After having enough wine and food, Ji Ling and Wang Ruohai went to Dengzhou with Wang Xiaolie.
At this time, the clouds were thick and the north wind was blowing, and a heavy snow was about to fall. For dozens of miles, Wang Xiaolie did not dare to neglect and urged the team to move forward in a hurry. Ji Ling was riding a horse, and it was bumpy as he walked in a hurry. But Wang Xiaolie didn't pay much attention to him and didn't say anything.
It wasn't until the sun set that everyone arrived at Dengzhou City. As soon as we entered the city gate, huge snowflakes began to fall.
Looking at the heavy snow flying in the sky under the dim sky, Wang Xiaolie said: "What a snow! It looks like this is the biggest snow this year!"
Wang Ruohai said: "Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest. If it snows now, there will definitely be a good harvest in the coming year."
While talking, everyone arrived at Dengzhou Yamen.
After entering the yamen and sitting down, Wang Xiaoxian said: "I have only been in Dengzhou for a day or two. Everything is simple, so the two envoys will take care of me."
Ji Ling said: "Where has Tan Yan, the governor of Dengzhou, gone? Why not greet him?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Yang attacked Dengzhou a few days ago. Tan Yan persuaded me to enter Dengzhou City, and led his troops to flee westward that night. Now I will not deal with Dengzhou affairs until the court sends officials again."
Ji Ling nodded and didn't ask any more questions. In times of war and chaos, it is common for these governors to rise and fall. Anyone who can stay for several years, regardless of his origin, is not an ordinary person.
After cleaning up, Wang Xiaolie ordered a brazier to be lit, slaughtered a sheep, and invited the two magistrates to enjoy the snow and drink.
Sitting on the couch beautifully, drinking a bowl of wine, Ji Ling said: "The wine in Dengzhou city has only a slight taste. The wine I drank at noon today is as light as water and has no smell of wine. Wang Zhizhou, please prepare some for us. A few jars for drinking on the way to Henan Mansion."
Wang Xiaolie said yes and ordered people to prepare. There is no war in Dengzhou City this year. Several restaurants in the city have opened, and there is still wine. However, Wang Xiaolie also had to buy it with money, and he was dissatisfied with Ji Ling's behavior.
When envoys are on a mission, local officials on the road are obliged to entertain them. However, Wang Xiaolie is the magistrate of Ruzhou and is now in Dengzhou. Seriously speaking, he has no task of entertaining the two envoys. Ji Ling wanted this or that, which annoyed Wang Xiaolie a little.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and within an hour, everything was white to the eye.
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's strange, it's completely dark now, so we shouldn't be able to see snow. But when we looked, we felt that the world would soon be completely white. We couldn't see it, but we felt it was very clear. , this is also strange."
Ji Ling said: "If you can't see black, how can you not see snow if it's white? Zhizhou, this seems very simple."
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "You can't see anything when it's dark, so why can you see white snow? There is a truth in this, but it's not what Sheren said. Everything in the world has its own truth, but You can’t just dream about it.”
How could Ji Ling be ridiculed like this? He straightened up and began to argue with Wang Xiaolie by eloquently citing scriptures.
Wang Xiaolie just smiled, not too lazy to say anything more, and urged the two of them to drink.
After three drinks, the mutton was roasted and served. Wang Xiaolie persuaded the two of them to drink wine and eat meat. For a while, there was only snow falling and no one spoke.
Since passing Xiangyang Mansion, this group of people has never had a good meal. Although I ate boiled chicken for lunch today, it was tasteless, but I was very happy to eat mutton at night. Drinking wine and eating meat at the same time, heartily.
After drinking for three rounds, Wang Xiaoxian said: "This year is not like last year. The Jin people did not go south in large numbers. It is almost the twelfth lunar month. The Jin people on Jingxi Road only attacked Shaanzhou and were repelled by Li Yanxian. It is nothing like last year. They kept fighting. To Xiangyang Mansion."
Wang Ruohai said: "It's just that we didn't attack Jingxi Road. On Shaanxi Road, the Jin people attacked Yongxing Army again and defeated Yan'an Prefecture. If Fuzhou is lost, we can ask for gold. From Hedong Road to Shaanxi Road, there is no danger to defend. Hebei, On Hedong Road, many states were conquered by the Jin, and the two roads are no longer owned by the imperial court. On Jingdong Road and Jianghuai, where the Jin troops gathered heavily, it was difficult for the imperial court to support them."
Wang Xiaolie was surprised. Said: "It turns out there are so many wars this year!"
Wang Ruohai nodded: "Yes. There are too few soldiers and horses in the imperial court to stop the Jin army. The Jin people are so ambitious that they will never give up!"
Last year, the Jin Army made a big circle on Jingxi Road. In their eyes, there was no hope and water, so this year they will not focus on attacking. In the eyes of the Jin people, one is to chase Zhao Gou and the other is to peek into the Sichuan Gorge. Focus on attacking Shaanxi and Jingdong, as well as the Jianghuai Road to open up the road south.
The situation at this time is somewhat like the key offensive stage of the liberation war in previous lives. However, the Jin army moved from north to south and was invincible. The Song Dynasty actually had enough time to rebuild its armaments, but it was unsuccessful.
Drink a bowl of wine. Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said, "Looking at it this way, Jingxi Road is still a safe place now."
Wang Ruohai said: "The Jin army does not come, but there are many bandits. In fact, there is no Yang Jin. There are bandits everywhere in the states west of Beijing. It's just that most of them are small and cannot occupy the state army. The imperial court does not have enough soldiers and horses. This is There’s nothing you can do about it.”
Wang Xiaolie thought to himself, are there actually fewer bandits occupying the state army? It's just that the imperial court admitted the facts and sealed those who occupied the state army. Now the states on Jingxi Road are actually in a semi-independent state. The imperial court did not issue military pay, and local governments did not pay taxes.
It's getting later and later, and the snow is getting heavier and heavier. Under the light, you can see fist-sized snowflakes flying. Looking around, everything as far as the eye can see is white. There are no stars or moon, but the snowflakes are fluorescent.
On a night like this, the human eye shouldn't actually be able to see snowflakes. Black is black, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be black just because it’s snowing. But in fact, the human eye can see it. It really seems that because of the snow on the ground, the sky and the earth become brighter. This is a scientific question, not metaphysics.
After drinking too much wine, Ji Ling leaned on the charcoal plate and was already half asleep. On the other hand, Wang Xiaolie and Wang Ruohai were still awake because they had something on their minds.
Putting down the wine bowl, Wang Xiaolie sighed: "Since the Kaifeng Mansion was conquered, both Hebei and Hedong were in the hands of the Jin people. Now there is no strong army or fierce generals in the court, and the emperor is running around. In these days I don’t know when it will be the beginning——”
Wang Ruohai said: "The Holy One used Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan as prime ministers, and those who could fight like Li Gang were demoted. It is really disappointing. The power of the world is like the snake of Changshan, with Qin and Shu at the head, the southeast as the tail, and the central principle as the spine. . If you want to recover, you must go to Qin and Shu. The Holy One lives in the southeast, how can he be able to stand up the backbone of the world? Alas, living in these troubled times and unable to save the world, what can be done?"
After saying that, he shook his head slightly, looking a little helpless.
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie's eyes lit up. It seems that there is no one in the court, Zhao Gou doesn't need it. From the time he ascended the throne, Zhao Gou reused Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan, and later Qin Hui, all of which were intentional. In Zhao Gou's heart, he was already afraid of the Jin people.
After thinking about it, Wang Xiaolie said: "The power of the world actually changes with time. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Qin was naturally the leader of the world. If you occupy Qin, you can advance, attack, retreat or defend. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Qin was the leader of the world. In fact, it may not be possible anymore. It’s just that the strength of Guanzhong is still there, with many products and dense population. The Li family occupies Guanzhong and Hedong, and is on the verge of conquering the world. Now, Guanzhong is dilapidated and may not have the power it once had. In today’s world, the strongest place is naturally You Yan. Since the late Tang Dynasty, there have been constant wars, and many heroes have been tempered in the wars. Among the other places, the most suitable places are Jingxi Road and Jianghuai. Both places have fertile land and large populations. The Jin people are now They are chasing the Holy One. Wherever the Holy One is, the surroundings are not safe."
At this point, Wang Xiaolie shut up.
Wang Ruohai looked up at Wang Xiaolie. After a while, he said: "Zhizhou is an extraordinary person!"
After speaking, he nodded, looked at the fire in front of him, and said nothing.
