Liang Xiao turned over and dismounted in front of the palace, threw the reins to Pang Shuo, and walked into the palace quickly with Tu Niu'er. The guards at the gate of the palace were about to step forward to check Liang Xiao's family registration, Lang Zhong ordered Li Guang to rush out of it, and Lao Yuan waved his hand and shouted: "Bo Ming, Bo Ming." ”

When Liang Xiao saw it, he hurriedly bowed and saluted, and greeted him with a smile. When the guards saw this, they quickly smiled and retreated.

Li Guang rushed to the front, picked up his slap, and slapped Liang Xiao on the shoulder. Liang Xiao grinned, but didn't let in. Li Guang looked him up and down and nodded with satisfaction. "Well, it's gone, but it's more energetic."

"I don't have enough energy, and I can't stop the general's palm." Liang Xiao squeezed his eyes. "I'm bored in the palace and want to go out for a run?"

"yes." Li Guang is also not polite. "How about a few kind words for me in front of the Son of Heaven?"

"I do my best." Liang Xiao paused, and then said, "The matter of whether you can go on the expedition or not, put it aside for the time being." The general has made progress in archery recently, why don't I wait until I see Your Majesty, let's go out and compete? ”

Li Guang's eyes widened, and then he laughed. He rubbed his hands together and said yes. "Well, since you left, I can't find an opponent. It's been a long time since I've been hunting, so this time I'm going to hunt. Good boy, sure enough, you know my mind. ”

Liang Xiao laughed and walked side by side with Li Guang. Along the way, the officer on duty with the halberd saw him, and nodded his head regardless of whether he knew him or not. When he arrived at the entrance of the hall, Qin Ge came out from inside and walked down the steps quickly. "General Li, you stay, I'll accompany Bo Ming in."

Li Guang nodded in agreement, and shook his fist at Liang Xiao again. "I'll wait for you."

"No problem." Liang Xiao waved his hand and followed Qin Ge to the hall. Qin Ge smiled: "What's the matter, as soon as you come back, you have to compete with General Li?" ”

"Even if I don't look for him, he'll look for me. Instead of passively responding, it is better to take the initiative to challenge. ”

"That's right, General Li has been very idle lately, and he can't find the loneliness of his opponent."

"Isn't it, it's lonely without an opponent. Fighting with the sky, the fun is endless; Fighting with the ground, the fun is endless; Fighting with others is even more fun. ”

The laughter of the Son of Heaven came from the main hall: "Is Lushan too angry and raising you so aggressive?" In the middle of the words, the Son of Heaven greeted him, stood in the threshold, and looked at Liang Xiao with a smile. When Qin Ge saw it, he secretly glanced at Liang Xiao. After the pro-government, the Son of Heaven never took the initiative to greet anyone, and no matter which minister he respected, at most he just watched him enter and leave the palace.

Liang Xiao hurried two steps and rushed to the Son of Heaven, without saluting, but staring at the Son of Heaven twice, then let out a long breath and bowed.

The Son of Heaven was confused by his almost impudent demeanor. He crooked his mouth. "What, afraid of making the wrong salute?"

"Your Majesty forgives your sins. The minister heard that His Majesty was in charge of state affairs, and he was worried that His Majesty would be emaciated. Now seeing that His Majesty is in good spirits, the minister's heart has finally been put down. I am in a hurry to be rude, and I ask Your Majesty to forgive me. ”

Tianzi was stunned for a moment, and then laughed. "You're going to worry about me? You can't lie to me being happy, right? ”

"How dare you."

"Okay, I'll just assume you're real." The Son of Heaven stretched out his hand, took Liang Xiao's arm, and pulled Liang Xiao to the hall and came to the imperial case. On the imperial case, there were a lot of Jian Ce, and there were a few cases next to it, Xu Le and the others were there, looking at Liang Xiao with a smile. Liang Xiao bowed his hands one by one, and said a few words, and then sat down opposite the case on the right hand side of the Son of Heaven, and sitting opposite him was Pingyang Hou Cao Shi.

"When you see these people, guess what we just discussed."

"Yui!" Liang Xiao bowed down to receive the order, glanced at Cao Shi on the opposite side and Wei Qing on his left side, and said: "With these two princes here, I'm afraid there is only the matter of the Western Expedition." ”

The Son of Heaven drooped his eyelids, his eyes flickering. "Haven't you heard, the Shandong River has broken again, and the country of Dingtao is a vast ocean. In this case, do you think you can still send troops? ”

Cao Shi and the others also subconsciously held their breath and set their eyes on Liang Xiao. The armies of the western counties have been assembled and standby, and according to the original plan, they should be on their way to the expedition at this moment. Because of the big water in Shandong, the Son of Heaven has been hesitant for fear of causing criticism. Whether to fight or not, the pros and cons are arguing, and their hearts have been hanging in the air for a long time.

"The minister thinks that whether he can send troops or not is not a question at all, and what should be considered should be how to win."

The Son of Heaven lifted his spirits and raised his eyelids again. "Can't you send troops?"

Liang Xiao talked eloquently. "Your Majesty, not only can't you send troops, but you can't lose the battle if you send troops. Will the Huns stop when they get Hexi? Definitely not. With the wealth of the trade routes and the help of the Qiang people, they will gain an inch and further plot Wuwei, and then force Longxi to attack Shuofang instead. At that time, the northwest will inevitably be in flames and a mess. It's ......"

Liang Xiao said this, paused for a moment, looked around, and then made a loud summary. "Stop the war with war, and it is okay to fight."

The Son of Heaven blinked, did not speak, and a big stone in his heart fell to the ground. After such a long discussion, such a prospect has long been thought of. However, hearing this sentence from Liang Xiao's mouth, he was still a lot more relieved. At least on this matter, Liang Xiao's opinion is the same as his.

"Sending troops to fight is nothing more than seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. Going to Hexi is unprofitable and harmful to be avoided, and it is inevitable to send troops, and it should not be discussed at all. There is only one thing to discuss, how to win......"

Xu Le interrupted Liang Xiao. "But Shandong is flooded and displaced people are everywhere, how can we send troops to fight? With the current financial resources of the imperial court, disaster relief and conquest cannot be both. Could it be that we should sit back and watch the people toss and turn in the mud, but we should fight for the wild land outside the Saisai? ”

"Not really." Although Liang Xiao and Xu Le get along happily, they are arguing in front of the emperor at this moment, and they can't tolerate it. He asked rhetorically: "The people of Shandong are the people, but the people of the northwest are not the people?" ”

Xu Le did not flinch. "As the prince said, the people of the northwest are the people, and the people of Shandong are not the people?"

"Definitely." Liang Xiao said: "Whether it is Shandong or Northwest, they are all the people of the Han Dynasty, and they cannot be abandoned. Shandong is flooded, and the people can flee to the surrounding counties and counties, but when the Huns attack, where will the people in the northwest flee? In the past few decades, have there been fewer people taken captive by the Huns? They were used as slaves by the Huns and buried in a foreign land, aren't they more bitter than the people of Shandong? ”

Xu Le was speechless.

"Moreover, going to Hexi does not mean abandoning the people of Shandong. Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the breaking of the river is not a day's work, and if it cannot be cured, I am afraid it will only cost the people and money. The river wants to be cured, but it can't be rushed for a while, and long-term planning needs to be made. ”

"Liang Junhou, you are not a person who believes in the will of heaven." Yan An made a joke to ease the atmosphere. "But what you said today, how can it be familiar, could it be that you are also more open, and believe in Wangqi's words?"

"I don't believe in the will of heaven, I believe in the way of heaven." Liang Xiao also laughed. "Yan Jun, Lord Father, you are all from Shandong, but you may not know that the river actually breaks from time to time, but it is not as fierce as this time. In previous years, the rupture was handled by the counties themselves, and they did not alarm the imperial court. ”

"Is there such a thing?" Xu Le was taken aback.

The Son of Heaven was also stunned for a moment, and pondered for a moment, as if he had thought of something. "It seems that there is, over the years, it is common for counties to have things to control the river. But I'm used to seeing it, and I didn't think about it deeply, just as a small decision, and the counties were just invited to take credit. ”

"Freezing three feet, not a day's cold. The breaking of the river is not formed in a year or two. If you want to rule the river, you must know why the river is so. Your Majesty, the ministers read Dong Fuzi's article, and they were very touched, and dared to ask His Majesty to order Dong Fuzi to write another article to study the changes of the river over the past few hundred years, and then recruit people who are brave and willing to go to danger to investigate the geography along the river and prepare for the root cause of the river. ”

"Cure the river?" Not only did Xu Le feel ridiculous, but even the Son of Heaven felt incredible, looking around, he stopped talking.

Liang Xiao was unashamed, and said unhurriedly: "When Yao, the world was flooded, and the father and son of Kun Yu were successive, but it was all done in more than 20 years. Now it is just a small flood in Shandong, why do you think it is incurable? ”

Everyone was stunned and speechless for a while. That's right, this flood is much smaller than the great flood that spread all over the world in Yaoshi, why can't it be cured?

The Son of Heaven was so overjoyed that he almost burst out laughing. Liang Xiao untied his two knots in one sentence. First, there is the immediate reality: the problem of the Yellow River has been around for a long time, and it cannot be solved in a moment. The second is political public opinion, since the ancient saint Jun Yao could have floods during his reign, why couldn't there be floods when I was in power? If the occurrence of disasters is the immorality of the reigning king, then isn't Yao even more immoral?

These people in front of him are all afraid to say it for His Holiness. It's not that they don't know about the flood of Yao's time, but because of Yao's name as a saint, they don't dare to compare that incident. Only a person like Liang Xiao, who doesn't care about the sacred, will not hesitate to risk the condemnation of the world and expose this sentence in front of everyone.

Sometimes, it is a fearless martial artist like Liang Xiao who can do things. Because of this, although Dong Zhongshu is rich and rich, he is vulnerable in front of Liang Xiao.

The Son of Heaven forced a smile and waved his hand. "Then you can't sit back and watch the river flow and the people of Shandong are displaced, right?"

"Your Majesty, you can arrange for immigrants to migrate the people in the affected areas to the surrounding counties in batches for food, and the counties along the way will provide assistance to ensure their basic livelihood. Especially in Jiangnan, as far as the minister knows, whether it is Huiji or Yuzhang, or Jiangxia and Changsha, there is a lot of land that can be cultivated, and there is also Shanglin Yuan near Chang'an. The previous emperors of all dynasties have set a precedent for opening forest gardens for cultivation on landless and poor land, so why not follow suit? ”

Shanglin Garden is the Imperial Garden of the Son of Heaven, and ordinary people are not allowed to trespass. When the Son of Heaven expanded the Shanglin Garden, it caused a lot of criticism. If it had been proposed to open the Shanglin Garden a few years before that, the Son of Heaven would definitely not want to hear it. But now the situation is different, he is already anxious, as long as he can alleviate the public opinion caused by the floods in Shandong, let alone Shanglin Garden, even if he opens up other gardens around Chang'an, he will not object.

What's more, the number of displaced people near Chang'an is limited after all, and a large number of displaced people will be resettled nearby, and the symbolic significance of opening the Shanglin Garden is greater than the practical significance, and his loss is not as great as imagined.

The Son of Heaven nodded again and again, although he hadn't said it yet, the meaning was already very clear, and he agreed with Liang Xiao's suggestion.

"As a result, the counties will have to spend a lot of food, and the imperial court may not be able to come up with more money and grain to support the expedition."

"Yes, so I have to ask the two princes to think of a way, how to use war to support the war, and even make a fortune to make up for the gap."

"How is this ...... Maybe ......" Cao Shi smiled dumbly, and halfway through his words, he swallowed it back. Don't say it's impossible, the champion Hou Liangxiao in front of you is a successful case. When he went to the Western Regions to envoy more than a dozen people, he was stunned and dragged the vitality of the Western Huns, and he also earned a Dawan princess. If he says it's impossible now, the Son of Heaven may have to be replaced.

He secretly glanced at the Son of Heaven, and sure enough, he happened to meet the Son of Heaven's expectant gaze. Cao Shi was helpless, so he had to smile and say: "Please also ask the prince and the marquis for more advice, how can I raise the war with war?" ”

Liang Xiao smiled. "It's hard to say, it's not hard to say. Junhou, not only me, but also many other people can give you advice. In addition to the Marquis of Changping beside you, the Imperial Historian Han Gong, the Lang Zhongling General Li, and the General Cheng who guarded the northern frontier, they all have similar experiences. The Huns are not so terrible, there are commands from His Majesty, and there are soldiers with their lives, and our army can completely beat them all over the ground to find teeth. ”

The Son of Heaven's eyebrows moved, and immediately understood what Liang Xiao meant, and smiled quietly. Looking at this situation, it is probably impossible not to send Li Guang on the expedition. Only by concentrating all forces can it be possible to achieve what Liang Xiao said about nourishing the war with war, reaping some benefits from the Huns, and making up for the gap caused by the great water in Shandong. With Cao Shi's ability, I'm afraid it won't be enough to support this high-stakes battle, at least he doesn't have enough confidence.

As soon as Liang Xiao arrived, he quickly solved the hesitation of the Son of Heaven.

In fact, before this, the two different opinions had been deadlocked for a long time, and the Son of Heaven also had a basic decision in his heart, but he just needed someone with enough weight to express his support. And Liang Xiao took on this important task very well. The same words, spoken in the mouths of others, may not be as credible as they are said. For example, Cao Shi and Wei Qing didn't dare to say it anyway, and even Li Guang may not have such self-confidence.

After solving the problem of resettlement of displaced people, the remaining problems can be easily solved, how to feed the war with war and reduce the burden on the imperial court as much as possible.

Liang Xiao suggested that he should first send an envoy to Xiqiang, implement a horizontal and vertical strategy, divide the Qiang people, and then use heavy troops to attack and annihilate those Qiang tribes who are bent on uniting with the Huns in one fell swoop. At the same time, the elite cavalry was sent to take the initiative to attack deep into the hinterland of the Huns and disrupt the deployment of the Huns.

After repeated deliberations by several ministers, the Son of Heaven finally made a decision, Cao Shi and Wei Qingtong rode out of Longyou to deter the Qiang people with 30,000 steps, and Li Guang and Liang Xiao commanded 20,000 elite cavalry to attack the Huns.

Everyone agreed, but Liang Xiao raised two objections: first, he recommended Daxing to order Wang Hui to replace him to attack with Li Guang; Secondly, Li Guangbu's 20,000 cavalry was reduced to 10,000, with one person, two horses or even three horses, and the reduced 10,000 men were used as foot soldiers and transferred to the command of Pingyang Hou Cao Shi to ensure that they formed a sufficient deterrent to the Qiang people.

The Son of Heaven was puzzled. "What about you?"

Liang Xiao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the minister is willing to stay with Han Gong to stay by Your Majesty's side, wait for him, and be ready to mend the knife at any time." As he spoke, he raised his palms and made a slashing gesture.

The Son of Heaven couldn't help but smile and nodded in agreement. "It's okay, with you and Han Gong staying behind, even if there is any accident, it is enough to deal with it." ――

(To be continued.) )