"I don't know what happened in those few years. Anyway, in my impression, there seemed to be disasters everywhere... In Xiangfan alone, nine waves of rebellions occurred within a year."
"Although Taiwei Liu doesn't look like a man anymore, he has nothing to say to you or me, scholar, you..."
It's still in the Laojun Temple. For some reason, Li Qiong has particularly liked coming to this place in the past year.
It stands to reason that he is a scholar, and instead of paying homage to Saint Kong, he came to pay homage to Mr. Li when he had nothing to do. This was not an act of loyalty. But then again, Li Qiong led his troops to rebel against the Song Dynasty, so how could he be regarded as such? Is he a loyal person?
The place where he entertained Wang De was here. It was said to be a banquet, but it was just two people at a table. Laojun Temple did not have the same rules as the Buddhist temple, and it was all about doing what one wanted, so he drank under the statue of Laojun. Eating meat is not a burden for either of us.
There had been three rounds of drinking in the main hall. Standing outside the main hall were a group of soldiers from the Zuo Guard Army, plus the people brought by Wang De... A group of thieves and soldiers kept talking to Wang Qi and Wang Shun, Everyone acted like elders, asking about the two young men getting married and having children, and then asking Wang Yaksha if he wanted a wife. In the end, the topic finally turned to the most amazing things of the year. Go up.
"Then Qin Hui... was he chopped up alive or fried? Why did the Zhao Guan family suddenly change their temper?"
"You are sure that the Battle of Yingzhou was commanded by the Zhao Guan family? Don't try to deceive your elders, we are not that easy to bluff!"
"Yingzhou is fine. Uncle Liu Xin is there after all. But in Shouzhou, I heard that the emperor personally led troops into the city? This is too unbelievable. Even if my head is cut off, I will never do it. believable!"
"I heard that Zhao Guan's family can do that? And they also have several new concubines?"
"Tell me, tell me quickly, is the Zhao Guan family here for real this time or is it just a pretense?"
"So what if it's true? So what if it's just pretending? We just have to do our part!"
Anyway, everyone asked questions. Wang Qi stayed with the emperor for a long time, and was suddenly surrounded by everyone. Xiao Yaksha felt that his head was getting bigger.
These people are very noisy, but they are indeed his elders. He can't even get angry. After being silent for a long time, he said:
"Uncles, if you ask questions like this, my nephew really doesn't know where to start with the answer. It's better to wait for my nephew to start from the beginning, so that you uncles can have something to think about."
Everyone glanced at Li Qiong and Wang De in the hall and looked at their appearance. They estimated that the wine table would have to be set up until evening, so they agreed with Wang Qi's statement and sat down on the steps one after another, waiting for Xiao Yaksha to take his time. Come on.
Not long after, the originally noisy Laojun Palace became quiet, and only Wang Qi's voice could be heard.
The two people in the hall listened attentively for a while... The two of them actually didn't have much history to talk about. They had already talked about some scenes on the way here. Although the atmosphere at this time was not awkward, it was always Somewhat eccentric.
Hearing Wang Qi say that the emperor pretended to enter Shouzhou City and led everyone to recite Yue Pengju's poems, Li Qiong couldn't help but smile, as if he had heard something funny.
"Scholar, what are you laughing at?"
"Yaksha, I thought of something happy."
This person has always been so inexplicable. He was like this when we worked together. Five years have passed and nothing has changed at all.
Wang De sighed: "You, like Yue Pengju, are soldiers under Marshal Zong... There are so many people in the Zuo Guard Army. Even if Liu Taiwei rebelled, I would believe it, but I never thought that you would rebel." .”
"Zhang Jun always said that it was because you were dissatisfied with me and unwilling to let me become your coach. But I know that although the scholar is pedantic, he is by no means such a petty person."
"So scholar, can you tell me what it is for?"
Li Qiong raised the wine glass to his mouth, thought about it, and finally put it back. He looked at this Yasha... Although he didn't seem to have changed much, he was clearly much older.
"You said you didn't know I would rebel. Just leave this to the officials of the court. You know me and I know you."
"But you didn't inform me like Lu Zhi, and you didn't lead troops to fight against me. Yasha, Yasha, please touch your heart and ask, haven't you ever been tempted?"
Wang De was a little shocked: "Why are you so excited?"
Li Qiong laughed again, making Wang De feel uncomfortable all over:
"You dare to say that you have never had any objection? Have you ever felt useless?"
It was a bit dark in the temple, and one could not clearly see Wang De's expression. All one could feel was that the flesh on his face was twitching constantly, as if he was struggling for something.
"Of course it was moved, otherwise why would I be here now?"
"Yaksha, pretending is not your thing."
After the two had a conversation, they fell silent again. Fortunately, Wang Qi was still talking about the affairs of Zhao Guan's family outside, so it didn't seem so boring.
I heard that Xiao Yaksha seemed to be excited about it. He talked about the emperor's use of aphrodisiacs to defeat the Golden Man, Guaizima and Iron Buddha. Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't help but click their tongues... Such a method was really a clever use of troops.
No wonder at the end of last year, news came from Kaifeng Prefecture that cavalry in all units must be equipped with horse muzzles. It turns out that the cause is here.
They also heard that Zhao Guan's family had killed all the Jurchens in Yingzhou, but left a way for the Han, Khitan and even the savages on the grassland to survive. For a moment, everyone didn't know what it felt like.
Obviously the Song Dynasty won so heartily, they were extremely happy in their bones, but their reason kept reminding them... They are no longer Song people, they are now serving the Jin Kingdom, they should not be happy, It should be extremely resentful.
Laughing without knowing how to laugh, crying without knowing how to cry, eventually turned into sighs.
"Yaksha, do you want Zhao Mi's life?"
Wang De reacted very quickly this time. He said bitterly: "Zhao Laoer is not a fucking human being. He suffered your losses, but he insists on blaming me for it!"
"The Zhao family couldn't tell right from wrong. They agreed that whoever wins would be justified, but in the end they helped Mr. Zhao to distract him! They all have the surname Zhao, but they came to bully me, an outsider!"
"When I have the chance to see that guy on the battlefield, I will definitely take his life myself!"
While cursing, he secretly observed Li Qiong's expression. Seeing that the scholar didn't look abnormal, he asked what he had always wanted to ask:
"Earlier last year, I also led the troops to Bozhou. At that time, you retreated without fighting because you wanted to give up the city of Bozhou, right?"
Li Qiong was very happy: "That's true."
"Then why, why do you have to stick to this place like this this year? Aren't you..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Li Qiong:
"Yaksha, Bozhou is different from Suzhou. Without Suzhou, there are still eight states south of the Yellow River that can serve as a barrier for Tokyo. But if Bozhou is gone, there will be only Bianjing city south of the Yellow River."
Wang De was puzzled: "What does this have to do with whether you give up to Bozhou?"
"Yue Pengju had already arrived at the edge of Kaifeng Mansion at that time. It didn't matter whether I gave in or not. As long as he kept advancing, Kaifeng Mansion would always be captured."
"But it's different now. If I surrender Bozhou, the four troops of Taiwei Zhang, Dushi Liu, Dushi Yang and Dushi Zhao can go directly to Kaifeng City."
"Isn't that just right?"
"Okay?" Li Qiong looked at him seriously, "Not good at all."
"When Zhao Guan's family retreats again, who do you think Wanyan Wushu will take out his anger on? Not the people of Bozhou City! Last time he retreated without a fight, he had already threatened to massacre the city. If I hadn't given up, Our lives are at stake, how many people do you think are left alive in Bozhou!"
Wang De quickly explained: "The Zhao Guan family must fight to the end this time!"
Neither of them paid attention to the inappropriateness of Wang De's words, and Li Qiong asked directly:
"When did you not say that?"
"This time is different!"
Wang De yelled out anxiously, and was so frightened that there was no movement outside. Li Qiong still greeted them to continue, saying that there was nothing going on inside and that Yaksha had drunk too much, so the story in Xiao Yaksha's mouth continued.
When the sound outside started again, Li Qiong sighed:
"I can't afford to bet on Yaksha, and I don't dare to bet on the ambition of the Zhao Guan family with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Bozhou... When Grandpa Zong clung to Bianjing, it was the Zhao Guan family who abandoned him. The same was true for Yue Pengju last year... If there is One day, Zhao Guan's family retreated again, what can you do to him? The people in the north are the ones who suffer."
Wang De stood up: "If that's the case, I'll be the first to quit!"
Despite his age, he said such things like a child's words. Li Qiong shook his head:
"If you don't do it, it won't work... Besides, didn't you realize that there is something wrong with this Northern Expedition?"
"What's wrong?"
"During the last Northern Expedition, along the Yellow River, there were uprisings in various counties and counties. But this year, have you heard of any uprisings in the north?"
"I might as well tell you directly that it has been fifteen years since the city of Kaifeng was destroyed. These fifteen years have been enough to change many people's perceptions!"
"Hundreds of years ago, Emperor Tuoba of Xianbei established the Northern Wei Dynasty in the Central Plains to confront the Liu and Song Dynasties of the Southern Dynasties. At that time, the southern Han people may also be looking forward to the king's northern expedition and early unification... But, what about now? ?”
Li Qiong looked at Wang De who slowly sat down, and then said:
"Now people in the north have worshiped Tuoba Tao as a god! Wang Yaksha, how long do you think it will be before Wanyan Agu is made into a god and receives tribute?!"
Wang De couldn't defeat him, he had always been unable to defeat him, but even if he couldn't defeat him, he always felt very suffocated in his heart, even more uncomfortable than when the emperor asked the eunuch to scold him for a year.
The two started drinking again, but this time, they had a tacit understanding and never talked about anything else.
(End of chapter)
