The prince is very fierce

The whisper of February nourishes all things, and the snow on Yuelu Mountain melts away overnight, replaced by green mountains and spring breeze.

In a small village, an old master in cloth clothes stood under the eaves with his hands folded, looking at the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains in Chu. The sound of reading aloud could be heard from the distant school. The voice was childish, but it added a sense of vitality to this mountain village.

Tap tap tap——

His boots stepped on the road that collected rainwater. Meiqusheng, who was carrying a bookcase on his back, came to the courtyard outside the eaves with an umbrella and bowed:

"Master, why didn't you go to the woods to play chess?"

The old master didn't even raise his eyelids and said few words as usual:

"Didn't you see the rain?"

"Well……"

Mei Qusheng laughed, walked closer, put down the book box under the eaves, and looked around: "Why are Big White Goose and Ah Huang missing? Master made stew? Did you leave a bite for me? They ran all the way, Still hungry."

The old master looked to the northwest and said, "I will give it away as a dowry."

When Mei Qusheng heard this, he showed a bit of dissatisfaction on his face: "Xu Bu Ling kidnapped Yufu without giving her a betrothal gift, and even took away her livestock. Why is he so thick-skinned? Fortunately, this house is And the zone cannot be left..."

The old master snorted lightly: "Not only the house and land, that guy, even I want to take it away."

Mei Qusheng was stunned, then walked closer and asked curiously: "Xu Buling still wants to ask Master to go to Xiliang to give advice to the Xu family?"

The old master walked into the rain and walked slowly along the stone path in the mountains:

"The purpose of letting Xu Buling go to Youzhou is to let Song Ji find out that Xu Buling is snatching the jade seal in Youzhou, so he can send troops to the northwest to guard against King Su, leaving an opening for Northern Qi to break through; I asked you to deliver a message to King Chu, The purpose of revealing the news about Bodhi Island was to involve the three kings of Wu, Chu and Su in the jade seal dispute and make them grudge against each other.

Things went very smoothly, and Xu Buling also knew that I was doing these things behind his back, so he sent someone over a few days ago to ask for the goose, and asked me to come out and let me stay in Suzhou, so that I would not feel that Song Ji and Song Zhengping were It was more promising, so he changed hands and sold him. "

Mei Qusheng followed behind, holding an oil-paper umbrella to protect him from the rain: "Master has already married Yu Fu to him, is he still worried?"

The old master smiled softly: "His worry is right. If he thinks that I have married a granddaughter, she will turn to him unconditionally, which is really useless.

What I, Su Mu, want in my life is the same as my ancestor Zuo Zhexian, which is nothing more than "peace in the world."

Peace is created, just like raising voodoos. The monarchs of the Three Kingdoms and various princes are just worms in the voodoo cup. They use the flesh and blood of other bugs as nourishment, devouring each other and cannibalizing each other until only the last voodoo king is left. , there will be peace in this Gu cup, which is also the 'general trend'.

But the time span of cannibalizing and annexing each other is too long. The longer it is delayed, the deeper it will hurt the people. What I did was to go with the general trend, pick a bug that looked the strongest, and push it twice so that it could sweep across Liuhe and eat other bugs faster.

This insect could be Song Ji, Song Zhengping, even the Jiang family of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Chen family of the South Vietnam, or even a common citizen, but it must be the most likely to become the Gu King among all the insects.

If Xu had not been lucky enough to eat other bugs, even if I was Grandpa Yufu and treated him as my grandson-in-law, I would not be able to go against the general trend and forcibly support him to become the 'Gu King' People are causing trouble. All that can be done at that time is to save the lives of his family. "

After Mei Qusheng thought carefully, he nodded: "Master views people and things from the perspective of the world. Ordinary people really cannot understand Master's painstaking efforts."

"If you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. I only hope that Xu Buling can understand this truth."

The old master turned to look at Mei Qusheng: "Does the King of Chu have any action?"

Mei Qusheng nodded slightly: "The north was retreating steadily, and the Qi army was approaching the Yellow River. The three kings of Wu, Wei, and Yu took advantage of the situation and gathered 400,000 troops. They also recruited more than 300,000 rebels from all over the south of the Yangtze River and sent them to the court. The ultimatum was issued and even the water transportation supply of the Liaoxi Duhufu was cut off. The Liaoxi Duhufu had asked the court for help many times.

Unable to defeat the enemy externally and not listen to the propaganda internally, the Song Dynasty had no way to return to heaven. Some courtiers have already suggested that Zen should be placed in Song Ling, the eldest son of the emperor, in order to suppress the chaos of the kings, first pacify the Northern Qi Dynasty, and then make long-term plans. After the King of Chu inquired, he sent a secret message to Chang'an. I'm afraid there will be a reply in the near future. "

The old master nodded: "Go and talk to Wudang Mountain and ask Master Qingxu to write a personal letter to tell the king of Chu that he 'coerced' Chen Daozi to murder Xu Buling in order to divert the disaster eastward and let the Xiliang army enter Guanzhong Road. Tell me once, otherwise the Xiliang army will be gone when they reach Chu."

"yes."

Mei Qusheng nodded and walked away holding the oil-paper umbrella.

The spring rain falls slowly.

The old master, who was walking with his hands behind his back, was immediately drenched when his head was empty.

"umbrella!"

"Oh...Master, I'm sorry..."

————

Three days later, Chang'an City.

The current situation is like the gloomy weather above the imperial city, with black clouds pressing over the top, making it difficult to breathe.

In the imperial study at the back of the Taiji Palace, the courtiers stood with their hands hanging down. The chaos that had broken out since the beginning of the year had caused the courtiers to lose their former pride, and their faces were filled with a lingering sadness.

The original courtiers of Dayue ruled the world and welcomed all nations to come to court. In their eyes, the princes and barbarians were just some troublesome little insects. They could shake up the world with just a stomp of their feet. This has been the case since the founding of the country.

But now, the courtiers suddenly realized that stamping their feet was no longer effective. The Northern Qi Dynasty, which was originally regarded as a "lost dog", turned to look at the Central Plains, revealing its fangs and claws, which were so sharp that it sent chills down the spine.

I thought that by moving the Guanzhong Army over, I could easily overthrow the Northern Qi Dynasty. However, I discovered during the fight that the Guanzhong Army could not defeat the Northern Qi cavalry on the frontal battlefield. If Dayue's defenders did not have the advantageous location and numerical superiority, The advantage may have been defeated by the Northern Qi soldiers who were not afraid of death and crossed the Yellow River.

Looking back now, I realize the problem - Dayue has been busy recuperating and recuperating for a period of time, and the army has never fought a big battle. The generals leading the army are all descendants of the founding generals from before Jiazi. However, in actual combat, they were too conservative. They did not have the vigor that Dayue had when he fought out of a small area. Moreover, the front and rear were unstable, and the frontier generals could not calm down to fight.

The Northern Qi Dynasty is completely different. It is located in the desolate land of Mobei. For a piece of grassland and a water source, it fights with the barbarians in Saibei almost every day. I heard that they all went to the Qianhe River. The gap between them gradually widened over the past sixty years, and it was only then that the courtiers realized that Dayue's soldiers and horses were no longer the ones under General Xu Lie's command.

Although it is difficult to fight externally, the three eastern kings took the opportunity to raise troops to force the palace. Under internal and external troubles, no matter how strong the country is, it cannot last long.

Faced with this dilemma, Song Ji was obviously the most annoyed. He threw the secret letter in his hand directly at the feet of the ministers and scolded angrily:

"This Song Zhengping is so ambitious. I asked him to send troops to pacify the south of the Yangtze River. I sent 30,000 troops slowly, and asked him to send troops to help the northern Xinjiang. He failed to take any credit for the consecutive defeats. Now that the east side can't suppress it, he came to persuade him. I am here to let him take charge of the overall situation. I will give him the throne. What can he do now? Beg for surrender from the Northern Qi Dynasty and deploy a large number of troops to pacify Jiangnan..."

The courtiers saw the secret letter on the ground, looked at each other several times, and didn't know what to say.

From the beginning, the King of Chu was trying to gain benefits between Chang'an and Jiangnan. Sending a secret message at this time was obviously taking advantage of the situation, so that Song Ji, who was facing a dilemma, was forced to leave the mess behind and let him clean it up. If the King of Chu really wins the throne, the three kings in the east will no longer have the reputation of being a military leader, and maybe they can talk about it. Moreover, with the combat power of the King of Chu and the Liaoxi and Guanzhong armies, it is not impossible to attack the Northern Qi from the top and push to the south of the Yangtze River from the right.

However, Song Ji threw the secret message of private negotiations directly in the faces of the courtiers, and also made his attitude clear that it was impossible to give the throne to the King of Chu. Doing this may push the King of Chu to the side of King Wu, but the courtiers can't say anything because of this. They can't really persuade Song Ji to give the Zen throne to the vassal king to settle the matter. When Song Ji heard this, I'm afraid he would have said it on the spot. Push it out and chop it.

Now that Song Ji has expressed his attitude, even if the King of Chu does not fall to the King of Wu, he will definitely not contribute any more, and will delay Song Ji until he compromises. The current dilemma of isolation and helplessness cannot be solved.

Grand Sinong Lu Chengan waited for Song Ji to finish getting angry, then he stepped forward and said:

"To fight against foreign forces, we must first pacify the interior. Now the war in the north is urgent. The King of Chu has violated the Yangtze River. It is difficult to send heavy troops to the south of the Yangtze River to quell the rebellion. According to what I see, the Xiliang army is currently idle in the northwest. The left prince of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Jiang Fu, is rushing to the east to help. He can only defend , it is difficult to march into Xiliang, King Su should be able to mobilize troops and go south to quell the rebellion. "

Prime Minister Xiao Chuyang had just married into the Xu family, so he definitely couldn't speak for King Su at this time. He pointed out the shortcomings of this proposal very pertinently:

"The great general Xu Lie has made great achievements in battle. He owns the land of twelve states, which is enough to divide the territory and stand on his own. At this time, King Su comes out to turn the tide. How should the emperor reward him? After the battle, King Su did not go back. He used King Qin as an excuse to stay in Chang'an. After being stationed, what reason can be used to drive King Su back to the Western Regions?"

Taiwei Guan Hongzhuo, as the head of the military attache, was already overwhelmed by the situation and said:

"The war within the Guan is about to begin, while Xiliang is recharging its strength in the border areas. There is no need for King Su's troops now. If it drags on for a year and a half, both the court and the kings will suffer losses. King Su has cultivated enough, so what if he goes out to fight Guanzhong on his own? What to do? Is it possible to start a war on three fronts, fight against Jiangdong in the east, fight against Northern Qi in the north, and attack Xiliang in the west? What if South Vietnam raises another army at this time? We have to pull one out, and we have to let King Su go to fight on the western front of Northern Qi. , to relieve the pressure on the east, where can King Su and the rest of the people be left hanging around in the northwest..."

This statement obviously makes sense. Many courtiers thought about it and shook their heads:

"Prince Su and Prince Zuo of the Northern Qi Dynasty have been attacking and defending each other for sixty years. If they can get in, they will attack early. If they can't get in, if they attack by force at this time, they will at most cause a little trouble to the Northern Qi. To forcefully march into the Northern Qi in order to weaken the military strength of the Su King is unacceptable. Pick."

Cui Huailu, the censor doctor, thought about it for a while, stepped forward and said:

"In order for King Su to send troops, it is not necessarily necessary to bring out the entire 200,000-strong army. The Xiliang army is powerful and only needs 50,000 soldiers and horses as the vanguard. Together with the troops from Guanzhong and Shu, it is enough to defend the three kings in the east. Only 50,000 soldiers and horses are needed as the vanguard. By stabilizing the situation, the Guanzhong Army and the Liaoxi Protectorate can attack Northern Qi with all their strength. After quickly quelling the war in the north, they can then turn around and join forces to attack the three kings in the east. "

When the courtiers heard this proposal, they all frowned. According to the normal strategy, King Su would leave tens of thousands of soldiers and horses for defense, and the rest of the army would go south to quell the internal rebellion in one fell swoop. With the reputation of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Cui Huailu's proposal is obviously a drop in the bucket. No matter how powerful the Xiliang army is, how can 50,000 people defeat the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses under the three kings of the east? Including the rebel refugees, there are millions of refugees. Even if they are defended with government soldiers and temporarily recruited militiamen, the Xiliang army will definitely contribute in the frontal battle. The cavalry defending the city will have no advantage at all and will be exhausted in a few months.

However, this approach does have some benefits. Use the Xiliang army as cannon fodder in the front to resist the pressure from the east first. No matter how small the 50,000 Xiliang army is, they should be able to hold on for a few months. If the government soldiers follow and fight a few battles, they will naturally become available. soldiers. After the war situation in the north turned around, they would come back and work together to quell the rebellion in the east. The Xiliang Army would not take the lion's share of the credit. By the way, the Xiliang Army's strength would also be reduced, which was the best of both worlds. But this idea is obviously too bad.

Song Ji thought about it for a while and nodded: "Xu Buling is already at the age of Guan Guan. He will have the important task of taking charge of Xiliang in the future, and he cannot lack experience. Pass the decree and order Xu Buling, the crown prince of Su, to enter Guanzhong with 50,000 elite troops. , and cooperated with the hussar general Guan Hongye to pacify the three kings in the east. "

"promise!"

Taiwei Guan Hongzhuo quickly bowed and said yes.

Many courtiers hesitated after hearing this and nodded slightly. Xu Buling came here with 50,000 soldiers and horses, and he must have followed the hussar general Guan Hongye. Xu Buling's martial arts are indeed high, but after all, he is nearly 20 years old and has never fought. There is no way he can be like the general Xu Lie. , with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses snowballing, it developed to the point of being uncontrollable. And after the battle, it was easier to let Xu Buling go back and eat sand than to let King Su go back with hundreds of thousands of Xiliang troops.

After the ministers had no objections, the eunuch was about to go down to deliver the order when a civil servant suddenly said:

"If Crown Prince Su brought 50,000 soldiers and horses, and quelled the rebellion of the three kings in the east before the Northern Qi army retreated, King Su led another 150,000 elite troops to recuperate in the northwest. By then Crown Prince Su would have returned to Chang'an... "

"..."

The ministers were silent for a moment, and Song Ji frowned.

The civil servant quickly shut up, and after thinking about it, he felt that he was a little suspicious.

If 50,000 soldiers and horses can sweep across the three eastern kings, then why is King Su staying in Xiliang eating sand? He had come out with an army of 200,000 to sweep the world...

(The main plot of the transitional chapter is being written later. I will send it out after finishing it...)