Mapi is a small village in the lower reaches of Xunzhou, less than seven miles from Xunzhou City, there is no wharf, but the water flow is gentle and suitable for boats. After arriving at this section of the river, Feng Xiang stopped the boat and leaned on the shore to wait for Sun Yanling to chase after him. After the order was delivered, Feng Xiang asked the family to make himself a cup of tea, leaned on the bulkhead of the ship and waited patiently, but Xiao Erlang and Kong Fanlin and others next to him did not have this patience, after a little discussion with each other, Kong Fanlin stood up and asked Feng Xiang in a low voice: "Lord Lu, this place is so close to Xunzhou, we should leave Guangxi as soon as possible, why do you have to stop?" If that bitch sends someone to arrest us again, none of us will be able to escape. ”

A few days ago, if Feng Xiang had ordered to anchor in such a dangerous place, Kong Fanlin's gang of old Qiu Ba would have turned the sky upside down, so would there be such a whispered request to Feng Xiang? But today is different, Wu Sangui's envoy team to Guangdong was almost wiped out, if it weren't for Feng Xiang's three-inch incorruptible tongue to temporarily cover Kong Sizhen, with Kong Sizhen's vicious surname and the serious consequences of attacking Wu Sangui's envoy team, Kong Sizhen would definitely kill people and kill no one. So in this way, Kong Fanlin's gang of old Qiu Ba is grateful to Feng Xiang for saving his life, and admires Feng Xiang's improvisation, so will they put on the shelves of the palace guards to influence Feng Xiang's decisions at will? But having said that, Feng Xiang's attitude was still kind, he just shook his head and said calmly: "It's okay, Kong Sizhen hopes that I can persuade Shang Kexi to agree to withdraw the feudal domain as the envoy of the King of Pingxi, and I won't attack us casually." ”

"Although this is the truth, what is the use of us stopping here and waiting for Sun Yanling?" Kong Fanlin asked cautiously. Feng Xiang interlocked his fingers with his hands, supported his elbows on the table, tapped his eyebrows with two thumb joints, closed his eyes and said slowly: "We were ordered to go to Guangdong to run an errand for the prince this time, and we were betrayed by the traitors of the Pingxi Palace. Although I tried to fool the Guangxi army and let them let us go, if I just let it go, I would have to leave the impression that I was ineffective in front of the prince. Wang Shirong, that narrow-minded bastard, has no choice but to slander in front of the prince, exaggerating our three-point sins into ten, and the prince is angry, you and I will have a bad future, and at worst, our heads will fall to the ground. So there is no way, our only chance now is to turn the matter of Guangxi into a good thing, and let the situation in Guangxi develop towards a situation that is favorable to the prince, so that we can at least make a merit offset, and the prince will not do anything to us. ”

"But Lord Lu, how can we let the situation in Guangxi develop in favor of the prince?" Kong Fanlin asked curiously. Feng Xiang smiled, let go of his hands and said with a smile: "Of course, it falls on Sun Yanling, this guy is the governor of Guangxi, and he has a certain strength and influence in his hands, if he can cooperate with the prince, the prince will be very happy." ”

"Lord Lu, you and Sun Yanling have no relatives and no reason, can you talk about him?" Kong Fanlin was still very worried. Feng Xiang smiled, and was about to mock the gap between Sun Yanling and his wind-scratching wife, when the family guarding the stern of the boat had already shouted, "Young master, Sun Junmen is here!" ”

"Sure enough!" Feng Xiang was overjoyed, got up and walked to the stern of the boat to take a look, and sure enough, he saw Sun Yanling chasing after him with a few personal soldiers on fast horses, Feng Xiang hurriedly ordered: "Quickly put the springboard, vacate a cabin, I want to talk to Sun Junmen alone." ”

After a while, Sun Yanling rushed directly to Feng Xiang's boat with a few personal soldiers, and after Feng Xiang exchanged a few polite words with him and saluted each other, he immediately led him into the cabin that had been prepared just now, and arranged for his family and guards to closely guard the boat and underboard. And Sun Yanling was obviously more anxious than Feng Xiang, and as soon as he sat down, he couldn't wait to ask: "Brother Lu, you said that the prince of Pingxi has some confidential matters for you to bring to me, what are the words, it doesn't hurt to ask Brother Lu to speak up." ”

"Sun Junmen, I'll just say that brother." Feng Xiang was not polite, and asked directly: "Sun Junmen, how many troops are there in Guangxi now?" How much can you probably master directly? If you inherit the queen of Dingnan, how sure can you control how many armies? ”

"Brother Lu, why are you asking this?" Sun Yanling is indeed a political idiot, not only can't he see Feng Xiang's deliberate tricks, but he doesn't even see Feng Xiang's illusion of covering up the trap.

"My God, you don't understand what these questions mean, and you still want to be the king of Dingnan with this ability?" Feng Xiang lamented in his heart, and in desperation, Feng Xiang had to smile bitterly and said: "Sun Junmen, the prince asked the subordinate to ask you what these words meant, can't you hear it?" Now the four heroes of Guangxi are competing for hegemony, Yu Xuan, Ma Xiong, Dai Liangchen and you Sun Junmen, the four forces are qualified to compete for the inheritance of the prince of Dingnan, Sun Junmen, you are just one of them. In this way, even if the prince wants to support Sun Junmen and you to become the king of Dingnan, at least you have to find out Sun Junmen's strength, right? Also, the prince at least has to know that after Sun Junmen becomes the king of Dingnan, can you sit on the throne? ”

"Understood, it turns out that this is what the prince meant!" Sun Yanling slapped his thigh and suddenly realized, and at the same time he was overjoyed - since Wu Sangui wanted to know his strength so much, he was ready to support him to inherit the prince of Dingnan, and he was naturally sincere. Overjoyed, Sun Yanling hurriedly said: "Brother Lu, please return to the prince of Pingxi, now there are about 35,000 horse infantry in Guangxi, of which the army directly controlled by me and my brother Sun Yanji is about 6,000 people, Yu Xuan is the strongest, about 12,000 people, the army directly controlled by the nine assistant leaders under Ma Xiong is about 10,000 people, and the ......army directly controlled by Dai Liangchen and Wang Yongnian's two uncles is about 6,000 or 7,000 people. ”

"About 35,000 people, in this way, not counting the combat effectiveness of the army, the total strength of Guangxi Province alone is about twice that of Wu Sangui's old Han annihilation." Feng Xiang was a little surprised, and then he realized that he had been deceived by the bullshit series and bullshit historical novels that were full of relics - such as Wu Sangui's strong soldiers, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and two or three thousand people in his little wife alone. Thinking so in his heart, Feng Xiang blurted out directly with the surprised look on his face: "What? So, among the four forces in Guangxi, Sun Junmen, your strength is the weakest? ”

"Temporary, temporary." Sun Yanling's old face turned red, and he hurriedly added: "Brother Lu, don't worry, as long as my brother and I become the king of Dingnan, the army here in Guangxi will definitely listen to me, and the gang of Yu Xuan, Ma Xiong and Dai Liangchen, brother, I will be able to clean them up sooner or later!" ”

"If only you had the skills! After you married Kong Sizhen, that bitch, you were named the governor of Guangxi, the commander-in-chief of the Guangxi army recognized by the Tartar court, why don't you eat a little of the strength of your political opponents? Feng Xiang rolled his eyes when he heard this, and he was disdainful of Sun Yanling. But then again, Sun Yanling's situation is a great opportunity for Feng Xiang to take advantage of, so Feng Xiang quickly lowered his face, showed a look of disappointment, and said in an extremely disappointed tone: "Sun Junmen, in this way, even if the prince wants to support you to inherit the prince of Dingnan, it is not so easy. ”

"Don't, don't." Sun Yanling was anxious, and hurriedly said: "Brother Lu, please report to the prince of Pingxi, although I currently have the least number of troops under direct control, I have always been the only son-in-law of the old prince of Confucius, the governor of Guangxi appointed by the imperial court, and the imperial court appointed He Shuogege, who manages Guangxi's military, political and civil affairs, is also my wife, the de facto regent of Guangxi." As long as the prince played a table, saying that bandits are rampant in Guangxi and the coastal defense is unstable, there must be a person who inherits the legitimate governance of Guangxi by the prince of Dingnan, coupled with the influence of He Shuogege in the court, brother I will definitely be able to become the king of Dingnan. ”

"Brother Lu, there's one more thing I haven't told you yet." In order to persuade Feng Xiang to be the 'special envoy of the King of Pingxi', Sun Yanling also mysteriously played his hole card, "Brother, my wife, that is, He Shuogege, she is not only the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager's ancestor, when she lived in the palace, she also raised the current emperor Kangxi Long Live for a period of time, and she has a deep relationship with today's Long Live Kangxi. With this relationship, how much hope do I have for inheriting the prince of Dingnan, Brother Lu, you should understand, right? ”

"Idiot! If Kangxi's little pockmark makes you the king of the south for a little affection, then he will not cut the feudal domain and force Wu Sangui to oppose Wu Sangui in history! Feng Xiang snorted coldly in his heart - but Feng Xiang also understood that he knew that Kang Xiaomazi would definitely not let the three feudal domains become the four feudal domains, because he knew the future history, and at the moment, the three feudal lords of the Han Dynasty were still jumping around, and Sun Yanling, who had the hope of inheriting the title of the king of Dingnan, would certainly not watch this great opportunity slip away from his hands. So after a little calculation, Feng Xiang gritted his teeth and made up his mind, and said: "Sun Junmen, please rest assured, these words of yours will definitely be truthfully reported to the prince." In addition, there is another question, which is the last question, which needs to be consulted by Sun Junmen. ”

"Brother Lu, please ask, brother listens." Sun Yanling couldn't wait to answer. Feng Xiang said in a deep voice: "Sun Junmen, this question is asked to you by the prince on behalf of the prince - if the prince strongly recommends Sun Junmen to inherit the prince of Dingnan, then what will you give back to the prince Sun Junmen?" ”

"Prince Pingxi still wants to reciprocate?" Sun Yanling stretched his face, and then he knew that there was no free lunch in the world. Feng Xiang replied with a smile: "Sun Junmen, do you think the prince should want to reciprocate?" If the prince strongly recommends you to inherit the prince of Dingnan, but at once you offend the three generals Ma Xiong, Yu Xuan and Dai Liangchen at the same time, the prince can't offend so many people at once for the sake of Sun Junmen, right? ”

"Should, should." Sun Yanling thought about it, he and Wu Sangui were not friends who exchanged their lives, and they usually didn't have any affectionate contacts, and if they didn't come out with some benefits, how could Wu Sangui's old fox offend Ma Xiong's gang for himself? After hesitating for a moment, Sun Yanling said with a sad face: "Brother Lu, brother, I should repay the prince of Pingxi well, but brother, I am so poor that I can repay the prince?" ”

"Sun Junmen said with a smile, will the prince ask for your gold, silver and jewelry?" Feng Xiang asked with a smile. Sun Yanling was stunned and hurriedly asked, "What does the prince of Pingxi want?" ”

"What Prince Pingxi wants, it is also good for Sun Junmen." Feng Xiang asked slowly: "Sun Junmen, the army here in Guangxi has not been paid for several years?" ”

"It's not that I haven't increased my salary for a few years, I have never increased my salary." Sun Yanling said with a sad face: "Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, the Guangxi army has been paid six taels of silver per person per year except for some benefits and rewards when they are fighting. To put it mildly, with this bit of silver, my brother can't make any money even if he wants to eat some empty money. ”

"Then Sun Junmen, why don't you ask the imperial court to increase the military salary for Guangxi and Yungui?" Feng Xiang quickly asked: "Didn't you think about Sun Junmen, if you ask for military salaries for the Guangxi army from the imperial court, won't your prestige in the Guangxi army increase all of a sudden?" Also, the military salary of the Guangxi army has been increased, Sun Junmen, you don't need to be so poor, right? ”

"Huh? Why didn't I think of that? Sun Yanling was overjoyed at first, and then scratched his head and said, "However, will the imperial court agree to pay the Guangxi army?" In case my list is rejected, isn't it all the same? ”

"Sun Junmen, you are really pretending to be confused." Feng Xiang laughed and said with a smile: "Sun Junmen, if you are on such a performance, whether you succeed or not, you will not be able to suffer, and Sun Junmen still wants to hide his humble duties?" It's done, the imperial court has increased the salary of the Guangxi army, and the soldiers of the Guangxi army and the Yunnan-Guizhou army have received benefits, and you are grateful to Sun Junmen, Sun Junmen, you and the prince are very happy! If it doesn't work, it at least proves that Sun Junmen is thinking about the soldiers in Guangxi, but the court refuses to give this grace, and the soldiers in Guangxi are still grateful to the soldiers, and Sun Junmen you still improve your prestige - Sun Junmen, brother, although I am a humble official, I still understand the pros and cons. ”

"yes, that's a great idea!" Sun Yanling's eyes lit up, and he laughed and said: "Brother Lu is really smart, brother, I am so careful, I was seen by you all of a sudden, ashamed, ashamed." ”

"In that case, is Sun Junmen willing to go to this way?" Feng Xiang said demagoguingly: "Sun Junmen, please rest assured, as long as you tell the imperial court, the bandits in the three provinces of Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou are rampant, the Tusi is divided, and the military salary is not in order, and it is urgent to increase the military salary to improve morale and pacify the place." Then the prince can sign and seconded your concert, so that Sun Junmen will be invincible! If it doesn't work, you can compare Ma Xiong, Lian Yuxuan and Dai Liangchen's gang, and let the soldiers in Guangxi know who to follow! If it happens, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Pingxi Princes and Sun Junmen will get the benefits together, and they will all be happy, not to mention, in addition, the prince can also support Sun Junmen to inherit the Dingnan Prince, how about it? ”

"Okay, I'll do this right away!" Sun Yanling slapped the table and agreed to Feng Xiang's request on the spot. Feng Xiang was overjoyed, and hurriedly said: "Sun Junmen, without further ado, can you write a note now, and the lower official will send someone back to Yunnan and hand it over to the prince of Pingxi to settle the money?" ”

"Okay, I'll write it right away." Sun Yanling thought about it and felt that this matter was only good for him, and he was anxious to win support from Wu Sangui, so he immediately took out the four treasures of the study room and wrote them according to the meaning of Feng Xiang's request. Not to mention, don't look at Sun Yanling is from Qiu Ba, and his calligraphy is far above Feng Xiang, a college student in the 21st century, so Feng Xiang will inevitably be a little impressed by him, and he can't help but pat a few sycophants from the bottom of his heart. Sun Yanling said with a smile: "Brother Lu doesn't know, in fact, Brother Yu is not only passable in writing, but also good at music and stabbing, Brother Lu, you are a civil official, how about we have a good exchange of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting?" ”

"Thanks, I'm not interested in any of these things." Feng Xiang muttered in his heart, but he even claimed that he was good, saying that he would definitely ask Sun Yanling for advice if he had the opportunity. And after Sun Yanling wrote the chapter and stamped it, he held it in front of Feng Xiang with both hands, and said with a smile: "Brother Lu, you see how it is, if you can get by, send someone to send it to the prince of Pingxi." ”

"Okay, good, Sun Junmen is really a talented person, and he is sprinkled with thousands of words, brother, I can't change a word." Feng Xiang smiled and took the recital that made Sun Yanling the first bird, and patted his chest and said: "Sun Junmen, don't worry, as long as this recital is approved by the imperial court, then the will will come to Kunming that day, and that day will be the day when the prince asks the imperial court to allow Sun Junmen to inherit the prince of Dingnan!" If not, brother, I will apologize to the military gate. ”

"It's been said, it's been said." Sun Yanling was modest on his lips, but he was snorting coldly in his heart, "Boy, if you dare to play Lao Tzu, ask for military salaries and break your word and get fat, you don't need to kill yourself, Lao Tzu cut you with his own hands!" ”

"Idiot! You must be calculating, if Lao Tzu dares to lie to you, you will definitely settle accounts with Lao Tzu, right? Feng Xiang also snorted coldly in his heart, "It's a pity that your recital can only add a bargaining chip to Wu Sangui's old Han Jian to negotiate with the Tartar court, and the Tartar court is going crazy if it wants to cut military salary expenses now, and will give you a salary?" If I sell you, you have to help me count the money! ”

After snorting coldly, Feng Xiang thought about it for a while, and then lowered his voice and said: "Sun Junmen, if you say a word of punishment, it is best not to let Sigege know about this piece of music before it is approved by the imperial court." I want Sun Junmen to know that now Sigege is the imperial court to manage Guangxi's military, political and civil affairs, and Shuo Gege, if she knows this, even if Sigege agrees with Junmen to do this, the soldiers of the Guangxi army will only be grateful to Sigege, and will not be grateful to Sun Junmen. ”

"Don't worry, of course I understand that." Sun Yanling replied with a smile: "What the old man does, the women get out of the way!" ”