If you could choose between the dead General Li and the living boy Li Xu, Lord Pei Ju would definitely choose the latter without hesitation. Although Li Xu's actions used to be a headache, the living Li Xu never took the initiative to cause him the slightest actual trouble, and he continued to be filial throughout the year. The dead General Li pushed him onto a firewood pile full of grease, and if he was not careful, he would be burned to the ground.

Yang Guang, who has not been concerned about political affairs for many years, is easy to fool, especially with the approval of Empress Xiao, Pei Ju and Yu Shiji can prevaricate the cause of Li Xu's death by casually making up a lie such as "being killed by the assassins sent by the Wagang army". Since the news of General Li's death reached Jiangdu, those who had had a relationship with him before, those who had no friendship, and even those who had long wished that this day would come, suddenly became righteous, and all kinds of accountability twists and turns flew into the palace like snowflakes. As soon as the two of them were slow to deal with the government, news came from Henan that Pei Renji, the commander of Xingyang, had led his troops to rebel. Before Pei and Yu could recover from the shock, Zheng Bo, the commander of Xiangcheng, chopped off Wang Xiaoyi, the prison soldier sent by the Eastern Capital, on the charge of "seemingly having a bad intention". Immediately followed by Li Yuan in Hedong who killed Gao Junya and Wang Wei under the pretext of killing Gao Junya and Wang Wei, Pengcheng Zhang Rui beheaded Liu Mao, the doctor of Chaosan, and even Jiang Dutong, who had just been promoted by the imperial court in the past two years and was known as "loyalty", was not ordered by the army in Huaibei. The court said that he had led the army for a long time, and he was afraid that he would be hurt by rumors, and his dead soldiers were scattered.

Pei Ju was so angry that he smoked, but the person who took the opportunity to make trouble was helpless. Speaking from the heart, Dongdu has indeed gone too far this time. Everyone looks at the surname Li unpleasantly, and it is normal to find an opportunity to dump him. But in any case, this person should not be pushed to a dead end. Previously, there was such a world-famous general who was shocked, and some guys who were about to make a move did not dare to rebel blatantly. Now that the mouth is real and the threat is gone, can people not seize this good opportunity to come to the door?

At present, the only perfunctory way to have a headache and a pain in the feet is for Jiang Du to order the person who framed Li Xu behind his back to be taken out and executed in public, so as to calm the anger of the officers everywhere. But this scapegoat is really hard to find. It is impossible for the official position of the person who can mobilize Wang Wei and Pei Renji and let them let go of the Tiger Prison Pass defense line, in addition, it is also a big act to block Li Xu's back road with the troops of the Eastern Capital without any evidence, without the consent of Yang Tong, the king of Yue, Hu Benlang will Liu Changgong himself definitely do not have the courage.

"Why can't we punish His Royal Highness King Yue, what does he know at a young age?" There are no outsiders in the courtroom, so Pei Ju is not afraid that someone will impeach him for slandering the emperor of the prison country. As we all know, Yang Tong, the king of Yue, is just an ornament, and the military and political power of the eastern capital is actually in the hands of Duan Da, the doctor of Guanglu, the Yuan Wendu of Taifuqing, the Shangshu Wei Jin of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Inspection School, the general Huangfu Tianyi, and the right Shilang Lu Chu and others. As for the reason why these people had to force Li Xu to a dead end, he didn't need to guess, he could also know a little bit about it.

"Actually, I don't blame Dr. Duan for this matter, they are ruthless, General Li is brave, but he is a little too self-conscious!" Another minister in charge of the government, Yu Shiji, also lamented Li Xu's death. In his eyes, Li Xu's death was by no means as simple as the Eastern Capital side mistakenly believing the rumors that the Li family's uncle and nephew were about to rebel. Even if there was no such rumor, Duan Da and the others would still try their best to get rid of him. And the emergence of rumors just provided a good opportunity for the Eastern Capital.

It's just that Duan Da and the others acted too unscrupulously and fell into too many tricks. In fact, even if they don't make a move, and delay it for another year and a half, there are countless big people in the court who jump out and use all means to ruin the person surnamed Li. All of this is predestined for a long time, and no one can change it.

"Yes, there are some things, the first emperor tried it shallowly, and General Li actually hit it head-on! It's strange if you don't break your head and bleed! Secretary Lang Yu Shinan strongly agreed with his brother's statement. Long before Li Xu was defeated, he had a private discussion with many secretaries and bachelors, thinking that although this person has a great reputation now, he will not die well in the future. Because the things he did were far beyond the purview of a military general!

The secretaries and bachelors privately believe that Li Xu must die for three crimes. First, open official positions and sell fame and reputation. Second, they changed the way of selecting scholars and disturbed the rank of local officials. Third, privately divide the land and property in the bandit-stricken areas to show private favors to the soldiers.

The official warehouse near Luoyang was filled with grain stored by the imperial court for war preparation, and the first emperor had already had a posthumous training, and those who tampered with the official warehouse were beheaded. But among the three capital crimes committed by Li Xu, this one was the lightest. After all, he was ordered to supervise Henan, and there was no reason for the brothers to go hungry and fight desperately. Moreover, if the city is conquered by the thief army, the storage in the granary will also be cheaper than the Wagang people, so it is better to divide it among the county soldiers and hungry people first, but it will break the thoughts of the thief army.

But the second and third transgressions are unforgivable. No matter how kind Li Xu's original intentions were, and how well these two policies were implemented, it would be useless. The selection of materials in the nine products has been an old practice that has lasted for hundreds of years, with the people of the first emperor, once wanted to completely replace it with the imperial examination is not available, as a local official but dare to go further than the first emperor, is not he afraid of a long life? As for the act of dividing the wasteland to the meritorious soldiers, it is to take the initiative to provoke the tiger whiskers of the family! Especially the thousands of miles of fertile soil in Henan, although it is now in the hands of the rogue, there is not an inch that cannot find the original owner. Li Xu divided it without asking the meaning of the original owner, can the other party not hate it?

"Ahh Huangmen Shilang Pei Ju sighed.

"Ahh Yu Shiji, the waiter of the inner history, echoed with a long sigh.

The two of them couldn't see the reason implied by Yu Shinan, but how could those who took the opportunity to make trouble listen to the explanations of the secretaries and bachelors? They only value immediate opportunities and real benefits. The fire has been ignited, and Zhang Xutuo and Li Xu, who are willing to put out the fire, have fallen one after another, but the guys who are trying their best to add firewood to the fire are living more and more nourishing one by one. In this case, everyone should simply be the firewood, so why be the thankless firefighter, but be burned to the ground?

"If your lord finds it difficult to deal with the living, why don't you think of a way to mourn behind General Li?" Seeing that the two important ministers were so sad that they were haggard, Yu Shinan continued to suggest.

This is also the conclusion he came to after consulting with the secretaries. "Anyway, General Li is dead, for the sake of a dead martial artist to hold the living accountable, and even make the eastern capital and Jiangdu centrifuge, it is really worth the loss!" Looking at everyone's faces, Yu Shinan didn't find much anger, so he spoke more smoothly, "The emperor and empress don't want to delve into this matter, and they probably saw the consequences." The situation in Henan is already very chaotic, and if a few left-behind auxiliary ministers are cold, the eastern capital will be even more precarious! ”

"At the beginning, Master Pei and I also planned to do the same, but didn't you see what happened in the past two days?" Yu Shiji shook his head with a wry smile. The younger brother's idea must be clever, but it obviously does not work at this time. According to someone privately reported, Yu Wenshi, who was in charge of half of the soldiers and horses in Jiangdu, and Du Du privately placed an incense case in the Xiaoguo camp to commemorate Li Xu's spirit in the sky, if he and Pei Ju didn't make some strong moves to break their wrists, the rebels would not necessarily be the elite of Qi County thousands of miles away.

"Those guys who take the opportunity to make trouble can have any real friendship with Li Xu, but they are just taking the opportunity to ask for benefits. If it doesn't hurt the overall situation, the court will try to agree to some of them. After pacifying them, look for other opportunities to break them one by one! Yu Shinan smiled and said coldly. In short, it is nothing more than the words 'asking for a price all over the sky, and paying back the money on the ground', which is slowly dragged out, and finally a result can be dragged. However, General Li's posthumous affairs cannot be handled too lightly, since he died a wronged death, he died a heroic death. The imperial court recognized his name and took the opportunity to erect a model of loyalty and righteousness to comfort the former in the heavenly heroic spirit, and at the same time to inspire future generations to follow his example! ”

The second half of the sentence can be regarded as an expedient means to ease the situation, and if it is implemented as soon as possible, it can also have some effect on the living. But Pei Ju and Yu Shiji exchanged glances with each other, shaking their heads while listening. After Yu Shinan finished speaking, he groaned for a while, and spoke at the same time, "Alas——! ”

The two ministers of the humerus actually used sighs as a guide. In the memory of officials, this is also a rare sight. "Lord Yu, you talk ....... first!" Pei Ju smiled awkwardly and humbly.

"It's better for Master Pei to ask first, Yu doesn't know much about martial arts after all!" At the critical moment, Yu Shiji knew how to be humble, raised his arm, and made a gesture of priority for the capable.

"Alas, I have thought that the past is over, and those who come can be chased! But Li Yuan in Hedong is probably no longer allowed to bargain! Pei Ju sighed, his voice sounding with an indescribable sadness.

"Could it be that Master Pei still thinks that Li Yuan is really preparing to rebel?"

"Could it be that the rumors were true?"

Everyone was taken aback and asked in a rambling voice.

"Regardless of whether the rumors were true or not, the Li family in Hedong probably won't give up!" Pei Ju smiled bitterly, the expression on his face was as if he had just eaten a big fly, he couldn't spit it out or swallow it. "The move of the Eastern Capital has fully demonstrated that the imperial court has always distrusted Li Yuan. And the six counties of Boling, Li Xu's governing place, are next to Hedong. I heard that one of Li Xu's favorite concubines is Li Yuan's concubine's daughter, and the two families are originally in the same breath, and they can't write two Li characters in one stroke! Now that the son-in-law is dead, the father-in-law just happens to take over Boling. With most of Hedong and half of Hebei in hand, does Li Yuan still have to swallow his anger against the imperial court? ”

If you change someone else, you will seize the opportunity. Not only Li Yuan, but I'm afraid Luo Yi will also take action. In the past, General Li was like a nail nailed to the six counties, which not only forced Luo Yi's head to be as big as a fight, but also fettered Li Yuan, making it difficult for the two of them to make a sudden incident. Now that the imperial court has pulled out the nails themselves, do Li Yuan and Luo Yi still have a reason to wait for new nails to appear?

"If only General Li hadn't died!" Seeing that the situation was so erosive, the officials finally remembered Li Xu's benefits and sighed.

If Li Xu was alive, they wouldn't have such a headache as they do now, and Li Yuan and Luo Yi were also jealous! But the surname Li didn't die sooner or later, why did he give up his hand at this juncture?

Sigh to sigh, the fact is done, everything is irretrievable. What everyone is about to face will be incessant accusations and one rebellion after another. No matter what they tried to do to make a temporary perfunctory, the ship of the Great Sui Dynasty was already leaking everywhere, and there was not much time left before it sank!

"Maybe, maybe General Li is really alive!" I don't know if I was driven crazy by the oppressive atmosphere in the room, or if I was suddenly fascinated by phlegm, Wang Gui, a scholar from the middle school who had not spoken, muttered.

"Didn't Lord Wang think that General Li had surrendered to Wagang?" Although he didn't have any friendship with Li Xu, Feng Deyi still asked with some dissatisfaction.

He didn't do this to protect Li Xu's reputation, but he didn't believe that a reckless martial artist could suddenly learn to weigh and adapt. Moreover, Li Mi, the commander of the Wagang Army, was disfigured and lame because of this, for Li Mi, who is known as a beautiful bearded man, this is a hatred greater than killing his father and taking his wife, and how can he take in Li Xu, who has become a stranger?

"With General Li's character, he will definitely not defect to Wagang!" Wang Gui thought for a moment and explained to his colleagues who were full of suspicions, "When the initial news of his death came, the old man also felt that he was burned in the five years. But the more I think about it in the past few days, the more wrong it becomes, this son is a person who knows the soldiers, and he will never kill himself. And judging by his actions at the last moment, he actually scattered his troops and went straight to the ferry! This is not looking for death, but what are you doing? ”

"It's not that Liu Changgong did a good job! actually led troops to block the back road of his own people! If General Li fought hard with Wagang, Liu, Duan and others could easily take it down after both were defeated. And if General Li starts a war with the Eastern Capital, the morale of the soldiers under his command will inevitably be low. With his personal bravery, even if he can defeat Liu Changgong, he will not have the strength to face Xu and Zhai again! Feng Deyi frowned and responded loudly.

He didn't have a high opinion of Li Xu, but he had an even lower evaluation of Liu, Duan and others. In the eyes of a cadre of literati, although General Li acted recklessly and behaved rudely, he could still be classified as a loyal minister. And Duan, Liu and others are out-and-out traitors, Yu Chen! This is also one of the reasons why he saw that the imperial court did not want to punish Duan, Liu and others, and strongly advocated high-level handling of Li Xu's posthumous affairs. Since at the last moment, the surnamed Li still did not meet with the soldiers of the Eastern Capital, it means that he still has the court and loyalty in his heart, and he would rather die than live up to the grace of God! In the eyes of Confucianism, this kind of loyal and righteous man is a model for all ages, and his actions should be praised, not slandered, regardless of whether there is a contradiction between them!

"Deyi, don't be busy reporting grievances." Pei Ju, who had been frowning, suddenly became smart in his eyes, and spoke out to stop the dispute between Feng and Wang. "Lord Wang only said that his behavior was not in line with the way of using soldiers, but did not say that he was disloyal to the imperial court. Besides, it was the Eastern Capital that provoked the incident first, even if he started a war with Duan Da, Liu Changgong, Wang Wei and others first, and then expressed himself in the book, His Majesty would understand! ”

Although Wang Gui's words were a bit wishful thinking, they undoubtedly made Pei Ju see a ray of sunshine in the gaps of the dark clouds. In the past few days, Pei Ju, who has been a counselor in military affairs many times, is also puzzled by Li Xu's actions. If he and the other party change places, he will definitely not dismiss his subordinates, but defeat Duan Da and the others in one fell swoop with the power of the great victory just now. Then he entered the Tiger Prison and closed his doors, and at the same time asked for reinforcements from all over the country. As long as it can ensure that the Eastern Capital and Xingyang are not broken by Wagang, the imperial court can only recognize the fait accompli of Duan and Liu's disgrace in the future, as it is now. With a heavy army, he will not be held accountable in any way, but will also be rewarded with His Majesty's kind words.

This is the difference between a loyal minister and a capable minister. The loyal minister may have been in the legendary era of the Five Emperors and Three Emperors, but in the Great Sui Dynasty, his end would only be a sigh. When acting in a capable state, he will only choose the path that is most beneficial to himself, and there will be no moral fetters in his heart. In order to achieve a certain goal, it is not necessary to bet on the stage as a bet on the welfare of the people and the people!

As a capable minister, Pei Ju couldn't see through Li Xu's every move before the battle. Since this person is a famous general in a hundred battles, he should not kill himself. Unless he has long been disappointed in what he has insisted on in his heart. But even so, he still has the option of surrendering Wagang, and he does not necessarily have to take the Yellow River as his final destination.

"I heard rumors and legends that a beloved woman of General Li galloped more than 200 miles on horseback in order to report to him. At that time, this person was pregnant, and it was pouring rain in the sky, so after rushing to the barracks, the fragrance quickly disappeared! Imperial Doctor Pei Yun sighed and added.

"In the past, the overlord of Chu would rather die than Jiangdong, and the mood of the person surnamed Li at the last moment is estimated to be similar to that of the overlord of Western Chu. Now that the beauty has passed away, and the brethren have been wiped out, even if he returns to Boling, what will he see of the generals who had persuaded him not to cross the river? Yu Shinan didn't sneer at this time, and sighed and commented in a sad tone. As a literati, he liked these tragic and fragrant allusions. When he was young, he also dreamed that there were many Yu Ji wiping his neck one after another for himself, of course, after being moved, he must live strongly, and he must not disappoint the other wives and concubines in the family.

"He is not the overlord of Chu. When the overlord of Chu killed himself on the Wujiang River, his soldiers were all wiped out. The Boling army only had 4,000 light horsemen to follow him to the south, and there were more than 30,000 people in the six counties, enough for him to make several comebacks! Wang Gui continued to shake his head, denying the rumor that Li Xu might have died for love.

A battle-hardened commander wouldn't be knocked down so easily, and he wouldn't be in chaos just because of a woman. He didn't think that Li Xu would be so vulnerable, and hoped that his guess would be correct, so that the trouble in front of him would disappear suddenly. Moreover, as long as Li Xu is alive, those excuses for making trouble on the grounds of his death will not be valid. It was also much easier and simpler for the imperial court to deal with the aftermath.

"Lord Wang, everyone thinks that it wasn't General Li who died in the Yellow River?" The more Pei Ju followed Wang Gui's prompt and thought about it, the more shocked the expression on his face became. grabbed the other party's sleeve and asked loudly.

If the facts are unfortunately guessed by Wang Gui, the troubles that he and Yu Shiji will face will no longer be the criticisms in front of them. But it may be even more difficult. The surnamed Li was defeated once in his life, but he was framed from behind by the Eastern Capital. If he leads the Boling army to seek justice from the imperial court, do the people in the Eastern Capital have any reason to continue to live?

"Those who died in the Yellow River may be General Li's subordinates, or no one threw themselves into the river at all!" Wang Gui nodded and said in a low voice.

"I didn't throw myself into Wagang, and I didn't throw myself into the river to die, so where does Lord Wang think General Li will go?" Feng Deyi was taken aback by the solemn expression on Wang Gui's face, reached out and grabbed the other sleeve of the other party, and asked. But in terms of talent and learning, regardless of character, Wang Gui can definitely rank among the top three ministers. Since he said it so surely, he must have seen some clues from the complicated rumors.

Wang Gui shook his arm lightly and shook Feng Deyi's hand away. Then as an elder, he patted Pei Ju's hand on his sleeve, and reminded with a smile: "If you change Lord Pei to lead the troops, you don't want to lose both sides in a fight with the Wagang army, so Liu Changgong and others will take the profits." I don't want to kill each other with the officials and soldiers, which is detrimental to the society of the country, what should I do? ”

"How?" Pei Ju, who was shocked, responded to Wang Gui's question, and then suddenly woke up by his own words. He suddenly found that he had only thought of the solution that was most beneficial to him, but he didn't take into account Li Xu's personality. This person has always had a principle in doing things, and if he adheres to his own principles, and he doesn't want to die, the only way may be to walk away.

"I'll be gone!" Pei Ju frowned and replied faintly. "I will let the county soldiers go back to their hometowns, anyway, Liu, Duan and others just want to kill me, and they will definitely not be embarrassed by these county soldiers. And with them, on the contrary, it affected the speed of the light horse. No, not only that, but these 4,000 Boling brothers are all my livelihood!" The faster he spoke, the brighter his eyes became, "If you let a group of people go, you can go, and if two groups of people go, you will go." I scattered most of the 4,000 Boling brothers into the 40,000 county soldiers, and I was able to get out from under the noses of Duan and Liu. Even take a detour to the south and return to your hometown from the way you came! At that time, the attention of Wagang and Luoyang was on me, and they would never take care of those county soldiers! ”

"Anyway, knowing that he will be defeated, General Li pretends to be himself with one or two dead soldiers, and he can also attract the Wagang army to chase after him. When the Wagang army found out that they had been deceived, he and Boling rode lightly, and they didn't know where they had slipped away! Yu Shiji's reaction was not slow, and he added it according to Pei Ju's speculation.

"In that case, why are the Wagang Army spreading rumors that he is dead! Why didn't he come forward to defend the rumors? Feng Deyi was still unconvinced, and asked anxiously.

"Didn't everyone see the consequences of General Lee's death? For the Wagang Army, the benefits are not big enough? Pei Ju strode back to the bookcase, and scolded angrily while looking through the twists and turns about Li Xu's death. Fooled, this one is too bad. Relying on a rumor, the Eastern Capital took action to destroy the Great Wall. And the Wagang Army only relied on a rumor to make all the guys with bad intentions jump out on their own initiative, distracting the attention of the imperial court. So as to get the best breathing time after the big defeat.

The only unfortunate thing is that he and Yu Shiji and the others have to clean up the mess caused by the Eastern Capital, and on the other hand, they have to be distracted to deal with those bargainers. This errand of participating in the government is really difficult to do!

"As for why he didn't come forward to argue the rumors, I'm afraid it's not that he doesn't do it, but he doesn't dare!" Wang Gui sighed and presented the final answer to everyone. A dead speed, how many people danced for it. If he does not return to his sphere of influence, how many people would be eager to turn the rumors into facts. ”

"Find a way to spread the news that Li Xu may not be dead, and you must let Dongdu and Hedong know. also find a way to send a message to Dou Jiande, Gao Kaidao and others in Hebei, saying that their rivals may be mixed back to Boling with a light car! In an instant, Pei Ju readjusted his thinking.

A living Li Xu, and a dead General Li, now, he only needs the latter.

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