"There are no permanent enemies or friends between countries, only eternal interests." This sentence is actually the same when applied to the court and between factions. The most typical one is Yang Jihe Yu Wenshu.
Both of them were Yang Guang's ministers and had a long friendly relationship. However, when Yang Liang rebelled, Yu Wenshu was jealous of his coach Yang Su. For the sake of family interests, he even sold out the whereabouts of Yang Ji, the partial master general. Yang Liang caused the relationship between the two to deteriorate.
At the beginning of the military reform, Cui Zhongfang, who was the Prime Minister and Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs at the time, was in charge of providing money and food for the elderly and the weak. However, when Yu Wenshu and the Ministry of War kept pressing him for money and food, he deliberately went through complicated procedures, and the old people who were laid off were Seeing that the money and food arrangements were delayed, they became increasingly dissatisfied with the court. In addition, Yu Wenshu was selfish and made many big mistakes, which eventually triggered a mutiny in the capital that shocked the world.
After the rebellion launched by Li Anqi was put down, Yang Ji's court analyzed the reasons for Yuwen Shu's failure realistically, bombarded Cui Zhongfang and others who had done it deliberately, and successfully brought down the selfish Cui Zhongfang, Xue Wei and others. , but accidentally saved Yu Wenshu who fell into the center of the storm.
Since Cui Zhongfang and others took the main responsibility for the failure of the military reform, Yang Guang's annoyance with Yuwenshu was greatly reduced; Yang Ji considered that Yang Guang would use Yuwenshu sooner or later, so he agreed to Yuwenshu's request and dismissed him He recommended the Protectorate of Mozhou to protect the border for the Sui Dynasty.
This cause and effect not only fundamentally changed the relationship between Yang Ji and Yu Wenshu; it also laid a good foundation for today's conversation and future cooperation.
In the heavy rain, Yu Wenshu had already said goodbye and left. Yang Ji summoned Ling Jing to talk about Yu Wenshu's intentions and discuss future cooperation matters together.
After listening to what Yang Ji said, Ling Jing felt very dumbfounded. As one of Yang Ji's masterminds, he was almost completely involved in the changes in the relationship between Yang Ji and Yu Wenshu. The two in-laws gradually fell in love due to their different interests. As time goes by, the difference is that Yang Ji has always tightly tied his own interests to the interests of the Sui Dynasty, and has never harmed the Sui Dynasty, harmed the people, or harmed normal competition opponents because of his personal interests.
Not only did Ling Jing, Hao Yuan, Song Zhengben, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Yang Shanhui, Wei Yunqi and other generals of the Wei Dynasty have no dissatisfaction with Yang Ji's approach, but they sincerely believed that this was the top wise man. If Yang Ji If you do things for your own interests that are harmful to the interests of the country, everyone will be extremely disappointed.
Yuwenshu is the opposite of Yang Ji. He abandons the country's justice for his own selfishness. This is also the fundamental reason why the two turned against each other.
Ling Jing said to Yang Ji: "Yuwenshu is alone and needs an alliance like the king. We and Yuwenshu are both the number one enemies of the Guanlong nobles, and we also have the common enemy of the Li family in Longxi. Let's cooperate together." It’s okay.”
"That's why I want to form an alliance with him." Yang Ji nodded and said, "But I'm also a little worried. If we help him withdraw the military government too early, if we kill him too early, The Li family of Longxi, we no longer have a common enemy. Once we lack the basis for continued cooperation, we will definitely start fighting again. It is for this reason that I am considering how strong my support should be."
Ling Jing said: "The king's concerns are not unreasonable. However, Yu Wenshu's status and reputation are far inferior to the king, and he basically loses the qualifications to shout and fight against the king. What's more important is that Yu Wenshu is in charge of the Department of Integrity , offended all the noble families in the world, so we are both in the same situation now. If the Guanlong nobles and the Li family fall, new enemies will appear in the future. This is the basis for continued cooperation. "
"Yu Wenshu now wants to return to the court, and he frankly told the king that he does not have long life. This shows that he has been deeply aware of the dilemma of having no successor. In addition, Yu Wenshu has attracted a lot of enemies, so I think he In the few years left, not only did he not dare to be an enemy of the king, but he would also take the initiative to approach the king so that his incompetent descendants would have a stronger ally. If he continued to provoke a powerful person that he could not afford to offend, The enemy, then the Yuwen family really has no hope. And Yuwen Shu obviously knows all this very well."
After a pause, Ling Jing continued: "But for Yuwenshu, the most terrifying and fatal thing is that he comes from the saint. Yuwenshu used to be extremely greedy and selfish.
Privately, he caused great turmoil in the Sui Dynasty several times and challenged the saint's limits again and again. Therefore, one can imagine the saint's anger and disappointment towards him. Today, his status in the hearts of saints is actually not high. In my opinion, Yuwenshu's current situation is very similar to that of a human being. "
Yang Ji suddenly said: "Jingzhi refers to He Ruobi?"
"Yes, it was He Ruobi! The late emperor originally believed deeply in He Ruobi, but he gradually ruined his character and integrity. In the end, the late emperor's mentality also changed drastically. From the initial belief, to Trust, disappointment, distrust, and suspicion." Ling Jing said with a smile: "The same is true here with Yu Wenshu. If the saint still trusts him as before, he can be transferred to the center based on his current achievements. There is no need to set up This is a severe test. And this subconscious distrust and suspicion may not even be noticed by the saint himself. But if Yuwenshu fails again, it will be completely over."
Yang Ji was convinced. He pondered for a while and then asked, "If I support him but he fails again, will it affect us?"
Although this possibility is extremely small, it affects the entire King Wei family and Yang Ji cannot tolerate being careless.
"That's not true!" Ling Jing shook his head and said with a smile: "Yu Wenshu was appointed by the saint and not recommended by the king. There is no direct relationship between the two. When the king withdrew the military government, he only needed to discuss the matter. The only thing we do is to support and help Yu Wenshu. If he fails again, it will be his own problem."
"But the king did not recommend him, and what he did was only for the public and the country. If he failed, what does it have to do with the king?"
When Yang Ji heard this, he couldn't help but laugh: "That's right. If even serving the country is implicated by losers, no one will dare to speak out in the future."
Ling Jing chuckled: "That's exactly what it is!"
Yang Ji thought for a while and then said, "This matter is of great importance. I still hope he succeeds."
"Although the king has good intentions, Yu Wenshu may not be able to do it!" Ling Jing sighed and said with a wry smile: "In the previous rectification of the Beijing Army, the Guanlong nobles were the only group whose interests were harmed. Logically speaking, the nobles who are in conflict with them should They are happy to see the success and fully support it. However, Cui Zhongwen and other Shandong nobles are desperately trying to pull Yu Wenshu. What does this mean? It shows that there are signs of cooperation among the major forces in the world. And the military mansions all over the world are related to the interests of all forces. Withdrawal and merger You can imagine how difficult it is.”
As he spoke, Ling Jing's face became serious: "If this matter is not handled well, the family members will most likely support the so-called "rebels" in rebellion, and the rebellion will sweep the world, so it is only right that the king reminds the saint in time. "
"Rebellion? Hey, I'm afraid the saint is asking for it!" Yang Ji sneered: "As long as they dare to rebel, the saint can wield the whip of righteousness and wipe out all the noble families."
Ling Jing was startled. He looked around and saw that there was no one around, but Zhu Can was guarding the door again, so he reassured and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, although long-term pain is not as good as short-term pain, short-term pain is very harmful. Yes, a saint wouldn’t seriously do this, would he?”
"It's really not okay to say this!" Facing his confidants, Yang Ji had nothing to hide. He said, "Although the withdrawal of the military government has been finalized for a long time, it happened at a time when the imperial court was undergoing a major personnel transfer. It came so suddenly and unexpectedly even to me, so I suspect that this was done intentionally by the saint in order to make some people rebel."
These words made Ling Jing stunned for a moment. After a moment, he said carefully: "The nobles of the aristocratic family are not stupid, especially the Guanlong nobles who have suffered many "rebellions". Your Majesty thinks they dare Rebellion? "
"If someone in the royal family takes the lead like Brother Han Wang, they will have the courage to rebel!" At this point, Yang Ji suddenly smiled and said: "I think we can encourage King Qi to rebel. He is the second son of the saint. If he is like Brother Han Wang, If you have evil intentions like that, the family members will happily support them, and then destroy them again."
Ling Jing was dumbfounded after hearing this. After a long time, he came back to his senses and asked stammeringly: "My lord, are you serious?"
"This is a good idea!" Yang Ji said: "If the King of Qi takes office in Guanzhong, which is in danger of the four fortresses, and shows the evil intention of seizing the heir, 90% of those aristocratic families will
support him. "
Ling Jing calmed down his confused thoughts and said with a wry smile: "King Qi may have the desire to seize the direct descendant, but if he is deliberately allowed to seduce the family members, will he be willing?"
"I should be happy, but it's a bit expensive!" Yang Ji said with a smile: "King Qi's biggest hobby is to like wives. As long as they are the wives of powerful people, he likes them. As for whether they are old, young, beautiful or ugly, he doesn't care. So as long as he has enough men/wives, he will definitely be willing to rebel."
After saying that, he ordered Ling Jing: "By the way, find some Goguryeo women who can't speak Chinese or understand Chinese. If they are still facing the back, I will say that they are the wives and concubines of a certain high official, and then Give it to King Qi. This is what he likes."
Ling Jing was so frightened that his face turned pale. After a long time, he said: "This must never happen. If the king does this, the saint will beat you to death."
"Let me tell you straight!" Yang Ji smiled and said: "In his later years, the late emperor knew that the King of Han had evil intentions. He believed that when he was alive, the King of Han would not obey orders. Once he was gone, the King of Han would definitely To rebel, he had no choice but to let it go. Since the King of Han was bound to rebel, and he was not intelligent enough to be a match for a saint, the late emperor simply sent some children from aristocratic families to Bingzhou to serve as general officers. The ultimate goal was to hope that When the King of Han rebels, the saint can kill a group of nobles and nobles."
Ling Jing was completely confused when he heard this. He never thought in his wildest dreams that the rebellion of King Han had such a connection. In this way, the King of Han is exactly like Gao Yuan, both heroes of the Sui Dynasty. It is no wonder that the saint did not kill the King of Han.
He thought for a while and asked curiously: "Your Majesty, does the saint know about this?"
Yang Ji said: "The late Emperor didn't tell me. I guessed it myself after putting down the rebellion of the King of Han. As for the saint, he must have guessed it too. And the King of Han seemed to be aware of his mission to rebel, so he put a lot of The noble sons of Guanlong confessed."
After hearing this, Ling Jing was so numb that he had nothing to say. He felt that whatever he said was wrong.
Yang Ji said: "As long as you understand this matter, don't tell it."
"Here!" Ling Jing felt regretful at this time and said with a wry smile: "If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have dared to ask so many questions. It's too late to regret now."
"There are smart people in the Guanlong aristocracy. If they hadn't understood this, they would have been doomed long ago. How could they be as glorious as they are today? It's just that they have made sense of their mistakes, so they have no choice but to admit their mistakes. So you can Don't worry." After appeasing Ling Jing, Yang Ji returned to the topic: "With the King of Han as a lesson, and the saint did kill a lot of nobles and nobles, so if these so-called powerful people/wives in our hands can seduce King Qi, If I can lead the noble family to kill me if I rise up to rebel, the saint will not only not beat me, but will support me and incite the King of Qi to rebel."
Ling Jing took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, the matter concerning the King of Han was a decision made by the late Emperor out of desperation. If you and the Saint deliberately encouraged the King of Qi to rebel, wouldn't it be a bit too much? Of course, even if the family members are dead, It has nothing to do with me, I just think the people and soldiers are innocent."
"You're right!" Yang Ji nodded and said to Ling Jing: "Actually, I didn't want to do this. It's just because you said so that I came up with this sudden idea. If you also If it doesn’t feel right, then we won’t do it!”
Ling Jing: "..."
He said, I caused all this? Am I so evil?
At this time, he just wanted to end this terrifying topic and said quickly: "Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
"Of course we have to destroy Goguryeo first!" Yang Ji looked at the heavy rain outside and sighed: "The attack and defense of Pyongyang is actually nothing. It's just that the heavy rain continues and the water surges. Now I'm a little worried about the Great Sui Flood. Master, I wish Fa Shang Zhou a complete victory."
Ling Jing said in a sonorous tone: "Your Majesty, according to what I said, the Goguryeo Navy does not have many decent warships, but our Sui Navy has many Five-Tooth Warships, Huanglong Warships, and Chariots and Ships. I think Mr. Zhou is dead. It’s not difficult,”
"I hope so!" Yang Ji didn't understand water warfare, so he stopped worrying about it.
"Your Majesty!" Ling Jing thought of something again and raised his hand to ask.
Said: "In the Sui Dynasty, we restored Fangjun in the area of "Shui-Xushui". However, Goguryeo ruled here for nearly a thousand years. It has always been the core area of Goguryeo. The people were extremely hostile to us in the Sui Dynasty. Once Gao Jianwu established the Koryo Kingdom in Seoul, here The people are very likely to go south. If the people were lost, the country here would be in ruins. In the future, we can’t migrate people from the Central Plains, right? "
"I have also considered this matter!" Yang Ji said to Ling Jing: "The nobles of Goguryeo can go south, but the ordinary people and the slaves of the nobles must stay. This matter not only requires Gao Jianwu's cooperation, but also announces to the people that we have various plans in the Sui Dynasty. Only by cooperating with good governance and benefiting the people can we stabilize the people. Otherwise, they will all run away sooner or later."
Then he told Ling Jing: "The leader of the county is Yang Yan. You should ask him to prepare manpower immediately. As soon as the war is over, he will go deep into various places to promote and share the land equally. As for the other things, we will talk about it later."
"Yes!" Ling Jing breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't talk about such scary topics, everything else would be easy.
