Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 368
"You forgot, Du Changshi!" Liu Ren wished: "At the beginning, we didn't think about building immortal feats and leaving a name in history, but about surviving. We only thought about these things after we won the battle. It was a dream, and now I'm awake!"

"That's right, but it's one time and another time!" Du Shuang said, "Duke Ming has made great achievements in Haidong, and if he takes a step further, he will be able to enter the prime minister. It's not too late!"

"Becoming a general and becoming a prime minister? One step further?" Liu Renyuan laughed: "Du Changshi, you can really talk! How can a certain military man like Liu dare to covet such things as taking charge of the country and handling Yin and Yang? Do rest, work Stop!"

Just as Du Shuang was about to continue persuading, an officer quickly walked in from the outside with a smile all over his face: "Captain, Chang Shi, Wang Sanlang is back!"

"What?" Liu Renyuan, who was over fifty years old and deaf, couldn't hear clearly for a while, and asked, "Which one is back?"

"Wang Wenzuo and Wang Sanlang are back, from Chang'an!" The officer laughed and said, "His boat is by the river! People have already entered the city!"

"Oh! Sanlang is back, good, good!" Liu Renyuan happily said six or seven "good" words: "Our think tank is back, and he has put his fists to good use in Chang'an this time! Du Changshi, Let's go, let's go to the gate to meet Saburo first!"

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"The last general pays homage to Liu Gong and Du Changshi!" Wang Wenzuo raised the front of his official robe and bowed down to Liu Renyuan who was standing on the steps.
"That's all, that's all!" Liu Renyuan, regardless of his age, walked down a step, held Wang Wenzuo's arm, prevented him from bowing down, and said with a smile: "Sanlang, you are already a fifth-rank official, right?"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "This subordinate is already General Dingyuan!"

"General Dingyuan! Du Changshi?" Liu Renyuan turned his head and said to Du Shuang: "Du Changshi, what did you just say about being a general? In my opinion, Saburo is the one who has the hope of becoming a general, not me. This bad old man!"

"Grand Liu's praise!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly thanked him, "It's just luck. I met two things in Chang'an, and I got promoted a few levels by luck!"

"Oh? The old man has heard of it before, but it's not very clear in the document! Let's talk about it yourself, Saburo!" Liu Renyuan smiled.

Just as Wang Wenzuo was about to agree, Du Shuang smiled and said, "Master, this is your fault. How can you block people at the door and prevent them from entering? If you want to listen to Wang Sima's story, let him enter the room." It's not too late!"

"That's right, I'm really old and confused!" Liu Renyuan said with a smile: "Come on, Sanlang, let's go into the house and tell you the story of Chang'an!"

Wang Wenzuo followed Liu Renyuan into the mansion and went to the hall. Wang Wenzuo frowned slightly when he saw the two corpses in the courtyard.He couldn't open his mouth to ask, so he just pretended not to see it, and gave a rough account of his two incidents of training and directing the polo team for the prince in Chang'an, and reporting on the suppression of riots, and finally said: "These are just luck. That’s all, it’s nothing to do!”

"Wang Sima, what you said is wrong!" Du Shuang looked serious on the side: "I have also seen one or two of these two things about you on the letter papers of friends in China. The crown prince is the heir of the country. Training and directing the polo team is a meritorious service; not to mention the second thing, guarding Luanjia and making the troops inferior to Wangcheng. Both of these are great achievements, and the reward for a fifth-rank official is still light , if I guessed correctly, the imperial court saw that you were too young, so they suppressed you, and you will not be a fifth-rank general Dingyuan for too long, and you will be promoted again in three to five years!"

"That's right!" Liu Renyuan said with a smile, "When I read the things in the letter, I thought they were exaggerated and untrue. Now, after hearing what you said, I still didn't say much. Du Changshi said it well. You The official will be promoted in a few years!"

"After a few years, maybe next month I will come to order me to be the chief officer of the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself, but said in his mouth: "Who can say clearly about the official position, anyway, it is No matter whether you are promoted or demoted, we, the courtiers, can only accept the grace of the imperial court!"

"Wang Sima's words are true, but it's better to go up than down!" Du Changshi said with a smile: "It's also fate. This time you go back to Chang'an and make yourself famous in front of the emperor and prince. Both Dudu and I are happy for you, you are still young and your future is boundless, and the descendants of Dudu and I are still counting on you!"

"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly smiled, but he couldn't help feeling the magic power of power in his heart. This Du Changshi was known for his uprightness in the past, and he had often hated himself, but this time he was a completely different person. After being complimented in every possible way Generations trust each other.He is still the same him, and he is still the same himself, the only difference is that the two have different positions on the ladder of power.

"Du Changshi, Saburo is a kind man, so why talk too much!" Liu Renyuan said, "Saburo! During your absence in Baekje, a lot of things happened! To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of your jokes. I'm old. What happened here We still have to rely on your juniors!"

"Why did Liu Renyuan say that? Could it be that he has already heard something?" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself, but said in his mouth: "Why did Liu Gong say this? No matter how difficult the situation is now, it will not be as difficult as before, right?"

"Hehe!" Liu Renyuan showed a wry smile: "Forget it, you are not an outsider, Du Changshi, please tell Saburo about the current situation!"

"Wang Sima!" Du Shuang said with a smile: "Several things have happened during this time. After discussing with Mr. Liu, there is still nothing to do. You came back just in time, let's come up with ideas together!" So Du Shuang started to talk about it. , There are two main "things" in his mouth: one is the border conflict between the Baekje local tyrants and the Silla people; the other is the low morale of the Tang army stationed because they cannot rotate. My own thumb made me unable to draw the bow and became disabled to achieve the purpose of returning home.

"Actually, the first question is not too urgent. After all, the Silla people don't dare to really fight. It's just some small actions. Scrambling for rice and wheat and fighting for water sources is at most a matter for one or two villages. The second one is It's very tricky, if it breaks out, it is very likely that our three years of hard work will become wedding dresses for others!"

Wang Wenzuo nodded solemnly. Of course he knew that the "others" Du Shuang referred to were people from Silla. Tang's presence in Baekje was a direct threat, and although it was unlikely that a major war would break out before Goguryeo was wiped out, minor conflicts were inevitable.

"Du Changshi is right. The second problem is indeed our confidant's serious trouble. But the only way to get rid of this matter is normal rotation. In a place as far away as Baekje, the half-year rotation is a bit long. Now this group of people It has been more than three years, and it is not surprising that something happened!"

"Yes!" Du Shuang sighed: "I also know this, I have written to the imperial court several times, but every time the Ministry of War replied that there was no one, and many military houses in the Kanto region have no young men at all. "

"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo sighed. He also believed that the Ministry of War did not lie. When the Battle of Baekje was at its most critical, Liu Ren was willing to write to the imperial court to ask for reinforcements. Thousands of people were thrown into Baekje, including the old and the young. When they landed, the Silla people laughed heartily. He was very impressed by this.

"Then it's not an option to go on like this. The Ministry of War can't just go on like this indefinitely, right? There must be a deadline, right?"

"There is a time limit. After this autumn, a group of people will be transferred to replace the current people!"

"After Autumn? Isn't that seven or eight months away? Can't it be a few months earlier?" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile: "This group of people will be out of the garrison for four years. It's really miserable!"

"No way!" Du Shuang said, "It is stated in the document of the Ministry of War that all those sent to us are teenagers who will only turn sixteen after autumn, so—"

Hearing this, Wang Wenzuo could no longer laugh. According to the military system of the Tang Dynasty, soldiers from sixteen to sixty must be in the military register and be selected by lottery. Of course, generally speaking, those who are too young, or those who are after forty Veterans generally only undertake the relatively easy tasks of domestic defense. Expeditions usually select young men between eighteen and forty. The military department of the Tang Dynasty even sent young men who had just turned sixteen to Baekje to serve as guards. The two words "external strength and middle dryness" immediately jumped to Wang Wenzuo's mind.

"The imperial court conscripted 2000 vicious youths from Chang'an to join the army this time. I brought [-] people to Baekje, hoping to solve the urgent need!" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile.

"Two thousand villainous boys? That's great!" Du Shuang laughed and said, "It's Sanlang who has a way. These wicked boys are quite skilled in martial arts, and they don't need to take turns. That's great!"

"There are only 2000 people, but there are [-] people who need to be replaced!" Wang Wenzuo smiled bitterly: "Forget it, let's not talk about such a bad thing. By the way, Du Changshi. When I just came in, I saw two corpses in the yard , looks a bit familiar, could it be one of us?"

"That's right, one named Chen Kai and the other named He Wenkai, both fire commanders!" Du Shuang sighed, "Because of the need to take turns, they gathered a crowd to make trouble and overturned the military law, and they were all hanged!"

"Chen Kai? He Wenkai? This name sounds familiar!" Wang Wenzuo frowned: "Which camp head is it from?"

"It's not surprising that you are familiar, they are all under He Bayong's command! Originally, I had to ask him a few words, but now that you are back, let's forget it!" Du Shuang laughed.

"I remembered!" Wang Wenzuo's face became ugly: "This He Ba, forget it, leave this matter to my subordinates first, and I will definitely figure it out!"

"We all know Wang Sima's tricks!" Du Shuang laughed and said, "The governor also said that there is no need to hang his head to show the public. Let the fellow villagers take him back after cremation!"

Wang Wenzuo nodded, and his cheerful mood became serious. He stood up and said, "Liu Gong, Du Changshi, all my men and horses have just arrived in Baekje, and they have some things to deal with, so I will leave first. This time When I came back from Chang’an, I brought some earthen instruments and put them outside, please don’t refuse me!”

"It's easy to say, Saburo, let's get busy!" Liu Renyuan said with a smile: "Come to my residence tonight, and buy some wine and vegetables to wash away the dust for you!"

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Wang Wenzuo went out of the Dudu's mansion, but did not leave the city, but went straight to his residence, and said to Sancho who was very surprised to see him: "Sangcho, you go to Hebayong's residence immediately, and call that guy to me. The sooner the better!"

"Master, wait a moment, I will go right away!"

About half an hour later, Sangqiu came back, and behind him were He Bayong and Cui Hongdu who were full of joy. There were six or seven steps between them and they crossed their hands and saluted: "Congratulations, sir, for your promotion!"

"He Ba, you still have the face to see me!" Wang Wenzuo said coldly, "Have you forgotten what I said when I left?"

He Bayong, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on his head, made Monk Zhang Er puzzled, subconsciously glanced at Sancho next to him, but saw that Sancho also looked surprised, obviously the other party didn't know what to say. What kind of fire is it.

"Sanlang!" Cui Hongdu hastily tried to persuade him, "What exactly happened, it's not too late to make it clear before getting angry!"

"Hongdu, don't defend him!" Wang Wenzuo said angrily, "You are also responsible for this matter. Do you remember what I said before I left? I gave you all the money and property left in Baekje. How did you do it?"

"Money and property?" Cui Hongdu was also stunned: "I have handled everything well! There are details of entry and exit, Sanlang, if you want to see me, let someone bring it right away, and ask me for a penny!"

"Who said you are short of money!" Wang Wenzuo said angrily, "Come here, take the corpse out!"

As soon as the words fell, the two corpses were carried out from the side, and Wang Wenzuo said angrily: "Look, you did a good job!"

Cui Hongdu and He Bayong looked at the two corpses on the ground, their faces changed slightly, Cui Hongdu said: "These two people were executed because they violated the military law and gathered a crowd to make trouble!"

"Of course I know how the two of them died! But have you ever thought about why they violated the military law?" Wang Wenzuo said angrily: "The soldiers have been guarding overseas for many years without replacement. Of course they will be homesick and worry about family affairs. You should Military leaders and generals should understand the situation and take care of their dangers. But what have you done? There is no shortage of money and food? Cui Hongdu, did I let you become a rich man in Baekje?"

Cui Hongdu and He Bayong were speechless after being reprimanded by Wang Wenzuo.Seeing this, Wang Wenzuo was even more annoyed: "He Ba, do you remember these two people? When we attacked Zhenxian City, you led the troops to help the grass up. These two people are your subordinates, and they made the first move. .Now you didn't die under the enemy's arrows, but died under the military law, what do you have to say?"

Wang Wenzuo's words were like an invisible hammer, hitting He Bayong's forehead fiercely, making him kneel down: "Sanlang taught me that this is all my fault, please punish me!" Cui Hongdu beside him Seeing this, he also hurriedly knelt down: "I am also at fault for negligence, please punish Sanlang!"

(End of this chapter)