Luo Wenlong rolled his eyes: "Sir, can you make it clear? Who are you here to surrender for? Who should we surrender to?"
Xu Wei said calmly: "Who do you want me to surrender for? Who do you hope to surrender to?"
The two were playing riddles, and Wang Cuiqiao couldn't help it at first: "Does surrendering to the Ming court require so many twists and turns?"
Xu Hai sighed: "Cuiqiao, although you have seen some things about the world, your vision is still small. Things in the court are darker and more complicated than those in the market.
Sir, Xu is sincerely asking for advice. Please be honest and tell me everything you know! "
Xu Wei smiled: "Why, it's such a big deal, why don't you even buy me a drink?"
Xu Hai slapped his thigh: "Sir, what you said is extremely rude, Cui Qiao, arrange a family dinner, let's drink and chat with him!"
The food and wine were plentiful, but not very fresh. They were mainly air-dried meats, fish and shrimps, and there were very few fresh vegetables. It showed that life under siege was not easy.
The wine is definitely good wine, even Xiao Feng has to admit that it is good wine! Because this is the "Tianshi Zui" produced by Tianci Winery, and is specially made for the small altar version.
Seeing Xu Wei looking at the wine jar in a daze, Wang Cuiqiao pursed her lips and smiled: "This Master Xiao is not only talented in literature, but he can also make good wine.
The buyer said that the clerk at the wine shop swore that every small jar of wine was brewed by the Heavenly Master himself.
It is said that in Jiangsu and Zhejiang alone, tens of thousands of jars of this small jar of wine are sold a year. I don’t know if Master Xiao Tian still has time to do anything else. "
Xu Wei laughed loudly: "There are so many true and false things in the world. If you believe the same thing, it will be true to you. If he doesn't believe it, it will be false to him."
After the four of them had a drink together, Xu Wei finally spoke: "Captain Xu, I came here this time to recruit you for Hu Zongxian, but not for Xiao Feng."
Xu Hai was stunned and slowly took a bite: "Sir, everyone knows that Hu Zongxian and Xiao Feng have a good relationship, and Yu Dayou is Hu Zongxian's best friend."
Xu Wei looked at him with a smile: "Oh? I heard that Captain Xu and Wang Zhi had a very good relationship back then. They were not only good friends, but also brothers."
Xu Hai sighed: "Between two strong men, money can be shared, but power cannot be shared. Wang Zhi and I are both such people."
Xu Wei smiled and nodded: "What kind of person does Captain Xu think Hu Zongxian is?"
Xu Hai looked at Luo Wenlong, who nodded: "I have inquired about this person before, and there are also rumors in the court.
This person lives a luxurious life and is harmonious, but deep down he is an extremely strong person.
When Xiao Feng had not yet gained power, he had close contacts with Yan Party officials. He also wrote birthday notes to Yan Song and sent gold and silver.
Later, when Xiao Feng rose, he used a brothel girl to establish a relationship with Xiao Feng, and introduced Yu Dayou to Xiao Feng. With these two lines, he became a member of Xiao Feng's party.
However, Yu Dayou is comparable to Xiao Feng's master and disciple, while Hu Zongxian is worthy of Xiao Feng's brother. Although he relies on Xiao Feng, he is not inferior in attitude. "
Xu Wei was quite surprised: "The young captain is really well-informed. Yes, among Xiao Feng's party, there are powerful governors like Qiu Luan, as well as ministers and ministers like Ding Rukui and Zhang Juzheng.
Although these people are older, they all obey Xiao Feng's advice and regard him as an elder brother. Not to mention that Yu Dayou and the two princes all held the disciple ceremony.
But whether he was partnering with Qiu Luan or Yu Dayou, Hu Zongxian always held the real power from a low position and was never really at a disadvantage.
This is Hu Zongxian. In his heart, he will never bow down to anyone. That's why I'm willing to help him.
Otherwise, let alone a small patrol censor back then, even the current minister of the Ministry of War and the future governor of Jiangnan will be looked down upon by me! "
Others may say this a bit arrogantly, but Xu Wei's words are absolutely convincing.
He is similar to Tang Bohu back then. If anyone wanted to rebel, they would all rush to get him as his disciple, and they would not be able to escape without pretending to be crazy.
Xu Hai looked directly at Xu Wei: "Sir, are you saying that Hu Zongxian wants to recruit me alone, but he doesn't want this to become Xiao Feng's credit?"
Xu Wei put his hands on his hands and laughed: "Captain Xu is a great hero, he really knows everything! Xiao Feng's contribution to Wang Zhi's surrender is already huge.
If Captain Xu is surrendered again, I am afraid that no one in the country within a country on the sea will be able to compete with him in the future, which is not a good thing even for the imperial court. "
Luo Wenlong suddenly interjected: "But Xiao Feng is now at the height of his power, and he is evenly matched with the Yan Party. What reliance does Hu Zongxian have to dare to plot this secretly?
Sir, please don’t tell me that Hu Zongxian wants to defect to the Yan Party again. This doesn’t sound very reliable! "
Xu Wei glanced at him, with disappointment and contempt in his eyes, as if he was sighing, how could you, a young captain with a great reputation, say such mindless nonsense?
Luo Wenlong originally thought he had hit Xu Wei's weakness, but Xu Wei's eyes made him feel annoyed and guilty. If someone else looked at him like that, he would have slapped him long ago.
But when Xu Wei looked at him like this, he felt that he might have really said something wrong, so he had to pour a glass of wine and touch it with Xu Wei to ask for advice.
Xu Wei drank it all in one gulp: "It's actually not surprising that the Young Captain has such a thought. Although the Young Captain is wise and decisive, he is under Captain Xu's wing after all and has never really been the overlord of a party.
Therefore, what the young captain thinks is that the party is attached to others. If Hu Zongxian wanted to switch to the Yan Party, he might as well just stay in the Xiao Feng Party, and it would be easier to get promoted and make a fortune.
If Hu Zongxian's ambition is nothing more than a career as a governor or minister, he would not be worthy of my assistance. "
Xu Hai suddenly realized: "Sir, are you saying that Hu Zongxian actually wants to establish his own business?"
Everyone in the room suddenly fell into silence. This was really surprising, but if you think about it carefully, it was expected.
It's just that everyone thought before that there were only two parties in the court, either Yan or Xiao, and at most there were some neutral factions, but they couldn't become parties.
It's not that people have no imagination, but in reality, it is extremely rare for there to be three parties in the court. Basically, it is a situation where one family dominates, or two parties compete.
After Xia Yan's fall, the court was dominated by Yan Dang's family. This situation was very common when powerful ministers were in power.
But in the long history, fighting between two parties is actually the most common situation. This is actually related to the emperor's imperial skills.
When the situation of a dominant family emerges, the emperor will gradually feel unsafe, and he will support an opposition faction intentionally or unintentionally to compete with the establishment.
Even if this opposition faction is not an opponent of the establishment at all, it must still exist. Its function is similar to a hammer. You can pick it up and hit the establishment to remind them that you are the master.
Therefore, Xiao Feng's rapid rise, even with the blessing of Taoism, the aura of his junior brother, and his numerous military exploits, was actually a deliberate promotion by Jiajing.
But for the emperor, it was enough for the two parties to fight. A tripartite confrontation was both unnecessary and dangerous.
As we all know, the three-body system is an unstable system, as both Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Liu Cixin have proved. An unstable system means it is uncontrollable and even unpredictable.
Therefore, any situation in history where a three-legged court appeared was definitely not intentional by the emperor, but meant that the emperor began to lose control of the court.
On this point, the old emperor in Langya List has the most say. The two sons were clearly entangled in his hands, almost turning into pointy lion heads, when suddenly a green-skinned walnut squeezed in!
The old emperor didn't realize that this was the beginning of a three-legged relationship. He carelessly put the green walnuts in and plated them together. As a result, he not only destroyed the two lion heads, but also sprained his own fingers, completely losing control.
So after being shocked, Xu Hai said slowly: "What Mr. Hu said is indeed in line with Hu Zongxian's character. It's just that Long Live may not tolerate the third force."
Xu Wei smiled calmly: "Maybe not right now, but Hu Zongxian is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, and he is slowly rising and not attracting attention.
When the Yan Party and the Xiao Party fight, one of them will be injured. There should be a resolution within this year. By then, will you be able to tolerate Long Live? "
oh! It turns out that Hu Zongxian had this idea! All three of them suddenly realized.
This tactic is called the spare tire tactic. It has always been well known and skillfully used by the majority of licking dogs, but it is just not as good as Hu Zongxian.
Now Xiao Dang and Yan Dang seem to be evenly matched, that's because Yan Shifan was forced to stay away from the court. With Yan Shifan's character and ability, he would never retire in Jiangxi.
He will definitely plan a big move and fight Xiao Feng to the death. So the current situation is that Yan Song is struggling to defend his base in the court, while Yan Shifan is communicating underground with the intention of counterattack.
After several battles between Yan Shifan and Xiao Feng before leaving Beijing, although he did not take advantage, he still managed to survive a desperate situation and successfully turned back the enemy.
Now everyone in the court unanimously believes that if there is anyone in the world who can fight to the death with Xiao Feng, then in terms of ability and resources, it must be Yan Shifan.
Hu Zongxian can naturally see this, and he can also see that this battle is absolutely inevitable! Because the hatred between the Yan and Xiao families is too great, they will not stop until one side dies.
Since one of the two must die, no matter which side is the winner, what follows is a situation where one family dominates. Jiajing must build another opposition.
Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and Hu Zongxian is starting to prepare now. And he will definitely gradually alienate Xiao Feng, unite some officials, and become a non-partisan person in the eyes of others.
In this way, if the Yan party is defeated and he breaks away from the Xiao party and forms his own party, people will not feel too abrupt and ungrateful.
And if it was Xiao Dang who was defeated, he would not be too implicated. Only by escaping the implication would he have the opportunity to enter the scope of the emperor's training.
Luo Wenlong suddenly remembered something: "So that's it. I sneaked ashore to inquire about the news a few days ago, and I heard from people in the posthouse that Xiao Feng thought the banquet prepared by Hu Zongxian was too extravagant and threw the cup."
Xu Wei sneered: "Not only did I drop the cup, but if Yu Dayou hadn't held it down with his hand, the whole banquet table would have been overturned.
He asked Hu Zongxian to learn from Hai Rui, but Hu Zongxian replied, "What's the point of living like Hai Rui?" Xiao Feng got angry. "
Xu Hai sighed: "It's no wonder, this time in the Miao Territory incident, Hai Rui has kept his reputation and is in the limelight. Naturally, Xiao Feng will do whatever he wants.
Hu Zongxian came to Jiangnan on Xiao Feng's recommendation. He lives such a luxurious life, which is in stark contrast to Hai Rui. No wonder Xiao Feng is worried that he will embarrass himself! "
Luo Wenlong believed most of it at this time, but still had some doubts. He toasted to Xu Wei again.
"Sir, if Hu Zongxian wants to establish his own business, he must contact some people to form a secret party, but at this time, the officials in the DPRK and China are either strict or indifferent.
Those centrists who did not join the Yan Party back then and have not joined the Xiao Party now mean that they are determined not to participate in party struggles. What can Hu Zongxian rely on? "
Xu Wei smiled calmly and took out a letter and opened it. It seemed to be the handwriting and private seal of Qiu Luan, the governor of Xuanda.
The letter didn't mention any sensitive topics. It just stated that the letter had been received. We two brothers have a life-long friendship, a friendship that has been baptized by blood and fire. What matters to you, Lao Hu, is my matter to Qiu Luan!
"This is just a glimpse of Hu Zongxian's many years of management. After Hu Zongxian became an official in Zhongju, there was not a day when he was not running these things.
Xiao Feng thought Hu Zongxian was a chess piece in his chess game, but he didn't know that Hu Zongxian also regarded Xiao Feng as a chess piece in his chess game. It is not yet known who the chess player is. "
At this point, Xu Hai and Luo Wenlong no longer had any doubts, and they looked at Xu Wei together.
"Sir, what does Mr. Hu want us to do?"
Xu Wei drank a glass of wine: "Now that Xiao Feng is the governor of Jiangnan, whether you surrender to Wang Zhi or Hu Zongxian, the credit will be recorded on his head.
What Hu Zongxian means is that you must grit your teeth and never let go no matter who comes to persuade you to surrender. Hu Zongxian will secretly persuade Xiao Feng to give up his position as governor of Jiangnan!
At that time, Hu Zongxian will personally recruit you to surrender. If you surrender at that time, all the credit will be in his hands. He can also find a good future for you, at least he will not be restricted by Wang Zhi! "
Luo Wenlong asked worriedly: "But Xiao Feng has done a good job as the governor of Jiangnan, is he willing to give it up?"
Xu Wei smiled and said: "You don't know what's going on here. When the Yan Party pushed Xiao Feng to the position of governor of Jiangnan, there was actually a conspiracy.
Xiao Feng once told Yu Dayou that Yu Dayou was careless and told Hu Zongxian.
At the beginning, Party Yan wanted to promote the conversion of rice into mulberry, but was worried about provoking a civil uprising in Jiangnan, so he pushed Xiao Feng forward, preparing to use him as a shield and scapegoat.
Moreover, Xiao Feng said that there was a huge conspiracy, that is, the White Lotus Sect bribed the Yan Party. They hoped that Xiao Feng would take the princess to Jiangnan so that they could hold the princess hostage and negotiate terms with the court!
Xiao Feng happened to want to lure and annihilate the White Lotus Sect at that time, so he followed the trend and took over the position of Governor of Jiangnan.
Now that the White Lotus Sect has ceased to exist in name only, it is not a good thing to turn rice into mulberry. Why does Xiao Feng still want to be the governor of Jiangnan?
The only worry is that Yan Dang refuses to let go. Hu Zongxian is moving around, hoping to get help from some officials so that Yan Dang can relent and let Xiao Feng give up the position of governor of Jiangnan to him. "
Luo Wenlong smiled secretly in his heart, you only know one thing but not the other. It seems that Xiao Feng did not tell the whole truth to Yu Dayou.
What about holding the princess hostage and negotiating terms with the court? I heard Yan Shifan say that Xiao Qin clearly wanted to practice martial arts with Princess Chang'an!
But these details are not important. What is important is that now Hu Zongxian's ambition has hit Yan Shifan's needs. What kind of opportunity is this? This is a good opportunity for the ancestors of the Yan family to fake their corpses!
So, Xiao Feng wanted to hand over the governorship of Jiangnan to Hu Zongxian, but he was worried that the strict party would obstruct him?
What a joke, as long as I, Luo Wenlong, am here, Party Strict will never be able to stop this kind of thing!
But of course Luo Wenlong couldn't reveal all this at this time. He couldn't let Xu Wei know that his friendship with Yan Shifan was too deep. Even with Xu Hai, he always said that his association with Yan Shifan was for the benefit of the Xu Hai Group.
"Sir, I had some business dealings with Yan Shifan before. I can help Mr. Hu in this matter!"
Xu Wei was overjoyed: "This is very good! But don't tell Yan Shifan that Hu Zongxian has the intention to form his own sect, otherwise it will be unsightly."
After this is done, I will ask for credit for the young captain. When he is recruited and surrendered in the future, Hu Zongxian will make proper arrangements! "
Xu Hai glanced at Luo Wenlong, feeling a little unhappy, but he was still more concerned about the issue at hand.
"Sir, these things can be handled calmly. But now Wang Zhi has surrounded me. To be honest, if he attacks fiercely regardless of the cost, it is not impossible to defeat him!"
Xu Hai finally stopped pretending. He had gritted his teeth with Luo Wenlong before, saying that Wang Zhi would never be able to attack the island. In fact, it was mainly to raise the price.
No matter how big or dangerous the island is, it is still a pirate. If Wang Zhi attacks at all costs, with his new ship cannon, he will definitely be able to cover the small boat landing on the island.
However, Xu Hai's strength is still very strong. This battle between the two sides can easily lead to Xu Hai's destruction and Wang Zhi's tragic victory.
As a surrendered general, Wang Zhi would definitely not dare to waste all his wealth, otherwise he would be truly worthless.
So Xu Hai's bet was that Wang Zhi was unwilling to accept a miserable victory, not that Wang Zhi really couldn't beat him. But he was also worried that if the court issued a death order, Wang Zhi would be helpless. This situation was not impossible to happen!
Xu Wei stroked his beard and smiled: "Don't worry, with Hu Zongxian here, Wang Zhi will naturally be restrained and he will not be able to launch a general offensive. Now Xiao Feng still trusts Hu Zongxian."
Luo Wenlong and Xu Hai were overjoyed and raised their glasses together. The three men talked about court disputes and conspiracies, but Wang Cuiqiao didn't care at all.
At this time, Wang Cuiqiao's heart was filled with the bustling markets, steaming snacks, and the beautiful Jiangnan water towns. The hardships of these years made her cherish the opportunities brought by Xu Wei.
"Brother Hai, I really want this day to come as soon as possible!"
