I'm really not King Jing of Zhongshan

Chapter 138 Good teacher~ The medicine is not bitter~
"Lieutenant Zhou Yafu~"

After the court was over, he returned to his old Anhou Mansion, lying on the soft couch in the bedroom, looking at the two brothers Liu Pengzu and Liu Sheng who were busy beside the couch, Shen Tujia murmured leisurely, and then looked towards him. Liu Sheng next to him.

"What do you think of Zhou Yafu, my lord?"

Hearing Shentu Jia's question, Liu Sheng immediately reacted: "Old Prime Minister, this is another test for himself."

Realizing this, Liu Sheng was not in a hurry to speak, but turned sideways, and took the decoction sent by the servant of the Hou Mansion;
Sit down on the edge of the couch with half of the buttocks, even coaxing and 'frightening', feed Shen Tujia the medicine, and lie down on the couch again.

After tucking in the quilt for Shentu Jia, Liu Shengcai got up from the edge of the couch, sat down beside his elder brother Liu Pengzu, and let out a long sigh leisurely.

"Jianglihou Zhou Bo, who is dead, had three sons."

"They are the eldest son Zhou Shengzhi, the second son Zhou Yafu, and the third son Zhou Jian."

"—Among them, Zhou Shengzhi and Zhou Jian are both legitimate sons, and only Zhou Yafu is a concubine."

"After the death of Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiangli, the eldest son Zhou Shengzhi inherited the marquis; six years later, Zhou Shengzhi was abolished because of the crime of murder."

"Afterwards, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen recalled Zhou Bo's achievements and intended to continue the lineage of Marquis Jiang, but felt in a dilemma because Zhou Bo's other son, Zhou Jian, was not good at virtue."

"Knowing Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's intentions, all officials entered the palace together and unanimously recommended Zhou Yafu, Zhou Bo's second son, to the late Emperor."

"In the end, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen adopted the suggestions of all the officials, and enfeoffed Zhou Yafu as a Marquis, so as to continue the title of Marquis Jiang..."

Hearing Liu Sheng's extremely precise answer, Shentu Jia, who was lying flat on the couch, immediately nodded with satisfaction.

After thinking for a while in the dark, he turned his head slightly and looked at Liu Sheng who was kneeling in front of the couch again.

"The young master thinks, does Zhou Yafu have the ability to shoulder the responsibilities of a captain and lead an army to put down Liu Bi and Liu Wu's rebellion?"

Another question came from Shentu Jia's mouth, and Liu Sheng pondered for a while before giving his own answer.

"In the beginning, Zhou Yafu was appointed as the prefect of Hanoi by the late emperor before he became a marquis."

"Judging from Zhou Yafu's ability to be appointed as the county guard by the late emperor, Zhou Yafu is not a person without talent who only relies on the shadow of his father and grandfather."

"Later, Marquis Jiang and Zhou Shengzhi lost the marquis due to crimes. The late emperor wanted to continue the line of Marquis Jiang, and the ministers and ministers of the court jointly elected Zhou Yafu. This can also be seen."

"——As for this time, the emperor's father worshiped Zhou Yafu as the captain because of the entrustment of the late emperor who said, 'There are priorities, and Zhou Yafu can be the general'."

"And when the first emperor was dying, the reason why he entrusted his father with such entrustment was because of an incident that happened in the sixth year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign..."

After talking here and there in a calm tone, Liu Sheng quietly stopped talking, and then looked at his elder brother Liu Pengzu beside him.

After receiving Liu Sheng's 'signal', Liu Pengzu shook his head and smiled, and then turned his face slightly serious.

"In the sixth year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's Hou Yuan, the first emperor was seriously ill. The Huns took the opportunity to send troops to the south and invaded the side wall of our Han family on a large scale."

"Hearing the news that the Huns attacked the side wall, the first emperor immediately ordered: Zongzheng Liu Li garrison Bashang; Zhu Zihou Xuli garrison Thorny Gate; Hanoi County Governor Zhou Yafu garrison Xiliu to defend the capital and guard against the Huns."

"In order to boost morale, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen dragged his sick body and went to these three places to inspect and labor in person;"

"The first emperor went to Bashang first, and then to Thorny Gate. There is no need to report to these two places. When he saw the arrival of the emperor, the barracks would take the initiative to let him go;"

"Furthermore, Liu Li and Xu Li, the generals of the two places, did not receive the news until the first emperor arrived at the barracks, and they were greeted in a panic;"

"When sending the late emperor away, he personally led the whole army to the gate of the camp."

"—But when we arrived at Xiliu's barracks, the situation was quite different..."

After speaking softly, Liu Pengzu's expression became serious immediately.

After Liu Pengzu turned his head a little seriously, and looked at Liu Sheng who was beside him, Liu Sheng took the conversation back immediately.

"The first emperor arrived near Zhou Yafu's camp, but the imperial guards who cleared the way ahead were stopped outside the camp;"

"When I learned that it was the late emperor who came to express condolences, the guard at the military gate, Du Wei, said: The general has orders, and the army only obeys the general's orders, not the emperor's edict."

"When the late emperor arrived outside the Xiliu camp in the imperial chariot and sent envoys to bring in the emperor's talisman to announce, Zhou Yafu ordered the gates of the village to be opened to welcome the late emperor."

"Even after the late emperor entered the Xiliu camp, the soldiers guarding the camp never forgot to step forward and solemnly remind the late emperor's followers: the general has an order that vehicles and horses are not allowed to gallop in the barracks."

"—Hearing about this, the first emperor had no choice but to order the driver to control the reins so that the horses and chariots would not go too fast."

"When he arrived in front of the big tent in the army, Zhou Yafu, dressed in military uniform, came out to greet him, bowed his hands to the late emperor with a weapon in his hand, and said: "Masters of Jiezhou don't pay homage, please allow me to meet you in the army."

"Hearing this, the first emperor had no choice but to lower his body, leaning on the crossbar in front of the chariot, and saluted the soldiers..."

At the end of the talk, Liu Sheng's face gradually became serious.

There was also subconsciously a little unhappiness between the brows.

But in his mouth, Liu Sheng did not forget to continue to say the last sentence as a summary of his words.

"This incident is the story of 'Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's Xiliu military parade' that is still widely circulated in Guanzhong."

"It was also after this incident that Emperor Taizong Xiaowen paid more and more attention to Tiao Hou Zhou Yafu."

"Shortly afterwards, the Huns retreated, and the garrisons of Bashang, Thorny Gate, and Xiliu were all disbanded. Zhou Yafu, the governor of Hanoi, was also left in Chang'an by the late emperor as a lieutenant."

"A year later, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was seriously ill and dying, so he explained to his father: Zhou Yafu can be the general if there are priorities."

"After the death of the first emperor, the father also obeyed the entrustment of the first emperor. Zhou Yafu was still the lieutenant, and Zhou Yafu was given the title of 'general of chariots and cavalry'..."

Lying flat on the couch, listening to brothers Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu alternately talking about Zhou Yafu's "career", Shen Tujia's slightly sickly pale face was only filled with admiration.

Just as he was about to struggle to get up, Liu Sheng hurried forward, gently lifted Shentu Jia up, and put a few pillows behind Shentu Jia, allowing Shentu Jia to sit up a bit;

Sensing Liu Sheng's unpretentious, sincere concern and obedience, Shen Tujia couldn't help but smile.

Only a moment later, Shentu Jia looked at Liu Sheng, but became a little puzzled.

"From the young master's words, it seems that you are a little dissatisfied with Zhou Yafu?"

"—Could it be that in the past, something unpleasant happened between the young master and Zhou Yafu?"

He asked with a chuckle, but Liu Sheng shook his head without thinking.

Turning around, he picked up the warm water handed over by the servant and brought it to Shentujia's mouth little by little with a spoon. While feeding him, his mouth began to answer.

"Never."

"Lieutenant Zhou Yafu, I haven't even met him. I don't know what Zhou Yafu looks like."

"But when the late emperor went to Xiliu for a military parade, Zhou Yafu's attitude towards the late emperor made it hard for me not to feel disgusted."

"—Because in my opinion, obeying orders is the bounden duty of soldiers;"

"And the 'obedience to orders' here does not mean that the soldiers obey the orders of the superiors, but also the soldiers and generals must obey the orders of the emperor."

While speaking, most of the bowl of warm water had already been poured into Shentujia's mouth. Seeing Shentujia tilted his head back, Liu Sheng also took the water bowl away and handed it back to the servant beside him.

After sitting down again, Liu Sheng looked at Shen Tujia with a slightly sinister gaze.

"However, when the first emperor went to Xiliu for a military parade, Zhou Yafu repeatedly showed disrespectful gestures;"

"Even the soldiers of the Xiliu Camp said outrightly, 'We only obey the general's orders, not the emperor's edict', such rebellious words."

"So, even though Zhou Yafu's army can show the appearance of an elite army, I still feel that I hate Zhou Yafu."

"Because judging from what happened in the late emperor Xiliu's military parade back then, Zhou Yafu can only be regarded as a capable minister and good general at best, but he is definitely not a loyal minister."

"I'm afraid it's not a good choice to hand over the army, which is related to the safety of the ancestral temple and the country, into the hands of such a person."

Seeing Liu Sheng's unabashed Dao Ming's thoughts, and even bluntly expressing that he "has never met Zhou Yafu, but I still feel disgusted with Zhou Yafu", Shen Tujia's face immediately took on a little playfulness.

"But the reason why the son hates Zhou Yafu is precisely the reason why the late emperor trusted Zhou Yafu more and more?"

"Don't you think there is something strange about such a difference?"

"—Why did the same incident make the young master hate Zhou Yafu, but make the late emperor love Zhou Yafu more and more, and recognize Zhou Yafu's ability to manage the army more and more?"

But Liu Sheng smiled self-deprecatingly when he heard the words, and looked at Shen Tujia with a sense of calmness.

"The first emperor was a wise and sage king with the ability to tolerate others and a very broad mind."

"But I am the heir of my father, and I have completely inherited my father's character of being small-bellied and vengeful."

"It's really hard for me to approve of a courtier like Zhou Yafu, especially a leading general."

"Because in my opinion, the most important thing for a general is to be loyal to the monarch;"

"Secondly, is the ability to command the army."

"—I think that as long as a general is loyal enough to the monarch, even if he lacks the ability to command the army, he will at most lose the battle;"

"But someone like Zhou Yafu, who has the ability to command the army but is not loyal enough to the monarch or respectful enough to the superior, is like a double-edged sword."

"If you use it well, you can kill the enemy; if you use it badly, you can also hurt yourself..."

Following Liu Sheng's precise and sharp interpretation, Shentu Jia looked at Liu Sheng without any doubts;

From those old, cloudy eyes, what Liu Sheng can see is indescribable comfort...
"Every sentence, every word that the young master said, can be said to have spoken to my heart."

"For Zhou Yafu, my worries are the same as those of the young master..."

With a smile on his face, he said the phrase 'We want to go together', and saw Shen Tujia raised his head slightly, and let out a long and leisurely sigh;

Afterwards, Shentu Jia's face was also quietly filled with a sigh of relief, as well as some vague worries.

"Actually, the late emperor admired Zhou Yafu's talent, not because of Zhou Yafu's shortcomings, which were not enough to make the late emperor hate him."

"It's the first emperor's dynasty. There are very few generals in our Han family who can be trusted..."

Sighing again, Shen Tujia smiled wryly and shook his head again.

"When the first emperor came to Chang'an from the land of Dai, most of the founding fathers of our Han family were old and senile;"

"And since the time of Emperor Taizu Gao, the court has been implementing the national policy of governing by doing nothing and reforming with the people, which has also made the new generation of generals unable to stand out from the ranks for a long time."

"The military generals that the late emperor could count on are only a few confidantes brought from Dai Kingdom."

"But even those confidantes of the humerus have failed the late emperor's expectations one after another..."

"——Firstly, Bozhao, Marquis of Zhi, committed unforgivable crimes one after another in his capacity as a chariot general, and was forced to death by the late emperor;"

"Afterwards, Zhang Wu, Lang Zhong Ling, completely ruined his reputation by accepting bribes from others."

"Even if the first emperor didn't convict Zhang Wu for this matter, but gave five hundred gold, it still failed to prevent Zhang Wu from being discredited, and he can no longer express any opinions in the court... "..."

"After Bo Zhao and Zhang Wu had accidents, the first emperor had no choice but to let Zhuang Wuhou Song Chang be in charge of the southern and northern armies."

"However, as time went on, Song Chang was in charge of the southern and northern armies, which gradually made the late emperor doubtful..."

Full of embarrassment, Shen Tujia couldn't help but let out another long sigh when he told the story of the past;
Between the brows, there is full of feelings and regrets visible to the naked eye.

"In the third year after the first emperor succeeded to the throne, he planned to fight the Huns, but because of the rebellion of King Liu Xingju of Jibei, the plan for fighting the Huns was completely disrupted."

"Since then, the first emperor has never had the idea of ​​'raising troops to the north and decisively fighting the Huns'. He only focused on internal governance and the issues of clan princes."

"Just like a sword that has not been used for many years will rust, and a bowstring that has not been drawn for many years will slack. After many years of not experiencing the baptism of war, the generals of the Han family are becoming increasingly scarce."

"In the end, when Zhou Yafu became famous because of the late emperor's 'Xiliu military parade', my Han family had no generals to use..."

At the end, Shentu Jia finally shook his head and sighed bitterly, and looked away from the roof;
When looking at Liu Sheng again, Shentu Jia finally showed some gentleness between his brows.

"It is indeed as the young master said: Judging from the status of a general, Zhou Yafu is indeed only an excellent general, but he is not considered a obedient courtier."

"But under the current situation, it is indeed as the late emperor said when he entrusted His Majesty: Zhou Yafu can be the general if there are priorities."

"—or it should be said, 'There are priorities, and only Zhou Yafu can take charge'..."

Hearing Shentu Jia's words, Liu Sheng thought about it for a while, and finally nodded slowly.

"What the teacher means, the students understand."

"The students have no doubts about Zhou Yafu's ability to govern the army."

"It is indeed as the teacher said: in the current situation, the only counter-insurgency coach that the court can take is Zhou Yafu..."

Seeing that Liu Sheng understood what he meant, Shen Tujia couldn't help but nodded again.

Having said so much, the old prime minister was obviously a little tired, so he sat up a little bit, supported by Liu Sheng, and lay back on the couch again.

Just lying down, Shen Tujia didn't forget to say something.

"As for the traitor Zhou Qiu, the culprits are those powerful Qi who have not yet been moved to Guanzhong, but instead lived in Qi to exploit the common people, and eventually joined Zhou Qiu and joined the rebel army."

"The lesson from this incident, you two, you must learn from it!"

"—In the future, when the two young masters are crowned kings, they will also encounter such problems;"

"At that time, the two young masters must not protect and shield them because of the bewitching of the powerful, and escape the forced relocation of the court."

"Only by reporting all the tyrants to the court and successfully moving them into Guanzhong, the county and state of Guandong, will there be real peace;"

"Without these local tyrants doing evil, the people in the Kanto region will be able to live a peaceful life for a few years..."

The earnest and earnest admonition attracted the two brothers to stand up and pay respects to Shentu Jia who was on the couch.

Then, Shen Tujia closed his eyes tiredly, and waved slightly towards the two brothers.

"Today, let's come here..."

"His Majesty has basically made arrangements for countering the rebellion, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and rest at home for a while..."

"Second sons, don't come to me any more soon..."

Unexpectedly, some ordinary words made Liu Sheng shake his head hastily.

"The teacher may be old and always forget to take medicine;"

"So, the students should come to the Hou Mansion every day and watch the teacher drink the medicine in person."

The indifferent words only caused Shentujia's complexion to suddenly turn bitter, and he couldn't help showing a little stiffness in his eyes when he looked at Liu Sheng.

"Uh······"

"that······"

"—Didn't Your Majesty ask you to make another chain mail?"

"My lord, you should concentrate on it and complete your majesty's entrustment as soon as possible~"

"I'm not a child, how can I not take the medicine on time because I think the medicine is bitter?"

The words full of guilty conscience only caused Liu Sheng to shake his head resolutely, and smiled at Shen Tujia full of insight.

"Teacher, don't worry;"

"That piece of chain mail, the student has already sent it to the emperor."

"Students really can't find anything else to do in the palace."

"—Instead of wasting time, it would be better to visit the teacher every day;"

"While listening to the teacher's admonition, you also spend more time with the teacher and do your duty as a student?"

As he said so, Liu Sheng had a playful smile on his face;

His eyes couldn't help but cast to his side, the pottery bowl that still had some medicine stains.

Seeing that Liu Sheng did not back down, Shen Tujia knew that he couldn't beat Liu Sheng, so he finally closed his eyes in despair, looked up to the sky and let out a sigh.

"Ugh······"

"Since this is the case, when I take the medicine tomorrow, young master, you must let me eat a bowl of honey water, right?"

"—that decoction is really too bitter..."

　In the previous chapter, a reader asked: Has Zhou Yafu been made a Marquis?
　　During the recent special period, the starting point cannot comment, so I will answer the readers' confusion here.

　　"Historical Records Jianghou Zhoubo's Family": Zhou Bo died, Emperor Wen felt his merits, and ordered his son to be the most sage. (original)

　　Zhou Bo, the marquis of Jiang, died. Emperor Wen was grateful for his contributions and issued an edict to select Zhou Bo's most capable son. People elected Zhou Yafu, so Enyin Zhou Yafu became a marquis, succeeding Zhou Bo's title. (translation)

　　So what is the actual situation?
　　The answer is: after Zhou Bo's death, according to the eldest son inheritance system, Zhou Bo's eldest son Zhou Shengzhi inherited the title of Marquis Jiang.

　　Later, Jiang Hou and Zhou Shengzhi were deprived of the title of Jiang Hou because of murder. According to historical records, it is "Zhou Shengzhi sits and kills, and Jiang Hou country is eliminated"-Jiang Hou country was abolished.

　　Later, Emperor Wen wanted to continue the lineage of Marquis Jiang, so he chose Zhou Yafu, Zhou Bo's concubine son.

　　But the state of Jianghou had been abolished, so another state was found, and Zhou Yafu was enfeoffed as: Tiaohou.

　　Therefore, the actual situation is: Zhou Yafu has never been a Marquis of Jiang, and Zhou Yafu has been a Marquis of Tiao since the first day he was named a Marquis.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)