Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 689 Wang Ba and Wang Zuo

Lu Zhaolin snorted coldly, turned away, returned to the desk and picked up the book again, as if he "had no ears to hear what was going on outside the window and only read the books of sages." Lu Guangping was not annoyed when he saw this: " Don’t you know? Something big happened in the palace. The Queen is dead and the Emperor must observe filial piety. Do you think you can still take care of your affairs at this juncture?"

"What? The Supreme Empress is dead? Is there such a thing?" Lu Zhaolin was shocked. He stood up: "It's true or false, why didn't I hear about it?"

"You sit in front of the desk every day, looking for chapters and sentences, how can you care about outside things?" Lu Guangping said with a smile: "If I hadn't told you, I'm afraid you wouldn't know it now, right?"

"Well, what about the others?"

"Others? How do I know?" Lu Guangping waved his hand nonchalantly: "They must be similar to you, right? They all come to Chang'an to gain wealth through literature and art. They must be hiding at home and dealing with books every day, not caring about things outside. !”

Lu Zhaolin sighed after hearing this and said nothing. According to etiquette, parents have a great kindness in raising their children. Therefore, when a parent dies, the children must also observe filial piety to express their condolences. During the filial piety period, the children must wear special clothes and are not allowed to engage in entertainment activities. Not allowed to drink alcohol, eat meat, not handle official business, etc.The emperor, as a role model for the world, should naturally set an example. The difference is only the length of filial piety, the shortest is only 27 days, and the longest is three years.In the meantime, Lu Zhaolin and the others will most likely have to postpone their exam preparation. If it's only a few months, that's fine. If it's more than a year, it's likely that they'll have long nights and dreams.

"What's wrong? Are you still worried about the examination preparation?" Lu Pingguang said with a smile: "Actually, it's useless for you to worry. Maybe the emperor will only observe filial piety for a month or two, so this should be more time to study and study!"

"It would be great if that were the case!" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "I just think you are right, fame really depends on destiny, and I am afraid that this is not in my destiny!"

When Lu Guangping saw Lu Zhaolin's appearance, he was no longer as sarcastic as usual: "Actually, you don't have to care too much. Doesn't General Wang value you very much? Even if you fail to pass the examination, you can still go to General Wang. Go to the shogunate, with your literary talents, there will definitely be a place for you in his shogunate!"

"You want me to go to the shogunate of General Wang?" Lu Zhaolin laughed: "Why have you changed your temper? I remember that you didn't like him very much before!"

"One moment and another!" Lu Guang's smile disappeared and he became serious: "I have been in Chang'an for almost two months, and I know a lot about Wang Wenzuo's actions. If I use one sentence to evaluate , that is the talent of the king, but it is only used by the king's assistant!"

"What is the talent of the overlord? What is the use of the king's assistant?" Lu Zhaolin carefully recalled Lu Guangping's evaluation. In ancient Chinese political discourse, the overlord refers to someone who uses power when the rituals and music of the world have collapsed and the original order does not conform to the existing order. He Zhilue made the people of the world obey and re-established order.Wang Zuo, on the other hand, used his intelligence and strategic talents to help the emperor, quell the chaos, strengthen order, and even achieve the goal of peace in the world.

If you want to give an example, Qi Huan, Jin Wen, Gao Huan, Yu Wentai are the way of kings and hegemons. When the emperor declined, the king's way was weak, and the morals of the people were corrupt, they used force and strategy to reestablish order. However, the behavior of establishing the order itself was Destruction of the original order, but not completely smashing the old order.Wang Zuo refers to people like Zhuge Liang, Xiao He, Guan Zhong, and Wang Meng. They find and fill the gaps in the original political order, reform and innovate, and inject new vitality into it.It can be said that Lu Guangping's evaluation of Wang Wenzuo is very accurate.

"Why do I think you are saying that the general is overstating his talents?" Lu Zhaolin asked.

"Hahaha, you're not wrong to say that!" Lu Pingguang said with a smile: "But for the people of the world, this is a blessing. In the end, the best skill of heroes since ancient times is actually killing people. The one who is more capable is the best. The more people kill, the faster they kill. The one with the greatest ability will wipe out the heroes and pass it on to his descendants. Isn't this the case for Emperor Wen of this dynasty? If General Wang could really make full use of his talents, wouldn't he lay down millions of corpses and expose their bones? I'm afraid Chang'an City will also become Lili, just like Ye City!"

Lu Zhaolin sighed and said nothing. The city Lu Pingguang mentioned was the political, economic and cultural center of Hebei since the Eastern Han Dynasty, one of the largest cities in the world. After Yang Jian usurped the imperial power of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Wei Chijiong, the general manager of Xiangzhou, raised an army to resist and was defeated by Wei Xiaokuan.In order to ensure that Yecheng could not once again become a base for the resistance of the Guandong forces, Wei Xiaokuan completely destroyed Yecheng, and the No. 1 city in Hebei was turned into a vast field.

"Then why don't you go and join General Wang?" Lu Zhaolin asked: "Don't you always want to take advantage of the situation and recreate the grand occasion of the Fan Yang Lu family in the Northern Wei and Gao Qi?"

"It's not the time yet!" Lu Guangping said: "I am different from you. You can still copy and write when you go to General Wang's place now. What can I do? Instead of doing this, it is better to wait and see what happens!"

"Waiting for the right time? What time?" Lu Zhaolin asked.

"Of course Han Guangwu entered Hebei, Yuan Shao went to Jizhou, and He Liuhun led the six towns to feed Shandong!" Lu Guangping said with a smile: "At that time, I can win over the people of Hebei for him and make his banner follow his direction. The scenery is like the wind and clouds coming from the dragon and the tiger, soaring up to the sky!"

"You are talking nonsense again!" Lu Zhaolin shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I know very well who the general is. He is extremely loyal to the Holy One. How could he do what you said? You are right. If you go now Take refuge in him and let him know your thoughts, and he will probably kill you with one sword!"

"That's why I said we should wait for the right time!" Lu Guangping said with a smile: "The world's rotation is like the changing of yin and yang. How can you be sure?"

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political affairs hall.

"General, this is the military report from Liaodong!" Zhang Wenguan whispered.

"Well, you put it aside for now. I'll take a look at it later!" Wang Wenzuo clicked on the right side of the cases, his eyes never leaving the documents in front of him.

"Yes!" Zhang Wenguan put down the military report, but did not walk away. After a while, Wang Wenzuo put down the document in his hand, reviewed a few sentences at the end, and then picked up the military report that Zhang Wenguan had just sent, and sighed subconsciously.

"General, General Manager Xue is urging troops and paying wages again?" Zhang Wenguan asked. "Well, there is also the impeachment of the garrison generals of Xiongjin Dudufu and Fusang Dudufu, accusing the garrison generals of these two places of not obeying his orders and refusing to send reinforcements to Liaodong, and demanding that Shen Faseng, He Bayong and others be sent to Liaodong. Remove them from office and punish them!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, with a look of embarrassment on his face: "It's not that I favor Shen and He Ba, it's mainly because now is not the time to punish them. Besides, even if they are removed from office, who will succeed them? These places can be It’s not a prefecture or county in the country. If someone else goes there and is unfamiliar with the place, I’m afraid there will be a big mess immediately and it will be impossible to deal with it!”

"What the general said is that General Xue was forced to panic!" Zhang Wenguan sighed: "Xincheng fell at the end of February, and then the Silla people openly sent troops to attack Pyongyang. The Andong Protectorate was attacked from the north and the south, and the Mohe people had already After openly proclaiming the king, the Khitans and Xi people in Songmo Dudu Mansion also began to become unstable. If they also rebelled, the Tiele tribes would also start moving, and the entire Mobei and Monan would be connected from east to west. !”

"This is natural!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Those barbarians understand that they would rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of an ox. My neighbors and I are both from a household of [-]. If he is a school captain, then I can also be a school captain. My neighbor is still alive and well after becoming the king, so why do I still serve as a captain and not become the king? Isn’t this just putting him down? Therefore, this kind of war must cut through the mess quickly and cannot be delayed, otherwise the war will only get bigger and bigger, and the enemy will become more and more serious. The more I fight, the more I have to make a choice in the end in order to stay safe!"

"In fact, General Manager Xue also understands this truth. He wanted to win a quick victory at first, but he was unable to do so!" Zhang Wenguan sighed: "I must be honest, with the power of General Manager Xue, I am afraid that it will be impossible to calm down the chaos in Liaodong. Right now The only way is for you to take action yourself!"

"I?"

"That's right!" Zhang Wenguan said seriously: "To quell the chaos in Liaodong, you must first have the talent to lead the army; secondly, you must be able to gain the emperor's trust and be entrusted with full power; thirdly, you must be familiar with the local situation and gain the heart of the barbarians. You are the only one who can meet these three conditions, and no one else?"

"Can I ask Jin Ren?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"After all, he belongs to the Silla royal family. As a general, he cannot be entrusted with the troops to conquer the country!" Zhang Wenguan shook his head.

"But now that the emperor is still observing filial piety, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Chang'an!" Wang Wenzuo sighed.

"You can still pacify Liaodong if you go now. If in a few months, the Khitan and Xi people also rise up and besiege Liucheng, and Hebei is in turmoil, I'm afraid even if you go, you may not be able to end this mess!" At this point! , Zhang Wenguan whispered: "Don't come again when you can't miss the opportunity!" Seeing that Wang Wenzuo was still hesitant, he gritted his teeth and said: "If the general is worried about your majesty's safety, why not ask King Pei to be the marshal of the army and send him to the army?" Are you taking it to Hebei?"

"King Pei, Hebei?" Wang Wenzuo was surprised. Zhang Wenguan's suggestion really touched the bottom of his heart. To put it bluntly, the reason why he had been delaying leaving Chang'an was because he was worried that after he left, someone would imitate him and overthrow Li Hong. , and established Li Xian, King of Pei, as the leader. In this way, he changed from an officer to a thief.But if I take King Pei to Hebei and conquer Liaodong as Zhang Wenguan suggested, the probability of potential political opponents in Chang'an conducting a coup to overthrow Li Hong will be greatly reduced, because Li Hong's current heir is in the hands of Wang Wenzuo. If they want to overthrow Li Hong, they can only choose from Li Hong's younger brothers.Not only were these people lower than Li Xian in the line of succession, but more importantly, at that time Wang Wenzuo not only had a large army and the wealth of Hebei, but also a political banner like Li Xian, which gave him all-round control in future wars. As long as anyone with a normal mind would risk the lives of their entire family to participate in such a bet that is almost impossible to win.

"General, if you keep cutting off, you will suffer the consequences!" Zhang Wenguan lowered his voice: "I know you want to protect His Majesty, but in fact, as long as you hold King Pei in your hands, going to Hebei will make His Majesty safer. After all, someone harmed His Majesty after you left, so the biggest beneficiary is actually you, no one wants to make wedding clothes for others!"

"I understand, Mr. Zhang!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "I have kept your thoughts in mind, and I will never forget them!"

"Don't dare, Zhang is doing this for the country!"

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Zhang Wenguan left the political hall and subconsciously let out a long breath. The strategy he just proposed was extremely dangerous. If Wang Wenzuo thought it was to sow discord between him and the emperor, then he would only die.However, Wang Wenzuo was able to listen without getting annoyed. It seemed that he was really right about him.

"Zhang Xiang! How about it?" An official came up to him.

"Well, I've already told him!" Zhang Wenguan nodded.

"He's not worried?" The official was overjoyed when he heard this: "You really read it right, you really didn't expect it!"

"Thank you for coming up with such a plan!" Zhang Wenguan sighed: "If you take King Pei as the marshal of the army and ask the general to take him to Hebei, you are going to split it in two!"

"Hahaha, you can't say that! Don't some people want to use King Pei as a chess piece? Then simply remove the chess piece from the chessboard and see what other tricks they can come up with! The country is in great trouble now, and the North Korean government But the princes in the hall are all thinking about their own things, throwing aside the safety of the country, the territory that Emperor Wenzong and the emperor have worked hard to conquer for decades. How can it be done? The general himself is also responsible for this. , if he hadn’t been the instigator, how could this situation have happened? Since he started it, someone has to end it, right?”

"Keep it down, keep it down!" Zhang Wenguan said hurriedly. He looked back behind him and whispered: "How dare you be so loud here, risk your life?"

"How can you spare your life if you are loyal to your emperor and eat your salary?" the official said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, okay, I know you are not afraid of death!" Zhang Wenguan sighed: "Actually, the general is not doing it all for himself. Many things are forced by the situation and are beyond human control!"

"I know you have benefited from him, so naturally I want to speak for him!" The official said: "This can be regarded as a reward, so be loyal! But he is a general, what's the point of scheming with people in Chang'an every day? He If you really want to fight, wait until you have wiped out all the barbarians from Silla, Goguryeo, and Mohe, and then come back and fight until you have enough, and no one will care about you!"

"Forget it, I know you are easy to talk, I can't fight you!" Zhang Wenguan said with a bitter smile: "But no matter how much you look down on him, the affairs in Liaodong now really have to be his!"

(End of this chapter)