Li Yan nodded and said: "This is the reason why I called you two here today. At present, the alliance between Dahan and Soochow is getting deeper and deeper. I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve anything here in Jiangzhou and Yong'an. Now the focus of the imperial court is almost

Everything is focused on the Northern Expedition. If we cannot participate and get a share of the pie, it will be more difficult to compete with Zhuge Kongming in the future."

"What the general said is true. In the past year, the imperial court has launched two Northern Expeditions in succession, both of which ended in victory. Not only did Prime Minister Zhuge's prestige increase, but even the people in the Prime Minister's Mansion also rose with the tide, and their official positions and titles were greatly improved. Then Yang Qing

That's the most obvious example

This man was born in civilian clothes, and within a few years of being an official, he rose from the rank of prime minister to the governor of Yongzhou in charge of the feudal territory. The reason why this man was promoted so quickly is because he participated in the Northern Expedition and repeatedly won military honors." Cheng Fan said.

After hearing these words, Li Yan couldn't help but flashed a look of jealousy that was not easy to detect on his face, and said in a calm tone: "It is Yang Mingzhi's ability to win repeated military exploits. The fact that he can rise so quickly also shows the atmosphere of our Han Dynasty.

Only by being upright and appointing people based on their merit can we motivate officials, big and small.

I heard that Yang Mingzhi has just turned thirty this year. Gee, he is already a former general and an important minister like the governor of Yongzhou. If he is allowed to make more contributions, I am afraid that my official position will not be as good as him in a few years.

This boy's future is really limitless, we must be careful when dealing with him in the future, and we must not make enemies with him."

Hu Zhong heard the envy in Li Yan's words, raised his hands and said with relief: "Although Yang Mingzhi is a rare young hero among our great men, the general has the talent to assist the country and the people. As long as the general can carry out the Northern Expedition,

I believe that the emperor and the world can see that the general's talents are not inferior to those of Prime Minister Zhuge.

Although Yang Mingzhi is a very powerful person, he cannot be ranked above the general. He will always be the general's subordinate."

"Haha, your words are too flattering to me. I am old, and the world will eventually belong to you young people in the future. Since Yang Mingzhi is so valued by Zhuge Kongming, it is not impossible for Yang Mingzhi to have a higher official position than me in the future.

Don’t dare to underestimate this person.”

Li Yan was humble in his mouth, but in his heart he was very impressed by Hu Zhong's flattering words just now. He thought highly of himself and always believed that Zhuge Liang was his opponent in the entire Ji Han Dynasty, and the rest were not worth mentioning.

"Although Lian Po is old, he can still fight with rice and carry ten kilograms of meat. He is mounted in armor and charged into battle. The general is in his prime, and he is entrusted by the late emperor to support him. He should be brave and diligent, and have the courage to do his job. How can it be so meager?

Doesn’t it give me chills to wait?

I also hope that the general will cheer up and devote himself to the Northern Expedition to achieve unparalleled achievements. We will lead the horse and whip, attach it to the tail, and follow him forever, with unswerving determination!" Chengfan stood up and said seriously.

Not to be outdone, Hu Zhong also stood up and paid his respects: "What Governor Cheng said is absolutely true. Please ask the general to lead us to participate in the Northern Expedition, so that we can gain a future as a wife and son."

"Well, since you have such ambitions, how can I disappoint you? Anyway, in a few days I will go to His Majesty and ask for orders for the Northern Expedition and move the town to Hanzhong. We have stayed here in Jiangzhou for seven or eight years.

It’s time to move away.” Li Yan was deeply inspired by what he said and stood up and said excitedly.

Cheng Fan and Hu Zhong praised in unison: "The general is wise!"

"Well, speaking of which, asking the emperor for orders to participate in the Northern Expedition is not all for our future." Li Yan sighed softly and said slowly.

Chengfan asked in confusion: "I wonder what the general has other deep meanings?"

"Fundamentally speaking, our request to participate in the Northern Expedition is for Your Majesty and for the eternal foundation of our great nation."

Li Yan cupped his hands in the northwest direction of Chengdu, with a loyal and courageous face. He then sat back down and waved his hand to signal success. The two of them also sat down and talked, and continued: "Since the death of the late emperor, Zhuge Kongming has made great efforts.

He excluded me and took control of the government alone. The emperor has been ignored by him.

Now he has led his army in the Northern Expedition and won two victories. He has achieved great success and has great power in both the government and the public. Most civil and military officials follow his lead, and few dare to disobey him. If this goes on for a long time, I am afraid that Zhuge Kongming will give birth to disloyal people.

Heart, conduct, reckless stories, usurping the throne and becoming self-reliant.

I, Li Yan, have been greatly favored by the late emperor for a long time, and in the third year of Zhang Wu, I was ordered by the late emperor to help me. I have received great favor from the emperor. I should work hard to protect the imperial court, try to check and balance Zhuge Kongming, and preserve our country."

"The general's words are so inspiring. We are so stupid that we have not realized the general's good intentions until today. Please accept your humiliation and bow down." After saying this, Cheng Fan stood up again and bowed down.

Hu Zhong also said with a moved face: "The general is actually the most loyal minister of my Han Dynasty. I believe that when Your Majesty finds out, he will be as moved as Zhong. And if the late emperor knows about it, he will definitely be happy that he entrusted the orphan properly. For the future of the Han Dynasty.

Foundation, we are willing to follow it to the death."

"I am willing to follow the general to the death." Cheng Fan hurriedly agreed.

Li Yan said: "Okay, since you two have this intention, let's work together and plan for great things. In the future, we will need your full support to participate in the Northern Expedition."

"General, don't worry, this is our duty." Chengfan said: "It's just that, general, Jiangzhou, Yong'an and other Bajun areas are the solid foundation for our operation for several years. If we move to Hanzhong in the future, we will lose this area.

I’m afraid it will be difficult to deal with the Prime Minister in the back-up territory.”

"Well, this makes sense. Jiangzhou is my foundation and cannot be given up. When participating in the Northern Expedition, we must also hold this territory firmly in our hands, so as not to become a tree without roots and water without water.

Otherwise, even if we lead the army to Hanzhong, we will still be no match for Zhuge Kongming and his gang. Once they take advantage of us, we are afraid that we will steal the chicken but lose the rice. Not only will it be difficult to obtain the great achievements of the Northern Expedition, but there will also be

It may become the meat and potatoes of the Prime Minister's Palace."

"It's just that if the general asks for orders to go to Hanzhong to participate in the Northern Expedition, I'm afraid Prime Minister Zhuge will not allow Jiangzhou and other places to still be under the rule of the general. Not only that, the prime minister will most likely take the opportunity to eliminate our power in Bajun." Hu Zhong said with a look on his face.

Really worried.

Li Yan touched the three strands of beard under his chin, thought for a moment, and said: "We have to think of a solution that has the best of both worlds. We cannot take the initiative to give Zhuge Kongming a chance to attack us. It seems that requesting the Northern Expedition still requires long-term planning."

"I think the general can first reveal his intention to the Northern Expedition to the court, and when the time is right, it will not be too late to formally inform His Majesty," Cheng Fan said.

Hu Zhong asked Chengfan: "But when will the time be considered mature?"

Before Cheng Fan could answer, Li Yan laughed and said: "Haha, of course it's when Zhuge Kongming wants something from me. If he takes the initiative to invite me to lead his army northward, I will naturally have the advantage, and I will definitely be able to fight him when the time comes.

Bargaining, participating in the Northern Expedition can also preserve the foundation of Bajun."

"Will there ever be such a time?" Hu Zhong still had doubts.

Chengfan said firmly: "80% of the time there will be. Don't forget, the Prime Minister had previously asked the general to lead 20,000 Jiangzhou troops to Hanzhong to guard and support the Northern Expedition, but we just refused after considering the situation.

Maybe the Prime Minister will issue the same order in the future, and then it will be our opportunity to get the best of both worlds."

"Well, this is true. Although I have been attacking and defending the enemy in the past two years, I see that Cao Wei and his ministers will not be willing to be humiliated frequently. Once the Wei army invades in large numbers, it will be a good opportunity for us to participate in the Northern Expedition."
Chapter completed!