Sun Shiwu held the cane with both hands and said: "Today, there are bandits in the world, and there are natural disasters that have fallen, causing the people to live in poverty, wars are everywhere, the country is not the country, the prince is raising volunteers, cutting down no way, punishing the liukou, Kuang Fu Sheji, should be the pillar of the country." The old man came today, in fact, he wanted to ask the prince. ”

Xiao Yu said seriously: "Elder Sun, please ask." ”

Sun Shiwu pondered for a moment, and slowly spoke: "The prince has come to this point, to say a word of heart-wrenching, one step further is another world, it may be the foundation of the world, or it may be the abyss, the old man wants to ask the prince, after you enter Beijing, where will you go?"

Xiao Yu crossed his fingers with his hands and did not hurry to speak.

Lan Yu took over the conversation and said: "This time we are going to Beijing to rush to the exam, if we are lucky enough to get a champion and the first, and go to the pavilion to pay respects, we will naturally have to show our ambitions." However, before that, there are some fundamental issues to be solved, one is to depose the great prime minister Xiao Lie, the second is to depose the privy envoy to the shepherd, the third is to blame Zhao Qing, the governor of Zhili Prefecture, the fourth is to depose Sun Shilin, the chief of ceremonies, and the fifth is to depose one of the internal and external personnel appointed by Xiao Lie's prime minister's office. ”

Sun Shiwu's face gradually became solemn, and he paused the crutches in his hand lightly, and said, "Lord Lan wants to make the Eastern Capital Imperial Hall become the Northwest Yiyan Hall?"

Lan Yu said with a smile: "The capital is not so easy to go, and it depends on the bloody battles of the soldiers of my Northwest Army, if it is not rewarded, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of all the soldiers. ”

Sun Shiwu looked at Xiao Yu and said in a deep voice: "Lord Wang, official titles and titles are all trivial, instead of worrying about the official hat, why not unite all parties, follow the example of the sage, and rule by the Holy Son of Heaven." ”

The so-called "Holy Son of Heaven rules by hanging the arch", the meaning is actually very simple, that is, the emperor does not personally govern the world, similar to the Taoist advocacy of ruling by inaction but can make the world peaceful.

Xiao Yu finally spoke: "What does Elder Sun mean by the reality of the Void Monarch?"

Sun Shiwu nodded and said, "This is the common long-cherished wish of all scholars in the world. ”

Xiao Yu asked rhetorically: "The great prime minister is powerful and powerful, even the emperor has to call him his father, why did Sun Lao come to find this king?"

Sun Shiwu showed a sad look on his face, and sighed: "It is not a good appearance, all over the party between the government and the opposition, playing with the Son of Heaven in the palm of his hand, and fornicating with the Queen Mother in the harem. ”

Xiao Yu coughed lightly and did not speak.

There is no impermeable strength in the world, the matter between Xiao Lie and the Empress Dowager Yu, there are more or less rumors that catch the wind and catch shadows, Xiao Yu has heard of it, but he didn't take it seriously, but today from the mouth of Sun Shiwu, the old lady, the eight achievements are true. In fact, even among those ministers who have been submissive to Xiao Lie, there are also many people who have complained that the prime minister's move is too out of line, and it will inevitably cause trouble in the future, but because of Xiao Lie's prestige, no one dares to say it clearly.

Xiao Yu suddenly felt a little angry.

is also surnamed Xiao, the same is the ruling party, and is also one of the four capitals, why is the gap so big, you Xiao Lie is a confidant who doesn't know how many, the peony flower owner who stayed in the central capital, Yan Keqing, who became the hostess of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Princess Ling'an in the princess's mansion, plus Bingchen Zhenren, who is now the envoy of the Taoist Sect, is not satisfied, and there will be another Jade Queen Mother. On the other hand, I have been tossing for so long, I have a wife in the family, no concubines, and only half of the red face outside.

After a while, Xiao Yu gathered his thoughts and said softly: "If the current emperor is willing to rule by hanging the arch, then the king will give him a chance." ”

After sending Sun Shiwu away, Lan Yu reflexively returned to the pavilion and said: "Sun Shiwu is a person, who has gone through three dynasties and two dynasties. This time I met the prince to talk about what to do, I am afraid that the drunkard does not mean to drink, but he has a sentence that is not wrong, the prince is now no longer a way back, this step, whether it is success or failure, is another world, where to go, the prince still has to know in his heart. ”

Xiao Yu smiled, "If it really comes to that point, whether it is to ascend the throne and become the emperor, or to rule by hanging the arch, it is just between our thoughts, as long as we have the final say in this world, these are all trivial matters." ”

――

Sun Shiwu boarded the carriage with the support of his disciples, and slowly left the Jeju Mansion, which had changed hands.

Taishan Beidou, a contemporary Shilin, lifted the curtains, looked at the Northwest Iron Cavalry outside as a guard, and said to the disciples beside him: "The trend of the times, most of the people have no backbone. Now that Xiao Yu has entered the customs, he is a real native of the Central Plains, and the Northwest Army is also the Central Plains Army, compared to the original Houjian, he can almost be regarded as his own people, and those high-ranking lords who are grass-like on the wall have no psychological burden, and they don't have to be afraid of others saying that they are traitors, and they don't have to be afraid of others poking their backbones in the back, they can serve the new master with peace of mind and become the heroes of the new dynasty. ”

The disciple who accompanied the old man to Qizhou this time is also fifty years old this year, surnamed Luo Minglan, and he is also a famous party, and he has a high reputation in Jiangnan Shilin. Luo Lan said: "Teacher, are you so sure that Xiao Yu will win the world? Now Xiao Yu has not even won Jiangbei, and Jiangnan is the essence of the world." ”

The old man, who had seen the rise and fall of the world, looked up at his disciple, shook his head and sighed: "The essence of Shilin is all in Jiangnan, this sentence is good, but there is another point, that is, the elite of soldiers and horses in the world are all in Jiangbei. Scholars are used by the emperor to sit in the world, not to fight the world, to fight the world, or to see whose fist is bigger and harder. ”

The old man lowered the curtain and said: "When it comes to fighting the world, we scholars can wave the flag and shout, and we can make suggestions, and if there are others, most of them are powerless, just like saying that you can go into battle to kill the enemy, can you do it, or can I do it?"

Sun Shiwu waved his hand, "In the final analysis, no, if a scholar can also go into battle to kill the enemy, then what else do you need a martial artist? ”

Luo Lan sighed and said: "The Great Prime Minister and Mr. Hengqu re-established the Confucian Sect, and now there is already a climate of vertical arch governance, and now I want to give up, I am really unwilling." ”

Sun Shiwu sneered: "What is the rule of the vertical arch? The peace of the world is the rule of the vertical arch as the sage said, is the world peaceful today? Xiao Lie is in power, can he have the slightest virtuous bearing? Mess up the harem, control the government, arrogant and arrogant, and even make up a kind of queen mother to train the government, Ji Si Chen, it is simply ridiculous! Such a rule of the vertical arch, such a Confucianism, don't do it!"

Seeing that the teacher was angry, Luo Lan didn't dare to speak for Xiao Lie anymore, and asked cautiously, "Teacher, where are we going next?"

Sun Shiwu closed his eyes and said, "Go to the Eastern Capital, I don't believe that Xiao Lie dares to do anything to my old bones." ”

――

Yuzhou and Zhongzhou, in ancient times together called the Central Plains, its capital Luofu is the former capital of the Nine Dynasties.

Yuzhou is located in the south of the Qinghe River, east of Qizhou, north of Zhili Prefecture, west of Shaanzhou, south of Zhongzhou, showing the east to the west, looking north to south.

As long as Yuzhou is conquered, it can enter Zhili Prefecture from the north, and connect with Xiao Yu's army located in the east of Zhili Prefecture to complete the Northwest Army's three-sided advance on Zhili Prefecture.

A total of 150,000 troops of the right army of the Northwest Army poured into the territory of Yuzhou like the water of the Qinghe River that burst the embankment, and most of the defenders of Yuzhou collapsed in an instant like a dam built of sand and gravel.

In just one month, Minxing captured most of Yuzhou, and Zhang Haijiu retreated again and again, until he retreated to Luofu City, and after there was no way out, he could only retreat.

The governor of Yuzhou died in battle.

The governor of Yuzhou committed suicide.

The prefect and the garrison, half of them surrendered.

Now, under the city of Luofu, a middle-aged general with a majestic posture came to a high slope surrounded by layers of iron armor, looking at the head of Luofu City from afar.

After a long time, Min Xing, who was the commander of the Right Route Army of the Northwest Army, retracted his gaze, sighed softly, and said to himself: "It's too slow." ”