Wang Shichong calmed down and turned to the person in the middle, he knew that with this style, Hu Sizheng and Shen Liusheng were just this person's subordinates, the real lord was this person who had not shown his true face until now, listening to his voice just now, looking at his figure felt very familiar, he must have known him, listened to the person who spoke, but he couldn't remember it for a while.

The cloaked man turned slowly, his face still covered in a black cloth, and his true face could not be seen in the dim light of the secret room, and his thick eyebrows, gray hair, and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes all showed that the man was at least nearly a sixtieth year.

Wang Shichong looked at Hu Sizheng and said in a deep voice: "Hu Si Changshi, presumably you are also a subordinate of this noble man like Boss Shen." ”

Hu Sizheng nodded: "Yes, Hu Si has been working for this adult for more than ten years, when Wang Tingshi and Hu Si discussed major matters that day, Hu Si did not dare to make friends with Wang Tingshi without the permission of the lord, please forgive me." ”

Wang Shichong sighed: "I see, Wang has never understood why Hu Si Changshi has not sought promotion in Yingzhou for many years. Now that Wang understands, you must have been ordered by your lord to run this gateway to the north of Jingzhou, Wang misunderstood you, and thought that you just wanted to become an official, but now I know that what you want is not so simple. ”

Hu Sizheng smiled slightly: "When Hu Si first entered the officialdom, until he was forty years old, he wanted to serve the imperial court, and one day he could become a general and govern the world, but unfortunately Hu Si has been an official in the Great Sui for many years, and finally understood one thing, I am waiting for Hu people." It is impossible to enter the eyes of the father and son of the Wang family. Even if there is talent. It's just an eagle dog that comes and goes when they call it, and its own destiny still has to be in its own hands. ”

Wang Shichong smiled at the cloaker: "Wang Mou understands it all now, no wonder Hu Si Changshi and Han Tingshi, who is also a Hu general, are not all the way, with the old general He Ruo, how can he be friends with Han Baohu's son." ”

The old man in the black cloak looked up to the sky and laughed, and pulled down the black cloth on his face. Thick eyebrows like weeds, thin cheeks, a pair of eagle-like eyes vigilant and fierce, a face full of unkempt white beard, lion nose and big mouth, is it He Ruobi, who is known as the famous general of the Sui Dynasty?

Wang Shichong was no longer as surprised as when he first saw Hu Sizheng just now, when the Daxing Rebellion occurred, he had briefly cooperated with He Ruobi once, but at that time it was in the name of saving Yang Jian, and everyone strictly agreed not to mention this matter afterwards. However, a huge question mark has surfaced in his heart now: this He Ruobi had previously asked Yang Jian to be the assassin of Jingzhou, but Yang Jian refused. Could it be that from then on, he began to collude with Hu Sizheng and began to run Jingzhou on his own?

He Ruobi's eyes were like torches, staring at Wang Shichong, and said: "The identity of the old man is inconvenient to be exposed, so I haven't wanted to meet Xingman during this time, now is an extraordinary period, the new emperor ascends the throne, everyone had better not move too much, if you are not careful, it is possible that many years of operation will be wasted." ”

"But Xingman is really powerful, the old man thought that Xingman was only a handsome talent, but I didn't expect your governance to be so good, so today the old man kept his promise and met with you, what do you want to ask, what you want to say, just ask. There is only one point, that is, you and I are not necessarily all the way, and the old man can't promise you about cooperation now. ”

Wang Shichong smiled slightly: "Hearing General He Ruo say this, the juniors are really happy, and the juniors also like to be straightforward, open and honest, and don't like to beat around the bush, Boss Shen should have told you this." ”

He Ruobi nodded, with a stern expression: "Liu Sheng has been with me for many years, after the old man was deprived of his official position, his actions remained the same, so he let Liu Sheng come out to operate, and the old man didn't expect Liu Sheng to have such a talent, and he laid such a foundation in Jingzhou in a few years." ”

Shen Liusheng smiled and saluted He Ruobi: "This mainly depends on the wisdom of the lord, and of course, it is also inseparable from the help of Xiao Mo and Xiao Gongzi." ”

Wang Shichong didn't bother to listen to the nonsense between their masters and servants, and said directly: "General He Ruo, the first thing Wang wants to ask is that the former emperor was not thin on you, why do you still do these things behind your back?" Judging from the situation of Boss Shen and Hu Si's long history, it has been a long time since you started to run this Jingzhou land. ”

He Ruobi suddenly laughed, and the laughter vibrated back and forth in this small secret room, causing the lamp and candle to shake for a while: "The first emperor is not kind to me? Wang Shichong, why do you say such things? ”

Wang Shichong said in a deep voice: "As far as the younger generation knows, General He Ruo offended the emperor again and again, not only robbed General Han for merit in front of foreign envoys, making the emperor lose face, but also discussed the government at home several times, and even took the initiative to want the land of Jingzhou, not to mention the fact that he used to intercede with the high servants. ”

"Any of these things are enough for you to exterminate your clan, but the first emperor just took away your official position, and even the title was retained for you, isn't this a good treatment for you?"

He Ruobi sneered: "Wang Shichong, compared with the old man's exploits, what are these?" The old man offered the Pingnan Eight Strategies, the old man personally led the vanguard across the river, and personally defeated the main force of the Chen army outside the Jiankang City, but was picked up by the shameless Han Baohu. These things are unknown to others, but you have experienced them. ”

"The first emperor knew that the old man was wronged, but he favored Han to capture the tiger and give us two the same military merits, Wang Shichong, you are also a person who has fought on the battlefield, can you swallow this breath for people to rob people like this? What's wrong with whining two sentences? ”

Wang Shichong also knew that He Ruobi did have reason to feel that he had been treated unfairly in this matter, and from his current gritted teeth, he could still see how much hatred He Ruobi had in his heart, but this kind of compassion was just a flash, Wang Shichong knew very well that what he needed now was to extract more valuable information from his mouth.

So Wang Shichong smiled: "It's all old things, what's the use of always talking about it." General He Ruo, look at my Wang Shichong, who has been loyal to the country for many years, diligent in the king's affairs, whether it is to the first emperor or the new emperor, he is loyal, and he has always been at the forefront of the expedition for the country, but now it is not for the Supreme to unload the mill and kill the donkey, and release this Yingzhou. But even so. The younger generation is not as angry as you. ”

He Ruobi snorted coldly: "Wang Shichong." You don't have to get cheap and sell well. No matter how you put it outside, you have also achieved the history of the three-grade assassination from the cloth, but what about I, He Ruobi, I have never even been a right servant of Shangshu, and I will directly give the official at home. Besides, you have done a lot of bad things, and now you can't blame others when you encounter this kind of realm, who asked you to help that ruthless Yang Guang? ”

Wang Shichong gave He Ruobi a burst of white. Although he was annoyed in his heart, he had nothing to say, but a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind, and he said: "General He Ruo, you seem to hate the current Supreme more than the previous emperor!" Back then, when Gao Servant shot interceded for Yang Yong and tried to protect his position in the East Palace, you were the first to stand up and help Gao Servant Shoot, and at that time, the younger generation thought that you were always righteous and outspoken, but now it seems that it may be because you also secretly added the prince's party at that time. ”

He Ruobi's face changed: "You guessed it out of thin air, do you have real evidence?" ”

Wang Shichong looked at his face. I was even more convinced of this inference in my heart: "General He Ruo, it seems that Wang Mou did not guess wrong. You have always been the prince's party in the dark, we haven't seen it for so many years! ”

He Ruobi sighed and said: "To this day, there is no need to hide it from you, Yang Guang is not right, when he destroyed Nan Chen, the old man and Gao Servant shot saw it, after the city was broken, Gao Servant said that Chen Shubao's favorite concubine Zhang Lihua was a disaster for the country and must be killed, just because of this incident offended Yang Guang, plus the relationship between Gao Servant and Yang Yong, Yang Guang publicly threatened Gao Servant, saying that he wanted him to look good in the future, and these old men saw it in their eyes. ”

"The old man has always admired the character of Gao Servant, and after the old man lost his official position, the Manchu Dynasty civil and military avoided the old man, and only Gao Servant and Xiao Cong still had normal dealings with the old man. Wang Shichong, if it's you, won't you get closer and closer to Gao Servant? ”

Wang Shichong's mind was spinning rapidly, he looked at He Ruobi's venting of this kind of affection, his whole face turned red, as if he was drunk, complaining about the injustice of fate to himself over the years, and what Wang Shichong thought was that He Ruobi was so lacking in the city, how could he have hidden so deeply in Yingzhou for so many years? Even Shen Liusheng and Hu Sizheng seem to be obviously above him.

Wang Shichong thought of this, and breathed a long sigh of relief: "General He Ruo, it seems that you are not fighting alone, Gao Servant and General Changsun should also be your friends." ”

As soon as Wang Shichong's words came out, not only He Ruobi, but even Hu Sizheng and Shen Liusheng, who were smiling on the side, suddenly changed their faces, and He Ruobi opened his mouth wide and couldn't speak, and after a while, he came to his senses and asked sharply: "Wang Shichong, why are you saying this?" ”

Wang Shichong laughed: "General He Ruo, you have an impulsive temper and a short personality, although you are a heroic person that everyone wants to befriend, but in Wang's opinion, I am afraid that you will not be able to be the lord of Boss Shen and Hu Si's long history." But if you still have Gao Servant and General Changsun standing behind you, then the situation is completely different, I'm afraid that even my father will be interested in joining forces with you. ”

He Ruobi's face was blue and red for a while, and he was humiliated like this by Wang Shichong, a junior, so angry that he smoked, but Wang Shichong did say it, not only his own reaction, but even Hu Sizheng and Shen Liusheng's expressions confirmed this, and he couldn't help but deny it.

So He Ruobi held back the anger in his heart, "snorted", and said: "Wang Shichong, your curiosity is too heavy, and your associations are too rich, this is not good for you!" Yes, Gao Servant Shot and the old man have been old friends for many years, when the old man offered Pingnan Eight Strategies, Gao Servant Shot and the old man fell in love with each other, which you can see that the old man is not strange. It's just that the old man is very strange, how can you guess General Changsun? ”

Wang Shichong smiled slightly, and looked at He Ruobi's eyes calmly: "This is a question in Wang's heart for many years, when General Changsun was first attached to Yang Guang, and then somehow switched to Yang Yong, who was deposed as a concubine, which really made Wang puzzled. In Wang's opinion, General Changsun is not such a loyal person, otherwise he would not have helped Yang Guang do so many things back then. ”

As for the reason that prompted General Changsun to change his court, Wang Mou always thought that it was the emperor's kindness to General Changsun, and thought that the emperor wanted General Changsun to secretly pull Yang Yong to balance the forces of several princes and prevent Yang Guang's power from expanding too quickly, and asked General Changsun to secretly pull Yang Yong to balance Yang Guang. It seems that I guessed wrong, let General Changsun turn, I'm afraid it's Gao Servant and General He Ruo. ”

A hint of smugness flashed on He Ruobi's face: "You were half right just now." The first emperor did reveal his vigilance against Yang Guang. also warned Changsun Sheng not to get too close to Yang Guang. When Liang Bi wrote a letter to impeach Yang Su that year, the emperor realized that both Yang Su and Yang Guang had already leaned towards the government and the opposition, and it was difficult for him to control it anymore, so on the one hand, he set aside Yang Su, who was already on Yang Guang's side, and on the other hand, let Changsun Sheng secretly help Yang Yong. ”

At that time, when the old man and Gao Servant were also frustrated, Changsun Sheng often had private dealings with the old man, and they were both fallen people at the end of the world. Although the old man is unofficial and light, and Changsun Sheng knows that he has not become Yang Guang's left and right guard in the East Palace, and it is impossible for him to become a member of Yang Guang's inner circle in the future, so the two of us hit it off and decided to protect Yang Yong together and let him be reinstated one day. ”

Wang Shichong nodded: "Yes, it is very reasonable, Changsun Sheng was selling his strategy of building the Great Wall in Monan and pushing the defense line to the Turkic hinterland at that time. This kind of crazy act of working the people and wasting money will not be done by the emperor. Yang Guang estimated that he was too lazy to do it, but Yang Yong, who had become a waster. In order to regain the throne, he must have agreed to any conditions, so Changsun Sheng will completely fall to him, right. ”

He Ruobi smiled "hehe": "Yes, that's right, but the prince is innocent, Wang Shichong, you know best, the prince didn't make any big mistakes, if it wasn't for Yang Su and others framing him, how could Yang Guang sit in today's position, you also contributed a lot to this matter back then?" From this point of view, you and I are mortal enemies, and it is impossible for us to come together. ”

Wang Shichong also smiled: "But you are still willing to meet me today, why is this?" ”

He Ruobi put away his smile, his expression suddenly became stern, and his eyes were full of light, at this moment, he really looked like a commander in command of thousands of troops, not just a disgruntled old man like just now.

"Wang Shichong, tell me why you met Xiao Mo first?"

Wang Shichong smiled and shook his head: "Yes, there is this relationship, since Boss Shen is Xiao Miao's closest ally than Chen Ling, he must have been connected with you a long time ago." Only when the Sui family dies in the world will you and Xiao Mo be satisfied, won't you? ”

He Ruobi waved his hand: "Wang Shichong, don't look at us as unbearable as Xiao Miao, after all, this world was fought down by a few of us, the old man destroyed Nan Chen, and the high servant shot the country for twenty years, and Changsun Sheng personally destroyed the northern giant of the Turks." In the world of the Sui family, the three of us have at least half of the credit, do you think we are willing to see the country we have single-handedly collapsed in one day? ”

Wei Zheng, who had never spoken, suddenly interjected: "Oh, it seems that General He Ruo is still a loyal man, but why don't you, a loyal man, go to the court to report a thief like Xiao Miao, but instead cooperate with him?" ”

He Ruobi sighed and looked at Wang Shichong directly: "To be honest, when I met you today, the old man did not discuss it with Gao Servant and General Changsun, just like the last time in Daxing City, it was all done by the old man and you alone." The old man said too much today, maybe out of this room, the old man will regret it. However, the old man will still answer the question that Wei Zheng asked just now, in fact, the reason why the old man cooperated with Xiao Mo is the same as the reason why you Wang Shichong cooperated with him, it is nothing more than self-preservation. ”

Wang Shichong repeated twice in his mouth, "Self-preservation? ”

He Ruobi said: "Yes, that's it, we have suffered too much at the hands of the emperor, thinking that the lord is virtuous and wise, and he is honest with all his heart, so I have never thought about self-preservation. But how did the emperor deal with us? Once he turned his face, he ignored decades of kindness, even if the old man had a bad mouth, he was to blame, but what about the high servant? ”

"He is wholeheartedly devoted to the country, as the prime minister of the empire, is it wrong to defend the prince who has not made mistakes? But didn't the Supreme still listen to the woman's words, take away his official position with a word, punish him for his crimes, and then pretend to pardon him, and let him be dismissed from office at home all the time, is this the kindness of the emperor to us? ”

"Wang Shichong, the taste of accompanying the king like a tiger, and the kind of utter desolation abandoned by the monarch, we have had enough of it back then, presumably in the past few years, you should have experienced it yourself."

Wang Shichong felt a sour feeling in his heart, and lowered his head: "Yes, a companion is like a tiger." ”

He Ruobi suddenly laughed, and his voice became full of anger again: "So we can no longer be lambs to the slaughter, the emperor's kindness to us, the last dismissal has been repaid, if you want to find an excuse to destroy our clan again, then don't blame me for letting it go, Wang Shichong, isn't this what your family is doing now?" ”

When Wang Shichong heard this, a smile appeared on his face: "General He Ruo, why do you always like to compare what you do with our family?" Do you know our family well? ”

He Ruobi smiled "hehe": "Wang Shichong, didn't you tell that Xiao Mo about your plan, in order to prevent Yang Guang from attacking your family, so you run this place, what is the difference between this and what we do?" ”

Wang Shichong snorted disdainfully: "General He Ruo, you should know, when you see people talking about people, you can talk nonsense when you see ghosts, can you explain everything to Xiao Miao, a thief?" Yes, our Wang family does have worries about the Supreme crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, but Xiao Miao's ambition is too great, and we can't control it at all, plus the relationship between Queen Xiao and the Supreme, if we take the initiative to report him, we will definitely die first, so we can only pretend to cooperate. ”

"General He Ruo, think about it yourself, if I really intend to cooperate with Xiao Miao, will I give him so much face and don't allow his people to stay in this Yingzhou? Even for those of you who haven't come to the stage yet, I'm not so incompatible. Isn't it because you don't want to get involved with this thief and cause trouble for yourself? ”

He Ruobi's eyes sparkled, and he was carefully thinking about whether what Wang Shichong said was the truth, and he didn't speak for a while.

Hu Sizheng, who was on the side, smiled and said: "Brother Wang, you don't have to change the topic, whether you tell Xiao Mo the truth or not, you have an agreement to cooperate with him, and the same is true with Chen Ling, can it be said that Chen Ling is also uncontrollable?" How do you explain this? ”

Wang Shichong shook his head: "We all know that Chen Lingqi is both greedy and scheming, he can't succeed here, the reason why I am willing to cooperate with him is that I know that he will not make too much of a difference here to involve us; This is second, because after all, there is Queen Xiao standing behind Chen Ling, and now he can cause a lot of trouble to our family by moving his mouth, so I have to have a good relationship with them for the time being. ”

Wang Shichong looked at Hu Sizheng's eyes carefully: "Just like Brother Hu Si, you are not as ambitious as Xiao Miao, although I didn't know your true identity when I talked to you last time, but I can feel that you and Xiao Mi are not all the way, so what I said to you at that time was sincere, and now this promise remains the same, as long as you are here to help me sincerely, I will definitely find an opportunity to let you enter the dynasty and be promoted." ”

Hu Sizheng secretly said in his heart: This Wang Shichong is so young, but he is so powerful, and he began to stir up the relationship between himself and the prince's party quietly, and he was also frustrated by officialdom back then so he quietly took Gao Xi's door, Gao Xi loves talent, and he also said at that time that as long as he is willing to work hard, he will find a way to promote himself to the court.

But I didn't expect that I hadn't entered the court yet, Gao Xi was dismissed first, Hu Sizheng has been concealing his identity as a prince over the years, lurking in this Yingzhou, waiting to move, but the gods and goddesses here are like eight immortals crossing the sea.

And a few days ago, when Wang Shichong and Hu Sizheng talked about cooperation, it really moved him, if it weren't for Hu Sizheng himself knowing that Yang Su, who Wang Shichong could rely on, was now in danger, and now holding his thigh was likely to be implicated, maybe he would have changed the court directly.

Thinking of this, Hu Sizheng swallowed his saliva and didn't speak again, Wang Shichong's words and his intriguing eyes looking at him clearly released the goodwill to continue to cooperate with him, and there is no harm in leaving a way back for himself if there are more people.

As soon as Yang Yong died, the prince's party has actually basically lost the possibility of a comeback, even if Gao Xi comes back, he can't control the government as before, and the power is over the world, although Yang Su is not having a good time now, but as long as he can survive this hurdle and get Yang Guang's reliance, it is not impossible to restore the identity of the world's powerful ministers, so there is no need to stick to the identity of the prince's party and have a stiff relationship with the Wang family. (To be continued......)