Xiaoqi

Unexpectedly, when the officials went to court, they immediately found the imperial list posted outside the palace gate.I was very surprised at the moment, and thought to myself: "When did the emperor's edict be changed to a public announcement? Why didn't I hear any news? It's really strange!" Driven by curiosity, all the officials came forward to watch together, and waited. After seeing clearly the contents of the edict, Kuai Liang, the chief assistant of the court, and Cai Mao, the general, struck out at the same time, and slapped the four soldiers standing next to the emperor's list twice, until the corners of the soldiers' mouths were bleeding.The two cheeks instantly swelled and fermented, swelling up at a speed visible to the naked eye, and there were four bloody meat buns.

The four soldiers who were beaten for no reason were very aggrieved, their faces were full of resentment, their fists were clenched, but they dared not fight back.Originally they thought that after the beating, the two military and political chief assistants should explain why they beat people, but Kuai Liang and Cai Mao turned around and left after beating people, without any explanation at all.

"Too much deception! I am the dignified emperor's personal guard. How can I be a watchdog that you can beat and scold whenever you want!" He stared fiercely at the backs of Kuai Liang and Cai Mao who left in anger.The four soldiers were indignant, and they had already begun to curse in their hearts.It's just that they didn't dare to make a sound, and could only curse silently, after all, their arms couldn't twist their thighs.How dare these small soldiers offend the two chief ministers face to face, unless it is because they think their lives are too long and they are tired of working.

Seeing that Kuai Liang and Cai Mao left with a flick of their sleeves, the officials naturally did not dare to stay any longer.They looked back at the imperial list on the wall step by step, each of them thoughtful.He stepped into the palace gate with a heavy heart.At this moment, Pang Tong, the military adviser who remained at the end, stepped forward slowly.But his gaze was fixed on the imperial list, without blinking his eyes.After a while, he said in a low voice to the four soldiers who were still guarding the left and right: "Keep your eyes open and take a good look at this imperial list, and see who you were on duty last night?"

The soldiers turned their heads when they heard the words, and opened their eyes wide to see from above, but they didn't see anything wrong, so they looked back at Pang Tong blankly, and the eyes of one of the soldiers happened to meet Pang Tong's eyes in the sky .In an instant, Pang Tong was completely defeated by his innocent and aggrieved eyes. He couldn't breathe, his lungs were bursting, and he wanted to hit his head against the wall.

"After a long time, it turns out that the four of them can't read!" Pang Tong asked the sky in a speechless manner, then stepped forward angrily, tore off the imperial list on the wall, rolled it up and stuffed it into his sleeve.Before leaving, he noticed that the four soldiers were staring at the imperial list that he had stuffed into his sleeves in astonishment. Pang Tong said to them earnestly: "If you don't study in a private school, you will kill people! You should read and read when you have time, otherwise you will have to read and write in the future." When you were beheaded, you didn't know how you died!"

Seeing Pang Tong's face was very kind when he spoke, one of the very handsome soldiers quickly replied respectfully: "You must remember the teachings of the military master, and you must learn more in the future."

Pang Tong was very relieved when he heard the words, and finally there was someone who was sensible. He immediately nodded and said: "You can teach a child, learn hard, and don't let what happened today happen again." After speaking, Pang Tong lifted his legs and left.

Seeing that Pang Tong was about to leave, the armored soldier said respectfully, "Military commander, go slowly. To be honest with the military advisor, the young ones also know some characters. There are sixteen characters on the imperial list, and the young ones know all of them."

"Uh!" Pang Tong was surprised when he heard the sound, his mind went blank for a moment, at this moment his left foot stepped on a round lumpy stone, he staggered a few steps away, and nearly fell to the ground head-on.

Pang Tong managed to stand upright, his cheeks turned liver-colored immediately, and then he turned his head and gritted his teeth in anger and said, "Summer insects can't speak ice! I'm angry too?" I only know sixteen characters and I'm embarrassed to say it, I don't know Shame!

With a feeling of indignation, Pang Tong didn't want to say anything more to them, and immediately walked into the palace gate step by step with his heartbroken left foot.Apparently, he sprained his left ankle just now, which caused him to embarrass himself in public, so it's no wonder that he became angry with embarrassment.If he hadn't come from a scholarly family, was very self-cultivated, and relied on his status, maybe he would have ordered the four soldiers to be dragged down and beheaded on the spot.

?Above the court, it is still a step-by-step start to the early court.

First, Xiangguo Kuailiang reported the recent emergencies in the counties and counties under the Southern Dynasty, such as the frequent epidemics in the three counties of Jingnan in spring, the drought in Fancheng and Xinye under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang Yin, and so on.After Kuai Liang finished his report, it was General Cai Mao's turn to report on the situation of Jingzhou's soldiers and horses. It was still the same old way, such as the soldiers and horses of each battalion are actively practicing, the navy needs to add some warships and armor, and the border is peaceful. It's the same old tune, it's said every time, there's nothing new about it.

It is worth mentioning that since Li Li of Xiliang ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, Cai Mao was promoted from a chariot general to a general, and was in charge of the three armies of the Southern Han Dynasty. His power and momentum were unmatched in Jingzhou. It seems that he has become a powerful minister under one person and above ten thousand in the Southern Dynasties, and his status is still above that of the Kuai brothers.

At the same time, after Liu Biao came to the throne, he expanded the size of the inner court, and the counties and counties sent a large number of young and beautiful young girls to enrich the inner court.So far, although the backyards of the emperors of the Southern Han Dynasty are not counted as the Sangongs and Sixth Courtyards and the Three Thousand Beauties, they have already exceeded one thousand.As long as you enter the inner mansion, you can see beautifully dressed court ladies everywhere. Every time Liu Biao goes down, he is always surrounded by Yingying and Yanyan, and Liu Biao is in the middle, just like an old man surrounded by a group of granddaughters. It is worthy of the name. It stands out from the crowd and is extremely eye-catching.

Fortunately, Liu Biao still had some self-control ability. He knew very well that he was old and if he indulged too much, he would die in the belly of a woman sooner or later.Therefore, in the past year or so, he has been diligent in handling government affairs, and he has often asked about the situation of the army, which is considered wise.Even so, Liu Biao's physical condition is too good, and his energy is declining day by day. Even sitting up and listening to politics, he seems to be exhausted and drowsy.What is particularly eye-catching is that Liu Biao has dark circles around his eye sockets since some time ago, and the eye sockets are sunken. At first, they were just a little gray, but now they have become as black as ink, which is very conspicuous.What followed was that Liu Biao's eyesight was getting worse and worse, and it was very difficult for him to review the bamboo slips. He often had to read out the content on the bamboo slips before he could reply a few words in the blank space. It can be clearly seen from the above that his hands are shaking when writing, so that the font has wavy patterns.

These signs all show that Liu Biao is really old, and the future of the Southern Han Dynasty is worrying.The most worrying thing is that Liu Biao, who is nearly [-] years old, still doesn't know how to restrain himself. Although he doesn't play songs every night, there will always be the sound of drums and zithers in the inner courtyard every now and then, which is also mixed with the ear-piercing sounds of the concubines. laughter.

Not long ago, Pang Tong saw Liu Biao lying almost half naked in the arms of two concubines, squinting his eyes to watch the almost naked dancers swaying. Do what you can to tease.For this reason, Pang Tong was deeply worried about the future prospects of the Southern Han Dynasty. He often couldn't sleep all night, thinking hard about countermeasures, but he had no clue and was at a loss.

Originally, the eldest son Liu Qi was the most ideal heir to the throne, but Liu Qi was young but his body had already been hollowed out by wine and lust. He could not even straighten his waist when he walked on weekdays, his feet were light and his legs were weak. A young man in his 20s has two dark circles under his eyes every day, and the color of the halo is worse than that of his old man. Anyone with a discerning eye will know that he is a sign of premature death. He will not live forever. If he continues to indulge like this, he will say Maybe he will still walk ahead of Liu Biao.White-haired people send black-haired people.

In the early dynasty, for some reason, the officials did not mention the imperial examination edict promulgated by the emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty.Maybe they guessed that Liu Biao knew about it long ago. Since Liu Biao himself didn't want to mention it, they didn't touch the bad luck, so they should pretend they didn't know.

Regal majesty is unpredictable, no one would risk their wealth and life, everything is better to let nature take its course.

Chapter 228

In addition to Liu Qi, the only one who can inherit the throne is Liu Cong, the second son of Cai's adoptive family.

However, Liu Cong was young, not yet ten years old. Once Liu Biao passed away and Liu Cong ascended the throne, it would inevitably lead to a situation where the imperial power would fall to the side and foreign relatives would monopolize the power. At that time, the Southern Han Dynasty would completely fall into the hands of Cai Mao and others.

The situation was like this. Pang Tong thought hard about the future of the Southern Han Dynasty. The only way out he could think of was to further consolidate the regime while Liu Biao was alive, and take part of the military power in his own hands.Only in this way can the orthodox inheritance of the Han Dynasty be maintained, otherwise, sooner or later, it will be replaced by the Cai family and seize power and usurp the throne.

The early court lasted for nearly two hours, and when it came to the end, for some unknown reason, all the officials were unprecedentedly unanimous in not mentioning the imperial examination edict promulgated by the emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty.Perhaps they guessed that Liu Biao knew about it long ago. After all, the imperial list was pasted on the wall outside the palace gate. How could no one have noticed with so many servants and eunuchs in the palace?So all the officials tacitly reached an agreement invisibly. Since Liu Biao himself didn't want to mention it, they didn't touch the bad luck, so they had the right not to know.

Regal majesty is unpredictable, no one would risk their wealth and life, everything is better to let nature take its course.

This is the atmosphere in the hall of the Southern Han Dynasty.

At first glance, there is a harmonious atmosphere, the ruler is a wise ruler, the ministers are obedient ministers, and all civil and military officials perform their duties in an orderly manner.But this kind of amiable atmosphere is obviously not suitable for use in the court, it is more like the harmonious atmosphere that can only be found in living at home.The most important thing is that the world is not peaceful at present, and the Southern Han Dynasty has not yet reached the level of Haiqing, Heyan and Guanhe; quite the opposite.Now that the Three Kingdoms are standing together, the other two vassal states are always thinking about leveling the other vassal states.Dominate the world.

However, in the Southern Han Dynasty Hall, there was not a trace of anger, and there was not even a trace of the lingering smoke of the war.It's like living behind closed doors.From top to bottom, almost everyone can't wait to enjoy the hard-won wealth and glory, and no one is worried about the country and planning for the long-term goal.Perhaps this is just Pang Tong's own thoughts, a conclusion based entirely on subjective conjectures. In fact, the officials may not have thought about the future and destiny of the Southern Han Dynasty.

It's a pity that Pang Tong didn't see anyone among the officials who was really worried about the safety of the country. All he could see was a group of harmony, and repeated routines step by step.No one was able to propose an effective and specific strategy to consolidate the foundation of the dynasty, and no one dared to stand up and propose to take the initiative to send troops to attack the city and further expand the territory.

Thinking of the initiative to send troops, Pang Tong couldn't help looking up at Liu Biao who was squinting and sleeping in the upper hall, then shook his head lightly and sighed secretly, feeling very bitter in his heart.

When Li Li ascended the throne last year and proclaimed himself emperor, Pang Tong was ordered to follow the mission to infiltrate Chang'an, secretly contacted Cao Pi, the son of Wei, and tried his best to reach an alliance with him.On top of that covenant.Undoubtedly, the Southern Han Dynasty had the upper hand and made many demands on the State of Wei, and all of them got what they wanted in the end, so Pang Tong successfully completed the mission.However, what Pang Tong didn't expect was that.When he returned to Jingzhou with the covenant reached with Wei, the reaction of the emperor and officials after seeing the covenant was completely beyond Pang Tong's expectations, which was quite different from the joyful situation he imagined.

then.After Liu Biao saw the covenant, instead of showing any joy, his expression was serious.The look in Pang Tong's eyes was not without reproach, if he hadn't thought about his fearlessness and painstaking efforts to sneak into Chang'an's favor.I'm afraid that Liu Biao will get angry at him on the spot, and even convict him.The reaction of the hundred officials was the same as that of Liu Biao. They didn't think that this covenant was of much benefit to the Southern Han Dynasty. The [-] horses and equipment were clearly written on it, but they turned a blind eye to it. Instead, they publicly accused Pang Tong of not being Unauthorized decision-making agreed to take the lead in sending troops.What's more, the general Cai Mao pointed at Pang Tong's nose in a rage and reprimanded sharply: "The use of troops in Xiliang is no small matter. How can you, a mere scholar, be able to decide such a big matter? How rash is this move, as if Treating major affairs of the general state as a trifling matter, not enough to plan!"

Precisely because Cai Mao yelled at him, it was tantamount to blatantly tearing up his face with him, putting the conflict between them on the table, so that all the civil and military in Jingzhou could see it, so he quickly stood in line and made his position clear.It has to be said that Cai Mao took advantage of the problem to attack outrageously, and dealt an unusually heavy blow to Pang Tong. The little power he had finally built up in the army was destroyed by Cai Mao in an instant, and more than ten generals attached to him They defected one after another and once again voted under Cai Mao's command.Almost as soon as he turned around, Pang Tong became a loner again, a real bare-bones military adviser; if Liu Biao still trusted him and protected him, it would have been difficult for Pang Tong to gain a foothold in Jingzhou.

Because Liu Biao and the officials were not enthusiastic about the covenant, the alliance covenant between the Southern Han Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty was put on the shelf, and no one cares about it until now, as if it has been forgotten by everyone.In other words, all civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, including Liu Biao, were deliberately avoiding this covenant, and no one wanted to mention it, as if nothing had happened, and it never happened.In this regard, Pang Tong was alone and weak, and he was really helpless except to sigh sadly.

It has been a full five months since the incident, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty still never mentioned the fulfillment of the covenant, and they were even reluctant to mention the titles of the Northern Wei and Western Jin countries, for fear of touching everyone's sensitive nerves and causing Liu Biao's displeasure, which would set him on fire. Offend public outrage.The reason why the Korean, Chinese, and military officials are so sensitive can be put simply in one sentence: none of the civil and military officials, including Emperor Liu Biao, want to fight, especially do not want to formally start a war or have a full-scale confrontation with the Xiliang Army.

On this issue, Liu Biao remained silent. Conservative generals such as Cai Mao and Zhang Yun resolutely opposed going to war. The Kuai brothers also worried about gains and losses and wavered.Only some middle-level generals in the army, such as Changsha Zhonglang General Wei Yan and Fancheng Guard General Wenpin, responded positively and advocated launching a war against the Xiliang Army. However, they were so soft-spoken that they could not influence Liu Biao's decision at all, and their different opinions could be ignored. .

Five months passed in a blink of an eye, and the matter of the covenant has been put on hold until now. Pang Tong has made unremitting efforts for this, and spared no effort to screen out [-] cavalry and make active preparations. He only waits to receive [-] horses and equipment from the State of Wei Immediately, a war cavalry can be formed, and the Jingzhou cavalry can be expanded to [-] war cavalry, which is enough to confront the Xiliang iron cavalry head-on.Now everything is ready, as long as troops are sent to capture Nanyang County and open up the handover channel with Yanzhou, they can get [-] horses and cavalry equipment from Wei State, and then join forces with Wei State to fight against the Western Jin army.

Everything is ready, only the east wind is needed. The current situation of Pang Tong is very similar to that of Zhou Yu in history. Even if he has great ambitions, he cannot display them.

To this day, Cai Mao's swearing phrase "Shouzi's inadequacy and strategy" has been lingering in Pang Tong's ears, making him feel like a thorn in his throat and a thorn in his back, and he can't let go of it.However, when Cai Mao's power was poured into the government, he almost covered the sky with one hand. The hundreds of thousands of troops of the Southern Han Dynasty were all in his hands. If he did not get his support, Pang Tong's plan to use troops against the Western Jin Dynasty would be tantamount to a dream.However, Pang Tong and Cai Mao have already torn their faces. If they want to shake hands and make peace, it is not easy to talk about it, and it is almost impossible to achieve.Therefore, Pang Tong can only pin all his hopes on Liu Biao. As long as Liu Biao is willing to send troops to the Northern Expedition, everything will be solved, and even Cai Mao cannot stop it.

After all, Liu Biao is the lord of Jingzhou, the orthodox emperor with Miaohong roots. Even though Cai Mao holds the military power and power in the court, he dare not disobey Liu Biao's decision, let alone openly disobey the order.Liu Biao has been in Jingzhou for more than ten years. He has a large number of civil servants and military generals under his command, as well as the support of the major families in Jingzhou. The high prestige and deep foundation are definitely not comparable to Cai Mao.Therefore, as long as Liu Biao survives, there will be no turmoil in the Southern Han regime. He is the sole ruler of Jingzhou. With one order, hundreds of thousands of troops can follow; It is not inferior to Cao Cao in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

In the early court, Pang Tong did not say a word, his mind was spinning rapidly, and the complicated situation of the court and the trend of the world all came to mind.What he did was to sort out the context of it, and grasp the main thread, so as to actively think about countermeasures and solve the most difficult problems at present one by one.At the moment, there are two things that worry him the most. One is the imperial examination notice in his sleeve, and the other is how to fulfill the covenant signed with Wei.

After the dynasty was over, Pang Tong did not follow the officials to leave the palace, but followed Liu Biao into the side hall.Coincidentally, Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Liu Pan, Huang Zu, and the Kuai brothers also followed. Obviously, they had realized the meaning of the imperial examination edict promulgated by Emperor Li Li of the Western Jin Dynasty, so they never mentioned it in court, but in their hearts But he couldn't calm down, and urgently needed to discuss countermeasures with Liu Biao as soon as possible to deal with the coming imperial examination storm.

In the side hall, the monarchs and ministers were seated.Just as Pang Tong expected, Liu Biao had already learned about the imperial list at the gate of the palace, and knew that this edict was not limited to the gate of the palace, and that there were similar edicts in every street in the city.

In addition, Liu Biao also revealed that he had received a secret report that the imperial examination edict was not limited to Xiangyang City, but that the same imperial list appeared in other cities and even in the entire Jingzhou. Bamboo tube.It can be seen that the same imperial list can also be seen in Jiangdong.

Speaking of this, Liu Biao sighed sincerely: "It's really a big deal! In all fairness, this move can be called a pioneering move. It swallows mountains and rivers with arrogance, amazing courage, and formidable future generations!"

Chapter 229

Extending from this, it is not difficult to imagine that there must have been imperial examination edicts in the territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it spread throughout the three states under Cao Cao's rule.

After all, the imperial edicts of the Western Jin Dynasty can be put on the Yangtze River, how can the territory of Wei State be spared?

Speaking of this, Liu Biao sighed sincerely: "What a great deal! Just after the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty, Li Wenchang made another subversive move, changing the official system in one fell swoop, in an attempt to overthrow the foundation of my Liu family's foundation. , This move can be called a pioneering move, swallowing mountains and rivers, amazing courage, and fearsome future generations!" Liu Biao is not easy to praise others, especially after he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he seldom praised others. for the first time.

It is obvious that Liu Biao's heartstrings were deeply touched by the comprehensive implementation of the imperial examination in the Western Jin Dynasty. He was greatly shocked, but he couldn't help but feel emotional, so he expressed his feelings and sighed endlessly.

It's just that this kind of emotion may not be a good thing.Liu Biao is approaching the age of 70. He has experienced countless storms and waves in his life. His mind has long been tempered to be extremely solid and steady. .Therefore, his sighs and sighs at this moment are quite intriguing, revealing a profound and unpredictable meaning, which makes people feel compassionate and can't help but daydream.

The more emotions, the greater the touch to him, and the greater the touch, the reaction will be made, and corresponding actions will be taken to contain it.Or rather, firmly resist.Because attacking the enemy is equivalent to strengthening oneself, only by making the enemy unhappy can one be happy.

Everyone present in the side hall is not mediocre.Moreover, most of them have followed Liu Biao for many years, and the only one with less seniority is military advisor Pang Tong Pang Shiyuan.now.Even Pang Tong could clearly feel the slight chill in Liu Biao's exclamation, and the murderous intent in his half-opened and half-closed deep eyes.Others can naturally understand the deep meaning revealed in Liu Biao's words.

After thinking about it for a while, it is not difficult for them to think that Liu Biao's subtext after his heartfelt sigh should be: "The future generations are awesome, and we should get rid of them early; if the Western Jin Dynasty is not destroyed, my heart is not at ease; if Li Li is not dead, the Han Dynasty will perish!"

After thinking up to this point, Pang Tong was determined, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was secretly happy.Originally, he was still thinking about how to persuade Liu Biao to send troops to attack the Western Jin Dynasty, take back Nanyang in one fell swoop, and open up the alliance channel with Wei.And then communicate with each other, watch and help each other.Now he was completely relieved. From Liu Biao's words just now, it was not difficult to hear that Liu Biao had already deeply felt the huge threat of Li Li from the Western Jin Dynasty, so he sighed and felt a lot.This is enough.

As long as Liu Biao has a strong sense of crisis, he can overcome Pang Tong's thousands of words, and he doesn't need to persuade him in every possible way, and he doesn't even need to ask for a job at all.Liu Biao will choose to take the initiative.This is because Liu Biao is well versed in current affairs and has a clear understanding of the situation in the world. Although he is old, he is an old man.Familiar with the art of war and strategy, how can you not know the principle of preempting the enemy and then being controlled by others.Therefore, Liu Biao really made a murderous move this time.It saves Pang Tong a lot of things, so there is no need to waste a lot of words.Just do what you're told.

While thinking secretly, Pang Tong took out the imperial list hidden in his sleeve.He presented both hands to Liu Biao, then bowed and returned to his original position, keeping silent.