Shen Lie sneered: "I'm afraid Marquis Fengyang's problem is not small. He probably didn't expect that Shi Xun was my pseudonym, and he didn't guess that you would come to me to verify, so he exposed his fault. I guess, this kid It is possible that he was influenced by Lao Jianhua and others when he was young and joined the rebel camp. Of course, these are just speculations and there is no evidence."
Yuduoluo nodded: "It doesn't matter whether we have evidence or not. In our line of work, it is enough to have doubts. Mr. Shen, in your opinion, how should we deal with Yan Qiuping? After all, he was selected by the imperial court. Officer, and Marquis, we have a tense relationship with the Imperial Capital at the moment, so we need to be careful about what we do, otherwise we will cause trouble for the Imperial Guard again."
Shen Lie already knew about Cheng Xi and nodded: "I think there is no need to rush to do anything to Yan Qiuping. If he is really Lao Jianhua's spy, maybe he can make good use of it."
"I understand what you mean, countermeasures, right?" Yudala said with a smile.
Shen Lie stood up and stretched his muscles: "Speaking of which, Shen's injury has recovered, and it's time to go out for some activities. Since the Imperial Capital intends to take action against the military and the Great Protectorate, I can't stand idly by no matter what."
He sat down and started to talk, immediately packed up his luggage, followed Yuduoluo down the mountain, and rushed to Luzhou City.
Li Jiangyao and Xia Hou Ninghan were happy for Shen Lie from the bottom of their hearts when they saw that Shen Lie had recovered as good as ever and regained his former glory. And Shen Lie was reunited with Xiahou Ninghan for the first time in several years since he said goodbye to him in Youzhou, so he was also very happy. Everyone sat around the table in the Protector's residence, drank happily, and reminisced about old friendships.
After three drinks, everyone talked about the current situation. Shen Lie couldn't help but said: "I have been in Jiangnan for nearly two years and witnessed with my own eyes all the perverse deeds of Lao Jianhua and Li Zheng. I really feel sorry for the people of the south." Sad. The sooner Master Wang can cross the river, the sooner the people can escape from the sea of misery. Everyone is looking forward to it."
Li Jiangyao also heard many reports about the situation in the south from his subordinates, and nodded in agreement: "Lao Jianhua raised military expenses, levied excessive taxes, and forced state governments to recruit young men to increase their fighting power. This has indeed caused widespread complaints among the people. I heard that Di Xian...oh, now his name is Jin Wang Li Zhang, that guy is even more exaggerated, he has more than thirty concubines and beauties, singing and dancing, drinking and having fun every day, it is definitely not what the outside world spreads about working hard to govern and avenge his father."
Shen Lie sneered and said: "Li Zheng's origin is unknown. Who knows if he is a descendant of Li Chengxing? From my perspective, this is probably another trick of Lao Jianhua, trying to cause trouble in the name of the royal family. According to the Intelligence Department, inside the Jin Palace The brothers reported that Lao Jianhua and Li Zhang were not as they appeared to the outside world. They were called masters and apprentices, but in fact they were more like father and son. Moreover, Lao Jianhua was in control of the military, civil and financial affairs, and seemed to intend to exclude Li Zhang. "
Xu Youchang said: "This is inevitable! I worked with Li Yan for a period of time when he was in the Xuanjia Army. Although this person is smart and intelligent, he lacks courage. He is tolerant and has little ambition. It is impossible for him to control him in the other direction. Lao Jianhua’s.”
Shen Lie nodded: "My friend is right in his assessment. Li Zhang has always followed Lao Jianhua's lead and listened to him in everything. He was like this when he served Xie Guang, and it is still like this now when he becomes the puppet king. Inside the rebels , Lao Jianhua still has the final say."
Xia Hou Ninghan continued: "Lao Jianhua's methods are endless, and every blow will hit the imperial court's vital points. It is much more terrifying than Bao Yuchun. This time, what happened to Cheng Xi is all because I was too reckless. I forced Master Yuduoluo to take action, but he was hit instead." Lao Jianhua’s trick.”
"I can't blame you," Xu Youchang said quickly: "It was obviously my idea, Ninghan, don't take it for me."
Li Jiangyao smiled: "Come on, now that the matter is over, you don't have to rush to admit your mistakes and take the blame. As I said again, look forward to everything. The sky will not fall. No matter whether you kill Cheng Xi or not, the court will eventually take action. Reaching out into the army is our emperor's pet peeve, and sooner or later he will be taken advantage of."
"I agree with what Jiang Yao said," Shen Lie nodded slightly: "Li Bing is suspicious by nature, and it is impossible to let the military go. It's just a matter of time or later. As soon as Cheng Xi died, he immediately thought of strengthening control of the army. , Wei Zixuan and others are just catering to his ideas."
Xu Youchang asked: "Brother Shen, you have been living in the court for a long time. Do you have any countermeasures?"
Shen Lie smiled: "As for the countermeasures, it depends on what kind of stance you take. If you are determined to be the second Xie Guang, there are a lot of ways, but if you still believe that you are a soldier loyal to Shengtang, I am afraid that the only option is There is a way to obey. Look, don't Ma Hongjie, Murong Xue, Chang Tao and others honestly accept the noble officers selected by the imperial court?"
Xu Youchang first glanced at Li Jiangyao, and then said: "Isn't there a third way to go? Don't be a rebel Xie Guang, and don't be a softie who can be rubbed around."
"Brother, brother, the most important issue at the moment is not here." Shen Lie also turned to Li Jiangyao and said in a deep voice: "I have been in the Nilin Division for many years, and I have a clear understanding of the relationship between the emperor and the army. No matter who is here. In that position, everyone is eager to grasp the hilt of the sharp sword of the army, and they have no other thoughts. The late emperor suffered great losses in this regard, and Li Bing is absolutely unwilling to make the same mistake again."
Li Jiangyao nodded and said: "You are right. This hurdle can never be bypassed."
Shen Lie continued: "So I say, the problem is not here, but in the undercurrent of changes in the court situation. Cheng Wen became the queen, and the noble forces represented by the Zhenguo Palace took the opportunity to rise again. Out of For political purposes, forming an alliance with Wei Zixuan is the most dangerous."
Li Jiangyao saw that Xu Youchang and others were still a little confused, so he explained for Shen Lie: "The Holy Tang Dynasty has experienced many years of internal and external troubles. Even the late emperor died for the country. The traditional aristocratic power has suffered varying degrees of blows and weakening. They not only lost many talents, but also lost a lot of land, wealth and power. At the same time, soldiers like us continued to grow and develop due to internal and external wars, and gradually became an important reliance of the imperial court. In this way, the old and the new were formed. The conflict between the two forces.”
Hearing what he said, Xu Youchang suddenly understood: "That's true. The old nobles did not want to withdraw from the core of the court, but they could not afford to offend the new forces in the military, so Wei Zixuan seized the opportunity and deliberately attracted them to unite the two sides. Come on, take advantage of Li Bing's opportunity to control the army and do everything possible to squeeze us out."
"You're on to the point." Shen Lie sneered: "Lao Jianhua is actually behind all of this. He knows Li Bing too well, and he also knows too well the traditions of Zhenguo Gongfu and Fengyang Houfu. He is a noble, so he asked Wei Zixuan to promote post-election matters and stir up trouble."
Xu Youchang slammed the table and said angrily: "These beasts only care about glory and wealth! Our Xu family risked our lives for the Holy Tang, and our entire family died in battle, but what about them? Are they worthy of my grandfather?!"
Li Jiangyao sighed and patted Xu Youchang's shoulder gently: "Grandpa is not doing it for them, and we don't have to be angry with these young people. Let's listen to what Brother Shen has to say first."
Shen Lie nodded and continued: "My dear friend, Jiang Yao is right. Mr. Xu has lived a pure life, and the only thing in his heart is the country of the late emperor and the Holy Tang Dynasty. Those noble families are not worthy of his care. We Speaking of which, once the old nobles form an alliance with Wei Zixuan, they will have a great influence on Li Bing and the court, and can even directly influence the process of countering the rebellion, so we must guard against it."
Xiahou Ninghan asked: "Lord Chang Shi, how should we solve this problem?"
"This is the main reason why I came to see you," Shen Lie smiled faintly: "I want to give advice to the Protector."
Li Jiangyao laughed loudly when he heard this: "Brother Shen, you have walked around the gate of hell, and you have become more interesting. At this time, you are still in the mood to have fun. What advice can you give to the guardian? If you have any good ideas, tell me quickly! "
Shen Lie stroked his beard gently: "My method is to treat the person's body in the same way."
Xiahou Ninghan thought about it for a while and asked curiously: "Does Master Chang Shi mean to find another group of allies in the court?"
"Ning Han's guess is correct." Shen Lie said solemnly: "In the Holy Tang Dynasty, there are both old aristocrats who are greedy for power, and there are also loyal and loyal families like the Xu family. Wei Zixuan can pull people, and we can also pull people. However, we What I am dragging are those loyal and upright nobles, and letting them compete with the likes of the Zhenguo Dukefu!"
Hearing this, Xu Youchang said happily: "I think this method is feasible! Take our Lord Dong as an example. With his support in the Ministry of War, he blocked Wei Zixuan and Yin Chengyi's many evil ideas. It's a pity that Old Dong has always been alone. There should be more Helped."
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly and asked humbly: "Brother Shen, what are the specific methods? How do we need to cooperate?"
Shen Lie replied: "The first thing is to thoroughly investigate the group of noble officers in front of us and have a clear idea. Some of them are bent on leaning towards the emperor, some are traitors planted by Lao Jianhua, and some , sincerely hope to be loyal to the country. Let’s start with the noble officers who are loyal to Shengtang, not only the Zhenjiang Army, but also Murong Xue, Ma Hongjie and Chang Tao. We must train and reuse those people well and let them understand , who is truly good for this country."
"I support it with both hands." Li Jiangyao said with a smile: "As long as these upright nobles can distinguish right from wrong, and in turn can influence their families, I will not be alone."
Shen Lie nodded and continued: "The second thing is for me to go to the imperial capital secretly, talk to some trustworthy old friends, and help them return to the court to fight against Wei Zixuan and his allies. Now I'm afraid you won't be able to help me with the layout, I have to find the Seventh Princess."
