Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 601 Funeral
"This—" Li Hong was stumped. Wang Wenzuo's question seemed not difficult, but it would take a while to answer it. After all, there were too many factors involved in the combat effectiveness of the army. It is not easy to generalize, he thought for a moment and replied: "It must be the Western Wei and Zhou Dynasty. Although China's strength is not as good as it is today, but there are strong enemies on the side, and the whole is united. Therefore, although the soldiers are few and the country is poor, the soldiers are refined. You can win more with less; now, although the country is rich and the soldiers are numerous, the generals are accustomed to ease, the armaments are weak, and the soldiers are not as good as before!"

"What His Royal Highness said is true!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "But do you think that if everyone has been accustomed to being comfortable every day, and someone else wakes them up and forces them to repair their spears and practice martial arts, do you think everyone will like it or not?" Hate this guy?"

"It must be annoying!" Li Hong had already understood what Wang Wenzuo meant at this time: "Even though you say this, you can't just do nothing because you are afraid of people's words, right? Otherwise, why do you want to explain to the emperor?"

"I didn't say that I would not do anything!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "I just don't want to make too many enemies! Your Highness, think about it, if I recruit officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Finance as you said, I will make a big deal of it. I'm afraid everyone inside and outside Chang'an City will know about the military affairs the next morning. What do you think will happen next, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

"They will definitely try their best to obstruct it?" Li Hong asked after thinking for a while, "But with my support, what are you afraid of?"

"Your Highness, don't you know the truth of destroying bones and destroying bones?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "In the final analysis, I am not a saint, and I am in a place of suspicion. How can I not fall into the trap if I want to rectify the government soldiers?" .Your Highness, if you can protect me once or twice, can you protect me forever? After all, the laws of this country are not set up for the minister alone!"

When Li Hong heard this, his face became gloomy. After a while, he sighed dejectedly: "What Sanlang said is true. I really thought it was simple. Is it so difficult to do something that is beneficial to the country?"

"Of course!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "If the country is a one-pot meal, then everyone has a share of how much they can take. The strong can't take more, and the weak can't take less, so that the country can be strong. How many times can this happen? Mostly, the strong will clean up the rice in the pot, and the weak will not only get a little bit of rice from the pot, but also take a lot out of their pockets to stick it in, such as what the emperor asked his ministers to do It is to let the strong spit out the rice that has been eaten and redistribute it to the weak, don't you think it is not difficult?"

"Yes!" Li Hong sighed, "Helping the weak and weeding out the strong is indeed a difficult task. So what are your plans, Sanlang?"

"It's hard to be outraged!" Wang Wenzuo stretched out a finger: "If you really want to do something, the first thing is to get rid of the fame and seek real benefits. The emperor said that he wants to rectify the government's military affairs, so the name should go first. Because there are too many people who have benefited from this matter of Fubing, if this banner is used, it will be equivalent to making countless enemies at once, and nine times out of ten it will not be successful!"

"Remove the title?" Li Hong was taken aback: "What do you mean? Don't tell me you didn't use this to watch the military appearance and announce the consolation?"

"If possible, it's best to remove the official position of the minister after a while! The reason is that it's not good for the subordinate to do business!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "There is no way, this big hat is put on the head, no matter what you do, you can do it. Being stared at by countless pairs of eyes, how can I do anything!"

"It's okay, I can talk to my father!" Li Hong nodded: "But how do you do things without an official position?"

"You can give me any kind of dispatch!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "For example, give me a dispatch from the Taipu Temple to inspect the ranch, or something else, as long as it allows me to send people around Guanzhong in a legitimate way. The less noticeable the better!"

"I understand!" Li Hong nodded, and looked at Wang Wenzuo more apologetically: "It's just that, Saburo is suffering!"

"It doesn't matter, it's the wise man's action to go to the false name and seek practical benefits!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile. What he said was the truth. At the beginning, it was the housekeepers of the Spring and Autumn Period, that is, the stewards of the nobles. After those nobles usurped the royal power and turned their families into a country, the prime minister became a prominent official position; Officials, one of the six ministers, responsible for the management of the emperor's documents, and since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established the Inner Dynasty, the ministers of the Shaofu were used to handle the world's documents and memorials. Since then, the Shangshutai has become the center of the court, and the Shangshuling is even more humble In terms of weight, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Sangong and the general added "Lu Shang Shu Shi" to be the actual ruler. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Shang Shutai broke away from the inner dynasty, and the Shang Shu Ling became the actual prime minister.

In the final analysis, as long as the emperor trusts him, it doesn't matter what official he is; if the emperor doesn't trust him, then even if the official name is followed by the third grade of Zhongshu sect, it is only closer to losing his head.If Wang Wenzuo can be selected, he would like to set up a "Datang Central Agricultural Policy Research Office", "Guanzhong Peasant Military Sports Research Association", "Donggong Rural Development Research Liaison Office", and "Datang Central Statistical Investigation Center". Incomprehensible agency.Anyway, the most difficult thing to rectify the soldiers in Guanzhong is not to give orders, but to collect detailed first-hand information: 261 Zhechong mansions in Guanzhong, how much land each Zhechong mansion actually has, how many people, how many soldiers can be produced, how many soldiers can be produced, and how much land is actually left in each Zhechong mansion. How much land is occupied, by whom, and what is the reason for the occupation.With these detailed information, it is possible to target, attack, divide, and win over.Instead of handing out a piece of yellow paper in Chang'an, the execution will be completely changed in the next step. Things have not been done much, but the prefectures and counties have complained, people and animals are uneasy, and finally can only step down in despair.

"Okay! Everything will be done according to Saburo's plan!" Li Hong nodded: "It will probably take a few months for you to be exempted from watching the military appearance and consoling him. After all, it is related to the face of the court. As for others Yes, what do you need me to do?"

"No need for now!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I plan to start with a relatively remote prefecture and county, and first collect some local idlers from Chang'an City, and let them go to investigate the situation first. In this way, even if something happens, it will be implicated. Not to me. If you figure out a prefecture and county, you will rectify a prefecture and county. The conditions are immature and the situation is not clear. I would rather do nothing than give others a handle!"

"Okay!" Li Hong was also infected by the confidence in Wang Wenzuo's words, and he nodded with a smile: "Sanlang doesn't have to be too careful, don't forget that you are still the person who leads the six leaders of the East Palace. Enter the palace to see the right of the king!"

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly thanked him. Of course he knew the meaning of Li Hongcai's words. The official positions of lieutenant in the army had very special significance in the central politics of the Han and Tang Dynasties.The East Palace in the Tang Dynasty was located in the palace city, only one step away from the Taiji Palace. Li Hong gave Wang Wenzuo the right to enter the East Palace for 24 hours to see him. generals.

After sending the prince away, Wang Wenzuo returned to his study and continued his work until the time of the prince was almost over.In the bedroom, his wife rubbed his stiff shoulders distressedly, and complained: "Sanlang, with your current official position, why do you have to do everything by yourself? Don't you have a capable person around you?"

"No way!" Wang Wenzuo gave a wry smile: "My subordinates can draw bows far more than they can write. If you use outsiders, you don't have to worry about it. It would be great if Yiji Lianbode was still there!"

"It's good that Mr. Yi is here!" Cui Yunying rolled his eyes: "It would be great if that Mr. Lu went back to Chang'an with you!"

"Lu Zhaolin?" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "He should forget it?"

"Is Mr. Lu okay?" Cui Yunying was a little unconvinced: "His literary talent is rare in this world!"

"It's not a matter of literary talent!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "He and Wang Bo have the same problem, and they think more about gaining fame, and then going straight to the top, and ruling the world. But the problem is that the most taboo thing about this matter is Let others know that letting him come is not much different from committing suicide!"

"So troublesome?"

"Well! If it is leaked out, eight out of ten people in Chang'an will want to eat my meat! That's why I can only do it myself!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Going against the trend, I can only eat more by myself What a pain!"

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While Wang Wenzuo was patiently conducting investigations and research in Guanzhong, the situation in the northeast was taking a turn for the worse. In the spring of 671 AD, the only surviving important official and famous general of Silla Kingdom from the era of Queen Seondeok, the great general and Dajiaogan Jin Yuxin finally passed away. .His death was like a thunderbolt falling on the emerging country of Silla, giving people an ominous premonition.

capital city of silla, golden city

The cold rain swirled, turning the walls made of red granite into a dark red, like clotted blood.Jin Famin held the queen's hand tightly and led him through the brick courtyard to the heavily guarded sedan chair. "I want to ride a horse so that I can watch my father leave with my own eyes!" the queen objected.

"But you are still pregnant, and the weather is still very cold!" Jin Famin said in a low voice. This is his wife's third child. He also doesn't want you to risk yourself and your child, and he also wants you and me to look like kings in front of the envoys of the Tang people, we can't be like a drowned rat, let the Tang people underestimate us!"

The queen didn't speak. Her skin was pale and lifeless, and she looked like a corpse under the black filial piety. This made Jin Famin feel even more distressed. He held his wife's cold hand and kissed it: "I swear to you, Everything will work out!"

The queen looked into her husband's eyes, tears welling in her eyes, and finally she nodded.After getting into the sedan chair, the queen leaned on the pillow and peeped out the rain curtain outside the window, "The Bodhisattva is weeping for his father, and the raindrops are his tears."

"We need blood more now than tears!" Jin Famin thought to himself, but he had no family background. Jin Yuxin died late at night the day before yesterday. After learning the news, Jin Famin rushed to the Jin Mansion. The old man's body was lying on the bed, The veins on the fingers were exposed, the mouth was open, and the eyes were round, as if wanting to shout.He will never forget the scene at that time, Jin Yuxin's son whispered: "Father was suffocated to death by being pressed by a pillow, the accompanying guard died beside the bed, and his Adam's apple was crushed!"

Even now, Jin Famin can still feel the chill on his back. He knows the bodyguard of Jin Yuxin very well. The big silent man is a strong man. Lifting a mare under the belly, of course he is old now, but even so, his arm strength has not weakened, such a fierce man was strangled beside Jin Yuxin's bed so silently, if The assassin came to kill me that night?Jin Famin didn't dare to think about it anymore!

The sedan chair walked down the slope slowly, two Hualang rode in front, the white armor and white robes and white horses were soaked by the rain, behind the sedan chair was a royal guard in full armor.

The queen carefully lifted the curtains, and the street outside was crowded with people, which made her feel better: "Your Majesty, everyone has come to pay father's funeral!"

"Yes!" Jin Famin sighed: "After all, Yu Xingong is dead, no matter how much he hates him, he will not fight with a dead man! Next, we will face those rats hiding in the gutter Already!"

In the center of Jincheng, in front of the magnificent tomb of Jin Chunqiu made of granite, the mourning crowd is far less than the guards arranged around the square by Jin Famin.More people will come, Jin Famin asked the guards to help his wife get off the sedan chair, thinking to himself.After all, there are nobles all around now, and later, civilians will be allowed to come to the funeral.I will come to worship again in the evening, so that the common people can see my mourning. Without their support, it will be difficult for me to deal with those enemies hiding in the shadows.

Xue Rengui stood in the first row. As an envoy of the Shang Kingdom, his status was higher than that of everyone present, even Jin Famin.But his face looked blank, this assassination should have nothing to do with him?Jin Famin thought to himself, but this might be a disguise, after all, for the people of Tang, even if Jin Yuxin could breathe, he was a huge threat.Compared with Xue Rengui's arrival, Jin Yuxin's death is too coincidental.

Xue Rengui's thick palm stretched out from the brocade robe, like a hard rock, Jin Famin hastily stretched out his right hand and shook it.

"Your Highness, please mourn and take care of your body!" Xue Rengui whispered.

"Thank you!" Jin Famin nodded: "Director Xue, please!"

(End of this chapter)