Taiping Inn

After the Qingping meeting, Li Xuandu was ready to leave Liaodong. In addition to Qin Su, Ye Chi was also traveling with him. As for Shi Wuyue and Ning Yi, they were going to return by land, and they were not going the same way as Li Xuandu.

This time, Li Xuandu planned to take the sea route, passing through the East China Sea, landing in Chuzhou, and heading to Luzhou. The reason for this was that Zhang Haishi was also going to lead Li Ruyan and other Li family members back to the East China Sea, and he invited Li Xuandu to go with him.

Li Xuandu spent a confused Lantern Festival. Various miscellaneous matters and interpersonal relationships were mixed together, so Li Xuandu didn't even see half a lantern. From beginning to end, he didn't have any free time, and then he had to set off again.

This time when he returned to Taiping Sect, Li Xuandu planned to finish what he had not done before. Although it was Mr. Shen and Zhang Jingxiu who pushed him to the position of the leader of Taiping Sect, it was just an empty title. It was not until the battle of Beimang Mountain that Li Xuandu was able to gain a firm foothold. Then, by joining hands with Madam Lu, he gained some real power in Taiping Sect. Today, no one has the final say in Taiping Sect. Li Xuandu is not like the leader, but more like an elder with a special status. So Li Xuandu returned to Taiping Sect this time to take his reputation back from the Golden Tent, the strength of the alliance with Liaodong, and the greatly increased realm cultivation, and completely control Taiping Sect. Not to mention that one person is arbitrary, he must always put the title of leader into practice.

As the saying goes, if you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. Whether Li Xuandu wants to preserve Taiping Sect or use Taiping Sect as a sword in his hand, internal unity is very necessary, and it is best to have only one voice.

On the 18th day of the first lunar month, Li Xuandu and Qin Su left Chaoyang Prefecture and headed for Shizikou, which is the largest port in Liaozhou. Most merchant ships have to dock here, and the ships of Qingwei Sect also dock here. However, Li Xuandu and Qin Su will not take the ships of Qingwei Sect. Qin Su has a ship of her own, which was given to her by Qin Qing not long ago. She once took this ship to see Su Yun'an.

Strictly speaking, this is a warship. Both the Butian Sect and the Qingwei Sect have formed a large fleet. Li Daoxu described it as "traveling merchants with swords". In peacetime, these fleets are merchant ships. In troubled times, they transform into warships, as long as they are equipped with cannons. The navy that the court has abandoned for many years is both rotten and old in front of these warships. It is not worth mentioning and vulnerable.

However, there is a difference between the two. No matter what, the foundation of the Qin family is still on land and in iron cavalry, so they are not too concerned about warships. But the Qingwei Sect is different. Since the beginning of the sect, the Qingwei Sect has been rooted in the East China Sea instead of Qizhou. In addition, the Qingwei Sect once subdued a large number of pirates, so the Qingwei Sect pays more attention to the development of the fleet. It is not an exaggeration to say that the fleet under its command is invincible. If necessary, Li Daoxu can command the fleet to sweep all states and prefectures along the coastline. All the elite troops of the Wei Dynasty are concentrated in Liaodong and the northwest inland, followed by the capital and Zhili area. The coastal line is basically empty of troops and occupied by local forces. Most of them are not opponents of the Qingwei Sect.

This is the confidence of the Qingwei Sect to intervene in the decision-making of the temple many times.

Li Xuandu boarded Qin Su's ship, and the ships around him were all from the Qingwei Sect. Li Xuandu grew up in the East China Sea and was not unfamiliar with ships. These ships were not loaded with cargo, but according to the draft, they should be loaded with artillery.

Zhang Haishi also boarded Qin Su's ship, leaning on a bamboo stick, standing on the bow, standing in the wind, with his clothes fluttering. Li Xuandu came to Zhang Haishi and asked softly, "Brother, what exactly does Qingwei Sect want to do?"

Zhang Haishi glanced at him, "What do you think? Don't you understand the old man's temperament?"

Li Xuandu frowned, "The old man can't be an emperor."

Zhang Haishi sneered, "He can do it but he won't. Among the masters in the world today, there are only two people I can't see through, one is Xu Wugui and the other is the old man. They are both very strange. They are obviously not quiet and inactive people, but they don't like to be emperors. Xu Wugui wants to be an emperor's teacher. He always wants to train an emperor himself and let the emperor listen to his teachings. If he doesn't agree with him, he will directly depose him and replace him with an obedient person. I don't know who he is angry with. This is probably the highest level of being a good teacher. The old man doesn't like to show up in public and always likes to hide behind the scenes. It's like a double act, with a puppet in front and the person behind the puppet doing the real talking. Even if they want to do something outrageous, they have to pretend to be deceived. These two people have one thing in common, that is, they like to manipulate others and force them to do what they want. As for the empty name, they don't care much. The ones who really care about the false name are Zhang Jingxiu and Tan Taiyun, and such people are not scary. Because name is also a kind of bondage, for the sake of name, Tan Taiyun pushed Song Zheng to Xu Wugui, and for the sake of name, Zhang Jingxiu was willing to take the initiative to seek peace. What's the difference between fame and profit? It's just that what they want is different. "

Li Xuandu said thoughtfully: "Master gave up the position of the leader to find a cover, and the great master gave up the position of the leader to seek the false name of supporting the younger generation. "

Zhang Haishi said: "The reason for this is that the two are not well-known. Zhengyi Sect’s family is too rich. Zhang Jingxiu was destined to be the Great Master from the day he was born, and the old man would make his fortune. There are many nights and many twists and turns. When the old man was young, the world was still in chaos, so he could only lie dormant. When the chaos first appeared, the old man was already old, so he placed his hope on the elder brother. You will know what happened. The elder brother died. The old man who had decided to ascend to the death stayed in the world and accepted many disciples, including you."

Li Xuan was surprised, "Is the death of the eldest brother has nothing to do with the master? If it weren't for this, why did the second brother disagree with the master for so many years?"

Zhang Haishi's face turned cold and he snorted coldly: "If you want to know what happened back then, go and ask the person involved, don't ask me."

Li Xuandu knew that the second senior brother was already very unhappy, so he stopped asking each other. The murderer was unknown to the person involved. Senior brother Situ Xuance was dead, and only Li Daoxu was left, but now is not the time to meet Li Daoxu.

The two brothers were silent for a moment. Zhang Haishi calmed down and said, "You must be careful. Your current actions are a bit out of line. Do you know what you are doing?"

Li Xuandu said in a deep voice: "I know."

Zhang Haishi narrowed his eyes and said, "Pursuing the world is nothing, it's just a change of surname. Gentlemen are still gentry, and people are still people. But if the foundation of some people is shaken, you will die."

Li Xuan was silent for a long time.

He understood that Zhang Haishi was not exaggerating, because the national tutor would die, and he would not be stronger than the national tutor. But he didn't quite understand who some of the people here were.

Zhang Haishi paused the deck under his feet with the bamboo stick in his hand and continued, "You have just been to the golden tent. You should understand one thing. Lao Khan is dead. There is no problem with you supporting any Khan prince. Even if you fail, If you find someone, you may not be killed, because it is just a success or defeat. But if you just find someone, a Seme, or an ordinary herder, and you want to support him as the Khan King, then all the The Khans will unite and wipe out you first so that you will die without a place to bury you. What is the difference between the Central Plains and the Golden Tent?”

Li Xuandu whispered this sentence from his second senior brother, and then said, "It's no different."

Zhang Haishi said with a sigh: "Of course it's no different. Isn't it strange that those emperors, those who are scared to death, those who fall into the water, those who die at the hands of palace maids, and those who die at the hands of imperial physicians? The dispute between Confucianism and Taoism lost the Taoist sect and occupy the orthodox It’s the Confucian sect. Who has the final say in this world? Is it a Taoist sect that is far away from the world?”

Li Xuan was silent again.

Zhang Haishi said, "The eldest brother is dead, completely dead, nothing is left except a name. I don't want you to repeat the same mistake."

Li Xuandu whispered: "There are some things that should not be asked if you can, but whether you should be asked if you should be asked."

"Big speech." Zhang Haishi's tone was slightly cold, "There are big principles everywhere, you can just open your mouth, but how many people can do it?"

Li Xuan didn't want to have a dispute with his second senior brother, but he still said, "If you don't do it, they will always be left alone and will not fall to the ground."

Zhang Haishi looked complicated and sighed, "If you insist on doing it, then I hope it's not now."

Li Xuandu whispered: "This is natural."