What kind of person Li Linfu is, Li Longji knows better than anyone else.

Of course, Gu Qing also understood Li Longji's thoughts, and when he asked about Gu Qing's evaluation of Li Linfu, what he wanted to hear was not how Li Linfu was, but his consideration of Gu Qing.

Li Linfu has been in power for 19 years, monarchs and ministers have loved and killed each other for half their lives, and the topic of "forming a party" mentioned by Gu Qing is strictly a tacit understanding reached by Li Longji and Li Linfu.

Li Linfu needs to form a party to consolidate his power, and Li Longji needs to form a party in the court to divide factions to facilitate his balance left and right.

The Tang Dynasty's monarchs and ministers had not yet tasted the bitter fruits, and in this era, forming a party was regarded as a status quo that could be acquiesced in if the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

Before the middle of the Tang Dynasty, it was the world of the gate valve clan, and the gate valve itself was actually a deep-seated party, Wu Zetian weakened the power of the gate valve, vigorously promoted the scientific examination, and the students of the poor family had the opportunity to leap into the dragon gate, but the power of the gate valve still exists, and now the ministers who can stand in the court are mostly from the gate valve clan.

For example, Li Linfu is a distant relative of Li Longji, the fifth grandson of Tang Taizu Li Hu, such as Li Guangbi, who seems to be very arrogant, he is actually from the Li family in Liucheng, and Guo Ziyi, who is a general, he was born in the Guo family of Taiyuan, and is a descendant of Guo Guangyi, a doctor of Guanglu in the Han Dynasty.

The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were all born in the gate valve, and there are inextricable links and grievances between the gate valve and the gate valve, and the formation of a party is inevitable, so Li Longji adopts a tacit attitude towards the formation of a party in the court, which is not mediocre, but he knows that it cannot be stopped, so he simply uses the courtiers to form a party to achieve his goal of balancing the court.

The emperor acquiesced in the formation of a party for the sake of balance, and the courtiers formed a party for personal gain, but the prime minister formed a party for the sake of self-interest.

Gu Qing's evaluation of Li Linfu is actually what he said in his heart.

In his previous life, he only served as a company leader and never governed the country. But the truth is still understood, in his previous life, he has seen other companies engage in small groups and small hills, this kind of company often does not survive for a long time, people are superficial, because of private abolition, everyone is intriguing for the interests of the small collective, after internal friction, bankruptcy is inevitable.

Datang is almost the same now, flowers are brocade, fire is cooking oil, behind the infinite glory, it is already in danger. There are too many problems in the court party strife, the festival degree makes the army self-respecting, the powerful enclose the land, the number of displaced people is increasing day by day, the army is gradually becoming twilight, the emperor is mediocre, and the court has no available ministers, etc., there are too many problems.

Each problem is actually a small problem when viewed individually, but so many small problems add up, only to be gently pushed by external forces, and many small problems erupt into big problems that cannot be saved.

Li Longji didn't see this, he was immersed in the gentle township to compose his "Song of Ni Clothes and Feathers", the magnates didn't see it, they were busy occupying land and buying family property, the courtiers didn't see it, they were busy intriguing and fighting for fame and fortune, and even the people at the bottom didn't see it, they thought that this prosperous era could continue for many years.

Everyone was drunk, and Gu Qing woke up alone.

It's a pity that Gu Qing commented on Li Linfu's words, and Li Longji's reaction was only two words, "hehe".

He was very sincere, and he could see that he was also distracted, but Gu Qing knew that Li Longji didn't think so.

The attitude of the emperor determines the loyalty of the courtiers, if Taizong Li Shimin is replaced, when the monarch and the ministers play the right role, even if they disagree with the words of the courtiers, Taizong's attitude is also solemn and humble.

Li Longji's acting skills are obviously not as good as Emperor Taizong.

"What Gu Qing said is reasonable, hehe, reasonable." Li Longji stroked his green beard and smiled, and said: "Li Xiang has meritorious deeds in his life, but his 'faults' are not forming a party. ”

Gu Qing said with a smile: "Yes, Your Majesty really sees farther than the minister, and the minister's evaluation of Li Xiang is just a child's whisper, which is very naïve, which makes Your Majesty laugh." ”

Never argue with a person who is stubborn, in short, everything he says is right. Gu Qing learned this truth in his last life.

Li Longji is getting better and better, and the problems and troubles brought to him by Li Linfu's death have gradually faded at this moment. After the death of a power minister, the court will still operate as usual, and as for the problems and troubles behind, they will be solved slowly.

"Gu Qing, follow me and walk up the mountain, it's already dark, we monarchs and ministers might as well come to the moon to find plums, it is also a good talk."

Gao Lishi said in embarrassment: "Your Majesty, this place is a mountain road, and the road has not yet been paved for the prison, it is difficult to see at night, and the mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk, if Your Majesty misses ......"

Li Longji waved his hand and said, "It's okay, let Yu Linwei light the torch, the terrain of Lishan is not steep, even if you fall down, it will not be a big problem." ”

After speaking, Li Longji walked towards the mountain first, Gu Qing and Gao Lishi glanced at each other, and had to follow helplessly.

…………

The night in the mountains and forests is especially cold, the north wind is howling, and the depressed tree trunks are shaking and making a sharp whistling sound, like a group of terrible ghosts screaming miserably in the night sky of the world.

In a small col halfway up the mountain, Brother Zhao and two other deserters huddled beside a natural tree pit, their arms tightly hugged, shivering and cold like three flax skins.

"Brother Zhao, I really can't stand it anymore, let's make a fire to keep warm...... "A deserter said sadly.

Brother Zhao's gaze was colder than the cold wind, and he reprimanded: "What nonsense! We are skipping jobs, do you think that when we are farming at home, we can just find a pile of firewood and make a fire? At night, the generals and guards under the mountain will inevitably follow the firelight to find us and take the sin of at least being exiled for thousands of miles. ”

Another man cried and said, "But if we continue like this, we will be frozen to death......"

Brother Zhao said coldly: "Then you have to endure it, I finally escaped, I can't stand this bit of suffering, and the end of being held by the officers and soldiers is worse than now." ”

"Brother Zhao, you said that we would escape from Lishan when it gets dark, but it's already dark at this time, why don't you leave?"

Brother Zhao shook his head and said, "Wait until late at night to escape, at this time the officers and soldiers have not slept, the security is still tight, and there is little hope of escaping." ”

The three of them were talking in a low voice, and suddenly one of them found that there were people walking on the mountain road not far from them, the distance was very close, and they could faintly hear their voices, and most of the crowd were dressed as officers and soldiers of the Yulin Guard, and one of the first two was wearing regular clothes, and the other young man was wearing official clothes.

The three people hiding in the mountain col were suddenly shocked, especially when they saw those Yu Lin Wei, the three of them became more and more panicked.

"Has our escape finally been discovered by the general prisoner? So send officers and soldiers up the mountain to arrest us......" said one man with a face as white as earth.

"It must be so, otherwise why would this group of officers and soldiers still go up the mountain when it gets dark?" The other man trembled with fear.

Brother Zhao was the calmest, he quietly lowered his body, quietly approached, and carefully looked at the Yulinwei on the mountain road, the more he looked, the more frightened he became.

Although Brother Zhao seems to be the most thoughtful and courageous person among the three, he is only a civilian who escapes from forced labor after all, and before his forced service, he is just an ordinary farmer in the countryside, and he is far from being competent as a leader regardless of his knowledge or temperament.

After seeing Yu Linwei on the mountain road, Brother Zhao immediately made what he thought was the most correct judgment.

This group of officers and soldiers really came to arrest them, and the group of beasts who were the prisoners were so vicious, and the three of them just escaped from conscription, and they didn't raise troops to rebel, so they could use such a big battle to arrest us?

"Brother Zhao, let's run! If you don't run, it's too late! ”

The muscles of Brother Zhao's cheeks twitched slightly, looking like a desperate trapped beast that had fallen into a hunter's trap, and his expression and gaze became more and more fierce. 20

"It's late! Since the officers and soldiers have already gone up the mountain to arrest us, there must be officers and soldiers guarding the mountain, and it is a dead end for us to escape down the mountain. Brother Zhao said with a desperate expression.

"What then? I knew this was the case, it was better not to escape, I was guilty of a crime, and I don't know if I would be killed by the government after being caught......"

Brother Zhao tried to regain his composure, and after taking a few deep breaths, he said slowly: "I don't know what you think, but I will definitely not go back to work at the construction site, staying at the construction site will die sooner or later, it is better to fight for my life, if we can escape tonight, we will be a new life, and there are a lot of jobs waiting for us outside." ”

The other two looked hesitant, in fact, after seeing the officers and soldiers on the mountain road, these two people wanted to run out and surrender themselves, but Brother Zhao's words also seemed to have some truth, after turning himself in, he might be exiled for thousands of miles and spend the rest of his life in that wild and uninhabited land, maybe he would not be prosecuted, but he still had to work on the construction site until he died of exhaustion.

After hesitating for a long time, the two glanced at each other, then gritted their teeth fiercely and said, "We listen to Brother Zhao, we will do what you say." ”

Brother Zhao was suddenly full of confidence, he suddenly felt that he was born to be a leader, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a genius.

"It is not difficult to avoid this group of officers and soldiers on the mountain road, but the difficult thing is the officers and soldiers guarding the mountain, if we want to escape, we must first break up the positions of the officers and soldiers guarding the mountain and let them mess up, so that we can escape down the mountain." Brother Zhao said confidently.

"How to break up the positions of the officers and soldiers under the mountain?"

Brother Zhao smiled: "When I was young, I heard an old scholar in the village tell a story, called 'Wei Wei rescued Zhao', I can't remember what the story was originally, in short, it was to let the enemy at this end mess first, and then attract the enemy at the other end to come to the rescue, so that the other end was empty, and we just took the opportunity to escape down the mountain." ”

Another cautiously said, "This story...... Shouldn't it be called 'turning the tiger away from the mountain'? ”

With a muffled bang, Brother Zhao successfully maintained his leadership authority with his fists.

"Still have questions?"

"Brother Zhao, what should I do?"

Brother Zhao got up and looked at the location and approximate number of officers and soldiers on the mountain road, and after his eyes flickered for a while, he squatted down inexplicably, picked up a piece of withered yellow fallen leaves from the ground, and with a slight fold of his fingers, the withered yellow leaves were simply broken in two.

Half of the fallen leaves on your hand are gently tossed, and the fallen leaves drift in the other direction with the wind.

"Brother Zhao, what are you doing?"

Brother Zhao's confidence swelled more and more, Zhizhu smiled faintly as if he was holding it, and said, "Let's set fire to the mountain!" ”

The other two exclaimed, "Why do you use fire?" ”

"The winter is dry, there is no rain for many days, the fallen leaves on the ground are covered with a thick layer, and the north wind is blowing at this time, and the wind is facing south, and when the group of officers and soldiers continue to go up the mountain, we will pile up trees behind them and set fire, cut off their way, and then divide a person to walk up the mountain from the woods, and also light a fire in front of them, cut off their front road, and the front and rear roads are cut off, and this group of officers and soldiers are surrounded by fire, so they are trapped to death, and the fire on the mountain starts, and the officers and soldiers under the mountain will definitely send troops to rescue the ...... after seeing it."

"There is chaos on the mountain and down the mountain, and the officers and soldiers are busy saving themselves, how can they have the heart to arrest us again? We'll have a chance to escape. The more Brother Zhao thought about it, the more he felt that his idea was simply wonderful.

The other two had less knowledge than Brother Zhao, and immediately praised when they heard this: "Brother Zhao is smart, it's really right to follow you." ”

Brother Zhao pointed to one of them and said: "You immediately walk up the mountain from the woods, catch fire in front of that group of officers and soldiers, you carefully watch the situation here, once you see me on fire here, you also immediately light a fire, set fire at both ends, close the door and beat the dog, don't believe that the officers and soldiers are not chaotic!" ”

…………

Gu Qing and Li Longji walked very slowly, just the speed of an ordinary walk.

The two chatted while walking, most of the people who spoke were Gu Qing, Li Longji was curious about the folk customs, and Gu Qing also intentionally or unintentionally hinted at the people's sufferings in front of Li Longji, so the two talked about the folk land crops to the etiquette of weddings and funerals, from how much land per capita can be shared, how much money is converted into after the land harvest, and then calculates to each other how much money can be used to feed a family of five after a year's farming......

The conversation is about very serious topics, Gu Qing also cherishes this opportunity to chat with Li Longji, this son of heaven is becoming more and more mediocre in his later years, hiding in the palace and indulging in wine, he really needs someone to hint at how difficult it is for the people to be the people, I hope to awaken the ambition of this son of heaven and let the people suffer less.

However, neither Gu Qing nor Li Longji expected that they would suffer an accident when they were just walking and climbing the mountain at night.

Halfway up from Lishan Mountain, after walking for about two incense sticks and about two or three miles of mountain road, Gu Qing's footsteps suddenly stopped, and a shining light in the distance in front of him suddenly caught his eyes.

Li Longji also saw the light on the hillside in front of him, frowned and said in a deep voice: "It's night, who set fire to Li Mountain?" Aren't you afraid of causing wildfires and harming the entire Lishan Mountain? ”

Gao Lishi, who followed behind, looked at it for a while, and then looked behind him unconsciously, and then Gao Lishi's face suddenly turned white, and he said in shock: "Your Majesty, someone set fire, and the road under our mountain is also burning!" ”

Li Longji and Gu Qing were stunned for a moment, and then they were also shocked.

Li Longji said sharply: "Where is Yu Linwei? Quickly divide the troops, two teams to extinguish the fire, and then one team to report to the bottom of the mountain to transfer troops. ”

There were only more than 100 Yu Linwei in the car at this time, and if three teams were divided into three teams to do their own things according to Li Longji's will, there would only be twenty or thirty people left around Li Longji.

Gu Qing and Gao Lishi said in unison: "Your Majesty, no!" ”

Then the two quickly looked at each other, Gu Qing said with a solemn expression: "These two fires are set off strangely, the minister thinks that it is not appropriate to divide the troops at this time, we should go down the mountain immediately, if the guards under the mountain see the fire on the mountain, they will come to the rescue without the need for Your Majesty to transfer troops, the most important thing at this time is Your Majesty's safety, if there are thieves who take advantage of the fire to assassinate Your Majesty, we will fall into the plan, Yu Linwei must not divide the troops." ”

Colliers also nodded busily.

Li Longji thought for a while, and smiled appreciatively at Gu Qing: "The young man is thoughtful, and he is up to the task. I listen to you. ”

After speaking, Li Longji sharply ordered everyone to go down the mountain.

The two fires placed on the mountain road, the final fire even Brother Zhao and the three did not expect.

Now it is winter, Chang'an has no rain for many days, whether it is thick fallen leaves or depressed woods on the mountain, it is extremely dry, a little spark can ignite, plus the north wind is strong tonight, the wind helps the fire, the fire borrows the wind, Brother Zhao and the three of them lit the fire at both ends, and the fire can no longer be stopped together, and it instantly becomes a raging fire, illuminating half of the sky in Lishan.

Yu Lin guarded Li Longji and hurried to the bottom of the mountain, but after walking a short distance, he found that the road down the mountain was blocked by fire.

What's even worse is that a strong north wind blew, and the raging tongue of fire was blown away by the wind, instantly igniting the fallen leaves in the woods next to the mountain road.

The fallen leaves, which had accumulated for a whole autumn and winter, were thick and dry, and when they were caught on fire, the fallen leaves suddenly burst into flames, and finally, the burning fallen leaves inevitably set fire to the trees in the woods, and soon the whole forest was on fire.

Li Longji and the others had to stop, everyone looked anxious, Li Longji's face was still so pale and desperate under the light of the fire, and he stood in front of the fire, his body shaking.

"Who? Who dared to murder me! Li Longji's eyes showed a fierce light, and his teeth were gritted loudly.