The three of them walked north along the Xianhe River and arrived near Huitong Bridge. The place is extremely lively, with numerous restaurants, restaurants, and bustling crowds.
Zheng Gangzhong turned around and saw brothers Yang Zhi and Yang Hua looking at him eagerly. He smiled and said, "Don't look at me. With our salary, we can't get into places where people often go to places. Find a small restaurant and have a few glasses of wine."
Yang Zhi sighed: "That's right. We spent ten or twenty thousand dollars a month to go to that big restaurant and eat everything in three to five days. It's better to find a small restaurant where we can have a hearty meal of wine and meat. It's a bit shabby, but the food is better. Affordable.”
Yang Hua said: "As long as the food and wine are in your stomach, what else can you do about the ostentation!"
As the three of them talked, they went to a small restaurant nearby and sat down at a booth on the second floor next to Luohe.
After ordering food and drinks, Zheng Gangzhong opened the window and looked at the ripples of Luoshui outside.
"Luoyang has been an imperial capital since ancient times. After hundreds of battles, there are only ruins." Zheng Gangzhong sighed, "It's just that the scattered garden relics are still there, but it's hard to find the wandering figures. This great city in the world was ruined by a war, and it became like this. , it’s really sad.”
Yang Huadao: "We brothers were born and grew up in Yongzhou. We only thought that Yongzhou is where the barbarians live, and the Central Plains must be where the heavenly people live. Who would have thought that if we really came to the Central Plains to take a look, it would be nothing more than that. I just hope that Let’s get rid of the Jin people as soon as possible and restore the prosperity of the past.”
Yang Zhidao: "Yes. We two people from Yongzhou won the Jinshi and traveled thousands of miles to Luoyang. Many people thought we were crazy. But they didn't know that we barbaric people had a begging in our hearts and wanted to serve the country. In the six or seven years since Jingkang, no one in the vast Central Plains could fight against the Central Plains. Only Wang Xuanfu rallied his troops in the chaos of war, cared for the people at home, and fought against the gold thieves. He fought dozens of battles, big and small, without a single defeat. Only Wang Xuanfu Only people like this can lead us to expel the Tartars and restore the Central Plains. We are lucky that the court allows us to come to Jingxi Road to serve. I really don’t understand why so many people come and go!"
Zheng Gangzhong turned his head, looked at Yang Zhi, and said: "Because most people say they serve the country, but they also care about what they get. Although Wang Xuanfu's place is well-paid, officials will have a much better life here. . But his rules are different from those of the imperial court. Life is not easy, and people who don’t need money leave.”
Yang Zhidao: "Our brothers are not married, and we have three brothers serving our parents. We went north just to fight against the Jin Dynasty and serve the country, but we didn't think too much about it."
Zheng Gangzhong couldn't help but sighed: "I feel a little ashamed to hear you say this."
Yang Zhi shook his head and picked up the wine to drink.
Yang Huadao: "I heard someone say that the Xuanfu Division knew that many of us brought our families to Luoyang and were having a hard time, so we wanted to find something to do for their families. In two days, all of us, We need to go to Sanxiang Town, Fuchang County. I heard that the Lianchang River there is rich in water, and many factories have been built there."
Zheng Gangzhong said: "I have always heard people say that there were many factories under Xuanfu's rule and produced many things, but I have never seen what they looked like. So this factory was built in the mountains and rivers? It is not easy."
Yang Hua said: "No. It's because many factories need water conservancy, so they are built next to rivers. Ordinary factories don't need it, so they are built next to the city. It's just that here they are all designated as separate industrial zones, and factories are built there, which is not usually seen. arrive."
The route Zheng Gangzhong took this time happened to be in a place where there were no factories and no one was seen. I just heard that Wang Xiaolie managed the factory to make money, but I didn't know what the factory looked like and whether it was the same as other places.
"That's it." Zheng Gangzhong nodded. "Sanhe Town is Changgu where Li He lived in the Tang Dynasty. It was an east-west post road at that time and was very prosperous. But now the roads in Xin'an and Mianchi are better, and few people go there."
Yang Zhi exclaimed: "Is that Changgu there? I like Li Changgu's poems the most. The writing is gorgeous, he is truly an extraordinary person!"
Zheng Gangzhong said: "Yes, Changgu is near Sanxiang Town. When we get there, we can visit Li He's hometown. There are countless places like this around Luoyang. How can it be compared to other places?"
Yang Zhi and Yang Hua admired it for a while and found it incredible. In my hometown of Yongzhou, having such a character is like a treasure, but I don't expect that there are everywhere in Luoyang. This thousand-year-old capital is indeed different.
After chatting for a while, Yang Zhidao said: "Brother Zheng, we have been here for a while, why haven't we been assigned positions? This place is different from the imperial court. There are many officials who are lacking in various places, but it is not that there are no positions."
Zheng Gangzhong said: "I have thought about this for a long time. After much deliberation, it should be under Xuanfu's rule, and the rules are very different from other places. Xuanfu is worried that he will not let us see clearly, for fear that someone will arrange official positions. , I will be dissatisfied in every possible way when I get there. At that time, it will be difficult to handle."
"That's it." Yang Zhi nodded. "If you ask me, when you are an official and manage the government, just follow the rules. Why should you care too much? Compared with other places, under Xuanfu's rule, it can be said that the government is harmonious and the people are happy. What else is there to choose? "
Zheng Gangzhong said: "It's just different from other places, so many people have doubts in their hearts."
After speaking, Zheng Gangzhong looked out the window. The white sails on the Luo River are like clouds, slowly drifting closer from the distance, approaching the willow forest beside the river.
How is this a trivial matter? Unlike other places, how could the imperial court not care? It's just that the court has been powerless in recent years and pretended not to know. When the political situation stabilizes and the court has spare power, how can it be possible to let Wang Xiaolie do whatever he wants in the local area? At that time, once Wang Xiaolie's power was taken away, what would the officials below do?
Moving his family north was the issue that Zheng Gangzhong thought about the most. Temporary difficulties are nothing, but a person cannot help but think about the future.
Wang Xiaolie has a large army in his hands. Whether it is military or civilian, he is different from others in every aspect. After expelling the Jin army and restoring the Central Plains, what will happen in the end? Senior officials can ignore these minor issues, but officials like Zheng Gangzhong cannot. One careless move can ruin your future.
Zheng Gangzhong saw clearly that Wang Xiaolie actually had a big conflict with the court. Now the imperial court wants to rely on Wang Xiaolie's troops to deal with the Jin army. Senior officials will reward him generously, but that's all. Once Wang Xiaolian is no longer needed, it will be very bad.
Leading a large army outside, and building this army by himself. Throughout the ages, it is difficult for such a person to achieve any good results. Zheng Gangzhong must consider what will happen to Wang Xiaolie in the end, and how he will be implicated as a subordinate.
Even if you pledge your life to the country and don't care about your life, you can't help but consider this issue. In fact, this is also the reason why many officials do not come to Beijing.
(End of chapter)
