In Yan Zhenqing's study, Wang Yuan and Yan Zhenqing sat opposite each other and had a long talk. The pen & fun & pavilion www.biquge.info was still more than an hour before dawn, but Wang Yuan and Yan Zhenqing obviously did not feel sleepy, so after dismissing everyone, the two decided to have a long talk in the study all night.

The conversation naturally began at the Pear Blossom Poetry Meeting when the two first met, and the two remembered the grand event that year. At that time, Wang Yuan was still a fledgling young man, and Yan Zhenqing was just a high-spirited scholar at that time, and he was concentrating on the art of calligraphy. Who would have thought that five years later, the two would have met so differently.

"Hey. Time flies, it was already five years ago, and I always remember that day, as if it was still yesterday. It's really a thing or a person, which makes people sigh. Talking about that grand event, Yan Zhenqing regained his literati nature and sighed.

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Does Yan Taishou often think of that poetry meeting?" I don't think about it often, but I still remember the people at the poetry meeting. However, many of those people back then are no longer alive. It's only been five years, and it's hard to imagine how quickly things have changed. ”

The two may be different in age and personality, and their feelings about the concept of time are also different. Five years, in Yan Zhenqing's opinion, passed too quickly, almost at the snap of a finger. For Wang Yuan, he felt that the past five years seemed to be as long as half a lifetime. The older they are, the more they feel that life is as short as a white horse, while young people are always looking forward to tomorrow and looking forward to the arrival of tomorrow, and they always dislike time being too slow.

"yes. It's unbelievable how quickly things are changing. When Wang Xiangguo said this, the old man remembered Li Linfu, Li Shizhi, Yang Guozhong, and Li Yong. They are all the people of my Tang Dynasty, how can it be that it has only been five years, and it has already become ancient. Thinking about it like this, it really makes people feel infinitely emotional. Yan Zhenqing sighed.

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, the dance pavilion and the song stage, the wind is always blown away by the rain and wind." These things can't be thought about carefully, if you think about them carefully, it will make people's will decadent and give birth to a sense of life like a dream. ”

"The dance pavilion is always blown away by the rain and wind. What a sentence, Wang Xiangguo is still so splendid, and his writing is amazing. Yan Zhenqing said.

Wang Yuan waved his hand and sighed: "Mo Ti's writing is amazing, I haven't written poetry for a long time." ”

Yan Zhenqing smiled and asked lightly: "What do Wang Xiangguo think of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong, and Li Shizhi in their hearts." They don't have a good reputation after they die, and people say they are adulterers. Some people also say that they have unshirkable responsibility for An Lushan's rebellion. Wasn't Li Linfu considered to have conspired with An Lushan after his death? ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Does Yan Taishou believe that kind of words?" There is always no way back for the dumping in the court, just like Yang Guozhong, who dug Li Linfu's grave, but what about his own fate? These things are uncountable, just attacking for the sake of attacking. ”

"Oh? It seems that Wang Xiangguo seems to have some different opinions on the conclusion made by the imperial court on several people. Yan Zhenqing said.

Wang Yuan looked at Yan Zhenqing and said, "Today we are talking in private, and I won't hide it from you." In my opinion, no matter what others say, I think they are respectable. Perhaps each of them has flaws, but I don't think they will be as bad as the court evaluates after their deaths. In the future, if I have the opportunity, I hope to correct their names one by one. ”

Yan Zhenqing's body was shocked, and he looked at Wang Yuan in surprise and said, "Wang Xiangguo really thinks so?" These people are all called sinners of the court, and some of them are called traitors who bring disaster to the country and the people, but Wang Xiangguo wants to rehabilitate them? ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "The evaluation of people needs to be fair and reasonable. Sometimes people make bad decisions that they don't do on purpose, or because they are forced by circumstances, or because they can't see the consequences clearly. For example, Li Linfu tried his best to reuse An Lushan and other Hu generals. It is not necessarily a good idea to use Hu to control Hu. In fact, An Lushan did ensure the long-term tranquility of the northeastern border town of Datang. However, how can it come to the point where it is now, An Lushan rebelled, turning my Tang Dynasty upside down. Li Linfu must be responsible, but it is not only him who is responsible, but the entire imperial court. The lack of effective supervision, connivance and indulgence, but not knowing the harm, this is the problem of imperial court policy. This is not just Li Linfu's problem, everyone, including His Majesty, is responsible. It would be unfair and unjust to shift such responsibility onto one person or a few individuals. ”

Yan Zhenqing was silent, he had actually been reflecting on the things in the DPRK over the years, but even if he had a different opinion in his heart, he would not say it as bluntly as Wang Yuan. I asked just now, I just wanted to probe Wang Yuan's tone, but unexpectedly, Wang Yuan said what he thought without scruples, which made Yan Zhenqing ashamed and felt that he was not dignified enough. In fact, his thoughts were the same as Wang Yuan's, but he didn't dare to say it.

For example, Yang Guozhong, An Lushan's rebellion said that he wanted the Qing monarch to cut off the Yang family's traitors, and many people in the court also thought that Yang Guozhong forced An Lushan to rebel, because Yang Guozhong was saying that An Lushan was going to rebel every day. But what are the facts? An Lushan is indeed the opposite, and it is not for the sake of Qingjun's side. Yang Guozhong died, and he didn't see him stop. An Lushan wants to rebel and become the emperor, Yang Guozhong does not force him, he wants to rebel. On the contrary, if the imperial court could follow Yang Guozhong's advice and make preparations early, it would be a different situation. It's a pity that everyone regards Yang Guozhong's words as a false accusation, can it be said that this is all Yang Guozhong's fault? ”

Wang Yuan continued, these are the words he wanted to say in his heart, these words should not have been said, but for some reason, in front of Yan Zhenqing today, Wang Yuan actually rushed out like this, without concealing it.

Yan Zhenqing nodded and sighed: "Wang Xiangguo can say such a thing, which really makes Yan extremely admired." To tell you the truth, Yan actually thinks the same way. Today's people like black and white by measuring others' likings. As soon as there is a stain, he will completely erase the merits of others, which is unacceptable to Yan. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "It seems that Yan Taishou and I are related to each other in this matter." ”

Yan Zhenqing frowned and said in a low voice: "Yan still has a lot of things to figure out. For example, why Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong and others were characterized as traitors by the imperial court. But the traitors are all dead, why did Datang fall into a stormy place? When the traitors were alive, although they fought with each other, the Tang Dynasty was still stable and prosperous? Some things are really hard to figure out. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Let me add a few questions for you, why in less than a year, An Lushan was able to sweep through the north and capture the land of Liangjing with his two or three hundred thousand soldiers and horses?" An Lushan only has two or three hundred thousand soldiers and horses. But how many troops did my Datang use to quell the rebellion? There were 100,000 defenders in Luoyang City, 150,000 troops in the Battle of Tongguan, and more than 200,000 forbidden troops in the capital. The total strength is nearly half a million. But what? Why did they retreat one after another, and why did they leave Chang'an and enter Shu to avoid trouble? Is it really An Lushan's invincible soldiers and horses? Apparently not. What's the reason for that? ”

Yan Zhenqing patted his thigh and said, "Exactly, this is also something that Yan can't figure out." What the hell is going on? If I say that An Lushan's soldiers and horses are invincible, I will never believe it, look, even I, a person who doesn't know how to lead the army, can hold the small city for more than half a year with more than 10,000 troops put together, why did Chang'an break in one day? Why was Tongguan lost so easily? ”

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "Yan Taishou, do you really want to know the answers to these questions?" ”

Yan Zhenqing looked at Wang Yuan blankly and said, "Could it be that Wang Xiangguo knows the reason?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Yan Taishou, you don't pretend to know about it. In fact, people of insight understand these reasons, but no one wants to point them out. I don't believe Yan Taishou doesn't know why. ”

Yan Zhenqing smacked his lips and said, "I do have some thoughts in my heart, but Yan wants to know what Wang Xiangguo thinks in his heart." Whether it is consistent with what Yan thinks. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Okay, I'm not afraid to say what I think in my heart, in fact, I have spoken out in front of Your Majesty." The important reason for all this to happen comes from one person, and that is His Majesty today. ”

Yan Zhenqing sighed, he wanted to hear this, but he was afraid to hear it. He really wanted Wang Yuan to reject his question, but Wang Yuan was so honest that he told himself the answer directly. And what's worse is that this is also what he dares to think but dare not say in his own heart.

"If it weren't for Your Majesty's quick success, how could there be a loss of Tongguan? Including many foreign expeditions before this, including the fiasco of Wang Zhonghei in the Battle of Shibao City that year, and the will issued by His Majesty to attack some cities during the battle with Tubo that year, which led to the annihilation of the entire Hexi Longyou Coalition Army, were the result of His Majesty's intervention. Your Majesty may have good intentions, but His Majesty's meddling in military affairs and listening to slander is the root cause of all this. Of course, in the end, it's all someone else's fault, and it's someone else who carries the black pot, but that's exactly the problem. His Majesty will never admit his mistakes, and such mistakes will happen again and again. I may have said this in a big way, but in front of His Majesty, I said the same thing to him. Wang Yuan said coldly.

Yan Zhenqing was stunned and said, "You also said these words in front of Your Majesty?" ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Why don't you say it?" A mistake is a mistake, and you can't stop pointing it out just because he's the emperor. If you don't know what is wrong, you will not be wrong again and again. My Datang is already stormy, and I can't tolerate another big mistake. His Majesty is indeed the King of Wisdom, but that is the former Majesty. His Majesty is also a human being, and he will be proud of his merits. An ordinary person's arrogant behavior may not have a big impact, but Your Majesty is not an ordinary person, he is the lord of the world, and if he makes a mistake, it will not affect him personally, but the people of the world. Therefore, as the Son of Heaven, you must not be arrogant and lax, if you are not careful, the world will be in chaos. I have spoken these things to Your Majesty in person. Not only that, but I also asked His Majesty to agree to one condition before I agreed to the post of Generalissimo of the counterinsurgency. ”

"That's ...... What conditions? Yan Zhenqing was already stunned.

"I tell Your Majesty that if I lead the army to quell the rebellion, I don't want him to interfere in military affairs, and I want the right to dictate military affairs."

"The right to self-dictate military affairs? This...... Can Your Majesty agree? Yan Zhenqing swallowed and spitted.

"Of course Your Majesty agreed, otherwise how could I be here. Military affairs are self-sufficient, and the responsibility is naturally borne by me. I promise Your Majesty three years to quell the rebellion, and if I fail to, I will be punished in any way. There is only one condition, that is, to put down the rebellion according to my method, and no one is allowed to point fingers. After that, there was a great victory in Tongzhou, and there was a battle out of Shu. The situation is gradually improving, and this is precisely the result of each party's responsibility. ”

Yan Zhenqing didn't know what to say. For the first time, Yan Zhenqing really realized that the Wang Yuan in front of him was no longer the boy with amazing poems at the Pear Blossom Poetry Meeting. He has a fierce aura all over his body, full of confidence and domineering, and he is almost like the young man back then.

"Many people expressed their dissatisfaction with my move, saying that I took advantage of the critical situation to persecute His Majesty and fight for power. Some people say that I have blackmailed the Son of Heaven to order the princes. Wang Yuan said with a smile.

"Huh? Who would say such a thing? Yan Zhenqing was surprised, he didn't expect the world outside to be so exciting. The simple sentence in Wang Yuan's mouth contained a lot of complexity and chaos, which almost overwhelmed Yan Zhenqing.

"That's what the former Prime Minister Fang Xuan said, and he said so about me in front of His Majesty." Wang Yuandao.

"Fang Xuan? He became a prime minister? ”

"Former Prime Minister." Wang Yuan corrected: "He has been killed by His Majesty. ”

"Killed by His Majesty? Just because of saying this? Yan Zhenqing said.

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "It seems that Yan Taishou also thinks that I am holding Your Majesty hostage." I would indeed kill Fang Xuan, but not because of this sentence. Your Majesty killed him to appease my heart, but I killed him because he had misappropriated my military rations without authorization, putting my army in danger. ”

At that moment, Wang Yuan briefly said what Fang Xuan did. Yan Zhenqing nodded after hearing this: "It should be killed, I didn't expect Fang Xuan to be so stupid, and he dared to be bound by the major event of counterinsurgency, and he was not unjustly killed." ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "After all, Yan Taishou is still an understanding person. Many people said that I killed him because of that sentence, and it seems that Yan Taishou is an understanding person after all. ”

Yan Zhenqing said: "Although it is nonsense, this matter will definitely bring trouble to Wang Xiangguo." ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "I'm not afraid to bother me, I do things but I want to be worthy of my heart, but I don't care what others say about me." If you care about what others think every day, then you don't need to do things. My principle is, but to do it is to fight back with facts. After I put down the rebels, I was disarmed and returned to the field, resigned, and went into hiding, and then the rumors were extinguished. ”

Yan Zhenqing nodded and said: "Wang Xiangguo, this is exactly the attitude of doing things, this single Yan deeply agrees." Those people's thoughts are not to be worried, His Majesty killed Fang Xuan, I am afraid that he is also angry with Fang Xuan's words. Your Majesty still trusts you and cherishes you. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "I hope so." But I don't really need His Majesty's approval. My words may be a bit rebellious, but I can tell Yan Taishou that I am not for Your Majesty, I am for the people of the world. Just for the sake of Your Majesty, I don't have this motivation. In order to solve the people's upside down, I can bear any kind of criticism and doubt. But apart from that, no one should try to sway me. ”

Yan Zhenqing was already going crazy, and the conversation with Wang Yuan was almost climactic, and every word of Wang Yuan made Yan Zhenqing feel that his worldview was collapsing in front of him. He would think that Wang Yuan's statement was wrong, but Wang Yuan's words were reasonable. But this kind of truth is not the kind of truth that people can recognize. He can only find a basis for Wang Yuan's words: the world belongs to the king, the people belong to the king, and for the people is for His Majesty. Well, in fact, Wang Xiangguo is loyal to the king, but the statement is different. Thinking about it like this, Yan Zhenqing can feel better.

Wang Yuan didn't know why he had to talk so much to Yan Zhenqing, and from Yan Zhenqing's tangled expression, he also knew that Yan Zhenqing was actually difficult to understand his words, but Wang Yuan didn't care. He just intuitively thought that Yan Zhenqing would be another person besides Gao Xianzhi who could understand himself, and in this era, there were few confidants, and Wang Yuan hoped to find a few more people who could talk to him both in his mind and heart. But now it seems that Yan Zhenqing has obviously not met such a requirement, but at least his words will take root in Yan Zhenqing's heart, so that Yan Zhenqing can think about it. He believed that Yan Zhenqing's wisdom would figure it out, just like why he stuck to Plains City, he thought he was loyal to the monarch, but in fact, he was the duty to protect the people, but he didn't think about it himself.

"Well, let's not talk about these things, let's talk about the things in front of us, this is the urgent problem. On that day, after I heard the news from Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi that you were still holding on, I immediately led 3,000 cavalry to the rescue. There were many delays on the road, but I finally caught up with it, and it lived up to my travel. Wang Yuan smiled.

Yan Zhenqing arched his hand and said: "Thank you Wang Xiangguo for leading the troops to the rescue, Yan is really grateful." But the lower official has one thing to say, Xiangguo only came with these 3,000 soldiers and horses, I am afraid it will be difficult for the soldiers and civilians of Pingyuan City to get out of trouble. There are tens of thousands of people in the city, and there are so many thieves outside the city, and now it is a dilemma. Originally, we were trapped, and now Wang Xiangguo is also trapped here. ”

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "Yan Taishou, you can't help but underestimate me." Do you think we went into town to be trapped here? Do you think I'll care about the rebels outside the city? Do you know what my 3,000 soldiers and horses have done along the way? We captured Huguan, and after leaving Taihang, we broke three cities in one day. Tens of thousands of defenders in Yecheng, Xingzhou, and Weizhou were all annihilated by my 3,000 people. How do you think we got here? It's all the way to get here. ”

"What? Broke the pot pass, and broke three cities in a day? Yan Zhenqing smacked his tongue.

"Am I still lying?" Wang Yuan said with a smile.

"My God, just you 3,000?"

"Yes, is there still a heavenly soldier and a heavenly general to help me?" Wang Yuan said with a smile.

Yan Zhenqing's eyes were about to fly out: "How is this possible?" If that's the case, aren't your 3,000 soldiers and horses heavenly soldiers? ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "The heavenly soldiers and generals don't dare to be it, but the more than 10,000 thieves and soldiers are no longer talking." However, our tracks have been exposed, and there must be countless thieves and soldiers coming here in all directions. Therefore, we are to crush the besieging enemy and leave the plains in a few days. Crossing the Yellow River to the south, there is the way out. I will not hide it from you, one of the purposes of my rescue is to inspect the counties on the south bank of the Yellow River, so that they are ready to fight to the death, because I estimate that the rebels will soon attack south. We must not let the southern state capital fall into the hands of An Lushan, otherwise I will run out of money and food, and the situation will be unsustainable. ”

Yan Zhenqing nodded and said: "What Xiang Guo said is very true, what he didn't say, everything is at the command of Xiang Guo." Xiangguo said to do what he did. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Okay." So let's divide the work. I'm in charge of crushing the enemy outside the city, and you're in charge of getting the people ready to evacuate. Originally, we couldn't evacuate with the people, but I guess if you don't leave with the people, I'm afraid you won't agree, so please organize the people. The old, the weak, the sick and the disabled should get some vehicles for them to ride in and arrange for someone to take care of them. Be sure to be well organized on the road. Otherwise, tens of thousands of people dragged and dragged without rules, and if they couldn't reach the edge of the Yellow River, they would be caught up by the rebels. By then, there would be no city to protect it. ”

Yan Zhenqing knows the seriousness of the problem, this evacuation involves tens of thousands of people, and if you are not prepared to organize the work, it will be a disaster.

"Xiangguo rest assured, the lower officials will arrange it properly. We smuggled in some food tonight, so that the people could eat a few meals and increase their physical strength in the past few days. It is more than 180 miles to the north bank of the Yellow River, and this road is not easy to walk. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "What I said is that we can't take it lightly in the slightest. Only after crossing the Yellow River can we get out of trouble, otherwise we will fall short. I don't want to be planted in the last ten miles. ”

"Xia Guan understands." Yan Zhenqing solemnly arched his hand.