On the fourth day of April in the third year of Yonghong, since Emperor Wu of Liang succeeded to the throne, the Liang Kingdom has been in constant war. The national treasury has already been used up, and Feng Jingquan has been exhausted all day long. There was no other way but to increase taxes from the people. It turned out that when Emperor Qing was in power, the monthly taxes collected by each household in the Liang Kingdom were only thirty coins per person, and children under ten years old were not included in the tax. The people had extra money. Naturally, life was prosperous and there was hope in life. However, Emperor Wu continued to increase taxes. In just three years, the original 30 Wen was raised to 300 Wen. In addition, Emperor Wu was ambitious and eager to expand the territory of the Liang Kingdom. Desperate to rule the world like Emperor Qin, he even set a rule that every adult male in each household must be drafted into the army to serve the country. These overlord clauses naturally caused complaints, the people were in dire straits, and all the men were pulled out of their prime, leaving the rest A group of old and weak women and children naturally cannot afford the harsh government that is fiercer than a tiger. Compared with the peace and prosperity of the country and the people during the reign of Emperor Qing, the Liang Kingdom has long lost its prosperity.
Under heavy pressure, there must be resistance. For a time, princes from all over the country rebelled one after another. The Yan Kingdom in the north, the Chu Kingdom in the west, and the Xiping Kingdom in the south also launched a large-scale attack on the Liang Kingdom. War broke out, and internal and external troubles broke out. Emperor Wu of Liang was very worried. Tired of dealing with it, fortunately, the Liang State had a deep foundation and Li Jian was brave and good at fighting. He led 300,000 cavalry to resist the powerful enemy, thus ensuring the Liang State's peace for a while.
On this day, Baili Jin, the general of the Yan State, sat alone in the tent, holding a string of rosary beads in his hand, and muttered: "Your Majesty is still too impatient. After the death of Emperor Liang Qing, Emperor Wu will definitely eradicate dissidents and cultivate Confidants, if we wait until the green days are over, and then join forces with Xiping of Chu, we can win in chaos. But now, although the people of Liang are resentful, there are still Li family father and son who are in charge, both internally and externally. How easy will it be to conquer Liang? Besides, Xiping of Chu has its own power. In order to fight, small fights cannot damage the fundamentals. If this continues, I, the Yan Kingdom, will not be able to afford it!"
At this time, a report came from outside the account: "General, Guo Yuan wants to see you." Guo Yuannai was a famous counselor in Yan State, and he had always been on good terms with Baili Jin. When the latter heard this, he hurriedly said: "Please come quickly!"
Not long after, a handsome scholar walked into the account. No one would have thought that this one of the best counselors in the Yan Kingdom was not yet 30 years old. Although Baili Jin was over forty and held great power, he still respected Guo Yuan. He said: "I have met Mr. Guo. I wonder why he came to this military tent today?"
Guo Yuan straightened his clothes and returned the greeting: "General Baili is too polite. Please sit down first. I have a plan to offer. I am here to discuss with the general today."
Baili Jin motioned for Guo Yuan to take a seat, and even poured him a glass of wine himself: "Sir, it doesn't matter if you say so."
Guo Yuan took the wine glass and asked directly without any nonsense: "General, what do you think the king's chances of winning are when he attacks the Liang Kingdom?"
Upon hearing this, Baili Jin's expression changed and he looked around. Seeing this, Guo Yuan continued: "General, don't worry, it's just you and me here, you can speak freely." Seeing Baili Jin shake his head and smile bitterly, Guo Yuan said again: "You and I know it well. With the current national strength of our country, Yan , trying to break through the Liang Kingdom is nothing more than a dream. Not to mention the 300,000 cavalry led by Li Jian, the other three of the four famous generals of the Liang Kingdom are also strong soldiers and horses, all of them are brave and good at fighting. Looking at the entire Yan Kingdom, except Baili Except for the general, no one can compete with him."
Although he was bragging, Baili Jin had to admit that what Guo Yuan said was true and could only sigh.
He also heard Guo Yuan say: "Your Majesty believes that under the tyranny of Emperor Wu of Liang, the people are in dire straits, and the Liang Kingdom will inevitably have internal troubles. But this is not a romance novel. There are not so many princes and generals who have the guts to be happy with each other. Ordinary people dare to be angry and speak out. , but without weapons, what kind of trouble can be caused? Even if he rebels, he can't escape the fate of being suppressed. Although Emperor Qing is dead, as the saying goes, a tiger cannot be defeated by death. As long as Li Jian still holds the military power, those thirty Ten Thousand Iron Cavalry are still there, no matter whether it is Emperor Wu or Emperor Wen, the Liang Kingdom cannot be defeated!"
Baili Jin agreed: "Sir, what you said is right. As long as Li Jian dies, the Liang Kingdom will not be destroyed. I have fought with him three times without winning a single victory. This is not my own boast. No matter how we arrange our troops or singles, we will not win." Regardless of whether I'm fighting alone or not, I'm slightly better than him, but the difference between 80,000 and 300,000 is too big!"
Guo Yuan comforted him and said: "General, don't be discouraged. You must know that thirty years from Hedong and thirty years from Hexi. If the general can trust me, within ten years, the general will personally break through the gate of Liang Kingdom and cut off Li Jian's head with his own hands!"
When Baili Jin heard this, his expression was excited, his fists could not stop shaking, and he hurriedly asked: "What is the method? Sir, please tell me."
Guo Yuan was not in a hurry, dipped his finger into the wine in the cup, and lightly wrote the word "leave" on the table. Baili Jin was not a brave person. Seeing this scene, he frowned and asked: "General I have thought about this trick, but how easy is it?"
Guo Yuan smiled slightly: "Is this the reason why I asked to see the general today? Or as I said, can the general be trusted?" Baili Jin nodded and said: "That's natural."
Guo Yuan's expression changed and he said sternly: "After today, I want the general to fight with Liang Guo. He can only lose, not win!"
When Baili Jin heard this, he gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Why is this?"
Guo Yuan heard the murderous intent in Baili Jin's words and was not afraid. He continued: "General, please note that in the Liang Kingdom, the military generals in the Liang Kingdom are headed by Li Jian, while the civil servants are led by Taishi Jiang Qing. Jiang Qinggui is a close minister of the emperor and has a slight status. He is better than Li Jian by a head, but there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Jiang Qing will naturally not let Li Jian's power gradually grow. However, in addition to being the commander of 300,000 cavalry, Li Jian also has another identity, that is, the son of Li Xian, the best master in the Liang Kingdom. , even if Jiang Qing had the intention to harm Li Jian, he would not dare to act rashly, so he could only get rid of this serious trouble with the help of Emperor Wu of Liang."
Guo Yuan picked up the wine glass, drank it down in one gulp, and then continued: "The general may ask, why did Emperor Wu of Liang help Jiang Qing to kill Li Jian? It's just four words, 'The master is shocked by his great achievements'. How can he allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch?" I would like to ask the general, which emperor in history would allow his subordinates to have supreme military power? If Li Jiansheng had the intention to rebel, and 300,000 cavalry would turn against him, how would Emperor Liang Wu handle himself? Previously, Feng Jingan and Li Jianshi came from the same family, and they could be regarded as brothers. Naturally, I can rest assured, but Feng Jingquan has succeeded to the throne on a temporary basis and has an unfair reputation, so he will never trust Li Jian. Therefore, the person who wants to get rid of Li Jian most in the world is none other than Liang Wu Emperor Feng Jingquan!"
Baili Jin still didn't quite understand and asked, "Sir, what you said is true, but what does this have to do with the fact that I am only allowed to lose but not win?"
Guo Yuan smiled slightly and explained: "In troubled times, military commanders are rewarded, and in prosperous times, civil servants are promoted. Looking at the whole world, the only person who can be called Li Jian's opponent is the general. If Li Jian is sure to win every battle, he will definitely pacify Yan and Chu. , and the rebellion of the Three Kingdoms in the West, he will gain military glory from the sky, and it will be just around the corner to be crowned king and Prime Minister. When the power becomes stronger, whether it is Jiang Qing or Feng Jingquan, in order to protect themselves, they will definitely speed up their actions. After the external chaos is calmed down, the country will be in peace. When Li When the sword was sealed, there were only two options before him. One was to slowly hand over military power, remove his armor and return to the fields, and settle down to be a king with a different surname. The other was to become a mercenary on his own and raise an army to rebel. There is no other choice. When the time comes, if the general joins forces with me, will he still be afraid that he will not be able to break through the gate of Liang Kingdom?"
Baili Jin was mostly convinced at this time, but he still had some doubts: "These are just Mr.'s ideas. May I ask if this plan is foolproof?" As a famous general of the Yan Kingdom, Baili Jin would not only be humiliated if he lost the battles one after another. Having a great reputation for a lifetime will also implicate his soldiers, so he naturally has concerns.
Unexpectedly, Guo Yuan answered the question incorrectly and said, "General, does he know how Feng Jingquan came to power? And why did Feng Jing'an die suddenly in the Funing Palace in his prime?"
Seeing Guo Yuan's confident look, Baili Jin made a bold guess in his mind and asked, "Could this all be Mr.'s plan?"
Guo Yuan looked up to the sky and laughed: "The general's guess is right, it is my handiwork. God knows this, you know it, and I know it. Don't leak it to others. There is another thing. I need the general to unite Dachu and Xiping to fight against Liang country, in order to consume the military strength of the two countries, and the war situation can be tragic, but the battle losses must be small to preserve the strength of the Yan State. Only under the influence of one thing and another, will our country of Yan be able to stand out in troubled times in the future. As for the king, , General, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
At this moment, Baili Jin was convinced. He cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "Sir's strategy is unparalleled in the world. Baili Jin will wait and see."
On this day, Baili Jin rode alone to the Dachu military camp.
Guo Yuan returned to his residence, held his fingers together, and made a move like a chess piece. He said to himself, "What a big game of chess."
