After carefully instructing Jin San, Lu Heigou, and Mao Er to hurry up the grain harvesting, Yanghai, and storage, Shao Xun accompanied Pei Kang and Liu Anzhi back to Luoyang.

The carriage walked slowly, and he couldn't get back to Luoyang in a day, so he slept in the countryside that night.

Tang Jian's guests had doubled, and he was almost the leader of the team now, leading people to guard the perimeter at night.

Pei Kang and Liu Anzhi also brought a lot of parts, and they also stayed outside.

In the middle of the night, Pei Kang looked at the sky and was silent for a long time.

If the five-star surplus shrinks out of place, its essence descends to the ground and is human. Among them, Taibai was reduced to a strong man and was at the foot of the forest.

He silently returned to the tent, took out the divination utensils, and counted a hexagram.

I didn't come to any conclusions, so I put my mind down and decided to observe the traditional way.

The next day, we continued our journey and arrived in Luoyang in the afternoon.

The area around Luoyang is also harvesting in autumn.

This year, there were no droughts, no floods, no locust plagues, and everyone was beaming with joy and excitement.

I can breathe a sigh of relief.

As for next year, who knows? Even the Son of Heaven doesn't know what next year will bring.

After entering the city, Shao Xunjing returned to his mansion and wrote a teaching plan.

In the evening, Xu Lang came with Pei Kang and Liu Anzhi.

Pei and Liu were behind, Xu Lang walked a few steps in front, and whispered in Shao Xun's ear: "The princess personally sent Pei Gong to the door, her eyes were red and swollen, and everyone said that the princess was ......filial piety."

God is filial! Didn't you cry when you were scolded? Fortunately, Lao Pei should be measured, and outsiders should not mess around when they are present.

Shao Xun straightened his robe and welcomed the two in.

"I don't live here permanently, which makes Pei Gongjian smile." Shao Xun led people into the main hall and instructed the servants to make tea, but the servants told him that there was no tea, and he was immediately a little embarrassed.

"It's okay, the old man brought tea." Pei Kang was followed by two young men with clear eyebrows, and when he heard this, he immediately took out the tea balls, tea pots, and condiments from the box, and then went to fetch water to boil.

Liu Anzhi stood in the front yard, admiring the weapons on the instrument rack, and did not enter.

"Pei Gong forgive me, I am a military household, and I don't always have elegant things at home." Shao Xun asked people to move two Hu beds over.

Pei Kang glanced at it in surprise, this kind of seat was the first time he had seen it.

I sat down and tried it, but it was spacious and comfortable.

When the back is tired, it is reliable on the back of the Hu bed behind him, and there are armrests on both sides, which is also very intimate.

In short, he liked this seat a little, and said: "This thing is very wonderful, Lang Jun is a person who can enjoy it." ”

"If Pei Gong likes it, he will ask people to take the Hu bed back." Shao Xun said with a smile: "It's also tired in the army, so I want to get something more comfortable." The Hu bed is one of them, and there is also a high desk (table). ”

Pei Kang was noncommittal, just stared at Hu Bed for a long time, then closed his gaze, sorted out his thoughts, and said: "I talked to you about the general trend of the world yesterday, and today I have a lot of time, and I want to discuss it again." Do you know the current trend? ”

Shao Xun picked up the wine jug, poured some into the wine bowl, then dipped his finger in it, and wrote a few words on the table: East China Sea, Imperial Court, Hejian, Xiongnu.

"Let's talk about it." Pei Kang looked at Shao Xun expectantly and said.

These are the four largest forces in the North.

The King of the East China Sea has attracted many brothers of the same blood, and his strength is the strongest, although his personal strength is the weakest.

The imperial court is still influential, at least it can appoint assassins, governors, and taishou, and all the states and counties in the world will also send money and grain to Beijing.

The king of Hejian sat in the pass, although he was about to be attacked, but he still had the strength.

Liu Yuan, the Xiongnu, had already founded the country and was the first in the north to do so, and no one could ignore it.

As for the other small forces, they all survive in the gap between these four major forces.

Hearing Pei Kang's words, Shao Xun wrote the words "Fanyang", "Pingchang", "Dongying" and "Ningshuo" on the right side of the word "East China Sea".

On the right side of the "Imperial Court", the words "Son of Heaven", "Wang Yan", and "Forbidden Army" were written, and after writing, the "Forbidden Army" was erased.

On the right side of "Hejian" are written the words "Shi Clan" and "Zhang Fang".

There was nothing written on the right side of "Huns", because he did not know what to write.

"Why didn't you write it?" Pei Kang asked.

"I really don't know the inside story of the Huns." Shao Xun shook his head and said.

It's not that I don't want to investigate, but I really don't have the ability.

To collect intelligence, you must have a stronghold and raise a group of people, right? The collection process is also an expense, not small, one or two points can still be set up, dozens, hundreds of intelligence collection centers, who can afford it? Sima Yue couldn't afford it.

Also, do you have local connections?

In the past, outsiders were very eye-catching, not to mention, the efficiency of intelligence gathering must be extremely low, and it is difficult to obtain much useful things. If you go out to investigate, are you sure that you will not be captured as a slave?

This kind of thing can only be done in cooperation with the head snake.

Wang Yan is very powerful in this kind of thing, because he is a famous person in the world, his connections are very wide, and his family has been running for several generations, so he is not comparable to a nouveau riche without a background.

Pei Kang obviously knew about this, so he skipped it and asked instead: "You wrote about the many forces in the world, what might happen next?" ”

Shao Xun thought for a while and said, "If you want to know the affairs of the world, you still have to see what these people in power want." ”

At this point, he paused.

Pei Kang was slightly dissatisfied, and said, "So far, are you still unwilling to tell the truth?" You and I are in the hall, and it can't reach the ears of others. ”

Shao Xun nodded and said, "The King of the East China Sea wants to return to Luoyang and control the government. As for whether you want to go further, you have to see again. The servant thought that the king of the East China Sea was still sensible now, but if something happened, it would be difficult to say. ”

It is impossible to keep sanity from beginning to end.

It is indeed difficult for Sima Yue to usurp the throne as emperor, because he is a subordinate of the clan, and others are not convinced, and he also knows this. But knowing that once he feels that his time is short, what if he wants to have a good time? Sometimes reason is overwhelmed by impulses, and it's hard to talk about.

"There are few soldiers, little money, and little food, and if you want to sweep away the enemy, you can only rely on your uncles. But Uncle Fang won't do things for him in vain, Uncle Fang also has what he wants. ”

"King Fan Yang was restrained by Liu Qiao in Yuzhou, he only had military power, no political power, if he wanted to drive him to send troops, he could be tempted by the post of assassin in Yuzhou. This may be the reason why Fan Yang Wang Xingxing went north at night, he wanted to take over the military and political power. ”

"The Duke of Pingchang sits in Yecheng, and the only thing he thinks about is to quell the rebellion and secure the position of the lord of Jizhou."

"Dongying Gong is in Bingzhou, and has been repeatedly invaded by the Huns, and the situation is not good. He might want to change his position and make a comfortable stabbing history. ”

"Ningshuo's general Wang Jun attacked Sima Ying, half out of personal vendetta, half out of Chengdu to humiliate the Son of Heaven, and committed the following crimes. If the son is still in the capital today, and Sima Ying is dead, he may be sending troops to deal with errands, unless Sikong promises greater benefits, he will work hard. ”

"In the imperial court, there were originally three factions. After the fall of the forbidden army, only the Son of Heaven and Wang Yan were left. ”

"Some court officials respect the Son of Heaven and are loyal ministers. All they thought about was to calm the chaotic situation in the world, and they were not on good terms with the commonplace. ”

The rest are Wang Yan's henchmen, and most of them are private schemes. They tend to be commonplace, but they don't listen to them completely. ”

"The new forbidden army has not yet become a climate, and the generals are either attached to Sikong or are private individuals of the Wang family, and there are very few loyal monarchs."

"The king of the river is only thinking about self-preservation. He may contact other Fang Bo to fight against Sikong together. This increase in troops in Tongguan has the meaning of wait-and-see. Once Sikong suffers a few defeats, the western soldiers will rush eastward again. If you win consecutive battles, you will guard the door. ”

"The scholars of Xizhou, the honor and disgrace are all tied to the king of Hejian, but they have deep contradictions with people from humble backgrounds like Zhang Fang. The servant heard that Bi Yuan, who had joined the army in the Haofu, was a crown clan in the river, and was insulted by Zhang Fang, which can be seen from this. If the king of Hejian cannot solve the conflict between the scholars, he will be in danger. ”

"As for Liu Yuan, he has the greatest ambition and wants to conquer the world."

He talked a lot about it, and basically made the demands of each force clear.

Every family has a scripture that is difficult to read, and every family has external contradictions, and there are also hidden worries inside.

Sima Yue's own strength is weak, and he must rely on the strength of his allies.

Sima Hao was a meritocrat, and he successively promoted Li Han (Hanmen) and Zhang Fang (Wumendi) to serve as governors and lead the army. And as soon as these two people got their will, they got carried away, which greatly exacerbated the internal contradictions in the Haofu, especially Zhang Fang, who brought countless notoriety to Sima Hao, and it is not surprising that he was killed one day.

The battle of Yuefu and Haofu was a contest of internal stability. In comparison, Sima Hao's side is more difficult, the contradiction between the Shi clan and Zhang Fang has reached a sharp level, this will just barely turn his face - if Zhang Fang robs the Son of Heaven to Chang'an, I am afraid that he will completely turn his face.

"That's a good point." Pei Kang laughed and said, "It's not easy to peep at the leopard in the tube." ”

What Shao Xun analyzed relied on public information, starting from the demands of all parties, peeling off the cocoon, and progressing layer by layer, which is very level.

"Pei Gong praised it." Shao Xun said modestly.

"I still have some old acquaintances in Beijing, and I can borrow some of my belongings. If there is a shortage, you can discuss it with him and help you build the cloud dock. Pei Kang said again.

"The servant is grateful." When Shao Xun heard this, he immediately stood up and saluted.

Decent, no particular enthusiasm, and no faux pas.

I didn't mention this kind of thing about marrying Pei's daughter, and the investment was extremely limited.

More than half of the dock has already been built, and their investment is limited to the completion of the dock fort.

In fact, Shao Xun is a little strange, when is it, and he is still holding on to his money bag?

The Pei family can invest in anyone, but it is impossible to invest in Sima Yue, Sima Hao and other kings.

Since Pei Xiu, Pei Xu, Pei Kai and Pei Zan suffered heavy blows because they were involved in the royal strife, the Pei family had already learned a lesson and withdrew.

Now staying by Sima Yue's side is only Pei Dun.

So, how do you plan to use so much money and food? In troubled times, if you can't quickly become powerful or influential, waiting to give people an offering? What Liu Yuan asked for, but you gave me dozens or hundreds of times.

"On the other hand, if the Pei family goes south to Hongnong to build a dock fort, they must watch and help each other." Pei Kang said again.

"It's a no-brainer." Shao Xun said.

Pei Kang pondered his emotions and replied: "Today I asked Hua Nu carefully, and she didn't dare to hide it, and told everything and everything. Fortunately, the two of you are still restrained. Kim Yong Cheng is very timely, after Hua Nu moved back to Sikong Mansion, you went to find her twice, although it is reasonable, but it can't be more. From now on, you can be busy with military affairs, and don't think nonsense. ”

Shao Xun was silent.

With his current status, the concubines of the noble clans with lower rural quality may not be able to marry.

It is not impossible for a middle-class concubine or a widow to give it a try.

But what's the point of that?

There is no label, no identity, no emotion on a woman, and when the lights are turned off, it is just the same, so it is boring, so it is better to marry a fat girl from Mi Huang's family.

It's too extravagant to talk about feelings these days, it's almost impossible, so only identity can make him feel happy.

Don't say anything rational or dangerous, am I rational when I kill someone?

Am I sensible when I play with human heads?

I have too many places to be sensible, not to harm the people, to reward more money to my cronies, to educate my students diligently, to train the sergeants diligently, to make constant acquaintances with useful people, to think of new alternative systems, to deprive me of little joy when it comes to women, to work like an emotionless robot, this is to force me to rebel.

However, what Pei Kang said is not unreasonable, and he has to pretend for the time being.

He could bear it for the time being, but he couldn't help it when he was worried about Concubine Pei, who had been lonely for many years.

Once there is a rumor of Princess Langya's fornication with a small official, Concubine Pei may not have the same ending as Xiahou Guangji.

So, he nodded and said, "Pei Gong, relax, I respect and love the princess, and I will never have any blasphemy." ”

"It's not too late to rein in the precipice." Pei Kang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The old man can see some clues from the family letter, and it is also for your good to come and stop it." The King of the East Sea has a heavy army—"

Before he finished speaking, the shogunate's East Pavilion festival wine Yu Liang suddenly visited.

"Lang Jun, Sikong has lost ......," Yu Liang said with an anxious face.

"Where did you lose?" Shao Xun sat firmly on the Hu bed, his face unchanged, and asked.

Is it surprising that Sima Yue suffered defeat?

"Sikong took tens of thousands of kingdom troops, 20,000 Xuzhou soldiers, Xitun Xiao County, and Liu Qiao sent troops to Lingbi (Xiao County). The two armies fought, Sikong was defeated, rushed back to Xuzhou, gathered the remnants, and stopped more than 1,000 people. Yu Liang said.

Out of Xuzhou, not far to the west is Xiao County of Peiguo, Yuzhou. In other words, as soon as Sikong went out, he lost all his capital and retracted again.

"And then?" Shao Xun asked.

"Cao Junsi asked me to prepare for the expedition to Yuzhou. Sikong is now very anxious, and Yu Qiao is everywhere, so that Liu Qiao will be defeated. ”

"I see." Shao Xun nodded.

The troops that Sikong has accumulated with great difficulty, and the waves of the war are over, it is really delicious and fun-loving.

Now he is so anxious that he shakes people around, and even the soldiers in Luoyang have taken a fancy to him.

I just don't know what Sima Nan thinks about this, and will he regret letting Xuzhou out?

"Lang Jun, don't take it lightly." Pei Kang was shocked by the defeat at first, and only then did he react and said with a frown.

Why can't anyone beat the King of the East Sea?

It's okay to say that he was defeated by Sima Ying before, this will even defeat Liu Qiao, the assassin of Yuzhou, I don't know what to say. If this continues, even if he returns to Luoyang, his prestige will be greatly damaged, and he will not be able to smoothly control the government.

"Don't worry." Shao Xun said with a smile: "I know what kind of goods the forbidden army has, and I won't fight." Moreover, Sikong suffered such a big loss, it is difficult to say whether the king of Hejian will have an idea. Whether or not we can go south and east smoothly is still between the two. ”

Yu Liang understood.

If Sima Hao sent troops eastward, Luoyang would definitely not be able to draw troops and horses to support Sikong.

But – will this cause unpleasantness?

They hadn't seen Sikong for a long time, and they heard that scholars continued to throw themselves into Xuzhou, and the Xuzhou shogunate grew stronger and stronger, and it had surpassed the scale of the Luoyang shogunate before the Battle of Dangyin.

This thing, alas!