There was silence in the room. Wang Wenzuo looked around and said with a smile: "This place is different from the Central Plains. The Central Plains is densely populated. There are tens of thousands of households in one county, and taxes and labor are just enough. This is a bitter cold place. Although the products are rich, they are all You have to pay for it with your life, so those who can stay are the unruly and strong people. If we do what we did in the Central Plains again, I'm afraid there will be a lot of chaos!"
Although Wang Wenzuo's words were not loud, they were spelled clearly. In addition to Dahe Huaien, A Zhiluo and others, other people in the room could also hear clearly, and they immediately aroused a roar of approval. As Wang Wenzuo said, due to the existence of Liaoze in the Liaodong region at that time, the Liaohe Plain, which was most suitable for development, was still in a barren area. Although the average temperature was several degrees higher than in modern times, the conditions for the development of agricultural production were compared with those in the inland Central Plains. It must be much worse.
But there are also places here that are not as good as those in the mainland. There are massive resources to be developed. Huge wealth can be obtained quickly by engaging in fishing, hunting, grazing, mining and other industries. But to engage in these industries, the small-scale peasant economy based on small families is definitely not feasible. Only well-organized groups can survive. Therefore, regardless of Hu Han, as long as they enter this land, they will definitely join the group for warmth and form an organization with considerable military power. If they want to manage these powerful groups in the same way as small family farmers in the Central Plains, the result will be either economic collapse or spark a massive rebellion, or both.
Hearing Wang Wenzuo's words, the atmosphere in the wine shop was completely different. If everyone originally looked at Wang Wenzuo and his entourage with awe and fear in their eyes, now the awe is still there, but there is a bit more intimacy.
"The Governor has spoken what is in our hearts!" Dating Huaien said: "If you can come to Yingzhou, it will be a blessing to us!"
"Hahaha! These are all jokes and cannot be taken seriously!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand: "No matter what you say, we will still be loyal to the court and fight against rebellion. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, I understand!" Dating Huaien nodded: "In this crusade against Goguryeo, the general will definitely break the formation first and make meritorious service to the country!"
"Okay!" Wang Wenzuo shouted: "Restaurant, restaurant!"
"The villain is here!" the servant on the side responded quickly.
"Fill up the wine glasses for everyone. Today's wine is invited by me!" Wang Wenzuo raised the wine glass: "With the power of the emperor, all the people in the world pray for the death of the Goguryeo traitor chief. We will send troops to attack the traitors and avenge the grievances of our father and brother. , There will be peace for a hundred generations, and I wish that there will be no more wars east of Yuguan, and it will be a paradise forever!" After that, he drank the birch sap in the cup, threw the cup on the ground and laughed.
"There will be no wars east of Fuyuan Yuguan from now on, and it will always be a happy land!" Everyone in the longhouse also responded in unison, and then drank and laughed.
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Yingzhou Dudu Mansion.
Although it was still autumn, the fire in the fireplace was still burning brightly, and the flames crackled and spiraled up to the top, which was blackened by smoke. Li Jingye carefully wiped the sweat on his forehead and looked carefully at his grandfather who was looking at the map on the table.
Grandfather is not far from his end. Li Jingye knows this very well. The old man's life is like a pile of dry firewood. If it is a small fire, it can last for a long time, but if it burns as violently as in the fireplace, it will soon burn out. It will burn out. But the moment he accepted the appointment of the emperor's chief commander of the Liaodong Road march and ambassador of comfort, it meant that the final stage of the grandfather's life fire must become bright and short-lived. The best opportunity for the Tang Dynasty to eliminate Goguryeo was right in front of him. , if you miss it, it will be another hundred years.
"Jingye, come here!"
"Yes!" Li Jingye hurriedly walked over. He saw Li Ji pointing to a certain location on the map: "We need to send spies to carefully explore this area to confirm whether the road is passable after next spring. Remember, it is next year's spring. , once spring starts here in Liaodong and the ice and snow melt, many places will turn into mud, remember?"
"Yes, my grandson has remembered it!" Xu Jingye quickly recorded his grandfather's order. This time he went on an expedition with his grandfather and actually took on the job of secretary. Everyone knew that the British father hoped to be able to keep him for decades. It is human nature to pass on the valuable experience accumulated during the military career to one's direct grandchildren. This small selfishness is human nature.
"And here, here! We need to send people to investigate too!" Li Ji clicked on two more places on the map.
"Yes!" Li Jingye asked while recording, "Are we going to divide our troops into several groups?"
"No!" Xu Jingye shook his head: "It's just to distract the Goguryeo people. If we only explore one place, we will be telling the thieves our marching direction!"
"My grandson understands!"
"General Manager!" Yu Hou appeared at the door: "Xiongjin Governor's Mansion, Wang Wenzuo, the Japanese ambassador to comfort, has arrived!"
The swaying flames cast an orange-red shadow on Li Ji's old face, giving people a strange feeling: "Where are they?"
"I'm outside and want to see you!"
"Invite him to the back hall! No -" Li Ji denied his answer: "I will go to the main hall to greet him!"
Both Yu Hou and Li Jingye were stunned. With Li Ji's status and qualifications, even if the prime minister came, he would only receive this kind of treatment. Li Jingye hurriedly said: "Ah Weng! I will just go outside to meet him. Why do you need to go there in person?" go?"
"At my age, it doesn't matter what I do!" Li Ji said solemnly: "I do this as a favor to you. This Wang Wenzuo is a hero in this world, and I should respect him! As for you - Li Ji glanced at his grandson: "Don't imitate him!"
"Yes!" Li Jingye responded, secretly wondering if grandpa is old and confused? He also said that Wang Wenzuo was a hero of the world and asked me not to imitate him.
"Do you think I'm old and confused?" Li Ji smiled: "Let me tell you, only Wang Wenzuo can walk the path he has. If you follow his example, you will only die."
Wang Wenzuo, who was waiting, was surprised to see Li Jingye helping an old man out of the lobby and down the steps. Obviously, the old man was the British Duke Li Ji. Standing there was the highest courtesy allowed by his status. Wang Wenzuo hurried forward, came to the steps and bowed down: "Why should the British Duke be like this? Wenzuo I’m really ashamed!”
"You are a hero in this world, and you have a famous official title. You will get it sooner or later. How can you be restrained by common etiquette!" Li Ji said with a smile: "Get up quickly and go into the room to talk!"
"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo bowed again, then stood up and followed Li Ji into the room. The guests and hosts sat down respectively. Li Jingye and Cao Wenzong stood behind them respectively. Li Ji looked at Cao Wenzong and smiled. : "Who is the strong man behind you? He looks familiar?"
Cao Wenzong bowed and said: "My Excellency, Cao Wenzong, once taught swordsmanship for a living in Chang'an, and now he works for the Governor Wang!"
"So that's it. There are many thousand-mile horses in the world, but few are happy. Your skills are recognized and used by others, and you are a blessed person!" Li Ji said with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. British!"
Li Ji asked Wang Wenzuo a few more questions about the situation on the road, and suddenly the conversation changed: "By the way, there is an old acquaintance of yours coming to Yingzhou with me this time, Mr. Quanyuan, do you remember?"
"Of course I remember!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I heard that he has been in Chang'an these past few years. I wonder how he is doing!"
"This old man doesn't know!" Li Ji pointed at Li Jingye behind him: "But my grandson is flying around in Chang'an all day, so he must know it. Jingye, you still haven't answered the question of Governor Wang!"
"Yes!" Li Jingye responded: "The emperor has granted him a marriage, and the residence is in a good location. I have played polo with him several times. It seems that this person is living well in Chang'an!"
"Oh? So he was a blessing in disguise!" Wang Wenzuo laughed.
"Yes, if he can make some achievements in defeating Goguryeo this time, he will definitely be ranked above his two brothers. It is indeed a blessing in disguise!" Li Ji smiled and said: "By the way, you have to use troops against Goguryeo this time. what idea?"
"When the British Duke is here, my subordinates just obey orders. How dare you show your embarrassment!"
"Eh!" Li Ji shook his head: "I have also heard about what you did in Baekje and Japan. It can be said that you defended the country with integrity, used troops with surprise, planned first and then fought, and the situation was both yin and yang. It was the master of Sun Wu. When it comes to the use of troops, few of the younger generations of this dynasty can match him, so why should we be humble?"
Li Ji's series of big hats were buckled, and Wang Wenzuo could no longer hide his clumsiness. He smiled bitterly and said: "In fact, the Goguryeo people are only good at defending the city. From what my subordinates can see, if they attack it with a thunderbolt chariot, they will be able to defeat everything. One or two of them can be broken." The city will be destroyed if the thieves dare to destroy it, and the rest will be easy!"
"Thunderbolt car?" Li Ji frowned: "Can you tell me carefully?"
Wang Wenzuo confessed his crime, then took two steps forward, dipped his fingers in tea and began to write on some tables, and then told the general structure and usage of the counterweight trebuchet. The more Li Ji listened, the more he frowned, and finally let out a sigh of relief: "Wen Zuo, if it's like what you said, all the efforts in the castles will be in vain!"
"That's not true!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "First of all, it is difficult to build and transport this Thunderbolt Chariot and it costs a lot. Secondly, as long as the structure of this city is changed, the effect of this Thunderbolt Chariot will be much worse!"
"Yeah, but the Goguryeo thieves must be too late!" Li Ji smiled and said, "Wen Zuo, do you have the drawings?"
"I have brought craftsmen and metal parts with me on this trip. If the British public wants to see it, I will immediately order it. A sample can be made in half a month at most!"
"Okay, then I'll give you half a month. I'll take a look at the samples then!" Li Ji became obviously excited, and he suddenly sighed: "If Wen Zuo had been born thirty years earlier, the late emperor wouldn't have had to launch an army. Under Anshi City, it is not impossible to live for a few more years!"
"Did the late Emperor get injured at the foot of Anshi City?" Wang Wenzuo asked cautiously.
"That's not true!" Li Ji shook his head: "But he was really embarrassed when he retreated. The late emperor was so anxious that he suffered from carbuncle on the way and couldn't ride a horse. Although he was cured later, his health was not as good as before!" What Li Ji said Carbuncle is a common skin disease. The main cause is bacterial infection of hair follicles. It mostly occurs on the neck, back, and shoulders. The clinical manifestations are large infiltrative purple-red spots, suppuration, and tissue necrosis. In severe cases, toxemia and septicemia may even occur. lethal. Due to the lack of anti-inflammatory drugs in ancient times, it was difficult to perform surgical treatment on it. We could only wait for it to rupture on its own, and then introduce pus to clean the wound. Therefore, the mortality rate was very high. Many famous historical figures in our country's history books died of gangrene. ". On the way to retreat from Goguryeo, Li Shimin suffered from carbuncle and could not ride a horse. The prince sucked the carbuncle and had to support the chariot for several days. As a person who personally experienced it at that time, Li Ji was naturally deeply impressed.
"It's your honor!"
"You can pacify a country with a few hundred people. I ask myself, I can't do it. How can I say that I'm high-minded?" Li Ji said with a smile.
"That's just a coincidence!" Wang Wenzuo said quickly.
"Wen Zuo, what I'm talking about for the general is a coincidence!" Li Ji said with a smile: "Is it a coincidence that Duke Wei went down in a boat to defeat the Xiaoliang? Is it a coincidence that Duke Wei took a long snow ride to drive away the Turkic Khan? For General The way to explain it clearly is to keep the integrity and make surprises. On weekdays, it is integrity to keep the people and wealth, train troops and nourish soldiers; to use your hands to surprise people, to take advantage of the weak points to attack acupuncture points, this is wonder. Both are indispensable. "
"That's what Mr. Li taught you!"
"Wen Zuo!" Li Ji sighed: "Many people have come to me to ask for advice on the art of war over the years. I always shirk the blame if I can. But if I can't push the blame, I pretend to be confused. Many people outside say things that are unpleasant, so I just can't. Pretend you didn't hear it. Hey, the late emperor was so powerful that he couldn't bear to teach it to others. Why can't he even be reluctant to teach it to others? In fact, the art of war is very simple. Sun Tzu's Thirteenth Chapter has already explained it in detail, but the problem is very Even if a man of great wisdom and courage learns this art of war, he will not be able to use it. Even if he uses it, problems will arise at critical moments. What matters is the people, not the art of war, otherwise the disciples of Shi Le and Tan Shihuai would not be able to read a few Chinese characters. Man, can you say that he doesn’t understand the art of war?”
When Wang Wenzuo heard this, he was convinced that Li Ji had been fighting for decades and had become a master long ago. Those few words just now really said what he had always understood in his heart but had not said out loud. The art of war is not knowledge, but wisdom and courage. If a person is not good at it, it will be useless no matter how familiar he is with the art of war. But if a person is good, even an illiterate person can sum up his own art of war in practice.
"My grandson!" Li Ji pointed at Li Jingye: "He is brave enough, even a little too much, but his brain is a lot worse. If he is allowed to lead the army, he may be able to win a few times, but as long as he encounters The last person who knows how to do it must have even lost his own life! The ancients said: Three generations of generals are taboo in Taoism, so I must be talking about him!"
Wang Wenzuo laughed twice. Although he admired Li Ji's ability to recognize people, he couldn't just nod his head when someone belittled his grandson in front of him, saying that you were right, it was your precious grandson who caused harm. You won't have peace even after you die. If you want your family to be safe, it's best to be chopped down by this kid first. Fortunately, Li Ji was old and felt tired after reprimanding him for a few times. Wang Wenzuo found an opportunity, got up and said goodbye, and retreated.
