Jiuxi

Chapter 221 219 [The importance of the tripod]

The olive branch extended by the Zhai Lin Wang family delayed the strategic planning of the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion. If the support of the northern clans could be obtained, the Northern Expedition would be more likely to succeed, and the losses of the frontier soldiers would be greatly reduced. Xiao Wangzhi Of course I'm happy to see this happen.

Lu Chen's response was supported and appreciated by Xiao Wangzhi. This maneuver allowed the Huaizhou Army to take the initiative, and at the same time, it could test whether the other party was sincere in committing the crime. After all, Li Xuanan's incident was still fresh in his mind, and no one could judge Zhai Lin and Wang's family. It's not a pretense to deceive.

In the next half month, Lu Chen's life was leisurely and busy.

The so-called leisurely means that he finally no longer has to quarrel with his enemies and can deal with the matters at hand with peace of mind.

It is easy to understand why he is busy. Not only does he have to devote a lot of energy to training the six thousand tiger soldiers of the Rui Shi Battalion, but he also has to learn the art of war from Xiao Wangzhi to further improve his military understanding. At the same time, he has to have an overview of the military situation on the border and become familiar with every place. of military subordinates.

On the day of rest at the end of October, Lu Chen had a rare opportunity to return to his house and have a family dinner with his old father.

After having enough wine and food, the father and son came to the Nuang Pavilion to sit and drink tea.

"Dad, my family's business is so big. Wouldn't it be wrong for you to stay in Lai'an instead of taking charge in Guangling?"

Today, Lu Chen has already put down his guard against Lu Tong. He is no longer as cautious as he was when he first came to this world last year. He appears more relaxed in front of Lu Tong, showing respect and closeness.

Lu Tong naturally wanted this, and when he heard this, he twirled his short beard and said with a smile: "Our business has passed the stage of adventurous expansion, even if we don't count the shops in Jiangnan, and we don't count the private business dealings with the north. The income from this land in Huaizhou is enough for you to marry two wives and have seventy or eighty concubines."

Lu Chen almost choked on his tea.

Lu Tong still didn't let him go and joked: "You are just too thin-skinned. Why should you be too pretentious about some things? That kid Song Pei has a good personality and a good appearance. If you can be more decisive, you can let her go." Why not be your roommate?"

"I'm busy right now. Let's talk about it later."

Lu Chen laughed, and then asked curiously: "Our family still has business dealings with the north?"

"Your Uncle Xiao is fully aware of this matter. In fact, without the Governor's tacit approval, I wouldn't bother to take care of it."

Lu Tong looked calm and said leisurely: "It's just that we can't walk through Panlong Pass now. This road is too eye-catching. We can only go west from the Shuangfeng Ancient Road and enter the territory of Pseudo-Yan from Xunyang City. Speaking of which, this is all It’s not easy to abandon the business foundation I laid for Marshal Yang back then. On the one hand, I can make money, and on the other hand, it is a very stable news channel.”

Lu Chen nodded slightly. Although he didn't know much about business, he also knew that a stable trade route was hard to come by, especially in this era when transportation and information exchanges were troublesome.

He thought for a while and then said: "There should be many craftsmen in our shop, right?"

Lu Tong's heart moved, and he asked with a half-smile, "What kind of craftsman are you referring to?"

Lu Chen replied: "Blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, plasterers, etc., as long as they have a craft, they will be counted."

"I haven't counted it, but it must be a lot."

Lu Tong answered briefly, then looked into Lu Shen's eyes and asked, "Shen'er, why are you suddenly interested in this matter?"

Lu Chen briefly recounted his experience in Baotai Mountain. In order to prevent the old man from breaking the casserole and asking for details, he put Huo Lei's main credit on the craftsmen and only said that he had some ideas for improvement.

Lu Tong pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject and said: "Xiao Wangzhi told me one thing. According to the original discussion between you and him, the Northern Expedition should have been held long ago, and the Seven-Star Army was responsible for containing the back of the Yan Army in Dongyang Road. You suddenly The resolution was revised and Xiao Wangzhi was told that the Puppet Yan had adjusted its strategy and the Seven-Star Army could not come out of the mountain."

"Uncle Xiao has doubts? You think so. Based on his experience, I'm afraid he won't believe this reason."

Lu Chen's expression remained calm. Even if Xiao Wangzhi had doubts, he would not take it too seriously for the sake of the old man.

Lu Tong smiled and said: "He really doesn't believe it, but he thinks wrong. He thinks you did this because you are in love with Lin Xilang and can't bear her taking risks with the Seven Star Army."

However, Lu Chen heard the implication of the old man's words and couldn't help but smile slightly awkwardly.

Lu Tong continued: "But I know you are not indecisive and hesitant. How can you be so kind to a woman when you, a kid, can even risk your own life on the battlefield? After thinking about it, the only possibility is that you want to Make the Seven-Star Army a private army that belongs only to you and Lin Xi, and this force will not be wasted unless absolutely necessary."

Having said this, the middle-aged man leaned forward slightly and asked gently: "Shen'er, do you want to rebel?"

"Dad, this is a bit far."

Lu Chen responded calmly, only saying that it was far away, but did not deny it, and his thoughts were self-evident.

This late-night conversation between father and son gradually moved in an unknown direction.

Lu Tong had already got the answer and did not comment on it. He just said softly: "From ancient times to the present, there are many people who support their own troops and respect themselves, but there are only a few people who raise flags to start trouble and succeed. At that time, Qi Taizu Li Zhongjing made his fortune with seventeen horses, which was nothing more than It’s the historian’s beautiful words. In fact, he relied on the nobles of Hexi to lay the foundation for the conquest of all directions. If you go to the southern capital, you may feel something in your heart and have the idea of ​​​​not being controlled by others, but Shen’er, this The road is not as simple as you think."

In front of Lin Jie, Lu Chen's words were relatively simple, and they were probably limited to the level of controlling one's own destiny.

Facing Lu Tong tonight, who was his biological father who was connected by blood, Lu Chen no longer held back and said frankly: "Dad, actually I have really considered this issue. I have military talent, and my family has money and food. Now the master and senior sister from the north can also provide some help. In these troubled times, is there any chance to get a piece of land to plan for big things?" Lu Tong smiled and said: "Can you think of a result?"

"The likelihood is extremely low, almost negligible."

"Why?"

"Power does not come from the top down, but from the bottom up. The emperor is the emperor because many people support him. Even if their interests may conflict with the emperor's, most of the time they can find common ground while reserving differences. Just take For Li Daoyan, the left prime minister, he represented the interests of the Jiangnan clan and did not agree with the Northern Expedition. However, when the emperor showed his strong will, he was still willing to take a step back. The reason was that he could only maintain the emperor's authority and maintain stability. Only by maintaining order can these powerful families continue to reap profits and exploit the people."

Lu Chen spoke very slowly, obviously after long and deep thinking.

Lu Tong narrowed his eyes slightly and praised: "It is extremely rare that you can think of this. Such important matters are most taboo on a whim. In fact, this is the essence of imperial power. Whether it is Li Daoyan or Xue Nanting, the forces behind them They all hope for a stable court situation. Anyone who wants to break this stability will have to endure their counterattack. In other words, this is the root of their support for Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, because Jing Chao has enough strength to break the They live a stable and prosperous life.”

Lu Chen nodded and said: "The Seven-Star Army was created from scratch and I have put a lot of effort into it. Because of my relationship with my senior sister, this force can be used by me. Therefore, I don't want it to end up with Yan when it is just formed and is still very fragile." The main force of the army is fighting for its life. As for the future, I am confident that it will become even stronger."

Lu Tong slowly leaned back on the chair, put his hands in his sleeves again, and reminded: "You don't have to put too much pressure on yourself. To be honest, it's not easy for you to achieve this step. Going forward, you Just break this into a two-step process.”

Lu Chen said with understanding: "I understand, first stand firm and then slowly figure it out."

He had no deep feelings for the Southern Qi court, and he never thought about being a loyal minister and filial son to the powerful people in the south.

With the depressing example of Yang Guangyuan in front of him, he must plan ahead and start planning many years in advance.

As for Lu Tong, as a person who personally ordered the burning of the late emperor and the prince, Lu Chen's idea was not treasonous at all to him, and he even felt very relieved.

"I'm not surprised that you have such an ambition. I'm just a little surprised that you told me so early."

Lu Tong said with emotion.

A faint smile appeared on Lu Chen's face, and he said slowly: "Others may not know, but you must know. In addition, although Uncle Xiao was not particularly close to the emperor before, I think he is the same as Governor Li. He is a person who is extremely loyal to the Tian family.”

"You don't need to worry too much about this. As long as your father is still alive, he can protect you from some wind and rain. I am not familiar with Li Tianrun, but I can confirm that Xiao Wangzhi is not the kind of person you imagined. He talked to the monarchs and ministers in the south It’s not very loyal, but he has an obsession in his heart, which can also be said to be resentment.”

Lu Tong sighed softly when he said this, and said quietly: "He just wants to fulfill Marshal Yang's long-cherished wish and drive the Jinglian people back to the barren land in the north, so that the Qi people in the south and north of the Yangtze River can live a stable and prosperous life."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then clarified his thoughts: "I still have to stay in the border army to accumulate strength. In addition to the Seven-Star Army, I hope that my family can make two preparations."

Lu Tongdao: "You say."

Lu Chen said unhurriedly: "One is the craftsmen mentioned earlier. Our Lu family can recruit more, cultivate their loyalty first, and then let them research more powerful weapons when the time is right. Second, at home, You can secretly train a private army. The number does not need to be too large, just four to five hundred people. If the situation changes in the future, these people can become the skeleton of an army."

Lu Tong responded: "Okay, I'll leave these two things to my father."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, and then said with emotion: "After all, I still can't trust those people in the south, so I can only make plans in advance."

Lu Tong naturally recalled some stories from those years, and he fully understood where Lu Chen's worries came from.

At present, the Southern Qi frontier army has an advantage over the Yan army, but what if the main force of the Jing Dynasty moves south?
  In the event that the frontier army was at a disadvantage, Lu Tong could use his fingers to think of the response methods of the powerful people in the south, such as crossing the river to rule, for example, using the head of the frontier army general and countless gold and silver to calm the anger and anger of the kings and ministers of Jing Dynasty. desire.

No matter from which point of view, he will only stand by his son's side.

The father and son talked secretly for a long time that night, and Lu Chen didn't go to bed until late at night.

When he woke up from his sleep, he had just finished breakfast when the steward suddenly reported that a visitor had arrived.

In the chilly sunshine of the morning, Lu Chen looked at Wang Jun who was in a hurry and asked curiously: "Today is the day of rest. Why don't you take a nap at home? Why are you here in such a hurry?"

Wang Jun said apologetically: "Captain, don't blame me. I received an urgent letter, so I didn't dare to delay it."

Lu Chen realized that this should have something to do with the north, so he invited him in and said as he walked: "Don't be in a hurry. Speak slowly."

Wang Jun first conveyed the sincerity of Wang Zhai Lin to Lu Chen, and finally said: "Captain, your cousin has arrived at Xunyang City and is heading here via the Shuangfeng Ancient Road."

Lu Chen stopped and looked startled.

He looked at Wang Jun steadily, and a question mark slowly formed in his mind.

(End of this chapter)