Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Lu Zhaolin was not worried: "Uncle, you have never seen it with your own eyes, so of course you don't believe it; but when I followed the general in Chang'an, this is what I saw and heard, so you can't help but don't believe it!"

"Hahaha!" Lu Renji smiled: "Sheng Zhizhi, you are still too young. Let's put it this way, even if the relationship between the emperor and the general was really as you said, it was an external trust between the monarch and his ministers, and an internal relationship. The kindness of flesh and blood is a thing of the past. After experiencing so many things, it is impossible for the two of them to trust each other like they did before!"

"Why did you come to Shaanzhou to meet the general that day?" Lu Zhaolin asked.

"Because the emperor has no other choice!" Lu Renji said: "After Pei Xingjian's defeat, Chang'an has become the target of the general. One day the general did not send troops to Chang'an, and the emperor couldn't sleep well. Since he couldn't defeat him, he could only think about it. The method was deceived!”

"Liar?" Lu Zhaolin didn't like the word Lu Renji used: "It's obviously a meeting to eliminate misunderstandings, why do you say it's a lie?"

"Because that was not a misunderstanding in the first place!" Lu Renji sneered: "Otherwise, why would the general deliberately divide his troops to show weakness to lure Pei Xingjian out of Tongguan, and then surround him? Corpses are everywhere and armors are piled up in the mountains. Is this also a misunderstanding? If this is also a misunderstanding, Then the general is too powerful, right? Misunderstanding can lead to such a big victory!"

At this time, Lu Zhaolin was already speechless. After a moment, he said: "But I saw with my own eyes the relationship between the general and the emperor when I was in Chang'an, and when he sent troops to Haidong, the general was also extremely loyal to the emperor! Is this all an act? Of? I don’t believe it!”

"Shengzhi! You still think of many things too simply!" Lu Renji said with a smile: "Yes, I believe that the general was indeed loyal to the emperor when he was in Chang'an and in Haidong. If not, he would not be able to serve as an official. As for this. But people will change, especially after the external environment changes. People like the general are best at changing with the times. King Pei's flight to the west is a godsend for him. A good opportunity. If not, how could he integrate the power of Hebei and march westward to Chang'an? When his troops reach Tongguan, do you think it is possible for him to be relieved of military power and become a minister in Chang'an just by the restoration of the emperor?"

"Changes with time?" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "Uncle, listening to what you say, I can't see the general clearly anymore!"

"Hahaha! Isn't this a good thing?" Lu Renji said with a smile: "Since we have planned to take him as our master, we naturally hope that he will be as powerful as possible. If you and I could see through his behavior, how could he be where he is today? Achievements? Take this meeting as an example, do you want him to voluntarily surrender and go to Chang'an, or something else? We are just his subordinates, why should we see him clearly? "

Lu Zhaolin was silent for a while, and finally said: "Of course I don't want the general to lose his wings, but the emperor's visit has already reached this point, and I really can't think of how the general should deal with it!"

"If you can't think of it, don't think about it! You're not a general, so of course you can't think of it!" Lu Renji smiled: "What you should consider is how to help our Lu family and Hebei people get a bigger piece of the future. cake!"

"I understand!" Lu Zhaolin nodded: "Uncle, what are your plans!"

"It's very simple. Since the general doesn't want to go to Chang'an, where will he station next? That is the center of power of the Tang Dynasty. If possible, it is best for this place to be in Hebei!" Lu Renji said: "This is the greatest benefit. I am here, Shengzhi, you are the person next to the general, you can spread the news, and everyone has made preparations in advance, which is the greatest credit!"

"I understand, I will pay attention!" Lu Zhaolin nodded.

"There is a second thing!" Lu Renji said: "This time to defeat Pei Xingjian, everyone can see clearly: the ones who contributed the most are the old troops brought by the general from Haidong. Although our Hebei soldiers have many people, they are not in the battle formation." Still can't compare with those veterans. Of course, this is not surprising. The veterans like the general have fought with him for more than ten years and have experienced hundreds of battles. There have never been many Zhechong mansions in Hebei, and the soldiers are all newly recruited rabble. Therefore, after this battle is over, we must build a few more Zhechong mansions in Hebei to practice martial arts on weekdays—"

"I'm afraid this is a bit difficult!" Lu Zhaolin said with a bitter smile.

"What do you mean? The general wants to eliminate our Hebei soldiers?" Lu Renji's face changed drastically.

"That's not true! At least I have never heard of such news!" Lu Zhaolin shook his head: "It's just that from past experience, the general doesn't seem to attach much importance to Zhechong Mansion. It is difficult for soldiers recruited by Zhechong Mansion to leave home too much." Far away, the main battlefields of the Tang Dynasty are now far away from the mainland, and the recruited soldiers have no intention of fighting, their morale is low, and they are not as good as soldiers recruited from the local area!"

"That's true! The general started from Baekje, he must have a deep understanding of it!" Hearing that Wang Wenzuo had no intention of eliminating the Hebei soldiers, Lu Renji breathed a sigh of relief: "Shengzhi, after all, it is not easy for us to have so many Hebei people this time. Soldiers and horses cannot be disbanded easily. Even if the states and counties are united, they must be in our hands. Only when we have soldiers in our hands can we have the courage to speak!"

"Uncle, please don't worry, I will remember it!" Lu Zhaolin nodded. In this regard, his position is consistent with that of Lu Renji and others. The stronger the Lu family in Hebei and Fanyang, the more stable his position will be in front of Wang Wenzuo. This is the truth. He couldn't be more clear.

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Liaodong, Xincheng.

"Your Majesty!" Gao Yannian's clogs made a hurried sound on the wooden floor: "An urgent envoy has arrived in Wuerta City and is waiting in the hall!"

"Urta City? Is he the envoy of Governor Shen?" Yanliang put down the "Book of Han" in his hand: "Let him come up!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Gao Yannian responded and withdrew. A moment later, he came in with his messenger. The messenger bowed to Yanliang and presented a brocade box with both hands: "The Governor ordered his subordinates to bring this The box is dedicated to the young master!"

"Thank you, Uncle Shen. I miss you!" Yanliang had a very vague impression of Shen Faseng. He only remembered that he was a tough and capable man. He took the brocade box from Gao Yannian and found a short signature on it. When he opened it, he saw the words There is a line in small regular script: I am begging for the head of Si Biyu as an offering to his son-in-law. Please tell me how to behave! "

"Qi Si Biyu is dead?" Yanliang was surprised. He hurriedly opened the brocade box and saw a human head inside, with a ferocious face and a thick beard. He quickly closed the lid again and asked: "What on earth is it?" what happened?"

"Yes!" The messenger kowtowed: "After the Qi Si Biyu escaped from Wuerta City, he recruited several northern barbarians who married him and invaded the south several times, but the governor repelled them all. This thief has a bad temper and a good drinker. During the war, it was not convenient to drink alcohol, and whenever he drank, he would get drunk, and whenever he was drunk, he would whip his subordinates. This made his subordinates more disloyal. One of his sons-in-law saw that the southern invasion was invincible, and he was greedy for the wealth he brought. He said that he was unprepared. Behead him, offer his head, and surrender to the Tang Dynasty! Governor Shen ordered his subordinates to bring the head of this thief. Please give me your instructions on how to proceed!"

"I can't let go of this beast, but it died in the hands of my son-in-law!" Yanliang grabbed the hair of the head and lifted it up. He saw that the man's head and face were full of horror and disbelief. It was obvious that this beggar Sibiyu Before he died, he probably didn't believe that his son-in-law had actually betrayed him: "It's really God's way. I won't be happy with the retribution!" He put his head back into the brocade box and asked, "Except for Begging Sibiyu, who else was with him?" What?" "Qi Si Biyu has four grown-up sons, one of whom has died in the battle, and the other three sons are all married to barbarians from the north. Two of them died together with Qi Si Biyu, one of them escaped, and the rest are still alive. The adult children burned themselves to death in the village of Qi Sibiyu!"

"Well done, Governor Shen!" Yan Liang praised, "I will report this matter to my father. As for how to deal with the person who presented his head, it will be up to Governor Shen himself!"

"I remember, villain!" The messenger kowtowed and retreated. Yanliang said to Gao Yannian with a smile: "I didn't expect that Qi Sibiyu could end it so easily. It's really good luck. If my father knows about it, he will definitely do it. He will be very happy!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "In this way, you should be able to return to Namba Capital soon!"

"I don't know!" Yanliang sighed: "But to be honest, I really miss the cherry blossoms and crabs in my hometown! Compared with Namba Kyo, it is much colder here. It's already April. Outside It often snows, and in Namba Kyo there are now flowers and green leaves everywhere, and you can wear jackets and take a boat to go fishing on the sea, unlike here, where there are endless mountains besides snow."

"That's true! In terms of water and soil, Namba Kyo is indeed much more comfortable than the Xincheng side!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "But there are advantages to the Xincheng side. There are iron ores everywhere around here. You can dig a few feet down to see To the ore vein. There is no shortage of charcoal for smelting iron ore. I heard from dad that the Goguryeo people used to dig mountains and mines here, smelt soldiers and armor, and conquered all parties, achieving their 800-year-old foundation. The general asked you to stay here, I am sure There’s a reason.”

"What's the use?" Yan Liang sighed: "Father defeated that Pei Xingjian a few days ago. When I grow up, I'm afraid everyone will have surrendered. There will be no chance for me to make contributions!"

"Hehe!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "Isn't that good? Maybe you will go to Chang'an in a few months!"

"Chang'an? Why are you going to Chang'an?" Yan Liang asked.

"Isn't this simple?" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "After the general defeated that Pei Xingjian, Chang'an can no longer be defended. Then the next step is to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor? If he ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor, aren't you just the prince? Where can you go if you don't go to Chang'an? ?”

"You are talking nonsense again!" Yan Liang rolled his eyes at Gao Yannian: "How could my father ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor? The reason he led his troops south was to protect the emperor and conquer the traitors who usurped the throne!"

"One moment, another moment!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "The meat has reached your mouth, and you won't even open your mouth. How can there be such a truth in the world?"

While he was talking, Di Renjie came in from outside. He bowed to Yanliang and saluted: "Master, there is something I must tell you!"

"what's up?"

Di Renjie turned around and said, "You two, come in!"

Following Di Renjie's voice, two Japanese warriors came in from outside. They knelt down and saluted Yanliang respectfully. Yan Liang saw that one of the two warriors was in his early thirties, and the other was about forty years old. He was dusty, and his clothes were also patched. It was obvious that his financial situation was not very good. The younger one had four or five scars on his face. It looks very scary. He remembered his father's advice not to judge a book by its cover, and said with a smile: "That's it, you two sit down and talk. If you have any difficulties, please tell me, and I will make the decision for you!"

When the two samurai heard what Hikora said, they both looked happy. The older samurai said: "Your Majesty, I am the samurai Kosaburo from Ashikaga Township, Mikawa Shimono Country. This is my brother-in-law, named Soichiro." . We came to see His Majesty today because of a land dispute case."

"A lawsuit over land?" Yan Liang was stunned when he heard this. Although he was young, he had heard a lot about the lawsuits filed by warriors. It can be said that more than 90% of samurai lawsuits are about land rights. At that time, the nature of land ownership in Japan was extremely complex. Taking the fields developed by oneself as an example, there were state-divided fields, private fields, and fields that would never be restored after three generations. The Japanese also like to divide the family property equally among their sons. As a result, large fields will turn into a large number of small fields after two or three generations, and it is easy to have disputes over the rights of the fields. But the problem is that judging from the clothes of these two warriors, they are not too high-level warriors. Their land dispute case will not be brought to Yan Liang, who is the king of the country, right?

Seeing the questioning look Yanliang cast on him, Di Renjie coughed and nodded to Soichiro. Soichiro unbuttoned his coat and exposed his upper body. His Majesty could not help but take a breath. It turned out that Soichiro had five or six wounds not only on his face, but also on his chest and abdomen. He was even missing two fingers on his right hand, on his shoulder, and on his arm. The traumas are countless.

"Sir, this Soichiro went on two expeditions with the general. He participated in twenty-three battles, including being trapped once, beheaded three times, captured five people alive, and won a banner and a drum. He is truly a meritorious minister! "When Di Renjie said this, he made a gesture to signal the Japanese warrior to turn around and reveal his naked back, which was covered with scars.

"Master, please look at this. Although there are many scars on this man's back, they are all whip marks and no injuries from swords and arrows!" Di Renjie said.

Yanliang's complexion was as solid as iron, and he was extremely angry. There were no wounds from swords and arrows on his back. The wound was only on the front half, indicating that Soichiro would rather die than retreat on the battlefield, and only faced the enemy head-on. The whip marks were from official beatings. Most of them are related to land disputes.

"Mr. Di, what is going on?" Gao Yannian asked.

"Xiao Sanlang, tell your Majesty!" Di Renjie said.

"Yes!"

Kosaburo responded and told the whole story. It turns out that Soichiro came from a humble background, but with his bravery, he made great contributions, was granted a land grant, and became a famous local samurai from an ordinary tribesman.

(End of this chapter)