The Lu family has been inherited for more than a thousand years. The family not only has institutions such as three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples responsible for daily operations, but also has its own staff. These staff are either well-read Confucian scholars or people who have played in officialdom. For senior officials who have been in official positions for most of their lives, the only thing they have to do every day is to analyze, discuss, deduce, and plan things related to the current situation and important officials based on various intelligence. Lan
These people often discuss people and events that succeeded or failed in the past dynasties, summarize experiences and lessons, and then use the intelligence they possess to gain timely insights into the political situation of the court, and conduct deductions and analyzes on the struggles between political factions, the current situation of domestic and foreign countries, and the relationships between domestic and foreign countries. Then give the senior management a conclusion for their reference.
In today's Sui Dynasty, Yang Ji is undoubtedly the target of analysis by major aristocratic families and major lords' staff groups, and the Lu family is naturally no exception. It is precisely because of the efforts of this team that Lu Changxie, Lu Chisong and other senior executives of the Lu family know Yang Ji far better than Yang Ji himself.
Yang Ji's military achievements have been proven by people as the God of War and the God of War, and the territory he opened up increased the territory of the Sui Dynasty by thousands of miles. It is not an exaggeration to say that his achievements are unparalleled in the world and will shine in history. Therefore, there is no doubt about his military talent.
Politically, Yang Ji was already the most powerful military commander in the Sui Dynasty and an unparalleled Shangshu Ling. His own Weiwang clan did not belong to the Guanlong aristocracy, but was also closely related to the royal family, Shandong gentry, Guanzhong gentry, southern gentry, and the Southern gentry. The major factions such as the Hedong gentry are clearly distinguished; given time, the Wei Wang faction will definitely become a force that cannot be ignored in the court, and can even compete with the Guanlong nobles.
Moreover, although Yang Ji held great power, he not only seceded from the aristocratic family, but also had a very good relationship with the emperor. He was the sharpest blade in the emperor's hand. Therefore, Lu Changxie believed that as long as Yang Ji did not rebel, he would be able to rest easy in his life.
In addition, Yang Ji was younger and more aggressive than any important civil and military minister. The more fierce he attacked, the happier and more trusting the emperor was, and the safer he was. This meant that once he got into trouble with this fierce tiger, Even if you don't die, you have to shed a layer of skin.
Opposite Lu, the big tiger who seemed like a fool but was actually extremely smart and covered in thorns was a bit frightened. Moreover, as early as two or three years ago, Lu Changxie believed that even if the Lu family could not become friends with Yang Chi, they could not become enemies. Lan
Otherwise, the Lu family will be miserable! After all, the emperor is behind everyone. Although the emperor cannot eradicate all the aristocratic families in the world, nor can he be an enemy of the aristocratic families in the world, it is easy to eradicate a Lu family; and what is guaranteed is that if the emperor has a good reason, There is an excuse that can silence everyone in Youyou. He will definitely cherish this rare opportunity.
When following Pei Ju, he secretly visited Yang Ji to report his family status. The head of the Lu family, Lu Chisong, and the eldest elder, Lu Changxie, were shocked and regarded him as an opportunity for the rise of the Lu family. However, Yang Ji came too suddenly and his purpose was unclear. They were not prepared at all and could not act too eagerly, so the living room fell into silence.
Seeing that the other party was deep in thought, Yang Ji was not in a hurry. He knew that his rash visit had made the two leaders of the Lu family lose their bearings. Of course, it's not that his status as King Wei and Shangshu Ling is so noble here, but that the other party was unexpected about his arrival, so while considering his intention, he was also thinking about how to deal with it.
When they are prepared in their minds and have a response plan, they will naturally take the initiative to ask questions, and everything that follows can be discussed in detail. If they talk about it in a hurry, it will not be conducive to the progress of negotiations and cooperation. achieved.
The four of them didn't speak. In the quiet living room, the only sounds in the quiet living room were the sound of the charcoal fire "sizzling", the "hissing" sound of the spring water in the pot, and the "click-click" sound of Lu Changxie knocking down several tables.
Everything seems harmonious, natural, peaceful and quiet.
After a long time, the spring water in the pot began to boil. Lan
Lu Chisong took out a set of tea sets, took out emerald green tea leaves from a cyan porcelain jar, placed them in teacups, poured water, washed the tea, cleaned the tea sets, brewed tea, and divided the tea. The gesture was swift and elegant. After a moment of hard work, eight percent of the green tea soup was brewed in the cup, and a scent of tea suddenly filled the simple but heavy living room.
Lu Changxie, who was stroking his beard and thinking deeply, picked up the teacup brought to him, brought it to his lips and took a sip. After he put down the teacup, his eyes glanced at the people at the head of the guest table.
Pei Ju looked directly at Yang Ji below and said slowly: "Your Majesty, your time is precious, and everyone knows many things well. It would be a waste of time and cause unnecessary misunderstandings. It is best for us to talk calmly. What does the king think?"
Yang Ji smiled and bowed and said, "Mr. Lu is quick to speak quickly, and I, the younger generation, will accept all my wishes!"
"Then I won't beat around the bush... The saint appointed the king as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army, naturally because of the tense situation in Liaodong. However, I, the Lu family, am good at civil affairs and weak at military affairs, and I have many famous generals in the Sui Dynasty, so the king comes to my humble residence. It has nothing to do with this matter." Lu Changxie pondered for a while and asked Yang Ji, "That being the case, I wonder why the king is here?"
"Luke Gong has a keen eye! But it can't be said that it has nothing to do with it!" Yang Ji met Lu Changxie's questioning gaze and said slowly: "Iron, weapons, armor and other objects, as well as smelting, sword-making and other techniques, are all forbidden items. , no one is allowed to sell it privately to foreigners. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished as a thief at the least, or beheaded in the worst case."
"This is still a rule in peacetime. Now the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo are at odds with each other. The two countries often have war conflicts, and Goguryeo has even adopted a posture of fighting a national war. If someone trades prohibited things with it, the crime can be serious. You can imagine. However, there have always been some people who, in order to obtain illegal benefits, always take advantage of the convenient location and strong background, take desperate risks, and do not hesitate to betray the national interests. For example, the Yuyang Yuan clan is one of them. typical."
Lu Changxie knelt on the mat and closed his eyes to listen to Yang Ji's words. As soon as Yang Ji finished speaking, his eyes that seemed to be closed suddenly opened, and a strange light flashed in his eyes, and he asked: "Your Majesty, Want to eradicate the Yuyang system of the Yuan family?" Lan
Yang Ji nodded slightly and said: "Although the Yuyang family of the Yuan clan is a worm and has internal worries, the younger generation believes that the foreign invasion of Goguryeo is the biggest threat at present. Gao Yuan now has hundreds of thousands of troops on the border, while our Sui army is scattered. The available troops of the younger generation are less than 100,000, and they are also short of food and clothing. If the younger generation loses in this battle, the Goguryeo army will definitely be able to advance into Youzhou and southward to Jizhou, and everything its soldiers will pass through will be crushed. , how can the people of Youzhou and Jizhou, and the Lu family, survive on their own?”
Yang Ji knew that many things could not be hidden from people like Lu Changxie and Lu Chisong. Instead of being secretive, it would be better to be more honest and frank. He laid the groundwork and continued: "Now that the war is coming, this junior does not want to be there by himself. When fighting on the front, someone stabbed a knife in the back. Therefore, before the war, cancers such as Yuanshi Yuyang System must be uprooted. Once successful, it can not only solve the worries for the future, but also use the illegal gains of Yuanshi Yuyang System as Military resources. However, although I have some criminal evidence against the Yuyang family of the Yuan family, it is not enough for the people to uproot it. I hope Lu Gong and the Lu family can help."
For a while, the living room fell into silence again. After listening to Yang Ji's words, Lu's uncle and nephew silently weighed the pros and cons, while Pei Ju did not speak. He just sat silently drinking tea.
Pei Ju's main duty is to serve as Yang Ji's "stepping stone". He can just give words of help at the right time without deliberately showing his presence. And Lu's uncle and nephew are extremely smart and have their own plans, so there is no need for him to be an outsider. Make irresponsible remarks and point fingers. However, Pei Ju felt that the evidence of Yuan's crime that Lu promised to provide was very likely. After all, for a famous family, family interests always come first.
For the benefit of the family, everyone can sacrifice their credibility, family affection, conscience, etc.; when necessary, they can even sacrifice their own lives, and this sense of loyalty to the family is the core of the survival of the major clans.
The Lu family has long used the Liaoxi Corridor as a business route to make a lot of money, and most of its resources for making a fortune came from this. However, after the Yuan family established its foothold in Yuyang, it monopolized the commerce of various ethnic groups from the Central Plains to the Northeast and blocked the golden trade route of the Western Liaoning Corridor, thus causing heavy damage to the interests of the Lu family.
As the saying goes, cutting off someone's financial path is like killing one's parents. If the Yuan family cut off the Lu family's financial path, how could the Lu family not hate it to the bone? Lan
The reason why the Lu family did not rise up and revolt was that while the Yuan family was powerful, they also had the Yuan sect and even the entire Guanlong nobility behind them. However, the Lu family had no status in the court and could not fight at all. other side.
Although the seven sects of the five surnames claim to be united and united to the outside world, in order to enter the "four high gates", the seven sects
Being ranked at the top of the "Four Great Sects", they have been fighting openly and secretly for a long time. How can they advance together and retreat together on issues related to life and death?
If the Lu family was ignorant and made enemies of the three major factions of the Yuan sect and the Guanlong nobles, the other six sects might respond at the beginning and send some soldiers and generals to fight side by side. However, once the situation enters an unfavorable stage, they will definitely If you withdraw, you may end up adding insult to injury. After all, if there is one less Lu family, the other Shandong noble families will lose a strong competitor.
If the Lu family dares to bite other noble families, they will immediately be abandoned by all the Shandong noble families. Therefore, the Lu family hates and feels helpless towards the Yuan family who has occupied the Liaoxi Corridor. Now, Yang Ji takes the initiative to come to seek cooperation, and Lu doesn't even have to come forward. How can Lu not agree?
The key now is how much Yang Ji can give to Lu, and whether what he gives can satisfy Lu's appetite.
However, Pei Ju underestimated Lu Changxie's pattern, or he underestimated the harm Yuan had done to Lu and Lu's hatred for Yuan. Lu Changxie just pondered for a moment, then glanced at Pei Ju, who had a calm expression, and then said to Yang Ji: "The king came to my humble residence, he must be aware of the contradictions and conflicts between our Lu family and the Yuan family!"
"Not bad!" Yang Ji nodded and waited for the next step. Lan
Lu Changxie said slowly: "Since the king knows about it and plans to take action against the Yuan family, then our Lu family has received a sudden and strong support. For the sake of our own interests, we naturally have no reason to refuse. "
"From the perspective of family and country, if the war in Liaodong is not smooth and Liaodong cannot be secured because of the Yuan clan, Goguryeo's hundreds of thousands of troops will be able to march straight into Youzhou as if they were in an uninhabited territory. The people of Youzhou and our Lu family also lost their families and perished. This is what Zuo Gong said: "If the skin is gone, the hair will not be attached." "
"It is precisely because of the above two considerations that I, the Lu family, will do our best to assist the king in handling this matter."
After a pause, Lu Changxie continued: "The Lu family has lived in Youzhou for more than a thousand years, so they naturally have some channels and connections to understand the current situation. In addition, Xue Shixiong, the prefect of Zhuo County, has been busy working for the army's supplies, so It is also very clear that the army is short of food."
Lu Changxie knew that the prince in front of him was very smart and was not easy to fool, so when he talked about important matters involving military aircraft, he appeared to be very cautious. Then he smiled and said, "In view of this, on behalf of the Lu family, I would like to express my sincere wishes to you." The king donated 100,000 dan of food, and also wished the king another great success and a triumphant return."
The old girl Pei Ju fucked hard, her eyes froze when she heard this, and she immediately thought of the problem, and her expression was suddenly heavy: Lu Changxie, an old fox, kept saying "the king" instead of "the imperial court", even if he donated 100,000 When the stone grain was donated, it was also donated to the "king" instead of "the court or the army". This clearly meant that Yang Ji owed the Lu family a favor and allowed Yang Ji to bear the karma alone that should have been borne by the court.
With the existence of this cause and effect, Yang Ji will be inferior to others when facing the Lu family in the future. If things go on like this, this cause and effect will inevitably become something that "continues to be cut into chaos". Lan
And Yang Ji was originally "unclear" and "incomprehensibly entangled" with the southern gentry and the Hedong gentry. If people thought that Yang Ji was also related to the Shandong gentry because of this incident, for him, it was definitely not the case. Good thing.
However, although Pei Ju was very anxious, he couldn't help at the moment. After all, the Pei family and the Lu family also had an alliance. As the head of the Pei family, he could not give a warning at this time, otherwise, it would destroy the Lu family's plan, and there will be a huge rift in the relationship between the two families.
In fact, Yang Ji also heard the implication of Lu Changxie. He knew that if he agreed, he would owe a favor, and the debt of favor, especially the favor debt of the Lu family and other aristocratic families, was exactly what Yang Ji did not want to owe. , but he had to owe this debt. However, it was not impossible for him to resolve it. He only pondered for a moment, then bowed his hands to Lu Changxie and said, "Senior understands the righteousness well, and I will definitely report the truth to the saint. With the saint's clear-cut style of rewards and punishments, I will definitely issue a decree to commend him, so that the whole country will be rewarded." Everyone knows the Lu family’s deeds.”
When Lu Changxie and Lu Chisong heard this, their eyes lit up.
The family has a good reputation, and good reputation is one of the keys to their long-term prosperity. If the emperor will
Their feat of donating 100,000 shi of food was known to the world. The reputation of the Lu family will surely rise, making them the leader in the world and among scholars.
Relatively speaking, this is much more beneficial than the favor that Yang Ji silently owed and did not know when to repay.
