Runju Hanfu.

Han Xizai was sitting in the room, playing chess with Xu Kai, and the black and white children on the chessboard were densely fighting.

"Is Brother Han's condition better?" Xu Kai twisted his hand, and asked while thinking about the chess path.

Han Xizai nodded: "It's better, the symptoms of dizziness have been reduced, and the heart is not so stuffy, this Su Chen, there is indeed a set of medical skills." ”

Xu Kai smiled faintly: "The Su family has inherited medical skills for a hundred years, and among the past generations, he knows some medical skills, but it is reasonable." ”

Han Xizai said suspiciously: "It's just that the family San Lang sent someone to Liuhefang to inquire about Su Chen's neighborhood, and some of them are notorious and unbearable!" This is strange, at a young age, whether it is really misconduct, or deliberately self-defilement, it is unpredictable. ”

Xu Kai raised his head, glanced at the other party, and said in surprise: "Oh, there is such a thing?" ”

Han Xizai nodded and said: "This Su Chen has been in Runzhou City for five years, but he has not shown any talent, and he has been withdrawn from the academy of the state capital, just a student. It stands to reason that there will not be more outstanding talents, but you have also seen those two poems that tell the heart and break the array, I am afraid that no one in the entire Jiangnan Tang Kingdom can write it! ”

Xu Kai also sighed: "Not to mention the Tang Kingdom, I'm afraid that if these vassal states are all counted, no one in the world can beat it!" ”

Han Xizai sighed: "It would be a pity if such talents were not brought in to our side and cultivated well." ”

Xu Kai hesitated for a moment and said, "Did Brother Han invite him to participate in the imperial examination?" ”

Han Xizai shook his head and said: "I mentioned it to him, but he refused, saying that he was not good at writing splendid articles and couldn't write the Fu, so he chose to give up the road to the imperial examination!" ”

"If you don't enter the imperial examination, you will be directly recommended to enter the court, after all, it will be troublesome!" Xu Kai was a little worried.

After the development of the imperial examination in the Sui and Tang dynasties, Jinshi has almost become the only way for scholars to enter the official career. In addition to the children of some powerful people, even most of the children of official eunuchs also choose the imperial examination, because there are many limitations to enter the official career through the shadow, and they are not recognized by the scholars.

In this era, it is no longer possible to be a high-ranking official just by relying on the identity of the son of the minister, and the imperial examination has broken the monopoly of the elite class in the middle of the official career.

Han Xizai was suspicious: "Therefore, this kid is very slippery, and he may have been worried that the imperial court would involve him because of his father's case, and someone would be unfavorable to him, so he chose to discredit himself and become a gentleman, so as not to be implicated, it is not impossible." ”

"It's still very likely!" Xu Kai agreed with this speculation, and then analyzed: "His father Su Mingyuan is a criminal minister, involved in the whirlpool of the crown prince and the king of Qi, the party struggle in the Manchu Dynasty is intensifying, and it is not clear who is behind the forces that killed his father, this kid lets himself go, pretends to be degenerate, and avoids the attention of some people in the court, which is also reasonable!" ”

If Su Chen heard these two court bigwigs analyze him like this, he was afraid that he would laugh out loud, are you too big in your brains and thinking too much.

Han Xizai muttered: "If Su Chen is really talented, he still has to be pulled back to the imperial examination, even if it is an unconventional system!" ”

The system is "system science", and the examination subjects temporarily set up in the past dynasties began in the Han Dynasty; The emperor often called the edict, asked questions, and personally asked the people who should be raised, and Dong Zhongshu took virtuous countermeasures, which is an example.

The Tang Dynasty system was a special department set up by the emperor to select "extraordinary people", and it was set up at any time with a variety of names. The most common ones are virtuous and virtuous, outspoken, and erudite, etc., and the system was actually abolished after Tang Wenzong.

Xu Kai thought for a while and reminded: "It's not enough to have poetry and literary brilliance, you need to have real talent and the ability to learn and govern the country, which is what the current Tang Kingdom needs for Zhongxing."

Han Xizai sighed: "Yes, this is what the old man wants to say, through several contacts, this Su Chen has brought many surprises to the old man, writing words, medical skills, and commenting on the current situation of national politics." Yesterday, the old man asked about the situation in the north and asked him to put forward some views. The Su Chen kid analyzed it well, and also concluded that the Song State violated the strategy of "first north and then south" before the death of Zhou Chai Rong, and changed it to "first south and then north", and gave up attacking Liao. After occupying Jingnan, this year's Kaichun will take the lead in attacking the Chu State, and then cut off the Tang State and the Shu State. Wait for the swallowing of Shu, and then attack the Southern Han, and finally outflank our Tang Kingdom. This remark made the old man stunned! ”

Xu Kai pondered for a moment, and then said suspiciously: "He is young, he has no contact with the affairs of the court, and there is no source of news and intelligence, how can he deduce these current affairs." ”

"This is also the old man's curiosity, and I don't know if the prediction is accurate, if Song Guozhen implements this strategy, then Su Chen is really talented, worthy of our strong support and cultivation; If not, then it's just talking on paper, let's observe it again! ”

As soon as Han Xizai's words were finished, a guard came to the door quickly, clenched his fists and said, "Master, there is a secret letter from the northwest!" ”

"Bring it in." Han Xizai put down the chess pieces in his hand, turned around and shouted at the door.

The guard walked into the room quickly and handed the secret letter to Han Xizai.

The northwest of the Tang State is the land of Ezhou and Jiangzhou, and the north is confronted by the Song State across the river, and once bordered the Nanping State, the Chu State, and the Shu State intensively, and it is the northwest gateway of the Tang State in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is an important place to defend.

"Letter from the dog!"

Han Xizai's sixth son, Han Nong, is a partial general in the Jiangzhou camp, and can contact a lot of front-line news, in addition to sending it to the Privy Council and the Military Department of Jinling City as soon as possible, there is also a letter that will be transmitted within the family, so that Han Xizai can see it in time, understand the situation in advance, make suggestions, and make responses.

"The Song army launched a surprise attack after the beginning of spring, and in just half a month, it has conquered the four cities of Chu and approached Changsha Mansion."

Xu Kai's face changed when he heard this, and he exclaimed: "It's been suffered, how can those princes in Chu be able to resist it?"

Han Xizai's face suddenly showed a look of worry, and he nodded: "Ten years ago, Chu Di was in civil strife, and my Tang general Bian Hao led his troops to capture Changsha, the Ma clan surrendered, and Southern Chu perished. But later, Liu Yan, the general of the Chu State, raised troops to defeat our Tang army and continued to possess the Chu land. In the end, Ma Xichong, the queen of Chu, voted for Hou Zhou, and was named the Yulin Commander by Zhou Shizong in Daliang City, and Chu was actually divided by Liu Yan, Wang Kui and other Chu generals. Now that it is attacked by the Song army of the tiger and wolf division, according to this trend, I am afraid that in a month or two, Chu will all fall. ”

Xu Kai also said anxiously: "In that case, the Song State will take the Jiangling Mansion in Jingnan and the Changsha Mansion in the Chu State, and from north to south, the Shu State and the Tang State will be separated, and it will be impossible to contact." ”

Han Xizai frowned, suddenly remembered something, and said in surprise: "Hey, isn't this just consistent with Su Chen's analysis?" ”

Xu Kai suddenly said: "Yes! is basically the same, so the next target of the Song army is Shu? ”

"It's very likely!"

Xu Kai arched his hand and persuaded: "Brother Han, there are too many conservatives in the court and faction, Jing Chu is wiped out, and his lips are cold and his teeth are cold, Brother Han should return to the center of Jinling as soon as possible, preside over the overall situation, and plan in advance for the Shu Kingdom." ”

Han Xizai hesitated for a moment and said: "There is still time, don't worry, it depends on how our official family in Jinling reacts after getting this news!" If the official family is not in a hurry, it will be useless for the old man to be in a hurry......" After finishing speaking, he muttered the word "Su Chen" in his mouth, with a bit of expectation in his eyes.