Hong Jixun said: "In the opinion of the ministers, of course I can't go south in Haidong. There are three reasons for this.

"First, the current enemy of our Haidong is Chahan, not western Zhejiang. It's selfish. Second, and the lord borrowed grain from western Zhejiang, Fang Congzhe and Shi Cheng said: 'If there is something in western Zhejiang, as long as Shi Cheng rides a horse alone and sends a messenger to my Haidong, then the lord will have nothing to do. It's 'swearing'. Is there any reason to make a promise and then suddenly repent? This is the public interest.

"Whether it is public or private, I Haidong is absolutely not allowed to go south.

"Moreover, the current chief enemy of our Haidong is Chahan; It was easy for Fang Congzhe to persuade Shi Cheng and said that he was moved to make friends with me, and now if I Haidong is ordered to fight him again, it will cut off my friend and erect me as an enemy. Xuzhou Jiancheng, even if our army goes to attack, whether it can be defeated or not is still two words. In case, if our army can't attack for a long time, and Shicheng sends troops to help. Then our army has Shicheng in front and Chahan in the back, what will be the end? What does the future hold? There is no need for the minister to say more, presumably the lord also knows it.

"This article is also for the sake of reason, and our army should not go south."

First from the private, then from the public, and then from the truth. The three reasons clearly explain the reasons why Haidong must not go south. Wu Henian stroked his beard, frowned, and said, "What Mr. Hong said is indeed true. But Liu Nineteen is here, how should I deal with Haidong? ”

Appropriately, Wu Henian also analyzed the original intention and purpose of Liu Shijiu's visit to Yidu this time, as well as the various follow-up measures he might take because of Deng She's refusal to go south. Liu Shijiu adhered to the will of the Anfeng court, and tried his best to force the sea to go southeast; According to Hong Jixun's analysis, Haidong resolutely cannot go south. The contradiction comes out. How to fix it?

Hong Jixun looked at the ministers in the hall and said, "If you want to deal with it, it's actually simple. Summing up Wu Henian's analysis, he said, "In the end, Liu Shijiu's methods, in the final analysis, are nothing more than two words and one word,—— 'name', or can be called 'righteousness'." The imperial court ordered me to send troops south, and if I refused, Tian Feng of Dizhou and the generals of Shandong might be suspicious. Who are the doubters? On the surface, I suspected that I was unfaithful. To put it bluntly, 'loyalty' and 'disloyalty' are just an excuse.

"Anyone can use 'name' and 'righteousness'. Cao Cao at the end of the Han Dynasty, under the pretext of Han Xiang, was actually a Han thief. Liu Bei of Shu State, regarded himself as a royal descendant and seized Sichuan, and kept saying that it was for 'reviving the Han family and crusading against traitors', but was it really for 'reviving the Han family'? How is his behavior different from Cao Cao? These two people are all pretending to be 'righteous', but in fact, what they do is all 'traitor' things. What are 'name' and 'righteousness'? It's just a slogan.

"Tian Feng doubts me, Shandong generals doubt me, just like Lord Wu just said, if I refuse to go south, it is possible to give Liu Shijiu the opportunity to go up and down and provoke discord within Shandong. However, Tian Feng and the generals of Shandong, can they be said to be loyal to Anfeng? Just like Cao Cao and Liu Bei, those who are nominally fighting for 'righteousness', but in fact, those who want are for the world!

"All the princes are heroes, and the lords are even more heroes. I think you all know this. If this is the case, how to deal with it? It's very simple, if he wants to fight for 'fame', then I, Haidong, can also start with 'righteousness'. As long as I Haidong occupies the 'great righteousness', then if I go south or not, isn't it the lord's decision? ”

"The teacher is famous". Fame and righteousness, this thing seems to be very empty, but if you want to compete for the world and the Central Plains, you must do without.

Why did the Anfeng court have "great righteousness"? There are two reasons, one is that Han Shantong and Liu Futong were the first to initiate the uprising, first established the Song regime in the north, blossomed and bore fruit, scattered branches and leaves, and had an impact on both sides of the Yellow River, far out of the Saiwai, west to Shaanxi, south to Jinling, it can be said that now half of the rivers and mountains in the north, all the anti-Yuan uprisings, almost all the rebels are under the banner of "Great Song".

Go down to the people, find a rural person and ask: "Who is the anti-Yuan now?" Whether it is a woman or a child, or even an old man, at least nine and a half out of ten people must answer one word: "Song." This is the "great righteousness", the desire of the people. Most of the common people already regarded the Song regime as a sign of anti-Yuan. Wherever the flag is planted, there are countless shadow followers. Why did Chahan take Bianliang first and then Shandong? "Capture the thief and capture the king first" is also. Even the Yuan court regarded the Song regime as its greatest enemy.

Needless to say, the generals of Shandong, even the old army and generals of Haidong, many of them were originally from their backgrounds, aren't they all Liaoyang red scarves? The court has an order, but if it is not obeyed, it cannot be justified. This is the first reason why the Song regime has "great righteousness".

Second, let's talk about the name of the "Song" regime. How similar to Cao Cao and Liu Bei that Hong Jixun just talked about! It's just that what Cao Cao and Liu Bei entrusted was in the name of the Han family; And the people pretended by Han Shantong and Liu Futong are in the name of the Song family. Han Shantong claimed to be the eighth grandson of Huizong of the Song Dynasty, and Liu Futong claimed to be the queen of Liu Guangshi, a famous general of the former Song Dynasty. The Song regime held "righteousness" and "fame", which is also one of the important reasons. "The name is right".

For example, during the Qin and Han dynasties, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled, and even those who were reckless like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang knew to raise the banner of the former Chu State. The number is "Zhang Chu". Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu got into trouble, that is, a strategist Fan Zeng came to give him advice, saying that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang failed because although they were known as "Zhang Chu", they did not establish the queen of Chu. King Huai of Chu did not return to Qin, and the people of Chu mourned it to this day. Therefore, they were advised to appoint the grandson of King Chu Huai as king, as a call for "fame". Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu were originally the famous generals of Chu State, Xiang Yan, and then they followed. As a result, he finally ordered the princes and achieved Xiang Yu's prestige as the "Overlord of Western Chu".

Today's situation is so strikingly similar to that of the Qin and Han dynasties.

The time when the Meng Yuan Dynasty was founded, if compared with the Qin Dynasty, despite the number of years it stretched, the time for the country to exist was indeed a few decades more. However, the death of the Song Dynasty has only been a hundred years, although it is said that since ancient times, there has been no one who can restore the country after a hundred years, but for the common people, they recognize it.

When it comes to the former Song Dynasty, it was the regime of the Han people. If it is accompanied by the slogan of the Red Turban Army: "Drive out the Tartars and restore China." "Isn't it justified to use the name of the former Song Dynasty to destroy the current Mengyuan? That's why the influence of the Song regime on the people can be so great.

The Anfeng court has "great righteousness", if Haidong insists on refusing to obey the order. It is true that a strong army may be able to protect itself from harm. If Deng She only has the will to secession, it doesn't hurt to do it; If he has the ambition to win the world, he must think carefully.

Listening to Hong Jixun's words, Deng She couldn't help laughing, and all the ministers in the hall were whispering. Deng She looked at it, and many people were angry. Scholars pay attention to "fame" and "righteousness".

How many years after the founding of the Mengyuan Dynasty, the world's Xiucai is still arguing over the "orthodox" status of Mengyuan and the former Song Dynasty, what is "orthodox", and why not for "orthodoxy". It is not until the detachment becomes a phase that it is considered a decision. The Mengyuan and the former Song Dynasty were each "orthodox". It can also be seen from this that "fame" and "righteousness" occupy an important position in the minds of readers. The sub-work "Spring and Autumn", the rebellious ministers and thieves are afraid. What is a "thief"? Those who do not have "fame" and "righteousness" are "rebellious ministers and thieves".

However, in a few words, Hong Jixun described "fame" and "righteousness" as unbearable, completely stripped away the noble and righteous side of it, and completely regarded it as a tool that could be used, which was completely full of utilitarianism. Many of the courtiers were furious when they heard this. is just afraid of Hong Jixun's power, and he dares to be angry but dare not speak.

However, Hong Jixun's words were exactly in line with Deng She's thoughts.

He just didn't see the anger of the ministers, and said slowly: "The king is the top, and the courtiers are the bottom." Anfeng is above, and Haidong is below. Since the imperial court has a holy decree, I should obey it. If you don't obey it, you will of course have no 'name' and lose your 'righteousness'. Mr. Hong, according to what you said, it seems that I don't need to go south to Haidong, but I can also hold the 'great righteousness'. What do you mean by that? I'm really puzzled. I would like to hear about it. ”

Hong Jixun's anger towards the ministers was also not visible, and then with contemptuous eyes, he glanced around the hall, and thought in his heart: "A group of rotten Confucians! He gave Deng She a salute, his posture was calm, and he said eloquently, "The 'name' and 'righteousness', as the minister said, are certainly a thing that everyone can use. However, if the lord has great ambitions and ambitions, these two things should not be easily discarded. If you say it lightly, do it lightly, and take the initiative to give it up, it can be said to be 'going back and giving people a handle'. Yes, the minister said, since Liu Shijiu wants to use the 'name' as a weapon, then I, Haidong, can also strike first, and first seize the 'righteousness', leaving him speechless!

"How can we seize the 'righteousness'? When the ministers saw the princes in the court, there seemed to be many people who did not agree with what the ministers said. The minister is bold, first ask the lord to withdraw from the ministers, and then the minister can talk to the lord one by one. ”

In the end, there was one person, who couldn't hold it back, jumped out, his face was red with anger, almost angry and trembling, his whole body trembled with excitement, and he grabbed the placket of his clothes with both hands, and almost pulled the placket of his clothes to pieces. To what extent is the anger? He didn't even bother to salute Deng She, he rushed to Hong Jixun in three or two steps, raised his arm, reprimanded him with his halberd fingers, and said: "Your Excellency is in the position of ruler, and you don't want to guide the lord with righteous words, but use a school of fallacies and heresies to induce the lord to make mistakes." Master Hong, you also read the books of the sages, let me ask you, where is the righteousness and morality? If the mouth is full of heresies and only for utilitarian gain, what is the righteousness? Where is your righteousness? Lord Hong, you should stop talking! If you are still obsessed with such disregard for righteousness in the Lord's deeds, then ,......, you should be careful, I will spray you! ”

Who is the speaker? Fang complements the truth.

Deng She transferred him from Haidong and assigned him to patrol all parts of Yidu. He has only been here for a long time, and he has not yet begun to officially go to the governors of Zhufu County. Therefore, I also came to participate in this meeting. But when he saw that he was furious, his voice was deafening, and he waved his fingers, and there was no etiquette. As he spoke, he spat and splattered. Hong Jixun frowned, took a step back, took out a white handkerchief, and wiped his face slightly. The temper of the other party when he was angry, he also had a good understanding.

At the moment, he didn't say much to Fang Buzhen, but only said to Deng Sheyan: "Lord Fang's official residence is in the imperial history of Xingtai, and he is a second-class member. In investigating their duties, there should be a rule of discipline for correcting hundreds of officials. But he is empty in this position, and he often speaks and threatens people, and his words will 'spray people'; and now he is rude in front of the king, roaring at the minister, what kind of system! He was supposed to correct the wind and manage people, but he couldn't even control himself.

"The minister asks the lord to issue an order, remove him from his official position, and severely punish his mistakes! Thought that the latecomer would quit. ”

Fang Buzhen was furious, and he was about to scold again. The ministers in the hall are all discolored. Deng She smiled slightly and said, "Shique is loyal to the Lord, and what he said is also good. Come on, please come down to the hall, take the good white fungus from my backyard, mix it with some raw barley, boil a bowl of soup, and give it to Lord Fang. Invite him to drink, and defeat the anger. After a while, if he feels angry, you can invite him to come to the church again. ”

He looked around at the ministers and said with a smile: "The weather is dry in February, everyone, if you feel angry, please go down." The white fungus in my backyard was only offered from the ground. is also like Lord Fang, each person is rewarded with a bowl. If after drinking, you feel that your anger is gone, please come again. ”

The ministers laughed and laughed. The guards came up, dragged them together, and invited Fang Buzhen to come down to the hall. The rest of the ministers, there were really a few, although they didn't dare to reprimand Hong Jixun, but they really didn't want to listen to Hong Jixun's remarks, they all came out of the ranks, bowed to Deng She, and turned around and went out.

Deng She didn't know how angry he was with these courtiers who went out, he smiled and watched them walk out, and then glanced around at the ministers who stayed behind, and said with a smile: "Sir, you can speak." ”

"If you want to strike first, seize the name of 'righteousness' first. There are two strategies. First of all, with Liu Nineteen and the Snake. On the surface, he promised him, and actively began to reorganize his arms for war, and made a posture that he intended to obey the holy decree and send his army south. At the same time, an envoy was sent to Dizhou. and Tian Feng sent a secret letter. ”

"Hypocrisy and wrongdoing, I understand. But send a secret letter with Tian Feng? ”

"It can be written on the secret letter, and now the imperial court has a decree to order me to go southeast to the sea. And the army of Yidu, except for the necessity of defense, is not enough for me to go south. Dizhou is short of food, and asked Tian Feng if he wants food? If he wanted to, he asked him to receive the letter on the same day, and he immediately selected five thousand elites from among his subordinates, and prepared to go south with our army. In this case, I, Haidong, can lend him grain. ”

"If Tian Feng is willing to go to the army, then I can lend him food?"

Wu Henian's heart moved, and he said: "Mr. Hong's intention, is it that he wants to drive away the wolf and devour the tiger?" Use Tian Feng's army as the main force to go south, so as to reduce the pressure on my Haidong? However, even if Tian Feng is willing to follow, he will send troops south with me. In the name of going south, but I still have to use the name of my Haidong, it is still inevitable to have a grudge with Shicheng. Yes, sir's plan will not be for this. So, what exactly does the gentleman mean? ”

Hong Jixun refused to answer him first, took care of himself, and then said: "......, this is a secret letter sent to Dizhou, the lord might as well write two more letters, and choose envoys before and after, and send a few more people to Tian Feng to show his eagerness." And on the way to send this secret letter to Tian Feng, you might as well deliberately lose one of them. On the road to Dizhou, there are quite a few thieves. What will the thief do if he believes in the hands of a thief? Ministers are not thieves, and they are unpredictable. But what if the thieves are willing to make it public with Yidu? It is through the hands of thieves to show Shandong, Haidong, and the world, so that the lord does have the intention of sending troops south. ”

Hong Jixun's words were tactful, and everyone could understand it. What is "by the hand of a thief"? What is "what will a thief do?" Ministers are not thieves, and they are unpredictable. Hong Jixun's meaning was obviously to ask Deng She to send soldiers, pretend to be thieves, rob one of the secret letters, and then announce it to the world.

Hearing this, Deng She couldn't help but move in his heart, and he had a slight understanding of Hong Jixun's strategy, and thought in his heart: "I promised Liu Shijiu on the face to stabilize Anfeng; secretly and deliberately lost the secret letter, and it was to create public opinion. These two articles can indeed be called the preemption of 'righteousness'. ”

But it is not enough to only come to the "virtual". If these two articles are a prelude, then after the prelude, there is always a need to get "real". In other words, if the army goes south, sooner or later, it will have to be "implemented". And what should be done? Deng She knew that there must be a turning point in the middle, so he didn't interject, sat firmly on the main seat, calmed down, and waited for Hong Jixun to continue to speak without impatience.

Sure enough, the twist came.

Hong Jixun said: "After these two steps, no matter whether it is from the light or from the dark, the Anfeng Imperial Court, including the generals of Shandong, and even the old army of our Haidong, will inevitably believe that the lord does have the intention of going south." May I ask my lord, at this moment when 'the arrow is on the string and has to be sent'. The morale of our Haidong armies has already risen, and after mobilization, they are all ready for war. Suddenly, at this time, what if the 'Battle of Hanshan' repeats itself? In addition, compared with the last time, the conflict between our army and Chahan in Hanshan is even more intensified and more intense. So what should our army do? ”

Wu Henian slapped his thigh, cheered, and said, "Sir's brilliant plan!" It's a 'bright plank road, secretly crossing Chen Cang'. "Ming repaired the plank road, and on the surface, the whole army went south; Secretly crossing Chencang, in fact, is intended in Jinan. Zhao Guo didn't speak for a long time, and then he couldn't help but admire, and said: "First, Mr. is clever, and sure enough, it's really a good plan." Both, both should have inherited Anfeng, and also, fooled Chahan. ”

"Exactly. The Hanshan conflict led to the fact that our army had to temporarily change its plans. That is, the 'secondary' of the minister's policy. If the external troubles are not eliminated, it is because we cannot take care of ourselves. If you can't take care of yourself, how can you help Anfeng? At that time, our armaments and war will be sufficient, and Tian Feng's 5,000 elites will already be available, and the so-called 'everything is ready, only the east wind is owed'. 'Hanshan conflict', that is, the east wind of our Haidong is also.

At the right time, the lord used this as an excuse to gather the armies of the two places and change the south to the west. Our army is from the east, and Tian Feng is from the north, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, with the momentum of thunder and thunder, two ways to attack, suddenly rising, collecting Jinan, recovering our realm, how easy is it, it is simply easy to get!

"As for after the defeat of Jinan, will the Anfeng Imperial Court still insist that our army go south? In the opinion of the ministers, nine times out of ten, the court will still bring up the old matter again and still insist. It's just that by that time, our army has already recovered Jinan, and the situation in Shandong will inevitably change because of this. Since the situation has changed, then our Haidong will naturally be able to adapt to the times, and then we can find other strategies. ”

The recovery of Jinan is a policy that Haidong has long decided. It's just that according to the original plan, it should be done in April and May. Hong Jixun's plan can indeed be called a clever plan, but it is precisely because he has advanced the time to recover Jinan, so Deng She has slight concerns.

He said: "As Mr. said, by the end of this month at the latest, perhaps the battle of Jinan will begin." With the current state of our army, it may not be difficult for many elite soldiers to gather in Yidu and recover Jinan. However, if this provokes a counterattack from Chahan? Then I have only gone through a hard battle, and I have not yet recovered my vitality, and I am bound to usher in another fierce battle. In your opinion, do you think our army will be able to achieve the final victory? ”

"If it is my strength alone, if Chahan really comes to fight back because of this, then the possibility of our army winning is indeed not very big in the eyes of the ministers. But has the lord forgotten? To the north of Chahan, there is Polo. Before our army captures Jinan, why not take precautions? Send an envoy to Datong to find Na Polo, move him with words, and use him to contain Chahan. If it can succeed, although Chahan has the intention of counterattacking, I am afraid that he will not be able to do it. I can only cry out in vain!

"And now, in February, the weather is getting warmer. Most of the water of the Yellow River has been civilized. The Yellow River, the moat. With this trench, when our army attacked Jinan, there was no need to worry about the rapid arrival of Chahan's reinforcements; Second, after our army recovered Jinan, it was also very conducive to our army's defense.

"If it can be as planned, there is Polo in the north and the Yellow River in front of it. This is the two benefits of our army, and the two disadvantages of Chahan. Why should the lord worry? ”

"Choose a messenger and say Polo?"

Chahan and Polo were at odds, so they sent someone to Datong to move Polo. or instigating its initiative to provoke; Or if they don't go to war, they must also try to move him, as long as they can move him, and send heavy troops to the front line to station, it will inevitably pose a major threat to Chahan. In this way, Chahan's pressure on Shandong was naturally reduced. Hong Jixun's proposal seems to be whimsical, but it is not impossible to actually investigate the relationship between Chahan and Polo. And it's true that there is still a lot of potential for success.

Wu Henian asked: "If Mr. thinks it is the best, who should be the best?" ”

Hong Jixun went to see Deng She, and it happened that Deng She was also looking at him. The two looked at each other and smiled.

Hong Jixun said: "The senator of Jixian Yuan, Fang Congzhe, sent an envoy to western Zhejiang before, and did not dishonor the king's life. It can be of great use, and the argument is enough to convince the enemy. Who should be chosen to be the best? The minister thought that if the lord was willing to follow the minister's plan, and if he thought that the minister's plan could really do what the minister wanted, then he should send an envoy to Datong and persuade Polo, and he had to get this person! Deng She bowed his head and said with a smile: "Sir's plan is indeed a clever strategy. Of course I'll listen. And who should be chosen? But I see the same thing as my husband. ”

Fang Congzhe sent an envoy to western Zhejiang, and he began to show his edge. Deng She and Hong Jixun decided that in the near future, he will leave for Datong again and be heroic again. At this point, the strategy to deal with the holy decree of Anfeng is ripe.

Of course, Hong Jixun's strategy is not invulnerable. For example, if the messenger deliberately loses a secret letter, he may deceive people for a while, but how can there be no wise people in the world? Sooner or later, someone will see through it. It's just, what if you see through it? There is no real evidence. You can say it's fake, but Haidong can be sure that it's true.

Hong Jixun said: "The name is righteous, and everyone can use it. "At least, after this hand, Haidong will not seem so unreasonable and can stand.

Although Wu He came to Yidu late, after all, he was in a high position, and he still knew all the decisions made by Deng She in the recent past. Yao Haogu once wrote to Deng She, admonishing him to ask An Feng to open the imperial examination, and he had already heard about it.

He rolled his eyes, twisted his body on the seat, touched his beard, and suddenly said: "Lord, Mr. Hong's plan, if it is done properly and used properly, it will definitely be successful, there is no doubt about it." Didn't Mr. Yao give a book to the lord a while ago? Admonishing the Lord to ask the imperial court to open the imperial examination. Since Mr. Hong is in the first half of this plan, it is in response to Nuo Anfeng, and I am willing to agree to go south. He smiled, "Then, why don't you take this opportunity to simply invite An Feng and ask the imperial court to issue another holy decree and open the imperial examination?" ”

Dunshe really didn't think of this. He glanced at Wu Henian and thought to himself: "Just now Fang Buzhen said that Mr. Hong has no righteousness and is too utilitarian. But Mr. Hong's intention in this plan is actually just to find an excuse, coax An Feng, and refuse to go south, and he didn't involve anything else, but his words were a little straightforward. This old Wu is not, he is not satisfied with getting cheap, not only wants to coax Anfeng, but also wants to order something from Anfeng on the basis of coaxing Anfeng. Fortunately, Fang Buzhen went to the court. Otherwise, I really don't know how he will behave after hearing this? ”

Not only did Deng She not expect it, but Hong Jixun, Zhao Guo and others actually didn't expect it either.

In their opinion, in what they are thinking now, it would be good to be able to coax Anfeng and achieve the goal of Haidong not needing to go south. No one thought about it anymore, while coaxing An Feng, Haidong didn't have to come out with anything, turned it upside down, and used it as a bargaining chip to trick An Feng into taking something out. For a while, everyone was amazed. Zhao Guo couldn't help it, smiled, wanted to say something, but when the words came to his mouth, in the end, his steady personality prevailed, and he held back again, swallowing it and not saying it.

Hong Jixun said: "Lord Wu's plan is a good plan. But don't deceive people too much. If An Feng is ashamed and angry because of this, it seems that it is not beautiful. In the opinion of the lord, it is better not to do this. Wu Henian smiled and said, "Yes, yes." Mr. Hong has always been a countryman, and what he said is very true. ”

It's funny that big liars admire small liars.

Deng She pondered again and again, turned it upside down, and thought about the word "thick black" several times, but he didn't know whether it was because of the lack of skill, or whether he felt that what Hong Jixun said was reasonable, or listened to Hong Jixun's opinion, and said: "Lord Wu has this plan, and let it go first." Let's see what happens in the future. ”

The problem is solved, and the mood is happy.

Deng She instructed his entourage and said, "Look at the princes who are drinking white fungus barley soup outside the hall, are you angry?" If so, please come in. Let's talk about the military. ”

There are still many details that need to be discussed in detail. When everyone outside the hall came back, Deng She did not mention Hong Jixun's specific plan, but only said that he planned to prepare for war, and discussed for a long time about what army to transfer, who to use, the candidates for leading the army and the colonel, and the financing of logistics and baggage. Roughly set. The ministers retired. Deng She left Hong Jixun again, summoned Fang Congzhe, and the three of them moved to the study, and discussed secretly until late at night.

Everything is ready. The next day, Fang Congzhe secretly went out of the city. Subsequently, Deng She spent two days in a row to carefully discuss the details with Hong Jixun. While discussing, he just waited for Liu Shijiu to return from Dizhou.