Fang Congzhe entered the mansion alone, and under the guidance of several masters of the Polo Mansion, he walked through the corridor and came to a small house. This is where Polo Pingsu met his guests.

Outside the door, there are dozens of old soldiers, all of whom are old men in the Polo army, and they are fierce soldiers on the battlefield. Most of them are Mongolians, Semu people, and there are also three or two Han people mixed in. Whether it is Mongolian, Semu, or Han Chinese, hair ornaments and clothes are all dressed according to Mongolian customs. At the top of the hip, shave off the curls around the top of the head, keep the front hair, cut it short and hang it short, and braid the hair on both sides and hang it over the shoulders. The reason why the hair on both sides is braided is because if it is left to scatter, it will hinder the left and right looks.

Most of the veterans have beards, or beards on the upper lip, or beards on the upper lip and under the chin, indicating that they are in their twenties or in their thirties. There are also a small number of veterans, very young, with no beard on the upper lip and chin. These people are all still in their twenties. If they don't have beards, they don't have formal adulthood. However, being an adult does not mean that they are not good at fighting. Just imagine, Polo has tens of thousands of strong troops, and there are only hundreds, or at most thousands, who can be selected as guards. Naturally, everyone is elite and fierce. Very mighty.

But it was not like when he was sent to western Zhejiang, Polo didn't put up any swords and axes, and these dozens of people just stood loosely in the courtyard. Seeing Fang Congzhe coming, he turned his head in unison, and dozens of lines of sight swept over his body. Someone came up and searched for it.

There were a few bearded men in the old army, they glanced at Fang Congzhe a few times, turned their heads disdainfully, and said a few words loudly, in Mongolian language, and with a strong tribal accent, Fang Congzhe didn't understand much, only heard a few words clearly: "Huangkou Ruzi,......, a child of the Han family,......, is not ashamed." "Wait. The veterans laughed out loud.

The wind was cold through the courtroom, slapping the clothes and armor of the people in the courtyard, and it made a rustling sound.

Fang Congzhe was tired from the journey, his body was inevitably tired, and he felt a slight chill. But the pride in his chest became more and more agitated. Fang is in chaos today, and the heroes are rising together. In just over a month, he had just met Shi Cheng, and he was about to meet Polo today. Although his hands have no power to bind the chicken, his chest and abdomen hide a million armor troops. As the ancients said: "One person's argument is stronger than the treasure of Jiuding; A three-inch tongue is stronger than a million-strong division. ”

The ridicule of the old soldiers, he seemed to turn a deaf ear. When he returned from the envoy to Zhexi, Deng She improvised two poems and presented them to him, and he couldn't help but think of them at this time, and recited them silently several times in his heart: "The ancients saw from the book that men want to be strange for the world!" "Walk in the sea, run in all directions, and live up to the king's life. One word can rejuvenate one's own country, and one move can destroy the princes. What is a "strange man in the world"? This is the "strange man in the world"!

He took two deep breaths of cold air, tilted his head, and looked at the scenery in Polo's Mansion. After the veterans finished checking and searching, they raised their sleeves, raised their heads, walked and stepped forward, and walked through dozens of tigers and horses, and went straight into the house. There were only two people in the house. A majestic general in his thirties, and a delicate concubine who is as beautiful as a flower. Fang Congzhe knew in his heart that this majestic general must be Polo Timur.

He stretched out his sleeves, pulled his shirt, made a solemn salute, and said: "Haidong is a visitor, I have seen the general." ”

"Dare to ask the name of the gentleman?"

"Fang Congzhe."

"But who is talking about Zhang Shicheng?"

"Exactly."

Zhang Shicheng borrowed 100,000 stones of grain to Haidong, and the news had already spread to Dadu. Polo has people in Dadu, and of course he already knows about it. When he heard this, his complexion changed, and he said: "'Send a thousand miles to me', the tone of your name post is really not small! At that time, I was confused. But you're here to be a lobbyist. said that Shicheng borrowed 100,000 stones of grain and Haidong with you. Now that you are here in Datong, what words do you want to use to say about me? ”

"If you want to send a thousand miles to the land and the general, this truth is also. Where does it come to be said that 'the tone is not small'? ”

"Sophistry! You don't need to say more, let me guess. Yes, it must be because of the battle of Yidu, you Haidong was defeated. Lack of food and few pawns. Your puppet Yan King is afraid that he is not Chahan's opponent, and he is deeply afraid that Chahan will attack you again, so he sent you here to try to persuade me and instigate me to compete with Chahan, so that you can reap the benefits of the fisherman in Haidong. ......, you must have come for this. Am I right? ”

Polo can guard Datong, inherit his father's Yu Lie, and Chahan for a while, but he is by no means a person who does not learn and does not know. In one sentence, it was said that Fang Congzhe's intention. Fang Congzhe was not surprised, and laughed. This laugh is learned. First, it shows calmness, but also implies that what the other party said is wrong; Second, you can take the opportunity to buy time, adjust your thinking, and find a way to answer.

The laughter did not fall, and the words were found.

At the right time, Polo just opened his mouth and asked, "Am I not right?" Why are you laughing? But because I was said, did I have a weak heart? Fang Congzhe replied: "The general's words are fallacious! Polo leaned on the Hu bed, surrounded the beautiful concubine, looked at Fang Congzhe, and asked with a sneer: "Where is the fallacy?" ”

Fang Congzhe said: "I was ordered by the lord to go to western Zhejiang to borrow grain. It's for the public also. As a courtier of Haidong, I should naturally put official affairs first and fulfill my duties. The general said that I was 'sophistry and good argument', where did I start with this? In the eyes of the general, I may be 'cunning', but in the eyes of Congzhe himself, I am 'loyal'. ”

"The red thief is rebellious, how can he be 'loyal'?"

"On the occasion of the Qin and Han dynasties, Liu and Xiang were in dispute. May I ask the general, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, who is 'loyal' and who is 'thief'? ”

"My Dayuan Orthodox ,......。"

"Before the Great Yuan, the Emperor and Song Dynasty were also orthodox. The treasure of the country, the world's most important weapon, the virtuous live in it, and the virtuous lose it. Today, when the war is chaotic, how can 'loyalty' and 'thief' be distinguished? ”

Polo was furious, pushed away the beauty in his arms, jumped up, pulled out the short sword placed on the side of Hu's bed, held the sword in one hand, clenched his fist with the other, grabbed the placket of his clothes, took two steps forward, forced Fang Congzhe to look at him, and said angrily: "Dare to fight against the thief!" Dare to speak wildly in front of me! Let me ask you, don't you want to live anymore? ”

"The general now lives in a high position in the Yuan Court, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, guarding Datong. Datong, everyone thinks it is the cover of Dadu. If compared to the human body, the general is like the right-hand man of the Yuan court. Since he has shouldered such a heavy responsibility, he should clearly discern the situation in the world. Today, Haojie competes. Yuan lost its deer, and the heroes chased it together. If the general can understand this situation, the stories of the former Han and the latter Han may reappear today. And if the general can't understand the situation and uses strength to suppress people in vain, then although Qin is strong, two generations will die! ......, from the philosophical scholar, why should the general threaten each other with a sword? ”

Although the Western Han Dynasty died, there was Emperor Guangwu in the Han Dynasty, and then the Eastern Han Dynasty was built, and the temple continued for hundreds of years. Fang Congzhe used the past as a metaphor for the present, and borrowed the situation in the late Western Han Dynasty to compare the present. In fact, he was saying to Polo: Although Meng Yuan lost his deer, but now the heroes are strife, and it is not yet time for the dust to settle. Will Meng Yuan be like the Qin Dynasty, although he is strong, he will die? Or will it be like the two Han Dynasty, and it can be revived again? No one can say for sure. Since you Polo Timur are in a high position, you should have a clear understanding of the situation, and you should not suddenly burst into a thunderous rage as soon as you hear something against your ears.

After all, there is a request for people, these words, looking at what Fang Congzhe said, seem to be reasonable, can be called pertinent, in fact, the underlying meaning is already slightly soft to Polo. The Mengyuan Building will fall, which can be seen by those who are knowledgeable. How can it be like the Han Dynasty before and after?

Moreover, Fang Congzhe is Haidong's courtier, if it is true that Mengyuan is like the former and later Han Dynasty, and it is prosperous again, what should Haidong do? Where will Haidong be placed? However, since he is here to talk about Polo, he cannot be outspoken, and in order to complete the task, appropriate obedience is also necessary. The art of vertical and horizontal is also known as the "art of length and shortness". The so-called "art of long and short", "long", that is, "ornamental arguments, the temperance of the lord, saying its benefits but not its harms". In other words, that is, only say what the other person likes to hear.

Sure enough, when Polo heard this, his anger subsided slightly. but he still refused to take away his sword. Sit back into the bed and place your sword on your lap. Fang Congzhe was neither humble nor arrogant, and said: "I am here to see the general, not to discuss 'orthodoxy' with the general. Congzhe asked a word, and asked the general to answer truthfully. ”

"Ask."

"What does the general think of me Haidong?"

Polo Moran, he had fought Haidong more than a year ago. In the first battle of Chahan'er, although the Haidong soldiers were surrounded, they regarded death as home. The general under his command, Zhu Zhen, used his superior military strength to get much advantage from it. After a long time, he replied: "You are a strong soldier of Haidong's army. ”

"How does it compare to Chahan?"

"In the battle of Yidu, although you Haidong is down, you can't be defeated."

Polo was also a hero for a while, and since Fang Congzhe was asking for his opinion with a realistic attitude, he naturally wouldn't lie anymore. The same is a factual answer. ——, fact, he is also quite scruples about Haidong's strength. Otherwise, Fang Congzhe caused him to be furious, why didn't he kill him immediately, but was he willing to talk to Fang Congzhe?

His thoughts, Fang Congzhe had roughly guessed at this time.

Although Polo first came up, he denounced Fang Congzhe as a "sophist and eloquent"; Immediately afterwards, he drew his sword and made a gesture of anger, but since he was now willing to answer Fang Congzhe's question truthfully, it actually showed that he actually wanted to hear what Fang Congzhe wanted to say to him.

Combining his attitudes before and after, Fang Congzhe was determined in his heart and thought: "This matter has already been decided in three points. He asked again, "Congzhe may ask the general again, who is Chahan?" ”

Polo was born into a family of Mongolian heroes. In the Mengyuan court, the most important thing is the "root foot". The "roots" are also their origins. Even though Chahan is the leader of the world, he is only a small military family, how can Polo look down on him? Sneered, and thought to himself, "Lust-eyed child." But this could not be said to the people of the enemy country, and replied to Fang Congzhe, saying: "I am the pillar of the Great Yuan." ”

"How is the army of Chahan?"

"The army is strong and brave, and the ministers are like rain."

"How does it compare to the general?"

Polo's army was slightly inferior to Chahan, but he refused to admit that he was inferior, and replied forcefully: "It's comparable." ”

"The army of Chakhan is on par with the generals. A few months ago, there was another battle between Haidong and Chahan, and as the general said, although he was defeated, he was not defeated. In other words, our Haidong army and generals and Chahan can probably be called 'comparable'? ”

Fang Congzhe walked around, Polo didn't know what he wanted to say, frowned, and said, "Let's forget it." ”

Although Congzhe is a native of Zhejiang, he has also traveled the world. Let me ask the general again, where is the most fertile land and a granary in the land east of the river? ”

"Jining Zhulu."

"Congzhe asks the general again, now Jining Zhulu, who is in charge now?"

Polo raised his head suddenly, forced Fang Congzhe to look at him twice, but didn't answer first, and asked: "You are turning upside down and talking about the east and west." What do you want to say to me? He didn't answer, Fang Congzhe answered for him, and said: "Now Jining Zhulu is in the hands of Chahan. I don't know if it's right or not? ”

"Yes so what?"

"In this way, when Chahan came to fight with me in Yidu the previous time, although the general waved the banner of 'echoing', and also sent three armies to garrison outside the Saiwai, he refused to confront my Haidong from beginning to end.

"Yidu is fighting, and I am stationed outside the Sai Tun?" Polo became more and more confused, and he didn't know why Fang Congsan couldn't turn around, but he actually dropped the topic here, and asked, "What do you understand?" ”

"Since the army of Chahan is on par with the general, the army of our Haidong is also on par with Chahan. Therefore, the general was stationed outside the Saiwai to see the confrontation between Chahan and our Haidong in Yidu, because he wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. ”

Polo was silent, and listened quietly to Fang Congzhe's continued words. Fang Congzhe continued: "And why does the general want to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight? From the philosophical courage, speculation. The general's meaning is nothing more than because although the general's army can match Chahan, but because Jining Zhulu is now in Chahan's hands, the general's food is far less than Chahan. And Chahan attacked my Yidu at this time, so this was obviously the best opportunity to weaken him. Yes, the general sat on the mountain and watched the tiger fight. The general's desire should be to wait for the defeat of Chahan and our Haidong, and then take the opportunity to rise up, sweep the east and west, and unify the northern land. ......, I don't know what to guess from Zhezhi, yes or no? ”

"So what? Isn't it? ”

"If not, if Congzhe guesses wrong, then from Zhe's words, the general will not listen. And if so, if Congzhe guessed correctly, then the general's move, from Zhe's point of view, is really difficult to call a good strategy. If the general wants to do this, and still insists on the policy of 'watching from the wall', the general's defeat is not far off! ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Chahan, the general and my Haidong, the three strongs stand side by side. The heroes of the Northland are only the General, Chahan and Haidong. As Congzhe just said, in today's world, the heroes are rising together. It is difficult to predict who will win and who will lose. However, looking at the past and the present, the heroes of the past and the present, all who can achieve great things, have one thing in common, that is,......。 ”

"Why?"

"During the Qin and Han dynasties, Liu and Xiang competed. Xiang Yu's army was strong, Liu Bang could not resist, but entered Hanzhong and burned the plank road, showing that he had no intention of going out of the army to paralyze Xiang Yu. Soon after, he 'repaired the plank road in the open and crossed Chencang secretly', waved his army eastward, contacted the princes, and won a decisive battle with Xiang Yu. In the end, in the next battle, Xiang Yu killed himself in Wujiang. This story of Chu and Han fighting for power, the general should know it, right? ”

Polo nodded.

"At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan started from Hedong, although he was surrounded by strong enemies, he was not afraid of battle. first take Guanzhong, and then defeat Wang Shichong and behead Dou Jiande. After years of fierce battles, he finally dominated the world. The general is now stationed in Datong, and he can be regarded as being in the east of the river, so he should know this story, right? ”

"Yes."

"Another example is Cao Cao in the late Han Dynasty and Taizu in the early Song Dynasty. And looking at the reason why he can achieve great things, he is also stupid from philosophy, and he has only seen the words 'positive and enterprising', but he has never seen anyone who can achieve something because of 'sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight'.

"During the Qin and Han dynasties, Xiang Yu fought against Julu, but the righteous army of the princes of many roads had 'watched from the wall'. However, Xiang Yu fought and defeated the Qin army, and the generals of the princes all knelt into his gate and did not dare to look up. Congzhe asked the general again, did he want to emulate the princes of the late Qin Dynasty, or did he intend to emulate Henkel and Song Zu? ”

Polo groaned and did not answer.

"Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight is a passive retreat. As the general said, Chahan, the general, and our Haidong, if compared with the military strength, are indeed comparable. Now, Jining Zhulu is in the hands of Chahan, and Chahan has become stronger and general because of this. If Tsarhan fights with my Haidong, Chahan wins, and I lose Haidong. Then Chahan is even more hidden in Shandong. At that time, it was also Guanzhong in the west, Yidu in the east, Jining in the north, Bianliang in the south, Chahan was thousands of miles wide, and the army was hundreds of thousands. The general still wants to 'sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight'? Does the general want to use your Datong land to fight against the territory of Chahan, which is thousands of miles?

"If you are like, Chahan and my Haidong will fight, Chahan will lose, and my Haidong will win. Then my Haidong is even more and expand the land for thousands of miles, with my long-term battle of the fierce pawn, with the majesty of the great victory, the long drive straight in, the army under the city. Congzhe wants to ask the general again, and the general still wants to 'sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight'? Or, does the general still intend to use only your Datong land to fight against the territory of thousands of miles east of our sea?

"'Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight' can be short but not long. From the philosophical bold, for the general to predict. If the general still adheres to the old policy and does not change, still refuses to take the initiative to send out the army, and still wants to 'watch from the wall', then the three heroes of the Northland, the first to die, will also be the general. ”

Polo rubbed the short sword with his hand, hesitated, looked at Fang Congzhe, and said: "You are from Haidong, and you are the minister of Haidong. Are you trying to convince me to be fooled? ”

Fang Congzhe smiled and said, "Congzhe is certainly from Haidong. However, this is the general trend in the world. Why should the general ask me about my identity? Just talk about the momentum. If what you say is right, please follow it. If you feel that what Congzhe said is wrong, Congzhe dares to come single, why is it a pity? ”

"I see your purpose, going around and around, but not to provoke me to fight with Chahan? You said that you can't 'sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight', but isn't your intention just to provoke me to fight with Chahan, so that you can 'sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight' in Haidong? ”

"Congzhe still uses the example of the late Han Dynasty to compare it with the general."

"Say."

"At the end of the Han Dynasty, there were wars and heroes. Northland heroes, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, one or two ears. First, Yuan Shao's army was strong, and Cao Cao's strength was weak. Looking at it and today, the Chahan army is strong, just like Yuan Shao; The general is slightly weaker, but he can compare to Cao Cao. However, although Cao Cao was weak, he was not afraid of battle. Fight against Yuan Shao and succeed in the first battle!

"Does the general know this story?"

At that time, it was said that three points were popular in the sea, and of course Polo knew about it. Fang Congzhe said again: "Cao Cao has a sentence to evaluate Yuan Shao, and I don't know if the general has ever heard it?" ”

"Which word?"

"'Yuan Shaose is fierce and timid, and he is indecisive; Do big things and spare your life, see small profits and forget your life: non-heroes. 'Looking at the general's actions today, he holds both ends, is suspicious, listens to advice and does not accept, and suspects that following philosophy is treacherous. What a different Cao Cao's comment! Although Cao Cao was in a weak position, he was able to work hard, unify the northern country, and eventually become an emperor. This can be described as a 'true hero'. And now, the general is already in the weakness of Cao Cao's back then, and he has Yuan Shaozhi's 'unbroken and cherished life' in the past. I would like to ask the general, compared to Chahan, how can the general be undefeated? ”

After saying good things, Polo still hesitated. At this time, it's time to say something bad to stimulate him. The so-called "long and short technique", and the "short" are "degrading the Lord's temperance, saying that it is harmful but not beneficial". If Polo refuses to listen to Fang Congzhe's advice, then he exaggerates the possible consequences of this.

Polo pondered for a long time, put his sword back into its sheath, and asked, "You said that you are here to dedicate to me a land of thousands of miles. Is the one you want to offer is the Jining Zhulu? ”

This was originally Fang Congzhe's old trick and pretended to be amazing, in order to arouse Polo's interest. However, since Polo asked, he was also prepared, and replied: "If the general can listen to my opinion, then what Congzhe dedicates to the general, how can he not stop at Jining Zhulu?" The land of Guanzhong will definitely be owned by the general sooner or later. Polo still had a hard time making a decision, and said, "If I do what you say, I will fight with Chahan for Jinning." Then you are on one side of the sea tiger. Isn't it 'cranes and mussels compete with each other, and fishermen profit'? ”

"If the general is willing to send out the army, then the general will be from the north, and I will be from the east of the sea. and he that is damaged shall be Chahan; And those who benefit, how can I be Haidong? The beneficiary, the general and I Haidong also. ”

"Of course, you Haidong is a traitor after all."

Even if Haidong and Polo can benefit, Chahan is the pillar of Meng Yuan, but it is Meng Yuan who will be damaged in the end. Fang Congzhe had expected Polo to say this, and he had already laid the foreshadowing before, but when he heard Polo say this, his heart was relaxed, and he secretly thought to himself: "Although I Haidong is a traitor in your eyes, you are no longer as angry as you were just now. This matter has been divided into eight points. ”

He replied calmly: "'Today, heroes are competing. Yuan lost its deer, and the heroes chased it together. 'Unless the truth is revealed, who will benefit and who will suffer, how can the general judge lightly? ”

Since Polo acquiesced to the fact that today's world is like the end of the Western Han Dynasty in the past, it is also equivalent to acquiescing to putting Haidong, Chahan and Polo on an equal footing. Until the situation is clear, it is indeed difficult to determine who will win and who will lose.

Fang Congzhe said again: "Moreover, people don't hurt the tiger, but can it be said that the tiger won't eat people?" Chahan, it's a tiger! Congzhe asked the general again, even if the general does not go to compete with Chahan for Jining Zhulu, but does Chahan not have the intention of coveting Datong? ”

This sentence hit the nail on the head of Polo. He was shocked, and after a long time, he slowly asked, "Then, what do you mean?" ”

"First strike! If we really wait until the time when Chahan takes all my benefits, or I take all the benefits of Bichahan, even if the general still wants to cheer up, I am afraid that it will be too late. ”

"If I follow Mr. Yi's words, I will take the roads of Jining?"

At this point, hearing that Polo changed his name to "Mr." again, Fang Congzhe knew that this matter had been completed. He replied categorically: "I will echo in the east of the sea and cheer for the general." ”

Sure enough, Polo motioned for the beauty to retreat, called the old army outside the door, and summoned the ministers in the palace. Close the door and discuss carefully with Fang Congzhe. Fang Congzhe remembered the three thousand people outside the mansion, and asked Polo to send someone out and tell them to wait a little longer. Secret deliberations until late at night. Polo stayed as a guest, but Fang Congzhe refused. Since leaving the house, I have searched for 3,000 people, and I have gone out of the city at night, galloping in the starry night, and rushed back to Yidu.