Under Lin Yan's guarantee and escort, Li Hanping, as a secret envoy of the imperial court, was also able to walk on the streets of Guangfu in broad daylight;

It's just that he looked at the scene of the bustling street market that was bustling with people selling and inviting people, but he felt a slight feeling and sadness in his heart, and whether this prosperous scene could be returned to the rule of the imperial court depends on his trip.

He is the current squire, a scholar of Jixian Palace, and the prime minister of the Ministry of Rites, Tongping Zhangshi, and the Marquis of Xingyang County, Zheng Jin, a senior disciple and an old subordinate who has followed for many years. Scattered from the title of the fourth rank of Taizhong doctor.

This time, in order to facilitate him to bring a book to recruit the thieves, he not only gave more than a dozen blank notices and an edict from the Eight Classics, but also temporarily added him a secretary under the five grades, so as to enhance the corresponding persuasiveness and background.

He still remembered that as a far-sighted minister of Dingzhu in the court, two years ago, the grass thieves led by Huang Wei occupied Lingnan and asked the court to crown him as the envoy of the balance festival. The Holy Lord consulted with his ministers, and his benefactor suggested that Huang Chao be appointed as the envoy of the Lingnan Festival.

However, Prime Minister Lu Xie, who had always been at odds with him, was relying on Huainan Jiedu to make Gao Biao a foreign aid, and argued: "Gao Biao is a little unparalleled, and the Huainan Army is the best soldier in the world, and the armies from all over the world are about to arrive." Why should we be afraid of a little thief and let the armies of all places centrifuge? ”

However, Zheng Zheng argued: "The yellow thieves rose up because of the famine and relied on money to gather an army, so they were able to raise troops from Jianghuai and sweep the whole country." And the country has been peaceful for a long time, and the generals have forgotten about the war, so all places are closed and dare not go to war. If kindness is used to exempt sins, when the harvest year comes, Huang Chao's subordinates want to go home, the army is scattered, and the edge of Huang Chao becomes meat on the chopping board, which is what the art of war says is a soldier who surrenders without a fight. Now that we are not winning by stratagem, but by attacking by army, I fear that the country's worries will not be over. ”

However, the left servant shot Yu Cong and said: "Lingnan produces treasures, and it is rich in the world, if it is handed over to Huangchao, the country's financial resources will be exhausted." The Holy Lord also hoped that Gao Biao would not give up the Lingnan treasures, so he agreed to Lu Xie's proposal and ordered the prime ministers to discuss the drafting of the edict.

However, Zheng Zheng admonished again: "The thief army is million, rampant in the world, Gao Yu fights passively, and has no intention of eliminating the thieves." The safety of the country depends on us, you rely on the Huainan army, I don't know what the outcome will be. ”

Lu Xian was furious on the spot and wanted to leave, but accidentally threw his sleeve into the inkstone and spilled the hemp paper. When the Holy Lord learned about it, he said angrily: "The prime ministers are insulting each other, how can they set an example for the world." And he dismissed the two of them. Zheng Zheng was demoted to the crown prince's guest.

It wasn't until half a year ago that the grass thieves raged in the south of the Yangtze River and fell into several traps in a row, and the benefactor Zheng Zhen was able to restore the phase with the prescient confirmation one by one, and presided over the financial and military affairs to deal with the grass thieves' rebellion; And his journey by sea to the south is also an important part of it.

According to the explanation of the benefactor Zheng Jin'er, who had just re-declared Ma into the cabinet before leaving;

Now the thieves are very powerful and have a foundation outside the mountains, and those thieves who wandered in the past because of food and gathering are not the same as in the past, but I am afraid that the military weakness of the southeast provinces will inevitably be a corrosive situation; Therefore, he urgently needs to risk his life in Lingnan to appease the thief, so as to reopen a new situation for the imperial court and the ruling prime minister outside the world war.

This is a strategy to draw wages from the bottom of the kettle and cut off its back road, and the key and important point is to be with the demon monk Yuanxuan who is good at governing the means and makes the grass thieves continue to follow. Since the imperial court whip is beyond the reach of the whip and is unable to attack and cut it off, then let it be enveloped and appeased in the name of an official, and it will be a credit for him to deviate from Huang Yi.

But when he arrived in Canton by sea and land, he found that the situation was far worse than he expected. Those grass thieves have actually begun to enclose land in Lingnan, and the local people have also acquiesced to the rule of grass thieves while they are in peace. There was no situation at all where he imagined the dire situation and the people's grievances were boiling, or the chaos and displacement.

In the city of Guangzhou, the prosperity of the market and the busy business and trade have long been restored, and the daily situation of the people in order and in peace with each other is almost the same as that under the rule of the government, which also makes him more frightened and vigilant.

It must be known how long the grass thieves have occupied the outside of the ridge, and there is such a pattern and weather. If people's hearts gradually change over time, wouldn't they become a thief who doesn't think about the court's favor in a foreign land. Not to mention the local maritime merchants, who were originally from humble backgrounds and profit-seekers; As long as there are enough benefits, I am afraid that the righteousness of the family and the country and the status of the monarch and ministers of the imperial court are just things to be sold for them.

And he couldn't get in and out of the city of Guangzhou, because under the ravages and brutality of the grass thieves, there were almost no wealthy families in the local area who could secretly support the imperial court, and the rest of the people did not dare to have anything to do with it, let alone provide cooperation. So much so that as a foreign maritime businessman, he was trapped in this city of Guangzhou in disguise and couldn't move.

Only then did he deeply feel the heartache and discoloration of the benefactor who faced Di Wen and his family letters, and sighed that "the hearts of people outside the mountains are no longer owned by the imperial court".

However, what was unexpected and disorienting was that as his main target, the monk Xu, actually sent troops to attack the Annan Protectorate, and it is said that Zeng Gon, a general of the imperial court, intended to counterattack Lingxi according to this to recover Jiaozhou, but he was unable to do anything.

So during the waiting period of the dilemma, he had to retreat to the next goal, word of mouth and reputation seemed to be more greedy for money, beauty, and power, and the current grass thief stayed behind on Lin Yan, the deputy envoy;

I thought it was just a tentative idle move, but I didn't want to open a breakthrough so easily from this person. With the woman beside him who "understands the righteousness" as his internal response, he quickly won the trust of the other party with the confession he brought, and easily persuaded the other party to cooperate with his actions by virtue of the three-inch tongue of negotiation and lobbying around the benefactor, which slowly opened up the situation in the city of Guangzhou;

And then with the prospect of Zhao'an and the relationship between the gains and losses, he got more help from some of the old people in the city. From this, he was also able to have a deeper understanding of the daily deeds of this lay demon monk Yuanxuan, who is known as a "ghost monk" and "Shura monk":

The origin of this man is unknown, but he only appeared among the grass thieves more than a year ago. Although he claims to be a layman, he is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, not only good at demagogic methods, but also has the ability to govern and operate. It is because he has gained prestige among the grass thieves and everything depends on it, so he has been able to achieve a climate.

But what surprised him even more was that this person still had a frugal style of life after gaining power; Except for the desire of the tongue and tongue, the woman had nothing to take, nothing to collect, no house, no private residence, no garden, no extortion, no additional property or land;

Even if it is from the local wealthy families, it is all enshrined in the army, or it is spent on the construction of people's livelihood by building roads, embankments, fields and canals. If this situation is placed under the rule of the current imperial court, it is simply comparable to the likes of Lu Huaishen, Zhang Qujiang, and Liu Shi'an in the previous dynasty, and the rare Qing ministers in the world to do the city.

Therefore, while he became more vigilant and sighed, he was also a little helpless to start; It is the so-called principle that if there is no desire, it is rigid. But this son is not good at extravagance and is good at economic and people's livelihood, and in the future and in the long run, he is afraid that it will be bigger and more.

Although this person will be troubled by the imperial court in the future, but now in the case of grass thieves raging on half of the world and threatening the wealth of the southeast; can only weigh the benefits and disadvantages, let us give up the small harms and drive out the big disadvantages, and take care of the immediate henchmen and let go of the potential threats in the future for the time being. is also like the story of Zhuge Shuang, the primary school under Pang Xun.

Perhaps the only place he could get started was the ambition and reputation of the other party, which was somewhat incompatible with most of the grass thieves.

Now, Li Hanping finally waited for the time when he successfully returned to Guangfu, and also got the news that Zeng Gon, the new protector of Annan and the envoy of the Jing Navy of the imperial court, was defeated and died after Xiyuan Man. He only felt that the contradictions in his heart were abnormal for a while, and he was full of sadness and sadness, and he closed the door for a whole day and night, and was able to write a poem to express his feelings.

"The Southern Wilderness does not choose officials, causing me to cross. lasted for three or four years, and I was humiliated.

The cowards will retreat if they fight, and the warriors will benefit. The army is full of the world, and the generals are full of gold and jade.

Scraped the sores of the people and divided them into fierce warriors. Xiongxiong Xuchang Division, loyal to the military crown of his clan.

Go to ride the wind for 10,000 and live for a Sichuan meat. From time to time, there are remnants of the soldiers, and thousands of households cry.

The mourning is moving, and the grievance is a valley. Who can listen to the sound of drums and can't bear to look at the golden arrows. Thinking of this can be tears, and the Yingchuan is green. ”

Because what made him very sad was when the imperial court had already weakened, and he could only let these rebellious grass thieves come to pacify the place and recover the territory in a more than a small way; It is extremely sad that only after a short period of recovery, those loyal ministers and righteous people who fell into Jiaozhou.

is even more sentimental and lamented that the grass thieves' success in conquering the south this time directly seized and severed the righteous name of the imperial court in southern Xinjiang; and then grabbed the benefits of its wealth to help the people's livelihood, which made the people outside the mountains more and more disdainful of the national dynasty system.

And when he thought that all this was the result of the imaginary person he was about to face in person, how could he not be filled with indignation and helplessness; But he had to think about the overall situation of the court proposed by the benefactor, and he had to continue to deal with it in a vain way.

"Mr. Li, Chunming Tower has arrived"

The leader of the patrol team leading the way in front said humbly.

。。。。。。

In other places in the city, such as behind the government of the left-behind division, there were also some cautious figures who rushed out, and then quickly disappeared into the outer gate of a certain place after passing through the streets and alleys.

(End of chapter)