Three days later, the Weishui camp.

Xue Shao, the general of the Right Guard, came to the camp of the Right Guard Army openly for the first time since returning to Beijing. Because of the quelling of Li Jingye's rebellion, the imperial court wanted to transfer 10,000 elites from the Weishui camp as the Chinese army, which was commanded by Xue Chuyu.

This matter must be handled by Xue Shao, the general of the right guard.

Early in the morning, Xue Shao took Xue Chuyu, Wei Yuanzhong, Song Jing and others to the camp. Dang Jinbi and Guo Dafeng had already prepared their soldiers and horses, just waiting for Xue Shao to come to review and pick up troops.

This right guard army is different from ordinary government soldiers, he is actually a field mercenary recruited in Pei Xingjian's era. The biggest difference between professional soldiers and peasant soldiers is that they make a living from war and take the army as their home, so their sense of identity with the generals and their sense of belonging to the army is particularly strong.

Hearing that his general Xue Shao was about to return to the camp for review, the soldiers of the Weishui army were very excited. also heard that Xue Shao was going to select 10,000 elites among them to participate in the battle to counterbalance the rebellion in Yangzhou, and they were all eager to try.

War is certainly a risk for these professional soldiers, but it is also a good opportunity for them to earn meritorious deeds and win rewards. In such a martial Tang Dynasty, many grassroots soldiers relied on their bravery and military exploits to make a name for themselves and even become famous in history.

The glorious deeds of these heroes are all inspiring the soldiers who are actively serving in the army.

Xue Shao's first feeling when he came to the camp was that their morale was high and their fighting spirit was high. Such a spectacle of the army is very difficult to see in the peaceful interior.

The three-armed array, Xue Shao took the stage.

"My robes—"

It is still the same sentence, a total of 100,000 officers and men of the three armies let out the shouts of the mountains and tsunamis, which shook the sky for a long time, and the citizens and people in Chang'an heard it.

Xue Shao smiled with satisfaction. Although he has been absent from the camp for a long time, the military soul of this army that has been cast since the Pei Gong era is still there!

After a brief speech, Xue Shao asked Guo to lead Xue Chuyu and others to go down to pick up troops. Choose one out of ten, this kind of work is not very easy to do. Because all the soldiers have been holding back long enough, everyone wants to go into battle and kill the heroes.

This kind of thorny detail does not need Xue Shao to handle personally, after he explained, he went to the marshal camp with Song Jing and Wei Yuanzhong to rest, and by the way, he listened to Dang Jinbi report on some military affairs in the barracks.

As he was talking, the small colonel of the camp came to report that someone outside the barracks asked to see General Xue, and the person who came claimed to be a eunuch and envoy in the palace.

Xue Shao was slightly stunned, I didn't go to the morning court today because I wanted to come to the barracks, could it be that there was something in the court?

"Call in."

After a short time, a middle-aged eunuch entered the tent, and Xue Shao recognized him, and he was indeed one of the henchmen eunuchs around Wu Zetian, surnamed Yang.

There was nothing special for Eunuch Yang to come, just a message from the Empress Dowager Wu. She told Xue Shao that at the court meeting this morning, Pei Yan was finally convicted of rebellion, and he was about to be abandoned and beheaded at the entrance of Caijie in Dongshi three days later. At the same time, Li Xiaoyi was already rushing to Chang'an after receiving the report of the fast horse, preparing to go to Luoyang together with Xue Chuyu's men and horses, and receive the government soldiers gathered there and a large number of recruits recruited by Cen Changqian, forming a 300,000 counterinsurgency army.

The implication is to let Xue Shao prepare early in the Weishui camp.

"There is Lao Yang's father-in-law. Please reply to the Queen Mother, the minister will hurry up and make proper military arrangements. Xue Shao said.

Eunuch Yang thanked him with a wave of his hand, and then whispered: "There is another trivial matter, which is a little strange to say. ”

"What?"

Eunuch Yang whispered: "After Pei Yan was imprisoned, he was left without saying a word. Even when Wei Xuantong went to see him, he only said three or two words before sending people away. But today, Pei Yantuo's jailer brought out a message, saying that he wanted to see Xue Yuma once before he died...... Therefore, the Queen Mother sent a villain to ask Xue Fuma, whether she agreed? ”

"Pei Yan wants to see me?" Xue Shao blinked his eyes and pondered for a moment, and said, "Okay, I'll see him, and it's okay!" ”

Eunuch Yang laughed on the spot, "In this way, the villain will return to the palace to surrender to the Queen Mother." As long as Xue Juma returns to the capital, the villain will arrange the prison visit properly. ”

"Okay, there's Grandpa Lao—please!"

As soon as the eunuch left, Wei Yuanzhong said curiously: "It's strange, why did Pei Yan, such a noble and arrogant person, want to see Xue Juma before he died?" ”

Song Jing said: "Xue Yuma, can you take Song with you?" ”

Xue Shao couldn't help but smile, "What are you going to do?" ”

"I really want to know what Pei Yan thinks in his heart." Song Jing said, "People are dying and their words are good, I believe that at this time, Pei Yan will tear off a qiē disguise and say what is in his heart." ”

"That's all?" Xue Shao looked at him, "You're just out of curiosity. ”

"Nope." Song Jing replied very simply and said, "Once, Pei Yan was also a great and virtuous person. He is not greedy for money, not lustful, does not like to play and is not luxurious, when he was young, he had concentrated on studying in the Hongwen Pavilion for more than ten years, and he never intended to be promoted, and even the government recruited him, he took the initiative to refuse. Song wanted to know, what made such a pure-hearted and wealthy Confucian become what he is now? What kind of ideals does he have in mind, and what is he pursuing? ”

Xue Shao smiled slightly, "This is also what I want to know." ”

Wei Yuanzhong said: "In this way, Wei also wants to go on a trip and see it with his own eyes." ”

Xue Shao immediately smiled, thinking that the two in front of him were both well-known prime ministers in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Let them listen to Pei Yan's last words, it may not be a bad thing for them.

"Alright, let's go together." Xue Shao said, "But don't show up, so as not to embarrass Pei Yan." He was my enemy, and now he is a prisoner. However, we should still have a minimum of respect for him. ”

"What the colt said is very true!" Wei Yuanzhong and Song Jing bowed their hands together.

The next day, things were almost arranged in the barracks. Xue Shao, Wei Yuanzhong, and Song Jing set off back to Chang'an, and went directly into the palace to find the eunuch Yang, and he led the way to the prison of Yushitai.

A prisoner of Pei Yan's level, even if he was put in prison, did not encounter the miserable treatment of ordinary prisoners. He was held under house arrest in a separate cell, with clean mattresses, tables and chairs, and three meals a day.

In addition to having no personal freedom, Pei Yan is more like an old scholar who studies hard and stays at home here.

Outside the room, there are officials of the Imperial Historical Observatory and soldiers of Zuo Fengchenwei, and Cheng Boxian personally sits here. Under his arrangement, Pei Yan was brought out and met Xue Shao in the next room.

There was nothing in the room except two couches and a low table. Wei Yuanzhong and Song Jing could only stand outside the room and listen through the window.

After Xue Shao sat down, only a moment later, Pei Yan came.

He still looks like he was when he was in the court that day, with his official uniform on his body. But there were no more medallion belts and fish bags to symbolize rank and status, and the black gauze on his head was also removed, wrapped in a simple blue cloth scarf.

His complexion is not good, but it is not that bad. There is neither the usual arrogance, nor the malaise of a prisoner of the order. The eyes he looked at Xue Shao were quite indifferent, so indifferent that Xue Shao felt that his heart was empty, and he had become a person without love and hatred and no thoughts.

- Like a zombie!

"Pei Xianggong, please be seated." Xue Shao took the initiative to speak.

Pei Yan was still unsmiling and silent as usual, and quietly walked over and sat down opposite Xue Shao.

"Pei Xianggong wants to see me by name, I don't know what advice you have?" It was Xue Shao who took the initiative to provoke the topic.

Pei Yan's eyes looked at the table, he was silent for a long time, and said four words in a dry voice, "You won." ”

"It's not that we won. It's you who lose. Xue Shao replied.

Pei Yan smiled slightly coldly, "Is there a difference?" ”

"Yes." Xue Shao said, "It's not so much that you lost to others, but that you lost to yourself." ”

Pei Yan's brows twisted slightly, and then he raised his eyes to look at Xue Shao, "What do you mean?" ”

Xue Shao smiled slightly and said, "Pei Xianggong thinks that your ending today is because of your failure in the political struggle?" ”

"Isn't it?" Pei Yan's beard trembled, revealing a sneering smile, "The old man can't figure it out, why would you be willing to follow a woman?" Or is it a woman who is not noble, morally noble, and innocent? ”

Xue Shao immediately smiled, "Pei Xianggong, as Zaifu, are you only concerned about this?" ”

"Nope." Pei Yan vetoed it on the spot and said, "The old man knows that she has her ability. But the thousand-year-old history of the past and present has long proved that the heroine is in power, and the world will be chaotic. What the old man cares about is not the struggle for power, nor is it fame and fortune. The old man just doesn't want to see that a good Datang is destroyed in her hands! ——Old man, always have the Tang Dynasty in mind! ”

"So you're trying to get rid of her?"

"That's right!"

To this day, Pei Yan has nothing that he dare not admit.

Xue Shao smiled indifferently and said, "I believe that what Pei Xianggong said is true, you do have Tang ambitions in your heart." But does your philosophy have to be right? ”

"Of course it's right." Pei Yanyi said solemnly, "I want to make the Tang Dynasty become a rare and prosperous Celestial Dynasty in ancient and modern times, and become an ideal country that the people of the whole country are proud of!" ”

"Ideal country......" Xue Shao chuckled these three words, and couldn't help but sigh softly, "With all due respect." The gap between reality and ideals is often very large. ”

"Yes. So my generation has to pay a hundredfold, a thousand times the effort! Pei Yan's voice became sonorous and powerful, "This process of hard work is full of hardships and pains, and it is even not so glorious, and you may even make mistakes." However, I always persevered and never gave up. Even to this day, I still want my ...... Ideal country! ”

Xue Shao sighed again, "In your ideal country, there can't be people like Empress Dowager Wu, there can't be generals and armies who are poor soldiers, and there can't be people who don't agree with your ideas, right?" ”

Pei Yan was suddenly stunned and froze.

"The sea is inclusive, and tolerance is great. The wall is thousands of feet, and there is no desire to be rigid. A person who doesn't even have a mind anymore, what kind of ideal can he talk about? How can a person with such a strong desire be noble? Xue Shao said, "Your ideals are too illusory and distant, and the pace you pursue will seem very weak." The gap between reality and ideals makes you miserable, paranoid, and even mad. You gradually become unaccustomed to all those who conflict with you in terms of position, pursuits, or interests, and you gradually become manic and even frivolous. ”

"......" Pei Yan's expression was almost dull, glaring at Xue Shao.

Xue Shao said as if talking to himself: "After that Northern Expedition, Wen Xigong, a general who commanded thousands of troops and horses and shook the Quartet, was driven out of Yetang by you lightly, and finally died with hatred. Does this give you a taste of the thrill of power? …… At that time, do you remember your ideal country?

Pei Yan opened his mouth with a blank expression and did not answer.

Xue Shao smiled slightly and said, "Gradually, the power in your hands is getting bigger and bigger, and the world's constraints on you are getting smaller and smaller. Gradually, are you becoming more and more obsessed with the charm of power? Have you become accustomed to using it to crowd out or even cut off all your enemies? …… When you decided to pull the Western Expeditionary Army to Luoyang and leave Wang Fangyi to expedition to the Western Regions, were you thinking about your ideal country, or were you worried that I, Xue Shao, would grow stronger because of this, which would have an impact and threat to you? ”

"When you sent Tang Huaibi, a mediocre villain, to Xiazhou to replace Wang Fangyi, were you thinking of your ideal country, or were you eager to occupy a place in the military from now on and gain the support of the army?"

"When you detained half of my men and gave me only a small amount of food and grass to go to Shuofang to fight, did you remember your ideal country in your heart? Or, at that time, you wished that I Xue someone was on the battlefield, and from then on you would have one less fierce enemy? …… Does your ideal country have to come at the cost of countless soldiers dying in battle and the fall of thousands of miles of territory? ”

Speaking of this, the hatred in Xue Shao's heart suddenly came out, and gradually the more he spoke, the more excited he became, almost like he was arguing and scolding.

Cheng Boxian, who was outside the door, was a little panicked, for fear that Xue Shao would kill Pei Yan in anger. He was just about to enter the house to persuade him, but Song Jing and Wei Yuanzhong grabbed him together, signaling that it was okay.

Pei Yan sat quietly like this, looking straight at Xue Shao with his eyes, listening to him finish this big talk.

Speaking of which, Xue Shao could only take a deep breath to calm his feelings, "All this, I don't want to say any more." It is that everyone has an ideal, but no matter how noble and lofty this ideal is, it should not be built on the basis of destroying the reality. Pei Xianggong, forgive me a heart-wrenching word - even if there is no Empress Dowager Wu, there is no Xue Shao, you still end up like this! ”

Pei Yan also came to understand a long deep breath, "How can you see it?" ”

"Because your ideals are only in your own mind. But your deeds have harmed your kingdom and its people. Your existence has hindered the pace of Datang's progress. Xue Shao said, "If such characters are not removed in the world, the heavens will eliminate them!" If the world does not report it, it will be difficult to forgive history! ”

After hearing these words, Pei Yan was stunned for a long time. Xue Shao could almost see with the naked eye, and aging was gradually appearing on his face.

In an instant, Pei Yan seemed to have aged ten years old, like an endangered person who was about to die.

After a long time.

"You're right, old man, you are indeed enchanted by power and blindfolded." Pei Yan finally spoke, and after saying this, he suddenly smiled, "One day, you will become like this!" ”

"This doesn't worry about Pei Xianggong." Xue Shao smiled slightly and said, "Like you, I also have an ideal country in my heart. But it's not a castle in the air, and it doesn't make my chasing steps helpless, and it doesn't make me go crazy. I don't read as much as you, I don't have as much knowledge as you, my vision is not as far as yours, and my thoughts are not as rich as yours. But I have one advantage that you can't compare. ”

"What's the plus?"

"I am more honest than you, I know how to be grateful, and I am content and happy." Xue Shao smiled slightly, "The Tang Dynasty in front of you may not be perfect. But this is the country where I live with my family, my wife, and my friends. It gave me a qiē that I loved dearly. ”

"Datang is my ideal country!"