Sha Po Lang

During the absence of King Yan, the conflict between the upstarts in the court and the power of the aristocratic family became more acute. On the one hand, these two factions maintained their arrogance, and on the other hand, they were in the limelight. Fundamentally, they did not fight each other. The gap between the three religions and nine streams is no smaller than the gap between the barbarians of the eighteen tribes and the people of Liang.

The aristocratic families have been handed down from generation to generation, and their family backgrounds are very solid. Almost every surname has a large area of ​​Zhuangzi and land. Since the price of grain continued to fall during the Yuanhe period, in order to exchange income, the major aristocratic families have secretly engaged in business. It has become a common practice today.On the one hand, this has virtually caused the merchants who were originally at the bottom of the ranks to enter the house, and on the other hand, it is also constantly hurting private merchants.

Daliang has laws and regulations since the beginning of the Taizu Emperor. Fame, princes and nobles are not allowed to compete with the people for profit, because once a merchant has the word "official", it is not a pure merchant. Even if it is not actively deceiving, it must There are villains fighting for power.

The enmity between the old aristocratic family and the upstarts has a long history, and it is not a matter of one generation.

At this time, when the upstart comes to power, it is tantamount to turning over a salted fish. Either the east wind overwhelms the west wind or the west wind overwhelms the east wind. When the barbarians bowed their heads, Jiangnan was able to free up his hands again, and the battle situation did not seem so urgent, and immediately broke out like labor pains.

King Yan didn't even have a buffer after returning to the court, and what awaited him was a smoky quarrel at the court meeting.

From the big trouble of whether to abolish the beacon ticket, to the various malpractices of the new government, and finally to criticize the Canal Office.Then they quarreled from royal power to civil rights, from civil and commercial rules to ancestral family law, and finally the flames of war somehow led to the army. Starting from the current expenses of the four-border garrison, it ran wild all the way to the south of the Yangtze River. The question of whether the fight should continue - Fang Qin and his party have grasped the root of King Yan. If it hadn't been for the huge war expenses in the past few years, and the treasury was screaming for poverty every day, King Yan would not have seized the opportunity to concentrate on it. Xiang Qian made the court so smoky.

People from aristocratic families stood up to challenge: "Your Majesty, the eighteen tribes surrendered, we will have a large amount of abundant Ziliujin in the future, and the vitality of the territory has been slowly recovering. It is really inappropriate to go to war within three to five years. I think Westerners The level of the peace talks presented recently is very sincere. They withdrew from the Yangtze River, gave up the land they seized, only opened western ports along the East China Sea, and dispersed the garrison to a few ports specially opened along the coast. It can also be used as a transit point for our maritime trade, why not? Gu Shuai indiscriminately criticizes them all, and constantly adding conditions is a bit too unreasonable."

Naturally, the Wild Goose King Party took up the move: "Why should I give up the fertile land along the coast of the East China Sea to a group of Western monkeys? Don't we know how to open ports? Don't we have a merchant fleet? The place handed down by your ancestors, you can give it to me in one sentence." There is no one more generous than you in the whole world!"

Fang Qin went into battle in person, put aside the sharp "treason and collaborating with the enemy", and said calmly: "Westerners come from across the ocean, and most of the military supplies they use need to be supplied from thousands of miles away. The exhausted teachers who have left their hometown, according to my opinion, there is no need to be too much like facing a big enemy, so what can I do if I pretend to make peace first, they will not be able to sustain themselves in ten or eight years. The year is also the handover of injuries and illnesses, and I have never had a few days of comfortable and relieved days. Even if I feel sorry for my hundreds of thousands of bloody soldiers on the front line, it is time for a truce-this matter can be discussed later. ...What kind of charter is it?"

Hearing from the side of his head that Yan Wang was directly dragged out by him at this time, he raised his head and glanced at Fang Qin: "I don't need to discuss it after I see it, right? My lords want to cede land to feed tigers and wolves, so there is really no reason to issue the third batch of beacon tickets, and the imperial court will use the tax revenue for the next five years as a guarantee, and they can always raise another three melons and two dates, which is enough to pay off the debt."

Fang Qin shook his head and said with a smile: "King Yan is speaking in a fit of anger. Is the truce at this time just to feed tigers and wolves? Not a serious problem."

Chang Geng also laughed, and said nonchalantly: "Lord Fang knows the world's affairs without leaving home. It's really admirable. From thousands of miles away, you can know that Westerners are already rootless. This kind of foresight is far-sighted. My generation It’s hard to come by.”

Seeing the two people's tone of greetings to each other became bitter and mean, Li Feng had no choice but to come forward and said: "The military is the one who has the final say. I summoned you to discuss the urgent task of the war ticket. Why are you arguing?" Liangjiang Battlefield? After so long, I can’t figure it out, so I’m more worried——Amin, don’t say a word.”

The servant of the household department stood up in a timely manner following the emperor's voice and said: "His Royal Highness Yan Wang has just returned from Jiangbei, and I'm afraid he hasn't figured out the reason why the third batch of beacon tickets were blocked. The previous dynasty was considered rich, but after all, there was a family of young and old, who could only maintain a little face by relying on this salary, how could they dare to become rich... When the country was in trouble, there was nothing they could do to help. ? Right now, I really can’t pay any money. The prince usually has a close personal relationship with Du Wanquan, a wealthy businessman of the chamber of commerce, and others. Do you think it possible for you to come forward and ask them again?”

Chang Geng refused to fall into this ulterior trap, and said without changing his face: "I have already visited Du Gong and others on the way back to Beijing, and now the factory buildings in various places have just been built, and as a volunteer merchant, sometimes I have to take care of refugees and spend money. It's very big, and now most of the net worth is in the Canal Office. Even if you want to destroy the family to relieve the difficulties, is it possible that you will also give up the many refugees who have finally settled down? To tell you the truth, what Du Gong told me is that he It’s really hard to get a penny.”

Fang Qin refused to let him go: "Could it be that when His Highness pushed for the beacon ticket, he didn't think of leaving a way out?"

Chang Geng glanced at him coolly: "Lord Fang, I made it very clear at the beginning that the money will be borrowed first, and when the treasury is relieved, it will naturally be exchanged. , you can use the third batch of Fenghuo bills to solve the urgent need - Mr. Fang had already taken over the household department when the money flowed into the treasury was calculated, and he did not raise any objections. Now you ask me, but this king still wants to ask you. Where does the money flowing in and out of the household department go, why is there such a difference?"

Fang Qin finally couldn't help but said angrily: "The account books are all there. If King Yan has any doubts about the subordinates, he can go and check them!"

Chang Geng smiled and said: "That's right, all the adults in the household department will not even make injustices in the account books, so Master Fang must have been delusional and miscalculated back then?"

Li Feng: "Enough!"

Fang Qin hurriedly apologized, Chang Geng slightly bowed his body, and stood on the side without any fuss. He was very silent most of the time in the court meeting. Most of his words were said by the people below, and he rarely confronted people like this. Fang Qin I couldn't help but glance at him, always feeling that something was wrong.

Yan Wang must have been prepared for the embarrassing situation of the Fenghuo ticket, why would he rather quarrel in front of the emperor than speak out smoothly?What is he laying the groundwork for?

The Great Court broke up unhappy, and King Yan was left behind, walking silently with Li Feng one after the other. Although Li Feng's broken leg recovered, the root cause of the disease was still behind him, and if he walked fast, he would appear a little lame.

"Accompany me to the garden for a walk." Li Feng said.

Coincidentally, the prince had just finished school that day and was playing with the third prince in the garden. When he saw his father and uncle, he hurriedly came to greet him.The crown prince is one year old, and now he looks like a little boy. The third prince is only five years old, and he is changing his teeth, and his speech is a bit leaky.

When Li Feng saw the prince, of course he wanted to show off his prestige as a father. First he scolded the prince by finding faults out of nothing, and then interrogated him sternly about his studies.

The prince answered well at first, but at the end he kept looking towards his younger brother, Li Feng followed his gaze, and suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

The toothless third prince was not yet old enough to be questioned by his father, and he stood silently at the side, but was later beckoned away by King Yan, who took him to sit on the ground in a careless manner, grabbed a few grass stalks, Made a grasshopper.Have children in the imperial confinement ever seen such a wild country?The third prince's eyes were straightened, and he looked forward stupidly. After a while, the little thing was holding a grasshopper in his left hand and a grasshopper in his right hand. He was so happy that he didn't bother to hide his missing front tooth.

Li Feng: "...playing with things and losing one's ambition, what kind of words are they like?"

He glared at Chang Geng with a stern face, and then dismissed the two reluctant children. Li Feng saw from a distance that the third prince tiptoed and stuffed a grasshopper into the prince's hand, and the prince took the one he had vacated. hands, the older child led the younger one, they looked like a pair of ordinary little brothers.

The prince is docile, like his grandfather.

Li Feng was a little moved, and when he turned to Chang Geng, his expression softened a lot, and he asked, "It's been so long, don't you still want to start a family?"

Chang Geng's smiling expression immediately faded away.

Li Feng saw that he didn't like to mention this, so he sighed and said: "Either elder brother decides to adopt a child from the clan for you. When you get older in the future, there must be a filial caregiver under Cheng Huan's knees."

Chang Geng paused for a moment, twisted his hands, as if grass juice still remained on his fingers, he glanced at the direction in which the third prince left, his expression seemed to move intentionally, but after a while, he still didn't nod.

Chang Geng: "Thank you, Brother Huang, there is no need."

"The child will follow you. In the future, you will inherit the title. You don't need to have an inch of merit to at least be a county king. You have a great future, and some people are willing to give it to you." Li Feng said, "You don't have to worry about taking people's children and damaging your morality."

Chang Geng suddenly bowed to the tunnel and said: "Your Majesty, I would like to imitate the Lord Shang, and have no intention of dragging down my children and grandchildren."

The corners of Li Feng's eyes twitched slightly, and he turned around and looked at him silently.

Chang Geng bent over and refused to get up, he looked young and powerful, but he was lonely and desolate.

I would like to follow the example of Lord Shang—to reform the law by all means, be hated and despised by the world, and be torn apart in the city...become the cinders that have been burned vigorously in this era.

All the servants were sent away that day, no one knew what the Li brothers said in the garden, from noon to dark, King Yan left the palace on his own.

Only a few grasses that have been pulled out and woven with grass worms are left, and they are still bald by themselves.

The next day, Jiang Chong received an instruction from King Yan—don't let Marquis Anding go back to Beijing, you don't have to fight, but you must let him stay in Liangjiang.

The heavy rain in the south of the Yangtze River is a bit cruel. It was so hot that people couldn't sleep a few days ago, but suddenly a strong wind and rainstorm changed the sky, and the moisture could penetrate into people's bones.

Mr. Ya wiped off the moisture from his face, walked up the steps quickly, and climbed to the top along the iron steps protruding from the ugly and terrifying shell of the sea monster. The old man with glaring white hair was facing him, lying on the On something, the cat's raised waist is like a piece of burnt bamboo strips.

Mr. Ya coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, why are you still not resting so late?"

"A man is abandoned by sleep in old age," said the pope, waving his hand. "Come here, and look at this."

There is a "clairvoyance" on the top of the sea monster. It is not the kind of gadget that can be clipped on the bridge of the nose. It is more than three feet long and made of copper. There are circles of traces like bamboo knots on the outside. It is fixed on the ground, and there are circles of complicated scales on the long copper tube, all of which are in Western characters.

This is the real "clairvoyance", which can see thousands of miles at a glance.

Through this long tube, they can see the territory of Daliang on the other side from the sea monster floating in the East China Sea.

In just a few years, the silent fertile land on the opposite side began to ignite eternal lights in the night—the brightest and most concentrated ones were the watchtowers of the garrison, and later on, it was much softer, and it was many new factories working at night, The watchman's light is not very hot, but it is scattered everywhere, like a handful of fine stars.

Mr. Ya asked strangely: "What is Your Majesty looking at? Is there any movement in the enemy army?"

"The enemy army has been moving," the Pope whispered. "The people in the Holy Land first surrendered to their own greed, and then placed unrealistic expectations on the peace talks. They lost the opportunity and could only retreat again and again. Now the command ship is retreating." At sea, after a while, Daliang people are likely to send troops to cut off our supply lines connecting us with the country, and we don't know how it will end."

Mr. Ya: "Isn't there a reason why we retreated to the coast? At that time, the Dongying Islands can be used as a special channel for supplies... We can go from the open sea. Although Liang Ren imitated our fast and maneuverable Tiger Shark, the overall fleet design It is not yet suitable for distant sea operations."

"The Dongying people are like a pack of wild dogs. When you gain the upper hand, they will stick up to ask for carrion without hesitation. Once you lose power, don't expect to gain their loyalty." The Pope sighed softly, "Besides Is the conclusion that the Daliang navy cannot adapt to open sea operations necessarily accurate? A few years ago, they didn't even have a decent navy—how could they base their chances of victory on the assumption that the enemy is weak?"

Mr. Ya was silent for a moment: "But Your Majesty, the envoy..."

"This is why I came to you." The Pope took out a letter from his arms, his hands shaking like autumn leaves, but his expression was extremely cold and hard, and he could not see the usual gentleness and kindness at all. Come and see."

Mr. Ya took it quickly, and then his expression changed: "This... is this true?"

The Pope lowered his voice and said, "The Holy Land has changed."

The Conservative Party sat on the cold bench of the Liberal Party, paralyzed the seesaw, seconded tens of thousands of people from several dependent countries to approach the Holy Land in the name of protest, caused riots, deposed the king, and executed the old people including the first heir There are more than 30 nobles, and they supported a poor little king with a watch of three thousand miles.

A few days later, bewildered royalists fought back, and the new king was forced to step down after wearing the crown for only seven days.

Now the political arena in the Holy Land is extremely unclear, and anything can happen. The envoys loyal to the old king naturally lost their authority, and the royalists are desperately trying to show their favor to the Holy See, which the old king has neglected for half a lifetime. They add to the blockage.

Mr. Ya's thinking is very sharp, and he figured out the joints in an instant.

The Pope turned around suddenly, staring at him like a falcon: "This is an opportunity, do you understand?"

Mr. Ya lowered his voice excitedly: "The envoy..."

The Pope nodded slightly, and said humbly and coldly: "He is no longer a holy envoy."

Mr. Ya took a deep breath, clenched his fists under the complicated cuffs: "I'll go get ready."

"Jacques," the Pope stood facing the night wind with his old hands folded in his sleeves, "If we lose this opportunity, it may be difficult to set foot on this land again in the future. It has already woken up."

Mr. Ya glanced back at the distant shore, recalling the lights he saw just now, his heart shivered, and he left in a hurry.

When Liang Ren was ignorant, a violent "rebellion" broke out within the Western Army.

From the moment the envoy received the news from the Holy Land to the decisive escape, there was only less than a stick of incense time between them. It can be said that he did not act decisively. Unfortunately, he didn't know that his news had been intercepted, and it was already too late.There was still less than an incense stick of time between the time when he fled with the remnants of his troops and was secretly arrested by the Pope's personal guards who were waiting for a rabbit.

The holy envoy and a group of people were shot dead by Mr. Ya on the spot, and then deployed a nautical ship, pretending to be retired, and kept the news of the civil strife in the Holy Land tightly hidden. In the calm Western military port, ordinary soldiers still During the routine inspection, they only knew that the holy envoy was summoned back to the holy land, and there would be only one boss in the future.

The Pope did not change his weak attitude towards peace talks with the Daliang people. On the surface, he still retreated bit by bit until the autumnal equinox of the ninth year of Long'an——

A batch of Western cargo and supplies arrived at the Western Military Port from overseas seas, and a large number of military supplies and Ziliujin, like a group of black ghosts, unknowingly pressed on the scorched south bank of the river.