Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 2 - 58

From Bianliang to Guangzhou, it is exactly three thousand miles away.In the midwinter season, when dripping water turned into ice, Chen Dong took his family and servants all the way southward, and everyone sighed in pain.However, he searched for the legacy of the ancient sages on the road of exile. When he stopped, he listened to Wu Song's stories about strange people in the world, and he also enjoyed it.On this day, when I came to Wuyang Pass, the north-south pass, it happened that the mountain was blocked by heavy snow, and the road ahead was difficult and dangerous, so I had to take shelter at the post station for a while.

Wuyang Guan locks Ezhou in the south and screens the Central Plains in the north, controlling the throat of north-south traffic.During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Liang and Wei fought repeatedly for decades.This place is located in a dangerous place, with criss-crossing mountains nearby, surrounded by peaks, and the pass city is blocked by mountains, and the mountains are cut into the pass. It is the most important pass in the Song Dynasty. road.Now stationed at Wuyang Pass is Yue Fei, a titan who is as famous as Han Shizhong in the southeast camp.

The two officials, Ti Lung and Shi Lian, were afraid of delaying the time limit for handing over the prisoners, and secretly groaned in their hearts. Looking at the vast snow-capped mountains, Di Lung sighed: "This place is already so barren, how can the plaguey land in Guangnan be a place for people to stay?" Shih Lian Ye said: "Master Chen is such an upright official, and he was sent to that place. There is really a traitor in the court." The two of them walked with Chen Dong all the way, and felt that Chen Dong was not only approachable, but also moral Gao Jie has the common people in her heart, so she sighs at this.

When Chen Dong heard that the pass was closed due to heavy snow, he said with a smile, "Fortunately! I will return with Mr. Han!" He couldn't help becoming more poetic, and said in a loud voice: "A letter from the morning to Jiuchongtian, and the evening demote to Chaozhou Road for eight thousand. If you want to get rid of bad things for the sake of the sage, you will be willing to spend your life and death! Where is Yunheng Qinling’s home? He offended the emperor, was banished and exiled through Qinling Languan, and wrote a famous poem through the ages.Now this blue pass is within the territory of Xia Kingdom.Chen Dong's fortunes and ambitions are similar, when he came to the Xiongguan Road blocked by the heavy snow, his heart was like a "tide", and he burst out with a sense of morality, although thousands of people, he would never forget his pride.Even if this body is shattered into ashes, I still have to plead for the lives of the common people in the world and bring peace to all generations.

"My husband is not a 'declining old man'. The matter of expanding the sea and reclamation here is for His Majesty's reuse, not just relegation." Mrs. Chen covered her mouth with a smile. Holding the gun, he filled Chen Dong with water and wine with his right hand.She is blue hearted, Chen Dong got her love and affection along the way, but he lost a lot of cynicism and a lot more ambition to do something. "My concubine is too strong to drink," Mrs. Chen turned to Wu Song and said, "Please also ask Wu Tiju to drink with my husband." After saying that, she filled Wu Song again.Although Wu Song was just an exile, Mrs. Chen saw that her husband valued him a lot and intended to make friends with him, so she didn't underestimate him in her words, instead she showed some respect.

"Thank you ma'am." Wu Song picked up the wine glass and drank with Chen Dong.Since Li Shishi married Chen Dong, she only brushes her eyebrows lightly every day, without any rouge, but her blush seems to be dripping out, her clothes are simple and elegant, and she is charming and charming.This kind of natural beauty is hard to give up, and it also made her suffer a lot. Whenever Chen Dong's friends came to visit, she had to hide behind.Today, after traveling for three thousand miles, there is no way to avoid it, the inn here is narrow, and Chen Dong has a bold and unruly personality, so Mrs. Chen was just by her side.

Wu Song is a man with teeth and hair, and his liver and gall are as hard as a stone.Although there is a country's beauty and heavenly fragrance, he seems to have never seen it.Chen Dong is full of economics and knowledge, which benefited Wu Song a lot. He also told Chen Donglai about the anecdotes and anecdotes in the world.For example, Song Jiang and Song Gongming, the magistrate of Yuncheng County in the east of Jingdong, are most anxious and generous. They donate money to help the heroes of the rivers and lakes.Chen Dong disapproved of the actions of these heroes, but he listened with great interest.Mrs. Chen saw that Wu Song didn't look sideways, and he was more polite and restrained than ordinary Qingliu celebrities. She secretly said, "The person my husband values ​​is really good." respect.

It was snowing heavily outside, and the wind was bitterly cold. In this narrow post house, the brazier was burning vigorously. Chen Dong was the leader of the clean stream in the world, Mrs. Chen was a rare beauty in the world, and Wu Song was a hero who could fight a tiger with his bare hands. , The three of them are under the same roof, one can't help feeling the coincidence of luck and the wonder of good fortune.At this time, Tong Bing was sent, and Yue Fei, the guard of Wuyang Gate, came to see him, and Chen Dong hurriedly stood up to greet him.Wu Song is inconvenient to go out with him because he is an exile.At this time, the courtiers framed each other, and some of them played tricks on the way out of Beijing from the enemy's hands.Wu Song had a calculation in his mind, he only watched the situation outside through the crack of the rear window, and made a plan in his heart that if he gave up his life, he could not let Mr. Chen suffer the murderous hands of a treacherous sycophant.

In the yard of the post station, one person stood alone in the bitter wind and snow, like a green pine tree growing between the sky and the earth. The white snow fluttered down and landed on the black iron armor, and he remained motionless until Chen Dong came out. Fangcai clasped his fists together and said: "Xiangzhou Yue Pengju, I heard that Mr. Chen is passing by, so I come to see you." He has a big and square face, wide forehead and sparse eyebrows, round eyes and a tip of nose, but when his eyes are opened and closed, his eyes are awe-inspiring and full of power.Chen Dong thought to himself, this is Yue Fei who exterminated Fang La's bandit party and was powerful in the southeast half. He thought that he looked like Han Shizhong, but he was more famous than meeting him.He also politely replied: "Thank you, General Yue."

"Mr. Chen's name has been spread all over the world. The general has no respect for it. He just prepared a glass of thin wine." Yue Fei said in a deep voice, and the soldiers behind him brought a wooden tray, and uncovered the red cloth, revealing two There is a porcelain wine glass, the wine has been filled, and the snowflakes are falling in the glass little by little. "I respect Mr. Chen." Yue Fei raised his wine glass, and Chen Dong also raised it.According to common sense, when Chen Dong is on his way out of the country, he should be careful of the enemy's murderous hands. He and Yue Fei have never known each other before, and now they meet for the first time, so they must not just drink the wine prepared in advance.However, just as before, when Chen Dong first saw this general who was known for his uprightness and calmness, he believed him in his heart without the slightest suspicion.

The two touched the cups lightly, raised their heads and drank the wine in one gulp.

"I am honored to meet Mr. Chen, and my wish is enough." Yue Fei put down his wine glass, clasped his fists again, and said, "Please forgive Yue for his military affairs, so he cannot stay for a long time." He waved his cloak, turned and left.A few guards stood at the four corners of the courtyard and moved with the general. They exited the house one by one without making a sound. The last person closed the door. The snow in the courtyard was like broken jade, leaving only a few lines of clear words. footprint.Hearing the neighing of several war horses outside, as the distance gradually drifted away, the messenger clearly knew that there were dozens of guards on horseback, but they could not hear the slightest noise.

Chen Dong didn't have time to persuade him to stay, so he just stood quietly in the courtyard, and sighed after a while: "Yue Pengju, even though he is famous in ancient times, he can't live up to it." After returning, Wu Song also said: "This General Yue is really a rare hero in the world. I have never seen a tycoon in the rivers and lakes, and there is no one who can compare with him in terms of momentum." Hearing what he heard, seeing what he saw, the two of them were in a slump so far, and they couldn't drink the wine anymore, and sighed with emotion for a while Then they went back to their rooms to rest.

Yue Fei can be compared with the ancient famous generals, Chen Dong is not casual, the ancients are both literary and military, and it is often said that there are generals and prime ministers. The so-called famous generals, such as Sima Tianrong, Wu Qi, Ximen Bao, Lian Po, Li Mu, Xiang Yan, Meng Tian, Han Xin and others not only possessed the literary ability to charm the masses, but also the military ability to intimidate the enemy. They were often insightful in government affairs, and their strength of character was praised by the world.In modern times, civil and military affairs have different paths, and military officials are gradually unable to intervene in government affairs, and focus on commanding troops in combat.According to Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, it is nothing more than an eagle and a dog, and it will be judged against the famous general of the ancient times.Yue Pengju was able to distinguish the clear from the filthy, and he came to defeat him regardless of suspicion, and he had no intention of clinging to him.

He was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep quietly, so he simply put on his clothes and thought about the policies he would implement after going to Guangzhou.With the escort of exiles from various prefectures and counties to Guangnan and Qiongzhou, there will soon be hundreds of thousands of "troublemakers" under Chen Dong's rule.There are quite a lot of heroes in the rivers and lakes. Chen Dong listened carefully to Wu Song's talk about the affairs of the rivers and lakes these days in order to better understand those exiles who were escorted to Guangnan and Qiongzhou.Although these people cannot be said to have no sense of loyalty, they are very vague about right and wrong. For example, Song Jiang, who Wu Song admired a lot, in Chen Dong's view, as an official of the court, he did not think about educating the customs and benefiting the people. It is really hard to agree with all the people who make friends with people from all walks of life and give favors and favors. It is just that most of the civil servants in the east and west of Beijing are from the same school as Wuling Academy. This Song Jiang has never entered Wuling Academy, nor has he been a Jinshi. As stable as Mount Tai, he must have other abilities, but it is unknown to a straight-hearted man like Wu Song.

As the night fell, a lamp was like a bean, and suddenly a golden hairpin protruded from the side to brighten the wick.Chen Dong turned his head and saw that the face was like a lotus, and his wife was also sitting beside him with clothes on at some point, and the two whispered some thoughtful words.Chen Dong smiled slightly, dipped the 'mao' brush lightly in thick ink, and wrote: "Use exiled officials to rule the refugees, train the soldiers and people of the village to guard the wilderness, in case of unexpected events." He selected virtuous people from the middle school and appointed them as officials to manage the refugees.Because these refugees who were sent to overseas settlements were originally extremely restless people in various states and counties, and there were many treacherous and brutal people among them. 'There is no gap for the people to take advantage of.

The overseas settlements are far away from the mainland of the Central Plains, and it is not easy for the Central Plains to rush to help, and it is a waste of food and grass to send troops thousands of miles away.In order to prevent the harassment of the barbarians, each reclamation land must train the township soldiers for self-defense from the very beginning.At the same time, in order to prevent the rebellion of the township soldiers, Chen Dong suggested that all the officers above the capital should use scholars who have read poetry and books and have loyalty in their hearts. He is also loyal.” Ordinary Confucian scholars relocated to Antu and did not want to travel far to the wilderness, so they could select military officers from the sons of scholars who were exiled to Qiongzhou. "The imperial court has supported scholars for hundreds of years, and Confucian scholars can be used as much as possible."

He wrote the memorial carefully, and it was already dawn in the east. Chen Dong stood up, stretched himself, and said to himself: "If Yuan Zhi can come to help me, there is no one more suitable for the general command of the township soldiers than him. "Chen Dong pondered for a long time about the candidates for the generals of the military training, and finally recommended the more familiar Han Shizhong.As for how to train soldiers, he wrote another letter to Zhao Xingde, asking him for advice on methods.Once the road was clear, he sent the letter to Zhao Xingde by the fastest post.

There was an even and slight breathing sound from beside her. Madam fell asleep at her desk at some point, Chen Dong couldn't help feeling sorry for her, and took a brocade robe to put on her.Mrs. Chen woke up with a start and said in a low voice: "My concubine accidentally fell asleep." Chen Dong said with a smile: "Anyway, the gate is closed due to heavy snow, so there is no need to hurry, my lady, please sleep for a while."