Guo Shulin couldn't help but feel sad when he heard Yang Sichang's words, and said: "Since the Ming Dynasty is so embarrassed, what's the use of your tribute?"

Yang Sichang said gloomily: "I want to seek that glimmer of life." Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info" said that, he spoke in a low tone and appeared to be less confident.

"A glimmer of life? If the Manchu Qing knew what you said, they would not agree to this so-called tribute at all, and directly wave their troops to the south and take the capital directly, wouldn't it be over?" Guo Shulin said.

Yang Sichang shook his head and said: "No, now the Manchu brothers are fighting for power and profit, and they are too busy to take care of themselves, even if they swallow the Ming Dynasty, they will definitely not be able to control it." ”

"Then you want 500,000 taels of tribute at this age, how can you get the treasury?" asked Guo Shulin.

Yang Sichang showed a resolute look and said, "Even if I borrow, steal, or rob, I will make up 500,000 taels." This move is not only to show goodwill to the Manchus, but also to show the Manchus that our Ming still has the financial resources to support the huge military expenditure. At the same time, when the Manchu Qing saw this huge amount of silver taels, they wanted to use troops against my Ming mercenaries, and they would also weigh the consequences. Think about whether the looting will outweigh the losses. ”

"I see, no wonder you promised such a large amount. Guo Shulin understood and continued to ask, "Then why did you remove from the post of Liaodong Economic Strategy and give up the counterattack on Liaodong?"

Yang Sichang said: "This is to make the Manchus give up their vigilance. Because of the income from the previous annual tribute and the border city, the Manchu Qing will definitely have enough food and clothing, and the desire to invade our Ming will be weakened. Coupled with the fact that there is no longer a threat to the Guanjin defensive line, they will rest easy. In this way, the major interest groups in the Manchu Qing Dynasty will begin to compete for fame and profit, and they will no longer be monolithic, and the result will be my Ming Dynasty. ”

He paused, and then said: "The soldiers withdrawn from the Guanjin defense line will be added to the ranks to fight against the domestic rebels, and with the suppression of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, the rebels everywhere will no longer be able to make waves." ”

"It's a great plan, and it kills two birds with one stone. Guo Shulin is admired.

Yang Sichang nodded, as if to express his gratitude, and continued: "When the civil unrest subsides, I will start to develop agriculture and concentrate on restoring people's livelihood." Gradually expand the treasury, strengthen armaments, and wait until the world is stable, and then plan for the future. When he said this, he shook his head slightly, and said, "But this matter must not be in a hurry, and I can't be too ambitious." ”

Guo Shulin was already convinced by him at this time, but he felt strange again, and asked: "Then why don't you tell the world about your intentions? In this way, presumably the people of the world will understand you and no longer be embarrassed by you." ”

Yang Sichang showed a look of surprise and said: "Shaoxia, why are you so simple? The Manchu Qing Dynasty has countless eyes and ears in my Ming Dynasty, if I announce this matter, Huang Taiji will know about it in half a day, and there will be no hope of paying tribute from now on." ”

Guo Shu was speechless, scratched his head and said, "It's me who didn't think about it, Lord Yang smiled." ”

Yang Sichang said: "It's okay, the young man knows the ins and outs at the moment, and he doesn't sneer at him like others." Whether or not you decide to help you in the future, I will be grateful to you. Farewell. With that, he looked up and looked up at the stars, and walked away.

Guo Shulin remembered Hong Yan's soft pleading, his heart was hot, and in a blink of an eye, he hurriedly rushed forward, walked around to Yang Sichang, and said deeply: "Lord Yang, please stay, and I am determined to help Lord Yucheng in this matter." We will do our best in the future and will never break our promises. ”

Yang Sichang showed a look of disbelief, and then said: "This matter is extremely difficult, once it is exposed, it will be infamous through the ages, and the young man is young and promising, but he must think about it carefully." ”

Guo Shulin's attitude was sincere, and he said: "Lord Yang is famous all over the world, and he is not afraid of this infamy through the ages, so why should he care if he is unknown in his lower nationality?"

Yang Sichang closed his eyes, his whole body trembled, and he seemed emotional, but he immediately calmed down and said in a deep voice: "Don't thank you for your great kindness, such a chivalrous act of the young man is remembered in my heart." I just don't know what to call the young man?"

Guo Shulin arched his hand and said: "My surname is Guo Mingshulin." You call me Xiao Guo. ”

Yang Sichang's face suddenly changed, and he said, "Forgive me for being clumsy, could it be ...... You are the apprentice of the first person in the martial arts, the rumored leader of the Immortal Seeking Alliance?"

Guo Shulin nodded and said, "That's everyone's love, and it's really deserved." ”

Yang Sichang said with a smile: "No wonder, I said that this young man is strong in martial arts, eager for justice and righteousness, it turns out that he has such a background, and his real name is well deserved." Great, this way, I have a little more certainty that I will succeed. ”

An old man and a young man chatted while walking, very speculative, Yang Sichang was quick in thinking, unparalleled in wit, and talked about the great momentum of the world. Guo Shulin is calm, open-minded and studious, and understands Yang Sichang's painstaking efforts. The two walked for about three miles, talking non-stop, with the intention of seeing each other late, Guo Shulin even forgot the existence of the ice diamond for a while.

The two chatted for a long time, and Guo Shulin suddenly remembered something and asked: "Lord Yang, you just said that you were going to Tongren to meet someone, I don't know who has such a big face, and you want the first assistant of the labor cabinet to go out in person?"

Yang Sichang hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "This matter is very important, but I can trust you, so I will tell you." ”

He immediately lowered his voice and said, "I have asked Dolgon, the eighth Baylor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the minister of the Qing State who holds real power, to meet in Tongren City in three days. ”

Guo Shulin's heart sank, and he exclaimed: "It turned out to be him, no wonder you are so cautious and travel in person......

Yang Sichang nodded and said, "His status in the Manchu Qing Dynasty is noble, second only to Huang Taiji. This time, like me, I was also under the secret decree of Huang Taiji, and I was fully responsible for the negotiation of tribute. If we both agree to go back to our respective lives, the matter of paying tribute will be a certainty. ”

Guo Shulin only felt that the burden on his body was a lot heavier, and he looked forward nervously, and said in a low voice: "Then why don't you just wait for him to arrive in Tongren City?"

Yang Sichang said: "Tongren is a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger, and the three sects and nine streams gather, I have a little name, for fear that someone will recognize me, and I can't stay for a long time." At this point, he suddenly stopped, lifted his spirits, and said, "We have arrived." ”

Guo Shulin borrowed the moonlight, looked into the distance, only to see a small stream lying in front of him, there is a small bridge on the stream, very narrow, only one person can pass, on both sides of the stream, there are hundreds of hectares of fertile land, which is full of rice. The field road leads to more than a dozen houses, ranging from huge barns to tall mansions and rows of bungalows. It seems to be a sizable farmstead.

"What kind of place is this?" asked Guo Shulin.

Yang Sichang said with a smile: "This is Taoyuan Farm. There is a way to be a cunning rabbit three caves, I knew that Tang Xuanting was unreliable, so I had already prepared for it. ”

Guo Shulin was puzzled and asked, "Then why did you come out with him?"

Yang Sichang patiently explained: "The matter of my trip is very confidential, and I can't inform the government, so the emperor has to send him to escort him all the way." Not long ago, we stayed near Fanjing Mountain, and suddenly a messenger sent a secret letter to Tang Xuanting, saying that we would meet in the abandoned temple of Shicai to discuss the matter of seeking power from the Immortal Alliance. Tang Xuanting didn't listen to my persuasion and insisted on bringing me with him, but the result was really successful, and the whole army was wiped out, not to mention, and it almost affected me. Luckily, I have a friend who lives on this farm, and when I get there, he will find a way to send me to Tongren City. ”

Guo Shulin nodded and said, "It's time to be in the middle of now, and it's dark, so it's easy to get lost when you go on a hurry, so it's better to stay for one night." ”

The two of them walked towards the farmstead without stopping.

When he walked to the vicinity of the stream, Guo Shulin seemed to feel that something strange had broken into the corner of his eyes, only to feel a chill rising from his heart, and the pores of his body were erected, and he was busy looking at the strange place. At this look, his pupils immediately contracted, and his mind was almost taken away by it.

I saw a vague figure standing quietly beside the stream in the distance, under a weeping willow, like a woman in a green dress and long hair, staring motionlessly at the flowing stream. The breeze blew, and the willow leaves swayed gently, but the woman did not move, and not even the corners of her clothes floated.

In a moment, the wind blew and the clouds dispersed, and the moonlight sprinkled down, revealing the whole picture of the human form.

It was really a woman, showing her side face at this time, looking very handsome, and this woman was tall, looking elegant, and there was a faint feeling of floating out of the dust.

She seemed to notice Guo Shulin's gaze, and slowly turned her head, revealing her full appearance.

Her entire face was tapered, covered in blood, from her nose down to her hands up. The mouth was slightly open, revealing sharp teeth, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his eyes glowed blue. The fingers of both hands are extremely long, and the nails are like thin needles, so that the meaning of dust disappears suddenly, and a strange atmosphere takes its place.

Guo Shulin was afraid, his body trembled slightly, and he almost wanted to turn around and flee. But somehow, his eyes were firmly attracted to this woman, and his feet couldn't move even a little.

Under this strange look, the woman actually grinned. With this smile, the corners of her mouth actually cracked to the root of her ears, making her face even less human-like, only to see her arched up, on all fours, slowly and steadily trying to crawl towards Guo Shulin.

Guo Shulin seemed to be in a nightmare, his hands and feet were weak, his mouth was dry, and he had a body of martial arts, but he couldn't use it at all, and could only watch the ominous omen slowly approaching him.

Suddenly, the ice diamond given by Hong Yan emitted a dazzling light, turning into an ethereal and elegant figure, blocking Guo Shulin's approach. This figure was dressed in white, with picturesque eyebrows, and it was a wild goose.

The woman in green clothes seemed to be frightened by the virtual image of the wild goose, and the green shadow flickered, and fled into the distance, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Guo Shulin was like being amnestied, his body was weak, and he sat down without strength. He was panting incessantly, sweating all over his body, soaking his clothes as if he had just been fished out of the water.

"Guo Shaoxia, what's wrong with you?" Yang Sichang said strangely.

Guo Shulin was shocked, turned his head and asked, "That monster ...... You didn't see that?"

"What kind of monster? The moon was dim just now, and I just looked at the road, not paying attention to my surroundings. Yang Sichang frowned.

"So...... You didn't see my ice diamond glowing just now?" Guo Shulin asked again.

Yang Sichang looked at Guo Shulin suspiciously, and slowly shook his head.

"Could it be that I'm hallucinating?" Guo Shulin couldn't help but be suspicious. (To be continued.) )