Chapter 292 A Heart of Ice

The seventh day of the first lunar month.

Imperial City, Secretary Province.

The door of a public house was pushed open. Chen Xilie and Xue Bai were inside. They turned around and saw Zhang Bian.

"Where is Yang Guozhong?"

Zhang Bian frowned slightly, feeling a little unhappy when he saw someone arriving later than him.

Xue Bai said: "Shangyuan is coming, so he must be thinking hard to prepare gifts for the saint."

"It's really a spitting pot." Zhang Bian smiled slightly, sincerely looking down on Yang Guozhong.

Of these two people, one is a famous prime minister, a romantic and talented man, who was chosen as the consort at a young age; the other is a scum of the family, who eats, drinks, whores and gambles, and earns his promotion by flattery. They are fundamentally opposed to each other, and they can look at each other.

It's strange that it's pleasing to the eye.

"Let's discuss it first," Xue Bai said, "We won't wait for him."

"Okay." Zhang Bian said with a teasing tone, "We have just obtained a few official positions, and Ge Nu has already started to fight back."

Chen Xilie was worried and glanced at the door of the house again, thinking, the reason why Yang Guozhong didn't come was because the situation had changed? In the current situation, with Li Linfu going against him, maybe it's better to spend more time on the Lantern Festival.

The mind is devoted to pleasing the saint.

The left prime minister was thinking about this, and Xue Bai had already told Zhang Bian his judgment on the situation.

"Well, I have heard Chang Yuan say it." Zhang Bian said thoughtfully: "I will find an opportunity to report this to the saint, but there should be evidence."

"This is a major military matter. Instead of a few censors slowly looking for evidence, it is better for the saint to issue an order to investigate."

If Zhang Bian wants to become prime minister, he should let the saints know that he is talented in government affairs and will not miss this opportunity. However, he must think carefully about how to do it to avoid self-defeating.

In addition, predicting the alliance between Tubo and Nanzhao to the saint was equivalent to helping Yan Zhenqing, but he had not waited for Xue Bai to make a request to him.

"I heard that Miao Jinqing plans to demote Yan Zhenqing to the position of governor of Hehe." Zhang Bian asked: "Minister Zuo, is this possible?"

By asking this question, he was not only putting pressure on Xue Bai, but also beating Chen Xilie.

Chen Xilie didn't expect that Zhang Bian could know the official correspondence in such detail. He was slightly panicked and said: "Yes, I... I've suppressed it for the time being."

"Then Prime Minister Zuo needs to be restrained." Zhang Bian looked vaguely sarcastic and looked at Xue Bai.

The meaning in his eyes was obvious. Chen Xilie was an unreliable weakling. Li Linfu had just started demoting an official, and Chen Xilie was already a little unable to handle it.

While talking, there was movement outside, and then Yang Guozhong opened the door and came in.

"I'm late due to busy business, please forgive me."

"Are you busier with official duties than the left prime minister?" Zhang Bian asked in a joking tone, laughing at the two of them at the same time.

Yang Guozhong actually did not fight back and smiled.

This reaction surprised Xue Bai. Yang Guozhong always flattered the superiors and bullied the inferiors. Zhang Bian's status was clear but not important enough to make him submissive.

"Where has brother gone?"

"We have made some preparations for the Lantern Festival."

"..."

That day, the four of them met like this and decided on the next plan.

They would advise the sage and raise suspicions about Nanzhao's rebellion against Tang and surrender to Tubo. Chen Xilie was responsible for stabilizing the situation among Zhongshu's subordinates and the officials.

Once the Jinwu general Li Yanye is captured and the evidence is examined, Li Linfu's prestige will inevitably plummet. As one goes, the other will go up, and their voice in the court will be even more important in the future.

To put it simply, Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai shared a piece of credit among these three important ministers in exchange for their support and protection, and then everyone made progress together.

~~

The reason why we chose to meet in the Secretariat was because Xue Bai proposed to revise the book, and many important ministers were also responsible for supervising the revision.

After talking about things and leaving the Secretariat, Xue Bai looked at the sky and went to the newspaper office to find Wang Changling.

The afternoon sun shines on the melting snow, and floating sawdust powder can be faintly seen.

The smell of wood and ink was permeated in the Yamen Courtyard, which was pleasant but a little pungent.

There was a pot of wine on the table, and Wang Changling was reading a manuscript. Every time he read an article, he had to pick up the paper and adjust the reading distance because of the different sizes of the handwriting. If it was too close or too far, he could not see clearly.

When he looked up again and saw Xue Bai coming in, he couldn't help but laugh.

"It's rare that Mr. Xue comes here when he has free time."

"It sounds like I'm busier than Brother Wang."

"I can't really be called busy." Wang Changling stood up, took out a cup from the Duobao shelf, and said, "You need to change your inability to drink. Your ability to drink is as good as poetry, so you should practice more."

"The ability to drink is as good as poetry. I'm afraid it's because of talent."

Xue Bai picked up the sentence and started talking along the topic, saying: "By the way, I recently heard a poem by Brother Wang that said, 'I regret teaching my husband to seek the title of a marquis.' It's a wonderful twist and a famous line through the ages."

Wang Changling poured a glass of wine, pushed it forward, and said, "You didn't even praise me seriously. Come today, you actually have something that you can't discuss with me, an old man who has a bad career?"

"We just stopped by for a chat." Xue Bai said, "Brother Wang also knows that Prime Minister Zuo recently recommended a group of people to the court."

This is his ability. Although his official position is not high, he can find offices for his cronies.

However, Wang Changling waved his hand and said: "I appreciate Lang Xue's kindness, but I don't care about official career and fame, so I won't get involved."

Xue Bai held the wine glass and said: "Brother's previous poems were not so depressing."

Wang Changling let out a long sigh and said: "After Guo Gong passed away, the post of Jiannan Jiedu envoy should be replaced by Xianyu Zhongtong, the deputy envoy of Jieddu, right?"

"yes."

Xue Bai has also been paying attention to this matter. After Guo Xuji died, the candidate for Jiannan Jiedushi was basically Xianyu Zhongtong. However, because Xianyu Zhongtong had a good relationship with Yang Guozhong, Li Linfu had been blocking it, and he probably wouldn't be able to block it for long.

"You asked me why I am so depressed?" Wang Changling said: "Did you notice? Almost all the generals in the border towns are barbarians."

Xue Bai also realized that in the Tang Dynasty, Gao Xianzhi, the governor of the four towns of Anxi, An Lushan, the governor of the two towns of Fanyang and Pinglu, Ge Shuhan, the governor of the two towns of Longyou, Hexi, and Xianyu Zhongtong, the governor of Jiannan

...Bian Town can basically be said to be full of barbarians.

But he at least preserved Wang Zhongsi, the governor of Hedong. In addition, the governor of Shuofang appointed Zhang Qiqiu at that time. Xue Bai did not know Zhang Qiqiu. He only knew that Guo Ziyi was serving as the military envoy of Shuofang under this man.

.

"There are still two Han Jiedushi."

"It's not that I despise the Hu people, but the border towns of the Tang Dynasty nowadays..." Wang Changling was a little confused, and finally said with a bitter smile: "I regret teaching my husband to look for a marquis, because the Han man who is worried about me can no longer be a marquis.

Already."

After saying that, he looked up at Xue Bai and asked, "I know what you want to advise me, but is what I said in this poem wrong?"

"That's right."

Xue Bai suddenly felt that Wang Changling's poem was a bit bitter.

When he was young, he went to the frontier and wrote such magnificent and soul-stirring poems about the frontier, but now he only has his grudges and grievances between his friends.

Today, people may still be thinking about destroying Tubo and making great achievements, but they don't realize that an old poet has witnessed the history of the changes of the Tang army from being invincible to gradually withering away.

"In the two years since I returned to Chang'an, I have realized that the military system of the government has been destroyed, completely destroyed."

"The Tang Dynasty founded the country with soldiers, but now the land distribution system exists in name only. However, wars are frequent, military service is heavy, the people avoid serving, and the soldiers, horses, and weapons are exhausted, and only official positions are left in the government. They have not been promoted for many years, and the scholars

Ashamed of it.”

"On May 10th last year, Ge Nu reported that he would stop reprinting the government's fish books and change the government soldiers to recruit soldiers. However, the applicants were all traders in the market. They are scoundrels. How can they have any training in military affairs?"

"The Tang Dynasty has been at peace for a long time, and the court has been talking a lot about selling troops, so it is forbidden for people to carry weapons. If a son is a military officer, he is looked down upon by his father and brother. The border towns all gather the barbarians as a barrier, but there is no weapon in the country. This is the case.

Given the situation, whose husband can be found to be a marquis?"

"Young men can't be granted the title of marquis, and I'm old, and I won't even think about moving to an official position. I've written poems about my grievances over the years, and to tell you the truth, I just have grievances against the court. Those poems I wrote when I was young... I

It can’t be done anymore.”

"More than a thousand horses with gold medals and purple ribbons, and my husband-in-law returns to pay homage to the marquis... I can't do it anymore."

Wang Changling had a good drinking capacity, but after complaining, he seemed a little drunk.

He looked at Xue Bai, smiled helplessly, and recited casually: "The former army fought in Taohebei at night and was reported to have captured Tuyuhun alive. This is also a poem I wrote back then. I really can't do it."

In the past, the saint liked his poems very much, but now the saint hates his poems because he has changed and can only write about family complaints. Today, it is rare that he is willing to recite his previous poems.

"The white horse and the golden saddle are from the Emperor Wu, and the flags are ten thousand and Yang Yang, hahaha, the white horse and the golden saddle are from the Emperor Wu!"

Xue Bai picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, saying: "Ming Dynasty ordered the star to fly and seal the sword, and Cijun took Loulan overnight."

"That's right." Wang Changling said: "The sound of the iron drums on the top of the city is still shaking, and the blood of the golden sword in the box is still wet."

"The bright moon of the Qin Dynasty passed the Han Dynasty, and the people who marched thousands of miles have not yet returned."

"But let the flying generals of Dragon City be here, and don't teach Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountains."

Finally, Wang Changling turned the jug over completely. Seeing that there was no wine in it, he sighed and murmured.

"A heart of ice is in a jade pot."

~~

Xue Bai came today because he wanted to persuade Wang Changling to make more progress. The next step was to fight for an official position.

But unexpectedly, after a long conversation, it was Wang Changling who made him understand more about how corrupt the military system of the Tang Dynasty had been.
To be continued...