Before the sun set, Pei Ju's carriage from Daxing stopped in front of the Xiao Mansion in Zhangye. Xiao Yu, who had already received the invitation, not only opened the main entrance and two side doors, but also asked all the men and women of the Xiao family to come out to greet him. This was enough. Pei Ju's face.
This is also a kind of grand reception in the communication of dignitaries. There is also a kind of reception that is for VIPs who have good relations or do not want to be too conspicuous. This relatively low-key reception does not require opening the main door or the whole family, but it is very low-key. Take the guest into the study to talk.
The study is a place where the male owner cultivates his mind and thinks about important things. In some houses, even the female owner is not allowed to enter without permission. If a maid or servant enters rashly, they will be punished at least and beaten to death at worst. If the male owner invites guests in, Talking in the study room means that he absolutely values and respects his guests.
Xiao Yu had both: Firstly, Pei Ju had a much higher official position than him, and secondly, Pei Ju came to visit in his personal capacity. In terms of personal status, Pei Ju was a generation senior to him. When he was a child, he visited Yang Jian with his father who worshiped him. Pei Ju, Pei Ju's shrewdness left a deep impression on him, so until now, Xiao Yu is still a little afraid of Pei Ju.
It was inevitable that when Pei Ju returned to the court, he would criticize Huai in front of his elder brother and say that he had no tutor. He simply had both manners, leaving Pei Ju with no choice. At the same time, he also told Pei Ju indirectly: I, Xiao Yu, respect you as the prime minister and my elder, and give you the respect you deserve. If you don’t have the magnanimity of a prime minister or an elder, then you don’t have to blame me for not having the magnanimity of a junior or a lower official. .
This kind of etiquette culture that seems to say nothing but actually says everything is the unique charm of Chinese civilization and cannot be possessed by barbaric and uncivilized barbarians.
Xiao Yu asked his family to salute Pei Ju outside the gate, and then invited him into the study. Pei Ju smiled again and said: "I didn't make an appointment in advance, and I disturbed my nephew who just came back from Guazhou. I also hope that my nephew Haihan !”
Xiao Yu also said politely: "Uncle Shi is here to make the humble house shine, so why bother?"
"My dear nephew, you're so polite!" Pei Ju chuckled. He could hear Xiao Yu's indifference and strong caution against others thousands of miles away. But having said that, he, Pei Ju, has long been accustomed to this kind of caution over the years.
Forget about Xiao Yu, it was his eldest brother Xiao Cong who was the emperor, and his sixth brother Xiao Jue who was the Minister of War in the Sui Dynasty. They met him. Isn't this the case? It seemed that only Yang Ji did not think that he was the prime minister, otherwise, he would not have abducted Pei Shuying as a married man.
"Uncle Shi, please have some tea!" At this time, Xiao Yu's wife Dugu brought a pot of tea and two cups, poured tea for the two of them, then bowed and left.
There were only two of them left in the study. Pei Ju picked up the tea cup and drank slowly. He knew that Xiao Yu was full of hostility and wariness towards him. If he couldn't make the other party take off his guard, no matter what he said, the other party would think he had bad intentions. , which eventually led to the misunderstanding expanding step by step. In the end, not only was there nothing to talk about, but it also made it impossible to continue in-depth communication in the future.
He put down the tea cup and glanced at the word "Master", and was suddenly shocked; generally speaking, the study room is the private space of the male owner, and many things that no one knows about will appear in the study room. A person's temperament can be seen from the furnishings, and a person's likes and interests can be seen from the furnishings. The calligraphy and painting that officials hang above the main seat are either the calligraphy and painting of the emperor or their superiors, or the calligraphy and painting they admire. The calligraphy and painting of calligraphers and painters.
However, the calligraphy that Xiao Yu hung directly above the study room has strong and powerful brushwork, turning thin and hard into plump and powerful, the structure is magnificent and majestic, the bones are strong and majestic, which is completely different from the gentle and elegant style that is prevalent today. The content of this painting is the majestic "Guan Cang Sea" that embraces the universe and swallows the sun and the moon.
The momentum of calligraphy and poetry are integrated into one, and there is a kind of majestic momentum that jumps out on the paper. Looking closely, Pei Ju even got goosebumps. He couldn't help but stand up, pointed to the calligraphy and asked: "My dear nephew, which calligrapher wrote this calligraphy? In my opinion, it is comparable to Wang Xizhi."
Pei Ju's words seemed disrespectful to Wang Xizhi, but they were true because Wang Xizhi's status in the Sui Dynasty had not yet reached the level of a god.
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is recognized as excellent, and it is also one of the famous calligraphy that high-ranking officials in the Sui Dynasty liked to collect. But the tragedy is that the value of the calligraphy he left behind in the Sui Dynasty was far less than that of his "master Taizu" Cai Yong, his master Zhong Yao, and his master Mrs. Wei.
After all, Wang Xizhi died just over 200 years ago, and he was an official. He has left many silk books, paper books, inscriptions, and official documents to this day. As for the other three, they were basically born in an era without paper. Most of the works were destroyed in the war, so there are very few works left to the present; since the three people's works are so rare, their value is naturally not comparable to that of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
The reason why Wang Xi was canonized is that his calligraphy became increasingly scarce over time, just like his predecessors. The second is the blessing of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in history. Li Shimin was Wang Xizhi's most loyal "fan". In order to obtain the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", he did not hesitate to send people to deceive him with the dignity of an emperor. After this matter spread, the civil and military ministers surrendered. His favorite thing is to learn all Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
Since the emperors and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were all learning it, how could local officials and scholars not learn it? Can Wang Xizhi not become popular? As a result, Wang Xizhi's supreme position in the history of calligraphy was established and consolidated in the Tang Dynasty.
Nowadays, Wang Xizhi's status in the calligraphy world is actually not much different from that of other famous calligraphers in history. In the aristocratic circle, Yang Ji is probably the only one who values Wang Xizhi's calligraphy the most. Native aristocrats like Pei Ju and Xiao Yu, Who would be as rare as Yang Ji?
The Xiao family is a family of emperors who peacefully handed over power. Yang Jian not only did not confiscate their home, but also rewarded them with a large amount of property. Therefore, the Xiao family has many calligraphy treasures belonging to the Wang family and his son. Otherwise, Xiao Cong would not have taken away Mrs. Wei casually. "Ming Ji Tie" and Wang Xizhi's "Seventeen Tie" were given to Xiao Ying to give to Yang Lihua as birthday gifts. Although it was eventually transferred to Yang Jizhi, it also shows that the Xiao family did not regard Wang Xizhi's works as indispensable heirlooms.
Pei Ju is also someone who has seen a lot of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. If what he saw now was the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", he might be moved, but it is definitely not like now.
Just because he was facing a new type of font that he had never heard of or seen before.
Xiao Yu stood up, looked at it, and said with a smile: "Uncle Shi, this is written by King Wei, and I picked it up conveniently."
When Pei Ju heard that the calligraphy was written by Yang Ji, he immediately asked righteously: "You just hung up the calligraphy of King Wei so casually?"
Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment and explained: "When I was decorating the study, I couldn't find suitable calligraphy and paintings, so I had someone hang them up. Is there anything wrong?"
Pei Ju angrily dragged over a table, climbed up on the table with agility, then carefully took off the banner, and then carefully rolled it up slowly. When he got off the table, it grew long again. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then angrily, Xiao Yu yelled at Xiao Yu with a face of astonishment: "As punishment for an ignorant junior like you, I confiscated it!"
He kept a sullen face and said nothing during the whole process, his eagerness to climb onto the table, his caution when picking and rolling up, his relief when he got off the table, his angry roar, and his "greed" for taking it for himself... Xiao Yu felt that this calligraphy was priceless, which caused him, the stable head of the Pei family and the Prime Minister, to become so arrogant in front of this calligraphy.
Is this calligraphy really so valuable?
Not expensive!
Not expensive at all.
Although Yang Ji's calligraphy is good and his style is very unique, as long as he does not die, he can write thousands of words, and his calligraphy is worthless. And Pei Ju is about to become Yang Ji's father-in-law. If he really wants Yang Ji's calligraphy, he can get hundreds or thousands of them from Yang Ji.
The reason why he "performed the monkey show" so vividly was actually to use it as a prop to break the strangeness between the two and Xiao Yu's wariness, thereby creating a happy atmosphere for the subsequent conversation.
Of course, if it were someone with the same status as Xiao Yu, it would only make people disgusted and disgusted; but Pei Ju's greedy behavior only made him feel strong joy; Xiao Yu inexplicably felt that this old man was greedy and cute, He couldn't help laughing after listening to Pei Ju's natural words.
Pei Ju glared at him and couldn't help laughing: "Is there any more? Bring it to me and confiscate it!"
Xiao Yu thought that the food had been prepared in the kitchen, and quickly smiled and said: "Uncle Shi, I'll give you this calligraphy, but it's getting late, so we'd better talk things over quickly. Otherwise, the food will get cold."
"That's fine!" After Xiao Yu's introduction, Pei Ju carefully placed the rolled lettering on the table. After sitting down, he took the opportunity to say the business: "Xiannephew, you may think that I am doing this for you." The little girl came to demonstrate, but not..."
Xiao Yu's reception etiquette was very thorough, but because it was so attentive, Pei Ju felt Xiao Yu's deep alienation and wariness. After the farce and laughter just now, the tense atmosphere suddenly disappeared. In this way, Pei Ju knew that what he said could be listened to and analyzed by Xiao Yu with a normal heart, instead of picking out words and voice with a prejudiced heart.
He continued: "In fact, as long as the little girl enters the Yang family, then we will become more intimate. Our two families should not be enemies, but friends, just because we are both nobles, and we were the same in the Sui Dynasty. A natural friend."
After hearing this, Xiao Yu fell silent. Since Yang Guang ascended the throne as emperor, the Xiao family has replaced the Dugu family and become the first relative of the Sui Dynasty. Compared with the Dugu family, which is mediocre and has done nothing in officialdom, The emperor Yang Guang of this dynasty gave the Xiao family great power. In addition to having a queen, the Xiao family also had a prime minister and a minister in the court. In addition, the Xiao family's nephew was the prince of the Sui Dynasty. This made it possible for the Xiao family to have a queen. As a result, the Xiao family's reputation among the scholars has further increased, and there is a tendency to be promoted to the leader of the world's gentry.
But Xiao Yu knew that although the Xiao family had ascended to the throne because of the emperor, it was also unique in the forest and became the object of common hostility and struggle between the Shandong gentry and the Guanlong nobles. If it weren't for the Central Plains gentry headed by Yang Su, the Guanzhong gentry headed by Su Wei, and the Hedong gentry headed by the Pei family to absorb some of the "firepower", life would have been very difficult for the Xiao family, who were not as strong as others.
Now when Pei Ju said this, he actually hoped to reveal a message to his brother through himself: the Pei family and even the Hedong nobles would not help the Hebei nobles and Guanlong nobles deal with the Xiao family, and the two families had a common "son-in-law", so they would be able to do so in the future. With the help of this relationship and this bridge, we can build a closer and more intimate cooperative relationship.
Since Mr. Pei has the image of cooperation and the two families have the foundation and bridge for cooperation, Mr. Pei will naturally not cause trouble for Xiao Ying in Yang Ji's backyard.
"I understand what Uncle Shi means." Xiao Yu sorted it out and said to Pei Ju, "I will convey Uncle Shi's meaning to my brother."
Pei Ju stroked his beard and smiled: "The nobles of Guanlong are at the height of their power. Even the late emperors and saints have to be in awe of them. Now they are using their innate advantages to seize local official positions. They are so aggressive that it is beyond the ability of a certain noble clan to resist. We We should unite. Only in this way can we not only ensure our own status, but also share the worries of the king. I think the brotherhood will understand my intentions."
Pei Ju and Xiao Cong have a very good personal relationship, but they are both prime ministers now, and Xiao Jue is the minister of the Ministry of War. With their status as officials, they must avoid taboos in the officialdom. If they continue to have a close relationship, It would be of no benefit to anyone, so he found Xiao Yu in a roundabout way and revealed to him the intention of cooperation.
"I will!" Xiao Yu nodded silently.
"That's good!" Pei Ju's main goal has been achieved, so he changed the topic, stared at Xiao Yu, and said slowly: "There is another private matter related to my nephew. As an elder, I want to remind my nephew."
Pei Ju's tone is full of the care of the elders for the younger ones. This is also his great strength. He will unknowingly get closer to people and get closer to them step by step, but the other person feels sincere and not deliberately for it.
Of course, he would not deceive people at this time, otherwise everything would be exposed and all efforts would collapse.
"Uncle Shi, please make it clear." Xiao Yu is a relatively pure person. This is because the eldest brother Xiao Cong, the third brother Xiao Yu, the fourth brother Xiao Jing, the fifth brother Xiao Xun, and the sixth brother Xiao Jue have to worry about family affairs, and He has been cared for by his parents, brothers and sisters since he was a child, and grew up in an extremely superior environment, so he is relatively innocent and has relatively pure thoughts.
The current Xiao Yu is similar to Linghu Chong who was protected by Yue Buqun, but their behavior is exactly the opposite: Linghu Chong does not distinguish between black and white, right and wrong, and always causes great trouble to the weak 'Huashan Sect Patriarch'; and In Xiao Yu's eyes, the officialdom is black and white, black and white. He believes that those who are white should be rewarded; those who are black must be brought to justice. It is for this reason that he works so hard for the law.
In Xiao Yu's view, it doesn't matter who is behind the prisoner. As long as he has room to display his talents and the concept of rule of law he admires is extended to Liangzhou and the whole country, he will be happy even if there are enemies all over the world.
Although he has been hanging out with Yang Ji since he debuted, the problem is that when he does this kind of thing, he doesn't consider the other person's background at all, let alone weigh his own interests. He just needs to receive the report, catch the criminal, and then follow the clues. Just dig out a large number of people, so until now, instead of improving his officialdom wisdom, there are signs of deterioration.
When it comes to worldliness and wisdom, even Xiao Ying, who is also well protected, is much better than him. After all, Xiao Ying is a girl. Once she gets married, her every move in the house will represent Xiao's upbringing and upbringing. When she goes out, she will represent her parents' family and her husband's family. Therefore, these are the things she has learned from elementary school to get along with others. Knowledge, how can this be compared to Xiao Yu who is dedicated to learning how to govern the country?
At this time, Xiao Yu was led one by one by Pei Ju, and his initial wariness was gone, so he respectfully asked for advice.
"The Guanlong noble group is a cancer in the world. Its existence has kept the world in a tense atmosphere. You should never associate with the Guanlong nobles, especially the Dugu family of your in-law family." Pei Ju said seriously: "And your Xiao family is now the first cousin. If you get close to the Guanlong nobles, it means betrayal. Do you understand what I mean?"
Jiang is still old and spicy, and Pei Ju's advice is like a warning bell ringing in Xiao Yu's heart, making him deeply grateful to Pei Ju. He bowed deeply: "Uncle Shiwen's golden words will be engraved in his heart."
In fact, Pei Ju's brothers have said this countless times, especially his close friend Li Yuan. Because he is the head of the Li family, the nephew of the Dugu family, and the son-in-law of the Dou family, he is even regarded as a poisonous insect and beast by his brothers. , let him break off relations with Li Yuan.
But he just wouldn't listen. Even if Xiao Cong asked monks to deal with him countless times, it was of no use.
The reason why Xiao Cong and Xiao Jue ignored him after leaving him in Liangzhou was not to let him fend for himself, but to hope that when he was Yang Ji's lackey, he would use real actions to fight against Guan Long. The nobles turned against each other. As long as he became as bad as Yang Ji, the nobles of Guanlong, including Li Yuan, would naturally avoid him. When the time came, they would dislike him even if he showed up.
However, when this kind of words was spoken by an outsider, it suddenly solved the old problem that the brothers had been worrying about for many years.
. . . . . .
At the same time, the proceedings at the state pastoral office continued.
Yang Ji first discussed the major policies with Yin Shishi, Yang Shanhui and others, then summoned the Liangzhou generals and announced to them the Liangzhou army's next decision.
When they learned that Yang Ji was going to disband his troops and send 20,000 soldiers home to rest, the generals raised objections one after another. Naturally, the most vehement ones were Po Chaoqi, Yang Tie, Qibi Zuoyi, and Murong Yan. A foreign general.
After all, in their minds, the army represents strength. Once they have a powerful army with strong soldiers and horses, everything will be possible, so Yang Ji's decision is incredible.
Po Chaoqi cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, although we have many troops in Liangzhou, we still shoulder the important task of consuming and annihilating Tuyuhun. After the army is divided among the states, there are actually very few troops that can be used for maneuver. Why should we do it ourselves? How about cutting off an arm and laying off an army of 130,000 to 40,000 people?"
In this Northern Expedition to the Great Lakes Region, the main casualties were the 10,000 Qiang soldiers led by Wei Yunqi. They were basically disabled in the battle of Bailangyuan. As for the elite troops led by Yang Ji, the Yiting coalition led by Li Jing, and the troops under Cui Division, they did not suffer much losses.
In the next battle with the Turks, there were actually more plots than hard-fought battles. When Yang Ji ambushed Ashina Qilifushe at the mountain pass of Shenshui, it meant that all the elite Western Turks were lost; when they entered the Eastern Turks, Almost all of them slaughtered small and large tribes scattered on the grassland. The only decent battles they encountered were when Yang Ji defeated Ashina Bulishe and Po Chaoqi defeated Ashina Lifushe, and the soldiers in the main battle were The main focus was on surrendering troops, so the losses of the Sui army's elite were not significant.
However, the surrendered troops in the Great Lakes area, the surrendered troops in Madam Fan's City and its vicinity, and the captured slaves totaled more than 100,000 people. If the 20,000 Sui troops who temporarily disarmed and returned to their fields were included, then Yang Ji would lay off his troops this time. The army numbered 130,000 to 40,000.
With the Tuyuhun army being pinned down at various confrontation points, such a large army was enough to sweep across Tuyuhun. However, upon Yang Ji's order, these soldiers either went to Shanshan to farm or went back to their hometown for reunions. .
Such a decision is somewhat unacceptable.
"Do you think I want to disarm? I don't want to either, but Liangzhou can't afford it!" Yang Ji threw a booklet on the table and helplessly said to Po Chaoqi: "We Liangzhou soldiers and civilians have always relied on the imperial court for support, and the saints also We are willing to continue to assist us, but at least 20% of the food provided by the court is consumed on the road; if we include rain and snow, then on average, 30% is eaten by civilians and food protection teams. This is not only a huge consumption, but also It also caused the people to leave their farmland, affecting their own production and income. If things go on like this, it will damage the country. If we don’t need the court’s assistance, but we have to support so many troops, the Liangzhou army will be without food in less than half a year. The food dilemma is that if the autumn harvest fails, the entire army and people of Liangzhou will go hungry."
Yang Shanhui, who had resumed his growth history, nodded and said: "Your Majesty is right. Today's army is already at the limit of what we can do. What we should do is to recuperate, rather than blindly maintain a large army."
According to original calculations, Liangzhou would be self-sufficient by next year's spring grain harvest. However, the plan was not as good as the changes. First, the slave trade and the Silk Road went too smoothly, causing a large number of slaves and merchants to flock to Liangzhou. The slaves were temporarily There was no harvest, so the government needed to raise it; merchants did not bring food, so they needed to eat the food produced in Liangzhou; then the Northern Expedition broke out, which consumed a lot of food and grass, and it was already a bit difficult to support the original army. Now, There are more than 100,000 young people and more than 100,000 grassland herdsmen. If they continue to support these young people as an army, it will not take long for the government at all levels in Liangzhou to become poor and poor with only money left.
If Yang Guang really comes with hundreds of thousands of troops as Yang Ji had expected, but Liangzhou is a pauper, Yang Guang will have to use tens of millions of civilians to transport food from Guanzhong, then it will be It really hurts the country.
Therefore, whether it is based on the actual situation in Liangzhou or the possible personal expedition, Yang Ji must recuperate and accumulate food instead of continuing to spend extravagantly.
Seeing the expressions of reluctance and pain on the faces of the generals, Yang Ji said with a smile: "I asked these surrendered soldiers to go to Shanshan to farm, not to completely disperse, but to imitate the soldiers of the Central Plains. We will train from time to time, and when we have a strong family background, or when war demands it, we will mobilize these troops to fight again."
"Your Majesty is wise!" When the generals heard this, they smiled happily.
"These surrendered soldiers are full of wild nature. They need to be not only trained, but also supervised and tamed. After they arrive in Shanshan, they are still nominally affiliated with the military." At this point, Yang Ji named him: "Xue Ju, Po Chaoqi! "
"The general is here!" Xue Ju and Po Chaoqi each took a step forward.
"Xue Ju, you have been officially appointed by the imperial court as the military commander of Liangzhou. You will temporarily take over the post of commander-in-chief of the Shanshan Tuntian Army. Po Chaoqi will temporarily take over the post of deputy commander-in-chief of the Shanshan Tuntian Army and assist Xue Ju in management together with Yang Tie. Military training of the garrison army." Shanshan has a marching general, so Yang Ji appointed them as the chief and deputy general managers of the garrison army in Shanshan. Their authority is only to take charge of the garrison army, and everything else has nothing to do with them. Of course, the general manager of Shanshan could not control them, so the Tuntian Army was an army affiliated to the Prefectural Mufu or Yang Ji.
"The last general takes orders!" Xue Ju strode forward and took the Liangzhou Soldier Cao Seal from Yang Ji.
"Wei Yunqi, you are the commander of the Tuntian Army. You are responsible for managing all government affairs of the Tuntian Army." Yang Ji looked at Wei Yunqi. Wei Yunqi was ordered to annihilate the remnants of Xue Yantuo in the northern part of the Great Lakes Region. However, the remnants of Xue Yantuo's army listened to the Sui Dynasty. After hearing the news of the massive attack by the army, Wei Yunqi escaped first, causing Wei Yunqi to return without success. However, he made great contributions in the battle of Bailangyuan, which created the foundation for Li Jing to occupy the Xianbei prairie and Yang to gather his troops to annihilate Murongbei. valuable fighter jets.
The reason why Wei Yunqi was not appointed as the general manager was because Wei Yunqi had given up writing and joined the army for a short time, and his qualifications and accumulated military exploits were not as many as those of Xue Ju.
Although Xue Ju was a bit "unmotivated", even Yuchi Gong later joined the army. If Yang Ji did not fight for the rewards he deserved for Xue Ju, then there would be no distinction between rewards and punishments. How would he lead this group of civil and military officials in the future?
As for Wei Yunqi, he used to be Liangzhou Licao and was good at diplomacy, so Yang Ji planned to put him in charge of all government affairs including education and law.
"I will obey your orders." Wei Yunqi cupped his hands and obeyed.
"Let's all go back. After you rest for three days, you will lead the field army to Shanshan." Yang Ji pondered for a while and then said: "As for Shanshan, I will ask Governor Dou Qing to prepare for the response and make arrangements for you. A good place for farming."
"Here!"
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