The Datang administrative region is divided into four levels of prefectures, counties and townships, the terrain east of Mount Tai is generally flat, and Qingzhou, where Pinglu Zhizhou is located, is a fertile field. The farmland outside the state city is densely populated, and the villages in each township are very dense.

In recent years, there has always been a busy scene of farming here on weekdays, and people with labor hoe and hoe and return, and in autumn, the harvest will ensure that they have plenty of food and clothing throughout the year.

However, now, the farmland outside Qingzhou has been changed beyond recognition, the crops that are growing just right have been trampled and destroyed, scattered into mud, no different from weeds, and there is no one in the village houses where the fire started, and everyone has fled to the city for refuge.

Within a radius of dozens of miles, in addition to the armor soldiers with knives in the Dutch armor, the most striking thing is the military camp that stretches for more than ten miles.

It was the barracks of the Xuanwu Army.

The Xuanwu army had just arrived outside Qingzhou City, and although it was still in a state of preparing to attack the city, it had fallen under their control for dozens of miles. Whether it is a road or a land, there is no trace of the Pinglu army.

The huge state city has become an isolated island, and it is necessary to face a powerful enemy alone with a small strength.

In front of the city tower, several officials and generals gathered in one place, watching the hot camp of the Xuanwu Army - there was a rush to make siege equipment.

The Qingzhou official will be centered on a civil official, this middle-aged man with a broad face and upright eyebrows, who is now the highest-ranking person here, who was once attacked by Xingshi and King An of Hedong, and was given the power to control the entire Pinglu when he left.

Cui Keli, the secretary of the Jiedu Embassy.

At this moment, Cui Keli was frowning slightly.

He has never been smiling, it seems a little too harsh, maybe there are always some worries about the life of the people in his heart, and such worries are too big, especially in this chaotic world, so the burden on his shoulders is always very heavy, making it difficult for people to take a breath, and it is difficult to relax.

"The Xuanwu army claims to be 200,000, but in fact it is only 100,000, but now there are only 20,000 or 30,000 defenders in the entire Pinglu. Qingzhou, as the place where the state is governed, defense is the top priority, but there are only 8,000 brave warriors. With 8,000 against 100,000, the soldiers need to fight with one against ten. ”

The one who spoke was Wang Zhi, the guard general of Qingzhou, a burly man in the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period, from the Qingzhou royal family.

After Li Ye first entered Pinglu to subdue the major families in Qingzhou, this battlefield veteran was not valued at the beginning, and then gradually recognized by Li Ye for his talent and entrusted with important tasks, and now he seems to be a major general in the Pinglu army.

Cui Keli knew the meaning of Wang Zhi's words: Qingzhou City is not easy to defend.

Of course, it's not easy to keep.

Bianzhou is not close to Qingzhou, the Xuanwu army sent troops to attack, and the four gates of the feudal towns and counties along the way were all closed, and no one came forward to stop them, allowing the Xuanwu army to pass by.

The fact that 100,000 soldiers and horses were able to drive straight into the country speaks for itself.

Those feudal envoys and county magistrates are not afraid of King An's power, but they are facing the danger of the life of the great monk.

Cui Keli responded, "This official has sent orders to the states to send troops to help. Later, the official will arrange manpower to organize the young and strong people in the city to assist in the defense, and at the same time recruit various large and small families and monks on the rivers and lakes, so that they can go to the city to help the defenders. The general only needs to hold on for three days, and the officer can guarantee that he can give you 2,000 monks and 30,000 young men. ”

This is not a discussion, but an order, Wang Zhi hugged his fists and promised, and his spirit was slightly lifted: "With the help of the secretary in charge, Qingzhou can fight." Within three days, even if the last general dies in battle, he will never let an enemy army enter the city!"

Cui Keli nodded: "Then there is General Law." ”

Wang Zhi led the generals to inspect the city defenses, and Cui Keli was still in the city tower and never left.

At this time, there was only one person left beside him, a young Confucian in a cloth shirt with an elegant temperament.

Seeing that there were no others around, the young Confucian chuckled and said: "The siege of the city by 100,000 troops is bound to control the main roads to block the reinforcements, and no matter how many young and strong people in the city are, they cannot be compared with the elite armor, and even if the Jianghu monks kill the enemy, they are not the opponents of the regular battle formation in the army." Qingzhou City has become an isolated island, and it is not an easy task to fight a strong enemy with a weak force. ”

Cui Keli should be very familiar with this strange man, and after listening to the other party's words, he didn't look back at the other party, "There are few easy things in the world. ”

Confucius said: "Then senior brother is lucky, because there happens to be one right now." ”

Trekley: "Oh? Why didn't I find out. ”

Confucianism: "Senior brother is knowledgeable and resourceful, and he should always know that the opposite of any difficult thing corresponds to an easy thing." ”

Trekley: "It's easy to do, but it's always boring to do. ”

Confucian Sheng: "But there are some things that are not easy, and if you do them, you will die." ”

Cui Keli: "The battle in Qingzhou was indeed very dangerous before King An returned, but as long as King An returned to help, it would be easy to attack and defend, and the difficulty would be adjusted. ”

Confucianism: "I'm afraid that Qingzhou City will not be able to support King An's return." ”

Trekley: "If you don't try your best, how do you know the result?"

Confucian Sheng: "Don't you know, senior brother, that a wise man should have foresight?"

Cui Keli sneered, the patience on his face had been exhausted, he looked back at his fellow disciple, and his tone was no longer kind: "For the sake of the same sect, I will allow you to leave alive this time." ”

Confucian Sheng still smiled and said: "Treating fellow junior disciples, senior brothers' current tone can not be called kind. ”

Trekley: "I have never been kind to my enemies. ”

The smile on Confucius's face finally faded, and his voice became low: "Senior brother, don't you think I'm Zhu Wen's lobbyist?"

Cui Keli said coldly, "Isn't it?"

Confucius shook his head and said, "I came back to Qingzhou on the orders of Mr. ”

Cui Keli was a little stunned, the meaning of the other party's previous words was to let him abandon Qingzhou City, which was of course beneficial to Zhu Wen. And he knows his junior brother very well, and the other party will never lie about this kind of thing.

He asked in a deep voice, "What does the gentleman want?"

Confucian said: "The ambition of the gentleman, the senior brother should know, because it has never changed - to help the world, solve the upside down of the people, and seek the well-being of the common people." ”

Cui Keli: "Confucian scholars are all so ambitious. But there is more than one path to ambition, and ambition does not mean choice. ”

Confucianism: "Does Senior Brother think that Confucianism chose Zhu Wen?"

Trekley: "It doesn't matter. ”

Confucius: "What's important?"

Cui Keli: "The important thing is that Confucianism did not choose King An. ”

Confucius shook his head: "On the contrary, I don't think it's important. ”

Cui Keli: "The important thing is that I have chosen King An!"

Confucian Sheng was stunned, and then said coldly: "Senior brother, do you have to disobey Mr. Don't respect the Confucian order? Senior brother wants to betray his teacher and become a great rebel?"

Cui Keli sneered: "I'm curious, why does Mr. think that King An is not worth choosing?"

Confucian frowned, and his voice was sharp: "What Confucianism wants is to assist the new monarch and achieve the great cause of the true dragon." And now that the fortunes of the Tang Dynasty have dissipated, King An is destined to fail to realize his ambition to prosper, wouldn't it be self-defeating to follow him?"

"What nonsense!" Cui Keli turned around angrily with the sleeves of the Buddha's coat, he looked at the Xuanwu army camp outside the city, his eyebrows and eyes gradually covered with a layer of frost, he paused for a moment, "It seems that apart from King An and Zhu Wen, Mr. has his own choice." ”

Confucianism said: "Of course Confucianism will make its own choice, and the most suitable choice for Confucianism!"

Cui Keli sneered: "So you persuaded me to give up Qingzhou, just to harm King An." ”

Confucianism should say: "Although King An is destined to be unable to prosper Sheji, but after all, the current power is the largest, and Confucianism needs King An's foundation to be destroyed and the north will fall into chaos again." In this way, the princes of the side chosen by Confucianism had enough time to gather the crowd and become powerful. ”

Cui Keli: "So you would rather the people of the north suffer from the troubled times again?"

Confucian said: "Compared with the succession of the faint monarch, the unkind governance will bring disasters to the people of the world, and the pain of the moment is naturally acceptable, and the price must be paid." The big gift is not small, and the senior brother should understand. ”

Cui Keli nodded, "Then why don't you leave?"

Confucian Sheng was stunned: "What does Senior Brother mean by this?"

Cui Keli: "The Tao is not the same. ”

Confucian Sheng was finally angry, and he couldn't help but ask: "Senior brother really wants to rebel, betray Mr., betray Confucianism?

In the face of such questioning, the frost between Cui Keli's brows gradually dissipated, because his gaze had moved from the Xuanwu army camp to the destroyed crops and burning cottages, and his eyes were gradually filled with sorrow and pain.

His heart was not calm, but his voice was steady, and he said, "There is never more than one way to the end. In troubled times, from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and scholars to monks and scholars, everyone is faced with choices, and there are many more choices than in peaceful and prosperous times. Maybe life is a choice, and I've made my choice. There is only one thing I have to do in the rest of my life, and that is perseverance. ”

His eyes gradually faded away, and his voice was slowly low, revealing the power of thick vicissitudes of life, and the wisdom of Minglian Dongda: "Maybe my physical body can't reach the end, maybe my ambition will be annihilated in the middle, maybe I'm exhausted and can't walk out of the night, destined to not see the rainbow after the storm, I will fall on the muddy road, and I can only be a person who dies on the road." ”

However, there are more than 10 million people with lofty ideals in the world, and the vast majority of them will not reach the end of this life, and their ambitions will not be realized. Even when they die, they can only be unknown, without the majestic and tragic back, no one will remember their names, and their heroism of throwing their heads and spilling blood will not be recorded in history. However, this is the real history, the history of ordinary people hidden under the glorious names and achievements. ”

"I, Trekli, am no more than seven feet tall, maybe no gods, maybe no one to help, but I'm willing to fall on the road, as long as it's on the road. The avenue is ahead, the fog is full of sky, even though there are countless thorns, even if there are thousands of people blocking it, I also strive to go. My generation of Confucian scholars did not seek to attain the Dao, but only to die in the Dao. ”

Cui Keli turned around again and looked seriously at the junior brother in front of him, this outstanding Confucian talent, "In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a hundred schools of thought contended, and since the Han Dynasty, hundreds of schools of thought converged and merged with each other, and to this day, there are only three Confucianism and Taoism soldiers. I, a Confucian scholar, am no longer a simple saint's protégé, but also learned the art of vertical and horizontal, and also understand the struggle for power. There are thousands of roads to the end, and it is understandable that we always choose the one that is easy to reach. ”

"But for me, Cui Keli, I am standing here today, so I have a responsibility on my shoulders, and it is a mission that I cannot give up to protect the millions of people in the five states of Pinglu and let them live and work in peace and contentment. Since ancient times, the dynasties have alternated, prospered, the people suffered, died, and the people suffered, and the peace and contentment of the people of Pinglu was not easy to come by, and I can't let it disappear. ”

"You go back and tell the gentleman, and say that I, Trekley, have chosen my own master. Whether he succeeds or fails, I will follow him for the rest of my life. He succeeds, I govern the world, he fails, I govern the five states of Pinglu, he dies, and I bury my bones with him in this land where we have shed blood and tears!"

Confucian stammered and looked at Cui Keli for a long time without saying a word.

When Cui Keli said these words, his tone was steady and not very loud, but when these words fell on the heart of Confucianism, they set off a stormy wave, which was tantamount to night rain.

His name is Zhang Zhongsheng, and he is one of the Confucian scholars.

Confucianism has always had the saying of four sages, eight masters and seventy-two handsome people, symbolizing the inheritance of Confucianism.

Cui Keli and Zhang Zhongsheng studied in the same class, worshiping under Wang Zaifeng, one of the four sages, because of their talents, they were on the list of seventy-two handsome people at the end of their studies.

The two were inseparable when they were studying, and they actually had a great friendship.

After a long time, Zhang Zhongsheng sighed, and he bowed to Cui Keli, "Since Senior Brother has made up his mind, Zhongsheng has no other way. Originally, this trip was ordered by Mr., thinking that it would be easy to achieve the goal, but he didn't want to change the times, and now things are wrong. ”

He stood up straight, and his smile was not without bitterness: "In the past, when you learned to go down the mountain, I sent you to the mountain gate, and I once joked that the school is so good, and there are many rights and wrongs in the world, once you step into the prosperous world, you may be unrecognizable to each other when you meet again, and you have embarked on diametrically opposite paths, and you have become strangers in the face of vulgar wealth and power." I never thought that the jokes of the past became prophecies. ”

Zhang Zhongsheng took out a letter of worship from his sleeve and handed it to Cui Keli with both hands, Yixing Yanshan with a gloomy expression, "On the sixth day of the sixth month of June, in Yangzhou City on the bank of the great river, Mr. will work with the other three sages to comment on the world's Confucian scholars, and then set a list of eight masters and seventy-two handsome people." This is a grand event of this sect, and at that time, all the scholars from all over the world will rush to go, and I hope that the senior brother can take the time to go south. ”

Cui Keli took the post and was silent for a moment, "If you can pull out, you should go." ”

Zhang Zhongsheng saluted again: "Senior brother, don't say goodbye." ”

Cui Keli returned the salute: "Senior brother cherishes." ”

When Zhang Zhongsheng walked down the city tower and disappeared at the end of the long street, Cui Keli clearly felt that the world was impermanent. The two classmates who have drunk and sang countless times and slept on their feet are gradually moving away from this chaotic world.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to face the army outside the city again.

Today, the sun is shining, the four fields are lonely, but in this isolated city, Cui Keli is at the end of the long sky, and he sees the ups and downs of the whole world. Countless people are running in it, crying or laughing.

And Qingzhou under his feet is shrouded in black clouds like a devastated city, and is being eyed by countless people with different thoughts.

When he was studying in the past, he wanted to stand up to the sky and hold up a sunny day for the people of the world with his shoulders. When he walked down from the mountain gate, he walked to the world, and now, he has walked to Qingzhou City. At this moment, facing the pressure of 100,000 enemy troops, he wants to use his seven-foot body and blood to defend this ancient city full of hopes of countless people.

He walked on the road, and probably died on the road. ()

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