Author: Shangtang Doumiao

To this day, Pei Yue's detailed resume has long been placed on the desks of the monarchs of Wu and Zhou.

In addition to the favor of Emperor Kaiping, there were two other people who greatly contributed to his rise, namely Hou Guliang of Guangping, Northern Liang, and a middle-aged man named Xi Sidao. The life of the former does not need to be described in detail, although the latter has lived in seclusion for more than ten years.

But for a person like Xu Huiyan who stands at the pinnacle of power, he would never ignore Pei Zhen's right-hand man.

Therefore, after Xu Churong said the word "Mr.", Xu Huiyan had already confirmed the identity of this middle-aged man.

He said calmly: "Mr. Xi is indeed worthy of his reputation. His courage alone is so admirable."

Mr. Xi walked to the table and sat down, and said calmly: "Xi is alone and has no official or position. Even if the chief assistant orders someone to capture me, it will not be of any benefit to the overall situation."

After Xu Churong poured tea for the two of them, he left the pavilion and disappeared among the many houses.

Xu Huiyan withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "Is Mr. Xi taking the risk to go south this time to verify the information sent by the little girl, or is he trying to convince me through her?"

Mr. Xi smiled and said, "It's both."

The autumn wind blew slowly, and suddenly a few fish jumped across the water and immediately flopped down.

Mr. Xi glanced at the lake, and then said: "Pei Yue once told me that when he came to build An City, he had a deep talk with the chief minister."

Xu Huiyan nodded slightly.

The past events are vivid in my mind, especially what Pei Yue said: "It has been a hundred years since the Xu family crossed the Qinghe River south. Do you still remember the land of your family thousands of miles away?"

This sentence was still fresh in his memory, and he would think of it often later.

It was actually a rather weird and even bizarre scene. Pei Yue, as the envoy of the Northern Liang Dynasty, openly wanted to persuade the chief minister of the Zhou Dynasty to surrender. No matter who heard it, he would think it was a ridiculous thing. However, times have changed.

, after many events such as the Battle of Jiangling and the change of imperial power in Beiliang, Pei Yue now clearly has more confidence.

The arrival of Xi Sidao will undoubtedly give the Great Zhou Court a fatal blow.

Xu Huiyan naturally kept his composure and said unhurriedly: "It's just a few jokes, it's hard for Duke Wei to keep it in his heart."

Mr. Xi said: "Although it was a joke at the time, after thinking about it carefully, I actually made some sense."

Xu Huiyan asked: "Where does reason come from?"

Mr. Xi said calmly: "There is no doubt that Wang Pingzhang's rebellion caused losses to the Liang Kingdom's Jing army. After the death of the late emperor and the new king taking over the throne, it will take time for the court to resume operations. Generally speaking, if your country and Xiwu join forces to send troops,

Liang will indeed be at a disadvantage in the early stage. However, Liang can afford to lose one or two battles because it has enough depth and enough people."

Compared with Xu Churong's slightly emotional speech, his speech was plain but powerful, and Xu Huiyan could naturally hear it.

Just listen to Mr. Xi continue to say: "The year before last in the western border, Wu State lost its troops and returned with a great defeat. Even if the monarchs and ministers of that country now launch a real battle for national destiny at the expense of Zuo, it will inevitably exhaust all the potential of the country.

Once the war enters a stalemate, it won't take long, as long as it lasts more than a year, it will inevitably drag down Wu's economy and people's livelihood. If they fail on the battlefield, the trend of rolling back the bead curtain will be unstoppable, and the country will be destroyed in an instant.

between."

Xu Huiyan nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Mr. Xi smiled faintly and said with emotion: "As for your country...Xu Shoufu, if your country cannot conquer Jiangling and Hanyang, it will not help if Xian Chunqiu and Fang Xiexiao come up with all kinds of tricks. On the contrary, once your country breaks the contract and starts a war again, , Liang Guo can gather the hearts of the army and the people, cross the Tiancang River with a great momentum, send 200,000 troops to break through Xuyang Pass, Jinlong Pass, Shimen Pass, and approach Jian'an City."

He looked at Xu Huiyan and said calmly: "Everyone in your country will be in danger by then. Will Jian'an really be safe?"

Xu Huiyan asked: "What if we don't fight?"

Mr. Xi nodded and said: "It is indeed a dilemma."

The pavilion suddenly fell into an atmosphere of silence.

The sun slowly slants to the west, and the sky and the earth are gradually filled with a dim color.

Xu Huiyan finally broke the silence: "Although I have never met Duke Dingguo in person, I often heard about his reputation and knew that he had two talented assistants around him. To be honest, Xu was also somewhat arrogant. I don't think that I am inferior to the talents of Xi and Shen, but when I saw him today, I realized that there are people outside the world. Mr. Xi has been away from the Beiliang court for many years, and he can still comment on the general trend. No wonder Pei Yue can rise to the top in just a few years. "

Mr. Xi said calmly: "Xu Shoufu is ridiculous. My disciple is where he is today because of his own hard work and hard work. It has nothing to do with me."

Xu Huiyan nodded and sighed: "I should accept Mr. Xi's kindness. However, the Xu family in Qinghe is not a family of three or five. It is not easy to turn around again after a hundred years."

Mr. Xi said calmly: "Actually, what Miss Xu said just now is sincere, but it is still not thorough enough. When the Yaoguang Xu family led nearly a hundred generations of clans to the south, it was not entirely to avoid the war, nor was it to worry about encountering Emperor Gaozu later. There is essentially only one reason for the liquidation, and that is that the scholar Lin Qingyuan advised Emperor Gaozu to use the frequent wars in the north to attack the power of the clans and completely establish a new pattern of selecting scholars through the imperial examination."

He looked directly into Xu Huiyan's eyes, and his words were as sharp as a knife: "If the Xu family does not move south, they will definitely not be able to maintain their thousand-year-old foundation, but this foundation is built on the blood of the poor. There has been no shortage of powerful people in all dynasties, but only A wealthy family like the Xu family in Qinghe, who is a centipeded insect but not stiff, not only sucks out the bones and knocks out the marrow, but also completely cuts off the chance of the poor families and common people to get ahead."

Xu Huiyan's complexion changed slightly.

Mr. Xi said bluntly: "Is it possible that the chief minister really doesn't know where the stubborn problem of your country lies? Clearing the land, reforming taxes, and even purging the officials are all just treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Pei Yue once said to me that a Donglin Cultural Society is fundamentally It is not enough to solve your country’s problems. If it is not destroyed, it will not be established!”

He sighed softly and said: "The reason why Xu Shoufu is so entangled is because if this knife is really cut down, the Xu family in Qinghe will definitely be wiped out. So you can only tinker with it year after year, but in the end it will be in vain."

Xu Huiyan stood up and saluted: "I would like to be taught."

When he looked up again, the old man's face was already full of sadness.

Mr. Xi did not accept this gift, and then said: "Shoufu Xu, Xi went south this time to meet with you, and at the same time, he also conveyed a few words to Pei Yue."

Xu Huiyan said: "Please tell me."

Mr. Xi said: "Whether the war is won or lost, the world will eventually change. If Xian Chunqiu gains power, no matter whether he has hidden treacherous intentions or not, what he will do next will definitely be to use the opportunity of war to cleanse the clan. Of course, this This possibility is very small, because in the end the war will still involve a competition for national strength. The fate of the Xu family in Qinghe, the Nandu clan and the people on the south bank of the Yangtze River all depends on how Chief Xu makes his choice."

Xu Huiyan turned and looked outside the pavilion.

He knew that if Pei Yue's ideas were followed, the Xu family of Qinghe would no longer be able to hide behind the court and dominate the world as they did a hundred years ago. But if he did not accept the goodwill offered by the other party at this moment, the final result would probably be even more tragic.

As for using this Mr. Xi to threaten Pei Yue, he is not just a counselor, but a master of martial arts who has few opponents.

Furthermore, when the Northern Liang monarchs and ministers had figured out their own plans, Xi Sidao's life and death had little impact on the overall situation.

After all, girls are extroverts.

Xu Huiyan sighed secretly.
Chapter completed!