First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

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On the original track, Chen Longshu's eldest son Chen Puguang was inactive in his official career and had been serving as the county magistrate in his hometown. His greatest achievement was to promote Buddhism in Longzhou and invite Master Huiji to build the Longshrine Dojo, which has been passed down through the ages. .

By the way, the famous Lingnan rice rolls were invented by Master Huiji at Longkan Dojo.

The second son, Chen Ji, had a completely different principle. He was famous for his filial piety, righteousness, loyalty and bravery. He later took over as the chief of the Chen family in Longzhou.

After Wu Zetian came to power, he heard of his name and put him in a position of great importance. He was promoted to General Zuobao Taowei, and was given the title Duke of Yingchuan County. He was also given the title of General Zhuguo and Champion, making him a very popular minister.

Not long after, his father Chen Longshu died of illness. Chen Jiyuan was so sad after hearing the news that he vomited blood for several liters. He immediately resigned and returned to his hometown. He built a thatched cottage next to Chen Longshu's grave to mourn him, and distributed all his property and property to his brothers of the same clan. His filial piety showed The name is widely spread.

Chen Longshu was really angry and helpless about his eldest son's kindness. This was also the character he had developed when he was living under the influence of others in Qinzhou. He plunged into the Buddhist scriptures and was filled with compassion and kindness.

Fortunately, the second son Chen Jiyuan was loyal, brave and filial, and was deeply trusted by Chen Longshu.

Chen Longshu looked at the compassionate Chen Puguang and said, "Take good care of your injuries. You are not allowed to read Buddhist scriptures during this period."

Chen Puguang was stunned. After all, he did not dare to refute. He closed his eyes and murmured: "Mercy."

Chen Longshu was short of breath, he stared and wanted to reprimand him, but Chen Jiyuan hurriedly dragged his father away when he saw this.

"Aye, calm down. My eldest brother has a good nature and is devoted to the Buddha. It is really difficult for him to fight and kill him," Chen Jiyuan comforted him with a wry smile.

Chen Longshu sighed and stopped worrying about this. He just said as he walked: "There will definitely be big changes in Lingnan during the next period of time. Luo Dou, please pay more attention. I am going to Jiangzhou."

Chen Jiyuan quickly reacted, "Aye is going to visit Gao Chong?"

Chen Longshu nodded, "For a long time in the future, the surname of Lingnan will be Gao. If I, the Chen family, want to revive, we must not offend Gao Chong."

Hearing these words, Chen Jiyuan also agreed very much, "Gao Chong is a capable person. If Lingnan can be stabilized, then it doesn't hurt to give him a little favor."

Seeing Chen Jiyuan's magnanimous heart, Chen Longshu was also very satisfied.

If a clan wants to grow, one or two people alone are definitely not enough. Just look at those wealthy families, which one is not full of talented people.

Ning Changzhen, Feng An, and Chen Longshu are from the same generation.

Ning Huizao, the son of Ning Changzhen, and Feng Zhidai, the son of Feng An, were both heroes of the moment. Now it seems that the Chen family also has Chen Jiyuan who can take on important responsibilities. Chen Longshu has devoted his life to revitalizing the Chen family, and he also has high hopes for Chen Jiyuan.

After the father and son came out of the courtyard, Chen Longshu took a look at the small courtyard full of Buddhist charm, put his hands behind his hands and sighed: "Your eldest brother is getting more and more devoted to Buddhism. Sooner or later, Longzhou will be handed over to you. This time, let me If you lead the army alone, it will give you a chance to practice, do you know what to do?"

Chen Jiyuan was not surprised either, he knew that his father must have explained something, and immediately said bluntly: "Since Aye also said it was an experience, then he will know the severity. This trip is about accountability, not conquest. Now Jin Dong dare not turn against us. , so the identity trace was concealed.

And I, the Chen family, can't tear myself apart with them at this time, after all, registration and naturalization cannot be forced too hard, so the main purpose is to raise troops and hold people accountable."

At this point, Chen Jiyuan looked back at the small courtyard and suddenly laughed and said: "Aye deliberately told me to kill Jin Kui if possible. He probably wanted to provoke his elder brother, but he didn't expect that not only was he not provoked, but I advise you not to take revenge."

Mentioning this, Chen Longshu's teeth itch, "You are a fool full of compassion and righteousness, but luckily I gave birth to you back then."

Chen Jiyuan couldn't help laughing when he heard his father's words, and then said: "Don't be angry, Aye. My elder brother does benevolent and righteous things, spreads Buddhism widely, and builds good relationships with people in the world. This can also earn me, Mr. Chen, a reputation for generosity. As for Leave it to me to do the things involving swords and guns."

Chen Jiyuan knew very well in his heart that he could not fight to the death with Jin Dong's subordinates, because the two sides had not completely broken up with each other yet. Jin Dong was the most powerful in nearby Xidong, and Jin Kui had a vague tendency to become a great chief. If an all-out war breaks out directly, both sides will suffer losses, and Chen's years of hard work in business will be ruined.

The centipede is dead but not stiff. Although the Chen family is in decline, it is still no problem to recruit more than ten thousand soldiers and horses, and it still has some prestige in Longzhou.

This was also the reason why Jin Kui disguised himself to attack the county government at night and concealed his identity.

However, the dignified Chen family's eldest son was injured. If Chen family did not respond, he would be looked down upon. Therefore, this revenge must be avenged, but it needs to be done within a certain degree.

Jin Kui didn't know that Chen Puguang had seen him in the chaos of the night attack. He might have thought that he was hiding well. Now if Chen Jiyuan directly leads the army to Jindong, he will definitely be able to greatly frighten Jin Kui.

To put it bluntly, this is a temptation from Jin Dong. If Chen Puguang is attacked and the Chen family of Longzhou does not respond, it means that the Chen family is really in decline and no longer has the courage to go to war with his colleagues.

But if the Chen family directly raises troops, it would be a sign of toughness, indicating that the Chen family is still the same Chen family, and it would also be conducive to the Chen family's continued implementation of household registration in newly established prefectures and counties.

It is necessary to show toughness, but not to start a full-scale war. This is Chen Longshu's plan, and Chen Jiyuan fully understands this.

This is why Chen Longshu trusted Chen Jiyuan to handle this matter. Chen Jiyuan was brave and resourceful, and knew how to handle things appropriately, so Chen Longshu was able to escape and go to Jiangzhou to visit Gao Chong.

At the same time, Feng Ang's second son, Feng Zhiyu, the governor of Lianzhou, also received a message from his father and immediately left for Jiangzhou to pay a visit to Gao Chong.

However, now that Gao Chong has entered Yuezhou, the Feng and Chen families are destined to miss out.

Yuezhou, the former Hepu County in Sui Dynasty, governed a very large territory.

In the fourth year of Wude, in order to facilitate management, the huge Hepu County was divided into Yuezhou, Baizhou, Hezhou, Jiangzhou, Danzhou and other places.

Among them, because there is Yuezhou in the land of Wuyue, Danzhou in the land of Longxi, and Hezhou in the land of Sichuan and Shu, in order to avoid having the same name, the word "nan" is added in front of the states of Yue, He, and Dan in Lingnan. , is to distinguish states and counties with the same name in other places.

It was not until Li Shimin conquered the four barbarians and brought great rule to the world that he was free to sort out these messy administrative divisions. He not only divided the "Dao" at the upper level of the state, but also renamed some states and counties with the same name.

The seat of Yuezhou is in Hepu County, which is the central area of ​​Hepu County. It has always been rich and is the leading important town in western Lingnan.

Hepu County is surrounded by hills in the north, the sea in the south, red soil terraces in the east, south and west, and fertile river alluvial plains in the middle. It has a suitable climate, with dry winters and wet summers, no severe heat in summer, no severe cold in winter, and abundant products.

As early as the Han Dynasty, it had an excellent seaport, and it was the port of departure leading to Linyi and other countries. There are still many Han Dynasty relics, and it can be called a famous city in the south of the Five Ridges.

When Ning Chun served as the first governor of Yuezhou, on the one hand, he was from the Ning family and was quite prestigious, and on the other hand, Gao Chong intended to do so.

At that time, Gao Chong was in charge of Lingnan and had the authority to take charge of the affairs of Lingnan, so he appointed Ning Chun to act as the governor of Yuezhou.Unexpectedly, Ning Chun did a lot of great things in Yuezhou. He not only opened up the state, but also created a Jiangzhou. He made Yuezhou great and his political performance was ranked first in Lingnan.

However, within two years, the prosperity of Yuezhou attracted peach pickers. The change of dynasties did not affect Ning Changzhen's status in Lingnan. He listened to the sweet words of his nephew Ning Daoming and recommended Ning Daoming to take over as the governor of Yuezhou.

As one of the three chiefs in Lingnan, Ning Changzhen personally recommended him. Li Yuan naturally gave him this face and appointed Ning Daoming as the second governor of Yuezhou, and Ning Chun was transferred to the governor of Nanhe Prefecture.

This is extremely unfair to Ning Chun. Nan Hezhou can be said to be a remote and remote area with many mountains and forests, little arable land, and savages and bureaucrats living together. Ning Chun did not complain and continued to work hard in Nan Hezhou.

One of the important reasons why Ning Daoming dares to rebel now is because Yuezhou is rich and has abundant soldiers. It's just that Li Yuan entrusted an unreasonable person, Ning Daoming, to force Yuezhou into a mess.

After entering Yuezhou territory, Ning Chun was in a low mood.

At that time, he had great ambitions and rolled up his sleeves to work hard in Yuezhou. As a famous scholar in Lingnan, he personally worked in the fields to teach farmers and cultivate mulberry trees. He also spent his own money to establish a state school and personally taught the books of sages.

At that time, Yuezhou was prosperous and prosperous. Although the people were not prosperous and lived in peace and contentment, they were developing steadily.

But now, wastelands can be seen everywhere. Ning Daoming's massive recruitment has led to the desolation of the fields. The [-] Yuezhou soldiers have never returned, which makes the people of Yuezhou panic. After all, the [-] Yuezhou soldiers have their fathers and brothers.

The army marched all the way without encountering any resistance. Gao Chong knew that Ning Chun was quite famous in Yuezhou, so he used Ning Chun's banner and asked Ning Chun to come forward to appease the place.

On the first day after entering Yuezhou, they recruited Dalian and Anchang counties. As soon as the magistrates of these two counties heard Ning Chun's name, they opened the city and surrendered without hesitation. He was transferred from Yuezhou, but the people of Yuezhou still remember him in their hearts.

Ning Daoming was not a great man, he only liked to show off and enjoy himself. The county magistrates and generals he appointed also had the same virtue. When he saw the imperial army coming, and Ning Chun came forward to persuade him to surrender, he did not hesitate at all in Kaicheng. It can be seen that Ning Daoming How unpopular.

The first day was to appease the two counties, which made Gao Chong and others feel very comfortable, and they celebrated in Anchang County that night.

However, Ning Chun seemed to be slightly worried. Seeing Gao Chong looking over, he immediately said: "The trip to Dadu County tomorrow will not be as smooth as today."

Gao Chong suppressed his smile, noncommittal, "Do you think Ning Daoliang will stick to the city?"

"It's not necessarily about sticking to it." Ning Chun was also a little uncertain, but said: "Ning Daoliang is more difficult than his brother. Although Ning Daoming has a great reputation, he only occupies the name of the second wife of the Ning family. For many years, he has spent money like water and made friends with scumbags everywhere, so he has such a reputation."

Having said this, Ning Chun stopped talking, drank a glass of wine, shook his head and sighed: "Ning Daoliang is not the same. He has not been taken seriously since he was a child, but I know that he is good at forbearing and has a vicious mind. A non-virtuous person, although his name is bright, but what he does is not bright."

Gao Chong immediately became interested when he heard the words, "Tell me in detail."

All he knew was superficial information.

Ning Daoming's father's name was Ning Zhu. Ning Su was Ning Mengli's second son, Ning Changzhen's younger brother, and the second brother-in-law of the Ning family.

Ning Zhu was weak and sick and did not serve as an official. However, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty gave him the Wensan official position as a Zhengyi doctor for the sake of the Ning family in Qinzhou.

Ning Chang really cared for this frail younger brother, which may be one of the reasons why Ning Chang really supported Ning Daoming so much.

Ning Zhu died young in the third year of Daye, at the age of only 35. He had two sons, the eldest son Ning Daoming, and the second son Ning Daoliang. Ning Daoming has been the eldest son of Ning's second wife since he was a child. A typical dandy nobleman's behavior.

However, Ning Daoming's biological mother was just a Liao woman from a small tribe. The growth experiences of these two sons were completely different.

The eldest son Ning Daoming has a flamboyant personality and loves luxury, while the second son Ning Daoliang has a sinister personality.

Ning Chun also had a complicated expression when she saw Gao Chong asking.

"It's actually hard to talk about it, and not many people know about it. Ning Daoliang's biological mother is from Qixingdong. Qixingdong is very poor. His mother was sold to the county as a slave by his uncle. Ning Daoliang's His uncle acted shamelessly and repeatedly bullied his mother in his early years. Later, when Ning Daoliang was born, his naughty uncle rushed to curry favor with her, but..."

Speaking of this, Ning Chun couldn't help but shudder, gritted her teeth and said in pain: "What an animal's behavior."

"As a result, when Ning Daoliang grew up, he assassinated his uncle and cooked his body...".

Hearing this, everyone present trembled, feeling that the meat on the table was disgusting.

Pang Xiaotai's eyes widened, "How dare you do this, do this..." Pang Xiaotai, a meek and honest man who puts his family first, really couldn't say anything.

"..." Gao Chong frowned and said, "This is a natural pervert."

"So Ning Daoliang is guarding Dadu County now and will not surrender easily." The topic returned to Zhaofu Prefecture County. Ning Chun continued, seeming unwilling to mention Ning Daoliang's beastly behavior again. He always looked at himself. He was a famous Confucian scholar, from the Ning family in Linzi, and he was also from a famous family, but this beast was his nephew, which really made him feel sick.

Gao Chong nodded slightly, "A person with such a twisted mentality may do some unbelievable and shocking things. Most of all... don't move yet. Let's go to Hepu first."

Ning Chun nodded when he heard the words, "That's exactly what I meant. When all other states and counties are recruited, most counties will be unable to support themselves, so there must be a way to deal with it."

"I hope so," Gao Chong said softly.

According to Ning Chun, Ning Daoliang has lived in the dark since he was a child, and has a sinister and extreme personality. Such a person may act without logic at all, and he cannot be inferred with normal people's thinking.

It was originally a celebration banquet to celebrate the ease of appeasing the two counties, but after hearing Ning Daoliang's story, the atmosphere no longer existed.

Gao Chong also agreed with Ning Chun to set off at noon tomorrow and go straight to Hepu County, the seat of Yuezhou. He would first appease this rich prefecture and then deal with Ning Daoliang of Dadu County.

It's just that sometimes the planned plan always fails to keep up with the plan. The next morning, before Gao Chong had finished washing, he saw Gao Kan, one of his followers, rushing in.

"Yunzhi, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Gao Kan's face turning red and running out of breath, Gao Chong asked curiously. Gao Kan had a stable personality and would not be so rude normally.

Gao Kan calmed down, and then hurriedly said: "Qinzhou Governor Ning Huizao has arrived in Hepu."

He was so angry that he threw the homemade toothbrush in his hand to the ground, "He is so brave, what does he want to do?"

There's a typhoon coming. It's roaring, but don't blow away my 170-pound skinny guy.