October.

The leaves of the persimmon tree have fallen, leaving only the persimmons on the branches that have turned bright red after a few autumn frosts.

Shandong, Donglai County, Penglai Port.

Zhang Xutuo was wearing a mink robe, but he still couldn't stop coughing. In the battle of Daihai Temple, although he was desperately rescued by the guards, the scars left in that battle were still too heavy, and they have not healed until now, and as the weather gets colder and colder, the injury has recurred and worsened.

"Teacher, you better go to Liaodong, and go there to recuperate from your injuries."

Shan Binbin came to visit Zhang Xutuo, and also brought the latest will of the Liaodong Imperial Court, adding the title of Prince Taibao to Zhang Xutuo, awarding him the rank of hussar general, and granting him the post of secretary of the military department, to summon him to the court.

Leaning back on the recliner, Zhang Xutuo's eyebrows were tightly locked.

His protégé Luo Cheng has always respected him, and now he has also asked him to be awarded the title of Duke of Qi, and he has been specially awarded 1,500 households, 3,000 acres of Yongye land in Liaodong, and 100 Goguryeo slaves and Turkic slaves.

But Zhang Xutuo couldn't be happy.

He didn't expect that he had fought for Sui for half his life and helped the Great Sui, but in the end, there was a student who wanted to usurp Sui.

"It's cold in Liaodong, and I'm still willing to stay in Shandong." Zhang Xutuo said.

"Teacher, now that the situation in the Central Plains is chaotic, Jiangdu has recruited Li Mi and awarded him the title of Wei Guogong, Taifu, Shangshu Ling, and Southeast Dao Daxingtai Shangshu Ling, Jiang is going to send troops to our Shandong, and Li Mi is the vanguard, Laihu'er and Chen Ling, Yu Wenhua and others will also attack us, at the moment Shandong is not stable, or ask the teacher to go to Liaodong, there are doctors with excellent medical skills in the Wulang army over there, and there are also a lot of good medicines."

"Moreover, the Liaodong Imperial Court also needs the help of a minister of the Pillar State like you, Teacher."

Zhang Xutuo let out a long sigh.

He didn't understand why the emperor wanted to recruit Li Mi. How could Li Mi be attached to the imperial court, he accepted the official title, but he just wanted to take the opportunity to annex Shandong and solve an enemy behind him first.

In this world, how did it come to this point, he Zhang Xutuo couldn't understand it at all.

Perhaps, he is really old and can no longer keep up with the situation.

The emperor made a faint move, but the young Luo Cheng was no longer willing to be subordinate.

"I'm an old bone, and I'm sick and dying, what's the use of going to Liaodong."

"Is the teacher a little dissatisfied with Gorou's choice?"

Shan Binbin asked bluntly.

Zhang Xutuo closed his mouth and did not speak.

"Teacher, you have been in office in Henan for many years, since the fifth year of the Great Cause, you have been appointed as the county of Qi County, and now it is the end of the twelfth year of the Great Cause, and it is eight years, you have been training to suppress bandits in the past eight years, but the more and more bandits are suppressed, why? Have you ever thought about it? ”

Zhang Xutuo was silent.

"Teacher, among the bandits you have suppressed over the years, how many are the real bandits, the vast majority of them are our people in Henan, they just can't get by. Bandits are suppressed every year, and there are even more and more of them every year. If you look at the Central Plains now, how many places can accommodate the people to live and work in peace and contentment? How many people will even be able to fill their stomachs? ”

"Teacher, everyone can't live anymore, and if you don't rebel, you can only wait for death."

"As Gorou said, the king is the boat and the people are the water, but the people can carry the boat or overturn the boat. The people can't survive anymore, so they can only rebel, and although you don't have to worry about not being able to survive, Gorou and the teacher, do you still have to continue to help the abuse? ”

Zhang Xutuo was silent.

"Gorou has said more than once that he wants to put an end to this troubled world. He also once said that he admired Emperor Wen the most, thinking that he ended the three hundred years of turmoil since the Wei and Jin dynasties, re-unified the world, and also dawned the people to work in peace and contentment, creating a prosperous era of the emperor. But now, the world is in chaos like this, do you want to continue to let it go, or even help maintain it like this? ”

Zhang Xutuo was dumbfounded when asked by Shan Binbin.

"Gorou also knows that the teacher has feelings for Da Sui, and he can't change his thoughts for a while, but as long as the teacher thinks that what Gorou and you want to do is to restore peace in the world and benefit hundreds of millions of people, then it is enough. Gorou is not Hou Jing, he doesn't want to bring trouble to the world, he just wants to calm the people. ”

"Please ask the teacher to help him."

"Hey, okay, you arrange it, I'll go to Liaodong." Zhang Xutuo had nothing to say.

Shan Binbin was overjoyed when he heard this, "I will arrange it right away and prepare the best big boat for the teacher to ensure that there will be no bumps in the sea." ”

Penglai City Zhongluo Mansion.

Cui Qiniang hugged her daughter and said to Shan Binbin unhappily, "I don't want to go to Liaodong." ”

Shan Binbin glared at Cui's family, "The husband is in Liaodong City, and there is no one around to take care of him, is there anything wrong with you taking care of it as a concubine?" Besides, now that the war is in chaos, let you take your eldest mother over, that is also to take care of your mother and daughter, don't be ignorant. ”

"What's so good about the bitter cold and wild land in the east." Choi pouted.

"If you don't want to go, it's okay, leave the eldest mother, I'll give you a letter of resignation, and then you can get out, if you want to go to Jiangdu to find your father, if you want to go to Luoyang, I won't interfere anymore, how about it?"

Seeing Shan's anger, Cui's was a little afraid.

In the past, he could rely on his father to be a scholar in the court, so he didn't take the Shan family very seriously, but now that the Jiangdu court is almost finished, and her husband has set up a new emperor in Liaodong, everyone knows what that means.

"I didn't say no, what are you anxious about?"

"Don't talk nonsense, hurry up and pack up, just go with the teacher's boat." After Shan Binbin finished speaking, he turned around and left, leaving Cui Shi with his mouth cocked and slandered in his heart.

Three days later.

Penglai Port.

A huge fleet is about to set sail.

Zhang Xutuo and the Luo family took a large boat. Nowadays, there is no wind and waves at sea, and it sails along the coast, and there are many islands on the way, so the boat does not have to be afraid of wind and waves, and this boat is big and comfortable.

Luo's mother took several daughters-in-law and grandchildren, as well as several daughters and granddaughters, and so on, to Liaodong this time.

In addition to this ship of theirs, there are many ships in the harbor who are traveling with them.

There were merchant ships of various caravans, ships full of people.

Wang Ping'an was carrying a cloth burden on his back, crowded in the line leading to the port, and his young face was still a little dazed. He is a native of Qi County, and he used to be a big family of more than a dozen people, with dozens of acres of land, a cow, and a big yard, and his life is also steady.

But in the past few years, it has been either the Eastern Crusade or the suppression of bandits, and the people's various servants, money and food have been endless, and there will be bandits from time to time.

The family is long gone, and the relatives are also dead, and the separated are separated.

He once served as a husband, was also coerced by the rebels as a thief, and was later captured by the official army, so he returned to his hometown, but there was nothing left in his hometown.