Lu Shen remembered very well that Lu Tong clearly said when he told the past that only their father and son now knew the truth about the fire back then.

This has little to do with whether or not you trust Xiao Wangzhi.

After all, this is a secret that has been happening for more than a decade and has a clear ending, telling others that in addition to increasing the risk, it will only bring distress and pressure to the other party.

Lu Shen is Lu Tong's son, and it is natural for him to bear this pressure, and it involves his plans for the future, he must know the grievances and entanglements between the Lu family and the Li royal family.

According to the normal process, Xiao Wangzhi would not have been involved, but as an insider of many things back then, coupled with Lu Shen's intention to protect himself, he gradually guessed the truth that was deeply buried by Lu Tong in this direction.

Lu Shen didn't speak, and his silent attitude explained everything.

Of course, he can deny it with righteousness, but such a trick does not have much meaning in front of Xiao Wangzhi, and it will cause an estrangement between the two of them.

"Your dad is the best of us, he does what we want to do but don't dare to do."

Xiao Wangzhi's next sentence surprised Lu Shen.

He has a high opinion of Lu Tong, which is a reasonable statement.

Among the group of young people around Yang Guangyuan back then, Lu Tong's military talent was not weaker than others, and he later withdrew from the army and ran the business in an orderly manner, not to mention that he needed to dredge all forces, and there were connections in the north and south of the river.

What surprised Lu Shen was the sentence behind Xiao Wang.

What do you mean by something you want to do but don't dare to do?

He looked at the middle-aged man opposite with a complicated expression, and said slowly: "Uncle Xiao also thought about avenging Yang Dashuai?" ”

Xiao Wangzhi put the tongs aside, picked up the teacup again and took a sip, as if he was brewing some kind of courage.

"When the marshal drove me to Huaizhou, I was very bored and incomprehensible, because Huaizhou at that time belonged to the rear, and the real battlefield was in the Jinghe defense line in the north. Later, that is, in the seventh year of Yuankang, Dashuai was recalled to Heluo City, followed by torture in prison, and he died three days later. It all happened so suddenly and so quickly that we couldn't even come to the rescue. ”

Listening to Xiao Wangzhi's gloomy tone, Lu Shen bowed slightly, of course he could understand this helpless and sad mood.

"From the seventh year of Yuankang to the eleventh year of Yuankang, our group of generals who have been promoted by the marshal have had a very difficult time, some people have been implicated by the aftermath, some people are depressed and disheartened, and some people have given up on themselves and watched coldly. I still remember that I was at war almost every day in those years, and you know what I was thinking? ”

Xiao Wangzhi's eyes were filled with Xiao Suo, and he was a little painful and entangled.

Even after more than ten years, he still doesn't want to think about it.

Lu Shen said in a low voice: "Uncle Xiao should be thinking about whether to lead the army to join the Jing Dynasty to avenge Yang Dashuai, or to uphold Yang Dashuai's last wish to protect the Great Qi country." ”

"You're half right."

Xiao Wangzhi laughed at himself and said abruptly: "I have thought about taking refuge in Jingjun, but I don't have the courage to become the finger of a thousand people, and at the same time I don't have the courage to publicly avenge Yang Dashuai, I can only squat in Huaizhou like a shrunken turtle, and paralyze myself with Dashuai's advice every day - I, Xiao Wangzhi, am not a bad seed, I just want to inherit Dashuai's legacy and keep a useful body to protect the people of Li." ”

Lu Shen looked at him in a daze.

Xiao Wangzhi shook his head and said: "What kind of bullshit celebrity, it's just greedy for life and afraid of death. ”

"Uncle Xiao......"

"I'm not pretending to be in front of this junior, these words have been hidden in my heart for many years, and I am really uncomfortable. I don't dare to mention it in front of your father, because I'm afraid that he will take out the tablet of the handsome man and slap me in the face. ”

Lu Shen only sighed softly.

Xiao Wangzhi continued: "Heluo fell, the first emperor and the crown prince died in the palace fire, I only felt extremely happy and comfortable, as if the boulder pressing on my heart suddenly disappeared, so I took the Zhenbei army to defend the Lai'an defense line, and again blocked the attack of the Jing army, and finally relied on military merits to become the governor of Huaizhou. However, this does not change the fact that from the seventh year of Yuankang to the eleventh year of Yuankang, Xiao Wangzhi was an out-and-out coward in these four years. ”

Lu Shen asked softly: "So Uncle Xiao unswervingly wants to promote the Northern Expedition, in order to wash away the humiliation brought by each day and night in those four years?" ”

Xiao Wangzhi nodded and said, "Yes." ”

Lu Shen stared into his eyes, was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Uncle Xiao, have you ever thought about a question, why didn't my father have a relationship with you, and your friendship has been consistent all these years?" ”

Xiao Wangzhi was slightly puzzled.

Lu Shen said clearly: "If Uncle Xiao is really as Fang Cai said, he is a coward and villain who is ungrateful and betrays the general, why does my father continue to make friends with you?" Uncle Xiao didn't do anything in those four years, no matter how entangled you were in your heart, at least on the surface, you really didn't do anything, couldn't my father see through this? ”

Xiao Wangzhi was stunned.

Lu Shen said slowly: "I think it's because my father knows the hardships of your old brothers, and he doesn't want the fire that Yang Dashuai did everything possible to destroy the treacherous situation, so he chose to do that alone." ”

Xiao Wangzhi lowered his head slightly and said, "Maybe so." ”

"It must be so."

Lu Shen's tone was categorical, and then said: "Yang Dashuai knows that he is not tolerated by the Emperor of the Li family, but he can't betray his own standards, so he is willing to die with his body, and his only selfish intention is to keep your fire." My father knew what Yang Dashuai thought, and he also knew that you could only help the people by staying in the army, so he planned the fire alone. Uncle Xiao, you have not lived up to their expectations, you not only held Huaizhou but also trained an army of 100,000, and now you are taking us to recover your homeland, isn't this the situation that Yang Dashuai wants to see? ”

Listening to the young man's gradually raised tone and looking at the sparkle in his eyes, Xiao Wangzhi suddenly took a long breath and asked uncertainly, "So what did I do?" ”

Lu Shen smiled: "It's not improvised, it's excellent." ”

Xiao Wangzhi is not the kind of self-pity temperament after all, it is a unique situation to express his heart in front of Lu Shen today, he recalled the origin of this conversation, and couldn't help but sigh: "Your father has not told me the truth of this matter, I think I am afraid that I will feel guilty after I know about it, and maybe I will give up on myself." ”

Lu Shen pretended to be surprised: "Won't it?" Uncle Xiao, don't describe my father as a monster, how can he be popular in everything? ”

Xiao Wangzhi smiled and said: "I have received your wishes, but you arrange your father in front of me, I have to tell him next time." ”

"Uncle Xiao, you're not kind."

Lu Shen was slightly aggrieved.

Xiao Wangzhi raised his hand and nodded at him, and said warmly: "Since there was the fire back then, it is reasonable for you to react to the precautions and vigilance in the south. Although I believe that your father has done a very clean job and will not leave any hands and tails, after all, there have never been relevant rumors in the past ten years, but if you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what happens, and it is not a bad thing to be careful. ”

Lu Shen said: "I thought that after Uncle Xiao guessed this matter, he would part ways with our Lu family." ”

Xiao Wangzhi said: "Why? ”

Lu Shen said calmly: "Because my heart to support the Northern Expedition is not pure. ”

Xiao Wangzhi asked with interest: "Then why do you support the Northern Expedition?" ”

Lu Shen said: "Uncle Xiao still remembers, last year I returned to Huaizhou from the pseudo-Yan businessman, and was searched and framed by Ning Li in Panlong Pass, and then was detained by the Guangling Yamen of the Warp Weaving Division? ”

Xiao Wangzhi nodded and said, "Remember." ”

Lu Shen naturally did not reveal his true origin, he recalled the scene at that time, and said slowly: "That incident gave me two inspirations, one is that I may be better at planning and calculating than doing business. The second is that during the more than ten days I stayed in the yamen of the warp weaving department, I could not feel at ease. I know my dad has the power to protect me, but I don't want to be pinched by my neck anymore, and I don't want to be a fish on the chopping board. ”

"So I want to use the warp weaving department as a springboard to seek a future in the army, because in today's troubled times, only military power can be regarded as the real confidence. I don't have the grand ambitions of Uncle Xiao and Governor Li, let alone Yang Dashuai, I just want to have the ability to protect myself and my family. ”

This is the first time he has revealed his heart in front of Xiao Wangzhi.

Xiao Wangzhi pondered for a moment and asked cautiously, "So you're worried that I will look down on you because of this?" ”

"Nope."

Lu Shen shook his head, and then said: "After listening to Uncle Xiao's self-analysis, I actually feel very ashamed, but I should at least have the courage to look directly into my heart. ”

Xiao Wangzhi smiled gently, and said with emotion: "Maybe in the eyes of those civil officials in the court, only flawless can be called perfect, this is a correct nonsense, just like they will be called saints." The world is bustling with each other, and the so-called demand can be successful. It doesn't matter what your original intention is, as long as you genuinely put in the effort for it. ”

Lu Shen naturally has a clear conscience in this regard, whether it is a few battles last year, or going to Baotai Mountain to help the Seven Star Gang this year, and even the current Northern Expedition, he has paid all his efforts and energy, and he has not slackened for a moment.

"You have to understand a truth, those who achieve great things cannot be compared, let alone require everyone to be flawless, only by uniting all those who can provide help, you can achieve the ultimate goal."

Xiao Wangzhi was kind and seductive, looked at Lu Shen's eyes and said: "If the Northern Expedition is like this, so is life." ”

Although he didn't say it too thoroughly, Lu Shen had already comprehended his deep meaning, and the two sides quietly reached a unity of opinion.

In short, Xiao Wangzhi did not allow anyone to undermine the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, at least not in the Huaizhou Army.

Under this premise, as long as he does not violate the law of military discipline and king, he can tolerate that everyone has different original intentions and reasons.

Whether you are loyal to the country or want to leave a name in history, even if you simply want to increase the rank and climb up, as long as you fight bravely on the battlefield, Xiao Wangzhi will gladly accept it, not to mention that Lu Shen just wants to master the ability to protect himself.

As for what is enough self-protection ability, Xiao Wangzhi did not talk about it and did not want to talk about it deeply.

Some words just need to be clicked and stopped.

Lu Shen replied solemnly: "Uncle Xiao, I understand. ”

Xiao Wangzhi smiled and said: "You have a hard time going back and forth this time, go back and have a good rest first, and then we will discuss how to gnaw down the half of the territory of Dongyang Road." ”

Lu Shen stood up and saluted, and said awe-inspiringly: "The last general will take the order!" ”

(End of chapter)