Compared with Namba Kyo, which is separated by the sea, this place is simply another world. The Japanese country was not without wars. Faced with the emerging samurai group that had mastered the new knight tactics originating from the mainland, the sporadic rebellions of local Japanese forces lasted only a short time and rarely exceeded the scope of a country. However, Shen Faseng faced The enemy is an emerging unified country - and it is far larger in population and territory than the Ungjin Governorate. Thinking of this, Master Shen felt a little aggrieved - Sanlang gave the Japanese country to He Bayong and Yuan Aoli, but gave the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion to himself. He Ba Yong and Yuan Aoli had large rice fields, endless pastures, endless gold, silver and copper mines, and sugar factories that could produce brown sugar; but they only had greedy Silla thieves. This was too unfair. .
But it all finally comes to an end! Shen Faseng thought to himself: With Wang Wenzuo's arrival, he has to pour out all his grievances and injustices to him. He has been in this hellish place for so many years, and it's time for him to take another turn, right? Let yourself go to the Japanese country to enjoy a few years of peace and happiness, and let the two boys He Bayong and Yuan Aolie come here to suffer some hardships. Thinking of this, he slapped the horse's butt hard, and the horse rushed out with a splash.
Shen Fanseng's guards followed closely behind. The farmers on the roadside knelt respectfully by the roadside. Their eyes were more curious than fearful. There had been no war around Zhouliu City for a long time. The Silla people mainly expanded. The direction is the hometown of Goguryeo, and Zhouliu City is the focus of the local Tang army's defense. Silla invasions rarely penetrate here.
"Who is it?" Along with the sound of the horn on the tower, the question came from the sentry on the roadside. Master Shen ignored him, and his guards shouted loudly: "Open your eyes, it's Governor Shen, open the city gate quickly!"
"Quick, quick!" Along with a burst of noise, the sentries moved away and stopped their horses. Shen Fanseng ignored the salute of the captain on the roadside, rode his horse through the city gate, jumped off the horse, and threw the reins to Wang Peng who was coming up. , asked: "Has everyone else arrived?"
"Everyone who can come is here!" Wang Peng handed the reins to the entourage behind him and whispered: "In total, it should have happened in the past two days!"
"That's good!" Shen Faseng straightened his neck: "This is the first time that the general has come back here in so many years. You all should be more energetic. Don't even talk about the matter of Di Shijun. Wait until the general speaks. Ask later!”
"Yes, I understand!" Wang Peng nodded.
"Okay, I remember your fourth child is with the general, right?" Shen Faseng said with a smile.
"Yes, General Meng thinks highly of it and keeps him as an errand!" Wang Peng knew that the drama was coming, so he lowered his voice and said, "What do you want me to say and do? I will definitely tell you!"
"What do I want him to say and do? What you said makes it sound like I am going to do something shameful!" Shen Faseng pretended to be angry.
"Yes, yes, it's all a mistake made by a subordinate. What does the governor mean?"
"You brothers haven't seen each other for some years, and finally we meet again. Shouldn't we get together as a family and drink a few glasses of old wine? Have fun?" Shen Faseng asked.
"That's what the governor said!" Wang Peng already understood a little bit and replied carefully: "My subordinates will make arrangements for themselves, but do I want you to come as well?"
"Originally, you and the Wang family were gathering together for a drink, so it was inconvenient for me, a foreigner, to come. But I liked Wang Pu very much back then, and taught him a lot of archery, cavalry, and lance skills. He was considered half a master, so that's fine. Not counting outsiders! If I came to ask for a drink, you wouldn’t mind it, right?”
"How is that possible!" Wang Peng said with a smile: "If you can come, Commander, it will be a great success for this little man!"
"Sure, then it's settled!" Master Shen smiled and said, "When you make the arrangements, send someone to let me know. Then I won't come in vain, and I will naturally give you my heartfelt contribution!" Here, he winked at Wang Peng and laughed.
"Mrs. Gui Shiyun has arrived!" Wang Peng suddenly lowered his voice: "She is at the old palace. Do you want to see her?"
"That woman?" Shen Fengseng frowned: "Okay, let's go meet her first! Maybe she can say something useful at the critical moment!"
Oni Shiyun's reception room is located on the second floor of a tower where Fuyu Fengzhang ascended the throne. Compared with its original splendor, it has become much older. When Master Shen walked in, a fire was burning in the fireplace. Large beams made of red pine wood supported the ceiling. The whole room was spacious and bright. Persian tapestries hang on the walls, and two doors with wooden sash face the garden. Through the diamond-shaped window panes inlaid with translucent river clam shells, Master Shen caught a glimpse of the withered branches of the old locust tree in the garden, which covered the entire garden.
"I'm like this locust tree, already old! If he comes a few years later, I'm afraid I won't have the courage to see him again!" Ghost Room Yun Youyou sighed, the clothes on her body were the same as the oak armchair behind her The color is all lifeless black. Master Shen couldn't help but sigh and said with a smile: "You are still beautiful, really, this is not a compliment!"
Frankly speaking, what Master Shen said was true. The woman in front of him still looked the same, but the tiredness in her eyes almost overflowed. "Actually, after this war is over, you can go to Datang with Sanlang. Although he already has a wife, it's not a big deal to have one more concubine, right?"
"Go to the Tang Dynasty?" A trace of hesitation flashed in Gui Shiyun's eyes, and finally she shook her head: "No, I can't leave here. I am a member of Gui Shiyun's family, and I can't leave here!"
"Since this is the case, there is nothing we can do!" Shen Faseng sighed: "But this time Saburo is here, can you say a few words for me?"
"Say a few words?" Gui Shiyun laughed: "You and he are from the old days. Why do you need me, a woman, to talk about it?"
"After all, things are different now! He is already a general, and the emperor regards him as a weakling. If we old brothers still don't know how to take advantage of others, wouldn't we be asking for trouble?" Shen Fanseng smiled: "You are different. Saburo is a person who misses old friendships. He must feel a little guilty for leaving you here alone all these years. If you say anything, he won't blame you!"
"Captain Shen, you are asking me to bring bad luck to you!" Gui Shiyun said with a smile: "That's not possible. I will blame him for being unkind to me for the rest of my life. If I speak for you, Even if he doesn’t blame me, he doesn’t feel guilty anymore, so what if he leaves me alone?”
"No, definitely not, Sanlang is not that kind of man who waits for little things!" Shen Faseng said with a smile: "Besides, you don't say this in vain. No matter what the outcome is, I owe you a favor!"
"A favor? Governor Shen's favor, that's incredible!" Gui Shiyun laughed: "What's the matter? Do you deserve such a big expense?"
"Actually, it's not a big deal. I just want Sanlang to rotate the positions of our old brothers!" Shen Faseng said: "After Sanlang defeated Goguryeo, the imperial court transferred him to Jiannan Songzhou to fight the Tibetans. Before leaving, Previously, he divided the territory between Xiongjin and the Japanese Kingdom among us old brothers. I led Gu Cihang and Zhu Qingyu to guard the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion; He Bayong, Yuan Aolie, and Zhang Junyan went to the Japanese Kingdom. , and Fujiwara were no better than the few who took care of Yanliang's nephew and guarded the Japanese country. Cui Hongdu followed him to Chang'an. It didn't matter so much at the time, but over the years, the situation has changed. Our territory is smaller than that of the Japanese country. Not to mention, there are no gold, silver or copper mines, and there is no way to grow sugar cane and extract sugar. The most important thing is that as long as they suppress a few remnants of the Japanese royal family, they will be fine. But we have to fight against the Silla people, and we have to fight every three days. Previously, General Manager Xue called us soldiers and horses from time to time, and the uneven joy and sorrow was too great. But after all, this was the original division of Saburo. We are all old brothers. I I can’t help but feel guilty. It just so happens that Saburo is back this time, so I just want to take advantage of this opportunity and let everyone take turns. I can’t always make a group of people unlucky!"
"Hahaha!" Gui Shiyun laughed: "So that's what happened. I didn't expect Governor Shen to worry about these things. I thought you were an iron man!"
"What are you talking about, Madam!" Shen Fenseng said with a bitter smile: "I didn't know how expensive firewood and rice were before I became a householder. After becoming a householder, I have to consider some things. The Silla people have a larger territory than us and have more people. If we send troops to fight, , you have to give tax exemptions, exemptions from military service, and food and salary to the soldiers who are on the expedition. Otherwise, who will work hard for you? Where does this money and food come from? In the past few years, I have written to the Japanese country several times every year asking for money and food. The question Everyone is the same, and you can risk your dignity to borrow or ask for it once or twice; but how can you ask for it if it happens too many times? Later I also figured it out, this Xiongjin does not belong to me alone, I have to keep it. You can do it here, He Ba and the others can get some blood, otherwise let them do it and let me go to the Japanese country to enjoy the blessings!"
"Okay, it sounds reasonable!" Gui Shiyun said with a smile: "I can say it for you, but I can't guarantee that it will work!"
"That's OK, that's OK!" Master Shen was overjoyed: "Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome, don't forget you owe me a favor!"
Wang Wenzuo's ship arrived one day later than Shen Faseng expected. When he arrived at Zhouliucheng, it was already the afternoon of the third day after Shen Faseng's arrival. However, this did not affect the nervousness and excitement of the greeters at all. When the fleet flying the "King" flag sailed into the mouth of the Baijiang River and went upstream, welcoming crowds were everywhere on both sides of the river, and cheers and horns rang through the sky.
"The people of Baekje are so grateful for your arrival, Sanlang, after a long drought!" Jin Renwen said with a smile.
"It seems to me that they just hope that I can end the war as soon as possible!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "If Li Yinggong had adopted my suggestion and immediately returned to attack the Silla people and attack Jincheng after conquering Pyongyang, where would there be so many broken thing?"
"Yes!" Jin Renwen sighed: "Li Yinggong was already old and depressed at the time. In his opinion, he was satisfied if he could destroy Goguryeo. How could he want to destroy all Silla in one go?"
"Maybe!" Wang Wenzuo nodded noncommittally: "But according to me, he may have other ideas: For example, he wants to keep Silla to contain me, so that my family will be the only one in power, and I will not be able to lose to the imperial court!"
Jin Renwen was shocked when he heard this. He turned back to look at Wang Wenzuo, only to find that he was smiling and looking calm, as if the words just now did not come from his own mouth.
"So Sanlang, what are your plans after destroying Silla?" Jin Ren asked.
"Destroying Silla is just the beginning, not the end!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "I once sent Di Renjie to envoy Silla and told your brother that as long as he is willing to hand over the throne and go to Chang'an to serve the emperor, he can keep the Datong River For the land to the north, this sentence still applies to you. But after you ascend the throne, you must lead the Silla army and obey my orders!"
"That's natural!" Jin Renwen nodded. In his opinion, this was a matter of course. Wang Wenzuo's current official position, even if he ascended the throne as king, would still be under his control: "Is it to pacify the remaining Goguryeo faction?"
"Not just! We have to continue heading north and east!" Wang Wenzuo said.
"Continue going north or east?" Jin Renwen looked puzzled: "That's all a barren land!"
"Yes, but it is also a rich land!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "We can sail along the coastline, build trading stations at the mouth of the river, trade with barbarians, and exchange salt, sugar, and wine for slaves, furs, and honey. . Believe me, we can go all the way to the end of the continent, cross the strait, and find a new continent on the other side of the strait, a land that is more than ten times larger than the Central Plains, a vaster and more fertile land!"
"The end of the continent? The strait? A land that is more than ten times larger than the Central Plains, and more vast and fertile?" Jin Renwen carefully looked at Wang Wenzuo's face, trying to make sure whether the other party was sane, whether he, no, in From the perspective of all East Asians at the same time, whether they are nomads on the grasslands, mountain people in the southern mountains, or Mohe and Fuyu people in the endless forests of the Northeast, the Central Plains with the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as its core is the center of the world and the most fertile civilization. place. Now that Wang Wenzuo told Jin Renwen that at the end of the Bitter Cold Continent, there was a land that was more than ten times larger than the Central Plains and was vaster and more fertile, of course he had to doubt whether Wang Wenzuo was crazy.
"Yes, trust me!" Wang Wenzuo smiled.
"Sanlang, have you been there?" Jin Renwen asked carefully.
"That's not true!"
"Since you have never been there, how do you know there is such a land?" Jin Renwen asked carefully.
"This -" Wang Wenzuo was stopped by the question. He hesitated and replied: "My people once encountered a merchant ship with some merchants on it, who came from the New World!"
"So that's what happened, it's not surprising!" Jin Renwen nodded: "Sanlang, this kind of businessman is the most untrustworthy, and you can't believe a word of what he says. Who knows if they are from other places? The merchants who came here just made up a random place to deceive us, hoping to benefit from trade! Saburo, you must not be gullible!"
