book of troubled times

Chapter 736 Is this heart still there?

The Qiao family was the same family that Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling met outside the Great Wall. There were many things going on at the time, so they didn't look back to trouble them, and they almost forgot about it later.

Huangsha Jiji Chief Guigui knew about this, and if Guigui knew it, it meant that Suzaku knew it, so Suzaku's first target naturally chose their family. Before the re-ranking of the Troubled Times Ranking, it was already difficult to be notified of everyone’s battles. It was basically impossible to check each other’s news through the changes in the Troubled Times Ranking. However, Jianghu has its own “Jianghu Rumor”, and it is still difficult to know about such a big thing. Easy.

It sounded like Suzaku was killing everyone and was extremely handsome, but Zhao Changhe frowned when he heard it: "Why did she kill such a Shanxi merchant family and cause the imperial minister to burn Yan Nantian..."

I suddenly thought in my heart that even if the list of troubled times does not report, the blind man should be able to see it. I wonder if I can curry favor with the blind man and let her quietly tell the news from afar...

Li Shentong looked at him with a rather funny expression. Damn it, she was in the imperial realm. She was on the same level as me. I might even be unable to beat her. Looking at your worried look, I might have thought that it was some little girl who was just starting out and wandering around, causing her old father to worry so much.

He said leisurely: "Since the appearance of the imperial realm is prominent, it means that there must be some demon god at the scene. However, the death of the Qiao family is widely spread, which means that Suzaku won the battle. What are you worried about?"

"Worried about getting hurt. How on earth can we fight Shanxi merchants and encounter Yujing enemies?"

"In today's world, it's not unusual for a demon god who is not dead to appear anywhere. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to arrange for Suzaku to do this. Just arrange a few twenty-eight nights. The reason why you let Suzaku go is that you have expected a lot of extra work. misfortune."

"……seems like it."

Li Shentong gave him and Yue Hongling a bowl of wine each in a funny way: "Suzaku has been in the world for more than ten years, and has more martial arts and combat experience than the two of us. If you are worried about people like her, it is better to worry about yourself. For example, come to my place. , will you be harmed by me? No matter how strong you are, this is our home court, and you are now completely in danger, don't you feel it at all?"

Zhao Changhe said: "That's why I said that I came here as a good friend of Situ. As a senior figure in the martial arts world, Sect Master Li always wants to save face."

Li Shentong laughed loudly: "Actually, you are here as an envoy, and we will not touch you. The person who is the most unruly person in the world and messes with the envoy seems to be you, Zhao Changhe."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Li Shentong sipped his wine leisurely: "If you want to talk about Jianghu affairs, I will talk about Jianghu affairs with you. Let's talk about it. What should we talk about?"

Zhao Changhe said: "Sect Master Li knows that Snow Owl has defeated the emperor."

Li Shentong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Although I don't know, it's not surprising that he can break the barrier."

"If I remember correctly, before the uprising, Sect Leader Li was most worried about him spying behind his back. Originally, he was secretly running the Bashan and Shu lands. Many officials from aristocratic families in Bashu were infiltrated by Bashan Jianlu, and he himself was even more so. Sneaking beside Zhai Muzhi for a long time, he may have a deeper control over Bashu than you do now. Sect Master Li has done a lot of massacres, and in my opinion, a large part of them is to eliminate the roots of Tingxue Tower."

Li Shentong secretly thought that you actually talked about the Jianghu matter, and it was quite important. Although this so-called Jianghu matter is fundamentally a matter under Bashu's control, the two cannot be separated at all.

Zhao Changhe leaned on the back of his chair and sipped his wine leisurely: "The rivers and lakes are a corner of the country and cannot be separated from each other, Sect Leader Li. Just as you raise your arms, the Shenhuang Sect becomes a rebel army. Sects, gangs, and violent organizations can do this at any time. The key to conversion depends solely on strength."

Li Shentong nodded: "That's right. I used to think that Jianghu people had nothing to do with the world, but now I know that they are the same thing, and the only difference is their strength."

He paused and tapped the table with his fingers: "Some of my killings were indeed aimed at eradicating Tingxue Tower. But that's not all. Situ should have told you that a large part of them were not killed by us at all. And we The killing part is also a bastard thing with solid evidence of guilt, so it should be killed."

Zhao Changhe said: "So has Tingxue Tower been uprooted now?"

Li Shentong shook his head: "It's impossible to get rid of them all... I'm not even sure how many Tingxuelou's secret agents are among our officials now. There is a big problem here, and you also know that their sword slave method will make people suffer. The magician doesn't even know that he is a sword slave. This kind of concealment is too deep for us to distinguish. I don't want to hide it from you, this is indeed a hidden danger in Bashu, especially after Xue Xiao also breaks the imperial guard, he is in the dark, we really I don’t know what he wants to do.”

Zhao Changhe said: "What if I can help you pull them out?"

Li Shentong was stunned and looked at him with squinted eyes without saying anything.

Situ Xiao said at the right time: "Hey, are you helping us clear away hidden dangers? Isn't this called staking the enemy?"

Zhao Changhe laughed: "Privately, it is to help my brothers, and publicly, it is for the safety of Bashu. What does it mean to be an enemy, and how can we be an enemy?"

Situ Xiao pursed his lips, looked at his master, and fell silent.

Lishen Channel: "According to your wishes, we don't need to exchange anything."

Zhao Changhe said: "No need."

The master and apprentice glanced at Yue Hongling again. Yue Hongling was eating meat and drinking wine without saying a word. What she said to Zhao Changhe seemed to be taken for granted.

Both the master and the disciple were silent for a moment, and Li Shentong finally said: "Perhaps you also have to deal with Xue Xiao... But one code is another code, and Li will not be rewarded for no merit. King Zhao can make a request."

Zhao Changhe said: "Since Sect Leader Li said so, I will mention it."

Li Shentong nodded and was ready to send troops into Hanzhong. When Zhao Changhe went to Bashu, anyone who was not a fool would know that the alliance to defeat Guanlong was his main purpose.

In fact, Zhao Changhe does not need to mention this matter. Any power leader who does not want to be in peace will definitely need to fight outside. As we all know, the land of Bashu is a plain nestled in the mountains, which is very suitable for peace. However, if we continue to be content with peace and sit back and watch the unification of the Central Plains, then everyone will work hard to recuperate. Sooner or later, one mine will not be able to support ten mines, and there will be only a dead end.

There are generally two ways to fight outside Bashu, either to Jingxiang or to Hanzhong. From a geostrategic point of view, Hanzhong is often more important. Taking down Guanlong is a repetition of many historical situations. This was not the case in the Qin and Han Dynasties. Therefore, Li Shentong had attacked Hanzhong a long time ago, but he failed to defeat him at that time. He quickly withdrew his troops temporarily because everyone allied to slay the dragon.

At this time, because Li Shentong deeply hated Li Gongsi for leading the enemy into the pass, he himself would want to continue to attack Hanzhong, just wait for the time.

In other words, even if Zhao Changhe didn't mention the alliance's attack on the Li family, Li Shentong would do it himself. Of course, depending on the situation, there is a greater probability that they will wait until the New Han Dynasty and the Li family start fighting, rather than cooperate. But since Zhao Changhe mentioned this, it is reasonable and reasonable to cooperate, and there is nothing to shirk.

Zhao Changhe took a sip of wine and said slowly: "I was traveling along the way and saw that the people of Bashu should be given some money, food and clothing to survive the winter. It was the righteous deed of Sect Master Li, and Zhao felt very grateful. But I am not sure whether they were given land. If it is, let’s not mention it for now; if there is no point, I hope that Sect Master Li will get a point and establish rules... Don’t let the emerging forces fall into the usual pattern again, then everything you and I have done will be meaningless."

Li Shentong was stunned: "Is this your request?"

"Yes." Zhao Changhe said: "I am also a little selfish. The big man used a very gentle method to solve the land annexation problem of the wealthy families. It is difficult to deal with various tails... I passed by here for a visit and found that it was broken. Reshaping the world is indeed easier to do. Just before Lu Jianzhang and others were seeking death, Gyeonggi now has some intention of destroying and reshaping, and Lao Cui is very cooperative now. It is the best time... If Bashu can really do it well, If you apply experience or templates to the Central Plains, it might make it easier to do late makeup and evening makeup."

Do you call this selfishness?

Li Shentong was silent for a long time and said slowly: "We share the land, but things here are very complicated, and everything has to be done by grassroots officials. It is easy for some things to be deceived. I have also heard that, no The implementation in few places is unsatisfactory.”

Zhao Changhe said: "Set up a supervisory inspection. Do you want me to help you organize the people from the former Demon Suppression Division? They are very experienced in supervision, and they are also very expert in this kind of official affairs. They are not like you who are blind. Easily deceived.”

Li Shentong looked at him with a strange expression for a long time: "Do you think this is the Shu County of the Han Dynasty?"

"I don't take anything seriously, because Bashu is the people's Bashu." Zhao Changhe said: "The question is why Sect Leader Li raised the army, and whether his intention remains the same today."

Li Shentong and Situ looked at each other in silence.

Managing local affairs is indeed not as simple as originally imagined. For example, everyone in the Shenhuang Sect originally believed that people could live a good life without paying taxes. However, they eventually discovered that this was a dream. You can't do anything without collecting taxes. By plundering large households before, we do have a lot of money and food reserves now, maybe more than the imperial court. However, what's the use? What will happen next year, and the year after that?

The earliest slogan of not paying grains has now been swallowed up by myself, and research on the tax system has begun. Many of the details are still copied from the New Han Dynasty. Everyone thinks it is more reasonable than the original Daxia, such as the officials and gentry paying grains together.

This is just one example, there are many more. Is his heart still the same? Hard to comment.

Well, just from the perspective of the tax system and official system, it doesn't seem to be a big problem to say that this is the Shu County of the Han Dynasty. It is almost exactly the same, except that there is no Demon Suppression Division.

When you say "only talking about the world," are you talking about the world at this point? You can’t say it’s not the case, because it’s the people’s Bashu, not the rivers and lakes? If you say this is a chivalrous person, this is a great chivalrous person.

Zhao Changhe finished his bowl of wine, then picked up the jug and added another bowl for himself, and continued: "Actually, I have many, many thoughts in my heart when I see the situation in Bashu, and it touches some feelings... This is something I have never seen in Beijing. As I said, the situation is different after all. For example, I have some basic skills here, I wonder if Sect Master Li can distribute them on my behalf?"

Li Shentong asked seriously: "What does this mean?"

"Everyone has skills to practice... everyone has books to read." Zhao Changhe said: "If Sect Leader Li approves, I can also ask Jingzhong to send some literacy textbooks and the like..."

Li Shentong was silent for a long time and said slowly: "Ba Shu has it, so there's no need to send it away."

"Is there a sir?"

"...Yes. This is Bashu, not Miao territory."

"Are you willing to do what Sect Leader Li wants?"

Lishen Channel: "You are causing me trouble, but I am willing to do it. I don't have that much free time to do such things."

Zhao Changhe said: "When the Tartars are driven out and the world is at peace, how about I do it? No kidding, I'm very interested."

"Do you think this is Shu County of the Han Dynasty?"

"If the world is at peace and there is no need for King Zhao in the world, I will resign to do it."

If the world is at peace, will the world not need Li Shen Tong?

I don't know if Li Shentong was thinking of him, but at this moment, the master and the apprentice looked at Zhao Changhe eating meat and drinking alcohol casually, and they didn't know what to say for a long time.

From the beginning to the end, the conversation between the two parties was different from what anyone had imagined in advance. It made the master and the disciples' heads buzz, and also shocked the senior officials of the Shenhuang Sect and Bashu officials who were quietly eavesdropping around the banquet hall. stunned.

The core point is, is your heart the same as before? If so, then all this should be coordinated with great joy, all for the sake of the people. Where is the power struggle?

There was a slight smile on Yue Hongling's lips. Zhao Changhe had never discussed this with her, but she took it for granted. She knew that this was Zhao Changhe's true meaning, and there was absolutely no Machiavellian meaning in it.

Others were in a daze, while Zhao Changhe ate and drank as if there was no one around. After eating and drinking, he wiped his mouth comfortably, leaned on the back of his chair and said leisurely: "Actually, what I'm talking about is just about the Jianghu. I'm not talking about this originally, it's about another matter. thing."

besides? Li Shentong said dullly: "Please tell me."

"Whether you want to fight Hanzhong or not is up to you. If you don't fight, you'll just sit there in the mountains. I don't need to tell you the consequences." Zhao Changhe said, "Of course, you may choose to fight us big men. For example, if you fight, Go to Jingxiang...if that happens, your butts will not be saved."

This is what this guy should say when he comes to Bashu. Li Shentong felt like he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it. You should have said this a long time ago... He said: "We are aware of the changes in the Miao territory. Is this the threat King Zhao poses to us?"

"I have no intention of threatening anyone. I am just doing this to prepare for a rainy day and to be on guard against others. That's all." Zhao Changhe said: "I said, it's your business whether to attack Hanzhong. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter at all. We need to find reinforcements, as long as you don't cause trouble for me, we can fight in Guanlong."

"Really..." Li Shentong smiled and did not argue.

The Han army is now stretched thin and lacks food. It has to deal with both Beihu and the Li family. How can Zhao Changhe say it is so easy? If he likes to blow, let him blow.

But Zhao Changhe continued: "If I need to unite with Bashu, I just need to borrow someone. This martial arts matter is of course a Jianghu matter."

Li Shentong smiled and said: "Who can I borrow? Situ?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head and pointed to Li Shentong: "Borrow me from Sect Master Li."

Li Shentong twitched the corner of his mouth, unable to laugh or cry.

"There are no strong men worth mentioning in Guanlong. There may be gods and demons in Kunlun... Sect Leader Li may be more familiar with me. But Kunlun is in chaos and they don't have much intention to participate in worldly hegemony, so our main focus should be on Bei Hu." Zhao Changhe said: "I believe in General Huangfu's ability to lead the army in battle. Whether he sticks to Yanmen or counterattacks in Saibei, it is General Huangfu's business, not ours. As far as I am concerned, I am a warrior, and my opponent is Bo. Well, it’s Timur, the vulture hunting tooth… the immortal god.”

Li Shentong's eyes finally became serious.

Zhao Changhe said: "There are many powerful people in Beihu, none of them can be compared with Guanlong. Timur's Bo'e belongs to the first and second levels of the Heavenly Ranking, both of which are in the imperial realm. I think Bo'e is already in the late stage of the first level of the imperial realm. It's not that if Xia Longyuan fights easily, we can fight easily. This is a life-and-death battle with the head on the waistband. I'm not sure of defeating him, let alone facing the Immortal God. I need help."

After saying that, he stood up and said seriously: "I have Zhuque Xuanwu and Hongling evening makeup, which are not enough... I need the Shenzhou Tianbang to participate in the grand event with me. In the Imperial Palace Ancestral Temple, Zhao saw the anger of Sect Master Li against the barbarians. But... So when Sect Master Li defeated the imperial army, Zhao was not surprised but happy. Is he willing to put aside the power struggle and drink the Ma Hanhai with me so that the barbarians dare not go south and restore China's peace for a hundred years?"

Li Shentong almost blurted out the words "What I wish for" and held it in his throat. It took him a long time to exhale and said slowly: "Situ... arranged a guest house to entertain King Zhao and Miss Yue for a while."

Situ smiled and stood up, holding his hands in his hands: "Yes."

On the way to send the young couple to the guest house, Situ Xiao looked around and begged in a low voice: "Old Zhao..."

"what?"

"You can borrow more people, I'll go too."

Zhao Changhe couldn't laugh or cry.

In the banquet hall, Li Shentong was pacing back and forth. Elder Shi and other senior officials of the Shenhuang Sect slowly walked in from the side hall and looked at each other in silence for a long time.

After a while, Li Shentong finally said: "Do you think Zhao Changhe's words are to some extent false or true?"

Theoretically speaking, it is possible that it was all deception from beginning to end. If Li Shentong was really stupid and followed Zhao Changhe northward alone, and was killed when he got to someone else's territory, Bashu would basically be finished.

Even if it is true, Li Shentong has no need to go. The nature of going is very weird, just like Zhao Changhe just naturally treated this place as a Han Shu county. Are we still hostile forces? Why are we rebelling?

Sit back and watch the Han and Beihu Guanlong fight to the death. Picking peaches is the best solution. Although the Miao border is a threat, it is not impossible to defend it.

But if that happens, Li Shentong will no longer be Li Shentong... The Shenhuang Sect will definitely target him like a rat crossing the street, with everyone shouting and beating him.

Everyone in the Shenhuang Sect looked at each other in confusion for a long time. Elder Shi smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know. If these words are Zhao Changhe's conspiracy, then he is really a bastard. He is completely putting us on the world's public radar."

Li Shentong pondered for a moment and suddenly said: "In other words, we only need to see if these words have been spread deliberately to know whether they are true or false."

Everyone's spirits were lifted: "That's right."

Li Shentong glanced sideways at his brothers and suddenly asked: "What if it's true?"

Elder Shi was silent for a long time, and finally said: "If it is true, then this person is the only hero in the world."

(End of this chapter)