In a three-entry courtyard in the center of Liaocheng, Shi Kefa was pruning a plum blossom with a pair of small and delicate scissors.
After cutting off several stray branches, he held the scissors and stared at them.
After a while, he raised his hand to cut off a branch on the left, but when the scissors touched the branch, he stopped and looked at the branch on the right.
He hesitated for a while, put down the branch on the left, and was about to cut the branch on the right, but he was stunned again.
"It's best to cut both sides together!"
Just when Shi Kefa was hesitating, a hearty voice came from behind.
He looked for a voice and saw Shen Tingyang standing not far away, accompanied by his staff Yan Ermei. He had obviously been here for a while.
Shi Kefa smiled and said: "Brother Ji Ming, this is what you said. If I cut it off, if it gets damaged, don't say that I ruined your reputation as Mr. Wumei!"
Shen Tingyang laughed and said: "What kind of reputation? It's just a fool. Just cut it off. I won't recognize it even if it's broken!"
Yan Ermei on the side saw that Shi Kefa was rarely in a good mood, and took the opportunity to joke: "Mr. Wu Mei, you have always been generous, how come you have turned into a rogue today!"
Shen Tingyang shook his head with a smile and said: "No, no, the so-called true celebrities are romantic, you ordinary people can't understand it!"
Yan Ermei joked: "Are all the real celebrities nowadays self-proclaimed? If so..."
...
After the three of them joked, Shi Kefa invited Shen Tingyang into the hall and asked his servants to serve tea.
Yan Ermei was about to leave, but was stopped by Shi Kefa, so he bowed and stood aside.
Seeing this, Shi Kefa pointed to a chair at the bottom and said: "Brother Yongqing, why are you standing instead of sitting down!"
Yan Ermei smiled and said: "Dong Weng, there is a difference between superiority and inferiority. The younger one is better off standing!"
Shi Kefa shook his head and said: "Brother Yongqing, we are friends this time, you don't have to be polite, sit down quickly!"
At this time, Shen Tingyang on the side also said: "Yes, Brother Yongqing, you are a man of great talent. Even though he is the Minister of the Ministry of War, he still has to curry favor with you."
"Besides, he and I have been friends for many years. I will never speak ill of him outside. You just have to sit down boldly!"
Hearing this, Shi Kefa laughed and scolded Shen Tingyang a few words, then asked Yan Ermei to sit down, and then he sat down sideways.
It turns out that Yan Ermei is not an ordinary staff member. He has little reputation for talent, is the best at poetry, and also advocates loyalty and integrity. After joining the Fushe, he became as famous as Zhang Pu and Chen Zilong.
It was only because he opposed the eunuch party that he was framed and expelled from the ranks of officials, so he had no official position.
However, although he had not become an official, he was worried about the country. After hearing that the capital was besieged, he summoned the local warriors and wrote a letter to Shi Kefa.
Seeing that his letter was not only brilliant in writing but also insightful, Shi Kefa invited him to come for discussion.
After Yan Ermei got the letter, he hurried to Nanjing. Unexpectedly, Shi Kefa had already left for the capital, so he had to return sadly.
On his way back to his hometown, he heard that Shi Kefa was fighting in Shandong, so he rushed to join him at night.
The two had a very pleasant conversation after meeting. It happened that Shi Kefa also needed someone to discuss things, so Yan Ermei bent down and became an aide.
However, Shi Kefa never regarded him as an aide and always treated him as a friend.
Shen Tingyang was a little strange when they first met, but later he found out the reason and admired Yan Ermei very much. Later, he found that the two of them had similar temperaments, and they became even closer.
After the three of them tasted tea, Shen Tingyang looked at Shi Kefa and said, "Brother Xian, I just saw you being uneasy when you were cutting plum blossoms, but are you worried about Gao Jie and Xie Sheng?"
Shi Kefa nodded and said: "Brother Ji Ming has a keen eye, I am worried about this matter."
"I think I have been here for nearly ten days, but I still can't coordinate the two of them well. I feel depressed. I wanted to cut plums for my own entertainment, but..."
"Why......"
As Shi Kefa spoke, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Shen Tingyang said in a deep voice: "Brother Xian, I have thought about this matter again and again. I feel that for the current plan, it is best to transfer him out of Shandong alone to end the dispute as soon as possible, otherwise it may affect the overall situation!"
Shi Kefa shook his head and said: "Brother Ji Ming, I have the same idea, but Jinan City has high walls and thick walls. I'm afraid that after transferring Gao Jie, Your Majesty Xie will not be able to capture the city!"
Shen Tingyang frowned and said: "Yes, it is indeed difficult to capture Jinan with Xie Your Majesty's power alone... Then can we ask Gao Jie to divide his troops to rescue Li Ruolian?"
"Li Ruolian has been besieged in Huaxian County for several days now. If we don't send troops, I'm afraid he will die!"
Shi Kefa frowned and said: "I don't know. It's just that I told Gao Jie about this, but he refused because of the war in Shandong. In addition, his wife Xing is very cunning. It is not easy to get them to divide their troops!"
Shen Tingyang nodded and said: "This Xing family is indeed a difficult character. I didn't expect that she, a woman, would be more thoughtful than us men. And I heard that she was the one who led troops into Shandong before Gao Jie came. "
Yan Ermei on the side saw the two of them frowning, hesitated for a while, and said: "Two adults, why do you have to transfer Jie to the top?"
"You must know that he has 60,000 men under his command, and most of them are brave men, while Xie Your Majesty only has 30,000 men. Why not transfer Xie Your Majesty out?"
Hearing this, Shi Kefa shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, Gao Jie was once a bandit. Although he has changed his ways now, his banditry is still hard to change!"
"Especially now that His Majesty's temperament has changed drastically and he has awarded many military knights titles. If Gao Jie is allowed to be knighted because of this, it will be a great disadvantage to us."
Shen Tingyang sighed and said: "Brother Xian, don't say that His Majesty's temperament has changed drastically. In the final analysis, we civil servants are not up to par."
"Look at the commanders who commanded the troops. Every one of them has either been defeated or surrendered. If your majesty doesn't use military men, who will he use?"
Shi Kefa glanced at Shen Tingyang and said seriously: "Brother Ji Ming, I don't agree with your words!"
"You must know that warriors have rough temperaments and are unruly and unruly. Once they are allowed to take power, they will start war at the slightest dissatisfaction. Not only will the people be uneasy, but the country will also be in turmoil."
"So even if we want to use them, we can only use them as deputies, and we must not let them take power, especially now that there are constant wars. If you are not careful, you will be in danger of the end of the Han and Tang Dynasties!"
When Shen Tingyang heard this, he said helplessly: "Brother Xian, although what you say is reasonable, the world is in chaos now. Who among the civil servants can help Your Majesty eliminate rebellion and rule the world?"
"In my opinion, we might as well appoint military men first, cut off the rebels, and then plan for them slowly. You must know that our Ming Dynasty has always used civility to suppress military power. I think Taizu is so wise, but in the end he did not re-employ civil servants."
Shi Kefa shook his head and said: "Brother Ji Ming, you are too optimistic. You also know that His Majesty has recently killed many civil servants. Even if the remaining people have not been killed, few of them have real power."
"If things continue like this, it will be difficult for our civil service lineage to raise its head. How can we talk about admonishing His Majesty and guiding the government? You must not take this matter lightly, and..."
As Shen Tingyang listened to Shi Kefa's story, his face became more and more solemn.
Some people died, but not completely...
