Zhu Nao

Zhang Ling's request made Tao Bei's tense shoulders relax.He was originally worried that the little emperor wanted to take advantage of the country's crisis to seize power, but he didn't expect that after all the trouble, he still had to pay respects to the Buddha.

It's ridiculous to say it, the little monk chanted scriptures and worshiped Buddha all day long, and he went crazy after chanting.The court is in trouble, but he only thinks of going to a famous ancient temple?Could it be that the fate of the Liang Kingdom is not going well because the Feng Shui in the palace is not good, and the scriptures he recited failed to reach the heavens?

Of course, it was Tao Bei's hope that the little emperor could indulge in Buddhist affairs like this.It's just that he is upset right now, and he doesn't want to worry about such boring things.

So he refused: "Your Majesty wants to pay homage to the Buddha. I will order people to take the eminent monks from famous temples and ancient temples back to the capital, and open altars in the palace. Why let Your Majesty make a trip in person? The world is in chaos now, and the journey is far away. If something happens along the way, no one can afford it.”

But Zhang Ling said: "The general doesn't know. Those eminent monks are all people of high morality and respect. They should not be oppressed by power. If they are forced to leave the temple and spread the word, the world will say that the emperor is arrogant. On the contrary, if His Majesty enters the temple in person Temple, it can reflect His Majesty's humility and sincerity."

Tao Bei was somewhat disapproving.

Zhang Ling continued: "Furthermore, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he did not implement a benevolent government. The people have complained for a long time. Taking advantage of this opportunity, let His Majesty go out of the palace to observe the people's situation and express their condolences. Presumably, the people will also appreciate their kindness."

Tao Bei was slightly taken aback.He really hadn't thought of that.Let the little emperor go out of the palace to appease the people?

Ordinarily, after the new emperor takes office, he should give great favors to win the hearts of the people.However, after Zhu Xin took office, he did not implement benevolent governance.This is because the state of Liang has been fighting for years and the treasury is empty, so Tao Bei has to pay heavy taxes to support soldiers.And this has already caused dissatisfaction among the people.

With the defeat of several wars, the people's grievances became more and more boiling, and the people rushed to join the bandit army, which also made the power of those miscellaneous armies grow stronger and stronger.Tao Bei also knew that the situation was dangerous, but he had no other choice. The worse the situation was, the more he had to raise troops and pay heavy taxes.This is simply an inescapable vortex.

But Zhang Ling's proposal gave him an idea.

However, when he backed the little emperor to sit on the throne, didn't he just hope that the little emperor could become his big banner?

This flag failed to attract the princes of the world, but it can be used to win the hearts of the people!Let the little emperor go out of the palace to worship the Buddha, and by the way, put on a show to help the victims.With the emperor personally going out on the horse, it will certainly be able to dispel a lot of public grievances.

Thinking of this, Tao Bei's brows furrowed: "The grand master's words are polite."

Zhang Lingdao: "So, the general agrees?"

Tao Bei nodded: "Since Your Majesty is so caring, you must not disappoint His Majesty's wishes... It's just that I've been busy with government affairs recently and I can't be distracted, so please ask the Grand Master to take care of this matter. I will send someone to assist the Grand Master."

For Zhang Ling's proposal, he had no doubts about him.The only thing he worries about Zhang Ling is that he is afraid that he will be restless and help the little emperor seize the imperial power.However, for so long, Zhang Ling has performed very well, keeping such a distance from all the forces in the court, and not overstepping, which made Tao Cup trust him more and more.

After receiving Tao Bei's consent, Zhang Ling was secretly delighted, and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, General, I will definitely take care of this matter!"

……

……

Luoyang.

Zhu Nao was reviewing official documents when there was a knock on the door outside, and the voice of Jingzhe came in: "My lord, Wu Wei is back."

Zhu Nao hurriedly said, "Let him in."

Not long after, a man with a mustache came in and knelt down to salute Zhu Nao: "My minister sees Your Majesty."

"Wu Aiqing doesn't need to be too polite." Zhu Nao asked gently, "Has Aiqing seen General Tian?"

Wu Wei was originally an official in Zhengzhou. Earlier, the Zhengzhou army mutinied and defected to Zhu Nao, which implicated Wu Wei.So Wu Wei surrendered to Zhu Nao without hesitation.Not long ago, Zhu Nao selected acquaintances with Tian Chou from the Henan officers and soldiers who surrendered, and finally selected Wu Wei. Wu Wei and Tian Chou had been officials in the same place and had some friendship.

So Zhu Nao appointed Wu Wei as a special envoy and sent him to talk about Jiang Tianchou.Although Wu Wei was afraid that it would be dangerous for him to meet Tian Chou as a traitor, he did not dare to disobey the holy will, and with Zhu Nao's promise that he would be rewarded by high-ranking officials if this matter was successful, he had no choice but to muster up the courage to go.

However, at this moment, his face was a bit bitter: "This minister has failed His Majesty's entrustment, please punish him."

Zhu Nao raised his eyebrows and asked, "How?"

Wu Wei said: "After the minister went to the enemy camp, General Tian heard that the envoy was the minister, so he probably guessed the purpose of the minister's visit. He refused to let the minister out, and refused to even meet him. The minister thought of many ways, tried to Buying General Tian's personal guards didn't work, so I had no choice but to come back..."

He spent seven or eight days in the enemy camp, and he didn't even meet Tian Chou, and he didn't send out the gift Zhu Nao prepared for him, so it can be said that there was no progress at all.Like Shangguan Xian, Tian Chou is also a diehard.

Zhu Nao laughed when he heard the words: "Very well, thank you Wu Aiqing for your hard work."

Wu Wei was taken aback for a moment, then raised his head in surprise.Jun Nao didn't blame him, but said it was good?

Zhu Nao said: "It seems that General Tian has been shaken. After General Xie has some new progress, I will trouble Wu Aiqing to go there again."

Wu Xu stared at him blankly.Tian Chou wavered?Why didn't he see it?During the few days he was in the enemy camp, he found everyone he could find, and said all the good things he could say. Obviously Tian Chou didn't even bother to see him!

But when Zhu Nao said that, he couldn't refute, so he could only agree in a ignorant manner: "Yes, Your Majesty."

He briefly reported what he saw and heard in the enemy camp for a few days, because he didn't accomplish anything and didn't have much to report, so he quickly withdrew.

……

……

In the evening, everyone in the barracks rested, but Tian Chou walked out of the house, looking up at the night sky in a daze.

The first day of the new moon has just passed, and today is the Emei Moon in the sky, with thin and shallow lines, especially incomplete, which makes the mood of the moon watchers extremely depressed.Since leaving Xuzhou, it seems that this kind of depression in my heart has not been resolved.

There are many things that worry Tian Chou, besides the current battle situation, the court of Liang Guo, and his own future.

Like Shangguan Xian, he is also an old minister who has followed Tao Bei since he made his fortune. Over the years, he has been loyal and devoted to eradicating enemies for Tao Bei, and has made great contributions.Of course, Tao Bei also treated him very well and gave him a lot of power and status.

Before that, they all had their ups and downs. When there was a favorable wind and adversity, he never thought of betraying Tao Bei.But now, there is a seed sprouting in his heart, shaking his belief.

When did it start? ——It probably started when Tao Bei wantonly eradicated Shangguan Xian's influence.

Although in the officialdom, Tian Chou and Shangguan Xian competed, Shangguan Xian's downfall gave him more power.But the downfall of Shangguan Xian also sounded the alarm in his heart.He couldn't help but fantasize over and over again, would he become the next Shangguanxian one day?

It is necessary to know that victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. Shangguanxian will lose, and he will also lose.Shangguan Xian might fall into the enemy's hands, and so could he.At that time, will Tao Bei kill all his family members and punish his subordinates?

He couldn't help but think, Shangguan Xian, him, Gao Hong, what are they to Tao Bei?Could it be that in Tao Bei's eyes, he was nothing more than a chess piece that could be used, just like the officers of the miscellaneous army were in his eyes?

Tian Chou, as the chief general, of course understands that there will be many times when he can't help himself in the officialdom, and those in power should not act on their emotions, and must focus on the overall situation.But on the contrary, if there is no word of affection, whether it is Shangguanxian or him, how could they follow Tao Bei for so many years and never leave?

Some things can't and shouldn't be thought about.Once you think about it, you can't stop.

A few days ago, Zhu Nao sent Wu Wei to surrender.As soon as he heard that it was Wu Wei who came, he knew what Zhu Nao's intention was.There were two voices in his heart, one told him that he should kill Wu Wei immediately to show his firmness, and the other told him that it would be okay to meet and listen.Perhaps in Wu Wei's view, he didn't care about it at all in those few days, but in fact, until Wu Wei left, his hesitation never stopped.

He has never been so indecisive before, but no matter which path he takes, he can't make up his mind, he can only live a day, and count it as a day.

Tian Chou didn't know how long he stood outside the house until he felt cold all over before he turned and walked into the house.However, before he could close the door, there was a sudden noise outside.

The noise was a little far away at first, but gradually approached and became louder and louder.

"It's not good! The Shu army is coming to attack again!"

Tian Chou frowned suddenly, and said annoyed in his heart: Damn, it's coming again!

——Ever since Xie Wuji successfully led a sneak attack, the Shu army began to harass Liang Guo's barracks.Now Xie Wuji didn't have to go out in person, he sent the former Shangguan Xian who had surrendered to carry out the mission.Originally, Xie Wuji didn't dare to use those Henan soldiers, but now as the battle situation became clearer, the Henan soldiers' stand became more and more firm.Seeing that the Shu army had a chance to win, they just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make meritorious service, so how could they have other thoughts?

And these Henan soldiers are the most familiar with the terrain of Henan, and they are also the best at stealing chickens and dogs.They come and go every few days, set fires, grab things, and leave when they get what they want, never wanting to fight.And those miscellaneous soldiers became more and more distracted the more they were beaten, and the more they were distracted, the more they were beaten, and they couldn't resist it at all.

Now the situation has deteriorated to the point where Liang Guojun is unwilling to attack and can only be beaten if he stays here!

After a while, Tian Chou's soldiers rushed into the yard.He came to wake up Tian Chou, but found that Tian Chou was fully dressed and standing in the yard.

"Let's go." Tian Chou was too lazy to talk, and took people out to clean up the mess.

……

……

Yedu.

Tao Bei sat on the main seat, surrounded by a group of his staff, one of whom knelt on the ground.The atmosphere in the room was a bit abnormal, and people deliberately slowed down their breathing, not daring to make any inappropriate noises.

The staff member kneeling on the ground was already covered in cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably.But he still plucked up his courage and repeated it again: "General, use General Shangguan! Only General Shangguan can change the situation in Henan right now!"

Battle reports from the front kept coming back to Yedu, and they knew that the main force on the battlefield had now become those rebellious Henan soldiers, namely Shangguan Xian's former troops.And Tian Chou was on the verge of collapse.

In this case, no matter how much power Tao Bei gave Tian Chou, Tian Chou was powerless.Even if additional reinforcements are sent, firstly, it may be too late, and secondly, no one is willing to go.No one could think of a better way except to let Shangguan Xian step in to deter and even restore those old ministries.

Right now, Shangguan Xian is still being imprisoned in the prison in the imperial city.After he returned to Yedu, Tao Bei didn't dare to deal with him too quickly at first, for fear of leaving a mouthful, so he was temporarily detained in the name of investigation.Later, when the Henan war broke out, he was too busy and didn't have time to take care of it, so the case dragged on until now, and Shangguan Xian has lived to this day.

Everyone knew that Shangguan Xian was Tao Bei's rebel. Some people had thought of letting Shangguan Xian come out again before, but they didn't dare to mention it.Today someone finally mustered up the courage to bring it up.

There was a dead silence in the room, Tao Bei never made a sound, and the rest of the people did not dare to speak.

I don't know how long it took, but the kneeling knees and feet of the staff member were numb, and his heart was completely cold: he said something he knew he shouldn't say, which made Tao Bei unable to come to the stage.It seems that today is inevitable...

Suddenly, there were footsteps beside the table.The next moment, someone grabbed his arm and helped him up from the ground.

The staff member looked up, and it was Tao Bei who helped him.

Tao Bei looked down at the trembling arm of the staff member, and sighed softly: "Don't be afraid. I won't kill Zhongliang again."

The staff member froze.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Tao Bei walked out of the room.Regarding the suggestion of reactivating Shangguan Xian, he didn't agree to it, nor did he deny it, as if he didn't hear it.

Someone suddenly discovered that during this period of time, his back gradually became bent.The high-spirited general of the past has disappeared. He is clearly a man in his forties, but he is already a bit old...