Plan to cut off the nine states

(Please collect and recommend)

Halfway through the chess game, Shen Dan pushed the board and sighed, "When a real man is alive, he should use the world as a chessboard, strategize, quell chaos and punish traitors. How can he be depressed all his life and lose everyone?"

"Brother Shen Wu didn't drink, so why did he get drunk?"

"Haha, thinking of the picturesque country is like drinking a jar full of old wine." Shen Dan picked up a chess piece and put it on the chessboard, "Young Master Seventeen and I hit it off as old friends. There are no outsiders here, so we might as well talk freely. Today, the emperor is named Supreme. In fact, he was just a dangerous petty official who thought he could manipulate the officials with his own cleverness. For more than ten years after the emperor ascended the throne, all the officials were helpless, the court was deserted, and treacherous people were jumping up and down to cater to the emperor's preferences. , frequently raised troops and mobilized people, and built large-scale construction projects in useless places. Tiancheng was only established for more than 20 years, and it was already in decline. "

"Which one does Fifth Brother Shen think is better: changing the emperor or changing the dynasty?"

Shen Dan laughed loudly, "Seventeenth Young Master is indeed the same as me. If you can ask this question, you are a hundred times better than those ministers in the court." Shen Dan put away his smile and his expression suddenly changed. Seriously, "If you can change the emperor, it is better to change the dynasty directly."

The foundation of the building was silent, and the chess pieces were flipped back and forth.

Shen Dan took advantage of the victory to pursue the victory and continued: "The Zhang family has only usurped Liang for more than forty years, and it has been twenty-six years since it was named Tiancheng. It has been less than twenty years since it truly unified the world. It has imposed harsh rule on the five countries, and the hearts of the four parties are unstable. Xijing and Chang'an How many people are loyal to the Zhang family in Luoyang, the eastern capital, surrounded by bandits?"

"There are some." Lou Chu thought of the eldest princess of Luoyang and others, who were sincerely loyal to the emperor.

"Enough to rule the world?"

Lou Chu shook his head, "Brother Shen Wu is right, but - the time is not right."

Shen Dan nodded, "It's true, but I have a hunch that if the emperor wants to do something big, if it doesn't happen, the world will be in chaos immediately. If it does, the world will be in chaos later. Please remember my words today, Young Master Seventeenth, and wait until you feel that the time has come. When the time comes, you can find me.”

"Keep it in mind."

Shen Dan smiled and said: "Lou and Shen are two families of the same spirit. My father often said that the general has great ambitions and is only one person throughout the ages. Of all the heroes in the world, only the general is worthy of following."

The two chatted for a while, and Shen Dan seemed to have endless things to say, but Shen Cong and Lou Ji were very drunk in the hall. Shen Dan had no choice but to take his brother back to his house, and Lou Ji also returned to his house, refusing to let the old servants serve him. , sitting alone in the room, recalling every word of Shen Dan.

Shen Dan is very similar to Ma Wei. They are sons of high-ranking families. They are about the same age. They are outgoing and like to make all kinds of friends. If they are willing, they can always "hit it off" with people they meet for the first time. However, there are obvious differences. Shen Dan is more easy-going and makes people feel more relaxed. Without feeling the influence of his family background, Ma Wei always consciously emphasizes his status as an "emperor".

After analyzing these two people, Lou Chu thought about the emperor again, but it was still a mess. Shen Dan was right, the emperor must do something big, but no one could guess the direction.

When Lou Chu woke up again, he found that he had slept at his desk for a while. It was already dark, so Lou Chu took off his clothes and went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. After the enlightenment, when it comes to actual application, it is like overcoming thorns and thorns. After struggling for a long time, I still don’t see the path.

He needs advice, but Wen Renxuexue has returned to his hometown and will not be found for a while.

Early the next morning, someone from the mansion came to invite him, saying that the general had returned to the mansion and wanted to see him immediately.

Lou Jian had already arrived and was quite excited to see his father. "Some people actually claimed that my father was under house arrest in the palace, but my father came out unscathed. Haha, I can shut everyone up this time."

Lou Wen was not as irritable as when he was in the palace. He sat on a chair and panted silently, listening to the nonsense of the three sons. When the floor came, he did not speak and had to wait for one more person.

This person is not Lou Wen’s son or grandson.

Liu Youzhong was world-famous for his physiognomy. He refused to be an official and wandered among high-ranking officials. Since he came to Lou's house more than ten years ago, he had frequent contacts with the generals and participated in secret decisions. Although he was not in name, he was the most important person. The general's trusted advisor.

Lou Chu still remembered this fortune teller, and Liu Youzhong also remembered this child who was only seven or eight years old at the time. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately laughed and said: "This is...'Buyan Young Master', right?"

"Mr. Liu still remembers that he was ignorant when he was a child, and he already spoke many years ago." Lou Chi said with a cup of his hands.

Lou Jianjian smiled and said: "Old Liu, you said at that time that my brother 'shut up and it's okay, open his mouth and get into trouble.' He has been opening his mouth for so many years and nothing seems to have happened."

"'Shut up and you will be a virtuous person in the world, open your mouth and you will become a hero in troubled times', well, that's what I said." Liu Youzhong looked at it again.

"If you look at it now, how does Seventeenth Brother look like a hero?" Lou Jian asked.

"He hasn't opened his mouth yet, so he's certainly not a hero." Liu Youzhong showed an unpredictable expression.

Lou Jian was stunned, "He didn't open his mouth. Who has been talking all these years?"

Lou Wen, who was sitting in the main seat, said: "Opening and shutting up are trivial matters. I didn't come to you just to talk about these gossips."

Lou Jian was afraid of his father, so he "shut up" first, and the floor foundation naturally didn't say anything. Liu Youzhong walked forward, cupped his hands slightly, and sat next to him. The two sons of the Lou family were still standing there.

Lou Wen had a gloomy face, "Is it because I killed too many people back then? There are so many descendants of the Lou family, but none of them are decent. Let them go out of the city to join the army in the hope that someone will appease the generals and stabilize the morale of the army. These idiots actually took it as a refuge and hid. There is nothing to do in the military camp. I heard that some people want to escape. Damn it..."

Lou Wen scolded people in various ways, and he did not shy away from scolding his own children and grandchildren. Lou Ying and Lou Chu could only listen honestly. Liu Youzhong smiled and advised: "The general rarely brings his children and grandchildren into the military camp. Suddenly, he asked them to appease the generals. Even gods can hardly do it."

"It's not that they are asked to lead the troops to fight, but just drink and chat with the officers. Is it difficult? Now it's good, and the Lou family is embarrassed." Lou Wen sighed heavily, "It's a pity that my sons who are still useful are not around."

Lou Ying couldn't help but interrupt and said: "Father, don't we still have me and my seventeenth brother?"

Lou Wen glanced at his two sons, not hiding the contempt on his face, and his eyes finally fell on Lou Chu, "Tell me what's going on. How did you, a little white man, jump to the side of His Majesty?"

Lou Chu did not hide it either. He talked about the borrowed article all the way to the princess, but he did not mention Ma Wei or the situation at Zhang Shiduan's home. He promised to keep it secret.

Lou Wen's expression eased a little, and he turned to Liu Youzhong and said, "Who would have thought that our Lou family would have a boy who can write articles."

"I've read that article, it's really good, no wonder the princess values ​​you." Liu Youzhong said.

"No matter how good the article is, it's useless, real skills can only be shown in real combat." Lou Wen was not interested in the article, "Madam and the princess were instigated by you to enter the palace and have not returned yet. After I and the third brother returned home, we didn't even have a companion."

"Father, it's good for our Lou family to have mother and princess accompany the empress dowager." Lou Ying was not in a hurry to see his wife.

Lou Wen glared at his third son, and then said to Lou Chu: "You love to give advice, it seems that you are destined to be a counselor. Come on, great counselor, tell me about the current situation and come up with a few more ingenious plans."

Lou Wen was obviously mocking, Lou Chu bowed and said: "The general and Mr. Liu are discussing matters, and the child should listen and learn more, so there is no right to talk nonsense."

"Hey, you still know some rules." Lou Wen turned to Liu Youzhong, "After searching for a long time, only these two sons are barely human, let them listen on the side."

Liu Youzhong nodded and glanced at Lou Chu, as if to say "You haven't spoken yet", Lou Chu looked away and stood aside with the third brother to listen attentively.

Lou Wen was most concerned about the army outside the city. He had his own loyal subordinates to provide him with information. "The court replaced more than half of the clerks in the camp, but the officers were not adjusted. Now the temporary commander of the army is Cao Shenxi, Duke of Xiao. He is not clear about me and just said he was going home to rest. What is this?"

Lou Ying had already told his father about Shao Junqian. He was about to remind him when he was glared back by the general.

Liu Youzhong pondered for a moment, "Looking at what your majesty did, you are a reasonable person."

"Ha!"

Liu Youzhong didn't care about the ridicule, "General, think about it carefully. When did your majesty abolish, establish, kill, and keep someone without a clear reason? When did you not make the ministers speechless?"

"Well, I understand what you mean. No matter how your majesty wants to deal with me, he must have a legitimate reason."

"That's right, general, think about it carefully. Do you have any evidence to be caught?"

Lou Wen thought for a while, "No, there is one good thing about my family of trash. They don't cause me trouble."

Lou Chu's heart suddenly jumped.

"Then the general need not worry. Your Majesty is just testing you."

"Testing what?"

"The art of governing ministers is to reward and punish, to promote and demote. Reward and punish to make the ministers work, and to promote and demote to see their sincerity."

"Explain it more clearly."

Liu Youzhong pointed at Lou Ying and Lou Chu and said with a smile: "The general has always been kind to his children, right?"

"Hey, I didn't beat them to death, I'm soft-hearted."

"Then are they short of food and clothing?"

"Of course not. There are nearly 200 men and women, and the money spent every year is enough to support 10,000 troops."

"Since you have provided food and clothing, why don't you be nice to them?"

"Give them everything, won't they be spoiled? Disciplining children is the same as managing soldiers. Same, there must be tension and relaxation... Ah, I understand, Your Majesty is treating us old ministers as sons. "

Liu Youzhong smiled and said: "The meaning is the same, but different after all. The general is a founding hero, and he was ordered by the late emperor to assist the new monarch. The new monarch's position is becoming increasingly stable. Naturally, he doesn't want to "pamper" the old ministers anymore, so he must show his strict side and test your reaction..."

"See who is loyal and who is dissatisfied. I am a loyal minister, but what can I do to make Your Majesty believe it?"

"Well, for the general's sake, I will write a letter tomorrow, hand over the seal of the Western Expedition, and concentrate on guarding the palace."

"Really?" Lou Wen was surprised. He had been in charge of the army for many years, and he was very uneasy about asking him to hand over the military power.

"Haha, your majesty is testing the general, can't the general test your majesty? Civil servants can't fight, and the generals in the army are all the general's old subordinates. If the court really takes the seal, they won't agree, right?"

Lou Wen suddenly realized and said to his two sons: "This is a real counselor. Can you all compare to one toe of Mr. Liu?"

Lou Ying muttered: "Toes can't give advice."

Lou Chu said: "Far from it."

Liu Youzhong smiled and said: "General, don't brag too much. If you say something wrong, I can't take the responsibility."

"It can't be wrong, it's what you said, third brother, say Shao Junqian's words again."

Lou Ying immediately repeated it, Liu Youzhong listened carefully and nodded: "So, your majesty wants to test more than just the general."

Lou Wen let out a long breath, "It's just a test, then I feel at ease."

Lou Chu shouted in his heart: "Something is wrong, this is not just a test." But he said nothing, instead he nodded along with Lou Ying.