Zhao Gao looked at Ren Ao and said calmly: "Zhao Tuo may have selfish motives."
"Zhao Tuo has been very indifferent to the young master along the way. I'm afraid he doesn't take him seriously at all. Now he doesn't want to distribute these money cloths. He probably wants to be greedy secretly. Zhao Tuo is so scheming. Not right."
Ren Ao frowned and thought for a while, but it felt wrong.
He said: "General Zhao Tuo's words actually make some sense. Many soldiers in Nanhai have been guarding the border for nine years and have a lot of understanding of the court's behavior. However, the environment here in Nanhai is so difficult, and the soldiers' homesickness may be extremely strong. , if it is not handled properly, it may cause moral turmoil in the military."
"General Zhao Tuo is probably worried about this matter."
"It's just that General Zhao Tuo is a little too excited about issuing monetary rewards."
"I'm afraid something happened in the South China Sea that we don't know about."
Ren Ao looked solemn.
His father, Ren Xiao, had been the commander-in-chief of Nanhai and was killed by the Baiyue people three years ago. At that time, he was serving in the imperial court and did not serve in the army, so he knew very little about the situation in the army.
After hearing what the two of them said, Hu Hai nodded slightly and didn't say much.
Ren Ao did not stay in the big tent for long.
After Hu Hai and Zhao Gao were the only ones left in the big tent, Zhao Gao Gao said in a low voice: "Sir, be careful of Zhao Tuo. This person may have two intentions."
"Otherwise, I may have selfish motives for the money and food. The South China Sea is barren. Although the court has allocated no less money and food, compared to the 500,000 troops in the South China Sea, it is still a drop in the bucket. These generals may want to swallow these money and cloth."
"Have two minds?" Hu Hai's face hardened and he said, "Tell me more about it."
Zhao Gao smiled coldly and said: "I know Zhao Tuo. He has a low-key and calm personality. He rarely made mistakes in the court in the past. He has always been steady and steady, and every step he took was solid. But this time after hearing the words of the young master, At that time, he suddenly lost his composure, perhaps the young master’s words disturbed his original plan.”
"Young master came in a hurry this time."
"The South China Sea is too far away from Xianyang, so it is very inconvenient to transmit information. Therefore, Zhao Tuo may not know the true purpose of the young master's visit."
"Zhao Tuo rarely met people in the court in the past, so not many people would tip him off. Therefore, Zhao Tuo probably never thought that the court would distribute monetary rewards to the 500,000 soldiers in Nanhai."
"All the way down."
"Zhao Tuo never takes the young master seriously."
"I'm afraid he doesn't think the young master can ascend the throne at all."
"That's why I dare to be so contemptuous."
"But in any case, Zhao Tuo did make a miscalculation."
"Then what is Zhao Tuo's intention?" Hu Hai's expression also became serious.
He even touched his sleeves subconsciously.
Zhao Gaoyin said pitifully: "How could this minister know?"
"It's just that Zhao Tuo's rebellion is unlikely. How could the soldiers of Great Qin rebel with Zhao Tuo?"
Hu Hai nodded slightly.
He also didn't think Zhao Tuo had this ability.
Zhao Gaodao: "I think Zhao Tuo wants to rise to a high position."
"So he doesn't want trouble to happen in the South China Sea. Rather than the court distributing monetary rewards, he hopes the court will move more women here so that the soldiers in the South China Sea can completely settle down. When he captures the Ouluo area in a while, he will have military exploits. He is outstanding and has contributed to the stability of the three counties in Lingnan. With his contribution, he will probably be able to rank among the nine ministers, and it may be possible to become the prime minister in the future."
"This may be Zhao Tuo's true intention."
Hear the words.
Hu Hai was thoughtful.
He took his hand out of his sleeve and touched his chin, thinking that what Zhao Gao said was reasonable.
Zhao Tuo is a person who seeks stability.
He doesn't want his established affairs to change.
And his trip was completely beyond Zhao Tuo's expectations and would disrupt Zhao Tuo's original arrangement, so Zhao Tuo seemed panicked.
Zhao Tuo has a strong desire for power!
immediately.
Hu Hai showed a hint of displeasure.
According to what Zhao Gao said, Zhao Tuo clearly regarded himself as the Jiuqing or the Prime Minister, so he didn't take himself seriously and never thought that he could become the emperor. This made Hu Hai feel very sad. Displeased, he said displeasedly: "Although Zhao Tuo is the commander-in-chief of Nanhai, most of Lingnan was conquered by Tu Sui and Ren Xiao. Zhao Tuo just picked up the achievements of these two generals. Who has the right to rub his nose against me?" Face?"
Zhao Gao chuckled and said, "Master, don't be anxious."
"It's a good thing that Zhao Tuo has selfish motives."
"Although he has an army of 500,000, he is completely inferior to Meng Tian in the eyes of the courtiers. He probably knows it himself, but does he really think that he is inferior to Meng Tian?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Although the Prime Minister of Qin Dynasty has one left and one right."
"But in the end, there is only one person who really holds the power."
"Wang Wan and Wei Zhuang were in power by Wang Wan, and Li Si and Feng Quji were in power by Li Si."
"If the eldest son takes the throne, the position of prime minister will definitely belong to Meng Tian. Even Li Si may not be able to compete for it. Based on Zhao Tuo's current calculation, he may not be willing to only hold some side powers, so Zhao Tuo may not be able to fight for the son."
"If the young master can get help from Zhao Tuo, he will be able to compete with the eldest son in the army."
"Some time ago, because of the salt and iron incident, the eldest son offended many courtiers. Many of these people were shaken. At this time, with the help of Zhao Tuo, the eldest son will definitely be able to completely recruit the people who were originally wavering. When the time comes, The young master’s power in the court will be greatly increased.”
"Master, your opportunity has come!"
Zhao Gao is good at tempting.
He wanted Hu Hai to take a step back this time.
Agree with Zhao Tuo's idea, and then win over Zhao Tuo to expand his own strength, further consolidate the support of the courtiers during this period, and gain enough power for himself to compete with Fusu in the future.
Hu Hai was already somewhat persuaded.
He looked to the side and saw a lot of mosquitoes and flies around him. He immediately showed displeasure and quickly stretched out his hand to drive them away.
See this.
Zhao Gao also quickly waved his sleeves.
Hu Hai sat on the ground and pondered for a moment. Looking at Zhao Gao who was serious at the side, he frowned. He thought of Ji Heng's reminder in the past that Zhao Gao was also motivated by interests. In fact, he and Zhao Tuo were People all the way.
But Zhao Gao was right.
If he can win over Zhao Tuo, his momentum in the court will greatly increase.
You may not be able to compete with your elder brother.
"Young master, what is there to hesitate about? This opportunity is rare. If you don't seize this opportunity, not only will you not be able to win over Zhao Tuo, but you may offend him. Then it will be extremely difficult for you to succeed. Young Master, please stop hesitating." Zhao Gao was a little anxious and urged.
Hu Hai clenched his hands into fists.
Just when he was about to agree, he thought of the second tip given by Ji Heng.
Let him not cause trouble.
With Ji Heng's ability, he would not easily give such advice. Although Ji Heng didn't know much about the situation in the South China Sea, Ji Heng rarely made mistakes in the past. Hu Hai was a little afraid to take a gamble for a while, and as he said in his refutation of Zhao Tuo earlier, He was following His Majesty's orders this time, how could he resist?
If the father knew about it, then it would really be a bad thing.
Hu Hai calmed down.
He quickly shook his head and said: "No, this time I will go south and north with my eldest brother. My eldest brother will definitely obey my father's order. If I follow Zhao Tuo's suggestion, it will be spread to my father's ears." What will the emperor think of me?"
"My father hates disobedience the most!"
"No, no."
Hu Hai's head shook like a rattle.
Hearing Hu Hai's words, Zhao Gao looked anxious and said hurriedly: "Sir, why don't you pay the money reward? At that time, we will say that it has been distributed and ask Zhao Tuo to write the same. How many people in the court will really pay attention to it? Verification? As long as the people accompanying him don’t tell, and generals like Zhao Tuo don’t tell, who in the court can know?”
"This is money worth millions of dollars. How many people can resist being greedy? As long as we offer them heavy profits, how can they not obey?"
"Sir, why can't you tell the difference suddenly?"
Hu Hai looked cold and scolded: "Zhao Gao, it's not your turn to tell me what I should do."
"I, Hu Hai, have not made any progress during this period. I know what to do and what not to do. I am indeed dissatisfied with my elder brother, but I know better that the reason why I can come to Nanhai this time is mainly because of my father's favor. , if you lose your father’s favor and trust because of this, then it’s really a small loss that makes a big loss!”
"Stop trying to persuade me!"
"It is impossible for me to disobey my father's decree."
"Go down."
Hu Hai rarely got angry with Zhao Gao.
Hearing Hu Hai's anger, Zhao Gao was also stunned for a moment.
He stared at Hu Hai closely, in disbelief. Hu Hai had always obeyed his words and rarely raised objections, let alone get angry with him. Why was he acting out of character this time?
In just a moment, he thought of the reason.
Ji Heng!
It could only be this person.
He knew Hu Hai well in the past.
But since he was imprisoned, everything has changed.
Hu Hai seemed to have a estrangement from him. Many times, Hu Hai would not directly listen to the suggestions he gave, but would think about it for a while.
This feeling of distrust.
This gave Zhao Gao an unprecedented sense of crisis.
Even panic.
He opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him a few more words, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't dare to say any more. He could only swallow them in frustration, then cupped his hands and exited the big tent.
Out of the big tent.
Zhao Gao's eyes were red, his fists were clenched, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Ji Heng, what did you say to Hu Hai? Hu Hai doesn't even believe me. You have clearly turned to the eldest son, but you still want to seduce Hu Hai with your evil words. , I, Zhao Gao, will never give up."
"Hu Hai can only listen to me!!!"
The midsummer in Linchen is already like a flowing fire.
But in the mountains and forests outside Linchen City, there was a rare breeze.
Zhao Tuo, Lu Jia, Zhao Mei and others appeared in this unknown mountain forest. Not far from the mountain forest, there was a thatched pavilion surrounded by soldiers guarding it. However, Zhao Tuo and the others had no intention of going to the thatched pavilion and just sat on the ground like this. , their expressions looked very cold.
Zhao Tuo's square face showed a look of solemnity, and he said in a deep tone: "Did you all hear what Hu Hai said?"
"Tell me what you think."
Zhao Mei said in a deep voice: "Father, we made a miscalculation this time."
"Although we guessed that Hu Hai came to reward the army this time, we specially came to Linchen from Panyu and asked some overworked soldiers to greet him, in order to drive Hu Hai away as soon as possible and let him retreat. We didn't expect that Hu Hai actually came with him this time and brought millions of gold cloths."
"If all these money cloths are distributed, the original dissatisfaction among the army against the imperial court may be eliminated."
"That's not good news for us."
Lu Jia frowned and said in a solemn voice: "Xianyang is too far away from the South China Sea, so it is very inconvenient to transmit news. In the past few years, most of the officials in the court have lost contact, and none of them are willing to take the initiative to transmit news for us. We are here It was indeed a miscalculation.”
"But the land of the South China Sea is different from the Central Plains."
"It's wild here."
Said.
Lu Jia looked disdainful.
He is from Yue!
He is also the leader of one of the Baiyue tribe.
However, during the first Qin expedition to Baiyue, he was captured by the Qin army and finally chose to seek refuge with the Qin people to save his life. Over the years, he has won Zhao Tuo's trust by advising Zhao Tuo and aroused Zhao Tuo's ambition to be independent. .
It's just that Zhao Tuo is not a man with great ambitions.
He did not dare to stand on his own feet easily.
Lu Jia said coldly: "The current population of the South China Sea is roughly divided into two categories. One is the Yue people who went south, the other is the Baiyue, and the other is the original tribes in the South China Sea, who have no names. The original tribes in the South China Sea have no written characters. , there is no law, they use wood and stone to fish and hunt, slash and burn, and worship wizards, just like the ancient barbaric tribes. At that time, the Yue people who went south mostly gathered on the coast of the East China Sea in Fujian. There were not many in Panyu, Guilin, and Xiangdi, and they were different from the original tribes. The clans are incompatible with each other, and the fighting is fierce."
"After the Qin army went south, most of the hundreds of thousands of people bowed their heads."
"Only the original tribes are still resisting, but their numbers have become increasingly scarce, and there is nothing to fear at the moment."
"But after all, the Baiyue people in the South China Sea have been away from the Central Plains for too long, and their living habits are very different from the Central Plains. They are not used to the rule of the Qin people, and it is very difficult for the Qin people to enter the South China Sea. Although they have built southwest However, as long as the road is sealed, the South China Sea can directly block the Central Plains."
"Therefore the South China Sea is a natural place of self-reliance!"
Lu Jia said calmly for a few times before returning the topic to Hu Hai, "The arrival of Master Qin is indeed a bit unexpected, and it also ruined our plan. We had been deliberately stirring up the morale of the army. , causing the soldiers in the army to be dissatisfied with the imperial court, and at the same time constantly asking for women from the Qin court, allowing these soldiers to settle down, and then completely alienating them from the Qin court, and also always intentionally weakened the influence of the Qin court on the soldiers."
“Create opportunities for future self-reliance.”
"But if Qin Ting continues to distribute the money this time, many of the things we have done in the past may directly lose their effectiveness."
"These soldiers will also have a renewed desire to return to Qin."
"Therefore we can never agree."
"It's just that Hu Hai has already decided that although we have control over the army, the soldiers still have expectations for Da Qin, and they may not follow us to cause chaos. What should we do now?" Zhao Mei said in a condensed voice.
Lu Jia sneered and said sadly: "This is Linchen City, and the soldiers around are all our people. It's not time to fall out with Qin Ting, so we can't kill Hu Hai, but let them kill Hu Hai." It’s easy to fool around.”
"At least get rid of this Hu Hai as soon as possible."
"Didn't he want a reward of money?"
"Let him send it!"
"But if homesickness breaks out in the military, it's also possible to yell at the court."
"I would like to see how the young master of Da Qin will end up in this situation?"
"Is he done with it?!"
(End of chapter)
