In the Liang Kingdom's Qingzhou Palace, Li Jian has been doing nothing all day since he voluntarily handed over his military power and sealed the place as king. The Qingzhou Governor was promoted and managed well, and he didn't need to worry about anything as a king with a different surname.
On this day, Li Jian was admiring flowers and drinking tea in the palace. Wei Sheng came to visit with two jars of highland barley wine, a specialty of Qingzhou. When he saw Li Jian, he picked up the wine jar, shook it, and said, "I have seen the prince. It is inconvenient for me to salute, so please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Li Jian smiled and said: "You naughty guy, don't be glib. Sit down quickly." The two of them obviously had a good personal relationship, and Wei Sheng was not particular about it. He sat down casually, handed the wine jar to Li Jian, and said with a smile: "My lord, please try it quickly." , your favorite highland barley wine."
Li Jian opened the lid and didn't take the wine glass. He raised his head and drank. The strong wine entered his stomach, and it was so hot that it dripped freely. He spit out a mouthful of strong alcohol smell. Li Jian laughed at himself: "I think back then, I fought in the north and south, and went through all kinds of wars. Since I was more than a hundred years old, I firmly believed that drinking would cause trouble, and I almost never drank. Unexpectedly, I had just arrived in Qingzhou for less than half a month, but I fell in love with highland barley wine, which was not even on the market in the capital. Things are really unpredictable, and there are many people under your rule, Mr. Wei. Fang, it makes me appear to be 'good for nothing'. I am afraid that in the eyes of the people of Qingzhou, I am just an alcoholic who is just trying to gain fame."
If ordinary officials heard such words, they would have been on pins and needles with fear, but Wei Sheng just smiled slightly, took a sip of spicy highland barley wine, and said: "Your Majesty, you are too worried. Your Majesty has been on the battlefield for many years, accumulated great military exploits, and was crowned king. It is a well-deserved worship. The folk customs in Qingzhou are simple and the people are martial. They only have awe in their hearts for the prince, not to mention those military generals who regard the prince as a god. Qingzhou does not need the prince to interfere in political affairs. In the eyes of the lower officials, it is a great good thing. If The government affairs in Qingzhou are in a mess, and the prince is the first to attack me, the prefect, so it is not my turn to have a drink with the prince."
Li Jian just shook his head and smiled bitterly. After many years of fighting in the north and south, I have already developed the habit of falling asleep with my eyes closed after dismounting, and fighting when I open my eyes and mount my horse. Now that I have a leisurely life in this huge palace, I am really not used to it.
Wei Sheng continued: "Your Majesty, can we talk drunkenly while we are drunk today?"
"Master Wei, it's okay to say so."
Although Wei Sheng had met Li Jian not long ago, he had already figured out the temperament of the only king with a different surname in the dynasty. He was not ambiguous and said directly: "There is news from the capital that your Majesty has given General Cao a death order. He suppressed the rebellion of the Xiping Kingdom within half a year, and now the army is heading straight for the border. Xianguan has never been on the battlefield and does not know the details. I dare to ask the prince, Xiping is not a small barbarian country in the south. Why has the war continued for decades and has never been pacified? This time General Cao personally leads an army of 100,000 people, can he succeed?"
Li Jian shook his head and said: "Although the Xiping Kingdom only occupies a corner on the Central Plains map, it is surrounded by the sea on three sides. I, Daliang, are not good at water warfare. It is not easy to destroy Xiping. The reason why the Xiping Kingdom is difficult to attack is that in addition to occupying natural dangers, Another point is that the Liang Kingdom claims to have millions of troops, but only 700,000 or 800,000 soldiers can actually mount up to fight. If half the country's strength is used to destroy Xiping, how can the remaining half of the army stop Chu and Yan from joining forces? Moreover, King Nu was far better at leading troops than Cao Bo, and his Ashan Nu was also a rare general. No matter who led the troops, Cao Bo's 100,000-strong army had no chance of winning. The Xiping Kingdom has taken advantage of the right time, place, and people. To destroy it is as difficult as climbing to the sky."
Wei Sheng had also read several military books on weekdays. After hearing this, he thought for a moment and asked: "According to the prince, the Xiping Kingdom is like the yellow mud in the crotch. It doesn't matter if you wipe it or don't wipe it. So what about this situation?" What's the point of fighting it?"
Li Jian laughed dumbly: "Master Wei, what you said is very true. Although my family, Daliang, has a great business, if I don't deal with the Xiping Kingdom well, I will have to break my bones. On the contrary, in the Xiping Kingdom, those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Losing is nothing more than surrendering to Daliang. If you are lucky enough to win, I'm afraid the world will change."
Wei Sheng pondered and said: "Since it is an act that will cause a lot of harm but no benefit, why does the Holy Spirit insist on attacking Xiping?"
Li Jian sighed and explained: "Master Wei, does he know what costs the most money in the world?" Seeing Wei Sheng's silence, he continued, "The most money-consuming thing in the world is raising soldiers! I have millions of soldiers in Daliang, and this is it. The most money-hungry glutton in the world, he has to spend countless silver taels every year just to support the army. If there is a war, the silver taels will be even more. The maintenance of the swords and armors, the support of the war horses, and the food and salary of the soldiers and frontier troops all require a lot of money. Silver support. If my guess is correct, if the current consumption continues, the silver inventory of our country in Daliang can only last for twenty years at most. Moreover, emphasizing culture and restraining military force is the eternal law of every dynasty. Your Majesty is ambitious and single-minded. I want to accomplish a feat that neither my father nor my brother have accomplished, and now Daliang has given birth to a king with a different surname that violates the ancestral system. In order to prevent the generals from relying on their own troops after the peace of the world, this battle must be fought."
Wei Sheng looked angry and said angrily: "It's such a clumsy imperial trick again. Do you want to bury hundreds of thousands of my talented men for someone's eternal emperor?"
Regarding these heart-breaking words, Li Jian did not comment, patted Wei Sheng's shoulder lightly, and said: "Master Wei, just tell me about these untimely complaints, so as not to bring death to yourself."
Wei Sheng looked miserable and sighed: "This is natural. Prince, don't worry. I know the importance of this."
Li Jian stood up alone and looked into the distance. As a military general, it was a great honor to break the earth and become king, but there was still one regret in Li Jian's heart. Among all the generals in the world, Sikong Li and Baili Jin are recognized as unparalleled in their military skills. Although Li Jian has fought with these two men several times without losing a single victory, his ability to lead troops is still far behind them. However, It was only possible to win with an absolute advantage in military strength, and it was inevitable that in the eyes of the world, it would be regarded as a failure of victory. Now that he is the king of Qingzhou, if nothing unexpected happens, he may never have the chance to fight on the battlefield in the future. I wonder if he can defeat these two people once in his life.
After Cao Qiong was stopped by Sikong Li at the border of Dachu, he no longer wanted to cause trouble for Feng Jingquan and turned back to Sword God Mountain. Lu Xiong had already fallen asleep by this time. Cao Qiong stood in front of the bed, looked at the newborn apprentice, and sighed: "Disciple, your great enemy Master failed to avenge you. When you learn the skill in the future, you must personally kill Feng Jingquan and take revenge for you." Your parents are seeking revenge!”
Cao Qiong has now entered the realm of heaven and man, and his foundation is not yet stable. He needs to retreat to consolidate his realm. He asks the village women to take care of Lu Xiong during this period, while he begins to retreat.
On the first day of August in the sixth year of Yonghong, Cao Bo, the famous general of Liang State, personally led an army of 100,000 to Heding City in southern Jingzhou. Looking at Xiping Kingdom in the distance, a war was about to break out.
