looked at him idly, his eyes were full of indifferent laziness, "Although Qingzhou is under the control of Xidaying after all, why are you afraid of being like this." ”

Li Hongcheng pointed his finger at his nose and said angrily: "You are a high-ranking official, and you are going to Qingzhou as soon as you think about it, don't you know how much trouble you will cause?"

Qingzhou City is the most remote state city in Qingguo, it is the land that the eldest prince forcibly knocked down when he led the troops for the first time, and it is also the latest state city, hanging deep on the edge of the grassland, empty on three sides, and often in the sharp edge of the battle between the two sides.

Fan Xian knocked away the finger that was about to point to his face, and said angrily: "Aren't you a dignitary?

"But we are all in the barracks!" Li Hongcheng looked at him, raised his voice angrily, and said: "Do you think I don't know you? You will stop when you arrive in Qingzhou? I know you too well, and when you see the grassland ahead, you will be reluctant to go in? You like to take risks, you like to sneak around, and you will never follow the advance and retreat of the large army. ”

"Can I watch you slip into the grassland under my rule?" Li Hongcheng gritted his teeth and said, "I'll tell you, there is no door!"

Fan Xian was silent, he didn't expect Hongcheng to see his plan at a glance, but the yin fire in his heart was burning, so he had to enter Qingzhou and see what was happening, even if he didn't enter the grassland.

"I promise you, I won't go into the steppe with my subordinates. He looked at Li Hongcheng. said very seriously: "I'm just going to Qingzhou to check some things." If...... If I don't have anybody. No one knows exactly what's going on, trust me. It's a big deal. ”

"What are you going to Qingzhou to investigate?" Li Hongcheng calmed down. Looking at him word by word, he asked, "If you have a will, I will let you go, if not." Don't say any more. ”

"If I have a will, I'll still talk to you about a fart!" Fan Xian couldn't help but get angry when he saw that he didn't eat oil and salt, and scolded: "Don't forget, I'm Qincha! Your Majesty allowed me to act cheaply." I inform you. It's about respecting you. I really want to go to Qingzhou, what are you going to stop me?"

Hear this. Li Hongcheng gritted his teeth. But I couldn't find any words to refute it. After a while, he said in a cold voice: "I must warn you, now the border pass is different from before, it is easy to die, and the Hu people are becoming more and more insidious...... It's pretty much the same as yours. Why did you bring the Inspectorate into the city earlier? can be caught by me because Dingzhou City is now mixed with a lot of spies, and Xidaying and Xiliang Road Governor's Mansion are very nervous about this matter. ”

"You can't even fool me with your disguises, let alone those nonsense people. Li Hongcheng stared at his eyes. Tried hard to persuade him: "Ye Ling'er is different from you, the Ye family is still very feared by the Hu people in the west. But your reputation represents the face of the court. If the Hu people can kill you, they will definitely do whatever it takes. ”

"Spies...... There are indeed a lot of spies. Fan Xian let out a long breath of turbidity, and said quietly: "In the past thirty years, the Hu people have not been able to send spies to the territory. Because we look so different...... As a result, it has only been more than two years, and I am also very curious about where these spies who sold our information to the Hu people came from. ”

A hint of strangeness flashed in Li Hongcheng's eyes.

Fan Xian looked at him and said, "The most important purpose of my trip is to dig out that person." and all the people associated with that person. I have been preparing for this for four months! If you want to stop me, you go and ask Your Majesty for advice. ”

Li Hongcheng raised his hands. Indicates a waiver. But he still sneered and said: "But have you thought about it, if something happens to you, what will Your Majesty do?

"You overestimate the Hu people. Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly. Mockingly, he said, "Underestimate me." ”

Li Hongcheng was stunned. Suddenly, he was pulled in. Walk to the study where the map is stored. Walking through the back garden, I came to a room and lit a light. Li Hongcheng spread out a huge map, slapped his palm heavily on a place in the extreme west, and said coldly: "Look at the location of Qingzhou." It's two hundred miles away, and if you want to go, I'll send you a team of 1,000 people, and if you don't want someone to send you...... Then I want to know. In the last thirty miles of plain desert area, the Hu people came to raid. How do you cope?"

Fan Xian looked at the map carefully, although he had studied this map many times in the Kyoto courtyard, but at this time, he still felt a chill when he looked at it again, the road to Qingzhou was close to the edge of the grassland, and the Hu people could indeed attack at any time with their ability to be elusive on the grassland.

"I am a businessman, and the Hu people do not kill merchants. Fan Xian lowered his head and said, but he was thinking about the agreement with Hu Ge.

Li Hongcheng didn't answer his words, pointed to the map and said: "In the past two years, the Hu people have run out of the grassland every day to sweep the tuntian in the rear of Qingzhou...... Do you know how many people died? Once those Hu people are killed, it doesn't matter if you are a merchant or not? Even if you are a master of the Nine Ranks, if you are facing hundreds of rangers, what way can you escape?"

Without waiting for Fan Xian to answer, his finger continued to move on the map: "Look at this piece, this is the direction of the Hu people's main attack, in the past two years, a total of more than a thousand Tuntian troops have died. ”

Fan Xian knew about the tragedy on the border and said, "There is no way to solve this problem?"

"I dare to guarantee that the iron cavalry under my account will never lose to the Hu people's land rangers, but this is like two people stabbing each other, the knives are very sharp, but the goals are different, they dare not touch my main force, but I can't catch their main force. ”

Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "The Hu people's tents are moving, but our people are tied to death on the land because of the fields, and the damage they have caused to us is naturally greater than the damage we have caused to them. ”

Li Hongcheng nodded helplessly.

"So I'm going to Qingzhou, I'm going to see the master who invented the bastard tactics of fighting grass valley...... Who exactly. Fan Xian's eyes were cold, and a fire began to ignite in the cold.

Knowing that he couldn't convince Fan Xian, Li Hongcheng stared into his eyes and asked, "Why...... The Supervisory Yuan for the West Liangdi matter. So careful?"

"It's not a hospital affair. It's my private business. Fan Xiandi was obviously in a bad mood. Look at that on the map

"Of course, it's not just a personal matter, I have to stabilize the situation by next year," he said. I need your help, and I need to cut down the support that the Hu people are getting. ”

"Before next year?" Li Hongcheng looked at him suspiciously, wondering why he was so anxious about the situation in the west.

"Next year, Sigu Sword will last until next spring at most. Fan Xian lowered his head and said, "I put more than half of my attention around." It is used to observe the injuries of the Sigu Sword. This great master is really able to survive...... I stayed up for so long longer than expected. Although he hadn't seen anyone else in the past two years, we knew he was alive, and we knew he was going to die next year. ”

"What does the life and death of the Sigu Sword have to do with the west?" asked Li Hongcheng in annoyance.

Fan Xian raised his head, looked at him and said, "Because if Sigu Sword dies, His Majesty will send me to Dongyi City...... I don't have time to solve the problem of the west side anymore. ”

Li Hongcheng sneered and said, "You think it's a matter of heaven and earth." Can you do it all by yourself? I admit you are capable. But hopefully you don't think too highly of yourself. ”

Fan Xian knew that the other party's words were not malicious, and spread out his hands and said, "Look at Dongyi City behind the sword." Always have to go to the side. Whether it's me Daqing or Northern Qi, the biggest problem is ...... How do we make a smooth transition of Dongyi City into our hands. ”

"Or if the two sides fight, Dongyi City can still maintain a neutral posture. ”

"No way. Fan Xian laughed at himself, shook his head and said: "As soon as Sigu Sword dies, the contradiction between the City Lord's Mansion and the Sword Mansion will break out, where is Dongyi City qualified to be neutral?"

"But you still haven't explained, what does this have to do with your rush to Xiliang. ”

Fan Xian glanced at Hongcheng helplessly, and was silent for a long time. said in a low voice: "The reason is very simple, I must prove to the world that I can solve the problem of Xiliang and Dongyi City." ”

"Then?" Li Hongcheng looked at him suspiciously.

"Then I want to prove it to Your Majesty. If...... I mean, if you really want to dominate the world, you don't have to...... If you have to fight, even if you want to fight, it doesn't necessarily have to be a fight. It is also feasible to attack civilly, even if it must be a martial ...... If you can fight small, you can fight small. ”

Fan Xian's voice became lower and lower, so low that it seemed that he didn't even believe it. Li Hongcheng was also stupid. He sat in silence, wondering if he had misheard something.

Li Hongcheng suddenly stood up and walked quickly back and forth in the study, as if trying to digest the news he had just heard, and after a while, he stopped beside Fan Xiandi and laughed uncontrollably, the laughter was full of absurdity.

"You idiot!" Li Hongcheng scolded at him: "You can also think of such a childish idea? Do you think that you are an immortal, and you can solve the Hu people without spending a single soldier? You can solve Dongyi City and Northern Qi without spending a single soldier!"

Li Hongcheng trembled angrily, pointed at Fan Xian's face, and his fingertips trembled: "I thought you had such a great idea to go to Qingzhou, but it was such a childish war!"

"What do you want to do? Are you really being slapped by the students of Taixue and forgetting your last name? Do you really want to be a saint?"

Li Hongcheng grabbed Fan Xian's shirt suddenly, gritted his teeth and said, "Are you crazy? People in the world will not obediently act according to your thoughts!"

The faces of the two people were very close to each other, Li Hongcheng looked at the gloom in Fan Xian's eyes, and shouted in a low voice: "Prove it to Your Majesty, what are you thinking?"

Fan Xian hung his head and said in a low voice: "What do I think? If I say that I hope that the world is peaceful and there is no war...... Wouldn't you think this idea is ridiculous. ”

Li Hongcheng let go of his hands, and Fan Xian sat back on the chair.

He looked at Fan Xian and shook his head for a long time, he was speechless in shock, as a son of Qingguo, he hated war so much? Fortunately, he knew how many life and death situations Fan Xian had experienced in his life, and he was definitely not a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death.

"The idea is not ridiculous. Li Hongcheng said word by word: "Rather, this cannot constitute an idea at all." ”

Fan Xian raised his head and said stubbornly: "Why can't I? If I can dominate the world with my own strength, why does Your Majesty want to go to the south and the north to fight again, and let those tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of ordinary people ...... Died because of this glorious goal. Why can't I think that for so many lives!"

"Good, good. Li Hongcheng nodded angrily. He said: "You can think like this, but you will never be able to do it, and I advise you that it is better not to let Your Majesty know what you think, otherwise he will definitely think you are crazy." ”

"I'm crazy. Fan Xian closed his eyes. Youyou said: "You don't know how I've lived in the past two years, I've been thinking about this problem every day, it seems that the next moment a big war is about to break out, and those people who don't understand anything will die under the horse." Died by swords and guns. I want to change that. But I don't know what to do...... No one was able to help me. ”

"No one can help me!" He suddenly became angry, opened his eyes, stared at Li Hongcheng, stretched out a finger and said loudly: "They're all gone! Chen Pingping doesn't care about anything, his father is old, and Lin Ruofu was scared into an old rabbit by His Majesty in Wuzhou! What about the boss? He is only afraid that he is still willing to go to war, and he is not willing to stay in Kyoto......

Uncle Wuzhu is also gone. I'm left alone. Fan Xian added in his heart.

"It's just me. Fan Xian's lips trembled slightly, and he gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "I'm the only one left thinking about it at night." Struggling. I was not reconciled, knowing that this was a difficult goal to achieve, but I still had to try to do it. ”

"Ridiculous! ridiculous! naïve!" Li Hongcheng shook his shoulder, as if trying to shake this madman awake, "It took your majesty thirty years to create such a good situation...... Xihu: If Your Majesty is ready, you can beat them into rubbish! In the current situation, you want to go against Your Majesty? Let me tell you. Your Majesty doesn't need you to do this for him, he has enough ability to do it himself!"

Li Hong looked at Fan Xian like an idiot, "In two years." You let the Inspectorate deliberately reduce its power to stabilize the imperial court, and you let the inner treasury regain its former glory, enrich the treasury, and replenish military spending...... If you really pacified Sihu for him. After recovering Dongyi City, you have already made all the preparations for the big war for Your Majesty, but you thought

Wait for Your Majesty to give up the idea of going to war?"

"Do you think Your Majesty is crazy or are you crazy?"

"What the hell is going on? in the past two years. What happened to you?" Li Hongcheng looked at Fan Xian in disbelief. He asked, "The world is peaceful?" This kind of thing has never happened. ”

"At least as long as I lived. I hope the world is peaceful. This is my ideal in life. ”

Fan Xian laughed to himself. After a moment of calm. said seriously: "When I was a child in the state. I was thinking about what I was going to do in this life. Later, I gradually understood. If the world can be peaceful, it will be the best. ”

"Two years ago in Kyoto. Fan Xian raised his head. looked at Li Hongcheng's beard and concerned eyes close at hand. Youyou said: "I watched my second child vomit blood and die. The eldest princess stabbed herself to death, and there were so many rebel soldiers, forbidden troops, and subordinates of the Supervision Academy. Just because of the goal of dominating the world. It became a sacrifice on the road of His Majesty. That's when I firmly established this ideal, isn't it ridiculous?"

"I've seen dead people too. Li Hongcheng glared at him. "These three years have been on the prairie. I've seen more dead than you, but so what? History will always be like this. Your ideals are ridiculous, you know?"

"Ironically, ideals are still ideals. Fan Xian crossed his hands on his chest and regained his composure. Quietly said: "If people don't have ideals. What's the difference between that and salted fish?"

"In the entire Qingguo, no one will support your so-called ...... Ideal. Li Hongcheng also gradually calmed down, shook his head and said with pity: "Including Dean Chen." No one, including Fan Shangshu, will support your idea. ”

"I understand. Fan Xian said: "I am different from most people in the world, I just want to use facts. to convince Your Majesty. ”

"Your Majesty...... I will never be convinced!" Li Hongcheng accentuated.

"Nothing happened, who knows?" Fan Xian stood up and said, "Don't forget." I am now a father of two children, you have always had to get married and have children in the past two years, we always have to leave something for our descendants, at least I hope it is not a war that does not stop and there are dead bodies on the way to turmoil the world. ”

"Don't you look forward to Your Majesty's domination of the world?" Li Hongcheng listened to Fan Xian's words. After a long silence, he asked.

"It's easy to fight the world, but it's hard to rule the world. Fan Xian tidied up his clothes that had been pulled up. Said slowly: "Back then, the Northern Expedition broke up the Great Wei, but the Zhan family inherited the Great Zuo, the people of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, and Yanjing in Shandong were easy to subdue, but the people of the Great Wei were not so easy to bow their heads. Even if my Daqing Iron Cavalry invades the capital city, it will take at least a few decades for the people of Nali to recognize the rule of the Li royal family. ”

"Decades of repression and massacres, to be precise. Fan Xian walked outside the house, "I don't want Xiaohua and Liangzi to see the scenery of the West Lake and the East China Sea in the future, but the blood flowing pestle and the iron cable across the river, so I want to try to change it, at least change the way." ”

"But decades of subway blood will be exchanged for peace for all eternity. Li Hongcheng still couldn't accept Fan Xiandi's idea.

"The general trend of the world will be divided for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time, and unifying the country may bring more benefits to the people, but I can't care about it that far. Fan Xian said: "This idea, I once told Yan Bingyun, I can only think about the moment when I am alive, and the moment when my children are alive." ”

"I just don't want to be a salted fish, I don't want to be a saint. After saying this, Fan Xian walked outside the house. In the room, Li Hongcheng pressed his palms on the map, and suddenly said, "Why are you telling me this?"

Fan Xian didn't turn around, and replied with a smile: "We are friends, and I won't hide my thoughts from friends." ”

Then he thought of his friend in a floral dress, and his heart throbbed.

......

......

A few days later, the Xiliang Road Qincha, the Inspectorate of the Supervision Yuan, the Gongfan of the Pond entered the city on behalf of the Holy Patrol, the Governor of Xiliang Road and the general went out of the city to greet each other, and the whole city celebrated for three days. At the end of the three days, the general's palace tried the case of a mutton shop, and found out that the Jiangnan businessmen secretly collaborated with thieves and smuggled salt and iron, and beheaded a total of 14 people.

After the feast, Qin sent out of the city and sent the city off. On the same day, Qin Cha Fan Xian had already disguised himself as a businessman, got on the carriage bound for Qingzhou, and began his journey to investigate the case.

As he said that night, he must calm the situation in Xihudi and peacefully subdue Dongyi City before the war under heaven, so as to prove to His Majesty the Emperor that his ability and his means are feasible. However, this trip to Xihu is not only a step for Fan Xian to get rid of the salted fish life, but more importantly, he wants to solve a matter, a thing that makes him very angry, but this matter cannot be explained clearly to Hongcheng.

The carriage was moving along the official road in the fields of Wutun, and in front of and behind the convoy, the subordinates of the Supervision Yuan were vigilantly watching everything in case they were raided by the Hu people's grass valley team.

Fan Xian hoped that a team of Hu people could come, but unfortunately, after that night, Li Hongcheng took the lead in launching the autumn offensive in the ninth year of Qingli, and for a time rode Xihu back to the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, on the grassland, and the empty rear of Qingzhou suddenly became quiet.

Fan Xian retracted his gaze to look out the window, knowing that the big move of the Xida camp was completely to ensure his own safety, although Hongcheng did not say anything, he was using his own actions to help himself.

His eyes fell on the knife in his hand, this knife is ordinary, but the materials are excellent, it is definitely not the level of craftsmanship of the Hu people, but the problem is that this knife is the weapon of the Hu people who were seized in Qingzhou City five months ago.

The officials from all over the interior of Qingzhou City sent the knife back to Kyoto with great vigilance and presented it to Fan Xiandi. This knife did not have any marks that could be traced to the road, but Fan Xian recognized it at a glance, because this kind of knife was made by a secret workshop somewhere on the shore of the North Sea.

Fan Xiandi's eyes were filled with irrepressible anger, and the true qi in his body was released, and the knife was broken in two with a snap.

......