Xu family to ride their armored horses into Jianghu and use their blades against the people of the Wulin. How many low-level soldiers left? You definitely wouldn't be able to guess that it was more than twenty thousand. Not one of them wasn't an elite veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles. If Xu Xiao was willing to accept the old woman in Beimang's suggestion, how many people do you think would have left? "
Hsu Fengnian stretched out a hand and twirled it. "At least a hundred thousand."
Pei Nanwei suddenly understood and said, "So that's how it is."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
